Here's the story, back up and ready for everyone to read and enjoy! But first, I just want to say that due to the many stories about Star Wars that I've written thus far, I've taken it upon myself to only republish about two or three stories at a time, so that you guys can reread them and leave new reviews on them. As you can see with this chapter, it's mostly the same, but I've made some… adjustments to better suit Maul's character for a little bit more of a relatable character. You know, so he's a bit more like he was in canon. For now, I just want to end by saying… May the 4th be with you! ...Hey, it was originally published on May 4th, so I wanted to keep that bit.
*I still don't own Star Wars! I also don't own Ranma ½!*
"May the Force be with you." = Normal Speech
'May the Force be with you.' = Thoughts
"May the Force be with you." = Someone Yelling
"May the Force be with you." = Talking through Holo Communicator.
Fall of Genma Saotome!
Over on the other side of the campfire, the former Darth known as Maul glared at the aged Jedi Master, Ben Kenobi. He bared his teeth as his warrior instincts began to show through, even in his old age. This is it… the moment he's been waiting for for so many years now…
The day he finally kills his sworn enemy, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Ezra attempted to stand up so he could face Maul in Ben's stead, but the elderly Jedi merely placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. Ezra faced Ben and seemed confused.
"You must go now." Ben said to the young Padawan.
As Ben Kenobi got up from where he was sitting by the fire, Ezra stood and attempted to protest.
"I lead him to you. Let me make it right." Ezra said.
"That is not your responsibility. Let me mend this old wound." Obi-Wan replied.
Maul's glare seemed to intensify as he understood the meaning of Kenobi's words. He wanted to finish what they started so many years ago. Just the two of them. Jedi vs. Sith.
Obi-Wan had Ezra climb up on the back of a Dewback while Chopper used his center rocket to fly up as he followed suit.
"Ride north. That is your way out." Obi-Wan instructed.
Ezra took hold of the reins as Chopper landed on the saddle behind him. But before they rode off, Obi-Wan said one final thing.
"Your way home."
Ezra seemed to understand what he meant, for his eyes widened briefly. He snapped the reins on the Dewback and the creature grunted before it turned in the direction Ezra wanted it to go and began plodding off. As Obi-Wan watched the young Padawan go off on his own, a very unwelcome voice reminded him that he still has a 'guest'.
"See you soon, Apprentice." Maul called after Ezra.
The aged Zabrak sighed as he began to circle the campfire that Obi-Wan had been sitting by. His eyes never left the aged master as they both sized up their opponents.
"Look what has become of you. A rat in the desert." Maul taunted.
But Obi-Wan wasn't fazed by the taunt.
"Look what I have risen above." he taunted back.
"I have come to kill you, but perhaps it's worse you leave you here; festering in your squaller." Maul taunted further.
But like back when he was in his prime, Obi-Wan turned to his Jedi training to keep a clear and level head. He knew what to say to throw Maul off his game, and would gladly say so if it meant stopping this old Sith once and for all. And finally avenging his master, Qui-Gon Jinn's death.
"If you define yourself by your ability to take life, desire to dominate and possess, then you have nothing."
Maul narrowed his eyes further and gritted his teeth at those words. He removed the wood from the bottom of his Saber-Cane and ignited the crimson red blade at the bottom.
"And what do YOU have?!" growled Maul as he swung at the ground.
His swing sent some sand onto the fire, smothering and extinguishing the flames. Obi-Wan said nothing, although his eyes did narrow a bit more, as the only light source the two now had was from Maul's Lightsaber.
"Why have you come to this place?" Maul asked.
Once again, Obi-Wan didn't reply. But that didn't stop the aged Zabrak from pestering him further about what he was doing in the deserts of Tatooine.
"Not simply to hide. No, you have a purpose here. Perhaps you are… protecting something?" Maul guessed.
Obi-Wan remained silent, but the Force told Maul all he needed to know at that point.
