Ranma 1/2

Permanent

Part 23

The greatest evil...

++++++++++++

Ranma stood next to Akane as they walked towards the Tendo dojo,
Ryoga walked a few paces ahead of them silently while the two girls
conversed.

The pigtailed girl's thoughts were not on the conversation though,
"The evil presence I've felt has subsided, the calm before the storm."

"Ranma, are you ok?" said Akane with a shocked look on her face.

"Huh? Why?" said the girl as she realized she had been running on
autopilot for a while now.

"I just asked you if you thought Hiroshi was cute and you said
'Sure'"

Ranma turned completely red and hung her head. "Oh, I'm sorry my
mind was somewhere else Akane."

Akane merely smiled and continued walking, "So, maybe she is a
normal girl after all, this is great!"

Several screams erupted from around the corner as a group of girls
ran up to Akane in a panic. "Akaneee!" squealed a voice as a small blur
jumped over the fence and attempted to land in Ranma's chest. It met with
a sphere of invisible energy and hung for a moment as it was electrocuted
by the girl's magical barrier.

Ranma blinked and looked down at the smoking form and kicked it
slightly with her foot. "What the hell is this thing?"

"It's a pervert!" screeched one of the nearby girls as she pointed
at it in disgust.

"Huh?" Ranma looked up at them in surprise and looked back down at
what appeared to by a small troll. "It shouldn't have set off my barrier,
unless..."

Akane looked at her friend in shock. "Ranma are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but...I think this is the great evil I've been feeling
over the past week," she looked down at the creature and poked it lightly
as it roused. In an instant it jumped into Akane's chest screaming again.

"Akaaaaneeee!" The girl shrieked before punching it back into the
ground.

The thing laughed while patting the small of its back as it stood
again. "Such a spirited girl, you're Soun Tendo's daughter all right."

Ranma and Akane both stopped cold in their tracks, the energy
forming in the pigtailed girl's hands dissipated. "You know my father?"
asked Akane.

Ryoga stood over the scene with a look of surprise as Ranma
allowed her attack to vanish. "She isn't going to kill it?"

"What? You mean you really are Soun's daughter?" said the thing as
it looked at her in surprise.

"You've got some explaining to do old man," said Ranma darkly as a
sudden calm overtook her.

++++++++++++

The group walked into the Tendo Dojo with the imp in tow. The
creature talked excitedly as it walked eyeing every young girl that came
near them with a hungry stare. "So, how is old Soun? Is that fool Saotome
still hanging around with him?"

"You could say that," replied Ranma simply.

Akane looked at her and smiled slightly at the statement, from
what she knew Genma Saotome had died in China, to hear Ranma speak so
lightly of that was a small consolation to her. Unnoticed by her Ryoga
gave a small knowing smile from behind her.

"Who are you?" asked the troll giving Ranma a careful stare.

"Ranma Saotome," replied the girl simply.

"I always thought Genma had a son," it said after a moment of
thought.

"So did I," replied Ranma cautiously.

This statement took Akane by surprise, but she dismissed it easily
since Ranma was more than a little tomboyish. Her friend's attitude had
her wondering about several things recently, including which way she might
swing, so to speak. "Ranma, how does he know us?"

"I don't know, but I mean to find out before I destroy him,"
whispered the girl in reply.

"What?" gasped Akane in shock.

"Akane, this is the evil I've been feeling. I don't care how
harmless he looks, this thing is pure evil," replied the girl quietly out
of earshot of the troll.

++++++++++

Soun Tendo turned to greet Akane as she walked into the house and
froze in place. The thing looked at him and waved pleasantly causing his
hair to stand on end as he screamed in terror. Ranma noted her father
freeze in place for a moment before he continued to eat his bamboo
nervously.

Soun recovered quickly and smiled at the creature. "Why master,
it's been such a long time!"

"Master?" asked Ranma quizzically.

"Soun my boy! It's been a long time, what are you doing?" the
creature stopped and stared as Soun loaded his belongings and his
daughters onto a cart. Genma was climbing into the back of the cart with a
large beach ball slung over his shoulder.

