Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters of Ranma ½ or Negima! Magister Negi Magi, but that’s a given.
Efficacious Bonds
by ranmafan1
Preface
The darkness surrounded him, but he was not afraid of it. The depth of night was comforting and soothing, unlike the hateful day. There was only pain during those times, but no one cared for his suffering. They wanted him to scream, needed to see how much he could handle. And when the evening came, so did his reprieve from the torment. However, a different terror awaited him at that time…for that was when the hunger came. Feeding was yet another test from his sadistic captors; what satisfied the hunger and how much was needed from each level of damage attained during the day.
As much as he wanted to deny the hunger, he could not; his healing greatly increased when it was abated. A refreshed body was also what his tormentors wanted, so they could perform more experiments the next day. His source of nourishment should have disgusted him as well, but it felt too natural, which was ironic given his unnatural circumstances. Now that his hunger was satisfied, he would try and get some precious sleep before the torture began anew in the morning. Another contradiction from how things should be now. It was during these few precious moments before his slumber that he recalled the day everything began.
That one fateful day a little more than three months ago…
...............
Ranma grumbled as she walked into the living room from the backyard of the Tendo household. Her father woke her up in his traditional manner of tossing her outside the window. He also put up a much more fiercer fight than usual, so much so that Ranma could not avoid the splash after knocking her father into pond; hence her current gender.
Privately, Ranma was thinking that Genma was preparing her these days for a Master’s certification test in Anything Goes, but she was not completely certain. That was fine and all, but Ranma was not looking forward to what Happosai had in mind for the test. The old lech could be fickle at times, but it would probably involve lingerie stealing and be more trouble than what it was worth. Fortunately, Happosai was not seen since before they left for China, although that was unfortunate for whomever the ancient pervert was tormenting in their place.
“Here you go, Ranma,” Kasumi stated as she handed Ranma a kettle.
Taking the proffered item, the pigtailed girl poured the hot water over her head, changing back into a guy. “Thanks, Kasumi,” Ranma replied while returning the kettle to the longhaired woman.
At that moment, Akane walked down the stairs and sat at the breakfast table. Ranma knew Akane was feeling a bit depressed lately. It did not have anything to do with the wedding fiasco of a few weeks ago. His reluctant fiancé actually took that pretty much in stride after calming down. She was also surprisingly talkative to Ukyo and Shampoo, who seemed just as confused as he was. No, the source of Akane’s melancholy was…
“Has anyone seen P-Chan?” asked the youngest Tendo daughter.
Ranma reaffirmed with himself that he knew nothing of how women thought, despite turning into one occasionally. The middle Tendo daughter Nabiki rolled her eyes at the question. “Really, Akane. The pig turns up eventually and being constantly asked is getting annoying.” It was then that Genma in panda form waddled into the living room. He took the offered kettle and changed back before sitting at the breakfast table.
“Now, Nabiki, Akane has every right to worry about her pet’s whereabouts,” slightly admonished Kasumi. Nabiki smirked and shrugged her shoulders in response.
Trying to placate his fiancé, Ranma stated, “Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, Nabiki is right.” The aforementioned girl blew a raspberry at him. “You know the porker will wander back.” Ryoga was spending more time at Akari’s farm than getting lost during his travels. And while Ranma preferred it this way as compared to the lost boy’s pig form being cuddled by Akane, he knew Ryoga would eventually return to the Tendo household.
Akane sighed in response, but relented, “I guess so.” Changing the topic, she added, “So, how are the repairs going?” The teenager was referring to the repair work on the Saotome family home.
It was the Saotome patriarch who answered, “They’ll still take a few more weeks. Nodoka wanted to make some additional changes while we have the opportunity.”
“Hmmm, I suppose you got quite a large insurance check to cover everything,” added Soun, who was not looking away from his paper.
Genma sweatropped in response and hedged, “Yeah, well…”
Topic degenerated into the more mundane and eventually everyone went their way. As usual, Nabiki went ahead of Ranma and Akane. The latter two exited the Tendo home and were walking down the street when they saw a familiar face.
“Oh, hello, Akane, Ranma. How are you today?” asked a woman who was carrying a potted plant.
Bowing slightly to the woman, Akane replied, “Fine, thank you for asking, Miss Hayashi.”
Azami Hayashi was a new neighbor who moved into the area during their ‘vacation’ to China. In her late twenties, the woman was quite attractive with soft features, long brown hair which ended at her knees, as well as piercing green eyes. Currently the beauty was wearing a conservative green dress which had floral patterns on it. She had an easygoing and friendly disposition that everyone liked.
Shortly after finishing her moving, she proposed to the neighborhood a ‘beautification project,’ which was eagerly accepted. The plan was simple and cost-effective. It also had the benefit of somewhat distracting people away from the daily damage caused by the local martial artists.
“What’s that flower, anyway?” inquired Ranma, who took a good look at the pot Azami was holding. “Before you brought it here, I don’t think I ever saw one like it.” The flower in question was a deep shade of blue and had not fully blossomed yet. Azami had been giving them away to the various shops and neighbors as part of the ‘beautification project.’ Everyone was more than happy to accept such an exotic and beautiful gift.
The woman tilted her head to side and answered, “No, I suppose you would not have. Its name roughly translates into Japanese as ‘Lotus on a Midnight Bed’.”
“So when do you think it will bloom?” asked Akane while examining the flower.
Smiling brightly at the two, Azami stated, “Oh, I think it will be quite soon.”
...............
I know, another story beginning, but this idea has also been running through my head. I am going to try to write this story in snippets and see how it helps me with writing. This is a section of the story's prologue. Given what two series are in the crossover, you might have a general idea of the story’s premise.
Below is the plot overview for the beginning of the story…
.
.
.
.
The beginning takes place approximately 3 months post-manga Ranma and 5 years before canon Negima.
Ranma and company were kidnapped by an organization for magical experimentation. Guess what Ranma was turned into… Happosai as well as faculty from Mahora and/or the Kansai Magic association are able to rescue some of the captives, including Ranma (Happosai knows a few people from a while back, including a certain blond). Those who were saved train at the academy and have their own adventures, leading them into the Magic World to battle against the organization. The canon Negima plotline then comes into play and is intermingled/altered with the NWC’s own fights.
So, any C&C? Thank you in advance.
-ranmafan1