"No. Protecting… SOMEONE…"
The only response he got out of the old Jedi Master was the man activating his own Lightsaber, its brilliant blue blade illuminating the space around him as it was activated for the first time in many years. Obi-Wan settled into the classic Form III stance that he has used many times in the distant Clone Wars as Maul ignited the other blade on his Lightsaber, revealing it to be a Saberstaff.
Maul twirled his Saberstaff as he too began to get ready to fight. He twirled his Saberstaff again as he assumed the very battle stance he used back when he fought Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon back on Naboo. But it seems as though Obi-Wan also felt a bit nostalgic as he switched from Form III to Form IV. The same stance and fighting style he used against Maul on that very day.
The Zabrak tightened his hold on his Saberstaff and shifted his feet a little so he could get a more solid grip on the sandy ground. The two elderly warriors continued to stare each other down, daring the other to make the first move. It felt like an eternity that they had their eyes locked on one another, until suddenly…
Maul struck!
"HU-RAUGH!"
With a mighty war cry, Maul leapt at Obi-Wan, twirling his Saberstaff to add centrifugal force to his attack. The fight was rather quick as their blades clashed two times before Obi-Wan sent a downward slash at Maul.
At first, the two remained still. It seemed like nothing happened. But Maul's face morphed from one of rage to one of surprise and regret as he realized…
...Obi-Wan was once again victorious.
He lowered his arms to his sides, revealing that Obi-Wan had sliced his Saberstaff down the middle of the hilt, and the blades extinguished fell to his knees and almost fell to the ground as he released his now broken Saberstaff, but Obi-Wan caught him before he could hit the sand.
Obi-Wan looked at the dying Sith before him, not with accomplishment or pride… but with deep regret. Regret that he had to kill Maul and couldn't save him before it was too late. Maul gasped for breath as he felt the life draining from him like rivers of water flowing through a stream.
"T-Tell me… Is he the chosen one…?" Maul asked.
Obi-Wan knew who Maul was referring to and told the dying Zabrak the truth. This once proud warrior deserved that much.
"He is."
Maul wheezed as he felt the last of his strength leaving him. But he had no regrets. He lived a long life and accomplished some good before his death. That was victory enough for him.
"H-H-He will… avenge… us…" rasped Maul.
And with that, he stopped breathing altogether. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as he felt the deep regret of what had happened. Using one of his hands, the aged Jedi closed the dead Sith's still open eyes. Upon this night, he understood one thing. Darth Maul is finally dead.
...Or IS he?
*In the Space Between Universes…*
Maul woke up with a startled gasp as he saw that he was no longer on Tatooine, but he also was definitely not in any afterlife he's ever heard of. He was not in front of the beautiful gates of Heaven, nor was he in the burning pits of Hell. He didn't know where the heck he was. All he does know is that he can feel the Living Force all around him in this vast expanse of white.
Wherever he is… or whenever… it's not the afterlife. He does know from his studies of Sith Holocrons that some souls are so powerful that they can traverse through Space AND Time. He could be any place… any time…!
"What is this odd place that is so rich with the Living Force?" Maul asked himself.
"This is the Force itself." replied a voice that Maul didn't recognize.
He turned around and saw someone walking towards him. It was a man who looked to be no older than his early to mid twenties with wind blown brown hair, blue eyes and tan skin. He has a scar over his right eye, but he can still see out of it. He's well built and appears to have a prosthetic Droid arm replacement for his right arm, and is wearing an outfit reminiscent of the Dark Jedi. He even has a Lightsaber clipped to his belt.
Maul narrowed his eyes as he gazed upon this man. His appearance was clearly that of a Jedi, but his demeanor clearly stated otherwise. His energy readings in the Force… they feel perfectly balanced between Light and Dark. But how is this possible?
"Hello, Maul. It's good to see that you have arrived without any problems." the man greeted.
"How do you know my name?" growled Maul, ready to put up his defenses.
He reached for his Saberstaff, but found nothing. His shock wore off quickly as he remembered that it was destroyed in his final bout with Obi-Wan. The man put up a hand in surrender as he stepped closer.
"Calm down there, I mean you no harm. Quite the opposite, actually, as I'm here to help you." he said.
