Ranma 1/2: Ranma of Grayskull Crossover: Masters of the Universe By: Dani Yanega yanega@mindspring.com (please respond to this e-mail address) Chapter One Ranma sits on the Tendo roof watching the sun as it slowly sets. He likes when he has the house to himself; it gives him time to think. He stares at a sky on fire with reds and golden yellows, but not really seeing them as he contemplates how his life has changed over the past year. He smiles as he knows everyone would be surprised to know he already graduated early, so he could take his training trip. He is now looking forward to going to college. This only because it will get him out of Nerima and away from all the chaos that has been his life for three years, he hopes. He stares blankly at the horizon his mind examining his life. He knows all his problems can be traced back to his father's stupidity. His fiancée problem, being one of the biggest. Ranma shudders involuntarily when he realizes he does not know the full extent of that problem. He wonders if he'll ever know how many fiancées he truly has and all because of his father's greed. A curse he didn't want, because Genma couldn't read the language and wouldn't listen to the warnings. Now he turns into a girl, and is always being forced to prove his _manliness_ or commit seppuku. Ranma closes his eyes and shivers while he remembers the worst day of his life. ***Start Flashback*** "RANMA, MY BOY COME HERE!" Genma Saotome shouts for his young son, a six-year-old Ranma looks up from chasing a butterfly then runs to his father. "What is it poppa?" His little legs carrying faster then most normal children to stand in front of his father. "Do you want to be the best marital artist that ever lived, boy? Genma asks the little boy. "YEAH!" Ranma shouts and jumps up and down excitedly the height of his jumps bringing him eye level with his six foot tall father. "Well I have a new technique that will make you the most powerful martial artist ever! Do you want to learn it?" He asks his young son with a gleam of underhandedness in his eyes. [If he says he wants to learn it Nodoka can't be mad at me if it goes wrong.] Genma thinks while waiting for an answer from his thinking son. "Sure poppa I will learn it! When do we start?" The excited little boy asks jumping from foot to foot. "We start _now_, boy!" With that said Genma picks up his son, tucking him under his arm and heads off. He takes his son to a deserted lot on the outskirts of Kyoto. Ranma sees a large wooden board laying in the far corner deep in the shadows, his father heads for that board. Next to it is a cardboard box, Ranma wrinkles his nose at the over powering smell of fish. "EEEWWWW, poppa that smell bad." He tells his dad while holding his nose. "A true marital artist must endure many hardships for the art, boy!" Genma tells him, while setting his son down next to the box. Genma opens the box and reaches in he pulls out a string of fish sausage and begins to tie his son up with it. Ranma watches with both confusion and fascination while he watches his father work. When his father finishes he spins little Ranma around to make sure the boy is covered completely. Once he is satisfied he picks his son up and heads to the board, where Ranma just now hears howling and scratching noises. "Now boy you are going to learn an ancient technique no one else knows. It is the most powerful technique known. It is called the Neko-ken and I expect you to learn it quickly!" Genma tells him as he stomps on the plywood board, Ranma can hear the noise stop. Genma reaches down and lifts the board, and Ranma almost passes out from the smell of urine and fecal matter that is in the filthy pit. The little boy begins to struggle with fear when he catches sight of hundreds of glowing eyes peering up at him from the shadows. Genma ignores his son's attempts to get away and throws the boy into the pit. Before Ranma even hits the ground the board is closed and Genma puts a heavy rock on top of it, then sits to wait for his son to learn the Neko-ken. It doesn't take long for the cries of pain and anguish to come from the pit. Genma tries to block out his son's screams of torment but can't. Therefore, Genma decides it would be best that he leaves and come back later. He remembers seeing a bar not too far from the lot. Genma then heads off for a couple of good shots of sake, while Ranma learns the Neko-ken. /*\*/*\ When Ranma hits the floor of the pit he lands on his stomach, and has the air knocked out of his lungs. The shaft of light from above is gone and he lays quietly at the bottom of the pit hoping what is in here with him won't notice him. The frighten little boy can hear the low growls in the darkness, and jumps when something soft and fury brushes up against his raised head. His eyes begin to adjust to the darkness but can only see movement in the darker shadows. Ranma screams in pain when a claw rakes his arm, pulling a piece of the fish sausage free. Ranma tries to stand but is knocked down when another of the shadows lands