Chapter Two: A Reason to the Rhyme
The dawn spread itself over Nerima Ward around 5:47 AM. It was a
Monday morning, about time for everyone to commute. And as usual, the
train was filled to capacity. Amidst a flurry of activity, a single man
could be made out in the puzzle of flesh. He stepped away from the
boarding area, and squinted from exposure to the western sun. The man
was easy to make out as a foreigner, but he also has an alien quality
to him. Needless to say, no passenger would stand anywhere near him, if
they had the choice. He looked around briefly, before choosing his
direction, and then set off, not knowing exactly where his feet would
take him.
Perhaps he would find what he was looking for today. Perhaps
tomorrow. All he knew was that what he was looking for was in Nerima,
and that he had to find it. Then man left the train station, and began
his quest down Kinoichi Street.
The light shone in through the upstairs window, and blasted
through Nabiki Tendo's eyes. She squinted reflexably, and then slowly
opened them. She sat up and pulled the blanket off of her. To her
relief, she was in her own bed. Alive. She secretly thanked god and
went down stairs into the restaurant.
Kinami, her main okonomiyaki cook had been already awake, she was
already dressed in her usual cooking garb, and had already started to
heat up the griddle. Nabiki greeted her and fetched herself something
to eat before they opened the restaurant.
Opening the refridgerator in the back room, Nabiki pulled out
some milk and a box of cereal from the cupboard. She was in a
remarkably good mood, and didn't want to jinx it by allowing herself a
large meal. As she sat down to eat, she noticed the gash in the side
of the table.
The gash was nothing new. In fact, it had been there for close to
five years. Nabiki knew she really should buy new furniture, but what
for? Expecially if this furniture had nothing else wrong with it.
Nabiki let her mind drift as she ran her fingers around the edge of the
gash. She knew how it had gotten there, she had been there when it
happened. Ukyou had put it there, with her spatula. She also knew why
it was put there. She had accompanied Ranma and Akane to Ucchan's one
day, to take care of the impending disaster that Ranma and Akane's
decision would cause.
Of course, she had accepted a fee for her accompaniment. Nabiki
had accompanied them to ensure Akane's safety. It was well known that
Ukyou was not a match for Ranma, but they had to ensure that Ranma
wouldn't have to be alert for every day of the rest of his life. Nabiki
had dug up some dirt, and threatened to use it if push came to shove.
It had worked, and since she couldn't strike Akane, she had driven her
spatula into the table and walked out. About a week later, Nabiki
recieved a letter.
There was no return address, though Nabiki, Akane and Ranma
desperately sought her wherabouts. But what was more interesting was
the contents of the letter. It was not adressed to Ranma, or even
Akane. It was addressed to herself.
Ukyou had left the deed to Ucchan's to Nabiki, knowing full well
that she was capable of taking care of the place, and even making it
succeed. Which was exactly what it had done. Succeeded.
Ranma died a few months later. A sad event, but Nabiki wasn't
about to let it ruin her life. Yes she cared deeply for Ranma, as a
sister would a brother, but life goes on. She had to continue. She had
made the Okonomiyaki restaurant into a nationwide hangout. There had
even been a time when Jackie Chan himself had shown up and eaten at the
restaurant during a business trip into the country. Of course, they
added other things to the menu, even some western foods. However, the
main source of revenue was the Okonomiyaki.
Nabiki chuckled to herself. Ukyou was a great cook, even Nabiki
knew that. However, she also knew that she lacked the business sense
that had caused the restaurant to thrive as much as it did.
Kinami stepped over and unlocked the door, allowing the regulars
entrance. The regulars weren't there.
Nabiki's eyes shot wide, and her stomach did the splits. There,
in the doorway a familiar form stood, along with another man whom she
didn't recognize. She felt her stomach wrench at the memory of the man.
His name was Makaro.
Makaro had made his presence known the previous year, after
Ucchan's sudden burst of popularity. He had originally been one of a
duo, a partnership with a man named Gendo.
At first glance, they had seemed to be nice people. Nabiki was an
excellent judge of character, but for some reason she couldn't pick up
anything out of the ordinary with them. She showed them a table and
rushed off to help Kinami and the other staff with dinner. When she
turned around, she found that much of the restaurant had been emptied,
and whoever was left, was leaving at that very moment. Gendo and Makaro
stood there smirking at her.
They were very polite at first, introducing themselves as Yakuza.
But Nabiki knew with that name came trouble. After a while, they
propositioned Nabiki with a deal. She would cater to their meetings and
such, and offer her a 'fair' price. However, when they say 'fair' they
mean 'free'. Nabiki had refused, knowing full well what they were
capable of, but Nabiki also knew what she was capable of.
In the end, they had won. One night they came into the
restaurant, and brutally attacked her, leaving her nearly dead. She had
spent a week in the hospital, after many visits from Gendo and Makaro,
and returned to the restaurant. After that she had no choice but to do
as they said.
Then last week she had pulled something. She may not have had the
connections of the two Yakuza men, but she pulled up a little bit of
attainable information from another Yakuza member, who was a close
friend of hers. She found out about Gendo's family.
Gendo's family was wealthy, and even well respected in the
community. His father was even the mayor of a town to the west. If the
press even got wind that a Mayors son was a Yakuza member, they would
have a field day. She waited until Gendo was visiting alone before
informing him.
At first mention of this, he threatened to kill her, and her
family. But when she informed him that the information was at that
moment in the posession of a dozen people, who would gladly contact the
press if anything were to happen, Gendo backed down. Since then,
neither he or Makaro came by. She had won. It was over. Or so she
thought.
"Well, Miss Tendo.", Makaro began.
"What are you doing here?", she demanded, "I went over this last
week with Gendo. If you--"
"Mr. Satoni has suffered an.. accident.", he informed her.
"He.. What?", she asked.
Kinami backed away from the door and started towards the back
room.
"Where do you think your going?", the other man asked, "You're
staying right here miss. This concerns you too."
Makaro nodded and smirked at Nabiki. "Gendo told me of his little
chat with you last week. He wanted me to find a way to get around it,
so I did."
"You.. Killed him didn't you?"
"Now, Miss Tendo. Do I look like the sort of person who would do
that?", he said, looking out of the restaurant towards the limosuine
that had been parked out front.
"Come on in.", Makaro said. And a man walked into the door. He
was dressed in black, and a mask had covered his face.
"Why am I here?", the man asked.
Nabiki stood back and took the image in. The voice seemed
somewhat familair, but she couldn't place it.
"Meet our new friend. He just got here from China. He speaks
pretty good Japanese eh?"
"What do you want Makaro? Get to the point."
"My point, Miss Tendo. Is that our previous deal is now Null and
Void. If you wish to continue your... meaningless existance, I suggest
you do what we say, unless you want us to release our friend here."
"I will not kill a woman.", the man said.
Makaro frowned and looked back at the man, "You'll do what we pay
you to!"
The man began to walk towards Makaro, but upon seeing Makaro's
jumpy reaction, just chuckled and fell back into place.
"Anyways, our new deal is this. We will allow you enough money to
pay your help. We will allow you enough money to pay your bills. But
the rest, Miss Tendo. Is ours. Try anything else like you did with
Gendo, and I will personally see to it that you are eliminated."
The man with the mask looked to the floor. It had seemed like he
had wanted to say something, but for the time being, remained silent.
"And now Miss Tendo, we shall return at closing time. Leaving you
enough time to get to your bank and empty it. Consider it a... Price.
The price for Gendo's life."
Nabiki gave a cold stare at Makaro as he left, and then,
collapsed to the floor.
"Well, that went remarkably well.", Makaro said, after informing
the driver of their next location.
"Yes.", the man in the mask said.
"What is wrong with you?", he asked, "You shouldn't be
questioning my _PAYING_ authority in front of others!"
The man looked up at him and replied, "I apologize. I am being
paid for this, but I knew that woman."
Makaro's eyes shot open. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't tell me who it was until I had seen her."
"So", Makaro began, "Who was she?"
"I don't talk about my past."
"No, consider it a paid conversation. You've piqued my interest."
"I don't sell conversations. Only services."
"Well", he said, "Your no fun. This had better not be an
obstacle, however. If I pay you to kill her, you do it."
"I will not kill a woman."
"If I pay you to, you will, or I'll have the entire Nerima chain
of the Yakuza up your ass."