"You? Help me? Is that some kind of sick Jedi joke?" Maul asked before adding "Who are you anyway?"
"Oh right, I forgot. We never met in person. I'm Anakin Skywalker, the Avatar of the Force and a former Jedi Knight of the Republic."
Maul's eyes widened briefly. He knew of Anakin Skywalker due to hearing about him on the Holo News back when the Clone Wars were still taking place. The one who was chosen by the Force to return balance to the galaxy. Once Jedi, he was turned Sith by Maul's former master, becoming a cold hearted murderer and Lord of the Sith known as Darth Vader. But in his final battle, it seems he was turned back to the light. How this happened, Maul doesn't know.
Either way, the elderly Zabrak knew it was better to stay on Anakin's good side rather than risk being sent to the darkest pits of Hell for all the evil he's done in his life. So he dropped his guard and asked a simple question of the Jedi before him.
"What is it that you want with me, of all people?"
Anakin motioned towards a viewing portal that showed the life of someone that Maul didn't recognize. A young man, no older than sixteen at least, with black hair braided into a low pigtail and brown eyes wearing a red and black variation of a Chinese fighting uniform. But from this boy, Maul could sense incredible levels of Force sensitivity. Especially in the Dark Side.
Yet, despite this darkness, Maul could also sense that the lad has equal levels of light within him. He is neither Jedi, nor was he Sith. But he's not, technically, a Gray Jedi either. Maul honestly doesn't know what he is It just doesn't seem possible to him.
"Who is this boy? And how is he so strong in the Force with no prior training?"
"That young man, Maul, is called Ranma Saotome. He's the sole heir of the Saotome family in his neck of the galaxy, but he has several problems that were caused by his good for nothing father, Genma. One of his most tedious problems is that his father took him to an area of cursed hot springs which they both fell into. Genma fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda Bear, while Ranma himself fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. Their curses work this way; if they're splashed with cold water, they'll instantly transform into whatever drowned in the spring they fell in. In their case a Panda and a girl. But being splashed with hot water changes them back. It's a bit of a nuisance, really." Anakin explained.
He then went on to explain how Genma and his longtime friend, Soun Tendo, had set up an arrangement where Ranma would marry one of Soun's daughters and unite the two family dojos into one. But the boy's fiance, Akane Tendo, was less than thrilled about the idea, already hating Ranma because he's a boy that's cursed to change into a girl when splashed with cold water and labeling him as a pervert and gender changing freak.
"Well, I hardly see what that has to do with me." Maul commented. "And besides, why should I help a brat like him, who's only real life problems are a father who failed to raise him right and problems too much unwanted attention from the female species? That, and apparently, a curse that turns him into a woman when he's splashed with cold water, but at least it's reversible with hot water."
Maul then started pacing about as he began to go on a rant about how his life was so much worse than this boy's own.
"Has he ever had to sit in the fires of a furnace as he artificially crafted the crystals he would use to power his own Lightsaber? Has he ever been shocked into submission by Force Lightning so intense, he thought his heart would explode from the voltage? Has he EVER had to watch his own brother die right in front of him at the hands of his former master? I have endured hardships that would make a veteran soldier weep for their mother! Fought enemies that make his own look like kindergarten students by comparison! Fought Darth Sidious in a duel that should have ended my life, and yet I survived it all! WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS TO THINK THAT HIS LIFE IS SO HORRIBLE?!"
Anakin just gestured for him to keep watching the viewing screen, knowing what was about to happen to the poor guy. Anakin understood that Maul has endured many hardships in his life, many of which were far greater than Ranma's own. Still, he knows about something that will happen in the Living Force if nothing is done, and it all connects to Ranma and the events about to take place here.
Still confused about all of this, and angry at the bad memories that were recently brought up, Maul looked back to the viewing screen and saw that it looked like Ranma was about to leave, if the pack slung over his back was anything to go by. And from the looks of things, the boy's father and Soun were less than happy about this.
"Where do you think you're going, boy?!" Genma demanded.
"What's it look like? I'm leaving this place forever!" Ranma snapped back.
