A fan fiction based on Takahashi Rumiko's Manga series, Ranma 1/2
Saotome Ranma, Saotome Genma, Saotome Nodoka, Tendo Akane, Tendo Kasumi, and Tendo Nabiki are copyright 1987, 1997 by Takahashi Rumiko.
Publishing rights:
Japan: Shogakukan Inc. Tokyo
Hong Kong: Jademan (Holdings) Ltd.
North America: Viz Inc.
Firstborn
By Saotendo
She was sitting in an upstairs room quietly, staring at the floor in front of her. There was a heavy oppressive feeling to the air. A sense of expectant waiting filled the room. She was staring at a pan of water that was in front of her. The room's shadows were getting longer and darker as she waited. She was debating an issue by herself. Should she do it or should she not? She weighed the pros and cons of each side.
The house itself was quiet. This by itself was a remarkable occurrence for the Tendo Dojo. Yet the quietness surrounding the house was not a peaceful, restful quiet. It was too quiet. A feeling of great stress, of being in the eye of a storm. Something was going to happen soon, and everyone knew it was coming.
A scream broke the oppressive silence. The sound of running feet echoed through the house. A babble of inquisitive voices broke out in a rising volume.
"QUIET!" A woman's voice shouted down all others. 'Kasumi,' she thought. All too soon the woman's voice again came drifting up the stairwell. "It's time to go. I've called a taxi already."
The girl thought to herself. 'It's only right I do this, she deserves this much at least.' Picking up the pan of water, she poured it over her head.
Her body changed. She became a he. Soft tissue shrunk and became hard muscle. Her body lengthened and grew broader. All this happened in an instant. Where once sat a girl, now sat a boy.
He got up and went over to the bed, there all ready laid out was an outfit, ready for wear. It consisted of a black pair of pants and a shirt. Drawing it on, the boy rapidly adjusted the ties on the outfit so that it fit him well. Then he made his way downstairs.
Kasumi looked at the boy as he made his way down the stairs. "Oh, are you sure you want to go like that?"
The boy nodded, not trusting his voice. He looked around, everyone was standing in a group around a very pregnant girl. Nodoka looked at him and voiced her approval at his presence.
As everyone turned and looked at the boy with various looks upon their faces, the pregnant girl gave a loud cry and sagged to her knees.
As almost everyone rushed towards the girl, Genma muttered "Where is that damn taxi? This is tough enough on her, I want my grandchild born in a hospital with doctors and all around in case they're needed."
Just then a beeping was heard from the front gate and Nabiki came rushing in. "The taxi's here." She spotted the boy and gave him a look of appraisal. "Are you ready for this? She asked.
Again the boy just nodded. He felt numb inside. It seemed as if everything was rushing by so fast. He just wanted to call time out so he could have a moment to sort out how he felt about this birth. His child, no, their child, because she was the one having it. After all it did take two to tango. He had thought he had it all figured out, but with the birth happening, he found he wasn't quite as doubt-free as he had thought.
Could they be good parents? Considering their past history was it likely? And thinking about how both of them acted towards each other, he remembered how her anger, and his insults. He thought about his unthinking behavior and her quickness to judge and react. How they hurt each other's feelings without a second thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by their arrival at the hospital. Quickly a team of doctors and nurses surrounded the group. They rushed into the hospital and then turned and weaved through a confusing web of corridors.
The next thing he knew was a nurse waving a piece of paper in front of him. "Parents names?"
Kasumi answered "Ranma and Akane Saotome."
The nurse then turned to him. "You the father? Hellooo, are you the father?" she said. He nodded numbly. "We need your signature on these forms, just sign where the X's are, understand."
He scrawled his name, not paying any attention to neatness or anything.
"Do you want to go in and watch the birth? I'm sure the doctor will allow it." The nurse asked.
Finally he spoke, his voice sounding strange even to his ears. "Yes, I'd like that."
The nurse rushed him into a prep room, where he scrubbed his hands and donned a mask and gown. The nurse then ushered him into a room. There she was, lying on a table.
Her face was screwed up in a mask of pain and concentration. Her face was red from the effort of giving birth. He moved over to her side.
"It hurts, it hurts, oh, it hurts," she whimpered. He took up her hand in his and patted it. "I know it hurts. Just remember to breathe, let's get the rhythm. Pant, pant, pant."
It all seemed to go rapidly after that. Soothing her, calming her, giving her something to hold on to, to focus upon. Telling her when to take a breath and when to push.
Then suddenly there was a crying sound in the room. He looked up and saw the most beautiful sight, a baby, no, his baby. He looked down at the new mother's flushed face and gently brushed a stray strand of hair to the side.
"We have a baby" he said. Then he heard a noise beside him. As he turned towards the sound, he saw that the nurse had approached them.
"Would you like to hold him for a little while?" the nurse asked. "He's a boy."
Looking at the mother of his child again, he said "I guess it's time to decide which of those names to give him."
She looked back up at him and with a slight glare to her eyes said "Next time, Akane, you get to have the baby!"
As he looked back at Ranma lying on the delivery table and thinking of the other packets of instant Nanniichuan waiting back at the Dojo, Akane smiled.
The End
This is my second fanfic written and my first one to be completed. Thank you to all the Authors who have wrote the fanfics I have been reading. They are too many for me to name and I hate to leave any out. A special thanks to SKJAM and Carly-chan for proofreading this. I hope everyone enjoys it.
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