Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is the property of Viz Communications and Rumiko Takahashi, I make nothing from this, so don't be an asshole and sue me. You won't get much from me.
Author Notes: Well it's chapter 6, so I must be doing something right. More important plot elements come to the forefront this chapter, as I remember more and more of the characters and figure out just what in the blue blazes of hell I want to do with them. Mwahahahahahahahaha!! starts coughing rapidly. Sorry, I'll start the story now. hits the switch on the projector, bringing up the title screen.
First I Giveth
Chapter 6: One Uneventful Night
By Marik Kurakashi
It was dinner time at the Tendo compound. At no other time of the day could you figure out what was going on amongst the residents than at dinner. For example, if you wanted to know the mood of the residents, you need but observe them at dinner. Posture, participation in conversation, whom they were conversing with, and which way they were glancing would be the usual indicators.
Nothing else seemed to work as well.
In any event, this dinner was a microcosm of everything that had gone on. Ranma and Nabiki freely discussed plans for ideal training times, while Akane stared at Ranma somewhat longingly. Genma was encouraged by Akane's show of interest, but failed to rally Soun into decisive action. Meanwhile, Soun was contemplating the best way to tell his family of his plans.
'Might as well just tell them outright,' he mused.
Clearing his throat to get their attention, Soun said, "My family, I have an important announcement to make. As you may well know, I have begun recovering from my grief. Recently, I have started to seriously practice again. After that workout session, I feel there is something I must do."
"What's that Father," Kasumi asked, prompting him to go on.
"And that something is, I must leave for my own training trip, to rediscover just who Tendo Soun is and what does he want in life." He stated firmly, looking around the table at each and everyone.
"That sounds like a good idea, Tendo-san," Ranma said, nodding in agreement.
"Thank you for your kind words, Ranma-san, it does an old man good to hear encouragement from a peer in the Art," Soun said, nodding his head in thanks, "But there is more."
"More?" Nabiki prompted.
"Yes, as when I return from my trip, I want to reopen the dojo and start teaching again." he stated solemnly, his eyes once more looking over the table.
And that was when chaos erupted once more.
Excited chatter sprang up across the table. Conversations were forgotten and left by the wayside thanks to this new development. What was the beginning of a nice, peaceful meal, was now a bundle of noisy chatter and wild speculations.
It was rather refreshing to Soun.
During the past few days, as he was putting Soun the overemotional bully to rest, he reflected several times on his action of the past ten years. He was thoroughly ashamed of himself how he acted, crying at the drop of a hat and other such things. This was the right thing to do, as he had to make it up to his daughters.
They deserved no less than this.
Nabiki cut in to his daydreaming as she stated, "Starting the dojo up again is a fantastic idea, Daddy. Not only will it help with the finances, it will also get people interested in coming here, which can only increase class sizes for when Ranma starts."
"An excellent point, Nabiki-chan," Soun said, a slight smile crossing his face. "It wouldn't do to expect Ranma to revive the dojo on his own, he has enough to worry about."
"You don't know the half of it," Ranma muttered, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear.
"True that I don't," Soun said, seriously but far from lecturing, "But perhaps you could fill me in sometime after I return from my trip?"
"Ah, sure Tendo-san," Ranma said, somewhat nervous at being caught. "I'd like that."
"Good," Soun replied, before turning to his old friend Genma, "I'm expecting you to behave yourself while I'm gone Saotome." His tone brooked no argument, the lack of an honorific meant he was deadly serious.
Genma blustered under his old friend's stern glare, something that was bringing up bad memories. Sweating profusely, Genma replied, "Of course Tendo. I would sooner give up the Art than bring trouble to your daughters."
"And what of your son, Saotome," Soun said gruffly, "Does he not get the same courtesy of my daughters?"
"Ah, er, well, yeah, I guess he does," the Saotome Patriarch replied, squirming under the collective gaze being placed on him.
Soun nodded and said, "There will be several conditions I will hold you to: One, no stealing food from your son. While I am gone, there will be more than enough food. Two, no stealing little portions from my daughters. I have seen you swipe some from them during breakfast, so don't try to deny it. Lastly, I expect you to be mindful not to cause any more problems while I'm away."
Genma paled at Soun's demands, knowing that his old friend meant everyone of them. If he assented, it would cut down on the amount he ate. But then, if he didn't, he knew that his old friend would then insist he come along, which was sure to cut back on his food intake. It wasn't really that hard to think about really.
"I will uphold these conditions," he said, before quickly naming one of his own. "I expect you to try your hardest to get back into shape. As such, I demand that when you feel you are ready, that you face me upon your arrival home."
"Agreed, Saotome-kun," Soun replied, his respect for the portly man growing again.
"Wow pop, you almost sounded kinda honorable for a second there," Ranma said in mock wonderment, "Maybe you can practice that more often?"
"Now listen here, boy," Genma huffed, "What I did on our training trip, I take no pride in. I admit I may have placed my comfort above your safety sometimes, but I say your turned out pretty well. I couldn't be more proud of how you turned out, even if you break your father's heart sometimes."
"More like your head," Ranma said, causing some laughter to erupt from the table.
Genma chuckled as well and joked back, "At least there isn't too much to hurt up there, right?"
A round of laughter greeted him, the loudest from Ranma himself. Glad that he had taken Soun's advice to try and be less pushy about things, Genma allowed himself a small smile. The tension that was there had quickly be snuffed out, allowing for the meal to resume more peacefully.
It would be the last time they would be gathered all together like this for a while.
- - -
Dinner had passed by without any further incident, something that wasn't surprising due to the revelations dropped during the meal. The almost peaceful atmosphere belied most of the other boisterous affairs that had taken place since the Saotomes arrival. Not that you would have heard any of them complain about it though, as they enjoyed the peaceful nature of the meal.
Maybe they could take steps to ensure all the meals went this well?
In any event, Nabiki was now in the dojo again, warming up while waiting for Ranma. He said he had something to get from his room for first, but Nabiki hadn't a clue what that could be. She decided that to focus on her warm ups, figuring that she would find out when Ranma came back.
Ranma, having fetched the manga, stopped at the door and watched Nabiki, scrutinizing her moves as she had done to him earlier. While she was out of practice with it, he could tell that she had at least some past training. He was thankful for that, as it meant that he wouldn't have to spend the time teaching her the basics.
