Ranma Hard Core
The First Story, Part 2
"This is Ranma, sorry about the commotion," Genma apologized, as he kneeled in the same position of his son. Ranma's face was tight, keeping control of his irritation. The girl swung at him first! She was deserving of whatever she was getting. Why was his Pop berating him for defending himself?
"Oh, it's quite alright," Soun stated. As much as he loved his daughters, he wasn't a fool; he had seen the positioning of the arms. Akane's arm was off course, while Ranma's was stuck right on target before Genma had caught it from behind Akane with both hands. It was a perfect Wing Chun intergating fist, and Akane's was the fist that was intercepted. It was obvious who started the ordeal, even without the indignant yell of his youngest daughter, "I hope Akane hadn't upset you too far, Ranma-kun." There was another thing, the angle Ranma's fist was heading towards Akane's nose was a sincerely incapacitating punch. Whether Ranma did it on reaction or with intention had also entered the Tendou Patriarch's thoughts. Though the way Genma had intercepted it, it seemed like he was expecting it; he would discuss this with his old friend further.
"WHAT?" The youngest Tendou sister shouted, "You're taking his side over mine?
"Young lady, he is a guest of ours. It is not a befitting host that attacks their guests."
"But, but," Akane sputtered indignantly, "He's a pervert! He was trying to peep at me!"
"Really Akane?" Nabiki spoke up, "from what I saw, you were still robed, he was the one wrapped in the towel."
"Et tu, Nabiki?" Akane scowled, her whole family was turning against her. Nabiki just shrugged and went back to looking over Ranma, this form she could more appreciate. Her little sister didn't realize the treat she received.
Ranma caught the other girl's glance, and looked back at her curiously; his almost permanent scowl fading a bit. Nabiki made no action to disguise it, and in fact started to exaddurate the activity. Ranma's scowl deepened again, and he turned away with a snort. Nabiki smirked at the slight blush he had.
"Akane, you really need to control your temper, I'm sure it was just an accident." Great, Kasumi was against her too.
"Hey! That's not fair! He almost saw me naked!"
Ranma chose to speak up at this moment, "You walked in on me, remember that. Anyway, it's not like you're much to look at." Ranma stood up and turned away to look towards the back yard, disgusted with the attitude of the girl.
Akane's hands twitched just before they went for the table. Ranma turned back just in time to see his father laying flat on the table that Akane was straining to lift.
"Heh, thought I felt a tremor there, could have been the big one," Genma said, mildly perspiring. Ranma glanced suspiciously between his father and the girl struggling to lift the table, and then gave a sniff of distain. He walked out to the back yard, starting into a Tai Chi kata to calm himself, and distance himself.
Once his son was out of earshot, Genma turned back towards the fuming girl, "Are you INSANE? Do NOT provoke him like that!"
"But that pervert deserves it!"
Genma's face darkened, "Even so, you'd be the one getting the worse of it."
"Huh? What do you?"
"Akane, he was going for a kill shot before Genma intercepted him." Soun stated soberly, "I don't know what would have been the outcome if it had connected."
"What? He was...?" Akane couldn't wrap her mind around the concept. None of the boys at Furinkan could touch her, yet her father had said she had been fortunate that the pervert's father saved her? "There's no way it would have hit me!"
"Akane, Ranma stopped holding back as much as he used to a long time ago. To upset him like that is just asking for a world of hurt.
"A long time ago?" Kasumi repeated, "then he wasn't always like this?"
Genma pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose before he began.
_______________________________________________________________________
The night sky had shown no stars. Only the dismal lights that could worm into the alleyway behind the bar lit the two fighters.
"Your old man's doing a lot of bragging for you in there," a man a little less than Ranma's height. He wore a scar from the start of his chin that ran down to his left clavicle. His clothing looked a bit rough for wear, like he had been traveling almost as much as Ranma had. He looked scrawny and wiry, but the way he carried himself had shown that he had some proficient training, as he always kept his center of balance firm. Ranma noted that he must be from the southern areas of Asia, his skin tone darker than usual Japanese, Ranma couldn't place his accent, though, "Hear he's making you into the best, huh?"
Ranma smirked and looked down upon the guy in a way that had noting to do with height, "Pop's got a right to."
The man got up in the younger boy's face and looked deeply into his eyes; after finding what he was looking for, he grinned in an almost sinister fashion that held more contempt than humor, "Go home to your mother. You have no business out here."
Ranma scowled at being talked down upon in such a manner, this guy didn't know who he was dealing with, "Where does a scrawny wimp like you get off telling me where I need to be?"
The man's attitude changed from contempt to indifference, "It's just some advice, I got somewhere to be." The man turned away and started to walk casually from Ranma.
