PACK OF CARDS
By
Taro M.D
Chapter 11
Love is a Minefield
I return to this story after a considerable time away and already someone does not like it... the heck happened whilst I was away, all the regulars left and the smart ones rose above the drabble.
Mind you ya write something that most people actually do like and yes this is coming from the guy that wrote Sex Days: Shinji Ikari and you have to respond to criticism which that same person pointed out there are a few iggles about it so they will be changed.
Also case and point, I am probably going to rewrite the old chapters in this style so they won't be a grammacal nightmare to the minority out there that are sensitive.
Other than that we are now continuing with the story... a week after Chapter 10 ended.
So let's begin!
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Recapping on what happened in the last chapter of Pack of Cards... Cologne the Elder of the Amazon Village received a decision from the Council regarding the incident at Jusendo which was telling her that the Kiss of Marriage of Shampoo's was scrapped in exchange for opening peace talks with the young Saotome that she had to be the representative of her tribe in said talks just as said young purple headed woman ran up to her room in tears whilst giving Mousse a chance.
Meanwhile at Ucchan's... the owner Ukyo Kunoji who was worried as usual about her Ranchan who she hadn't seen in a week got a telephone call from her Aunt Hiromi, that her father was diagnosed with a cancer that became terminal and she was upset that she was never told of this from her father to which her aunt replied that he was stubborn and didn't want his only child to bear the burden... this resolved the Kunoji girl to go to Kyoto and resolve her own future.
Back at the Tendo Dojo explaining that Soun Tendo whilst exposed as a co-conspiritor of ripping off the beloved couple's financial future... was allowed to stay at the residence due to financial reasons being Nabiki's absence and the fact that the dojo still needed a teacher for the future... he was also declared legally unfit to lead the Tendo family as Kasumi temporarily became head of the household as a placeholder for Akane who was still not of age yet to assume position. ((That should resolve said plothole.))
As the newly married couple were practicing in the dojo, Cologne made the first approach into the negotiations for an alliance between the Saotome head and the Amazon Tribe to which after consulting his wife, he gladly agreed as long as Shampoo was no longer persuing him to which the elder told him that both kisses of Death and Marriage were removed by order of the council.
Afterwards Akane promised to work Ranma like a horse in terms of his schoolwork which were a week due.
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A week had passed since the events happened in Nerima and again the muncipal was still changing in it's ways in a pace no one can ever stop now. The Amazons are still there though but mostly because the Joketsuzoku had decided to put to expand the village and because they didn't want Ranma to suddenly move to China, they decided to move a few able young warriors who had never been outside China to in Nerima and had chosen elder Cologne as the head of said new village.
Shampoo was happy to have more people from her tribe staying with her, Mousse and Elder Cologne and eventually was promoted to running the Cat Cafe as a full time job whilst teaching those in the arts of the tribe alongside Mousse who also taught in the style of the Hidden Weapons which is a very useful skill.
The terms of the alliance with Ranma Saotome was that he and Akane would teach them the disciplines of the Anything Goes Martial Arts style in exchange for allowing some of the young warriors to stay in the residence and learn about the Japanese way of life so they can become more socialised to the outside world.
Well that was the plan anyway and during the early days of said alliances there are... some teething issues and with this being Nerima, you know things will go wrong.
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Meanwhile we now pick up our story as Ukyo finally returned from Kyoto after her week long trip of past memories and often bad ones... it was decided then that any fulfillments that Ukyo had from her father was considered
It also made her depressed when she saw that her father was still the stubborn and proud person that he was, even in the face that he had a brain tumor for a while which a week ago became cancerous... and it was also terminal as well.
I can't believe my father is going to be dead soon...
She thought as she unlocked the business doors of Ucchan's and brought up her suitcase that she had considering her clothing, then she locked the door again behind her but that was before she headed up the staircase towards her above apartment.
At least I'm glad to be back here in Nerima...
She thought as she opened the door and head back inside.
"Konatsu I'm back!"
Instantly Konatsu the ninja appeared in front of her with a happy expression on his face.
"Welcome back Ukyo-sama! I trust your trip went ok?"
"It was sugar... well until I found out that old man is dying from a brain tumor..."
"Oh no..."
"Yeah there's nothing I can really do apart from carrying on and accepting the inevitable really... speaking of which Konatsu anything to report on Ranma?"
"Yes Ukyo-sama I do have reports on him... he's been busying training and doing schoolwork, other than that he hasn't done anything that consistutes as bizarre."
"Dearie this is Nerima... Ranma is a magnet for all the chaos in this place..."
