For three hundred years Koinosuke Odago had wandered all of Japan looking for the heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage and the blade of his late master Yagyu Jubei. The loyal samurai had been given only one clue as to the description of Yagyu Jubei's heir "Plump bouncy bon bons." Searching high and low Koinosuke had no idea as to what type of person would fit that description. At first the loyal samurai checked every person he met man or woman. But when he found out what bouncy bon bons really were Koinosuke could eliminate the men of Japan from his search for the next Yagyu Jubei. And so for over two hundred years Koinosuke Odago eyed the chests and rears of every single woman he ever laid eyes on.
********
Morning came all too quickly to the Nerima district of Tokyo and with it came the promise of another day in the life of one Ranma Saotome. It just so happened that on this particular day the Furinkan High kendo club would return to school. And it also just so happened that this was going to be the first day Ranma's newly reunited sister Jiyu would begin classes at Hontsuru Jr. High. With her looks Ranma was going to have his hands full keeping the suitors away from his sister.
When the Saotome siblings awoke that morning they noticed their father was still tied up in the gardens in panda form. Serves him right, Ranma thought when he looked out his window. Wow mom must really be mad at him, Jiyu thought when she saw Genma-panda snoring out in the gardens. And with Genma still under punishment from Nodoka Ranma could afford to take a morning off and get to school early for a change. He was about to find out that the extra time was about to be put to use escorting his little sister to Hontsuru Jr. High. In fact, Ranma was going to be so early he would run into someone he never saw outside of Furinkan High before lunch, Tatewaki Kuno.
"Ranma you'd better hurry and eat." Nodoka said, "I want you to have plenty of time to help your sister find her way to her school."
"Sure thing mom." Ranma replied. Anything to not have to deal with the Kuno squad this morning, he then added silently.
"I really don't need anyone to show me how to get to school mom." Jiyu protested.
"Jubei you know you don't know your way around here that well." Nodoka reminded her.
With a sigh Jiyu reluctantly gave in and allowed Ranma to show her how to get to Hontsuru. I'll just ditch him on the way. It should be easy to do. Especially if I use that bike I found in the back alley, Jiyu thought to herself.
Breakfast that morning began a little sooner than usual that morning so Ranma and Jiyu could leave early for school. Genma had been fed a handful of nori and other leafy greens as a part of his ongoing punishment while everyone else dined on Kasumi's traditional Japanese breakfast of fish, rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. And when the Saotome siblings had finished their breakfast Jiyu and Ranma headed for the door. Once outside Jiyu made a break for the back alley and grabbed the bike she had found out of the small shed. Now on the bike Jiyu put operation ditch oniichan into action.
"Jiyu, Jiyu aw come on Jubei mom'll kill me if I let you get lost on the way to school." Ranma yelled at his sister as he began to run after her.
"I don't need an escort to school oniichan. I'm fourteen and I can take care of myself just fine." Jiyu called back to him.
Heading down the street on the bike Jiyu cycled past a young man dressed in a white kimono and blue hakama carrying a simple case and a wooden bokken. The young man took one look at Jiyu and fell instantly in love with her. Such beauty and grace can only be rivaled by the fierce Akane Tendo and the pigtailed goddess, he thought.
As Jiyu passed the kendoist he began to run after her wanting to know her name and if he could date her. The kendoist didn't care if the girl was a tad bit younger than he was she was still a vision of loveliness in his mind.
"My blossoming beauty on wheels wait for me so that we may be properly introduced to one another." He yelled after her.
"Jubei if you head in that direction then you'll be certain to get lost." Ranma yelled trying to catch up to his sister.
Ignoring both the kendoist and her brother Jiyu continued along the path she had chosen to take her to Hontsuru. And as she went along Jiyu passed by three boys dressed in the uniform for Hontsuru Jr. High. One of the boys however, had on a biker's hat and a red t-shirt with a large kanji on the front under his uniform jacket and a white bandage on his right cheek. The kanji on the shirt read morning at the moment and then quickly changed to love when he spotted Jiyu, or rather her ample chest, go by the trio.
"I think I'm in love." The t-shirt wearing boy commented.
"Come back here my blossoming beauty on wheels." The kendoist yelled as he ran past the boys.
"Come on Jubei do you want me to loose my head?" another boy yelled at her.
