Untitled (v1.2, 12/15/01)
Prologue
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko
Takakashi. All other characters and trademarks to
appear are owned by their respective owners.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or
may not have severe x-over tendencies. If you
don't like X-Overs or don't like the idea of
anything but a Ranma + Akane pairing then don't
read this. Consider yourself warned.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is my way to answer the curious question of
what would happen if it were Mr. Kuonji who raised
Ranma and Ukyo.
"..." = spoken speech
'...' = thoughts
+++++
"So let me get this straight," began Genma Saotome
as he sat across from a burly okonomiyaki chef.
"You want to engage your daughter, Ukyo to my son,
Ranma. Is that what you're getting at?"
The chef nodded. "Correct. My daughter has
already expressed to me that she would like to be
engaged to your son. I can already see the
promise your son shows, not only in the art but
also in his future relationship with Ukyo. The
two just get along so well together, when they get
married I know that they'll make a perfect
couple."
Genma looked at the two children as they sparred
with one another. Both Ukyo and Ranma had wide
grins on their faces as they projected the
spitting image of carefree fun. Genma inwardly
groaned.
"I'm sorry, Kuonji. I won't argue that the two
are becoming fast friends, but I can't agree to an
engagement. My son is already engaged to the
daughter of an old friend of mine, the union would
achieve a life long dream of ours to unite the two
schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Now on the
other hand, a marriage between your daughter and
my son--a chef and a martial artist--now tell me
what would that help accomplish?"
Akira Kuonji looked a little bit miffed. "Need I
remind you that my daughter is also the heir to
the Kuonji School of Okonomiyaki-ryu. Our style
would go a long ways in strengthening yours," he
said in a curt reply.
Genma snorted at the response. "No offense, but I
think I'll pass on the offer. Ukyo has been a
great help acting as a sparring partner for my
son, but as you can plainly see, your style's
reliance on weapons is a handicap that the Saotome
School of Anything Goes Martial Arts doesn't need
to inherit."
At that moment, Genma pointed off to the two
children as they continued battling over who would
get the last piece of okonomiyaki. Ranma of
course had beaten, Ukyo hands down--evidence that
the Anything Goes unarmed style was the superior
art form.
"See? So just accept that a marriage between
Ranma and Ukyo is impossible," continued Genma.
"If you want to make sure Ukyo is well taken care
of, why don't you just marry her off to the son of
a rich restaurant owner or something?"
"I had thought of that," replied Mr. Kuonji.
"Yes, you're right. The two would be an odd
pairing, but my daughter is already in love with
your son. And when it comes to my daughter's
happiness I won't hesitate to throw caution to the
wind. She loves him and I know she'll make him a
fine wife. And even if you don't approve of my
school, just imagine having a gourmet chef in the
family--you'll have someone to cook for you in
your old age. Doesn't that sound appealing?"
Genma's stomach grumbled at the prospects. "Well,
now that you've put it that way, it does sound--"
Genma shook his head at the thought. "I'm sorry,
but I just can't agree to it. Ranma was already
promised to another, it wouldn't be honorable--"
Genma was cut off. "How about I throw in this
okonomiyaki cart as a dowry?"
"Deal!"
Mr. Kuonji smirked. "I'm glad we can finally come
to an agreement on this. To seal the deal, how
about I cook you up a deluxe special. Think of it
as a precursor to all those fabulous dishes my
little Ukyo will make for you as your daughter-in-
law."
Genma salivated at the thought. "Sure, make mine
an extra large and hold off on the peppers--I'm
allergic."
'Ha!' Genma thought inwardly. 'The jokes on you,
Kuonji. Little do you know that I'm going to
ditch your daughter and run away with the food
cart. Bwhwaha!'
Akira took a momentary glance at his future in-
law. He stumbled a bit with his preparation of
the Japanese-pizza as he saw the maniacal gleam
cross over Genma's eyes. As he did so, he failed
to notice that he had sliced up a few red bell
peppers into the mix of okonomiyaki ingredients.
With a shake of his head, he returned his
attention to his cooking--ignoring the sinking
feeling that perhaps he was engaging his daughter
to a potential weirdo.
'Oh well. A deal is a deal. I can't very well
back out now.'
When Mr. Kuonji served the dish, Genma attacked it
with his usual gusto, polishing off the Japanese-
pizza in record time. Mr. Kuonji was already in
the process of fixing up another--since he knew
from experience the boundlessness of Genma's
stomach--when he noticed something distressing.