Not that he couldn't have, just that it would have been more time consuming then it should be.
After a few more minutes of watching here, Ranma decided to make himself known. He didn't want to break her concentration, lest she injure herself. Setting the manga aside, he quietly padded over to Nabiki and began mimicking her warm-ups.
For her part, Nabiki was surprised that Ranma had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Deciding to not show that she was surprised, she put more effort into her warm-up katas. It wasn't all that shocking that Ranma adapted to her speed-up and even now looked as though he was about to explode into one of his more advanced katas.
Which is why she pulled to a stop.
Surprised by Nabiki's sudden stop, Ranma nearly fell on his face coming to a stop. Trying to save face, Ranma said, "So, I guess your warm-ups are done."
Nabiki smirked and said, "Yeah, I guess they are."
Ranma laughed nervously, feeling as though he had been caught doing something wrong. Shaking his head, he mustered up his courage and said, "Uh, before we begin, there's something I want to give you."
Nabiki arched an eyebrow and asked, "Something you want to give me?"
"Uh, yeah," Ranma said, heading over to pick up the manga from where he placed it earlier, "I went out and picked up a little gift to sort of celebrate our new friendship."
Her other eyebrow joined its brethren in the air as she asked, "And what would that be?"
"This." he said quietly, before handing her the manga.
Nabiki eyed the manga in shock, surprised that he would think of getting her something. It was strange, here was a boy she was admittedly interested in, and he had gotten her something without her having to cajole him into it. A pleasant warmth encompassed her, even if it was just a friendship gift.
"Thank you," she said, taking the manga and studying the title.
"I remembered you said you like to collect manga and I asked Kasumi if she knew which one you might like the most," he said, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture, "So I looked around and picked that one out for you."
"I've been wanting to get this one of a while, thanks," she said offhandedly, putting the manga off to the side, "How about we get started?"
He nodded, grateful for the change in subjects. "Yeah," he said, "let's."
- - -
Meanwhile, Akane was once more in her room, planning out her strategy for saving Ranma from Nabiki. It was her duty as a martial artist to protect the weak, whether it be body, mind, or spirit. Ranma may be able to handle things in a physical fight, but Nabiki would never place it in the physical realm of combat.
If there was one weakness to Saotome Ranma, it was that he was too naïve for his own good.
Again, she denied her feelings for the boy, simply out of her desire to stay free and control her own destiny. It wasn't tough to do, just a lot more of a hassle than she would have thought. It was hard not to feel angry at the thought of Nabiki getting closer to Ranma, though she could hardly figure out why that was.
The fact that she may like Ranma, even a little, wasn't thought of.
She sighed, wishing for the umpteenth time that Ranma had never been dumped on her. Sure, he was nice guy, good-looking and honest, but he had a share of his faults that Akane wasn't sure she'd ever be able to fall for him. His lack of social skills, poor manners, and a knack for irritating her with just a simple gesture really made her wonder why any girl would be attracted to him.
But she already knew that answer.
It was the fact that he seemed to be someone who came out of a fairy tale, a Prince not-so-Charming to save the damsel in distress. He was someone that you could depend on, someone who would risk himself for you. He would that for anyone he deemed friend, woe be to his enemies or anyone who would threaten them.
Saotome Ranma, the kind of boy that should not be caged by anyone.
It was hard for her to think about him without feeling conflicted. Feeling such strong like and dislike for him was driving her nuts. There were so many things that she wanted to get straighten out, so many things that she wanted to say. But all those things she could not say, all those things she could not do.
It was beyond frustrating.
"Ranma," she said quietly, "just what am I to do with you?"
- - -
Nerima. It was just another district, just another boring town to Kuonji Ukyo. For the last couple years, she had seen more of Japan then anyone else living on the islands. All for her vengeance, all for her right to be a woman once more.
Those Saotome bastards would pay.
Her life had taken a turn for the worse ever since that fat jackass and his thieving son came into her life. Everyday, she would do her damnedest to protect her father's cart, and everyday she would fail. Her father always laughed and spouted some bullshit about the youth of Japan and give him an okonomiyaki as though the boy paid for it.
Was that her father's scam, give a free okonomiyaki to anyone who can humiliate his daughter?
It was her own personal hell. Sure, they got along when it didn't come to anything involving the cart, but she couldn't forgive the daily humiliation that he had given her. It was more than she could take, something she made quite clear to her father.
But the old fool didn't seem care.
He would always scarf it down on top of her, as though she would try to take it from him. Though she would find other ways to pay him back, the humiliation of having someone use her as a chair while they ate was difficult to get over. It was almost more than she could take.
Then it had happened.
She had jokingly suggested to her father that maybe she should be engaged to Ranma. It was a silly thought when she came up with it, but over time the little thief grew on her. He was nice and accepted her ranting about things without so much an argument. She seriously began to consider the engagement as something other than a joke.
Maybe she could shake him of that thieving habit.
But then that fat idiot had to go and steal her dowry. She knew it was a bad idea to brag about her impending engagement, as such she had endured the merciless teasing and hushed whispers about it. In her anger and hurt, she had vowed to prove herself to both her father and those jerks that she wasn't some frail girl who couldn't hack it.
And she believed she had succeeded.
Now that she was strong enough to get even, she would find them and have her revenge. Ten long, hard years of pain and humiliation would culminate in her oh so sweet revenge. She would soil the earth with the blood of that fat jackass and then she would move onto Ranma.
Oh how she looked forward to that day.
As visions of vengeance danced through her head, an enraged shout cut through her daydreams. "RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" The voice, distinctly male, shouted.
She turned her head and saw a boy in a tan shirt, black pants, and brown hiking boots. He was carrying an enormous backpack, which meant he traveled a lot. Adorning his head was a yellow tiger-striped bandanna, a curious accessory to be sure.
All in all, she would have to say he was kinda cute.
But the only problem is that he wanted to get in the way of her revenge on Ranma. She couldn't allow that to happen, as such she quickly tighten the binding on her chest. After reigning her breath into a deep pattern, Ukyo hefted her battle spatula and made ready to let this boy know just who was going to make Ranma pay.
