Author's Notes –
Obviously I don't own either Ranma ½ or Tenjou Tenge. I'm merely a fanfiction writer who enjoys both works (manga more than anime) and wanted to try and merge aspects, ideas, and concepts from both of those original works together. Hopefully the end result is entertaining to all but I know that some of you may not like how I've blended the two or that I've changed elements of cannon so that this fic can work.
Regardless of what you think or feel about this fic, please review once you're done reading.
Oh, and please check out my profile. I've updated it lately as well as put up a new poll.
If not for the fact that he'd already been traumatized by his unfortunate experience with cats, Ranma couldn't help but think that he'd probably be traumatized by girls. Seeing how vicious Shampoo, Ukyo, Akane, Kodachi, and many of the other girls who practiced various forms of the arts were the pigtailed boy had begun to wonder if violent tendencies were limited to only that particular group of the female species (which was why his father felt was the problem with teaching girls/females any form of martial arts as they tended to have violent tendencies which combined with some martial arts skill could make them very deadly). Maya definitely wasn't like any of the other martial arts girls he knew, but Aya, well, she was just as bad as Shampoo when it came to Souichiro, though the spunky blond was fortunate enough to never have to worry about Aya turning into the one thing he feared the most.
But the last few hours had only re-enforced Ranma's other conclusion – girls were just crazy. The pigtailed boy just wasn't sure why, but for some unknown reason Sakura and Misa were noticeably… cool… towards each other. Sure, he really didn't know what they were like when he wasn't around, but the impression he'd gotten was that the two girls didn't like to be around each other at all.
Guys were much easier to understand than girls. Ranma and Ryoga for example hated each other. Sure, both fighters respected each other's ability and skill, but unless some greater evil (like Happosai, Saffron, or Herb) came along the two rarely interacted (unless you count fighting). It was easy for guys to trade snide remarks (as long as both were witty enough to go with that option) or even punches (or kicks, and the occasional sword/umbrella/barrage of bandanas/knives/chains), but to act calmly as though there were not problems between them was just wrong. Guys didn't hide how they felt about each other – guys settled things like, well, men.
But girls… they worked completely differently than guys. Even though Ranma could occasionally spend some time as a girl, the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts really didn't know anything about girls at all. Unlike normal/real girls Ranma didn't feel the need to get violent except when someone tried to grope her (Happosai) when he was a girl.
Thinking back to the time at the Sakura Café, Ranma couldn't help but shudder as he recalled the girls' cold battle auras. He could understand Sakura – she was a fighter, but Misa? For a non-fighter to exude such a noticeable aura really was impressive, and disturbing.
The faint yet distinctly familiar smell of pipe smoke pulled Ranma out of his reverie. With his automatic defenses once again on alert the pigtailed martial artist cautiously scanned the area. Though he saw nothing which would indicate that he was being watched the young fighter knew without a doubt that there had been eyes on him since he'd left school. Unlike with the kids at his old school who managed to take pictures of him (though he always knew when they were taking the pictures) Ranma was sure that no one had managed to take any pictures of him as the pseudo-stalkers seemed to back off whenever he turned towards them.
Sure that his tails were not doing anything other than trying to video tape him the young fighter continued to climb the stairs. With no noticeable signs of anyone forcing their way into his apartment Ranma grabbed the doorknob. The cool metal feeling in his palm reassured him that no one had tampered with his door or tried to force their way in. Still, it didn't mean that someone hadn't found a way in; just that someone had not tried to do so through the front door.
Casually the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts unlocked the door then slipped into his apartment before locking the door behind him. Though the air was slightly stale Ranma could tell that someone had recently been inside as the tightly closed windows should have left the apartment completely shut off from the light breezes and gusts that had rustled the leaves outside of his classroom. Then again the small flat-screen TV with a black bra hanging on it was an obvious sign that Happosai had recently stopped by.
The sudden silence alerted him to the fact that something was up. Turning around he quickly scanned the apartment and noted the glowing wards that were now on each wall, the floor, and the ceiling.
"This is why I don't' declare you a Grandmaster of Anything Goes," Happosai's voice said tauntingly. "You should have been good enough to notice that-"
"You're in the dresser," the pigtailed boy said as he pulled the drawer open.