Genma's face was bright red and there was a deep
bloating of his cheeks and face. He noticed Genma
motion that he was chocking, gripping at his
throat as if he could not breath.
Akira immediately went into action. Running
behind his customer, he performed the Heimlich
maneuver as he attempted to jettison whatever it
was that was obstructing Mr. Saotome's airway.
Little did he know that it wasn't food lodged in
Genma's throat that prevented the man's breathing
but rather Genma's allergic reaction to the bell
peppers that were the culprit.
In the distance, Ranma and Ukyo stopped in their
play. They watched as their fathers were engaged
in what looked like wrestling. The two children
came up and watched the men, each cheering on
their own respective father to win the bout.
As time passed, Ranma watched as his father keeled
over and his face changed from red to purple.
Ranma didn't know exactly what was going on, but
he knew that the two older men weren't wrestling.
With Mr. Kuonji pounding on Genma's pack to
hopefully clear his airway, Ukyo and Ranma stared
while Genma Saotome slowly slipped into
unconsciousness.
The entire process had taken over five minutes and
the two children were wide eyed in fear and
anxiety. Ranma didn't know what was going on. At
first he thought that Ukyo's dad was attacking his
father, but the youth knew better than that. With
Ukyo by his side, the two children watched while
Mr. Kuonji panicked and soon rushed off to get
help.
The children were left there to stare at Genma's
wide-opened eyes. The look of detached death
pressing into their very souls. Ranma was the
first to approach his father. He poked at him at
first, pushing him later when there was no reply.
Ranma wanted to get a reaction from his father; in
short time the little Saotome was begging his
father to say or do something.
A few minutes after Mr. Kuonji left, he soon
arrived with other adults. An older woman came by
to grab the children, pulling them away from the
scene. Ranma was crying, screaming to stay but
the older woman would have none of that. She
gathered him, along with Ukyo and brought them
over to her house nearby.
The children were in a numb state. Ranma himself
was listless but he continued to listen to the
sounds in the background. Listened while adults
yelled and the eventual sirens of paramedics and
firemen filled the air. It took them nearly five
minutes to arrive and they started doing CPR to
hopefully restart Genma's breathing, though as
time progressed they knew that it was too late.
When the paramedics stopped, it had been nearly
ten minutes. They knew by then that Genma was
brain dead.
Ranma didn't find out about his father's death
till the next day. He had cried himself to sleep
that night and would for the next day and the day
after and the day after that. In that time, Ukyo
was there for him, though her presence was only a
mild comfort. Ranma cried, wishing only for his
father to come back.
+++++
Mr. Kuonji was in a state of depression. Guilt
was eating away at him as the words of the coroner
worked their way into his psyche.
'Death was from an apparent allergic reaction to
bell peppers. Mr. Genma Saotome's death will be
marked as an accident.'
Akira Kuonji shook his head as he tried not to
think of it. He knew that Genma's death was no
accident. He had killed him. He had killed the
father of his future son-in-law.
'Oh god, what's going to happen to the boy?' he
thought morosely. 'Maybe I should try to find his
mother.' He paused. 'If she is even alive that
is.'
He closed his eyes in despair. 'God, I've
probably made an orphan of the boy.'
He turned his head over as he watched his daughter
try to coax some life back into her friend. So
far, it had been nearly a week and still no change
in his condition.
'The boy had so much promise,' he remarked. 'Damn
it! He had a future and I destroyed it. God, I'm
such a miserable man. I should just kill myself,
but-"
He stopped himself. He took one look at Ukyo and
saw in her face, the same face of his departed
wife. He knew that he could not honorably kill
himself, not without making an orphan out of his
daughter as well.
As Mr. Kuonji shuffled through the belongings of
Mr. Saotome, attempting to find any clues to whom
Ranma's mother was or if the boy had any family he
could stay with, he stumbled across a bundle of
brochures and manuals. The bundle itself was
wrapped carefully in plastic, done intentionally
in order to avoid receiving any water damage.
"What's this?" he murmured. He unsealed the
package and took a look at the bundle. "These
seem to be training manuals and brochures for
martial arts training grounds."
He took one look at the catatonic Ranma and then
back at the manuals. He was suddenly struck by an
idea.
Looking upwards, he made a silent vow. 'Genma, I
wouldn't expect you to forgive me but I promise
I'll make it up to you. I'll train your son in
your legacy, I promise to make him into the great-
honorable martial artist you would have wanted him
to be.'
Akira sucked in a deep breath. Turning to the two
children, he called for their attention.
"Ranma, Ukyo. I have something to announce..."
