Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 5
"He's gone again," Yuri remarked.
"Big surprise," Kenji replied dryly. "It's impossible for him to
stick around for more than ten minutes."
Konatsu said nothing, but instead surveyed the area around him
as they walked along, as if he was looking for something.
"You won't find him if he doesn't want to be found, Konatsu-
kun," Yuri said, when she noticed him looking around. She was referring
to Satsu, who walked with them occaisonally, but also disappeared at
times for unknown reasons.
"That's not what worries me, Yuri-sama," he replied. "I just get
the feeling... that we're being watched."
Her brother shook his head. "You're just being paraniod. No one
knows where we are." He laughed. "At least I was able to get Selah to
stay at the Tendos."
"But she did agree rather easily, niichan."
Kenji shrugged. "At least she did."
"Kurumi-chan, have you seen Selah around anywhere?"
Kurumi looked up from her manga and shook her head. "Sorry,
Kasumi-oneechan. I haven't seen her since yesterday."
"Oh dear, I do hope she's all right."
"If you want, I can go look for her," Natsume offered as she
entered the living room., her rugbeater staff in hand. "I was just about
to do some training around the neighborhood."
Kasumi smiled. "That would be so nice of you, Natsume-chan."
Natsume bowed to Kasumi, then turned to her younger sister.
"Come on, Kurumi. You could use some extra training as well, before our
next self-defense class in the dojo."
The younger girl glanced back and forth between her older
sister and her manga. "But, Naaatsuuumee! Mystical Girl Yoko is about to
enter the evil queen's lair!"
"No buts!"
Kurumi huffed once, then slowly stood up, making sure her
ribbon was in place on her head. "Oh, all right."
For the past month, the two girls held a basic self-defense
course twice a week. While technically it was being run by Soun, the
girls did most of the teaching after he verified that they were
competent. He still helped out from time to time, but it was mostly the
girls that ran it.
It was a small class, but it did help by bringing extra income
into the home to pay for the extra food that was consumed, especially by
the ravenous Kurumi, who was able to hold her own against Ranma and
Genma in the table wars. Increasingly, Akane became active in those
fights as well, since she had developed more of an appetite thanks to
the increased training by her iinazuke. Ranma thought since it was one
of the few training techniques that Genma used that was actually useful.
In her spare time, Natsume, and sometimes Kurumi as well, also
went out on `patrol'. It was mainly a training run, coupled with a
desire to see how she could help. Whether it was stopping a mugger or
assisting a passerby with packages, it seemed Natsume had a strong
desire to prove herself worthy of her new family, by making herself as
useful as possible.
Today's run was mostly uneventful, but both girls did get a
good workout. Interestingly enough, it was what waiting for them when
they got home that was the most eventful. As they entered the front
gate, they could hear Kasumi's voice carry from the rear one.
"...sorry, neither Ranma nor Akane are here at the moment," she
was saying. "And I'm afraid my father is out for the day with Saotome-
san. If you would like to wait, I'm sure one of them will be along
shortly to answer your challenge."
Natsume stopped, causing her younger sister to bump into her.
"Oneechan! what's the big deal?"
"The Tendo dojo has a challenger!" she said exitedly.
Kurumi couldn't see what the fuss was about. "Yeah, but you
heard Kasumi-oneechan, no one's here to answer it."
"But we're Tendos now," Natsume explained. "We're honor-bound to
defend the family dojo and home. Come on!"
With that, she leapt to the top of the house, and from there,
down to the other side. Kurumi landed by her side a second later and
they both approached the rear gate. Kasumi was blocking the view so they
couldn't see the challenger, but to Natsume, it didn't matter. She would
defeat whoever it was.
An audible sigh could be heard from the other side, as well as
a male voice. "So, how long would I have to wait, then?"
"Pardon me, Kasumi-oneechan," Natsume interrupted. "But I would
like to accept the challenge."
Kasumi turned around, but Natsume still couldn't see who the
challenger was, since the eldest Tendo sister was still blocking the
view.
"Oh my, that's awefully brave of you," Kasumi said. "Are you
sure?"
Natsume confidently nodded. "Yes." With the next line, her
voice became louder. "I, Tendo Natsume, accept your challenge on behalf
of the Tendo dojo! State your name!"
The man's voice sounded unsure. "I, Kumon Ryu, am the
challenger of this dojo!"
Kasumi chose that moment to move out of the way, giving both
the challenger and the accepter of that challenge, their first glimpses
of each other. Both sets of eyes widened when they beheld the other.
"YOU!"
Akane had realized her mistake awhile ago, and could almost
hear Ranma berating her about it in her mind. `It looks like you've done
it again. Akane no baka. You and your temper.'
"Shut up, Ranma," she said tiredly.
She had lost track of the two men she had been pursuing and had
managed to get lost in the darkened tunnels. Now she would just be happy
to get out this place, find Ranma, and go home. That wasn't to say she
wouldn't enjoy a little payback if she found one of those two men again,
but it was no longer a priority on her list.
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" she asked no one in
particular.
She sat down against the wall and let the aura she had been
using to light her way, fade away. Even though she didn't have a watch,
she knew at least a couple of hours had passed since she was abducted
and she was starting to feel tired and hungry. She could almost see the
family sitting down to wonderfully tasty dinner made by her older
sister. Visions of steamed rice, hot miso soup, exquisitely prepared
sushi, and mouth-watering ten-don fill her head.