"Why, moving to China master!" exclaimed the man cheerfully.

"Relax, I didn't come for revenge!" said the old man calmly as he
sat down with his pipe.

"I've come to eat your souls!" Ranma imagined that the creature
would show it's true form now and attack the Tendo's a small fire spell
was ready in her hands.

"I've come to train my true heir in the Anything Goes School!"
said the old man happily.

Soun Tendo had no real reason to stop as he started pulling the
cart towards the gate. "And it won't be you or Genma either," added the
old man in annoyance.

Soun relaxed and set the cart down.

Ryoga was sitting calmly at the table waiting for Ranma to unleash
her fury on the troll, but for some reason she kept stopping. "Hey Ranma,
what's up?"

"I'm not sure, I don't know what to think of this," replied the
girl simply as she let yet another spell dissipate harmlessly.

"You sure are nervous for a sorceress," commented the creature as
it looked at her.

"Who are you?" asked Ranma.

"Happosai! Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts,"

Ranma stared him down and sat at the edge of the table quietly.
"Oh."

Soun looked at her expectantly. "Ranma, is there anything you can
do?" he whispered harshly as Happosai made himself perfectly at home by
walking up the stairs and taking over one of the extra rooms in the house.

"I'm not sure, I'll look into it, but there might not be anything
I can do," replied the girl simply. "He isn't a threat to humanity from
what I can tell, and I've got no real feelings of danger from him."

Soun hung his head in defeat as he looked over and saw Happosai
had already returned downstairs and was torturing Genma. "So, Genma my
boy, it's been a while!"

This got a definite reaction from Ranma and Ryoga, but no one else
seemed to notice. The panda backed away from the man waving a sign that
said "I'm just a cuddly little panda!"

Ranma tossed a rock that hit the animal on the back of the head
causing it to drop the sign before anyone would notice it. Genma turned
and growled at her before turning his attention back on the master.

Ryoga leaned in to his own master and whispered. "He knows!" Ranma
merely nodded and watched the situation carefully.

"I think he's lost it," commented Akane as she watched the old man
badger the panda.

Nabiki shot a knowing glance at Ranma and received a nod from her.
"Well, this is certainly interesting."

++++++++++++

A few minutes later Ranma walked towards the door reluctantly, she
didn't like leaving Akane alone with the pervert, but she had to return to
the Cat Cafe and do a little research. Genma followed behind her walking
quickly and hoping not to be noticed.

As soon as they where outside Ranma turned to her father. "Where
do you think you're going? I thought you didn't like the restaurant."

"It's better than staying here with him!" replied the animal with
a sign.

"All right, you can come, but you're working while you're there,"
retorted the girl in disgust.

"Treating your own father that way!" replied the panda.

"Those aren't my rules and you know it!" snapped the girl. "I've
got some questions for you later so don't try hiding out. Your just lucky
I've got Ryoga here to keep an eye on him for now."

"I don't know how much help I can be, my memory is kind of..."
Ranma stopped him before he turned the sign over.

"I'm going to check up on it first pops, don't worry, I just need
you to fill in the blank spots," she turned and started walking away
holding a small piece of brown cloth in her hand.

"When did you?" said the next sign.

"While we where walking with him earlier, I hit him with a
defensive spell and it wrecked his clothes a bit."

"You're such a good son!" said the sign.

"Yeah, whatever old man," snorted the girl as she started down the
street again.

++++++++++++

Cologne stared into the crystal ball with Ranma as they sat around
the small table in the center of the upstairs room. Genma was sitting
nervously by the window glancing out into the street while the other
tenants of the restaurant worked down stairs.

"Looks like some tough training, the old guy is a pervert and a
thief," commented the girl lazily as she waved her hand around the orb.

"Hmm, I think I know him," said Cologne as she peered into the
images inside the ball. A small man running away from the Amazon village
in his youth appeared and the old woman gasped in disgusted shock.
"Happy!"

"That's right, robbed the village did he?" noted Ranma with a
smile on her face. "At any rate, he hasn't done anything to deserve total
destruction yet."

