Ranma 1/2: The Fandom Menace!
By Jim Robert Bader
(Standard disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi created Ranma while the concept of the Jedi Knight was pioneered by George Lucas;
All Rights are reserved to the proper owners of said trademarks)
Tendo Soun and Saotome Genma clapped hands in prayer for the soul of their not-
so beloved master, whom they had just gotten drunk, tied up with cords of rope and buried in a cave with a huge boulder that was bound by Ofuda prayer-strips, all in the hopes of ridding themselves of his evil and perverted presence. The prayer they offered was more to the Kami that they be spared ever having to face their Master's wrath should he somehow manage to survive the dynamite they had strapped him to, though to date nothing else that they had tried had so much as scratched the hide of their wicked Sensei.
As they turned away from the makeshift burial place, Genma heaved a sigh of relief and clapped his friend on the shoulder saying, "Well, Tendo-kun...it's finally over."
"Yes, Saotome," Soun breathed, "At last we can finally turn our backs on that evil creature and return to our families. I miss my wife so much, and it's been so long since I've seen my little girls..."
"Indeed, Tendo-kun," Genma sighed, "And I've actually missed spending time with my son. There's no telling what nonsense his mother has been filling his head with all this time. I may have to take the boy under my wing and teach him to be a proper martial artist..."
"Yes," Soun agreed, "So he can one day marry one of my little girls and unite our families, just as we promised."
Genma beamed brightly and replied, "It will be a good day when that happens, and once the two halves of our school are made whole again..."
"Then we can truly put behind us the horror that was our lives under the Master," Tendo agreed, when all of a sudden both men looked up, seeing a bright light appear in the sky, falling rapidly towards them as if a meteor were plummeting from the heavens.
"What in the...?" Soun started to say when the object suddenly veered off at a sharp angle and went rocketing into the side of a nearby mountain. Just moments before it hit an object shot out from its side, heading for the ground at a more leisurely rate before the explosion caused a massive shockwave that picked both men up off their heels and sent them tumbling like straws before a hurricane.
Moments later when the world stopped ringing in his ears, Soun forced his battered body to move as he heard groaning close to where he lay. In a halting voice he asked, "Saotome?"
"Did someone get the license number of that truck?" his old friend complained in a voice that conveyed as much misery as a drunken hangover.
Soun forced himself to stand, finding his martial arts gi was smudged torn in places, but that he seemed to be otherwise all right. The same proved true of Genma, who sat upright and adjusted his glasses before looking around at the devastation in the forest. He got to his feet a moment later and said, "What do you suppose happened? It looks like someone set off a Nuke..."
"Then why aren't we dead?" Soun glanced around to regain his bearings, then headed off in a set direction, calling back over his shoulder, "This way...I think I saw an escape capsule or something. The pilot might be alive and in need of our help."
"Are you sure that's wise, Tendo-kun?" Genma asked, "The authorities must know about this, and they could be here at any second..."
"That might be too late if the pilot is injured," Tendo insisted, "And it's our duty as martial artists to assist in any way that we can. To do anything less would make us no better than the Master!"
Whatever protests Genma might have said about that moment died unspoken on his tongue, for the most horrifying prospect that he could imagine would be to turn out just like the Master! Instead he followed after his friend and fellow student and within a matter of minutes came upon an open space with a sizeable crater, in the middle of which was an egg-shaped object that clearly did not appear to be of natural origin.
"What do you think it is, Saotome?" Soun asked as the two men cautiously approached the alien object.
"I don't know, Tendo-kun," Genma replied nervously, "Do you think it might be something the American Military or the home defense force might have created?"
"It's possible, I suppose, but..." Soun started to reply when both men tensed, hearing the hiss of a hatch opening on one side of the object, and then a figure emerged, obscured by a large brown cloak that it was wearing as it took a hesitant step while emerging from the capsule.
"Ah..." Soun said hesitantly, drawing a glance from the hood of the figure, "Hello...are you all right?"
"Maybe he doesn't understand Japanese," Genma murmured from one side.
"A possibility, Saotome," Soun murmured, then he spoke again in hesitant English, "[Excuse me...are you all right? That was a nasty fall you took...]"
The figure hesitantly lifted slim hands, then slowly pulled the cloak back to reveal a face that-while definitely not Japanese-was fairly attractive and quite definitely human.
"Ah..." Soun's mind suddenly became as blank as his expression as piercing grey eyes focused upon him, almost seeming to read him at a glance before turning their focus towards Genma, and narrowing by a fraction.
"She does look foreign," Genma noted cautiously, "But that doesn't look like a military uniform she's wearing."
"Definitely not," Soun murmured faintly, then again he said, "Do you understand Japanese or English? Where are you from? Are you hurt in any way?"
The woman reached into her voluminous robe and pulled out what appeared to be a kind of headset, which same she placed over her ears before lowering a one-lens visor, then tapping on this com-set before she spoke a few words that sounded definitely foreign.
