Ranma sat on the roof of the Tendo house doing something he rarely did, deep thinking. Before he even had a chance to cool down from the disaster at the cursed springs, the idiot duo, aka Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo, ambush him and Akane with a surprise wedding. Of which he might have actually gone through with but for all the uninvited guest.
The trip back from china had actually been nice, Akane and he had talked, without yelling or name calling or mallet-sama, and he saw the cute girl, no lady that Akane could be when she wasn't trying to hide her feelings. But after a dozen explosions, a crazy kendoist, a crazier gymnast, an amazon, a perverted master and other miscellaneous craziness, they were back to yelling, name calling and (sigh) mallet-sama. This is where Ranma had his epiphany, if a life and death battle with a self-proclaimed phoenix god didn't change things, NOTHING WILL.
A wise master Ranma once had told him, "If one wants to master the martial arts, one must first master themselves." And Ranma was a master was himself, which meant Ranma knew himself, better than most would think, he knew was a jerk at times, but being raised by Genma it was simply how he knew to interact with people, he could be very arrogant, but when it came to martial arts he had a right to be didn't he? After ten years of training on the road and a year in the martial arts pressure cooker known Nerima, oh yes, he more than had the right. He could also admit to himself that he had soft side and NOT just because of the curse. After ten years on the road his father could no longer disappoint or hurt him, he long ago lost any respect, love or even a positive feeling toward his father. His mother on the other hand, being ten years separated, was a whole different kettle of fish. After rediscovering her, his heart had done flip flops with hope and happiness, thinking here is a parent that might love, and care and maybe, just maybe provide a warm and caring environment. Where insults where few, feelings mattered and maybe hear "I love you." Once in a while. But reality had turned out much colder than his bright and warm hopes. The mother he didn't know turned out to have a twisted sense of honor, one that might demand she kill her only child if said child didn't meld with her equally twisted ideal of "manliness". In short his hope had been shot, stabbed and buried in shallow grave.
All this deep introspection brought him back crux of the matter, he knew himself, so he knew he couldn't stand much more of the way things were. Things had to change! Standing he know had a purpose, he was going stop ALL of chaos in his life. He was going to stop the fiancées!
But first he needed to train. He needed to visit someone first.
END
As she sat at her desk looking over cost estimates Nabiki knew she had miscalculated badly. While most times she would deny any miscalculation to her dyeing breath, it was a little hard to miss the damage to the dojo or actually what was left of the dojo. Looking at the cost to repair the dojo alone verses what she sold in tickets, tapes and selling wedding gifts left her at large deficit. A wince crossed her features at the thought that, that didn't even include damages to the house, lawn, privacy wall, and gown and tux rentals. All in all she'd be down ATLEAST 500,000 yen. While the amount was staggering her professional mind went into defcon 1 mode. She still had steady income coming in, good that's for food and utilities. Going to have work the Kuno money machine extra this month, and going to have to call in most her markers with the clubs at school. That….her internal dialog was cutoff with a rapping at her door.
"Go away!" she had all the trouble she needed at the moment. But of course the door opens anyway.
"Wassup Nabs?"
"Entertaining clueless martial artist apparently." She closes her books and looks at Ranma with her best Ice Queen mask. "Time is money, Saotome, What do you want?" A cold breeze blew across her at that moment and she couldn't help but shiver. She looked from her closed window back to the pigtailed boy and wondered if this was the "soul of ice" she'd heard about? However none of her doubt showed on her face.
"You mean besides a reason for why you ruined your sister's wedding, for why you sabotage the happiness of the people around you?" He let that sink for a moment and was surprised to maybe see a crack in her ice queen façade before it quickly went back in place. He knew it was a risk coming on the offensive, after all his school taught that you let your opponent make the first move. But he quickly moved on. "Never mind I'm sure you had your own reasons, whatever they may be. I'm here to sell you something Nabs and I think it's very valuable."
Nabiki knew a sales pitch when she heard one and this was a good one! Oh she was sure that he was upset about the wedding but the first questions and insult was meant to make her feel guilty and make her emotions come to the for front to get more money out her. With more than a little respect and resentment it worked, a little. "What prey tell would a poor martial artist like your self have that I would be interested in? Last I checked you don't carry large flawless diamonds with magical properties, or bags of gold. So get lost Saotome." She hoped that little ploy would make him give up whatever gem of information he had for free.
