The Fierce Determination of a Man's Soul
Okay, so I know that many of my readers who are Ranma fans are expecting the next chapter of "Ranma: A New Ending" and my last fic promised it would be out soon. It's still coming. But I read this Ranma fic "They Shoot Wild Horses, Don't They?"
If you haven't seen it (Absolutely fantastic. You should read it), the basic premise is that some character unknown despises Ranma so much, that he hides in the shadows and shoots him with a sniper rifle. This leaves Ranma crippled to the point where he won't ever be able to practice the art again, and if he does, it won't be very well.
The focus of the story isn't Ranma recovering, however, so much as his friends and family either abandoning him due his now being useless, or trying to find who the real shooter is (It's set to be revealed in the next chapter! Exciting!) But it did make me think about how Ranma would handle something like that. Fortunately, I had a reference to use: a similar personality to Ranma who went through a similar experience: A Mr. Bruce Lee. I examined the life of Mr. Lee as best I could, as well as the personality of Ranma Saotome. And so, I wrote this little fic, which actually has little to do with that story "They Shoot Wild Horses, Don't They?", other than that the story was the inspiration. Please enjoy my own interpretation of Ranma Saotome.
Disclaimer: The Following is a fan-based fiction. Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media. Please support the official release.
Fiend… Demon… Sorcerer… Despoiler of women… These words and more all described one evil wretch: the devil known as Ranma Saotome.
The fool had taken it upon himself to use black magic to ensnare the hearts of two fair maidens, whose only true wish was to be with the one they loved. The brave and mighty modern-day samurai known as Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, had taken it upon himself to free these beauties from his foul clutches.
But, as brave and noble a samurai as he was, Tatewaki Kuno had, as of yet, been unable to defeat this demon. But how was it possible? Even with their black magic, demons had been felled by mighty samurai in the past. And there was no Samurai mightier than the great Tatewaki Kuno. So how could this King of Evil be able to best him?
The answer soon became obvious.
Mighty as he was, Kuno had always lacked one thing that all other Samurai had. He had been forced to use less efficient tools for his needs, which seriously impaired his performance. But this time was different. This time, the fiend Saotome would fall. Kuno's trusty bokken laid in his bedroom, resting by his bed.
For this time, Kuno had a proper katana at his side.
The fool Saotome had been so cocky, so arrogant. He had assumed his black magic would protect him from the mighty Kuno once more. Yet when Kuno unsheathed his hidden weapon, Saotome's arrogant grin turned quickly to fear, for no dark magic, however powerful, may protect a demon from cold steel.
Akane could only look on in horror at what she had just seen. Kuno had finally gone completely insane and brought an actual sword to school. The blade had pierced Ranma's chest and torn through him like tissue paper. "SOMEONE CALL 911!!!" She cried, rushing to her fallen fiancée's side.
"A-Akane…" he whispered, wincing at the pain.
"Yes Ranma?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
"H-H-Hit… Kuno… right in the… groin…" he managed to force out before slipping into unconsciousness.
As the world darkened around him, he could hear his distraught fiancée cry out, "RANMAAAAA!!!"
White…
That was all Ranma could see around him. A bright white light.
He could hear… noises, but he couldn't make out what they were.
Slowly, the world came into focus around him. The whiteness became a blur. The noises became voices. The blur became a hospital room. The voices became Akane crying.
"Akane?" he asked, trying to sit up. A wave of pain, emanating from his chest, rocked his body, forcing him back onto the bed.
"Ranma! Don't push yourself!" his fiancée commanded. Seeing him roll around on the bed in pain, she placed her hands on his shoulders to hold him down, not allowing him to reopen the wound.
"What happened?" he asked, grunting.
"Kuno finally went completely insane. He brought a katana to school and stabbed you. Of course, with his dad being the principal, and hating you as much as he does…"
"Kuno got off with a slap on the wrist."
"Literally… His dad slapped his wrist… Don't worry. I beat him into a pulp"
"Good… Good…" he whispered, closing his eyes. "So what did the doctors say?" he asked.
A sad mist crept over Akane's eyes. She comfortingly took Ranma by the hands, trying to ease the blow as much as possible. "He damaged your lungs and a couple of muscles. You'll live, but…"
"But…?"
"But you can never do martial arts again… Your body won't ever completely recover, and if you try to do martial arts, it won't be able to handle the strain."
There was silence.
