Tales of Honor
Book 1: Lost

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction by SkyDragon2083

Disclaimer: None of these characters or situations are my property. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, and whoever owns Ranma 1/2 in Japan. That said, I am a very poor college boy with no life, no money, and poor grades; therefore, suing me would be a futile effort on the part of any of these persons.

Forenote: I believe an apology is in order, for recklessly putting out a chapter that needed one last revision before I myself was happy with it. . . I am sorry, oh noble readers of Fanfiction-dot-net, for my temerity. That said, enjoy.

Chapter the First: The Warrior's Name and Akane's Fiance

"Stop this madness at once!" Everyone froze at the shrieking voice of Saotome Nodoka, the shock at her outburst freezing even the likes of Happosai, the Kunous, and Cologne. The auburn-haired woman was usually so calm and controlled. They couldn't help but gawk as Saotome Nodoka leveled an obviously outraged glare at her one and only cursed son, Saotome Ranma.

Saotome Ranma, clad in a scruffy tuxedo that had likely seen better days, managed to shove away the purple-haired Amazon, Shampoo; his best friend, Kuonji Ukyou; and the crazy Kunou Kodachi (all three of them unwanted fiances) as he stared at her with a gut twisting feeling settling into his stomach. Ukyou, dressed in her usual boyish okonomiyaki seller's outfit, was stunned by Nodoka's shrill voice and could only stare at the woman that she one day hoped would be her mother-in-law. Shampoo, dressed in a bright red Chinese dress, snapped to attention the same way any other warrior would at the authoritative tone in that same voice. Kodachi, dressed in an elegant black wedding dress, merely turned to stare haughtily at the woman who dared tell her to stop anything. Ranma's father, Saotome Genma (currently a tuxedo-clad panda) paused in his chase of the Nanniichuan water and also turned to face her, the sinking feeling he usually got in his gut whenever something bad was about to happen fully present.

Standing off behind the Saotome matriarch, the Tendou family could only stare. Tendou Kasumi, dressed as the Maid of Honor, was shocked to see the very image of womanhood that was Nodoka lose her cool like this. Tendou Nabiki, dressed in an elaborate silk kimino despite the western style wedding, blinked several times and stopped her ongoing assessment of the damages to the dojo caused by the various rivals and fiances to watch what happened with an analytical gaze. Tendou Akane, clad in a scruffed white wedding dress, could only shiver at the tone of finality in the woman's shriek. Tendou Soun, currently unconscious due to his successful attempt to protect his youngest daughter from the expolsives the other girls had brought, woke, sat up, and stared at her like a woman gone mad.

Grandmaster Happosai, ignorant of the fact that he'd just drank pure Nanniichuan water rather than just plain water, was likewise shocked at Nodoka's fury... an unreasoning fury he'd not dared to push her to since he'd first met her. Hibiki Ryouga, who had been gaping at Happosai for drinking the cure to his curse, merely felt the sudden urge to run and never stop, but he could feel that something major was about to happen and didn't dare move a muscle. Mousse of the Joketsuzoku, who'd been just one step behind Ryouga in the chase for the Nanniichuan, stared at the usually calm woman who was the mother of the greatest obstacle in his way to happiness as she turned a cold, uncaring glare on her only child.

Kunou Tatewaki, his delusions driving the fully decked out wannabe samurai, turned towards the source of the shriek to find the head of the the Saotome clan trembling visibly and for once decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Principal Kunou (nobody really knew his given name) merely blinked at the nutcase woman and watched her with a mild interest. Cologne, the 300-plus-year-old matriarch of the Joketsuzoku shivered as she stopped glaring at Happosai.

"Mom..." the Saotome youth started, obvious concern for the mother he had only recently started getting to know in his voice and mannerisms. She glared as she cut him off coldly.

"No. No son of mine would allow such a ruckus on what was supposed to be the single happiest day of both his and his wife's lives. Allowing such a travestry to occur at your wedding... You are no son of mine. You are girisezu. From this day forward, Saotome Ranma is no more." The room temperature dropped several degrees as the collective shock of those in the room deepened and Nodoka's glare turned icy. "Get out of my sight, ronin, you have no honor and your presense is beneath me."

Ranma glanced around at everyone around him, an almost pleading look in his face. But he soon turned his gaze to the ground when it became apparent to him that nobody was going to stand up for him.

So it was that Saotome Ranma, the most revered martial artist of his generation, the cursed boy-girl with too many fiances to count, and the man the ability to defeat even the gods themselves in combat, ceased to exist. In his place stood a person who had nothing holding him/her back, a person without any friends, and a person without honor. A single tear fell from his hidden face, and, by the time it hit the ground, she had invoked the Saotome Forbidden Art of the Umisenken and literally disappeared into thin air. Nodoka looked around, daring those in the room to question her authority in the matter.

