[Ranma/OPG][Fanfic][Lime] The Shadow Files: One Pound Ranma ======================================================================== The Shadow Files: One Pound Ranma Ranma 1/2 and One Pound Gospel characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission The Shadow Files: One Pound Ranma story created, written, and copyright 1999 by Jim Lazar "Speech text in double quotes is spoken as Japanese." E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: jim [at] animeprime.com My other FanFiction can be found at: http://www.animeprime/ff/geva ======================================================================= This story uses the Shadows from my 'The Destiny of Shadows' story. That story can be found on my website listed above. Some explanations about the Shadows are contained in this story, but reading that story first will give you a better understanding of some events that occur in this story. Although, I have tried to make this story understandable on it's own. There is also a companion story to this story simply titled 'One Pound Ranma' that contains the whole alternate universe story presented in this story, but without the Shadow characters/scenes. Feel free to read it if you only wish to read the alternate-universe portion of this story. Choice is good. :) ======================================================================= Darkness. Although darkness wasn't the right term for the complete and utter lack of light that filled the huge cavern. It seemed darker than dark in the cavern, if that was possible. It wasn't, of course, but in the Shadow-Realm the impossible sometimes became possible. Ranma actually admitted that he loved Akane in this universe, for example. Of course, only after twenty centuries of constant hounding by Akane and after losing a bet which forced him to admit his love. The fact that it was a cavern was only recognizable by the soft footsteps that echoed off the distant walls. The footsteps were followed by a loud piercing scream that bellowed out and echoed across the cavern. "Shit! Who the hell left that mallet laying around!" a deep male voice cried out, obviously pissed off. Some more sounds were heard, as an unseen figure groped around in the darkness. Another loud crash was heard. "Where the hell is that damn switch?!" Suddenly, the lights came on. Actually, the light came from a large curved video screen that hovered, unsupported, over the crouched figure that had just turned the screen on. The figure, who was dressed in a long black cloak, got to its feet and looked around. "About time, dammit." The figure leaned back and a chair appeared behind it. Its hands flew across the control panel and the video display flared to life with data. Multiple horizontal lines branching off from a thicker, master line could be seen, along with pop-up windows that had various incomprehensible data in them. The figure flipped back the hood of the cloak and revealed his male face along with his long black hair, which was tied in a pigtail. "Looks promising. I might be able to change it there," Shadow-Ranma said to no one in particular. Suddenly he was drenched with water. "Cold!" a suddenly female Shadow-Ranma cried out, shaking the water out of her hair. The red hair stood out clearly in the blackness of the cavern. She looked around and spotted her assailant. "Ha! Die you foul creature!" With a flash of red hair, Shadow-Ranma jumped out of the chair, which disappeared as soon as she left it. She landed several kicks to another figure dressed in a black cloak. The figure swung to the side and jabbed Shadow-Ranma in the side. It then did a flip up and over his head and then kicked him savagely in his back. Shadow-Ranma leapt away and held out her hands. "Black Fire!" A very Moko Takabisha-like blast, except black instead of bright blue, flashed out and hit the other figure right in the chest. It went flying across the cavern and slid to a halt. Shadow-Ranma grinned and ran over to the crumpled figure. She jumped onto it and pulled its hood down, revealing a female face. She grinned triumphantly and gave Shadow-Akane a passionate kiss. The kiss was returned with the same passion and soon the two women rolled across the ground locked in a firm embrace. After the necking ended, Shadow-Ranma got up, brushed the dust off her cloak, and then helped her wife up. Shadow-Akane ran her hand through her dark-blue hair and smiled. "No fair using Black Fire, Idiot!" Shadow-Ranma grinned. "All's fair in War and Love." She walked over to a control panel and touched a big red button. A shower of hot water poured down on her, transforming her back into a man. "What are you doing down here, anyway? Our bet is long over... I won." Shadow-Akane grinned broadly. Shadow-Ranma flinched. He didn't like to be reminded about losing the bet, even if he did end up enjoying being married to Shadow-Akane as a result of it. Of course, he wasn't likely to tell Shadow-Akane that. "Oh, just trying to pass the time. Since we became eternal back in the Twentieth century, we have so much time on our hands." "Gee, you could always show me how to do the Black Fire technique," Shadow-Akane said, miffed. Shadow-Ranma just sat back and settled into the chair that reappeared. "Why? You'd just use it against me." "Damn, right I would." Shadow-Akane sighed. "Why do I love you?" "Because of my charming personality, of course." Shadow-Akane stuck out her tongue at him, but then planted a kiss on Shadow-Ranma's lips. She leaned back and another chair appeared for her to sit in. "So, what are you doing here? We haven't used the Temporal Universal Manipulator for centuries." "Wait a second." Shadow-Ranma's hands flashed across the control panel in front of him. He smiled and then hit a big button marked 'Alternate Universe Engage' and pointed to the large video screen, which zoomed in a one of the timelines. Another line separated from the main line and began moving along horizontally. "There. Happy Anniversary!" Shadow-Akane was so stunned, that she just stared at the screen for a minute. Finally, she spoke. "You remembered. Three times in as many centuries, you're going to spoil me into expecting you to remember our anniversary at least once a century. Thank you, Ranma." She leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. "But why are you creating an alternate universe?" "It's my present. Take a look at the specs for the divergence point." Shadow-Akane looked at the video screen. "Oh my. Thank you, that's a very sweet gift." She gave him another deep kiss, which turned into a necking session. Soon two cloaks were thrown off and a bed appeared out of nowhere. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Ranma pulled his black cloak back on and sat down at the control panel again. Shadow-Akane soon joined him. They both were smiling broadly. "Enjoy YOUR gift?" Shadow-Akane asked, earning a nod from him. "So do we end up together in this universe?" "I don't know yet. Let's watch it and see," Shadow-Ranma said. "Just like old times." Shadow-Akane smiled and grabbed a bag of potato chips and tossed it to Shadow-Ranma. "Put it on screen, Mr. Saotome." "Aye, aye, Captain Akane!" "Warped universe factor eight!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma leapt at her father, who was currently a panda, and landed a savage kick to his furry butt. "How dare you do this without asking me, old man!" The panda traded blows with the red-headed girl and was about to smash Ranma with a 'No Martial Arts Zone' sign he had ripped out of the ground, when a hand reached out and stopped his swing. The panda looked around to see a young nun dressed in a white habit. The panda held up a sign that read, 'Excuse me ma'am, but I need to discipline my son.' "That is not the way to settle a argument, Mr. Panda. Please don't hurt the girl," the nun said, calmly. The calm words seemed to placate the panda and he dropped the street sign. "Thank you my child," the nun said, placing a hand briefly on the panda's shoulder. She walked over, held out a hand to Ranma, and helped the redheaded girl up. "Are you okay, miss?" "Yeah, just fooling around with this god-damned furball here," Ranma said, straightening her shirt. "Oh my. A young lady shouldn't talk like that." Ranma smirked, but decided not to correct the nun. "Err, sorry. Thanks. I'm Ran.. ko," Ranma said, barely remembering to use the name that her father had insisted he use while a girl. She didn't know why she should bother concealing the curse, but her father had insisted that she do so once they arrived in the city they currently found themselves in. "Nice to meet you, Ranko. I'm Sister Angela," Ranma smiled. She wasn't used to being treated so well, but then she had spent most of her life traveling with her idiot father. Their recent trip to China had ended up cursing her to be half female and her father to be half panda. "Thank you again." Sister Angela crossed herself and smiled. "It's no trouble. If you ever have any other problems, you can come to my church, St. Mary's." "Um, thanks... but I'm not... Christian," Ranma stuttered. Sister Angela smiled. "That's okay, we help anyone in need." Ranma smiled nervously and waved as Sister Angela walked away. Then she had to duck as the panda sung the sign at her again. A swift kick to the panda's gut finished the fight. "Stupid father." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Later, Ranma walked down a street in his male form. "I told you, I'm going back to China to find a cure for this stupid curse." His father held up a sign that read, 'But we need the money!' Ranma kicked the sign out of his father's human hands. "Idiot! You're human now!" "Ranma, just win this fight and we can afford to get back to China," Genma said, not mentioning that he really wanted the money to get to Tokyo in style. He wanted to make a good impression when he showed up at his old friend Soun Tendo's house. "But why FEMALE kickboxing?!" "It's the only contest around and you do qualify... or at least half-qualify." "Stupid old man." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "She's five pounds overweight," a man said, checking the scale that Ranma, in his girl form, stood on. "Oh, gee... guess I can't fight then," Ranma said. She started to step off the scale. "Oh no, RANKO, you will fight!" Genma said, then pulled Ranma's shoes, shirt and pants off, leaving her dressed just in boxer shorts. The boxing officials, all men, just stared dumbfounded by the sight of the topless girl in front of them. "What'cha think you're doing, Pop!" Ranma yelled and clobbered Genma. "Well, that took four pounds off," one of the coherent officials said. "See, it's no use, Pop!" "One little pound? No problem, we'll get you down to featherweight before the final weigh-in!" Genma insisted. "She could try it without the boxers," a drooling official suggested. He was ignored. "Dammit, why should I bother?" "Because I said so!" Ranma smirked. "Got to have a better reason than that!" "Because you promised. And it would be dishonorable to go back on your word." Ranma stepped off the scale and made for the door. "Fine, but you're hardly the one to be talking about honor!" "Miss?" Ranma didn't stop, since she didn't consider herself a miss. She had only been a miss for about a month, and even then, only for half of the time. "Miss, your clothes!" one of the officials yelled louder, mostly so they could see Ranma's breasts again. Ranma looked down at her naked body. "Damn, I forgot." She ran back, put her clothes back on, and left with her father, leaving the drooling officials behind. