I own neither Ranma ½ or the X-Men. Of course I also don't own the world but I'm working on it.
Heaven's Fire
Chapter 2: Meetings and Misunderstandings
The Tendo Household
Nabiki was seriously mad. She knew something was going on between the two Saotomes, but she hadn't been able to get a thing out of either Ranma or Auntie Nodoka. This just made her even more mad and, against her will, pleased. What ever they were hiding had to be good and now she finally had a challenge to her information finding abilities.
Nabiki leaned back in the couch, the very picture of relaxed indifference, and casually looked to where mother and son were sitting in the backyard on either side of the koi pond. They hadn't moved from there for almost an hour, and after Mr. Saotome's attempt at 'training' Ranma, no one had tried to interrupt them. Nabiki still hadn't quite figured out how Ranma had thrown his father across the yard. She was sure she hadn't seen his arms move. Oh well, she thought, I wonder what they could be doing. Staring at each other for all this time can't just be it.
X X X
The Astral Plane
Ranma was breathing hard as he frantically scanned all around for his opponent. The environment was hard on his eyes, no form or substance to anything. He was a lot less concerned that there was no ground then that those weird streamers that continued to drift in his way.
Suddenly, he felt a disturbance behind him. Spinning as fast as he could, Ranma brought up the shield he had just created. The jarring impact of his mother's sword seemed to travel through his bones into his teeth. A rapid flurry of sword strikes keep him on the defensive as he analyzed Nodoka's form trying to find a hole he could use.
You're not concentrating Ranma! His mother's telepathic voice cut across the psionic ether. You need to tighten your defenses!
With that, Nodoka pulled her blade back. Ranma saw his chance, as quick as thought, he dismissed his shield as moved forward to strike. The glowing fist arced between mother and child until it hit Nodoka's armor. The jolt that flooded his system caught Ranma by surprise. He screamed as the ether around him blurred out of sight.
X X X
Reality
Ranma gasped as he fell back into his physical body, almost falling into the pond.
Are you all right Ranma? His mother asked him, concern coloring her mental touch.
Y-yes. Ranma shakily answered, still not accustomed to telepathy. What happened?
You were trying to use ki again. Nodoka replied from her position across the pond.
So what? Ki is life energy just like phoenix energy, it should've worked just as well.
He heard the sigh in his mind in time with the breath Nodoka took. Ranma, I told you before. Ki energy is too specialized to work reliably on the Astral plane. If you use it in battle you give your opponent a direct link to your personal life energy. It's safe to use ki on the physical plane because the flesh of both combatants work as insulation. When you remove that insulation, it's like giving you opponent a path right to your heart. Nodoka cocked her head at Ranma and smiled. Do you feel like continuing with Astral combat or do you want to try something else?
Before Ranma could respond, he heard a familiar voice asking a also familiar question.
"Excuse me, do you know the way to the Tendo Dojo?"
With a sigh of his own, Ranma turned and saw Kasumi leading a slightly bewildered Ryouga around the house.
"Are you sure this isn't Kyoto, Kasumi-san? I know I past the sign to it just a bit ago."
"Still as lost as ever, eh P-chan?" Ranma smirked to his favorite sparring partner.
"Ranma! Don't. Call. Me. P-CHAN!!!" Ryouga was about to charge the pig-tailed martial artist when he saw Akane come out of the house.
"Ranma no baka! Stop picking on poor Ryouga!" Ranma meet Mallet-sama, Mallet-sama meet Ranma
{WHAM!!}
"un...cute... tom...boy..." Ranma groaned out, twitching.
Ryouga stopped his charge, blinked and then stood back with his arms over his chest. "Well Ranma I guess I can let you off this time seeing as Akane-san beat me to it."
Nodoka was watching the mini-drama play itself out with only an expression of mild interest. As it drew to a close she got up and approached the Lost Boy.
"Ah Hibiki-san, so good of you to finally join us. Ranma and myself were beginning to wonder if you'd make it tonight." Nodoka calmly grasped Ryouga be the arm and led him to the Tendo dining table where everyone was gathering. "Please have a set. Dinner is almost ready I believe." No sooner had the words left her mouth then Kasumi emerged from the kitchen with the first of the plates for the evening meal. Ryouga stayed where he was, he was going to get to eat with Akane-san! What bliss!
While there were six extra at the table that night, Kasumi still managed to deliver one of her normal excellent meals. The Tendos were quite shocked at the ease Ranma showed in keeping his father away from his food. Only Ranma and Nodoka knew he was keeping a telekinetic barrier around his food, Nodoka did, however, notice Nabiki looking at both her and Ranma strangely.
