Cat Fist Fury
Disclaimer: It wasn't my fault, really.
: Thoughts
" ": Chinese language
Chapter 18
The Origin of the Neko Ken
Part 1
Ranma wiped his brow after he lifted a huge stone block and set it
down into place to form part of the outer wall. He was only wearing a
pair of black pants. His skin glistened with sweat as the hot noonday
sun beat down on him. He had been working nonstop since dawn,
but didn't show any appreciable signs of tiring. The Shaolin priests
had decided to break for lunch, but Ranma had continued working.
He was enjoying the constant exertion of labor as it helped work
away the tension of his recent past.
It had been a week since Ranma had left Japan and come to his old
acquaintances at the unfinished temple. Since arriving at this simple
fishing village near the eastern coast of China, Ranma had been living
with the monks and had been helping out in constructing the temple.
For a while, he had discovered a rare peace as none of the problems
he had in Tokyo had followed him. He had been given a respite from
those troubles.
His old mentor in meditation, the head Shaolin priest Tung Kwai,
had welcomed him with open arms and had helped him as he tried to
regain the focus he had learned a year ago. Ranma still refused to tell
the aged priest about his defeat at the hands of White Claw. Tung
had decided to give his old student some space, but he knew that
Ranma would have to open up eventually.
"It is time to rest, young tiger." Tung said as he brought a tray
of food for Ranma.
"I'm not tired, Master Tung." Ranma waved off the offered tray
and continued to stack the stone blocks.
"Even a strong lad such as yourself must rest and eat."
Ranma paused as he looked at the food on the tray. It was then
that his stomach growled a bit. The Neko Ken fighter smiled, as he
shook his head and sat down to eat with the priest. As they ate, they
conversed quietly as Ranma finally decided to give his mentor the
details of why he had left Tokyo.
"Well now Kojiro? or do you prefer the name Ranma?"
Ranma shook his head and replied. "I would be most happy if
you were to never call me by that name again."
The priest nodded as he saw the slight anger and pain in the boy's
eyes. "Very well, young tiger. Kojiro it is. In any case, how do you
like being here so far?"
"It's been great, Master. Compared to what I had experienced
back in Japan, I really don't mind the hard work. Sometimes, I wonder
if I should ever go back. There's not really anything back there that I
want or need." Ranma felt a bit of sadness at leaving his friends
behind so abruptly, especially Ukyo.
"Speaking of things that you left behind, do you not think that
it's time you told me as to what appened in Japan and what made
you return to us? As I remember a year ago, you left our temple when
you had thought you had achieved the spiritual guidance you
needed to control the raging spirit within you."
"I thought I had, but now some people had entered into my life.
One person I was glad to see. Another I hoped I'd never see again
and?"
"One who had defeated you in battle with the same fighting
style, the Neko Ken." Tung finished.
Ranma nodded as he took a deep breath and began his story.
Meanwhile, back in Japan?
Akane moaned as she lay in her bed. Kasumi was at the moment
wiping her brow with a damp towel Beside her, Genma, Soun, and
Nabiki stood by as they looked down at the proud, yet extremely
temperamental heir to the Tendo Dojo (which incidentally had no
right to be called a dojo with its sign gone).
"Ow! That White Claw guy cheated! I wasn't ready!" Akane
moaned, as her eldest sister applied some iodine to some new cuts
she had gained after challenging the person who had taken their sign.
Nabiki shook her head and said, "You charged in there when you
weren't ready? Akane, I can't believe just how stubborn you are. This
was what, the second time you lost to him in one week? He's given
us ten chances to get the dojo's sign back and we now have seven
left. You think that by just rushing in and swinging your fists, that
you can beat this guy? Daddy and Mr. Saotome have been training
all their lives and even they couldn't beat him." She gestured to the
two men, who were also sporting bandages on their heads, arms and
upper torsos.
"I'll get him next time!" Akane rose to sit up, but she winced as the
pain of her cuts and bruises came back to her, forcing her to lie down
again.
"Akane, please you must lie still and give your wounds time to
heal." Kasumi said in a concerned tone.
"Oh Akane! How proud you have made me by your valiant efforts
to restore our family's honor!" Soun started a weeping spree that
made Niagara Falls look like a leaky faucet.
Genma however, was a bit more in touch with reality as he began
assessing the situation. "Well, that may be Tendo, but that doesn't
change the fact that this White Claw happens to be a lot more
formidable than even the Master." Genma shuddered at the thought
of the ancient lecher. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on
who you asked, Happosai was still recovering from the mauling that
Ranma had given him. Even so, Happosai may not be enough to
defeat this Neko Ken master. If White Claw was able to trounce
Ranma, then the outlook for the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts seemed dim.
For the past week, Akane had trained hard and then challenged to
get the dojo's sign back. Predictably, her anger and wounded pride,
rather than her common sense had been leading her.
Flashback?
"I've come for the dojo's sign!" Akane shouted as she came to the
hotel where White Claw was staying. After losing that first time,
Soun's daughter had exploded into a fit of rage and vowed to get the
sign back. She had started by going through hours of intense
training, which mainly consisted of breaking stacks of bricks and
other inanimate objects.
The Neko Ken fighter's elderly servant gestured for her to follow
him to an empty lot behind the hotel where White Claw was
practicing. Genma and Soun were with her as they served as
witnesses to the match. White Claw was dressed in a simple white gi
and smiled mockingly at his opponent. He saw the look in her eyes
and then assessed her.
"Hmmm. You've got to be kidding. Do you seriously think you
could defeat me with such pathetic skills?"
"Shut up and fight!" Akane went into a stance.
The Cat Fist warrior shrugged as he stood in a neutral position
with his arms crossed and waited for his adversary to make the first
move. "Very little kitten, let me see your claws."
"Arrgh!" Akane yelled as she rushed at her foe with fists flying.
WHAM! BAM! SLASH!
"Well, that was good half-second of amusement." White Claw was
just brushing off his hands as Akane was in a crumpled heap behind
him. Her clothes had been ripped apart and were in tatters, as she lay
sprawled on the ground. Her body was covered in small cuts and
bruises as she moaned in pain and disbelief.
"Akane!" Soun cried out as he and Genma rushed to her side and
crouched to see to her injuries.
"Ho hum. I would have though she'd last at least two seconds."
White Claw remarked with boredom. "It seems that she hasn't been
training very hard. Then again, what can I expect from a school that
has her father and Genma Saotome for members? Absolutely
pathetic."
"What?! How dare you insult the Anything Goes School of
Martial Arts?!" Soun said as he got up and faced off against White
Claw. He had ascertained that his daughter was relatively all right, as
she only had the wind knocked out of her. "For the honor of our
school and our family, I challenge you!"
"Oh really?" The Cat Fist martial artist smiled as he assessed
Akane's father. "Then I take it, you also wish to challenge me to
regain your dojo's sign?"
"I do! I, Soun Tendo of the Tendo School of the Anything Goes
Martial Arts do hereby challenge you!" Soun went into his battle
stance.
White Claw shrugged and said, "Well, since you are a member of
the Anything Goes, I can accept your challenge for the sign, but I
don't think it would be much of a fight. Why don't we make things
more? interesting?" His smile became even more evil-looking. "You
and your friend may attack me both at the same time. You can use
any technique you wish. There are no rules to this challenge."
"Huh?" Genma said as White Claw looked at him.
"You are a member of the Anything Goes, Genma Saotome. You
also have the right to challenge me for the sign." Genma was a bit
surprised from this sudden generosity, and Soun pounced on this
chance as he whispered to his friend.
"Saotome! This is our chance! Between the two of us, we can take
him!"
"I don't know Tendo. It's too easy." Genma was a bit uneasy at
this opportunity.
"One man against two masters of the Anything Goes? Come on
Saotome! We can beat him!"
Genma looked back at the Neko Ken fighter who had just
produced a long strip of cloth and was in the process of tying his
right arm behind his back. The head of the Saotome clan was a little
confused.
White Claw smiled as he finished with his task. His right arm was
securely tied behind his back with the cloth looped around his neck
and across his chest.
"How about I add this as a handicap? I'll only fight you with one
arm tied behind my back. I'll sweeten the deal even more. I know all
about your plans to join the two schools, but Genma's son is very
unwilling to fulfill it. If you can defeat me, I promise that I can get
Ranma for you, and drive away that perverted Happosai away for
good."
Soun and Genma's eyes widened at the thought of the schools
being joined and being forever free of the lecher. "R-Really?" Genma
stuttered.
"I give you my word of honor." White Claw said solemnly. "I have
already defeated Ranma, so it wouldn't be any problem for me to
bring him back. I also happen to know where he is. And it wouldn't
take much for me to destroy Happosai either. How about it?" White
Claw then turned his back to them and said. "Well come on."
The temptation proved to be too great as the two disciples of
Happosai charged at him. When they were about to strike, White
Claw smirked and?
End of flashback?
Nabiki shook her head as she returned her gaze to the sorry pair.
Even with his back turned to them and one arm behind his back;
White Claw had made short work of Genma and Soun.
"You should have known better than to have accepted that deal.
And since he counts the two of you as one challenge each, we now
only have seven chances to get our sign back."
Genma let out a depressed sigh. Nabiki was right. They really
should have known better. Soun's dreaded Demon-Head attack had
proven to be totally ineffective, and White Claw had used that one
free arm to slash the two of them like a paper shredder. Ranma's father
had been forced to unlock several of his sealed techniques, but they
too were ineffective. Genma's secret techniques of the Umisenken
and the Yamisenken were rendered useless. The vacuum blades were
as nothing to the chi-powered claws of their opponent. White Claw
was not so easily distracted by the more dirtier tricks and Genma
found himself totally outclassed. He was just too fast, too savage
and almost impossible to get close enough to land any blows. He
would be slashing away before they even got a chance to counter.
There was just no way that they could counter White Claw's Neko
Ken techniques. Happosai could have been able to stand up to him,
but even then Genma wasn't sure if the ancient lecher could beat him.
Other than an incentive to regain the dojo's sign, the old, perverted
founder of the Anything Goes may not be willing to fight White
Claw. In any case, Happosai would still be in the hospital for some
time yet.
No, it was clear that they needed someone who could match White
Claw in that powerful fighting style. They needed Ranma.
Back in China, Ranma had just finished with his tale about his
encounter with White Claw.
Tung took on a very ominous, and serious look as he finished with
his meal and began sipping from a teacup. "So, this? White Claw
person knows of Cat Fu, does he?"
Ranma nodded sadly. "I used every technique I had created from
what I knew of the Neko Ken, but he brushed them aside like they
were nothing. Even my strongest attack didn't work. And? he used
some kind of attack called the?"
"Cat Fist Fury." Tung said simply.
Ranma was more than surprised as he turned to face his mentor.
"M-M-Master Tung, you know?"
The elderly priest let off a tired sigh and nodded, as he put down
the teacup and faced Ranma. "I am sorry Kojiro. I should have told
you what I knew of the Neko Ken when you first arrived here. When
you came to us to learn our meditation techniques to control the
raging spirit within you, I saw from the start that you had a foothold
in the true Cat Fist, which is not just a single technique, but a very
ancient and powerful fighting style. It was foolish of me to think that
the Felinar Clan would not take notice of you, but you were so young
and innocent; unaware of the raw power that you had inadvertently
tapped into. I had thought that our meditation techniques would keep
that power within you under control and therefore go unnoticed, but
I see that the beast within cannot be restrained completely."
"True Cat Fist? Felinar Clan? What are you talking about?"
Tung took another deep breath and waited for a moment before
responding. "Listen well, young tiger. It was due to an oath that I
had taken more than sixty years ago that I could not tell you of this.
However, since there is no other way that I can explain it to you, I
must break that oath." Tung gazed upon a nearby stone slab and
then made a casual wave at it. Ranma's eyes narrowed as he saw
Tung's fingers curl and glow with a faint light. His hand missed the
block by a good foot, but then suddenly, lines appeared across the
slab's surface. The stone fell apart into five neat slices as if it were
like a loaf of bread.
Ranma gazed at his mentor with awe and shock. "Master? why
didn't you tell me that you knew the Neko Ken?"
Tung gave him a small smile as he held up a hand and replied.
"This? What I know is just a minuscule fraction of the power that
you and White Claw possesses. I am a mere novice compared to you.
