The Descendant of Revan
Chapter 1: The Arrival and the Encounter
Mace Windu stirred at the bottom of a crevice on Coruscant. He had been knocked down there by a combination of Anakin Skywalker cutting off his hand and Darth Sidious blasting him with Force Lightning. Gradually, the Jedi Master pulled himself out of the crevice. He had somehow managed to slow his fall with the Force before hitting the bottom, enough so that he was still alive. His right hand was gone, and the pain from the remaining stump was intense. He chose to use the Force to place himself into a healing trance, until the pain had faded and he could have his hand replaced.
But the greatest pain was the disappointment in his heart. Anakin had turned on him, and the rest of the galaxy, at a very crucial point. Looking upward, Windu could see the Jedi Temple in flames. He knew exactly the cause, due to the Force prodding his thoughts.
It had been nearly two years since he had been trapped below the deepest reaches of Coruscant, healing and acquiring a new hand while trying to keep a low profile. 'The Clone Wars are over, but at a high cost. The Jedi are all but extinct now.' He thought. Then he remembered something, something that he had forgotten, "You were right, Revan." He whispered as he recalled the warning that the time travelling Jedi Master (At least Mace and Yoda believed that Revan had deserved the title.) had given him before he, his wife Bastila, and their two droids had left to find a way back to their own time. Mace recalled Revan's words: 'If the Jedi do not adapt and change their ways, then they will be destroyed by their own ignorance.' "I'm sorry Revan." He whispered. "I just wish that we had listened to you."
Windu looked around the area, about 25,000 feet below the brighter sectors of the Republic Center. In front of him was a long forgotten shipyard, and the Force was leading him towards it. With the guidance of the Force, he quickly found a ship inside that was still fully functional. He had siphoned fuel from the other nearby ships to fill up its tanks, so that he could use it at any time. But before he could leave Coruscant, he needed to collect his things from his private quarters.
It took him days to sneak his way up the levels of the city, until he finally reached the ruins of the Jedi Temple. A silent tear was shed for those that had perished inside, as he moved quickly through the burnt out rooms. Once he reached his own, he gathered up what few belongings he had, including a set of portable lightsaber building equipment.
Mace returned to the abandoned shipyard, placed his gear in the storage compartment of the ship, and started up the engines. As the ship was leaving Coruscant's atmosphere, he could see several platforms were in the middle of being built. 'Those are defense platforms, no doubt. Yet another way for Sidious to oppress the people and make his presence felt.' He thought. 'The Republic is in for very dark times ahead.' Windu sighed heavily, setting coordinates at random, determined to gain as much distance from Sidious and Skywalker as possible. Until one day, he could return to face them on even footing, with a new Jedi Order. "Anakin, you were right, I should have taken him alive. Maybe then you wouldn't have been given the final push into the Dark Side. Someday, I will make it up to you." He said softly as his ship entered hyperspace, trusting the Force to guide him.
After several hyperspace jumps and 6 years, the spacecraft ran out of fuel. Mace made a preliminary check of the system he was in, hoping to find a nearby uninhabited planet. The scans quickly found one, just below him. Switching to the ship's secondary fuel cell, intended only for use outside of hyperspace, he maneuvered the ship for planet fall.
The planet's atmosphere was dense, but easy enough for him to pass through. Once that was done, Mace focused on the Force to guide him to a safe landing spot. The Force led him toward a large group of mountains not too far from a clearing that had some sort of primitive village, where he managed to semi-crash land in the hills near the area the Force was urging him to. His ship was a wreck, but fortunately his supplies and possessions weren't damaged. He was glad that it was night, he didn't want to attract attention until he knew how the locals viewed the Jedi.
"You sure this is a training ground Dad?" The young teen looked at the valley in front of him. There were hundreds of pools scattered on the bottom of the valley. Bamboo grew all over and there was a small hut-like house not too far from where he and his father stood. The young man wore a bright red, sleeveless, Chinese shirt and black Kung-Fu pants. Over that, the young man wore a long grey, hooded traveling cloak. Two swords, both were Japanese style katana, were sheathed under the cloak, across his back in an 'X' shape so that each hilt was behind one of his shoulders. He had long silvery-white hair that was tied into a braid. He was quite handsome, his face was kind and soft, yet at the same time it was hard; as if carved from marble. The face of a warrior.
