Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 11
"HUSSY!?" Sakura screeched. "Ryoga-sama is mine! I won him fair
and square!" She smirked. "Or don't ya remember the challenge?"
Akari took a deep breath, controlling her anger the way she had
for the past several years. "The challenge has yet to take place, since
the correct participants were not involved."
The fuku-clad girl's brows furrowed. "Whattya mean, `correct
participants'? You were there!"
Ryoga watched as Akari smiled as evil a grin as he had ever
seen on her. "I mean, all the fights and challenges in my family are
fought not by us, but by the sumo pigs we train." She fixed Sakura with
a hard glare. "If you want Ryoga, you have to beat Katsunishki." She
indicated said sumo porcine.
When she finally returned home and told her grandfather what
had happened, he had asked her why Katsunishki didn't fight. Akari
couldn't think of why, other than she wanted to smash this girl with her
own hands. Her grandfather told her that the pigs they raise, are used
for far more than just tournaments. They were friends, protectors, and
an Unryuu's best weapon. While one man would wield a sword, and Unryuu
uses a sumo pig.
Sakura went white. "A p-pig!? You want me to fight a disgusting
PIG!?" Ryoga winced, badly. "B-but... but..."
"Of course, you can always back down," Akari offered snidely.
The other girl glanced back and forth from pig, to girl, to
Ryoga. As she gazed at the bandanna-clad boy and his bare, glistening,
muscular chest, she realized why she had wanted him so much. Her resolve
hardened. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! I'll beat
your stupid animal, then Ryoga-sama shall be mine!"
Said prize was still nervously watching all this going one, but
couldn't do much more then stare. Some basic male instinct told him that
getting in between two feuding girls was a Bad Thing.
On the other hand, he had never seen Akari so determined, in
control, focused, and sure of herself, and it was an incredible thing to
see. To Ryoga, in her tight jeans and cotten blouse, she was suddenly
very sexy. He had to fight to control his blush, but was unable to hide
it all.
Neither girl noticed, thanfully, so intent on each other they
were. They nodded to each other, then walked out into the middle of the
field and prepared to do battle once more.
Ranma (still female) was closing in on the ravine when she saw
the female fighter descend on Akane. She yelled and pointed upwards
vigorously in order to warn her fiancee of the danger, and was relieved
when Akane rolled out of the way.
Then she was stopped as two more people materialized right in
front her, blocking the entrance to the ravine. "What-?"
They were a study in contrasts, it seemed. One was an older
gentleman wearing a faded tan robe, tied with a simple brown belt, and
holding a gnarled walking stick. He had a long gray beared that matched
his gray hair. The other appeared young, slightly younger than Ranma,
with short, wild, black hair and dressed in faded pants and T-shirt.
The older one spoke. "This does not concern you, young lady.
Please cease your interference, for you cannot know what is at stake
here."
"Look, pal," Ranma snarled. "All I know is you're tryin' ta hurt
Akane, and that ain't gonna happen as long as I'm here!" She slid into
an agressive stance, preparing to bulldoze past these two new people to
get to her iinazuke.
"Let's just silence this broad now, Hajime," the younger one
suggested arrogantly. "It'll make our job a whole lot easier!"
"We do not use lethal force unless it's necessary, Takao,"
Hajime reprimanded his younger charge. Takao huffed and crossed his
arms, but did not reply. "Now then, miss, if you insist on going any
farther, we will have to stop you."
"You can try all you like, but I'm goin' through whether ya like
it or not!"
Hajime closed his eyes and sighed. "So be it. Teleport." Ranma
blinked as the old guy faded and dissappeared.
"Hey, chick, think fast!" Takao's crossed arms were thrown
forward, and the very air between the two seemed to ripple.
Then Ranma was hit by something, hard, that tossed her back a
dozen yards. She recovered and kippup'ed back to her feet. She sprinted forward,
preparing to strike before her opponent could do another one, but was
too late.
Takao threw his arms forward. The air rippled like before, but
Ranma managed to flip sideways out of it's path. "HAH!" A second
distortion impacted the pig-tailed girl, sending her back down to the
ground, but she noticed something that time.
Ranma thought
incredibly.
She flipped to her feet, then blurred sideways just in time to
avoid a fourth attack. A fifth attack was similiarly avoided as Ranma
zig-zagged back and forth at top speed. The terrain around the entrance
to the ravine was being torn up badly from where the invisible
concussion waves touched the ground.
"I got you now!" Ranma proclaimed as she blurred sideways yet
again, then leapt into the air, gathering her own confidence. "Moko-"
"AUGH!" Takao threw both hands up and to the side, and the air
rippled once more, though this was slightly different. Instead of the
blast being in a concentrated form, it expanded outward in all
directions from the youth, moving faster than Ranma could deal with.