However, when I had finally managed to find the means to control
this relatively simple technique, more than twenty people had been
hideously scarred and killed? including my own mother."
"Master, what are? you trying to say?"
Tung shook his head sadly as he began his story. "When I was
nine years old, I too had been training to be a martial artist. Like
yourself, my teacher had come across a copy of the training manual
for the dreaded Neko Ken and had tossed me into a pit of starving
cats. I was pushed beyond the limits of my sanity and became a
mindless, feral beast that would attack anyone that I perceived as a
threat. When I emerged from that pit in my feral state, I could see
nothing but a red haze and started slashing at anything and anyone.
My? mother had come to visit me to check up on my progress
and?" The priest bowed his head and shuddered as the horrid
memories of his past came back to him.
"Did she?" Ranma found herself at a loss for words.
Tung held back his tears as he struggled to compose himself.
Finally he nodded as he said, "She died in an instant when I slashed
across her face." He sniffled and choked back a bit before
continuing with his tale. "When I finally came out of that catlike
state, I was so horrified to have become the unintentional killer of my
mother and a group of innocent bystanders that I fled from
civilization. I lived out the next year of my life like a hermit and
avoided contact with anyone. I did not wish to risk being overcome
by the Neko Ken's madness and endanger others."
Ranma thought for a moment, then nodded. He could understand
the danger of the Cat Fist if it were turned on innocent bystanders.
The only person to have suffered from his own madness was his
father Genma. Since Genma was a martial artist, he was able to
withstand his attack. Of course at the time, Ranma was only a boy of
six when the Neko Ken madness manifested itself. He shuddered at
the thought of accidentally killing someone who had no martial arts
training.
"I would have remained isolated from the rest of the world if not
for a kind man named Red Fang."
"Red Fang?"
"Red Fang is what members of the Felinar Clan called him by. He
was the one who taught me how to overcome my fear of cats and
helped me gain control over the madness of the Cat Fist. However,
when he revealed that the Neko Ken was a martial arts discipline in
itself and offered to train me in it, I refused to learn anything more of
it. I feared that I might be tempted to use that power and kill another
innocent being in anger or lose control again. Since then, I had sworn
never to use the Cat Fist again."
"That's the second time you've mentioned this Felinar Clan.
Exactly who or what are they?"
Tung sighed again as he picked up his teacup and took another
sip of it. "The Felinar Clan is a very ancient and mysterious group of
warriors that had created the Neko Ken fighting style. Their history
dates back even further than the legendary Chinese Amazons. From
what Red Fang had told me, the clan has been around for more than
20,000 years."
"Twenty thousand years?! No way! That can't be possible!"
Tung shrugged as he took another sip of his tea. "That is what
Red Fang told me. I didn't believe it myself? until he transformed
into a huge, red saber-toothed tiger right before my eyes!"
By now, Ranma's face had turned pale. "He? he transformed?
Like me?"
Tung nodded. "Yes, Kojiro. Exactly like you. You see, about two
hundred centuries ago, saber-toothed tigers still roamed the Earth,
though in very few numbers. The Felinar Clan had adapted a fighting
style based on those ferocious cats. They had even developed a way
to actually transform into powerful tiger shapes and even a hybrid
between man and cat." Tung noticed Ranma suddenly becoming
agitated and ascertained the reason. "Ah, I see. You too must have
realized that you could achieve a hybrid state." Ranma reluctantly
nodded. "I thought as much."
"But Master, this can't be true. I mean, martial arts has been
around for a long time, but not THAT long! There's no way on Earth
that they could have made a fighting discipline 20,000 years ago! I
thought that people would still be living in caves and hunting with
spears and stuff."
"And? who said that the Felinar Clan was from Earth?"
Ranma took on a skeptical and confused look. "Wait a second?
are you saying that the Felinar are aliens?"
Tung cocked his head for a moment and responded. "That's? a
crude way of putting it, but yes. I prefer the term, otherworldly, but
they are from the stars."
"Begging no disrespect, but you've got to be kidding."
"I expected this kind of reaction, so I took the liberty of calling in
an old friend of mine. I believe you know of him as well."
"Who?"
Tung looked over to a pathway that lead into the forest and smiled
as he saw a couple of people approaching. He gestured over to them
while speaking to Ranma. "Ah, here they are now."
Ranma looked over to where the two visitors were approaching
and his eyes widened in shock. The first person was a tall man with a
neatly trimmed beard and wore black clothing. The Neko Ken fighter
instantly recognized the man as Dr. Theodore Diggers, who smiled at
him and waved. Beside him was a person that looked like Brittany
Digger's hybrid form, but was male and had striped fur instead of
spots. He was dressed in a sporty outfit, was well-muscled and
lacked a tail. However, he was quite feline as far as he had whiskers,
fur and pointed ears.
"Good day to you, Kojiro. It's been a while." Dr. Diggers said as he
and his companion approached Ranma and the priest. He held out his
hand, which Ranma wordlessly shook while still staring at Stripe. The
archmage nodded at his confusion and gestured to Brittany's
husband. "Oh where are my manners? I'd like to introduce you to my
son-in-law, Stripe of the Kryn."
"Hi there." Stripe greeted good-naturedly.
Ranma continued to stare.
A long while later?
"So let me get this straight." Ranma said after Dr. Diggers and
Stripe had finished with explaining about the Kryn. He had also told
the archmage and the Kryn about his encounter with White Claw.
"Fifty thousand years ago, these Kyn? landed on Earth with another
race called the Atlanteans and set up the city called El Dorado?"
"That's right Kojiro." The archmage nodded as he sipped from a
cup of tea. "Tung and I go way back and he called me the day after
you arrived here. When I left Japan after our meeting, I decided to
look more into the Neko Ken and its origins. That's when Stripe here
told me about the Felinar Clan."
Stripe nodded. "That's right. What Tung here told you is true.
Around the time when we landed on Earth, expeditionary groups
were sent out to search for a place to settle. The main group finally
came to South America and founded the city of El Dorado. However,
a small group was sent to Asia and wasn't heard from again until the
era when the Roman Empire fell. By that time, they had developed
into a new subspecies of Kryn that could transform into huge cats
and even created a fighting style that you know as the Neko Ken."
"Whoa." Ranma was more than flabbergasted at this new
information.
Stripe continued on with his story. "The Kryn at El Dorado have
had limited contact with the Felinar Clan, which what they now called
themselves. We have maintained peaceful relations with them, but
they still prefer to remain distant from us and we've very little
information about them or their fighting style. From what we've been
able to gather, the Felinar have been isolated for millennia until
around 1525 BC. I believe that they were revered in Egypt, China,
India and other parts of Asia. In Egypt, they were thought to be
messengers of Bast, the Cat Goddess, but they always kept their
appearances to a minimum. They were seen as mysterious,
mythological beings and great warriors. Besides my people, very few
others knew that they existed. However, around five hundred years
ago, they suddenly vanished from sight and that was when people
maddened by the Neko Ken had started popping up. Apparently,
some individuals had attempted to duplicate the Neko Ken, but since
they only had myths and legends to go on, it's obvious that some
things were misread or done wrong in the training procedure."
Ranma nodded at that, remembering how his idiotic father had
neglected to read that final page. "So where are they now?"
"The Felinar still exist today. They've only resurfaced about a
hundred and fifty years ago and keep to themselves. They are fewer
in number, but they do have vast connections and holdings
throughout the world. They also seem to appear only when a person
is stricken by the Neko Ken. There are several unreported cases in
which a person is driven mad by the Neko Ken and then disappear
without a trace."
Ranma trembled a bit as he remembered what White Claw had told
him about what had happened to people who had been trained in the
Neko Ken. "Do you think that the Felinar are the ones responsible?"
"Most likely. However, by this time, my people have not heard
from the Felinar as they refuse to answer any of our communications.
The last message that we received from them was five hundred years
ago and it had said that the clan was being led by a new faction. We
suspect that these people and their descendants have been running
the clan since then, and were the ones responsible for making all
those Neko Ken sufferers vanish. Apparently, they are very
protective of their fighting style. From what you told me, this White
Claw person must be the current kohlinjar."
"Kohlinjar?"
"That's the Felinar's term for ultimate champion. That also makes
him the clan enforcer."
"So what's this all got to do with me?"
"Apparently, the clan's present doctrine includes eliminating all
outsiders who know of the Neko Ken. Since you have more skill in it
than most, you have become a prime target."
"Now wait a minute! I hadn't intended to learn the Neko Ken in the
first place! That was all my dumb father's fault when he threw me into
that pit of cats! It was by just pure dumb luck that I landed in the
Spring of Monster Tiger. Lately, the Neko Ken has been giving me
some problems, and I've considered giving it up completely."
"It doesn't matter." Dr. Diggers said. "Even if you were to never to
use the Neko Ken again, the Felinar would still hunt you down
because of the potential you possess."
"So what can I do?" Ranma asked with apprehension. "White
Claw beat the living daylights out of me, and he's now just waiting for
me to come back and fight him again. If what you say is true, then
he'll come after me if I don't show up, will he?" Ranma knew that
White Claw was just toying with him, since he didn't have the skills
to defeat him.
Stripe nodded. "The Felinar are quite relentless. The way I see it,
the only way you can get out of this is to beat White Claw.
According to their laws, if the kohlinjar is defeated by an outsider in
single combat, then he must step down from his position.
Furthermore, the outsider would be given honorary status in the clan
and recognized as one of its warriors, thereby becoming exempt from
the death order. Mind you, we don't have a complete understanding
of their laws or how much has changed since we last heard from
them."
"But, White Claw is incredibly strong. Even if I hadn't been tired
out when I fought him, he was still better than me. He knows all about
the Neko Ken. I don't."
"Then you must learn from someone who does know." Tung said.
"Who?" Ranma asked.
"The same person who told me about the Neko Ken and the
Felinar. Red Fang."
Meanwhile, back in Japan?
"So now the Kryn are involved."
"Yes Master." The servant replied. "Our spies had sighted the
leader of the Kryn and Dr. Theodore Diggers heading toward the area
where Ranma Saotome had last been seen."
"Interesting." White Claw stroked his chin as he gazed out the
window of his hotel room. "No matter. I expected that my opponent
would learn of the Felinar eventually. Hmmm, it will be very
exhilarating to face him again." White Claw gave his servant a smug
smile. "I will battle this Ranma at his fullest potential. Killing a weak
opponent sickens me. Ranma Saotome will provide me with the
ultimate challenge! A victory worth savoring."
"But sir? he may just defeat you."
"As I said before, what good is the title of kohlinjar if it is not for
the risking?"
"But sir? if he does defeat you, then he will become the NEW
kohlinjar, not just an outsider exempt from the death order."
White Claw chuckled. "Yes, who would have thought that he was
already a Felinar. I was very surprised to learn of it when I read that
report on him."
The servant nodded as he said. "Yes, when we did that
background check on him, we found out about his trip to Jusenkyo.
When we questioned the guide, he had informed us that Ranma
Saotome had fallen into the Pool of Drowned Monster Tiger."
"Yes, well that was twenty thousand years ago and the Guides did
not know about our clan. They named it the Spring of Drowned
Monster Tiger, when it should have been called the Spring of
Drowned Felinar. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
To be continued?
Author's notes
Well, that takes care of part one. Part two will reveal more about
the Felinar Clan and the Neko Ken as Ranma meets up with Tung's
mentor, Red Fang. Stay tuned!
Cat Fist Fury
Disclaimer: Disclaimers are all the same. Once you've seen one,
you've seen them all.
* *: Thoughts
Chapter 18
Origin of the Neko Ken
Part 2
"Who hoo! What a haul, what a haul!"
Now normally, the sounds of Happosai coming home from a panty
raid, would cause Soun Tendo to moan in despair as he and Genma
would grovel at their perverted master's feet. The ancient lecher had
recovered from the mauling he had received from Ranma, and was
now trying to make up for lost time. Amazing what groping a few
pretty nurses can do for the three-hundred-year old founder of the
Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. The hospital couldn't get rid
of him fast enough..
As Happosai entered the den with his bag of ill-gotten women's
unmentionables, he noticed that his two disciples had taken very
little notice of him as they stared at the shogi board between them.
