Forcibly United
Yubitsume Fugitives: Chapter 2
oOo
The fourth time Ranma pile-drived his father into the grass surrounding the much-abused koi pond which dominated the Tendou's yard, he got the distinct impression that his father wasn't really fighting back.
He knew he was better than his old man, because of course he was. He was also pretty sure his father hadn't fought an undying Phoenix in a battle which had rearranged a Chinese mountainside, because his father was a fairly boastful man: If he'd done that, Ranma would have heard of it. Yet...
The beating he was giving Genma felt... resigned. The balding man was by no means just allowing Ranma to run over him, but his defense was weaker than it should have been, less on point than he usually was. The beating he was inflicting on his father felt more routine than anything that resembled a test of skill or a true challenge.
With a flip of his toe, Ranma flipped his father into a sitting position, patting the old man's shoulder as he took a casual seat beside him. For a long time, neither of them spoke.
"So what have you done to me this time, old man?" Ranma finally asked, unable to hid the affection in his voice despite putting on a gruff tone, drawing a surprised glance from his father. Not more surprising than the affection Ranma had put into the question, if he was honest.
As frustrating as his father was, all the mistakes, all the lies, all the... everything, Ranma couldn't deny that everything he loved about his life, everything within his life that he loved, was directly at the hands of his father. It wasn't quiet, it wasn't sane... Yet at the same time, the pigtailed Saotome heir couldn't deny even for a second that he'd choose another life if given the opportunity.
Not for a second. He'd fought the closest thing he'd ever encountered to a god in a martial arts fight, and he'd been the victor. The first time he'd killed someone, they'd just... come back to life, like that was something people should expect. Like just making the nursemaid promise to raise the kid right the next time was how a deadly battle should end.
That fight with Saffron was the most terrifying experience of Ranma Saotome's life by any measure of the word, yet it also allowed him to stride through the world with the confidence which was the core of himself.
Ranma Saotome doesn't lose when it matters. Even if the thing he's fighting is worshiped as a god.
As twisted as it was, Genma had done exactly what was needed to make Ranma who he was. In hindsight, it was very obvious that the Saotome heir's father could have solved a lot of Ranma's problems with ridiculous ease if he'd chosen to step in.
Genma had allowed Ranma to fight Cologne, Happosai, and countless others without interfering in the slightest... Outside of a bit of advice, here and there. He'd carefully pretended to be weak for so long that the Umisenken and Yamasenken were a truly legitimate surprise from the man.
Ranma's father had two entire schools of martial arts he'd decided were too strong for the world to bear, and had chosen not to pass on to his direct heir until the moment they came back to bite him in the ass. Two entire schools of martial arts which the pigtailed youth wagered would, if his father were willing to utilize them, put him in the same threat range as both Cologne and Happosai.
Ranma knew what sort of talent he possessed. He knew just how ridiculous his ability to break down, analyze, and then build upon martial arts technqies was. The thought of how much more terrifying his abilities would be if he'd been trained in the Yamasenken and Umisenken right from the time he started learning Anything Goes made him shudder a bit.
His father was still silent, so Ranma nudged him once more. With a resigned chuckle, Genma opened his mouth.
"It was a game of Cho-Han," Genma finally admitted, scratching his cheek with his index finger. "I'd been having a good streak of luck with the gambling, and then a few gentlemen joined the game as others left. They were Yakuza."
"And?" Ranma asked, chuckling despite his minor frustration.
"In hindsight, it's clear that the free drinks and everything else were done so that I wouldn't notice when the dealer was cheating," Ranma's father admitted sheepishly, turning a frown to his son. "They knew I was travelling with a child at the time, so they told me they'd take you as a substitution for my debt. But it wasn't like the Daikouku guy... These ones would go after your mother."
"And..." Ranma prompted, trying to hide his grin.