"Hey now, what seems to be the problem?" she asked, grating her voice in a close approximation to a boy's.
The boy paused in his ranting and regarded the other person on this hill. After quickly taking in his companion's stock, the boy quickly asked, "Who're you?"
"Kuonji Ukyo," she said, shifting into a righteous pose with the spatula poised to strike, "I'm the best okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan. Now who are you?"
"Hibiki Ryoga," the boy replied, taking his own righteous pose, "I am on a quest to restore my honor after that coward Saotome ran away."
"Ran away?" she asked, an eyebrow arching.
"When we were in middle school, he used to always take my bread," he explained, "I got fed up with it and challenged him to a duel. I got lost and he left after waiting three days, so when I arrived on the fourth day, he wasn't there."
"So, now you want to finish it?" she asked, noting that this didn't bear weight against his belligerent yelling early.
"He just... did something to me, something that ruined my life." he mysteriously supplied.
"Is it so terrible that you can't say what it is?" she asked, confused at the lack of details.
"Yes," he said, bowing his head, "it's just too painful to reveal to a total stranger."
"If you won't answer, I won't press," she said, shouldering her battle spatula, "I will say, though, that I'm the one who will bring down that jackass Saotome. I will not allow anyone to get in the way of my revenge."
"What'd he ever do to you?" he asked, perplexed by the sudden declaration.
"Him and that fat, thieving bastard father of his stole my father's yattai and abandoned me on the side of the road," she said, "I have trained for ten years to get my revenge. I'm not letting some petty jackass get in my way."
"Hey!" the boy protested, fingering his umbrella, "I am not petty!"
"You won't tell me the big, bad thing Ranma did to you, so all I have is that he took some bread from you," she said, slowly dropping into a ready stance, "That and the fact that he wasn't waiting for you four days after the day of the fight. How stupid do you have to be to be late to the duel, which you challenged him to?"
"That's not it!" he roared back, "I can't help getting lost. It's something of a curse I've had all my life and that jerk knew about it and he still ran away."
"Did he promise to be waiting there?" she asked, her tone slightly mocking.
"Well, no, but-" he started.
"Then how in the hell did you actually expect him to just wait at the site for you while you ventured all over Japan, looking for the site you chose?" she interrupted, all but snarling the words. "You see, you are just a petty jackass who thinks he has a good reason but don't."
"Quit calling me a jackass, you jerk!" he roared, finally tiring of the insults.
"Make me, jackass!" she said, hopping back to allow the boy the first move.
Ryoga did just that, leaping forward and jabbing at his foe with his umbrella. Ukyo casually swatted that away and returned fire with an overhead smash. The boy blocked that and grinned wolfishly at his opponent before he threw a quick kick at her side, which she spun around.
After completing her spin, Ukyo swung for his back, but was stymied as Ryoga turned around after his kick missed. The two exchanged a rapid set of blows as they danced along the edge of the hill. Neither spoke as they fought, each silently agreeing to let their fighting do the talking.
Several more exchanges occurred, neither fighter gaining nor giving any ground. Their blows sang out into the night, each strike telling of the pain and humiliation they had been through. Ryoga's blows carried the weight of his sorrow and depression, each cacophonous bang screaming out about the unfairness of his life, to be regarded as a freak for something that was beyond his control.
Ukyo's blows, in contrast, cried out for the torment and anguish of being left behind by one deemed as friend. Her own raucous bangs wailing of a life of confusion and deception. Her face shown clearly, the determination of one who had denied their self, their own identity, all for the sake of revenge.
Her own fierce determination was matched by Ryoga's. He had staked everything on that duel, his one chance to redeem himself for his inability to stop that bread stealing punk Saotome. While Ranma, and now this Ukyo as well, may have been puzzled by his anger at having the bread stolen, he did not try to understand it from Ryoga's viewpoint.
No one ever did.
To Ryoga, that bread represented the finest of cuisines. He had lived a life of instant ramen and rice gruel. Often times though, he went hungry for days on end as he continued to try and find civilization once more. All of those who had it could not understand his pain, his agony, his hell.
And now to be mocked by this stranger who had some connection to Ranma?
It made Ryoga's blood boil, nearly to the point that Ranma could get it. How dare this stranger mock his pain, simply because he couldn't bring himself to tell a total stranger his darkest of secrets. With these thoughts burning through his mind, Ryoga upped the power he was placing into his blows.
He'd show this Ukyo that Hibiki Ryoga is not someone to mock.
Meanwhile, Ukyo silently seethed to herself as she continued to evade his strikes. How dare this, this, jerk try and say that he had suffered wrong at the hands of Ranma. How little did this obsessive moron know of what true wrong was.
'He stole my bread,' she silently mocked him, 'HA! As if that was something to challenge someone over!'
This sap obviously didn't know what hell was. To deny everything about yourself, your gender, even having to fake liking other girls just to avoid questions, that was hell. Having someone take bread from you and not wait for you four days after the appointed day of a duel was a cakewalk in comparison to some of the things she had endured. Her reason for fighting this moron had evolved from just clearing another obstacle from her path to vengeance.
She would make him pay for making light of her righteous quest.
For five long, hard years she trained against the sea. She was out there with her grill, trying to cook her okonomiyaki before the greedy sea could put the flames out. Over those five hard years, her body harden into a more manly physique. With the most crucial part of her disguise in place, she then went about going from school to school.
All for finding that jerk Saotome.
Due to her constant moving, her harsh training against the sea had died down over the last five years. She could easily practice on dry land, but they did not bring the same difficulty and sense of satisfaction as the sea did. But there were of course several consequences of her pulling herself away from the sea.
She had started to like girls.
Well not really, but she at least felt a small attraction to other girls. It was all part of her disguise as a guy, she had forced herself to like them, at least enough to go out with a few. It was another crime she charged that thieving jerk with, just another indignity that she would pound out of both him and that fat idiot.
Oh how they would pay.
Latching onto her anger, Ukyo burst forward and landed a solid smash to Ryoga's right shoulder. While it didn't do much damage, it did provide her with a tactical advantage. If there was one thing Ukyo taught herself over her trails, it was that the physical part only made up a third of the pie. Those who were weak minded or weak in spirit lost more than they won.
