See 1st Chapter for disclaimer
~.~
A Ghost of TomorrowSaga 2: Tales of Tokyo
Chapter 6: A Decision For The Future.
Ranma sighed as she watched the teakettle over the fire and waited for it to get hot enough to change her back. Even after staying here for ten years, she still missed the convince of hot running water. Not that it would have made much of a difference, she seemed to be attracting cold water a lot more since she return to this era. Not a day went by where she didn't get splashed at least four times. It was like the universe wanted her to stay a girl.
That was another thing that Ranma found annoying about her curse, the fact that she was a girl. Although it seemed as if her abilities could still increase and Ranma had gained a few inches in the past few years, her female form hadn't matured much at all.
Sighing, she leaned up back against the wall then looked over to the calendar. It was January 28, the 11th year of the Meiji. Ten years since the war ended, had it really been that long ago? As came with thoughts of the war images stared to flash in her mind and she quickly tried to think of something else before she made herself too depressed.
After the war had ended, and the Meiji government took control, Ranma became at a loss of what to do. At the time she was still looking for a way to avoid that horrible future she had been shown. So, with no other real guidance she traveled back to China, looking for her old Fung Shui master for guidance. She searched for five years, and came up with nothing.
No, she did have something to show for those years, just not what she was expecting when she set out on that journey.
Hearing the sound of someone running through her house Ranma looked up from the kettle to see a little girl coming into the room. She was clearly Chinese, with short green hair and pink eyes showing her Amazon ancestry. Ranma had found her near Jusenkyo when she had run into some of the Chinese Amazons.
-China, Five Years ago-
Ranma walked down the beaten path towards the valley of Jusenkyo intent upon her mission. Five years, for five years she had wanted this land looking for the old monk named Moruki, s it was he was Ranma's only hope of finding out how to steer the future back to it's proper course. She had to find him, she had to!
Although she doubted that the old man was actually at Jusenkyo, he could check the spring's guest book and if he did visit the damn place she could at least get a general idea of just how far behind she was he ever come here. With the way he talked about her curse sometimes he had to know something about it. He knew about the locking abilities of the dipper that froze her cursed form. Of course if there was no record of him, at the very least she could get some spring of drowned boy and finally get rid of this stupid curse. It had been days since she had turned back into a guy.
Seeing a group of people up ahead Ranma quickened her pace to catch up to them and see if they knew anything. It was a long shot, but her life always had been full of coincidences before, and it had to work in her favor one of these days. When she finally got within shouting distance she called out to them in Chinese. "Hey could you guys hold up for a minute, I need to ask you something!"
Making her way down the trail and finally getting close to the group he noticed they were all women, four of them, with various colored hair. They were all Chinese Amazons, and they didn't look too happy to see the newcomer. "You are heading towards Amazon land, outside, leave now," she ordered.
Ranma brought herself to a stop then looked around and noticed something she didn't see before, all of them except for the one in the back were holding their weapons closely; the rear Amazon was holding onto a basket, but she slowly put it down and drew twin short swords. The others held various other weapons, a bo staff, a large scimitar and throwing knives.
Ranma frowned as she prepared herself for combat by shifting into the mindset she used for combat. She didn't have any time for this. Damn annoying Amazons. "I have business at Jusenkyo, if you do not wish to travel with me then get out of my way. Now step aside, or I will go through you."
"Outsiders are not welcome," the leader said as she lifted her bo staff.
Ranma didn't talk before dropping her pack and moving at the head Amazon full speed. She ducked the woman's first strike then twisted to land an uppercut to her jaw while using her other hand to twist the staff out of the woman's hand and into her own. Then, feeling the woman with the daggers move, Ranma grabbed the leader's hair and shifted her position so the two blades flying through the air would strike her in the neck.
Dropping the soon to be dead body Ranma leaped into the air and stuck the Amazon who had thrown the knives in the head with the captured bo staff so hard it broke upon impact. As the girl fell to the ground Ranma jabbed the splintered end of the staff into her throat with a killing blow.
"Next," Ranma told the two remaining women in an emotionless voice.
The two remaining women hesitated for a moment, and then the one with the large sword charged and swung at Ranma's midsection. Stupid mistake. Ranma lifted her arm and blocked the attack with her bracer then as the sword recoiled from the impact she reached forward and grabbed the hand holding the hilt and twisted it out of the Amazon's hand before spinning around and slicing into the Amazon's midsection halfway through. Finally, and the body dropped as Ranma pulled the sword away and looked towards the final Amazon.
