Disclaimer

This work of fiction is based on the ideas and concepts from Ranma ½, Marvel Comics and derivatives thereof, which are being borrowed by the author with no intention towards profit or copyright infringement. In addition, any and all references to real life people or events that may occur in this work are merely parody and not meant to be any form of slander.

Chapter 7: Flaming Savagery!

Ranma stared out the window as Professor Xavier settled himself behind his desk. The young man was doing his best to enjoy the last of the leaves falling outside and to ignore the feral bodyguard's stare that could be felt on the back his neck. The scent of blood kept drawing Ranma back to Logan, not an actual aroma per say, but the tangible feel of one who had spilt out the lives of many others. It drew his mind back to Jusendo mountain and another who had so little regard for human life.

With a slight cough Charles Xavier brought the young man's attention from the dark places his mind had begun wandering. The air had taken on a gloomier atmosphere that anyone could feel and surprisingly to Charles, it had made the boy more guarded, his previously open mind vanished from the psychic plane. Charles chose his words carefully as he spoke, "Well Ranma, there were some unique quirks to your genetics I must admit. However, they will take more then a few minutes to analyze, but I can definitively say it is as I expected, you are not a mutant."

Logan was surprised since the kid had psionic talents, talents he assumed made the kid think he was some kind of super martial artist, totally useless against his natural psionic shielding of course, but the kid was infuriating with the way he just shrugged it all off and with a definite smirk replied, "yeah well, I was pretty sure there was nothing like that about me, years of hard work pay off you know."

Logan was annoyed at how Xavier nodded his head agreeably with the egotistical punk before explaining further, "Yes, but it is not just training, the origin of psionic gifts lies within the minds of all sentient beings, throughout history many who were not mutants have had such powers. They all had something in common though; a situation arose so overpoweringly stressful that their minds were forced to find a new resource to deal with the world, their strong wills. "

The punk kid's eyes were not facing Logan but he knew from the feel of the room they had turned steely a moment as the boy nodded and spoke in a quiet voice, "yes."

"I will not pry into these things, I only wish to offer you training in your new found gifts and a place here in my home if you will join us. I feel that over time you will see that we can be trusted."

Ranma looked over the Xavier for several moments, studying him and for the first time, knowingly felt himself scan another person's mind, only due to it being another telepath allowing him in but barring him from some places. Of course, Ranma was also reading the man's life force, very controlled, very regimented, but disturbingly rigid, not brittle but it was possible to become so. This made the presence of the blood soaked self-satisfied feral Logan behind him impossible to ignore.

After some time, that was slowly wearing away at Logan's patience with the less than grateful punk, the kid nodded his head regally and spoke, "I am sorry Doctor Charles Xavier, but I still need time on my own, I know I need training in these techniques, but staying here would be impossible for me."

It was easy for Xavier to see that the young man was uncomfortable in Logan's presence, but no one had ever turned him down because of that. It did not really fit into what he had discerned of the young man either, but he held out his hand to Ranma, politely replying, "I see, well perhaps we could meet at your convenience for training sessions. Your instincts are very good, but such gifts need to be honed or they will present a danger to you and others."

The kid shook Charles' hand exaggeratedly to Logan, wearing that superior smile at knowing he had made a proud man crawl to his service. It reminded him of more then one self-important would be samurai Logan had met in Japan.

Ranma for his part was relieved and so spoke a bit freely. "You honor me sensei with your undertandin, all I ask is ya get another less creepy bodyguard for our meetings, maybe whoever keeps the weather so nice around here, never seen that trick before."

Logan growled out, "what're you talking about kid?" He had not really heard anything more then the little punk calling him creepy.

Ranma turned and answered with each syllable perfectly pronounced in flippancy, "You know what I am talking about, you have been staring at me like a dog at a bone since I got here old man."

Logan tried to calm himself since he was at the mansion and not in some bar, speaking a little less gruffly, "I don't look old enough for you to be calling me old man, boy and you haven't paid attention to me for more then a moment since you got here."

Xavier relieved that Logan seemed to have eased the amount of tension in himself, did not interfere as Ranma just continued on in infuriating flippancy, "Duh, You develop a sense about these things with experience, maybe one day you will get some."

Logan's eye actually ticked a bit as he responded coolly, "I have plenty of experience kid and I would be happy to show you."

"Look not every hotshot that wanders through those doors is going to be interested in you."

Charles was not so sure he understood what the guarded young man was saying now; it seemed like there could be a different meaning to things entirely, one dawning on Logan who was growling his words out again, "I think your ego is smothering out the oxygen in your head kid."

