Where I Belong
By The Unseen Watcher
Rurouni Kenshin and Ranma 1/2 are not mine legally or otherwise. I just hope that those who do own them don't mind my little version of their characters. All harmless fun, I assure you.
Chapter 7
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There was dead silence in the Tendo Dojo. Even the structure itself seemed to be holding its proverbial breath, the usual creaks and groans absent.
Ranma stared at the woman he had not that long ago craved with his whole heart to meet. She had only come rather recently into his life. His memories of her until then had been vague, half-remembered dreams of gentle eyes and a soft voice.
During his training journey, he'd not had much time to think about her. Intellectually, he knew that she must exist somewhere, but the demands of focusing only on fighting and finding his next meal had always kept him too busy to speculate about her existence. Only at night, in those few seconds before he fell into an exhausted sleep, would he sometimes look at the stars, and wonder.
Then came his arrival in Nerima, and the resulting explosion of chaos. The subject was swept from his mind completely as all his attention was focused on the goal of staying whole and sane.
Then with little warning he got word of her coming, and had learned from his idiot father of the seppuku pledge.
Ranma had found to his surprise that there was a deep yearning in his heart for the loving presence of a mother. The day had finally come to meet her, albeit in the guise of his cursed form, and the feeling only increased. He ached silently for the maternal attention he had been denied for so long and had had so fleetingly in his life.
Eventually, he despaired of ever getting the acknowledgement as her son he so needed. He resigned himself to forever hide from her in plain sight, all due to his feelings of inadequacy and his father's cowardice.
Then, finally, he had gained his mother, and found himself both happy and uncertain at the same time. What did she want from him? Could he fill the role of complete manliness that she expected him to fill? Would he fail her?
Despite the doubts, the one thing that pushed them all aside was the simple yet profound fact that she was his mother. A lot of things could be overlooked or explained away in the face of that truth. And now this.
***
Ranma was at a compete loss as to what to say or do. His usual tactic of insulting defensiveness just didn't apply here. He'd just been dropped a bombshell and was still picking up the pieces.
He was pulled from the seemingly endless loop his thoughts had become as the large window of the room groaned in woody protest. Snapping back to reality, Ranma had enough time to realize that he'd been so distracted by the stunning news, that he hadn't even sensed the nearness of the others.
The window gave one final protesting shriek and then caved in with several loud snaps, sending the Nerima regulars tumbling in on top of its remains and into the room. Ranma wondered how much they had heard. From their expressions, it had been enough.
Genma started up first, wailing at Nodoka. "Woman, how could you do this to me?! To the future of the school?!"
His wife's reply was a glare as she fingered the cloth covering her katana. Genma quickly backed off, turning immediately to throw his grievances at a less threatening target. The others were already there, crowding around Ranma and talking all at once. Everyone wanted his undivided attention for themselves, their shouts ranging from pleading to protests and, inevitably, to threats. The only exceptions were Cologne and soon Shampoo, who both seemed rather smug after Cologne had pulled her young charge aside for a quick whispered conversation.
The din around Ranma just kept getting louder as they crowded even closer until he could barely move. Managing to free his arms from their clutches, Ranma clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden vertigo of claustrophobia. He had a rather unsettling vision of a documentary he'd glimpsed once concerning a school of piranha. He couldn't take this any more!
"SHUT UP!" He roared, his outraged bellow cutting through the noise like a katana through tofu.
The sudden silence was so complete that it seemed like an extra person in the room. Cracking his eyes open, he saw that everyone was gaping at him, some cut off mid-word. He took a careful breath, dispelling a slight disorientation more often experienced by a diver whose lost track of up from down.
They were about to start up again. He saw it in their stubborn sets to their jaws and the offended expressions that adorned every single one of them, making them look briefly like fun house mirrors of each other. It would have been funny if there had been anything about the situation to laugh about.
Swiftly pushing himself upright, he took a quick look around him. He had their full, silent attention for the first time he'd come to this crazy town . . . and he hadn't a clue what to do with it. Anything he might say would somehow set them off. Of course, not saying anything would probably have the same effect.
"Leave me alone." He finally muttered, his voice harsh and strange to his own ears. "I need to think about this. Just . . . leave me alone."
He pushed forward, eyes straight ahead and his posture clearly conveying to the array of fighters that those who didn't move aside would be moved Through.
The ranks parted, albeit reluctantly, all eyes still on him. Stopping at the edge of the ruined window, he reached up and caught hold of the frame, swinging gracefully up to the roof and out of sight.
**
No one moved for a timeless moment. The look on his face when he had actually Shouted at them had made even Cologne halt in caution. It was obvious to the most dim that Ranma was in no mood to be trifled with. That said Mousse, Kuno, and Kodachi took off after him.
The rest stayed there. They could get him later, when he started to feel guilty for his rudeness. All that was left was to decide Who would get him first. This conclusion chillingly universal, they turned back to each other and the argument continued as though there had never been any interruption.
**
Ranma had wandered well away from the Dojo, and the bedlam that was no doubt reigning there at that very moment. He was crouched under the arch of a bridge on the edge of the district. It was a better hiding spot than the top of a house, what with all the roof-hoppers that seemed to permeate Nerima. He had discovered the place when he fell into the river nearby after one of his involuntary trips through the air. These days it was being used more and more frequently. It was a refuge from the madness of his life.