"Stop that, Akane!" she told herself. "That's only going to make
the situation worse!" She struggled back to her feet. "And if I don't
get moving, I'll never get out of here." Concentrating, she slowly
formed a white aura to light up the area and continued down the tunnel.
She had taken no more than a few steps when a dull roar began
to make it's way to her ears. Curious, she continued on, her pace
picking up slightly.
she wondered. Another minute of travel, and she
finally formed a guess as to what it was.
She began to jog down the tunnel, for the sound of the rushing
water became louder as she did. Her fatigue and hunger pushed aside in
the light of new hope, she failed to realize exactly where the sound was
coming from; which was right underneath her.
Akane gave a startled cry as the ground under her feet suddenly
gave way. She plummeted about six feet, before splashing into the river
she was trying to find. As she flailed about in the raging waters, she
remembered there was still one thing she had been meaning to learn.
She still didn't know how to swim.
"Are we almost there?" she asked.
Satsu chuckled. "Almost. Conditions permitting, we should be
there by late this evening."
"This evening?" Selah glanced up at the noonday sun and exhaled
loudly. "Why couldn't we just take a car or train or something?"
"You're the one who wanted to come on this trip, and this is how
we do things," Satsu replied as he watched the young girl from his perch
on a branch. She trekked on the ground, stopping every once in awhile to
adjust her backpack, while he preferred tree-hopping.
He had discovered her following them shortly after they left
and confronted her about it. Naturally, he had wanted her to turn around
and go back, but she was adamant and he wasn't about to use force to
stop her. So, he checked up on her occaisonally to see if she was ready
to give up. Amazingly, she seemed pretty used to travel and was showing
no real signs of quitting.
Of course, this left Satsu with something of a dilemma.
Outsiders weren't allowed on the Garou clan grounds, so her trip would
be useless. On the other hand, she seemed to show a strong spirit. And
most importantly, she was a water mage.
The clan had long ago lost contact with with the other groups
it had been allied with after the great war as each one went off to do
their own thing, not caring about the other groups. Despite their recent
near-destruction, the mage clans still existed, though scattered and few
in number. Satsu was beginning to think this girl could be the key to
reforging a link with the mage clans, and to help bring them back
together. There was more gut feeling than actual evidence to suggest
this, however, so it was more than likely the rest of clan Garou would
not agree with him.
But in the meantime, he could at least help guide her and make
sure she was alright.
"Uncle Yoshiro!"
"Ukyo-chan!"
The big man swept the young girl into a hug. Despite having
been gone for six years, Ukyo still recognized her father's brother and,
apparently, he recognized her. She could feel the quiet strength behind
those arms, that spoke of many years on the road pulling his own yatai.
And his graying mustache scratched at her head and made her want to pull
away, but she held the hug a few more moments.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you at the train station,"
Yoshiro said when he released Ukyo. "But your father has requested I
stay here at the house with him."
The young chef stepped back to gaze at the house her father had
eventually been able to buy. It was white and large, not quite a mansion
in size, but close. She had heard rumors through some of the friends and
family members she kept in contact with, that her father was able to
turn his luck around when Ukyo left and make some real money. For her
part, Ukyo didn't know how she felt about it.
"Well, you're probably exhausted from your trip," her uncle
said, while guiding her into the house. "Why don't you take bath and
relax now, hmmm?"
Ukyo's face hardened, even while she removed her shoes. "I'd
rather see my father now, if you don't mind."
Yoshiro tried to laugh it off. "Oh, come now. You want to look
the best for your father, don't you? He'll wait an hour for you to
freshen up."
"No!" Ukyo's command was forceful. "My father's never thought
much of before, why should now matter? I haven't seen or heard from him
for eight years and now he `summons' me all of a sudden?" She shook her
head. "No, I want to see him now."
Her uncle sighed heavily, and placed a heavy hand on her
shoulder. "Very well. But, please, go easy on him, he doesn't have
long."
They walked in silence as he lead her down the hall. On the
walls, many pictures hung, portraits of past family members long dead.
Ukyo wondered where they had come from, then the answer came to her;
they were her grandfather's. Her father must have inherited them when
his own father passed away.
She suddenly realized her uncle had stopped, so she fell in
place beside him at the bedroom door. He turned to her then, nodded
slowly once, and walked away. Ukyo understood; this was the room her
father was in.
Taking a deep breath, Ukyo slowly slid open the shoji panel and
stepped inside.
It had taken Ranma longer than he thought to break through the
one ton boulder and chase after Akane. He was almost regretting the
choice not to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, as it would have taken a
single finger tap and he would have been through. Instead, it had taken
almost ten minutes.
Now, he was worridly jogging down the tunnel, looking for his
wayward iinazuke. The more he devled into the tunnel depths of the cave,
the bigger his worry had grown, because the path split several times. He
could only hope he was going the right way.
Like a mantra, a single phrase repeated itself over and over
again in his head.
His pace continued to increase as he moved in the direction he
hoped Akane was in, and it wasn't long before his fast walk became a
full-out sprint. And it wasn't long after that before he too began to
hear the dull roar of the underground river, but he didn't pay any real
attention to it.
"Akane, when I catch up to you, I-"
That's when he heard the scream, and it came from a voice he
would recognize anywhere.
And the splash.
"Akane!" But he received no answer to his call.
Ranma let his aura flow out ahead of him, and he could almost
feel Akane's brush with it for a split second. Then it was gone, and
Ranma's worry only grew. When he reached hole in the ground that led to
the underground river, there was no hesitation; he knew Akane was down
there. Taking a short breath, he jumped.