The trio saw the bokken wielding boy chasing after Jiyu and decided to put a stop to it. Readying his case the boy with the shirt, which now read justice, waited for the unsuspecting kendoist. With one swing of his case the shirt boy sent the kendoist flying into the air headed towards Furinkan. The second boy saw what had happened and figured he had enough time to thank the trio.
"Thanks man. That jerk Kuno was trying to make a move on my little sister. By the way I'm Ranma Saotome." Ranma said.
"Bantaro Sanbonmatsu boss of the greatest ruffian gang in Nerima. These are my buddies Ozaru and Kozaru. It was our duty and pleasure to protect the innocence of girl like your sister." Bantaro replied as his shirt now advertised him as a hero.
"Look I'd love to stay and talk with you guys but if I don't get going my sister is bound to get lost on her way to school and then I'm gonna be late because I had to go after her." Ranma told them as he started to go after Jiyu.
Bantaro looked off in the direction where Jiyu had gone and then back to Ranma. The kanji on his shirt had changed once again this time announcing he had an idea. Turning to face Ranma Bantaro grabbed Ozaru and Kozaru, each by the shoulder, and turned his idea into an offer he knew Ranma couldn't refuse.
"Listen Ranma seeing as how this is Nerima and your sister happens to have on the uniform for the school we go to why don't you let us go find her and get her to school on time." Bantaro offered.
"I guess that would be okay. Jubei doesn't seem to want her oniisan tagging along with her on her first day of school." Ranma replied.
"Okay men it's time to put operation find Saotome into action." Bantaro told his buddies as his shirt now read detective.
Ranma watched as the three ruffians ran off in the direction Jiyu had gone. As they left he heard the other two ruffians talking to their leader.
"You know you made that offer only because you like her." Ozaru said.
"True but that's only part of the reason. It's out duty to help new students on their first day and to protect them from weirdoes like that kendo guy." Bantaro replied.
"Yeah but you know who that kendo guy was don't you? That was Tatewaki Kuno captain of the Furinkan High kendo club. I remember seeing him at school once giving a demo to the kendo club. And I've heard stories about Ranma Saotome. They say he's a great martial artist and fights guys like Kuno all the time. Though I never heard of him having a sister before." Kozaru told them.
"Then we have more of a reason to find her." Bantaro said as his shirt now read guide.
********
Little Sister Samurai
Episode Two: First Day of School: Jubei's Return
********
Jiyu's plan to ditch Ranma had worked real well. In fact, it had worked too well. Jiyu had now gotten herself lost in a nearby bamboo forest just off the local park. It had been five years since Jiyu was last in Nerima and this was the first time she had been in the far western part of the district. The house she had lived in with her mother was located on the other side of the district and Jiyu was familiar with that part of the Nerima district. Looking around the small clearing she was now in Jiyu couldn't seem to find a way out of the forest.
"This is just great now I've gone and gotten myself lost." Jiyu thought aloud.
Just when Jiyu thought all was lost a young man slightly older than her appeared in the clearing before her. The young man had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes and wore the same uniform for Hontsuru Jr. High the ruffians had on. One look at Jiyu and the young man fell in love in much the same way Bantaro and Kuno had. Facing Jiyu the young man decided to introduce himself to her.
"Good morning I see you attend Hontsuru Jr. High too. Allow me to introduce myself I am Shiro Ryujoji grade nine room three C and the captain of the kendo club. I have won the prefectual tournament three years in a row and I also won last year's national junior championship. Not that I'm bragging." Shiro said, "If you want to talk I'm available anytime. You can usually find me in the classroom or in the school dojo after school."
"Good morning sempai. My name is Jiyu Saotome but my mother likes to call me Jubei. We just moved back to Nerima and were finally reunited with my brother and father and this is my first day at Hontsuru." Jiyu told him introducing herself.
"You looked a little lost and seeing as how I'm headed for the junior high I was wondering if I could offer my help and show you to the school." Shiro offered.
"That would be great. It has been a while since I was last in Nerima." Jiyu replied.
Shiro then led Jiyu out of the bamboo forest in the direction of Hontsuru Jr. High. But before they were out of the forest a shadowy figure had noticed Jiyu or rather a very prominent asset of hers. One look at Jiyu's ample bosom and the shadowy figure knew she was the one he had been searching for for a very long time. The youngest Saotome fit the bill perfectly.
"Plump bouncy bon bons." The figure commented, "After all this time I've finally found the one."
As Jiyu left the forest with Shiro the shadowy figure pulled a heart shaped object out of his robes and took a long look at it before following after her.