So he sat there, trying to find some way to sort out the newest twist his life-path had abruptly taken. This time he had no one to fight, no one to yell at to find the answers to his questions. Despite all the training in mind as well as body that he had received from Dr. Tofu, he was still very much a young man of action. He needed to DO something about his problems; to physically face them head on and defeat them. Unfortunately, that particular strategy had never worked with his girl troubles and, as he was finding out now the hard way, it wasn't helping his present dilemma either.
Tilting his head back, the black-haired crown making contact with the cool stone of the bridge, he looked up at the stars, visible if he angled his head just a bit to the side. They held no answers, either. His hands clenched into fists in silent frustration, then relaxed with a resigned sigh as he forced himself to sit there and think.
*This deciding stuff on your own thing is harder than it looks. * he thought ruefully, one hand absently going up to rub the back of his head. His eyebrows lowering, he forced himself to concentrate on the exercise Dr. Tofu had given him to help figure things out.
~Who?~ Well, him of course. Whoever that was.
He snorted in disgust. This was already feeling lame.
~What?~ He'd just found out that his parents weren't his parents, and every moment of misery he'd gone to for the Saotome name had been for nothing.
He scowled at that. No way was he nothing.
~When?~ About an hour ago. 17 years ago. Who knew when else.
He almost gave up in disgust at that. He didn't have enough clues to even begin to sort the When.
~Why?~
Now wasn't that the 10000 yen question?
~How?~
How was he going to deal with this?
Ranma brought his legs up to his chest, resting his weary head on his knees. How could he deal with this? It wasn't like he had any choice But to deal with it. It was there, and no amount of pretending would change it. He'd just be fooling himself. The fact was that he hadn't a clue who and where his real family was. Did he have siblings? Was there a mom and dad out there that would actually care about him? If he left to find out, what would he do about his fiancée problem? It wasn't as though he could just go and forget about all the troubles he'd had since Pop had dragged him to the Tendo Dojo and told him he was engaged . . .
Ranma's head jerked up, his mouth dropping open and his eyes glazing in utter shock.
The realization that Genma was not his natural father and thus had not paternal emotional (or financial) hold on him hit him like a wet sock in the face. His mind raced ahead to the obvious conclusions. His mind working on overdrive, the rest of him could only sit it a stupor, his vision turned inward as his mouth hung open. As epiphanies went, this one took a surprisingly short time to process. Maybe because he had wished for this very situation so often over the years. Then his mouth closed and his lips twitched.
**
A loud whoop of absolute delight rang through the night, carrying over both districts.
***
At the Tendo Dojo, most of the guests (the slightly more normal ones) had dispersed to their homes. The Wrecking Crew had retired to the receiving room. They were silent for the most part, having used up the majority of their breath and strength in the earlier discussion/brawl. The battle had degenerated to the glares that were frequently shot between factions.
They were waiting for Ranma to return. Each was determined to get to him first.
Genma and Soun were playing shogi. Each was determined not to look away.
Nodoka came into the room from the kitchen, Kasumi at her shoulder. "The meal is ready." She said calmly.
Genma's head whipped up at the mention of food, an eager look on his face, before he realized just what he had done. Turning back quickly, he saw that it was too late. A composed, all too innocent looking Soun raised a smug eyebrow at his opponent's open consternation.
"Looks like I win this one, Saotome." He commented placidly, his lips twitching under his mustache against the urge to smirk in triumph. Genma looked again at the board, and acknowledged to himself that it was hopeless. Rather than face the coming taunts, he mumbled some excuse about taking some air and went outside, giving the inhabitants a brief glimpse of the yard, the surface of the koi pond reflecting the light of the half-full moon, before Genma slid the shoji door closed behind him.
There were a few more minutes of relative quiet, and then.
"RANMA! THERE YOU ARE! YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO, BOY!"
Followed by a loud splash.
**
All the residents of the Dojo rushed out at once, going around, and over, but mostly, through, the door.
There was Ranma, standing in the yard and calmly dusting off his hands as Genma-panda surfaced from the pond. Shampoo and Ukyo got to him first.
"Ranma honey!"
"Airen!"
Ranma stood his ground in the face of the onrushing female martial artists. Then he moved, weaving between them like they were traffic cones in an obstacle course as he dodged each attempted glomp. He no longer looked calm, his jaw set and his normally bright blue eyes darkened with determination. The girls ended up sprawled face-first in the dirt when their diving jumps failed.
Indignant, the two of them got up from their unaccustomed dirt meal, turning murderous gazes on the boy they had seemed so happy to see a moment earlier. Ranma ignored them, daring so far as to turn his back on them as he walked over to where Genma-panda was wading out of the pond. Ranma stopped a healthy distance away from the wet man turned bear, his posture stiff and unyielding as he eyed the other coldly. His gaze flickered to an amused Nabiki. "Get hot water. Now." The manipulative girl looked at him in surprise, starting to object at being ordered around, but shut up as freezing grey-blue eyes as warm and cuddly as a glacier met hers. She decided that, for the moment, it was tactically best to keep quiet and do as the obviously furious martial artist told her. Payback could be extracted at a later time.
Ranma returned his stare to Genma, his icy gaze unwavering. The said older man/panda felt a chill race up his furry spine that had nothing to do with the pond's temperature.
Nabiki returned with a steaming kettle, and vented some of her offended dignity by dumping the nearly boiling contents on the gluttonous male's fuzzy head. Genma changed back to human form with a yelp, his white bandanna and gi steaming in the night air. Trying to regain some dignity, he straightened and put on a great show of indignation, berating the young man before him.