The woman looked at Ranma for a moment, and then over to the basket beside her, then finally over to the basket she was carrying. A few seconds later she just threw her swords at Ranma and ran.
"Do you really think you can get away from me so easily," Ranma said. "You're the ones who started the little fight by attacking me and you think I'll let you quit before it's finished?" All those who lay eyes upon my battles, shall not live to tell about it. With that thought that had been her code throughout the revolution Ranma jumped high into the air and gathered her ki to kill the last Amazon. "Yama-Sen-Ken Style: KIJIN RAISHUU DAN!"
Letting the vacuum blades fly Ranma dropped back to the ground as her attack sliced into the last Amazon and ended her life.
With the battle ended she turned back towards Jusenkyo and started down the road again. Only to stop when she heard the sound of someone crying behind her. The girl turned around so she could see if one of her opponents was still alive, only to see their bodies hadn't moved since she dropped them.
The sound was coming from the basket.
Her curiosity peeked, Ranma walked up to the basket to see what was making all that racket, and saw a small baby crying. She looked at the child before raising her fist to put the thing out of its misery. After collecting her ki for a killing blow Ranma prepared to strike when she realized just what she was about to do.
What the hell am I doing?
(End Flashback)
If it wasn't for that moment, Ranma had no idea where she would be right now. During her studies of Fung Shui she ha altered the Soul of Ice technique so that she wouldn't have nightmares from the guilt of her actions, but the technique was far from perfect.
She remembered Katsura once saying that before her death, and even after it, Tomoe had served as a sheath for Kenshin. She kept him from becoming an unrepentant killer. But Ranma, she had gone down that road, becoming a manslayer in every fiber of her being. She hated it, and she hated herself for becoming that thing which she most despised. She had gotten so damn caught up in her mission that she had lost sight of everything else, and only a fool couldn't see that rode led to disaster.
So, she took the child with her to Jusenkyo and then back up to the Amazon village, only to have them attack her on sight. It seemed warrior with the golden eyes of a manslayer weren't welcomed in China at this time. With nowhere else to drop the child off, Ranma took her with him to try and find her a good home.
In the end, the baby ended up saving Ranma's soul from being consumed by her manslayer side. She couldn't very well kill in front of the little child, and she couldn't leave the baby on its own. Then, as the years went on and the child started to grow Ranma couldn't find a home for her, and at that time even if he did, he didn't think he could leave the girl.
Finally, Ranma returned to Japan to raise little Tomoe, forsaking her duty for her adopted child. She found a home in Yokohama, Tokyo held too many memories and Kyoto had too much baggage. So, she moved here, taking up her old name of Ranma Saotome, husband of Ranko Saotome. However Ranma wasn't seen very much thanks to the whole water problem.
"Momma, momma," the girl cried out before running up to the redhead dressed in a loose fitting shirt and pants.
Ranma simply smiled at her daughter before reaching out to calm her down so that she could actually understand what the girl was trying to tell her. She might have shared Tomoe's name, but that was about all the two females had in common. But, Tomoe Saotome was still very young, who knew what she would grow up to be.
"Ok little one now slow down," she said while gently stroking Tomoe's hair. "Now, what is it that you want to tell me?"
"There's a man outside wanting to see the you," she told him. "And he came up in a pretty carriage, and he has a sword and-,"
"Tomoe," Ranma told the girl sternly. "Now what have I told you about talking to strangers? Especially opening the door for them?"
"But was one of the men you said it was ok to," the girl replied with a confused face. "He had a blue hat on and a big fancy blue suit like Mr. Takana did down at hat powice…pawice…"
"Police station?" Ranma asked.
Tomoe simple nodded her head in response while Ranma in turn gave her a quick hug. "Ok little one, I'm sorry, you did the right thing." She gave her daughter a quick kiss on the head then stood up, taking one last look at the teakettle, if the police swordsman wanted to see 'Ranko' then changing back wouldn't serve any purpose. "Why don't you go out to the back yard while mommy sees what this is all about ok?"
"Ok momma," the girl said before leaving the room while Ranma headed for the door.
"Now what the heck would a police swordsman be doing here?" Ranma asked herself as she walked into the main room of her house and over to the door.