To be continued...
Prologue
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko
Takakashi. All other characters and trademarks to
appear are owned by their respective owners.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or
may not have severe x-over tendencies. If you
don't like X-Overs or don't like the idea of
anything but a Ranma + Akane pairing then don't
read this. Consider yourself warned.
--- Note to Reader ---
This is my way to answer the curious question of
what would happen if it were Mr. Kuonji who raised
Ranma and Ukyo.
"..." = spoken speech
'...' = thoughts
+++++
"So let me get this straight," began Genma Saotome
as he sat across from a burly okonomiyaki chef.
"You want to engage your daughter, Ukyo to my son,
Ranma. Is that what you're getting at?"
The chef nodded. "Correct. My daughter has
already expressed to me that she would like to be
engaged to your son. I can already see the
promise your son shows, not only in the art but
also in his future relationship with Ukyo. The
two just get along so well together, when they get
married I know that they'll make a perfect
couple."
Genma looked at the two children as they sparred
with one another. Both Ukyo and Ranma had wide
grins on their faces as they projected the
spitting image of carefree fun. Genma inwardly
groaned.
"I'm sorry, Kuonji. I won't argue that the two
are becoming fast friends, but I can't agree to an
engagement. My son is already engaged to the
daughter of an old friend of mine, the union would
achieve a life long dream of ours to unite the two
schools of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Now on the
other hand, a marriage between your daughter and
my son--a chef and a martial artist--now tell me
what would that help accomplish?"
Akira Kuonji looked a little bit miffed. "Need I
remind you that my daughter is also the heir to
the Kuonji School of Okonomiyaki-ryu. Our style
would go a long ways in strengthening yours," he
said in a curt reply.
Genma snorted at the response. "No offense, but I
think I'll pass on the offer. Ukyo has been a
great help acting as a sparring partner for my
son, but as you can plainly see, your style's
reliance on weapons is a handicap that the Saotome
School of Anything Goes Martial Arts doesn't need
to inherit."
At that moment, Genma pointed off to the two
children as they continued battling over who would
get the last piece of okonomiyaki. Ranma of
course had beaten, Ukyo hands down--evidence that
the Anything Goes unarmed style was the superior
art form.
"See? So just accept that a marriage between
Ranma and Ukyo is impossible," continued Genma.
"If you want to make sure Ukyo is well taken care
of, why don't you just marry her off to the son of
a rich restaurant owner or something?"
"I had thought of that," replied Mr. Kuonji.
"Yes, you're right. The two would be an odd
pairing, but my daughter is already in love with
your son. And when it comes to my daughter's
happiness I won't hesitate to throw caution to the
wind. She loves him and I know she'll make him a
fine wife. And even if you don't approve of my
school, just imagine having a gourmet chef in the
family--you'll have someone to cook for you in
your old age. Doesn't that sound appealing?"
Genma's stomach grumbled at the prospects. "Well,
now that you've put it that way, it does sound--"
Genma shook his head at the thought. "I'm sorry,
but I just can't agree to it. Ranma was already
promised to another, it wouldn't be honorable--"
Genma was cut off. "How about I throw in this
okonomiyaki cart as a dowry?"
"Deal!"
Mr. Kuonji smirked. "I'm glad we can finally come
to an agreement on this. To seal the deal, how
about I cook you up a deluxe special. Think of it
as a precursor to all those fabulous dishes my
little Ukyo will make for you as your daughter-in-
law."
Genma salivated at the thought. "Sure, make mine
an extra large and hold off on the peppers--I'm
allergic."
'Ha!' Genma thought inwardly. 'The jokes on you,
Kuonji. Little do you know that I'm going to
ditch your daughter and run away with the food
cart. Bwhwaha!'
Akira took a momentary glance at his future in-
law. He stumbled a bit with his preparation of
the Japanese-pizza as he saw the maniacal gleam
cross over Genma's eyes. As he did so, he failed
to notice that he had sliced up a few red bell
peppers into the mix of okonomiyaki ingredients.
With a shake of his head, he returned his
attention to his cooking--ignoring the sinking
feeling that perhaps he was engaging his daughter
to a potential weirdo.
'Oh well. A deal is a deal. I can't very well
back out now.'
When Mr. Kuonji served the dish, Genma attacked it
with his usual gusto, polishing off the Japanese-
pizza in record time. Mr. Kuonji was already in
the process of fixing up another--since he knew
from experience the boundlessness of Genma's
stomach--when he noticed something distressing.
