[Ranma][FanFic] Ranma's Fiancees - Part 2
jstai...@earthlink.net
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Ranma 1/2: Ranma's Fiancees
By Lady Tesser and Jack Staik
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Tofu was expecting some business at the clinic today (it had been a couple of
weeks since the Wedding Fiasco, as everyone was calling it, and all the usual
suspects were well-rested). He even expected Ranma and Akane, who had barely
moderated their violence.
What he didn't expect was Ranma-Onna and Akane coming in, with their arms
around each other, apparently happy. In fact, to his ki-based perceptions,
they were glowing a deep gold, resonating with love.
And he *certainly* never expected to see the male version of Ranma behind
them, smiling at the twosome. The male Ranma, however, had the unmistakable
ki-patterns of a woman.
And behind them, Nabiki Tendo, her face as calm as ever, but her aura swirling
with clouds of doubt and uncertainty.
(Doctor Tofu didn't used to check the ki-patterns of everyone who came in his
door, but somewhere between the third shape-shifter and second demonic
possession, prudence overcame modesty.)
"Hi, Doc!" Ranma-Onna said in the usual irreverent manner. "Mind if we borrow
some hot water?"
"No, Ranma-kun," Tofu answered, holding out a thermos, "I always keep some at
hand for our ... more exotic patients."
The male-looking Ranma took the offered thermos and poured it on himself - er,
herself, collapsing into a perfect duplicate of the girl Akane was embracing.
The other Ranma-Onna took the thermos and duplicated the action, becoming a
tall, muscular black-haired boy again.
"You're a lifesaver, Tofu-sensei." the girl-Ranma said, in a polite and
feminine manner. "Unless you have some umbrellas, may we wait here until the
drizzle lets up?"
"Of course, miss-?"
"Oh," she said, blushing. "Pardon my familiarity. I know you quite well,
although we've never actually spoken. I am Ranko Saotome, formerly the female
soul within Ranma Saotome, now his sister."
"Fascinating..." Tofu said. "You were a component of Ranma-kun?"
"Not exactly. I became independent and self-aware just after he was cursed at
Jusenkyo, but it took awhile for-"
"Uh, Ko-chan?" Ranma asked his sister, "do ya think you oughtta just blab
about our private lives to everyone in the street?"
Ranko thunked him in the forehead with her finger. "Hollow sound. I thought as
much, after spending all of my life in there. Pay attention, Saotome," she
began, "we don't know what happened, do we? Suddenly we were independent
beings, after sharing one body for so long. Why did this happen? Was it made
to happen? Can it be duplicated with the other Jusenkyo-cursed people? If
someone made it happen, who and why?
"We need answers, and Tofu-sensei is the best-qualified person to help us find
them. And he's a doctor, so we don't have to worry about him blabbing about a
patient's condition."
Ranma looked confused. "Oh," he replied.
Ranko sighed. "Akane-chan, I've tried to teach him how to think for most of my
life. I hereby hand the task over to you." She turned to the doctor. "I would
like to consult with you concerning this matter - if you don't mind."
"Not at all," Tofu agreed, smiling even more. "The Jusenkyo curse is always a
fascinating study. This new problem promises to be just as interesting."
She nodded, walking into a private room with the doctor. Akane and Ranma
looked out the window at the rain, smiling and holding each other.
Nabiki brooded, and thought dark thoughts.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ryoga meditated, directing his ki into his body, accelerating his healing
processes. The giant bruise was almost cleared up, two weeks healing done in a
day. The cracked bones would be totally repaired within another day.
(Of course, Doctor Tofu's knowledge of exotic ki-manipulation lores, including
acupuncture and moxibustion, aided the process.)
Soon, he would be able to go to Akane and explain everything. He could see it
in his mind's eye now...
<RYOGA: Akane-san, this is all Ranma's fault!>
<AKANE: Ranma NO BAKA!!>
<Akane mallets Ranma, then Ryoga smashes Ranma with his umbrella.>
<AKANE: Oh Ryoga-kun! How could I have ever doubted you? I love you!>
<Ryoga and Akane kiss over Ranma's carcass.>
(Of course, he still had a few more details to figure out.)
<But what of Akari?> a nasty little voice whispered in the back of his head.
<Akari? Akari loves me,> he thought. <Her pig fixation is really annoying - a
bit sick, in fact - but she does love me.>
"Akari, Akane ... how do I choose? I must have them *both*!" he cried outloud.
Ryoga made a mental note: Stop hanging around Kuno.
In the waiting room, the words Ryoga just shouted hung in the air. Ranma felt
Akane stiffen up, then she turned away and marched resolutely toward the
patient rooms.
"Akane, wait!" Ranma called after her. "You can't pummel a guy in his hospital
bed!"
"Sure I can. Watch me."
"AKANE!" he cried. "PLEASE!!"