The man had yet to enter but as soon as Ranma saw him she could tell something was off. He was tall for a Japanese man, and against Ranma's short frame he towered over her in quite the imposing way. However it wasn't his size that made him seem all that dangerous, it was his aura. It was dark, and seemed to reek of blood. At his hip, instead of a normal saber there was a Japanese katana. Then there were his eyes, they were narrow, and seemed to gleam with a faint golden shine. There was also something about the man, but Ranma couldn't put her finger on it.
He seemed to look a little surprised at seeing her for a moment before a mask of cold indifference quickly covered the emotion.
"May I help you officer?" she finally asked after taking the man's presence in.
"You are one Ranko Saotome, age seventeen, formally Ranko Tendo, daughter of one Kimiko and Soun Tendo, correct?" he asked making Ranma frown at the names. When she had arrived back in Japan she had got in contact with some of her remaining friends in the government that knew of her existence to procure a new name and false background. After that she had cut all ties with them and settled down to raise Tomoe, wanting to not be bothered.
"Yes, that's correct," Ranma replied. "Is there something you needed?"
"May I come in?" the officer asked. "This is the sort of thing that shouldn't be talked about in the doorway."
She stood there for a moment and then waved her hand to motion the man inside before walking into the house and out of his way. Maybe she should offer him some tea or something? Just because she had been pretending to be a housewife for the past five years didn't mean she actually knew the duties of one. She wasn't actually married after all.
"I must say you've aged well," he said as he walked inside causing Ranma to stop. "You don't look a bit different than the time we fought in Kyoto, Ranko…or should I say, Sakura of the Choshu Clan, also known as the Phantom of Kyoto."
At the man's words Ranma stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned her head back towards the man with a dark glare in her eyes. Now she knew what had been bugging her about him. "Hajime Saito," she said with distain. "Now I remember you." Ranma fully turned around and reached up to touch the small area underneath her breasts were Saito had cut her so long ago, the cut had long since closed up but she remembered the battle very clearly. She remembered, because in the entire war, the man standing in front of her was the only person to ever survive an encounter with Ranma. "What the hell are you doing here?"
As the man walked into her house Ranma slowly shifted to a defensive stance and frowned at her bare arms. "What're you doing here?"
"Calm down, I have no desire to fight you," the man said before walking over to the small area that served as a dinning room for Ranma and Tomoe then sat down on the pillow before gesturing to the other seat. "Sit down. I need to speak with you."
"I'll stand thanks," Ranma said. "Now, tell me what you're doing here, then get out."
"Very well, I'll get right to the point," Saito replied. "Shishio has been spotted working underground in Kyoto."
Ranma frowned at the news. Makoto Shishio, she remembered that name. Back during the war after Kenshin stepped out of the shadows, Shishio was the assassin that had taken his place. She had only seen the man once, it was during the first time that she had met up with Katsura when he returned to this time. "So, what exactly has this got to do with me?"
"So then you really have dropped out of the loop then," Saito said. "Very well, here's what's going on. As you know during the revolution Makoto Shishio was a manslayer who worked behind the scenes, the same as you. However, while you stepped down from you position and disappeared when the war ended, Shishio did not. He eventually became too power hungry, and the Meiji government attempted to eliminate him."
"Attempted?" Ranma asked.
"They failed," Saito told her. "Shishio was drenched in oil and set on fire, then left for dead. But he actually survived. After healing from his wounds he has stepped out of the shadows and is now causing trouble. He has gathered a group of warriors and assassins, and is using the secret of his assassinations and threats to control the government. He plans on controlling it from the shadows.
"I've been ordered to gather a group of swordsman to dispose of him."
"And so you came to me," Ranma summarized.
"Actually, it was Lord Okubo who pointed me out to you," Saito corrected. "Quite frankly I didn't even know you existed. The only actual proof there ever was of your existence was the people you killed. And I certainly didn't expect you to be a woman."
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to turn down you offer," Ranma told him. "I'm afraid that I haven't even been in a real battle in over four years. I've settled down and started a new life, one where I don't feed off the suffering and deaths of others. My obligations to the government had been fulfilled years ago. Besides, the Meiji government got itself into this mess, and it can get itself out."