The water was colder than he, now she, expected, but onna-Ranma
was used to it. One good thing about her father's training, it included
all types of terrain and conditions, something she had been hesitant
about doing to Akane.
Breaking the surface of the fast moving river, Ranma called out
for Akane again, and was rewarded with a frightened cry from the dark-
haired girl. That meant her head was still above water, but Ranma knew
that wouldn't last long.
Taking another free breath as the river dragged her along,
Ranma began to swim with powerful strokes downstream, and silently began
to curse her curse. Her shorter arms and legs were making it harder to
control her swimming, and she wasn't moving as fast as she would've
liked. She could only hope she caught up to Akane in time.
She broke the surface of the water once again, her aura
lighting up the darkness and stretching out, in an attempt to locate
Akane. She couldn't see her, but her aura did detect Akane's, though it
was weak. She didn't have much time.
All this took a split second, then Ranma dove back into the
muddy waters and began to swim with all her might. A few more strokes,
and she was rewarded with body contact. But as Ranma grabbed her
iinazuke, she realized Akane wasn't moving.
Shifting Akane's body on top of hers, Ranma began to backfloat
in an effort to keep Akane's head above water.
"Akane!" her feminine voice called. "Wake up!" I can't keep
this up! If she doesn't wake up soon...
Then Ranma recalled something in one of his classes at school.
Something called CPR, and giving mouth-to-mouth to unconcious people. He
hadn't paid much attention to it, because one of his classmates had
suggested Ranma try it out on Akane, which of course had been countered
by fierce denial.
But floating in this cold, muddy river, and with her strength
dwindling, Ranma couldn't think of any other options. Taking another deep breath, Ranma placed
his mouth over Akane's and exhaled. When he got no response, he tried it
again. On the third try, she was reward when Akane began to cough up
water.
"Ra-Ranma?" she croaked. "How-?"
Ranma once again lit up the pitch blackness with his aura and
spied a suitable shore, but despaired when she realized she wouldn't be
able to reach it.
"Get out of here, Akane!"
Akane was confused. "What-?"
"No time to explain!"
Akane suddenly found herself flying through the air with a hard
toss from Ranma. Dry ground was fast approaching and, despite being
weak, her instincts kicked in enough to tuck and roll as she landed.
Immediately she turned back to the river, where a red-headed girl was
still lighting up the area with her aura.
"Ranma, look out!" she cried weakly, but it was too late.
Still too weak to move, Akane was helpless to watch as the back
of Ranma's head collided with a low hanging stalagtite. Then she
continued to watch, horrified, as the red-head dropped beneath the
waters and the aura winked out, returning the scene to darkness.
The room was dark, but there was enough light from the two
candles at the opposite corners to see. Her father lay in a futon on the
floor. At first, Ukyo thought he was already dead, but then she realxed
when she saw the rythmic rise and fall of his chest. For several
minutes, she just stood there and watched.
There was a whole list of things she had planned to say to her
father, but now that she was actually here, the words wouldn't come to
her. All she could was watch.
she said to herself.
"Daughter..." came the low, almost raspy voice from the man in
the futon.
Ukyo started, since she couldn't remember her father ever
calling her that. "Father?"
"Come here." It was more like a command than a request, but Ukyo
went along with it and knelt by her father's bed. His head turned to
look at her, and the Ukyo felt the familiar feeling of being studied and
found wanting. "You came."
Ukyo bit back the anger. "Of course I came at your summons. I
am your daughter!"
"Of course." He turned his head back to gaze at the ceiling and
his eyes closed. "I did not have a son."
The fury came back again, but Ukyo once again got control of it
before it could get out. she told herself.
The Kuonji patriarch's eyes opened again. "I will be... gone,
soon. You will have to take over the family business here. I have
arranged everything. My assistant, Kanzaka, will help you. I-"
Ukyo couldn't take it anymore. "Enough! You, you, you! It's
always been about you!" She shot to her feet, while her father stared
wide-eyed at her.
"I am your father, you will do as I wish."
"No!" Ukyo retorted. "Not anymore! You all but abandoned me ten
years ago! Face it, you never wanted a daughter, you wanted a son. When
mom..." She paused, then continued in a softer voice. "When mom died
during my birth, you blamed me for it."
"That's not true," her father countered.
"Then why did you try to get rid of me!? Almost like you were
ashamed of me. Well, I'd got news for you `Dad', I've started my own
life, and I'm not giving it up!"
His eyes almost become pleading. "Ukyo..."
"No, I'm doing what I want!" She began to back up. "Get someone
else!"
And with that she ran out of the room, never looking back.
It was several hours later when the exhausted trio finally
entered the clan encampment.
"It's so good to see you again, Neko-chan," Yuri said as she
embraced her friend.
"We've missed you, too, Yuri-chan," Neko replied. She released
Yuri and gave a short bow to her brother. "It is also good to see you
again, Kenji-san."
"Likewise," Kenji said, returing the bow. "Though we have still
yet to be told why we were summoned back." He was still uneasy about the
whole thing, but he kept it inside. Truth be told, though, he'd rather
be back in Nerima.
"You can rest assured Oka-sensei will explain everything."
Finally, Neko turned to the last member. "Greetings. I am Neko of Garou
clan."
"Kenzen Konatsu," he replied, giving a generous bow. "And I, as
yet, belong to no clan."