I think Nabiki might suspect a bit of the truth. She told her son.
I wouldn't be surprised, Nabiki always did catch on to things around here the fastest. Ranma replied still eating. We should probably tell them all soon. After diner I'd guess.
Agreed.
"Everyone, if I could have your attention?" Ranma announced to the room. Instantly, all eyes were on him. "I know you are all wondering why Mom came over today and what it was she had ta say to me. Well, after dinner we'll tell ya we talked about." With that, Ranma went back to eating.
The rest of the room looked at Ranma before Nabiki broke the silence.
"Come on Saotome, you can't just leave us hanging like that. Give a hint or something."
Ranma raised his eyes to hers and just stared in to them as he continued to eat. Just as Nabiki was starting to get uncomfortable, not that she showed it, and Akane was about to punish the baka for staring at her sister, Ranma answered.
"Fine." He calmly lifted his hand and all of the dishes on the table shot up three feet and whirled and danced around each other. As the household gapped at the display Nodoka silently commented.
Good fine control there Ranma but don't over do it.
Sure Mom. As he lowered his hand the dishes set themselves back on the table exactly where they were before without a grain of rice dropped. (Although for some reason, Genma's plate landed upside down on top of him.)
"Ranchan. What was that?" Ukyo asked.
"After diner." Was the only reply.
Cologne continued to look at Ranma after everyone went back to the meal, occasionally her eyes would drift to Nodoka and she would wonder...
X X X
North Tokyo
The X-Men had been frantic after the reading especially Phoenix and Cyclops. After almost three hours of scanning by Cerebro and by Phoenix and Psylocke turned up nothing, however, even Cyclops had to agree to put the mystery on the back burner for now. Resuming their course to Japan, they carefully didn't discuss the reading and what it could mean for both the Earth and the universe.
After Storm convinced Cyclops to return to their original mission. The information that the Jusenkyou Guide and his daughter gave them told them what had happened at Phoenix Mountain, and now they were looking into one Ranma Saotome, the boy who had defeated the Phoenix King Saffron. Using their connection to the Japanese mutant hero Sunfire, a one-time X-Man and current ally, the X-Men received permission to store the Blackbird at a Tokyo airport hanger. A brief trip to the airport lobby netted them a couple of rooms at a near by hotel. As the X-Men gathered in Scott and Jean's room they made planes for the next days searching.
"I have gained access to the Japanese records department." Hank McCoy said behind the facade of a normal if somewhat short and heavyset human thanks to his image inducer.
"Great job Hank," Scott said, coming over to stand behind him. "What do you have for us?"
"Ranma Saotome, age 17, attends Fuurikan school in the Nerima ward. He has rather low scholastic scores but his athletic marks are unparalleled in the entire greater Tokyo area."
"Great, the kids' dumb as a brick but he manages to beat some genetic experiment gone bad." Logan snorted derisively.
"Ah-hem. As was saying," Hank paused only to level an annoyed glance at Logan, "He is listed as living at a Tendo Dojo in Nerima, owned by one Soun Tendo, with his father, Genma Saotome. Mother is one Nodoka Saotome, lives in Juuban ward alone but no divorce certificate is listed."
"All right people, lets get some rest. Hank print out the address of this Tendo Dojo. Tomorrow we'll pay Mr. Saotome a visit." Although he didn't say it, the X-Men recognized a dismissal from long experience and left for there own rooms, Ororo and Betsy in one room, Logan and Hank in the other.
As he left, Logan looked at the screen displaying the information.
"Hmmm... Genma Saotome, so that's where ya been hidin'. " He commented to himself before leaving with a satisfied smile.
X X X
Tendo Dojo
After diner, Nodoka helped Kasumi with the dishes as Ranma lead everyone else to the dojo. As the others made themselves comfortable on the mats, he walked to the center and without a word sat down to wait for his mother. Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo had somehow gotten it in their heads that Ranma would be announcing his choice and put an end to the problems that had been plaguing them all for the past two years. Ryouga was sure that Ranma would reveal yet another new technique and would use it on him to demonstrate it. Soun was set to either let loose a wail of the houses never being joined or launch a Demon Head Attack, he still was not sure which. Genma had a pail of water handy and a backpack of supplies in case he felt the need to go on a training trip. Cologne simply waited for Son-in-law to tell what he had to tell. Nabiki was wondering why she was suddenly thinking of fire and birds from the moment she entered the dojo.
Shortly, Nodoka and Kasumi entered the dojo. Kasumi took a seat by her sisters and smiled pleasantly, Nodoka walked to her son a sat by him, facing the small crowd. The two Saotomes looked at each other silently for half a minute before turning back to the others. Nabiki was sure something passed between them, that damn firebird floating in her head was really starting to annoy her though, and now there were two.