"What do you mean? He destroyed Joketsuko and has stolen countless
priceless relics of our past!" snorted Cologne.

"It's not my place to deal with thieves and perverts," responded
Ranma carefully.

"Not even as a martial artist?" asked Cologne.

"That's different, I'm pretty much out of my league here as far as
that is concerned," replied the girl. "I'll deal with him, I just can't
kill him."

Cologne nodded and lit her pipe as she thought about the figure
from her past reappearing. "Most unexpected indeed."

"It's going to take some planning, and I need to find out more
about his past first though," said the girl as she closed the book in her
lap. Cologne noted the title, "Finding out about the past, for fun and
profit."

Ranma sighed as she turned towards her father. "You can go, I'm
going to use an unbiased source for this."

He blinked in surprise and started to waddle for the door. "Head
for the kitchen, Ryoga is off today," said Cologne before he could protest
or run off and hide. "Another source?" she looked at Ranma and blinked.

"I've seen some of the training he went through, I don't think
he'd willingly betray that old fart. I've got to find someone who knows
him, but isn't afraid," replied the girl simply.

"That could be difficult, I could help you, but he left my life a
long time ago," said the old woman as she puffed on the pipe lazily.

"I'll remember that, but I still need someone who had active
experience with him, trained with him. I need to know his weaknesses, and
his strengths," said the girl as she pulled a few more books off the
shelf.

"Like who?" said the old woman with a frown.

"Old students of his, he's had a few in the past, even some of the
people who trained him," replied Ranma with a smile. In her hands was
another book. "An idiots guide to seances."

"Good luck," replied Cologne simply before she turned away. As she
left she heard Ranma mutter something under her breath.

"Happo dai karin indeed, stupid old man."

++++++++++++++++

Akane glared at the pervert shaped hole in the ceiling and growled
under her breath as the glow in her eyes died down. Ryoga dusted himself
off as he stood from the place where he had landed after trying to catch
Happosai and failed miserably. "You've really improved."

"Thanks, no one touches me unless I say," she replied simply.

She didn't notice him turn away with a worried look on his face.
"Ranma needs to know about this."

+++++++++++

Tatewaki Kuno stared down at the creature that had slammed into
him as he landed on the pavement lightly. He had been flying home after a
visit to an old friend and had been hit as the thing rocketed into him
from below. "Who are you?"

Happosai stopped and looked at the strange creature in surprise. A
wicked smile crossed his face as he jumped to his feet and introduced
himself.

++++++++++++

That same night on the other side of Nerima Hikaru Gosunkugi
stared at the passage in the book in awe. "I've found it!" he cried
triumphantly. He pointed down at the page and recited the passage out
loud. A moment later an M-16 fell onto the desk followed by several
handguns and a few rifles. "Oh, I get it, an arms spell, cute." He sighed
and pushed the weapons into a pile by the desk before sitting down to read
some more.

++++++++++++

A lone figure stood on a slope in Hokkaido, he stared down at
another city that he had wasted time in and growled in frustration. "I
still haven't found you yet, but soon. Ranma Saotome, you shall pay for
your insult!" he raised his hands into the sky and stared into the stars
above him pointing at the brightest one. "I swear by this star I shall be
avenged!" He jumped in shock as a shoe slammed into the back of his head.

"Go swear vengeance in someone else's back yard!" cried a tired
sounding voice.

"Oh, sorry!" called the figure as he started walking away in
embarrassment.

++++++++++++

Early the next day Ranma walked out of the Cat Cafe and started
towards Furinkan High, she stumbled over a familiar wooden bokuten and
frowned as she lifted it up and inspected it. There where several cracks
and abrasions in it that almost made her think it belonged to another.
"So, Kuno's met him as well?" An audible groan came from a nearby alleyway
and Tatewaki Kuno emerged from the garbage. "What the hell happened to
you?"

"Happosai," replied the boy in annoyance.

"So you've met him already?" she replied with a small smirk.

"Yes, such an evil little man," snorted Kuno in disgust.

"What happened?" asked Ranma as she tossed the bokuten to him.

"He offered to train me, I agreed," said the boy simply.