And if she judged this Ryoga jerk right, he was very weak minded.
For his part, Ryoga cursed himself for being that lax in his guard. He should have blocked such a risky strike and then countered to end this confrontation. This boy he was fighting was close to Ranma, but he was less flashy and not much of a risk taker. In battle, Ranma was every bit the gambler, often wagering everything on a single strike.
And that lucky prick always seemed to break the house every time.
But this guy, his style was seemed to be the antithesis of Ranma's. While the pig-tailed youth's was wild, chaotic, and punished even the slightest mistake. In contrast, this Ukyo's style was more controlled, structured and was known to let a few openings slip by. Ryoga had to admit that this boy might actually give Ranma and work out, but there was no one who could defeat Ranma.
No one but Hibiki Ryoga that is.
Using a series of umbrella thrusts, Ryoga pushed his adversary back as he continued to think about things. Ranma had been the bar that he had measured himself against. Ranma had represented such an unspoken mastery of the martial arts that Ryoga knew he had to step up in his training. He would never settle for not being the best, would never settle for being second fiddle to anyone.
Certainly not to someone his own age.
Suddenly, his foe sprang back from him, putting a considerable distance between them. Caught off guard by this, he couldn't decided whether or not to pursue his opponent. His decision was made for him, as he had to quickly block three quick strikes with his umbrella.
'Spatulas?!' he thought incredulously, 'Who the hell throws spatulas?'
Apparently this Ukyo fellow did, as he followed up with another barrage, further ruining Ryoga's weapon. Snarling, Ryoga quickly hurled the umbrella at his nemesis in order to stave off another wave of spats. His foe caught off guard, he decided to introduce his own projectiles.
Reaching up, Ryoga quickly snatched off six bandanas from his seemingly endless one and spun them in one hand. Once he was certain that his opponent was off balanced, he let fly with his bandanas. Victory was well within his grasp, as this ledge was far too narrow to avoid the bandanas without injury.
Or so he thought.
Ukyo was faced with a dilemma. She couldn't jump to either side, nor could she jump back or duck down. The answer was quite clear though, as she took the only option available: jump over. With a nice leap, she completely cleared the bandanas and came down with a mighty overhand smash that flattened Ryoga.
Pausing to catch her breath, she noticed there was less shrubbery in the area then there was before Ryoga flung his bandanas. She smiled, as her danger sense had correctly identified the threat. Noticing her foe lumbering up, she retook a ready stance, tightening her grip in anticipation of this jerk trying to wrest it away from her.
Ryoga shook his head, trying to get rid of the ringing left in the wake of the blow. He had underestimated his opponent, even going so far as to forget that this guy just might be able to jump like Ranma. The stinging sensation on the top of his head served as a painful reminder of just how foolish he was.
He wouldn't forget that anytime soon.
He knew he was at a major disadvantage without his umbrella, which meant that he had to quickly figure out a way to either disarm his opponent or make the oversized spatula worthless to his opponent. He had to think quickly, something a lot of other people had snickered about not being a strong point for him. He noticed Ukyo draw himself up and increase his grip on his weapon, meaning that forceful disarmament was not an attractive option.
He had to think of something and fast.
For her part, Ukyo was wondering what the hell was taking this idiot so long to make his move. She had all but handed him the advantage on a silver platter and he just stood there. Obviously her guesses about him being none too bright had been right on.
A real pity, as he might have been someone worth getting to know if he wasn't an obsessive moron.
She snorted that thought away and began calculating her next move. He was unarmed, but his blows had carried a good deal of strength behind them. She was liable to lose any grapples with him; she had to be careful to avoid that type of situation. It appeared he didn't want to come at her, so she'd just have to come at him.
It was too bad that he didn't want the advantage, it would have made this fight a little more interesting.
Ryoga was shocked when Ukyo came charging in like an enraged bull. He wisely avoided his foe's blows, as he was still smarting from the last solid blow. He quickly revised his opinion of his opponent's skill, as it appeared that this Ukyo guy could do more than give Ranma a light workout.
Not that he'd win or anything, just that he may push Ranma farther than Ryoga ever had.
Ukyo was finding herself growing more and more tired of fighting this idiot. Without his umbrella, Ryoga seemed hesitant to strike back. What was an entertaining fight was quickly growing dull, as Ukyo effortlessly pushed Ryoga around.
'It's time to put an end to this,' she silently declared, 'but how?'
Pressing her advantage further, she quickly scanned the area for where she had left her pack. 'Not over there, not here, not there,' she thought, ticking off spots as she looked.
'Where-oh there it is!' she thought triumphantly. Now all she had to do was get to it.
With a yell, Ukyo burst forward in a flurry of action. She swung for his face, which caused the wanderer to hop back away from it. This proved to be a feint, however, as she promptly swept his feet from under him. As he caught himself, she slammed into him with an uppercut swing that sent him rolling towards the edge of the hill.
Ryoga just barely caught himself before he went over.
With the Hibiki boy down, Ukyo quickly hurried over to her pack and fished out a certain package. 'Heh, gunpowder and tempura flakes... No one would think I had the former on me.' she thought to herself.
She quickly hooked the end of it to her spatula and turned towards Ryoga, who was just getting to his feet. She quickly fished a lighter from her pocket and deftly lit the package ablaze. She quickly leapt up and quickly hurled the thing at Ryoga.
Ryoga, still slightly dazed from nearly being pitched of the hill, watched curiously as the package neared him. It started to spark and crackle as the flames ate through the casing. It was almost upon him when realized what the package was.
It was a bomb!
He cursed himself again for not taking Ukyo seriously since the fight began. His inability to attack all out had resulted in this mess he was in now. The bomb was almost in his face now, he could see the individual flakes sparking.
WHABBBBOOOOMMM!!!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!" the boy screamed as he was blown from the hill.
"Hmph, serves the jackass right," Ukyo said as she gathered her things up, "After all, I and I only will bring Ranma to justice."
And so she walked on, her thoughts on how she would bring down Ranma. She had trained for this so long, it wasn't that hard to forget there were other things that she should worry about. Like what she would do with herself after her vengeance was attained. But that was a thought for another time, another place.
As she had done so many times before, Ukyo stood on her own two feet and walked on.
