Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime.stories From: JSL6416@ACS.TAMU.EDU Subject: Ranma - Leap and a Half 1/3 [FanFic] Message-ID: <941116001859.42228dcd@ACS.TAMU.EDU> X-World-Archive: Ranma/ranma.leap.half.gz Organization: WPI Discordian Society, Undocumented Cabal of the Accursed Saint Shiranto Joe Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 00:31:56 GMT Formula 119 presents... Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator, and vanished... He awoke to find him trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, a man from his own time who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Doctor Beckett finds himself Leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next Leap... will be the Leap home... (there is an incredible flash of blue and white light followed by the immediate dying down of the strange whining sound that accompanies every Leap. The feelings of nausea and euphoria vanish as Doctor Sam Beckett feels the ground slam itself beneath his feet. Sensations of dizziness are replaced with the feelings of disorientation and fear which he always feels when being tossed into the life of yet another person that history has somehow wronged. Immediately trying not to bring attention to himself, Sam casually takes in his surroundings, trying to discern where, and when, he is now. He is wearing a white floral dress and appears to be in a Japanese style restaurant, the aroma of what smells like pancakes and cooking meat in the air. Sam notices that there is a large hole in what must have once been the front doors; something had obviously plowed its way through. As he looks about some more he notes that there are a number of customers staring at him, all of whom seem to have the look of surprise on their faces. Sam just tries to act nonchalant, giving a quick smile and waving to a few people, who just stare back. Slowly there is a low growling sound that can be heard behind him. Sam turns around and sees what must be the chef : a young woman wearing a blue outfit and holding what seems to be a large snow shovel in her hands. Whoever she is, she does not seem to be very happy...) Chef (voice shaking with anger) : TSUUU - BAAAA - SAAAA!!! Sam (looking around, then noticing she is talking to him) : Uh, yes? Can I do something for you? (the chef promptly jumps over the grill in front of her and holds her snow shovel as though it were a baseball bat) Chef : TSUBASA NO BAAAKAAA!!! (the chef rears back and, swinging the snow shovel with the surprising skill, slams Sam straight through the hole in the wall and into the garbage cans lining the street outside. After bracing himself for all the metal and rotten food that falls back down on him, Sam, feeling his jaw for any signs of being broken, rights himself as much as possible and looks at the restaurant. The chef is standing at the entrance and appears to be mildly satisfied with Sam's current condition) Chef (yelling in Japanese as she walks back into the restaurant) : For the last time, stay out of my restaurant!!! Sam (picking the banana peel off his head) : Oh, boy... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- R A N M A 1/2 A LEAP AND A HALF Written by BENARES -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Official disclaimer : Quantum Leap is the property of Universal Pictures Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi Part One of Three December 24, 1991 (Sam slowly gets up out of the trash and shakes the cobwebs from his head. He takes a long look around, trying to figure out what just happened. Apparently there are a number of Oriental people walking about, some taking a glancing look at him as they pass. Sam looks at the sign outside the restaurant; while he hasn't had a chance to practice his Japanese in quite some time he can easily discern the name "Uk-chan". Sam decides that he might be in a Californian Japanese community, possibly even in Japan itself. After cleaning as much gunk off himself as possible Sam sees a broken piece of mirror and takes a quick look at himself : a cute, young girl with long brown hair and the remnants of what was once a nice white dress) Al : Ooh, cute! (Sam nearly jumps a foot into the air) Sam : Don't DO that, Al! Al : Well aren't WE a bit touchy today? (looks over Sam) What happened to you? Sam : I had a