A Ranma ½ - Sailor Moon fanfict by Tangent

Pre-reading and editing assistance by:

Lord Talon;

Nevrmore;

And some guy named Steve.

DISCLAIMER: ‘Ranma ½’ and all characters therein belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. ‘Sailor Moon’ and all characters therein belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation Co. Ltd. This fanfict has been produced for my own enjoyment and to pass on without profit. Other characters that come into play in this fanfict may or may not be pulled from other sources (including other fanficts, RPGs, manga, anime, literature, or possibly even *GASP* American comic books!).

A WORD FROM TANGENT: This chapter has proven difficult to write for various reasons. One of the main reasons is impatience, as I knew what I want to write after the events in this chapter take place, but had been undecided as to exactly what these events would be. Some discussion with Lord Talon and others has helped (I bounced ideas off of their heads – they tossed responses back…that sort of thing).

Ranma could feel his manhood slipping away as he drowned. The water filled her gasping lungs as she tried desperately to find the surface of the spring she had fallen into. Everything went dark for a moment, and then the water turned hot as she broke the surface. Kho Ome was there, adding soup stock, and looking at her with hungry eyes.

Ranma tried to scramble out of the far end of the tub, but it had suddenly expanded into a boiling lake. Kho Ome laughed and laughed as Ranma ran away from her across the shallow lake. As she neared the middle of the lake, a frozen crystal pillar erupted from its surface before her. Inside, she could see the trapped figure of a man, unmoving as if frozen in time.

Looking closer, Ranma could see that it was her masculine self trapped in the pillar, so she began to pound on the crystal barrier between herself and her true form. Again and again she struck the pillar, but to no avail. The crystal column showed no signs of damage. None at all…

Ranma woke with a start. As nightmares went, the dream she had just awakened from had nothing on the nightmares she still had from time to time due to the neko-ken training. One of the things they had in common though was the general feeling of helplessness that was prevalent in the situations inherent in both dreams. Her father had caused most of those situations, and it was at times like these, nightmares fresh in her memory, that she hated him with a passion. The rest of the time she had alternated between grudging respect and general dislike for him, but all in all they usually got along fairly well as far as she knew. She didn’t exactly have any real idea of what fathers were supposed to be like.

Her father had not caused one of the situations in her new nightmare though. Nothing her father had ever done had made her feel so helplessly violated and humiliated as what Kho Ome had done to her that evening. Ranma could have found it in her heart to forgive the little deviant if she had done only what had been necessary to apply the heat resistant lotion. Unfortunately, Kho Ome just had to have her little fun at Ranma’s expense, and had gone on to show the neo-girl just what having a female body meant, as far as physical pleasure was concerned. Ranma had protested, and meant it, but had been too weak at the time to resist Kho Ome’s attentions. Ranma could feel a raging fury building inside her just thinking about it.

Ranma forced herself to calm down. There was no point in getting angry without the subject of her anger present. Besides, she needed more sleep. As she lay down, she noticed something that made her sit back up again. At the foot of her bed, where the amazons had laid the packs that belonged to her and her father, there was something out of place. Genma’s pack was gone!

<That bastard!> Ranma cried though suppressed tears. <He took his pack and left me here!> Ranma knew that her father had placed an inordinate amount of importance on raising his son to be a man among men for some reason beyond her understanding. Genma had virtually crammed how to behave like a man down her throat for as long as she could remember. But to abandon his only child just because she had become a girl? It was beyond her comprehension!

Fighting tears of bitterness, Ranma forced herself to go back to sleep.

In the morning Xian Pu and Khu Lon found Ranma out at the striking posts, practicing punches and kicks. Xian Pu was amazed at how quickly the neo-girl had recovered, but Khu Lon suspected that Ranma had learned (knowingly or not) how to direct her chi inward for healing purposes at a young age. Not many could do that, even among Masters of the Arts, and it spoke well of the girl’s potential. Had the curse not had such a strong hold of Ranma, Khu Lon wouldn’t consider adopting her for a moment, preferring rather to arrange a match between Ranma’s male form and one of the amazons of the village…perhaps even Xian Pu. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like the curse would be brought down to it’s more manageable state anytime soon, so inducting the neo-girl as an amazon warrior allied to the village seemed to be the more expedient route to take.

As the two got closer, it became evident that Ranma was very angry. They both could guess a number of reasons why this might be the case, and suspected that it was a combination of Kho Ome’s actions the previous evening and the fact that the pack belonging to Ranma’s father was missing. Khu Lon, who could understand Japanese, could confirm these suspicions as soon as they were within earshot of Ranma.

