Monkey Business (v1.00, 05/16/02)
Chapter 2
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. All
other characters to appear are owned by their respective
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own any of them unless
otherwise noted, so please don't sue me because I have Zero
money. Thank You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or may not have
severe x-over tendencies. I don't know at this point.
--- Note to Reader ---
"..." = verbal speech
'...' = thoughts
[...] = panda signs
--- End Note to Reader ---
+++ Tendo Living Room +++
"Genma?... is that really you?" began Soun with a mix of
apprehension as well as hope in his voice. "How did this
happen to you and what about Ranma? Is he alright?"
[The boy is all right, Tendo. Just get me some hot water
and I can explain everything,] replied back Genma-Panda.
Soun nodded numbly to the request and was about to lead the
large panda into the kitchen when he caught sight of his
eldest daughter rounding the corner of the hall. Behind her
walked a handsome stranger whose image invoked a long
forgotten memory of his 'late' friend's wife, Nodoka.
'That must be Ranma,' thought Soun as he quickly forgot
about Genma's water. While ignoring the panda sign asking
for "hot water first, then boy later," Soun bridged the gap
between himself and the young man as he gently wedged his
way between Ranma and Kasumi--ignoring the slight pout
Kasumi made when he did this.
"Hello there young man," interrupted Soun. "You must be
Genma's boy, Ranma?" Soun had an eager expression on his
face as he knew without a doubt that this was indeed Genma's
son. 'Oh, happy days,' he thought when he saw the young man
nod his head.
"That's right," began Ranma. "Um, you must be Mr. Tendo,
right?"
Soun nodded and quickly gripped Ranma in a tight hug. "Oh
it's so good to see you son; I was afraid something terrible
might had happened to you when your--" Soun paused for a
second as he turned around to look at Genma-Panda. Shaking
his head, he then began to ease his grip on Ranma to now
look the boy straight in the eye and continued: "Now tell me
son, what has happened? Why has your father's spirit taken
possession of that poor beast over there?"
Ranma replied with an intelligent "Huh?" before realizing
that he meant his father. "Oh, you mean Pop," he began.
"Yeah, don't worry. While we were in China we got cursed
and shit happened. Now, when splashed with cold water Pop
over there will turn into a panda; hot water will turn him
back though."
At that moment, Kasumi--now somewhat understanding of the
situation--rushed off towards the kitchen to fetch some hot
water for her possible future father-in-law.
In the mean time, Genma nodded in agreement. [That's right,
Tendo. Listen to the boy and get me some hot water and I'll
explain everything.]
No sooner had Genma finished writing did Kasumi return with
the kettle she had prepared earlier for evening tea.
"Oh here, Mr. Saotome," chimed Kasumi. She promptly handed
the kettle to Genma who poured the steaming hot water over
his head. Although the water was hot, Genma ignored the
pain as he again relished the feeling of being fully human.
"Oh thank you very much, dear," began Genma. Then turning
to Soun: "See Tendo-" Genma was unable to finish his
statement when the world suddenly turned black.
"Ack! It's a youma," screamed Akane as she removed her fist
from the back of Genma's skull. Genma in turn began to
wobble at the knees and in slow motion fell flat onto his
face. In the back of everyone's mind, the faint words of
'timber!' seemed to echo in unison.
As seconds passed in silence, everyone aside from Ranma
gazed upon Genma's now human and prone form with wide eyes
of disbelief. They all had not just seen what they thought
they had seen, now had they?
Before the question could be answered, Ranma interrupted the
stunned audience by coughing into the palm of his hand.
"Ahem," he began. "Sorry to interrupt but..." He then
motioned to Genma's comatose form and Soun nodded.
"Oh right right," mumbled a dazed Soun. "Kasumi could you
please prepare a futon for my friend while Ranma and I carry
him upstairs?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, father." She quickly rushed upstairs,
happy to have something else to keep her mind off the
unbelievable sight she had just witnessed--leaving to fetch
some spare bedding while everyone else was left downstairs
to deal with Mr. Saotome.
"Akane," continued Soun once Kasumi left. "I want you to
apologize to my friend once he wakes up. I didn't raise you
to hit guests of the house," he added this part with a stern
tone of voice that caused the youngest Tendo daughter to
cringe at being scolded.
She was about to retort to her defense when Ranma
intervened. "Ah don't sweat it Mr. Tendo. I'm sure my old
man would be impressed with someone as unskilled as your
daughter getting the drop on him like that."
Soun took pause at this and nodded. "Quite right, son.
Genma would be impressed at such a feat." Turning to Akane.
"But that still doesn't mean you're off the hook, Dear. You
will apologize to him once he regains consciousness. Is
that understood?"
Akane nodded as she bit her lip in anger. She had listened
as this strange boy had belittled her skill, calling it an
amazing feat that 'someone as unskilled as your daughter'
could get the drop on Genma.
In Akane's mind, the word 'unskilled' was emphasized as the
sound of his voice continuously played over and over in her
head. 'Unskilled, unskilled, unskilled...' her mind ranted.
In those few seconds that it took during the initial stage
of comprehension, down to the moment of rebuttal, Ranma and
Soun were long gone; Soun of course rushing Ranma upstairs
before Akane could react to the slight made against her
skills.
+++ Upstairs, Tendo Household +++
"So, Mr. Tendo, how is it that you know my Pop? He never
mentioned you before, not until today that is."
Soun had a far away look on his face as he remembered back
to his youth, with feelings of fondness, fear, and nostalgia
mixed in. "Well, son," he began. "Your father and I were
training partners under the 'Dreaded Master.'" Soun
shivered in slight apprehension at thought of the pervert.
'May he rot forever in that cave,' he thought in prayer.
Shaking his head. "We had suffered many hardships together
during that time and through it all your father was there
for me--keeping me sane with the promise that one day our
dream to unite the two schools would be fulfilled." Soun
let off a large smile with an aloof expression on his face.
As he gazed off towards a fantasy of finally securing the
Tendo legacy, Soun's lack of attention led to him not
noticing Ranma's curious expression.