"Threats have no meaning to me."
"They will.."
The man shook his head.
Changing the subject, Makaro spoke up. "So, why don't you take
off your mask?"
The man leaned back and replied, "If I were to show you my face,
I'd have to kill you."
Makaro started to chuckle, still unsure if it was a joke or not,
but upon seeing the stillness of the other man, he knew it wasn't.
Nabiki rushed about the restaurant frantically. Since the
incident only minutes earlier, she had thrown up twice, and broke down
crying three times before she finally gained control. They would be
back tonight. God, that wasn't enough time to think about it. Nabiki
was definately brighter than most people. Her crude business sense had
left more than one person broke in her day. But she couldn't get her
way out of this. More time. She needed more time!
She rushed to the cash register. Already, a few of her regulars
started to show up as the Yakuza left, most of them visually worried
about Nabiki's behavior. She had pulled out the money from the register
and begun to count. Good, same amount as was there last night. Maybe if
she could hide a certain amount of money--
No. That wouldn't work. They'd find out, and have her killed.
Nabiki cherished her money, but even she knew her life was worth no
price. It would take some time to think of something. She considered
force. Her father? No. She didn't want him involved. Her sister? No.
She wasn't skilled enough. Even Gendo was more skilled than her, and
that.. Masked man apparently had done him in easily. Ryoga? Possibly.
His strength was unmatched, and his Shi Shi Hokoudan would probably
blast that man to kingdom come. But no, that wouldn't work either.
Above all else, she did not want her family involved in this. If Ranma
were still alive, at least he could gather up the strength to fight
them. He beat a _DRAGON_ in combat, the Yakuza would be no match for
him.
Nabiki sighed and put the money back in the register, she walked
to the window and sighed. The only thing she could do for now, was
follow their orders.
Soun opened his eyes. Aparently he had slept in a little longer
than usual. He attributed his sleepiness to the disturbing dream he had
the night before, and stepped out from his room on the top floor of the
Tendo home. The home was empty. Genma and Nodoka had left last month to
live with her family. Soun smiled at the memory of his dear friend and
wife living with him the past five year, even after Ranma's death.
Thinking about Ranma had immediately reminded him of the dream he
had the night before. Ranma had shown up, %100 alive, even if a bit
disfigured, and wearing the strangest suit. A chill run up his spine as
he remembered. Soun began to step down the stairs of the home when he
noticed the picture missing.
The picture he had taken only last year was missing from the wall
by the stairs. He looked towards the ground, and noticed that it wasn't
there either. It was gone.
He thought for a second, trying to remember if it had been
misplaced when he had given the place a cleaning the day before, but
promptly remembered that he hadn't even dusted it, let alone take it
down to wash the frame. He immediately began to search for it.
He remembered the day the picture was taken. The entire family
had gathered together, even Genma's family had posed for it. He
remembered the hard time he had positioning everyone together correctly
so there would be no problem fitting all of them in. He mentally
counted the number of people in his head.
The whole Tendo family was there, as well as the Saotome family.
Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane. He smiled at the thought of his three daughters.
Kasumi was in her fourth year at Medical School. She had since married
Dr. Tofu, which was the main reason he had popped up in Souns memory of
the event. Genma and Nodoka were there with Ranko, the child they had
after Ranma's death. Nodoka had originally wanted another child long
ago, before Ranma had died, but Genma had nothing to do with it. He
only wanted one child, and Ranma was it. But after he died, Genma and
Nodoka could only find happiness in each other, they're relationship
has blossomed after that, and they were like teenaged lovers again,
then Ranko showed up.
Ranma's alias before Nodoka knew of his curse had been Ranko, and
they had named they're new child that for two reasons. 1. Out of
respect for Ranma, and 2. Because of her red hair. It wasn't long after
that, the Tendo/Saotome family pact had been reborn. Akane had had a
child at the tender age of 19. Even though it was against Soun's
wishes, they went ahead and had the child. 'They' being Ryoga and
Akane.
Originally, Soun had thought the idea of Ranma's friend marrying
his widow was scandalous, and an outrage. But seeing Akane upset nearly
24 hours out of the day was even worse, and he had relucantly agreed to
the wedding, under the condition that Akane would keep 'Saotome' in her
name, out of respect for Ranma. And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was
born.
Soun since then had grown to love Ryoga as a son. He still felt
guilty from time to time for allowing the marriage, but Ryoga had
assured him that he felt the same. If Ranma and Akane were a perfect
match, then Ryoga was the next best thing. If only Ranma could have had
a son before he died.
Again, his mind drifted to the dream he had the prior night, but
when he walked into the tea room, his brain went into overtime.
Ranma barely acknowledged Soun's presence, he had his mind on
other things. For some reason he had not been tired at all the night
prior, and had spent his time trying to remember more about his past,
and looking at various pictures around the house. He had remembered
most of his life up to the Saffron incident when he noticed it.
The picture had been rested on the wall near the stairs. He had
passed it several times in his efforts to remember more by looking
around the place, but had never actually noticed until he accidentally
knocked it off of the wall. He picked it up, and was about to replace
it when he saw them.
Akane was the first he recognized. Then bit by bit, each of the
people in the picture began to surface in his memory. Kasumi. Doctor
Tofu. Ranma wasn't at all surprised at this. He had expected them to
marry, and he silently chuckled at the memory of Dr. Tofu's
lightheadedness whenever he was in Kasumi's presence. Next he noticed
Nabiki. Although her image in the picture was well presented, he could
note a hint of worry in her eyes. Next he came to his father and
mother. This was a shock to him, to see them so close to each other,
and smiling. Most of his memories of his mother were of hiding and
lying. Pretending to be 'Ranko' the cousin of the Tendo family.
Most notably about his parents, was that they were not alone. It
seemed that there was another member of the family. One that Ranma
could not remember no matter how hard he tried. A little girl. Her hair
was red like Ranma's girl form, and did share alot of Ranma's girl-form
qualities. Right down to the eye colour. He mentally noted that he
would have to visit his sister one day soon, as well as his parents. At
least to tell them that he is still alive.
What he noticed next blew his mind. Ryoga, his.. 'aquaintance'
from memory, but friend from heart was shown holding the hand of the
woman he loved most. The woman he had endured this curse for. He was
holding Akane's hand. Not as friends, but as lovers. The image of a
small boy sitting on the ground between them seemed to verify his
worries. After that point, he had been enraged with pure anger and
hatred, but let it die down to simple contemplation afterwards.
"Ranma?", Soun said, stepping towards him.
Ranma temporarily cut himself loose from the trance long enough
to greet Soun, but not much else.
"Hello Mr. Tendo."
"Ranma...", he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "it wasn't a
dream."
Ranma scoffed, "I wish it was."
"Ranma, whats the matter?"
Ranma turned and pointed towards the picture laying on the tea
room table. The frame had been broken and picture crumpled and if by a
fist.
Soun immediately knew what was wrong. "Ranma, I wanted to tell
you last night, but..."
"It's not your fault, Mr. Tendo.", he said, depressingly, "I know
you just didn't want to hurt me."
"Ranma, you were gone so long, they thought you were dead, as did
the rest of us."
"I loved her."
"I know Ranma, we all knew. And it was painfully obvious after
you had gotten married--"
"What?", Ranma asked, looking even closer into Soun's surprised
face.
"You mean, you don't even remember that?"
"No, of course I don't remember. How long were we married before
I disappeared?"
Soun looked sullenly towards the ground. "Five Months."
Ranma took this new information in. He knew he loved her, but he
didn't know that they were married. The last thing he could remember
was the botched up wedding, which, if memory served him correct, was
_SERIOUSLY_ botched up.
"How long after the Saffron incident did we get married?"
Soun looked into Ranma's eyes. Though they were mainly covered by
his cowl, he could imagine the pain which was portrayed in their image.
"Nearly a year."
Ranma tried desperately to remember what was going on. He would
have to question Soun for whatever he was fuzzy on, or didn't remember.
Soun suddenly noted the time. Quarter to Ten. He let an image
pass through his mind, and quickly decided it would be best to avert a
meeting between Ryoga and Ranma at this point. At least until Soun
could have a talk with Ryoga about the events that have transpired.
"Ranma, we're going to have to finish this conversation another time.
As much as I'd like you to stay around, I think its best you go out and
find some things out for yourself, the morning class will be here
soon."