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Gimme some food!" Shadow-Akane rolled her eyes at Shadow-Ranma's manners, but she was used to it. "Say 'please'." Shadow-Ranma huffed. "Please." Shadow-Akane grinned and tossed some sort of green goo in a plastic container at him. "What is this anyway? I don't recall a kickboxing match in the other universes we created." "In most universes Ranma just pounded his father into submission when his father told him about the match and they walked to Tokyo." "But in this one that nun stopped him? Odd that the change you made should cause that." Shadow-Ranma shrugged, scooped up some of the Green Soy, and gulped it down. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Gimme some food!" "No, Ranma. You must lose weight if you are to make the weigh-in. It's for your own good," Genma said selflessly, between bites of a large steak. They were seated in a small diner. "Damn it, Pop! I can't fight if I'm weak with hunger!" Ranma said, pounding the table with his fists. "Boy, you must resist the temptations of food until the final weigh in!" Genma said, biting into a large rice ball. "Easy for you to say! Give me that rice ball!" Ranma leapt over the table and tried to grab the rice ball, but Genma moved the ball away from Ranma's hands. A short fight ensued, which ended when Ranma crashed through the window and into the wet street outside, where a now female Ranma crashed into the street. Ranma rose to her feet. "God dammit, Pop!!" "Ranko! Please do not use the Lord's name in vain." Ranma looked behind her to see Sister Angela standing in the rain with an umbrella. She looked down and noticed that she had transformed into her hated girl form. "Um... I'm sorry, Sister." "Come here and stand under the umbrella with me or you'll catch cold." Ranma smiled and walked over. "Thanks." "What happened?" Sister Angela asked. "I had an argument with my Pop." "Oh dear, did he kick you out?" "Yeah... out the window," Ranma mentioned, picking a piece of glass out of her hair. "How awful!" "It's no big..." Sister Angela interrupted Ranma. "You must come with me. We'll give you a bed and some food. You poor girl!" "Food?" Ranma repeated, then grinned. "Thanks, Sister." Genma was too busy arguing with the diner owner about the window that he didn't see Ranma walk away with the nun. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Sister Angela watched in horror as the redheaded girl tore into the food. Pieces of rice flew everywhere. "Slow down, Ranko. We have to feed the homeless too." Ranma stopped and frowned. "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm just hungry and this food is so good. My Pop hasn't fed me in days and technically we are homeless." Sister Angela gasped and pulled Ranma into an embrace and hugged her tightly. "You poor dear. Just tell me what else that beast has done to you." Ranma blushed deeply as he was pressed into Sister Angela's bosom. "Err... okay. Well, when I was five he took me away from my mother for a training trip..." Much later, Ranma was wrapping up his list of things that his father had made her do. Fortunately, Sister Angela had let her go after ten agonizing minutes of being pressed into her bosom. "And he didn't even let me say goodbye to my old pal Ucchan before we left." "Goodness, your father is the Devil!" Sister Angela said, crossing herself. Ranma smirked, wondering how she would react to the stuff about Jusenkyo. "Well, almost, but he has trained me to be a great martial artist. Err... don't tell him I said that." Sister Angela smiled. "I won't. Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you." Ranma laughed and rubbed his hair nervously. "Oh, he couldn't hurt me. We just fight to blow off steam and for training." "It's still not right for a man to hit a girl." "Yeah, I know, but there is something else I think I should tell you..." Sister Angela yawned suddenly and stood up. "I think that can wait for tomorrow. Let's get to bed." "Err... okay." Sister Angela led the female Ranma upstairs and into a room. "Here you go. You can sleep on that bed over there," Sister Angela said, pointing to one of two beds in the small room. "Thanks, Sister." Ranma stepped forward and heard the door close behind her. She slipped off her shirt and pants. She just had her boxers and T-shirt on when she pulled the bedspread down "Oh my, you don't have any girl's underwear? What an awful excuse for a father!" Ranma spun around and gasped when she saw Sister Angela was still in the room. She was starting to undo her habit. "Sister Angela?!" "Yes, Ranko?" "Err... I didn't know you would be staying here." "Oh, the shelter is full, so you'll have to stay in my room." "But..." "Don't worry about it," Sister Angela said, then began to undo her habit. Ranma tried to remain calm while she turned around, slipped into the bed, and pulled the sheets over her head. "Goodnight, Ranko." "Goodnight, Sister Angela," Ranma said, without looking. He cringed every time he heard a piece of clothing come off. "Oh my. Ranko, I dropped my bra over on your side of my bed... can you grab it for me?" Ranma started to make snoring sounds to avoid having to retrieve the aforementioned bra for what she assumed was a naked nun. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Akane glared at Shadow-Ranma. "You had better not end up with the nun in this universe, or this will be our last anniversary!" Shadow Ranma gulped. "Hey! She's just feeding me, not my fault that the nun thinks I'm a girl and isn't self-conscious around me!" "You could have told her!" "Hey, he tried! No fair blaming me for things alternate versions of myself do!" "Idiot." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma awoke and stretched her arms. She looked around the small room and didn't see Sister Angela, so she got up. She noticed a note on the dresser. She picked it up and read it. "Dear Ranko, please help yourself to any of my bras or panties. I'm afraid I don't have much in the ways of dresses, so I can't offer anything like that. A pretty girl like you shouldn't go around in such boyish clothes. If you're not careful, someone may call you a tomboy." Ranma smirked. "Sorry, Sister, but I'm a guy and I don't wear no bra and panties." She scratched her butt before slipping her shirt and pants on. Then she opened the door and went to find the bathroom. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "You put on forty pounds!" Genma yelled as he weighed Ranma. "I think I need some cold water first, meathead!" Ranma said, pounding his fist into his father's face. "Oh." "Excuse me, sirs, what are you doing?" the fish shop owner asked as he approached the fish scale that Genma was weighing Ranma on. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma, in girl form, was running down the street chasing her father, who was in his panda form. The panda held up a sign that said, 'Come on, Ranma! You gained three more pounds even in your girl form. Sweat it out!' "Stupid... old... man..." Ranma gasped as he ran. The panda spun the sign around. It read 'Only twenty more kilometers to go!' "It was twenty kilometers an half hour ago!" Ranma yelled. Catching his second breath he jumped at the panda, but missed. He glared at the panda, who was riding on the back of a pickup truck. "Stupid old man." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Sister Angela finished saying her daily prayers and walked down the aisle of the chapel. She paused when she heard a soft moan. She looked around and then ran over to a figure that was sleeping on one of the rear pews. "Ranko?" Ranma opened her eyes and saw the nun. "Sister Angela?" she said, weakly. "Oh my, what has your father done to you now?" Sister Angela sat down next to Ranma and cradled the redheaded girl's head in her lap. "Training for a female kickboxing match." "How barbaric!" Ranma smiled. "It's not so bad. I'm the world's greatest martial artist, so fighting is a part of my life. But this stupid diet he has me on to lose weight is killing me." "Is that why you were so hungry?" Sister Angela asked. Ranma nodded. "And you've made a commitment to fight in this match?" "Yeah, I guess I sort of promised my father I would." "Ranko, you must honor your word. I wish you had told me about this when you stayed here overnight. Now I'm responsible for you not losing weight." Ranko rose to a sitting position and looked at Sister Angela. "No, it's not your fault. I just couldn't stand not eating." "Man does not live by bread alone, Ranko." "No, there's rice and fish and..." Sister Angela laughed and covered her mouth. "Very amusing, but I was talking about keeping your spirit fed. If you can't honor your own word, how can you honor God's word?" "Sister, I told you I'm not Christian." "I know, but don't you believe in anything?" "Martial arts." "So, isn't going against your word dishonorable to the spirit of martial arts." "I guess. I'm going to fight, but getting down to the proper weight is so hard." "Make me a promise, Ranko," Sister Angela asked, holding the other girl's hands. Ranma look up into the nun's eyes. "What?" "Promise me that you'll keep your word and fight in that contest." "I already said I will." "But to do that you have to lose weight, correct?" Sister Angela asked. Ranma nodded. "Then to keep your word you have to lose weight before the match." "Okay, Sister, you win, but it's only two days away." "You'll stay here and I'll make sure you lose the weight." "Err... okay." Briefly, Ranma wondered about his father, but soon dismissed those thoughts. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- In the basement of the church, a very sweaty Ranma worked out while Sister Angela looked on. Ranma punched and kicked a large straw filled bag setup in the center of the room. After a big windup, she twisted around and landed a high kick to the bag with her right foot. The bag exploded and sent the sand inside flying across the room. The sand was harmless, but the kick also pulled the metal hook out of the roof and sent it hurtling towards Sister Angela. She barely had time to gasp before Ranma leapt across the room and carried her out of the way of the sharp hook. Ranma landed gently and held Sister Angela in her arms. An awkward silence followed as Ranma cradled the nun in her arms. "Err... thanks, Ranko, but you can let me go now," Sister Angela said softly into Ranma's ear. Ranma released Sister Angela and pulled away awkwardly. Both girls were blushing. "Sorry about that. I should have been more careful." "That's okay, Ranko. Thank you for saving me." Sister Angela calmly returned to her seat and took a sip of tea. "Now do a thousand pushups." Ranma gasped as she heard this. "A thousand? Gee, Pop never makes me do such silly exercises." She started to flap her muscle T-shirt to cool off. "Ranko, you promised to follow my training regimen to the letter." Ranma sighed in resignation. She took off her T-shirt and wrung the sweat out of it. "Ranko! Please cover yourself in the Lord's house! Err... make that the Lord's basement." Ranma looked confused for a moment, but then awkwardly pulled the T-shirt on again. "Sorry, Sister, I wasn't thinking." Sister Angela shook her head sadly. "The way you act it's almost like you were a boy." Ranma smirked and then started to do the assigned pushups. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Akane glared at the screen and then at Shadow-Ranma. "You held that nun a bit long, don'cha think?" Shadow-Ranma gulped and tried to think of something to say. "Ummm... Well, I haven't met you yet, so of course I would be attracted to other girls." Shadow-Akane thought she detected a compliment in there somewhere, so she decided to let it slide. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma, in his girl form, stepped onto the scale with trepidation. She was wearing her fight clothes, which consisted of a pair of blue boxing trunks and a green T-shirt. Ranma didn't care that much about the low cut T-shirt that the officials have provided, it's not like she was planing on staying a girl for long, but she refused to wear the matching bottom, which would normally be described as a thong bikini. To Ranma it had looked too much like panties, and there was no way in hell that Ranma Saotome would ever wear panties. At least that was what he kept telling himself. Sister Angela looked on nervously as the officials looked closely at the scale. The officials hoped that she was overweight again and would have to shed some clothes. At first Ranma was worried when he saw the disappointed looks that crossed their faces, but then smiled as they announced the results. "Two pounds under the featherweight limit." The official making the announcement sounded very upset. "Yes!" Ranma shouted, clenching her fist. "Ranko, I'm so proud of you!!" Sister Angela exclaimed and gave Ranma a big hug. Ranma blushed at the embrace. After Sister Angela released her, Ranma smiled. "Thanks, Sister. I couldn't have done it without you." "It's my pleasure. The fight is tonight, right?" Ranma nodded. "Yes, err..." "What is it, Ranko?" "Would you like to come to the fight? I mean... you're the reason I made the weight limit and all," Ranma asked awkwardly. Sister Angela smiled. "Of course, Ranko. I'll be there for sure." She gave Ranko a kiss on the cheek and then turned and walked out of the gym. Ranma put a hand to the spot the nun had kissed and stared at the retreating nun with a confused look on her face. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma stood in the corner of the ring as the panda rubbed her shoulders. "Any advice, furball?" The panda held up a sign that read, 'Don't win too fast and don't hurt the girl too badly.' "Stupid father," Ranma muttered. "I can't believe you're making me fight a girl!" The panda held up a sign that read, 'What did you think FEMALE kickboxing meant?' Ranma fumed, but didn't say anything else. She knew her father was right, for some reason it had never occurred to her that her opponent would be female as well. She looked around and looked for the nun and smiled as she spotted Sister Angela in the front row. Sister Angela smiled back and then clasped her hands in prayer. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The bell rang. Ranma's opponent moved in cautiously. Ranma flew through the air, her red pigtail flapping behind her. Ranma's opponent crashed to the ground after being kicked by Ranma's right foot. The crowd was silent. The referee was stunned. Ranma's opponent was unconscious. Ranma slowly walked back to her corner. The referee found his voice and started counting. "One... two..." "Gee, that was easy," Ranma said, waiting for the count to finish. "Nine... Ten!" the referee finished counting. He walked over to Ranma and held her arm up. "The winner, Ranko Saotome!" And the crowd went wild. Applause and cheers filled the small auditorium. Ranma puffed out her chest as she basked in the glory of her win. Normally this would be fine, but of course as a girl it made her breasts stick out further. This resulted in a whole series of catcalls and whistles. Ranma looked over at Sister Angela. She smiled to the stunned nun, who awkwardly returned the smile. Ranma returned to her corner and was promptly hit on her head by a sign held by the panda. "Whatcha do that for, Pop?" she cried out rubbing her head. Then she read the sign. The sign read, 'I told you not to win too fast, now the next fighters will be more careful.' "It's not my fault! She left herself wide open!" Ranma insisted gesturing towards the other girl, who was being carried off in a stretcher. She took a drink of water then frowned suddenly. "Next fighters?" The panda bonked Ranma on the head again and showed the rewritten sign to her. It read, 'This is a championship fight. Without having a fight record to start out higher in the rankings, you have to beat all the other competitors to win'. Ranma signed in resignation. "How many?" The panda pointed to the score board which listed all the competitors. All one hundred of them. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Ranma watched a replay of the short fight on the smaller instant-replay screen. "Damn! Did you see that! I am one great martial artist or what!" "What, I think. The other fighters will probably not be that easy, so put your ego into low speed or I'll play the DVD of your honeymoon with Kuno," Shadow-Akane threatened, holding up a silver disc in her hand. Shadow-Ranma grimaced. "I still can't believe that Nabiki sold ten billion copies of that one." "She didn't," Shadow-Akane said. Shadow-Ranma's eyes brightened. "It's reached fifteen billion now." Ranma scowled. "Damn multi-dimensional marketing. It's only sold that well since she's advertising it as if it's a sequel to Debbie Does Dallas!" Shadow-Akane held up the disc to show the title. "Well, I liked the title: Kuno Does Ranma: The Return of Debbie." "Debbie is just the freaking maid for less than a minute!" Shadow-Ranma bellowed. "Yes, but Kuno did do her." Shadow-Ranma slunk back into his chair. "It's bad enough I had to be married to Kuno in that universe, but then to be cheated on..." He shuddered at the thought. Shadow-Akane put the disc down, leaned over, and kissed him on his lips. "Calm down. I know you'd never do Kuno in a normal universe." "Damn right I wouldn't." As if to prove his masculinity, Shadow-Ranma pulled Shadow-Akane into his lap and gave her a deep kiss. Soon he was massaging her arms and stomach as they got lost in the passion of the moment. Then he had to go and open his big mouth for something other than a kiss. "Have you gained weight?" Shadow-Akane grew angry and stood up. "Idiot! Are you this stupid in every universe?!" she asked rhetorically, since she knew he usually was. Shadow-Ranma wasn't sure what he said wrong and scratched his head in confusion. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma's next fifty opponents followed the first's lead. Combined, they lasted a total of twenty-seven minutes in the ring before being knocked out. As Ranma slumped down in the corner, she sighed. "I thought you said these would get harder? That last one ran away from me and knocked herself out on the corner pole." Before the panda could scribble an answer, Sister Angela walked up to the corner. "Ranko, do you have to hit them so hard?" Ranko frowned. "Huh? I'm just trying to keep my promise to you." Sister Angela smiled at Ranko. "Well, that is good, but try not to hurt them too badly." "I'm trying, but girls are so fragile," Ranko said. Sister Angela chuckled. "You are such a tomboy. Please... just be careful." "I will, Sister." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma squared off against opponent number one hundred, a girl of about Ranma's age who wore a green leotard with a rose design embroidered across it. The bell rang. Ranma waited. Her opponent didn't. She flew at Ranma, hit the side of Ranma's right leg with her foot, and then did a summersault into a perfect two-point landing. Since Sister Angela had asked Ranma to take it easy on her opponents, Ranma had been letting them get the first hit in. It didn't change the outcome any, just prolonged the matches a bit. Ranma was about to swing around and finish her latest opponent, when her right leg suddenly went numb and she toppled to the ground. "Whaaaaa?" Ranma gasped, feeling her leg. "One..." the referee began counting. Ranma's challenger stood over her, and started laughing in a high pitched cackle. Since everyone was holding their head in pain from the noise, no one noticed her hide a small needle under her leotard. Ranma tried to get back to her feet, but couldn't make her right leg move. She looked at her father, but received no help from that direction. The panda was just making 'get up' gestures. She looked over to see Sister Angela standing and looking at her with a very concerned look on her face. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Ranma blinked in surprise. "Damn, to think I was that close to fighting with Kodachi in all those other universes." "You'd better not get engaged to her here," Shadow-Akane muttered. "Well, Ranma is a girl at the moment, so that loon shouldn't fall for him this time." "Well, that didn't stop Kodachi in that universe where all the girls turned out to be lesbians." Shadow-Ranma smiled at the mention of that universe. Too late to avoid a vicious glare from Shadow-Akane, he wiped the smile from his face. "Jerk! Sleeping with all those lesbians in that universe!" "You're just mad because he didn't sleep with you at all in that universe." "Well, you never did know what was best for you." "I'd really wish you'd stop blaming me for things alternate versions of myself do!" "As soon as you stop re-watching those universes where you end up with Ukyo, I will!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma hobbled onto her left leg just as the referee reached the count of nine. Ranma wobbled a bit, but soon gained her balance on her good leg. Unlike other times she'd fought with her father while balanced on one foot, this time she had no way of using her right leg to shift her balance when needed. Worse, how could she kick her opponent with only one good leg? "Oh my. You should have stayed down, dear," Kodachi declared and then charged at Ranma. Ranma leapt into the air and summersaulted over Kodachi's head. Landing on her hands, Ranma swung back with her good leg and hit Kodachi in the small of her back. Kodachi was caught off guard and went flying across the ring to slam into the ropes. Dazed she turned around and glared at Ranma. "How dare you kick me, you peasant girl!" "It's a kickboxing match, you fool!" Ranma yelled back, bracing for another frontal charge. That charge never happened. Kodachi ran forward a bit, but then sidestepped and bounced off the side ropes. She then flew back at Ranma with her feet outstretched. Ranma barely reacted in time to drop to her back. As Kodachi flew over her, Ranma raised her left leg and landed a vicious kick to the other girl's stomach. With a muffled 'ooof', Kodachi collapsed to the ring's mat and remained motionless. "One..." the referee began to count, gesturing at both combatants on the mat. Ranma used his arms to get back up on her good leg, then kept her balance as the referee finished counting to ten over Kodachi. "...ten!" the referee finished then turned to Ranma. "And the winner of the championship is Ranko Saotome!" Ranma smiled weakly and then was sandwiched in a hug between a panda and a nun. The former caused her to spit out a mouth full of fur. The later made her blush. Even if Ranma knew that she was a nun, the feeling of Sister Angela's warm body against her own was very stimulating. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Later, Ranma and Sister Angela sat in a teashop. "Thank you, Sister. I couldn't have done it without your help," Ranma said. She took a sip of her tea. Sister Angela smiled sweetly. "Nonsense. You are a remarkable fighter, Ranko. I just wish you'd try to be a little more feminine or you'll never get a husband." Ranma almost choked on her tea. "Err... yeah. Thanks again." She put some coins down for the bill, slid out of the booth with Sister Angela, and walked back to the church with her. "Why wasn't your father at the fight anyway?" Sister Angela asked as they neared the church. "He was." Sister Angela frowned. "Where?" Ranma gulped. "Well, he was in the audience. He... err... doesn't like to stay ringside... sort of a superstition." "I see. Well, that panda is very well trained." Ranma burst out laughing, causing Sister Angela to look at Ranma oddly. "Yeah, but the furball still needs to be housebroken." Sister Angela couldn't help but laugh at that. Distracted, she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and fell forward. Acting by instinct, Ranma reach forward and grabbed the nun before she hit the pavement. Unfortunately, Ranma managed to grab one of Sister Angela's breasts in the process. In the awkward moments that followed, Ranma ended up suddenly letting go. Sister Angela crashed onto the sidewalk. "Oh god, Sister... I'm so sorry," Ranma blurted, holding out a hand for her. Sister Angela accepted the hand and rose. "That's okay, Ranko. It's not like you were a man or anything." Ranma gulped loudly. "Ummm, Sister... I think I need to tell you something." Sister Angela looked sweetly into Ranma's eyes. "What is it, Ranko?" "Um, I... I..." Sister Angela put her hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Just say it, Ranko." Ranma just couldn't spill the news about her curse after so long, so she decided to tell Sister Angela about her leaving. "My pop is taking me to Tokyo tomorrow. He wants to visit some old friend of his before we go back to China." Sister Angela frowned slightly. "Oh. Well, I'll miss you. You're such a fun girl to be around." Ranma flinched. "Yeah. I've really enjoyed my time with you. You've made me feel loved." "You are. God loves all his children." Ranma blushed. "Err... well... I'll miss you." Sister Angela smiled. "So will I, but we may meet again someday. And you are always welcome to visit my church if you're in the area." She stepped forward and pulled Ranma into a hug. When the hug finished, Ranma watched Sister Angela pull away. Something inside her snapped and Ranma found herself leaning forward and planting a kiss on the started nun's lips. After several seconds, Sister Angela finally managed to break the kiss and pulled away from Ranma, a deep red blush covering her face. "Ranko..." Ranma finally realized what she'd done. It was bad enough to kiss a nun while a man, but to do it when she was a girl was twice the mistake. "Oh.... Sister... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." The blush slowly faded form Sister Angela's face as she spoke. "Ranko, I think you're confused. You've spent so much time on the road with your father, you're reaching out for love in the wrong places." "I'm really sorry. I just..." Ranma burst in tears and then ran off into the darkness. Sister Angela followed her, but soon lost sight of the redheaded girl in the darkness. When she returned to the church she prayed for Ranko's safety. Then she went to confession, to clear her soul of something that disturbed her. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Bless me Father, for I have sinned." "How long as it been since you last confession, Sister?" "One week." "What are your sins, my child?" "I have kissed a woman." "Oh my." "Well, I guess technically she kissed me." "I see. Well then you are not at fault." "But I sort of liked it." "Oh my." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Shadow-Akane raged. "You jerk!" Mallet hits chair where Shadow-Ranma had been seated. "You bastard!" Mallet hits floor where Shadow-Ranma had been standing. "You nun-chasing, cross-dressing, lesbian!" Mallet hits Shadow-Ranma's head where his brain used to be spherical. Shadow-Ranma rubbed his head. "I'm sorry already! I didn't know making that change would have myself making moves on a nun when he was a girl! I mean who could have known THAT little change would cause Ranma to fall for a nun?!" Shadow-Akane seemed to consider this. "Well, I guess that much is true. But I still can't believe you fell for a nun when it always takes so long for you fall for me!" "Feh, most of the time, Ranma falls for you right away. He's just never able to bring himself to admit it, that's all." Shadow-Akane blinked several times. "Really?" Shadow-Ranma gulped loudly. "Well, yeah. Why else do ya' think we almost always end up together in those universes?" "So you finally admit it, you fell for me too when we first met all those centuries ago." Shadow-Ranma looked very nervous. "Well... err..." He nodded slightly. Shadow-Akane beamed. "He loves me... he loves me...." Shadow-Ranma sighed resignedly then sat back down and glanced at the screen. "Well, looks like he and his dad are headed to Tokyo, so I doubt he'll end up with the nun in that universe." Trying to stop his wife's chanting, he added, "Just consider it a detour on his way to falling in love with Akane." This seemed to please Shadow-Akane, who stopped chanting and smiled broadly. "Well, I hope so, or this anniversary is really going to suck." "Actually, our anniversary is over, we've been watching this universe for a couple months now. All that pausing for sex and everything else adds up pretty fast, you know." Shadow-Akane smiled and looked at the calendar. "You're right... Uh oh..." Shadow-Ranma frowned. "What?" "I missed my last two periods. I must be pregnant again." Shadow-Ranma rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not again... That makes a hundred and sixty-nine, doesn't it?" "Idiot! Little Daiji was one hundred and sixty-nine. This will make a hundred and seventy kids for us." "Daiji?" Shadow-Ranma thought for a moment. "Ah! Little red haired brat with freckles, right?" "That describes about a third of our children." "I think I played with him a few months ago." "Daiji is a girl, idiot!" "Oh." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Soun, I don't know about this." Soun looked at his wife with pleading eyes. "Please, Hanaki, I promised my good friend that his son could marry one of our daughters so the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts can continue." "Well since Akane and Kasumi are already spoken for, that leaves Nabiki. Have you told her yet?" Soun swallowed hard. "Not yet, Dear." "Well, I suggest you do so then. It's her decision after all. If she doesn't like the boy, we shouldn't force her into an arranged marriage." "Yes, Dear." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Is he cute?" Nabiki asked, hopefully. "How old is he?" "I don't know... I've never met the boy." Nabiki frowned. "He better not be a loser or some uggo." Hanaki placed her hand gently on her daughter's hand. "We're not going to force you to marry him, but at least meet him and get to know him before deciding." "Okay, Mom, but he better at least have a good chance of landing an executive position at a big company if he's going to support me." Hanaki swatted Nabiki's hand softly. "Nabiki, I've told you before not to be so concerned with money and material goods." Nabiki sighed and rolled her eyes. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "They're here!" Nabiki called out. Hanaki got to her feet and hurried to the front of the house with Nabiki. When they returned, Hanaki was carrying a baby in her arms while Nabiki was straining to get a look at it. Hanaki made cooing sounds to the baby before speaking. "Oh, you're just the cutest little thing, my dear, sweet grandson." Behind her Kasumi and Dr. Tofu walked, both grinning from ear to ear and spilling over with pride over their newborn son. The group all stepped into the family room where Soun was calmly reading the paper. He looked up and smiled. Before he could rise, Hanaki placed the baby into his arms. "Ah, so this is my grandson. A fine looking child you have there, Tofu my lad." Dr. Tofu bowed. "Thank you, Father. My wife says he has your cheekbones." Soun looked at the baby again. "You may be right, but he has Kasumi and Hanaki's beautiful eyes." The two women mentioned blushed. "Oh, Father." Dr. Tofu nodded. "That they do." He gave his wife's shoulder a gentle squeeze and then knelt down next to Soun. "So, is Nabiki's future husband here yet?" Kasumi asked, carefully watching while Nabiki took her son from her mother. "Gee, Sis, just because you're off the hook from this arrangement Daddy made, doesn't mean you can call him my fiance yet." Hanaki tried to keep her two oldest from getting into an argument. "Well, since you broke it off with that Kuno boy, you haven't dated anyone, have you?" "I wouldn't call what we did 'dating'." "Then what was it?" Nabiki gulped. She didn't want to tell her mother that she had just dated Kuno because he could afford to buy her some nice things and had only broken it off when he had started chasing whatever girl caught his fancy. "Well, we just grew apart. That's all." "I see. Using boys for their money isn't nice, Nabiki." Realizing her mom had seen right though her, Nabiki went on the defensive. "Why do you have to nag so much, Mom? It's no big deal!" Before her mother could respond, a car horn sounded from the front of the house. "That must be Genma and his son!" Soun got to his feet. "Come and meet your fiance, Nabiki." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma and Genma waited in the taxi until someone came to the front door. Ranma had started to get out when they had first pulled up, but Genma had restrained him. He wanted to make a good impression when they showed up and with the prize money they could do just that. "Now be respectful, Boy." Genma straightened the new suit he was wearing. "I will be. I mean, it's not like they are you, Old man." Ranma said, smirking evilly at his father. Despite his father's attempts to get him to wear a new suit, Ranma wore the same red Chinese shirt he normally wore. But at least it had just been freshly cleaned and laundered. Genma saw his old friend Soun open the door, so he handed an umbrella to Ranma and kept one for himself. The two of them slid out of the taxi using the umbrellas to stay dry from the pouring rain. Just before Genma walked away the taxi driver tugged on his suit jacket. Genma tried to feign he had already paid, but didn't fool anyone. He sighed and paid the bill, but gave no tip. The taxi pulled away fast, causing a wave of water to shoot out at Genma. He jumped out of the way, but in the escape his umbrella slipped from his fingers. When he landed in front of Soun, he was a panda. Soun gasped. "What the..." Ranma walked up behind his father. "Ummm... Mr. Tendo?" "Yes." "I'm Ranma Saotome, and this walking furball is my father." "Saotome?" Soun looked closely at the panda, who nodded. "You've changed a bit." The panda's shoulders slumped. So much for the good impression he had wanted to make. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma and the Panda knelt and bowed in front of the Tendos. "I'm Ranma Saotome and this is my father, Genma Saotome. Nice t' meet ya." Nabiki smiled. "Oh, he is cute." Ranma lifted his head up and mistook to whom Nabiki was referring. "He's not actually a Panda, he's my father. He fell into a cursed spring in China." "How awful," Kasumi commented. "Well, at least you didn't get cursed as well, Ranma." "Well, actually..." Hanaki came in carrying a steaming kettle and interrupted Ranma's confession. "Here's the hot water you wanted." "Oh... thank you." Ranma took the kettle and poured the hot water over the panda's head. Before the Tendos' startled eyes, he transformed into a man. He quickly pulled his suit back on. "Oh my." "Mother, that calls for a little stronger comment than 'oh my'. Like... Holy Cow!!" "I think 'oh my' is fine, Kasumi dear." Nabiki looked at Genma. "Remarkable. You know, Mr. Saotome, I could probably find you a job in a circus." "Why thank you, Nabiki dear, but I don't do tricks." "I can fix that." The sly grin on Nabiki's face did not make Genma feel better. Soun slapped Genma on his back. "Well then, now that my friend is human again, let's get started." Nabiki frowned. Ranma looked confused. "Huh?" "So, Tendo, these are your three beautiful daughters?" Hanaki blushed and giggled. "Oh, Mr. Saotome." Soun cleared his throat and then started making introductions. "This is my WIFE, Hanaki. My oldest daughter, Kasumi, her husband DOCTOR Tofu Ono, and their newborn son, Sanji. And here is Nabiki." "Ah, a wonderful family you have. I guess we should wait till your third daughter arrives?" Soun shook his head. "I'm afraid only Nabiki is available." "I see. Well then...." Genma looked at Nabiki, who had a slightly nervous look on her face, and then Ranma, who had no idea what was about to happen. "Ranma, say hello to Nabiki, your fiancee." Ranma looked nervously at Nabiki. "Hi, Nab.... WHAT!" Ranma leapt to his feet and glared at his father. "My WHAT?" "Your fiancee. Soun and I made an agreement that you would marry one of his daughters. Since Nabiki is the only one available, that just takes the guess work out of it." A look that showed that Genma was very proud of how well his plan had turned out formed on his face. "Is this why you insisted we come to Tokyo?!" "Yes, come on Ranma, she's cute." Ranma looked at Nabiki and blushed. "Well, yeah, but you could have at least warned me!" "Right, and you'd have probably tried to run away." "I might still, old man!" Hanaki cleared her throat. "Ranma, Mr. Saotome, lets just sit down and discuss this calmly." Ranma stopped just short of pummeling his father at the soft words from Hanaki. "Err... okay." He sat down. "Now then, as I've explained to Nabiki here already, no one is going to force you into this engagement. But at least give it a chance. Nabiki is a sweet girl and I'm sure you two can find something in common. If it doesn't work out, there will be no honor lost in nullifying the engagement. All right?" "But..." Soun made to object, but was silenced by a simple look from his wife. Ranma looked at Nabiki awkwardly. "I guess..." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "So what do you like to do?" Nabiki asked, as she sat on the porch with Ranma. "Martial arts." "Oh, Daddy has a dojo in the back." "Really? Cool." "What else do you like to do?" "Umm... what do you like to do?" "Reading magazines, watching TV, hanging out with the girls." Ranma cringed at the last item in Nabiki's list. "You know... the usual." "I see. Um, there is something I should maybe tell you." Ranma fidgeted with his fingers. "What?" "I..." "Ranma, prepare to die!" Ranma looked around just in time to see the umbrella that was thrust into his face. Ranma tumbled across the yard and teetered on the edge of the koi pond. Before he could fall in, he did a side flip and landed a safe distance away. Then he looked for his assailant. "Who are you?!" "How dare you mock me!" the bandana clad boy shouted. Ranma looked at Nabiki. "Did I mock him?" Nabiki just shrugged. "For what you have done to me, I shall kill you!" Ryoga jumps at Ranma, who easily dodged the attack. "Ahh! Now I remember! Ryoga, isn't it?" "You pretend to not know the person whose life you have destroyed?!" "Did I?" "I challenged you and you ran like the coward you are!" "What did you do to him, Ranma?" Nabiki asked. "Beats me." Suddenly, a flash of remembrance flashed across Ranma's face. "Ah!" He ran into the house leaving two confused teenagers behind. After a few minutes, Ranma returned and started tossing little packets of bread at Ryoga. "Here you go." Ryoga looked at the bread packets and grew angrier. "What do you take me for? You think bread makes up for the hell you've put me through?" He then took a bite of one of the pieces of bread. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Damn, Ranma got into Tokyo later than he usually did, so Ryoga attacked at the house instead of school," Shadow-Ranma said, before gulping down a handful of spiders. Hopefully they were licorice spiders, but since they were moving they probably weren't. Shadow-Akane huffed. "Looks like you'll end up with Nabiki in this one." "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't plan it that way. I just wanted your mother to be alive. I guess, there's no reason to continue this." Shadow-Ranma reached for a control to shut the monitor off. Shadow-Akane stopped him. "No... don't. I want to see who I'm engaged or married to. At least it doesn't sound like it's Kuno." "Well, guess we might as well see how things turn out. I wonder if the lost boy will end up falling for Nabiki?" Before Shadow-Akane could respond, a time/space vortex opened in front of them. "Dammit, where in the multi-universes am I in now?" "Yo, Lost Boy, long time no see!" Shadow-Ryoga looked around. "Oh... hi Ranma, hi Akane." "How are you doing, Ryoga?" "Just fine, Akane. Have you lost your bet with Ranma yet?" "Actually, I won. We got married centuries ago and have one hundred and sixty-nine kids." Shadow-Akane patted her stomach, which had a noticeable bulge. "And one more on the way." "Oh..." Shadow-Ryoga paused and started twiddling his thumbs. "I guess it's too late to say that I love you." "Yes." "Oh... Ranma, prepare to die!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "We'll be in separate classes of course," Nabiki said as they walked toward Furinkan High School the next day. Ranma looked down at Nabiki from the fence top he was walking along. "Yeah, but I see no reason to go to school." "Well, how do you expect to get into college if you don't graduate from High School?" "Feh, I don't need to go to no college. My dad keeps saying that he'll figure out some scam to get a dojo of... our..." Ranma trailed off as he finally realized what was going on. "...own." Nabiki smirked. "Oh, is that the only reason he's pushing us to get married?" "Err... ahh... well... He's kind of always getting me into his schemes. I think you're nice and all... I'm not doing this because of the dojo." "That's good, because if we get married, the dojo and house are mine," Nabiki insisted. "Pop will be upset." Ranma flashed Nabiki a big grin, which Nabiki returned. "You know for a jock, you're not that bad." Ranma had no idea if this was a compliment or not, so he remained silent. When Ranma and Nabiki walked through the school gate, a boy in a kendo outfit landed in front of them. "Ah, my fair Nabiki. What light through yonder window shines is but a pale imitation of your beauty." Ranma looked confused. "What window?" "I dumped you, Kuno. Please leave me alone." "Alas, I have no trinkets left to give you, but my heart still yearns to encompass your feminine charms!" Nabiki sighed, then looked over to a group of boys. "Get him, guys." Suddenly, the group of boys all attacked Kuno. At first, Kuno held his ground, but soon succumbed to the onslaught. Nabiki stepped over the mangled mess formerly known as Kuno and towards the school. "Come on, Ranma, time for class." Ranma hopped over Kuno and slid in beside Nabiki. "What was that all about?" "Oh, I dated Kuno for awhile, but it didn't work out. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to understand that we're through. So every day I get that group of boys to beat him up." Nabiki decided not to tell Ranma that most of the boys did it just because she used her feminine charms. She didn't think Ranma would appreciate her saving a few yen that way. Her mother definitely wouldn't. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- A few days later, Ranma was working out in the dojo. He attacked a straw dummy in the center of the dojo with a series of rapid punches and kicks. With one final kick, Ranma decapitated the dummy. Exhausted, he sat down and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Impressive." Ranma looked over at the doors. "Oh... Hi, Nabiki." Nabiki sat down in front of Ranma. "You're better than my dad." "Feh, I'm better than everyone. I'm the world's greatest martial artist!" "And so modest, too. So how do you like it here?" Ranma grew nervous. "Um... Well it's only been a few days, but it's kind of nice to have someplace to call home." Nabiki suddenly grinned. "Do you want to kiss me?" Ranma started. "What? Um... why would I want to do that?" "I'm your fiancee. We have to kiss sometime. Why not now?" "Err... well... We hardly know each other." "That's the only way to get to live here." "I'm not going to marry you just for the dojo!" Ranma insisted, with conviction. Nabiki flinched at the tone of his voice. She smiled before leaning in and planting a firm kiss on his unsuspecting lips. Ranma was so stunned he went along with the moment and kissed her back. When the kiss ended Nabiki pulled away and stood up. "Not bad, Ranma." Ranma remained silent as she stood up and walked to the doors. "Um... Nabiki... there is something I need to tell you." Nabiki turned around. "What?" All thoughts about confessing left Ranma, when he saw that his father--in his panda form no less--was kneeling in the doorway with a video camera. Soun, Hanaki, and Kasumi were all around him. "What the..." "How cute," Hanaki said softly. "I'm sure he's nowhere as good of a kisser as my Tofu," Kasumi appraised. Ranma blushed and made a hasty retreat. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Later, Ranma was sitting on the roof thinking, when a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Whatcha doing up here?" Ranma turned to see Nabiki standing on a ladder at the roof's edge. "Oh, just wanted to find someplace quiet to think." Nabiki hefted herself carefully onto the roof. "Was that your first kiss?" "Huh? No. You could have told me they were watching." "Oh, sorry. It didn't really matter to me. I mean... we are engaged so we can pretty much do whatever we like." Ranma didn't even want to think of what else she might have in mind. She was a bit too forward for his comfort. "Nabiki, I like you and all, but why do you want this engagement?" Nabiki shrugged. "I don't know. When they told me about it, I was shocked at first, but I can see some advantages to having a finace." "Like what?" Nabiki smiled devilishly and started listing off the first things that came to mind. "I can drive Kuno crazy by kissing you in front of him. I don't have to worry who is taking me to the prom. And I could use someone to scrub my back when I take a bath." Ranma blushed. "Err... I..." Nabiki smiled at his nervousness. "Relax, Ranma. You need to relax." She gave him a quick peck on his lips and then made her way from the rooftop. Ranma sat silently and stared at the night sky. That night, Ranma had vivid dreams about kissing a girl. But it wasn't Nabiki, it was Sister Angela. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Gee, guess Nabiki isn't good enough for Ranma. He still want's the nun. What a two timing louse." "Shut up, Ryoga!" Shadow-Ranma shouted. "Make me!" Shadow-Ryoga replied, then swung his black umbrella at Shadow-Ranma. "Knock it off you too!" Shadow-Akane said, walking up to them. Or waddling up to them. She held her large pregnant belly as she scolded them. "Yes, Dear." "Sorry, Akane." "So has he married Nabiki yet?" Shadow-Akane asked, then sat down. She grabbed a handful of worms and started munching on them. Shadow-Ranma flinched at seeing her munch on the worms. He decided not to comment on that and instead answered her question. "Nope, he still has the hots for the nun." He grabbed some sort of multi-tentacled thing from a nearby bowl and casually shoved it down his throat. "Still? So my sister isn't good enough for you?" Shadow-Akane glared at her husband and stood up quickly. Shadow-Ranma waited for the mallet blow that would usually follow that glare, but it never came. He looked over to see his wife had stopped mid swing. "What's wrong?" "My water just broke." "Bweeeeeee!!!" "What the hell were you doing down there, Ryoga?!