"Wow Mr. Tendo, that must be some dream. So? How are you
and my pop supposed to unite the two schools; is he going to
be teaching here now?"
Soun shook his head from his dream like state as he baulked
in surprise at Ranma's response. "Son, you mean your father
never told you?"
"Told me what?" replied Ranma.
"That you're here to marry one of my daughters and through
marriage unify our two clans and through proxy the two
schools."
Ranma cocked his head to the side as the information slowly
trickled into his head. He let out a calm "Oh," before
adding. "Cool, was that your daughter who answered the door
for me?"
Soun nodded with a smile on his face. "That's right, that's
Kasumi, my eldest; she's nineteen. The one in the kimono
was Nabiki, she's seventeen and the one in the yellow dogi
was Akane, she's sixteen. Choose whichever one you want and
they'll be your new fiancée."
Ranma nodded as the two men continued carrying Genma's inert
form into the spare guest room. As the two waited for
Kasumi to arrive with the new sheets, Soun began to prod
Ranma for his opinion on his three daughters.
"So, which one will it be?" He smiled as he saw that the
boy wasn't going to be difficult; it even seemed that Ranma
might even want this engagement. 'Unlike my daughters,' he
mentally added.
Soun then continued in a helpful tone of voice with:
"perhaps Kasumi?" The man couldn't help but notice the
healthy blush his daughter gave off when she first entered
the family parlor with Ranma in tow, Soun had also noticed
Ranma's appreciative gaze as the boy looked at Kasumi's
retreating backside. 'It's already love at first sight,' he
thought with delight.
"Kasumi?" replied back Ranma as her name seemed to roll off
the back of his tongue. "She's.. she's I don't know what to
say, but..." Ranma hesitated as Soun's brow furled.
"But what?" added Mr. Tendo in a disapproving tone. "Is she
not good enough for you?"
Ranma shook his head as he seemed not to notice the delicate
situation he had placed himself in. "No that's not it.
It's just that this whole fiancée thing seems all so new to
me. When I first saw your daughter I had to admit I was
very attracted to her. I mean the women I've met in China
were beautiful but your daughter was absolutely breath
taking and she seems so nice and I..." He paused as he
caught himself. "Sorry Mr. Tendo, I shouldn't be talking
that way about a girl I just met, especially to her father."
Soun chuckled as he nudged Ranma in the ribs. "Don't worry,
son. I was that age once. Why, I remember when I first met
me dear wife. She was so beautiful in that summer kimono,
with her hair was put up just right. I can even still
remember the faint smell of her perfume..." Tears began to
well up as he put a fatherly arm around Ranma. "Oh son, I'm
sure you'll make my dear Kasumi a happy bride!"
Just then Kasumi came in with the rest of the bed sheets,
followed closely behind by Nabiki and Akane. "Oh father, I
heard my name. Is something the matter?" inquired Kasumi
with puzzled concern in her eyes. She then settled into the
room as she began to lay out the bed sheets, maintaining all
the while her calm façade as she hid the fact that she and
her sisters had been listening in on their father's
conversation.
For Kasumi it was extremely difficult maintaining the ruse
as she fought off the growing blush threatening to overtake
her features; all because of the mere thought that a
handsome man such as Ranma would find someone as homely and
plain as her 'breath taking.'
Kasumi turned her head towards Ranma to catch a peek at him.
She was caught when she noticed Ranma give her a playful
wink and smile. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassed
glee as the fire in her cheeks tried to work its way across
her body.
While this went on, Soun replied out to all assembled. "Oh,
nothing is the matter dear. I'm just so happy that Ranma
has chosen you to be his new fiancée. I was just saying how
he was going to make you such a happy bride-"
Soun's words were cut off when both Akane and Ranma
interrupted with "but."
The room grew silent as Ranma and Akane looked shocked. The
two looked at each other wondering who should go first and
for a second time interrupted each other with "but."
Finally, Akane grew angry and flustered and continued with:
"But father, how can you possibly engage Kasumi to this..
this 'boy!.'" She spat out the last part with venom.
The room grew silent for a moment as everyone waited for
Soun to respond, but he turned to Ranma and said: "I think
you were about to add something."
Ranma nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tendo. I was about to add that I
can't get engaged to Kasumi. She's very beautiful and she
seems very sweet and kind and I'm sure she would make me a
very happy and lucky man, but even if we do decide to get
engaged. I don't think I can get formally engaged to her
just yet."
"And why not?" responded Soun.
"Because I think we really should wait until my mother
arrives. I mean isn't it tradition or something, I really
don't know but I heard someone say that to me."
Soun let out a relieved sigh, so too did Kasumi though no
one aside from her noticed. "Okay then, if that's the case
when Genma wakes up I'll just have him call his wife and
have her come over-"
Soun's next words were muffled as Genma's hands now covered
it. With a now alert Genma, he quickly whispered something
in his friend's ear and the man went wide-eyed.
"Uh, just one moment," came Soun's final words before the
two men went into a corner to talk to themselves.
In their absence the three Tendo daughters and Ranma did a
slight double blink.
"Wow! I didn't even know he was awake, let alone alert
enough to move that fast," was all Nabiki could say.
Ranma let off a "Humph," and nodded. "My Pop is probably up
to something. He usually never moves that fast unless his
life depends on it--in those moments it's like he's
psychic."
Akane just scowled as she glared at Ranma. "You're not
marrying my sister," was all she said.
Ranma gave her a raised eyebrow while Kasumi reprimanded her
with: "Akane, it's family honor."
The third Tendo sister then crossed her arm and continued to
glare at Ranma as she tried to pierce holes through him.
"Don't worry, I won't force anyone to do anything," replied
Ranma. "If Kasumi or you or your other sister don't want to
marry me then I won't force you guys to."
"But what about family honor?" replied Nabiki with a hint of
curiosity. 'What could he be up to?' she thought.
Ranma shrugged. "As crude as it may sound I say 'fuck it!'
As long as you don't call a blood vendetta I'll end it on my
side. I don't need to ruin you or your sister's lives by
marrying someone like me."
Kasumi let out a worried frown. "Like you?" she asked.
Ranma turned to her with a soft smile. "Yeah, like me. I'm
cursed, just like my father is."
