The Gemeni Effect by Gregg Sharp ===== stone supplied by Shadow6865 pond supplied by Rumiko Takahashi ===== Toltiir had seen gods step up and place their bets. Demons attempting to be creative as they found a keystone to manipulate, and even dimensional wanderers putting their two cents in. A shadow darkened and formed a solid form, one with two white slits for eyes. "A shadow demon?" Toltiir blinked. "Well, well, do you have a suggestion?" The shadow made a gesture. "Actually, I was hoping for something a little more constructive," the black cat said with a grimace. The shadow extended a thread of itself and manipulated the scrying globe. ----------------------------- Doctor Matsudeira did his best to comfort the two grieving would-be parents. Unfortunately he couldn't allow them time to grieve. "When we were investigating why you miscarried, we found something that needs to be taken care of now..." ----------------------------- Toltiir nodded. "So Kasumi was miscarried and never born. Okay, I can see where this will be different, as Kasumi was the mother/nurturer figure for both her sisters and kept everyone from falling apart." The shadow nodded and gestured. Toltiir watched as the scan shot forward. "Hmmm. Radiation therapy. So Nabiki isn't born either. Akane's an only child?" The shadow shook his head. -------------------------- Soun Tendo, out celebrating his wife's recovery and clean bill of health. Two months after that news, and she'd had special news a month later. Pregnant! Soun had been using a Chinese fertility medicine. Now it turned out there was a side effect. TWINS! Soun was so very happy. So very drunk. So very... ---------------------------- "Alcohol poisoning?" Toltiir looked at what Soun had been drinking. "Damn, that's not even cheap rotgut sake, it's almost furniture stripper." The shadow gestured. "No Nabiki? You sure you didn't manipulate things a little there?" The shadow shrugged and pointed. "So two girls? Ah, here we go!" ---------------------- "I...understand, officer." Kimiko Tendo held herself emotionless until the policeman had gone. "Damn you, Soun, you hung around that Happosai much too long..." Soun had recovered consciousness long enough to make one request to be relayed to his wife. The Saotome line and the Tendo line were to become one, by marrying Genma's son to one of her children. An agreement between drinking buddies who'd been getting themselves thoroughly disgusting at the time. Now it was the dying breath last request of her husband. "Soun, you fool. What if they're both boys?" ------------------------------ "They're not....oh good." Toltiir nodded. "That's already been done, anyway, and in that timeline Genma threw Ranma in the spring on purpose." The shadow shrugged again. ----------------------------- Yin and yang, Kimiko was reminded of when she saw her two natural daughters. Akane had been born healthy and strong. She took after her father, given to extremes of emotion, fits of violence, even his dark hair. Kasumi had been born with a weak heart and a gentle nature. Kimiko thought that in nature and appearance, Kasumi took after herself. So, now she struggled to take care of her daughters. When Kasumi had offered to take over the cooking, Kimiko had been overjoyed but cautious. Kasumi was so weak and frail. Kasumi had rallied, and it became a point of pride. She could do this, and she could contribute. Akane was the warrior. Kasumi the nurturer. Kimiko sighed. She had to go to work. Being an OL was not what she had in mind when she had graduated, but it seemed all she could find and the money was so necessary. She hoped she could hold on... ---------------------------------- "Akane Tendo, I would date with you! Kasumi Tendo, my love!" "Kuno, please, don't." Kasumi gasped for breath as she attempted to run from the bokken wielding suitor. "I'm...promised to another." "Who is this cur? Where may I find him and free you of this unwanted tie?" Kuno gestured dramatically. "He is Ranma...Saotome... and...he's on a training journey." Kasumi gasped, unable to spare the breath for speech. She'd developed asthma a few years ago and it still gave her considerable trouble. "Hear me then," Kuno gestured. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Shooting Star of the kendo club, vow to free you of the evil of this Ranma." Kasumi blinked. She still couldn't believe this guy. Akane scooped her sister up and ran into the school. "Why'd you tell that jerk about that dumb arranged marriage thing, sis?" "I hoped he'd leave me alone," Kasumi managed to say between gasps. Akane shrugged. "With any luck this Ranma guy won't show and we won't have to bother with him." Kasumi nodded, but was thinking along completely different lines from her sister. -------------------- "Ranma's a...girl?" Kasumi fainted. Akane moved forward but noticed this new girl had managed to react in time and catch her sister. "Uhm. Put her down here." Akane grabbed a futon and spread it out. "So...while we wait for Kasumi to wake up, you study kempo, right?" "A little. Is she going to be alright?" Ranma's eyes kept flicking back to the girl who had just fainted. She had been so excited and seemed really happy to see him, then came the discovery that he was a she, and her expression was similar to someone who had just gotten a death sentence. Then came a faint. Ranma felt protective instincts kick in. "Oh, she'll be fine." Akane shrugged. There would be other times for sparring, after all. "Hey, those clothes are pretty damp. Shouldn't you change?" "Yeah, I guess." Ranma continued to watch the girl who had fainted. She had been so light and looked so helpless... "C'mon, I'll show you the furo." "OK." Akane came back a moment later, checking on her sister. Beginning to show signs of revival. Akane stretched. "Well, I might as well get a bath too." She entered the bathroom. Kasumi's eyes shot open as she heard a scream. "Oh my." The scream's source ran past, grabbed the dining room table, and whirled towards the hallway. "I'll drown him in the bathtub!" "Akane, what do you..." "There's a pervert in the bathtub. Who knows what he did with Ranma?" "Uhm," an unfamiliar voice began. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this." ----------------------------------- where do we go from here dept. Genma and Kimiko decide. Kasumi should marry Ranma because she needs someone more than Akane does, and Kasumi's strengths compliment Ranma's. Akane is happy with this arrangement, at least at first. Kasumi is happy with this arrangement, though she feels Ranma has a lot of "rough edges." Ranma learns he has to be really careful with Kasumi's feelings and that she really does need someone to help and protect her, just as she needs someone she can help in her turn. Kuno is NOT happy with the arrangement, as he wanted both sisters. Now he wants both of them, AND the pig-tailed girl. Akane still beats on Ranma on a regular basis, mainly for not paying enough attention to her sister, getting her involved in mishaps, etc. ---------- "Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!" "Ranma, look out." Kasumi ran forward, trying to keep moving as the tension started triggering an asthma attack again. Ranma shielded her from the flying bandanas, crying out in shock as one of the razor sharp bandanas cut into his back. "Kasumi, get away." Ryouga stopped. The woman was obviously not well, was physically quite weak, but she was trying to protect Ranma. He couldn't, however justified he felt he was, attack when someone so helpless would be in danger. "Saotome, how dare you let your woman get into danger during a man-to-man battle?" "So leave Kasumi out of it," Ranma said, clutching his wound. Then stopped and blushed as he realized what he had just done. Kasumi also blushed and her face took on a smile that seemed to brighten the day. Akane, recently arrived, wiped a tear away. "You better not hurt her, Saotome." The murmur of the crowd indicated that they had understood too. Ryouga had referred to Kasumi as Ranma's woman. Ranma had not, for the first time, denied it or immediately qualified it in a half dozen fumbling ways. Ranma's thought was quite different and went along the lines of "Uh oh." ----------------------- SCENE: "Oh my, Akane, where did you find that little piglet?" "I'm gonna name him P-chan, P for Pig, Chan for cute, ne?" -------------------- "Shampoo kill obstacle, but Shampoo no fight one who can't fight back. Hmmm. Shampoo wash that man right out of your hair? No, is obvious weak girl have real feelings for airen. Shampoo have to ask greatgrandma..." -------------------- "Kasumi Tendo, I challenge you to Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics for the love of Ranma Saotome!" Kodachi blinks. "She collapsed? She must have been overwhelmed by my innate superiority." Ranma scooped up Kasumi tenderly and glanced back at Kodachi. "No, she's having an asthma attack triggered by all these damn rose petals. Go away." --------------------- oh well, this is a rough. ja ne.