- - -
Morning came with little fanfare, and surprisingly little noise. Soun had awoken before dawn in order to avoid any long teary goodbyes. While he was no longer overly emotional, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was abandoning his daughters.
He hoped he would get over it quickly.
The patriarch of the Tendo Clan shouldered his pack, determined to get himself back to what he was before his beloved wife died. He owed her, owed his daughters, even owed himself too much not to get back into shape. Part of him whispered that he could do that at the dojo, that he didn't have to go.
But he dismissed that notion completely.
He may not cry and shout like he used to, but he felt like he was still worthless. While he was no longer overly emotional to the point of total embarrassment, he still wasn't pulling his weight around there. He could no longer sit around and play go or shogi with his old friend.
He would not be a burden to his precious little girls.
But they weren't so little anymore, as he had seen through unclouded eyes. For the past ten years, he had refused to believe that they would change at all. Up until a few days ago, he still viewed them as they were when his wife died.
It was probably the reason why they had trouble finding a suitable boyfriend before Ranma came along.
He had heard it said that every girl's first crush was her father. That may have been true for Kasumi, but he wasn't so sure about Nabiki or Akane. During the time when thoughts of love and such first entered their minds, he had not been a shining example of someone a girl would want to marry.
Looking back, he often wondered if he really ever was viewed by his daughters as the adult of the house, rather than the annoying guy who cries a lot.
Forcefully, he pushed such thoughts from his mind. He didn't need a relapse at this crucial point in his recovery. He would not fall back into that pitiful shell he was, not even HE could have broken him so completely.
Never again would he be Soun the annoying cry baby and raging bully!
He glanced up to the skies, silently thanking the deities above for this second chance that they had so graciously granted. He made sure that he would stop at a shrine before he continued his journey. But there was one stop he had to make before he could do that.
A local chiropractor that had a much whispered obsession with his eldest daughter.
To make sure Kasumi would be happy, Soun decided that he would take measure of this man that was so taken with her. He did wonder if the feelings were mutual, if Kasumi just didn't want to say anything for fear of abandoning her family. She was such a darling, a young woman that deserved to be made happy by her husband, as surely as she would make him happy.
After all she had endured, she deserved no less than a chance to have someone care for her instead.
His goal set, he continued on towards the clinic, rehearsing his speech as he went along. There was no telling how the young doctor might take what Soun was about to say. He could burst into one of his much talked about fits, or he could not and just celebrate like a normal man.
Soun hoped for the latter and vehemently swore against the former.
The door loomed large ahead of him, as he was about to do something for Kasumi without telling her. Kasumi, though a dear, often frowned upon surprises from her father. But then he couldn't blame her, as after nearly scaring her half to death for her tenth birthday, she didn't seem all that receptive to surprises that he would drop on her.
It would explain her apparent disinterest in the engagement.
After a quick sigh, Soun steeled himself and knocked on the door. While the clinic wasn't open this early, he knew that Dr. Tofu would at least be up and about at this time. The good doctor made it a point to keep good hours, as such he often had to go to bed early to meet said hours.
But if things went as Soun planned, the doctor may have to close up for a while.
The door quickly opened, revealing the young doctor. "Oh, Tendo-san, good morning," the doctor said, barely hiding the shock at seeing him this early in the morning.
"Morning, Tofu-san," the elder man replied, "May I come in? I have something I want to discuss with you."
"You do?" Tofu asked, before noticing the man's travel equipment, "Ah, ok, come in please."
"Thank you," Soun said, relieved that he'd at least be in the clinic before having to explain why he was there.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about Tendo-san?" the doctor queried, his tone implying that he didn't believe Soun was up this early just to talk to him.
"Well, it's about Kasumi," Soun began, when he curiously noticed the doctor's glasses fog over slightly.
"K-Kasumi! W-what about Kasumi?" Tofu stuttered, giving a slight laugh.
Soun frowned a bit, before he said, "I was wondering how you feel about her, son. You seem rather taken with her, but I want to hear it from your mouth."
At the completion of his sentence, Soun was treated to an odd reaction. Doctor Tofu immediately skipped across the room like a ballerina and began dancing with his medical skeleton. The Tendo patriarch, though shocked and more than a little disgusted by the display, could at least grudgingly admit that the doctor was at least able to dance.
It might be good for his relationship with Kasumi, provided the doctor ever calmed himself down enough to use this practice with a living person.
"Tofu-san!" the aging martial arts master bellowed, "Snap out of it this instant!"
If Tofu heard Soun, he gave no indication of it.
"Tofu-san, if you don't knock this off, I will forbid Kasumi from ever seeing you again." the Tendo patriarch threatened, hoping this was sufficient.
Judging by the way the doctor stopped prancing and stared in shock at him, it was.
"Good, now that I have your attention," Soun stated diplomatically, "Could you answer my question?"
"I-I... well, I do care for K-Kasumi a lot, yeah a lot." the doctor managed to get out without returning to his frolicking.
"That's good to hear, son," Soun said, nodding his head a bit. "I was wondering if you were ever going to approach her in a manner that concerned your feelings for her."
"I-I c-can't." the younger man muttered, hanging his head.
"And why not?" the elder man queried, arching an eyebrow in mimicry of his middle daughter's favored pose.
"B-because... I c-can't e-even t-talk a-about her without having a conniption fit." Tofu answered bitterly.
"I can see that son," Soun replied, before his other eyebrow joined its brethren in the air. "Why do you go all wacko when you see her or hear her name?"
"I-I watched her grow up. It's just so hard to comprehend that this beautiful woman is the same sweet little girl who I treated back then." Tofu said in reply, his tone sounding defeated.
Soun placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. Unnoticed by either man, a soft blue glow ran from Soun into Tofu and vanished again. The doctor smiled at the gesture from the normally over emotional patriarch of the Tendo clan.
"So, why are you up so early," Tofu asked, "Besides asking me about K-Kasumi of course."
"Recently, I have grown out of my weepy shell. As such, I have decided to go on a training trip to see if this is temporary, or if I really haven't gotten over her death." the elder man casually answered.
"I see, I wish you well Tendo-san." the young doctor answered.