"What?! NO! YOU MUST NOT LEAVE! WHAT ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT TO MY DAUGHTER?!" Soun wailed like the wimpy man he is.
"Screw that engagement! She hates me anyway, so why should I keep being her punching bag just because you two want to merge the schools and live off of my own blood, sweat and tears?" Ranma snapped again.
Genma clenched his fists at Ranma's attitude. This was not good for him. He was slowly but surely losing his hold on the boy. And he didn't want that to happen, because if he suddenly realized his true potential, all of his plans would be ruined, and he's already got Nodoka hovering that meaningless Seppuku Pledge over his head.
Like he'd ever honor such a stupid agreement. He only agreed to it so he could advance his own plans for the boy.
"YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY FRIEND'S DAUGHTER LIKE THAT?! YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO AKANE BY MARRYING HER AND UNITING THE SCHOOLS RIGHT NOW!" Shouted Genma.
What he got in response was Ranma flipping him the bird and turning his back on the fat man.
"Go munch on bamboo, ya lazy black and white carpet!" Ranma quipped.
Upon hearing that quip, Maul had to stifle a chuckle. He found himself beginning to like this boy, and knew that despite his suffering being nothing in comparison to Maul's own, he'd make a truly worthy apprentice to any Sith Lord or Jedi. It's clear that this boy has more honor than any other man alive, and he's got the power to back up his attitude.
Anakin had a grin on his face, seeming to mirror Maul's thoughts. If he were still alive, he'd definitely take Ranma as a second Padawan if Ahsoka hadn't been framed and left the Jedi order all those years ago. That, or he'd recommend Ahsoka taking him as HER Padawan. It'd be interesting to see, at least.
But apparently, Genma wasn't quite done with Ranma yet.
"YOU BRAT!" yelled Genma as he charged at Ranma.
Ranma was so focused on leaving the Tendo Dojo forever that he didn't even register the danger he was in until it was too late. Using the Saotome family sword, Genma stabbed Ranma in the chest, just BARELY missing his heart. Blood spurted forth from the wound as Ranma stood there wide eyed in shock.
Even Akane and her sisters were left in shock by what just happened. They knew Ranma didn't want the engagement to go through anymore, but they didn't expect him to get struck down by his own father.
His mother, Nodoka, screamed as she witnessed her husband attempting to kill his own son just because he didn't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage. In Nodoka's opinion, that was by far the manliest and most honorable thing Ranma could have done. He already knows and has accepted that Akane doesn't like him that way and probably never will, so he's terminating the marriage himself to ensure she doesn't end up in a marriage she wants no part of.
And yet, Genma stabbed him for it. She shook her head and ran towards her son just in time to catch him before he fell to the ground. She removed the sword from his chest and immediately started to sew the wound shut and stop the bleeding. When she was done, despite the hasty stitching, she turned to glare up at her husband - no - to glare up at Genma with all the hate she could muster.
"Genma, how could you do such a thing?! Trying to kill your own son when he has finally become a man among men?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO DISGRACEFUL?!" she demanded.
Genma simply waved her off and pulled out a hidden knife from his sleeve. Courtesy of having Mousse teach him the Hidden Weapons Style in exchange for some more close combat training and instruction.
"I will not have my plans be stopped just because this boy refuses to honor our family by upholding the engagement! If he won't marry Akane willingly, then he will die!" Genma declared.
Now, Nodoka is known for being a very kind and patient woman. It's one of the reasons people often wonder how a woman as wonderful as she is chose to get saddled up with a con-artist like Genma Saotome. And now, even HER patience has reached its breaking point. Her love for this man has shattered… And she's now out for his blood.
"HITEN-MITSURUGI STYLE! BATTOJUTSU: DORYU-SEN!" Nodoka intoned as she drew her sword.
As she drew the blade from its sheath, she struck it against the ground and sent several sharp rocks and boulders at Genma. But the man was quicker than he let on and easily dodged the attack. But he wasn't prepared for Nodoka to unleash one of her stronger moves on him.
