Ranko 2/2: Cascaded Universe Episode 1 New Students!: Why Does Her Mom Look Like Kasumi? v 00 The third story in the "Ranma's Birthday Wish" Continuum. By Kevin D. Hammel Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publishing rights are held by Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. My purpose is to honor the creator and her works. No infringement intended. ------------------------------------------------------------ As usual in the morning, Ranko and Akane were the first out the door of the Tendou home. Today was Akane's turn to lead. The two boys didn't pay usually didn't pay much attention to the people who WALKED on the ground below, so they didn't notice the four 'blonde' women on the ground beneath them, all dressed in gis. The older two women watched the boys until they ran out of sight, then turned to each other and smiled. Nabiki walked by the four commenting, "Hmmm...must be mating season," and continued walking. Finally, Kasumi walked up, but she was oblivious to her surroundings, as she had a midterm today and was trying to study as she walked. The tallest of the four women tried to avoid a collision with Kasumi, but it was to late. Kasumi ran into her, knocking both down. The visitor's cheap blonde wig was knocked to the ground, and Kasumi saw for the first time who she had knocked over... "Excuse me, miss...oh my!" It was almost as if she was looking in a mirror. Except for a few years age difference, and the fact that the other woman was a little taller, Kasumi was looking at her twin. The two women helped each other up, and Kasumi hurried down the street, thought she did steal a few glances back at the woman she had knocked over. ------- Keiko was sweeping the walkway, which connected the street, house, and dojo. She noticed a group of four women watching her. They were all wearing BAD blonde wigs, but seemed interested in talking to her. She walked over to the gate. "Hello, I am Tendou Keiko, welcome to the Tendou-Saotome Family Center. How could I help you?" The shortest woman spoke. She looked to have a build very similar to Ranko's, though her face was rounder, and she was probably ten years older. Keiko could not see her eyes through the mirrored glasses she wore. "Good morning, our daughters would like to enroll in your beginning martial arts class." "Would you like to come in? I'll get my partner. She's the manager." Keiko turned and entered the house. The shortest woman smiled. "You see, Tendou, the Tendou name may come first, but it takes a Saotome to run things." She said smiling with pride. "You mean it takes a Saotome to screw things up. Besides, she's only a 'Saotome' by marriage," the woman who looked like Kasumi replied. Their banter was interrupted by the return of Keiko with Nodoka. The small woman gasped at the sight. Nodoka spoke, "I am Saotome Nodoka, and you are?" The tallest of the two girls spoke first. She nearly as tall as the woman who looked like Kasumi, slender, but with an athletic build, and a cheap blonde wig. "I am Sao..." "Sour," the small woman interjected, "Sour Natsume. I am her mother, Sour Sayuri." The other girl spoke next. She was shorter that the two tall women, but still taller that Sayuri. She wore a cheap blonde wig with an elaborate hair ribbon. "I am Ten..." Sayuri jumped in again, "Tendon, Tendon Kurumi. Her mother is Tendon Ikuko." "Thank you, my what unusual names you have!" Nodoka said, wondering what their real names were, and what their hair looked like. Ikuko whispered to Sayuri. "Like I said, it takes a Saotome to screw things up. Are those the stupidest names you could come up with?" "No, Tendon, they are not." The six women entered the dojo. Watching all four of her guests walk, Nodoka noted the grace and strength of expert Martial artists. She looked at Keiko, who had obviously noticed the same thing. Nodoka whispered to Keiko "I wonder what is going on?" "Who knows? Before the day is out, we will!" Keiko whispered in reply. ------- The four guests had seated themselves on the floor of the dojo, against the wall. Nodoka and Keiko stood a few feet away. Keiko spoke first, "could you two girls stand and assume a ready position?" Natsume and Kurumi complied. Kurumi used textbook posture, and Natsume was relaxed, but Keiko knew she was ready. "Impressive, for beginners. Let me see how good you are". She lunged at Natsume, and struck only air, but continued her motion and flipped into the air, landing a solid blow on the girl. Keiko and Natsume landed, facing each other. "You are no beginner, you have probably been practicing the Art since childhood." "Correct, sensei." The girl bowed. "It seems there