<Pop, you baka!> Ranma grumbled through tears of anger and resentment. <Why’d you leave me?> Punch. <I know that raising me up to be a man among men was important to you, but to leave me just because I became a girl?> Punch, punch, kick. <Why?> Punch, kick, punch, punch. <You didn’t even have the guts to wake me up and say goodbye, did you?> Punch, kick, kick, punch, roundhouse kick. <And you left me here with that crazy hentai, Comb!> Punch, kick, punch, snap kick. <When I get my hands on her, I’ll…I’ll…>

<You’ll what?> asked Khu Lon. Xian Pu resolved to learn more Japanese so that she wouldn’t be left in the dark at times like these. <Kho Ome is a deviant who likes to experience pain and degradation as well as inflict it on others. I’m trying to think of a punishment that will even affect her significantly, let alone adjust her behavior.>

Ranma turned to face the two amazons. After a moments thought she said, <you could let me pound on her until I feel better.>

<She would probably enjoy that more than you would, I’m sorry to say> Khu Lon replied.

<Tie her up and leave her alone in the dark?> Ranma offered.

<Already did that> Khu Lon sighed with regret. <It didn’t work then, and I fail to see how it would work now.>

<It would keep her out of everyone’s way> Ranma pointed out.

<You have a point there> Khu Lon conceded.

<How about if you tied her up in fish cakes and threw her in a pit of starving cats?> Ranma asked.

<That training technique has been banned> Khu Lon admonished. <Where did you learn about it anyway?>

<My baka father tossed me into one when I was five or six> Ranma stated, shuddering at the memory. <Over and over again. I thought he’d never stop…>

<He has much to answer for then> Khu Lon stated flatly, not letting the horror she felt show. The neko-ken was a dangerous technique, both to learn and to have. While it was learned best by young children, that was when most of the training fatalities occurred. The psychological scarring that the training induced was only one of the reasons that training anyone in the technique had been banned.

[This,] she thought, [is why she recovered so quickly. Her father is either deranged or insanely irresponsible. She would have had to learn how to heal herself with her chi in order to survive being raised by such an idiot, let alone survive being trained by him.] She saw that Ranma had become upset to the point of being unable to speak.

<We’ll think of something,> Khu Lon said, <but training anyone in the neko-ken is not an option.>

<Who said anything about training?> Ranma asked. <I meant throw her in and leave her in.>

<Gods, child!> exclaimed Khu Lon. <Did Kho Ome upset you that much?>

<In a word…yes!> was all Ranma would say. Then she went back to practicing on the striking posts.

Khu Lon thought about the events of the morning and the previous day. While she would like nothing better than to have another student of such caliber, there were some problems inherent with training Ranma here in Joketsuzoku. It would take many of the amazons awhile to accept Ranma as another amazon, especially given the nature of the girl’s true gender. They automatically assumed that men were inferior, so someone who used to be a man was likely to receive a lot of ridicule. Ranma, having just gone through not one, but four traumatic experiences was not ready to take such teasing lightly.

Another problem was the bad blood developing between the girl and Kho Ome. Although it truly was all Kho Ome’s own fault, the young amazon had chosen to torment someone who was quite capable of causing her serious, even debilitating, injury. The only reason Kho Ome hadn’t been so injured before was that her fellow amazons had long since learned that the best way to deal with the little deviant was to ignore her. Unfortunately, what she had done to Ranma could not, indeed should not, be ignored. Ranma felt violated and angry, and had every right to feel that way. Being abandoned by her father added to her frustration and anger. Kho Ome did not realize the danger that she had put herself in by provoking the newcomer in such a manner. Like most amazons, she had automatically assumed that Ranma was weak because she was an outsider. Instead, Ranma was one of the most promising students of the Arts that Khu Lon had ever seen.

Ultimately, Ranma would have to be trained in the outer world, beyond the bounds of Joketsuzoku. This suited Khu Lon, for she decided that it was about time that she once again took stock of the outer world. It had been something of a surprise to her that this ‘seapiyar’ that the Jusenkyo guide had mentioned resembled an amazon healing technique. She wondered what else the outer world had been up to since the last time she really ventured out into it.

It shouldn’t be much of a problem to convince Xian Pu to come along, although her great granddaughter would not be happy that she was also considering bringing Mu Tsu along as well. Despite some of the problems inherent with his coming along, such as his myopic vision and thus far unrequited affection for Xian Pu, he was the only one in the village besides Kho Ome and herself who spoke Japanese with enough fluency to communicate effectively with Ranma. Bringing Kho Ome along was not a good idea by any stretch of the imagination, given how Ranma felt about her… Although it would probably solve on of the villages more embarrassing problems if Ranma killed her.