in the middle of his back racking it with its claws and biting down not only on the fish sausage but on his back as well. "DADDY! MAKE IT STOP I DON'T WANT TO LEARN IT! DADDY, HELP ME!" The little boy cries out as another claw tears at the back of his legs. "QUITE BOY, YOU _WILL_ BE THE BEST AND TO DO THAT YOU _WILL_ LEARN THE NEKO-KEN!" Ranma can hear the muffled shout from his father above. Ranma screams again, as this time the shadows, surge forward and attack him as one. They rear and claw at the fish sausage some tearing at him in order to get it. Some instinct in Ranma takes over and the boy curls into a boll to protect his face from the ensuing attack screaming into the dirt floor of the pit. Ranma continues to scream, his eyes overflowing with tears, while the monsters in the dark continue to tear at him. His blood turning his white gi red as it flows from him. "Poppa, please make it stop, it hurts poppa, please help me!" Come his whispered cries as his throat is raw from his screams. Ranma can take the betrayal, abandonment and the pain no longer as his mind shuts down and unconsciousness overtakes him. He has been fighting the cats for over an hour, and there is no bait left for the cats so when he stops moving they return to him and curl around him like the pets they are. /*\*/*\ Genma staggers back to the lot, after spending the last hour downing sake. He reaches the pit in a drunken stupor. He leans down and puts his ear to the wood covering the pit. His eyes snap open wide when he does not hear any sounds coming from within. Quickly he tries to remove the rock but keeps dropping it as drunken fingers look for purchase. Finally he rolls it away, stamping on the board to scatter the cats within. Lifting the make shift door he peers in and sees the bloody lump that is his son. [UH, OH! Nodoka is going to kill me!] Genma thinks while reaching into the pit and grabbing his son by the back collar of his gi. He pulls the boy out shutting the cover, he takes Ranma to their camp on the other side of the lot and begins to examine him. Genma breaths a sigh of relief when he sees Ranma is still breathing. He begins to tend his sons wounds, when the antiseptic hits the open wounds Ranma wakes with a silent scream, all that escapes is a raspy gasp. Ranma watches while his father cleans and dresses his wounds. When Genma finishes he cleans up and prepares their dinner. "Well son I see you did not learn the Neko-ken, you disappoint me a man above men would have learned it by now." Genma tells him while shaking his head with disgust. "Well, don't worry you will have a chance to learn it again tomorrow, and every day after that till you learn it." Genma tells him with a snarl in his voice. Ranma can say nothing as his throat hurt him too much from screaming. He just stares at his father with wide eyes and shivers, with uncontrolled terror. Genma was true to his word for weeks after that he threw his son in the pit of cats, until the day a month later, a Neko-Ranma bursts through the wood cover of the pit and proceeds to demonstrate the Neko-ken on his father. ***End Flashback*** Ranma shudders while trying to tear his mind away from the memories, he can feel the fear rise in him. He wonders something and begins to meditate on the feeling he feels inside him when the Neko-ken begins to awaken. Ranma's aura flares around him as he uses his ki to ferret out the source of the Neko-ken. It doesn't take him long to touch the edge of the power behind the cat fist. Ranma's aura suddenly blackens then winks out as Ranma snaps his eyes open, and gasping for breath. His eyes brimming over with feral rage and human fear. He takes several calming breaths, but he smiles when he realizes he was able to access the power of the cat and not become a prisoner of its power. [Whoa! I am gonna have to work on that!] Ranma thinks to himself, when a familiar battle cry attracts his attention. "WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW!" Ranma looks down into the yard and sees Ryoga wondering around with a lost look on his face. Ranma is happy to see the lost boy; especially since the failed wedding the two of them have put aside _some_ of their difference. Ranma knows Akari has a lot to do with that, but Ryoga still tries to win Akane on occasion, and shows up as P-chan much to Ranma's displeasure. Ranma jumps down before Ryoga can disappear; he lands behind the lost boy and taps him on the shoulder. "AAARRRGGGG!" Ryoga jumps spinning to see his nemesis/friend standing there with a cocky grin. "Hey P-Chan lost again?" Ranma asks with his usual tact. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Ryoga yells pulling free his umbrella and taking a swing at the Anything Goes Master. "Hey I was just trying to be polite, but I do have a new technique I wanna try." Ranma complains with a smile as he jumps and dodges Ryoga's attempt to flatten him. The two boys spar back and forth Ryoga trying to spear Ranma with his umbrella or cut him to ribbons with his chi filled bandanas. Ranma dodges, jumps and flips avoiding Ryoga's bone crushing attacks. "HMPTF, some new attack Ranma looks no different then what normal cowardly avoidance." Ryoga taunts as he in one fluid motion removes his backpack and tries to crush Ranma's face with it. "I will as soon as you start using chi." Ranma tells the lost boy from behind him after being completely missed by the backpack. "Well then let me oblige you!" Ryoga snarls at the agile martial artist. "SHI SHI HOKENDAN!" Ryoga shoots off his chi blast as he has been depressed for the past three days since he could not locate Akari's farm. Ranma glows, not his normal blue but a golden yellow. Ryoga watches with a smirk as Ranma does nothing to stop the oncoming ball of depression. His eyes widen when the chi hit Ranma's golden aura and is absorbed into it. He watches in amazement as Ranma takes what he sent and what is surrounding him and begins to meld them together. "PHOENIX SOUL ABSORB!" Ranma shouts while the chi Ryoga has sent is combined with his golden aura. Ryoga's eyes widen as he recognizes the shape Ranma's aura is taking. He watches while the golden aura flowing around the Anything Goes Master takes the shape of a golden Phoenix. "PHOENIX SOUL RETURN!" Ranma shouts again, Then he fires a chi ball twice as large as what Ryoga has sent him, and straight at the pig-boy. Ryoga dodges out of the way of the Phoenix shaped blast and watches as it actually flies over his head and explodes in the distance causing a bright flash enough to be seen for miles. Ryoga walks over to the huffing and puffing Ranma with a sly grin. "What's the matter too much for you?" Ryoga asks waving his umbrella menacingly at the still heaving fighter. "No, it is just you're the only one I can practice with since you have a chi blast." Ranma tells him with a shrug and nonchalant wave of his hand. "Com'on we got more sparring to do, _P-Chan_!" Ranma tells his sometime friend while he gets into a ready stance. "DON''T CALL ME THAT!" The battle is on again as the two young men fight. Ryoga does not notice the slight golden glow forming again around Ranma. Ranma just smiles while he dodges the blows Ryoga tries to land on him. Slowly the golden aura builds to the point Ryoga finally sees it, but too late when Ranma releases another new attack. "PHOENIX ENERGY GATHERED!" The smaller chi blast gathered from around the two boys shooting from Ranma's hand, this blast also reminds Ryoga of a Phoenix, but he is to late to avoid the attack. The technique hits Ryoga square in the chest knocking him into the koi pond. Ranma sighs knowing the sparring is over he goes to rescue his friend. He crosses to the pond and fishes the little black pig out. Ranma holds the little black piglet up at face level by his ever present yellow and black bandana. P-Chan spits the water in his mouth into Ranma's face causing the change to his female side. "Thanks a lot Ryoga, now we both need hot water. Come on lets go get freshened up before everyone returns." Ranma-chan tells him still holding the pig by the bandana. Ranma-chan turns when the sound of another familiar battle cry is heard behind her. She cringes since she knows what is coming, Ryoga watches and can't help but grin a little piggy grin. Ranma- chan turns to face a mallet smashing into her face sending her sailing over Nerima. She drops Ryoga who just watches her fly away. /*\*/*\ Akane and her sisters return to the house after a day of shopping. The senior prom is in two weeks and today is the day they went shopping for Akane's prom dress. Nabiki was home for the weekend to help with the shopping. She is still amazed Ranma is able to go to college with his grades. The three sisters enter the house removing their shoes at the door. Kasumi heads to the kitchen to fetch some tea so they can finish their girls day out with a nice cup of tea. They all stare out the back door when they hear Ranma call out a new attack. The three girls go to the back door to see Ranma fish something out of the koi pond. They watch while he holds up a squirming P-chan, Nabiki giggles when the little pig spits pond water at Ranma causing the change. They can see Ranma talking to the pig but can not hear what is being said. Akane begins to glow, knowing Ranma has been teasing her pet. He probably threw the poor little pig into the pond. Nabiki and Kasumi step away from Akane when she begins to glow. "RANMA, YOU JERK QUIT PICKING ON P-CHAN!" Ranma-chan turns to see Akane storm toward her. "I AIN'T PICKING ON YOUR DUMB OLE' PIG!" She gets out before being smashed into orbit by Akane's mallet. "STUPID TOMBOY!" Can be heard as Ranma-chan sails into the distance. "Is momma's little baby ok? That stupid pervert didn't hurt you did he?" Akane asks the little pig as she picks him up and cuddles him close to her chest. She carries the piglet into the house talking baby talk and hugging him close. Kasumi watches then looks to where Ranma has disappeared into the distance. Nabiki was not sure but she would swear she saw a frown cross