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The next morning, Ranma was trading blows with his father in the garden. "Come on, Pop!" "Not until you're married. Kissing is okay, but nothing more." "Not that!" Ranma shouted. He blushed and looked around to see if anyone heard. He flinched when he saw Nabiki standing on the porch wearing a smirk on her face. Distracted, he was kicked by Genma and shot towards the pond. At the last second, he managed to twist his body and land on the edge. "I meant to go back to China!" "As soon as you're married!" Ranma fumed. "Dang it, Pop! I want to go now!" "No." "Have it your way, old man. I'll just tell Nabiki about my curse. She'll dump me and then we'll have no one to sponge off!" Before Genma could stop him, Ranma walked up to the porch towards Nabiki. Before he reached her, a voice called from the front of the house. "I'm home!" Nabiki smiled and ran to the front of the house, leaving Ranma behind. When Nabiki came back, another girl with short dark hair was with her. Nabiki introduced them. "Ranma, this is my little sister Akane. Akane, this is my fiance, Ranma." Akane bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you, Ranma. I'm sure you'll make Nabiki a fine husband." Ranma returned the bow, but blushed. "Err... well... it's not official yet. We're still getting to know each other." "I see." Akane smiled politely and turned to Nabiki. "So what else has been going on around here, Sis?" Ranma watched the two sisters stroll off and catch up on all the current gossip. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The next day, Ranma was working out in the dojo. He was startled by a voice. "You're pretty good." Ranma looked over to see Akane standing in the doorway, dressed in a gi. "Oh... Hi, Akane." "Nabiki said you were a martial artist." Ranma nodded. "And a great kisser, apparently." Ranma blushed. Not wanting to talk about the later subject, he decided to pursue the first. Motioning towards her gi, he said, "You do martial arts, too?" Akane nodded. "Father always taught us girls at every opportunity. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to really keep up my routine. But when I can do a full workout, it's quite a rush to let myself go all out during my exercises." "Yeah, I know the feeling. Me and my pop spent most of our lives on the road training." "You must be pretty good then." "The best." "And modest too." Akane motioned towards the training floor. "Care to spar with me?" "I'm sorry, I don't fight girls," Ranma insisted, conveniently forgetting about the hundred girls he had beaten up during the kickboxing tournament. He was a girl at the time, so it didn't really count as a boy hitting a girl, right? "Very well, have it your way." Akane stepped out onto the training floor and began her usual warm up punches and kicks. "So, what do you think of my older sister?" "Well, I only met Kasumi briefly." "I meant Nabiki." Akane started to punch the straw dummy in the center of the dojo. "Oh... Well, she's nice and cute... but that seems to run in the family." Ranma blushed when he realized what he had let slip. Akane smiled. "Thank you." Then with a savage kick, she decapitated the dummy. "I sometimes wonder if she'd rather marry someone who's going to be a high-paid executive." "Don't worry about Nabiki, she may have a weakness for money, but deep down she's a very sweet girl. So what do you want to do with your life, anyway?" "Martial arts." "And?" "What else is there?" Akane giggled. "Many things. You should open your eyes to the beauty the world has to offer." Ranma found he couldn't take his eyes off Akane for the rest of her workout session. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Akane finally showed up and now Ranma is drooling over her," Shadow-Ranma commented while looking at the large screen. "Who the hell cares! I'm in labor here!" Shadow-Akane yelled from the bed she was resting on. "You've been through this almost two hundred times, what's the big deal?" "Fine, next time YOU carry the baby for nine months and then you'll see!" "Feh, I'm a man." Shadow-Akane pressed a button on a control pad by the bed and Shadow-Ranma was doused with cold water. "Cold!" Shadow-Ranma shook her red hair dry. "Well, as soon as you figure out how YOU can get me pregnant, I will." Shadow-Akane grinned, she loved a challenge. Then she clenched her teeth suddenly as she had another contraction. "Where is Kasumi?" "Ryoga said she's at a Kasumi reunion over in dimension 00023-234-87644." "Well, someone better find me a doctor, or YOU'RE going to have to deliver this baby!" Shadow-Ranma grew very nervous and pulled out the Shadow Pages. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- For the next week, Ranma and Akane would work out together in the dojo. Ranma still wouldn't spar with a girl, but would sit and watch Akane go through her exercises. Occasionally, he would make a suggestion when he saw a hole in her technique. "You need to tighten up your stance there. Feet closer together before the punch." Akane looked down and her feet and moved them closer together. "Like this?" Ranma nodded. Akane threw a series of punches. "Wow... you're right, the punches feel more powerful." Ranma walked up to her and motioned to her legs. "Yes, the muscles all work together to form what looks like a single movement of your arms, but you're actually putting the force of your whole body into the punch. Here." Ranma casually took one of her arms and folded it back under her armpit, then put his other arm on her hip. Then he pushed forward a bit with both hands. "Feel that?" Akane smiled. "Yeah, it feels like they are connected." "That's the muscles in your back working together to form the punch." Akane suddenly noticed how close they were and blushed. "Um... thank you." She stepped away and hid the blush from him. Ranma didn't seem to notice. "Why don't you try some rapid punches to the dummy." Akane nodded and started hitting the practice dummy. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- As the sun rose over the garden, Ranma traded kicks and punches with his father. Everyone else was in the family room as Akane brought out the breakfast. "Oh boy, one of my youngest's fabulous meals! It's been so long," Soun said, almost coming to tears. Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Daddy, you've said that for the past week just before each meal she's made. Give it a rest already!" Akane smiled at her father. "Oh, Father, I'm sure Mother's cooking is better than mine. She's the one who taught me how to cook, after all," she said, serving the rice. Then she got up and walked to the porch. "Ranma, Mr. Saotome, breakfast!" "Thank you, Akane dear!" Genma said, while landing a kick to Ranma's gut. Ranma responded with a quick punch followed by a leg sweep. Genma crashed into the pond, transforming into a panda. Akane gasped when she saw the transformation. "What the..." Nabiki saw Akane's reaction and casually explained. "Oh, Mr. Saotome is cursed to turn into a panda when he gets splashed with cold water." "Ha... ha! You lost again, old man!" Ranma taunted the panda. Then he turned towards the house, failing to notice the bucket of water that his father tossed at him. Suddenly, a redheaded girl was standing in the garden instead. She stopped laughing, spun around, and glared at the panda. "Dirty trick, Pop!" Ranma then realized that her secret was out and she looked nervously over at Nabiki. Before Ranma could say anything, Akane gasped. "Ranko?" Ranma frowned at hearing her say that name; the name that no one from around here should know to call her. She looked into Akane's eyes and gasped as recognition dawned. "Sister... Angela?" Ranma and Akane held each other's gaze, each unable to believe what they had just discovered. Their moment of recognition was interrupted when Nabiki waked over and squeezed one of Ranma's breasts. "Hey! Cut that out!" Ranma shouted. "What the hell is this?" Nabiki glared at her father. "Daddy, you engaged me to girl?!" "I'm a guy, dammit!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Oh, shit! Akane's the nun!" Shadow-Ranma exclaimed. "Who cares... just deliver... WHAT?!" Shadow-Akane looked over to the video screen. "I'm the nun that Ranma fell in love with? Arrrrrghhhhh!!!" "Calm down, Akane... that's a good thing. See every Ranma falls for you... even if you're an untouchable nun!" "No, you idiot, I'm not upset about that... I'm having a contraction!" "Oh..." Shadow-Ranma looked between his wife's legs. "Hey, I can see the head." "Do something!" "What?" "Dammit... where is Ryoga with that doctor?" Shadow-Ranma took a closer look between her legs. "Oh, that's just your panties. I guess I should take those off." Shadow-Akane grew very worried and was even more desperate for a real doctor. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Are you sure this is where they are?" the doctor asked while looking at the vast plain of snow in front of him. "I think so..." Shadow-Ryoga trailed off as he saw a little penguin with a backpack walk by. "What kind of screwed up universe is this?" Confused, Ryoga did what he normally did in situations like this: he blew something up. "Breaking Point!" He stabbed a finger into the snow covered Antarctic ground. And triggered Second Impact. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "You're a nun?" Ranma asked as she knelt across the table from Akane. She couldn't believe that she was the same girl. Akane nodded. "Yes, Angela is the name I took when I entered the seminary as a novice." Ever since she came home for this visit, she had thought that Ranma seemed to be somewhat familiar, but couldn't put her finger on it until she saw him transform into the girl she knew as Ranko. Then all the pieces fell into place. Ranma acted a lot like Ranko, but since their bodies were so different, she had never made the connection until now. "So... you're a girl?" "No! I'm a guy! I fell into a cursed spring in China that turns me into a girl when I'm splashed with cold water, just like my father here." Ranma indicated the panda. Akane looked sternly at Ranma. "Lying is a sin, RANKO." "Um... my name is really Ranma. I'm sorry about lying to you, but after Pop got me into that kickboxing tournament I got used to using Ranko when I'm a girl. I'm sorry." He looked over at Nabiki, who was very angry. "Sorry, Nabiki, I tried to tell you about the curse, but something always interrupted me." "Well, you can kiss our engagement goodbye." Nabiki crossed her arms across her chest and looked away. Hanaki put a comforting hand on her middle daughter's shoulder. "Don't be so rash. Forgiveness is a virtue." "Oh, I can forgive him for lying, but that's not the problem!" "Then what is?" Hanaki asked. Nabiki looked at Ranma and pointed at her breasts. "Those. I'm not marrying some freak with breasts!" "I ain't no freak!" Ranma got to her feet and ran out of the house, grabbing a hot kettle of water from the kitchen on the way. "Nabiki, that was mean. I'm sure she... he... has had a hard time dealing with this 'curse' of hers... his." An image of the kiss that 'Ranko' had given her flashed through Akane's mind. She shook her head to clear it of the disturbing image. "Judge not by outward appearances, lest thee be judged the same." Nabiki sighed. "You're just like Mom, you know that?" Akane smiled. "Thank you." Nabiki sighed and rose to go to her room. "You know, sis, sometimes I wish you were my little sister again instead of a 'Sister'." With that, she turned and walked away. Akane frowned as she tried to figure out what Nabiki meat by that. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Ranma was on the roof when Akane landed by his side, startling him. "How... how did you do that?" "It was one of the things that my father taught me growing up. Seems his old master was keen on being able to jump over walls and onto roofs for some reason. Mother Abbess always scolds me when I jump onto the church's roof in my robe. She says it's not proper." Ranma allowed himself to smile at that. "Why do you act so differently around here?" "Do I?" "You always seemed to quiet and reserved before and here you... I don't know... you just seem different." Akane frowned and thought about how she acted when she was in her habit and robes. "Maybe I try to be a little more serious when I'm representing God, but I don't think I really am that different. Am I?" "Yes, you are." Ranma thought for a few moments and then changed his mind when he realized that for the most part, she did act the same. He was the one who looked at her differently when she was a nun. "Maybe you aren't." An image of the kiss they shared flashed into his head. Ranma was shaken out of his internal scolding when Akane put her hand on his arm and spoke softly to him. "Ranma, tell me what's on your mind. It's good to talk about your feelings." Ranma didn't dare talk to her about what was really on his mind at that moment, so picked the next thing that came to his mind. "I blew it big time, didn't I? Once I started lying about this curse it was so easy to continue the lies." "That's why lying is so bad. So tell me a truth to diminish the lies." "I'm a guy." "Yes, so you've said. Don't worry, I'm sure Nabiki doesn't really think you're really a freak, she was just shocked and confused. I don't think you're a freak either." "Thank you, Sister." Akane flinched. "You can call me Akane here." "Oh... so why'd you become a nun?" "I got the calling." "Calling?" "It's hard to explain. I've always felt so much love when my mother taught me about God. I wanted to help other people and spread God's word. The best way I could do that was as a nun." "Oh, um... sorry about that kiss. I was kind of confused." Akane started. She smiled. "That's okay. It actually makes me feel better that you are really a guy. I mean... to like a kiss from a girl is against God's word." Ranma finally looked Akane in the eyes. "You liked it?" Akane blushed, then nodded slowly. Something inside Ranma latched onto that fact and wouldn't let it go. He tossed and turned that night in his sleep as he tried to figure out what to do. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The next day, the whole family was around the family room table again. Even Kasumi, Dr. Tofu, and their baby were there. Akane was holding her nephew in her arms and smiling lovingly at him. "Well, Ranma, I did some research on the Jusenkyo curses and I believe the only way to cure you is to dunk yourself in the Spring of Drowned Man." "Yeah, I kind of guessed that... but the furball here won't take me back to China!" Ranma glared at his father, who was currently human. "As soon as you're married," Genma insisted. "Well, it won't be to me!" Nabiki insisted. Hanaki put her hand on her daughter's hand. "Nabiki dear, this demonic curse is not permanent, so he can fulfill his duties as a husband." She paused and almost smirked at the devilish thought that occurred to her. "As long as you keep some hot water handy, of course.." Nabiki was too mad to even catch the joke. "It's not like I ever agreed to marry him before I found out he was a freak anyway!" Before Ranma could say it, Akane did. "He is not a freak." "Fine. You marry him then, Akane!" Akane flinched. "I am already promised to the Lord." "I bet Ranma kisses better than your Lord." "Nabiki! I've heard enough from you. Go to your room and say ten Hail Marys on your rosary!" Hanaki pointed towards the hallway. Nabiki looked ready to argue, but knew it would be pointless. She had had too many similar arguments with her mother in the past to think her mother would ever change. She sighed and stormed out of the room. "I'm sorry, Ranma, she's just a little hotheaded sometimes. I'm sure she'll see the light and select the path God has chosen for her." Ranma frowned. "Err... yeah..." Kasumi cleared her throat. "Mother, I think you sometimes are too preachy with Nabiki. Maybe you should try talking to her without bringing religion into it." "Kasumi, you too? Have I raised a household of blasphemers?" Hanaki clutched onto the cross she always wore around her neck. "I think she's right, Mother." Akane took her mother's hands in hers. "Kasumi and Nabiki are not blasphemers. They are good people. They just show their faith differently. I think Nabiki is a good person, but she is rebelling from your strict Christian preaching. Sometimes a gentle approach is best." A tear appeared in Hanaki's eye. "How did my youngest get so wise?" "The love of my mother. Go show some of that love to Nabiki." Hanaki nodded. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Nabiki didn't move when she heard a knock on her door. After several more knocks, she reluctantly relented. "Come in." Hanaki opened the door and walked over to the bed. She sat down and placed a hand on Nabiki's back. "I'm sorry, Nabiki. Maybe I get a little preachy sometimes, but it's only because I love you." Nabiki huffed. "A LITTLE preachy?" Hanaki sighed. "You've always hated my teachings, haven't you?" "No... just when you think your religion has the answer to everything." "Maybe not everything, but it has given me strength through the years. When I was sick, my faith kept me from leaving my family and going to heaven." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Oops..." Shadow-Akane looked down at Shadow-Ranma. "What? What's wrong?!" Shadow-Ranma looked nervous. "Looks like your mother got really religious because I saved her life." Shadow-Akane gasped. "Could you PLEASE stop watching that and help me give birth to YOUR child?" Shadow-Ranma smiled apologetically and returned to his task between his wife's legs. Suddenly, he popped his head up. "Hey, if she believes that her faith in God saved her and I'm the one who actually saved her, that makes me God, doesn't it?" "Hardly! God would never be watching a soap opera when his wife is in her fortieth--no forty-second hour of labor! Now pull that kid out already!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The next day after Nabiki and her mother had their long talk, they went shopping and to the zoo together. They had a good hard laugh when they reached the panda exhibit. It was the first time they had shared a laugh together in years. That night, things were cheerful at dinner. Nabiki and her mother seemed to be breaking down the barriers that had formed between them. Hanaki did still bring up God and his teachings, but not as often or as strictly. Nabiki was kneeling next to Ranma. They both cast an occasional awkward glance at each other, as if they both had something to say. Akane was serving up the dinner she made when she noticed the tension between them. "Nabiki, Ranma, is there something wrong?" They both shook their heads 'no'. Akane smiled. She then withdrew the food from the table just as everyone was reaching for it. "No one eats until you two get whatever is bothering you off your chests." "Nabiki, please let us know. Everyone here loves you," Hanaki said softly, intentionally avoiding mentioning that God loves her too. Although her mother didn't say it, Nabiki felt it in the tone of her mother's voice. Maybe it had more impact on Nabiki that way. "Um... I'm going to give the engagement another chance." Nabiki looked at Ranma, who blushed and looked away. "I mean, I guess I could put up with a hermaphrodite for a little while until he's cured." Hanaki smiled. "That's my daughter. I'm very proud of you. And so is..." She stopped speaking before finishing her statement. Nabiki looked at her mother and then finished for her. "...the Lord." Hanaki nodded. "Ranma?" Ranma swallowed hard. "Err... well, I guess that's nice, but I can see that you're not happy about this engagement and everything, Nabiki. I think it would be better if we don't force ourselves." The women all gasped. Soun and Genma grew angry. Soun glared at Genma. "Saotome, if your son backs out of this agreement, I shall never talk to you again!" Seeing his chances at a dojo slipping away, Genma glared at his son. "Ranma, this is very dishonorable for you to break this agreement between our honorable families!" Ranma shook his head slowly, but didn't raise his gaze from the floor. "I'm not breaking it. The agreement was that I would marry one of Mr. Tendo's daughters." He suddenly looked up at Akane. "I want to marry Akane!" The room went silent after the dishes Akane had been holding finished shattering against the floor. "What?" Hanaki gasped. "Ranma..." Akane whispered. A warm feeling flowed through her heart. She tried to remain calm as Nabiki exploded. "She's a nun, you bastard!" Nabiki swore. Hanaki glared at her daughter. "Language." Nabiki looked properly chastised. "I know... but just a novice. So she hasn't taken her vows... right?" Ranma asked, hopefully. Akane smiled sweetly at Ranma and tried to make him understand that he just had a crush on her. "Ranma, I'm flattered, but I can't turn my back on God on a whim." "It's not a whim! I love you!" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Arrrrrgghhhhhhh! It's coming!" Shadow-Akane screamed and pushed. "He popped the question! Damn, I can't believe I would have the guts that early after meeting you." "Excuse me?!" "Yes, Honey, what is it?" Shadow-Ranma asked softly. "Oh, it's just that your one-hundred and seventieth child is flying across the room.... That's all." Shadow-Ranma gasped and finally noticed that Shadow-Akane's last push had sent the baby flying out of the birth canal at a terrific speed. It even snapped the umbilical cord in the process. "Damn, talk about strong muscles." He took off running and matched his speed to the baby's. At the last second, he jumped and made a perfect catch in mid-air. He tucked the baby into his arms and did a roll on the floor. With a flourish, he bounced into the air and landed standing up. He held the baby in his hands triumphantly and smiled broadly. "Saotome School of Anything Goes Baby Catching!" "Just don't spike it!" Shadow-Akane called out. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- After the chaos of the proposal had died down and Nabiki had to be restrained from causing bodily harm to him, Ranma sat on the roof with Akane. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I can't break my promise to the Lord. I may not have taken my vows officially, but in my heart I have." Akane somehow felt her words sounded wrong, but ignored the feeling and tried to remain true to her decision to become a nun. "But... I love you." Somehow, he had figured that was enough. The shock that it might not be was weighing heavily on his heart. "I think you're just latching onto me since I'm the first girl to ever spend time with you." "No!" Ranma clenched his fist and then released it. In a single movement, he pulled Akane into his arms and planted a long kiss on her trembling lips. When the kiss ended, Akane put her fingers to her lips and just stared into Ranma's eyes. "Tell me you didn't just feel the sparks between us!" Akane took a few moments to answer. "No, I'm sorry.... I didn't. Please... don't do that again." With that said, she leapt down to her room, leaving a devastated Ranma behind her. Neither of them got any sleep that night as they each tried to come to terms with what had happened. Ranma blamed all of his current problems on his curse. Akane tried to convince herself that she didn't feel anything from the kiss. She wasn't successful since memories of both kisses from Ranma--both as a boy and a girl--continually popped into her mind no matter how hard she tried to suppress the memories. "Ranma..." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Ouch..." Shadow-Ranma said, as he looked away from the video screen. A part of him felt sorry for his other self. Shadow-Akane was cradling their new daughter in her arms. "She is so adorable." "You've said that for the past one hundred and sixty nine children." Shadow-Akane smiled. "Well, that's because they are all adorable." Shadow-Ranma looked down at his new daughter and smiled. "Well, I guess with a beautiful mother like you, that is to be expected." He leaned down and kissed his wife. The new parents, for the one hundredth and seventieth time, cradled their newborn daughter in their arms. "Want me to get the 'Big Book o' Names'?" Shadow-Akane smiled, but shook her head. She glanced at the video screen before speaking. "Angela. In honor of the love that couldn't be in the face of a greater love." "What love is that?" "The love of God." "Deep. Never knew you were that religious." Shadow-Akane shrugged. "Well, my mom was Christian, but never had the chance to become as devout as she did in that universe." "I'm sorry my anniversary present didn't work out the way I intended." "That's okay. It gave us little Angela, that is the best present I could ever hope for." The two Shadows kissed and little Angela started to cry. Shadow-Akane smiled and comforted her new daughter as she and Shadow-Ranma walked out of the large dark chamber. "Just don't think this gets you off the hook for our next anniversary in a couple months." Shadow-Ranma gulped loudly as they left. Since his mind as suddenly preoccupied with thinking of what to get his wife for their next anniversary, he forgot to shut off the large video monitor. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- The day after Akane rejected Ranma, the Saotome's left on a training voyage to China. Both families agreed that no honor was lost, since Ranma did offer to marry one of the Tendo daughters as Soun and Genma had originally agreed to. Akane's prior commitments and rejection of the engagement were considered honorable as well. Kasumi and Dr. Tofu had their happy family to attend to. Within a few years that little family included two more sons and a daughter. Nabiki met a boy whose family was filthy rich, but dumped him because he was too much of a geek for her tastes. She ended up dating the strange fellow who kept coming around looking to kill Ranma. She decided that pigs were easier to tolerate than hermaphrodites. Easier to control too. Some Chinese girl came around looking for girl Ranma. Hanaki told her that Ranma died. One little white lie won't condemn her to hell, after all. The Chinese girl ended up marrying a childhood friend. A young okonomiyaki chef never did find the boy she was seeking to get her revenge. During a chance encounter, she rescued a boy from a group of women who were treating him like a girl. The two of them eventually married and had a happy life. And Akane? -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- A priest with graying hair looked up as he saw the young nun at his office door. "What is it, Sister Angela?" Sister Angela straightened her habit and looked at the priest. "Father, I am having doubts about my commitment to God." The priest frowned and gestured at the chair in front of his desk. "How so?" Sister Angela sat down. "I met a boy." "Sister, there are many temptations of the flesh, we must strive to purify our souls so that we can spread God's word." "I know, Father. But ever since I met him, I can't get him out of my mind. I think... I may love him." "Sister, we have all faced those feelings. This is no different than your concerns when you had that run in with that lesbian." Sister Angela gulped loudly. "Um... about that... um..." The priest put a comforting hand on Akane's hand. "Please tell me." "That girl was actually the boy I think I'm in love with. He sort of has a curse that changes him into a girl when he's splashed with cold water." "Eh?" -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- Sister Angela finished explaining about the curse. "So, he's a man, right?" The priest nodded. "That is very strange, but if he was born a man then it was God's intention that Ranma be a man. This curse you speak of may just be part of God's plan for young Ranma." "Do you really think so?" "The Lord works in mysterious ways. I too, had to overcome my own private trials and tribulations. I had to put my love for one woman-" The priest looked off into the distance and paused briefly. "-aside in order to spread the word of a greater love." Sister Angela looked up at the priest. "So... how did you forget her?" "I didn't. I still love her and will always love her. But God chose a different path for me. It was a painful path at the time, but I have come to accept it and am content to spread God's love to my flock." "So, what is my path?" "Your path is between you and God. If you feel your love for him is stronger than your commitment to spread God's word, then maybe that is your path. No one can choose your path for you, you must find it yourself with God's help." "How do I know if I love him enough to give up helping people?" The priest smiled knowingly. "Who says you can't help people and spread God's word without becoming a nun?" Sister Angela considered this for a few moments. "But can't I do so much more good as a nun?" "Possibly, but even a wife and mother helps spread God's word and love." "How so?" "To her children, of course." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- After talking for almost an hour, Sister Angela stood up and smiled. "Thank you, Father. I think I feel better now." "And what will you do?" "I will... have to choose my path. Thank you again, Father Godai." "It's my pleasure, Sister Angela." He watched her leave and then sighed. He reached over and opened a drawer on his disk. He reached under a stack of paper and pulled out a framed picture. As he looked at thee young woman in the picture a tear came to his eye. "Oh... Manager, I hope you're happy with Mitaka." Suddenly, a young boy of about four or five years old chased a little girl with long pigtails into the room. He chased her around the desk. Father Godai waited for the boy to get within reach, then reached out and grabbed the little boy. "Ichimatsu, what are you doing?" The little boy just looked up at the priest and shrugged. "Well, then why are you chasing her?" "Donno..." "Well, then stop chasing her, okay?" The little boy thought about that for a few moments and then smiled. "'Kay!" He jumped off the priest's lap and made to leave, but Father Godai snagged his shirt. "You know you're not supposed to leave the pre-school by yourself. Come on, I'll take you both back." He took Ichimatsu's hand and held out the other for the little girl. Little Yuki took the hand, then looked up at the priest's face and smiled. Father Godai returned the smile. "You're welcome." -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- "Most sorry, Ms. Customer, but pigtailed boy leave here a week ago." Akane frowned. "Do you know where he might have gone?" The fat guide shook his head. "Please! It's important... I've been looking for him for a month." "Me am very sorry. She not say when she left." "She? So he wasn't cured?" "Sadly, some moron pull plug on Spring of Drowned Man so there no more water for cure." Akane clutched her chest. -=The=- -=Shadow=- -=Files=- About a year after Ranma walked out of her life and Akane had chosen her path, Akane's family was proudly watching her as she stood in front of Mt. Mary's church and began her vows. Father Godai smiled at Sister Angela and opened his bible. "Stop!" Everyone looked to the back of the church to see a young man with a pigtail standing in the doorway, gasping for breath. He was understandably tired, since he had just run halfway across Japan after finding out from a neighbor of the Tendos that Akane was taking her vows today. "Ranma?" "Akane!" A tremor ran up Akane's body and ended when the tears started to flow from her eyes. She had spent weeks agonizing over her choice and then trying to find Ranma to see if her feelings for him were strong enough to give up her life as a nun. In the end, she had thought her path was decided when she could no longer see Ranma in her dreams. And now her dream stood less than forty meters away. Ranma started running towards the front of the church. Thirty-five meters. Akane remained on the altar, her mind still locked in its internal conflict. Thirty meters. Suddenly, Hanaki stood up and took the three steps to her daughter. "If you love him, God will understand." Fifteen meters. That little push from her mother sent Akane running down the aisle. And down her chosen path. The few meters separating their love vanished and Ranma took Akane into his arms. Before everyone and God, they kissed. Destiny can sometimes be altered, sometimes it can be fought, and sometimes it just takes a little time to work itself out. In other words, sometimes the path taken leads to the same place as the path not taken. Father Godai looked down at the kissing couple who had chosen their path. A path he wasn't able to take. And then... sometimes it doesn't. [End - Shadow Files: One Pound Ranma] ======================================================================= >Author's notes/ramblings: This is an idea that popped into my head after reading the One Pound Gospel graphic novels by Rumiko Takahashi. Sister Angela without her habit looks similar to Akane, so I said to myself 'What if Akane was Sister Angela and Ranma ran into her before they made it back to Tokyo?' and this twisted idea was born. I put this story in my Shadow universe since it dealt with an alternate universe where Akane's mother, Hanaki, didn't die. The women's kickboxing elements come from Ayane's High Kick. Now, maybe Kasumi would make a better nun, but without the death of her mother at a young age who knows how differently Akane would have grown up. Granted, Akane as a nun is a stretch, but if Hanaki was Christian and her faith was strengthened by her 'miraculous' recovery from whatever illness that caused her death in the real Ranma universe, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine that Akane might be as religious if her mother was still around. Kasumi being married to Dr. Tofu already and with a baby made sense, since without the pressures of running the household she had a chance to date and fall in love like a normal girl. This is also why Akane's hair was always short, since in the original timeline she only grew it long because of her crush on Dr. Tofu. Nabiki didn't change too much. She did get a little more extreme about money as she rebelled against her mother's Christian teaching and constant scolding (I think Nabiki is the type to rebel when pressured to change her ways). Ironically, without Akane around to drool over, Kuno was caught up in Nabiki's web and was milked for everything he had. I'd like to thank my pre-readers David Johnston and Thomas C. Kinnen for helping me find and fix problems with this story. FFML members Gary Kleppe, Jason Liao, Michael A. Chase, Amnmadeau, and Chris Rowley were also helpful in fine tuning this story. Thank you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes and botched characters are my fault. Revision 0.0 - Rough draft (January 9, 1999) Revision 0.3 - Pre-reader draft (May 26, 1999) Revision 0.4 - FFML draft (June 24, 1999, 1999) Revision 0.5 - Second FFML draft (June 30, 1999) Revision 1.0 - Final version (August 9, 1999) Revision 1.1 - First RAAC posting (August 14, 1999)