"I…see," Saito replied as he looked out the window to the backyard. Ranma looked to see what had him so interested and saw Tomoe outside playing in the sand. "Funny, Okubo explained to me about your…ability. I didn't think you would actually have a child."
Ranma frowned at the man. "She's not mine, not biologically anyway. I…found her in China after a run in with a group of fighters a few years ago; she had no one left. I ruined so many lives during the revolution, at least this way, I am helping to create something, instead of destroying."
They stared at each other a minute then looked out the window and back to each other. Both of the warriors from the revolution sat in silence.
"Very well," Saito said finally breaking the silence. "If that is your decision then I will not try to force something else upon you, people who do not fight willingly are useless in a battle such as this." He stood up and picked his katana up from the wall that it was leaning against then reattached it to his belt before putting his hat back on before starting to head out. "Besides, if you've become as lax as the Battousai in the past ten years then Shishio will tear you to pieces."
Ranma shook her head at the comment and stopped herself from replying to the jab at her abilities. True, she hadn't actually had much combat experience for awhile, and didn't even work out half as feverously as she did even when she was a teenager, but taking care of Tomoe while earning enough money to support a home was hard enough work. Skills meant for killing didn't serve her well in those respects.
"So then, Kenshin isn't joining you in this little venture?" Ranma asked.
"That has yet to be decided," Saito replied. "I was under the process of evaluating him when Okubo discovered your whereabouts and sent me here. However I can see that this has been a waste of time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to get back to. Goodbye."
As Saito reached the door and started to open it, Ranma's curiosity got the better of her. From what she remembered of history class, Kenshin Himura had all but disappeared. "Wait," she called out. "How is Himura doing nowadays anyway? I lost contact with him after the revolution and was wondering what he was doing nowadays."
"The last I heard he stopped an assassin from killing a government official a week ago," Saito replied. "However from I can tell the Battousai is hardly the person he was during the final years of the revolution. Right now he is hardly up to fighting a demon such as Shishio."
"I see," Ranma replied. "Well then you had best be on your way. I've got better things to do than stand around all day when the conversation is going nowhere." She turned around to head back to get some hot water and change back into a guy before getting Tomoe from the back yard so they could head into town.
Once she was in the back room Ranma poured the water on herself, gaining the height and mass to fill out her clothes completely. Makoto Shishio…funny, I don't remember him from the history books. I wonder how many other things that the Meiji government kept concealed. Although, it did make a little sense, the embarrassment of loosing control of one of their own best men and then having said man nearly take over the entire nation with minimal effort would be too much to bear.
Searching his muscles Ranma started to head towards the back yard to get Tomoe when something just seemed to chick in his head.
"Down one of these paths of then Japan shall be consumed by the devil himself."
"Right now he is hardly up to fighting a demon like Shishio."
Ranma looked back towards the door and down the road where Saito's transportation had already left before shaking his head. "Oh give it a rest Saotome. You gave up on that stupid idea years ago. Just settle down, and raise your daughter as best you can. Even if the future is going to end up bad you can still make the best of the present."
Unless that is of course Shishio started another civil war in Japan in the next few years.
That idea stopped Ranma cold. The Sainon wars hadn't ended too long ago, and if another war did break out…
"Stupid conscience," Ranma mumbled. "Why the hell couldn't you just keep your damn mouth shut for once?" He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Well, I better get Tomoe over to the neighbors, if I wanna catch Saito I better get moving."
Two days later a young man in dark gray kung-fu pants and a red Chinese shirt walked down the streets of Tokyo with an oversized backpack that looked as if it weighed twice as much as he did. His hair was cut off short in the back and in the front it hung down just barely a half an inch above his blue eyes. Suddenly he stopped, looked up, and then continued on. "Good, no clouds in the sky, maybe if I'm lucky I can actually meet these people as a guy."
Saito had assured him that Tokiya was more than capable of taking care of Tomoe while he was doing this little task for the Wolf of Mebu. Well, the woman did look capable enough, and she had to be something special if she could stand to be married to that cold fish.
Turning down the street Ranma approached the Kamiya dojo and took in a breath.
-Yesterday-
In the room behind him Ranma could hear the sounds of Tomoe playing with Saito's wife while he sat in front of the other man and calmly sipped his tea. Putting the cup down, he looked up towards the taller man. When he had caught up to the guy in town it had been as male and Saito didn't recognize him at all, but the old member of the Shinsen Gumi didn't seem even seemed to be phased by Ranma's transformation; he just mumbled something about Okubo not being crazy after all.