The wave hit her before she could finish her own ki-blast,
disrupting her concentration and sending her crashing back down into the
dirt. She rolled out of the way of the follow-up attack and sprung to
her feet, albeit slower than she would've liked. She immediatedly
crossed her arms in front of her face and braced herself.
The distortion wave slammed into her, but she pooled all of her
strength into her defense and came through with minor damage. Still, she
knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was firing off those
things way too fast, and there was no way she could close with him.
And since he was standing in the entrance of the ravine, there
was no way Ranma could get by him.
Tatewaki instinctively grabbed the two women and yanked them to
the ground as the window exploded, taking much of the attached wall with
it. As the dust settled, he checked himself for injuries, then his
mother and sister. His mother informed him that she was fine, aside from
being a bit weak at the moment from the mind transfer. Kodachi, however,
was out cold.
"Lady!" came a deep male voice from outside. "I know thou art
within. If you wilt surrender to me, I promise to make thy end quick and
painless. If you resist, understand I cannot guarentee the safety of thy
kin."
Lady Kuno reached out with her aura, and grew deathly white
when she recognized the man standing outside. "No..." she whispered.
"Okasan?" her son questioned. "What-?"
She waved him silent and called. "How can you be here? This
land is forbidden to one such as you!"
"We have our ways, Lady," he replied. "Now what is thy answer?
Wilt thou surrender and spare needless harm?"
"Never!" Tatewaki Kuno stood, causing his mother to gasp. "Thou
shall have to stand against my blade lest I permit this injustice!"
The bigger man outside seemed amused. "And what, pray tell, is
thy name and motivation in this affair, which concerns you not?"
"'Tachi, don't do this!" his mother pleaded. "You cannot beat
him!"
Tatewaki ignored her while drawing his katana. "I am yon fair
lady's offspring! The Blue Thunder of Furinken High, rising star in the
Kendo world, Kuno Tatewaki, age 18!" Thunder rumbled ominously in the
distance.
"A mere lad of eighteen years wishes to challenge me?" He
chuckled. "Very well, I admire your spirit, boy. I am called Drakon,
third of the Rogues, trusted general of my master, the exiled Shogun."
He drew his larger no-dachi blade out of it's sheath, easily wielding it
with one hand. "If you wish to match my steel, then so be it."
"Have at you!" Tatewaki hopped through the hole in the wall and
landed on the grass outside, katana blurring into motion. The multiple
rapid thrusting actions generating small, but powerful wind strikes by
sheer air pressure alone.
Drakon weathered the assualt, his dark green and black plate
mail absorbing the blows. "Hyah!" He whipped his own weapon in an
overhead arc, bringing it down with such force that a wave of displaced
air shot back towards Kuno.
The kenoist quickly flung his sword upwards in a reverse arc,
creating a similar wave to cancel out the incoming one. Then he paused,
while the two adversaries took stock of each other.
"I see thy skill most promising for one so young," Drakon
commented, while running a hand through his black-green hair. "'Tis a
pity that thy life shall not permit further study."
"And I am pleased thou art no mere opponent, but a challenge
worthy of the Blue Thunder," Kuno replied. "I wouldst almost regret thy
death, that I must bring."
Drakon nodded, while Kuno brought up his katana with both hands
to shoulder level, pointing it at the bigger man. A second later found
him charging forward to meet his steel against his opponent's. The clang
and clash of blades echoed throughout the yard, as the younger, faster
Kuno matched the slower, stronger, Drakon in deadly match of skill,
where one slip-up could be fatal.
Lady Kuno watched all this from her kneeling position in the
mostly destroyed room, Kodachi's head in her lap. She was chaneling her
energies into healing the young girl from the terrible ordeal she had
been through. Hopefully, Kodachi would come around soon and the Kuno
matriarch could surrender peacefully to Drakon before her son was
killed.
"Okasama...?" the gymnast mumbled dreamily.
"Shhh, rest a bit longer, daughter," her mother soothed. "You're
almost there."
The two swordsmen flew apart from a close, rapid series of
thrusts and parries, then Kuno imediately leapt forward again, sword
held low. Drakon brought his own no-dachi up in a move designed to
cleave his airborne opponent in half. Kuno managed to to deflect the
attack so it only cut cloth, then spun and thrust his sword directly at
the Drakon's head.
The bigger man was almost caught off guard, but ducked his head
to the side as the blade went by, cutting his right cheek. In anger,
Drakon lanced out with the gauntlet on his right arm, smashing Kuno in
the face and knocking the younger boy several meters away.
He reached up to touch his cheek, and his fingers came away
with blood on them. Drakon stared at the recovering Kuno boy regaining
his feet. "No man hath been able to touch me in centuries! Methinks
I've gone too easy on you, boy."
Tatewaki managed to smile, while wiping the blood trickling
from his mouth. "Methinks you may have underestimated the Blue Thunder's
skill."
"Underestimate this!" Drakon thrust out his right palm, and a
light blue beam of light burst forth from it.