"For the moment, but hopefully that will change," Oka stated as
she approached the small group. Then she took the effeminate manner
Konatsu was standing, as well as his pony tail tied with a pink ribbon,
hint of mascara, and added under her breath, "Among other things."
Kenji let loose an exasperated exhale. "So, are you going to
tell us what this is all about now?" A full day of travel had shortened
his patience and energy, and left him cranky.
Oka eyed him critically. "Impatient young man, just like Satsu
said." She sighed. "Very well, if you must know, then come with me.
We'll talk on the way."
"Where are we going?" Yuri asked as the quintet began to walk.
Oka's face hardened, betraying no details. "You'll see soon
enough. It's only a short distance away. We will be holding a general
meeting about it tomorrow night, as you are not the only ones we were
waiting for. There a quite a few ninja on assignment at the moment."
Kenji inwardly shivered, whether from the cold breeze that had
just made itself known, or from Oka's casual statement. He knew, from
hearing his sister talk, what those missions were. Basically, they were
hired to perform various tasks, from sabotage and espionage, to
assassinations. Of course, he didn't take Yuri's word that the clan
never kills someone without a group consultation to see if the subject's
death is warranted.
He had been confronted with his own death and been forced to
kill once already. After his memories had returned, the nightmares had
started as well. In it, he relieved the battle with Garon, the Fire
Lord, and the final act that ended that battle. At first he couldn't
believe that's what actually happened, that the nightmares were just
some sort of last minute spell cast by Garon.
But as they continued, he was forced to accept the horrible
truth that he had killed. How or why it had happened, he didn't know,
but somehow it had happened. It was something he had never shared with
anyone, preferring to deal with it himself.
"Here it is." Oka's voice broke Kenji out of his introspection.
Three people blinked in unison.
"It's a cave," Yuri observed.
"It's a dirt mound with a hole in it," Kenji said dryly.
"It's a perfectly fine underground entrance, Oka-sama," Konatsu
offered.
Oka sighed and Neko shook her head.
"Use your senses," Oka suggested. "What do you hear?"
"Nothing," Kenji replied, not impressed. Actually, the truth was
he thought he did hear something, but when it seemed no one else did, he
decided it must have been his imagination. "So what?"
Konatsu was the first to realize it. "But, Kenji-sama, where
are the animals?"
It was true, they all realized. The forest surrounding the dirt
mound was deathly quiet. Not even the chirp of a cricket, or the call of
a bird. Not only that, but the entire area just seemed darker than
normal and there was a scattering of mist in the air, limiting
visibility.
Yuri was perplexed. "When did this happen? And what does it
mean?"
For several minutes, there was silence. Then, when Oka spoke,
her tone was very solemn, her eyes locked on the mound.
"It is a portent of things to come, other than that, we don't
know." She sighed heavily. "Much of our knowledge has been lost over the
years, as the books and manuscripts we owned began to fall apart and
fade. The few we were able to save told us that the earth would open,
and one of the ancient ones would ascend to walk among us once more.
That is all we know at the moment." She turned to face the quartet
behind her.
Yuri cocked her head. "So that's why you called us here? To
discuss this?"
Oka nodded, but it was Neko who spoke next. "Yes. Some in the
clan say we should just cover it up, and some say we shouldn't because
it might bring even worse things upon us." She smirked. "And then there
are the few who just want to go down and explore it."
The sound repeated itself in Kenji's ear, and again he shook it
off. But his curiosity grew. "Well why don't you? Doesn't look like much
to be scared of."
He suddenly found Oka's walking stick pointed straight at him.
"Don't be so impetuous, boy." Her voice was suddenly cold. "There are
more things involved here then you can possibly understand."
A small hand rested on his shoulder. "Yeah, niichan. There's no
need to rush, is there?"
Despite being somewhat shaken by her comments, Kenji yawned.
"Whatever. I'm feeling tired anyway, so if it's alright with you guys,
I'm gonna go back and take a nap."
"A most wise idea, Kenji-sama," Konatsu added, trying to stifle
a yawn in a feminine manner.
Yuri smiled and grabbed Konatsu's arm. "Come on, `Natsu-chan."
As the quintet walked away, Kenji spared a short glance over
his shoulder. The noise had sounded a third time, and now he knew what
it was, though he didn't want to believe it.
It was a voice.
---------------------------------------
Author's notes:
Much is made of Genma's side of the engagement of Ranma to Ukyo, and his
subsequent theft of the yatai. I took a look at it from the other side,
however. Ukyo's father seemed overly casual about engaging the two kids,
despite it seeming that he didn't know Genma all that well(or if he knew
Genma well, he should have known what kind of man he was). Engagements
are also rare at that age. Also, when Genma revealed that Ranma was
already promised to another, Mister Kuonji should have stopped the idea
right there. Instead, he offered the yatai and made no move to stop
Genma from taking both it and his daughter. He also seemingly made no
move to get revenge on on Genma's betrayal, leading to the conclusion
that he wanted to get rid of his daughter.
However bad you must think of Genma for his part, Mister Kuonji should
share equal blame. If Ukyo was mad at Ranma's father and carried that
anger for ten years, she should also hold SOME of that for her own
father as well.
It's also worth noting that Ukyo held that anger for ten years, far
longer than Ryoga held his and we see how he angry and unrational he
tends to be. That sort of hate and malice does NOT go away in the blink
of an eye when Ranma called her `cute.' She still has plenty of anger
simmering underneath that cute, peaceful facade she displays, and it
emerges from time to time with disastrous results.