"HITEN-MITSURUGI STYLE: KUZU RYU-SEN!"
Like blaster bolts being fired, nine beams of pure battle Ki shot towards Genma with the intent to completely murderize the fat panda of a man.
Back in the realm of the Force, Maul was shocked and appalled by what was going on. How could the boy's father have tried to kill him all because of a stupid marriage? It just seemed stupid, a waste of talent, and downright evil. Not exactly up to Sith standards, I mean, killing your own master and family is par for the course when you're among the Sith.
But still, at least when he was a child, Maul's family never tried to outright kill him for stupid reasons such as refusal to satisfy their greed. This man, Genma, merely wanted to mooch off of Ranma's achievements in life. To live off of the boy's blood, sweat and tears while he just lounges around doing absolutely nothing with his life. The Force has told Maul about Genma's ways. The fat pig of a Panda preaches about upholding the family honor, but he hasn't even a shred of it left to his name!
And he should know. Maul is a warrior by nature, so he knows all about honor. Be it honor on the battlefield towards a fellow warrior, or within one's own family. You could say that, among Sith, he is the samurai of the group.
"As you can see, Maul, Ranma's sector of the Galaxy needs both the Jedi and the Sith to keep the balance, and the Force has told me that Ranma will be the one to bring about this new age of Jedi and Sith. But to do this, he needs guidance and training. That is where you will come in, Maul. As a Darth, you were one of the most feared Sith Assassins in the galaxy, and I know that if you were to pass that legacy onto Ranma, the name of Darth Maul would be feared once again. But he would also bring forth great respect for the name and help you atone for your past deeds." Anakin explained further.
He turned around to face Maul, a deep frown on his face as he listened to the warnings within the Force.
"If his life is extinguished now, the Force will forever remain unbalanced and in a constant state of chaos! This will cause not only the end of the Jedi and Sith, but it will mean the destruction of the whole universe!" he exclaimed. "I have a plan to prevent that from happening, but I need your help to make sure it succeeds. Please! Put aside your pride and self entitlement as a Sith long enough to help keep the balance of the Force and keep the universe from perishing because of one man's greed!"
Maul didn't even need time to think. He immediately looked from the viewing screen to Anakin and asked one simple question.
"What is the plan?"
*In A Different Part Of The Galaxy…*
Before Nodoka could pounce on Genma and possibly kill the greedy, gluttonous, slothful, dishonorable fool of a man, she froze up at the feeling of a killing intent she hasn't felt since she was a child. A killing intent that made her eyes turn to the door as a Katana blade slashed right through the thin wood like a sheet of rice paper.
The Saotome matriarch paled considerably as she recognized the blade and who it belonged to.
"He's here…!" she gasped.
"NO! NOT HIM! ANYONE BUT HIM!" screamed a panicking Genma.
"What are you guys talking about? Who's here?" asked Nabiki, one of the clueless Tendo sisters.
As the door fell to the ground and a small dust cloud rose up, it obscured the intruder from view, leaving only their silhouette visible. But Nodoka knew exactly who it was without question.
"Himura…!"
The smoke cleared and in walked a man who looked to still be in his late mid teens to mid twenties, but was actually much older than he appeared. He has dark red hair done in a low ponytail at the base of his skull, tan skin, lavender eyes, a X-shaped scar on his left cheek, and he appears to be a little on the short side for a man. He's dressed in red and white traditional samurai attire, and has a Katana in his hand that was strapped to his hip.
Coming in behind him is a woman with bluish-black hair, porcelain skin and blue eyes. She's wearing a pink kimono with a purple hibiscus flower pattern on it, and she too has a sword strapped to her hip. And like the man, she too looked younger than she should be. The only way to tell that she's older than she looks are a few more prominent gray hairs and deeper wrinkles on the outer edges of her eyes and on her fingers. Other than that, she could very well pass off as being between the ages of twenty two and twenty eight.
Aside from the blades and their surprisingly youthful appearances, the two of them also seemed to be downright pissed off.