Lady Kuno looked up from her daughter just in time to see the
area where her son was standing, explode in a shower of debris.
Ranma threw the fastest ki-blast she had ever thrown in her
life. As a result, it wasn't as strong or as focused, but it did succeed
in catching her opponent off-guard.
Takao's eyes widened for a second before he threw himself to
the side, the sphere of ki-charged air clipping his side and spinning
him into the ravine wall. He recovered quickly enough, since it wasn't
that strong, but became more fearful of his opponent. She was fast, and
it was taking too much out of him to continue his attacks for too long.
Fortunately, she seemed to be low on strength as well, enough for their
plan to work.
The red-headed martial artist grinned. "Got ya now!" She
sprinted forward at top speed, hoping to catch her adversary, but was
dismayed when Takao raised a hand. The familiar sight of the air
rippling was her only warning. She leapt up and to the right while
allowing her forward momentum to carry her onwards.
"HAJIME!" Takao yelled suddenly. "NOW!"
Ranma blinked. "What-?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood
up suddenly, and she turned her head in slow-motion to see the old man
from earlier materialize behind her. With sudden dread, she realized she
had completely forgotten all about him.
In one smooth move, Hajime brought his staff down on the back
of the girl's head, and Ranma's world faded to darkness.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.
Ukyo looked up at her uncle and nodded slowly. "Yes. It's for
the best." She looked back down at the piece of paper that lay on the
table between them. Slowly, she reached for the pen laying next to the
paper, and grasped it with her right hand.
There was one other person with them, a short, nervous man
named Hiroshi Kanzaka, her dad's accountant, lawyer, and assistant. "Y-
you can't do this!" he protested for the tenth time. "Your father's
wishes were for the business to be transferred to his heir!"
Ukyo fixed him with a steely glare. "We've been over this! Dad
entrusted his business to me and I'm handling it how I see fit. I want
the business I create, not one that's been handed to me." She sighed. "Uncle Yoshiro is more than capable of
handling Dad's enterprises."
"But... but..." Kanzaka glanced helplessly between the two
people, but it was clear even to him that his cause was lost.
Before she could lose her nerve, and to get it over with, Ukyo
quickly bent over and signed the paper, giving legal control over her
Dad's restaurant business to Yoshiro. She sighed internally in relief,
as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her soul.
"You will always have a place here, Ukyo-chan," her uncle told
her. "You don't have to go away."
Ukyo looked up into his eyes, but saw only concern and kindess
there. "Yes, I have to. After the funeral, I'm going back to my real
home. My only happy memories here are of my short time playing with Ran-
chan. I've made a new start in Nerima with new friends." Her thoughts
turned to Konatsu, the Soyokaze siblings, and even Selah. She then
thought of the Saotomes and the Tendos. There was a lot of pain and
heartache there, but in the end, they had been better to her than her
own father had.
Yoshiro smiled at her. "Well, don't hesitate to call me if you
need help."
The chef who was the last in her family, stood and hugged her
uncle. "I won't. And thanks, for everything."
"Anytime, Ukyo-chan."
Genma and Soun looked up from their shogi board as the
explosion sounded in the distance. On the horizon, a large plume of dark
smoke floated upwards.
"I wonder what's going on, eh Saotome?"
Genma pushed his glasses up. "Whatever it is, Tendo, you can be
sure it's not bound to be good."
Soun nodded. "Indeed."
There was a sudden clatter from the Tendo estate's front gate,
as if the doors had been thrown open wildly. Then Kasumi's voice could
be heard answering the front door, as well as that of nervously
chattering man. Genma and Soun glanced questionably at each other.
"Father, there is a man here for you!" Kasumi's voice echoed
over the pattering of feet running down the hall to where the two men
sat.
The visitor burst into the room and dropped to his knees beside
Soun. "You've got to help us, Tendo-san!" Soun recognized the man as
Hidenori Iuchi, from the town council where Soun also held a seat.
"Calm down, Iuchi-san," Soun replied. "What seems to be the
problem?"
"A fight has broken out near the Nerima Psychiatric Medical
Ward!" He blurted out. "The Kuno boy and another man are fighting with
swords and are causing a lot of destruction! The other one is a huge,
strangely dressed man in black-green armor and wielding a No-dachi one-
handed!"
Soun raised an eyebrow at Genma, who responed with a nod.
Wielding a blade that could be up to 8 feet in length one-handed meant
the man was incredibly strong, and therefore dangerous.
While fights in Nerima were becoming a common thing, the town
council had begun applying pressure (read: begging and pleading) to Soun
to help reduce the damage. After all, the last major fight involved
three girl's who leveled a citizen's house, reducing it to rubble. Of
course, that house belonged to one Nodoka Saotome, who's husband and son
were martial artists, so she didn't raise a protest.
However, several other citizens did.