"I guess you don't want the information that could get you out this feces creek you made for yourself. I guess I'll go let all my fiancées know myself then. Bye Nabs."
All his fiancées?! News that affects them all and worth a bundle!? Her gut was telling her something very big was happening right now. First his aggressive negotiations now basically a "are in or out" threat. "All right Saotome, you got my attention, how much do you want?"
"Three…."
…annnnd maybe this was just Saotome being an idiot
"Weeks."
"Huh? Three weeks? Three weeks of what?" Idiot.
"How many training trips have I been able to really focus on my martial arts without one or more fiancées following me or pops or your dad? I want three weeks unmolested, all to myself. Nothing but me forest and martial arts."
Her hand went to her chin actually thinking about the largely rhetorical question. There wasn't a single training trip that didn't turn into a total disaster because fiancées or fathers or both interfered. But what struck her was the fact that even thought there was a massive amount interference Saotome still accomplished his training goal. If he could do that with interference what could he do with nothing in the way? The thought was almost enough to get her to do this for free, almost. Just to see what he could do. "OK what super move do you need three weeks to master Saotome?" After all he mastered Ki attacks in three days!
"None of your business Nabs. Three weeks for the information that's the deal." After all no need to give her more to sell or others details on the moves he was going to be working on.
"OK, Saotome let's hear it then." This better be good or he going to pay through the nose for wasting my time.
"In three weeks' time I want you to gather the amazons, Ukyo and her father, your father and mine and mom and of course Akane in the soccer field behind the school. I'll be picking a fiancée and getting rid of the rest."
"Whoa! No wonder you need the training time, it's going to be a mad house! So Saotome who's the lucky girl? Hmm?"
Ranma feigns thoughtfulness then leans in and whispers in her ear. Her eyes get big as saucers and her trademark cat like grin spreads on her face.
"Oh your naughty, and have made me very, very rich. Nobody is going to make that bet!"
"Our deal, Nabs, three weeks?"
"You got it Saotome, just one question. What are going to do afterward?"
"Worried about me know are you? (Smirk) I'm going to do something I haven't ever been able to achieve before. I am going to decide my own destiny. After that it's just details."
"You never cease to amaze me Saotome. You come up with this plan, a way to finally get your life under control, and you have nothing planned for afterward. (Chuckles) Go ahead get outta here you're going to need all training you can get to pull this off." Ranma turns around to leave but before he closes the completely he hears a barely audible "Good luck."
End
In a tiny clearing high in the Japanese mountains you can see a small one person pup tent setup around a small but efficient camp site. If anybody had followed him they would see a man possessed, and sometimes women possessed training from sun up to sun down with only short breaks for cups of ramen noodles heated over a fire. For the first week. In the second week had anybody been watching they would thought Ranma insane? In the morning he would hang from a rope and use a boulder hanging from another rope to smash against himself. In the afternoon you see him blowing trees and boulders and anything else he can see into oblivion with different colored energy blast. But by the far strangest thing happened after supper before the sun retired. Ranma would walk a short distance from his camp site until he got to a tiny cave. Beside the cave was a small barrel filled with fish. Ranma Saotome a one once in a generation martial arts extraordinaire, who has faced legends and not only lived but won! Nervously picks up a few fish and has to marshal all his strength and courage to walk into to this cave. The third and final week you see Ranma training in the previously sealed arts of Umi-sen-ken and Yama-sen-ken. Except for the last two days which were spent in rest and relaxation, mental preparedness for the tough times ahead. That is if anybody had seen him, but Nabiki had kept her end of the bargain no body spoiled his training and it had been magnificent.
On his final night Ranma sits by the fire and remembers all those nights on the road when he trained by himself and how peaceful it was while Pops was scamming somebody or drinking or more likely both. He realizes that even though he loves having put down roots and staying in a place long enough to get to know people. He just wished he had made friends. Oh he had few fair weather friends, like Hiroshi and Daisuke, they were good guys' just cowards and perverts. They ran anytime they even thought a fight might break out and tried on multiple occasions to talk him into giving them a peak at his girl side. No what he wanted were friends like Ichigo and Chad from those manga he borrowed from Akane when he was practicing the umi-sen-ken to use against Ryu Kumon. As he stared at the fire he wondered if friends like that actually existed.