"Hiya," the old man exclaimed as his head out of the pile of women's undergarments.
"Gahh!" Ranma quickly retreated as he realized just what the old pervert had filled his drawer with. "What are you doing?"
"I ran out of room back in Nerima," the old letch replied. "And since I was stopping by I decided to bring of my little silk lovelies with me.
"But that's not important. If you haven't noticed-"
"You up some wards on the apartment," the pigtailed boy finished as he calmly collected himself.
"Very good; I assume you know that you've been followed then?"
"Yeah, those guys in the black sedans."
"Correct!"
"Then Mitsumi's gone against his word," the young martial artist muttered.
"Wrong!"
Eyeing the shriveled grandmaster skeptically Ranma tilted his head to the side, hoping for a change in perspective.
"There are other players involved, bigger ones who have been hiding in the shadows," Happosai explained. "This goes beyond the school boy; what do you think happens to all those who graduate?"
Ranma blinked. He really hadn't thought about that.
"Someone created that school to draw in elite fighters (and really smoking hot babes). Almost all of the old fighting schools send anyone who is old enough to attend. Only the rogue or newer schools"
"Like my pops and the Tendos," Ranma inserted.
Happosai nodded, "like yourself and the Tendos, but also the Hibiki boy, don't send anyone unless invited to attend."
"Or tricked," the pigtailed boy added.
Again the older fighter nodded. "The ones who founded the school decades ago still run it. They've been secretly pulling the strings for centuries."
"That doesn't add up," Ranma stated.
"How old am I again?"
"Um, very," the youth replied only to have the grandmaster smack him over the head. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"
"I'm over four hundred years old," Happosai clarified. "Do you think that I'm the only one who's lived that long?"
Rubbing the lump on his head Ranma was about to be smart, but decided against it. "No."
Smirking the old pervert nodded. "Over four hundred years ago there was a truly powerful fighter. He was so powerful that several of the most powerful schools and families had united against him. Eventually both sides"
"There were two sides?" Ranma asked, earning him another lump on the skull.
"Yes, there were two sides. As powerful as he was that fighter knew that he needed followers, so his followers and the other schools, lead by the Takayanagi and Natsume familes, fought to a stalemate. In the end both sides agreed to a truce. The Takayanagi family and their allies became known as the twelve feathers. The twelve feathers, and their branch families, all serve the Takayanagi family, who formed the school you are now going to. But in truth the twelve feathers serve another master – Sohaku Kago, the man that those families had failed to defeat four hundred years ago."
"So he's shriveled up like you then," Ranma said offhandedly, earning him a third lump.
"No, he's the one who cursed me," Happosai stated. "In my youth I challenged Sohaku. Though I was deemed a 'White Feather' and thus not a serious threat to him, I managed to injure him. If not for the interference from some of the Red Feathers I would have beaten him. As it was, I wasn't killed. No, instead they robbed me of my body and attached my soul and spirit to another body, this one."
Again Ranma chose not to say anything smart, though he continued to eye Happosai skeptically.
"Why do you think that Cologne didn't recognize me at first? She'd met me when I was in my original and young body, not in this ancient shell that I currently inhabit."
Biting back his smart remarks in favor of having fewer lumps in the morning, the pigtailed boy nodded reluctantly.
"I'm sure that Sohaku has probably found another body by now," the ancient grandmaster conceded. "He has found a way to cheat death, thus the reason why the twelve feathers and the Takayanagi family felt that he was such a threat. Whenever a stronger body comes along he probably steals it."
"So basically this guy is like that Ochomoru guy in Naruto," the younger fighter stated.
"It's Orochimaru," Happosai corrected, "but yes, like that." The shriveled mass blinked. "You watch Naruto? I'd have figured you to be more of a Dragon Ball Z fan."
"Yeah, but that's so old, and it's not like I've ever tried to learn to fly," Ranma shot back.
"I don't know, with all those flights that Akane sent you on I figured you were trying to learn the basics once you were airborne.
"Anyways, Sohaku is like Orochimaru," Happosai equated. "Think of Nagi as Sasuke Uchiha."