"Looks like we have a job to do, Tendo," Genma said solemnly,
standing.
Soun rose as well. "Indeed, Saotome." He turned his gaze to
Hidenori. "Do not fear, for we shall take care of it."
"Oh, thank you!" the councilman replied, doing an eerie
impression of a grateful Soun wail as the two men dashed out to the
dojo.
"Would you like some tea, Iuchi-san?"
Hidenori suddenly found a tray with a cup of tea in front of
his face. Come to think of it, his mouth did feel rather dry, and
everyone knew that Kasumi Tendo made excellent tea.
"Um, arigato." He grabbed the cup and downed in in alomst a
single gulp. Immediately, he began to feel much more relaxed and calm.
"Arigato nasai."
Kasumi smiled. "Your very welcome. Pardon me for saying so, but
you do look a bit tired. Would you like a room to rest?"
Hidenori yawned, suddenly feeling very tired. "Yes."
*Thump!*
"Oh my!"
Genma waited outside the dojo while his old friend changed into
his armor. He didn't know why, but a sense of apprehension continued to
veil his other feelings at the moment. When going into battle normally
there had always been a slight feeling of apprehension, but a much
larger feeling of excitement always dampened it.
But this was different. Inexplicably, he was nervous and
anxious, and he couldn't figure out why. What was different about this?
It would just be another martial artist fight in Nerima. Surely nothing
bad would happen, right?
True, most of the battles lately had been more dangerous.
Saffron, the mage clans, the Amazons; they had all been very close
fights, and things could have ended badly. What made the difference
then? Why did they come out alright in the end?
The answer came to him almost immediately.
Ranma and Akane. It had always been those two, in one way or
another, that had turned the tide. Ranma had beaten Saffron, Akane had
helped free them from Garon and had brought Krynn to his knees, then
Ranma was able to best a powerful Amazon warrior, almost equal in
strength to Cologne.
And then there was that bit Nabiki had let slip of them
defeating sort sort of... demon?
"I know that look, Genma," came the worried voice of Nodoka. It
didn't sound any different than her normal voice, but Genma knew his
wife. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, No-chan," he lied. "Soun and I are just going out to
help stop a fight before too much property damage is done."
She shook her head. "You're lying to me. Why? I thought you had
improved beyond this. You've been doing so much good."
Genma's face fell. He knew she could always see through him, so
what could he say? "I don't really know. I just feel..." He shrugged,
unable to put words to it.
She tapped her chin lightly. "Something's different about this
battle." She got a sudden chill at his return shrug and inability to
return her gaze. Her hand flew to to cover her mouth. "Tell me you're
coming back, Genma. Please promise me you're coming back!"
His head came to stare at her even as his eyes widened. "Y-you
want me back? I-I thought-"
"Of course I do," she told him. "I just wanted the old Genma
back. The one who's heart was in the right place, even if it didn't turn
out right. The one who helped out where he could, including a young girl
who was unwanted by her family." She took the two steps that seperated
them and placed a hand on his cheek. "I have never stopped loving you,
husband. But when I thought you didn't love me anymore, I turned all my
attention to our son."
Hesitantly, he reached a hand up to cover her own, from where
it rested on his cheek. "No-chan, I-I do still love you, and I promise
to come back, just like I always do."
She smile and nodded. "Good." She retrieved her hand and lost
the smile. "Now, where is our son? He and his fiancee have been missing
since yesterday. I hope nothing bad has happened to them..."
"If there is one thing I'm sure about, Ranma will return with
Akane," he said confidently. "I know I have trained him well. I have not
yet known anything or anyone that could get the best of him."
"Oh, how I wish I had your faith, I-" She was interrupted by
another explosion sounding the distance.
"I need to go, No-chan. People need my help."
Nodoka nodded solemnly. "Then go, husband. And know that I have
your promise." She turned then, and walked back to the house.
Genma turned as well, to face the dojo behind him. "How long
have you been there!?" he demanded to know when he saw Soun, resplendid
in his samurai armor, standing in the dojo doorway.
"Long enough." He pointed to where smoke was rising in the
horizon. "I think we have a job to do."
Genma nodded, and the two men took off.
From the window, Nodoka watched them go, and tried to suppress
her own bad premontion that said she might not see her husband again.
But what could she do about it? She glanced at the wrapped bundle in her
arm, a strange idea popping into her head.
Maybe there was something she could do, after all.
----------------------------------
Author's notes:
Say what you will about Genma and Soun, there have been times when they
leapt into action instead of avoiding it. They're not always the whiny
cowards that many fanfics would lead you to believe. They have even
stood up against Happosai before and managed to hold their own. Also,
Genma DID make Ranma out to be an excellent martial artist, as well as
inventing two powerful schools of techniques that could level several
buildings in a manner of seconds or allow him to move and attack
undetected(Umisenken and Yamesenken).
In the end, very little actual scared them when they were determined to
fight.