"Of course I'm sure boy!" His father snapped in an annoyed tone. "My Master mentioned this training ground to me when I was your age. You want to improve don't you?" He suddenly sneered. "Or are you afraid like a little girl?" The teen's father wore a travel stained, torn, white gi. He wore a white bandana on his bald head. He was also quite fat.
That got his son's attention. "Bring it on old man!" He shouted as he raced after his father, nearly running over a Chinese man who was walking out of the hut.
"Hello honored sirs!" He called out in Mandarin, "Welcome to famous training ground of Cursed Springs: Jusenkyo! I am the Jusenkyo Guide."
The boy immediately put on the brakes and skidded to a stop. He spun around and moved over to the Guide. "What do you mean 'Cursed Springs'?" He asked.
"Oh is very tragic tale sir!" The Guide said in broken Japanese. "The Springs cursed so that whatever fall in, will turn into what drowned last in the spring."
'OH SHIT!' The teen thought. 'Gonna need to be extra careful!'
"BOY!" His father yelled. "STOP DAWDLING AND GET YOUR LAZY ASS OVER HERE!"
The teen seethed with rage. He knew damn well that it was his father who was the lazy one. He bowed respectfully to the Guide. "Thanks for the warning. I really appreciate it." With that he took off after his father who was perched on top of one of the bamboo poles.
'Why did the older sir not listen?' The Guide asked himself. 'At least the younger sir was polite. Not many people thank me or even listen to my tragic tales.' He sat down in a chair to watch the battle. 'Good luck young sir. You'll need it.'
The young teen was getting both bored and annoyed as he leaped, attacked, and dodged on the bamboo poles over the springs; he was considerably better than his father in Martial Arts and knew that he had to hold back or risk seriously injuring his father. But the Guide's warning echoed in his mind. He really, really did not want to fall into a Cursed Spring and turn into who knows what.
"BOY YOU'RE FIGHTING LIKE A GIRL!" His father shouted.
The teen finally had enough of his father's constant insults. 'I've had enough of him! He insults me and always uses me as his scapegoat just to save his own skin. Well let's see how he likes having a curse.' The teen stopped holding back. Leaping at his father, the teen kicked him at such an angle that his father landed right where the young man intended: one of the springs. With a mighty splash, the portly Martial Artist sank out of sight.
"Oh no!" The Guide called out. "Older sir fall in Spring of Drowned Panda! Is very tragic tale. Story say that panda drown in pool one thousand years ago and whoever fall in turn into panda."
'Spring of WHAT!' The teen quickly leaped away. And he was just in time too, for as he landed on the ground near the Guide, a very wet and large panda leaped out of the pool with a roar and attacked the bamboo pole that the teen had occupied a moment ago. 'If I hadn't moved when I did…' The teen shuddered at the thought of acquiring a curse of his own as he yelled. "HEY DAD! TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF!"
The panda did and promptly fell to the ground, no doubt from the shock of seeing that he was now an animal instead of human. The teen couldn't help but laugh. "Serves you right for all you've done." He turned to the Guide. "Is there any way to reverse this curse?"
The Guide nodded and walked over to the panda, carrying a kettle full of hot water. "Curse be temporarily removed with hot water." He poured it on the panda, which immediately changed back to the human form of the teen's father. "But is no permanent. Cold water trigger curse again."
"I don't suppose there's a permanent cure?" The teen's father growled.
The Guide looked thoughtful. "Well, there is Spring of Drowned Man. That cure you for good, honored sir."
"Where is it!" The teen's father yelled.
The Guide hung his head. "I sorry sir, but I no know which spring is Spring of Drowned Man. Not all springs properly mapped."
"Then I'm stuck like this forever!" The father shouted.
His son started cracking up. "This is just too much!" He laughed. "Who's the better fighter now Dad?" His father sent him a rude gesture accompanied by a scowl.
The Guide suddenly brightened. "There is village of Amazons! They have records of Jusenkyo! They know where cure is!"
"Then take us there!" The fat man snarled. "I will not spend the rest of my life as a damn circus animal!" He ignored his son's snickering.
The son stopped snickering and turned to the Guide. "Could you please lead us to this Amazon Village? As funny as it is, I'd really like to find a cure for this."
"Please follow me honored sirs." The Guide said. 'I feel sorry for the young sir. He is kind to me, not like his father. He does not deserve cure. Young man I am only doing this because you have a kind heart. And an amusing sense of humor, I like you.' The Guide resolved to talk more to the kind young man who, despite his father, was polite and likeable.