By the looks of the game, they had not been very focused on the
board and had not moved or stolen each others pieces. The old
lecher was puzzled and soon became angered at the lack of respect
they were showing toward their master. It seemed that Happosai
would have to remind them.
"Soun... Genma..." The old man said in a very low and menacing
tone.
The two looked in the direction of their master with very dismal
expressions. It took them about a minute before recognition, and the
conditioned response from years of humiliation and terror, kicked in.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! MASTER!"
In a flash, the two were bowing and scraping at their master's feet.
"Forgive us Master! We had no idea that you had returned!"
Genma groveled.
"We are so very happy that you have recovered!" Soun added.
Happosai glared at the two with irritation for a long while before
finally saying, "Your momentary lapse in properly greeting your
master is forgiven, FOR the moment." Both disciples gulped at that
statement. "Now would you tell your master exactly why you did not
greet my return at the moment I came in?"
Both Genma and Soun looked at each other with fear and
apprehension as they tried to think of the best way to explain their
predicament.
Some time later...
Happosai blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe as he sat on a
cushion before his sniveling pupils. "So you lost the dojo's sign.
How pathetic. Then again, I should have known that something like
that would happen to you idiots." He then held up his pipe to take
another puff. "So who took the sign?"
"His name was... White Claw." Soun replied with dejection.
"WHAUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!" Happosai choked when he heard
the name, spitting his pipe out. "HACK! ACK! COUGH! COUGH!"
The old master went into a series of coughing fits for a full minute.
When he finally cleared his voice, his eyes were bugged out and his
skin had paled. "WHAT?! DID YOU SAY WHITE CLAW?!"
Genma and Soun were surprised. They had never seen their master
in such a state. If this White Claw could make even the greatest evil
in all of Japan become this agitated, then things must be bad.
Near the entrance to the den, Akane and Nabiki were listening in
on the conversation and they too were amazed to see Happosai in
this state. They leaned forward to listen more closely.
"M-M-Master? What's wrong? Do you know this White Claw?"
Soun asked.
The ancient founder of the Anything Goes took several deep
breaths and took out a couple of panties to rub against his cheeks to
calm himself down. When he finally got control, he said in a slow and
nervous voice. "Tell me the whole story."
A few minutes later, Happosai nodded as he took a sip of tea. "I
see. Well, I'm not surprised that White Claw defeated you two and
Akane so easily. He's not a man, he's more like a monster."
"B-B-But who is he?" Genma stammered.
Happosai took a deep breath and became what he rarely did.
Serious. "White Claw belongs to a clan of extraordinary fighters that
had its roots in China. They're not very well known, since very few
have ever come across them and lived to tell about it. I am one of
those people. It has been more than a hundred and ninety-five years
since I heard of the name White Claw, but even then, he was a
formidable adversary. He was virtually... unbeatable."
"A hundred of ninety-five years ago?" Genma said in confusion.
"That can't be right. The person who calls himself White Claw today
doesn't look like he's that old. He doesn't look like he's a day over
twenty-five!"
Happosai shrugged as he said, "There have been rumors that says
that members of the Felinar Clan are extremely long-lived and age
very slowly with time. Take me and Cologne for example. We've been
around for three centuries now. "
Meanwhile at the Nekohanten...
"It no use, Great-grandmother." Shampoo replied. "No can find
Airen anywhere. Rumor of him being defeated by another called
White Claw. They say he also know of Neko Ken."
"Really? Hmmm... very interesting... tell me more." Cologne said as
her great-granddaughter continued on with.
Back at the Tendo residence...
Happosai continued with his story. "The Felinar Clan is so ancient
that no one really knows how long it's been around. I'd say it would
be a safe bet that they've existed far before the first Chinese Dynasty,
the Roman Empire and even ancient Greece. The first recorded
appearance of the clan was around 1525 BC in Egypt. There have
been legends of great catlike warriors. As you may or may not know,
cats were revered in Egypt and the Felinar Clan were seen as avatars
of the great Cat Goddess Bast. As you may have guessed, they were
the creators of the dreaded Neko Ken."
"The... Neko Ken?" Genma repeated.
"Yes, Genma. The same Neko Ken that you had taught to Ranma.
However, as you know, the training method usually renders the
trainee mentally unbalanced with a fear of cats. No one has been able
to correctly duplicate the Felinar techniques that make the Cat Fist so
effective. The reason why I know about them is due to a slight...uh,
error in judgment that I made when I was still young and foolish."
Soun and Genma gave their master a sarcastic look. Since when
had Happosai NOT done something that didn't end up in disaster?
Flashback to two centuries ago...
"So, you think to test yourself against the grandmaster of the
Anything Goes Martial Arts, eh?" A younger Happosai sneered as
he set aside his bag of women's undergarments and stolen treasures.
He wasn't worried about facing his opponent. The man couldn't be no
more than twenty or twenty-one years old and looked a bit on the
lean side. The pervert had more than a century's worth of experience
under his belt.
The man growled as he took a strange stance that Happosai did
not recognize. "I have heard that you are quite formidable and I wish
to see if the rumors are true. Besides, you had committed a serious
crime by stealing some of the treasures of our clan. The penalty for
this transgression will be quite severe."
"Hah! As if a stripling like you could defeat me! Some of your
treasures are worth a fortune and I'll never part with my silky
darlings!" The future mentor of Soun and Genma took out a pair of
panties and rubbed them affectionately against his cheek, giving
himself a boost in energy.
The man smirked as his battle aura began to show. "Let us see if
you still hold your 'silky darlings' in such high regard when they are
drenched in your blood!" In a flash, he charged forward with claws
extended and battle aura blazing.
Happosai nonchalantly held up an arm with his pipe extended.
This was too easy.
One minute, thirty-five seconds later...
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
The man was now standing over the battered and bleeding form of
Happosai, who was face down on the ground in a pool of scarlet that
was becoming larger with every moment. His body twitched and
convulsed as his opponent bent down to pick him up by the scruff of
the neck. When his eyes met Happosai's, he said in a mocking tone.
"Is this the best that the Anything Goes has to offer? I am so
disappointed."
Happosai was just barely conscious and feeling quite woozy from
the massive loss of blood he had sustained. He could barely keep his
eyes focused on the man, but they became wide as saucers as the
man shifted to his hybrid form.
"W-W-What the...? What kind of monster are you? Who are
you?" When the old lecher saw the pointed fangs, whiskers and fur,
he began to feel like a mouse before a very hungry, and angry cat. A
feeling that he would later experience again, 195 years later.
The man smiled evilly as he replied. "I am White Claw. Kolinjar of
the Felinar Clan. Now that you have experienced a taste of the Neko
Ken, perhaps you will respect my clan and its power. For your crimes
against the Felinar, the penalty would have been immediate
execution." Happosai shivered at these words. In his present
condition, he was completely helpless. His techniques had been no
match for the awesome fury and deadly moves of the true Neko Ken.
"However, I am feeling generous today, as I have recovered our
stolen property and had a light workout. You weren't much, but you
lasted longer than my other opponents. Therefore, I think I'll just let
you off with a..." White Claw cocked his head in thought, then
replied, "Slap on the wrist."
Happosai was relieved to hear of this, but was then slammed face-
first into the ground. A moment later, he felt an excruciating burning
sensation on his back. The pain was so unbearable that it caused him
to black out into blessed unconsciousness.
End of the flashback...
"I nearly bled to death that day." Happosai recalled. "I had found
myself totally outclassed against White Claw. Since that first
encounter, I had trained hard to try and improve my skills. I had also
delved into the history of the Felinar Clan to find a weak point in their
fighting style. When I came across an old copy of the Neko Ken
training manual, I had thought I had the answer. When I read the
whole thing however, it turned out to be a dead end."
Genma winced at the statement.
"White Claw and I clashed on two other occasions since then, but
I could never match his power or skills. He would always beat me
down to within an inch of my life and then scar me. After the third
defeat, I finally wised up and left the Felinar Clan alone."
"You... gave up, Master?"
Happosai nodded as he took off the top of his gi and showed his
back to Genma and Soun. Both were reviled at the wrinkled surface,
but then caught the sight of three large and jagged scars that were
cut diagonally across the back. "Of all the injuries I have sustained
throughout my long life, these scars have never completely healed."
He then put his top back on and turned to face his students. "Now
listen up. I'm telling you this for your own good. If White Claw has
your sign, then you can just kiss the dojo goodbye. He's far too
powerful a fighter to be beaten."
"But Master! For the future of the Anything Goes, we must regain
the sign!" Soun cried out.
"I couldn't even beat White Claw long ago in my prime, and who
knows how much more powerful he's become since then. Besides, the
Neko Ken is considered one of the most deadliest fighting styles in
the world! Face it, the only way we could regain the sign is if we had
a member of the Anything Goes that also knew of the Neko Ken."
Soun brightened at this. "Well, then the answer is simple. We'll
have Genma's son Ranma get our sign back. He knows the Neko
Ken."
"Good luck in trying to find him, Daddy." Nabiki said as she and
Akane decided to get into this conversation. Both girls entered the
den and sat down beside their father. "In any case, Ranma has
already been beaten by this White Claw person and he's fled the
country. No one knows where he is now."
"Oh the shame of it! My son is a sniveling coward!" Genma
started crying out to the heavens.
"Who cares about that freak!" Akane remarked with irritation. "I'll
get our sign back, just you wait and see!"
Nabiki shook her head tiredly. "Akane, do you have a flatline for a
learning curve? You are nowhere near RANMA in terms of skill,
power or anything to do with the martial arts, and White Claw BEAT
HIM! He beat our fathers and Happosai! HE BEAT YOU IN UNDER
A SECOND, TWICE! Face it Akane, there's no way in this lifetime
that you could ever beat his Neko Ken!"
"Hmpf!" Akane turned her head in disgust at her sister's scathing,
yet accurate assessment of her skills.
"Oh Saotome! What are we going to do?!" Soun burst out into a
considerable waterfall of tears that soon threatened to flood the floor
of the den.
Genma shook his head sadly and in despair. If only that ungrateful
boy of his would just accept his responsibility to the Anything Goes
and his engagement. Now the fat panda's dreams of a long and
luxurious retirement of living off the Tendo Dojo was in jeopardy.
*Oh what did I do to deserve such a miserable excuse for a son?*
At the hotel where White Claw was staying at, the person in
question was getting bored. Ranma had yet to return and challenge
him to a rematch, and the Tendos had yet to issue a new challenge to
regain their sign. It had been a week since he trounced Soun, Genma
and Akane and things were becoming dull. He needed to spice things
up a bit. It was then that he received some news from his manservant.
Apparently, Happosai had been released from the hospital and was
back to terrorizing the neighborhood with his acts of thievery and
panty raids.
Happosai... oh yes, now I remember! He was the one who had
been stupid enough to try and steal from the clan a couple of
centuries ago. As I recall, my great-great-grandfather had faced him
off on several occasions! Well now, if he was good enough to get the
attention of the first White Claw, then perhaps he'll give me some
entertainment. After all, he is the founder of the Anything Goes!
The next day...
"Whoo hoo! What a haul! What a haul!"
Happosai was gleefully skipping along with his bag of women's
delicates. As he rounded a corner to head back to the Tendo home,
his load suddenly became lighter. He stopped suddenly and looked
over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw that he was holding
an empty sack with a huge rip in the bottom. Panties and bras were
now scattered all over the ground and some were blowing away in
the breeze. He then saw a figure that was casually leaning against a
wall and was smirking at him.
"My silky darlings!" Hapoosai gasped with horror as his ill-gotten
loot began to blow away. He then glared up at the stranger. "Who are
you?" Happosai demanded with anger. "Did you do this?!"
White Claw nodded as he casually took a stance and replied. "I
did. But what I did to that bag was nothing compared to what I'm
going to do with you, Happosai."
The old pervert snorted with disdain as he took a stance. "So, the
little punk wants a piece of me, eh? Well you're going to learn the
error of interfering with my affairs! For the crime you have committed
against my poor, defenseless treasures, I'm going to..." He then
stopped in mid-rant as he got a good look at his opponent. Wait a
minute... this guy looks familiar. Where have I seen that face before?
He paused to recollect and then his eyes widened in shock and
horror. No! It can't be! NOT HIM!