"Ungrateful boy! How dare you treat your poor father this way! After all I've done for you! Stop sulking like a girl and act like a-"
"Shut.Up!" Ranma ground out between now clenched teeth, his glare intensifying. The blunt order, laced with such loathing and pure venom, had an unexpected effect. Genma shut up, his voice cutting off without his permission while his jaw hung open, his eyes bulging in disbelief behind his glasses. Everyone stared at Ranma in renewed shock. Despite everything, he had never sounded so- so Murderous before.
Ranma crossed his arms, surveying Genma from head to toe in a slow, deliberate fashion. His expression of absolute disgust only seemed to grow with each inch. Finally he looked back up at Genma's gaping face. With one last snort of distaste, he glanced over at Nodoka, who was standing on the porch with Kasumi. His gaze softened somewhat at her startled and somewhat hurt expression.
"sorry about this." He whispered, the sound loud in the charged atmosphere of the yard. Then his gaze returned to Genma and returned to its previous disdain. Standing tall, he then bowed stiffly.
The action brought home to his audience the sudden realization that he had grown in the years that he had lived there. He had added only a few inches in height, but his body now seemed composed of more muscle, most of the baby fat gone from his frame and face. He looked very adult there in the moonlight, his grave features handsomely outlined by the slight illumination. He spoke, and his voice was low and stiffly correct, as if he was reciting a memorized speech. Little of the poor language that normally laced his words was present.
"Pop, I have come to you for a very serious reason tonight." He said, pausing to take a deep breath, any sign of nervousness squashed down in an instant. He continued, his voice firm. "I don't know if there's some kind of special ceremony for this kind of thing. . ." He shrugged, looking a bit more like his usual self. "Oh, well. I'll just have to make it up as I go along. Anything-Goes you know." He said, flashing a humorless smile.
He bowed once again to the older man before him, this one so short and miniscule that it was well over the line considered to be insulting.
"Genma Saotome. I hereby renounce any and all ties, relations, and holds I have, knowingly or otherwise, with you. And in doing so-" The pain in his eyes was visible now "-I also give up the Saotome name. It is not mine to have, and the dishonor you have brought to it destroys any possibility of me Wanting to be known of that clan."
He paused again to take several more steadying breaths. The expressions of most of the crowd would be almost funny if the atmosphere wasn't so serious. They all looked like landed fish, save Nodoka and Kasumi.
Cologne, too, got over her surprise quickly, her beady eyes thoughtful and guarded as she studied the dark back of her future son-in-law's head. She was pulled abruptly from her musings as his voice continued, sounding firm.
"The school name I'll keep. The one good thing you've probably ever done in your whole life was to teach me how to fight." His teeth flashed briefly. "Though the way you did it stunk." He frowned, his eyes turning up to the stars. "Martial arts are a part of me now. I couldn't leave what I've learned behind even if I wanted to. It's my life. It's who I am."
Ranma looked once again at Nodoka, regret and a silent apology in his eyes. Nodoka in turn looked sad, but reluctantly nodded her acceptance, the look she gave in return one of pride for his maturity.
*
Warmed by her unspoken support, Ranma turned back to Genma, whose jaw was now near ankle level. It would be a while before his brain could even begin to scramble up a coherent response. Ranma glanced around at the semi- circle of people. He couldn't help but smirk inwardly as they eyed him like he'd grown another head.
"I've decided to go and find my real family." He said quietly. "I don't have much to go on, but I know I have to try." He scowled. "I have to get out of this crazy place before I lose it completely." He turned to Ukyo. In stark contrast to his seeming indifference earlier, his eyes now showed regret as he looked at her. "Since I'm no longer a Saotome, all pledges and contracts made don't apply to me anymore."
Ukyo glared back, her jaw clenched defiantly. But looking into her oldest friend and hoped for husband's eyes, she saw something. A determination, maybe. Or a sad truth. Her resolve wavered and dissolved like mist. Tears streaming down her face, she bolted into the house. Ranma watched her leave sadly.
*
Cologne hopped forward into the conversation gap, clearing her throat. "Very well done, son-in-law, but I feel I must remind you before you say something foolish that your Amazon marriage is not through you former father. It still applies to you personally, not whatever family name you may currently have." She eyed him sharply, braced for the inevitable explosion.
Ranma did look about ready to take her up on the challenge in her expression, but visibly held himself in check. "Elder Cologne-" He started, his words coming out somewhat stiffly despite his best efforts. "I really think I need to find out who I really am and where I've come from before I can tackle any more fiancée stuff. You'll have to take it up with my real parents, whenever I find them that is." His entire posture was determined, but his words were sincere.
Cologne looked startled, then thoughtful, her sharp eyes studying him intently. Finally, she nodded inclined her head in agreement. "Very well, son-in-law. I would ask that you take Shampoo with you-" Ranma's eyes widen in panic "-but I think I already know your answer. All I ask then is that when you find them you allow me an audience to explain our laws to them." Ranma eyed her warily, but nodded at what seemed a reasonable request.
"Shampoo go too!" The girl announced firmly, her ruby eyes determined. Before a newly alarmed Ranma could make some excuse the young Amazon was interrupted by, of all people, her great-grandmother.
"No, Shampoo. This is something he has to do on his own. I believe this task will be yet another test to strengthen him further. He will be of even more value to the tribe then."
