[Ranma][FanFic] The Bet - Gemini Effect
MetroAnime
by Gregg Sharp, Metro...@aol.com
stone supplied by Shadow6865
pond supplied by Rumiko Takahashi
Toltiir had seen gods step up and
place their bets. Demons attempting to be
creative as they found a keystone to manipulate,
and even dimensional wanderers putting their
two cents in.
A shadow darkened and formed a
solid form, one with two white slits for eyes.
"A shadow demon?" Toltiir blinked.
"Well, well, do you have a suggestion?"
The shadow made a gesture.
"Actually, I was hoping for
something a little more constructive," the
black cat said with a grimace.
The shadow extended a thread
of itself and manipulated the scrying globe.
-----------------------------
Doctor Matsudeira did his best
to comfort the two grieving would-be parents.
Unfortunately he couldn't allow them time to
grieve. "When we were investigating why
you miscarried, we found something that
needs to be taken care of now..."
-----------------------------
Toltiir nodded. "So Kasumi
was miscarried and never born. Okay, I
can see where this will be different, as
Kasumi was the mother/nurturer figure
for both her sisters and kept everyone
from falling apart."
The shadow nodded and
gestured.
Toltiir watched as the scan
shot forward. "Hmmm. Radiation therapy.
So Nabiki isn't born either. Akane's an
only child?"
The shadow shook his head.
--------------------------
Soun Tendo, out celebrating
his wife's recovery and clean bill of health.
Two months after that news, and she'd
had special news a month later. Pregnant!
Soun had been using a Chinese
fertility medicine. Now it turned out there
was a side effect. TWINS!
Soun was so very happy. So
very drunk. So very...
----------------------------
"Alcohol poisoning?" Toltiir
looked at what Soun had been drinking. "Damn,
that's not even cheap rotgut sake, it's almost
furniture stripper."
The shadow gestured.
"No Nabiki? You sure you didn't
manipulate things a little there?"
The shadow shrugged and
pointed.
"So two girls? Ah, here we go!"
----------------------
"I...understand, officer." Kimiko
Tendo held herself emotionless until the
policeman had gone. "Damn you, Soun,
you hung around that Happosai much too
long..."
Soun had recovered
consciousness long enough to make one
request to be relayed to his wife. The
Saotome line and the Tendo line were
to become one, by marrying Genma's
son to one of her children.
An agreement between
drinking buddies who'd been getting
themselves thoroughly disgusting at
the time. Now it was the dying breath
last request of her husband.
"Soun, you fool. What if
they're both boys?"
------------------------------
"They're not....oh good."
Toltiir nodded. "That's already been
done, anyway, and in that timeline
Genma threw Ranma in the spring on
purpose."
The shadow shrugged
again.
-----------------------------
Yin and yang, Kimiko was
reminded of when she saw her two
natural daughters.
Akane had been born
healthy and strong. She took after
her father, given to extremes of
emotion, fits of violence, even
his dark hair.
Kasumi had been born
with a weak heart and a gentle nature.
Kimiko thought that in nature and
appearance, Kasumi took after herself.
So, now she struggled to
take care of her daughters. When
Kasumi had offered to take over the
cooking, Kimiko had been overjoyed
but cautious. Kasumi was so weak
and frail. Kasumi had rallied, and it
became a point of pride. She could
do this, and she could contribute.
Akane was the warrior.
Kasumi the nurturer.
Kimiko sighed. She had
to go to work. Being an OL was not
what she had in mind when she had
graduated, but it seemed all she could
find and the money was so necessary.
She hoped she could hold on...
----------------------------------
"Akane Tendo, I would date
with you! Kasumi Tendo, my love!"
"Kuno, please, don't."
Kasumi gasped for breath as she
attempted to run from the bokken
wielding suitor. "I'm...promised to
another."
"Who is this cur? Where
may I find him and free you of this
unwanted tie?" Kuno gestured
dramatically.
"He is Ranma...Saotome...
and...he's on a training journey."
Kasumi gasped, unable to spare
the breath for speech. She'd developed
asthma a few years ago and it still
gave her considerable trouble.
"Hear me then," Kuno
gestured. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, the
Shooting Star of the kendo club,
vow to free you of the evil of this
Ranma."
Kasumi blinked. She still
couldn't believe this guy. Akane
scooped her sister up and ran into
the school.
"Why'd you tell that jerk
about that dumb arranged marriage
thing, sis?"