"HEY! Wait, you!" Ranma grabbed the shorter man by the shoulder, pulling him back to face. He turned around, his eyes flashing with a dark fury, and a snarl twitching to get out, though he managed to hold his lips in a tight straight line before speaking.
"Go...home. You might get hurt messing with people who don't like to play with children."
"I ain't no child," Ranma stated firmly, "I challenge you!"
The man gave a snort, "I only fight in defense, or when it's worthwhile. This isn't either case."
"Oh yeah?" Ranma retorted, his face once again in a devious smirk, "well, DEFEND YOURSELF!"
Ranma lashed out with a fist that caught the other man in the chin, sending him reeling.
"That punch didn't feel so 'young', did it?" Ranma taunted, going into a 'five star' stance, but with his hands in fists of his Kempo form.
The man seemed to bridle, as his eyes got wider and he seemed to shiver with barely controlled fury. He started to breath deeply, and seemed to calm down a bit before speaking in slow, steady words, "Kid, go and get your father, and get the hell away from here, now."
Ranma returned a half lidded stare, and replied, "Make me."
Ranma launched into a flurry of attacks, blending several forms into one fluid stream of fists and legs. His opponent was caught unprepared, assuming the young man would be smart enough to give up this foolishness. A back fist to the temple quickly changed his attitude to the worse.
Ranma backed off to give his opponent time to recover. This guy now knew not to take him lightly. The pigtailed martial artist easily caught him, and he wasn't even moving at half what he does with his father. This was going to be a piece of cake.
The man recovered, and suddenly snapped his right hand to the side. A duet of metallic sounds signified a weapon was brought into the match; a pied du roi {Foot of king}, or old style butterfly knife.
Rolling the blade first into a re-sheathing double horizontal flip, then into a ricochet to open it back up, the man launched towards Ranma with an upsmack; attempting to smack Ranma in the jaw with the bite handle, which would expose the pigtailed boy's neck as an easy target.
Ranma back hand sprung away, attempting to catch his opponent in the arm to send the knife flying away, "Balisong..." Ranma thought to himself, if this guy was proficient in this style, he might have a few problems; nothing he couldn't take care of, of course. Once his feet hit the ground, Ranma leapt into the air, attempting an inverted jackknife kick. The first kick was evaded, and Ranma stayed crouched, launching into an iron broom sweep kick.
The knife fighter jumped back, and pivoted the blade into a reverse grip, and then slid his other hand over the forearm of the blade holding arm to exchange the blade to another hand. Finally he righted the blade into forward position from reverse on the other hand, and feinted with the unarmed right, before lashing out with his left in a tight stab that was torqued to the left at the end of it's extension; keeping himself from extending it too far away from his center and leaving himself open.
Ranma barely noticed the subtle exchange, but evaded to the right, shifting his center to accommodate his balance and making it seem as if he was oblivious to the strike, and dodged on a whim. The knife fighter let go of one of the handles, and spun it by the handle he was still holding like a fan. Ranma went for a kick at the blade, and inhaled sharply at the sting to his toe.
The stranger stopped 'fanning' the knife, and windmilled the blade towards Ranma, rolling it around his thumb, then his combined index and ring finger. Ranma waited for the hand to flash out, and bent backwards. The man's hand went up in an arc after missing before Ranma bent forwards with a smile on his face. Ranma knew he was still slightly out of range of the blade, and stayed firm as the guy reversed his windmill motion.
Ranma was out of range of the blade, but didn't anticipate the bite handle being used again as the actual attacking weapon, and it having a sharp, pointed catch that cut a thin line in Ranma's cheek, right beside his nose.
"Ah!" Ranma exclaimed, jumping back, and then dragging his right index finger lengthwise across his face.
"You got your warning, you're not dealing with whatever promdi {hick} you've been dealing with."
Ranma noted the man's accent got heavier, and licked the blood from his finger before exposing a tight smile, "I guess I'm just going to have to get serious now..."
"Oooh, astig! {tough!}," the man chuckled.
Ranma went to his full abilities, aiming to end this fight sooner. His opponent stopped chuckling, and Ranma found himself hard pressed to avoid the knife this time. Ranma kept a step ahead of the other fighter, but just barely, by noting his opponent's pattern was heavily based in sinawali {heaven six pattern}. The pigtailed boy was getting hits every so often in, infuriating his opponent.
Suddenly, the knife fighter closed his blade, and shoulder charged Ranma. Ranma rolled tightly around the other man's charge, and while still facing away, executed a reverse jackknife. Unfortunately for Ranma, his opponent rolled around the kick the same way Ranma had, and ended up facing the same direction Ranma was going to land in.