little run-in with some girl and her snow shovel... Al (fidgeting with his computer terminal) : Ah, that would be... Ukyou Kuonji, age seventeen, she runs an okoko... okoni... she runs a Japanese pancake shop, and that was a... hah! Sam, she plastered you with a giant spatula! Sam : Very funny. And I am...? Al : The date is December 24, 1991, and this is Nerima, Tokyo. You are (terminal beeps a few times) Tsubasa Kurenai, age seventeen, a high school junior... (Al grimaces for a second) Oh, yuck! Sam : What? What is it? Al : You're a guy. Sam : I know I am... Al : No, I mean this TSUBASA is a guy! Ech, I can't believe I thought you were CUTE! Sam (looking over himself in the mirror a little more) : Are you sure I'm... I mean this Tsubasa is a guy? Al : That's what it says right here (waves the terminal around). Sam (tossing away the piece of mirror) : So why am I here? (almost immediately the sounds of a couple arguing in Japanese can be heard coming up the street. Sam and Al both turn to see a boy with black hair and a pony tail and a short-haired girl walking past the restaurant. The boy is walking on the fence and, from what Sam can hear, is making some rude comments about the girl's outfit. The girl is calling the boy names and shooting him nasty glances. The two pass Sam without even noticing him and continue down the street arguing) Al : That's why you're here. That was (reads the terminal) Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, both high school students, ages seventeen, and apparently expert martial artists. Ziggy says there is an eighty-two point three percent that you are here (slides Sam a sly grin while removing the cigar from is mouth) to play MATCHMAKER. Sam : What? Those two? Al : Well, Ziggy says that they're going to get married in a few years when they go off to, uh, Mizunoikan University together, but it looks like you're here to speed the process up a bit. (Sam has just noticed that pedestrians have been watching him talk to himself in English and decides to find somewhere more discreet to talk. Al points Sam in the direction of his home, a house not far down the street. Sam finds a pair of keys in the dress and goes in, finding a note on the floor from Tsubasa's parents saying they will be out for the evening with friends) Sam : Alright, now that we're alone how do you suggest I speed up this thing with Ranma and Akane? Al : Well, tomorrow it'll be Christmas. In the original history (punches some buttons on his terminal) Ranma had saved up to buy Akane a couple of pieces of jewelry, a necklace and bracelet of some sort, for her Christmas presents, but Akane's older sister Nabiki... um, she somehow shiested Ranma out of his money and he wasn't able to get her anything. The two had a big argument and for MONTHS they would complain about the incident. Eventually they made up, but that was a LONG time later. Sam (looking around the house) : So I've got to make sure that this Ranma doesn't go broke... Al : Right. (Sam finds what he must suppose is Tsubasa's room. It's not that bad a room, and even looks like somewhere a guy would live instead of a girl. The walls are adorned with photographs of the chef Ukyou in a number of different poses : cooking, on the beach, at the baths. All of them have Ukyou positioned so that it appears she's reaching for the camera with a scowl on her face) Sam : What about this Tsubasa guy? Al : You want to know if he and this Ukyou are going to go anywhere... (pushes some buttons) Nope, not a chance. Tsubasa's going to end up marrying someone named Ryunosuke in four years, and Ukyou's going to end up happily married with someone named-- Little girl : Tsubasa-onechan! (a little five-year-old girl that looks exactly like a minature Tsubasa runs up and hugs Sam. Sam looks a little perplexed at this) Little girl : Tsubasa-onechan, you're home! Sam (in his best Japanese) : Uh, so I am... Hi. Al (fidgeting with his terminal) : This is your little sister Chibiko. At least, I THINK it's a sister. (looks at the terminal) Oh good, it's a girl. Chibiko : Tsubasa-onechan, who's that? (points at Al) Sam : Oh, boy. Al : You can see me? (to himself) Oh, that's right, she's an innocent little child. Chibiko : Of course I can see you. That's a funny suit you have on. (to Sam) Are you playing dress-up again? Sam : Um... yes. Yes, we're