"Well I suppose you all have waited enough for what I have ta say." Ranma began.
"Oh, yes Ranchan! I'll marry you!" Ukyo cried out and lunged toward Ranma.
"Spatula Girl no marry Airen! Shampoo marry Airen!" The Amazon growled, drawing her bonbori and swinging at the okonomiyaki chef.
"Ranma you pervert! How dare you chose one of those hussies!" Akane already had her mallet out and was bringing it down on the baka when she and the other two girls suddenly stopped moving.
"Huh?"
SILENCE! Nodoka's voice interrupted all other thoughts and actions in the room.
"Um... Dearest?" Genma was half a breath away from grabbing the pail and going panda at the sight of his dear Nodoka's golden eyes.
You will sit down and hear what Ranma has to say. By now, all had noticed that the were hearing Nodoka's voice, but she wasn't speaking. The Fiancée Brigade was forcibly placed at their seats by Nodoka's telekinesis as Cologne and Nabiki raised eyebrows at the display.
"Um... okay I have no idea where that came from," Ranma said with a hand behind his head, "But as I was startin' ta say. Mom told me somethin' earlier an' we decided we'd have ta tell everyone else 'cause it affects you all."
Soun used this sketchy beginning and arrived at a conclusion before Ranma continued. "Waaahhh!!! My son-in-law has to kill himself! Now the schools will never be joined!!"
"Uh, Tendo-san?" Ranma was getting tired of these constant interruptions, "I don't have ta kill myself." The water works halted instantly. "-sigh- Anyway, I think I'll let Mom start it off by tellin' ya what she told me."
In the following minutes, Nodoka told the Tendos and guests her story. For her origins and the origins of the Phoenix. After she was done, she still saw open doubt on most of their faces.
"You don't believe me." It was not a question.
"Well, no offense Auntie," Akane ventured when no one else said anything. "But even for us, this is a little far fetched."
"Very well. I shall give you proof then. Ranma? Do you think you can manage to flare your own aura?"
"Sure Mom. Heh, this'll be good." Ranma was really looking forward to this. He took a lose horse stance and called up an aura those present had only seen once before. Nodoka smiled at Ranma then she flared her own Phoenix aura for the second time in twenty years.
X X X
Tokyo
Hank barley stopped to pound on the women's door to awaken them before he throw open the door to Jean and Scott's room.
"It's back!" He cried, "The Dark Phoenix reading is back!"
Both X-Men came out of the bedroom in their bed clothes and Jean in a lose silk robe, Hank was all ready setting up the Mini-Cerebro unit. As the other two members of the team entered in their own night clothes and robes.
"What is happening Hank?" Ororo asked, still wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Cerebro has another reading of that Dark Phoenix signature, as well as a second one that has been identified as a signature similar to Rachel's."
"What? But Rachel was sent almost two thousand years into the future. She would've told us if she had come back to our time when we were there." Jean was worried about what Dark Phoenix might do to her sort of daughter.
"I do not believe it is Rachel herself, the match was only 87%." Hank told the partially distraught mother. He furiously typed at the keyboard a few seconds more before being awarded with a ring from the machine. "Eureka! I have a lock on both of their locations. They are...well," Beast leaned back with a surprised expression. "It appears that both readings are coming from a Tendo Dojo in the Nerima ward."
The silence settled in the room before Betsy noticed something. "Say, where's Logan?"
Hank looked around, the sheepish expression looking strange on his bestial face. "Ah... Well I hate to be the barer of more bad news but our hirsute companion left the building about thirty minutes ago.
Scott sighed and turned to his wife. "Jean?"
"On it." Jean closed her eyes and sent out a tendril of power across Tokyo attempting to locate her missing friend. And came back empty. "No luck, either he's shielding himself or..."
"Do not worry Jean," Ororo hastened to reassure her friend, "Logan is very familiar with Tokyo. He is likely shielding himself as you said."
"Well we can't do anything about that now," Scott sighed as he went over to where both his and Jeans uniforms were. "We might as well go to the Tendo dojo now. Suit up everyone, we leave in five."
X X X
Nerima
The hunter was close to his prey. He was not sure where the trail was at first, but his prey didn't move in a wide area, so he found his scent easily enough once he entered that area. He actually found what he guessed was his prey's cub's scent first. The young one seemed to be quite active. His scent was all over the area. The hunter was confused at points though, it seemed that his prey had two cubs, a male and a female, the hunter was sure that he had only a male cub though. The hunter thought about this briefly before he dismissed it from his mind as unimportant. He was not really interested in the cubs. He only wanted the father. Speaking of which, the scent placed the prey in that large den there.