The three girls looked at him with wide eyes. "So you turn
into a panda like your father," continued Kasumi.
Ranma grinned and let off a snorted laugh. "Ha! Thank god
I didn't. This is what my curse looks like." He extended
his arms and then pointed to himself. "Aren't I hideous?"
Nabiki responded with a wry "hardly," while Kasumi wondered
what his true form looked like-wondering if it was as good
looking as his cursed.
There was a muffled remark of "pervert," from Akane but no
one paid her heed when Nabiki added: "Are you trying to joke
with us? Cause not to inflate your ego but you're pretty
good looking, I would think your curse would be... I don't
know, a curse-like your fathers at least."
Ranma simply shrugged. "My Pop and I got our curses at some
Valley in China called Jusenkyo. Which roughly means 'Land
of the Cursed Springs...' There are about a few hundred
small pools that if you fall into one of them, you'll be
cursed to transform into whatever last drowned in that pool.
In my Pop's case I'm sure it's pretty obvious, as for me...
Well, I might not look all that different from my normal
form, but if you come closer you'll notice that my pupils
are flaming red and I've got this." At that moment, the
umber sash around his waist took a life of its own as it
unfurled itself and floating in the air-one end running back
to the base of his tailbone.
The three girls took a step back as they stared at it.
"Wha.. what did you fall into, exactly?" asked Kasumi when
she finally got the nerve to approach Ranma. Her hand was
only a few inches away from the brow hairy monkey's tail
that extended from Ranma's rear; her eyes held a curious
gleam as they came close enough that if Ranma had wanted to,
he could tickle her nose with it.
Seeing the wondrous expression from Kasumi, Ranma smirked as
he acted on impulse. "You can touch it if you like."
There was another muffled "pervert," from Akane but again no
one paid her attention.
As Kasumi looked one last time to see Ranma nod to her
before she tentatively reached forward and grabbed the
floating appendage, marveling at how soft and smooth it was.
With it close to her face for inspection, she giggled when
she felt the end of the tail twitch and tickle her nose and
brush against her cheek.
Seeing that the tail was harmless, Nabiki too reached
forward to touch it as her hands caressed Ranma's tail.
"What kind of curse is this?" she asked. "Did you fall into
the spring of drowned Saiyain or something?" There was a
hint of joking sarcasm at the end. Akane just stood far
away from whatever it was that was sticking out of that
boy's butt.
Ranma responded with: "A Saiya-what?" Then shaking his
head. "I don't know what that is but no, I don't think I
fell into that. According to the guide who took us to
Jusenkyo, I fell into the spring of Drowned Son Gokuu."
At the mention of that the three Tendo sisters perked their
eyebrows in surprise. "You're shitting us, right?" came
Nabiki's response.
Ranma shook his head. "Sorry, no lie. I fell into the
legendary spring of Drowned Monkey King. It's a tragic tale
of the Monkey King who died while trying to save a Buddhist
Monk 1800 years ago. Or so the guide says."
As Kasumi continued to thumb Ranma's tail, she looked at him
with concern and asked: "How do you look when the curse is
deactivated?"
"As I said, not much different," he replied with a smile.
"Aside from what your holding plus this," he said while
pointing to his eyes. "In my normal form I have gray-blue
eyes instead."
Nabiki nodded. "Eyes just like the monkey king. So, I
suppose your cursed form is stronger and faster as well?"
"That's right," he replied. "I'm also supposed to be able
to transform and fly but that hasn't happened yet if at all.
In any case, the curse ain't too bad I mean aside from the
curse making me act a little 'off,' it's pretty cool."
"What do you mean a little off," returned Nabiki. Kasumi
nodded silently to her sister's query since it just wouldn't
do to have a lunatic for a fiancé, she after all had heard
of the strange Kuno boy and his odd behavior around Akane.
Oblivious to Kasumi and Nabiki's mental concerns, Ranma
replied with a carefree manner. "Oh it's nothing serious.
People say that in my cursed form I'm more confident and
impulsive. A little mischievous as well but I'm the monkey
king so what the hell do you expect? Oh, I'm also able to
read and speak archaic Chinese and do a few other things but
that's about it."
Kasumi and Nabiki nodded at this explanation, sighing in
relief that the boy in front of them wasn't a nut case,
though Nabiki mentally added that she would keep an extra
eye on him.
"Well anyway, I wonder what the hell my Pop and your Pop are
doing. They've been talking in secret for some time."
"It beats me," came Nabiki's response. Kasumi simply shook
her head while Akane was too absorbed at staring down the
boy who had not only gotten her two sisters to do something
so perverted as touch his monkey's tail but he was also the
boy who had the gall to call her unskilled. 'I'll show
him,' she thought.
"I challenge you," she finally said from out of the blue.
"Huh?" replied Ranma.
"I challenge you. If I defeat you, you will renounce your
engagement to my sisters and I. And furthermore you will
take your father, yourself, and your freakish curses out of
here and never come back."
By then, the two father's had returned, having caught the
tail end of Akane's challenge.
Genma rushing up to Ranma's side and began: "Boy, accept her
challenge this instant. You must defeat her and marry a
Tendo so that you can carry on the two schools."
Soun then popped up on Ranma's other side and added: "That's
right son. You must defeat my sweet Akane, but please be
gentle. And remember, family honor is at stake."
Ranma simply shrugged and said "no problem, I'll kick her
ass in less than five seconds." He then gave Akane a cocky
smile and stared at her with his frightening red eyes that
seemed to glow for a second.
Akane swallowed hard and then suddenly realized something.
"I demand that you fight in your true form; it's cheating if
you use your curse to your advantage."
Ranma shrugged again. "Whatever," he replied as he rolled
his eyes. "Even in my uncursed form I'll still kick your
ass in under five seconds."
Akane smiled. 'Ha, now I have him. I'm the best in Nerima
and practically the world. As soon as this freakish 'boy'
transforms back I'll beat him up just like I did his
father.' Akane began to mentally cackle to herself,
grabbing her stomach to contain her external laughter.