"Man, Nagi's got a Cheatigan?"
"Sort of," the old man replied as he put his hand up to silence the younger fighter. "It's not in his eyes though. The Nagi family is able to steal ki abilities from others. All Red Feather families have strong ki skills; each is specialized to enhance their fighting. White Feather families tend to only have strong fighting skills and use their ki much like you do – to augment their strength, speed, or endurance. A simple punch is all that Nagi needs to steal your ki mastery."
"Man, that's so cheap," Ranma exclaimed.
"It gets worse," Happosai snorted. "He'll literally steal your ki abilities, but you won't be able to use those skills again until either he dies or you re-master those skills."
Ranma blinked. That really did suck. It was like he was now living in a bad anime or manga, or worse, a bad fanfiction….
"Wait a minute," he finally said as things began to click. "If he's able to steal abilities like that then he's basically stolen the abilities of everyone he's punched at school."
"Possibly," the old man replied. "But it's possible that his 'bloodline' hasn't activated yet. If those around him are still fighting at the same level as they were before their fight with him then it's safe to assume that he hasn't stolen anything yet. Still, it won't be long before it activates, and once it does he'll probably go on a rampage. He'll want to fight anyone and everyone. His 'bloodline' will make him seek out others with high levels of ki since he won't be able to maintain it for long unless he steals it from others."
Floored by the information, Ranma slowly sat down. Had Nagi sensed something in him, thus the constant challenges? What about the Juken Club? Did they realize what he could do to them?
"You cannot tell anyone," Happosai stated. "If you do then someone will know that you're getting information that you're not supposed to have. As you can see you boy Mitsumi can't protect you from Sohaku. If he gets wind of what you know he's going to come after you. But he's a coward, he won't come after you directly, he'll start up with your family, maybe even the Tendos. I wouldn't be surprised if he's scouted them already."
"He's the guy you want me to kill," Ranma said calmly. "When you said that you'd grant me the title of Master on one condition, this is that one condition; isn't it?"
Solemnly the old grandmaster nodded. "If Nagi wasn't around I'm sure he'd probably try to get you. But with the other boy in play I'm sure that he's just waiting to get his hands on him. I need you to stay close to the boy so that when Sohaku makes his move you'll be there to stop him. Obviously I can't get close to him."
"Can't or won't?" Ranma asked defiantly.
"Can't," the old man replied. "As good as I am at hiding he'll know my ki signature. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to send Nagi after me just to get my abilities."
"So what's going to stop Nagi from stealing my abilities?" the younger fighter asked.
Sighing Happosai cracked his knuckles. "You remember what I did to Hinako?"
"The pressure points that affect her ki metabolism?" Ranma replied.
"I'm going to put seals on your ki that should keep you from having your ki stolen," Happosai explained. "But it's untested."
"Why do we have to wear these masks?" Asuma Mask asked. Though his decorative mask protected his identity (not to mention kept the gawkers from seeing the light blush on his face) Asuma Mask really couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"It's not too bad," Ryu Mask said as he checked his reflection. "We are wrestlers you know."
"You're only saying that because those kids asked for your autograph," the taller of the masked figures said.
"Hey, you're only mad that you lost to that girl," the shorter of the two said. "Speaking of which, you still look like you've lost a few pounds. Those tights were tight before, but now…"
"Yeah, yeah," Asuma Mask said, cutting off his companion.
"I can't believe that little kid turned into that smoking hot babe," Ryu Mask added. "I wish I could have gotten her number though.
"Anyways, at least you're able to stand. From what the old man told us of her past victims no one is able to stand up to her after she drains them. Too bad she destroyed my cell phone."
"Dude, where do you even keep it? It's not like we have any pockets or anything in these outfits."
Ryu Mask shrugged, "I kept mine in my jacket."
Asuma Mask blinked. "I didn't think of that."
A/N
Yes, this is going to mess with cannon, but it's a cross over, so deal.
As always, Reviews are strictly optional, though I know that some of you will have something to say. Please check out my profile and the new poll I've posted.
I'll try and get more posted next chapter, and add some more action.
Dreamingfox