"So then, you want me to help you with your evaluation of Himura? How come?"
"As it is now I'm only given the basic background information of the Battousai's recent activities," Saito told him. "And even then it takes some deduction to figure out just how everything happened. I need someone on the inside, someone who's there, right next to Himura to watch his every move."
"Why not just tell him what's going on right now, then we can all head to Kyoto," Ranma suggested.
Saito however just shook his head. "It wouldn't make any difference if we were to leave right now. Although we know Shishio is basing his operations out of Kyoto, the Meiji government still has no clue to just where he's positioned his base. Besides, if we charge in and the Battousai isn't up to the task, he will only serve the purpose of getting in our way. There's no room for mistakes here."
The taller man finished off his tea then stood up. "I'll be expecting weekly reports of the Battousai's progress. We've given you more than enough money for you to pose for your cover, and provided you with a better background if Himura becomes suspicious and tries to check on you. If anything happens, inform the police chief and he'll get word to me.
"Now, hurry up and get going, there's a carriage outside that will take you to Tokyo."
"Alright," Ranma agreed. "Just let me say goodbye to Tomoe, and I'll be going."
-End Flashback-
So hear he was, standing at the front of the dojo gates. A dojo…why the heck did they have to live in a dojo? And in Tokyo of all places? He didn't mind that it was a weapon using style, he had grown used to them during the years of the revolution. In fact, during the later years Ranma started carrying a few blades around with him. He did know a few techniques for the sword, but mostly he just used them in assassinations because he didn't want to feel a man dying with his own hands. The nightmares brought on by those murders were always the worst.
"Well, might as well get this over with," Ranma mumbled, pushing the thoughts of the past back where they belonged.
Walking into the dojo the young man looked around to see no one standing around. "Hello? Hey anybody home?"
Kaoru Kamiya stood in the back yard of her dojo next to her first, and unfortunately only, student Yahiko.
Much to her annoyance Sanosuke had taken Kenshin out earlier this morning to go gabling with some of his uncouth friends. She had tried to tell Kenshin no to go but…ok well she didn't really say anything about it but she had given him a really good glare! Besides, Kenshin was just a boarder at her dojo and he had chores to do…not to mention that it didn't seem like he had much money to gamble with anyway.
When Kenshin got back Kaoru was definitely going to give him a piece of her mind.
"Hello?" a voice called from the front of the dojo. "Hey! Is anybody home?"
The voice broke the young woman out of her current thoughts and she lowered her wooden sword. Whoever it was didn't sound familiar. She hoped it wasn't the police again; it had barely been more than a week since that Kurogasa incident. She had seen Kenshin fight in battles before, but all of them combined paled in comparison from the look she had seen in his eyes when his manslayer side took control. Just remembering the look in his usually gentle eyes still sent shivers down her spine.
When she did get to the front of the dojo she was pleasantly relieved to see the young man standing there with the large backpack by his side. His face had almost the same clueless look that Kenshin almost always had, and he blinked a few times in confusion. "Excuse me miss, but do you know where I can find the master of this dojo?" he asked.
She took a few moments to take the young man in. He seemed to be a bit younger than Kaoru herself, well built but not overly muscled. His short black hair was a little ruffled in places and his eyes were a grayish blue. Then there was his style of dress, it was all Chinese clothes but his face clearly marked him as Japanese decent.
Maybe he was just like Sanosuke with that symbol for wicked on his back. In other words bad fashion sense.
"Well then you must be looking for me," Kaoru told him. "My name is Kaoru Kamiya, and I'm the assistant master of the Kamiya Kashien style. May I help you?"
"Yes," the teenager said. "My name is Ranma Saotome, I'm here to enroll in your dojo Kamiya-sensei."
……………………TBC
Preview of next chapter: The Kamiya dojo gains a new student although after their initial meeting Kaoru finds that he errrr, she, or whatever Ranma is, is a little on the odd side. Well, he'll fit right in. Anyway, while Kaoru is finding out about her new student Sanosuke drags Kenshin off to a gambling house. While there he meets a beautiful damsel in distress, who is being hunted by a mysterious group of ninjas.
Next Time on Ranma ½: A New Student, A New Acquaintance And a New Battle.