To those watching, it looked like she was going through
spasms as everyone took a nervous step back. 'What a weird
chick,' thought Ranma--a thought also mirrored by those
around him.
+++ Tendo Dojo +++
"Alright, the rules are anything goes. The first person to
be knocked out or to tap out loses. Is that understood,"
began Soun.
The two fighters nodded.
"Alright, face me, bow; face each other, bow. Fighting
stance. Hajime![1]"
At the signal, Akane let off a fierce cry as she charged
Ranma like a mad bull. She was hoping for a quick knock
out--dealing with Ranma much as she would any other boy at
school.
When she was nearly in striking range, she let loose with a
three hit combo, beginning with a round kick followed in
close succession with a back-fist to the head and reverse
punch to the stomach; all of which missed as Ranma side
stepped the girl.
Quickly, Akane spun on her heal as she tried to track
Ranma's progress, the boy looked at her with his guard down-
-dancing up and down on his toes as he dodged and weaved
between her strikes. As the fight wore on and Akane
unleashed another combo of fast punches and kicks, she
realized she had seriously underestimated her opponent.
'He's somehow reading my moves,' she thought as the boy
weaved in and out of her guard, while also tapping Akane at
vital openings along her stomach and side. This act showing
to both the girl and those watching, just how vulnerable she
had left herself to anyone of Ranma's potential counter
strikes. This of course further infuriated Akane as she
looked at the smug smile planted across his face. 'I'll
show him,' she thought just before she let out a loud
"kiyai!" and charged.
As she swung with a forward reverse punch that caused her to
over extend in hopes of catching her opponent at the tail
end of the strike, she soon learned that Ranma was a lot
faster that she had previously estimated. Moving at just
the last possible second, her hand flew through his after
image as the boy sidestepped her but this time
counterstriking with a sharp kick to her rear--sending the
girl crashing into the Dojo wall.
With a loud crack and subsequent thud, her head made contact
against the building's wood frame as her body fell back onto
its rear. She had a glazed look in her eyes as her brown
orbs rolled up into the back of her head. Quickly Soun ran
over to check his daughter to see if she wasn't in any
serious danger. Counting to ten, he then acknowledged Ranma
as the victor of the fight, then quickly trying to revive
his baby girl. It was about twenty seconds later that Akane
began to stir and groggily get back to her feet.
"I'm not finished with you yet," she slurred as she tried to
steady herself. "You haven't beaten me."
She rushed at him but fell short of her target as her left
foot tripped up her right, causing her to come crashing down
for a second time; this time thoroughly knocking herself
out.
"Oh my, Akane!" gasped Kasumi when she saw this. She was
initially worried after Akane's first tumble, but Soun had
assured everyone that a hit to a head like that wouldn't
permanently injure the girl. However, this latest tumble
had the added effect of causing Akane's ankle to twist at an
odd angle when she landed; this was made evident to all who
were watching as they cringed at the obvious pain Akane must
have been in. Fortunately, Akane had soon after knocked
herself out when her head impacted with the Dojo's wooden
floor, thus saving herself from feeling the immediate
affects of having a heavily sprained ankle.
However, unfortunately, when the family's local
chiropractor, a Doctor Ono Tofu was called in to help
bandage the injury, the presence of one Kasumi Tendo and the
news of her recent engagement had left the unconscious girl
more worse for wear. In the end, Akane had a dislocated
shoulder; a broken right ankle in conjunction with her
sprained left, and a nasty rash along her thigh from having
a love struck Dr. Tofu constantly inspecting the wrong end
of Akane's leg with his wandering hand.
Needless to say, Nabiki had taken pictures while Kasumi
shook her head at the sight of the young doctor. Mumbling
to herself about how she used to admire him for his skill,
but after seeing how the man handled and treated her baby
sister, the idle thought of 'malpractice suit' was something
that wasn't only relegated to Nabiki's mind set.
Finally, Dr. Tofu's reign of terror was brought to an end
when Genma knocked the foggy eyed doctor unconscious, while
Ranma was used to keep Soun from tearing the now unconscious
doctor apart. As the two wrestled, it finally took Genma's
massive girth to pin the enraged Tendo patriarch to the
ground, while the police made it in time to arrest the dear
doctor.
With the evidence collect by Nabiki's camera, and the
inspection by a doctor from a neighboring district, there
was little evidence to doubt that the massive injuries
inflicted by Tofu unto Akane were intentional.
When the family finally finished with their interviews and
the police were done gathering evidence, the Tendos and the
Saotomes settled in for the night; all nervous and uneasy
due to the recent events of having the trusted family
chiropractor molest and injure an unconscious Akane in full
view of her family. Added Kasumi's recent engagement to
Ranma that seemed to have snowballed, everyone was in dire
need of sleep.
+++ 10th Precinct, Nerima +++
"Well Doctor, this is your new cell mate, Bubba. I hope you
two can be friends."
Doctor Tofu looked from the jail guard and then over to the
three hundred plus pound man who was eying the young man
with a gaze that caused the hair on Tofu's neck to stand out
on end.
"Don't worry Boss, me and the Doc are going to be like bosom
buddies. Now isn't that right." By that statement, Bubba
extended one of his large tree-trunk like arms around the
doctor's shoulder, squeezing the smaller man to his frame
and nearly picking him off the ground with hardly any
effort.
The guard just smiled and closed the iron door--locking it
with a loud metal *clank*. "Bubba, make sure this man knows
what happens to people who molest unconscious little girls,"
said the guard once he was out of eyesight. The guard
snickered to himself when he added the word 'little.' He
knew that a sixteen-year-old girl was far from being too
immature for sex, but the guard had a thing against any sort
of sexual predator and so he only thought it was right to
teach such scum a lesson.
As the guard began to whistle an offbeat tune, he heard the
screams and cries for help of the young doctor as Bubba
showed him his idea of tender loving care.
To be continued...
--- Notes ---
[1] - Hajime means fight.
--- C&C ---
Send Comments, Criticisms, or Suggestions to
allwhacked@hotmail.com Also if you're going to flame me, at
least give me a reason besides "it sucks" or "you can't
write sh*t." Thanks.