"Thank you Tofu-san," Soun easily replied, "now that I have accomplished what I came here to do, I will take my leave."
With that, Soun turned on a heel and headed for the door. Tofu watched the aging martial arts master go with a new found respect for the man. Thanks to his little visit, he had managed to verbalize what he had always felt.
He was one step closer to what had seemed impossible, a relationship with Kasumi.
As Soun walked out, he felt good about what he had done. He had managed to successfully sound out the man on his feelings for his eldest, his whole reason for coming. He continued on for wherever the road may take, as he was sure that there would be even more changes once he returned.
But for now he was comforted by the fact that maybe he was doing the right thing for once.
- - -
Breakfast at the Tendo home was a decidedly different affair this morning. Kasumi was the first to notice it, as the noise of her father's awakening was absent. Not pausing in her preparation of the morning meal, she silently hoped her father found what he was looking for.
She hoped that whatever it was didn't return him to his old blubbering self.
Not much fuss was initially raised as the other tenets of the home gathered at the table. As the meal was passed out, they began to notice something or rather someone was missing from the table. Akane looked towards her father's empty position at the table. Part of her was happy that he was finally doing something other than sit around, but a small part of her was unsettled by his absence.
After all, her father had always been there to greet her in the morning.
At another part of the table, Nabiki was also dealing with the Tendo patriarch's absence in her own way. While she would miss him being there, she would take comfort in the fact that he was doing it for them. After ten years, he would reopen the school again in order to help out around the house more.
That would be enough to keep Nabiki from missing him too much.
Kasumi, sitting the head of the table, briefly worried for her father. He had been so inactive during the last ten years, she was afraid he might not be able to handle the rigors of the training he was undertaking. There was also that nasty smoking habit he had picked up to comfort himself at times.
Then she calmed down.
'Father knows what he is doing,' she rationalized. 'If he didn't think he could handle the training, why would he go?'
Still, she would have to do her best to keep things running smoothly here. After all, as eldest, it was her duty to make sure things stayed good for her family in her father's absence. Her father trusted her with this duty and she wasn't about to let him down.
There was no way Tendo Kasumi would fail at this task.
From his position next to Ranma, Genma couldn't help but look at Soun's empty place without a hint of trepidation. His old friend had opened his eyes towards a problem he had not considered. The fact that he wasn't the paragon of virtue he thought himself to be was a real shocker.
Maybe that's why the boy didn't seem to respect him.
He had always thought that the boy had exaggerated in his claims about his father's lack of honor. After all, his son was most likely using him as a scapegoat to escape responsibility. It wasn't like he just picked up Ranma and tossed him into Jusenkyo, made him eat Shampoo's prize or challenge her for it.
Though he was certainly glad for the last one.
But Soun's opinion of him was another matter entirely. After all they had suffered under HIM, he had come to value Tendo's opinion a lot more than maybe he should. If his old friend was calling his judgment into question, he knew he had fallen dangerously close to being considered like HIM.
And there was no way he would allow that
He would have to work on it, but he wouldn't allow himself to sink down that lowest of low levels. It was no laughing matter anymore, his old friend had delivered a strong ultimatum: shape up or ship out. Since he did not want to leave just yet, he knew he would not fail.
There was no way he'd let his old friend down, not after all he'd done for him.
- - -
Meanwhile, up on the roof of Furinkan, Har Karu dropped her cloak and stood for the first time since she had arrived without visual concealments. She tugged on her slightly bronze hair, making sure her ponytail hadn't come undone. Her piercing green eyes surveyed the grounds of Furinkan, her base of operations until the Elder arrived. Her creamy complexion and rather pert figure would draw a lot of attention, so she used her stealth to be able to carry out her orders.
After all, only Xian Pu had been rated higher than her in stealth.
Xian Pu, ah, that oh so foul and wicked name. The name of her most hated rival and perhaps her greatest friend. The thoughts of the purple haired girl nearly made her blood begin to boil again. Sighing, she stamped down on her anger and began thinking about what she would tell her Elder about this time.
That the Elder in question happened to be her great-grandmother didn't really help her mood.
The fact that that purple haired trollop had an Elder for a great-grandmother made her want to scream about the injustice of the world. Everything, from her assured spot in the tournament to her superior fighting skills, were a direct result from nepotism. It made her skin crawl to hear Xian Pu crow about her superior skills at times.
Those weren't hard to obtain when you were descended from one of the oldest living Amazon warriors.
She was getting no where. Her feelings were just running around in circles, chasing one another endlessly for hours on end. She sat down and leaned against the side of the entrance as she wondered just how much she had changed since she had meet the Elder...
- - -
It was an early spring day in Joketsuzoku, still chilly to remind them that winter hadn't left yet, but also warm enough to promise an end to the chill. The village was immersed in its usual lull of activity that came with temperature. In the still of the early day, a loud cracking sound emerged from a nearby wooded area.
That no one investigated it meant that it was a pretty usual event.
Ku Lon, one of the eight Elders of Joketsuzoku, paused in her breakfast preparations as the sounds of the disturbance wafted towards her hut. It was a minor annoyance to everyone that lived there, but to Ku Lon it showed that this generation wasn't doomed to be cursed with vain warriors. Having lived for three hundred years, she had seen families come and go, even her own share of lovers and friends.
But she still wouldn't have given up those three centuries for anything.
She shook her head and muttered, "That must be Ai Lina's daughter at it again. Doesn't that girl realize that the winter months are for rest and not for training?"
She snorted and grabbed her cane from where she had laid it. She hopped her way to the door and out it, moving rapidly towards the disturbance. After a few minutes of hopping, she finally reached her intended destination.
It was a sight to behold, a young girl trying to cut down a tree by kicking through it.
Ku Lon shook her head in bemusement. Here was this girl, an outsider by most standards, and yet she had more drive than most of the fighters in the tournament. It was amusing in a morbid sense, because the girl was more than likely to work herself to death.
An unfitting end for someone with so much desire.
Deciding she had seen enough, Ku Lon cleared her throat to get the girl's attention. She had to chuckle at the shocked look on the youth's face when the girl turned to face her. It was always funny to see them act like they never expected you to show up at anytime.
It wasn't that rare that she emerged from her hut after all.
