Anything Goes Battlefield Tactics
Chapter 1
Bad Day
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Genma couldn't help but cringe. Fresh cuts that had recently been sown shut ran across his face in long, jagged lines that spoke of the violence he'd recently been involved in. Bandages were applied across his body in the places where the injuries were too severe for his martial artist healing rate to cope with, the largest being the one covering his left eye socket.
Genma shivered from thinking about the recent surgery that had removed his eye, to heavily damage from the recent battle to function.
He scoffed to himself as memories of the fight flashed in his mind.
'If you could call that a fight. More a bar room brawl than anything else.' Genma thought to himself as he checked out his gruesome appearance.
As well as losing the eye, his other injuries included losing the little and ring fingers of his right hand and breaking the bones of his left leg, not including the numerous scars he'd received from the fight.
"Thank the gods I didn't lose the leg!" Genma said aloud.
The middle age martial artist turned from the mirror he was looking at to his son's unconscious form on the hospital bed in front of him.
Bandages were wrapped around the young boy's head, as he slept fitfully. The doctors had told the father that Ranma had a slight concussion and that after a good night's sleep, they expected him to make a full recovery.
Genma shook his head as he started to remember the recent events that led to the two travelling martial artists staying at this place.
It was Genma's fault, as it usually was the man recognized, but this time more from bad luck and bad planning.
Genma had been gambling in a local casino, something that the man was partial to doing on occasion, and this time his luck wasn't with him but he found he gambled a little over his budget.
What Genma didn't know was that the owner had an extreme disliking for those who walked out on depts. The point was emphasised from the gang of thugs that attacked Genma while he was trying to leave the building.
Anyone who knew Genma well, would say that he was a very capable and talented martial artist, and he proved that when dealing quite easily with the first two hard men that came at Genma, unfortunately the third that smashed the steel bar stool on top of Genma head from behind, was able to take him by surprise. Stunned from the blunt trauma, Genma was unable in stopping the gang of seven men from swamping him and bringing him to the ground where they proceeded to pummel the martial artist before dragging him outside.
Once in the back alley behind the club, the hired muscles started to go to work on Genma. Raining blow upon blow on the man, using an assortment of weapons from brass knuckles to steel clubs, they were able to beat out any resistance that the usually tough martial artist would have been able to bring to arms.
Genma sagged into the only chair in the room as he remembered the next thing that happened on that unfortunate night.
A ten year old Ranma, who had been standing outside the club like usual, waiting for his father, was drawn to the alley after hearing the violent sounds coming from it. Upon seeing his father being brutally attacked, Ranma reacted how he was trained to, like any reasonable martial artist would. The young boy dived head first at the first thug, striking with every technique he had in his limited arsenal.
Genma shook his head as he thought over his son's performance. Though the boy fought admirably, he was soon subdued by two of the men who came at him from behind. Genma self-respect diminished slightly as he realized his young son had put up more of a fight then he had. He noted that Ranma's most successful moment was when he had been taken to the ground. The boy threw all form and rules out the window by turning to one of the men holding him and biting down hard on one of the hands holding him. The man let go immediately, allowing Ranma to start fighting again. That lasted only a couple minutes as the man recovered and retook his hold of the boy. After that the man, obviously angered from the wound his son gave him, threw Ranma head first into the alley wall. That was that for the young boy as he quickly lost consciousness.
Genma unfortunately was still very much awake as the rest of the men quickly went back to beating him to a bloody pulp. He wasn't sure how much time passed but when they eventually left him in the alley alone with his son, his body was broken and battered beyond recognition.
What felt like hours pasted to Genma before he was finally able to summon up the energy to drag himself out in to the busy main street, getting someone to call an ambulance for the father and his son.
So here he was, bruised, beaten and with his views of where he was as a martial artist shattered.
The bald man rubbed his head as he tried to come to grips with himself. Genma had always viewed himself as good if not great fighter, able to perform feats most people would think impossible.
But... but if he could be beaten so easily by a band of thugs then what was the point? What was the point in training all those years, pushing his body to the limits? What was the point of working himself to the bone under that ruthless taskmaster Happosai?
The man slammed his fist into the chair's armrest in frustration.
"What now?" Genma whispered, softly.
Genma had always put a lot of his confidence as a martial artist into the Saotome Anything Goes style. He thought that such an advanced and adaptable style would be able to get him out of any situation. That had been the reason he had tracked down master Happosai and gone through all the terrible trials in order to learn it instead of find a more reasonable and sane master.
But tonight Anything Goes had failed Genma.
A movement in Genma vision brought him out of his deep thoughts. Genma rose from his chair and approached the bed as his son started shift beneath his covers.
As Genma reached the bottom of the hospital bed, he saw Ranma's eyes open and start to blink. Ranma raised his head slightly before his eyes moved across the room before settling on his father.
"Pop?" The small boy said, weakly.
Genma nodded his head. Though his expression didn't change, a warm feeling spread through Genma's chest from seeing his son awake and looking like there was no permanent damage from the head injury.
Ranma stared at man who was his father, barely recognising him. Gone was the man's dirty gi and white bandana, instead replaced by a hospital gown and bandages. The biggest difference to the man though was his face. Ranma shivered as he looked at his father's face. Brutal scars lined the man's flesh and the bandage over his left eye gave, in Ranma point of view, a frightening appearance. It had been a long time since Ranma had been frightened of his father but looking into the scarred visage now, he couldn't help but feel the shiver going up his spine.
The boy felt his mouth becoming dry but couldn't help but start to mutter out loud. Anything to stop the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on the room. The hard stare his father was giving him wasn't helping either.
"I...I'm sssorry Pop." Ranma stuttered out. "I wasssn't good en... enough. If I had fought better we wouldn't be here. Sorry."
Ranma finished out lamely and bowed his head in shame.
Genma couldn't help but be slightly amused that his ten year old son thought it was his fault. He snorted at the idea that his son should protecting him instead of the other way around.
Unfortunately the snort sounded to Ranma more of contempt then humour. The child martial artist bowed his head even further in shame. It was then that Ranma swore to himself he would train harder and get stronger to make sure he would be able to fight with his father in future fights. As Ranma made the personal promise, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw his father staring at him again.
"Get some rest boy. We'll need to get moving tomorrow." Genma said gruffly before taking his hand off Ranma and leaving the room without even a glance back.
Ranma frowned sadly as he watched his father go before the boy pulled his covers more closely around him and laid his head on the pillow, slowly getting back to sleep.
Genma shook his head as he got back to his room. This experience had seriously shaken the man. His plan before of training his son in the art and taking him to Soun for the marriage had to be put on hold.
Though many wouldn't think it, Genma truly cared for the Anything Goes School, as much as he cared for his family and to have this defeat rest on his shoulders was unacceptable.
Genma knew that it wasn't it to hunt down the men that inflicted his injuries but that did not mean that couldn't improve his styles of fighting to the point where what happened tonight would never happen again.
So Genma decided as he got back into his bed that alongside training Ranma, he would seek out new schools of fighting to improve himself as well.
Genma smiled as sleep took him, with the answer in his mind he was able to sleep more smoothly.
AN: That it for now. I'll try and update this very soon. note on my other fics. I haven't forgotten about them just yet. I'll be getting another chapter of Reverse Nekoken out soon, real soon.
Until then please tell what you think... and see ya soon.