playing dress-up. Chibiko : That's a great outfit you have on! You look like a big white guy! Sam : What are you doing home all by yourself? Chibiko : Hey, Mommy and Daddy trust the house to me more than you! At least I don't take apart the stove to make those silly costumes! Sam (to himself) : Take apart the stove? (to Chibiko) Well, I'm going to get dressed now, so if you'll excuse me... (Sam ushers Chibiko out the door) Al, stay out there and keep her occupied, will you? Al : No problem, kids love me (goes out with Chibiko as Sam closes the door). Chibiko : So did she go for it? Al : Go for what? Chibiko : Tsubasa-onechan went to ask Ukyou-sama for a Christmas date. Did it work? Al : Ah, not exactly, kid... (Sam eventually comes out wearing a normal outfit for a guy, jeans and a blue T-shirt) Chibiko : Wow, I've never seen you wear THAT before! Sam : Let's just say I decided to try a change of pace. Al, how long until Ranma loses his money to this Nabiki? Al : Um... (looks at the terminal) Holy cow! In TEN minutes!! Sam : TEN MINUTES?! How far away is he now? Al : Oh. Whew, he's just a block down. If you run you can make it. Sam (to Chibiko) : Can you take care of yourself for a little while? Chibiko : You're asking ME that? I'm usually taking care of you, onechan. Sam : Right... (Sam runs out the door as Al directs him to the proper house. The two come to a house with a large sign indicating that it is the "Tendo Dojo - School of Indiscriminate Grappling". Sam silently opens the gate and looks around) Sam : Al, where is he supposed to be? Al : There's a dojo around the corner. He should be in there with Nabiki. Sam (maneuvering around to avoid detection) : Exactly how is he supposed to lose his money in the first place? Ranma (from inside the dojo) : Damn! Al : Poker. (Sam walks up to the dojo and looks inside the window. Inside is Ranma and a young woman with dark brown hair, probably Nabiki. She is holding a deck of cards and shuffling them with a large smile on her face. Ranma is sitting there in front of her with not as pleasant an expression. There is a stack of bills sitting next to Nabiki) Nabiki : You lose again, Ranma-kun. Ranma : I can't believe you talked me into this in the first place! Nabiki : I hope this teaches you a lesson, Ranma-kun. You can't go off half-cocked every time someone challenges you to something. Ranma : WHAT?! You just said it would be a friendly game of cards! Nabiki : You didn't HAVE to keep on going every time you lost! You have too much pride, Ranma-kun. What were you going to do with all this money, anyway? Ranma : None of your business. Nabiki : Tell you what... We go one more round, double or nothing. If you win I'll give you everything back, even add in a little extra since I'm in the Christmas spirit. Ranma : But if I lose I'll be completely broke! Nabiki : It's YOUR call, Ranma-kun. Sam : Al, we've got to STOP him! Al : Then STOP him, for crying out loud! (Sam looks around for an entrance of some sort. He quickly finds one, but as he's about to enter...) Black pig : BWEEEEEE!! Sam : Aaagh!! (a small black pig with a yellow and black bandana around its neck promptly attacks Sam, latching itself onto his face and pummeling him with its hooves. Sam steps backwards by accident and falls through the dojo doors, surprising Ranma and Nabiki in the process) Sam : Help! Get it off me!! Ranma (pulling the pig off Sam's face) : TSUBASA?! What are YOU doing here?! Sam (rubbing his face to get rid of the pain) : I was, uh, in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd drop by. Ranma (annoyed) : Ukyou's not here, if that's what you want. Nabiki : Hey Tsubasa-chan, nice outfit! How about a game of cards? Black pig (struggling to get out of Ranma's grip) : BWEE BWEE! (bites his arm) Ranma : YYYOWWWW!! Damn you, Ryouga! (drop kicks the pig out the door and into the sky) As for you... (to Sam's astonishment Ranma picks him up with one arm and prepares to kick him out the same way as the pig) Sam : Wait!! I just wanted to watch you play cards, is that too much to ask?! Nabiki : Go ahead and let him stay, Ranma-kun. I could use some extra spending cash after I'm through with you. Ranma (looks about nervously for a second, wondering if he should take this chance with his money, then caves in) : Alright Nabiki, I accept your