"Morning class?", Ranma asked.
"Yes.", Soun winked at him, "This dojo has become a hotspot for
aspiring Martial artists!"
Ranma began to protest his leaving, but after Soun began to push
him out of the door, he knew it was futile.
Annoyed, he started to speak, "When should I come back?"
Soun looked at the clock and then replied, "About four."
"Gendo Satoni", Daisuke said, dropping a file down in front of
Hiroshi.
"What?", he asked.
"Gendo Satoni. The corpse?"
"Oh. Thats his name?"
"Yep, and get this. He's the _SON_ of Mikasagi Satoni."
Hiroshi frowned, "Who is...?"
"You don't follow politics much, do you?", Daisuke replied.
"Mikasagi Satoni, as in _MAYOR_ Mikasagi Satoni of Kosaka."
"You mean hes the sone of a mayor?"
"Duh. Apparently junior here was a member of the Nerima Chapter
of the Yakuza."
"Have we got any more information on the perp?"
"Not yet. Apparently there's a few rumours floating around
underground that there's a new assassin in town, all the way from
China."
"Could it have been him?"
"More than likely, I got the file of another of his 'clients'
back in Hong Kong. Lets just say the MO is... Similiar."
"So, whats the deal on motive?"
"Well, apparently this guy was big on extortion. A few business
owners stepped forward after his death and told the whole story."
"Could it have been one of them?"
"Doubtful. From what I hear, this Chinese guy is expensive, and
from the amount of money Gendo was extorting from them.. Well, use your
head."
"I see. Do we have anything else on the suspect?"
"Just a file larger than a breadbox. He's got over 40 confirmed
killings, and another 15 unconfirmed. This guys MO is strange, but
methodical. He kills them three times through. First, he hits them in
the heart with a--"
"A bonbourri, then crushes their skulls with a mace, and takes
their heads off with a scythe."
Daisuke nodded. "Pretty much."
"Daisuke, maybe its just me, but doesn't this sound familiar. A
single man, having two or three weapons at his disposal."
Daisuke shook his head. "It can't be him. He died with Ranma."
"Yes, but isn't it possible that Mousse survived? I mean, When
Shampoo came back, spouting that they were both dead, she had no
evidence!"
"Look, even he was _WAS_ still alive, he couldn't have done it.
Mousse may have been nearsighted and quick to judge, but there's no way
in hell he was a killer."
"Well, maybe there was someone else with Mousse's skills. It
possible!"
Daisuke paused for a moment. "Your right", he said, "We should
check out the immigration department for any Jokusetsuzoku immigrants."
Hiroshi nodded, and began to flip through the file that Daisuke
had thrown on his desk. He looked up at his friend and contemplated.
"Do we have a list of the business owners that were being
extorted?", he asked.
Daisuke acknowledged him and pulled a sheet of paper from the
files on the desk. "Right here", he said, handing it to him.
Hiroshi scanned the sheet quickly, seeing if anything would pop
out at him. Fortunately, something did.
"Well, I'll be.", he muttered.
"Whats up?"
Hiroshi didn't even answer, he just turned the paper around and
pointed at a name. Daisuke let a grin show on his face as he recited
the name.
"Nabiki Tendo."
*Where is the damn bus?*, Ryoga thought. He normally took the bus
to get to work, it was part of Akane's master plan.
Since Ryoga had constantly been getting lost, she began to walk
with him to certain places, and soon worked out a system. For cross-
town destinations, a map would be drawn, and he would use mass
transportation to reach it.
For shorter trips, like from the front door to the bus stop, he
soon learned, that instead of focusing on the main destination, he
would focus on 'baby-steps' as Akane had called them. For instance, His
first destination from the front door, would be to follow the walkway
to the sidewalk, from the sidewalk, he would walk three streets left of
his position, and wait at the bus stop. The bus soon showed up, and he
got off at the third stop. From the third stop, he would get off, walk
across the street, turn left, walk two streets over, and face his
right. That would usually place him at the outside wall of the Tendo
Dojo. From that point, he was usually okay, but from time to time he
would turn left instead of right and end up missing for days at a time.
Before long, Akane stopped getting worried and just waited patiently
for him to return home.
Although not completely 'fixed', his sense of direction was
getting remarbly better. He had even learned to retrace his steps.
He let his brain wander for a minute when the bus showed up.
Again able to process conscious thought, he stepped onto the loading
platform, and let the doors close behind him.
Ranma knew he couldn't be seen, and he made sure he wasn't. Since
he had left, aparently, Nerima had been nearly devoid of Martial
Artists, and he found himself easily escaping the views of everyone he
passed by, over, and in some cases, under.
He soon found himself blocks away from the Dojo, and began to
think of where his new destination would be. He thought for a moment,
and then reluctantly decided the closest place would be the Nekohanten,
and set his sights for the restaurant.
Although he hadn't expected anyone he knew to be there, there was
still the chance that it was run by someone associated with Shampoo,
Mousse or even Cologne.
He passed from rooftop to rooftop on his journey to the
Nekohanten. He wasn't hungry, but he needed to see things for himself.
While jumping across a wide street, he had waited for the nearest
vehicle to pass by between him and the other end of the street,
incidentally, the vehicle had been a bus. He timed his jump correctly
and jumped across, landing on the bus and then on the other side of the
road, leaving behind nothing but a thump and a small dent.
Ryoga had nearly had a heart attack. Here he was, just sitting on
the bus, counting the stops, when the roof _RIGHT_ above him had nearly
caved in. Examining the ceiling he noted two foot-shaped dents and
began to wonder. It had been a long while since any _GOOD_ Martial
artist had come to Nerima, and the ones that were there, he knew
personally. Shampoo and Ukyou had left a long time ago, Tarou hadn't
been seen in.. God only knows how long, Happosai went to America, but
it was doubtful that he weighed enough to make that kind of dent. Ryoga
suddenly felt a familiar chill run up his spine, it was only moments
later when he released that it was the same as the one he had the night
before.
Akane felt the chill run up her spine. She had felt a familiar
presence, but dismissed it, so as not to worry her son.
Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was three years old. He would be four in
five months, and he was already becoming the elite martial artist that
his namesake would have been proud of. Although Akane felt remorseful
that she never had the chance to have big Ranma's child, she loved her
son with all of her heart.
For a reason unknown to Akane, she had been thinking alot of
Ranma over the past two hours since she woke up. She couldn't identify
exactly why, but the thoughts were pouring in her head like an endless
waterfall. Her memory drifted back to the time she found out Ranma had
died. The day Shampoo returned to Nerima and gave the dreadful news
that Mousse and Ranma had died protecting her.
Originally Akane was in denial, she waited day after day on the
front porch of the dojo, but he still never showed up. It was only
after that that she had accepted the fact that he would never come
back.
Akane did the only thing she could do. She ignored it. Pretended
she had never met Ranma, but that had come with its consequences. After
two weeks of her 'ignorance', she was admitted into the hospital, near
death because she hadn't eaten anything. She may have been able to
forget about Ranma, but she also forgot to eat. Her only support during
those times was Shampoo, Nabiki and most notably, Ryoga.
She had found out of Ryoga's 'secret' just before Ranma had died.
She was extremely angry at him for weeks afterwards, but after Ranma
died, it just didn't matter anymore. Before long, she found herself
becoming attached to him.
The courting process was long, and not without its share of
problems. She cared for Ranma deeply, and being with Ryoga felt like
betrayal to Akane, even if Ranma _WAS_ dead!
But soon, fate had taken its course. She had fallen in love with
Ryoga. True, the feelings weren't as strong as they were for Ranma, but
there were feelings nonetheless, and before long, Ryoga proposed.
Getting her father to accept the proposal however, was harder.
The old man gave in after a while, and they were married. It wasn't
long after before she found out she was pregnant.
And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was born, and much to Akane's
relief, there was no trace of the Jusenkyo Curse. It just wouldn't do
well to have your first born wander around as a piglet.
She smiled at her son. Even though he was a mere three years of
age, he took martial arts seriously, even more seriously than his
parents. He seemed to follow after his namesake. Most children his age
watched the greatest kids shows, and went to preschool to play with
toys, but little Ranma, was a martial artist at heart. In fact, at that
very moment, he was practicing his Kata on the balcony.
"Whatcha doing honey?", she asked her son.