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 5
"He's gone again," Yuri remarked.
"Big surprise," Kenji replied dryly. "It's impossible for him to
stick around for more than ten minutes."
Konatsu said nothing, but instead surveyed the area around him
as they walked along, as if he was looking for something.
"You won't find him if he doesn't want to be found, Konatsu-
kun," Yuri said, when she noticed him looking around. She was referring
to Satsu, who walked with them occaisonally, but also disappeared at
times for unknown reasons.
"That's not what worries me, Yuri-sama," he replied. "I just get
the feeling... that we're being watched."
Her brother shook his head. "You're just being paraniod. No one
knows where we are." He laughed. "At least I was able to get Selah to
stay at the Tendos."
"But she did agree rather easily, niichan."
Kenji shrugged. "At least she did."
"Kurumi-chan, have you seen Selah around anywhere?"
Kurumi looked up from her manga and shook her head. "Sorry,
Kasumi-oneechan. I haven't seen her since yesterday."
"Oh dear, I do hope she's all right."
"If you want, I can go look for her," Natsume offered as she
entered the living room., her rugbeater staff in hand. "I was just about
to do some training around the neighborhood."
Kasumi smiled. "That would be so nice of you, Natsume-chan."
Natsume bowed to Kasumi, then turned to her younger sister.
"Come on, Kurumi. You could use some extra training as well, before our
next self-defense class in the dojo."
The younger girl glanced back and forth between her older
sister and her manga. "But, Naaatsuuumee! Mystical Girl Yoko is about to
enter the evil queen's lair!"
"No buts!"
Kurumi huffed once, then slowly stood up, making sure her
ribbon was in place on her head. "Oh, all right."
For the past month, the two girls held a basic self-defense
course twice a week. While technically it was being run by Soun, the
girls did most of the teaching after he verified that they were
competent. He still helped out from time to time, but it was mostly the
girls that ran it.
It was a small class, but it did help by bringing extra income
into the home to pay for the extra food that was consumed, especially by
the ravenous Kurumi, who was able to hold her own against Ranma and
Genma in the table wars. Increasingly, Akane became active in those
fights as well, since she had developed more of an appetite thanks to
the increased training by her iinazuke. Ranma thought since it was one
of the few training techniques that Genma used that was actually useful.
In her spare time, Natsume, and sometimes Kurumi as well, also
went out on `patrol'. It was mainly a training run, coupled with a
desire to see how she could help. Whether it was stopping a mugger or
assisting a passerby with packages, it seemed Natsume had a strong
desire to prove herself worthy of her new family, by making herself as
useful as possible.
Today's run was mostly uneventful, but both girls did get a
good workout. Interestingly enough, it was what waiting for them when
they got home that was the most eventful. As they entered the front
gate, they could hear Kasumi's voice carry from the rear one.
"...sorry, neither Ranma nor Akane are here at the moment," she
was saying. "And I'm afraid my father is out for the day with Saotome-
san. If you would like to wait, I'm sure one of them will be along
shortly to answer your challenge."
Natsume stopped, causing her younger sister to bump into her.
"Oneechan! what's the big deal?"
"The Tendo dojo has a challenger!" she said exitedly.
Kurumi couldn't see what the fuss was about. "Yeah, but you
heard Kasumi-oneechan, no one's here to answer it."
"But we're Tendos now," Natsume explained. "We're honor-bound to
defend the family dojo and home. Come on!"
With that, she leapt to the top of the house, and from there,
down to the other side. Kurumi landed by her side a second later and
they both approached the rear gate. Kasumi was blocking the view so they
couldn't see the challenger, but to Natsume, it didn't matter. She would
defeat whoever it was.
An audible sigh could be heard from the other side, as well as
a male voice. "So, how long would I have to wait, then?"
"Pardon me, Kasumi-oneechan," Natsume interrupted. "But I would
like to accept the challenge."
Kasumi turned around, but Natsume still couldn't see who the
challenger was, since the eldest Tendo sister was still blocking the
view.
"Oh my, that's awefully brave of you," Kasumi said. "Are you
sure?"
Natsume confidently nodded. "Yes." With the next line, her
voice became louder. "I, Tendo Natsume, accept your challenge on behalf
of the Tendo dojo! State your name!"
The man's voice sounded unsure. "I, Kumon Ryu, am the
challenger of this dojo!"
Kasumi chose that moment to move out of the way, giving both
the challenger and the accepter of that challenge, their first glimpses
of each other. Both sets of eyes widened when they beheld the other.
"YOU!"
Akane had realized her mistake awhile ago, and could almost
hear Ranma berating her about it in her mind. `It looks like you've done
it again. Akane no baka. You and your temper.'
"Shut up, Ranma," she said tiredly.
She had lost track of the two men she had been pursuing and had
managed to get lost in the darkened tunnels. Now she would just be happy
to get out this place, find Ranma, and go home. That wasn't to say she
wouldn't enjoy a little payback if she found one of those two men again,
but it was no longer a priority on her list.
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" she asked no one in
particular.
She sat down against the wall and let the aura she had been
using to light her way, fade away. Even though she didn't have a watch,
she knew at least a couple of hours had passed since she was abducted
and she was starting to feel tired and hungry. She could almost see the
family sitting down to wonderfully tasty dinner made by her older
sister. Visions of steamed rice, hot miso soup, exquisitely prepared
sushi, and mouth-watering ten-don fill her head.