She stopped. She turned around.
"Ranma-sama, after all he's done to us, how can you be so ... forgiving?"
Ramna shrugged. "Dunno. Just me, I guess."
"*Buta-hentai* wouldn't have forgiven *you*!" she said, her voice dripping
with contempt for the Lost Boy.
"I know." he said.
Akane hugged him. "You even forgave me," she said quietly.
"Nothing to forgive." he answered, his arms wrapping around her.
Ryoga listened to the exchange outside his door. <'Buta-hentai'? Is that all I
am to her now? A perverted pig?> He felt his heart shatter yet again. <How did
this happen? How did everything go so wrong?>
And all of Ryoga's thinking led him back to one inescapable conclusion ...
This was all Ranma's fault.
* * * * * * * * * *
After filling Tofu-sensei in on the details of her and Ranma's 'relationship'
(leaving out certain embarrassing parts), Ranko went to rejoin her twin and
his fiancee. They were still embracing, as if afraid to let each other go.
Ranko gazed her at Ranma and Akane, smiling with pride and love for them. It
was a long road for her, trying to convince Ranma that he needed to be loved.
But all was well, even though they *both* had the Curse now.
Doctor Tofu came right behind her, viewing the scene of Ranma and Akane with a
wistful smile.
"It was about time," he said to Ranko. "Sometimes, I really did worry about
those kids."
She nodded, adding, "I know the feeling, Tofu-sensei."
Nabiki had been pretending to ignore the happy couple, letting them have an
illusion of privacy. However, she watched them closely, worried for her
sister. And about Ranma and ... *her*.
Ranko felt Nabiki's turmoil. Nabiki was questioning *her* motives now.
<Understandable>, Ranko thought to herself. <The only time we were in the same
room she heard Ranma and I proclaiming our love.>
But after everything that happened, she can only see the Tendo girls as her
sisters, and even Ranma was more of a brother to her now. Granted, she
wouldn't mind having a round or two between the sheets with him, but it wasn't
necessary. She shrugged, knowing problems were going to increase simply
because of her existence.
<Time to defuse some land mines,> she thought.
She went over to Nabiki. "Um, Nabiki? Can I speak to you privately?"
"Sure." Nabiki said, her Suspicion-meter redlining. <What was this demon or
whatever up to?>
Ranko led Nabiki to a nearby examining room. She pulled her red locks out of
the pigtail and ran her fingers through her hair, letting it fall over her
shoulders, softly waving from the braid.
<Look at that>, Nabiki thought to herself. <Undeniably female. Pulling her
hair out of that damn pigtail, walking decently, gentle movements. I wonder
what I can make off of Kuno for pics of this?>
"Nabiki?" Ranko asked.
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I borrowed some of your clothes until I can get my own?
Ranma doesn't dress comfortably for a girl," she smiled wanely, looking down
at the red Chinese shirt and blue pants.
"Why my clothes?" Nabiki asked.
Ranko leaned over, whispering, "Because I have a better chance of fitting into
your clothes than Akane's. Recall the time Happosai stretched out one of
Akane's bras because he insisted on Ranma wearing it?"
"Ah, got ya'," she nodded, smiling at the memory.
"Besides, you know how to dress like a woman, and I can't stand dressing
unisex anymore!"
Nabiki went into professional consultant mode, looking over Ranko for the
first time. <Identical to Ranma's female form. The stuff I got for his planned
modeling shoot would do nicely...>
"I have a dress, but you'll probably have to borrow one of Kasumi's bras."
Ranko nodded. While Nabiki wasn't lightly endowed, she wasn't in Ranko's
class.
"Say ... Ko-chan? Do you mind if I call you that?"
Ranko smiled. "Of course not, Nabiki."
"Have you ever considered modelling?"
"Have you ever considered a fair split of your earnings from those cocktail
napkins?"
Nabiki spluttered.
"Only fair, since I was the one who finally talked him into it," Ranko added,
combing her fingers through her hair.
Nabiki gathered her bearings and replied, "But it was Ranma that did the
actual shooting."
"Nonetheless, neither of us have seen one yen off it ourselves. Perhaps we can
strike a deal between ourselves without him knowing."
She regarded the redhead silently, then stated, "We'll work something out."
* * * * * * * * * *
It was a quiet evening at the Tendo residence when the four arrived home.
Genma was in Panda form and reading the newspaper in the dining room while
Soun was attempting to locate a missing section of the paper in front of the
giant panda. They didn't quite notice when the teenagers arrived.
"We have to tell our fathers," Ranma whispered to Akane.
The two went to the dojo to practice. Ranma noticed the practice dummies that
once held his likeness now were wearing yellow tunics and animal print
bandanas. He distracted her from using them and to a mock match with him.
"I know. I'm nervous," she replied, feinting a punch to his gut. He tapped her
left arm in the process.