is much I can learn from you. I would be honored to train with you." She looked you into Keiko's eyes. "We will discuss training later. Let me evaluate your friend." She faced Kurumi, noting she seemed to be unfastening her hair ribbon. She feinted with a punch, then struck with a kick. Taking the bait, Kurumi had entangled Keiko's arm with her ribbon, leaving her open for the kick. Keiko made it clear she could strike, then pulled back, not wanting to injure the girl. "You also show great skill, I am sure our children would like to learn your ribbon technique." Kurumi bowed. "Thank you, sensei." Nodoka had watched the proceedings with amusement. "Perhaps you might show us what you really look like. Could you please take off those awful wigs?" Sayuri stood up. Keiko and Nodoka already KNEW she would be the one to speak. "I'm sorry, we went to the beauty shop yesterday, and they ruined our hair. We decided it was better to hide it under these wigs..." Kurumi spoke up. "I would like to honest with you, sensei." She pulled off the wig, revealing her curly brown hair. She secured it with her ribbon. Soon Natsume had taken her hair down as well, revealing black hair with long bangs and a very long pony tail. "Well, what about you two?" Nodoka asked, staring at Sayuri the whole time. Sayuri took off her wig revealing short black hair with long bangs resembling those of her daughter. She bowed "I apologize for the deception, Mrs. Saotome." That left Ikuko. Both Nodoka and Keiko stared at her. Ikuko swallowed once and removed her wig, allowing her long brown hair to fall from under it. Nodoka and Keiko gasped in unison, but Keiko spoke. "You look exactly like my daughter Kasumi." Ikuko flushed bright red. Sayuri spoke up. "Perhaps we can visit you later. We would like to meet your family, after all you did say your daughters would like to learn the ribbon technique, bye!" She ran out the door, Ikuko followed. Their two daughters didn't know what to do. Nodoka walked over to Natsume, asking "what is your family name, Natsume?" "I use my mother's family name, Saotome." Nodoka didn't know what to think. Kurumi spoke up "I use my mother's name as well, Tendou. We do not understand HER mother's deception," pointing at Natsume. Natsume spoke again, "I am sorry." She bowed. "I will visit you again tonight." "We look forward to seeing both of you." Nodoka said, bowing. With that, the two girls left to join their mothers. Nodoka and Keiko gave each other puzzled looks, Nodoka speaking first. "Perhaps some hot water will help us get to the bottom of this." Keiko replied, "yes, perhaps it would. If it does, I know some people who will be in hot water!" Nodoka went back inside. Keiko straightened out the dojo and followed Nodoka, closing the door behind her. ------- After school, Ranko led Akane home. The same four observers who were there in the morning watched the two girls run on fence, then perform their dismounts. Natsume and Kurumi yelled in unison, "cool!" Then ran off to talk to the girls. A couple of minutes later, Nabiki walked by, commenting "So, what happened to your pets?" She went a little farther then stopped, doing a double-take. That one girl DID look just like Kasumi. She ran home. "Well, Tendou, it looks like you've created quite a stir." "I don't care. It's wonderful to see them, Saotome." ------- Natsume and Kurumi had caught up with Ranko and Akane. "Wow, you two know how to walk to school in style!" Kurumi enthused, "We saw two boys running on that fence in the morning." "That was us!", Ranko put in, "we go as boys in the morning." "No way, you have RED hair, and the boy who looked like you had black hair." Natsume threw in. "We change with water, becoming boys when cold water hits us and girls with warm water. My hair is red when I'm a girl, I inherited that from my mom. I see you two are dressed to spar. Have you heard of the Tendou-Saotome Family Center?" Kurumi replied, "we stopped by there this morning. One of the proprietors sparred with us. We will probably train there." "That's great, we live there! My mom is Tendou Keiko, my name is Akane." "I live there too! My mom is Saotome Nodoka, and I'm Ranko. What are your names?" "I'm Tendou Kurumi!" "And I'm Saotome Natsume!" "Maybe we're related. Do you two want to spar?" Ranko asked. "Sure!" The sisters replied. Akane concluded the conversation by offering to let the two girls in the dojo while she and Ranko got ready. ------- The four girls squared off in the dojo. Natsume noticed both Ranko and Akane were wearing gold chains with rings on them. "What's with the rings on chains?" "Ranko and I are engaged." She looked at Ranko and