When no one immediately did, she turned to her husband. "Come along, husband, we have much to discuss." Said panda winced. All his plans, his training of the boy, his dreams for the school, everything he'd worked to achieve these past ten years had just been thrown out the window by his wife and the head of the Saotome clan. This did not bode well for him. Silently, he moved to follow her out, knowing that he would no longer be welcome in the Tendou home without Ranma to wed off to one of the daughters.

Nodoka made to walk out with a cowed Genma in tow, but a feeble voice stopped her. "Wait." Nodoka paused before turning to face Akane with obvious irritation. "What did Ranma..." Nodoka fairly growled.

"I know nobody by the name of Ranma. As for that ronin, it was what he didn't do that failed him." That said, she turned and swept out of the dojo, not even waiting for her husband to follow. The pure loathing that she had spoken with was enough to quell all other attempts at reasoning with her.

For a few brief moments, nothing happened.

Then Shampoo broke out into a grin as what happened sunk in. Her airen wasn't connected to these other women any more. There wasn't anything keeping him from marrying her. Kodachi was of similar thoughts.

Soun stood up, and turned to his daughters, two of whom were crying bitterly whereas the other was still numb from the shock of having Ranma's mother declare him ronin. "Go inside. We'll discuss what has happened later." His daughters filed out of the dojo mutely, and he turned to the remaining occupants of the room. "As guests, you are all welcome to stay in this unhappy place for as long as you wish, but I am afraid there will be no wedding or even a host here anymore. I only ask that you do not do any further damage to this dojo and that you do not enter the house. I expect my daughters will need time to cope with what has happened." That said, the man who would usually break down in tears at the slightest provocation left through the main door rather than the large hole through which most of the others had entered through.

Happosai merely collapsed. The future of his school, which he had thought secure in the hands of the boy, had just become very unsure. He couldn't pass it on to Ranma now, and that only left... Sighing heavily, he shuffled out of the dojo, too depressed to even glance up Shampoo's skirt as he went to seriously contemplate the future for the first time in over two hundred years.

Cologne was likewise depressed. She knew Ranma only too well. With this loss of face, he may very possibly commit seppuku. And despite her egging her great-granddaughter on, she knew there was no way they would ever bring him into the tribe, not with the way males were treated there. Besides, with him going girisezu like this, their own claim on him disappeared, as the Amazons knew full well how dangerous powerful warriors like that could be. They had made the mistake once before, and she would be damned if she was the one to repeat it.

-Mu Tsu! Xian Pu! We are leaving, now!- Neither youth moved to contradict her, and the Amazons were gone before anyone else could so much as blink.

The Kunou family were next to leave. Kodachi muttering incoherently about seniality and honor, Kunou laughing insanely, and the Principal waving his sheers at his son's head, only to have them constantly beat back by an steel lined bokken Kunou had bought for the very purpose. For once, the happenings had actually fit in with the delusional worlds of all three Kunous.

Ukyou merely collapsed and stared off into nothingness, not even noticing when Konatsu hugged her from behind. Ryouga, being the directionally challenged man he was, ran out with a short, barely audible, half-mad laugh to try to comfort Akane and promptly found himself wandering around in Siberia.

Save for the desolate Kuonji Ukyou and solemn Kenzan Konatsu, the broken dojo had now become empty, the witnesses of the would-be wedding having fled at the first sign of trouble.

Had any of them thought to look closely, they would have noticed that more spots had been added to the spot where Ranma's single tear had landed.

Girisezu. I hate the word. It literally means without duty. Which pretty much means that I have no honor. Like honor ever did me any good anyway.

Honor. It has trapped me into more unwanted engagements than I can count. It has forced me into multiple fights that I never wanted to take part in. It has even taken my very identity from me.

I notice that the door is clear and dash through it, nobody noticing as I pass thanks to the Umisenken. Being invisible is just about the only part of it I'd ever intended to use beyond the fight with Kumon, but something tells me that I'm going to be using a lot more of it in the near future. Being stripped of all your honor tends to tell you that sort of thing.

I am... was... Saotome Ranma. But I cannot be him anymore. Saotome Ranma was a man defined by honor. My honor has been stripped away from me, so I cannot possibly be him anymore. I was once him, but who am I now?

That woman I once called 'mother' was right. I am ronin.