********
Hontsuru Jr. High wasn't too far from Furinkan High. The two schools were separated by a simple chain link fence in between their ball fields. Lunch for both schools was scheduled at the same time and students from both schools would spend their lunch hour together. And whenever there was a martial arts challenge at either school Nabiki Tendo would not only take bets from the high school students she always made certain to include the junior high students in the betting. Nabiki had assistants in both schools and made a fortune selling information and photos.
Shiro and Jiyu arrived at Hontsuru a few moments after the ruffians had. The moment Bantaro saw Jiyu with Shiro his jaw dropped and the kanji on his t-shirt had changed to read disappointed. The girl he thought he would spend all his time with was in the company of the captain of the kendo club.
"Hey isn't that the captain of the kendo club?" Ozaru wondered.
"Yeah it is." Kozaru replied.
"Dumped by my one true love for the captain of the kendo club." Bantaro moaned as his shirt now announced he thought he had been dumped.
Ozaru and Kozaru looked at Bantaro as though he had gone nuts. Bantaro hadn't even introduced himself to her yet and already he was acting as though Jiyu was his one and only.
"Sir you haven't introduced yourself to her yet. How can she dump you if you haven't even dated her yet?" Ozaru said.
"First of all how many times have I told you to call me boss? And secondly it doesn't matter if we haven't dated I saw her first." Bantaro replied.
The trio of ruffians watched as Jiyu and Shiro walked over to a glass door marked main office. The pair stopped for a moment to talk before parting ways.
"Okay here's the main office of the school. You can get your class assignments in there. Now anytime you want to talk about anything or get directions around Nerima just remember you can find me in class 3C or in the dojo after school." Shiro said.
"I'll remember that." Jiyu replied as she opened the door to the office.
********
Ten minutes before class was about to begin the students in class 2B were catching up on the latest free gossip, information, and odds on bets Nabiki was running. And living in Nerima the topic of most of the discussions in the room usually centered around the latest chaos surrounding the Nerima Wrecking Crew but what the students in 2B didn't know was that they were about to meet the sister of one of the founding members. A few minutes after the ruffians had taken their seats Jiyu walked into the room.
"It's her!" Bantaro exclaimed as his shirt read happy, "I still have a chance with the love of my life. All I have to do now is go and talk to her."
"You can do it sir." Kozaru said in support.
"I told you to call me boss." Bantaro replied.
As Bantaro headed towards Jiyu she headed for the only open desk in the room. The desk happened to be in front of two girls. One was tall and had brown hair that framed her face and ended near the bottom of her cheeks in a small flip with a yellow headband and matching eyes. She was wearing a white short sleeved blouse with a blue bow and a blue pleated skirt with attached suspenders. The second girl was shorter than the first and had short brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing the standard uniform for Hontsuru Jr. High which consisted of a dusty grey pleated skirt, white long sleeved blouse, red tie, and a tan sweater vest. The girls were engaged in conversation when Jiyu approached them.
"Hi there my name is Jiyu Saotome but my mom sometimes calls me Jubei and I'm new here at Hontsuru." Jiyu said introducing herself to the girls.
"Hey Jubei I'm Maruyuma Shoko but people call me Maro and this is Sachi Toyama. We're also new here at Hontsuru and were thinking of forming a new student club. We're thinking of calling it the New Student Lovelies. We can use our nicknames for the club I can be Maro and you can be Jubei. Do you have a nickname Sachi?" Maro replied a mile a minute.
"It's just Sachi." Sachi said at a slightly slower pace.
By the time Bantaro had gotten to where the girls were the teacher had entered into the room and the students in 2B began taking their seats. Bantaro went back to his seat and waited for class to begin.
"Good morning class. As most of you can tell I'm new here. My name is Ozaki Koshiro your new teacher and it says here we have a new student starting today. Would Miss Jiyu Saotome come to the front of the room please." The teacher said.
Jiyu sighed and walked to the front of the room. Once there she introduced herself to the class.
"I'm Jiyu Saotome and I've recently returned to Nerima after five years on the road. My mom has taught me some kendo, though I only do it for fun, and she likes to call me Jubei. I also have a brother who's lived here for a while named Ranma who's a better martial artist than me." Jiyu said.
When the class heard who Jiyu's brother was they began to comment about how lucky she was to actually be related to a member of the Nerima Wrecking Crew. After a couple of minutes of talking amongst themselves the class soon quieted down.