"Stop that, Akane!" she told herself. "That's only going to make
the situation worse!" She struggled back to her feet. "And if I don't
get moving, I'll never get out of here." Concentrating, she slowly
formed a white aura to light up the area and continued down the tunnel.
She had taken no more than a few steps when a dull roar began
to make it's way to her ears. Curious, she continued on, her pace
picking up slightly.
she wondered. Another minute of travel, and she
finally formed a guess as to what it was.
She began to jog down the tunnel, for the sound of the rushing
water became louder as she did. Her fatigue and hunger pushed aside in
the light of new hope, she failed to realize exactly where the sound was
coming from; which was right underneath her.
Akane gave a startled cry as the ground under her feet suddenly
gave way. She plummeted about six feet, before splashing into the river
she was trying to find. As she flailed about in the raging waters, she
remembered there was still one thing she had been meaning to learn.
She still didn't know how to swim.
"Are we almost there?" she asked.
Satsu chuckled. "Almost. Conditions permitting, we should be
there by late this evening."
"This evening?" Selah glanced up at the noonday sun and exhaled
loudly. "Why couldn't we just take a car or train or something?"
"You're the one who wanted to come on this trip, and this is how
we do things," Satsu replied as he watched the young girl from his perch
on a branch. She trekked on the ground, stopping every once in awhile to
adjust her backpack, while he preferred tree-hopping.
He had discovered her following them shortly after they left
and confronted her about it. Naturally, he had wanted her to turn around
and go back, but she was adamant and he wasn't about to use force to
stop her. So, he checked up on her occaisonally to see if she was ready
to give up. Amazingly, she seemed pretty used to travel and was showing
no real signs of quitting.
Of course, this left Satsu with something of a dilemma.
Outsiders weren't allowed on the Garou clan grounds, so her trip would
be useless. On the other hand, she seemed to show a strong spirit. And
most importantly, she was a water mage.
The clan had long ago lost contact with with the other groups
it had been allied with after the great war as each one went off to do
their own thing, not caring about the other groups. Despite their recent
near-destruction, the mage clans still existed, though scattered and few
in number. Satsu was beginning to think this girl could be the key to
reforging a link with the mage clans, and to help bring them back
together. There was more gut feeling than actual evidence to suggest
this, however, so it was more than likely the rest of clan Garou would
not agree with him.
But in the meantime, he could at least help guide her and make
sure she was alright.
"Uncle Yoshiro!"
"Ukyo-chan!"
The big man swept the young girl into a hug. Despite having
been gone for six years, Ukyo still recognized her father's brother and,
apparently, he recognized her. She could feel the quiet strength behind
those arms, that spoke of many years on the road pulling his own yatai.
And his graying mustache scratched at her head and made her want to pull
away, but she held the hug a few more moments.
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you at the train station,"
Yoshiro said when he released Ukyo. "But your father has requested I
stay here at the house with him."
The young chef stepped back to gaze at the house her father had
eventually been able to buy. It was white and large, not quite a mansion
in size, but close. She had heard rumors through some of the friends and
family members she kept in contact with, that her father was able to
turn his luck around when Ukyo left and make some real money. For her
part, Ukyo didn't know how she felt about it.
"Well, you're probably exhausted from your trip," her uncle
said, while guiding her into the house. "Why don't you take bath and
relax now, hmmm?"
Ukyo's face hardened, even while she removed her shoes. "I'd
rather see my father now, if you don't mind."
Yoshiro tried to laugh it off. "Oh, come now. You want to look
the best for your father, don't you? He'll wait an hour for you to
freshen up."
"No!" Ukyo's command was forceful. "My father's never thought
much of before, why should now matter? I haven't seen or heard from him
for eight years and now he `summons' me all of a sudden?" She shook her
head. "No, I want to see him now."
Her uncle sighed heavily, and placed a heavy hand on her
shoulder. "Very well. But, please, go easy on him, he doesn't have
long."
They walked in silence as he lead her down the hall. On the
walls, many pictures hung, portraits of past family members long dead.
Ukyo wondered where they had come from, then the answer came to her;
they were her grandfather's. Her father must have inherited them when
his own father passed away.
She suddenly realized her uncle had stopped, so she fell in
place beside him at the bedroom door. He turned to her then, nodded
slowly once, and walked away. Ukyo understood; this was the room her
father was in.
Taking a deep breath, Ukyo slowly slid open the shoji panel and
stepped inside.
It had taken Ranma longer than he thought to break through the
one ton boulder and chase after Akane. He was almost regretting the
choice not to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, as it would have taken a
single finger tap and he would have been through. Instead, it had taken
almost ten minutes.
Now, he was worridly jogging down the tunnel, looking for his
wayward iinazuke. The more he devled into the tunnel depths of the cave,
the bigger his worry had grown, because the path split several times. He
could only hope he was going the right way.
Like a mantra, a single phrase repeated itself over and over
again in his head.
His pace continued to increase as he moved in the direction he
hoped Akane was in, and it wasn't long before his fast walk became a
full-out sprint. And it wasn't long after that before he too began to
hear the dull roar of the underground river, but he didn't pay any real
attention to it.
"Akane, when I catch up to you, I-"
That's when he heard the scream, and it came from a voice he
would recognize anywhere.
And the splash.
"Akane!" But he received no answer to his call.
Ranma let his aura flow out ahead of him, and he could almost
feel Akane's brush with it for a split second. Then it was gone, and
Ranma's worry only grew. When he reached hole in the ground that led to
the underground river, there was no hesitation; he knew Akane was down
there. Taking a short breath, he jumped.