Tempting…but no, Kho Ome was an amazon of Joketsuzoku like it or not (and many didn’t), although if she kept on her current course of action banishment was becoming an appealing option. A little formula 119 and she wouldn’t even be able to embarrass the tribe by telling anyone where she was from.

Ranma was furious with Kho Ome for violating her like she had. She had found the little deviant wandering about shortly after her conversation with Khu Lon. Most of the village was shocked to find Kho Ome running for her life from the girl who was too weak to move much the previous day. Ranma had set new records for speed, strength and endurance for her age group. No, Kho Ome may enjoy pain and degradation, but not so much that she would need months to heal properly from. If she even survived Ranma’s wrath that is. As it was, several joints in one of her arms were already severely dislocated, and Ranma seemed fully intent on doing the same to her other arm and perhaps both of her legs…

Kho Ome had eventually sought shelter with the Council of Elders, begging for their protection. She even promised to behave herself if they would save her from the enraged outsider. The Council, which had been debating the merits of adopting an outsider who used to be a man, made their decision. Anyone who could scare Kho Ome into behaving herself deserved a chance to become a true amazon warrior, whether or not she settled in Joketsuzoku or had been a man only a day before. With such an impressive feat, they would have adopted Ranma even if she had been a guy at the time (mostly to save his bloodline for more deserving amazons than Kho Ome).

Ranma had accepted initiation as an amazon warrior, glad for the chance to learn new techniques, and readily pledged to become an ally of the village should she decide to seek her destiny in the outer world. After her show with Kho Ome, there was no objection to letting her participate in the ranking tournament later in the day. She was especially pleased to find out that she was taking Kho Ome’s place in the event, and that this bothered Kho Ome. It would be another year before the next tournament took place, and Kho Ome was fuming over her loss in status.

"This tournament is for armed combat, Ranma," Khu Lon reminded the neo-girl. "Are you sure you don’t want a weapon?"

"Ranma thank Elder Cologne for great honor, but Anything Goes style mostly unarmed. Even against weapons." Ranma’s speech in the dialect of Joketsuzoku was halting and broken at best, but was still a testament to how quickly the girl could learn if she put her mind to it. If there was one thing beneficial about being raised by Genma, it was that Ranma had learned how to pick up spoken languages quickly. All too often, such ability had proven to be a survival trait, as Genma would have them settle down in one general location for a few months only to pick up stakes and move on, as like as not to another country entirely. As it was, Ranma could speak upwards of a dozen languages besides Japanese, and several dozen dialects within those languages, but usually only just well enough to have an accent that was best described as ‘kawai’. And that had been when she was still a boy.

"Well, if you change you’re mind before any particular match, you know where to come," Khu Lon said.

"Will keep in mind, Honored Elder," Ranma replied.

"After the tournament, you should get your things ready for travel," Khu Lon stated.

"What mean?" asked Ranma, bewildered. "Ranma thought was staying."

"Do not worry, child," Khu Lon responded. "We are going to Japan to find your family, if possible. In any event, you will be receiving at least part of your training outside the bounds of Joketsuzoku."

"Ranma think understand," Ranma said with resignation. "Amazon view of men similar to father’s view of women. Women of Junket-suzuki no easy accept that Ranma was male."

"That is an astute observation, child," Khu Lon replied sadly, "and unfortunately accurate. Thus far, only the Elders of the tribe, Xian Pu, Pir Fum, and some of the men are willing to accept you as one of us."

"Ranma thankful even that much," the neo-girl responded. "So, who all going? Just you and Ranma?"

"No, child," Khu Lon admonished. "Xian Pu has agreed to come with us, and we are bringing along Mu Tsu."

"Is whole crowd of people, Ranma think. Twice what used to travel with." After a moment, Ranma asked. "Who Mousse?"

"Someone who speaks Japanese better than you speak our own dialect, child," Khu Lon informed Ranma. "I think you will like him."

"Ranma no ready to date man," the neo-girl retorted, glaring at Khu Lon. "Want cure, not husband!"

"As amusing as that thought is, Ranma, that is not what I had in mind"

"Is okay then." Ranma said, relieved. Just the concept of her dating a guy had her feeling a little ill at the moment. She was thankful when the tournament started and took her mind off of such distressing thoughts.

Ranma was tired. Even though she had plenty of time to rest between her matches, as others took their turns on the suspended log, she still hadn’t fully recovered from having drowned the previous day. She was also unfamiliar with her knew body, and was having some trouble compensating for the change in her reach and mass. Not to mention the distraction that bouncing around with breasts was causing her. She knew that she probably should have bowed out of the tournament as soon as she realized these things, but just couldn’t bring herself to do so.