Something clicked behind Logan's eyes as Ranma spoke next, "Yeah, you get your ego in check, just because you have a bad boy haircut doesn't make you worth my time," and before Charles could do anything Logan lunged at Ranma sending them both out of the window.

As they fell, Ranma kicked the feral man away wincing at the extra mass Logan seemed to have even as he declared, "Don't they have a saying in this country. No means no!"

Taking a stance Logan glared at the kid while grinding out, "Punk, I'm gonna beat you raw."

Only to receive Ranma's casual response, "Man, your oh so deadly posturing isn't even that great, an elderly lady has gotten me more interested before."

Charles looked on and with a shake of his head just watched. This would have to be settled now it seemed before things got so serious people would be hurt. The conversation of course was striking other observers oddly, including Storm, mistress of weather as she floated down to the smashed out window, checking on the Professor. Him not being alarmed, she simply followed his lead and watched the battle being waged below.

Logan had been extensively trained in every common martial art and many family styles as well as the dirtiest brawling. His first strike at the kid was a quick deceptive jab meant to distract from his foot stomping his opponent's toes, what he got instead was Ranma throwing his body under the punch, somehow slipping his foot away and stomping Logan's toes. Then with a twist of the heel and a shoulder ramming the wind out of him, Logan was thrown back into the ground.

Ranma who had rolled beyond the feral man smiled and flashed a victory sign, speaking as flippantly as ever, "I know a bit about dirty old men, don't think I'll let you lay even a toe on me."

The fight continued on, the kid cheerfully pointing out any mistakes in Logan's form as he evaded the skilled man. Logan had seen Tai Chi, drunken and monkey style kung fu before; He knew Ninjitsu, Aikido and Jiu Jutsu. This did not help him deal with a kid who was using all of them together seamlessly. Some of Logan's most subtle moves were deflected by a secretive family style taught only to those of Clan Yashida.

Snarling, Logan focused his rage and finally managed to tag the young man cleanly, sending Ranma through a tree. This made Logan pause as the fight reminded him eerily of the goading his former teacher Ogun had put him through. Ranma sat up and popped his neck, yawning theatrically to hide any damage he might have suffered before smirking with the taunt, "A big man that likes to throw all that extra weight he carries around with him, I figured you for the rough type."

Logan growled and tensed his arms, adamantium claws coming out of his hands at the knuckles, "I'd stay down if I were you kid."

Ranma waved his hand at the air making light of his opponent, his voice showing that he was even more unimpressed, "Feh, another tool user who doesn't know how to work with his equipment."

Logan advanced menacingly, grinning as he noted it taking more effort then the young punk let on to stand. Suddenly the young kid had a glowing orb of energy in his hands that flew off into the air where Ranma's eyes were focused. Looking over his shoulder, Logan saw Storm fly back through the knocked out window in order to dodge the projectile. With a cry that "no one interferes in this fight!" Ranma charged Logan who met him claws extended.

It had not been Logan's intention to kill the kid, only leave him a few scars as lessons, but then he caught the eyes of his opponent, and really looked into them. This Ranma had a beast inside him like Logan's, only more restrained. The kid had just turned it loose. Aiming for nonvital areas, Logan lashed out, intending to puncture his opponent. He called out as they met, "Kid I'm the best there is at what I do."

The shock of impact was stunning, Ranma held back the feral man, fingers splayed between deadly claws, a death-grip on the man's fists. Pushing his shoulders as far forward as he could. The momentary shock to his claw-wielding opponent was used to deliver seven lightning fast kicks, each landing in a vital area with stone crushing force, followed by a double kick that knocked Logan away and launched him through a tree into unconsciousness. Eyes glazed for a moment, Ranma whispered, "and what you do isn't very nice."

Slumping visibly as his mind focused away from a past memory, his features worn and pale, Ranma still somewhat distracted, coughed before grumbling, "You ain't gonna be poking me with anything in this century old man."

At that very moment, someone appeared behind him and a fiery pain tore into his entire body centered at the flesh of his neck. Twisting instinctually, his own hand flew at this new enemy, fingers splayed out as claws, each tipped in ki. Ranma, committed to strike, was horrified as he caught sight of his attacker, a young woman with a white stripe running through her brown hair…

To Be Continued.

Notes: Well I finally decided on how I would make this all play out. It isn't exactly how I wanted it, but I think it works well. I use the old marvel superheroes rpg system to kind of set Ranma's place in the marvel universe. Ranma always seems able to choose exactly the wrong words to convey himself at times, a fact that should make for some confusion amongst those who saw and heard the fight. In the next chapter, I plan to flashback exactly what Ranma remembered from Logan's catchphrase.

=^.^=