"I doing kata!", he excitedly replied.
"Wow", she feigned. "Well, when your done, why don't you come in
and have something to eat?"
Little Ranma nodded and jumped into the house. Even for a three
year old, his balance and Coordination was impecable. Akane often
wondered about it, but soon dismissed it as a gift.
The Nekohanten was still the Nekohanten, much to Ranma's relief.
It was still a restaurant, and still open. But the owners, however,
were not the originals. From a quick check-in, he had found out that
these people had purchased the restaurant from Shampoo and Cologne five
years earlier, but refused to tell him any more than that, and shooed
him away with the threat of calling the police. Even though Ranma could
easily take the police down, he just wasn't in the mood for such a
thing. He looked around for a moment, and then decided on a new
destination. Ucchan's was three blocks away.
"Ranma Saotome?", the voice asked.
At first, Ranma thought it was his visitor from the previous
night, but on closer examination at the source, he changed his mind.
The source was an old man. A white beard extended down to his stomach
area, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence.
"Who are you?", he asked.
The man walked up to him and replied, "I am Count Nicholas De
Cogliostro."
Absolutely positive that he didn't know the man, Ranma began to
interrogate him. "That doesn't tell me much." he said.
"Of course.", the man stepped up to Ranma and held out his hand,
"We have something in common."
"Oh yeah? Whats that?"
"Your curse."
Ranma's brain worked into overtime, considering the mans
statement, he soon broke free of his trance and stared at him.
"So, that doesn't explain how you know my name."
"I have my sources.", the man explained. "I'm surprised it was
you actually, from my examination, during your life you were a kind
person, if not a little.. Shall we say.. Ill-tempered?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I had thought I had narrowed who the new Hellspawn would
be to a government assassin. I was in New York for the past few months
waiting for him to emerge there, but a few days ago, I felt your
presence beginning to manifest. I had to follow it."
"You're not answering my questions!", Ranma was now near-raging.
"I suppose you'd need a better explanation. Above all, you should
remember the deal.. Correct?"
"The deal...", Ranma looked towards the ground, "Yes."
"Well, lets just say, long ago, I had made the same deal."
Ranma looked into the man's eyes. He wasn't lying. "Why did this
happen to me?"
"You are a hellspawn. A warrior recruited by the likes of
Malebolgia."
"What?"
"You apparently did something during your life that warranted
being sent to hell. Upon your arrival, Malebolgia offered you
something, in exhange for your services."
"Hell? You're crazy, old man.", Ranma said, turning to leave,
"I'm not dead."
"You are dead, Saotome. Even if you don't realize it now, you
will.", Cogliostro said, but it was too late, Ranma had already
disappeared.
Ranma jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Ucchans was just a little
further, and Ranma didn't want to stick around with the old man. Of
course he wasn't dead, how would he be here?
But the premise did explain a few things, like how he no longer
had his Jusenkyo curse, and how there's a good six years missing from
his memory, five of which he had been apparently dead. And also-- No.
He stopped himself. He was thinking crazy things, of course hes not
dead.
Ranma kept jumping along the rooftops until he reached his new
destination. Making sure the place was empty, he went through the
doorway.
Nabiki sighed. Two things were bothering her. The first was that,
since the few customers that had shown up earlier, barely any had came
into the establishment since, and the place was devoid of life. The
second was what she was going to do about Makaro. She took a look back
outside into the main restaurant, and noticed Kinami sitting in one of
the chairs eating some of her own Okonomiyaki. She mentally noted to
charge her for the food.
She went back to thinking about what she was going to do before
she was interupted by a screech.
Kinami had known the consequences of eating the supplies, even if
there were no customers, but she knew she would accept the punishment
and pay for the supplies out of her wages. She was hungry, and it was
the only thing she could do to take her mind off of the incident
earlier.
Kinami cooked herself some okonomiyaki and sat down at a table.
She began to scarf it down, wondering how she would help her good
friend Nabiki. She had the beginnings of an idea when she saw him.
He had appeared out of nowhere, coming through the door without
so much as the sound of a footstep, and he was dressed strangely.
Chains all about his body, even a large red cloak and a cowl. She
looked to him like a sadistic superhero, when she let her larynx take
over.
The woman screamed at him. A response he had expected. However,
he had also expected it to be someone he would recognize. It was not,
some woman dressed in an okonomiyaki chefs outfit. Ranma shrugged
inwardly, he wasn't in the mood for asking questions and began to turn
around an leave. He was nearly out the door when he heard it.
"What the hell is-- Oh my god.", the females voice said from the
back. Ranma immediately recognized it.
"What the hell do you want? We've got until tonight!", Nabiki
yelled at him.
Ranma felt his guts wrench inside of him. Here was someone else
from his past someone he recognized. Here was the sister of his love,
Nabiki Tendo.
"Nabiki..", he said.
"We've got until tonight!", the voice replied, "And who gives you
the right to call me by my first name!"
"Nabiki", Ranma pleaded, "Its me!"
Nabiki began to let her stern expression evolve into something
else, but then returned to its former position.
"Who are you?", she asked.
Ranma began to think of what to tell her. 'Hey, its me Ranma, I'm
not dead, just had amnesia for the past five years' didn't seem
plausible. "I'm a friend.", he replied instead.
"Oh yeah?", Nabiki stepped up to him, "I don't have friends who
dress like that."
"You don't even recognize my voice, do you?"
Nabiki thought for a second and replied, "Yeah, it sounds
familiar, but that doesn't mean a thing."
"Nabiki. If I tell you who I am, you've got to promise that
you'll hear me out."
Nabiki stared up into his eyes. "Fine." she said, still visibly
suspicious.
"I'm... I'm Ranma."
Something clicked. Nabiki let the name seep in. The voice, she
knew it seemed familiar, but Ranma? She let herself think long and hard
over the present situation. A number of possibilities ran through her
head. At first she thought was that it was some sort of sick joke, but
the posture. The way he talked. It _HAD_ to be Ranma.
"Ranma?", she said, backing away, "H..How?"
Kinami also knew the name. Many nights had passed by when Nabiki
would talk of nothing but Ranma and his skills, and his curse. She also
made sure to mention how much money she had made off of him.
"I thought Ranma was dead.", she said to Nabiki.
Ranma looked at Kinami. He was sure he didn't recognize her, but
asked anyways, "Do I know you?"
Kinami turned towards Ranma and smiled, "No, but Nabiki sure does
talk about you alot.", she held out her hand, expecting it to be shook.
Ranma reluctantly held out his gloved hand. They shook and Kinami
immediately began to inspect his costume.
"Hey, cool threads!", she said, "I was never really into the goth
thing, but I've gotta admit.. Very trendy!"
"Ranma?", Nabiki asked, mouth still gaping wide open.
"Yes, its me", he held out his arms as a friendly gesture.
Nabiki ran into them immediately. She hugged him as hard as she
could. Her brother-in-law was back. _HE_ could help her with her
problems!
"N..Nabiki?", Ranma asked.
"I can't believe you're alive!", she cried.
"I'm.. uhh.. I'm not going to be much longer if you keep hugging
me like that."
Nabiki smiled. Now _THIS_ was the Ranma she remembered. Sense of
humour intact, even if his wardrobe was a bit... different.
She backed away from him for a moment and took his image in. "Get
tired of the same old clothes?"
"Well", Ranma said, looking himself over, "This isn't exactly by
choice."
Nabiki smiled. She didn't know what he meant, but she didn't care
either. Ranma was back. The _ONE_ person that could save her from the
Yakuza. The _ONE_ person outside of her own family that she cared for
like a brother. Nabiki wouldn't let her smile go and even let a tear
run down her cheek. Suddenly, her business sense had taken over.
"Ranma", she said, "I've got a problem."
Ranma knew this. He knew this ever since he saw her only a few
minutes ago. She was afraid of him, even threatening him. Of all the
possibilities in Ranma's mind, he could only narrow it down to one.
"Somethings going to happen tonight.", he said.
Nabiki nodded. "Yakuza.", she said.
Everything began to fall into place. There were still a few
things he was unclear on, such as how Nabiki got to own Ucchans, and
why they were extorting such a small business, and when they had made
they're presence known in Nerima, but he got the main idea. Extortion.
Ranma felt obligated to help, and that was exactly what he
planned on doing. "You can count on me.", was all he could say.
