Authors: Sam and Merrianna
Story: Sibling Rivalry: 1 of ?
Series: n/a
Rating: PG-13: Nothing really bad, but Kodachi scares me, so the rating is high.
Characters Intro'd: Akane, Yuka, Sayuri, P-Chan, Ryoga, Ranma (male), Kodachi, Kuno, and Dr. Tofu
Summary: Short on money, they'll lose the Dojo, but Ranma gets an idea that may save it... if he can be in both forms at once.
Spoilers: Various information throughout the series, both video and manga.
Category: AU, General, Action
Setting: AU: Beginning of summer, before the next term starts, in which Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo are juniors; Nabiki and Kuno are seniors.
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video. We are in no way connected with these people, and we do not claim ownership to these characters, lands, or names. We have borrowed them to share a story... and most likely not a story Rumiko Takahashi would have written, had she had the time or no. We are making no money from this, and it is just for our entertainment, and that of free entertainment to a select group of friends. Thank You.
Distribution: Please ask first?
Note: Song lyrics written by Merrianna.
Second Note: I am very deprived, and have only gotten to read up to Shinnosuke in the Manga and see up to Herb in the video's, so if you find contradictions, please chalk it up to my lack of Ranma 1/2 accessibility, and call it AU problems.
Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/samwise_baggins/index.html
You step that way; I'll step this way
Eventually we'll come together
Meeting in the middle
It's not just them...
Our insensitive words pushing the other away
Jealousy takes hold
Fighting is all we ever do
You step that way; I'll step this way
Eventually we'll come together
Meeting in the middle
But inside the madness, a calm awaits
With a look in your eyes, a flash of a smile
The insecurities melt away
Feelings are known without being said
You step that way; I'll step this way
Eventually we'll come together
Meeting in the middle
Oh, yeah, someday when this dance is done
We'll come together...
...In the middle
"Wow! Did you see?"
"Hey, let me look..."
"No way! Here? That's so..."
"I wonder if the principal..."
The words overlapped, voices blending, into a cacophony of excited noise. Akane Tendo just sighed and tried to walk around the steadily increasing crowd by the large bulletin board. Unless it had something to do with her directly, she refused to get involved... after all, at least five of the people there used to try to beat her up every morning.
Yuka's voice called out to the sixteen-year-old, "Hey, Akane! Did you hear?"
With a sigh, the brunette stopped walking and turned to wait for her friends. True to form, both Yuka and Sayuri were headed her way, each waving a piece of paper excitedly. Why can't I even get peace on my last day of term? she asked herself with a hint of annoyance. True, these two girls were her closest friends, but still, she was annoyed with their over-eager attitudes.
Maybe it was just because Nabiki had confided that they were very hard up for cash. True, they'd never had a lot of money, but this term had been extremely bad, and now they risked having to sell the Dojo if no one could come up with a better way to make ends meet. It was driving Nabiki up a wall, and Akane not far behind.
When the girls caught up, Akane nodded and gave a very brief smile. "I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm needed at home..." She had been giving that excuse a lot the past two weeks, wihtout explaining why. But, when you are short on the basic needs, any little bit helped. Even Ranma had been avoiding fights to come home and help out. That was a lot more than Mr. Saotome was doing; he'd up and left for a training trip, taking their father with him. Pushing away that angering thought, Akane tried to give a fair amount of attention to her friends, despite her excuses.
"Furiken's hosting the Sibling Rivalry, Akane! It's terrific! Oh, there'll be so much to do this summer!" Yuka was bubbling over with enthusiasm for what was written on her flier.
Sayuri wasn't far behind, waving the paper in front of Akane's nose and laughing. "Imagine how many boys will be here! This will be so... oh! And I'll bet they'll be much more mature than these dumb Furinken jerks."
Akane titled her head. "Sibling... Rivalry? I... it's not familiar... what is it?" She felt out of the loop, suddenly.
With a laugh, both of her friends grabbed her arms and started walking her down the street. Since they were headed in the direction of the Tendo Dojo, Akane didn't complain. They were talking over each other in an effort to explain, making it impossible to understand. Finally, Akane shook her head and stopped walking. She could feel the frustration and anger welling up. Clenching her fists, she ground out, "you aren't making sense."
Yuka grinned. "Let me explain, then, Sayuri." The other girl nodded, beaming happily, as the first girl went into her explanation. "Sibling Rivalry is a martial arts competition held every year in a different area of Japan, China, and some other countries. They usually pick a major University or high-ranking High School to host it. But this year, somehow, Furinken is hosting it. Isn't that great?"
Groaning, Akane shook her head and started walking once more. "A stupid martial arts competition? Great." Ranma's going to want to join it, and there will go his efforts to help around the house. Her dark mood suddenly got a lot darker.