To the surprise of both men her words became clearly understandable as she asked, "Forgive me for startling you...but what system are we in?"
"System?" Soun asked with blank expression back in place.
"What is the name of your planet?" she asked again, her gaze oddly unfocused as she scanned the nearby woodland.
"Ah...we call it Earth," Genma replied, being slightly quicker to catch on than his companion, "You're...not from around here?"
"No," she said in a tired voice, "I am very far away fro0m home...and my ship was damaged entering your atmosphere. Is there someplace where I can rest and get my bearings?"
"Uh..." Soun hesitated then said, "You could...come to my place and stay for a night, I suppose. It's not much to offer, but I'm sure my wife would understand..."
"Better yours than mine, Tendo-kun," Genma murmured in his ear, then fell silent again as the grey eyes of the woman fell upon him.
"Um..." Tendo faltered before saying, "We had better go...someone is bound to come looking for your ship..."
"Yes," the woman started forward, only to stagger for a moment before putting a hand to her side and hesitating, her face as pale as the moonlight.
"You're hurt," Soun said as he moved up to offer her his arm, "Let me help you."
"Thank you," she replied, "You are most kind."
Genma watched as his best friend picked up the woman and began to carry her away from the capsule, caught by a moment of indecision on whether to help or to flee, unnerved by something in the gaze of that woman that seemed to read him like a Manga. He took a last glance at the capsule, noting its alien markings and obviously foreign technology, then shook his weary head and said, "I have a very bad feeling about this..."
"So, your name is Trieste?" asked Tendo Kimiko, "And my husband saw you crash out in the woods and offered to help you out?"
"Yes," the strange woman named Trieste replied, "Your husband was most kind. I believe I might not have made it on my own if he and his friend had not happened by when they did to offer me assistance."
"And...where exactly are you from?" Kimiko asked this strange woman, whom she felt an odd liking towards from the moment they had made eye contact.
"No place that you would have heard of," the woman replied, "It was a very long distance away from here, and I don't recognize any of the local constellations. I don't have any money to pay you with, but if there is any way that I can make up for your troubles..."
"Not at all," Kimiko smiled, "You're our guest. Stay as long as you like until you've got your feet back under you. Do you have any way of contacting your relatives and letting them know where you are?"
"I don't think so," the woman named Trieste said reluctantly, "I believe I may be all alone now...no family to speak of, certainly no one who can help me."
"Can you tell us what happened to your...was it a plane or a jet craft?" Tendo wondered.
"All I can tell you," the woman said with an odd smile, "Is that I was in a battle and my ship was damaged. I was forced to take emergency measures when I found myself drifting towards a wormhole. The next thing I know I'm in your part of the galaxy, lost and without my bearings. I was forced to make an emergency landing as your planet was the nearest inhabited system that I could reach..."
"Er...right," Soun stared at the woman blankly, wondering if she was pulling his leg or if she actually meant what she was saying.
Just then three little girls came into the room, the oldest staring at the stranger with very rounded eyes. For some reason Trieste turned and took notice of this child before she swept her gaze and saw the other two hanging by her sides with equally curious faces.
"Ah," Kimiko brightened, "My daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane. Dears, I'd like to introduce you to our houseguest, Trieste. What do you say to her, children?"
All three girls straightened up and bowed to Trieste, saying in mismatched chorus, "Konichiwa, Trieste-san."
"My, what well-behaved little girls," Trieste said with a pleasant smile as she got to her feet and returned the bow, then winced as she put a hand to her side and sat down with Kimiko's assistance.
"Kasumi is my oldest," Tendo said proudly as he touched the shoulder of his eldest daughter, "She's nine years of age. Nabiki, who is seven, and Akane, who is six..."
"You have funny eyes," Nabiki spoke up as if on impulse.
"That's 'cause she's foreign, dummy," Akane bumped hips with her older sister, which earned from her a scowl from Nabiki's direction.
"I know that!" Nabiki barked, "What I meant was her eyes...doncha see? They're not focused on us, she's looking all around us!"
"That I am, little one," Trieste replied when she saw the oldest girl approach her hesitantly, "You must be Kasumi. Your father sounds very proud of you, little one."
Kasumi gave a shy lowering of her eyes before her gaze turned to look at something that was hanging from Trieste's belt. Her brown eyes got very wide as she noticed this, then she looked up at the alien woman and asked, "Are you an angel?"
"What makes you ask that?" Trieste replied with a lifting of eyebrows.
"Daddy says that Angels are beings of light who dwell among the heavens with the Kami," Kasumi replied, "He also says that they're very pretty, like you are..."
Trieste smiled down at the open-eyed little girl and ran a hand through Kasumi's brown hair then said, "No, little one, I'm not an angel...at least not yet, and I'm not one of your...kami either. I'm quite human, just like you. Tell me what it is you see that makes you say such nice things about me?"