"Oh, honored Elder, good morning!" the girl intoned, her voice filled with just the right amount of respect.
"And a good morning to you too, child," Ku Lon returned, her amusement bleeding through her voice. "Might I ask what you are doing out at this early hour?"
"Training, Elder." the girl answered, bowing her head a little bit.
"Child," Ku Lon said, "it got down to freezing last night. The sun hasn't been up long enough to thaw the sap in it properly yet, you could break your leg kicking it now."
"I know," the youth responded, "which is why I'm doing it. I'm toughening my lower legs to make them more resistant to breaking."
"A very good reason," the Elder acknowledged, "but it still doesn't excuse why you are out here instead of helping your family with their morning chores."
"I know I should not be out here, Elder, and for that I am sorry but.." she answered, trailing off at the end."
"But." prompted the old woman.
"But, should I really give up training time to help with chores that are more than adequately taken care of already?" the girl questioned somewhat hotly.
"You mean you've already finished your portion of your house's chores?" the Elder questioned, to which the girl nodded.
"I've been up for a couple hours now." the youth answered, her tone respectful once more.
"I am somewhat impressed by your determination, child," Ku Lon said, "But tell me, who is the Elder responsible for your training?"
"None," the girl replied, her head hung low, eyes staring at the ground.
"None at all? Then that means your not sponsored for the village tournament coming up?" The Elder asked, to which the girl affirmed with a nod to each.
"My family isn't old enough to have an Elder of its own," she said, "I have trained myself mostly, with a few lessons from Mother."
And that had given the three hundred year old woman pause. In the next two months, she would be screening for a potential second pupil to fulfill the requirements. She had known she had done well with Xian Pu, well enough to believe that she could win the tournament single handedly.
But without a second, Xian Pu would never get that chance to show them what she could do.
Then all of the sudden, she finds this oft ignored girl training as hard as she can with no Elder making a claim on her. It was a minor blessing to Ku Lon, as it meant she would spend less time dealing with potential saboteurs and more time training her second pupil. It wouldn't be hard to get the girl to cast her lot with her after all.
There was that reputation she had throughout the village.
"Child," she began, "have you been looking for an Elder to train you?"
"Yes."
"Then might I suggest you stop."
"Why?"
"Because I want you to be my second pupil for the tournament."
"But Mu Tsu-"
"All males are disallowed from participating. You know this, as well as I."
"S-sorry Elder, I forgot myself for a moment there."
"Quite alright dearie. Now how about I escort you home and we'll discuss with your mother the terms of this deal?"
- - -
'Damn,' she swore to herself, 'I really was an idiot back then.'
To this day, that was how she felt about her decision. If she hadn't been so hot to prove herself, she would have never meet that purple haired wench or that myopic moron. If she could have just said no to the Elder, she could have avoided all that was to come.
But really, how was one supposed to turn down one of the greatest living fighters of recent Amazon history?
It was quite a conundrum that she had found herself in. Ever since she had began training, her dream was to get sponsored by an Elder and make it into the tournament. Even in light of all that happened, could she really be that unhappy that her dream came true?
Perhaps it wasn't Mu Tsu and Xian Pu she hated, rather it was the conflicting emotions inside of her about it all.
'All this introspection isn't getting my report filled,' she thought, getting up from her seat and stalking out to the center of the roof.
It was a hassle to do it this way, but since the Phoenix started watching their moves a little more closely, it couldn't be helped. These old communication spells were hard to perform, but were neigh undetectable as long as you kept it short. But that was the trick, trying to gauge the amount of time before someone else detected your communiqué was a very difficult task.
Which is why it was such a pain.
Finally having everything prepared, Har started casting the spell. She tossed a few components into the air and chanted a few arcane words. After a barely noticeable flash, a globe of bluish light appeared in front of her.
"Ku Lon." she said simply, the matriarch appearing on the globe.
"Greetings Child," Ku Lon responded neutrally. "I take it you're ready for your full report?"
"Yes, Elder," Har replied in the proper respectful tones.
"I see you've finally remembered why I put you on the crash language course," the old woman responded dryly, "Now, make your report."
And so she did, making mention of what she had learned about Ranma. These things included certain routines she had learned about since she had started to spy on him. She also elaborated more on Xian Pu and how she came into getting that knowledge.
That probably wasn't a good idea.
"Let me get this straight, Child," Ku Lon thundered, "you left a fellow Amazon who seemed to be in dire straights alone to fend for himself?"
"Y-yes," the girl hesitantly replied.
"And you didn't even offer him any assistance?" the Elder sternly demanded.
"N-no." the youth meekly replied.
"What were you thinking? That it'd be okay to just leave your fellow Amazon alone in a foreign and potentially hostile country?"
"That's not it!" Har shouted back, breaking her meek posture. "You know I can't stand that near-sighted twit, why should I help him when you would leave him like I did?"
"If I were to leave him alone Child," Ku Lon replied, "It would be because he was either dead or I couldn't help him. To not offer assistance to a fellow Amazon, male or not, is a serious matter."
"Yes Elder," came the girl's meek reply, though the proud flame still burned in her eyes.
"Very well," the Elder said, a sigh escaping her, "we shall talk about this at length when I arrive. I expect to have every pertinent detail you can find about this Saotome Ranma that you can find."
"I will, Elder, I promise." the girl quickly said, before a loud yell interrupted her.
"What was that?" Ku Lon demanded.
"I don't know," Har answered, "it sound as though there's a disturbance down there. I'll check it out and contact you if it's important."
"Understood."
The spell winked out of existence and Har quickly gathered up her things. She peered over the edge to ascertain what had just transpired. She noted with curiosity that there was a boy laying in the ruins of an elaborate mask.
It looked like whatever happened was very interesting....
End Chapter 6
Teaser for Chapter 7:
Breakfast had come and gone at the Tendo household and the three school going members had to embark for said school. It was a quiet meal, though if that was due to the absence of Soun is anyone's guess. The trio walked in companionable silence, though it was more often a duo than a trio.
It didn't bother two members of the trio as much as it did the third.
Akane could detect there was something more to whatever was happening around her. She had been suspicious before but couldn't quite put her finger on it. This morning, however, proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was something rotten in the ward of Nerima.
Ranma hadn't been in bed when she went to wake him.