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 11
"HUSSY!?" Sakura screeched. "Ryoga-sama is mine! I won him fair
and square!" She smirked. "Or don't ya remember the challenge?"
Akari took a deep breath, controlling her anger the way she had
for the past several years. "The challenge has yet to take place, since
the correct participants were not involved."
The fuku-clad girl's brows furrowed. "Whattya mean, `correct
participants'? You were there!"
Ryoga watched as Akari smiled as evil a grin as he had ever
seen on her. "I mean, all the fights and challenges in my family are
fought not by us, but by the sumo pigs we train." She fixed Sakura with
a hard glare. "If you want Ryoga, you have to beat Katsunishki." She
indicated said sumo porcine.
When she finally returned home and told her grandfather what
had happened, he had asked her why Katsunishki didn't fight. Akari
couldn't think of why, other than she wanted to smash this girl with her
own hands. Her grandfather told her that the pigs they raise, are used
for far more than just tournaments. They were friends, protectors, and
an Unryuu's best weapon. While one man would wield a sword, and Unryuu
uses a sumo pig.
Sakura went white. "A p-pig!? You want me to fight a disgusting
PIG!?" Ryoga winced, badly. "B-but... but..."
"Of course, you can always back down," Akari offered snidely.
The other girl glanced back and forth from pig, to girl, to
Ryoga. As she gazed at the bandanna-clad boy and his bare, glistening,
muscular chest, she realized why she had wanted him so much. Her resolve
hardened. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! I'll beat
your stupid animal, then Ryoga-sama shall be mine!"
Said prize was still nervously watching all this going one, but
couldn't do much more then stare. Some basic male instinct told him that
getting in between two feuding girls was a Bad Thing.
On the other hand, he had never seen Akari so determined, in
control, focused, and sure of herself, and it was an incredible thing to
see. To Ryoga, in her tight jeans and cotten blouse, she was suddenly
very sexy. He had to fight to control his blush, but was unable to hide
it all.
Neither girl noticed, thanfully, so intent on each other they
were. They nodded to each other, then walked out into the middle of the
field and prepared to do battle once more.
Ranma (still female) was closing in on the ravine when she saw
the female fighter descend on Akane. She yelled and pointed upwards
vigorously in order to warn her fiancee of the danger, and was relieved
when Akane rolled out of the way.
Then she was stopped as two more people materialized right in
front her, blocking the entrance to the ravine. "What-?"
They were a study in contrasts, it seemed. One was an older
gentleman wearing a faded tan robe, tied with a simple brown belt, and
holding a gnarled walking stick. He had a long gray beared that matched
his gray hair. The other appeared young, slightly younger than Ranma,
with short, wild, black hair and dressed in faded pants and T-shirt.
The older one spoke. "This does not concern you, young lady.
Please cease your interference, for you cannot know what is at stake
here."
"Look, pal," Ranma snarled. "All I know is you're tryin' ta hurt
Akane, and that ain't gonna happen as long as I'm here!" She slid into
an agressive stance, preparing to bulldoze past these two new people to
get to her iinazuke.
"Let's just silence this broad now, Hajime," the younger one
suggested arrogantly. "It'll make our job a whole lot easier!"
"We do not use lethal force unless it's necessary, Takao,"
Hajime reprimanded his younger charge. Takao huffed and crossed his
arms, but did not reply. "Now then, miss, if you insist on going any
farther, we will have to stop you."
"You can try all you like, but I'm goin' through whether ya like
it or not!"
Hajime closed his eyes and sighed. "So be it. Teleport." Ranma
blinked as the old guy faded and dissappeared.
"Hey, chick, think fast!" Takao's crossed arms were thrown
forward, and the very air between the two seemed to ripple.
Then Ranma was hit by something, hard, that tossed her back a
dozen yards. She recovered and kippup'ed back to her feet. She sprinted forward,
preparing to strike before her opponent could do another one, but was
too late.
Takao threw his arms forward. The air rippled like before, but
Ranma managed to flip sideways out of it's path. "HAH!" A second
distortion impacted the pig-tailed girl, sending her back down to the
ground, but she noticed something that time.
Ranma thought
incredibly.
She flipped to her feet, then blurred sideways just in time to
avoid a fourth attack. A fifth attack was similiarly avoided as Ranma
zig-zagged back and forth at top speed. The terrain around the entrance
to the ravine was being torn up badly from where the invisible
concussion waves touched the ground.
"I got you now!" Ranma proclaimed as she blurred sideways yet
again, then leapt into the air, gathering her own confidence. "Moko-"
"AUGH!" Takao threw both hands up and to the side, and the air
rippled once more, though this was slightly different. Instead of the
blast being in a concentrated form, it expanded outward in all
directions from the youth, moving faster than Ranma could deal with.