The dawn spread itself over Nerima Ward around 5:47 AM. It was a
Monday morning, about time for everyone to commute. And as usual, the
train was filled to capacity. Amidst a flurry of activity, a single man
could be made out in the puzzle of flesh. He stepped away from the
boarding area, and squinted from exposure to the western sun. The man
was easy to make out as a foreigner, but he also has an alien quality
to him. Needless to say, no passenger would stand anywhere near him, if
they had the choice. He looked around briefly, before choosing his
direction, and then set off, not knowing exactly where his feet would
take him.
Perhaps he would find what he was looking for today. Perhaps
tomorrow. All he knew was that what he was looking for was in Nerima,
and that he had to find it. Then man left the train station, and began
his quest down Kinoichi Street.
The light shone in through the upstairs window, and blasted
through Nabiki Tendo's eyes. She squinted reflexably, and then slowly
opened them. She sat up and pulled the blanket off of her. To her
relief, she was in her own bed. Alive. She secretly thanked god and
went down stairs into the restaurant.
Kinami, her main okonomiyaki cook had been already awake, she was
already dressed in her usual cooking garb, and had already started to
heat up the griddle. Nabiki greeted her and fetched herself something
to eat before they opened the restaurant.
Opening the refridgerator in the back room, Nabiki pulled out
some milk and a box of cereal from the cupboard. She was in a
remarkably good mood, and didn't want to jinx it by allowing herself a
large meal. As she sat down to eat, she noticed the gash in the side
of the table.
The gash was nothing new. In fact, it had been there for close to
five years. Nabiki knew she really should buy new furniture, but what
for? Expecially if this furniture had nothing else wrong with it.
Nabiki let her mind drift as she ran her fingers around the edge of the
gash. She knew how it had gotten there, she had been there when it
happened. Ukyou had put it there, with her spatula. She also knew why
it was put there. She had accompanied Ranma and Akane to Ucchan's one
day, to take care of the impending disaster that Ranma and Akane's
decision would cause.
Of course, she had accepted a fee for her accompaniment. Nabiki
had accompanied them to ensure Akane's safety. It was well known that
Ukyou was not a match for Ranma, but they had to ensure that Ranma
wouldn't have to be alert for every day of the rest of his life. Nabiki
had dug up some dirt, and threatened to use it if push came to shove.
It had worked, and since she couldn't strike Akane, she had driven her
spatula into the table and walked out. About a week later, Nabiki
recieved a letter.
There was no return address, though Nabiki, Akane and Ranma
desperately sought her wherabouts. But what was more interesting was
the contents of the letter. It was not adressed to Ranma, or even
Akane. It was addressed to herself.
Ukyou had left the deed to Ucchan's to Nabiki, knowing full well
that she was capable of taking care of the place, and even making it
succeed. Which was exactly what it had done. Succeeded.
Ranma died a few months later. A sad event, but Nabiki wasn't
about to let it ruin her life. Yes she cared deeply for Ranma, as a
sister would a brother, but life goes on. She had to continue. She had
made the Okonomiyaki restaurant into a nationwide hangout. There had
even been a time when Jackie Chan himself had shown up and eaten at the
restaurant during a business trip into the country. Of course, they
added other things to the menu, even some western foods. However, the
main source of revenue was the Okonomiyaki.
Nabiki chuckled to herself. Ukyou was a great cook, even Nabiki
knew that. However, she also knew that she lacked the business sense
that had caused the restaurant to thrive as much as it did.
Kinami stepped over and unlocked the door, allowing the regulars
entrance. The regulars weren't there.
Nabiki's eyes shot wide, and her stomach did the splits. There,
in the doorway a familiar form stood, along with another man whom she
didn't recognize. She felt her stomach wrench at the memory of the man.
His name was Makaro.
Makaro had made his presence known the previous year, after
Ucchan's sudden burst of popularity. He had originally been one of a
duo, a partnership with a man named Gendo.
At first glance, they had seemed to be nice people. Nabiki was an
excellent judge of character, but for some reason she couldn't pick up
anything out of the ordinary with them. She showed them a table and
rushed off to help Kinami and the other staff with dinner. When she
turned around, she found that much of the restaurant had been emptied,
and whoever was left, was leaving at that very moment. Gendo and Makaro
stood there smirking at her.
They were very polite at first, introducing themselves as Yakuza.
But Nabiki knew with that name came trouble. After a while, they
propositioned Nabiki with a deal. She would cater to their meetings and
such, and offer her a 'fair' price. However, when they say 'fair' they
mean 'free'. Nabiki had refused, knowing full well what they were
capable of, but Nabiki also knew what she was capable of.
In the end, they had won. One night they came into the
restaurant, and brutally attacked her, leaving her nearly dead. She had
spent a week in the hospital, after many visits from Gendo and Makaro,
and returned to the restaurant. After that she had no choice but to do
as they said.
Then last week she had pulled something. She may not have had the
connections of the two Yakuza men, but she pulled up a little bit of
attainable information from another Yakuza member, who was a close
friend of hers. She found out about Gendo's family.
Gendo's family was wealthy, and even well respected in the
community. His father was even the mayor of a town to the west. If the
press even got wind that a Mayors son was a Yakuza member, they would
have a field day. She waited until Gendo was visiting alone before
informing him.
At first mention of this, he threatened to kill her, and her
family. But when she informed him that the information was at that
moment in the posession of a dozen people, who would gladly contact the
press if anything were to happen, Gendo backed down. Since then,
neither he or Makaro came by. She had won. It was over. Or so she
thought.
"Well, Miss Tendo.", Makaro began.
"What are you doing here?", she demanded, "I went over this last
week with Gendo. If you--"
"Mr. Satoni has suffered an.. accident.", he informed her.
"He.. What?", she asked.
Kinami backed away from the door and started towards the back
room.
"Where do you think your going?", the other man asked, "You're
staying right here miss. This concerns you too."
Makaro nodded and smirked at Nabiki. "Gendo told me of his little
chat with you last week. He wanted me to find a way to get around it,
so I did."
"You.. Killed him didn't you?"
"Now, Miss Tendo. Do I look like the sort of person who would do
that?", he said, looking out of the restaurant towards the limosuine
that had been parked out front.
"Come on in.", Makaro said. And a man walked into the door. He
was dressed in black, and a mask had covered his face.
"Why am I here?", the man asked.
Nabiki stood back and took the image in. The voice seemed
somewhat familair, but she couldn't place it.
"Meet our new friend. He just got here from China. He speaks
pretty good Japanese eh?"
"What do you want Makaro? Get to the point."
"My point, Miss Tendo. Is that our previous deal is now Null and
Void. If you wish to continue your... meaningless existance, I suggest
you do what we say, unless you want us to release our friend here."
"I will not kill a woman.", the man said.
Makaro frowned and looked back at the man, "You'll do what we pay
you to!"
The man began to walk towards Makaro, but upon seeing Makaro's
jumpy reaction, just chuckled and fell back into place.
"Anyways, our new deal is this. We will allow you enough money to
pay your help. We will allow you enough money to pay your bills. But
the rest, Miss Tendo. Is ours. Try anything else like you did with
Gendo, and I will personally see to it that you are eliminated."
The man with the mask looked to the floor. It had seemed like he
had wanted to say something, but for the time being, remained silent.
"And now Miss Tendo, we shall return at closing time. Leaving you
enough time to get to your bank and empty it. Consider it a... Price.
The price for Gendo's life."
Nabiki gave a cold stare at Makaro as he left, and then,
collapsed to the floor.
"Well, that went remarkably well.", Makaro said, after informing
the driver of their next location.
"Yes.", the man in the mask said.
"What is wrong with you?", he asked, "You shouldn't be
questioning my _PAYING_ authority in front of others!"
The man looked up at him and replied, "I apologize. I am being
paid for this, but I knew that woman."
Makaro's eyes shot open. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't tell me who it was until I had seen her."
"So", Makaro began, "Who was she?"
"I don't talk about my past."
"No, consider it a paid conversation. You've piqued my interest."
"I don't sell conversations. Only services."
"Well", he said, "Your no fun. This had better not be an
obstacle, however. If I pay you to kill her, you do it."
"I will not kill a woman."
"If I pay you to, you will, or I'll have the entire Nerima chain
of the Yakuza up your ass."
"Threats have no meaning to me."