challenge! (drops Sam on the ground; Nabiki proceeds to shuffle the deck) Sam (to Ranma) : But if you lose you won't have a thing left. Ranma (angry) : Were you listening to the whole thing?! Sam : C'mon, you don't have to do this. Ranma : Yes I do, it's a matter of pride. Besides, if I don't win this I won't have enough to get... er... well, let's just say I need ALL my money (Ranma and Sam sit down as Nabiki deals the cards). Al : Oh, this isn't good, Sam! Ranma's going to lose this one for sure! Sam (as quietly as possible) : Al, what hand is Ranma going to get? Al : Uh, let's see... (pushes some of the terminal's buttons) Two of hearts, queen of spades, queen of clubs, six of hearts, and an ace of diamonds. Sam : And Nabiki? Al : Uh-oh... four kings and a two of spades. (Nabiki looks at her hand but gives absolutely no impression of what she got. Sam notes that Ranma, however, probably has the worst poker face he's ever seen as he tallies his cards. Apparently Ranma is utterly ecstatic with his two queens) Sam : Al, how far into the deck are the other three aces? Al (his terminal squeaks) : Hey, they're right on top of the deck! Sam, get him to toss three of his cards but not the ace! Sam (quietly to Ranma) : Quick, toss all your cards but the ace. Ranma : What? (Nabiki looks up, but she doesn't seem to care that Ranma's getting outside help) Why should I listen to a twisted sicko like you? Sam (ignores the insult) : Ranma, you are going to LOSE! This woman will cream you! (Nabiki tosses in an extra thousand yen) Ranma : What's this? Nabiki : I decided to up the ante. Ranma : But I don't have enough to cover this! Nabiki : Sorry, but you'll have to fold if you can't cover the bet. Ranma : HEY! Sam (digs through the pockets in his jeans as fast as he can and finds a thousand yen bill) : I can cover it (Ranma and Nabiki are both surprised at this). Ranma : Huh? Sam : I'll cover your bet, but you've got to trust me. Drop the other cards. Nabiki : You'll lose anyway, Ranma-kun, you might as well do what he says. Ranma (stares at Tsubasa for a second, then reluctantly takes the bill) : All right... (Ranma takes the bill and sticks it on the pile of money, then drops his cards and takes the top three) Nabiki : Read 'em and weep -- four kings, Ranma-kun. Ranma-kun? (Ranma is completely shocked by his hand) C'mon Ranma-kun, show me your cards. Ranma (shows his cards) : Four aces... (now it's Nabiki's turn to go into shock) NYAHAHAHAHA!! (Ranma scoops up the stack of bills, then remembers something) Oh, didn't you mention something about "a little extra"? Nabiki (comes out of shock and regains her composure) : Amazing! Well, I guess so... Here's an extra two-thousand yen (Ranma merrily skips out the door). Sam (waving to empty space) : You're welcome... He could have at least thanked me! Nabiki (collecting her cards and smiling to herself) : He's got other things on his mind at the moment. (looks at Sam) So, Tsubasa-chan, up for a game of blackjack? Sam (getting up and making for the door) : Uh, no thanks, I must be off. (Sam exits the dojo and leaves the Tendo residence. Al is waiting for him outside) Al : I do believe that's the first time we ever had to cheat at cards to do good in the world. Sam : So everything works out, right? Al : Huh? Oh... (looks at the terminal) oh, yeah, everything works out fine. The marriage is moved up by almost a year, Akane and Ranma actually get a little friendlier, all's right with the world. Sam : Then why am I still here? Al : Huh? Gee, I don't know... (pushes some buttons) Wow, this beats me, everything seems to be fine. (face brightens up) Oh I know, you probably get to enjoy Christmas eve, putting a sock up by the fireplace, drink eggnog with your friends, open pres-- Sam : Come on, Al, that's ridiculous! Are you saying I haven't Leaped so I can enjoy the holidays while the REAL Tsubasa spends his Christmas in the waiting room? Al : Hmm, well, at least until we find out exactly why you ARE still here I guess that's what you're going to have to do. Sam : Alright, have Ziggy check the history database, find out if there's ANYTHING we might have missed. Al : Gotcha. (punches a few buttons and the bright entryway to the imaging chamber opens up out of nowhere) Sam : In the meantime, (shrugs his shoulders) I guess I'll go enjoy the holidays... Al (steps into the doorway) : Merry Christmas, Sam (waves his cigar as the door slams shut). (Sam plods back to Tsubasa's house and spends most of the evening chatting with Chibiko. Sam cooks up a little dinner, much to Chibiko's delight (she didn't know her brother could COOK!) and the two eat dinner while watching all the specials on television. Later Sam puts Chibiko to bed and decides to take the time to brush up on his Japanese while waiting for Al to come back with news. After a couple of hours reading Sam decides to head to bed and goes to sleep. In what seems like the crack of dawn Sam is woken up by the squealing of Chibiko. Quickly Sam leaps out of bed and runs out of his room to see what may have happened, and discovers Chibiko in Urusei Yatsura pajamas merrily collecting which presents under the tree have her name on them. A couple of adults stagger out of the back room, bags under their eyes) Father : My goodness, what time is it? Mother : Almost 6:00 AM... Father : Tsubasa, be a dear and watch your little sister for us. We got home so late last night that we've barely had any time to sleep... (catches a glimpse of Sam) Is that one of the outfits your mother got for you? Sam (notices he's still wearing the jeans) : Oh, yeah. Sorry about sleeping in them. Mother (groggily) : Oh well, at least it's better than that ridiculous night gown you usually wear. Father : Come back to bed sweetheart, at least we can sleep knowing our son wore SOMETHING appropriate for once. (the two stagger back into their bedroom and close the door. Sam watches Chibiko and for a while pleasantly remembers a Christmas back in Indiana when he was young and watching his own sister act the same way. His thoughts are cut short when he sees Al walk up to him while passing right through the Christmas tree) Al (looking at Chibiko, who has been too engrossed in her own presents to notice Al) : Aaww, isn't that cute? Sam : Al! What do you think you're doing?! Al (acting hurt) : What? Nobody can see me! Sam : Chibiko can! What if she saw you walk through the tree? Al : Oops, sorry. Sam : So did you find anything? Al : You mean besides the fact that our little guest in the waiting room makes my skin crawls every time she... I mean HE, talks? Sam : Yes, Al, BESIDES that! Al : Well... (shrugs) Nothing. Sam : NOTHING?! Al : Exactly! Ziggy can't find ANY reason why you're still here. And frankly it's really beginning make us all panic... Sam : This doesn't make any sense at all. Chibiko : Hey, it's you again! Al : Oh, hi kid. Sam (noticing something) : I didn't know you knew Japanese, Al... Al : I learned how to speak it when I was dating this actress about five years ago. She was in one of those martial arts movies filming in San Francisco, and she had some of the BIGGEST-- Sam (quickly putting his hands over Chibiko's ears) : Al! Al (off in his own dreamland) : You wouldn't BELIEVE how dexterous that girl was! I learned all SORTS of interesting things! Sam : AL!! Al (snapping out of it) : Huh? Whoops , got a little carried away there... Sam (growing frustrated) : So NOW what am I going to do? Chibiko : I thought you were going to go visit Ukyou-sama this morning. Sam : Ukyou? Oh, the chef, that's right. Chibiko : You bought a present for her and everything. (Chibiko points to a package under the tree, which Sam pulls out. The label reads "To : My darling Ukyou-sama; From : Your ever-loving Tsubasa") Sam : Well, I guess I should deliver this. You want to tag along, Chibiko? Chibiko (eyes light up) : Really?! (Chibiko runs into her room and two minutes later comes out wearing a little pink dress and a red jacket with "Hello Kitty" on it. Sam insists that she eat breakfast before they go out. When she's done Sam collects the present and goes outside. The sky is a bright blue and the sun has risen a little bit, although not enough to eliminate the crisp chill of the morning. Chibiko happily skips along holding a new doll she had excavated from one of her presents. Sam notes that despite the early hour he can hear a lot of childrens' voices emanating from the surrounding houses, ever-so-often accompanied by the groan of their waking parents) Al (staring amusedly at Sam) : Look at you. Sam : Hmm? Al : Grinning like that. Sam : Oh, that. It's just that Chibiko reminds me of my little sister. Watching her open those