Ranma's, mouth closed on his half-formed objection, though he looked as though he couldn't decide if he should be grateful or worried by her statement. Cologne gave a mental sigh of relief. She had truly not wanted to push him so far that he would be forced to fight. Her confident attitude toward him since Mt. Phoenix had been almost completely a façade. Ranma's victory over the seemingly all-powerful phoenix god of her childhood nightmares had shaken up her world view quite a bit.
For the first time in centuries, the ancient Amazon doubted her ability to win against an opponent; a male one at that. She he be pushed too far, there was no telling what Ranma was no capable of.
Shampoo said nothing more, though she was visibly pouting. The stubborn glint in her eyes was all the proof Ranma needed that she hadn't let the idea go yet, and would probably sneak after him at the first opportunity.
Then Ukyo, who had returned from the house during the conversation looking a bit red around the eyes but seeming to regain her resolve, volunteered to go with him too. "My business was mobile to begin with." She said with strained cheer, not meeting his eyes. "I can pack up and be ready to go in a few hours."
That last offer seemed to break the spell of silence over the rest of the yard. The scene erupted with shouts of protest and threats. Soun and Genma were beaten out by Akane in sheer volume. They were soon arguing amongst themselves, the two older men supporting Akane's position, much to her chagrin and denial.
Ranma debated on whether or not to join in, but gave it up as a hopeless battle that even He had no chance of winning. Once again, they were talking AT him, not WITH him. He seriously debated just slipping away while they were still in the thick of it, when the entire scene was interrupted by a rare source.
**
Kasumi was still standing on the porch, smiling at how energetic everyone was being. As she was looking on, a strange sparkle that had not been there a moment before caught the corner of her eye. Looking up, she found herself viewing their much-abused koi pond. Something was happening in its clear waters, this time without any help from the usual perpetrators.
Her warm brown eyes widened at the sight before her.
"Oh, My!" She gasped.
**
Heads snapped around at the eldest Tendo girl's exclamation, then turned like stringed puppets toward the direction of her gaze. Jaws dropped.
There was a white glow in the exact center of the circular pool. It started out as a spark the size of a candle flame, but then it slowly spread out in all directions until it encompassed the entire pond. The brightness of it faded somewhat, and the eyes of the onlookers cleared. Where once lay the watery adornment to the yard was now a circle of what could only be described as a sheet of glass. The stars reflected clearly on its surface.
The radiance retreated, until it was once again in the center. There it stopped, forming a small ring just wide enough to fit a person in the middle of it.
In its' center something was rising from the surface. The form of what appeared to be the ghost of an elaborately dressed young woman was slowly materializing out of the glass. When her feet cleared the surface she solidified and the last of the light faded altogether. Before them a beautiful girl with mouse-brown hair that floated about her opened her cornflower blue eyes and smiled at the staring group. Her delicately formed face, framed by strange markings on her cheeks and forehead, seemed completed by the bright, innocent smile that would have made a rock want to return the favor. Ranma dimly heard someone gasp in the background and realized that it was Cologne.
The figure before them smiled serenely, her gaze taking in each person as if acknowledging each one of them individually as worthy of notice. Then those incredible eyes fell on Ranma, whose surprise quickly turned to cautious expectation.
As strange as it sounded, seeing a girl coming out of a suddenly solidified pool like she was stepping out of her own house was not the weirdest thing to have ever happened to him. However, these little events always had one thing in common. They spelled trouble for him. Usually major trouble.
His suspicions seemed to be confirmed as her smile, if possible, grew even more as she saw him, her eyes lighting up. *Thankfully not literally *, he thought somewhat bemusedly. He was trying, and failing, to keep an answering, shy smile from appearing on his face. There was just something about this girl that shouted 'MOTHERLY.' She reminded him strongly of Kasumi. He found himself straightening like a school boy with dirty knees before an elegant lady.
Then she spoke, her voice soft and gentle, completing the image of everyone's ideal older sister. "Oh, There you are. You've grown up so much. You look very handsome." She practically beamed at him.
*
Ranma felt his cheeks reddening at the honest compliment. A small part of his mind noted that he had rarely blushed in his entire life. The greater, more dazzled area of his brain told that part to be quiet.
The strange girl was still looking at him, and he mentally scrambled to find his voice. "Who're you?" it finally managed, and he cringed inwardly at how abrupt and rude it sounded even to his own ears. Somehow, the idea of addressing this person in anything but the most respectful way possible seemed wrong.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to take offense. Something about the way she looked at him told him more than words could that she understood what he had meant to say instead. Who was this girl/woman/vision?
She bowed politely. "Forgive me, I have not introduced myself properly."
Ranma almost protested aloud that he doubted that she could be rude in any way, but managed to close his teeth around the atypical response before it could escape. What was wrong with him?
She smiled around at them all once more, and the gesture warmed even the most hardened of her audience.
"My name is Belldandy, Goddess of the Present. It's nice to meet you all. I've come for Ranma -such a nice name too, and so appropriate . . ."
--------------------
I'm mean, I'm bad. I'm the queen of procrastinators. *bows low in apology * I have no excuses, but I hope you like this anyway. Oh, I've been informed by my sister that Belldandy uses mirrors while URD uses water. However, I wanted to use the symbolism of the infamous koi pond in her appearance. Soooo . . . I kinda cheated. ^_^ Thanks for all the kind and heartfelt death threats. The last one was particularly good. Thanks thermopyle! ^_~
By The Unseen Watcher
Rurouni Kenshin and Ranma 1/2 are not mine legally or otherwise. I just hope that those who do own them don't mind my little version of their characters. All harmless fun, I assure you.