The pigtailed boy's eyes went wide as he felt the sharp pain into side of his abdomen. The other man looked sideways at Ranma with a cold smirk, before quickly jerking the knife out with a wet tearing sound. Ranma fell to his knees, stunned, and managed to look up at the guy in morbid wonder.
The man reached into his own pocket, and pulled out a wad of bills, "medical expenses. You aren't bad, kid, but you should have stayed in the pee wee tournaments." With that, he walked off, not caring what happened to his victim.
___________________________________________________
"And that's how I found him," Genma said somberly, "I had gotten him to a hospital when he went into shock, and since then he's been different. His whole attitude's changed; he finishes his fights much quicker than before, going straight for the kill..."
Genma turned to look at Akane, "...and he doesn't take well to threats towards him. Last girl who attacked him wasn't too healthy after their confrontation. Her grandmother was concerned if the girl would be able to walk again soon."
Akane's eyes widened a bit in fear of what could had happened to her, before she caught herself and scowled, stating in order to cover her nervousness, "The pervert deserved it, I say..."
Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi both turned towards their younger sister; Nabiki's face openly scowling, while Kasumi gave the youngest a sad look.
"I've got homework to finish," Nabiki stated firmly and neutrally, getting up and going upstairs.
"I must finish the dishes," Kasumi stated quietly, also getting up to go about her business.
Soun took a slow puff from his cigarette he had just lit after Akane's comment, "Akane, isn't there homework that you need to finish?"
Akane wilted under the stern look her father was giving her, and nodded. The girl got up and went upstairs, entering her room quietly as not to attract attention to herself. Soun sighed and turned to his old friend with an apologetic look.
"So, tell me, how is it you required these curses?"
Ranma continued the long version of his Yang style Tai chi form, while the two men's conversations drifted towards other events.
__________________________________________________
Akane flumped onto her bed, already having had finished her homework. She wouldn't have admitted it due to her foolish pride, but she felt guilty. She wouldn't know what to do if she had come that close to death, and aside from being a pervert (well, not really, she had admitted to herself, begrudgingly), he did seem to want... a friend. Maybe if he had opened up more...
The youngest Tendou sighed. Maybe they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Which reminded her, how did he change from a girl to a guy?
The First Story, Part 2
"This is Ranma, sorry about the commotion," Genma apologized, as he kneeled in the same position of his son. Ranma's face was tight, keeping control of his irritation. The girl swung at him first! She was deserving of whatever she was getting. Why was his Pop berating him for defending himself?
"Oh, it's quite alright," Soun stated. As much as he loved his daughters, he wasn't a fool; he had seen the positioning of the arms. Akane's arm was off course, while Ranma's was stuck right on target before Genma had caught it from behind Akane with both hands. It was a perfect Wing Chun intergating fist, and Akane's was the fist that was intercepted. It was obvious who started the ordeal, even without the indignant yell of his youngest daughter, "I hope Akane hadn't upset you too far, Ranma-kun." There was another thing, the angle Ranma's fist was heading towards Akane's nose was a sincerely incapacitating punch. Whether Ranma did it on reaction or with intention had also entered the Tendou Patriarch's thoughts. Though the way Genma had intercepted it, it seemed like he was expecting it; he would discuss this with his old friend further.
"WHAT?" The youngest Tendou sister shouted, "You're taking his side over mine?
"Young lady, he is a guest of ours. It is not a befitting host that attacks their guests."
"But, but," Akane sputtered indignantly, "He's a pervert! He was trying to peep at me!"
"Really Akane?" Nabiki spoke up, "from what I saw, you were still robed, he was the one wrapped in the towel."
"Et tu, Nabiki?" Akane scowled, her whole family was turning against her. Nabiki just shrugged and went back to looking over Ranma, this form she could more appreciate. Her little sister didn't realize the treat she received.
Ranma caught the other girl's glance, and looked back at her curiously; his almost permanent scowl fading a bit. Nabiki made no action to disguise it, and in fact started to exaddurate the activity. Ranma's scowl deepened again, and he turned away with a snort. Nabiki smirked at the slight blush he had.
"Akane, you really need to control your temper, I'm sure it was just an accident." Great, Kasumi was against her too.
"Hey! That's not fair! He almost saw me naked!"
Ranma chose to speak up at this moment, "You walked in on me, remember that. Anyway, it's not like you're much to look at." Ranma stood up and turned away to look towards the back yard, disgusted with the attitude of the girl.
Akane's hands twitched just before they went for the table. Ranma turned back just in time to see his father laying flat on the table that Akane was straining to lift.
"Heh, thought I felt a tremor there, could have been the big one," Genma said, mildly perspiring. Ranma glanced suspiciously between his father and the girl struggling to lift the table, and then gave a sniff of distain. He walked out to the back yard, starting into a Tai Chi kata to calm himself, and distance himself.