"Kasumi stared up at the woman and for a moment her eyes became unfocused, "I see stars...and I see a big boat that flies through them, and you're on it. You've got a piece of light in your hands, and you're fighting against somebody dark and nasty."
"He is a Sith Lord," Trieste said gravely, "But you need not fear him, he's very far away from here. What else do you see?"
"You're a warrior," Kasumi replied, astonishing her parents, "But from a long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away..."
"Excuse her," Soun stepped forward, "Children say such nonsense..."
Trieste made a hand gesture and suddenly Soun froze where he stood. Without taking her eyes off of Kasumi the strange woman said, "Children can also be the source of great wisdom, if you but listen to what they truly tell us. Your daughter is very special...I can feel the Force speaking within her. Luminous beings are we, and she is more luminous than many others I have encountered."
She turned her eyes away from Kasumi to glance at the other two children, then said softly, "I sense great potential in your middle child...the Force is strong in all three children, but in her it speaks with intelligence and vision. Your youngest has strong passions but not as much wisdom...but I think that I could work with all three, if you would let me."
"You're a teacher?" Kimiko asked in mild astonishment.
"I've been a teacher, on occasion," Trieste said with a hint of sadness in her voice, "I can only take one of them on as my apprentice, but the other two can be guided on the path of their destiny, if you will permit me to lend them my counsel."
"If you want to help out," Soun said, "I have a dojo where I teach martial arts. I haven't been using it much of late due to..." he coughed politely, "An extended training mission that I was engaged with by my Master, still..."
"If I can repay you for your kindness, then I will gladly teach what I am able to share with your students," Trieste replied, "You are a warrior who teaches other warriors the path of self-defense, and that is an honorable thing. I would be honored to assist you, but I must reserve the core of my teaching for the one who is most worthy."
And she turned her gaze towards Kasumi, who stared back at the strange woman with a puzzled expression, not fearful, but very hopeful...
"Well, Tendo?" Genma asked as he waited out by the dojo, "Is she staying or not?"
"Why are you so concerned?" Soun asked his longtime friend and fellow student, "You don't think I made a mistake bringing her here to you? I really don't think she's a foreign agent or..."
"It's not that, Tendo-kun," Genma adjusted his glasses and stood up, "There's just...something about her that disturbs me. Can't you feel it when she's in the same room? It's like there's a power that surrounds her, a...Force of some kind. She's not an ordinary human being like you or me..."
"Perhaps not," Soun replied, "But would you rather we turn her over to the authorities? She's not threatened us in any way, and she's even offered to help me out in running the dojo. I could use the help getting things going once again, now that I no longer have to worry about the Master dragging me off on yet another of his training missions."
"Maybe so," Genma sighed, "It's your house, you can invite anyone you want. I only know that I need to get back home and look after my own family. It's time I taught my son the true meaning of what it is to be a Martial Artist, and to empty his head of any nonsense he might have picked up from being around his mother."
"Take care then, old friend," Soun urged, "And remember...in ten years we meet again and bring our children together."
"It's a promise, Tendo," Genma clasped hands with the other man, then he headed out into the night, intending to make what progress he could on foot before finding his way home to his son, and Nodoka...
"Tell me if this hurts," Tofu said as he pressed two fingers against the side of his patient.
Trieste gasped but managed to control her reactions. Tofu could read by her expression that the woman was in sharp pain, so he removed his stethoscope from his ears and said, "It's what I thought...you sustained serious injuries during your accident. There's no internal bleeding, but your kidneys on this side were also ruptured. I think you need more serious attention than I can provide you in my clinic..."
"Thank you, Doctor," Trieste smiled at the earnest young man, sensing within this fellow a strong empathy that made him admirably suited to his profession, "But I know of other therapies that can help my body regenerate the damage. You are knowledgeable in pressure-point healing?"
"I learned my craft from my father," Tofu replied, "But your condition is more serious than I know how to treat even using alternative methods..."
"My methods will suffice," the woman assured him gently, "Far more than the primitive medicine that is practiced on this world. I will teach you what you need to know, and perhaps a bit more, if you would not mind me helping out sometime, along with my new apprentice."
Tofu had wondered at the presence of the oldest of three Tendo girls who had so recently become his patients. Young Kasumi had been an earnest and quiet child, far more mild mannered than either of her younger siblings. It was surprising to hear that she was receiving special training from this strange woman, yet there was something about her calm and thoughtful manner that reminded him powerfully of his father. He decided he could trust her and consented to allow her to teach him her healing methods...
"I'm sorry," Doctor Yuan said sadly to the anxious family waiting patiently in his office, "The tests came back positive. I'm afraid there's not much we can do about the cancer."
"No...!" eight year old Nabiki gasped, not wanting it to be true, but a gentle hand upon her shoulder held her in hr place and filled her with a calming presence, while her father looked on with eyes that had already begun to water.
"Doctor...are you sure there is nothing that can be done?" Soun asked, seeing the sad denial in the other man's features.