"You let him train you?" asked Ranma in shock, she had not been
expecting this from the boy.

"I did for about five minutes," replied the boy angrily.

"And?" snorted Ranma impatiently.

"It involves a women's bath house, a window, and thirty angry nude
women," replied the boy simply. "I take it this is the great evil we've
been feeling?"

Ranma nodded and helped him over to a bench where they sat down
together. "I wouldn't worry about it, I'm planning something for him."

"What is it?" asked Kuno with only mild interest.

"Something I picked up in China, I found out a little about him
last night," replied the girl with a small giggle.

It still bothered Kuno that Ranma could giggle and not think much
of it. He let the matter pass and relaxed. "Are Hibiki and Tendo still
angry with you?"

"A little, but they realize it won't do them much good if they
are. I think they're starting to get along again already," replied Ranma
with a shrug.

Kuno nodded and stood up from the bench before walking towards
Furinkan. "Come, we don't wish to be late."

"Come on, you need to get cleaned up first," said Ranma as she
pulled him by the arm and started back towards the restaurant. Ko li and
Talcum emerged giving them odd looks.

Ranma realized that she was dragging Kuno by his arm and let the
boy go. "Is anyone using the bath right now?"

"Just panda," responded Talcum with a distasteful frown.

"Good, we'll get him cleaned up and meet you there," said Ranma as
she waved Kuno into the restaurant.

"What do you think happened to him?" asked Ko li as she watched
the scene in confusion.

"Lucky boy get to take bath with Ranma," replied Talcum with a
shrug of her shoulders and a slightly angry look.

"Somehow I doubt that," said Ko li as she turned away. "He must
have had a rough night."

The other girl merely nodded as they started walking towards the
school.

++++++++++++

Kuno relaxed in the furo and sighed as he looked up at the
ceiling. "So, have you been well Saotome?"

The panda held up a sign that said "Well enough, yourself?"

"I've felt better," replied Kuno with a snort as he stood and
grabbed a towel. He realized the ridiculousness of the situation as he
ruffled his wings to help dry them off.

"Don't worry about it boy, everyone has a hang over on occasion,"
said the next sign.

"Actually, I had a run in with a being called Happosai," replied
the boy.

Genma froze and looked away. Kuno raised his eyebrow and did not
push the matter any further. He walked out and dressed himself in his
clothes, they were still slightly wet from the being washed, but still
cleaner than before.

"Come on Kuno, we'll get you something to eat before we go, my
treat," said Ranma as she met him at the changing room door.

"You didn't have to wait outside, I know what you really are,"
replied the boy as he looked her up and down.

"It makes pop feel weird," she replied with a shrug.

Kuno accepted that and walked with her, "We'll be late if we eat."

"We're already are late, and I already ate. Don't worry about it,"
replied the girl as she forcefully sat him down on a stool in the dining
area.

"I suppose you're right, I accept," replied Kuno as he gave up.

++++++++++

Ryoga frowned as he walked up to Ko li and Talcum and noticed
Ranma wasn't with them. "Where is she? I need to talk with her."

Talcum looked at him blankly and shrugged. "She help bird boy, we
find him outside restaurant this morning."

Ryoga cursed under his breath and notice Akane was walking up to
him. "Ryoga, have you seen Kuno today?"

"No, why?" the boy looked at her questioningly.

"It's just that it's unlike him to not show up, he even comes when
he's sick," replied the girl as she glanced around.

"He's with Ranma, why are you so worried about him all of a
sudden?"

"I don't know, I guess I kind of like him now that he's changed,
he's a pretty good friend now," replied the girl with a worried look on
her face. "I hope nothing is wrong with him."

"He probably has a hang over, we found him outside the restaurant
this morning," said Ko li as she pulled her Amazon companion towards the
school.

Akane frowned, that was unlike him, but still possible.

"If he's with Ranma he's fine, maybe they're just coming late,"
said the boy as he started towards the school himself.

"I guess you're right," with that Akane turned and looked towards

the gate. "That would explain why Ranma isn't here either."
They all finally went inside and started classes for the day.