Chapter 2
By AllWhacked
Send C&C to allwhacked@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/allwhacked/
--- Disclaimer ---
The characters of Ranma 1/2 belong to Rumiko Takakashi. All
other characters to appear are owned by their respective
owners. So in other words, I DO NOT own any of them unless
otherwise noted, so please don't sue me because I have Zero
money. Thank You.
--- Warning!!! ---
Anyway this is an Alterverse fanfic that may or may not have
severe x-over tendencies. I don't know at this point.
--- Note to Reader ---
"..." = verbal speech
'...' = thoughts
[...] = panda signs
--- End Note to Reader ---
+++ Tendo Living Room +++
"Genma?... is that really you?" began Soun with a mix of
apprehension as well as hope in his voice. "How did this
happen to you and what about Ranma? Is he alright?"
[The boy is all right, Tendo. Just get me some hot water
and I can explain everything,] replied back Genma-Panda.
Soun nodded numbly to the request and was about to lead the
large panda into the kitchen when he caught sight of his
eldest daughter rounding the corner of the hall. Behind her
walked a handsome stranger whose image invoked a long
forgotten memory of his 'late' friend's wife, Nodoka.
'That must be Ranma,' thought Soun as he quickly forgot
about Genma's water. While ignoring the panda sign asking
for "hot water first, then boy later," Soun bridged the gap
between himself and the young man as he gently wedged his
way between Ranma and Kasumi--ignoring the slight pout
Kasumi made when he did this.
"Hello there young man," interrupted Soun. "You must be
Genma's boy, Ranma?" Soun had an eager expression on his
face as he knew without a doubt that this was indeed Genma's
son. 'Oh, happy days,' he thought when he saw the young man
nod his head.
"That's right," began Ranma. "Um, you must be Mr. Tendo,
right?"
Soun nodded and quickly gripped Ranma in a tight hug. "Oh
it's so good to see you son; I was afraid something terrible
might had happened to you when your--" Soun paused for a
second as he turned around to look at Genma-Panda. Shaking
his head, he then began to ease his grip on Ranma to now
look the boy straight in the eye and continued: "Now tell me
son, what has happened? Why has your father's spirit taken
possession of that poor beast over there?"
Ranma replied with an intelligent "Huh?" before realizing
that he meant his father. "Oh, you mean Pop," he began.
"Yeah, don't worry. While we were in China we got cursed
and shit happened. Now, when splashed with cold water Pop
over there will turn into a panda; hot water will turn him
back though."
At that moment, Kasumi--now somewhat understanding of the
situation--rushed off towards the kitchen to fetch some hot
water for her possible future father-in-law.
In the mean time, Genma nodded in agreement. [That's right,
Tendo. Listen to the boy and get me some hot water and I'll
explain everything.]
No sooner had Genma finished writing did Kasumi return with
the kettle she had prepared earlier for evening tea.
"Oh here, Mr. Saotome," chimed Kasumi. She promptly handed
the kettle to Genma who poured the steaming hot water over
his head. Although the water was hot, Genma ignored the
pain as he again relished the feeling of being fully human.
"Oh thank you very much, dear," began Genma. Then turning
to Soun: "See Tendo-" Genma was unable to finish his
statement when the world suddenly turned black.
"Ack! It's a youma," screamed Akane as she removed her fist
from the back of Genma's skull. Genma in turn began to
wobble at the knees and in slow motion fell flat onto his
face. In the back of everyone's mind, the faint words of
'timber!' seemed to echo in unison.
As seconds passed in silence, everyone aside from Ranma
gazed upon Genma's now human and prone form with wide eyes
of disbelief. They all had not just seen what they thought
they had seen, now had they?
Before the question could be answered, Ranma interrupted the
stunned audience by coughing into the palm of his hand.
"Ahem," he began. "Sorry to interrupt but..." He then
motioned to Genma's comatose form and Soun nodded.
"Oh right right," mumbled a dazed Soun. "Kasumi could you
please prepare a futon for my friend while Ranma and I carry
him upstairs?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, father." She quickly rushed upstairs,
happy to have something else to keep her mind off the
unbelievable sight she had just witnessed--leaving to fetch
some spare bedding while everyone else was left downstairs
to deal with Mr. Saotome.
"Akane," continued Soun once Kasumi left. "I want you to
apologize to my friend once he wakes up. I didn't raise you
to hit guests of the house," he added this part with a stern
tone of voice that caused the youngest Tendo daughter to
cringe at being scolded.
She was about to retort to her defense when Ranma
intervened. "Ah don't sweat it Mr. Tendo. I'm sure my old
man would be impressed with someone as unskilled as your
daughter getting the drop on him like that."
Soun took pause at this and nodded. "Quite right, son.
Genma would be impressed at such a feat." Turning to Akane.
"But that still doesn't mean you're off the hook, Dear. You
will apologize to him once he regains consciousness. Is
that understood?"
Akane nodded as she bit her lip in anger. She had listened
as this strange boy had belittled her skill, calling it an
amazing feat that 'someone as unskilled as your daughter'
could get the drop on Genma.
In Akane's mind, the word 'unskilled' was emphasized as the
sound of his voice continuously played over and over in her
head. 'Unskilled, unskilled, unskilled...' her mind ranted.
In those few seconds that it took during the initial stage
of comprehension, down to the moment of rebuttal, Ranma and
Soun were long gone; Soun of course rushing Ranma upstairs
before Akane could react to the slight made against her
skills.
+++ Upstairs, Tendo Household +++
"So, Mr. Tendo, how is it that you know my Pop? He never
mentioned you before, not until today that is."
Soun had a far away look on his face as he remembered back
to his youth, with feelings of fondness, fear, and nostalgia
mixed in. "Well, son," he began. "Your father and I were
training partners under the 'Dreaded Master.'" Soun
shivered in slight apprehension at thought of the pervert.
'May he rot forever in that cave,' he thought in prayer.
Shaking his head. "We had suffered many hardships together
during that time and through it all your father was there
for me--keeping me sane with the promise that one day our
dream to unite the two schools would be fulfilled." Soun
let off a large smile with an aloof expression on his face.