"Not for a condition this advanced," he replied, "We have therapies that can prolong your wife's time, but they're expensive and the results won't be any different. Frankly I'm amazed that you were able to discover the growth in her Cervix this early...usually we only found out about these things by radiometric scans and biopsies..."
"What's wrong?" asked seven-year-old Akane, looking from her father to her two sisters and seeing hope be replaced by despair, which she naturally did not know how to interpret as the words everyone was using were beyond her limited understanding, "Mommy's gonna be all right, isn't she?"
"How long does mother have?" Kasumi asked with calm resignation.
"Another year...maybe a few months," the Doctor said sadly, only to be startled when a calm voice contradicted him and said, "Nonsense."
"I beg your pardon?" asked the doctor.
"We came to you because Tofu-Sensei said that you were highly recommended," Trieste replied in her soothing, no-nonsense tone of voice, "But it is clear to me that you operate within the limits of your technology, and this is not acceptable by a long measure. Kimiko-chan is my friend, and I will not permit her to pass on this way, not in the agony that she will suffer whether the cancer eats her from within or she is poisoned to death by the toxins you would feed her."
"Now see here..." the Doctor started to protest when the woman waved a hand and spoke to him with unusual intensity.
"It's not your fault, you are a good man who can only do so much with what you are given," she said with clear enunciation, "But it is time for you to open your mind to other possibilities, and for that I can help you."
"Help me?" Doctor Yuan asked, his gaze slightly unfocused.
"What are you saying?" Tendo glanced at the woman whom he now counted as a close family friend and trusted colleague, "Can you help save my wife?"
"I most certainly will do my best to see to it that she survives," Trieste assured him, "Cancer is known among my people, but we also know many ways in which it can be treated. I can recommend a simple formula that can be produced with your technology. It is easy to manufacture and cheap to administer, but it starves cancer cells of their ability to draw nutrients from the bloodstream while helping the body to metabolize food better."
"Then by all means do it!" Soun urged, "Help to save my poor Kimiko and I'll owe you anything, any favor you might ask..."
"Your friendship is enough for now," Trieste assured him, ruffling her hand through Kasumi's hair before she added, "But I would request more time that I may spend with Kasumi. She is showing great promise with the Force, and I believe she will in time become a powerful Jedi."
"Kasumi?" Soun asked, seeing confirmation in the brown eyes of his eldest.
"I want to learn what she can teach me, Father," Kasumi replied, "I've already learned so much..."
"Very well," Soun nodded, touching his daughter on the shoulder, "You may continue to teach her whatever you will, and with my blessings."
"Hey, what about us?" Nabiki asked.
"Aren't we gonna learn to be like you too?" Akane added.
Trieste smiled at the two young prodigies and said, "Your way lies elsewhere, but I will continue to teach you what I think you will profit the most from. Be patient, time is with you, and the Force will be with you always. Now, attend to me, young man, and I will explain to you how you may devise a formula for Hydrazine Sulfate..."
Ten Years Later...
"Well?" Akane asked with an earnest expression of hope in her eyes while waiting for the verdict of Kasumi.
Her eldest sister managed to restrain her reaction to a mere wince, but when she turned her expression towards Akane her tone was as kindly as always as she said, "You are improving...but you need to watch your ingredients better, and not let the food overcook..."
Nabiki shook her head and said, "Forget it, Kasumi...you might as well face the fact that Akane's cooking is possessed by the Dark Side of the Force."
"Shut up, Nabiki," Akane snapped, before controlling her temper, seeing the disapproving stare that Trieste turned towards her.
Kasumi stood where she was in her plain brown traveling robes and remarked to herself how much Akane and Nabiki had grown during the last year when she and her Sensei had been on the road traveling together. Kasumi's skills in a kitchen had often been a source of income when they needed money, so she knew she was qualified to judge Akane's latest effort as simply awful. Still her sister had put her heart into the effort, and with so much earnest feeling in her eyes it would have been hard not to be encouraging, even if she felt sadly that Akane's talents clearly lay in other directions.
"How are your academic skills, Akane?" Trieste asked the youngest of her three principle students.
"All right...I guess," Akane shifted nervously, then gave a warning glare at Nabiki, who was smiling at her with sisterly indulgence.
"Oh she does all right," Nabiki admitted, "When she devotes herself to her studies and not just the jock sports she's always into."
Akane's glare was cut short as she felt Trieste's mental nudge, reminding her that anger was a poor substitute for accepting one's limitations. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "So I like to keep in shape, is that a crime? There's more to life than just Martial Arts you know, or learning to do mind tricks."
"I can see that you have made progress in both areas of mind and body," Trieste remarked, "But you still have not conquered your fear, and you let anger cloud your judgement. The way of the Dark Side beckons to those who do not learn to be master of their emotions, not the slave to their primal feelings."
"Yes, Sensei," Akane conceded meekly, "I am trying..."