The water was colder than he, now she, expected, but onna-Ranma
was used to it. One good thing about her father's training, it included
all types of terrain and conditions, something she had been hesitant
about doing to Akane.
Breaking the surface of the fast moving river, Ranma called out
for Akane again, and was rewarded with a frightened cry from the dark-
haired girl. That meant her head was still above water, but Ranma knew
that wouldn't last long.
Taking another free breath as the river dragged her along,
Ranma began to swim with powerful strokes downstream, and silently began
to curse her curse. Her shorter arms and legs were making it harder to
control her swimming, and she wasn't moving as fast as she would've
liked. She could only hope she caught up to Akane in time.
She broke the surface of the water once again, her aura
lighting up the darkness and stretching out, in an attempt to locate
Akane. She couldn't see her, but her aura did detect Akane's, though it
was weak. She didn't have much time.
All this took a split second, then Ranma dove back into the
muddy waters and began to swim with all her might. A few more strokes,
and she was rewarded with body contact. But as Ranma grabbed her
iinazuke, she realized Akane wasn't moving.
Shifting Akane's body on top of hers, Ranma began to backfloat
in an effort to keep Akane's head above water.
"Akane!" her feminine voice called. "Wake up!" I can't keep
this up! If she doesn't wake up soon...
Then Ranma recalled something in one of his classes at school.
Something called CPR, and giving mouth-to-mouth to unconcious people. He
hadn't paid much attention to it, because one of his classmates had
suggested Ranma try it out on Akane, which of course had been countered
by fierce denial.
But floating in this cold, muddy river, and with her strength
dwindling, Ranma couldn't think of any other options. Taking another deep breath, Ranma placed
his mouth over Akane's and exhaled. When he got no response, he tried it
again. On the third try, she was reward when Akane began to cough up
water.
"Ra-Ranma?" she croaked. "How-?"
Ranma once again lit up the pitch blackness with his aura and
spied a suitable shore, but despaired when she realized she wouldn't be
able to reach it.
"Get out of here, Akane!"
Akane was confused. "What-?"
"No time to explain!"
Akane suddenly found herself flying through the air with a hard
toss from Ranma. Dry ground was fast approaching and, despite being
weak, her instincts kicked in enough to tuck and roll as she landed.
Immediately she turned back to the river, where a red-headed girl was
still lighting up the area with her aura.
"Ranma, look out!" she cried weakly, but it was too late.
Still too weak to move, Akane was helpless to watch as the back
of Ranma's head collided with a low hanging stalagtite. Then she
continued to watch, horrified, as the red-head dropped beneath the
waters and the aura winked out, returning the scene to darkness.
The room was dark, but there was enough light from the two
candles at the opposite corners to see. Her father lay in a futon on the
floor. At first, Ukyo thought he was already dead, but then she realxed
when she saw the rythmic rise and fall of his chest. For several
minutes, she just stood there and watched.
There was a whole list of things she had planned to say to her
father, but now that she was actually here, the words wouldn't come to
her. All she could was watch.
she said to herself.
"Daughter..." came the low, almost raspy voice from the man in
the futon.
Ukyo started, since she couldn't remember her father ever
calling her that. "Father?"
"Come here." It was more like a command than a request, but Ukyo
went along with it and knelt by her father's bed. His head turned to
look at her, and the Ukyo felt the familiar feeling of being studied and
found wanting. "You came."
Ukyo bit back the anger. "Of course I came at your summons. I
am your daughter!"
"Of course." He turned his head back to gaze at the ceiling and
his eyes closed. "I did not have a son."
The fury came back again, but Ukyo once again got control of it
before it could get out. she told herself.
The Kuonji patriarch's eyes opened again. "I will be... gone,
soon. You will have to take over the family business here. I have
arranged everything. My assistant, Kanzaka, will help you. I-"
Ukyo couldn't take it anymore. "Enough! You, you, you! It's
always been about you!" She shot to her feet, while her father stared
wide-eyed at her.
"I am your father, you will do as I wish."
"No!" Ukyo retorted. "Not anymore! You all but abandoned me ten
years ago! Face it, you never wanted a daughter, you wanted a son. When
mom..." She paused, then continued in a softer voice. "When mom died
during my birth, you blamed me for it."
"That's not true," her father countered.
"Then why did you try to get rid of me!? Almost like you were
ashamed of me. Well, I'd got news for you `Dad', I've started my own
life, and I'm not giving it up!"
His eyes almost become pleading. "Ukyo..."
"No, I'm doing what I want!" She began to back up. "Get someone
else!"
And with that she ran out of the room, never looking back.
It was several hours later when the exhausted trio finally
entered the clan encampment.
"It's so good to see you again, Neko-chan," Yuri said as she
embraced her friend.
"We've missed you, too, Yuri-chan," Neko replied. She released
Yuri and gave a short bow to her brother. "It is also good to see you
again, Kenji-san."
"Likewise," Kenji said, returing the bow. "Though we have still
yet to be told why we were summoned back." He was still uneasy about the
whole thing, but he kept it inside. Truth be told, though, he'd rather
be back in Nerima.
"You can rest assured Oka-sensei will explain everything."
Finally, Neko turned to the last member. "Greetings. I am Neko of Garou
clan."
"Kenzen Konatsu," he replied, giving a generous bow. "And I, as
yet, belong to no clan."