Chapter 7
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There was dead silence in the Tendo Dojo. Even the structure itself seemed to be holding its proverbial breath, the usual creaks and groans absent.
Ranma stared at the woman he had not that long ago craved with his whole heart to meet. She had only come rather recently into his life. His memories of her until then had been vague, half-remembered dreams of gentle eyes and a soft voice.
During his training journey, he'd not had much time to think about her. Intellectually, he knew that she must exist somewhere, but the demands of focusing only on fighting and finding his next meal had always kept him too busy to speculate about her existence. Only at night, in those few seconds before he fell into an exhausted sleep, would he sometimes look at the stars, and wonder.
Then came his arrival in Nerima, and the resulting explosion of chaos. The subject was swept from his mind completely as all his attention was focused on the goal of staying whole and sane.
Then with little warning he got word of her coming, and had learned from his idiot father of the seppuku pledge.
Ranma had found to his surprise that there was a deep yearning in his heart for the loving presence of a mother. The day had finally come to meet her, albeit in the guise of his cursed form, and the feeling only increased. He ached silently for the maternal attention he had been denied for so long and had had so fleetingly in his life.
Eventually, he despaired of ever getting the acknowledgement as her son he so needed. He resigned himself to forever hide from her in plain sight, all due to his feelings of inadequacy and his father's cowardice.
Then, finally, he had gained his mother, and found himself both happy and uncertain at the same time. What did she want from him? Could he fill the role of complete manliness that she expected him to fill? Would he fail her?
Despite the doubts, the one thing that pushed them all aside was the simple yet profound fact that she was his mother. A lot of things could be overlooked or explained away in the face of that truth. And now this.
***
Ranma was at a compete loss as to what to say or do. His usual tactic of insulting defensiveness just didn't apply here. He'd just been dropped a bombshell and was still picking up the pieces.
He was pulled from the seemingly endless loop his thoughts had become as the large window of the room groaned in woody protest. Snapping back to reality, Ranma had enough time to realize that he'd been so distracted by the stunning news, that he hadn't even sensed the nearness of the others.
The window gave one final protesting shriek and then caved in with several loud snaps, sending the Nerima regulars tumbling in on top of its remains and into the room. Ranma wondered how much they had heard. From their expressions, it had been enough.
Genma started up first, wailing at Nodoka. "Woman, how could you do this to me?! To the future of the school?!"
His wife's reply was a glare as she fingered the cloth covering her katana. Genma quickly backed off, turning immediately to throw his grievances at a less threatening target. The others were already there, crowding around Ranma and talking all at once. Everyone wanted his undivided attention for themselves, their shouts ranging from pleading to protests and, inevitably, to threats. The only exceptions were Cologne and soon Shampoo, who both seemed rather smug after Cologne had pulled her young charge aside for a quick whispered conversation.
The din around Ranma just kept getting louder as they crowded even closer until he could barely move. Managing to free his arms from their clutches, Ranma clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden vertigo of claustrophobia. He had a rather unsettling vision of a documentary he'd glimpsed once concerning a school of piranha. He couldn't take this any more!
"SHUT UP!" He roared, his outraged bellow cutting through the noise like a katana through tofu.
The sudden silence was so complete that it seemed like an extra person in the room. Cracking his eyes open, he saw that everyone was gaping at him, some cut off mid-word. He took a careful breath, dispelling a slight disorientation more often experienced by a diver whose lost track of up from down.
They were about to start up again. He saw it in their stubborn sets to their jaws and the offended expressions that adorned every single one of them, making them look briefly like fun house mirrors of each other. It would have been funny if there had been anything about the situation to laugh about.
Swiftly pushing himself upright, he took a quick look around him. He had their full, silent attention for the first time he'd come to this crazy town . . . and he hadn't a clue what to do with it. Anything he might say would somehow set them off. Of course, not saying anything would probably have the same effect.
"Leave me alone." He finally muttered, his voice harsh and strange to his own ears. "I need to think about this. Just . . . leave me alone."
He pushed forward, eyes straight ahead and his posture clearly conveying to the array of fighters that those who didn't move aside would be moved Through.
The ranks parted, albeit reluctantly, all eyes still on him. Stopping at the edge of the ruined window, he reached up and caught hold of the frame, swinging gracefully up to the roof and out of sight.
**
No one moved for a timeless moment. The look on his face when he had actually Shouted at them had made even Cologne halt in caution. It was obvious to the most dim that Ranma was in no mood to be trifled with. That said Mousse, Kuno, and Kodachi took off after him.
The rest stayed there. They could get him later, when he started to feel guilty for his rudeness. All that was left was to decide Who would get him first. This conclusion chillingly universal, they turned back to each other and the argument continued as though there had never been any interruption.
**
Ranma had wandered well away from the Dojo, and the bedlam that was no doubt reigning there at that very moment. He was crouched under the arch of a bridge on the edge of the district. It was a better hiding spot than the top of a house, what with all the roof-hoppers that seemed to permeate Nerima. He had discovered the place when he fell into the river nearby after one of his involuntary trips through the air. These days it was being used more and more frequently. It was a refuge from the madness of his life.