********
Lunchtime at Hontsuru was a quiet affair but Jiyu Saotome wasn't about to stay on her side of the fence she wanted to find her brother over at Furinkan. Maro and Sachi wanting to get to know Jiyu better followed her over to the schoolyard at Furinkan High. When the trio made it to the other side of the fence they found themselves in the middle of the chaos that was lunch at Furinkan. The moment the girls set foot on the Furinkan side of the fence they were greeted by the usual lunchtime sounds, a fight over the affections and stomach of one Ranma Saotome and another revenge attempt.
"Ranchan I made you my special okonomiyaki for lunch." A girl called out.
A moment later a bicycle bell rang out and a second voice was added to the fray.
"Arien! Shampoo have lunch for Arien then you take Shampoo on date tonight yes." Shampoo said as she glomped onto Ranma.
At the same time Ranma was being glomped by Shampoo Kuno headed in his direction to challenge him to another fight for Akane's hand. Jiyu saw what was going on and caught sight of the bokken in Kuno's hands. Using quick thinking and the lessons learned from her mother and grandfather Jiyu went to save her brother from Shampoo.
"Hold this. I have a little something to take care of." Jiyu said as she handed Maro her bento.
Jiyu ran over to where Kuno was standing and used a move she had learned from her grandfather to disarm Kuno and take his bokken.
"I really hated doing that but I need this at the moment. Mine's at home." Jiyu said before heading off to rescue Ranma from Shampoo.
"Listen you Amazon hussy can't you get it through your head he doesn't like you!" Jiyu heard one girl yell at the girl glomping Ranma.
Using the borrowed bokken Jiyu pointed it at Shampoo's head pressing the tip against her neck.
"Get your hands off him you weirdo." Jiyu demanded.
Shampoo turned around to face Jiyu and size up her opponent. Ranma on the other hand was glad it hadn't been Akane and decided to watch for a moment to see how good his little sister was in a real fight. Off in the distance Nabiki had caught the site of Jiyu defending Ranma with Kuno's bokken and began spreading the word about another fight and a new betting pool. It wasn't long before Akane was aware of the situation taking place.
"Braided girl no take Arien away from Shampoo. Shampoo get Arien first." Shampoo said as she got into a ready position pulling her bambori out of what seemed to be thin air.
"Well no Chinese weirdo is going to lay claim to my brother without going through me first." Jiyu replied as she got into the ready position of the Misaki family sword style.
"Aren't you going to do something?" Nabiki asked Ranma.
"Nah I figure she can handle herself. She did learn the family sword style from mom and our grandfather so she should do okay. I hope." Ranma replied.
In a blur of purple and pink Shampoo made the first move charging with her bambori. Using what she learned from Grandpa Katsuhito Jiyu blocked the attack with the bokken and countered with a sword strike of her own. For ten solid minutes the two female combatants traded blows before Jiyu, using the dull end of the bokken, knocked Shampoo to the ground. A moment later a confused Shampoo got up, grabbed her bike, and left for the Nekohantan.
"Amazing my blossoming beauty on wheels knows kendo as well." Kuno said.
"Wow I was certain Shampoo would give Jubei the kiss of death for certain." Ranma commented.
Jiyu let out a sigh of relief and turned to face Ranma, Nabiki, and the unknown girl with a smile.
"That went well." Jiyu commented.
"Ranchan you never said you had a sister." The girl said.
"Um well I guess I didn't remember her until yesterday when she showed up at the Tendo's with my mom. By the way Ukyo this is my younger sister Jiyu. Mom's the one who taught her kendo and came up with the nickname Jubei. Jiyu this is Ukyo Kuonji." Ranma replied.
"Well it's great meeting you Jiyu. Your brother and I go way back we knew each other when we were only six." Ukyo said.
Jiyu smiled and waved over Maro and Sachi to come and join the small group. And as the two girls joined them Akane had also come over to their location.
"Ranma, everyone I'd like you to meet some new friends from my class at Hontsuru. This is Maro and Sachi. Girls I'd like you to meet my brother Ranma and some of his friends Nabiki Tendo, her sister Akane, and Ukyo Kuonji." Jiyu told everyone.
"Hey don't you run that okonomiyaki place in the shopping district?" Maro asked Ukyo.
"Yep Uchan's is a pretty popular place with the local crowd." Ukyo replied.
"We can go there tomorrow for the first official meeting of the New Student Lovelies." Maro told Sachi and Jiyu with a great big grin on her face.