"You bet he is! Kenshin Himura, the head of the Himura clan and grandfather of one Ranma Saotome." the red haired man said.
He looked to his Nodoka and gave her a small glare, which caused her to shrink in on herself. If there's one thing that scared her more than anything in the mortal world, it's a glare from this man. Her father.
"You've used the stronger moves of the Hiten-Mitsurugi Style so many times, I could sense your Battle Ki half a continent away. Those nonstop attacks of yours are going to cause irreversible damage to your body if you're not careful." Kenshin lightly scolded.
And he should know. Due to his own excessive use of Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu back in his youth, it damaged his body so much that he couldn't perform the Hiten-Mitsurugi Style for many years after Nodoka and her brother, Kenji, were born. Thankfully, once fully healed, he was able to perform the art once again and teach it to his children. But he remains wary of how often he fights because of it, and doesn't use the techniques of the style too often in a fight, unlike how he used to back in the day.
"Father, please understand. I was trying to…" Nodoka tried to speak, but her father cut her off.
"Save it. We know. Genma, one of Kaoru's FORMER students, attempted to have our grandchild killed because he refused to honor a marriage contract that was doomed to fail from the start. Not to mention how he utterly destroyed Ranma, emotionally and psychologically, because of that training trip." Kenshin said, leveling Genma with a far harsher glare than the one he gave his daughter.
He stepped towards the fat fool and in an instant had the tip of his sword at the beady-eyed man's throat.
"I told you that Ranma was not suited to learn the Anything Goes Martial Arts style; that he would be trained by This One's friend, Sanosuke Sagara, in the ways of his own Martial Arts style. You ignored me and forced the training on Ranma anyway."
"Feh! Sagara's blasted style was a bastardized version of the true art! Nothing more than simple street brawling that even a drunken fool could do with no effort! Honor demanded that…"
Before Ganma could finish his rant, he was screaming in pain as Kaoru rocketed forward and grabbed his arm before snapping the bones within it in two. And it wasn't a clean break either.
"Don't you DARE talk to us about honor, you gluttonous wretch! You know NOTHING of the concept!" she growled. "You speak of honor when you've not a shred of it in your whole damn body! Despite her own mistakes in the matter of raising Ranma, my daughter still has more honor in one finger than you've ever had in your whole life!"
She stepped forward and punched Genma in the face with a right hook so strong, it nearly broke his jaw. However, it did knock out a few of his molars from the force of the impact. The Tendo's were so shocked by what was going on that none of them could move. Even though Soun desperately wanted to rush to the defense of his friend. However, a single glare from Kaoru was more than enough to stop the human waterfall in his tracks.
She turned her glare back at Genma and stalked closer towards the pathetic excuse for a man. Like the coward he was, he tried to run, but found himself unable to as he was surrounded by the three members of the Himura family.
"I never did like you. I always knew you were nothing more than an honorless coward who would try to weasel his way out of anything if it meant satisfying your own greed and gluttony. When my daughter, Nodoka, chose to marry you, I didn't approve of it. I knew that she could do better than you. But despite how you were, and my own disapproval at your marriage, I didn't disown her. I had hoped, PRAYED even, that her influence might have been enough to get you to change your ways and turn you into an honest, hard working man. But I see that I was wrong. You're WEAK! You're PATHETIC!" Kenshin explained.
"You not only had my daughter agree to let you take Ranma on a training trip that he was in no way going to prosper in, but you forced my daughter to have you both swear a blood oath on a Seppuku Pact just to try and keep you in line! RANMA WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD AT THE TIME, FOR KAMI'S SAKE! And the forbidden Neko-Ken training… YOU THREW HIM INTO A PIT FULL OF STARVING CATS AND CAUSED HIM TO BECOME DEATHLY AFRAID OF THEM, YOU HONORLESS BASTARD OF A FATHER! WHILE HE WAS A CHILD!" Kaoru added, roaring at him in the end.
Genma was about to retort, but Nodoka grabbed him in an arm burn by his good arm and began to practically pull the appendage out of its socket. Her face was like that of a demon about to destroy everyone in her path. And I have no doubts that she can do so as well.
