Through the Years
By Agent Reptile
Ranma 1/2 and all various in sundry characters found within belongs to Viz comics/video and Rumiko Takahashi (not mine). Wolverine, X-Men, and anyother Marvel characters which come along belong to (duh) Marvel comics (not mine). Tenchi Muyo and all various characters I pull from them belong to AIC and Pioneer (not mine). Gold Diggers belongs to Antarctic Press and Fred Perry (not mine). G.I.Joe belongs to Hasbro (also not mine). Darkstalkers belongs to Viz comics and Capcom (you see a pattern here?). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles belong to Mirage Studios (again not mine). Ran Okami (my character so ask if you want to use). As said in previous version Logan has been an X-man years before the others. Any other connection between X-Men: Evolution and this fic ends at that line as this is like the comics or the other X-Men cartoon from the 90's
It was a mild Japanese spring with the cherry blossoms all in bloom. A young woman of no more than twenty years with bright red hair in a traditional bun was dressed in an elegant kimono sitting on a bench in a garden waiting to see the man she loved so much.
"No-chan are you alright?" A deep foreign male voice asked behind her.
"Logan-kun you came!" she yelled wrapping her arms around the Canadian mutant's neck and crying into his chest.
"Hey I gave my word didn't I? And a man is only as good as that."
"Oh Logan-kun you have no idea how happy this makes me feel." Nodoka said as the mutant wiped her eyes with his thumb.
"Darlin I've been wait'n all day to see you. So what has your father said about us?"
"He..he does not see the world as we do my love. He still sees you as inferior, unworthy of my hand. That bastard will have me marry that reached Genma instead of you."
"WHAT? No-chan look you can come with me back to New York, make a life together away from here."
"If it were that easy I would have. But you know I can not. My family duty must be upheld, it is something I can not turn my back on."
"Look I'll do whatever it takes to make him change his mind No-chan. You know I can be very persuasive." Logan said exposing his claws.
"And give him grounds to say that you are only an animal? A dirty foreigner with no dignity? I could never ask you to do that. Never let him gain that little satisfaction." The woman says angrily.
"What is it with him? Your brother Noboyuke can marry a woman who's father is an alien from a world George Lucas might as well have created and yet we..."
"You know that my father is a hypocrite Logan there is nothing we can do to change that man's mind. Even my father-in-law respects you as a man who upholds the true meaning and understanding of honor, my own father is blind to it." Nodoka cries.
"So No-chan is this the end of us?"
"I am sorry my love, it may very well be. But no matter what the cost there is something you can give me which will always remind me of the man I love."
"Darl'n whatever it is I'll give it to you, cost be damned."
"Logan-kun you are a true romantic. What I wish for is something only you can give me. Something which is as much a part of you as it is mine."
"Name it and it is yours."
"Your child my love. I want you to be my first time, my very special time and give me your child."
"No-chan what if Genma discovers on your wedding night?"
"He is as much a fool as my father and just as much a coward. Why do you think they would deign me you? As much as I detest that lard ass I will as his wife be dutiful, but my first time, and my first born will not be his. I will never give life to that man's spawn!" Nodoka cries so vehemently that she would seem as if trying to outdo Paul Muad'Dib Atreides out of Frank Herbert's Dune.
"But why tell me now?"
"It is my time Logan-kun. If we make love on this day I know we will make a child from love. A child who I will raise in memory of you to hold honor, devotion, courage, and all the things which our love would personify in our child. Please beloved do not deign me this one request."
"No-chan, come Hell or High water I will never deny your request." Nodoka bursts into tears of joy as she nestles her head in Logan's muscular chest.
"You know if I didn't know better I would swear this was based of a Roman tragedy." Logan thought to himself.
Approximately nine months later in the Nemeria general hospital the same young red head as before was suffering through labor to give life to her beloved son. Like she had thought Genma was an idiot who only saw the pregnancy as a perpetuation of his art, and was so drunk on his wedding night that he couldn't even get an erection.