"Yes Ukyo-sama... how about I prepare a kettle and make you some nice hot tea?"
"That would be wonderful Konatsu."
Konatsu disappeared as Ukyo went to the bedroom and unpacked her travel clothes but now that she was back in Nerima she needed to finally resolve the growing white elephant that was in her life right now... does she have a future with Ranma Saotome as his financee or as his friend?
I must talk to him some time tonight!
This will be interesting.
Ranma was normally one who didn't appreciate being alone... but in the dojo this was the first time that he was alone ever since the marriage and whilst his spouse had to go out for the evening with her friends Yuka and Sayuri who turned up concerned that the two had not been heard from in a couple of weeks.
Eventually although some prodding was needed... Akane was convinced to spend a few hours with the two as Ranma decided that he needed to do some meditation, some sparring of his own with the equipment provided... essentially he needed to practice his discipline and all he had been doing lately was coursework so he can move onto the Senior Year.
This was the situation he was in... although he didn't expect the door opening and Ukyo popping inside, although he figured it was another Amazon who wanted to have another training session as agreed to by the terms of the alliance... although he was surprised as he turned around and looked towards the dojo entrance.
"If it's about the training then I'm not...Ukyo?"
"Ranchan! I'm so glad to see you... it's been a while!"
Ukyo proceeded to glomp-hug Ranma which made the youth uncomfortable for his own reasons but he always figured that he saw Ukyo as a friend although she declared herself a financee due to him being nice to her... but in the back of her mind she was going to ask one of the hardest decisions to do and it was affected by her father's mental state.
"Yeah things happened so what's been going on with ya Ucchan?"
"Plenty of things have happened... I had to go back to Kyoto the other week..."
"What happened?"
"It's my father... he's been diagnosed with a brain tumor and not only was it cancerous but also it was in an advanced stage..."
"Oh no... can it be treated?"
"No Ranchan it's terminal... he'll be dead in several weeks although several months if lucky."
"I'm sorry Ucchan..."
"It's ok Ranma, I've had several days to think about it and I've personally come to a decision that will affect us..."
"What.."
"I want us..."
I think it's time I told Ucchan about me and Akane... Ranma thought to himself as he finally decided to tell the truth to Ukyo.
"Um... Ucchan there's something I want to tell you myself..."
"What's the thing that you wanted to tell me?"
"You remember the failed wedding that happened a few weeks ago?
"How could I forget that day... you were nearly forced to marry for the casket of Drowned Man..."
"Yes but there's something else I should of told you but I was pissed off at how you were reacting at the time so..."
"Tell me what happened Ranma..."
"Me and Akane decided that we have had enough of everything that has been happening for the last 2 years as we took the signed forms that our parents consented us from the failed wedding and we used them to get married... and then after that we eloped to Tokyo."
Ukyo suddenly got a wide eyed expression which Ranma couldn't understand all the time but he'd seen iti on his former father and Mr. Tendo when they got shocked.
"So your..."
"Yep me and Akane are married Ukyo... and I'm sorry that it took me two years to realise that I wasn't helping the situation by not acknowledging my feelings for Akane but also for leading you on Ukyo..."
"NO! YOU ARE NOT SORRY FOR LEADING ME ON YOU JERK! REMEMBER THE DOWRY YOU STILL OWE ME!"
"That was my pops who did that not me... well technically it's now on him since my mother divorced him and I'm independant of all decisions that the panda made."
"WHAT... why did your mother do that?"
"I guess she finally figured that she felt horrible for allowing my father to train me for all those years... and for me to be a man amongst men, she must of felt being a horrible mother that she made me independant of all family decisions... it means I'm essentially a grown up in the eyes of the government and now I have to think like one."
"Ranma... this is not normal for you but I am in too far with you to change course, either I get to be something like your concubine or something or I need the money for the dowry even though my father won't be around before the end of the year... it's a matter of closure.
"Ukyo I don't even think of you like that... your my friend."
"Dammit I know you jackass but I wanted us to be more than friends and now..."
"Sorry Ucchan..."
"You have lost the right to call me that!"
"..."
"I'm gonna head off and think about this... I'll let you know in a few days if there's anything to be salvaged from this."
Ukyo then opened the door quickly and took off, not wanting to see the tears that were coming down her face be shown to Ranma... to see how much he broke her heart, well not as much as being denied revenge to the youth's father for taking her childhood away.
It's a cruel world Ukyo Kuonji but you have to learn it at some point.
Even if it doesn't help you.
At all.
Later on that night Akane returned to the Dojo and learnt that Ukyo had visited her husband whilst she was away... now the old Akane would call Ranma a pervert and a womaniser but now that she was married... she saw him at a new light, a warm caring male who's heart was stronger than any flame she had ever seen.