Once you're ronin, you're nothing. You have to fight for every scrap you can get, every right. You're only protected as far as you can protect yourself, because the government doesn't help people like you. It doesn't even acknowledge your existence, which is good for me so long as I don't go and make myself dangerous to others. After all, nobody gets punished for killing a person who's ronin, a person who doesn't technically exist.

The only person who I can count on now is myself.

I can only smile grimly at the irony of the word 'ronin.' It means 'lordless samurai,' and though the family katana always made me think that I might be descended from samurai, I'd never really considered myself one. I guess the only thing I need now is my own weapon. Not that I really need one to get out of a tight situation, but just for namesake.

Shoving my thoughts aside, I enter my home... no, the Tendou home... through an open window on the second floor. It's a good thing Akane doesn't usually keep her window closed; otherwise, I might have had to wait for my stuff to be thrown out.

I don't really savor the thought of that.

Moving through her room to the open door, I hesitate only long enough to check that no one is around. Despite the Umisenken, I carefully creep the rest of the way to my... to the guest room. Akane's gained a sort of 'ki sight' since her brush with death, so it's a lot tougher hiding from her now. I barely manage to surpress a groan when I arrive at the open door to find her inside, busily packing my stuff.

I can't help but note that she's crying. Soft sobs wrack her body as she roughly shoves things into the pack I always used for training trips, and I can barely make out the tear tracks on her face. The sight tears at my already wounded heart. I want to go comfort her, to tell her that everything is going to be all right... But I can't. My honor has been stolen from me, and I don't want to tarnish her with my honorless self. I freeze as I spot the open box next to her, barely even daring to breath as I watch her warily, hoping futily that she'll get up and leave without ever noticing me. My hope goes in vain.

She gives a sudden gasp, then looks directly at me. All I have to say about that is 'damn,' but I don't say it out loud. I don't say anything, hoping that she'll understand and just leave so I can finish the packing and just leave, get out of their lives. "Ranma?" she whispers hoarsely, her voice just barely audible. Her pleading tone tears at my heart, and I know that what I will have to do here is going to hurt her as much as it will me. I only wish I had realized this sooner. I take a step into the room, then shut the door very quietly behind me. There's no need to alert anyone else to my presence here. Once the door is shut, I finally drop the Umisenken so she can see me clearly.

She makes to move, but I divert my attention away from her face. I can barely face her normally, so there's no way I can face her like this... Not as an equal, anyway. She seems to realize somewhat, because she doesn't approach me after standing.

"Ranma..." She sniffs slightly, obviously close to breaking out in a torrent of tears that could rival any of her father's episodes. I cut her off.

"Shh, Tendou-sama..." I can't keep a grimace off my face as I use the unfamiliar honorific with her, but with my honor taken from me like this, I have no choice. She flinches, only magnifying my torment. I push myself deep into the Soul of Ice as I go on. "Please, don't follow me. Don't drag yourself down to my level. I have nothing left. Nothing to give you. Not even my name. All I can do now is leave."

"But..." Her fists clench reflexively, drawing my attention to the lock of hair in her right hand. The bundle of hair that was cut off from her very head during that first duel between myself and Ryouga nearly a year ago. I've had it ever since that day. I knew that I loved her before even then. I just couldn't admit it, not even to myself.

"No, Tendou-sama. I've got my place, and you've got yours. Please don't drag yourself down to my level. You deserve better." She sniffs again, almost speaks, then drops the bundle in her hand and calmly walks past me. She opens the door, and my heart clenches painfully in my chest. It settles into a low throbbing after the door closes.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding and soon finish the job she started. Shouldering the pack, I reactivate the Umisenken and leave the room just as Pops... Mr. Saotome... trudges by, probably having just talked with Mr. Tendou by the downcast look on his face.

I head for the changing room and search around until I find the cloak that Ryouga sometimes wears. I take it and leave, throwing the rest of Ryouga's clothes in the trash as I go.

If I'm not gonna have any honor, then I guess I might as well not have any for a reason. I think I'll start by revealing all the shit Ryouga had ever done to Akane with his curse. There'd be no reason for them to have his stuff around after that.

Of course, that'll have to wait until the next time he was around. That'll be how long I wait. After all, what good am I without honor? No self-respecting sensei will teach me anything. No dojo will let me teach. And I have nothing to me but the Art. The Amazons might take me, but I'll never agree to be a second-class citizen nor breeding stock. I still have my own self-respect, afterall.

Sighing I head down the stairs for one last look around the house. I'm not surpised to find Mr. Tendou staring blankly at the shogi board, where he likely just told Pops to take his stuff and go. I find Kasumi crying in the kitchen, obviously having trouble with the idea of me leaving for some reason. Nabiki is sitting at the dining table mutely, staring off into space with a guilt-ridden look on her face. I ignore them, knowing that they'll be okay sooner or later, and head outside, throwing the cloak on as I go.