"They will.."
The man shook his head.
Changing the subject, Makaro spoke up. "So, why don't you take
off your mask?"
The man leaned back and replied, "If I were to show you my face,
I'd have to kill you."
Makaro started to chuckle, still unsure if it was a joke or not,
but upon seeing the stillness of the other man, he knew it wasn't.
Nabiki rushed about the restaurant frantically. Since the
incident only minutes earlier, she had thrown up twice, and broke down
crying three times before she finally gained control. They would be
back tonight. God, that wasn't enough time to think about it. Nabiki
was definately brighter than most people. Her crude business sense had
left more than one person broke in her day. But she couldn't get her
way out of this. More time. She needed more time!
She rushed to the cash register. Already, a few of her regulars
started to show up as the Yakuza left, most of them visually worried
about Nabiki's behavior. She had pulled out the money from the register
and begun to count. Good, same amount as was there last night. Maybe if
she could hide a certain amount of money--
No. That wouldn't work. They'd find out, and have her killed.
Nabiki cherished her money, but even she knew her life was worth no
price. It would take some time to think of something. She considered
force. Her father? No. She didn't want him involved. Her sister? No.
She wasn't skilled enough. Even Gendo was more skilled than her, and
that.. Masked man apparently had done him in easily. Ryoga? Possibly.
His strength was unmatched, and his Shi Shi Hokoudan would probably
blast that man to kingdom come. But no, that wouldn't work either.
Above all else, she did not want her family involved in this. If Ranma
were still alive, at least he could gather up the strength to fight
them. He beat a _DRAGON_ in combat, the Yakuza would be no match for
him.
Nabiki sighed and put the money back in the register, she walked
to the window and sighed. The only thing she could do for now, was
follow their orders.
Soun opened his eyes. Aparently he had slept in a little longer
than usual. He attributed his sleepiness to the disturbing dream he had
the night before, and stepped out from his room on the top floor of the
Tendo home. The home was empty. Genma and Nodoka had left last month to
live with her family. Soun smiled at the memory of his dear friend and
wife living with him the past five year, even after Ranma's death.
Thinking about Ranma had immediately reminded him of the dream he
had the night before. Ranma had shown up, %100 alive, even if a bit
disfigured, and wearing the strangest suit. A chill run up his spine as
he remembered. Soun began to step down the stairs of the home when he
noticed the picture missing.
The picture he had taken only last year was missing from the wall
by the stairs. He looked towards the ground, and noticed that it wasn't
there either. It was gone.
He thought for a second, trying to remember if it had been
misplaced when he had given the place a cleaning the day before, but
promptly remembered that he hadn't even dusted it, let alone take it
down to wash the frame. He immediately began to search for it.
He remembered the day the picture was taken. The entire family
had gathered together, even Genma's family had posed for it. He
remembered the hard time he had positioning everyone together correctly
so there would be no problem fitting all of them in. He mentally
counted the number of people in his head.
The whole Tendo family was there, as well as the Saotome family.
Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane. He smiled at the thought of his three daughters.
Kasumi was in her fourth year at Medical School. She had since married
Dr. Tofu, which was the main reason he had popped up in Souns memory of
the event. Genma and Nodoka were there with Ranko, the child they had
after Ranma's death. Nodoka had originally wanted another child long
ago, before Ranma had died, but Genma had nothing to do with it. He
only wanted one child, and Ranma was it. But after he died, Genma and
Nodoka could only find happiness in each other, they're relationship
has blossomed after that, and they were like teenaged lovers again,
then Ranko showed up.
Ranma's alias before Nodoka knew of his curse had been Ranko, and
they had named they're new child that for two reasons. 1. Out of
respect for Ranma, and 2. Because of her red hair. It wasn't long after
that, the Tendo/Saotome family pact had been reborn. Akane had had a
child at the tender age of 19. Even though it was against Soun's
wishes, they went ahead and had the child. 'They' being Ryoga and
Akane.
Originally, Soun had thought the idea of Ranma's friend marrying
his widow was scandalous, and an outrage. But seeing Akane upset nearly
24 hours out of the day was even worse, and he had relucantly agreed to
the wedding, under the condition that Akane would keep 'Saotome' in her
name, out of respect for Ranma. And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was
born.
Soun since then had grown to love Ryoga as a son. He still felt
guilty from time to time for allowing the marriage, but Ryoga had
assured him that he felt the same. If Ranma and Akane were a perfect
match, then Ryoga was the next best thing. If only Ranma could have had
a son before he died.
Again, his mind drifted to the dream he had the prior night, but
when he walked into the tea room, his brain went into overtime.
Ranma barely acknowledged Soun's presence, he had his mind on
other things. For some reason he had not been tired at all the night
prior, and had spent his time trying to remember more about his past,
and looking at various pictures around the house. He had remembered
most of his life up to the Saffron incident when he noticed it.
The picture had been rested on the wall near the stairs. He had
passed it several times in his efforts to remember more by looking
around the place, but had never actually noticed until he accidentally
knocked it off of the wall. He picked it up, and was about to replace
it when he saw them.
Akane was the first he recognized. Then bit by bit, each of the
people in the picture began to surface in his memory. Kasumi. Doctor
Tofu. Ranma wasn't at all surprised at this. He had expected them to
marry, and he silently chuckled at the memory of Dr. Tofu's
lightheadedness whenever he was in Kasumi's presence. Next he noticed
Nabiki. Although her image in the picture was well presented, he could
note a hint of worry in her eyes. Next he came to his father and
mother. This was a shock to him, to see them so close to each other,
and smiling. Most of his memories of his mother were of hiding and
lying. Pretending to be 'Ranko' the cousin of the Tendo family.
Most notably about his parents, was that they were not alone. It
seemed that there was another member of the family. One that Ranma
could not remember no matter how hard he tried. A little girl. Her hair
was red like Ranma's girl form, and did share alot of Ranma's girl-form
qualities. Right down to the eye colour. He mentally noted that he
would have to visit his sister one day soon, as well as his parents. At
least to tell them that he is still alive.
What he noticed next blew his mind. Ryoga, his.. 'aquaintance'
from memory, but friend from heart was shown holding the hand of the
woman he loved most. The woman he had endured this curse for. He was
holding Akane's hand. Not as friends, but as lovers. The image of a
small boy sitting on the ground between them seemed to verify his
worries. After that point, he had been enraged with pure anger and
hatred, but let it die down to simple contemplation afterwards.
"Ranma?", Soun said, stepping towards him.
Ranma temporarily cut himself loose from the trance long enough
to greet Soun, but not much else.
"Hello Mr. Tendo."
"Ranma...", he said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "it wasn't a
dream."
Ranma scoffed, "I wish it was."
"Ranma, whats the matter?"
Ranma turned and pointed towards the picture laying on the tea
room table. The frame had been broken and picture crumpled and if by a
fist.
Soun immediately knew what was wrong. "Ranma, I wanted to tell
you last night, but..."
"It's not your fault, Mr. Tendo.", he said, depressingly, "I know
you just didn't want to hurt me."
"Ranma, you were gone so long, they thought you were dead, as did
the rest of us."
"I loved her."
"I know Ranma, we all knew. And it was painfully obvious after
you had gotten married--"
"What?", Ranma asked, looking even closer into Soun's surprised
face.
"You mean, you don't even remember that?"
"No, of course I don't remember. How long were we married before
I disappeared?"
Soun looked sullenly towards the ground. "Five Months."
Ranma took this new information in. He knew he loved her, but he
didn't know that they were married. The last thing he could remember
was the botched up wedding, which, if memory served him correct, was
_SERIOUSLY_ botched up.
"How long after the Saffron incident did we get married?"
Soun looked into Ranma's eyes. Though they were mainly covered by
his cowl, he could imagine the pain which was portrayed in their image.
"Nearly a year."
Ranma tried desperately to remember what was going on. He would
have to question Soun for whatever he was fuzzy on, or didn't remember.
Soun suddenly noted the time. Quarter to Ten. He let an image
pass through his mind, and quickly decided it would be best to avert a
meeting between Ryoga and Ranma at this point. At least until Soun
could have a talk with Ryoga about the events that have transpired.
"Ranma, we're going to have to finish this conversation another time.
As much as I'd like you to stay around, I think its best you go out and
find some things out for yourself, the morning class will be here
soon."