White Claw became even more smug as he saw Happosai's
expression. "Ah, I see you recognize my resemblance to my great-
great grandfather."
"Great-great grandfather?" Happosai said with surprise.
"Why yes. I am White Claw, the fifth."
"The fifth?"
"Yes, that old tale about the members of the Felinar Clan being
ageless is just that, a tale. I am the fifth to take up the name of White
Claw, but I assure you, I am just as powerful as my ancestor was.
Perhaps even more so."
Happosai breathed out a sigh of relief. This wasn't the one who
had scarred him all those years ago. He still got the willies whenever
he thought of him. Though the resemblance between the present
White Claw and his namesake was uncanny. As he stared the fighter
in front of him, he began to notice the subtle differences between the
first White Claw and the present one. White Claw had gold eyes
while his ancestor's were pure black. His hair was silver instead of
dark crimson. However, the fierceness of his ancestor burned brightly
in this new White Claw and there was no mistaking his power in the
Neko Ken. Happosai could tell from his stance and aura. After being
mauled by Ranma, the old lecher wasn't exactly eager to go up
against another Cat Fist fighter.
"What do you want?"
White Claw smiled as he replied. "I wish to engage you in combat
to test your skills and see if you were as good as my great-great
grandfather had told me. Perhaps you would challenge me for the
sign of the Tendo Dojo? You are the founder of the Anything Goes,
after all."
The ancinet pervert snorted and said in a nonchalant tone. "As if I
care for Soun's dojo. The Anything Goes doesn't depend on having
a dojo and its not like Soun has any students other than his
daughter."
"You won't fight me for it?" White Claw said with a little surprise.
"Heck no! As far as I'm concerned, you can throw the sign into the
fireplace. The dojo means nothing to me. I only stay there for my
amusement. Soun and Genma are quite pathetic and it doesn't matter
to me whether they lose the dojo or not."
"I see." White Claw said with thought. "Well then, perhaps if I
were to give you a bit of an incentive to fight with me for the sign?"
"Yeah, right. As if I'm crazy enough to go up against a Neko Ken
Master. What could you possibly have that would make me want to
fight you for a wooden board?"
"Perhaps... this?" The Neko Ken fighter gestured to one side and
someone stepped out into view from around a corner.
Happosai's eyes bugged out when he saw the woman as she
seductively leaned against the wall and gave him a playful wink. She
was dressed in a revealing, bikini-type outfit that just barely covered
up her lush charms. Her breasts swayed and bounced with each
slight movement and her smooth curved hips accentuated her long,
slender legs. She had her dark hair done in a long ponytail and her
large, hazel eyes were tilted at a very sensuous angle. She glided over
to where White Claw was standing and placed a hand on his broad,
muscled chest and then gave him another wink.
White Claw nodded his head to her and before the old pervert's
eyes, she gave a small meow and transformed into her hybrid form.
She became taller and more muscular, but her form became even
sexier as her clothes were stretched to their absolute limit. Her skin
became lightly furred and took on a light tan color with red stripes. A
tail appeared below the small of her back, which swayed and twitched
as she did a graceful pirouette. Her top was now barely able to
contain the bounty that her already well-endowed breasts had
become. Her bikini bottoms was a thong-style and Happy thought he
would have a heart attack when he got a full view of her rear. The
catwoman was pumping out pheromones like nobody's business and
White Claw knew that Happosai was hooked.
"WHOA MOMMA! HOTCHA! COME HERE BABY!"
Happosai was like a human missile as he leapt forward to give the
female a glomp to end all glomps! However, he was stopped in midair
as White Claw casually plucked him by the scruff of the neck. As the
old lecher kicked his legs and tried to pry himself from White Claws
inhuman grip, he gave off a short laugh of amusement. To be so close
to such beauty was torture for him!
"LEMME GO! LEMME GO!"
White Claw shrugged as he nodded to the to his servant. "That
will be all, Tigara."
"As you wish, Kolinjar." Tigara touched her lips with two of her
fingers and blew her master a kiss before leaping high to an
astounding fifty feet. She was then gone in an instant as she
bounded away via rooftops.
"NOOOOO! COME BACK, SWEETIE!"
With a simple flick of his wrist, White Claw tossed the lecherous
master of the Anything Goes to the ground and said, "IF you are able
to defeat me, Happosai, not only will you regain the dojo's sign, but I
will let you have let you have a dozen of those lovely girls as a
bonus."
"A-A-A d-d-dozen?!" The old pervert couldn't believe what
White Claw was offering. He was already wrapped in his own sick
fantasies with just that one girl. To have a dozen of those beauties as
his own...
White Claw shrugged as he slid into a stance. "Tigara was just a
small sample. We have many females such as her in our clan. So...
now will you fight for the dojo's sign?"
Happy looked at the direction where the feline beauty had
disappeared. He had never before seen such loveliness in all of his
life. Not even Cologne when she was eighteen could have stirred him
up as much as Tigara had done now. The way she moved promised
sensual delights undreamed of and if he could defeat White Claw, he
would not only have her, but eleven more like her. What he could do
with such visions of magnificence drove him beyond any previous
levels of lust that he had experienced. The acts of perversions he had
done in the past were as nothing to what he imagined he could do
with Tigara and others like her. They were unlike any other woman in
the world! He must have them! HE WILL HAVE THEM!
"HIYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
White Claw grinned. This had been too easy!
That night...
Kasumi gasped as she answered the door and saw the bloody and
bruised form of Happosai, lying prone before her and moaning in
pain. On his back was a small piece of paper. As she called for her
father and Genma to help her carry the aged master into the house,
she reached out with a trembling hand. She bit back the feeling of
nausea from the blood stains on the message as she read it out loud.
Four down, Six to go.
White Claw
Somewhere in China...
Ranma shook his head as he traveled through the dense forests
that was near the capital city of Beijing. It had been a few days after
he had left the Shaolin temple. The directions that Tung had given
him were vague at best and it had been more than fifty years since
the monk had last seen Red Fang. Though Ranma wasn't sure if he
wanted to find the old Felinar, he had no other choice. If he wanted to
truly control the raging spirit behind the Ultimate Neko Ken, then he
needed to find a person that belonged to the clan that created it. He
shook his head for the umpteenth time as he continued on.
Meanwhile, back in Japan, Ukyo Kuonji hung up the phone in her
bedroom above her restaurant. She then made the final checks to the
heavy backpack on her bed. With everything else squared away, she
prepared to depart for the airport. Her destination would be China.
Though she didn't know exactly where her Ran-chan had gone to, it
was reasonable to assume that Ranma had went there. He had told
her of his adventures after abandoning his father at Jusenkyo. It
seemed the most likely place that he would go to and was the best
lead she had. She had also asked his friends and Shang had
mentioned that Ranma was fond of a Shaolin temple near the
coastline. The Chinese boy had often talked with her fiancee during
their sparring matches.
Though the idea of going blindly into China would seem foolhardy
to some, Ukyo was used to the idea. After all, she had spent ten
years searching for Ranma before. This was no different. However,
now the driving force was concern and tenderness, not revenge.
*Speaking of revenge, there's just one more loose end to tie up
before I go.* Ukyo first headed to the Tendo Dojo to settle an old
score with a certain Genma Saotome.
Back in China?
Ranma became a bit edgy as he began to sense something was
watching him. Traveling through the wilderness had begun to
sharpen his catlike instincts that had become lax from living in Tokyo.
He stiffened a bit as he approached an extremely dense grove of trees
near a hillside. Looking past the branches and up the hill, he could
see a small cabin in the distance. It was surrounded by some large
boulders and a ridge. If Tung had not told him at what direction to
approach it, Ranma would have never had spotted it from below.
Apparently, Red Fang preferred his privacy.
*That must be it.* Ranma thought as he began to make his way
toward it. Ten minutes later, he walked up the path that led to the
structure, then paused again as he used his instincts and senses to
scan the area. He knew he was being watched, but he couldn't tell
where his stalker was hiding. His sense of danger was now on full
alert as he dropped his backpack and crouched down in a ready
stance. He waited for what seemed to be an eternity for any sign of
whoever or whatever was watching him. Then it happened.
From some dense bushes on Ranma's left, a huge red shape
exploded forth with a roar that almost caught him off guard. The Neko
Ken fighter just barely managed to duck out of the way as he saw the
flash of razor-sharp claws take a swipe at his head. Ranma quickly
rolled out of the way and came back on his feet as he turned to face
off against the beast. His eyes widened as the huge cat landed and
turned to regard him.
The saber-tooth was huge! It was slightly larger than Ranma's
own feline form, but had a copper-colored fur coat with some gray
hairs highlighting its face, paws and the tip of its tail. It had green
eyes that seemed to stare right through him. Large front canines the
size of daggers were glinting in the afternoon light, giving them a
lethal shine. Ranma could see that the big cat was worn and its fur
wasn't as thick as his own. It was a faded reddish color and wasn't as
lustrous as the Tokyo Tiger's. He could see the telltale scars of
sustained injuries and the signs of age taking its toll. This tiger was
definitely a veteran of many fierce battles and had lived for a long
time. Seeing that the tiger was crouching and tensing up, Ranma
knew that it was getting ready to pounce. Remembering what Tung
had told him, Ranma took a neutral stance and spoke to the growling
predator.
"Red Fang, I presume? I bring greetings from Tung Kwai."
This caught the cat's attention as it suddenly stopped growling
and regarded Ranma with a curious gaze.
Ranma nodded as he continued. "Yes, I know him, just as you did
when you taught him how to control the Neko Ken. I've been
subjected to that training as well, and I have been told that you can
help me with it, as well as face a person called? White Claw."
This really got Red Fang's attention as he sat down on his
haunches and closed his eyes. A moment later, the beast glowed with
an eerie red light and then morphed. Ranma was very impressed as he
had forgotten what the transformation had looked like from the
outside. In less than a few seconds, the prehistoric tiger became an
old man that looked to be around his late eighties to early nineties.
He was about Ranma's height, but was a bit on the lean side. His hair
was a pale gray with some red highlights near his temples. It was long
and flowed down toward the middle of his back. He was dressed in
simple garments which included loose gray pants, leather sandals
and a tunic of white. His face was wrinkled and somewhat sad-
looking, but his eyes are what caught Ranma's attention. They had
the most striking emerald shade that he had ever seen and he
couldn't tear his eyes away from them.
The old man's brows furrowed as he gazed at his visitor. He
assessed the boy's power and nodded as he said in a firm tone,
"Follow me, young tiger. We have much to discuss."
The old Neko Ken warrior turned his back and headed toward the
cabin with Ranma close behind.
In Japan?
WHAM!
Genma Saotome went flying after his face had been introduced to
Ukyo's battle spatula. He had just opened the door when the
okonomiyaki chef unslung her main weapon, and asked, "Genma
Saotome?"
Genma tried to shut the door as his survival instincts kicked in.
After years of running from the law and all those broken promises,
the fat panda was quite wary of people who were asking for him.
Before he could get the door even halfway closed, Ukyo kicked it
open and then slammed the flat of the giant cooking utensil into his
face. The Tendo family were in the parlor after tending to Happosai's
injuries. The old pervert was resting in one of the guest rooms and
they had just got up to leave when they heard a loud, metallic clang.
Genma went crashing into the wall at the end of the hall as Ukyo
went charging into the house with eyes ablaze with fury.
"Your number's up pops!"
The father of Ranma was just shaking his head to clear it, when
Ukyo brought her weapon down again on his noggin. She then
continued to slam her spatula down on him. The incessant clanging
of metal against his dimwitted skull echoed through the house and it
wasn't long before the Tendos came rushing to the scene. They
stopped and stared in disbelief as they saw Ukyo repeatedly pound
Genma, even after it was apparent that he was unconscious.
"Do you realize how hard it is on a child's psyche to be
abandoned like that?! You are going to pay for every year, every
month, every day that I suffered when you left me! YOU HEAR ME?!"
The Tendos had to rush in and physically restrain the enraged
chef before she could bring the sharpened edge of her spatula into
play. A minute more and she would have made panda okonomiyaki
out of him!
Some time later?
"WHAT?! SAOTOME, HOW COULD YOU?!"
Genma winced as Kasumi applied the last of the bandages to his
head. He didn't like the way his friend was going into that Demon
Head of his. Off to one side, Ukyo growled at him. After calming
down a bit and realizing that Genma was unconscious and couldn't
feel her wrath, she had explained to the Tendos about what had
happened to her ten years ago.