That wouldn't have been bad, really, if it wasn't for the fact that Nabiki had been the one to do it. That sent warning sirens off in her head, more so then her older sister's odd behavior. But the real topper came when the revelation of the mysterious package that Ranma went to great lengths to conceal was finally revealed.
It wasn't for her.
Admittedly, she didn't collect manga, but it still would have been nice to have been given a surprise gift like that. It was hard to fight down her possessive jealousy, as she knew that was a greater possibility of it doing more harm than good to her relationship with Ranma. After all, with his interest being sparked by something in Nabiki, she just couldn't blow up on him.
She was, after all, trying to save him from Nabiki.
That was her reason, cut and dry. She didn't love him, barely even liked him at that, so she figured she shouldn't get too worked up about things. Of course, there was only so much she could take, and she wasn't sure just what her limit of taking was.
If she was going to show Ranma that he would be safest with her, then she couldn't alienate him with violence when she reached that point.
So caught up in her mental debate, Akane had forgotten they were walking to school with the center of all things unusual, one Saotome Ranma. She snapped back to reality when she heard water splash on the walk behind her. She quickly looked at Ranma, and found him male, which disconcerted her somehow.
"How?" she asked.
"Huh, how what?" Ranma replied, surprise evident that Akane had suddenly decided that she was going to talk after all.
"How are you still a guy? The old lady over there would have nailed you by now." she clarified.
"Oh, that? I guess I was too early for her." he answered nonchalantly.
"That's what I like about you Ranma," Nabiki interjected, "when you're around, life is never dull."
"Are you saying I cause weird things to happen?" he demanded, though not at all harsh.
Just then, a strange boy in black robes ran by. That wouldn't have been weird if it wasn't for the winged pink haired girl on a bicycle chasing him. Of course, even that wasn't as strange as the full suit of old Samurai armor chasing after the girl.
"Ryo-sama!" the girl cried in tormented anguish. "Ryo-sama, why won't you love me?"
"Leave me the hell alone!" the boy, Ryo presumably, shouted back.
"Oh Shiori, why won't you return my love?" the armor asked, its tone of sheer woe made it seem even more ridiculous.
"Get lost Ken!" the girl, obviously Shiori, snarled back.
Once the trio vanished from view, Nabiki, Ranma and Akane all looked at each other with stunned expressions. They didn't say a word for a minute, even looking around to see what other madness might appear. Once they were sure they were in the clear, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Yes," Nabiki said evenly, "yes I am."
Author notes: Phew! This was a long four months in the making. Sure, I know it seems pretty muddling, but the main plot is just getting on track now, with Cologne's appearance in this chapter. Now, I know there are a lot of questions you people are going to have, so I'm going to answer them right now.
1. What was the manga that Ranma bought for Nabiki?
A. I didn't include the title so you all could draw your own conclusion as to what it is. I'm sorry if this confused anyone, but I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time.
2. Why are Ranma and Akane bickering more?
A. This is a big one. They are bickering more, simply because that is how I view their relationship to function. A heavy dose of possessiveness, plus a lot of arguing. Also, you may note that Ranma seems a lot more edgy around Akane, as well as no longer making the pretense to be nice. The biggest contributor to that is what Kimiko did to him. I will explore this further later, but suffice to say it was a lot harder to get Ranma to go this route then it may seem.
3. Why Ranma and Nabiki? Also, why not Shampoo or Ukyo?
A. This is perhaps, the largest question that some may have outside of those who like seeing this particular match-up. I like Ranma and Nabiki, simply because it involves writing more of your own story than using the canon as a crutch from which to write from. Also, I'm not a big fan of the mutually abusive relationship that Ranma and Akane have. So, why not the other two? I like Shampoo, but I find it hard to come up with a decent storyline for her, as I'm split fifty/fifty on how to go with her. Ukyo? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of her character. To daydream to someone whose home is being put on the line that you hope Ranma loses so he has to come with you isn't the best way to start off. Also, she just doesn't seem to be her own person, rather a more affectionate Akane who can cook. I'm not saying she is, that's just how she comes off. I'm sure she's a wonderful character, but she does nothing for me.
4. Why does Ukyo beat Ryoga? Also, why is Ryoga so weak compared to Ranma?
A. The answer to both is lack of training. Really, Ryoga hasn't disappeared off to who knows where to train, thanks to him catching Nabiki kissing Ranma. The only time Ryoga has gotten any real good licks in on Ranma is after he was flung into the wall by Mikado and Azusa's Goodbye whirl and turned into a girl. Massively injured and unable to put a great deal behind her strikes left Ranma pretty much screwed. As for Ukyo, she hasn't really mellowed out yet because off Ranma. She's still on her fanatical bent, which is why she pulls what she did in this chapter. It should be noted though, that had Ukyo actually took one of Ryoga's swings straight on, the fight wouldn't have lasted as long. Basically, the exchanges are assumed to be him thrusting and her swinging, with her swing knocking the thrust away.
5. Why is Har Karu suddenly being thrust into the spotlight?
A. Plans change. Over the course of working on this chapter, it occurred to me that Cologne would only have Mousse as an underling for future chapters. While I don't hate Mousse per say, I don't think Cologne would be able to resist wringing his neck for too long. Har's initial appearance was to cover why Cologne didn't just go looking for Shampoo on her own. But, realizing that if Shampoo wasn't going to be around, that the old ghoul (thwack!) would need a henchwoman. I will also tell you that she is also emerging so as to change Ryoga out of his show up and attack Ranma cliché. Also, Shampoo will also have to step up her training to evade being snared by Cologne.
6. Why does it take you so long to update?
A. Simply put, I don't write all chapters out before hand than work on a release schedule. I write them one chapter at a time, with things changing as I go. When I first wrote this, I had no idea I'd be spending the better part of the next year writing this. I consider this a learning experience for me, as my first attempt at writing a Ranma fic sucked a fat one, what with the overpowered AC and the lightning shift in relationships? Most of you probably never read that, nor will you, as I may one day go back and rewrite that. Though preliminary rewrite dates are primarily February 31st at the earliest, I guess you can say it isn't a big deal.
Any more questions, e-mail me at or . Hope to see you soon, like have another update before 2005!