Genma's face was bright red and there was a deep
bloating of his cheeks and face. He noticed Genma
motion that he was chocking, gripping at his
throat as if he could not breath.
Akira immediately went into action. Running
behind his customer, he performed the Heimlich
maneuver as he attempted to jettison whatever it
was that was obstructing Mr. Saotome's airway.
Little did he know that it wasn't food lodged in
Genma's throat that prevented the man's breathing
but rather Genma's allergic reaction to the bell
peppers that were the culprit.
In the distance, Ranma and Ukyo stopped in their
play. They watched as their fathers were engaged
in what looked like wrestling. The two children
came up and watched the men, each cheering on
their own respective father to win the bout.
As time passed, Ranma watched as his father keeled
over and his face changed from red to purple.
Ranma didn't know exactly what was going on, but
he knew that the two older men weren't wrestling.
With Mr. Kuonji pounding on Genma's pack to
hopefully clear his airway, Ukyo and Ranma stared
while Genma Saotome slowly slipped into
unconsciousness.
The entire process had taken over five minutes and
the two children were wide eyed in fear and
anxiety. Ranma didn't know what was going on. At
first he thought that Ukyo's dad was attacking his
father, but the youth knew better than that. With
Ukyo by his side, the two children watched while
Mr. Kuonji panicked and soon rushed off to get
help.
The children were left there to stare at Genma's
wide-opened eyes. The look of detached death
pressing into their very souls. Ranma was the
first to approach his father. He poked at him at
first, pushing him later when there was no reply.
Ranma wanted to get a reaction from his father; in
short time the little Saotome was begging his
father to say or do something.
A few minutes after Mr. Kuonji left, he soon
arrived with other adults. An older woman came by
to grab the children, pulling them away from the
scene. Ranma was crying, screaming to stay but
the older woman would have none of that. She
gathered him, along with Ukyo and brought them
over to her house nearby.
The children were in a numb state. Ranma himself
was listless but he continued to listen to the
sounds in the background. Listened while adults
yelled and the eventual sirens of paramedics and
firemen filled the air. It took them nearly five
minutes to arrive and they started doing CPR to
hopefully restart Genma's breathing, though as
time progressed they knew that it was too late.
When the paramedics stopped, it had been nearly
ten minutes. They knew by then that Genma was
brain dead.
Ranma didn't find out about his father's death
till the next day. He had cried himself to sleep
that night and would for the next day and the day
after and the day after that. In that time, Ukyo
was there for him, though her presence was only a
mild comfort. Ranma cried, wishing only for his
father to come back.
+++++
Mr. Kuonji was in a state of depression. Guilt
was eating away at him as the words of the coroner
worked their way into his psyche.
'Death was from an apparent allergic reaction to
bell peppers. Mr. Genma Saotome's death will be
marked as an accident.'
Akira Kuonji shook his head as he tried not to
think of it. He knew that Genma's death was no
accident. He had killed him. He had killed the
father of his future son-in-law.
'Oh god, what's going to happen to the boy?' he
thought morosely. 'Maybe I should try to find his
mother.' He paused. 'If she is even alive that
is.'
He closed his eyes in despair. 'God, I've
probably made an orphan of the boy.'
He turned his head over as he watched his daughter
try to coax some life back into her friend. So
far, it had been nearly a week and still no change
in his condition.
'The boy had so much promise,' he remarked. 'Damn
it! He had a future and I destroyed it. God, I'm
such a miserable man. I should just kill myself,
but-"
He stopped himself. He took one look at Ukyo and
saw in her face, the same face of his departed
wife. He knew that he could not honorably kill
himself, not without making an orphan out of his
daughter as well.
As Mr. Kuonji shuffled through the belongings of
Mr. Saotome, attempting to find any clues to whom
Ranma's mother was or if the boy had any family he
could stay with, he stumbled across a bundle of
brochures and manuals. The bundle itself was
wrapped carefully in plastic, done intentionally
in order to avoid receiving any water damage.
"What's this?" he murmured. He unsealed the
package and took a look at the bundle. "These
seem to be training manuals and brochures for
martial arts training grounds."
He took one look at the catatonic Ranma and then
back at the manuals. He was suddenly struck by an
idea.
Looking upwards, he made a silent vow. 'Genma, I
wouldn't expect you to forgive me but I promise
I'll make it up to you. I'll train your son in
your legacy, I promise to make him into the great-
honorable martial artist you would have wanted him
to be.'
Akira sucked in a deep breath. Turning to the two
children, he called for their attention.
"Ranma, Ukyo. I have something to announce..."
To be continued...