"AND YOU KNOW THE WORST PART? NOT ONLY HAVE YOU HAD HIM ENGAGED TO MULTIPLE GIRLS MANY TIMES OVER, BUT WHEN YOU FIRST TOOK RANMA FOR HIS 'TRAINING TRIP', YOU SOLD HIM TO SOME RANDOM STRANGER FOR A BOWL OF RICE AND TWO MEASLY FISH!" Nodoka roared.
"PLUS PICKLES! PLUS PICKLES!" Genma shouted out of pain.
Bad choice of words on his part, because he was now on the receiving end of three angry members of the Himura Clan, each one attempting to end Genma's life. And watching from the sidelines, Soun was crying waterfalls of tears as his friend was being so 'wrongfully beaten by his ungrateful wife and in-laws'.
But his three daughters had other thoughts on the matter. They were all shocked by what they'd just learned about Ranma, straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
'Poor Ranma-Kun…' thought a near crying Kasumi.
'Saotome really had to go through all of that? And I just used his curse as a means of racking in the dough… Oh, Kami-Sama above, what kind of monster am I?!' Nabiki thought as she began to cry out of shame and self loathing.
But Akane was the most shocked out of the three of them. She couldn't believe all that Ranma, the boy whom she seemed to hate with a passion, had to suffer through for his life. Sure, her dad became drawn in on himself when her mother died, but at least he never tried to sell her or her sisters just to put food on the table!
But Genma… that fat, lazy Panda-Man just used Ranma as a scapegoat and a means to fill his fat belly! She slowly sank to her knees as the reality of all she's done to Ranma during their engagement finally revealed itself to her. Somehow, she was seeing every event as it happened through his own eyes. Every insult, every beating, every time he was smashed by her mallet…
It sickened her!
'Ranma…'
Akane's hands flew to her mouth as her dinner started coming back up. She couldn't stop herself from puking all over the floor as the guilt seemed to tear right through her heart and mind.
She felt a hand rubbing circles in her back to try and ease the queasiness she was feeling and looked up to see her equally distressed sister, Nabiki, trying to help her. She offered a small, grateful smile, even if she was still coughing from her little puking fit earlier. One thing is certain, she and her sisters know now what they must do if they want to help Ranma.
With the now beaten and bloodied Genma kneeling on the ground, Kenshin too out the mystical artifact known as the Sword of Sealing Curse, and got ready to strike Genma with it.
"Genma Saotome, for your arrogant acts of greed, you have proven yourself a lesser human."
He raised the sword up high and slashed at Genma as the sword enveloped him in a dark aura. Once it died down, Panda-Genma was kneeling in place of human Genma. He looked shocked and worried about what just happened.
"The sword has locked you in your cursed form for all eternity. Not even the Amazons and their famous Phoenix Pill can turn you back now. You have dishonored my family, and so to redeem that honor, you shall remain as you are. In a prison of your own making." Kenshin declared.
{No…! You can't!} signed Panda-Genma.
"I have." Kenshin calmly replied.
It was all too much for the man-turned-Panda, and he fainted on the spot. Both from shock and from his own injuries. With Genma dealt with, the Himura family sheathed their swords and rushed to Ranma. Being careful of his stitches, Kenshin picked up his grandson and made his way towards the door.
"Quickly, we must get him medical attention!" he exclaimed.
Not needing to be told twice, everyone but Soun ran after the Himura Clan Patriarch towards the Nerima Ward hospital. Ranma's life comes before anything else right now.
*To Be Continued…*
So, like I said, the story is back. And it's still as long as it was when I first posted it. So, since I'm not quite sure who I want Ranma to succeed here, the story has yet to be renamed. I'm now stuck between sticking with Darth Maul and having Ranma succeed the ancient Sith Lord known as Tulak Hord. Please let me know whether you want me to have him succeed Maul or Tulak Hord, and don't forget to cast your votes on the poll. There's still time for you to vote on the girl Ranma will get together with in this story. Thank you all, and remember…
MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU! (XD LOLZ!)