smiled. Ranko spoke as she walked over to the wall, "That may seem a little strange, but consider what you saw this morning." She picked up a fanny-pack and removed a small green thermos bottle, pouring a small amount of water into the cap, which she then poured over her head, and changed. The boy then gave bottle to Akane, who did likewise. "Wow!" Natsume said. "So that's why you're engaged. Why do you wear the ring on a chain?" Akane spoke, "Well, the girl's rings were prettier, but would YOU like to wear a small ring when you finger got bigger?" "No, I see what you mean!" Kurumi replied. "And a guy-sized ring would be too big when we're girls, so we keep 'em on a chain." Ranko added. "Let's get ready," Ranko said, picking up his bokken. Kurumi undid her hair ribbon and held it like a weapon. It seemed Natsume used a staff. Akane was armed only with his bare hands. "Lets start!" Kurumi shouted, triggering a flurry of activity. The purpose of the sparring session was more for the participants to try to find out capabilities of the others than compete. Natsume and Kurumi had never seen Kendo before, and were amazed at the speed Ranko handled her bokken. Kurumi's ribbon reminded Ranko and Akane of their match last year against Kunou Kodachi and her Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics team, while Natsume's staff was unlike anything they had ever experienced. After they had tested each other enough, it was time for a break. A winded Ranko spoke for all four, saying "That's enough for today!" "Let's get cleaned up for dinner." Akane said as he pulled out a small red thermos bottle, using it to return to her birth-form. Ranko did likewise. The two girls put their bottles away and zipped up their packs. The four headed upstairs for the bath. ------- Dinner was nearly ready when Ranko got up to answer a knock on the door. Two unfamiliar women were waiting there. Ranko turned to ask her mother "Mom, were you expecting and guests?" Nodoka came to the door, holding a kettle of hot water, "yes, if they will submit to my hot-water test." "Of course Mrs. Saotome!", Sayuri said as Nodoka poured the water over her head, then Ikuko's. "I hope you aren't too disappointed." Sayuri said with a bit of sarcasm. Nodkoa's anger flared. "What brought that on?" "Perhaps we should go. Natsume, will you come over here?" Sayuri's daughter joined her mother at her side. "Let's go, perhaps we should train." Sayuri suggested. Ikuko had had enough. "I will not leave this house until I am told to leave! I'm tired of your meddling in my life, Saotome! Last year, we went by the dojo, and it was empty. The year before, at least I got a glimpse of my children before you hauled us off to train again..." Ikuko looked sheepish as she realized she had said more than she should have. Keiko had now come to the door, the dinner completed and placed in serving dishes. "Perhaps we can come inside and talk," She suggested, glaring at Sayuri and Ikuko. ------- A minute later, all parties were seated in the living room, dinner forgotten for now. Keiko spoke first, "'Ikuko' you said something about seeing you children..." "Perhaps it would be best to start at the beginning... Twelve years ago, you sent your husbands to retrieve a cure for the curse they inflicted on your youngest children." SD Keiko and katana-wielding SD Nodoka chase SD Soun and SD Genma down the street to a ship, which sails on a map from Japan to China. SD Genma and SD Soun run across a map of China toward an area labeled Jusenkyo. "After a long Journey, they finally made it to the Jusenkyo training ground..." SD Genma and SD Soun find SD Guide. "Welcome back sirs! You wish to cure your daughters? Here spring of drowned young girl. It fix them up good!" SD Soun tries to fill jug with water, but falls in. "Oh sir, so sorry you fall in, now you young girl!" SD Genma notices a cloud of dust trailing a mass of women chasing a small figure carrying a large bag. Happosai (who's already SD!) bounds up to SD Genma. "Great place to stand, my boy!" He executes a quick leg sweep, tripping SD Genma, who joins SD Soun-chan in the pool. A bit later, the women return triumphantly holding the bag. After they pass, SD Soun-chan and SD Genma-chan get out of the pool. They see the master bounding toward them with a bucket. SD Herb can be seen in the distance. Happosai uses a ladle to splash both of them with water from the bucket, then runs back to SD Herb, saying, "Thank you!". A black thought balloon appears above SD Herb's head, then he walks back to his fortress with his bucket, looking somewhat dejected. SD Lime and SD Mint shake their fists at the master's back, then