"Morning class?", Ranma asked.
"Yes.", Soun winked at him, "This dojo has become a hotspot for
aspiring Martial artists!"
Ranma began to protest his leaving, but after Soun began to push
him out of the door, he knew it was futile.
Annoyed, he started to speak, "When should I come back?"
Soun looked at the clock and then replied, "About four."
"Gendo Satoni", Daisuke said, dropping a file down in front of
Hiroshi.
"What?", he asked.
"Gendo Satoni. The corpse?"
"Oh. Thats his name?"
"Yep, and get this. He's the _SON_ of Mikasagi Satoni."
Hiroshi frowned, "Who is...?"
"You don't follow politics much, do you?", Daisuke replied.
"Mikasagi Satoni, as in _MAYOR_ Mikasagi Satoni of Kosaka."
"You mean hes the sone of a mayor?"
"Duh. Apparently junior here was a member of the Nerima Chapter
of the Yakuza."
"Have we got any more information on the perp?"
"Not yet. Apparently there's a few rumours floating around
underground that there's a new assassin in town, all the way from
China."
"Could it have been him?"
"More than likely, I got the file of another of his 'clients'
back in Hong Kong. Lets just say the MO is... Similiar."
"So, whats the deal on motive?"
"Well, apparently this guy was big on extortion. A few business
owners stepped forward after his death and told the whole story."
"Could it have been one of them?"
"Doubtful. From what I hear, this Chinese guy is expensive, and
from the amount of money Gendo was extorting from them.. Well, use your
head."
"I see. Do we have anything else on the suspect?"
"Just a file larger than a breadbox. He's got over 40 confirmed
killings, and another 15 unconfirmed. This guys MO is strange, but
methodical. He kills them three times through. First, he hits them in
the heart with a--"
"A bonbourri, then crushes their skulls with a mace, and takes
their heads off with a scythe."
Daisuke nodded. "Pretty much."
"Daisuke, maybe its just me, but doesn't this sound familiar. A
single man, having two or three weapons at his disposal."
Daisuke shook his head. "It can't be him. He died with Ranma."
"Yes, but isn't it possible that Mousse survived? I mean, When
Shampoo came back, spouting that they were both dead, she had no
evidence!"
"Look, even he was _WAS_ still alive, he couldn't have done it.
Mousse may have been nearsighted and quick to judge, but there's no way
in hell he was a killer."
"Well, maybe there was someone else with Mousse's skills. It
possible!"
Daisuke paused for a moment. "Your right", he said, "We should
check out the immigration department for any Jokusetsuzoku immigrants."
Hiroshi nodded, and began to flip through the file that Daisuke
had thrown on his desk. He looked up at his friend and contemplated.
"Do we have a list of the business owners that were being
extorted?", he asked.
Daisuke acknowledged him and pulled a sheet of paper from the
files on the desk. "Right here", he said, handing it to him.
Hiroshi scanned the sheet quickly, seeing if anything would pop
out at him. Fortunately, something did.
"Well, I'll be.", he muttered.
"Whats up?"
Hiroshi didn't even answer, he just turned the paper around and
pointed at a name. Daisuke let a grin show on his face as he recited
the name.
"Nabiki Tendo."
*Where is the damn bus?*, Ryoga thought. He normally took the bus
to get to work, it was part of Akane's master plan.
Since Ryoga had constantly been getting lost, she began to walk
with him to certain places, and soon worked out a system. For cross-
town destinations, a map would be drawn, and he would use mass
transportation to reach it.
For shorter trips, like from the front door to the bus stop, he
soon learned, that instead of focusing on the main destination, he
would focus on 'baby-steps' as Akane had called them. For instance, His
first destination from the front door, would be to follow the walkway
to the sidewalk, from the sidewalk, he would walk three streets left of
his position, and wait at the bus stop. The bus soon showed up, and he
got off at the third stop. From the third stop, he would get off, walk
across the street, turn left, walk two streets over, and face his
right. That would usually place him at the outside wall of the Tendo
Dojo. From that point, he was usually okay, but from time to time he
would turn left instead of right and end up missing for days at a time.
Before long, Akane stopped getting worried and just waited patiently
for him to return home.
Although not completely 'fixed', his sense of direction was
getting remarbly better. He had even learned to retrace his steps.
He let his brain wander for a minute when the bus showed up.
Again able to process conscious thought, he stepped onto the loading
platform, and let the doors close behind him.
Ranma knew he couldn't be seen, and he made sure he wasn't. Since
he had left, aparently, Nerima had been nearly devoid of Martial
Artists, and he found himself easily escaping the views of everyone he
passed by, over, and in some cases, under.
He soon found himself blocks away from the Dojo, and began to
think of where his new destination would be. He thought for a moment,
and then reluctantly decided the closest place would be the Nekohanten,
and set his sights for the restaurant.
Although he hadn't expected anyone he knew to be there, there was
still the chance that it was run by someone associated with Shampoo,
Mousse or even Cologne.
He passed from rooftop to rooftop on his journey to the
Nekohanten. He wasn't hungry, but he needed to see things for himself.
While jumping across a wide street, he had waited for the nearest
vehicle to pass by between him and the other end of the street,
incidentally, the vehicle had been a bus. He timed his jump correctly
and jumped across, landing on the bus and then on the other side of the
road, leaving behind nothing but a thump and a small dent.
Ryoga had nearly had a heart attack. Here he was, just sitting on
the bus, counting the stops, when the roof _RIGHT_ above him had nearly
caved in. Examining the ceiling he noted two foot-shaped dents and
began to wonder. It had been a long while since any _GOOD_ Martial
artist had come to Nerima, and the ones that were there, he knew
personally. Shampoo and Ukyou had left a long time ago, Tarou hadn't
been seen in.. God only knows how long, Happosai went to America, but
it was doubtful that he weighed enough to make that kind of dent. Ryoga
suddenly felt a familiar chill run up his spine, it was only moments
later when he released that it was the same as the one he had the night
before.
Akane felt the chill run up her spine. She had felt a familiar
presence, but dismissed it, so as not to worry her son.
Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was three years old. He would be four in
five months, and he was already becoming the elite martial artist that
his namesake would have been proud of. Although Akane felt remorseful
that she never had the chance to have big Ranma's child, she loved her
son with all of her heart.
For a reason unknown to Akane, she had been thinking alot of
Ranma over the past two hours since she woke up. She couldn't identify
exactly why, but the thoughts were pouring in her head like an endless
waterfall. Her memory drifted back to the time she found out Ranma had
died. The day Shampoo returned to Nerima and gave the dreadful news
that Mousse and Ranma had died protecting her.
Originally Akane was in denial, she waited day after day on the
front porch of the dojo, but he still never showed up. It was only
after that that she had accepted the fact that he would never come
back.
Akane did the only thing she could do. She ignored it. Pretended
she had never met Ranma, but that had come with its consequences. After
two weeks of her 'ignorance', she was admitted into the hospital, near
death because she hadn't eaten anything. She may have been able to
forget about Ranma, but she also forgot to eat. Her only support during
those times was Shampoo, Nabiki and most notably, Ryoga.
She had found out of Ryoga's 'secret' just before Ranma had died.
She was extremely angry at him for weeks afterwards, but after Ranma
died, it just didn't matter anymore. Before long, she found herself
becoming attached to him.
The courting process was long, and not without its share of
problems. She cared for Ranma deeply, and being with Ryoga felt like
betrayal to Akane, even if Ranma _WAS_ dead!
But soon, fate had taken its course. She had fallen in love with
Ryoga. True, the feelings weren't as strong as they were for Ranma, but
there were feelings nonetheless, and before long, Ryoga proposed.
Getting her father to accept the proposal however, was harder.
The old man gave in after a while, and they were married. It wasn't
long after before she found out she was pregnant.
And thus, Ranma Saotome-Hibiki was born, and much to Akane's
relief, there was no trace of the Jusenkyo Curse. It just wouldn't do
well to have your first born wander around as a piglet.
She smiled at her son. Even though he was a mere three years of
age, he took martial arts seriously, even more seriously than his
parents. He seemed to follow after his namesake. Most children his age
watched the greatest kids shows, and went to preschool to play with
toys, but little Ranma, was a martial artist at heart. In fact, at that
very moment, he was practicing his Kata on the balcony.
"Whatcha doing honey?", she asked her son.