I don't get very far, as I run into Happosai, almost literally.

"You know, my boy, if you weren't just disowned by your own mother, I'd kick your sorry butt for stepping on me like that." I hastily jump to the side, startled that he caught me. His next sentence completely turns that surprise into full-blown irritation. "Only you and your father, boy! Drop that technique so I can see you. I wanna talk to you before you go and do something stupid and I don't really like the idea of looking like I'm talking to myself here."

Compliantly, I drop the Umisenken since he only seems to want to talk and relax. Almost never thought I'd see the day. "So how did you know it was me and not Genma?" Woe and behold, I can actually speak respectfully to the letch!

But at least I can be witty in my own mind.

"You're a lot lighter than your father, boy. Had he landed on me, I'd be three feet under, literally." I bite off a laugh at the accurate description.

"Soatome-sama isn't my father anymore, Happosai-sensei." He glances at me for a brief moment, then sighs a world weary sigh and suddenly looks a hundred years older as he resumes smoking his pipe.

"Such a waste." I blink, sensing that he has something more to say. "You're the best student I've ever had in all my 384 years, Ranma. You stand up to me and see the real purpose behind my training almost as if I had told you from the start. No other has ever had both the courage and the brains to truly be my heir, not like you, youngin."

"Is that all you wanted to tell me, Happosai-sensei?" I already knew most of that, though I never expected to hear such praise from the letch.

"Not really. I'm trying to tell you that you have the potential to be the best, if you aren't already." He paused, eyeing me suspiciously, and I wait for him to go on as I focus on the Soul of Ice. "Honor's pretty important to you, isn't it, my boy?" I nod wordlessly, not even having the extra energy to snort at the stupid question.

"No honor, no art." He pulls out his pipe and starts smoking it, watching me curiously.

"You do know that there are ways to regain your honor, right?" I look at him, just trying to unnerve him enough to get him to go on. Eventually, he does. "You could start off by challenging your father for the right to continue practicing the Saotome School." I shake my head.

"No need. I'm already the Master of the Saotome School. Mr. Tendou was witness." Happosai takes a long drag on his pipe as he contemplates this piece of information.

"Didn't know that," he replies sadly after he's finished. "You have a lot of potential, Ranma. You're the best student I've ever had in all my 384 years. You stand up to me and see the real purpose behind my training almost as if I had told you from the start. No other has ever had both the courage and the brains to truly be my heir, not like you, youngin."

"Is that all you wanted to tell me, Happosai-sensei?" I already knew most of that, though I never expected to hear such praise from the letch.

"Not really. I'm trying to tell you that you have the potential to be the best, if you aren't already. It'd be a shame to see that potential die out." I say nothing. "Ho boy, you haven't made one smart comment to me yet today. You aren't seriously considering seppuku, are you? That's only any good if you have a family, and you just got kicked out of yours."

"I've noticed, Grandmaster," I reply dryly, focusing harder on the Soul of Ice. "I have no family, no name, no home."

"So where are you going? Certainly not to those Amazons?" What does he expect me to say? What CAN I say?

"Not here." Happosai takes a short drag from the pipe before responding.

"Don't leave the Tendou's behind just yet Ranma. Just stay here, and I'm sure that you'll become just that."

"No." I've been standing by the gate for a few moments now, and I put my hand on it to push it open.

"Saotome Ranma, you will tell me where you're going. I demand it as the Grandmaster of your school."

I frown as I step up to the gate around the Tendou home and push it open. "Who is Saotome Ranma?" I leave, using the Umisenken, before he can object anymore.

End Chapter the First

Notes in Brief:
Honor is an important thing to someone like Ranma, and some of us seem to forget how important it is in Japan, specifically for a martial artist of his calibre. I'm over-inflating the seriousness of the situation, but I think I get my point across.
By the way, Book 1 deals entirely with the initial reactions and some such of the "Nerima Wrecking Crew." Specifically the first week. It follows Ranma's escapades almost exclusively. It's also pretty much set in stone.
This is more recent than Life's Twists, though I'm not sure when exactly I started this.

Revision Note:
You don't want to know how much of a nightmare it was for me to wake up this morning and realize that I hadn't even released the version I meant to release. What's more, I utterly hated both versions I had. Don't ask why I had two versions, just know that I did. Anyway, this should be the final version unless I decide to revise it again when I finish the whole story.
Consider this version 3.0 where I've had two other significantly different versions.

Released March 23, 2006.
Rereleased March 24, 2006.