"Damn bastard why didn't he die of alcohol poisoning." Nodoka Saotome said quietly through gritted teeth as another contraction hit.
Where was Genma during this by the way? He was plastered back at Nodoka's house after hearing his wife was going to give birth to his son, didn't even drive her to the damn hospital before passing out. It was good fortune that Nodoka's brother and sister-in-law were visiting expecting their own son that they were able to get Nodoka there in time. Regardless of being a pervert Noboyuke was an older brother and like all older brother's should he looked after his sister.
"Just once more Nodoka and your son will be born." The doctor said.
"AAAAAA!" Nodoka cried and soon..
"WAAAAAH!" was joined by her son.
"There you are Mrs. Saotome. A very healthy baby boy with a very good set of lungs." The Doctor cut the cord and handed the child to his mother.
"My son. My handsome, adorable son." Nodoka cried as she held him close to her chest and he calmed down a little.
"Well I'll let you two get to know each other, tell me when you feel up to seeing visitors cause your brother and sister-in-law are anxious to see their nephew."
"I will doctor, please give my a few moments alone."
"Of course. Call if you need anything dear." the man and nurse staff left with the new mother and child dearly holding each other.
"My son my precious son. I will honor my word and you will be a man among men." Nodoka cried happily. The she reached for her son's hands and felt three small sharp points just slightly above her baby's small knuckles.
"There is no deigning it is there huh? You are my Logan-kun's son. Now what name shall I call you. Genma has that tradition of being named after horses, so how about Ranma: Wild Horse after your real father with a spirit that can't be broken."
The little boy giggled happily at this smiling up into his loving mother's eyes.
"Hey Nodoka, not to barge in but can we see our nephew now? Um if you're up to it?"
"Come in brother. Say hello to Ranma your special new nephew." Nodoka said letting her arms drip slightly to give the two guests a better view.
"Oh he is so hansom Nodoka, and so cute. How is it that Genma helped make him?" Achika Masaki said jokingly.
"He didn't." Nodoka said sharply.
"But then...Are those claws on his hands?" Noboyuke asked.
"Yes, those are claws beautiful blades like his father has." Nodoka says with overwhelming pride.
"Nodoka, this child's father is Logan? Damn you go girl." Achika said cheering as best she could with a six-month tummy in the way, for some odd reason Tenchi was kicking at that moment like he agreed.
"Ah Nodoka why did you...I mean Genma is your husband and..."
"And what? Only you get to have the comfort of the one you fell in love with?"
"I'm not saying that Nodoka!" her brother said sweat dropping and backing off as best he could. "I would have loved Logan to be your husband believe me, its just that Genma will find out eventually won't he?"
"Brother my husband only has one field of expertise, martial arts, and the reasoning skills of a brain-dead howler monkey. He will never find out." Nodoka responds defiantly as if she was a one-woman legend of Greek Phalanx under Alexander the Great.
"And we will never tell, right dear?" Achika says smiling as she wraps her arm around her husband.
"Not a word dear. Don't worry Nodoka we will take this secret to the grave if we need to."
"Brother, even if you are a pervert, you are a bigger man than father ever will be."
"Hey sis what are brothers for after all?"
"I knew there was a reason I feel in love with you Noboyuke." Achika says kissing his cheek.
"Excuse me, but may I come in?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, please do come in. Is there something wrong doctor?"
"Well, with your son he's as healthy as a horse, no pun intended on your husband's name, but after looking over the ultrasounds and such, I'm sorry to say that well, I don't know if everyone should be here when I say this.."
"Doctor please we are all ears, there is nothing we can not deal with together." Nodoka responds.
"Very well." The Doctor sighs. "Mrs. Saotome, your uterus received immense damage from the birth process. Tearing and such which could not be helped with and was completely unforeseen."
"Please Doctor get to the point." Nodoka said in dread of what lay in store for her future.