Several Days Later:
"Welcome young sir to Joketsozuku! This village of Amazons!" The Guide announced.
The teen looked around, the village looked primitive; the houses were huts constructed of bamboo and leaves, the clothing was mostly animal skins although he noticed a few wore outfits similar to his, and the weapons held by the residents, most were tough looking women, were mostly ancient looking spears. But the village seemed peaceful, as if the worries of the outside world did not affect them.
"Please follow me young sir! I take you to village elder." The Guide said, leading the silver haired young man and his father, currently in panda form due to a rain shower a day ago, through the village. The young teen had his hood up to conceal his unusual hair, people always treated him differently because of it, although the Jusenkyo Guide seemed not to care and had been perfectly friendly to him. He suspected it was because he had been polite and kind to the older Chinese man when they had first met. He and the Guide had passed the time on the journey by swapping stories. He had told the friendly man about some of his experiences during his training trip with his father and in return, the Guide had told him stories about the people who had fallen into the Cursed Springs. Some of the stories had been very funny, there was the one of the man who fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. 'Thank God I didn't fall into that one!' The teen had mentally thanked whatever God that had saved him from such a fate when the Guide told him that he had been standing on a pole overlooking that particular pool when he had kicked his father into the Spring of Drowned Panda. The teen shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"This is home of Joketsozuku Elder, she oldest Amazon in village." The Guide had led them to a very large hut in the center of the village. "It best if young sir go in first and talk to Elder about curse. I wait out here with older sir." The Guide noticed something. "Oh happy day! We come on day of village tournament! Older sir and I watch while wait for young sir."
The Guide led the panda to the tournament while the young man entered the hut. But before he did so he called out. "Hey Dad. Don't do anything stupid! This could be our only chance at getting you cured!" Without waiting to hear his father's growl of acknowledgement, the young man entered the hut.
"Hello?" The young man called out, "Is anyone home?"
"What can I do for you?" The teen looked at the speaker; it was an old, small, white-haired woman sitting on a staff that she used to pogo herself over to her guest. She hopped over to him and gave a slight bow. "I am Cologne, Head Elder of the Joketsozuku village. And you are who?"
The young teen bowed very respectfully to the old woman, he could tell that she was a seriously talented Martial Artist, much better than he was. "My name is Ranma Saotome, honored Elder."
"So the young generation is not completely devoid of respect for their elders." Cologne commented. "So why have you come here?"
Ranma sighed. "Do you mind if I sit down Elder? It is a long tale." Cologne nodded and indicated a stool. Grateful for the Elder's kindness Ranma sat down, he was very weary after having to listen to his father rant and complain throughout the entire journey. However he did not lower the hood of his grey cloak. "Thank you."
Cologne nodded, curious why the polite young man did not lower his hood. "Is there some reason why you do not wish show your face to me, young man?"
"I'm… well…" Ranma searched for the right words. "I was born with a… condition that tends to make people treat me differently."
Cologne looked at him. This Ranma was clearly trying to avoid the subject. But she was impressed by him staying polite to her the whole time. Now she was even more curious. "Rest assured young man that in my three hundred years of life, I have seen many bazaar things, I am certain that your condition will not surprise me." She smiled encouragingly.
"I thank you Elder for your kindness." Ranma cast back his hood, showing his silvery-white hair.
Cologne's expression did not even flicker. "Ah I see. I suppose that among many, your hair color would make you stand out a bit."
Ranma nodded. "Yes it does Elder. Now the reason I have come to you is I seek a cure for a Jusenkyo curse."
Cologne looked at her guest with curiosity. "Ah the famous cursed springs. Well, exactly which spring did you fall into."
Ranma shook his head. "Oh I'm not cursed honored Elder-"
Cologne waved her hand dismissively. "Please call me Cologne. All that formal stuff just makes me fell old."
"Please forgive me." Ranma said. "Cologne as I said before, I am not cursed. My father fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda during a training duel."
"Then why is he not here with you?" Cologne arched a brow.
"Well, my Dad, Genma, is not very polite or respectful towards anyone, women especially. The Guide thought it best that I speak with you first and explain the situation." Ranma admitted sheepishly. "I can't tell you how many times he's gotten us into trouble with that attitude of his. He's fat, lazy, self-centered, and a complete jerk. It's gotten to the point that I am seriously considering abandoning him and returning home to my mother." He confided with a sigh.