As he gazed off towards a fantasy of finally securing the
Tendo legacy, Soun's lack of attention led to him not
noticing Ranma's curious expression.
"Wow Mr. Tendo, that must be some dream. So? How are you
and my pop supposed to unite the two schools; is he going to
be teaching here now?"
Soun shook his head from his dream like state as he baulked
in surprise at Ranma's response. "Son, you mean your father
never told you?"
"Told me what?" replied Ranma.
"That you're here to marry one of my daughters and through
marriage unify our two clans and through proxy the two
schools."
Ranma cocked his head to the side as the information slowly
trickled into his head. He let out a calm "Oh," before
adding. "Cool, was that your daughter who answered the door
for me?"
Soun nodded with a smile on his face. "That's right, that's
Kasumi, my eldest; she's nineteen. The one in the kimono
was Nabiki, she's seventeen and the one in the yellow dogi
was Akane, she's sixteen. Choose whichever one you want and
they'll be your new fiancée."
Ranma nodded as the two men continued carrying Genma's inert
form into the spare guest room. As the two waited for
Kasumi to arrive with the new sheets, Soun began to prod
Ranma for his opinion on his three daughters.
"So, which one will it be?" He smiled as he saw that the
boy wasn't going to be difficult; it even seemed that Ranma
might even want this engagement. 'Unlike my daughters,' he
mentally added.
Soun then continued in a helpful tone of voice with:
"perhaps Kasumi?" The man couldn't help but notice the
healthy blush his daughter gave off when she first entered
the family parlor with Ranma in tow, Soun had also noticed
Ranma's appreciative gaze as the boy looked at Kasumi's
retreating backside. 'It's already love at first sight,' he
thought with delight.
"Kasumi?" replied back Ranma as her name seemed to roll off
the back of his tongue. "She's.. she's I don't know what to
say, but..." Ranma hesitated as Soun's brow furled.
"But what?" added Mr. Tendo in a disapproving tone. "Is she
not good enough for you?"
Ranma shook his head as he seemed not to notice the delicate
situation he had placed himself in. "No that's not it.
It's just that this whole fiancée thing seems all so new to
me. When I first saw your daughter I had to admit I was
very attracted to her. I mean the women I've met in China
were beautiful but your daughter was absolutely breath
taking and she seems so nice and I..." He paused as he
caught himself. "Sorry Mr. Tendo, I shouldn't be talking
that way about a girl I just met, especially to her father."
Soun chuckled as he nudged Ranma in the ribs. "Don't worry,
son. I was that age once. Why, I remember when I first met
me dear wife. She was so beautiful in that summer kimono,
with her hair was put up just right. I can even still
remember the faint smell of her perfume..." Tears began to
well up as he put a fatherly arm around Ranma. "Oh son, I'm
sure you'll make my dear Kasumi a happy bride!"
Just then Kasumi came in with the rest of the bed sheets,
followed closely behind by Nabiki and Akane. "Oh father, I
heard my name. Is something the matter?" inquired Kasumi
with puzzled concern in her eyes. She then settled into the
room as she began to lay out the bed sheets, maintaining all
the while her calm façade as she hid the fact that she and
her sisters had been listening in on their father's
conversation.
For Kasumi it was extremely difficult maintaining the ruse
as she fought off the growing blush threatening to overtake
her features; all because of the mere thought that a
handsome man such as Ranma would find someone as homely and
plain as her 'breath taking.'
Kasumi turned her head towards Ranma to catch a peek at him.
She was caught when she noticed Ranma give her a playful
wink and smile. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassed
glee as the fire in her cheeks tried to work its way across
her body.
While this went on, Soun replied out to all assembled. "Oh,
nothing is the matter dear. I'm just so happy that Ranma
has chosen you to be his new fiancée. I was just saying how
he was going to make you such a happy bride-"
Soun's words were cut off when both Akane and Ranma
interrupted with "but."
The room grew silent as Ranma and Akane looked shocked. The
two looked at each other wondering who should go first and
for a second time interrupted each other with "but."
Finally, Akane grew angry and flustered and continued with:
"But father, how can you possibly engage Kasumi to this..
this 'boy!.'" She spat out the last part with venom.
The room grew silent for a moment as everyone waited for
Soun to respond, but he turned to Ranma and said: "I think
you were about to add something."
Ranma nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tendo. I was about to add that I
can't get engaged to Kasumi. She's very beautiful and she
seems very sweet and kind and I'm sure she would make me a
very happy and lucky man, but even if we do decide to get
engaged. I don't think I can get formally engaged to her
just yet."
"And why not?" responded Soun.
"Because I think we really should wait until my mother
arrives. I mean isn't it tradition or something, I really
don't know but I heard someone say that to me."
Soun let out a relieved sigh, so too did Kasumi though no
one aside from her noticed. "Okay then, if that's the case
when Genma wakes up I'll just have him call his wife and
have her come over-"
Soun's next words were muffled as Genma's hands now covered
it. With a now alert Genma, he quickly whispered something
in his friend's ear and the man went wide-eyed.
"Uh, just one moment," came Soun's final words before the
two men went into a corner to talk to themselves.
In their absence the three Tendo daughters and Ranma did a
slight double blink.
"Wow! I didn't even know he was awake, let alone alert
enough to move that fast," was all Nabiki could say.
Ranma let off a "Humph," and nodded. "My Pop is probably up
to something. He usually never moves that fast unless his
life depends on it--in those moments it's like he's
psychic."
Akane just scowled as she glared at Ranma. "You're not
marrying my sister," was all she said.
Ranma gave her a raised eyebrow while Kasumi reprimanded her
with: "Akane, it's family honor."
The third Tendo sister then crossed her arm and continued to
glare at Ranma as she tried to pierce holes through him.
"Don't worry, I won't force anyone to do anything," replied
Ranma. "If Kasumi or you or your other sister don't want to
marry me then I won't force you guys to."
"But what about family honor?" replied Nabiki with a hint of
curiosity. 'What could he be up to?' she thought.
Ranma shrugged. "As crude as it may sound I say 'fuck it!'