"In short, you can never have another child again. I am sorry to say but your son will never have a baby brother or sister to play with from you."
"Doctor could you leave please. I would like to be alone with my family for a while now."
"Absolutely. Again I am sorry to tell you."
"You did everything you could. Do not blame yourself for the acts of God's hand, as was this." The doctor leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
"Ah Nodoka are you all right?" Her brother asks seeing his sister cry.
"Thank you God, thank you so much for this." She quietly murmurs while holding her newborn close to her breast.
"Hey Nodoka at least you'll never have to give birth to any of Genma's worthless line." Achika says while hugging her sister-in-law.
Above the world of the mortals the Kingdom of Heaven shines with a light brighter than any throughout the whole multiverse. At the Throne at the center of it all, God himself, Lord of all Creation, gazes down lovingly at the mother and child. He smiles down at them and blesses them with His own hand.
Months pass by for the new mother and child. Nodoka was busy fixing dinner as her son was in his crib sleeping.
"Ah my lovely No-chan how are you today." said her husband, just coming back inside from doing whatever he did during the day, drinking, going on about how his son was going to be the world's best martial artist, making excuses why in the hell he wasn't employed doing something.
"Fine husband, and how goes the job search?" Nodoka said in the most convincing manner possible as to hid the fact that she already knew the answer.
"Terrible, no one was hiring people to work anywhere." In other words the bars weren't looking for people to wait at the counter and he couldn't steal anything from the house to sell at the local pawn shop.
"Well you can try tomorrow then. Things should be better then." Nodoka said "And you could try to fight that Storm Shadow guy again and he finish what he started." She though quietly to herself.
"Of course you are right my dear. Tommorrow will be a better day, and I promise that one day we shall be living the easy life." Genma responded. What he didn't tell her was that day was going to be when Ranma married a Tendo and became the greatest martial arts instructor of all time. "Now I would like to talk to you about Ranma's training journey Nodoka. Soon it will be time for him and me to go out and.."
"No."
"journey the world for years as I teach him the ways of my family's school and then…"
"NO!" Nodoka yelled. "Ranma isn't even a year old yet dear husband. I will not let my baby go out into the world with only you with him, especially not with how much fuss you make in caring for him."
"But dear if you coddle him he will never become the greatest."
"He isn't even eating solid food Genma, he is too young." Nodoka said about to pull her sword on the overweight idiot. She was very grateful that her father-in-law and a young ninja he befriended named Hamato Yoshi had teaching her the ways of swordsmanship. She already had considerable talent in the field and all three agreed that it would be needed to keep Genma in line.
"Of course he's too young now." Genma sweated. "But we should start preparing for his journey."
"Genma what is so important that he can not learn here? You can just teach him as well here as you can on the road, even better as he will be going to school in a few years and I want him to have the very best education." Nodoka said.
"The training journey is a tradition Nodoka. If he does not go on it then the tradition shall be ruined and stain the Anything Goes Style." Nodoka did not need Ranma's real father's incredible sense of smell to know that something was rotten here.
"Genma we will discuss this later in great detail. Remember you did not have a great education and look how many jobs are open to you?" Not that you actually are looking you tub of lard. "What sort of future would you son have if he does not get through school."
"You want my son to become a book-worm? Never woman he shall be a great martial artist and be trained by the best in the world."
"I never said that. But there must be a compromise husband, and I don't think that living on the road is the best life for a child to be raised. How will you get food or shelter, or deal with disease for that matter?"
"What does not kill you only makes you stronger dear." Genma pushed out his chest with pride at the last statement. Nodoka just sighed, as getting Genma to do anything that he didn't have his mind set on was a waste of time and she just went on with making dinner.
The argument between Genma and Nodoka about Ranma's training journey went on for years. Neither side would let-up and tensions began to rise until finally when the young mutant was about five years old…
"Ah now son we have to get going." Genma said in the dead of night.
"Ah why pops?"