The wave hit her before she could finish her own ki-blast,
disrupting her concentration and sending her crashing back down into the
dirt. She rolled out of the way of the follow-up attack and sprung to
her feet, albeit slower than she would've liked. She immediatedly
crossed her arms in front of her face and braced herself.
The distortion wave slammed into her, but she pooled all of her
strength into her defense and came through with minor damage. Still, she
knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was firing off those
things way too fast, and there was no way she could close with him.
And since he was standing in the entrance of the ravine, there
was no way Ranma could get by him.
Tatewaki instinctively grabbed the two women and yanked them to
the ground as the window exploded, taking much of the attached wall with
it. As the dust settled, he checked himself for injuries, then his
mother and sister. His mother informed him that she was fine, aside from
being a bit weak at the moment from the mind transfer. Kodachi, however,
was out cold.
"Lady!" came a deep male voice from outside. "I know thou art
within. If you wilt surrender to me, I promise to make thy end quick and
painless. If you resist, understand I cannot guarentee the safety of thy
kin."
Lady Kuno reached out with her aura, and grew deathly white
when she recognized the man standing outside. "No..." she whispered.
"Okasan?" her son questioned. "What-?"
She waved him silent and called. "How can you be here? This
land is forbidden to one such as you!"
"We have our ways, Lady," he replied. "Now what is thy answer?
Wilt thou surrender and spare needless harm?"
"Never!" Tatewaki Kuno stood, causing his mother to gasp. "Thou
shall have to stand against my blade lest I permit this injustice!"
The bigger man outside seemed amused. "And what, pray tell, is
thy name and motivation in this affair, which concerns you not?"
"'Tachi, don't do this!" his mother pleaded. "You cannot beat
him!"
Tatewaki ignored her while drawing his katana. "I am yon fair
lady's offspring! The Blue Thunder of Furinken High, rising star in the
Kendo world, Kuno Tatewaki, age 18!" Thunder rumbled ominously in the
distance.
"A mere lad of eighteen years wishes to challenge me?" He
chuckled. "Very well, I admire your spirit, boy. I am called Drakon,
third of the Rogues, trusted general of my master, the exiled Shogun."
He drew his larger no-dachi blade out of it's sheath, easily wielding it
with one hand. "If you wish to match my steel, then so be it."
"Have at you!" Tatewaki hopped through the hole in the wall and
landed on the grass outside, katana blurring into motion. The multiple
rapid thrusting actions generating small, but powerful wind strikes by
sheer air pressure alone.
Drakon weathered the assualt, his dark green and black plate
mail absorbing the blows. "Hyah!" He whipped his own weapon in an
overhead arc, bringing it down with such force that a wave of displaced
air shot back towards Kuno.
The kenoist quickly flung his sword upwards in a reverse arc,
creating a similar wave to cancel out the incoming one. Then he paused,
while the two adversaries took stock of each other.
"I see thy skill most promising for one so young," Drakon
commented, while running a hand through his black-green hair. "'Tis a
pity that thy life shall not permit further study."
"And I am pleased thou art no mere opponent, but a challenge
worthy of the Blue Thunder," Kuno replied. "I wouldst almost regret thy
death, that I must bring."
Drakon nodded, while Kuno brought up his katana with both hands
to shoulder level, pointing it at the bigger man. A second later found
him charging forward to meet his steel against his opponent's. The clang
and clash of blades echoed throughout the yard, as the younger, faster
Kuno matched the slower, stronger, Drakon in deadly match of skill,
where one slip-up could be fatal.
Lady Kuno watched all this from her kneeling position in the
mostly destroyed room, Kodachi's head in her lap. She was chaneling her
energies into healing the young girl from the terrible ordeal she had
been through. Hopefully, Kodachi would come around soon and the Kuno
matriarch could surrender peacefully to Drakon before her son was
killed.
"Okasama...?" the gymnast mumbled dreamily.
"Shhh, rest a bit longer, daughter," her mother soothed. "You're
almost there."
The two swordsmen flew apart from a close, rapid series of
thrusts and parries, then Kuno imediately leapt forward again, sword
held low. Drakon brought his own no-dachi up in a move designed to
cleave his airborne opponent in half. Kuno managed to to deflect the
attack so it only cut cloth, then spun and thrust his sword directly at
the Drakon's head.
The bigger man was almost caught off guard, but ducked his head
to the side as the blade went by, cutting his right cheek. In anger,
Drakon lanced out with the gauntlet on his right arm, smashing Kuno in
the face and knocking the younger boy several meters away.
He reached up to touch his cheek, and his fingers came away
with blood on them. Drakon stared at the recovering Kuno boy regaining
his feet. "No man hath been able to touch me in centuries! Methinks
I've gone too easy on you, boy."
Tatewaki managed to smile, while wiping the blood trickling
from his mouth. "Methinks you may have underestimated the Blue Thunder's
skill."
"Underestimate this!" Drakon thrust out his right palm, and a
light blue beam of light burst forth from it.