"So that's why you were pretending to be a boy when you came
here." Akane surmised.
Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, he went and stole my family's yattai after my
father had offered it up as my dowry! He agreed to engage me to
Ran-chan and ruined me for marriage when he abandoned me! I swore
to renounce my femininity and get my revenge on both him and his
son."
"Ran-chan?" Nabiki asked.
"That's what I used to call him. He called me Ucchan. I spent the
last ten years of my life as a boy while searching for him and his
worthless father."
"Well, if you like, I can tell you about him, for a price." Nabiki
smiled as she saw an opportunity. She knew who Ranma was, after
all.
Ukyo gave her a smug smile as she replied, "Not interested. I
already know about my Ko-chan." She gave a happy sigh as she
thought about him.
"You? know about Kojiro?" Nabiki saw yen signs disappearing
before her.
"Of course I do. He is my fianc?e after all."
This quickly got Soun's attention. "Now just a moment! There's
something you should know! Ranma is engaged to my Akane, and
when he marries her, the two of them will carry on the Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts! It's already been decided! As a matter of
honor, he will follow through!"
"And what about my family's honor? Do it mean any less?"
"The pledge to unite our schools was made before any of our
children were born! We have seniority!"
"That doesn't mean anything!" Ukyo shot back. "Ranma's father
has already taken my dowry and spent it! All you had was a verbal
pledge! And maybe you should know that my family wasn't the only
one that Ran-chan's dad had promised him to!"
"W-W-W-What a-are y-you talking about?" Soun was taken
aback by this. When hearing about Ukyo's claim, he had become
angered that his friend had not told him of this. However, he wasn't
totally surprised as he had chalked up Genma's behavior as a side-
effect from training under Happosai. Now there was more?
"I-I-I only did that once, Tendo!" Genma said quickly as he began
looking for an escape route.
"Oh really?" Ukyo said sarcastically as she began ticking off with
her fingers. "Tell me, does the name Daijkoku mean anything to you?
The family that you sold Ran-chan to for a fish, rice and two pickles?
How about Shiga, Sentaro, Wu or the dozen or so other families
you've cheated? Ko-chan told me all about them!"
"Saotome?" Soun growled at his friend, giving him an icy stare
before turning back to Ukyo. "I was unaware of all of this, but the
fact remains that Ranma must marry my daughter Akane! I am sorry
about your misfortune, but?"
"I told you before, I'm not marrying that FREAK!" Akane
bellowed as she had been totally ignored throughout this exchange.
Ukyo almost brought her spatula to bear on Akane, but then
remembered herself. Instead she said in low and menacing tone,
"What did you just say?"
Akane's anger was making her say things before thinking as she
totally missed the hostility being directed at her. "He's a freak! He
changes into some monster and there's no way I'm going to marry
someone like that! He's also a coward since he's run away!"
Ukyo was steaming at this time as she clenched her fists. *How
dare she insult my Ko-chan! I outta?* Ukyo then got a thought and
smiled as she stood up and said, "Fine then. It seems that you don't
want him. I'll be glad to take him!" She then turned to Soun. "Mister
Tendo, since your daughter has denounced her engagement to
Ranma, in front of witnesses, I don't consider the Tendo's claim as
valid."
Soun was quick to the denial. "The Tendo claim to Ranma still
stands!"
Ukyo shrugged as she said, "Think what you like, but consider
this. Ranma's already renounced his name. He doesn't consider
himself as Ranma Saotome anymore and had his name changed to
Kojiro Shinkara. The vow Mister Saotome made is no longer valid."
"Doesn't that make your claim also invalid?" Nabiki said.
Ukyo shrugged again. "Maybe, but at least I still have a chance
with him. He likes me, not Akane and he's so sweet and so darn
CUTE when he's a tiger! He's my little T-chan!" Ukyo saw little
hearts floating about.
"T-chan?" Kasumi asked.
"T as in tiger and chan as in cute." Ukyo replied with a smile.
*Oh brother!* Nabiki rolled her eyes. She thought he was cute as
a saber-tooth? Formidable? Yes. Intimidating? For certain. But cute?
"That's ridiculous! He can't do that!" Genma denied. "As his
father, I'll just change his name back!" Genma sweated a bit as he
imagined what certain people would do if they found out about this.
*What would Nodoka say?*
Akane was getting very irritated by the moment. "Let him go! Who
needs that freak!" She then directed her anger at Ukyo. "And you!
You're just as weird as he is if you think he's cute! Why anyone
would want to be with him is beyond me!"
Ukyo took that particular insult personally and almost slapped
Akane because of it. She couldn't believe that Akane was so dense
and not see Ranma for what he was. So he transformed into gigantic
prehistoric beast. So what? It didn't change who he was on the
inside. Ukyo had been getting to know her Ran-chan, ? Ko-chan all
over again and she liked what she found. Although he took fighting
very seriously, he also had a playful side to him. Okay, so he was
reluctant to admit that they were a couple, but at least he was willing
to make up for the terrible mistake he made ten years ago. He was
certainly no coward! Ukyo had seen the anguish in his eyes as he
related his lack of control over the Neko Ken. He just needed some
space, that's all. And he confided in her like he did with no one else.
That had to count for something, right? At least she was willing to
listen to him. Akane was just going with her own opinion that he was
a freak. Well, that suited Ukyo just fine. She wouldn't want her
Ko-chan to be unhappy to be saddled up with someone like that.
Akane wasn't willing to listen to the whole story or get to know him
before making her judgment about him.
Ukyo found it strange to be thinking of Akane like that. When she
had first arrived at Furinkan, she had felt sorry for her when she was
constantly attacked by those boys and Kuno every morning. She
didn't really know Akane that much during the first few weeks. But
now she was seeing her true nature. She was letting her wounded
pride get the better of her. She probably developed her dislike for
Ranma from the tournament when he beat her so easily. Well if she
didn't want Ranma, then she was making a big mistake. She was
missing out on getting a really good guy. That much the chef knew
for sure.
Ukyo stood up and said, "Well, seeing that there's nothing else to
talk about, I'll be going." She glared at Genma. "Don't think that this
is over between us, Genma Saotome. I'm not going to end your
miserable existence? today, but we will finish this. Also, if I were
you, I'd be looking out for not only me, but also those other families
you've conned. They might not be as lenient as me when they find
out that you're here."
Genma gulped as the thought hit him. She knew about those other
arrangements. Who could stop her in telling them, or even?
Nodoka? (gulp) "N-N-N-Now, I'm sure we can talk this? erk!" The
rest of Genma's plea was cut off as he found the sharp edge of
Ukyo's battle spatula up against his neck.
The young chef glared at him for a long moment, before
withdrawing her weapon and headed out the door.
Genma rubbed his neck while giving off a sigh in relief. Then he
turned around and cringed as he beheld Soun in his full-blown
Demon Head.
"SAOTOME?"
"Eep!"
In China?
"I see." Red Fang nodded as he took a sip of tea. After inviting
Ranma inside his cabin, the two had sat down to have some tea.
During this time, Ranma had explained his training of the Neko Ken
and the events that had happened afterwards. The Felinar warrior
listened to the boy's tale and became especially interested when he
was told of Ranma's dip in Jusenkyo and his encounter with White
Claw.
"So, I was told that you had helped Master Tung with his Cat Fist
and that you might be able to do the same with me." Ranma said as
he wrapped up his story.
"Indeed." The old fighter said as he took another sip of his tea. He
then placed his cup down and looked into Ranma's eyes. "From what
you have described, it sounds like you are suffering from the conflict
between your human side and your cat side. That is to be expected
for one who has conquered the physical and mental levels of the
Neko Ken, but not the spiritual one. You must undergo the Felinar
Rite of Passage in order to resolve your inner self. Furthermore, you
cannot access the full power of the Neko Ken without it."
"My cat side? Rite of Passage?"
"Yes. Before I explain what those are, just how much do you know
of the Neko Ken and our clan?"
Ranma then began relating what he had been told by Dr. Diggers
and Stripe. When he had finished, Red Fang nodded and then began
his own explanations.
"The Felinar Clan dates back to more than fifty thousand years,
during the time of the first landings of the Kyrn. As you have been
told, scouting groups had been sent out to survey the planet in order
to find a suitable place to settle. In addition, some groups were sent
to find others of our kind. You see, when the main ship crash-landed
on this world, several escape shuttles had been launched and
scattered on the Earth's surface. The ancestors of the Felinar had
traveled deep into Africa, near what would eventually become Egypt.
They were following the homing beacon from one of those escape
shuttles. However, when the scouting group came across the
wreckage, they had found no survivors. They were about to turn
back and rejoin the main group in South America, but an accident
with the shuttle's cryogenic stasis pods had caused the scouting
party to become locked into suspended animation. That was when
the Stripe's people had lost contact with them."
"So, what happened then?"
"The remaining Kyrn had tried to find their lost comrades, but due
to malfunctioning equipment and loss of communications, they were
unable to locate them. Eventually, after countless searches, they were
forced to assume the worst of the scouting party and listed them as
lost and probably dead. The centuries would pass and the main
population of the Kyrn founded the city that you know of today as El
Dorado."
"Go on." Ranma urged.
Red Fang nodded. "About thirty-thousand years later, the
ancestors of the Felinar were finally released from their suspended
animation due to a massive earthquake. However, they had
discovered something terrible. The cryogenic system had caused
extensive cellular damage to their DNA and that they were beginning
to deteriorate. Additionally, they could not adapt to the many
terrestrial diseases of the planet, since they lacked the proper
antibodies and other immune components. In order to save
themselves, they had to use their advanced biotechnology to infuse
their genetic structures with those of native Earth organisms. The
one that was genetically suited to our kind at that particular time
period was?"
"The saber-tooth tiger." Ranma finished.
"Correct. We had also found some additional assets to our
merging our DNA with the saber-toothed cats. You've probably
already found out about our ability to morph into tigers, increased
strength, speed, recuperative abilities and so on. You see, my
ancestors used to look like this Stripe person you described, but over
the millennia, we have long since mutated into a much more human-
looking appearance when not using our shape-shifting ability. The
Kyrn that you know of in El Dorado have kept isolated for the most
part from the outside world. We on the other hand, have been
subjected to outside radiation, environmental factors and such.
However, we did try to avoid contact with the local natives,
especially mankind. We had later set up a small, hidden civilization
near the borders of ancient Egypt. Since we had no contact with the
rest of our people, we had assumed that we were the only Kyrn left."
"Okay, so what about the Neko Ken? How did that come around?"
"Ah yes. Although we had kept to ourselves for the most part,
there were individuals that did go out and explored Asia, especially
the more eastern regions. At the time, it was around 1700 BC or so.
The people of China were just starting to form their civilizations and
their unarmed fighting techniques. We had been observing mankind
as it developed and their martial arts skills intrigued us. So much so,
that certain members of the Felinar began developing a fighting style
which utilized our catlike abilities. We soon formed formidable ways
of unarmed combat that were the early stages of the modern Neko
Ken. However, we were still unable to harness the true potential of
this fighting style. We lacked? how do I describe it? We had based
the Neko Ken on the saber-tooth tiger, but we were not truly in touch
with that aspect of our being. Though we could transform into tigers,
we were not true cats. We were only using their forms as a means to
an end. We needed to get a spiritual connection to that part of
ourselves. Without it, we became easily prone to battle rages and
such, much like what you are experiencing now. The instability
caused by our more primal urges almost made us give up trying to
develop the Neko Ken any further. Were it not for a young warrior
that had traveled to Egypt in 1525 BC, the Neko Ken may have never
become a reality."
"Fifteen twenty-five BC?" Ranma repeated. He thought for a
moment, then said, "Hey, that was when the first recorded sighting of
the Felinar was, wasn't it?"
"That's right, Kojiro. A Felinar member by the name of Panthara
Kir had traveled to ancient Egypt. Since the people did worship cats
as divine, that in itself caught his interest. He was especially
interested in the legend of Bast, the Egyptian Cat goddess. He
believed that she was real, and guess what? She is!"
"A goddess? Oh come on now."
"She does exist, make no mistake. Panthara Kir had found her.