"Um yeah that'd be great Maro." Jiyu replied.
"It should be fun." Sachi added in her calm slow manner.
The group then began eating their lunches. Ukyo pulled out the okonomiyaki she had made and warmed it on a small portable grill. The rest of the group ate the bentos they had brought with them from home. Nabiki and Akane had bentos made by Kasumi that had rice balls and sushi rolls packed in them. Ranma and Akane on the other hand had bentos their mother had made for them that contained rice balls, a couple of pork yakatori skewers, and some cold soba noodle salad with chunks of tofu and white butter beans. The others had bentos with rice and noodles with fish.
"Yum yakatori. Mom knows I love yakatori." Jiyu commented as she took a bite of her lunch.
"She sure knows how to keep a guy from going hungry." Ranma added.
********
Shampoo was confused by the events that had taken place during the lunch period over at Furinkan High. She had originally gone over to the school to deliver a large box of the house special from the Nekohantan and possibly get in some quality time with her Arien when someone pointed a bokken at her neck. The bokken turned out to belong to the mentally disturbed Tatewaki Kuno the sword boy in her mind. But it wasn't Kuno at the end of the wooden sword. Instead Shampoo saw a younger girl with two braids glaring at her. Not only did the girl have the nerve to call her a hussy but she also had the guts to claim she was her Arien's little sister.
It was this little piece of information that not only caused Shampoo to become quite distracted during the fight and loose but to also forget to administer the kiss of death. Shampoo had been so confused by the turn of events that had taken place that she wanted to get back to the Nekohantan and her great-grandmother as soon as possible. The Amazon matriarch was going to have to be informed of the situation immediately so the proper course of action concerning the younger girl could be taken.
Running on automatic pilot Shampoo walked into the Nekohantan only to be greeted by the visually challenged Mousse. Shampoo didn't mind having the boy around at times seeing as how they grew up together in the village. But it was the times when Mousse tried way too hard to win her over that Shampoo seemed to mind. And it was the fact that Mousse just couldn't seem to understand that Shampoo was not romantically interested in him that annoyed her the most, that and the fact that Mousse mistook anything and anyone for her when he didn't wear his overly thick glasses. However this was one of those rare times when Mousse actually had the lenses over his eyes and not holding his hair back.
"Shampoo my darling how did your delivery go?" Mousse asked her.
"Stupid Duck Boy can't you see Shampoo no want to talk to you." She replied in her Chinese accented tourist styled Japanese.
"But Shampoo." He protested.
Shampoo continued to ignore the boy in the white robes and looked around absently for her great-grandmother. She knew the small older woman had to be somewhere in the café.
"Where Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo needed to know.
"The old bat is in the kitchen working on a fresh batch of noodles." Mousse said as he went back to his current task of filling the shakers on the tables with an imported spice blend from America.
Shampoo dismissed Mousse's name for her great-grandmother as his usual dislike of the Amazon Matriarch and went to the kitchen to find the old woman. Upon walking into the kitchen she found Cologne cutting the noodles that would become the base of their famous ramen dishes. The small woman looked up long enough to notice that her granddaughter's only child had walked into the kitchen.
"What do you need child?" Cologne asked her as she looked back down at the dough.
"Great-Grandmother Shampoo learn something about Arien she not know before today." The Amazon warrior told the woman.
Slightly interested about any new news that involved the young man whom she considered her son-in-law Cologne quickened the pace she was cutting her noodle dough and looked up to face her great-granddaughter.
"Did something happen to son-in-law today?" Cologne wanted to know.
"No nothing happen to Arien. But when Shampoo go and visit Arien at school she get attacked by girl with two braids." Shampoo replied.
"Did this girl give you a reason for attacking you?"
"Yes Braided Girl tell Shampoo to get away from Arien. She say Arien her brother. Shampoo get so confused I loose fight. Shampoo so confused I no give her Kiss of Death. Shampoo left school and came back here to talk to Great-Grandmother right away. What we do about Braided Girl?"
Cologne let the information Shampoo had given her sink in. If the girl was indeed a Saotome then she was worth pursuing. Cologne could tell Ranma came from a very strong line and when she learned that the girl who had defeated Shampoo was really a boy she wanted him as a part of the tribe. Adding the blood of the Saotome clan into the tribe would ensure that there would be stronger Amazons for generations to come. It was one of the reasons she had chosen to personally train him in the tribe's secret unarmed techniques. The other reason was to make certain her great-granddaughter followed trough with the letter of the Amazon law. But now if the girl was what she claimed to be then Cologne would be able to get a Saotome into the tribe without any marriages. All she had to do was make the female Saotome an honorary member and the tribe would be set for life.