Cologne nodded sympathetically. "I see. Am I right in guessing that the only reason you still travel with him is because he is your family? Only family could force such loyalty."
"Unfortunately yes." Ranma admitted. "I know that he doesn't deserve it Elder Cologne, but, I'm asking you as one Martial Artist to another, please help my father get rid of his curse if you have the means." He bowed his head respectfully and waited with his head bowed.
Cologne smiled; She liked this honorable young man. This young man had a kind heart and was obviously a skilled Martial Artist if he could tell that she was one as well. He knew that she outclassed him and could easily throw him and his father out of her village if she so chose, but he still begged for her to help his undeserving father. He was the kind of man that would make the perfect husband for her great-granddaughter; Shampoo. But that was not likely to happen. She pondered for a bit and made her decision. "Well young Ranma, normally I would not help such a man as your father but-"
Both of them jumped at a loud clamor outside. "BBBRAAAUUGGGHHH!"
"Now what in the world is that!" Cologne asked.
Ranma threw up his hood scowling. "I hope I'm wrong, but I'd wager that my Dad just did something really, really stupid."
Cologne glanced at him. "I hope for his sake that you're wrong too. Amazons in general don't take too well to insults."
The two of them hurried outside to find a scene of chaos.
Ranma groaned at the scene in front of him; His father, still in his cursed form, was running away from a very angry looking mob of Amazon women. He was carrying an armful of food and was stuffing his face as he ran. Ranma decided to stop him and find out what the hell his father had done now. Leaping in front of the panda, he punched it's face with enough force to knock the fat animal unconscious, the armful of food flying everywhere. "Stupid idiot panda!" He snarled as he turned to face the mob.
Cologne hopped on her staff so that she was in between the enraged Amazons and their intended victim. "Shampoo, what's going on here? You're supposed to be fighting in the tournament." She said in Mandarin to a beautiful, purple haired, young girl about the same age as Ranma. Ranma stared at the girl; she was undeniably a skilled Martial Artist, the sword on her back was proof of that, but she was also, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his whole life. Her long purple hair fell to the small of her back, her eyes were sparkling amethyst orbs, her face was quite lovely, she had a well endowed chest and well, Ranma had never seen such beauty before. To him she defined the word beautiful. Her angry expression did nothing to diminish her sheer beauty.
"I did, Elder Cologne, and I won. But after I was announced champion, I went to claim my prize and found that man's pet panda stealing the food off the prize table!" The girl shouted pointing at Ranma.
The Guide ran up panting. "Honored sir, this girl say-"
Ranma held up a hand, silencing the Guide. "Thank you mister Guide, but it is not necessary for you to involve yourself further in my problems. I thank you for all your help." He said in perfect Mandarin, shocking all present. Everyone stared at the hooded boy, who turned and kicked the Panda in the head. "Stupid… Idiotic… Father!" Each word was accompanied by a powerful kick to the panda's head. He turned back to the beautiful young girl and bowed respectfully. "I humbly beg your forgiveness for the actions of my stupid father. Is there any way to compensate you for this disgraceful act that my father has committed?"
"What do you mean father?" The purple haired beauty demanded. "That is not a man, that is a thieving animal!"
Cologne interrupted at this point. "Shampoo! Calm yourself! That man is under a Jusenkyo curse and his son…" She indicated the cloaked boy. "Came here and requested our help in removing the curse even after acknowledging that his father did not deserve it." She paused and turned to Ranma. "I'm afraid that the only way to resolve this is for you to battle my great-granddaughter Shampoo under Joketsozuku rules." She switched to Japanese to talk to Ranma.
Ranma nodded, acknowledging the gesture of respect. "Before I accept this duel, what exactly are the rules?"
"If you lose, then your father's life will be forfeit." Cologne explained. "Normally you would be held accountable as well but since you obviously have more honor, you will not be harmed regardless of the outcome."
Ranma nodded his hooded head. "And if I win?"
"Then you will decide his fate as will be your right as the victor." Cologne replied, a thought occurring to her. Ranma Saotome had been nothing but polite and respectful to her and everyone in the village. She decided that she could not conceal the other truth about winning from the only outsider to earn her respect, that would be dishonorable. "But know that if you do win, then my great-granddaughter may give you the Kiss of Marriage."