"You like marital arts right?" Genma asked.
"Of course the're really fun."
"And you want to become the best martial artist in the world right?"
"You bet pops."
"Well to do that you need to come with me and train hard to become the best."
"But wouldn't mom get worried? I mean she doesn't know we are leaving does she?"
"Oh we can't wake her now boy. She's very sleepy and needs her rest, but don't you worry I left her a note on the table that will explain everything. Now off we go to become the worlds best martial artists." Genma through Ranma over his shoulder and ran into the darkness before the boy could argue.
The next morning,
"Oh Ranma get up. Its time to start the day my special son." Nodoka said getting out of bed. "Ranma its time for breakfast get up." The red-head then walked into her son's room and found the bed left unmade and there was no sign of her son anywhere in the house.
"GENMA! GET UP SOMEONE HAS TAKEN RANMA! BLAST IT GENMA WHERE ARE YOU!" The only response was silence. Except for her he house was as empty as Genma's head. Running to the phone to call the police, she noticed a piece of paper that had been left there bearing her family's crest. Opening it she found that it was a suicide contract which gave Genma the right to train Ranma in the Anything Goes Style. "That bastard…That worthless bastard." Nodoka cried. Now she could not turn to the police as the contract was a perfect forgery of her signature and she had no grounds to call for their help. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in too many years.
"Hello Xaiver's school for the gifted, Charles Xaiver speaking how may I help you?"
"Charles Xaiver this is Nodoka. Is Logan-kun around by any chance?"
"Ah yes Mrs. Saotome.."
"Nodoka, please Charles, do not ever call me by that name again."
"Nodoka I will get him immediately." putting the phone to the side for the moment the head of the X-Men concentrates a little to send out a mental message to the Wolverine, currently outside working out.
"Logan phone for you."
"Eh who'd call me? Be there in a moment Chuck." Logan says shrugging his shoulders.
"It's Nodoka." At this Logan takes off like a rocket.
"No-chan you okay? What's Genma done to you?"
"Logan-kun is that you? Oh Logan it is so good to hear your voice after so long. Genma has taken our child and left a forged contract giving him the right to steal my son from me. The police can't do anything about this and I..I don't know who else to turn to."
"No-chan I'm to only man you ever have to turn to." Logan says as caring as he can.
"Thank you, thank you so much my love." Nodoka responds ending the call.
"Chuck I'll be gone for a while. I don't know when I'll be back."
"Logan if it that important then take the BlackBird." the bald man said turning his wheel chair towards the elevator.
"Chuck you're a good man." Logan said as the doors closed on their way to the hanger.
Behold SHIELD headquarters. Behold the most sophisticated and technologically advanced center of covert military intelligence ever to be build, the pride of the United States military, and…
"I see your five and raise you three."
Current location of the most infamous poker game in the world. At the table playing stud are three of the biggest names in the Marvel universe. Col. Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD, war hero, and overall bad ass with an affinity for cigars and kicking the crap out of terrorist organizations like Hydra. To his right is Captain America, Steve Rodgers, America's super soldier; war hero, warrior of great respect, defender of liberty, scion of freedom, Mr. Red White and Blue himself. The last hand in the game is General Abernathy, a.k.a. General Hawk, the future head of America's highly trained special missions forces known only by their code name: G.I.Joe.
"So Hawk they higher up selected you to head the new covert operations force?"
"Yep Nick, all we need is to figure out a battle cry."
As they talked two SHIELD technicians walked towards each other in the background.
"Hey Steve."
"Yo, Joe."
"Is that some sort of sign?" Captain America said boggling. Before any discussion could be raised on the topic, the doors to the room burst open as Logan steps towards the table. Not one of the SHIELD agents dared to ask what he was doing here, they actually wanted to live to see the next day.
"Fury we need to talk."
"Logan our game ain't till Thursday and you know it." The Col. Said taking a drag on his cigar.
"Damn it this ain't about no damn poker game."