Lady Kuno looked up from her daughter just in time to see the
area where her son was standing, explode in a shower of debris.
Ranma threw the fastest ki-blast she had ever thrown in her
life. As a result, it wasn't as strong or as focused, but it did succeed
in catching her opponent off-guard.
Takao's eyes widened for a second before he threw himself to
the side, the sphere of ki-charged air clipping his side and spinning
him into the ravine wall. He recovered quickly enough, since it wasn't
that strong, but became more fearful of his opponent. She was fast, and
it was taking too much out of him to continue his attacks for too long.
Fortunately, she seemed to be low on strength as well, enough for their
plan to work.
The red-headed martial artist grinned. "Got ya now!" She
sprinted forward at top speed, hoping to catch her adversary, but was
dismayed when Takao raised a hand. The familiar sight of the air
rippling was her only warning. She leapt up and to the right while
allowing her forward momentum to carry her onwards.
"HAJIME!" Takao yelled suddenly. "NOW!"
Ranma blinked. "What-?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood
up suddenly, and she turned her head in slow-motion to see the old man
from earlier materialize behind her. With sudden dread, she realized she
had completely forgotten all about him.
In one smooth move, Hajime brought his staff down on the back
of the girl's head, and Ranma's world faded to darkness.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.
Ukyo looked up at her uncle and nodded slowly. "Yes. It's for
the best." She looked back down at the piece of paper that lay on the
table between them. Slowly, she reached for the pen laying next to the
paper, and grasped it with her right hand.
There was one other person with them, a short, nervous man
named Hiroshi Kanzaka, her dad's accountant, lawyer, and assistant. "Y-
you can't do this!" he protested for the tenth time. "Your father's
wishes were for the business to be transferred to his heir!"
Ukyo fixed him with a steely glare. "We've been over this! Dad
entrusted his business to me and I'm handling it how I see fit. I want
the business I create, not one that's been handed to me." She sighed. "Uncle Yoshiro is more than capable of
handling Dad's enterprises."
"But... but..." Kanzaka glanced helplessly between the two
people, but it was clear even to him that his cause was lost.
Before she could lose her nerve, and to get it over with, Ukyo
quickly bent over and signed the paper, giving legal control over her
Dad's restaurant business to Yoshiro. She sighed internally in relief,
as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her soul.
"You will always have a place here, Ukyo-chan," her uncle told
her. "You don't have to go away."
Ukyo looked up into his eyes, but saw only concern and kindess
there. "Yes, I have to. After the funeral, I'm going back to my real
home. My only happy memories here are of my short time playing with Ran-
chan. I've made a new start in Nerima with new friends." Her thoughts
turned to Konatsu, the Soyokaze siblings, and even Selah. She then
thought of the Saotomes and the Tendos. There was a lot of pain and
heartache there, but in the end, they had been better to her than her
own father had.
Yoshiro smiled at her. "Well, don't hesitate to call me if you
need help."
The chef who was the last in her family, stood and hugged her
uncle. "I won't. And thanks, for everything."
"Anytime, Ukyo-chan."
Genma and Soun looked up from their shogi board as the
explosion sounded in the distance. On the horizon, a large plume of dark
smoke floated upwards.
"I wonder what's going on, eh Saotome?"
Genma pushed his glasses up. "Whatever it is, Tendo, you can be
sure it's not bound to be good."
Soun nodded. "Indeed."
There was a sudden clatter from the Tendo estate's front gate,
as if the doors had been thrown open wildly. Then Kasumi's voice could
be heard answering the front door, as well as that of nervously
chattering man. Genma and Soun glanced questionably at each other.
"Father, there is a man here for you!" Kasumi's voice echoed
over the pattering of feet running down the hall to where the two men
sat.
The visitor burst into the room and dropped to his knees beside
Soun. "You've got to help us, Tendo-san!" Soun recognized the man as
Hidenori Iuchi, from the town council where Soun also held a seat.
"Calm down, Iuchi-san," Soun replied. "What seems to be the
problem?"
"A fight has broken out near the Nerima Psychiatric Medical
Ward!" He blurted out. "The Kuno boy and another man are fighting with
swords and are causing a lot of destruction! The other one is a huge,
strangely dressed man in black-green armor and wielding a No-dachi one-
handed!"
Soun raised an eyebrow at Genma, who responed with a nod.
Wielding a blade that could be up to 8 feet in length one-handed meant
the man was incredibly strong, and therefore dangerous.
While fights in Nerima were becoming a common thing, the town
council had begun applying pressure (read: begging and pleading) to Soun
to help reduce the damage. After all, the last major fight involved
three girl's who leveled a citizen's house, reducing it to rubble. Of
course, that house belonged to one Nodoka Saotome, who's husband and son
were martial artists, so she didn't raise a protest.
However, several other citizens did.