Though a series of rituals and long searches through countless
temples that worshipped her, he finally came across an amulet which
allowed him to contact her. Within one of the caves near the Valley of
the Kings, he had summoned Bast and pleaded with her to resolve
the terrible conflict within his soul. He too was under the madness of
the Neko Ken's instability. She took pity on him and offered him a
way to not only calm his raging spirit, but to also tap into the full
potential of the saber-toothed tiger, on one condition. He and all
those who seek to control the Neko Ken would become her avatars.
Apparently, we of the Felinar had unknowingly tried to duplicate
HER fighting style!"
"You mean, the Neko Ken wasn't invented by the Felinar?"
Red Fang shook his head. "No, the fighting style that we thought
was original, was actually Bast's creation. It just by mere coincidence
that we had developed many of the moves that she herself had
created millennia before us. In any case, Panthara Kir accepted her
terms. He underwent Bast's special rite to purify his soul and when
he emerged, he gained the potential to truly master the Neko Ken. A
few weeks of intense training later, and he became the founder of the
Felinar Clan's branch of that mighty fighting style. The treatment he
underwent would eventually become the Felinar Clan's Rite of
Passage. All of our warriors must undergo this ceremony. And since
you are one of us and have the Neko Ken in your possession, you
too must undergo the process to complete yourself."
"Hold on a minute!" Ranma held up his hands. "I'm not a Felinar!
I'm just some guy who fell into the Spring of Monster Tiger in
Jusenkyo! It's just a coincidence that I'm similar to you."
Red Fang shook his head. "No, Kojiro. You are Felinar. I sensed it
immediately when we first met. Furthermore, if you were not Felinar,
then I would have NEVER told you about the history of our clan or
our fighting style. Though I am in exile, I am still loyal to my people
and will not reveal our deepest secrets to outsiders!"
"Exile?"
"That is another matter. What is important is that you represent a
great danger to not only others but to our clan as well! As I see it,
there are but two options. Either you undergo the Rite of Passage
and become a member of the clan or?"
"Or what?" Ranma asked as he tensed up. He didn't like where this
was going.
"Or I would have to kill you." Red Fang said simply. "It our laws
that no outsider may possess the Neko Ken. Though there is good
reason, since you already know the side-effects of an ordinary human
trying to attempt to master it."
"What?! You mean that wrapping a kid in fish sausage and
throwing him into a pit of starving cats is really how it's done?!"
The Cat Fist fighter shook his head. "No. Those who tried to steal
our techniques had misread the manual. The Neko Ken was never
meant for ordinary humans. The real initiation into the training of the
Cat Fist was to take a young child of our clan, and have him or her
associate with various cats in different moods and such, in order to
stimulate the child's feline powers. Over the next few centuries, some
greedy martial artists had infiltrated our clan. Those who had
witnessed our initiations, thought the method was too slow and not
intense enough. They made modifications to the method and? well,
I'm sure you already know what resulted from those changes."
Ranma shuddered a bit at the memory. He knew all right. "But, you
said that you would never reveal any of the Neko Ken's secrets to
outsiders. What about Master Tung? You trained him to control his
Cat Fist."
The old Felinar nodded as he explained. "Indeed, but there were
exceptions that had to be made for outsiders that were driven mad
from the Cat Fu training. Whenever we came across individuals that
had attempted to master our techniques, but instead gained an
irrational fear of cats, we gave them two choices: as I have given to
you now. We would offer them a chance to conquer their fear and
become honorary members of the Felinar. This was also seen as a
way of adding new blood to our clan. The other option is?"
"You'd kill them." Ranma said with a hardened edge.
"You must understand, that in just about all the cases that we
were forced to end those lives, we had no choice. Those we had
killed were permanently fixed in their feral states and we considered
them as mercy killings, rather than to have innocent bystanders be
slaughtered by their rampages. You could understand that, can
you?"
Ranma was about to object, then remembered the story about
Tung's experience. He then got an image of himself in his battle rages
and slashing at anything that got too close to him. People like Ukyo,
Shang, Kai, Kosho and others came to mind. He shivered a bit as he
thought about accidentally hurting or killing any one of them. "But,
does that mean that Master Tung is a member of the Felinar? You did
help him overcome his fear of cats."
Red Fang shook his head. "No, Tung Kwai is not of the Felinar.
Though I had helped him overcome his instability, he refused to learn
more and turned down membership. However, we have come to an
understanding. He has sworn to me that he will not use what little he
knows of the Neko Ken in front of outsiders. So far, he has kept his
word, though I suspect he has shown it to you. How else would you
know of me?"
"But, that would mean?"
Red Fang held up his hand. "Since you are Felinar, I do not count
Tung's showing you his Neko Ken technique as a breach of our
agreement. That is, if you accept the Rite of Passage. If you do not,
then I will have to kill both you and Tung as it is my duty as one of
the grandmasters of the Neko Ken."
Ranma blanched at the mention of Red Fang as a grandmaster, but
became even more apprehensive at what he said before. "You'd kill
Master Tung?!" Ranma quickly stood up.
"As much as I am fond of him, I will carry out my obligations." He
affirmed as he too rose. "So now you have a choice. What will it be?"
Ranma glared at the aged fighter before him and began
considering attacking him. Though he looked very old, the mention
of him being a grandmaster of the Neko Ken caused him to pause.
Ranma had already fought Happosai and he had been a tough one,
despite his extreme age. Furthermore, this person knew how to calm
Ranma's tormented soul, and knew more about the Neko Ken and the
Felinar than he did. There was Master Tung to think about. The
Shaolin priest wouldn't stand a chance against the Felinar, if what
Red Fang was telling him was the truth. If not from Red Fang, then
from another of the clan would hunt his friend down. Finally, there
were also his close friends to think about. They would be in constant
danger if he could not control his battle rages. For Ranma, there was
only one choice to make. He swallowed his pride, bowed his head
and gave Red Fang a slight nod.
The old Neko Ken fighter nodded in return as he said, "Prepare
yourself, Kojiro. Tomorrow, you shall begin the Rite of Passage and
truly become a Felinar!"
"Why do you keep calling me a Felinar? I told you, I fell into the
Spring of Drowned Monster Tiger!"
Red Fang's expression became deadly serious as he said in a
quiet, yet firm tone. "No, Kojiro. You fell into the Spring of Drowned
Felinar."
Ranma's eyes became the size of saucers as his jaw dropped open.
To be continued?
Author's Notes
Well, that was a doozy to write and I hope I've answered some
questions along the way. In the next episode, Ranma's training in the
true Neko Ken shall begin as Ukyo makes her way to him. In the
meantime, time begins to run out for the Tendos as their bid to regain
their sign becomes even more bleak.
Cat Fist Fury
Disclaimer: Ranma and whoever else in this story belongs to the ones who
Created them. There, I said it.
: Thoughts
Chapter 19
Rite of Passage
"Okay, so what do I have to do in this Rite of Passage?" Ranma asked as he
followed Red Fang down a path through the woods. They had been traveling
for several days as they made their way through the mountainous regions
near Red Fang's home.
"All will be revealed to you in time." The old Felinar answered as he led
Ranma on. "When we reach our destination, you must do as I tell you. The
Felinar Rite of Passage is not something to take lightly and will tax your
very being to the limits."
"Have you ever gone through this?"
"Yes. All warriors of the Felinar must undergo this ceremony in order to
attain true mastery over the Neko Ken. I went through it when I was seven.
You are a special case though. You are probably the only Felinar warrior
over the age of ten that has yet to undergo the Rite of Passage."
"Will stop calling me that! I'm not a Felinar! I just fell into a cursed
spring and..."
Red Fang turned around and stopped Ranma's words with a glare. The way he
looked at Ranma made him feel as if he had just irritated a tiger that was
already angered. He pointed a finger at Ranma's chest and said in a cold,
firm tone. "Do not keep deceiving yourself, Kojiro. You are Felinar. It
matters not that you were not born in our clan. It seems that we can see
you as a Felinar by adoption. The power and spirit of our clan burns within
you. When you fell into that spring at Jusenkyo, the soul of that
long-departed Felinar had been set free. In return, you had gained his
power and form. Since you already had ties to the Neko Ken, the transfer
was made more complete. Have you ever wondered why you did not change with
water?"
"Well, yeah but Dr. Diggers had explained it to me and..."
Red Fang shook his head. "Diggers had assumed incorrectly. If that truly
was a Spring of Drowned Saber-toothed Tiger, then the trigger from water
temperature would have remained intact. You had gained the full
transformation powers and surface control of the Neko Ken. Only a Felinar
warrior could have such abilities. However, since you had not undergone the
Rite of Passage, you lacked the emotional balance and spiritual control to
harness the full potential of our fighting style. You are one of us. Make
no mistake about it."
"But..."
"The discussion... is CLOSED."
Ranma was about to protest further when he then noticed that they were
coming toward a mountainside. As they neared a rocky ridge, he noticed a
small cave that was off to one side. Red Fang gestured toward it and the
two Cat Fist users made their way to the entrance.
Back in Japan...
"NO MASTER!"
Soun and Genma had to physically tie down Happosai to the floor after
jumping him. It had been over a week since Happosai had been defeated by
White Claw, but the old pervert was nothing, if not persistent. After
seeing that female Felinar Tigara, the founder of the Anything Goes was
determined to have her and the promised other girls as well. He had never
seen such beauty before and she had a sensuous aura about her that made him
mad with lust. Whether it was due to her voluptuous figure, the skimpy
clothes she wore, the pheromones she had released (probably all of the
above), it was clear that Happosai would stop at nothing to get her.
As a result, as soon as he healed from his last bout with White Claw,
Happosai had challenged him again for the same stakes. And he lost...
again...
and again... and again. In a week, the Tendo family was down to three
chances to regain their dojo's sign, as the ancient lecher had wasted three
in rapid succession. Each time he lost, Happosai suffered injuries that
were more severe than the last. However, White Claw used only enough force
each time to defeat him as if he were just a mouse to be toyed with. As of
now, Happosai still had several large bruises and cuts that had not yet
healed completely. He was straining at his bonds to get out and challenge
White Claw, but his injuries had weakened him so much that Genma and Soun
had little problems in keeping him down.
"Please Master! Control yourself!" Soun blubbered as he tightened the
ropes. "We have only three chances left to get the sign back!" Though he
and Genma were sorely tempted to finish off the freak, they still needed
him to win back their sign as he was the best representative of the school.
However, if he were going to waste their chances like this, there would be
no hope whatsoever in regaining the sign.
"Who cares about the sign?! Let me go you ingrates! How dare you treat your
master like this?" Happosai roared. "I will challenge White Claw and..."
"No Master!" Genma cried out as he began adding heavy chains and such to
hold down the lecher down. It was apparent that Ranma's father was getting
desperate. Without the dojo, he had no excuse to freeload off his friend
Soun. Well, that and the fact that his son was supposed to marry Akane and
carry on the dojo. "Please Master, calm down! The future of the Anything
Goes depends on us getting the sign back!"
Happosai became infuriated at being denied and then somehow wriggled out of
his bonds in an instant. The two fathers blanched as they turned around and
saw their master bounding out the door.
"Tigara, baby! Here comes Happy!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Soun and Genma went off in hot pursuit before Happosai could reach White
Claw.
Nabiki shook her head as she saw her father and his useless friend
disappear in a trail of dust. She then went to the dojo where she saw Akane
training hard and breaking dozens of stacks of bricks.
"HIYAH! HIYAH! HIYAH! HIYAH!"
After reducing more than a hundred bricks into gravel, Akane went over to
where she left a towel and wiped her brow. She then looked back at the huge
pile of rubble and said to herself, "Just you wait White Claw! I'll show
you just what a real martial artist is capable of!"
"Oh? And I thought White Claw already knew how to be a real martial
artist."
Akane looked over to where she heard her sister's sarcastic voice. Nabiki
was standing by the doorway with her arms crossed and shaking her head.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Akane replied with the same sarcasm.
"I'll beat that jerk and get the sign back!" Akane declared with anger.
"You'll see!"
"I doubt it. You can break all the bricks you want, but that won't mean
squat against him. Happosai has already tried four times and look what
happened to him."