presents like that, well, it brought back memories... Al : Yeah, she IS a little rascal, isn't she? (the group walks over to Uk-Chan's, where Sam lightly raps on the door while Chibiko plasters her face to the glass to get a good view of the inside. After five minutes with no response, Sam asks Al to locate her. Al informs him that Ukyou is at Ranma's house) Sam : Ranma's house? What's she doing THERE? (the group walks back to the Tendo dojo, where the sound of people talking can be heard beyond the main gates) Sam : I guess they're all awake... (prepares to ring the door chime, when Al's computer terminal begins to whine) Al (looking at the computer pad) : What the...? THIS can't be right... (hits the keypad) Sam : What? What is it? Al (yelling out to empty space) : Goushii, what the hell is going on?! Sam : Al, what's happening?! Al : Something's wrong... 12 percent, 14, 20; Sam, history is changing! Sam : What, they don't make up, the marriage gets pushed back? TELL ME, AL! Al : To heck with making up! According to Ziggy the chances of them EVER GETTING MARRIED is plummeting!! There is now a... thirty-five percent chance that they break up and never talk to each other again!! Forty! Forty-eight!! Sam, hurry up and do something!! (Sam quickly opens the gates and runs to the house. The voices coming from inside are now evidently not in celebration but rather in anger. Sam knocks on the front door but the noise inside is too much to carry the sound, so Sam decides to enter on his own.) Ranma (digging through boxes that litter the floor) : I swear I got it for you! It's gotta be around here somewhere! Akane : Yeah, right! You just forgot, admit it. (a young woman with long brown hair in a nightgown notices Sam and Chibiko enter) Woman : Oh, hello. Father, we have guests! Father (a black-haired man with a moustach) : Guests? What guests? (everyone stops talking and looks up at Sam) Al : Ah, the lovely young lady is Kasumi Tendo, Akane's oldest sister, and the man is her father Soun Tendo. The guy in the back with the glasses is Ranma's dad, Genma Saotome. Akane : Tsubasa? What are you doing here? Sam : Uh, well I... Ranma : TSUBASA! Ask Tsubasa, Akane! He knows I got the money for it! Tsubasa : Did I miss something? Akane : Just this moron CLAIMING that he got me some kind of great Christmas present. Ranma : Who are you calling a moron, you unfeminine little... Sam (quietly) : Al, what's going on? Al : I don't know! Ranma didn't have anything for Akane in the original history but it didn't stop them from getting married. I-- (Al is suddenly cut off as the far wall caves in unexpectedly. Out of the rubble comes a beautiful young woman in Chinese clothing with a huge head of purple hair. She runs up to Ranma and passionately hugs him. Ranma looks completely flabbergasted, while Akane clenches her fists and turns beet-red) Purple-haired girl : Oh, Ranma!! You I love!! Ranma : Shampoo!! Wh-wha... Sam (to Al) : Shampoo? Her name is Shampoo?! (Al is completely enthralled by her) Shampoo (happily) : I never take it off EVER! I sleep with it, bathe with it, work with it! Akane (angrily) : What are you talking about? Shampoo (with a look of victory on her face) : Look what darling husband left for me by bed this morning! Sam and Al together : HUSBAND?! (Shampoo points to her neck. Around it is a gold necklace, not extremely expensive looking, but a necklace nonetheless. Ranma's eyes bug out. Akane looks about ready to explode. Apparently her father already has) Soun (grabbing Ranma by his shirt) : Ranma-kun, how COULD you?!! (slams Ranma into the floor face first while weeping) Ranma (still in shock) : B-but I didn't... I mean... How...?! (Akane is shivering with fury at this point) Al : Uh oh! Sam : How did she get that necklace? Al : I don't know, but this is looking worse by the minute! (hits his squealing computer terminal a few times) Sam, the break-up is now SIXTY percent probable! Sam : I thought history was already set! You said it yourself!! Everything works out! Al : Well, don't look at ME! The numbers just keep rising! (suddenly another figure comes through the hole left in the wall by Shampoo -- Ukyou with a giddy look on her face, running up to Ranma and hugging him) Ukyou : Ran-chan!! You are the SWEETEST thing! Sam : What...? Ranma (trying to keep track of everything