follow SD Herb. The master comes back to his two favorite students. "Let's get you two cleaned up, then we can spar. I hope you girls are happy, I had to drop my haul to 'borrow' that bucket!" The two SD girls show black thought balloons, but follow the master. They come to a stream where Happosai pulls out a bottle with an illegible number on it. He washes both SD girls hair with it. Hearts appear above their heads, and stars in their eyes. Happosai winks at the camera, arches an eyebrow, and pulls down a curtain on the scene. "And that is how the next generation of Anything Goes Martial Arts came to be. Using that horrible bucket, the master locked the two men in their cursed forms permanently. The new girls were given new names by the master while under the influence of the shampoo, the effects of which wore off after a few months. The children, Natsume and Kurumi, were raised by their mothers for five years, until the master came again." "Hello, girls!" He heartily embraces SD Ikuko and SD Sayuri, as only he can. "I need to speak to my daughters for a few minutes." He leads the five year olds a short distance then pulls out a large circlet which causes a black door to appear. He leads the two girls through the door, then closes it behind him. SD Sayuri & SD Ikuko try to open the door, to no avail. SD Ikuko threatens to flood the area with her tears. Black Title card "Six Minutes later..." The door opens and eleven-year old SD Natsume and SD Kurumi come out and bow to their father. "Thank you!" they say in unison. "Not a problem, my dears." Happosai dismisses the door and bids all a good day, embracing SD Ikuko and SD Sayuri one last time before leaving. SD Sayuri embraces SD Natsume and SD Ikuko embraces SD Kurumi. Ikuko turned to Kurumi. "Perhaps you can explain what happened to you in the six years you spent with the master." Kurumi smiled. "Our father took us to Training Space, a tiny dimension adjacent to Hammer Space. He taught us new techniques as well as all of the normal subjects. We even learned Mandarin. He really is a wonderful man, just a bit eccentric. After six years with him, he brought us back to our moms. We haven't seen him since, but we are grateful for what he gave us." "I finally convinced Sayuri that we should try to visit you again last week. She had not intended a permanent visit, I will admit I did." Ikuko got up and bowed before Keiko. "I apologize for staying from your side so long. I have kept the water all these years, in case Akane or Ranko wish to use it." She finished in tears. Kurumi embraced her mother. Akane rose to embrace her father, as did Nabiki and Kasumi. Keiko smiled at the scene. She never dreamed she would ever see her husband again, and perhaps she never would, but she could not find it in her heart to be angry. This girl and her daughter had seen hell at the hand of that horrid master and needed understanding, not anger. Things did not go so well for the other family. After all, there were FOUR Saotomes involved. Sayuri looked at Natsume, "will you go with me to train?" Natsume embraced her mother. "I love you, but I must stay so I can be with the sister you never told me I had." She let go. Sayuri's emotions were unreadable behind the mirrored glasses she wore. Nodoka spoke next, in a firm voice. "Know this, if you go to train, you will not be coming back, EVER." To punctuate her statement, she summoned her katana from her back. Sayuri turned to Ranko. "We have been apart for so many years, will you train with me?" "Akane's father has returned, bringing her new sister. She will stay here and, as her fiancée, it will be by pleasure to stay with her. I'm sorry." A few tears made it down Ranko's face. Sayuri embraced Ranko. "Your fiancée? You two are getting married?" She smiled, though her expression soon gave way to tears. "It may have turned out the way we had hoped, but we never should have put you two through that." "Nonsense, father! I love Akane, and you provided the means for us to spend our lives together. Thank you!" Ranko kissed Sayuri. After some thought, Sayuri turned to Nodoka, bowing, "Saotome Nodoka, may your daughter's other parent and half sister stay here?" Nodoka almost smiled. "Of course. Perhaps we can add Anything Goes to our curriculum, with your assistance." Sayuri smiled, but still looked at the floor. "I would be honored to introduce new students to the School. Thank you for showing your confidence in me, Mrs. Saotome." "You are welcome, Miss Saotome. The food is getting cold, perhaps we should eat." It had been twelve years since there had been so much conversation and laughter at the table, at least among the Tendous.