"I hoped he'd leave me
alone," Kasumi managed to say
between gasps.
Akane shrugged.
"With any luck this Ranma guy
won't show and we won't have
to bother with him."
Kasumi nodded, but
was thinking along completely
different lines from her sister.
--------------------
"Ranma's a...girl?"
Kasumi fainted.
Akane moved forward
but noticed this new girl had
managed to react in time and
catch her sister.
"Uhm. Put her down
here." Akane grabbed a futon
and spread it out. "So...while
we wait for Kasumi to wake up,
you study kempo, right?"
"A little. Is she going
to be alright?" Ranma's eyes
kept flicking back to the girl who
had just fainted. She had been so
excited and seemed really happy
to see him, then came the discovery
that he was a she, and her expression
was similar to someone who had just
gotten a death sentence. Then came
a faint. Ranma felt protective instincts
kick in.
"Oh, she'll be fine." Akane
shrugged. There would be other times
for sparring, after all. "Hey, those clothes
are pretty damp. Shouldn't you change?"
"Yeah, I guess." Ranma
continued to watch the girl who had
fainted. She had been so light and looked
so helpless...
"C'mon, I'll show you the
furo."
"OK."
Akane came back a moment
later, checking on her sister. Beginning to
show signs of revival.
Akane stretched. "Well, I
might as well get a bath too." She
entered the bathroom.
Kasumi's eyes shot open
as she heard a scream. "Oh my."
The scream's source ran
past, grabbed the dining room table,
and whirled towards the hallway. "I'll
drown him in the bathtub!"
"Akane, what do you..."
"There's a pervert in the
bathtub. Who knows what he did with
Ranma?"
"Uhm," an unfamiliar voice
began. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about
this."
-----------------------------------
where do we go from here dept.
Genma and Kimiko decide. Kasumi should
marry Ranma because she needs someone
more than Akane does, and Kasumi's
strengths compliment Ranma's.
Akane is happy with this
arrangement, at least at first. Kasumi is
happy with this arrangement, though
she feels Ranma has a lot of "rough
edges." Ranma learns he has to be
really careful with Kasumi's feelings
and that she really does need someone
to help and protect her, just as she
needs someone she can help in her turn.
Kuno is NOT happy with the
arrangement, as he wanted both sisters.
Now he wants both of them, AND the
pig-tailed girl.
Akane still beats on Ranma
on a regular basis, mainly for not paying
enough attention to her sister, getting
her involved in mishaps, etc.
----------
"Ranma Saotome, prepare to
die!"
"Ranma, look out." Kasumi
ran forward, trying to keep moving as
the tension started triggering an asthma
attack again.
Ranma shielded her from the
flying bandanas, crying out in shock as
one of the razor sharp bandanas cut into
his back. "Kasumi, get away."
Ryouga stopped. The woman
was obviously not well, was physically
quite weak, but she was trying to protect
Ranma. He couldn't, however justified he
felt he was, attack when someone so
helpless would be in danger.
"Saotome, how dare you let
your woman get into danger during a
man-to-man battle?"
"So leave Kasumi out of it,"
Ranma said, clutching his wound. Then
stopped and blushed as he realized what
he had just done.
Kasumi also blushed and
her face took on a smile that seemed
to brighten the day.
Akane, recently arrived, wiped
a tear away. "You better not hurt her,
Saotome."
The murmur of the crowd
indicated that they had understood too.
Ryouga had referred to Kasumi as Ranma's
woman. Ranma had not, for the first time,
denied it or immediately qualified it in
a half dozen fumbling ways.
Ranma's thought was quite
different and went along the lines of "Uh
oh."
-----------------------
SCENE: "Oh my, Akane, where did you
find that little piglet?"
"I'm gonna name him P-chan,
P for Pig, Chan for cute, ne?"
--------------------
"Shampoo kill obstacle, but
Shampoo no fight one who can't fight
back. Hmmm. Shampoo wash that man
right out of your hair? No, is obvious
weak girl have real feelings for airen.
Shampoo have to ask greatgrandma..."
--------------------
"Kasumi Tendo, I challenge
you to Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics
for the love of Ranma Saotome!" Kodachi
blinks. "She collapsed? She must have been
overwhelmed by my innate superiority."
Ranma scooped up Kasumi
tenderly and glanced back at Kodachi.
"No, she's having an asthma attack
triggered by all these damn rose petals.
Go away."
---------------------
oh well, this is a rough. ja ne.