as the world goes haywire) : U-Uk-Chan? What did I--? Ukyou (raises her arm to show the family) : Look what my wonderful fiance got me for Christmas! Sam and Al together : FIANCE?! Al : Jeeze, this guy is ONE fast worker... (on Ukyou's arm is a thin gold bracelet, once again not expensive looking but...) Ranma : How did you get that?! Ukyou : It was sitting by my bedside when I woke up, you sly-- Ranma : But I didn't... I... Nabiki : You gave a piece of jewelry to these two girls?! (Nabiki actually looks furious) You had PLENTY of money to by them something but not my LITTLE SISTER?! Kasumi : Ranma-kun, I can't believe you would do such an inconsiderate thing. I'm VERY disappointed in you. Genma : This is LOW, Ranma! I have never been so ashamed of you in my LIFE! Ranma (becoming desperate) : But you've got to believe me! This is all a mistake! (Akane's fists are still clenched. She walks up to the sputtering Ranma and, opening one hand flat, slaps him across the face hard. Ranma stops talking and looks at her with pain as she turns away and runs upstairs. Crying can be heard before the sound of a slamming door shakes the house) Al : Dammit! One-hundred percent (throws down his cigar in frustration). Sam (looking at the family as they berate Ranma; Shampoo and Ukyou are fighting over who got the better piece of jewelry) : How in the universe could this have happened? Al : I don't know, Sam, I just don't know. Chibiko : Tsubasa-onechan, what just happened? Why were all these people yelling at each other? Sam : Ah, it's... uh, it's a little hard to explain, Chibiko... Chibiko : Was it because that girl didn't get a Christmas present? Sam : It's a little more complicated than that, but... Yeah, I guess that's as close as we can get right now. Chibiko : Oh... (Chibiko looks around a little bit; her big brother is talking to his funny friend in some weird language, probably English; she doesn't know anyone else, and besides, they're all being a little too loud for her. That girl that ran upstairs looked pretty sad, though, and just because Santa didn't bring her a Christmas present she was going to be mad at that guy with the pony-tail. Chibiko thinks for a second...) Chibiko (knocking) : Hello? Can I come in? Akane (crying) : Go away! I don't want to talk to anyone! Chibiko (persistently knocks harder) : Pleeeaase? (for a little while there is silence, then Akane opens the door to see who it is. Her eyes are red from tears. As she looks down at the little child, she notices that she's holding up a small package) Chibiko : I found this downstairs. It didn't have a name on it, but I thought maybe Santa left it for you. (Akane looks at the present in surprise, then slowly takes it from Chibiko and opens it up : inside there is a little Totoro doll holding a stuffed red heart with the words "I Love You" embroidered on it. Akane wipes her eyes a little bit and then sits down on the bed looking at it. Chibiko sits down next to her and looks at Akane with curiosity) Akane (wiping her nose) : Your Tsubasa's little sister, aren't you? Chibiko : Do I know you? Akane : No, but I think there's a pretty strong family resemblance. Besides, I've heard him talk about you from time to time when he's working at Uk-Chan's. Chibiko : I don't know why he works there. She never pays him anything. Akane : Your big brother is in love with Ukyou, I suppose. Chibiko : Oh. (sticks her tongue out) That's gross! (Akane smiles a little bit) Why were you crying? Akane : Well, it's hard to explain... Chibiko : That's what my big brother said. I think he just doesn't know why. Akane : I'm not sure I know why either... Sam : I think I might have SOME kind of an idea (steps into the room). Chibiko, would you go downstairs and stay with Al? I need to talk to Akane for a little while. Chibiko : Okay. (hops off the bed, then stops and whispers into Sam's ear before she leaves) I hope it's okay, but since Ukyou-sama already had that pretty bracelet I didn't think you'd mind if I gave--(puts a small piece of paper in Sam's hand) Sam (patting Chibiko's head and smiling) : You did a good job, Chibiko. (Chibiko smiles and runs out the door. Sam looks in his hand at the love note Tsubasa wrote to Ukyou with the present, then quickly crumples it up and sticks it in his pocket. Akane looks at Sam dubiously as he sits