"Kiss… of… Marriage?" Ranma inquired, slightly afraid.
Cologne nodded. "It is an old law of ours that states that an Amazon warrior may, if she should so choose, marry any outsider male that defeats her in single combat. However, this kiss is only given voluntarily. It is not an obligation." Cologne tried to reassure the young teen.
Ranma nodded again and turned to the young teenage girl. "Shampoo was it?" The girl nodded. "I accept your challenge knowing that even should I win, nothing I can do will ever erase the mark of shame that my father has brought to you." He bowed. "Where shall we duel?"
Cologne pointed towards the center of the village. "The duel will take place in the center of the village. The two of you will duel with whatever weapons you have on your person at this time. What weapons do you have young man?"
"I duel with my swords." Ranma replied as he walked over to the far end of the ring.
"What weapons do you have, Shampoo?"
"I shall use my sword." Shampoo replied as she too, stepped into the ring. Ranma bowed to her before taking off his cloak. Shampoo did a double take; the young teen standing opposite her was extremely, no… stunningly handsome. His face was soft yet hard, kind yet dangerous. and his flowing silvery-white hair made him look even more handsome. 'Aiya! He is so handsome! He would be a perfect husband from what great-grandmother says!' She shook her head to clear it. 'But I must have revenge for his stupid panda's thievery!' She then looked on in puzzlement as Ranma drew out his two swords and proceeded to combine them into a staff-sword. She was curious; a staff-sword was a very rare weapon, and she had never met anybody who could wield one.
Cologne looked at Ranma with interest. She had seen that style of swordsmanship before and it was lethal if used by a master. But she wondered where he had learned such a style. She said as much to the Guide.
"Young Sir learned that style from his mother." The Guide said. "He is very skilled in Martial Arts, but with a blade, he is unstoppable."
Cologne did a double take at Ranma. She knew that the Guide was no Martial Artist, but he was very apt at telling how skilled a person was and if what he said was true, Shampoo would have one hell of a fight on her hands. Cologne quickly called out. "Remember that this is not a duel to the death! A touch to the neck will signify the killing blow. Only that or if one of you surrenders will end this fight!" Both combatants nodded.
Mace Windu watched the scene unfolding before him with interest. There was no doubt in his mind that both of the teenagers in the dueling ring were Force Sensitive. But he was amazed at how strong the Force was in both of them. Each of them had a Force Signature that rivaled or even dwarfed Anakin Skywalker's! Mace suddenly frowned; the Code of the Jedi stated that they were too old to be trained, yet… they were too powerful to not be trained. Mace's frown deepened. The boy's Force Signature reminded him of Revan's own, but it was even stronger! Perhaps this young man was a descendent of the powerful Ex-Sith Lord turned Jedi Master? The girl though on the other hand, while she didn't have quite as strong a Force Signature, she was still at least as if nor slightly more powerful than Anakin and that was saying a lot. Mace knew that the Force had guided him to these two for a reason and decided that no matter what, he would take these two under his wing… But he knew he could not train them: He didn't have the right, not after what he had done. He brushed the thought aside, he would deal with that when the time came. For now he decided to see just what they were capable of.
Ranma and Shampoo circled each other, both waiting for an opening to present itself. Suddenly Ranma charged and attacked, the battle was on. He kept up a relentless assault and to his surprise; Shampoo did the same. 'She's GOOD!' Ranma thought to himself as the two continued their deadly dance. Sparks flew as the blades clanged together again and again. To most of the onlookers; their swords were nothing but blurs of flashing steel but two of the onlookers followed each of the strikes with their eyes with ease; one was Cologne who was watching the duel in shock, and the other was Mace Windu who watched with interest. Ranma smiled as he performed a surprisingly high leap over Shampoo, twisting in the air as he did so. He landed behind her and attacked her unprotected back. Shampoo, whether by luck or skill, managed to spin around fast enough and raised her sword in time to parry the strike. Ranma grinned again, he hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Ducking a horizontal swing, he blocked the overhead chop that followed and held the parry. Ranma then performed a basic maneuver of the staff-sword: With an upward flick and twist of his wrist, Shampoo's sword was knocked away and before she could move, Ranma had lightly placed his blade at her neck, not putting enough pressure to draw blood, but enough to signal that he was the winner. She froze instantly. He was truly very happy to have been able to duel her; she was as good with her sword as she was beautiful, and from Ranma's point of view she was very beautiful. He hoped that she wouldn't hold this against him, he really liked her… no check that, he was certain that he was in love with the panting purple haired goddess standing before him. She was everything he ever hoped to find in a girl; a devoted Martial Artist, a strong sense of honor, a beautiful body, a quick mind… he only hoped her personality matched her looks.