"Tell me Shampoo how did she fight you?" Cologne wanted to know.
"Braided Girl use wood sword like Crazy Thunder Boy. She real good." Shampoo told her.
"Well then we'll just have to see if what she claims is the truth and then figure out how to get her into the tribe. We will have the blood of a Saotome in our tribe."
********
The rest of the school day was pretty uneventful for Jiyu and Ranma. While Nabiki had profited from Jiyu's arrival by selling information to Kuno Bantaro and Shiro admired Jiyu from afar. Even Ukyo and Akane had more excitement in the rest of their school day than the Saotome siblings. Akane enjoyed working on the balance beam in gym class while Ukyo made curry chicken in Home Ecc class. And by the time class was over with for the day Ranma and Jiyu were more than ready to head home and check on their father each for different reasons.
At Furinkan Ranma wanted to leave school and get home before he was glomped by Shampoo again, challenged by Kuno, or had Ukyo trying to get him to go out with her. It wasn't that he didn't like Ukyo Ranma just wanted to spend some time reacquainting himself with his mom and younger sister. It had been ten years since he had last seen them and Ranma didn't remember them very well.
Next door at Hontsuru Jiyu wanted to head back to the Tendo-ke and check on her father to see if the punishment her mother had given him had ended yet. Jiyu also wanted to make it home in time for her usual afternoon tea with her mother. And after gathering her things Jiyu headed to the door only to be stopped by Shiro. It was obvious to Jiyu that the older boy wanted to talk with her and possibly walk with her back to the Tendo-ke.
"Jiyu, I noticed you were about to leave school and wondered if you would allow me to walk you back to your place of residence." Shiro offered.
"What about your kendo club sempai?" Jiyu asked him.
"One afternoon away from the kendo club isn't going to affect my performance. And besides it's my duty as a martial artist, especially one in Nerima, to make certain that a newcomer such as yourself make it back home safely." Shiro told her.
"Thanks for the offer and all sempai but I need to get home kind of quickly. If I'm late for tea with my mother she'll get mad with me." Jiyu explained as she politely turned him down.
"Some other time then." Shiro said with a smile.
"Yeah another time then." Jiyu replied as she ran out the door to get her bike.
Because she had gotten lost on the way to school Jiyu didn't know the right way to get back to the Tendo-ke. Taking the round about long way back to the Tendo-ke Jiyu soon found herself in the bamboo forest once more. The moment she had entered the bamboo forest Jiyu could tell something was wrong. The danger sense she and her brother had inherited from their grandfather had kicked in and warned her of the impending danger. Looking around the forest Jiyu saw no one else in sight.
"Look I know you're there so you might as well stop hiding." Jiyu called out as she got off the bike she had been riding.
Looking around the forest Jiyu watched as a thin gentleman the same height as Soun Tendo dressed in a worn brown kimono, matching sleeveless coat, and white hikama with long dark brown hair held up in a high man's ponytail. Strapped to his back was a katana that would make Nodoka proud and in his hands was a red heart shaped eye-patch.
"Who are you and what do you want here?" Jiyu asked him.
"My name is Koinosuke Odago and I have been searching the country for the one person who is worthy enough to become the heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage and the sword of my master Yagyu Jubei." He told her, "It seems after all this time I have found that individual. And what I have seen today has confirmed that I have the right person."
"And that would be?" Jiyu asked him wondering who he had chosen to be his master's heir.
"The heir to my master's sword and school is you. You are to become the next Yagyu Jubei." Koinosuke answered her.
Jiyu stood there for a moment looking at Koinosuke as though he were crazy. She wondered how in the world the samurai wannabe knew her mother's nickname for her and why he thought she was some sort of obsessed martial arts freak like her father.
"Me? How? Why? I only practice kendo on occasion so my mother's school won't die and she has someone to spar with. I only do it for fun. I'm not some martial arts nut like my father." Jiyu said.
"You fit the description of the one I was told to find. My master was the last of his clan and didn't want his school to die with him so he sent me on a quest to find the perfect heir. As for how you are to become the next Yagyu Jubei that is the simple part. Upon his death my master gave me this Lovely Eye-Patch. When worn by the right individual they will become the best swordsman in all the land." Koinosuke explained as he showed her the eye-patch.