As long as you don't call a blood vendetta I'll end it on my
side. I don't need to ruin you or your sister's lives by
marrying someone like me."
Kasumi let out a worried frown. "Like you?" she asked.
Ranma turned to her with a soft smile. "Yeah, like me. I'm
cursed, just like my father is."
The three girls looked at him with wide eyes. "So you turn
into a panda like your father," continued Kasumi.
Ranma grinned and let off a snorted laugh. "Ha! Thank god
I didn't. This is what my curse looks like." He extended
his arms and then pointed to himself. "Aren't I hideous?"
Nabiki responded with a wry "hardly," while Kasumi wondered
what his true form looked like-wondering if it was as good
looking as his cursed.
There was a muffled remark of "pervert," from Akane but no
one paid her heed when Nabiki added: "Are you trying to joke
with us? Cause not to inflate your ego but you're pretty
good looking, I would think your curse would be... I don't
know, a curse-like your fathers at least."
Ranma simply shrugged. "My Pop and I got our curses at some
Valley in China called Jusenkyo. Which roughly means 'Land
of the Cursed Springs...' There are about a few hundred
small pools that if you fall into one of them, you'll be
cursed to transform into whatever last drowned in that pool.
In my Pop's case I'm sure it's pretty obvious, as for me...
Well, I might not look all that different from my normal
form, but if you come closer you'll notice that my pupils
are flaming red and I've got this." At that moment, the
umber sash around his waist took a life of its own as it
unfurled itself and floating in the air-one end running back
to the base of his tailbone.
The three girls took a step back as they stared at it.
"Wha.. what did you fall into, exactly?" asked Kasumi when
she finally got the nerve to approach Ranma. Her hand was
only a few inches away from the brow hairy monkey's tail
that extended from Ranma's rear; her eyes held a curious
gleam as they came close enough that if Ranma had wanted to,
he could tickle her nose with it.
Seeing the wondrous expression from Kasumi, Ranma smirked as
he acted on impulse. "You can touch it if you like."
There was another muffled "pervert," from Akane but again no
one paid her attention.
As Kasumi looked one last time to see Ranma nod to her
before she tentatively reached forward and grabbed the
floating appendage, marveling at how soft and smooth it was.
With it close to her face for inspection, she giggled when
she felt the end of the tail twitch and tickle her nose and
brush against her cheek.
Seeing that the tail was harmless, Nabiki too reached
forward to touch it as her hands caressed Ranma's tail.
"What kind of curse is this?" she asked. "Did you fall into
the spring of drowned Saiyain or something?" There was a
hint of joking sarcasm at the end. Akane just stood far
away from whatever it was that was sticking out of that
boy's butt.
Ranma responded with: "A Saiya-what?" Then shaking his
head. "I don't know what that is but no, I don't think I
fell into that. According to the guide who took us to
Jusenkyo, I fell into the spring of Drowned Son Gokuu."
At the mention of that the three Tendo sisters perked their
eyebrows in surprise. "You're shitting us, right?" came
Nabiki's response.
Ranma shook his head. "Sorry, no lie. I fell into the
legendary spring of Drowned Monkey King. It's a tragic tale
of the Monkey King who died while trying to save a Buddhist
Monk 1800 years ago. Or so the guide says."
As Kasumi continued to thumb Ranma's tail, she looked at him
with concern and asked: "How do you look when the curse is
deactivated?"
"As I said, not much different," he replied with a smile.
"Aside from what your holding plus this," he said while
pointing to his eyes. "In my normal form I have gray-blue
eyes instead."
Nabiki nodded. "Eyes just like the monkey king. So, I
suppose your cursed form is stronger and faster as well?"
"That's right," he replied. "I'm also supposed to be able
to transform and fly but that hasn't happened yet if at all.
In any case, the curse ain't too bad I mean aside from the
curse making me act a little 'off,' it's pretty cool."
"What do you mean a little off," returned Nabiki. Kasumi
nodded silently to her sister's query since it just wouldn't
do to have a lunatic for a fiancé, she after all had heard
of the strange Kuno boy and his odd behavior around Akane.
Oblivious to Kasumi and Nabiki's mental concerns, Ranma
replied with a carefree manner. "Oh it's nothing serious.
People say that in my cursed form I'm more confident and
impulsive. A little mischievous as well but I'm the monkey
king so what the hell do you expect? Oh, I'm also able to
read and speak archaic Chinese and do a few other things but
that's about it."
Kasumi and Nabiki nodded at this explanation, sighing in
relief that the boy in front of them wasn't a nut case,
though Nabiki mentally added that she would keep an extra
eye on him.
"Well anyway, I wonder what the hell my Pop and your Pop are
doing. They've been talking in secret for some time."
"It beats me," came Nabiki's response. Kasumi simply shook
her head while Akane was too absorbed at staring down the
boy who had not only gotten her two sisters to do something
so perverted as touch his monkey's tail but he was also the
boy who had the gall to call her unskilled. 'I'll show
him,' she thought.
"I challenge you," she finally said from out of the blue.
"Huh?" replied Ranma.
"I challenge you. If I defeat you, you will renounce your
engagement to my sisters and I. And furthermore you will
take your father, yourself, and your freakish curses out of
here and never come back."
By then, the two father's had returned, having caught the
tail end of Akane's challenge.
Genma rushing up to Ranma's side and began: "Boy, accept her
challenge this instant. You must defeat her and marry a
Tendo so that you can carry on the two schools."
Soun then popped up on Ranma's other side and added: "That's
right son. You must defeat my sweet Akane, but please be
gentle. And remember, family honor is at stake."
Ranma simply shrugged and said "no problem, I'll kick her
ass in less than five seconds." He then gave Akane a cocky
smile and stared at her with his frightening red eyes that
seemed to glow for a second.
Akane swallowed hard and then suddenly realized something.
"I demand that you fight in your true form; it's cheating if
you use your curse to your advantage."
Ranma shrugged again. "Whatever," he replied as he rolled
his eyes. "Even in my uncursed form I'll still kick your
ass in under five seconds."