her older sisters face. Then Kasumi turns and heads back into the house, Nabiki close behind. /*\*/*\ Ranma-chan arcs through the sky high over Nerima, her slow descent has her heading for the roof of a local business. She doesn't see that the roof has an occupant. Since said visitor is just coming to that roof carrying a bag ten times larger then him. "OHH, what a haul! Don't worry my little darlings you'll be happy with me, now all I have to do is out run those lovely ladies behind me and you'll be all mine." Happosai tells the underwear that is stuffed to overflowing in the bag he is carrying. Happosai reaches the building Ranma-chan is heading straight for, he does not see her. Then she hits him hard when she lands. Underwear goes everywhere. Ranma-chan pauses when she realizes she has landed on something soft. [Ooh, man that stupid tomboy is getting worse with her temper. I wonder what broke my fall?] Ranma-chan opens her eyes to see she landed on the old pervert who seems in a slight daze. She looks around and sees the horde of women charging her position all carrying some implant of pain. She decides she needs a good laugh at Happosai's expense. She looks under her and sees Happi getting ready to rise when she decides he needs to take his medicine like a good little pervert. "Hey jiji, I have a surprise for you!" She whispers into his ear. "Sweeto, does that mean you're going to wear one of my silky darlings." Happosai looks back at her with delight. "No, I have been training with Dr. Tofu for the past year, and you are going to have lots of visitors and no way to get away." She tells him while pressing points on his body. Ranma-chan backs away from the downed grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts with a sardonic smile. She pulls the bag of underwear away from him and sets it a few feet away so the women can retrieve their belongings. Then she jumps to the next roof. She sits down and waits for the woman to show, it isn't a long wait. A second later a mob of twenty or so women enter the roof and proceed to show Happosai what the definition of pain is. They then retrieve their clothing and leave. Ranma-chan stands and waves to the moaning and groaning old troll then she turns and heads back toward the dojo. Happosai watches her through narrow puffy eyes. When he feels the paralysis begin to wear off he forces himself to stand. He teeters slightly while watching the red speck disappear in the distance. "I will have my revenge _BOY_ and you will rue the day you interfered with my pleasures!" Happosai growls shaking a small fist after the retreating figure of Ranma-chan. /*\*/*\ Ranma-chan sits under the bridge her knees under her chin with her arms wrapped tightly around them. She stares at the river watching the sun cause sparkles on the water. She finds the sight somewhat hypnotic, while she lets her mind wonder. She listens absent-mindedly to the noises around her as her mind fills with visions of a girl with short blue-black hair and a smile that makes her stomach turn to jelly. [*SIGH!* Why doesn't she trust me, I have never given her reason to think I care about the others. They grab me, I don't return it. Is she ever going to stop being so violent? I can't live like that, I won't live like that. Her temper is why I refuse to retry the wedding, I can't live the rest of my life wondering if today will be the day she kills me.] Ranma-chan's mind swirls with thoughts of what she should do, while she casually throws pebbles into the river. With nothing really resolved Ranma-chan rises and heads for home. She walks slowly her head bowed her mind still lost in thought. She reaches the Tendo home, before entering the compound she stops and stares at the sign on the wall. 'Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts' Does she deserve to be the instructor here? Does she really want that kind of life? She has a talent for fighting for picking up techniques or teaching herself new ones. She would like to use that skill to make a difference, can training others do that? She can't grow and stay the best if she is tied down as a sensei. If she marries Akane she is giving up on her dreams, does she want to do that? With a heavy sigh she pushes open the gate and enters the Tendo compound. She walks slowly to the front door her head bowed, so she doesn't see Akane standing on the porch watching her. Akane watches with a worried frown while she waits for her fiancé to come closer. "Ranma? Are you all right? I..we were worried when you didn't come home right away." Akane asks a little nervously, Ranma-chan stops and looks up at her. Akane sees a face that is as open as a book, but she chooses to ignore what is written there. Ranma-chan just shakes her head and shrugs slightly then starts to enter the house. Ranma-chan didn't want another confrontation and she fears opening her mouth would do just that. Akane watches as Ranma-chan refuses to answer her question. Her anger rises as she feels Ranma-chan is snubbing her. She reaches out and grabs