"Oh, no, Akane. Not just *any* martial arts competition. This is Sibling Rivalry. It has prizes... and not some stupid trip to a hot spring or a year's worth of ramen, either. The prizes are things like a brand new car or a big money award or such. " Sayuri grinned, gripping her friend's arm once more as they walked. "The prizes are the kind anyone would kill for. And the best thing is, the host school has the home field advantage, wouldn't you agree?"
"Prizes?" The sixteen-year-old felt her heart skip a beat. "Money or a car?" A car could be sold... Great! Now I'm starting to sound like Nabiki! Still... if it would help us keep the Dojo... "Hey, can I see that flier, Yuka? It doesn't sound quite so dumb after all." She flashed a hopeful smile at her friend, who gladly handed over the paper.
Reading quickly, Akane's eyes got wider as she reached the end. "Oh!" This was way too good to be true. It was a weeklong competition ranging in various martial arts skills or other skills involved in martial arts. After the week, the pairs with the highest ratings in each event would compete. The winner of the final event got a grand prize, but even coming in first in just one event got a large prize. Second and third place got smaller prizes, too. This competition could easily save them with any one of the major prizes... and there were two competitors in her household.
Suddenly, Akane whirled around and hugged each friend, laughing. She hadn't even fully smiled in two weeks, and now she was practically dancing. This was perhaps the first time the words 'martial arts' meant 'good news'. "Oh, I can't wait to enter! This is great! How many people do you think will be competing?" She grinned, but her smile faltered at the confused looks on her friends faces.
"Uh, I didn't know your sisters were martial artists, Akane." Yuka seemed puzzled.
Sisters? Just as puzzled, Akane glanced back over the sheet, her eyes falling on the title once more. "Sibling Rivalry? Wait a minute..." Depression started to settle in. "Does this mean I have to compete against my sisters?"
"No." Sayuri shook her head and pulled Akane further down the street. "It means you have to enter as pairs. Teams of two siblings. Solos can't enter, and neither can people who aren't siblings." She tilted her head. "So... I guess Nabiki doesn't compete?"
Defeated before even entering. Akane felt like she wanted to curl in a ball and cry for a week. To come so close to a solution, merely to have it yanked away. "Nabiki hasn't practiced with me for years. I don't know if she's even kept up her training... and I kind of doubt Kasumi's had time." She lifted tear-filling eyes to her friends. "And... and Ranma can't join with me, because we aren't siblings."
"Yeah, just fiancee's and in this case, that's no good." Yuka wrapped an arm around Akane, not quite understanding why her friend was so torn about not competing, but supporting her anyway. "Well, at least there will be plenty of new faces around. I mean, the competitors will book up all the Dojo's for training and practice, and all of the hotels will be so over-crowded, people might even have to take in boarders for the duration."
Without realizing, Yuka had hit upon a solution that Akane hadn't seen. If they couldn't win prizes, they could earn the money by hiring out their Dojo... and taking in boarders. Her mind raced over the possibilities. She could share a room with Nabiki, and Ranma could use Dad's room. That meant two rooms to rent out.
She smiled.
Sayuri seemed relieved, starting to get an understanding about Akane's trouble. She hadn't said anything, of course, but the mention of money always depressed her now, and the mention of ways to get it made her calculating. Suddenly, she stopped short and pulled the other girls to a halt. "You need money, don't you?"
"What!" Akane blinked in surprise.
Sayuri nodded as Yuka's jaw dropped. "You need money for some reason. It's why you're never hanging out anymore. So, you need this competition to get that money. How much do you need?"
The brunette started shaking her head, but Yuka jumped in. "How much, Akane? We're your friends. We won't even ask why you need money, but let us help you." She leaned forward eagerly, intent on helping her life-long friend.
Akane shook her head, her voice softening with tears and some shame. "It's not me. It's my entire family. Dad and Mr. Saotome are on a training trip, so that helps a bit... but..." She looked up, desperate to spill everything. The looks of sympathy on her friends' faces helped push her over the edge. "And without money, we'll lose the Dojo... maybe even the house. Nabiki and Ranma have after-school jobs, and I help Kasumi at home."
"Well, let's get you home, then. And just think about those people needing rooms and practice space. I'm sure Nabiki will if you tell her." Yuka grinned widely, worrying about the Tendos, but not letting Akane see that worry. She needed support not pity.
They dragged the thankful girl the rest of the way home, unaware of the little black pig with the soaking yellow bandana sitting near the bushes.
P-Chan's eyes were huge and his ears near flattened with sudden worry. He'd been looking for Koto, and thought he'd found the place when he'd been suddenly doused with cold water. Seeing Akane Tendo walk by, over-hearing her heart-wrenching tale to her friends, tore at the little pig's tender heart. He had to find some way to help Akane... right after finding hot water so he could be human again.