"Then what in Sam Hill is it then?" Captain America asked.
"Somethin' real personal." Logan growled.
"Since when is anything with you not?" The other super soldier said sarcastically.
"It's about Genma." Logan growled.
Col. Fury shot up at that name. That overstuffed piece of shit had been a thorn in SHIELD's side for years as his stupidity had cost them operatives and intel they needed.
"If you two would excuse me. Logan and I have business that can't wait." Fury says placing his cards on the table and getting out of his chair.
"Who is Genma?" Gen. Hawk asked.
"Lets just say someone you don't want to have anything to do with." Captain America said. If the stories he had heard about the guy were right then he knew that no one would want to deal with the overweight moron.
Seen shift to several months later in the outskirts out a Japanese suburb. An animal was running through the forest constantly smelling the air for a trace of his prey's scent. Logan didn't have much time to waste, after all who knew what idiotic ideas Genma was stuffing down Ranma's throat? And even worse, what horrors he was exposing the kid to? Even after all these years Logan never forgot the stench of the swine who his precious No-chan was forced to be wed to. When he was finished with Genma, there wouldn't be anything left for the coroner's office to identify. A trace of that foul sent lingered in the air, it couldn't be more than a few hour's old if that. Along with that scent Logan detected another. A scent which reminded him of two other scents, his and Nodoka's. "Gotta be the kid's" Logan said to himself as he kept on running.
The final destination of the hunt was a clearing behind some houses which had a peculiar pit dug into the earth and the scent of several dozen felines coming from it.
"Dear Lord not the Neko-ken!" Logan though to himself as he saw Genma about to push the young man covered in fish bits into the pit. Logan leapt with all his might and ran like crazy towards Ranma. His powerful muscles driving him like crazy to his son's rescue.
"Not this time Genma!" Logan screamed as he grabbed his son with one hand and rolled away from the pit, nearly knocking Genma to his doom.
"Logan!" Genma screamed. "It can't be? What are you doing here? This is my son, and you have no right to interfere with his training." The coward tried as hard as he could to make himself look stronger than he was, but with the squealing like a
little girl and the fact he wet himself it was a lost cause.
"YOUR SON! That's a laugh fat ass. Ranma is No-chan's kid not yours and there is no way in Heaven or Hell that I will let you harm him with that bastard Happosi's training."
"You know my master?"
"Ha, the only master you have is your stomach, the perv only used fear to boss you around." Logan was getting a little pissed off that Genma could sink so low as a human, but that was a thought for another day. "Now the kid and I are goin' back to No-chan and you can either leave and live, or fight and get killed." Logan blew his lit cigar smoke into Genma's eyes as he snarled into the bastard's face.
Before Genma could decide what to do, Logan turned, picked up Ranma and headed off back towards his beloved's home, attempted to just let a quivering Genma remain where he was long enough for the cops to pick him up.
"You will not take my school's heir Logan!" Genma screamed/squealed as best he could trying to attack the mutant quick enough from behind that an escape was ensured. Genma had not counted on Wolverine's inhuman hearing and speed as before Genma could react the Canadian had already tossed Ranma safely away from the pit and the fight and already had his claws extended . In one effortless motion Wolverine tore into fat (a lot of it by the way), muscle, bone, and whatever else was in the way. As the Adamentium claws exited Genma, Logan pivoted and smashed him into the pit of cats.
"Fucking idiot." Logan shuck his head.
"AAAAAA!" A blood curdling scream erupted from the pit as Genma, blooded, beaten, and nearly dead, had lept above the fray and struck at Logan with all the strength he could summon with his last moments of life. He found himself impaled on Wolverine's claws going through the dying man's chest one way and out the other. The last thing Genma saw before he died was Ranma out of the ropes with his own blades coming out from between the knuckles. Before his eyes closed Genma made the connection, then his soul was sent to be judged. Wolverine retracted his claws and carried Ranma to his jeep a few miles away. The authorities arrived only moments later and decided that Genma had be killed by the some wild beast escaped from the zoo and that his son had been carried off by the same beast for food.