Shampoo was shocked; she had been giving it her all in that duel and this outsider boy had managed to defeat her without resorting to trickery. He had simply used his superior skills and placed his blade at her neck. She saw that he was smiling at her, yet it wasn't an arrogant superior sort of smile that she had expected. No his smile was gentle and kind and… friendly? She tilted her head to one side. "Why you smile like that?" She asked in broken Japanese.
Ranma's smile grew wider. "I'm sorry. It's just that I haven't dueled such a skilled opponent in a long time. You nearly beat me when you made that feint at my knees and then switched to strike at my neck." He removed the blade and proceeded to dismantle and sheath his swords. "The only reason I managed to block it was that you kept your eyes at my neck." He grinned as he walked over and picked up his cloak. "If you had glanced at my knees for even a fraction of a second, I would have fallen for it. You truly are a skilled and worthy opponent." He bowed to her. "And quite beautiful as well if I may say so."
Shampoo was stunned. This boy knew he had won, yet openly admitted that she had nearly defeated him, pointed out exactly how he had nearly lost, and offered advice on how to do it in the future. And on top of that he thought she was beautiful! At that moment she knew that she was truly in love with this boy. She pointed to herself. "My name Shampoo." She gave him a bright smile.
"My name is Ranma. Ranma Saotome." He said as she approached him. He looked at her quizzically, wondering what she was doing.
Her smile grew brighter. "Wo ai ni!" She proclaimed for all to hear.
Ranma looked at her in shock. He knew that 'Wo ai ni' translated to 'I love you'. He had thought that she would have harbored resentment towards him and as a result could only stammer. "Y… You l… love me?"
Shampoo nodded. "I love you." She repeated softly. Suddenly she shot forward, wrapped her arms around the stunned Ranma, and pressed her lips against his.
Ranma's mind remained blank for several moments, until a mental gear realigned itself and an inner voice spoke up, pointing out that he was being kissed for the first time ever by a very pretty girl, so was he going to just stand there like an idiot? Kick started into action by that thought, Ranma hesitantly, even timidly, put his arms up and gently wrapped them around her, trying to return the kiss as best he could, given that he had never done anything like this before. Evidently, he did pretty well, given that her enthusiasm seemed to increase in response to his actions. Finally, they broke it off for want of air, staring into each other's eyes. Finally Ranma broke the silence. "I love you too." He whispered and the girl smiled again, not breaking eye contact with him and leaned forward as if asking for another kiss. Ranma was more than willing to oblige and pressed his lips to hers again while at the same time hugging her closer to him. This kiss was even more passionate then the last one and both participants were thoroughly enjoying it. The two of them smiled as they kissed, each finding comfort in the warmth of their loving embrace.
Mace watched the two with a small smile. Through the Force, he could tell that both of the two teenagers were completely in love with one another. Love at first sight was a very rare occurrence and, to Mace's mind, when it happened it was best to encourage it. He suddenly frowned though; he could sense that a very powerful Force Bond was forming between the two kissing teens. He hadn't felt a Force Bond this powerful since he'd met Revan and Bastila. The frown dissolved back into a smile. They deserved happiness and that Force Bond would only strengthen the love between them. Suddenly Mace frowned again; the large animal that had caused the duel in the first place was shrouded in the Dark Side of the Force. Mace's frown deepened as he silently approached, his hand drifting down to the lightsaber he had built during the long voyage to this planet; It was an exact replica of the lightsaber he had lost when he lost his hand, its blade was even purple as well. Mace couldn't believe what he was sensing; the animal's Force Signature was very dark with only a tiny spark of light. The boy's Force Signature reminded him so much of Revan's; a combination of the purest light and the blackest darkness. In fact he was exactly like Revan; neither light nor dark, but a balance of the two. The girl though, her Force Signature was one of complete and pure light. She was a fountain of pure good, an Angel of the Force. Mace walked forward a little more quickly as he noticed the large animal getting up.