down on the bed next to her) Akane : Since when did you start wearing men's clothing, Tsubasa? Sam (looking at himself) : Well, uh, you know how I like wearing costumes. No one's going to recognize me like THIS. Akane (laying her face on her hands) : I can't understand him, sometimes! Why would Ranma give such expensive presents to THOSE two? Sam : Just because someone gives a person an expensive gift doesn't mean anything. I always thought a gift from the heart is usually a LOT more valuable than a gift from the wallet. Akane : It's not just the gift, Tsubasa. We're always fighting about one thing or another, he's always calling me unfeminine, uncute, he's always insulting my cooking; sometimes I wonder if he cares about me at all. Sam (trying to find the right words) : Well, uh, what do YOU see in him? Akane (startled at this question) : I, uh... Sam : I mean, you have to really care about him to be so upset about this. Otherwise it wouldn't have mattered to you at all. Akane (blushes) : Well, it's not that I don't, uh, care about him or anything, but it's, er (begins to blush even more), well, it's hard for me to tell him how I feel... about him, that is... Sam : If it's hard for you to tell him, don't you think it might be hard for him, too? Akane : Well, ever so often I DO see him do something nice for me... Sam : Besides, from the way Ranma was acting down there I don't think he was the one to put those presents by those girls' beds. I mean, why would he deny it if he did such an open act? Akane (slightly embarrassed) : I guess I was too angry at him to think about that... (looks at Sam, who smiles at her. Akane smiles back and after giving it some thought gives him a kiss on the cheek) Thanks, Tsubasa. (Akane gets up and leaves the room. Sam follows her downstairs and into the noisy argument below. Ranma keeps protesting his innocence, although he continues to crumble under the assault. Akane walks up to Ranma, who immediately shields his face with his arms) Ranma : I swear I didn't do it!! Akane (smiling) : I just got my Christmas present, Ranma. Thank you, I think it's wonderful. Everyone in unison : Eh? Ranma : Wh-what Christmas present? Akane (smiling and skipping off into the kitchen) : Oh, nothing. (everyone looks at Akane in surprise as she leaves the room. The group looks kind of guilty for berating Ranma, and all spout apologies out of the side of their mouths before chasing Akane into the kitchen) Soun : What? What did he get you? Akane (happily) : Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all. Nabiki : How can you say it's nothing? Look at the smile on your face! (meanwhile Ukyou and Shampoo have decided to take their turn and pounce on Ranma) Shampoo : What you give her?! Ranma : I don't... uh... Ukyou : Don't play innocent with us, pal! Spill it! Al (looking at Ranma) : Well, I guess you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, (out of the side of his mouth as he eyes Ukyou and Shampoo) the lucky son of a... Sam : Did we do it? Al (looks at his computer terminal) : Yep, everything's back on track. Ranma and Akane get married, although (hits the keypad) Ziggy can't seem to figure out exactly when now... Oh well, there's a one-hundred percent chance that they get married SOME time in the future. You did good, Sam, and YOU (points to Chibiko with a smile on his face) did a TerRIFIC job! (Chibiko smiles back in response) Sam : I just wish I knew who gave those girls the jewelry. Whoever it was nearly screwed up everything. Chibiko : Maybe one of Santa's helpers messed up the delivery. Al (amused) : Oh, I don't think so, kiddo. Chibiko : Why not? I saw one of them carry a present from this house last night just after Mommy and Daddy got home . Sam and Al : WHAT?! Are you sure?! Chibiko : Sure, I could see it from my window. Sam (kneeling next to Chibiko and looking her in the eyes) : Chibiko, I want you to tell me EXACTLY what this "helper" looked like. Chibiko : That's easy! The helper looked just like-- (a bright blue and white flash fills the room, and with a whine that sounds like a blast of air the ground falls out from under Doctor Sam Beckett as he loses sight of the world and Leaps...) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- End - Part One -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Part II coming soon...