The pig stood and started trying to drag his over-sized backpack. It was made more difficult because he had to use his teeth, pig hooves not being made for grasping things. As he slowly dragged the pack after the girls, his mind raced over possible ways he could help the girl he loved. If only he really did have a sister, like Ranma had convinced him of once, then he could enter the contest.
He'd win and give all of his winnings to Akane. Then she'd say 'Oh, Ryoga! How... how sweet! And you did this for me? You saved me! I love you, Ryoga!' and she'd hug him and...
"Well, well... P-Chan." The pig was suddenly scooped up into a strong, lean hand. Ranma was grinning at the squirming porcine, something about the way his tired blue eyes looked reaching his 'captive' far more than anything else could have. The pig stopped struggling, and Ranma carried him into Doctor Tofu's office.
When he had Ryoga turned back into a human, the other sixteen-year-old sat down and crossed his arms and legs. He watched the other boy, his biggest rival, carefully, waiting and letting the silence build. He didn't even seem aware that the outfit he wore, one of his rather dressier Chinese outfits, might get wrinkled in this pose.
Finally, Ryoga spoke. "Thank you, Ranma."
It was certainly nothing that the Saotome heir expected to hear, and seemed to startle Ryoga Hibiki just as much. Ranma tilted his head and frowned. "No problem. So, I thought ya went tourin' or somethin'."
"I did." Ryoga's voice was still soft, but he was in control now. "I got... mixed up and wound up back here. It's perfect timing, too, since I... I heard Akane say they have to sell the Dojo." He lifted pained, brown eyes to Ranma's, intensely praying he'd misunderstood what he'd heard as P-Chan. Ranma's reaction didn't alleviate Ryoga's worry.
The boy stood up, walking slowly around the room, hands clasped behind his head. He didn't say anything for a long time, and when he did speak, it was to confirm Ryoga's worst fears... or nearly worst, that is. "Yeah. Money's pretty tight right now. Pop and Mr. Tendo ditched as soon as they heard, somethin' 'bout relievin' the burden of two more mouths ta feed." He turned to his long-time rival and sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides, strong hands hanging loose and ineffectual. "So, I got a job sweepin' an' stuff for Doctor Tofu, and Nabiki's doin' some type of 'banking internship'. It ain't much, but anythin' helps, right?"
Ranma had been so absorbed with trying to help out his fiancee's family, he had deliberately avoided anything martial arts... except practicing daily in the early mornings. It was still hard getting up that early to work out, but he needed the afternoons to get the money for working, so mornings were the only time he had to practice at all. Competitions, challenges, and fights were strictly out of the question, and he'd refused every one given him.
It hadn't been easy, either. He hated anyone thinking he was weak or scared. But the girls needed him, and he had to put his own personal training on hold. He wouldn't be able to hold his head up if he ditched them now. So he took the speculative looks and derogatory whispers, ignoring anything that came his way and avoiding anything that had to do with his art.
It helped that Kuno was on some sort of sabbatical and hadn't tried to glomp Akane or insult him. It was really hard to ignore that jerk. And with Shampoo and Mousse so busy at the Café, he had managed to avoid them, as well, which was nothing short of a miracle.
Ryoga interrupted Ranma's straying thoughts. "Uh..." If I tell him, he can't do anything anyway... but... if I could only think of a way! "Uh..."
"Yeah, we got that, Ryoga. Uh. Uh, what?" Ranma frowned at the other teen and crossed his arms behind his head again.
For his part, Ryoga slid one hand up to the back of his head and scratched where his bandana was tied. It didn't itch, just being a long-time habit of his. After a long moment of thinking and scratching, the boy decided. "There's a big martial arts..."
"No!" Ranma turned his back, hands clenching into fists as his arms shot back down to his sides. He couldn't stand this avoidance of his favorite sport, but he had to. He'd promised to help out. "I'm not interested."
The sound of someone falling onto the floor had Ranma whirling around, gaping at the sight of Ryoga sprawled out. "What?" Ryoga slowly sat up, shaking his head in shock. "Not interested? But... it'll bring in money."
"I said... wait a minute. Did ya say money?" Ranma leaned forward and crossed his arms. "Okay, I'm listenin', Ryoga."
He wasn't so happy after the broken explanation. "So, ya don't know when it is, who's allowed to enter, or even where it is. All ya know is Akane's plannin' on rentin' rooms to these competitors? Gee, Ryoga, and here I thought ya had no useful information at all." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
Hanging his head, Ryoga absently ran his tongue around his mouth, instinctively avoiding his odd fangs. He raised his head, eyes blazing. "She also said something about renting the Dojo out for the people to practice in. I figured," and here he gave up his private ideas to show Ranma he wasn't as stupid as the other boy apparently thought, "someone would be willing to hire a sparring partner for the duration, you know?"