the redhead's arm and turns her to face her, an angry snarl on her face. "I _SAID_ WHERE WERE YOU! OUT MAKING OUT WITH YOUR OTHER TWO FIANCÉES?" Akane screams into Ranma-chan's face, Akane ignores the look of hurt, and betrayal that swims in Ranma-chan's sapphire blue eyes. "Why can't you trust me?" Is all Ranma-chan could think to say to her. Akane's anger fizzled as the question slowly works it way through her enraged mind. She couldn't answer that question and this makes her anger flare again. She can't believe how Ranma could put this back on her when it is clearly his fault. "BECAUSE YOU'RE A PERVERT! I DON'T KNOW WHY I EVEN STAY ENGAGED TO A SEX CHANGING, GIRL CHASING PERVERT SUCH AS YOU!" Ranma-chan just stares at Akane with a blank look then turns and walks to the front door. She stops and turns staring deeply into Akane's angry face. Akane's rage glowing around her. Ranma-chan's eyes fill with the glittering of unshed tears, while she looks deeply into the face of her angry fiancée. "Is that how you really feel Akane?" Ranma-chan asks her quietly just barely a whisper, fear floating at the edge of his mind at what she will answer. "YES! It is exactly how I feel I wish I was never engaged to a pervert like you!" Akane snarls at him, waiting for his angry reply so she can smash him with her mallet again. "Very well then, good-bye Akane." Ranma-chan tells her just barely above a whisper, then turns and enters the house. Akane follows her in ready to continue the fight, but freezes in shock as she watches Ranma-chan walk slowly as if it were her last mile, toward the stairs. She watches her disappear into the bathroom, she hears the water running then is shut off. She then watches him enter his bedroom and quietly close the door behind him. Akane is about to go into the dining room when she hears a scratching noise coming from the hall closet. She opens the door and finds P-chan rooting around in there. [Now where is the front door again?] He thinks, then squeals slightly when he is roughly picked up. "P-chan baby how on earth did you get in the closet?" Akane didn't expect an answer she just closes the door and goes on into the dining room. She sits at the table and Kasumi pours her some tea, no one says anything as they don't want the wrath of Akane on them. Akane absently scratches behind the ears of her pet pig, while she wonders what Ranma met by his last sentence. The little voice in her mind telling she just made the biggest mistake of her life. She pushes the thought down knowing she and Ranma will work everything out soon. They didn't have long to wait when Ranma reappears with his backpack he heads for the front door. His face a mask of emotionless ice, his mind racing over the betrayal he feels. He reaches for the doorknob when he hears a voice behind him. "Ranma! Where are you going!" His father asks him with a slight anger to his voice. "I am going on a training mission, when I come back I plan on straightening out my life, and taking control of away from you!" Ranma snarls his eyes flashing with golden fire. "Then you should take Akane she needs training and she can cook for you!" Soun smiles happily not noticing the anger flaring around Ranma. "NO! I SHOULD NOT!" Ranma screams at them, Soun stops and looks at the young martial artist his eyes narrowing. "_She_ is your fiancée boy and should go with you!" He tells Ranma with determination. Ranma, growls, low in his throat sounding almost like a cat. This causes Soun and Genma to step back and the girls to gasp quietly. Ranma takes a single step forward narrowing his eyes he growls out his reply. "_Akane_ has broken the engagement for the last time! I will not marry her, I am tired of being her punching bag, and the scapegoat for all her mistakes. When I return I will make my goodbyes to all a I care about then I am leaving Nerima!" Ranma tells a group of stunned faces. "RANMA! YOU JERK!" Akane screams and lunges at him with her mallet heading in a downward arc towards his head. "PHOENIX SOUL DRAIN" Ranma shouts holding his hands up close to his body with his palms facing out. Then with reminiscence of Miss Hinako, Akane's chi flows from her body and into Ranma's. The only difference is he does not change in anyway. Akane watches her chi and chi mallet fade into her fiancé then she collapses to the floor. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER!" Soun yells his demon head forming about him. Ranma just looks down at the weaken Akane while Nabiki and Kasumi tend to her. He then looks up into Soun's demon head, his eyes overflowing with golden light. Both men shudder at the power there, it is almost matched by the anger. "Just a little trick I picked up from Miss Hinako!" With that Ranma turns to leave, he goes to the front door and picks up his backpack, then exits. The whole family and Genma follow him to the door, with Nabiki and Kasumi helping Akane. When they get there though Ranma can not be seen. They turn and head back inside. They close the door hopping Ranma will return soon.