Akane smiled. 'Ha, now I have him. I'm the best in Nerima
and practically the world. As soon as this freakish 'boy'
transforms back I'll beat him up just like I did his
father.' Akane began to mentally cackle to herself,
grabbing her stomach to contain her external laughter.
To those watching, it looked like she was going through
spasms as everyone took a nervous step back. 'What a weird
chick,' thought Ranma--a thought also mirrored by those
around him.
+++ Tendo Dojo +++
"Alright, the rules are anything goes. The first person to
be knocked out or to tap out loses. Is that understood,"
began Soun.
The two fighters nodded.
"Alright, face me, bow; face each other, bow. Fighting
stance. Hajime![1]"
At the signal, Akane let off a fierce cry as she charged
Ranma like a mad bull. She was hoping for a quick knock
out--dealing with Ranma much as she would any other boy at
school.
When she was nearly in striking range, she let loose with a
three hit combo, beginning with a round kick followed in
close succession with a back-fist to the head and reverse
punch to the stomach; all of which missed as Ranma side
stepped the girl.
Quickly, Akane spun on her heal as she tried to track
Ranma's progress, the boy looked at her with his guard down-
-dancing up and down on his toes as he dodged and weaved
between her strikes. As the fight wore on and Akane
unleashed another combo of fast punches and kicks, she
realized she had seriously underestimated her opponent.
'He's somehow reading my moves,' she thought as the boy
weaved in and out of her guard, while also tapping Akane at
vital openings along her stomach and side. This act showing
to both the girl and those watching, just how vulnerable she
had left herself to anyone of Ranma's potential counter
strikes. This of course further infuriated Akane as she
looked at the smug smile planted across his face. 'I'll
show him,' she thought just before she let out a loud
"kiyai!" and charged.
As she swung with a forward reverse punch that caused her to
over extend in hopes of catching her opponent at the tail
end of the strike, she soon learned that Ranma was a lot
faster that she had previously estimated. Moving at just
the last possible second, her hand flew through his after
image as the boy sidestepped her but this time
counterstriking with a sharp kick to her rear--sending the
girl crashing into the Dojo wall.
With a loud crack and subsequent thud, her head made contact
against the building's wood frame as her body fell back onto
its rear. She had a glazed look in her eyes as her brown
orbs rolled up into the back of her head. Quickly Soun ran
over to check his daughter to see if she wasn't in any
serious danger. Counting to ten, he then acknowledged Ranma
as the victor of the fight, then quickly trying to revive
his baby girl. It was about twenty seconds later that Akane
began to stir and groggily get back to her feet.
"I'm not finished with you yet," she slurred as she tried to
steady herself. "You haven't beaten me."
She rushed at him but fell short of her target as her left
foot tripped up her right, causing her to come crashing down
for a second time; this time thoroughly knocking herself
out.
"Oh my, Akane!" gasped Kasumi when she saw this. She was
initially worried after Akane's first tumble, but Soun had
assured everyone that a hit to a head like that wouldn't
permanently injure the girl. However, this latest tumble
had the added effect of causing Akane's ankle to twist at an
odd angle when she landed; this was made evident to all who
were watching as they cringed at the obvious pain Akane must
have been in. Fortunately, Akane had soon after knocked
herself out when her head impacted with the Dojo's wooden
floor, thus saving herself from feeling the immediate
affects of having a heavily sprained ankle.
However, unfortunately, when the family's local
chiropractor, a Doctor Ono Tofu was called in to help
bandage the injury, the presence of one Kasumi Tendo and the
news of her recent engagement had left the unconscious girl
more worse for wear. In the end, Akane had a dislocated
shoulder; a broken right ankle in conjunction with her
sprained left, and a nasty rash along her thigh from having
a love struck Dr. Tofu constantly inspecting the wrong end
of Akane's leg with his wandering hand.
Needless to say, Nabiki had taken pictures while Kasumi
shook her head at the sight of the young doctor. Mumbling
to herself about how she used to admire him for his skill,
but after seeing how the man handled and treated her baby
sister, the idle thought of 'malpractice suit' was something
that wasn't only relegated to Nabiki's mind set.
Finally, Dr. Tofu's reign of terror was brought to an end
when Genma knocked the foggy eyed doctor unconscious, while
Ranma was used to keep Soun from tearing the now unconscious
doctor apart. As the two wrestled, it finally took Genma's
massive girth to pin the enraged Tendo patriarch to the
ground, while the police made it in time to arrest the dear
doctor.
With the evidence collect by Nabiki's camera, and the
inspection by a doctor from a neighboring district, there
was little evidence to doubt that the massive injuries
inflicted by Tofu unto Akane were intentional.
When the family finally finished with their interviews and
the police were done gathering evidence, the Tendos and the
Saotomes settled in for the night; all nervous and uneasy
due to the recent events of having the trusted family
chiropractor molest and injure an unconscious Akane in full
view of her family. Added Kasumi's recent engagement to
Ranma that seemed to have snowballed, everyone was in dire
need of sleep.
+++ 10th Precinct, Nerima +++
"Well Doctor, this is your new cell mate, Bubba. I hope you
two can be friends."
Doctor Tofu looked from the jail guard and then over to the
three hundred plus pound man who was eying the young man
with a gaze that caused the hair on Tofu's neck to stand out
on end.
"Don't worry Boss, me and the Doc are going to be like bosom
buddies. Now isn't that right." By that statement, Bubba
extended one of his large tree-trunk like arms around the
doctor's shoulder, squeezing the smaller man to his frame
and nearly picking him off the ground with hardly any
effort.
The guard just smiled and closed the iron door--locking it
with a loud metal *clank*. "Bubba, make sure this man knows
what happens to people who molest unconscious little girls,"
said the guard once he was out of eyesight. The guard
snickered to himself when he added the word 'little.' He
knew that a sixteen-year-old girl was far from being too
immature for sex, but the guard had a thing against any sort
of sexual predator and so he only thought it was right to
teach such scum a lesson.
As the guard began to whistle an offbeat tune, he heard the
screams and cries for help of the young doctor as Bubba
showed him his idea of tender loving care.
To be continued...
--- Notes ---
[1] - Hajime means fight.
--- C&C ---
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