So to cheer him up from his funk... Akane suggested a late training session to help him shake any negative emotions out of him. Which is proven to be much difficult since she was easily beating him in the last five practice battles.
"Ok baka there's something wrong with you, when I left hours ago you were your usual confident self and then after I came back from the girls... I find out Ukyo was here and afterwards I find you miserable as my father's depression... what the hell happened when you was here alone with Ukyo."
"Ukyo knows that we're married koi..."
The unexpected announcement from Ranma forced Akane to show her surprise by slamming her first deep into Ranma's gut causing him to wince in pain and then in a manner that didn't fit his character, he curled over and held his stomach... Akane sometimes can hit REALLY hard when she really can put her mind.
"Owwwww... that one really hurt..."
"You baka, whatever possessed you to say that we are married to Ukyo!"
"Because I was sick of leading her on and considering that we are married now, I figured it was time to let the cat out as it were."
"You forgot that we are still in High School dummy, how about we waited for a while before we let everyone in town know we was married... still I have to admire you for finally telling Ukyo yourself, you should of let me know first off because aren't we suppose to do these things together?"
"Yeah... that is what we're supposed to do now."
"Now then... how about we pack up the equipment and then you and me go work out our other set of muscles in the comfort of our bedroom?"
THAT was the one thing Ranma would always get excited for... Martial Arts of the Bedroom kind so they quickly cleared everything away and then proceeded to head up to their bedroom together, they went past so fast that Kasumi didn't see them but smiled at their eagerness.
Oh my they seem to be eager this evening... I better remind myself to see Dr. Tofu eventually.
She thought as she headed towards the living room as somewhere else Dr. Tofu sneezed loudly for no good reason.
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Meanwhile in another part of the Muncipal that was some distance away... a stocky built man was walking down the street in utter shame, a man with a bandana over his head and his gi... that was on him for the last few days which began to stink... the man formally known as Genma Saotome who now is back to his original name... Genma Misakawa.
Damn that ex-wife of mine, if my son would of married that Tendo girl before yesterday then I would of been able to have gotten her off my back and then take the money that was coming in for myself and declare my retirement at the same time.
But now that's not happening... nearly 20 years of plotting to screw over the Saotome name with my own influence is over and now I got 10 years worth of debts to pay off and with no money to pay said debts off!
Now that out in the open without any means of cash... I'm gonna have to start drifting to another town in order to find some work... and considering that I'm too old to do this shit, this really can't get any worse...
Suddenly several police cars appeared in front of him was ambushed by a group of fifteen police officers who proceeded to wear him down and then proceeded to put cuffs on him... whilst he could of overpowered his way out of the cuffs, he couldn't overpower fifteen able bodied officers of the law... especially since a scruffy shavened detective with a large overcoat and a brown fedora walked up to the restrained man.
"Well, well if it isn't Genma Saotome or should I say Genma Misakawa... I figured you would try to skip out of town since your pretty wife divorced you... well since you have nearly 10 years worth of charges that you have to answer for, I think we will be taking you downtime... you are under arrest, take the scumbag away!"
The officers then proceeded to scramble the disgraced martial artist onto the back of a police van and then they drove off together leaving the detective to follow behind in his own car as he turned the ignition key and thinking to himself.
Finally after a decade of hunting down that con artist... I can finally treat myself to that beer I've been saving up.
He then drove off thinking that this was the best day that he had ever had.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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(Taro) I always do like it when I write something good to end a chapter, perhaps it's not liking Genma Saotome but I always seem to make the bastard suffer and for good reason too... then again maybe it's because I remembered the one reason why I like to write stories like these... they are just one person's views on either anime, manga or popular works... you have your own view on it and that's how I like to do things.
Then again it's also because I have never watched Ranma 1/2 and yet I used the community as a basis for writing the previous story on this which probably won't get mentioned because it's a M+ rating one and judging from the changes... all the good people went elsewhere but alas I am still here although reduced.
Chapter 11 is over and I figured that I was in hole so I believe I have dug myself out of said hole but then again it's up to the person who reads this and decides for themselves how they see the story.
Anyway I thought I drop this tidbit to please those that still remembers the one story that people know me for... There will be a new chapter for Sex Days Shinji Ikari and I am writing said chapter RIGHT NOW.
So yeah I shall now depart on such good news, as always leave those reviews behind if you enjoy Pack of Cards and remember to read the Crimson Digidestined as I'm writing the second arc, the first arc is available to read and review as well.
Later!