Genma had a splitting headache as he stood up. He looked around and spotted a kettle over an open fire. Promptly dousing himself, he turned and dropped the kettle in surprise at what he was seeing; his son was kissing a purple haired Chinese girl full on the lips! Genma grabbed the Guide and shook him. "What the hell is going on here!" He snarled.
"Sir, please stop shaking me!" The Guide stuttered. It took several moments before Genma's brain processed what he had heard and he did as he was asked. "Is law of Amazons, sir; woman what is beaten by outsider man must marry that man." The Jusenkyo Guide explained in his broken Japanese. Genma's jaw dropped in shocked horror. Marriage by right of combat? Who ever heard of something so stupid! He could not, would not, believe that all his hard work to keep his son away from other women once he hit puberty, lest he be tempted to stray from the arranged marriage awaiting him, was to be wasted by some backwards villager! No big-breasted, purple haired, young, Chinese slut playacting at being a Martial Artist would ruin his boy for marriage to a Tendo girl! Seeing red due to the complete rage that dominated his thoughts and with an outraged roar he turned and charged at the kissing teenagers…
Unfortunately for Genma, both Ranma and Shampoo heard the roar and stared at the bellowing man that was charging at them with a look of pure rage on his face. Shampoo whimpered at the pure hatred that rolled off the man. Ranma unconsciously pulled her closer to him and suddenly felt an enormous, indescribable power surge through his body. 'If he thinks to take me away from Shampoo, he's dead wrong! I just found the woman I love and I will NOT let him hurt her!' Ranma acted purely on instinct, not knowing what he was doing or where the sudden power he felt inside him came from, he raised one hand at his red faced father.
All the spectators stared with open mouths at what happened: The man who had been charging at the two teenagers was suddenly sent flying, literally flying, in the opposite way he had been going. Genma flew backwards and was sent smashing through the hut behind him, said hut was a good hundred feet from the dueling ring. Regardless of the distance, Genma smashed through the whole house and a good fifty feet from the back wall of the hut.
Normally, Genma would have rethought his strategy after what had happened but he was blinded by his rage. With a bellow he charged back at his son.
Mace watched all this with a mixture of shock and interest. The pure rage and hatred that the man gave off startled him. How in the name of the Force had the animal changed into a human? He was also startled by what the boy had done. He had used the Force to send the man flying through the air. From the obvious lack of control, Mace guessed that the boy had no idea what he had done. When the man had charged, Mace had decided to intervene, only to be shocked by the sheer power the boy let off. Mace was frozen with shock; the boy had used the Force when he and the girl were threatened! Perhaps his desire to protect the girl had awakened his powers? As Mace stood in shock, the man bellowed and charged again.
Shampoo was terrified, relieved, and overjoyed at the same time. She was terrified by both the fat man that had charged at them and by said man's sudden flight through the house. She was very relieved that the man hadn't reached her and Ranma, no telling what would have happened. She couldn't explain it, but she believed that Ranma was the cause of the man's sudden flight trip and was overjoyed that Ranma had protected her! Her eyes narrowed as the fat man let out another roar and charged again. 'If he thinks he's taking Ranma away from me, he's got another thing coming! I just found the man I love and I will NOT let anyone harm him!' She suddenly felt a strange, but tremendous power flow through her. She waved her hand at the approaching man who came to a complete stop not ten feet from the two embracing teens. The man appeared to be completely frozen. What had she done? She wondered. And where did this amazing power she felt inside her come from? Suddenly she heard Ranma's voice inside her head. "Thank God! If he had done anything to Shampoo, I would have killed him myself!" She looked at Ranma, who was staring at the man. His lips hadn't moved, so how could she hear his voice? She once again heard Ranma's voice, though his lips remained closed in a look of pure disgust at the paralyzed man. "Father or not, he has NO right to stop me from being with the girl I love!"
Shampoo smiled and hugged Ranma. "Ranma really love Shampoo?"
Ranma was utterly shocked by the words. It was almost as if she had heard his thoughts! "Of… Of course I do." He said. Shampoo squealed in delight and pulled him into yet another passionate kiss, which he eagerly gave into. As he deepened the kiss, he could have sworn he heard Shampoo's voice in his head. 'Aiya! I love Ranma too too much!'