So he sat there, trying to find some way to sort out the newest twist his life-path had abruptly taken. This time he had no one to fight, no one to yell at to find the answers to his questions. Despite all the training in mind as well as body that he had received from Dr. Tofu, he was still very much a young man of action. He needed to DO something about his problems; to physically face them head on and defeat them. Unfortunately, that particular strategy had never worked with his girl troubles and, as he was finding out now the hard way, it wasn't helping his present dilemma either.
Tilting his head back, the black-haired crown making contact with the cool stone of the bridge, he looked up at the stars, visible if he angled his head just a bit to the side. They held no answers, either. His hands clenched into fists in silent frustration, then relaxed with a resigned sigh as he forced himself to sit there and think.
*This deciding stuff on your own thing is harder than it looks. * he thought ruefully, one hand absently going up to rub the back of his head. His eyebrows lowering, he forced himself to concentrate on the exercise Dr. Tofu had given him to help figure things out.
~Who?~ Well, him of course. Whoever that was.
He snorted in disgust. This was already feeling lame.
~What?~ He'd just found out that his parents weren't his parents, and every moment of misery he'd gone to for the Saotome name had been for nothing.
He scowled at that. No way was he nothing.
~When?~ About an hour ago. 17 years ago. Who knew when else.
He almost gave up in disgust at that. He didn't have enough clues to even begin to sort the When.
~Why?~
Now wasn't that the 10000 yen question?
~How?~
How was he going to deal with this?
Ranma brought his legs up to his chest, resting his weary head on his knees. How could he deal with this? It wasn't like he had any choice But to deal with it. It was there, and no amount of pretending would change it. He'd just be fooling himself. The fact was that he hadn't a clue who and where his real family was. Did he have siblings? Was there a mom and dad out there that would actually care about him? If he left to find out, what would he do about his fiancée problem? It wasn't as though he could just go and forget about all the troubles he'd had since Pop had dragged him to the Tendo Dojo and told him he was engaged . . .
Ranma's head jerked up, his mouth dropping open and his eyes glazing in utter shock.
The realization that Genma was not his natural father and thus had not paternal emotional (or financial) hold on him hit him like a wet sock in the face. His mind raced ahead to the obvious conclusions. His mind working on overdrive, the rest of him could only sit it a stupor, his vision turned inward as his mouth hung open. As epiphanies went, this one took a surprisingly short time to process. Maybe because he had wished for this very situation so often over the years. Then his mouth closed and his lips twitched.
**
A loud whoop of absolute delight rang through the night, carrying over both districts.
***
At the Tendo Dojo, most of the guests (the slightly more normal ones) had dispersed to their homes. The Wrecking Crew had retired to the receiving room. They were silent for the most part, having used up the majority of their breath and strength in the earlier discussion/brawl. The battle had degenerated to the glares that were frequently shot between factions.
They were waiting for Ranma to return. Each was determined to get to him first.
Genma and Soun were playing shogi. Each was determined not to look away.
Nodoka came into the room from the kitchen, Kasumi at her shoulder. "The meal is ready." She said calmly.
Genma's head whipped up at the mention of food, an eager look on his face, before he realized just what he had done. Turning back quickly, he saw that it was too late. A composed, all too innocent looking Soun raised a smug eyebrow at his opponent's open consternation.
"Looks like I win this one, Saotome." He commented placidly, his lips twitching under his mustache against the urge to smirk in triumph. Genma looked again at the board, and acknowledged to himself that it was hopeless. Rather than face the coming taunts, he mumbled some excuse about taking some air and went outside, giving the inhabitants a brief glimpse of the yard, the surface of the koi pond reflecting the light of the half-full moon, before Genma slid the shoji door closed behind him.
There were a few more minutes of relative quiet, and then.
"RANMA! THERE YOU ARE! YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO, BOY!"
Followed by a loud splash.
**
All the residents of the Dojo rushed out at once, going around, and over, but mostly, through, the door.
There was Ranma, standing in the yard and calmly dusting off his hands as Genma-panda surfaced from the pond. Shampoo and Ukyo got to him first.
"Ranma honey!"
"Airen!"
Ranma stood his ground in the face of the onrushing female martial artists. Then he moved, weaving between them like they were traffic cones in an obstacle course as he dodged each attempted glomp. He no longer looked calm, his jaw set and his normally bright blue eyes darkened with determination. The girls ended up sprawled face-first in the dirt when their diving jumps failed.
Indignant, the two of them got up from their unaccustomed dirt meal, turning murderous gazes on the boy they had seemed so happy to see a moment earlier. Ranma ignored them, daring so far as to turn his back on them as he walked over to where Genma-panda was wading out of the pond. Ranma stopped a healthy distance away from the wet man turned bear, his posture stiff and unyielding as he eyed the other coldly. His gaze flickered to an amused Nabiki. "Get hot water. Now." The manipulative girl looked at him in surprise, starting to object at being ordered around, but shut up as freezing grey-blue eyes as warm and cuddly as a glacier met hers. She decided that, for the moment, it was tactically best to keep quiet and do as the obviously furious martial artist told her. Payback could be extracted at a later time.
Ranma returned his stare to Genma, his icy gaze unwavering. The said older man/panda felt a chill race up his furry spine that had nothing to do with the pond's temperature.
Nabiki returned with a steaming kettle, and vented some of her offended dignity by dumping the nearly boiling contents on the gluttonous male's fuzzy head. Genma changed back to human form with a yelp, his white bandanna and gi steaming in the night air. Trying to regain some dignity, he straightened and put on a great show of indignation, berating the young man before him.