A pleased growl escaped the hunters lips as he bared his claws to the night sky with a meaty shuck of tearing skin and muscle. Wolverine had tracked his prey and now that coward Saotome would pay.
X X X
Tendo Dojo
Ranma and Nodoka brought their auras down and looked at the reactions of the others. With three exceptions, everyone was just staring at the two of them in utter shock. Cologne seemed to be congratulating herself on figuring out a puzzle. Nabiki was smiling like she was expecting the whole thing from the beginning. And Genma... For a second he was just as dumbfounded as the others, then he shock himself out of it and leveled the coldest glare this side of an iceberg at the other two Saotomes before turning to Soun.
"Tendo my old friend," He began, "I am sorry but I can not keep my side of our agreement."
His words snapped the others out of it and the turned to him in confusion.
"What do you mean Saotome? Your son is right there, he will marry my Akane and our schools will be joined."
Before either Akane or Ranma could respond with their usual denials, Genma beat them to it.
"I do not know to whom you are referring to, that... thing... is not of my flesh and blood." He bit out with a look of contempt toward Ranma. Everyone gasped at his declaration, Ranma took a step forward and raised a shacking hand to his father. "Pops?"
Faster then most eyes present could follow, Genma brought his fist out and snapped it back with a cry of "Kijin Raishuu Dan!" and sent a vacuum blade slashing at his sons' feet. "Do not call me by such a familiar name beast." He snarled at Ranma.
"Husband!" Nodoka shouted, shocked at what he said.
"The same goes for you oni-whore." By now, everyone was gapping at the Saotome patriarch. "You deceived me and seduced me for your own ends. Now that your true form is revealed, I mean to erase both my mistake and its originator!" Another vacuum blade was sent flying for Nodoka's neck before a flame-like barrier blocked it.
"Saotome! Have you gone mad?!" Soun shouted at his friend, unable to believe what was going on.
"That's it Pops! You can attack me with the Forbidden Techniques, but you ain't touchin' Mom!" Ranma was shaken from his shock at his ex-fathers earlier words by his attack on his mother. Battle aura flaring, he launched himself at the overweight martial artist in a flying body check. The impact throw Genma through the dojo wall. Genma tucked himself into a ball and rolled with the blow almost to the far wall of the Tendo compound before he halted. As he got up, prepared to destroy that thing that pretended to be his son a voice from his past stopped him cold.
"Hey bub, long time no see. Kill any 'freaks' lately?"
Genma turned his head slowly and looked behind him. There, standing partially in the shade of a large tree and partially in the moonlight, was the demon he believed dead by his own hand years ago. He gathered his ki and kicked at the figure. Wolverine jumped above it and over the elder Saotome. Now in full moonlight, Genma could see his opponent. Wolverine was in a yellow and black striped skintight suit with a mask on his face with flared wings framing each eye. He brought his fist up and assumed an aggressive stance. He beat this freak before, he could do it again.
Running at him, Genma launched into the air to rain blows from above. Wolverine crossed his arms and grunted with each impact but didn't move. Finally landing, Genma didn't give Wolverine a chance to assume the offensive. A powerful series of punches slammed into the mutants' sides and arms. When he backed off to see how much damage he did, Wolverine lowered his arms and smiled at him.
"Ya done ticklin' me yet? I ain't got all night ta deal with tha likes o' you."
Genma's eyes widened slightly as Wolverine charged him this time, fists cocked back ready to break bones. A jump to the side later, Genma used his cloaking technique and faded for view. Wolverine looked around and, not seeing his prey, sniffed.
"Nice trick chubba. But it don't do a thing ta wipe yer stench from tha air." A spinning jump kick caught Genma on the temple from where he was about to strike Wolverine from behind. Wolverine landed on his stomach and jabbed his fist under his chin.
"Got a couple o' presents fer ya." He growled.
shuck!shuck!
Two bone claws slide on either side of his face, lightly cutting him.
"Wanna go fer three?"
"Wolverine!" A strong voice called from above.
Wolverine looked up without removing his hand, and glared at the newly arrived X-Men.
"Wadda' ya want Cyke?"
"Uh... excuse me?" Another voice said. The X-Men looked and saw a teen-aged boy looking out of a hole in the dojo wall at the strangers. "Any of you wanna explain what you're doing here?"
End Chapter 2
Ranma no baka! What have you done now? While we find out who these newcomers are, that pervert Happosai is up to something again. What? Not that stupid burner again!
Next time on Heaven's Fire, Chapter 3: Dark Tidings