The early matches had been the worst, as Ranma hadn’t yet realized these shortcomings. She had nearly lost due to some truly stupid mistakes, but it didn’t take her too long to figure out what her problems were and start adapting to them. As the tournament went on, the amazons could see a marked improvement in Ranma’s skill. Unfortunately, a great many of the amazons were not too happy with Ranma’s continued success in the tournament.

Ranma had picked up enough of their dialect to understand what they thought she couldn’t as she rested, waiting for her next turn on the log. While a few of them seemed to realize that she had spent her first few matches adjusting to her new body, others thought that she had been playing with them. Still more, having been defeated in mere moments by Ranma as the tournament went on, wished that Ranma had spent some time playing with them. Without meaning to, Ranma was alienating many of the amazons in the village because they thought that she was making sport of them.

Ranma, becoming aware of this problem, was distressed. She didn’t want to make any enemies (besides Kho Ome that is), but she didn’t see how she could handle the situation. Having been raised on the road for a little over a decade by Genma had left her a bit deficient in social skills. She had had perhaps one friend in all her life, and hadn’t had that friend for very long at that. She needed one badly, but didn’t know the first thing about making friends. She couldn’t just throw a match though. Her pride wouldn’t let her, and she suspected that doing so wouldn’t endear her to anyone anyway.

If Ranma lost any of the matches, it wouldn’t be because she hadn’t tried her best. What she heard them say hurt, however, and she was beginning to look forward to leaving Joketsuzoku behind for however long it may be. She began to wonder if her father had turned her into a freak, and not just by dunking her in the Nyanniichuan either. The Art was all she had left of her former life, and even before the curse it had been very much the center of her world. But was it all there was to her life? Shouldn’t there be more? She felt empty and lonely inside, and missed her father.

Then she berated herself for missing a stupid idiot who had gotten her drowned, cursed, and then had abandoned her once he had found out that she was still alive. She still missed him though.

It came as some relief to Ranma when the final match started. The events of the day were wearing her down physically and emotionally, and fatigue was starting to set in despite her attempts to stave it off. She had held it off during the last few matches, but had begun to feel dizzy and disoriented in the times between them. She had stopped understanding the dialect of Joketsuzoku two matches ago, and her vision was getting a little blurry and tunnel like. Her lungs hurt again, telling her that she had indeed not fully recovered from drowning the day before. She wanted this to be over with, so she could go somewhere and fall over. Just one more match, and she could do just that.

Shaking off the fatigue one last time, she jumped onto the log and faced the other finalist, Xian Pu. Ranma didn’t think that this would be an easy fight, although she felt that she could beat the girl before her if she was in top form. As it was, she felt nowhere near being in peak condition at the moment, so the fight was no sure thing. If she did her best, and gave it her all, she might still win. If she gave up, or just went through the motions, she would be dishonoring not only herself, but her opponent as well. As tired as she was, Ranma could not do that. She would give the fight everything she had. She could do no less.

Xian Pu broke away from Ranma and jumped back to the far end of the log. This had become the toughest fight she had ever been in, as well as the longest. Blow after blow had been exchanged as they charged and counter-charged eachother repeatedly. Ranma, true to the form she witnessed in the neo-girl’s previous fights, was decidedly more acrobatic during the match. Ranma would make risky leaps that were surprisingly hard for Xian Pu to exploit, and would frequently jump in and out of close combat range rather than stay up close where an unarmed opponent would normally have to.

Deep in the subconscious mind of Ranma, her body ran through a priority checklist. [Am I in serious need of rest and recovery? Yes. Is anything-important riding on this fight? No. Is anyone’s life at stake? No. Is there a cat anywhere nearby? No. Okay, it’s nappy-time!]

Half an hour after the match had begun, Xian Pu was very surprised when Ranma simply collapsed from exhaustion and fell off of the log.

Ranma didn’t recover again until that evening, when a nightmare similar to the one she had experienced the previous night had awakened her with a start.

END CHAPTER TWO

"Is whole crowd of people, Ranma think. Twice what used to travel with." After a moment, Ranma asked. "Who Mousse?"

"Your husband," Khu Lon informed the neo-girl. "You were not yet even an initiate when you beat him unconscious for glomping you after he mistook you for Xian Pu this morning. As an outsider of the opposite gender, you are now his wife. Ranma? Ranma?

The neo-girl had feinted dead away…

Mu Tsu looked up from where he had been waiting, astonished. "What? Again!?"

END