"Me, too. After what ya did to the Old Man last night..."
Akane winced, remembering she threw her future father-in-law out the window,
after threatening to kill him.
"Well, he asked for it," she landed a blow to Ranma's chest, and he stepped
back.
"Um, Akane-sama, your battle aura."
"Oops," she breathed deeply, closing her eyes to quiet the heat and cool her
emotions down. "Gomen."
Ranma nodded, smiling. Akane looked up at him and threw her arms around him,
kissing him deeply, passionately, massaging her lips to his.
"Mmm..." they breathed, seperating.
They gazing into the other's eyes for a moment, gathering the strength to face
the Old Coots. Then they laced their fingers together and left the dojo.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Biki," Ranko called her. "Are you sure this dress is right?"
"Of course it is!" Nabiki placed her hands on the redhead's shoulders behind
her. "It shows off your figure quite well, actually."
The two girls were in Nabiki's room, standing in front of her full-length
mirror. Ranko was dressed in a long, tight Chinese dress with two thigh-high
slits up each side. The dress was a lavender color, making her red hair stand
out more intensely. A golden rose crest lay on the bodice, accenting her bust
even more.
"It's quite pretty," Ranko acknowledged, giggling. "Kuno would drool over this
one."
"Or have a nosebleed," Nabiki grinned. She was actually having fun with Ranko,
now that she didn't have to deal with Ranma's brash manner. She still had her
suspicions, but she followed a wise saying, 'Hold your friends close and your
enemies even closer.'
"Come on, time to introduce you to the family."
Ranko stood in front of the mirror, fussing with her hair.
Nabiki sighed and grabbed her wrist.
"You are such a girl."
"I certainly hope so!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranma and Akane entered the newly remodeled kitchen first, where the oldest
Tendo sister was happily humming to herself as she prepared dinner.
"Kasumi?" Akane asked. "Have you any tea ready?"
She smiled sweetly, and pointed with her stirring spoon toward the tea service
already laid out on a tray.
"How *does* she do that?" Ranma wondered.
"It's... Kasumi," Akane shrugged.
They entered the dining room where their fathers were both reading the paper,
Ranma carrying the tray. Genma looked over his paper and growled a little at
his son carrying a tea tray, but went back to reading.
"Father?" Akane addressed him, settling beside her fiance.
"Hmm? What is it, Akane?" he didn't even bother to look up from the paper.
"We have something to tell you."
Soun looked up. His daughter and future son-in-law seated side by side,
looking nervously at him.
Tears began to stream down his face.
"No!" he cried. "You're both calling the engagement off!"
"No-" Ranma began.
"The paper isn't being delivered any more!"
"No-" Akane started to say.
"You got one of those crazy girls pregnant!"
"No!" Ranma shouted.
"You've killed someone!"
"Not-" Akane sighed.
His face grew huge, tear arcs streaming on either side of him. Genma merely
used his paper as a sheild, keeping his fur from getting wet.
"Akane is pregnant out of marriage! I'm going to be a grandfather before my
time!"
"Damnit, Tendo-" Ranma began, getting up, tired of being cut off by the
hysterical man.
"Hey, everyone!" Nabiki called into the dining room. "What do you think?"
They all looked up to see Nabiki standing next to a shyly smiling Onna-Ranma.
"Koban wa, Tendo-san," she greeted Soun, bowing gently.
Soun's eyes bugged out.
He stared at the red-headed vision before him.
Then, with a mighty 'kiai', he pulled a butterfly net out of nowhere and
swooped it over Ranko's head.
"It's that crazy bimbo! She escaped the mirror! Get a bag! Get a priest! I'll
hold her!"
<WHAM!!!>
"Ugh," Soun commented from underneath the mallet that Akane had slammed over
his head.
Ranko looked at him in complete puzzlement as she pulled the net from her
head. "Why is your father-? Ohhhhhhhhhh..."
"That was what I first thought when I saw you, Ko-chan," Nabiki nodded. "No
one is going to forget *that* Onna-Ranma too soon."
Ranma was banging his head against the table, and Akane was trying to revive
her father.
Genma held up a sign. [Quiet, you! I'm trying to read my newspaper!] He
glanced up and noticed Ranko standing nearby while Ranma pounded his head into
the table.
The sign spun around. [Would someone tell me what is going on?]
"No," Ranko said.
Nabiki held out a hand. "Fifteen thousand."
Kasumi entered the room, carrying the first course of dinner, and stated, "Oh,
my!"
Ranko bowed down. "Hello, Kasumi-chan."
"KO-CHAN!!" Kasumi cried, gracefully putting down the tray while embracing the
red-head.
in front of her full-length mirror. Ranko was dres€
"Damnit, Tendo-" Ranma began, getting up, tired of being cut off by