"For the moment, but hopefully that will change," Oka stated as
she approached the small group. Then she took the effeminate manner
Konatsu was standing, as well as his pony tail tied with a pink ribbon,
hint of mascara, and added under her breath, "Among other things."
Kenji let loose an exasperated exhale. "So, are you going to
tell us what this is all about now?" A full day of travel had shortened
his patience and energy, and left him cranky.
Oka eyed him critically. "Impatient young man, just like Satsu
said." She sighed. "Very well, if you must know, then come with me.
We'll talk on the way."
"Where are we going?" Yuri asked as the quintet began to walk.
Oka's face hardened, betraying no details. "You'll see soon
enough. It's only a short distance away. We will be holding a general
meeting about it tomorrow night, as you are not the only ones we were
waiting for. There a quite a few ninja on assignment at the moment."
Kenji inwardly shivered, whether from the cold breeze that had
just made itself known, or from Oka's casual statement. He knew, from
hearing his sister talk, what those missions were. Basically, they were
hired to perform various tasks, from sabotage and espionage, to
assassinations. Of course, he didn't take Yuri's word that the clan
never kills someone without a group consultation to see if the subject's
death is warranted.
He had been confronted with his own death and been forced to
kill once already. After his memories had returned, the nightmares had
started as well. In it, he relieved the battle with Garon, the Fire
Lord, and the final act that ended that battle. At first he couldn't
believe that's what actually happened, that the nightmares were just
some sort of last minute spell cast by Garon.
But as they continued, he was forced to accept the horrible
truth that he had killed. How or why it had happened, he didn't know,
but somehow it had happened. It was something he had never shared with
anyone, preferring to deal with it himself.
"Here it is." Oka's voice broke Kenji out of his introspection.
Three people blinked in unison.
"It's a cave," Yuri observed.
"It's a dirt mound with a hole in it," Kenji said dryly.
"It's a perfectly fine underground entrance, Oka-sama," Konatsu
offered.
Oka sighed and Neko shook her head.
"Use your senses," Oka suggested. "What do you hear?"
"Nothing," Kenji replied, not impressed. Actually, the truth was
he thought he did hear something, but when it seemed no one else did, he
decided it must have been his imagination. "So what?"
Konatsu was the first to realize it. "But, Kenji-sama, where
are the animals?"
It was true, they all realized. The forest surrounding the dirt
mound was deathly quiet. Not even the chirp of a cricket, or the call of
a bird. Not only that, but the entire area just seemed darker than
normal and there was a scattering of mist in the air, limiting
visibility.
Yuri was perplexed. "When did this happen? And what does it
mean?"
For several minutes, there was silence. Then, when Oka spoke,
her tone was very solemn, her eyes locked on the mound.
"It is a portent of things to come, other than that, we don't
know." She sighed heavily. "Much of our knowledge has been lost over the
years, as the books and manuscripts we owned began to fall apart and
fade. The few we were able to save told us that the earth would open,
and one of the ancient ones would ascend to walk among us once more.
That is all we know at the moment." She turned to face the quartet
behind her.
Yuri cocked her head. "So that's why you called us here? To
discuss this?"
Oka nodded, but it was Neko who spoke next. "Yes. Some in the
clan say we should just cover it up, and some say we shouldn't because
it might bring even worse things upon us." She smirked. "And then there
are the few who just want to go down and explore it."
The sound repeated itself in Kenji's ear, and again he shook it
off. But his curiosity grew. "Well why don't you? Doesn't look like much
to be scared of."
He suddenly found Oka's walking stick pointed straight at him.
"Don't be so impetuous, boy." Her voice was suddenly cold. "There are
more things involved here then you can possibly understand."
A small hand rested on his shoulder. "Yeah, niichan. There's no
need to rush, is there?"
Despite being somewhat shaken by her comments, Kenji yawned.
"Whatever. I'm feeling tired anyway, so if it's alright with you guys,
I'm gonna go back and take a nap."
"A most wise idea, Kenji-sama," Konatsu added, trying to stifle
a yawn in a feminine manner.
Yuri smiled and grabbed Konatsu's arm. "Come on, `Natsu-chan."
As the quintet walked away, Kenji spared a short glance over
his shoulder. The noise had sounded a third time, and now he knew what
it was, though he didn't want to believe it.
It was a voice.
---------------------------------------
Author's notes:
Much is made of Genma's side of the engagement of Ranma to Ukyo, and his
subsequent theft of the yatai. I took a look at it from the other side,
however. Ukyo's father seemed overly casual about engaging the two kids,
despite it seeming that he didn't know Genma all that well(or if he knew
Genma well, he should have known what kind of man he was). Engagements
are also rare at that age. Also, when Genma revealed that Ranma was
already promised to another, Mister Kuonji should have stopped the idea
right there. Instead, he offered the yatai and made no move to stop
Genma from taking both it and his daughter. He also seemingly made no
move to get revenge on on Genma's betrayal, leading to the conclusion
that he wanted to get rid of his daughter.
However bad you must think of Genma for his part, Mister Kuonji should
share equal blame. If Ukyo was mad at Ranma's father and carried that
anger for ten years, she should also hold SOME of that for her own
father as well.
It's also worth noting that Ukyo held that anger for ten years, far
longer than Ryoga held his and we see how he angry and unrational he
tends to be. That sort of hate and malice does NOT go away in the blink
of an eye when Ranma called her `cute.' She still has plenty of anger
simmering underneath that cute, peaceful facade she displays, and it
emerges from time to time with disastrous results.