Tenchi Goes to Nerima
A post-OVA III crossover with "Ranma ½" in which Tenchi will go to Furinkan High with Ranma Saotome and company. If you don't like the concept, don't bother reading it. It starts out slow but I intend to have some action and at least a little humor in the chapters to come.
Standard disclaimer: I don't own these characters and I'm not doing this for profit.
Chapter I
Changes to Come
It was early morning in Okayama and a thick mist was rising from the mountains surrounding the Masaki shrine. The stillness of the morning was disturbed by a series of loud rapping noises which might have been mistaken, by the uninitiated, for the sound of woodpeckers hammering on hollow, tree branches. In reality it was the sound of a boken striking a small piece of wood, dangling froma string, at a speed no ordinary human could see or match. Of course, Tenchi Masaki was far from ordinary.
The teenager, dressed in a blue kendo jacket, bluejeans and slip on shoes, jumped about in a small clearing, maintaining his footing on more than a dozen short, wet with dew, wooden posts set haphazardly in the ground as his grandfather, wearing a similar jacket and hakame with the sleeves and legs bound, sat and watched for any mistakes in his form. After more than a year of practice, it had become almost effortless for him to keep from falling off the slippery posts as he struck the small target. Suddenly, a branch came falling towards him from the trees, and as he nimbly dodged away, Tenchi smiled and thought, "Grandpa's up to his old tricks again. I wonder if he's got any more traps set up."
The practice session continued without any more surprises and Yosho finally called out, "That's enough for now Tenchi. You did quite well. Put your boken away and start your chores."
Tenchi was very surprised not only by the unexpected praise but because there had only been one other time that his grandfather had ended practice early. He walked over to his teacher and asked, "Are you alright Grandpa? Why are we stopping already?"
"I have some matters to attend to in town today," Yosho replied. "But you can practice the kata I showed you yesterday. I'll expect you to have it mastered by tomorrow morning. Now get going." With that the elderly seeming gentleman rose and proceeded to walk along the path that would take him back to the Masaki Shrine.
Tenchi sighed as he followed his grandfather. "I should have known that he wouldn't give me a break," he thought.
Later that morning Yosho got off the bus in Kurashiki and walked along the busy streets. He stopped occasionally to exchange greetings and make small talk with friends and acquaintances as he proceeded along the streets of a residential area. Finally he arrived at a large house of recent construction surrounded by a high wall and rang the bell.
After a few moments the door was opened by a woman with short black hair and glasses wearing a long sleeved, white blouse and a dark blue, A-line skirt. "Katsuhito-sama!" Rea exclaimed. "We've been expecting you. Come in."
After removing his shoes, Katsuhito went into the living room where Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki, dressed in a dark brown suit, greeted him warmly while Rea went into the kitchen to prepare tea. The men sat and exchanged small talk until Rea returned with a tray laden with tea and snacks.
After pouring tea for them, Rea asked, "How are Tenchi and the girls doing? Nobuyuki and I have been so busy with a number of projects that we haven't had a chance to visit them since our wedding."
"Everyone is fine, of course," Yosho replied. "Nothing much has changed. Aeka and Ryoko still fight occasionally and Mihoshi still manages to flood the house when she lands poorly. Tenchi and Washu are both kept pretty busy repairing the damage. Tenchi is still growing out of his clothes. He may yet get to be taller than you, Nobuyuki. And of course, Sasami is growing like a weed. She's been enrolled in school and is doing very well."
"That's good," said Tenchi's father, "But I'm sure you didn't come all the way here just to have some of Rea's excellent tea. What's the real reason you're here?"
Yosho put his cup down and said, "It's come to my attention that you're currently working on a number of projects in Tokyo and that you're considering moving there, temporarily, in order to facilitate matters."
"Yes," agreed Nobuyuki. "One firm in particular constantly wants me to attend meetings to go over changes for their new office building. Now they've decided that they want two more floors added which means that the framework will have to be strengthened to accommodate the extra load. There are a number of other changes that will have to be made as well. And of course, all the materials and cost calculations will need to be redone. I just hope they won't decide to make any major changes once construction starts. As a result, we haven't had much time to spend looking for a suitable place to stay. The housing market is very tight in Tokyo and as soon as a place comes on the market it's gone. Does your visit have anything to do with our plans to move there?"
"It does indeed," Yosho confirmed. "I recently purchased a house in Tokyo that should suit your needs quite well. You can stay there for free if you want. It just needs some minor repairs to make it habitable."
"That sounds too good to be true," replied a wary Nobuyuki. "What's the catch?"
"I think it would be good for Tenchi to go with you and attend a school in that area. He's been too isolated from things here and needs experience dealing with difficult situations and people before he goes to the Galaxy Academy," Yosho said. "The school I want him to enroll in, Furinkan High, has a number of skilled martial artists in attendance who practice some very novel forms. There's also been a high incidence of bizarre occurrences in the area. Tenchi has been letting people push him around because he doesn't want to hurt anyone or attract attention to himself. He's going to get a lot of attention at the academy simply because of his reputation, and he needs to learn how to deal with it."
"The girls aren't going to like that one bit!" exclaimed Rea.