"I put this thing on and I can become a better swordsman than my mother, cousin, and grandfather combined?" Jiyu asked him.
"You will become a better swordsman than the best in the entire country for you will become the best ever seen." Koinosuke replied.
Jiyu thought about what the samurai had told her and decided to give the eye-patch a try if nothing more than to humor the older man.
"Okay I'll give the thing a try." Jiyu said as she took the eye-patch from him.
"After three hundred years Jubei will live once more." Koinosuke commented.
"By the way the name's Jiyu Saotome. Jubei is just what my mom calls me." Jiyu corrected him.
Jiyu put the eye-patch over her left eye and tied the strings on the back of her head. The moment she finished tying on the eye-patch Jiyu saw before her eyes the image of a man with one eye and a grey beard. She could tell from looking at this man that he was a powerful sword master. Jumping with a star Jiyu took the eye-patch off and turned to the samurai with a look of fright upon her face.
"Who was that man I just saw?" Jiyu wanted to know.
"Ah so you have seen the image of my master Yagyu Jubei. Then I have chosen the right person. You will become the next Yagyu Jubei." Koinosuke replied.
"I hate to burst your bubble but I have no desire to be the heir to anything. My cousin Tenchi gets to be grandpa's heir and my brother Ranma gets to be my father's heir. I'm just happy being plain old Jiyu Saotome a girl who practices kendo for fun and likes to hike the Japanese countryside." Jiyu protested.
"But it is your destiny." Koinosuke argued.
The pair was about to get into an argument over the eye-patch and Jiyu being chosen as the heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage when a man dressed in a white kimono and dark blue hikama appeared in the clearing. Jiyu took one look at the man and recognized him as her homeroom teacher from school Ozaki Koshiro. Jiyu could tell there was something different about the man she had just met that morning in school. There was something in his eyes that scared Jiyu. Koshiro-sensei wasted no time in making the first move and his challenge towards the par.
"I am from the Ryujoji School of kendo and I have come to challenge the heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage to a duel." He announced to the pair.
"You have the wrong person I'm just Jiyu Saotome. I'm not a real martial like my brother and my father. I'm just a normal girl." Jiyu tried to tell him.
Jiyu's protest fell on deaf ears when her homeroom teacher came charging at her with his sword ready to strike. Using the teachings of her mother and her grandfather Jiyu dodged the attack and rolled to her left. Seeing she was in trouble Koinosuke knew what he had to do. Arriving at Jiyu's side Koinosuke handed her the Lovely Eye-Patch once again.
"You must put on the Lovely Eye-Patch. It is the only way you will be able to defeat him." Koinosuke instructed her.
"Okay but I'll do this only this one time." Jiyu replied as she took the patch from him.
Once more Jiyu put the patch over her left eye, the same eye Yagyu Jubei had worn his over, but instead of seeing Jubei's image Jiyu felt a rush of power sweep over her. As the power from the eye-patch came over her body Jiyu could feel herself changing both physically and mentally. Jiyu's body began to grow into that of a mature woman and she was now a few inches taller while her braids seemed to become longer. She was no longer wearing the school uniform she had on. Instead Jiyu was now wearing a form fitting dark brown ninja costume with matching boots, gloves, and sash tied in the back. In her mind Jiyu knew every single sword technique known only to Yagyu Jubei and she knew how to meld them with the Jurian sword fighting style her grandfather had taught her. Jiyu had become Jubei.
"Koinosuke the sword." Jubei said in a voice that seemed harder than usual.
Without a word Koinosuke handed his master's sword to Jubei. Once the sword was in her hands Jubei let her instincts take over. And mere seconds after receiving the blade Jubei raised it up to block another attack from her sensei. For five solid minutes the two combatants parried, thrusted, and blocked each other's attacks. Jubei could tell her opponent knew the major moves of the Yagyu-Shinkage and how to counter them. The young samurai girl needed an attack her sensei didn't know of and one of the Jurian sword fighting techniques would fit the bill. Quickly switching to the Misaki style of kendo Jubei rushed her opponent and connected with his sword while at the same time turning herself in the same direction he was facing. She then used the butt of the katana to connect with her sensei's gut knocking the wind out of him. Taking advantage of his current state Jubei slashed the dull side of the katana across her sensei's front knocking him to the ground. In less than ten minutes the challenge was over with and Jubei turned to face Koinosuke once more.
