[Ranma][Fanfic][Preview] Childhood of a Modern Dynasty - Chapter 1: Hit Me Hard, Kiss Me Hard ======================================================================= [Preview] Childhood of a Modern Dynasty - Chapter 1: Hit Me Hard, Kiss Me Hard Ranma 1/2 characters and situations created by Rumiko Takahashi, used without permission Ranma 1/2 Copyright by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakan Inc., Kitty, Fuji, Viz Communications, etc... Childhood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and Copyright 1998 by Jim Lazar This is a preview of my new ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime. E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: jim [at] animeprime.com Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for all released CMD stories, graphics files, and other information: http://www.animeprime/ff/md ======================================================================= From the personal journal of James Davidson: April 4, 2057 The house at the center of the Tendo Compound looked almost exactly like it did in the old photos. The adjoining houses and buildings had changed over the past sixty years, of course, as various family members had built up the Tendo Compound with their own houses. Japanese families tended to live in the same house with all generations, but when you had as large of an extended family as the Tendo family did, you had to accommodate them all with the multiple residences that made up the Compound. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted when I was kicked in the side of my head. I went flying into the koi pond. I spit out the water that I had almost swallowed. I lifted myself out of the pond, only to end up on my butt again when I slipped on the edge of the pond. More carefully this time, I rose and stepped out of the koi pond. "Daijiko!" Akane scolded, "How many times have I asked you not to kick visitors? Family only!" "Sorry, Great-grandmother," the little girl named Daijiko replied, looking sadly at the ground. She had the same short dark blue hair that I've seen in old pictures of Akane, who now had a dignified mop of white hair. I squeezed out my shirt, then mussed up Daijiko's hair. "That's okay, Daijiko. A visit here wouldn't be complete without a tour of the koi pond. That's quite a kick for a five year old girl," I said, rubbing my head. Daijiko beamed at me, bowed quickly, then she ran back around the house to spar in the main dojo. Then to Akane, I said, "She's grown quite a bit in the past year." "She's too young for you, James," Akane informed me. "You really think so? Darn," I replied, earning a smile from Akane. It wasn't often, but I did occasionally manage to get her back for all the times she teased me. After drying off, I sat down on the porch again. "I'm sorry about that. I try to keep the kids from following in my footsteps, but it's hard," Akane said. "Don't worry about it. A little water never hurt anyone," I said, regretting it as soon as I said it. Akane frowned, then said, "That's what most of us would have said, until Ranma showed up at our doorstep." "Sorry, didn't mean to bring up painful memories." "They aren't all painful..." Akane said, then switched the conversation like an expert, "Where do you want to start?" "Well, the last book ended at the destroyed wedding. It's best to start right after that," I said. "Ok. Let's see...Ranma had managed to untie himself and then he blasted the locked doors of the dojo open, just as me and-" Akane began. I interrupted her and said, "Sorry, not that wedding." "Oh, sorry. Which destroyed wedding did you mean then?" *********************************************************************** July, 1998 - Hotaka Mountain, Japan -C- -M- -D- Akane stood on a tree branch and nervously scanned the surrounding area. Suddenly she found herself on the ground looking up at the tree branch, on which Ranma stood with a smirk on his face. "Where..." Akane began to say, but stopped talking suddenly as she had to flip to her feet to avoid Ranma from landing on her face. She followed with a side flip to get away from his punches. She missed avoiding his leg sweep and tumbled to the ground with a thud. "Not bad reaction after the initial blow, but you're still thinking in two dimensions. I didn't see you look up at the tops of the trees once," Ranma explained, in a lecturing tone. Akane scolded herself mentally. "Isn't that 'thinking in two dimensions' from an old Star Trek movie?" Akane questioned. A smirk grew on her face. "Probably, Pop got most of his 'divine wisdom' from the movies," Ranma said, smiling back. "You'd be surprised at how much of our training involved swiping popcorn and soda." He held out his hand as if to help Akane to her feet, but then proceeded to flip her over his shoulder, sending her into a group of bushes. "You also have to be alert all the time." "Baka..." Akane began, then corrected herself quickly, "Yes, teacher." "You should have saw that one coming a mile away, how many times did my pop try it on me while practicing in the garden?" Ranma asked. "As I recall, you fell for it several times as well," Akane replied and then stuck out her tongue at Ranma. "Let's head back to camp and I'll make dinner," Ranma offered. "Oh, no...I'm making dinner!" Akane insisted. "I am the teacher here, so I decide who cooks! I also promised neither of us would get killed, so that rules out you cooking," Ranma said, then turned back towards their camp. He arrived back at the camp faster than he expected, since Akane ended up kicking him back to camp in a graceful arc over the treetops. "Well, at least she's learned some directional control," Ranma muttered and rubbed his head. -C- -M- -D- "This is a pretty big mountain, how are we going to find them?" Ukyo asked, as she climbed up the mountain. "Well, they didn't say exactly were they were camping," Ryoga explained. He then noticed something ahead of them and suggested, "Let's ask that girl in the waterfall." Ryoga pointed towards the young, naked, redheaded girl washing herself in the waterfall. Ukyo ducked down quickly behind some bushes and then pulled Ryoga down beside her. "Idiot! That's Ranma!" Ukyo whispered to him. "Are you sure?" Ryoga asked, sneaking another look. "Well, what are the chances of another redheaded girl with a pig-tail being up on this mountain at the same time as Ranma and Akane?" Ukyo questioned a perplexed Ryoga. "Good point," Ryoga conceded. "Now be quiet and we'll follow Ranma back to their camp after he's done washing up and see what we can do to keep him and Akane apart," Ukyo said, then asked, "By the way, why isn't your nose bleeding with a naked girl in sight?" "You may be attracted to hermaphrodites, but I'm not," Ryoga replied. Plus he didn't know she was naked when he first saw her, but Ryoga decided not to mention that to Ukyo. Ukyo kept watching Ranma, but she started to think of some way to get back at Pig-boy for that comment. =======================================================================