"My sister, the Jock," Nabiki smiled, sipping at her hot mug of tea as she added, "But Daddy's awfully proud of you and the way you won that trophy in the Ice Hockey tournaments. She's the best athlete in our school, even better than me, and that's even without using the Force to help her."
Akane brightened from this praise, now favoring Nabiki with a shining expression.
"And what about you, Nabiki?" Kasumi asked, "Are you still using your ability to see the future to help earn you an advantage?"
"Give me a little credit, Sis," Nabiki favored Kasumi with a sardonic expression, "I know the Force isn't to be used for self-enrichment. If I wanted to make money that way I could also sell the technology for making Light Sabers and earn a cool fortune. Of course that would also mean that other people would learn how to make them, and then we'd lose an important advantage."
"Very true," Trieste said with approval before turning to smile over her shoulder, seeing her smile returned by Soun and Kimiko, who watched all this from where they sat together at the other end of the living room.
"She's grown up so much," Kimiko remarked, "Kasumi's no longer a child..."
"Indeed," Soun replied, "Trieste-chan says that she is nearly ready to face her trials and be acknowledged a true Jedi. All three of our little girls are becoming beautiful ladies, and soon...soon one of them must be chosen to assume the title as heir to our dojo."
"You're thinking about your pledge to the Saotomes?" Kimiko asked, favoring her husband with a quietly probing expression.
In response Soun held up a post card that he had just found in the mail a short while ago and said, "Genma says he is bringing his son with him today. I can't wait to see how much the boy has grown while training with his father. Genma says that he is a great practitioner of the Martial Arts and will be a worthy heir of the Saotome school, fit to marry one of our daughters."
"Not Akane," Kimiko said gently, "She's still too young and needs to complete her education. She's also at the awkward stage where the last thing she needs to think about is..." Kimiko lowered her voice to a mere whisper and murmured in her husband's ear, "Boys."
"Oh?" Soun arched an eyebrow, "Perhaps you're right, though maybe we should let Genma's son decide. He's about Akane's age, and it's possible that they could work out well together."
"Perhaps," Kimiko said, "Although I think Nabiki might be a better choice. She's very practical minded and has a good sense with money. Kasumi would also be a wonderful selection, but she's a part time college student, while this Ranma must still be in high school."
The doorbell chose that moment to chime in announcement of an arrival, and Nabiki brightened as she hopped out of her chair and said, "Somebody expecting company? I hope it's that camera I ordered."
"Why don't I come with you?" Soun smiled as he got up to join his middle daughter in the hallway.
"What's with Dad?" Akane asked her mother, "He seems pretty excited about something."
"Oh, you know your father, Akane-chan," Kimiko smiled indulgently, "He never was able to hide his feelings from you three..."
All at once Kasumi and Trieste reacted to a throbbing sense of fear and peril, each stepping away into the middle of the room as twin Light Sabers flashed to life, one Blue, one Green, the latter in the hands of Trieste.
Akane knew that the two Jedi, Mistress and Apprentice, had picked up danger signals flashing their way from Nabiki, so she stepped away from the kitchen and took her place behind them, assuming a martial crouch and holding her fists at the ready, wishing she had time to go fetch her bokken.
Sure enough Nabiki came running back into the room, rolling underneath the two light sabers before regaining her footing on their opposite side, taking a flanking position in support of Kasumi. Their father merely backed away from a lumbering shape that followed him from the door, only to halt at the sight of the twin light beams.
"Lemme go!" a figure was struggling on the shoulder of a giant panda bear that was standing on two legs, "You're scaring them, Pop!"
Nabiki stretched out a hand as she saw a small girl being manhandled by the panda, allowing the Force to flow from her to the girl, then yanking back hard as if tugging on invisible strings and the girl went flying off the animal to land almost at the feet of the two Jedi. The panda blinked its eyes at this and stared at the empty space that was over its shoulder.
Akane drew back, intending to unleash her own pent-up energy when Trieste made a calming gesture and said, "Hold...this does not feel right. There is no hostility in this creature, just surprise and confusion."
"It's surprised?" Nabiki asked as the redheaded girl got to her feet, flipping her pig tail to one side and giving Nabiki the most amazed expression, then glancing to each side at both of the Light Sabers.
"I don't understand," Kimiko said as she stood to one side of her husband, "Is it going to attack?"
"Ah, he won't attack you," the girl said, keeping one eye on the light beams as she turned to the panda and said, "I hope you're proud of yourself, Pop! This is some way to make an entrance!"
Trieste deactivated her Light Saber, and Kasumi did likewise, following the example of her mentor. The elder Jedi Mistress gave a puzzled sweep of her gaze as she studied the bipedal creature, then in her usual calm voice she said, "How odd...I feel as though we have met before, me and this creature. And you, young...lady?" she asked the later point with a question.
"Guy," the redhead insisted, then glanced down as she added, "At least...most time."
"Are you...?" Soun asked hesitantly.