"I doing kata!", he excitedly replied.
"Wow", she feigned. "Well, when your done, why don't you come in
and have something to eat?"
Little Ranma nodded and jumped into the house. Even for a three
year old, his balance and Coordination was impecable. Akane often
wondered about it, but soon dismissed it as a gift.
The Nekohanten was still the Nekohanten, much to Ranma's relief.
It was still a restaurant, and still open. But the owners, however,
were not the originals. From a quick check-in, he had found out that
these people had purchased the restaurant from Shampoo and Cologne five
years earlier, but refused to tell him any more than that, and shooed
him away with the threat of calling the police. Even though Ranma could
easily take the police down, he just wasn't in the mood for such a
thing. He looked around for a moment, and then decided on a new
destination. Ucchan's was three blocks away.
"Ranma Saotome?", the voice asked.
At first, Ranma thought it was his visitor from the previous
night, but on closer examination at the source, he changed his mind.
The source was an old man. A white beard extended down to his stomach
area, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence.
"Who are you?", he asked.
The man walked up to him and replied, "I am Count Nicholas De
Cogliostro."
Absolutely positive that he didn't know the man, Ranma began to
interrogate him. "That doesn't tell me much." he said.
"Of course.", the man stepped up to Ranma and held out his hand,
"We have something in common."
"Oh yeah? Whats that?"
"Your curse."
Ranma's brain worked into overtime, considering the mans
statement, he soon broke free of his trance and stared at him.
"So, that doesn't explain how you know my name."
"I have my sources.", the man explained. "I'm surprised it was
you actually, from my examination, during your life you were a kind
person, if not a little.. Shall we say.. Ill-tempered?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I had thought I had narrowed who the new Hellspawn would
be to a government assassin. I was in New York for the past few months
waiting for him to emerge there, but a few days ago, I felt your
presence beginning to manifest. I had to follow it."
"You're not answering my questions!", Ranma was now near-raging.
"I suppose you'd need a better explanation. Above all, you should
remember the deal.. Correct?"
"The deal...", Ranma looked towards the ground, "Yes."
"Well, lets just say, long ago, I had made the same deal."
Ranma looked into the man's eyes. He wasn't lying. "Why did this
happen to me?"
"You are a hellspawn. A warrior recruited by the likes of
Malebolgia."
"What?"
"You apparently did something during your life that warranted
being sent to hell. Upon your arrival, Malebolgia offered you
something, in exhange for your services."
"Hell? You're crazy, old man.", Ranma said, turning to leave,
"I'm not dead."
"You are dead, Saotome. Even if you don't realize it now, you
will.", Cogliostro said, but it was too late, Ranma had already
disappeared.
Ranma jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Ucchans was just a little
further, and Ranma didn't want to stick around with the old man. Of
course he wasn't dead, how would he be here?
But the premise did explain a few things, like how he no longer
had his Jusenkyo curse, and how there's a good six years missing from
his memory, five of which he had been apparently dead. And also-- No.
He stopped himself. He was thinking crazy things, of course hes not
dead.
Ranma kept jumping along the rooftops until he reached his new
destination. Making sure the place was empty, he went through the
doorway.
Nabiki sighed. Two things were bothering her. The first was that,
since the few customers that had shown up earlier, barely any had came
into the establishment since, and the place was devoid of life. The
second was what she was going to do about Makaro. She took a look back
outside into the main restaurant, and noticed Kinami sitting in one of
the chairs eating some of her own Okonomiyaki. She mentally noted to
charge her for the food.
She went back to thinking about what she was going to do before
she was interupted by a screech.
Kinami had known the consequences of eating the supplies, even if
there were no customers, but she knew she would accept the punishment
and pay for the supplies out of her wages. She was hungry, and it was
the only thing she could do to take her mind off of the incident
earlier.
Kinami cooked herself some okonomiyaki and sat down at a table.
She began to scarf it down, wondering how she would help her good
friend Nabiki. She had the beginnings of an idea when she saw him.
He had appeared out of nowhere, coming through the door without
so much as the sound of a footstep, and he was dressed strangely.
Chains all about his body, even a large red cloak and a cowl. She
looked to him like a sadistic superhero, when she let her larynx take
over.
The woman screamed at him. A response he had expected. However,
he had also expected it to be someone he would recognize. It was not,
some woman dressed in an okonomiyaki chefs outfit. Ranma shrugged
inwardly, he wasn't in the mood for asking questions and began to turn
around an leave. He was nearly out the door when he heard it.
"What the hell is-- Oh my god.", the females voice said from the
back. Ranma immediately recognized it.
"What the hell do you want? We've got until tonight!", Nabiki
yelled at him.
Ranma felt his guts wrench inside of him. Here was someone else
from his past someone he recognized. Here was the sister of his love,
Nabiki Tendo.
"Nabiki..", he said.
"We've got until tonight!", the voice replied, "And who gives you
the right to call me by my first name!"
"Nabiki", Ranma pleaded, "Its me!"
Nabiki began to let her stern expression evolve into something
else, but then returned to its former position.
"Who are you?", she asked.
Ranma began to think of what to tell her. 'Hey, its me Ranma, I'm
not dead, just had amnesia for the past five years' didn't seem
plausible. "I'm a friend.", he replied instead.
"Oh yeah?", Nabiki stepped up to him, "I don't have friends who
dress like that."
"You don't even recognize my voice, do you?"
Nabiki thought for a second and replied, "Yeah, it sounds
familiar, but that doesn't mean a thing."
"Nabiki. If I tell you who I am, you've got to promise that
you'll hear me out."
Nabiki stared up into his eyes. "Fine." she said, still visibly
suspicious.
"I'm... I'm Ranma."
Something clicked. Nabiki let the name seep in. The voice, she
knew it seemed familiar, but Ranma? She let herself think long and hard
over the present situation. A number of possibilities ran through her
head. At first she thought was that it was some sort of sick joke, but
the posture. The way he talked. It _HAD_ to be Ranma.
"Ranma?", she said, backing away, "H..How?"
Kinami also knew the name. Many nights had passed by when Nabiki
would talk of nothing but Ranma and his skills, and his curse. She also
made sure to mention how much money she had made off of him.
"I thought Ranma was dead.", she said to Nabiki.
Ranma looked at Kinami. He was sure he didn't recognize her, but
asked anyways, "Do I know you?"
Kinami turned towards Ranma and smiled, "No, but Nabiki sure does
talk about you alot.", she held out her hand, expecting it to be shook.
Ranma reluctantly held out his gloved hand. They shook and Kinami
immediately began to inspect his costume.
"Hey, cool threads!", she said, "I was never really into the goth
thing, but I've gotta admit.. Very trendy!"
"Ranma?", Nabiki asked, mouth still gaping wide open.
"Yes, its me", he held out his arms as a friendly gesture.
Nabiki ran into them immediately. She hugged him as hard as she
could. Her brother-in-law was back. _HE_ could help her with her
problems!
"N..Nabiki?", Ranma asked.
"I can't believe you're alive!", she cried.
"I'm.. uhh.. I'm not going to be much longer if you keep hugging
me like that."
Nabiki smiled. Now _THIS_ was the Ranma she remembered. Sense of
humour intact, even if his wardrobe was a bit... different.
She backed away from him for a moment and took his image in. "Get
tired of the same old clothes?"
"Well", Ranma said, looking himself over, "This isn't exactly by
choice."
Nabiki smiled. She didn't know what he meant, but she didn't care
either. Ranma was back. The _ONE_ person that could save her from the
Yakuza. The _ONE_ person outside of her own family that she cared for
like a brother. Nabiki wouldn't let her smile go and even let a tear
run down her cheek. Suddenly, her business sense had taken over.
"Ranma", she said, "I've got a problem."
Ranma knew this. He knew this ever since he saw her only a few
minutes ago. She was afraid of him, even threatening him. Of all the
possibilities in Ranma's mind, he could only narrow it down to one.
"Somethings going to happen tonight.", he said.
Nabiki nodded. "Yakuza.", she said.
Everything began to fall into place. There were still a few
things he was unclear on, such as how Nabiki got to own Ucchans, and
why they were extorting such a small business, and when they had made
they're presence known in Nerima, but he got the main idea. Extortion.
Ranma felt obligated to help, and that was exactly what he
planned on doing. "You can count on me.", was all he could say.