"Ungrateful boy! How dare you treat your poor father this way! After all I've done for you! Stop sulking like a girl and act like a-"
"Shut.Up!" Ranma ground out between now clenched teeth, his glare intensifying. The blunt order, laced with such loathing and pure venom, had an unexpected effect. Genma shut up, his voice cutting off without his permission while his jaw hung open, his eyes bulging in disbelief behind his glasses. Everyone stared at Ranma in renewed shock. Despite everything, he had never sounded so- so Murderous before.
Ranma crossed his arms, surveying Genma from head to toe in a slow, deliberate fashion. His expression of absolute disgust only seemed to grow with each inch. Finally he looked back up at Genma's gaping face. With one last snort of distaste, he glanced over at Nodoka, who was standing on the porch with Kasumi. His gaze softened somewhat at her startled and somewhat hurt expression.
"sorry about this." He whispered, the sound loud in the charged atmosphere of the yard. Then his gaze returned to Genma and returned to its previous disdain. Standing tall, he then bowed stiffly.
The action brought home to his audience the sudden realization that he had grown in the years that he had lived there. He had added only a few inches in height, but his body now seemed composed of more muscle, most of the baby fat gone from his frame and face. He looked very adult there in the moonlight, his grave features handsomely outlined by the slight illumination. He spoke, and his voice was low and stiffly correct, as if he was reciting a memorized speech. Little of the poor language that normally laced his words was present.
"Pop, I have come to you for a very serious reason tonight." He said, pausing to take a deep breath, any sign of nervousness squashed down in an instant. He continued, his voice firm. "I don't know if there's some kind of special ceremony for this kind of thing. . ." He shrugged, looking a bit more like his usual self. "Oh, well. I'll just have to make it up as I go along. Anything-Goes you know." He said, flashing a humorless smile.
He bowed once again to the older man before him, this one so short and miniscule that it was well over the line considered to be insulting.
"Genma Saotome. I hereby renounce any and all ties, relations, and holds I have, knowingly or otherwise, with you. And in doing so-" The pain in his eyes was visible now "-I also give up the Saotome name. It is not mine to have, and the dishonor you have brought to it destroys any possibility of me Wanting to be known of that clan."
He paused again to take several more steadying breaths. The expressions of most of the crowd would be almost funny if the atmosphere wasn't so serious. They all looked like landed fish, save Nodoka and Kasumi.
Cologne, too, got over her surprise quickly, her beady eyes thoughtful and guarded as she studied the dark back of her future son-in-law's head. She was pulled abruptly from her musings as his voice continued, sounding firm.
"The school name I'll keep. The one good thing you've probably ever done in your whole life was to teach me how to fight." His teeth flashed briefly. "Though the way you did it stunk." He frowned, his eyes turning up to the stars. "Martial arts are a part of me now. I couldn't leave what I've learned behind even if I wanted to. It's my life. It's who I am."
Ranma looked once again at Nodoka, regret and a silent apology in his eyes. Nodoka in turn looked sad, but reluctantly nodded her acceptance, the look she gave in return one of pride for his maturity.
*
Warmed by her unspoken support, Ranma turned back to Genma, whose jaw was now near ankle level. It would be a while before his brain could even begin to scramble up a coherent response. Ranma glanced around at the semi- circle of people. He couldn't help but smirk inwardly as they eyed him like he'd grown another head.
"I've decided to go and find my real family." He said quietly. "I don't have much to go on, but I know I have to try." He scowled. "I have to get out of this crazy place before I lose it completely." He turned to Ukyo. In stark contrast to his seeming indifference earlier, his eyes now showed regret as he looked at her. "Since I'm no longer a Saotome, all pledges and contracts made don't apply to me anymore."
Ukyo glared back, her jaw clenched defiantly. But looking into her oldest friend and hoped for husband's eyes, she saw something. A determination, maybe. Or a sad truth. Her resolve wavered and dissolved like mist. Tears streaming down her face, she bolted into the house. Ranma watched her leave sadly.
*
Cologne hopped forward into the conversation gap, clearing her throat. "Very well done, son-in-law, but I feel I must remind you before you say something foolish that your Amazon marriage is not through you former father. It still applies to you personally, not whatever family name you may currently have." She eyed him sharply, braced for the inevitable explosion.
Ranma did look about ready to take her up on the challenge in her expression, but visibly held himself in check. "Elder Cologne-" He started, his words coming out somewhat stiffly despite his best efforts. "I really think I need to find out who I really am and where I've come from before I can tackle any more fiancée stuff. You'll have to take it up with my real parents, whenever I find them that is." His entire posture was determined, but his words were sincere.
Cologne looked startled, then thoughtful, her sharp eyes studying him intently. Finally, she nodded inclined her head in agreement. "Very well, son-in-law. I would ask that you take Shampoo with you-" Ranma's eyes widen in panic "-but I think I already know your answer. All I ask then is that when you find them you allow me an audience to explain our laws to them." Ranma eyed her warily, but nodded at what seemed a reasonable request.
"Shampoo go too!" The girl announced firmly, her ruby eyes determined. Before a newly alarmed Ranma could make some excuse the young Amazon was interrupted by, of all people, her great-grandmother.
"No, Shampoo. This is something he has to do on his own. I believe this task will be yet another test to strengthen him further. He will be of even more value to the tribe then."