Nerima had suffered extensive property damage when Happosai and White Claw
had clashed. The ancient pervert had fought more fierceness with each bout
but he was still no match. He was considered fast, but the Neko Ken
fighter's speed was nothing short of inhuman. Added to the fact that he was
incredibly strong, and used those devastating claw techniques, he was
virtually unstoppable! Happosai had used his more devastating techniques
against him, but the Felinar simply countered each one. The old master had
even used the Moxibustion Point on him during their last fight. The Felinar
had let him get close, then to Happosai's horror, he simply shifted to his
hybrid form and slashed him into a quivering, bloody mess.
Nabiki sighed as she watched her sister go though a series of katas. No
matter how much she improved, there was no way she could get good enough to
beat White Claw. At this rate, the Tendo School of the Anything Goes
Martial Arts would die by next week.
There were also other things to think of as she had later discovered that
Ukyo Kuonji had also left Japan earlier that week. She had left no clue as
to where she went other that her store would be closed until she returned.
Nabiki immediately became suspicious as she had sent her lieutenants out to
find out her whereabouts. Her flunkies had reported that she had boarded a
plane for China.
In China...
Red Fang gestured to the cave entrance. "This is as far as I can go with
you, Kojiro. You must enter here on your own. However, to begin the Rite of
Passage, you must be in your cat form."
"And then what?" Ranma asked.
"You will see. Now go in."
Ranma gazed at Red Fang for a long while, trying to determine any
underlying motives. Because he had very little choice in the matter and
there was Tung Kwai to think of, he triggered his transformation and became
a huge, black saber-toothed tiger. With cautious steps, he entered the
cave.
At an airport near Beijing, Ukyo disembarked from the plane and looked
around. Remembering the directions that Shang had given her at where the
temple that Ranma may have went to, she flagged down a cab to begin her
search.
Meanwhile...
Ranma wondered as he moved deeper and deeper into the cave. As the light
began to surrender toward the darkness, he became very thankful of his
superior night vision and sense of smell. His ability to see into the
infrared spectrum made it very easy to see shapes in the darkness. His ears
twitched back and forth, scanning for the slightest disturbance as he
pressed on. Then suddenly, it happened.
Just as his sixth sense went off, a sudden flare of light appeared before
him, enveloping him before he had a chance to react. Ranma was too startled
and was blinded from the glare. A sudden blast of hot air enveloped the
cave. On instinct, Ranma tried to shift back to human form, but to his
shock, he found that he could not. He tried again, but was still stuck in
his feline form. He began to feel a sense of d?j? vu as he remembered back
to that time after Jusenkyo, when he discovered that hot water would not
change him. He was just starting to panic when the bright light lost some
of its brilliance and he could see again. He looked around and found that
he was now standing in... a desert?
Ranma saw that he was now in the middle of miles and miles of sand. Above
him, the hot sun was beating down on him from its zenith and hot gusts of
wind blew across the dunes. The transformed martial artist knew that
wearing a fur coat was not the best thing in the blistering heat. He had to
seek some shade, and water, and he had to do it fast. Looking around, he
saw something in the distance, just over the horizon. It looked like some
kind of structure, and he headed toward it. It looked like it was miles
away, but Ranma did not have any other options. He hoped that it was some
kind of oasis or some kind of place where other people were. At the very
least, it would offer him some shade.
Several hours later...
Ranma huffed and panted as he finally saw that he was just a few hundred
yards away from his goal. He had spent a long time crossing the vast
expanse of sand between him and the structure, and at times, he thought
that he wasn't going to make it. However, his determination carried him
through as he withstood the intense heat and lack of water. He did not try
to run toward his destination, as that would have worn him out all the
faster. Taking an easy and measured pace, he had made his way, slowly, but
steadily toward the structure. Even so, the hot sands burned at his paws
and the lack of moisture made him collapse several times during the
crossing. The rays of the sun bore down on him mercilessly and would have
given a normal human one heck of sunburn. However, being stuck as a cat was
just as bad, if not worse. His fur coat was trapping in the heat and made
the journey nearly unbearable. His larger form also meant added weight to
move and with every step, Ranma felt himself steadily becoming weaker.
Through it all, Ranma finally made it and looked up at the structure. His
expression was one of disbelief when he saw that it was a huge statue of a
cat... with a man's head on it?
Ranma gazed in confusion as he took in the enormous idol. Its surface was
pockmarked from the ravages of time and erosion. The body resembled that of
a lion as it lay on its belly, but the head was definitely human and was
wearing some kind of headdress. He noted that the nose was missing and
assumed that it must have worn away over the years. Judging by the age of
the stone it was made of, this statue must have been created thousands of
years ago.
Ranma shook his head as he turned his attention to more important things,
such as finding water. He was now ready to drop dead from dehydration and
he had to cool off. However, he could see no sources of water nearby and
despaired. He had made that torturous trek for nothing and now, he was
going to die from lack of thirst in a desert. What a way to go! After all
that he had endured, he was going to die alone and against something, he
could not fight back with his fists or claws.
"So, how do you like the Sphinx?"
Ranma whirled around when he heard the voice and saw... her.
The person resembled his own hybrid form and was wearing strange garments
that Ranma had never seen before. The clothing she wore resembled a skirt
and tunic ensemble but was colorfully decorated with gold and precious
stones. In her hands was a staff that was curved and was colored pearly
white. She smiled down at him, baring slight fangs and Ranma noticed that
she had emerald green eyes that were slanted like a cat's. Her body was
also lightly furred but her coat was a golden hue, not midnight black like
Ranma's. He noted that she had a long tail, swishing back and forth near
the small of her back. She wore no shoes and the Cat Fist fighter couldn't
help but notice how... er, well-formed she was. She was very exotic
looking, just as Brittany Diggers was and Ranma could not help but notice
her... ah, generous assets. He quickly shook his head and tried to think of
something else, but the heat was really getting to him. (And I'm not
talking about the sun!)
The female cat being smiled as she noted Ranma's uneasiness. With a wave of
her hand, she somehow made a large bowl of water appear. As soon as Ranma
saw it, he went down of it and began lapping it up. The cool, refreshing
liquid was gulped down in seconds as the tiger sated his burning thirst. As
soon as the last drop was licked up, Ranma looked back up at his
benefactor.
"Congratulations, RRRRanma Saotome. You had made it to the Sphinx and
thereby passed the first part of your RRRRite of Passage."
Ranma's head came up and his eyes widened when he heard her call him by his
real name.
The cat being shrugged as she said, "Oh, I'm sorrrry. Do you prefer the
name of Kojiro Shinkara?"
Ranma's eyes widened even more.
The cat being chuckled as she replied, "Please forgive my speech. I do tend
to roll my R's a bit. In answerrr to the questions that you are thinking,
yes I know all about you. I have known of you since the day yourrr stupid
father threw you into that pit of cats."
Ranma shuddered at the memory as the stranger continued.
"I must say, that I was most displeased when Genma starrved my subjects
like that and then threw you in with fish sausages."
Subjects? What she talking about? Ranma thought.
The catwoman nodded at Ranma's expression. "Oh, where arrre my mannerrrrs?
I forrrrgot to introduce myself. Since you are a Felinarrrr, I assumed that
you would already know of me. I am Bastet or Bast if you wish; Goddess of
Pleasure, Cats, Protector of Men and Pregnant Women. Welcome to Egypt."
If were possible, Ranma's eyes became the size of flying saucers. This was
Bast?! The goddess that the Felinar worshipped?! The one who created the
Cat Fist?! And how the heck did he get to EGYPT?! When the rest of her
title sunk in, Ranma became more confused. A protector of pregnant women
was the one who created one of the deadliest and most unstable of martial
arts in the world?
Bast was enjoying the look of the saber-toothed tiger's face. She chuckled
warmly and said, "Yes, I am the same person who helped create the Neko Ken.
You see the Cat Fist was actually created by a fellow goddess of mine,
Sekhmet. She happens to be a goddess of war. However, I had refined it to
the form that you and the Felinar are currently using. I had also created
the Rite of Passage in order for the Felinarrr to truly reach their
potential and understanding in the discipline. That is why the Felinarrrr
reverrre me. However, I have grown very disappointed in how the clan has
behaved over the last few centuries." She then assessed the huge cat before
her and nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps you will be able to change things for
the betterrr."
Ranma was at that point so confused, that he was about to turn around and
head for the hills. However, before he could make a move, Bast suddenly
disappeared and reappeared behind him. She began to gently stroke him from
behind the ears as he hand glowed with a warm light. Ranma felt warmth that
reminded him of when Ukyo had stroked his belly and melted in her hands. It
felt so good that all the tension he had faded away and the huge predator
fell into a blissful slumber.
Bast smiled again as watched the peacefully sleeping cat. Yes, Ranma will
do fine! First, he must complete the Rite of Passage. By crossing the
desert in his cat form, he has shown determination and the will to survive.
He will need it, for the second part of the trial shall push his very soul
to the limit. However, should he succeed, he shall become my greatest
avatar!
The Cat Goddess waved a hand and the two of them vanished from view.
Some time later?
Ranma awoke and found himself in his human body once more. He also noticed
that he was in a large chamber that had strange images painted on the stone
walls. A few torches hanging on each wall dimly illuminated the room and
there seemed to be no exit to this place. The room was huge, almost the
size of his school's soccer field. The Cat Fist fighter slowly got to his
feet and approached the nearest wall. He looked closely at the images on
the stone and saw that they were pictures of large cats, locked in battle
with humans. He noted that the images only showed the side profiles of the
beings as well as a many symbols that he didn't recognize. He began
recalling the strange cat woman who claimed to be Bast. He also remembered
what she said about him being in Egypt. If that really was the case then he
assumed that this must be what the Egyptians called hieroglyphics. Ranma
had learned about them during his world history classes. He wondered just
what was going on when his senses started alerting him to an imminent
danger. He was not alone.
The Neko Ken martial artist whirled around into a ready stance as soon as
his sixth sense went off. His eyes began scanning the shadows for any sign
of an attacker. The torches only lit certain parts of the large room,
leaving much of the place in dark shadows. He listened in with his
sensitive hearing for the slightest disturbance. His nostrils flared for
any strange scents and his body tensed up; ready to meet anything that
would challenge him.
"Meow."
As soon as Ranma heard that sound, he saw a pair of green eyes appear from
the depths of one of the shadows. They were soon joined by another pair,
and then another. Ranma didn't know what was going on, but he suddenly got
a sickening feeling of d?j? vu. He could only remember one such instance in
which he experienced a similar scene of darkness with hungry eyes staring
at him. The Neko Ken training.
His sharp hearing picked up the faint sound of padded feet as something
stepped out into the light. He focused his sight on the creature when it
became visible. It was a small, black cat. Another and then another soon
joined the first feline. More black cats began to appear from the shadows
as they began to slowly approach the martial artist. Ranma tensed up even
more as they neared him. He could see their eyes as they regarded him
warily. However, unlike that last time ten years ago, there was no hint of
maddened hunger from starvation. It was more like curiosity and something
else that he could not identify.
The horde of cats stopped a few feet from him as they surrounded him from
all sides. With his back to the wall, Ranma mentally counted their numbers
and estimated that there were more than a hundred cats present. All of them
were black and varied from kitten-sized, to the large tomcat versions. He
wondered what they were thinking and a small part of his mind was telling
him that they were sizing him up before the attack. Though he had long
since overcome his fear of cats, he had no wish to relive the experience of
the stupid training that Genma had put him through when he was six. These
cats would get a lot more than they bargained for if they attacked him. As
if in warning, Ranma began powering up his battle aura.
However, the cats didn't even flinch at the sight of Ranma's chi energy. In
fact, they seemed to be even more fascinated. For a long moment, Ranma and
the cats stared at each other, neither side daring to make a move. Then,
the cat nearest to him became bold and simply walked up to his legs. The
tabby rubbed its side against him and gave a very low purring noise.
Ranma's body had become incredibly stiff when the cat made contact. He had
almost lashed out with a kick, but stopped himself, as the cat made no
offensive moves as it continued to rub its body against him in an
affectionate manner. Soon another of the cats followed suit and approached
the first. The others slowly began to follow and Ranma was at a loss of
what to do as the felines let off a series of contented purrs and gently
rubbed against his legs.