"You're right about that," Nobuyuki agreed. "And I've heard about the area where Furinkan High is. A week doesn't go by without some sort of disaster occurring there. But, I agree that it will be good for Tenchi to have a little more experience before leaving Earth for the academy."
"Good. I'll make the arrangements then. It should only take about two or three weeks before you can move in," said Yosho. He finished his tea and told Nobuyuki some more about the house and then he took his leave.
Ten days later, Yosho made a rare appearance at Tenchi's home for supper. Almost everyone was nervous and wondered what was going on. Tenchi was especially on edge because his grandfather had the same look on his face that he did when he told Ryoko about the time he asked Rea to marry him when he was nine. He knew that he was in for a lot of trouble.
The meal continued quietly until Yosho finished his last cup of tea and set it down. He then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, looked straight at Tenchi, and said, "Tenchi, your father and Rea will be moving to Tokyo for a time to work on some projects there. They'll be leaving Saturday morning. You'll be going with them and attending school there."
"WHAT!" Aeka and Ryoko both screamed.
"Why does Tenchi have to go to Tokyo?" Ryoko asked loudly. "It's too far away and there's nothing they can teach him that's worth learning anyway."
"Really brother," Aeka continued, "Tenchi-sama has been doing quite well studying at home. There's no need for him to leave. Besides, it would interfere with his sword practice if he moved so far away."
"NO!" wailed Sasami. "I don't want Tenchi-niichan to move away." Then she started to cry and was joined by both Mihoshi and Ryo-oki.
Washu and Noike were the only ones who didn't voice any objections but the frowns on their faces spoke volumes.
Tenchi was finally able to ask over the noise of crying and arguing, "Why do you want me to go to Tokyo? I've been doing well studying at home and I won't be able to do my chores or train with you if I go so far away. Also, I think that you should have at least asked me if I wanted to go, first."
"The arrangements have already been made," Yosho said firmly. "You've already been enrolled in a school not far from where you'll be staying with Nobuyuki and Rea. It will do you good to interact more with young people your own age."
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" several voices yelled angrily, and the arguing continued for a few more minutes.
"QUIET!" Washu finally shouted. "If Yosho-dono has decided, for whatever reason, that Tenchi-dono should go to school in Tokyo, then we'll just have to deal with it. In fact, it would be very simple for me to set up a portal to make it easier for Tenchi-dono to come back here for weekends and such."
"I still don't like it," Ryoko said angrily.
"Well, now that that's settled, I'll take my leave. Good night everyone." Yosho said as he got up from the table and headed for the back door.
"Good night Grandpa," Tenchi said and prepared to deal with the sullen, faced girls who were gathering around him.
Later that night, Aeka and Ryoko sat in the mezzanine at the top of the stairs to share sake and plot.
"Your brother has really done it this time, princess," Ryoko grumbled. "Why doesn't he just mind his own business?"
Aeka took a sip of her sake and replied, "He considers Tenchi-sama to be his business. I believe that he wants Tenchi-sama to get used to new situations before he goes to the Galaxy Academy."
"Why?" Ryoko demanded. Then she drained her saucer and set it down with a loud thunk.
"According to what Noike-san and Tennyo-san have told me, word has gotten around the academy about Tenchi-sama defeating that pink-haired fool, Seiryo Tennan."
"So? What's that got to do with Tenchi going to school in Tokyo?" Ryoko asked.
Aeka took another sip of her sake and replied, "Aside from being a fool, Seiryo is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the galaxy. He's also an instructor at the academy. There are a lot of rumors going around there about the man who defeated him and he'll get a lot of attention when he goes there."
"Tenchi doesn't have to go to the academy. He should just stay here with me," Ryoko insisted.
Aeka gave Ryoko a hard look and asked, "Do you really think Tenchi-sama wants to spend his whole life farming and doing chores for my brother when he has the opportunity to see the galaxy?" She sighed in resignation and continued, "If Tenchi-sama is willing to go, there's not much we can do about it except to be on our best behavior when he's here."
"All right, I'll behave when Tenchi is here." Ryoko agreed. "But when he's not, the fighting goes on as usual. Otherwise, things would get pretty dull around here without Tenchi.
"You could help with some more with chores, Ryoko." Aeka responded.
Meanwhile, Tenchi was in bed wondering what was in store for him in Tokyo. "I just know Grandpa is doing this to make my life more complicated," he thought. "There have been reports on the news about strange things happening in Tokyo and something tells me that I'm going to wind up in the thick of it. It would be nice if I could spend more time with Dad though. But even before the girls showed up, he would often be too busy to talk with me much. Oh well, I'll find out soon enough." Tenchi continued to think about the changes in store for him until he drifted off to sleep.
Author's notes: I've seen too many identity-theft crossovers in which Tenchi Masaki was written out of his own story by people who wanted a sueified Ranma to become him in everything but name. I wouldn't have become so annoyed with Ranma crossovers, in general, if they hadn't so frequently portrayed the TM characters, despite all their abilities, as inferior fighters so that Ranma could be the invincible hero who saves the day single handed. It sounds like I'm talking about S.I. takeovers, doesn't it?
This story is based primarily on "Tenchi Muyo", "Tenchi Muyo GXP", a little bit of the Tenchi manga and the "Ranma 1/2" manga.