Ranma's, mouth closed on his half-formed objection, though he looked as though he couldn't decide if he should be grateful or worried by her statement. Cologne gave a mental sigh of relief. She had truly not wanted to push him so far that he would be forced to fight. Her confident attitude toward him since Mt. Phoenix had been almost completely a façade. Ranma's victory over the seemingly all-powerful phoenix god of her childhood nightmares had shaken up her world view quite a bit.
For the first time in centuries, the ancient Amazon doubted her ability to win against an opponent; a male one at that. She he be pushed too far, there was no telling what Ranma was no capable of.
Shampoo said nothing more, though she was visibly pouting. The stubborn glint in her eyes was all the proof Ranma needed that she hadn't let the idea go yet, and would probably sneak after him at the first opportunity.
Then Ukyo, who had returned from the house during the conversation looking a bit red around the eyes but seeming to regain her resolve, volunteered to go with him too. "My business was mobile to begin with." She said with strained cheer, not meeting his eyes. "I can pack up and be ready to go in a few hours."
That last offer seemed to break the spell of silence over the rest of the yard. The scene erupted with shouts of protest and threats. Soun and Genma were beaten out by Akane in sheer volume. They were soon arguing amongst themselves, the two older men supporting Akane's position, much to her chagrin and denial.
Ranma debated on whether or not to join in, but gave it up as a hopeless battle that even He had no chance of winning. Once again, they were talking AT him, not WITH him. He seriously debated just slipping away while they were still in the thick of it, when the entire scene was interrupted by a rare source.
**
Kasumi was still standing on the porch, smiling at how energetic everyone was being. As she was looking on, a strange sparkle that had not been there a moment before caught the corner of her eye. Looking up, she found herself viewing their much-abused koi pond. Something was happening in its clear waters, this time without any help from the usual perpetrators.
Her warm brown eyes widened at the sight before her.
"Oh, My!" She gasped.
**
Heads snapped around at the eldest Tendo girl's exclamation, then turned like stringed puppets toward the direction of her gaze. Jaws dropped.
There was a white glow in the exact center of the circular pool. It started out as a spark the size of a candle flame, but then it slowly spread out in all directions until it encompassed the entire pond. The brightness of it faded somewhat, and the eyes of the onlookers cleared. Where once lay the watery adornment to the yard was now a circle of what could only be described as a sheet of glass. The stars reflected clearly on its surface.
The radiance retreated, until it was once again in the center. There it stopped, forming a small ring just wide enough to fit a person in the middle of it.
In its' center something was rising from the surface. The form of what appeared to be the ghost of an elaborately dressed young woman was slowly materializing out of the glass. When her feet cleared the surface she solidified and the last of the light faded altogether. Before them a beautiful girl with mouse-brown hair that floated about her opened her cornflower blue eyes and smiled at the staring group. Her delicately formed face, framed by strange markings on her cheeks and forehead, seemed completed by the bright, innocent smile that would have made a rock want to return the favor. Ranma dimly heard someone gasp in the background and realized that it was Cologne.
The figure before them smiled serenely, her gaze taking in each person as if acknowledging each one of them individually as worthy of notice. Then those incredible eyes fell on Ranma, whose surprise quickly turned to cautious expectation.
As strange as it sounded, seeing a girl coming out of a suddenly solidified pool like she was stepping out of her own house was not the weirdest thing to have ever happened to him. However, these little events always had one thing in common. They spelled trouble for him. Usually major trouble.
His suspicions seemed to be confirmed as her smile, if possible, grew even more as she saw him, her eyes lighting up. *Thankfully not literally *, he thought somewhat bemusedly. He was trying, and failing, to keep an answering, shy smile from appearing on his face. There was just something about this girl that shouted 'MOTHERLY.' She reminded him strongly of Kasumi. He found himself straightening like a school boy with dirty knees before an elegant lady.
Then she spoke, her voice soft and gentle, completing the image of everyone's ideal older sister. "Oh, There you are. You've grown up so much. You look very handsome." She practically beamed at him.
*
Ranma felt his cheeks reddening at the honest compliment. A small part of his mind noted that he had rarely blushed in his entire life. The greater, more dazzled area of his brain told that part to be quiet.
The strange girl was still looking at him, and he mentally scrambled to find his voice. "Who're you?" it finally managed, and he cringed inwardly at how abrupt and rude it sounded even to his own ears. Somehow, the idea of addressing this person in anything but the most respectful way possible seemed wrong.
Fortunately, she didn't seem to take offense. Something about the way she looked at him told him more than words could that she understood what he had meant to say instead. Who was this girl/woman/vision?
She bowed politely. "Forgive me, I have not introduced myself properly."
Ranma almost protested aloud that he doubted that she could be rude in any way, but managed to close his teeth around the atypical response before it could escape. What was wrong with him?
She smiled around at them all once more, and the gesture warmed even the most hardened of her audience.
"My name is Belldandy, Goddess of the Present. It's nice to meet you all. I've come for Ranma -such a nice name too, and so appropriate . . ."
--------------------
I'm mean, I'm bad. I'm the queen of procrastinators. *bows low in apology * I have no excuses, but I hope you like this anyway. Oh, I've been informed by my sister that Belldandy uses mirrors while URD uses water. However, I wanted to use the symbolism of the infamous koi pond in her appearance. Soooo . . . I kinda cheated. ^_^ Thanks for all the kind and heartfelt death threats. The last one was particularly good. Thanks thermopyle! ^_~