After more than five minutes with no hostility, Ranma decided that he was
in no danger and decided to return the cats' affections. Kneeling down, he
picked up a small cat and cradled it in his arms. He began to absently
stroke its ears and rub its belly as the other cats continued to show their
friendliness. After a while, Ranma became so relaxed that the constant
purring and physical contact almost made him drop off to sleep. However, he
knew that he was here for a reason, so he eventually had to disengage from
all this warmth. A small part of his mind regretted leaving the company of
the felines. With the exception of that time with Ukyo, Ranma had never
felt so content and at ease as he did at that moment. He gently set the
small cat down and started to rise.
As if on cue, the cats stopped rubbing against him and backed away. As
Ranma watched, the felines began returning to the shadows and soon, even
his enhanced senses could not detect their presence. He wondered if that
had been the so-called Rite of Passage that Red Fang had been talking
about.
Was that it?
As if in answer to his thoughts, the voice of Bast was heard from the
shadows. "Not quite. There's still one more little detail."
That was when Ranma heard a low and menacing growl. Then he looked up to
where the sound came from and saw? it.
Kami-sama, is that? me?
Ranma had seen his reflection before in mountain streams and from the
mirror inside the Jusenkyo Guide's hut. However, unlike those images, this
was very real. Sitting before him on its haunches, just a few feet away,
was a huge, black, saber-toothed tiger!
Whoa! Am I really that BIG?! Ranma backed away as he regarded a cat that
was the size of a Buick. Its huge, canines glistened in the scant light as
its eyes gazed at him as if he were next on the menu. The Cat Fist fighter
knew that in his current form, he wouldn't stand a chance against the beast
and decided that his hybrid form would be more suited to the task, if the
big predator decided to attack him.
"If you're thinking about transforming, then forget it."
Ranma looked about to try to figure where the voice of Bast was coming
from. "Bastet? Where are you?"
"I'm nearby." Bast replied. "In any case, this is the final step to the
RRRite of Passage. Your journey to reach full control over your Felinarrr
side is almost complete. And if you think to change into your cat or
hybrrrid form, then think again. The tigerrrr standing before you is yourrr
cat side. I separated the two sides when you werrre asleep. You must deal
with this as you arrre. Good luck."
At that moment, the tiger let off a roar and lunged at him with a speed
that was beyond anything humanly possible. Fortunately, Ranma had trained
past anything that was considered human and managed to dodge the blow. The
swipe however, still tore a gaping hole in his shirt, just barely missing
the skin. Ranma made a leap over the cat to get some more fighting room.
Just as Ranma landed a few meters behind the cat and turned around, the
tiger let off another roar and its eyes glowed a bright red. Ranma knew
what was about to happen and scrambled out of the way as twin chi beams
were fired at him.
"Two can play at that game!" Ranma shouted as the beams blasted the area
when he was a moment ago. "CAT'S EYE BEAMS!"
Ranma's own chi beams were nowhere near as strong as the tiger's but they
still packed a wallop. Unfortunately, the tiger was more agile and easily
dodged the attack. Before Ranma knew it, the big cat rammed into him and
drove him to the floor. The martial artist found himself pinned to the
floor with a huge feline over him and trying to stab into him with those
huge fangs. He just barely managed to keep those huge teeth from making
contact as he gripped the tiger's head between his hands and held it back.
However, Ranma's strength was still below that of the saber-tooth's and
those massive jaws were moving ever closer toward his throat.
The Cat Fist fighter decided that a different form might be able to shake
his attacker off and he began focusing his inner power to trigger the
transformation. However, he became shocked that the change did not occur.
This almost made him lose his grip on the tiger's head and those fangs just
barely grazed his neck.
"I told you before, RRRRRanma. Transforming won't work." Bastet said
solemnly.
Ranma began to get desperate as he struggled to keep the feline's jaws from
making contact. He then remembered back to when he had fought Brittany
Diggers and how she had gotten into a similar position. Planting his feet
underneath the tiger's belly, he pushed off with all his might and managed
to roll away, as the tiger was thrown off. He then scrambled away and got
into a ready stance, just after the cat had gotten onto its feet again. The
tiger then suddenly glowed with a red aura and then shifted its form,
becoming taller and standing on its hind legs.
Ranma was caught off-guard when the cat had shifted to its hybrid form. He
suddenly found himself looking at a mirror image of himself when he was
transformed and was knocked to his feet when the thing threw a punch.
Rubbing a sore jaw, he sprang back to his feet and began throwing a few
claw techniques, punches and kicks. However, the cat-being made not a sound
as it countered each and every one of his techniques.
"RIP CLAW SLASH!"
His opponent countered and delivered its own version toward Ranma's
midsection.
"QUICK SWIPE!"
Ranma found a large hole in his shirt after his foe retaliated with its
own.
"TIGER CLAW FRENZY!"
Ranma winced as he felt his arms receive several small cuts to them. After
more than five minutes of intense fighting, he leapt back and assessed his
opponent, who waited for his next move in the exact same stance.
Damn! This guy knows all my moves! Wait a second! What am I saying? Of
course he does! He's me! There's a big problem though. He's a lot stronger
and faster than I am in his hybrid form. And it looks like any hits that I
make aren't even fazing him!
Ranma regarded his double with frustration. Apparently, the cat-being
wasn't showing any pain or even acknowledging the serious damage it had
sustained. Its face showed no emotion as it continued to punish Ranma.
The human form of Ranma was far worse off and it would only be a matter of
time before he succumbed to the injuries. He was rapidly losing a lot of
blood from all the cuts he had received and his muscles were extremely sore
from high-powered punches and kicks.
Damn! I'm at a disadvantage as a human! The hybrid and cat forms are much
more powerful than mine is and I can't keep up with their speed and power!
Maybe? I should surrender and? no! I won't! There has to be some way!
Just then, the hybrid form of Ranma attacked him again with incredibly fast
blows that nearly caught the martial artist flat-footed. Ranma just barely
managed to block all but one, which hit him in the gut and made him gasp
and bend over. That was when the hybrid laced both hands together and laid
its opponent low with a double-fisted blow to the back of Ranma's head.
Ranma went down, his vision was swimming from the impact. When he hit the
floor of the chamber, he then felt something tearing at his back. He
realized that his foe must have used its claws to slash at him. Several
more slashes and hard blows followed, but Ranma refused to scream out in
pain. However, he knew that he was losing. Every time the hybrid hit or
slashed at him, he could feel his body begin to grow weaker. He was now
just barely hanging onto to consciousness as he felt a hand grip his neck
and haul him off the ground. As his battered and slashed body was held up
by the scruff of his shirt, the hybrid's face still betrayed no emotion as
it reared back a clawed hand and was about to deliver the death blow.
Ranma knew that this was it. And ironically, he was in the same position as
Happosai had been, when Ranma had been maddened by rage. His friend Shang
had stopped him that day from becoming a murderer. However, there was to be
no help for him this time. As the hybrid's hand began to glow with chi,
Ranma decided to accept his fate. What was the point fighting against it?
He had been denying that part of himself ever since he fell into that
spring in Jusenkyo. Though the power of the Neko Ken had benefited him
greatly, it had also made him fearful of losing control. The recent events
of the past couple of weeks were proof enough. The constant fear of killing
someone out of anger or rage had always made him wary of other people. He
was especially scared if anyone close to him were put in danger because of
his awesome, yet deadly power. Shang, Kosho, Kai, and especially? Ucchan.
He wouldn't be able to live with himself if his oldest and closest friend
were to come to harm because of him. If he was to be killed by this aspect
of that fearsome discipline, then so be it. He wasn't going to fight that
aspect of himself anymore. It seemed fitting and at the very least, he
could finally achieve the peace he so wanted. It was a pity that it would
be the everlasting peace of death.
Ucchan? I'm so sorry. With the image of Ukyo firmly established in his
mind, Ranma closed his eyes and waited for the end.
It never came. For a long moment, Ranma waited in silence. He decided to
peek and saw that the hybrid had yet to deliver the final slash. It just
stood there, holding him up with one hand and the other reared back. Ranma
was a bit confused as to why his opponent was just standing there.
"Well? W-What are you waiting for? Do it. I'm not going to fight you
anymore. It's pointless to fight against something that's a part of me.
And? heh, you are me, right? So's the tiger." Ranma managed a half-hearted
smile and weak chuckle, despite the fact that his life was about to end.
The hybrid's face then took on a look of puzzlement then nodded. Ranma was
surprised to see this as he said, "What?"
It was then that Bast suddenly appeared beside them. At that same moment,
the hybrid released its grip on Ranma, allowing him to drop to the floor.
Because of the injuries he had sustained, Ranma fell hard on his butt and
winced as more pain shot through his body. He managed to look up at the cat
goddess as she and the hybrid looked down at him.
"What the?" Ranma gasped out in confusion as the hybrid then disappeared
from sight, leaving only Bast and himself in that room.
Bastet smirked and displayed her fangs a bit as she said, "Congratulations
Kojiro Shinkara. You have completed the RRRRite of Passage. I officially
acknowledge you as Felinarrr and your worthiness to be? my avatar."
That was the last thing that Ranma heard before darkness claimed him.
Some undetermined time later?
Ranma awoke to find himself in the shade of the Sphinx as the sun was just
dipping below the horizon. He saw that Bast was standing over him and then
noticed that he was feeling no pain. He looked down at himself and saw that
all his wounds had been healed and his clothes were undamaged and clean. He
looked back up to Bastet, who smiled at him.
"Rise my avatar."
"Avatar?" Ranma asked. "What? how? did you?"
"I shall explain? so please rise my avatar."
Ranma did so and dusted himself off as he faced the Egyptian deity. "What
did you call me? How did I get here? What just happened?" He stopped when
Bastet held up a clawed hand.
"In orderrr." Bastet replied when her avatar was silent. "One, I called you
my avatar. Two, I brought you here afterrr healing you. And three, you have
just completed the RRRite of Passage."
"The? Rite of Passage?"
Bast nodded. "Corrrect! All Felinarrr who wish to learn the secrets of Neko
Ken must first overcome certain aspects of their cat sides in orderrr to
achieve true mastery. The journey across the deserrrt as a cat is for
endurance and measures determination. The second part is to see if you
werrrre able to accept that feline aspect of yourself, both in peace and in
battle."
Ranma thought back to the time in that room, then understood. The cats were
sort of a test and his submission to his tiger and hybrid forms must have
been the final part of that acceptance. It made sense now. How could he
learn to control his powers, if he did not learn to accept that side of
himself? When he had conceded that the hybrid and the tiger forms were
indeed part of him, then that was all he really needed.
Bast nodded as if in agreement to those thoughts. "Your fatherrrr is an
idiot. The Neko Ken was not for humans to learn. It was originally made for
certain types of werecats, but when the Felinarrr came to me for help, I
set up this RRRite of Passage to aid them in balancing their humans sides
with their cat natures. This was what they needed to truly understand the
power of the Cat Fist. The Neko Ken training you had gone through when you
were young was wrong. He thought he could forrrce you to understand the
techniques by throwing you into that pit. The Neko Ken cannot be forrrced.
It can only be learned by those who have a spiritual connection to cats.
The Felinarr have such a connection and since you have successfully
completed the RRRite of Passage, you have proven yourself as a Felinarrr."
Ranma was about to object when the cat deity held up her hand again and
shook her head. "Do not say that you arrrre not a Felinarrr when you
arrrre. You had just admitted before that your cat forms are a part of you.
Denying them now would only undo the work you had achieved in passing the
rrrritual. Accept it."
The Neko Ken martial artist thought about what he had just endured then
finally nodded and replied with great reluctance. "I am? Felinar."
"Excellent. Now that you have finally admitted the truth, I must now ask
you to become my avatar."
"Avatar?"
Bastet nodded. "Though many Felinarrr have undergone the RRRRite, only a
few are specially chosen to be my avatars, or representatives. I have not
chosen any avatars among the Clans for some time now, since I have grown
very displeased at what they have become in the last few centuries. It
seems the time has come for me to choose a new avatar to help guide my lost
subjects. And I have chosen? you."
To be continued?
Author's notes
Whew! That was quite a bit to write but I'm glad that it's done now. Next
chapter, Ranma begins his formal training in the true Neko Ken as White
Claw stirs up even more trouble back in Japan. Also, a certain lost boy
gets involved in the Tendo's attempts to regain their sign.