Ranma paused, staring at Ryoga with ever widening blue eyes. "Hire a sparring partner?" He tossed that around in his mind. He could do that. He'd get paid to fight. That was, well, the perfect job! With a whoop, Ranma actually hugged his long-time rival. "Perfect! What's this match called again?"
It was a few seconds before the stunned teen answered the question. Ranma wasn't usually affectionate towards him... in fact, most people weren't, unless it was Akane when he was P-Chan. "Uh. Sibling Rivalry."
"Sib... Whoa!" Ranma whirled back to Ryoga and started at him so intently, the other boy flushed. "Ya mean Furinken's hostin' Sibling Rivalry? I gotta enter!"
Ryoga shook his head. "Can't. Need to have a brother or sister to enter." He crossed his arms, almost gloating at the other teen. "And since you aren't really my little sister, that's going to be hard, isn't it?" He was of course referring to the time Ranma had fooled him by dressing up and acting like he was Ryoga's little sister.
Ranma wasn't listening though, his thoughts stuck on only one part of that phrase.
"Not really little sister..." His mind raced over and over, tumbling the phrase around. He knew he needed to enter; he could win. And the prize money would save the Dojo and bring his family honor back, since it was his Pop who'd shamed him by ditching when most needed. "Not really little sister..." How could he make this work? Something about that phrase tugged.
With a shake of his head, Ryoga stood up and moved towards the exit. "The point is, you're not. I'm going to go offer to help Akane with the practicing. I can hire out as a sparring partner, and... maybe give Akane half the money or something... you know, to pay for the use of the Dojo."
The other teen wasn't listening, merely nodding at Ryoga's words. He let the boy walk outside, but before Ryoga could turn the corner and get himself lost, Ranma shot out the door and grabbed his arm. "Hey, I think I'll offer myself, too. Let me take ya home. Doctor Tofu!" He turned to call back inside, to let his employer know he needed some time off.
However, the pair of plotters were interrupted by an insane cackling on the air. This was followed by a trim beauty in black leotard lightly landing in front of them. She was twirling a ribbon excitedly in the air and letting her mad laughter echo around. Her good looking, if unbalanced, brother also arrived to make Ranma's day complete.
"Greetings, Ranma Saotome. Ryoga Hibiki. I..." he was interrupted by his sister.
"Ranma, darling, you've heard Sibling Rivalry is coming to Furinken, of course. Oh, it's a shame it's siblings and not people with the same name, or my darling brother and I could compete against you and that red-haired strumpet." She cackled again, the noise going right up Ranma's spine like a chill.
Ryoga frowned, about to actually come to Ranma's rescue, concerning the remark about the red-haired strumpet, when Kuno interrupted. "How many times, sister dear, do I have to inform you that the pair most likely share a name due to family ties." He looked her up and down, and Ranma became aware that there was something different in the older boy's eyes. Somehow, he looked less... intense? Insane?
"I don't care. I still would like to get her into a competition. Last time she cheated me, and this time..."
"You're on."
All of the teens turned to stare at Ranma. He had one fist clenched and a determined air about him. "Me an' my sister accept your challenge, Kodachi. We'll meet ya at Sibling Rivalry, and we'll beat ya, too. Come on, Ryoga. Let's go home." Before either Kuno sibling could argue or question him, Ranma Saotome grabbed Ryoga's arm and pulled him down the street.
At that moment, Dr. Tofu came from the back of his office in a belated response to Ranma's call. All he saw, however, was Kodachi Kuno skipping from building to building, twirling her ribbon and cackling like mad. Her brother was calmly getting into the Kuno family limousine. Looking around, not spotting Ranma, Dr. Tofu scratched his head. With a shrug and an "Oh, well," the doctor went back inside, seemingly forgetting he even had an employee.
After several minutes of walking, Ryoga frowned at his rival. "What do you mean your sister? You don't have a sister, Ranma. And in Sibling Rivalry, both siblings have to be present at the same time. You can't pull this off by switching into a girl once in a while." He didn't admit it, but when Ranma said 'let's go home,' it had felt good... like he really had a home at Akane's house.
"Maybe I shoulda said my brother." Ranma turned in at the walkway to the Tendo residence, still dragging Ryoga. He pushed open the door, ignoring the boy's confusion.
"Brother? Who's your brother?"
Ranma didn't answer.
Return to Ranma 1/2 Stories
For All Stories: listed by AUTHOR NAME
For All Stories: listed by STORY RATING
For All Stories: listed by SERIES TITLE
For All Stories: listed by STORY TITLE
For All FAN ART: listed by Artist or Story