Author's foreword: For those of you who are reading me the first time, this is pretty out there in terms of my usual stuff. This is not your average everyday ordinary fic, but it does have your average everyday application of the same bad thinking that runs through an unevaluated story.
Hint: Think Rankofic.
Genmafication: Part 1
By
ToastedPine
Mould, dust, and darkness.
The sound of wood sliding against metal.
And then, the light.
The heavy barred door swung open. "Please father! Please, no!" a young boy pleaded. He was no older than twelve or thirteen. His face was stained with blood, snot, and tears.
"You like stealing food so much, let's see how much you can steal from in here," came an older rougher voice.
"Aurghh," the boy hit the ground shoulder first. He shakily pushed off on his uninjured side to right himself. A sudden loud thud distracted him from his own suffering, and made him aware of what had happened. Adrenaline surged through his body as he threw himself at the door and pounded desperately on the cold, unyielding barrier.
"Father! Father!" He pounded "Forgive me, I'll never do it again! I won't steal from the pantry anymore." His hand went numb. "It was only some dried fish…" He pounded one last time, barely making a sound. "…it was only some dry fish," he said to himself.
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He awoke to the face of his son. Not quite feeling up to rising, he decided to just study the boy's face. The boy had taken after his mother; being lean and easy on the eyes….
Genma snorted and forced himself awake. What was he doing getting jealous of the things he could not have? There was no use crying over spilt milk. He had raised the boy to have everything he was deprived of-- the art, the care, the women—and had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. But what did he get for his trouble? Ingratitude.
He wondered if he had made a mistake years ago when he had married that woman. She had been young and rebellious teenager who had wanted to do anything and everything to defy her father. He could relate, or so he thought.
He had never married her for the money, which was why he had stayed by her side even after her father had cut his ties to her. He had no idea why, but after she had heard that, she had become jealous, obsessive, controlling. It had gotten to the point where living with her had become unbearable, and he had been forced to…seek solutions.
His only blessing now was that, thanks to the boy's engagement to Akane, Nodoka agreed that he and Ranma could live away from her so that the boy and his fiancée could cultivate their bond.
"Stupid Old Man," Ranma grumbled in his sleep.
He turned his attention to the sleeping boy beside him. Would he wake him today? Genma sniffed at that. Ranma had always been lacking in discipline, and refused to learn it despite all his efforts. Didn't Ranma realize that with an art as dangerous as Anything Goes, the only thing keeping him from becoming the dreaded master was discipline? He doubted Ranma would listen even if he did try, which he had, repeatedly. His son would not listen to his wise council though.
With a sigh, he decided against the usual routine. What would be the purpose of such an exercise in futility? He saw how the boy looked at him—like some tiresome pest that only had to be humoured. No, he wasn't in the mood to be taken for granted today.
Genma slid the window open and perched himself on the windowsill. He needed to raise his spirits, he needed to get away, and he knew just who to visit.
About two months ago, Tokyo Zoo had received a mature female panda. He did not know the specific details behind her coming to live in Japan, but he had heard from the zoo keeper that she was sterile. Overnight, Bamboo the panda had become the Zoo's treasured exhibit. Wanting only the best for their star attraction, the Zoo had given her plenty of room, even going so far as to import native plants from her home territory to create her own private forest.
Genma stood the edge of the perimeter fence. His heart yearned to see her again ever since that fateful day they had met.
He stared at the water in the metal pail he was holding. Unlike his son, he did not regard Jusenkyo as a curse. His panda side covered his ugliness; the man who could not even bear to look at himself in the mirror. He was bald and fat despite his best efforts. Practicing the art had given him a lot of muscle, but his store if lard refused to decrease.
Noticing a presence watching him, he turned to the left. It was Bamboo, and when their eyes met the yearning in his heart increased three-fold. Somehow, whenever he saw her, he felt immediately accepted. It was as if Bamboo understood his pain. Now that he thought about it, Bamboo sounded a lot like the name of one the boy's mates. He shook his head-- he came here to forget about his problems, not remember them.
Bamboo had changed his attitude towards his transformation. Being a Panda felt more… right. Almost as soon as the thoughts entered his skull, he tried to clear them away. He was human. He needed this, but he was human damn it! A small part of him asked why he had to consider himself human. There was nothing bad about being a panda was there? However, if there was one thing he was good at, it was keeping thoughts from taking over his mind. Genma took a cleansing breath, and all the unwanted thoughts disappeared.
Cold water from the bucket soaked his body. The tiny amount of disorientation told him that the transformation had finished, before he jumped over the fence.
For a panda trained in Anything Goes, moving around without being detected within the enclosure was a cinch. Soon, he was face to face with the being he had wanted to see all along, Bamboo.
He didn't approach her, even though he wanted to. No, that wasn't the way of the panda. He selected a stalk of bamboo that was rife with leaves and started tearing into it.
The leaves were actually quite tasty to his panda form, and it only took a few moments for Bamboo to settle down next to him with her own bundle of juicy leaves.
In this way, they spent the entire afternoon: in silence, chewing leaves.
Near sunset, Genma snapped out of his bliss enough to realize that he needed to be getting back. He never knew when the boy would get suspicious, and discover his secret, or his wife could decide to appear.
Unfortunately, given his luck, he would never find any lasting peace for himself. Genma had just finished getting hot water when he heard screaming at the far end of the zoo. There was trouble. Would Bamboo be in danger? Before he knew it, he was speeding towards the scene.
What he found when he arrived was strange even compared to the general strangeness that happened around the boy. It was a giant monster that was like a cross between a woman and a green dumpster. She was blocky and incredibly hideous with arms that seemed to be made of black plastic bags, only plastic bags wouldn't normally stretch out and cut things.
He grimaced. If this continued, Bamboo might get hurt– not to mention many innocent people. He wasn't dishonorable enough to let that happen if he could do something about it.
There was a flash of light, and then…
"Stop! Zoos are places for families to enjoy each others company while reveling in the presence of nature. For ruining the sanctity of such a place, in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"
Genma gasped, shocked at the stupidity of the young lady who had magically appeared. What's more, she was wearing an embarrassing outfit similar to the ones he often saw worn by cheap women who catered to a 'special' clientele in red light districts.
He saw the monster wind up for an attack, and did the only thing he could. "Look out!" he yelled, and pushed her out of harms way just before black pliant death hit him squarely on the jaw. As a result, he took the attack full on without benefit of being able to brace.
The last thing he remembered before the darkness set was the smell of dirt and moldy bread.