"Koinosuke I want you to watch over my sword until I have need of it once more. I have a feeling this will not be the last of the challengers. I will need you at my side." Jubei said before removing the patch from her eye.
********
The Tendos and the Saotomes sat down to dinner that night with their latest houseguest. The skinny three hundred plus year old samurai had been introduced to the residents of the Tendo-ke and shown the curses both Ranma and Genma had. It had taken several dunkings in the koi pond before Koinosuke wasn't convinced Ranma and Genma weren't some strange manner of oni. And once the formalities were out of the way Jiyu had asked the adults in the house if there was room for Koinosuke and if he could stay. Soun didn't have a problem with having the samurai around and gave him permission to stay and there was just enough space in the room Ranma had for another futon.
"I must say Kasumi-san Saotome-san this is the best meal I've ever tasted." Koinosuke commented during dinner.
"Thank you Odago-san." Kasumi replied.
"Please call me Koinosuke." He requested.
The three men in the house looked at Koinosuke wondering why he had come home with Jiyu and what he wanted with her. The three martial artists didn't fully trust the skinny samurai just yet.
"Tell me Koinosuke why have you come to my home?" Soun wanted to know.
"This is where Jiyu-san lives and I must stay near her at all times." Koinosuke replied.
"Just what do you want with my daughter?" Genma asked cutting to the chase.
"Yeah why her?" Ranma added.
"I am merely here to serve Jiyu-san as her assistant and to help her fulfill her destiny in life. I see great potential within her. She possesses the same spirit my former master had during his lifetime. It is for that reason I chose to serve her." Koinosuke explained.
Jiyu decided to add her own two cents to the conversation being held.
"Mom, dad, Tendo-san you won't even notice he's here half of the time and I'm sure during the other half he can help out mom and Kasumi around the house. He'll come in real handy when mom's working on her piece for the magazine. And what he said about my destiny we'll he's said he'd help me decide whether or not I even want to accept it. Who knows he just might turn out to be a good sparing partner too." Jiyu said.
"We'll take things a day at a time Jubei and see how they work out." Nodoka commented.
********
In a darkened dojo in a wooded section of Nerima a man bowed upon his knees before a figure within the shadows sitting in a low chair. The man had been summoned to the dojo to receive instructions from his superior. The time had come for the members of the dojo to make their move to claim what they felt was rightfully theirs.
"I realize that you are the heir to the Kuno clan but you are also a member of the Ryujoji clan through your mother. And it is for this reason that I have asked you to come here. Our attempts to gain control as the premier school in Japan and to have the power of the Yagyu-Shinkage have yet to come to fruition. That is where you come in handy. There was a name spoken in conjunction with that of Yagyu Jubei. I believe you are very familiar with this name. The heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage is a Saotome." The figure in the shadows said.
"Someone related to the vile sorcerer Saotome has been deemed worthy enough to become the heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage and the great sword of Yagyu-Jubei? I shall not allow this travesty to take place. As a Kuno and more importantly as a member of the house of Ryujoji I will defeat this so called heir to the Yagyu-Shinkage." The man declared, "And I shall draw them out by using Ranma Saotome himself as the bait."
********
Another episode is in the bag. Bet you can't guess who the man was in the dojo. And you're probably wondering what Cologne has in store for Jiyu. All the major players in this little play have made their appearances on the Jubei-chan side of the story but we still have yet to see the rest of the Ranma cast. Don't worry because they'll show up real soon.
Now some of you are wondering why Jubei-chan. Well I wanted to do something different and I have yet to see any Ranma crossovers with Jubei-chan. Evil Kasumi I guess writer's block overpowers the fear of posting something new and different. Okay so I'm not putting the Ranma characters into the Jubei-chan roles but they will play a role in the overall story. Kuno will be Kuno and will not only go after Jiyu because of how she looks but also because she practices Kendo on occasion and has Koinosuke. Now about Nodoka being a good kendoist well the fact that I'm throwing in some Tenchi elements has something to do with it. With Yosho for a father Nodoka is bound to learn a thing or two about sword fighting techniques.
So the next question is what's up next for the crew? Jiyu comes face to face with Kuno for the first time while at the same time Shiro and Bantaro admire her from afar and Cologne begins to testing the youngest Saotome. Hontsuru plays host to musical teachers and Jiyu gets another challenge issued to her as Juei's heir. What does Kuno know about Yagyu Jubei and will Jiyu accept the challenge and the Lovely Eye-Patch? Find out in episode three Jubei in Love.