"I'm Saotome Ranma," the girl bowed to him, then added with regret, "Sorry about this."
"Oh my," Kasumi remarked, "How very odd...I sense a dual nature about you."
"As do I," Trieste turned from the girl to the panda and said, "I suspect there is quite a story involved here. You are Ranma of the Saotome School of Anything Goes martial arts?"
"That's me," the redhead admitted.
"Excuse me," Soun remarked with what for him was remarkable calm, "But I thought my old friend had a son named Ranma..."
"I am his son," the girl insisted, nodding towards the panda, "And that's Pop. It's...kinda a long story."
"His son?" Kimiko asked with raised eyebrows.
"I don't believe this," Akane growled, "You're no more of a boy than I am!"
"This sounds like it'll be good," Nabiki remarked with her trademark sardonic smirk.
Ranma-chan flashed a glare at Akane and sulked a moment before she declared, "Somebody get me a pot of hot water and I can prove it."
"Do as he says," Trieste said calmly, and Kasumi at once went to fetch the kettle that had already been heated. She came over to Ranma and offered the kettle to the girl, only to look on in surprise as the redhead upended the kettle over his head, then handed it over to the outstretched paw of the panda.
"Oh my!" Kasumi covered her mouth in surprise as the girl's hair darkened and she took on almost a full head in height with appropriate changes of build and facial features.
"Ditto that," Nabiki breathed in amazement, her interest level increasing by the second.
The second surprise that made everyone but Trieste gasp came when the panda transformed into a burly man in a travel worn gi whose head was covered by a turban-like bandana and whose eyes were framed by a pair of wire-rim glasses.
"Genma, my old friend!" Soun remarked in amazement.
"How did you do that?" Kimiko asked in equal astonishment at seeing her husband's old friend revealed in such a manner.
"It's a long story," Genma sighed, "The boy and I are under an enchantment."
"Yeah," the boy in question said casually, "Only it's more like this weird Chinese curse that turns us into what you just saw. It's all gotta do with water..."
"Hot water turns you into a human," Kasumi said brightly, "So cold water..."
"Turns me into a girl and Pop into a Panda," Ranma finished for her, giving each of the girls in turn a puzzled expression. It suddenly occurred to her that the "long stories" went both ways, and he was very eager to learn how what felt like invisible fingers had pulled him away from his father...
"Are you ready?" Nabiki asked as she raised her hand, then brought it down with a decisive, "Begin!"
Ranma stood relaxed and at ease, not even bothering to assume a fighting crouch. His casualness angered Akane, who had assumed a fighting crouch of her own, expecting him to do likewise.
"What's wrong?" she asked, "Why don't you attack me?"
"I don't hit girls," Ranma said, "But if you want to attack, feel free to try."
"Akane doesn't try," Trieste said casually from where she sat as Nabiki took her seat alongside the others in the family dojo, "You either do or you don't in this school."
"All right," Akane growled, "But you asked for this, jerk!"
Akane launched into a powerful throw that would have caught an ordinary opponent flatfooted, only Ranma turned his body to one side and easily avoided the punch, as he did the follow-up attack and the spinning kick that she aimed at where he had been standing.
"He's very good," Soun remarked, "So quick and agile..."
"Yes, but he's making a terrible mistake with Akane," Kimiko observed, "If he doesn't take this fight seriously she's bound to start using her special attacks against him."
"It should be interesting either way," Trieste remarked, not turning her head as she added, "You must be very proud of your son, Saotome. He had good command of his reflexes, and his intuition is as sharp as his control over his internal power."
"That's my boy," Genma said with puffed up pride, "He's the best at everything that I've so far managed to teach him. He won't hurt your little girl, Tendo-
san, but he won't take her seriously unless she starts to give him a good workout."
"That won't be very long in coming," Kasumi predicted, and sure enough Akane got tired of chasing the boy around the dojo and decided to raise her combat style to the next level.
All at once her body became a blur of motion, and before Ranma even had time to blink he felt himself being pummeled by a dozen powerful blows, each of which battered him around like a leaf in the wind as the final blow knocked him sprawling.
To everyone's amazement he easily shrugged off the attack and regained his footing, this time assuming a defensive stance as he said, "How did you do that?"
"What, this?" Akane asked sweetly, and all at once she became a blur again, striking at the astonished boy before he had time to redirect his guard where she was hitting.
Ranma shrugged off the attack, though, and this time instinctively launched a counter-attack that forced Akane to back away to the opposite corner of the dojo. Ranma was just starting to get his bearings, though, when he saw the girl cup her hands together and draw them into herself before pushing them forward, and all at once a wave of force struck him bodily and sent him flying to the opposite end of the dojo.
"What...?" Genma gasped, only to hear Kimiko sigh, "I warned him..."
"How'd you do that?" Ranma asked, giving a new look of respect to his opponent.
"You really want to know?" Akane grinned, already drawing back for a second thrust in his direction.