Ranma lowered his head, not allowing Akane to see his pain. Even if she was his fiancée, he couldn't let her see this pain. He was the strong one, damn it! He was the one who comforted her when she was crying. He was the one who had the face of stone. He was the one who protected her!
And then her hands were around his neck. She stroked his hair and held him close to her, planting a light kiss on his cheek.
And that's when his tears began to flow.
That's when Ranma took his first steps into a new part of his life.
The part when Ranma became truly strong.
It was another 2 months in the Hospital before Ranma was able to come home. In that time, he said and did very little. He would rest, watch some movies from the Hospital library, and relax with Akane. In that time, she would tell him all about what was going on at school. How Hiroshi and Daisuke sent their regards. How Kuno kept bragging about beating Ranma. How Principal Kuno had started passing all new, heinous rules, now that Ranma couldn't keep him under control.
Really not good at cheering people up, is she?
In that time, Ranma just listened. He showed almost no emotion on his face. It was almost like he was taking everything Akane said and saving it for later.
And in that time, the two grew closer and closer.
When Ranma was finally brought home, his family laid him on a futon, so that he could rest more comfortably. It wasn't much different than the hospital, but at least he was home (where the meals were cooked by Kasumi, and not some hospital chef).
When friends visited Ranma, all they could see was a shell of their former friend. But Akane could see something different. She saw him every single day, and every single day, he got a little bit stronger.
It wasn't long before Ranma was able to walk again. He usually didn't travel far. He just moved around the house, looking for something to occupy his time. He wasn't quite ready to go back to school yet, and it looked like he wouldn't be before summer vacation.
But school wasn't on Ranma's mind. He was waiting for something. He was patiently biding his time. Family and friends weren't sure what he was waiting for. But sometimes, when someone was talking to him, or he was watching TV, or even when he was just staring out the window, he would begin muttering "It's almost here… Just a bit more time… It's almost time…"
As the days went on, this became more and more frequent.
Finally, the first day of summer came. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning. The sun was shining. Big, white clouds blanketed the blue sky, complementing each other perfectly. Akane couldn't understand why people thought a blue sky was so pretty. To her, the clouds made it even more beautiful.
As she came in from her morning jog, she went to her refrigerator to get some water to rehydrate.
And that's when she heard it.
It was a thundering boom, followed by an unbelievable scream of pain. Akane ran to the source of the sound, the dojo, wondering what could've happened. She found Ranma, lying on the ground, clutching his sides.
"Ranma! What happened!?!" she screamed
"I HIT THE POST!!!"
The post? The punching post? Akane had already told Ranma that the doctors said he couldn't practice martial arts anymore. What was he thinking!?! As she helped him to his futon, she couldn't help but think this was a bad sign.
The stunt had left Ranma unable to leave his futon for 3 days. On the fourth day, just as Akane opened the door from her jog, she heard it again. BOOM! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Once again, Ranma had tried to hit that damn post, and been rewarded with a face full of wood.
"Ranma! You have to stop doing this! You're going to kill yourself!!!"
Ranma just grinned at her, showing signs of his old self for the first time. "That which does not kill us, only makes us stronger."
Akane wasn't sure what to think.
True to his word, Ranma was bedridden for two days after that stunt, not three. And of course, on the third day, Akane was greeted with Ranma once again trying to kill himself with that damn punching post. Not wishing to take chances, She strapped Ranma into his futon, not allowing him to try anything again.
For the first day after the latest incident, Ranma didn't give Akane any trouble. He didn't even try to escape. So, she thought maybe the straps would hold him, and thought nothing of going jogging the next morning, as she always did.
When she returned home, she was relieved she wouldn't have to worry about Ranma for once. BOOM! "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
When she made it to the dojo, not only was Ranma wincing in pain, but there were dark circles under his eyes? As she carried him to his room, she asked him, "Ranma, why are you so determined to get yourself killed? You know you can't do martial arts anymore!"
Ranma just frowned at her, disappointed. "I can't believe you haven't even noticed…"
"I've noticed you killing yourself"
Ranma didn't even respond to this. When Akane made it to his room, she saw why he had dark circles under his eyes.
He'd spent the entire night chewing through the straps.
Akane hadn't even had a chance to go jogging the next day. Ranma had immediately hopped out of bed, hobbling as fast as he could towards the dojo. Akane had tried to stop him, but this was Ranma. Even when he hobbled he was fast as hell. Try as she might, she couldn't stop him from making it to that punching pad, giving it a good whack, and falling down screaming. She wasn't even sure what to do.