"Well, they told me they'd kill me. Once I'd beaten their enforcers into unconsciousness, drinks or not, they started to see a little bit more reason," the Saotome elder confided, smirking. He tapped his chest with two fingers, before continuing. "I know you might not think of me as a powerful man, but they knew I could have destroyed them. However, I made my accusation of cheating plain, and they didn't really want to fight me about it. I told them that if they wanted to call it square, my heir and the Oyabun's daughter could have an omiai when you both came of age and we'd see where things went from there."
Ranma sighed.
"I missed that omiai, didn't I?" Ranma asked, breathing deeply as he sighed. He shook his head as he glared at his father. "Probably something you should have told me, old man."
"To be fair, you were in Roanapur trying to earn money to break out of the cursed armguards you and your friend Ryouga now wear. I couldn't exactly call you back from that important duty, could I?" Genma laughed, slapping his son hard on the back.
"Being technically correct doesn't make it right, old man," Ranma countered, grabbing his father's hand and twisting it so the man ate more of the turf which lined the Tendou's garden.
oOo
"Ryouga baby, I know you owe me one," Nabiki began, and the cursed man decided that that, then and there, was enough reason to leave the conversation entirely. He was in Nabiki's room, with Nabiki acting like... Nabiki, and no witnesses to prove otherwise.
If it weren't for the threat of exposing his cursed form, he would have jumped out of the room already.
"I don't owe you anything," Ryouga informed her, grimacing as he did so. Nabiki was... Not formidable. If he was so inclined, crushing her like an ant would have been child's play. But she wasn't a martial artist.
She wasn't a fighter. Thus, fighting her was impossible.
The older girl drew closer to Ryouga, tapping his chest with her finger.
"Everyone tells me they never owe me anything, yet I always prove them wrong. Tell me, Ryouga-baby, do you really want me digging up dirt on you?" The middle Tendou asked, reaching up to lightly twirl her hair around her finger tip. "Do you really want me to scrutinize everything you've said or done around Akane?"
"No," Ryouga answered immediately, his face growing bright red as he exclaimed it.
"Then Ryouga, we need to set some ground rules. Despite how strong you are, let's not beat around the bush: I am in charge. You will do what I say, when I say it, or I'll expose that secret of yours. It's so painful I don't dare speak of it aloud, unless..." Nabiki trailed off, eyes flashing menacingly. "Unless I feel the need to expose secrets other people feel the need to expose."
Ryouga gulped to himself, beads of sweat trickling down his brow as he stared at the girl... the waif in front of him.
He was physically able to crush her into a ball the size of a basketball, but socially he was her whipping boy.
Damn it.
Ranma, because of you... I've seen Hell...
oOo
Ranma and Genma were sitting peacefully, watching the koi pond rustle slightly in the night air as the fish jostled the waters. Between the two sat a pot of green tea: Both men, young and old, occasionally refreshed their drinks as they sat on the grass.
"So pops, with me having pissed of the Yakuza and everything after you sold me to 'em, you've called mom and let her know to go into hiding for now, right?" Ranma asked casually, continuing to sip his tea.
He paused and frowned as his father scrambled for the phone.
He would have done more, but he was scrambling across the rooftops towards his mother's home, forcing himself faster than he'd ever travelled across Tokyo before.
oOo
Author's Notes:
Guess who's back? Back again? GI's back! Tell a friend!
Okay guys, so I'm trying to keep this short and sweet. Initially, my plan was to come back with the whole of the current arc written so that I could promise you some sweet, sweet regular updates. However, given the fact this story is nearly four god-damned years old, I feel it'd be remiss of me not to post at least one teaser chapter.
So here's the deal: Within the next two months, I'll start posting the entire Yubitsume Fujitives arc, and when I start posting them I'll be posting them weekly. Cause I got the next chapter written, even though this was basically a teaser.
I know it's been a long wait, but I've always said that nothing is abandoned.
Red Fraction's cranked in the background, and I'm already halfway through the next chapter. Forcibly United is back, kids.
I love you guys too much to leave anything unfinished.
BTdubs: Big Hero 6 is probably the best movie I've seen in years. If you haven't seen it, watch it. Fucking NOW.
-Gaming Ikari