Unlike the first one, though, Ranma moved before she could, and suddenly she was forced to raise her arms to ward him off as he rushed towards her, only to vault over her head as the boy tumbled in mid-air and nimbly landed behind her, stretching out to touch his fingers to the back of Akane's shoulders.
Akane slowly turned around and looked at him as Ranma smiled at her with a boyish expression. His smile became infectious as she smiled back his way, then both of them relaxed by a measured fraction as the tension in the air subsided.
"You're pretty good," Ranma said, "For a girl."
"You're not so bad yourself," Akane gave him a fierce little smile as she added, "For a boy."
"I'm impressed," Nabiki remarked, "He actually got the better of Akane."
"But only because she was careless," Trieste noted, "Perhaps you should take your turn in sparring with our young Saotome-san."
"Sure thing, Sensei," Nabiki replied, already on her feet and exchanging places with Akane. She nodded to Ranma and said in a friendly fashion, extending one hand, "Hi, I'm Nabiki."
"Uh...hi yourself," Ranma said as he accepted the handshake, only to find himself flipped around as the shorthaired girl used an Aikido throw on him, but rather than go down he reacted in mid-tumble and reverse the throw, turning the tables on her as Nabiki was the one who next went flying.
Both teenagers tumbled in mid-air, only Nabiki righted herself with incredible ease as if gravity momentarily lost its grip upon her, then she launched a roundhouse kick that connected when Ranma landed in the spot the kick was about to occupy one instant before impact. The kick was powerful enough to tumble him around in mid-air, but Ranma recovered instantly, and the two teenagers then went at it in earnest.
"Well now," Kasumi remarked, "He seems to have fewer reservations about fighting Nabiki."
"That's 'cause Oneechan doesn't fight like a lady," Akane said in a gruff voice as she, too, studied the fight, picking up little pointers as punches and kicks were exchanged with the speed of an eyeblink.
"This grows more interesting all the time," Trieste remarked with casual ease, "Your son is holding his own against two of my best students. Perhaps you should be the one to test him next, Kasumi-chan."
"Yes, Sensei," Kasumi replied, her tone as casual as always but hinting at more enthusiasm than might normally be allowed for.
Ranma was becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact that his opponent was never where he struck while she seemed to know instinctively where he was going to be before he moved. He was also amazed at the agility of the girl whose flexible body seemed to effortlessly defy gravity and physics. He could shrug off her powerful blows, but it was taking more effort than usual to recover his bearing. He was about to redouble the intensity of his efforts when he heard Trieste call them both to a halt, then Nabiki withdrew from him and assumed a defensive posture.
The two bowed to each other as Ranma felt a grudging respect for the older girl, amazed at how accomplished she was as a fighter. He could not remember the last time he had faced so formidable an opponent, but he was more than a little surprised when she stepped away from the sparring area and was replaced by the much taller Kasumi.
The older girl casually removed her robe and tossed it to one side, then removed the flashlight-like object that she wore suspended from her best and carefully laid it on top of the cloak before straightening up to face him.
Some instinct warmed Ranma that this girl was more dangerous than either of her siblings, so he decided to give her no chance to take his measure and prepared to rush her after the bowed and assumed fighting crouches. Ranma charged forward, only to see the girl push out with a hand, and suddenly he slammed into a wall of invisible energy that staggered him for several instants. That was time enough for her to pivot and flash out with a side-kick that had the backing of the powerful muscles of her leg, and suddenly Ranma was flying as the pain slowly radiated all through his body, his course not impeded until he had slammed full-body into the opposite wall of the dojo.
"Not so aggressive, Kasumi," Trieste cautioned, "Give the boy a chance to approach you this time."
"Yes, Sensei," Kasumi responded as Ranma forced himself to stand, realizing in an instant that his previous estimation of this girl's fighting potential had been vastly understated. He tried approaching her at a more leisurely pace while she studied him with unusual calm in her expression. Ranma could not help noticing how beautiful she looked but resolved not to let this distract him as he darted and wove his way into her guard, intending to make quick work of the fight, only to find his fist had cleanly missed its target.
To his amazement the girl effortlessly wove her arm inside his guard and immobilized him with a hold that brought Ranma to his knee while rendering him incapable of launching a counter-attack. He struggled in vain to free himself but had to concede that he was helpless, much as it galled him to confront the fact that he had been so easily overmastered.
"That's enough Kasumi," Trieste remarked, "I believe you have made your point. Stand down and bow to one another."
"Yes, Sensei," Kasumi said, letting Ranma go and stepping away for a moment as Ranma stared up at her to see her apologetic smile, which further galled his ego.
"You got lucky," Ranma grudgingly conceded as he felt along his neck for bruises, coming away with nothing to indicate that she had used excessive force against him.
"There is no such thing as luck when the Force is your ally," the taller girl replied matter-of-factly as they bowed together and she turned back to retrieve her belongings.
Ranma found the older woman approaching him, and he was startled by the strange focus of her grey eyes as she seemed to read him inside and out, then turn away and seek out his father.