Unfortunately, they failed to notice that Genma was no longer paralyzed! Just as the man took a threatening step forward, he stopped as a man stepped in front of him and bar of amethyst light flared into existence in front of his face with a loud Snap-Hiss. A quiet low humming noise filled the air, but to everyone present it was the loudest sound in the village.
All eyes turned to Genma and the dark skinned man that had appeared, as if by magic, in front of him. The dark skinned man was dressed in a dark tan tunic with matching pants and a pair of brown shin-covering boots. He wore a dark brown hooded cloak with wide sleeves, an exact replica of Ranma's cloak except for the color, his hood was down revealing him to be bald. What drew the eyes of the spectators was the bar of pure purple-white light, about a meter in length, that was extending from a metal hilt in the stranger's gloved right hand.
The man spoke, his voice calm and soothing, yet hard and dangerous at the same time. "What are you doing?" He spoke in perfect Japanese. No one knew it, but Mace was using the Force to translate his words into the language that the boy and old woman had used. "It seems quite clear to me that these two," He gestured with his left, ungloved hand at Ranma and Shampoo who were still holding each other in a protective embrace. "don't want you to get near them. So answer me, what are you doing?"
Genma all but snarled. "I'm not about to let some purple haired, big-breasted slut, playacting at being a Martial Artist prevent my son from marrying one of my old friend's daughters!"
"WHAT!" The boy yelled as he and the girl approached. "What the hell are you talking about!"
"I made a pledge to an old friend named Soun Tendo to unite the two schools of Martial Arts that we studied, Boy. Honor demands that-"
The boy interrupted furiously. "Don't you dare talk to me about honor Dad!" The boy practically spat the word. "You try and engage me to half the girls in Japan to fill your fat stomach, you torture me to make me learn a technique, and you think you can control me and get me to willingly go into an arranged marriage so you can mooch off me? And you have the damn insolence to try and talk to me about honor? You cowardly miserable BASTARD!" Everyone, even Mace, reflexively flinched at that. "Shampoo is not playacting at being a Martial Artist, she IS a Martial Artist. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me since you took me away from my mother! And I will NOT let you insult her because of your disrespect for everyone else! I have had enough of it and I am through with you!" The teenage boy looked at the old woman balancing on her staff. "Elder Cologne!"
"Yes Ranma?" The woman asked.
"Since I won, does that mean that I now control the fate of my father?" The boy asked.
"Yes." Cologne cocked her head to one side. "That is your right as the winner. Have you made your decision, then?"
The boy smirked. "As the victor I hereby give you my consent as winner of the duel for all Amazons to attack my father, Genma Saotome. The only restriction is that you may not kill him. But you have my willing consent to use any means necessary to get him away from this village, and from me and Shampoo." Ranma glared at his fat father with undisguised hatred. "But should he return, I won't stop anyone if they try to kill him."
Cologne nodded and raised her voice so all could hear her. "This honorable Martial Artist has defeated the Champion in a fair duel and has made his ruling concerning the fate of the one who committed crimes against our village! He has decreed that we may not kill this man this time but are allowed to use any means necessary to force this criminal to leave. However should he return, the victor has given his consent for us to kill him!" A loud cheer met her words as she looked at Genma Saotome. He had a look of pure terror on his face and was backing away from the dark skinned man who did not move or lower his strange weapon. Cologne tried to remember where she had seen that kind of weapon before but brushed it aside as she pointed at Genma and raised her voice again. "Outsider, because of my respect for your son I will allow you a five second head start, though it is far more than you deserve!" Genma looked at her in fear and anger. Her only reaction was to scowl at him. "Five… Four… Three… Two… One…" Amazingly, Genma had not moved. Perhaps it was fear or stupidity that kept him from moving but Cologne didn't care. She pointed at the man who had insulted her great-granddaughter and spoke in a low tone. "Remove this cowardly piece of filth from our village!"
As the Amazons started to move towards him, Genma acted in the only way he knew how: Run away. For such a large man he could move surprisingly fast. He was a white blur as he fled the village. He hadn't tried to grab his son; something about the dark skinned man reminded him of his old Master. But as he ran he yelled over his shoulder. "THIS ISN'T OVER BOY! I WILL BE BACK! AND WHEN I RETURN, YOU SHALL PAY FOR YOUR DISHONOR!" With that he was gone. As he ran though, Genma began devising a plan. A plan to use his old Master to get his son to do the honorable thing and marry one of his old friend's daughters.
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