During the drive Ranma gazed at the man who had saved his life. He was strong, that was easy to tell, and he was a great warrior even greater than "pops". But something was off here.
"You're like me aren't you?" Ranma said during the drive.
"What do you mean kid?" Logan said while shifting gears.
"Well you have claws like I do, I mean in here." Ranma said pointing to his forearm. "And you smell kind of like me. Mom says that I shouldn't show people cause they wouldn't understand, sort of like I know how people smell, and how I can hear real good and stuff. So are you like me?" The innocent expression on Ranma's face hurt his real father's heart. What to tell him, what could he say.
"Ranma, do you know what a mutant is?"
"I hear about them on TV, some have really cool powers, and can do stuff I can't but it's sort of neat. Pops keeps saying that their not really people, but mama says they are, that they can't help the way that they were born. Why?"
"Kid…I'm a mutant, and most likely so are you. Look there's a lot that you might not understand, and I don't blame you if you don't want to know…" Logan honestly could not think of what to say.
"So you're my dad then, but then why did mama marry pops? I mean shouldn't people who love each other marry?" From the mouths of babes…
"Look kid, yea your mom and I loved each other, more than anyone else in the world, but her father didn't like me and she couldn't say no to him."
"Yea, he scares me sometimes. And mom just keeps quite except so say yes or no sir." Ranma says. "But why did you come now? Why not before?"
"Because Genma kidnapped you, and was about to hurt you real bad. He was going to through you in that pit back there."
"What? But….why?" Ranma almost started to cry.
"Kid don't worry about it. He didn't and no one's going to." Logan said placing a re-assuring hand behind his son's back.
"Are we going back to mama's then? I really want to see her." Ranma cried.
"Don't worry we'll be going there soon enough." Logan said putting his hand back at the wheel. "First thing is that we have to find an old buddy of yours who Genma hurt real bad." Logan just kept on driving for a while going past a few small villages and along dirt roads, for which Ranma was amazed that a vehicle could transverse so easily where it had taken days for him and his "Not pops" as he was thinking of calling him.
"Uh just wondering, but is there anything you want me to call you?" Ranma said as he and Logan just pasted another town.
"I don't know, never really thought about it that much. Most people call me Logan or Wolverine, but I don't think those would work too well."
"Wo..ver..eene?" Ranma tried to say, and not doing it so well.
"Eh, don't sweat it kid, you'll get the hand of it soon enough. So Ranma, any idea what you want to call me?"
"Well I called Genma pops, but he wasn't really my pops so do you mind if I call you that?"
"Sure, don't mind one bit." Logan smiled and rubbed to top of Ranma's head.
"Okay pops, so who is this that we are going to see?"
"Not tell'n it'd ruine the surprise." Logan says pulling the jeep to a stop and getting out.
"Hey that smells like..Uchan is that you?"
"Ranchan? YOU JACKASS I'LL KILL YOU!" the young cross dresser says about to lay one right on the boy's head with a spatula, except that she found herself off the ground being held by one hand grabbing the back of her shirt.
"Let me go, that jackass and his father have to pay for what they did to me!"
"Okay, you calm down right this minute, and I mean this minute kid." Logan said leaving no question in his voice. "Now let's talk like people here, got it."
"Fine." Ukyo replied crossing her arms and being let down to her feet.
"Uh Uchan what's going on we're friends." Ranma said, very confused by the way.
"What do you mean friends, your father.."
"Genma, little lady ain't that boy's father no more, and you both have a lot learn right now." Logan shook his head, this was going to take a while. A long, long while.
Author's Notes:
well this is the first instalment of my re-write, hope you all like it. As for the following chapters it will be slow at times so please be patient, and please review. Thanks to Silverscale in editing, and all those who read my original version and turned something I didn't really care about into a work I put my heart into.