Now Ranma's entire family, Tendos included, was determined to keep Ranma from injuring himself again. They all camped out in the dojo over night, sure that with their combined strength they could stop Ranma this time.
As Ranma opened the door to the dojo the next morning, he was surprised to see his father standing at the ready, waiting for him. In fact, everyone was there. Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo, Happosai, Akane, Soun, Genma, Ukyo, Nodoka, Cologne, Nabiki, and Kasumi were all waiting for him.
"Son…" Genma began, "You have to stop this. You're going to really hurt yourself. I know I've been hard on you, but I'm your father and I love you."
"You're my friend Ranma. I don't want you to get hurt… unless I do it…" Ryoga continued.
"Airen no can push himself." Shampoo added.
"Son, if this is about the seppuku contract, you can stop. You've proven yourself a man already." Nodoka muttered through the tears.
"Ranma, can't you just give up martial arts? For us? For yourself? For me?" Akane begged.
"Give up martial arts? How can I give up the one thing that's always kept me anchored to the ground!?!" Ranma shouted, before rushing away from the dojo.
"Now where's he going?" Mousse wondered aloud.
Soun's eyes widened in realization. "There's a punching post in the backyard!!!"
Everyone rushed to stop Ranma, but it was too late. They rounded the corner of the house, just as his fist connected with the post, and his bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air.
But he didn't fall.
He didn't clutch his side.
He remained standing, his fist, buried in the protective cloth of the post.
No one could move from where they were. It was as if Ranma had frozen time itself.
As a smirk spread across his face, Ranma opened his mouth to speak.
"Little by little, we move forward. Every second, we go a bit further than we were before. The more hardships we face, the stronger we become! That's how martial arts work!!!"
BOOM! A second fist connected with the post. Once again, Ranma's legs buckled underneath him. As his friends rushed to help him up, he looked at Akane in the eyes, and flashed her a smile. It was then that she knew Ranma's plan.
It was then that she really saw just how strong Ranma was.
Summer came and went, as it always does. The children were soon back in their classes, learning about subjects that didn't particularly interest them.
And as he had done the previous year, Kuno had remained behind, despite having already graduated, to continue to lead the jocks of Nerima.
Of course, the jocks were getting pretty sick of Kuno. They'd seen him every day all summer, and every day he told the story of how he had vanquished the foul demon Ranma Saotome. Of how in his mighty brilliance and cunning, he had decided that death was too easy a punishment and had removed the demon's foul magics from him, forcing him to wander the Earth, defenseless, without the love of captured maidens, forever.
Man he lived in his own little fantasy world.
Today was no different, as he grabbed his friends, drawing them close and crying out, with a toothy grin, "Ah my compatriots! Would it suit thee if I told a grand tale of my might! I know! The battle in which I felled the accursed Ranma Saotome!"
"Kuno-sempai! You've told that story every day for the past 6 months!!!" his cohorts moaned.
Behind Kuno, a voice said, "I've never heard that story. Why don't you tell me?"
"Of course good and noble commoner! It is my honor to-"
Of course, Kuno became speechless when he saw who had asked to hear the story.
"So, you 'felled the accursed Saotome'… Is that it?" Ranma asked, cracking his knuckles.
Kuno quickly regained his composure. "You cannot fool me, fiend. I know for a fact that you are a mere shell of your former self, your power gone from you!" he declared, grinning.
"Is that so? Let's test that theory!!!"
By the end of the day, Ranma had beaten up Kuno for revenge, Principal Kuno to make him drop all the nutty rules, Ryoga for another good challenge from his friend, Happosai for stealing undergarments, and some random guy on the street just for the Hell of it.
In time, Ranma married Akane and took over the Tendo Dojo. Under his leadership, the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts became world-famous, and with his tutelage, many students went on to become legendary masters.
The End.
As a martial artist myself, I can tell you that this is one of our worst nightmares. Being told that an injury won't allow us to perform our art anymore. But in the end, we are martial artists. Our lives are dictated by one simple fact: No matter what happens to your body, as long as you don't die, it will heal and become stronger. We tear our muscles, allowing them to come back firmer and more powerful. We break our bones, causing them to become tougher and less brittle. The thought of an injury stopping us from performing our art is absurd to us, because injury is the cause of evolution within our art.
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