"Looks like we have a job to do, Tendo," Genma said solemnly,
standing.
Soun rose as well. "Indeed, Saotome." He turned his gaze to
Hidenori. "Do not fear, for we shall take care of it."
"Oh, thank you!" the councilman replied, doing an eerie
impression of a grateful Soun wail as the two men dashed out to the
dojo.
"Would you like some tea, Iuchi-san?"
Hidenori suddenly found a tray with a cup of tea in front of
his face. Come to think of it, his mouth did feel rather dry, and
everyone knew that Kasumi Tendo made excellent tea.
"Um, arigato." He grabbed the cup and downed in in alomst a
single gulp. Immediately, he began to feel much more relaxed and calm.
"Arigato nasai."
Kasumi smiled. "Your very welcome. Pardon me for saying so, but
you do look a bit tired. Would you like a room to rest?"
Hidenori yawned, suddenly feeling very tired. "Yes."
*Thump!*
"Oh my!"
Genma waited outside the dojo while his old friend changed into
his armor. He didn't know why, but a sense of apprehension continued to
veil his other feelings at the moment. When going into battle normally
there had always been a slight feeling of apprehension, but a much
larger feeling of excitement always dampened it.
But this was different. Inexplicably, he was nervous and
anxious, and he couldn't figure out why. What was different about this?
It would just be another martial artist fight in Nerima. Surely nothing
bad would happen, right?
True, most of the battles lately had been more dangerous.
Saffron, the mage clans, the Amazons; they had all been very close
fights, and things could have ended badly. What made the difference
then? Why did they come out alright in the end?
The answer came to him almost immediately.
Ranma and Akane. It had always been those two, in one way or
another, that had turned the tide. Ranma had beaten Saffron, Akane had
helped free them from Garon and had brought Krynn to his knees, then
Ranma was able to best a powerful Amazon warrior, almost equal in
strength to Cologne.
And then there was that bit Nabiki had let slip of them
defeating sort sort of... demon?
"I know that look, Genma," came the worried voice of Nodoka. It
didn't sound any different than her normal voice, but Genma knew his
wife. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, No-chan," he lied. "Soun and I are just going out to
help stop a fight before too much property damage is done."
She shook her head. "You're lying to me. Why? I thought you had
improved beyond this. You've been doing so much good."
Genma's face fell. He knew she could always see through him, so
what could he say? "I don't really know. I just feel..." He shrugged,
unable to put words to it.
She tapped her chin lightly. "Something's different about this
battle." She got a sudden chill at his return shrug and inability to
return her gaze. Her hand flew to to cover her mouth. "Tell me you're
coming back, Genma. Please promise me you're coming back!"
His head came to stare at her even as his eyes widened. "Y-you
want me back? I-I thought-"
"Of course I do," she told him. "I just wanted the old Genma
back. The one who's heart was in the right place, even if it didn't turn
out right. The one who helped out where he could, including a young girl
who was unwanted by her family." She took the two steps that seperated
them and placed a hand on his cheek. "I have never stopped loving you,
husband. But when I thought you didn't love me anymore, I turned all my
attention to our son."
Hesitantly, he reached a hand up to cover her own, from where
it rested on his cheek. "No-chan, I-I do still love you, and I promise
to come back, just like I always do."
She smile and nodded. "Good." She retrieved her hand and lost
the smile. "Now, where is our son? He and his fiancee have been missing
since yesterday. I hope nothing bad has happened to them..."
"If there is one thing I'm sure about, Ranma will return with
Akane," he said confidently. "I know I have trained him well. I have not
yet known anything or anyone that could get the best of him."
"Oh, how I wish I had your faith, I-" She was interrupted by
another explosion sounding the distance.
"I need to go, No-chan. People need my help."
Nodoka nodded solemnly. "Then go, husband. And know that I have
your promise." She turned then, and walked back to the house.
Genma turned as well, to face the dojo behind him. "How long
have you been there!?" he demanded to know when he saw Soun, resplendid
in his samurai armor, standing in the dojo doorway.
"Long enough." He pointed to where smoke was rising in the
horizon. "I think we have a job to do."
Genma nodded, and the two men took off.
From the window, Nodoka watched them go, and tried to suppress
her own bad premontion that said she might not see her husband again.
But what could she do about it? She glanced at the wrapped bundle in her
arm, a strange idea popping into her head.
Maybe there was something she could do, after all.
----------------------------------
Author's notes:
Say what you will about Genma and Soun, there have been times when they
leapt into action instead of avoiding it. They're not always the whiny
cowards that many fanfics would lead you to believe. They have even
stood up against Happosai before and managed to hold their own. Also,
Genma DID make Ranma out to be an excellent martial artist, as well as
inventing two powerful schools of techniques that could level several
buildings in a manner of seconds or allow him to move and attack
undetected(Umisenken and Yamesenken).
In the end, very little actual scared them when they were determined to
fight.