"You have trained him to be a fighter," she said, "But there is little else I sense with him. You have discouraged him from pursuing any other interests beside combat."
"Well..." Genma replied with a foolish expression, "The boy has had to concentrate..."
"You have further compounded this error by making arrangements surrounding him of which he has no knowledge," Trieste added, earning an astonished look from Ranma, "And you have discouraged him from forging any lasting friendships. I sense there was one special friend you left behind when you knew you should not have."
"How did you know...?" Ranma gasped, only to find a strangely reassuring glance from Kasumi.
"There is much fear in his heart," Trieste continued, "Fear you caused through carelessness and deficiencies in his training. And to add to all of this you brought him into a dangerous region of China where you carelessly risked the curses you both now bear, and on top of that you further compromised your son by braving the wrath of some warriors in China."
"China?" Nabiki brightened as she glanced at Ranma, "You've been to China?"
"Yeah...well..." Ranma said with an odd reluctance.
"I could not work with such a youth if this were any ordinary young man confronted by such challenges," Trieste turned to look at Ranma, "And yet I sense his potential is great, as is the danger for him if he is not properly supervised and turned to the right direction. Therefore I am asserting my rights as a teacher of his noble school of Kendo-Jedi training to claim this boy as my student. He must learn to master his ways and improve the discipline that you started if he is to be admitted to this honored house of Tendo."
"Now wait a minute...!" Genma started to protest when he saw her grey eyes focus upon him one again, causing him to fall immediately silent.
"I might consider keeping you on as one of his teachers," Trieste said in an unusually icy tone that was so much colder than her usual calm manner, "But you must amend your ways or I will send you packing, Soun-san's friend or no. You have done a great deal of harm to your own son, and it is time you learned what it truly means to be a father."
"But..." Genma felt the fear in him rise, drowning out his feeble protests as he saw in her eyes the promise that life would be MOST UNPLEASANT if he tried to contradict her.
"Is this wise, Trieste-san?" Soun asked his friend and fellow teacher.
"Perhaps," Trieste replied, "Or perhaps not. Ask me when I judge the boy is worthy of his teachings."
"Well then," Nabiki remarked, smiling at the astonished Ranma, "I guess that makes it official. Welcome to our school, Little Brother."
"What do we need him for?" Akane asked with grudging reluctance.
"Oh my," Kasumi remarked, once more wearing her traveling robes as an apprentice Jedi, "I sense that interesting times are ahead of us, now that we have you in our midst, Ranma-kun."
"Excuse me," Kimiko spoke up, giving Soun a firm look as she said, "But I believe my husband was going to make an announcement?"
"Uh...quite right," Soun said nervously, then cleared his throat before he began, "I feel that it is time to reveal to everyone the nature of the agreement that was made between Saotome-san and myself to unite our families through marriage. Ranma, my boy, now that you've met my little girls I want you to take your time and get to know each one quite well, for one of these three girls will be your iinazuke."
There was dead silence for all of one minute before a collective gasp came from four teenagers, "NANI?"
Continued?
Where to go from here? That's a very good question! Whether I continue this or not, I wanted the chance to explore a few ideas that came to me the other day, which I thought might be fun to write out as a one-shot. Imagine Kasumi, the fully acknowledged apprentice Jedi, teaching Ranma the use of the Force as young Saotome discovers a rival in the form of Kuno Tatewaki, who has learned a few tricks from watching Akane in action. Ryoga and the others are all the same, only now their confrontations with the Tendo girls are very different than before, and Akane has no trouble recognizing Ryoga in his cursed form. As for Doctor Tofu, he once again has taken an interest in Kasumi but does not view Ranma as a serious rival, while Ranma discovers that the "edge" Nabiki enjoys over him is her quick wits and precognitive skills that always keeps her one step ahead of an opponent.
Expect Cologne to take in interest in these affairs as she finds these Jedi arts to be an interesting variation on some of the "lost" skills of her people. Trieste versus Cologne will be a dead match until an uncomfortable middle ground is forged between them. In the meantime Akane spars with Shampoo with unexpected results for both sides, and Ukyo arrives to discover a Ranma who has changed in the course of his training with Trieste. The Catfist is still in place, but now there is someone in Nerima who knows how to cure Ranma of the worst aspects of his Neko-persona.
And which girl gets him in the end? That is undecided as well, but you can see that all three girls are competitors and Ranma reacts to each one differently, yet in a positive way. With Akane he becomes more brotherly as she is the least powerful of the sisters, while Nabiki keeps him off balance with her crafty, scheming nature, and Kasumi presents a towering enigma, at once so unnaturally calm yet so commanding by her very presence.
What do you think of these ideas? Does this sound like it's going anywhere? I'd like to hear your opinion, either on this story or the concept behind the Jedi. Contact me at: shadowmane
And may the Force be with you...always!
Jim Robert Bader (June 6, 1999)
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