Summary: Xander's pops flogs him off at a young age.
Crossover: Ranma 1/2
Disclaimer: I own nothing! You can prove nothing!
Feedback: Rein of the Coalm
Pre-fic Comments:
I have no idea why I'm getting all these ideas. Perhaps I'm subconsciously trying to avoid working on that *&%$ing DSP.
As before, "* blah *" indicates foreign speech.
* * *
Genma sat at the bar, depressed. He'd come to this foreign land in order for the boy to learn from the American Indians. Well, that was what he had said to the boy. In truth, Genma had learnt of the great wealth of the American government and was hoping that they wouldn't miss a few yen.
It hadn't gone so well. His normal method of getting money fast didnt work -- usually, he'd have arranged a marriage between some chit and the boy, steal the dowry, then make for the next town. These gaijin didn't go in for arranged marriage, it seemed. And the Government was extremely fond of it's money, and didn't really feel like letting Genma borrow some.
So here he was, drinking away the last of his money.
"Stupid boy," he muttered, not quite sloshed enough for his English to deteriate.
"Know what you mean," the man besides him said in mutual misery. "The boy's mother keeps taking him to those karate classes. That's drinking money she's using to pay for it. What's a six year old gonna do with a karate chop?"
A possible solution to the problem of the Master glimmered in Genma's eyes. He'd first sound out the man.
"I'm training my boy in martial arts," the fat man in the karate gi said. "We're just in America to learn some things, then we're going back to Japan. Or maybe to India."
"You can have mine as well," the American man said. "I mean it."
This was better than Genma had expected. "How about I train him, take him with me, he'll go back to you when he's sixteen?"
Of course, he'd have handed him to the Master as a student of the Anything Goes Martial Arts by then as a scapegoat, but this American didn't need to know that.
"Sure!," Tony Harris said. "Bobby, get us paper and pen! I'm making this official!"
"Let's drink to it!," Genma said.
Harris happily joined him, seeing a lot more beer money in the future.
* * *
"ANTONIO VINCENZO HARRIS, WHAT DID YOU SIGN?!," Jessica Harris, mother to Alexander Harris and wife to the aforementioned Tony screeched.
The hung over man winced. "Hey, the boy comes back to us trained in the martial arts in ten years!"
"Still..."
"Think of the savings! Think of the career for Alex!," Tony pleaded. "A good sensei makes a lot of money, Genma said!"
Jessica was being convinced. This sounded good.
And her friend Jack D agreed.
* * *
"Xander, promise to come back?," Willow asked. She had just managed to get a hold of Xander before he left.
"Sure," Xander said. "I'm gonna come back a powerful martial artist!"
The little redheaded girl gave him a yellow crayon. "You have to come back to return that to me, now. I saw that in a movie, but with dog tags."
Xander nodded solemnly, putting the crayon in his backpack.
* * *
"*I beat ya again!,*" Ranma said to his new friend. Pops had said that they were training the new boy as well.
Ranma was better than him, but Xander was catching up fairly quickly.
"*Will win next,*" Xander said slowly. Full immersion seemed to be working -- he was quickly picking up Japanese.
"*Enough of this girlish chatter!,*" Genma said in his 'wise sensei' stance. "*Now, you are both learning a special technique today!*"
"*What's that, pops?,*" Ranma asked eagerly, Xander nodding.
"*The Neko-Ken for Ranma, and Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire for Xander.*"
* * *
Ten Long Years Pass.
* * *
The streets of Sunnydale felt the presence of a long gone person returning. He had left a puny boy, and was returning a powerful man.
Well, not /entirely/ man, but no one knew.
"I still say we shouldn't've ditched the panda," Ranma argued with Xander. Both were dressed in Chinese silks, Ranma in his black pants and red shirt and Xander in black pants and shirt.
"You heard what he had planned for you," Xander said. "Ranko."
"Hey! I ain't no girl!," Ranma protested. "T-chan."
Xander's eyes narrowed. "Yeah? For all you know, Genma-sensei arranged a marriage with a boy. He didn't say that Mr Tendo had any girls."
Ranma conceded the point. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past the old man. Where'd you say your old man and mum lived?"
"Here," Xander said. He knocked on the door, getting a fairly swift response.
"Who're you?," the man asked, can of beer in hand.
"I'm Xander," he said. "Don't you recognise me?"
"Bugger off," Tony said, "and don't come back."
The door slammed in his face.
"I'm not camping out again," Ranma said. "I'm starting to feel like Ryouga."
"Maybe Willow will let us stay at her place," Xander said. "I vaguely remember her, she was nice. Kinda like your U-chan."
* * *
Post-Fic Comments:
Yeah, yet another plot bunny.