Once his son was out of earshot, Genma turned back towards the fuming girl, "Are you INSANE? Do NOT provoke him like that!"
"But that pervert deserves it!"
Genma's face darkened, "Even so, you'd be the one getting the worse of it."
"Huh? What do you?"
"Akane, he was going for a kill shot before Genma intercepted him." Soun stated soberly, "I don't know what would have been the outcome if it had connected."
"What? He was...?" Akane couldn't wrap her mind around the concept. None of the boys at Furinkan could touch her, yet her father had said she had been fortunate that the pervert's father saved her? "There's no way it would have hit me!"
"Akane, Ranma stopped holding back as much as he used to a long time ago. To upset him like that is just asking for a world of hurt.
"A long time ago?" Kasumi repeated, "then he wasn't always like this?"
Genma pushed his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose before he began.
_______________________________________________________________________
The night sky had shown no stars. Only the dismal lights that could worm into the alleyway behind the bar lit the two fighters.
"Your old man's doing a lot of bragging for you in there," a man a little less than Ranma's height. He wore a scar from the start of his chin that ran down to his left clavicle. His clothing looked a bit rough for wear, like he had been traveling almost as much as Ranma had. He looked scrawny and wiry, but the way he carried himself had shown that he had some proficient training, as he always kept his center of balance firm. Ranma noted that he must be from the southern areas of Asia, his skin tone darker than usual Japanese, Ranma couldn't place his accent, though, "Hear he's making you into the best, huh?"
Ranma smirked and looked down upon the guy in a way that had noting to do with height, "Pop's got a right to."
The man got up in the younger boy's face and looked deeply into his eyes; after finding what he was looking for, he grinned in an almost sinister fashion that held more contempt than humor, "Go home to your mother. You have no business out here."
Ranma scowled at being talked down upon in such a manner, this guy didn't know who he was dealing with, "Where does a scrawny wimp like you get off telling me where I need to be?"
The man's attitude changed from contempt to indifference, "It's just some advice, I got somewhere to be." The man turned away and started to walk casually from Ranma.
"HEY! Wait, you!" Ranma grabbed the shorter man by the shoulder, pulling him back to face. He turned around, his eyes flashing with a dark fury, and a snarl twitching to get out, though he managed to hold his lips in a tight straight line before speaking.
"Go...home. You might get hurt messing with people who don't like to play with children."
"I ain't no child," Ranma stated firmly, "I challenge you!"
The man gave a snort, "I only fight in defense, or when it's worthwhile. This isn't either case."
"Oh yeah?" Ranma retorted, his face once again in a devious smirk, "well, DEFEND YOURSELF!"
Ranma lashed out with a fist that caught the other man in the chin, sending him reeling.
"That punch didn't feel so 'young', did it?" Ranma taunted, going into a 'five star' stance, but with his hands in fists of his Kempo form.
The man seemed to bridle, as his eyes got wider and he seemed to shiver with barely controlled fury. He started to breath deeply, and seemed to calm down a bit before speaking in slow, steady words, "Kid, go and get your father, and get the hell away from here, now."
Ranma returned a half lidded stare, and replied, "Make me."
Ranma launched into a flurry of attacks, blending several forms into one fluid stream of fists and legs. His opponent was caught unprepared, assuming the young man would be smart enough to give up this foolishness. A back fist to the temple quickly changed his attitude to the worse.
Ranma backed off to give his opponent time to recover. This guy now knew not to take him lightly. The pigtailed martial artist easily caught him, and he wasn't even moving at half what he does with his father. This was going to be a piece of cake.
The man recovered, and suddenly snapped his right hand to the side. A duet of metallic sounds signified a weapon was brought into the match; a pied du roi {Foot of king}, or old style butterfly knife.
Rolling the blade first into a re-sheathing double horizontal flip, then into a ricochet to open it back up, the man launched towards Ranma with an upsmack; attempting to smack Ranma in the jaw with the bite handle, which would expose the pigtailed boy's neck as an easy target.
Ranma back hand sprung away, attempting to catch his opponent in the arm to send the knife flying away, "Balisong..." Ranma thought to himself, if this guy was proficient in this style, he might have a few problems; nothing he couldn't take care of, of course. Once his feet hit the ground, Ranma leapt into the air, attempting an inverted jackknife kick. The first kick was evaded, and Ranma stayed crouched, launching into an iron broom sweep kick.
The knife fighter jumped back, and pivoted the blade into a reverse grip, and then slid his other hand over the forearm of the blade holding arm to exchange the blade to another hand. Finally he righted the blade into forward position from reverse on the other hand, and feinted with the unarmed right, before lashing out with his left in a tight stab that was torqued to the left at the end of it's extension; keeping himself from extending it too far away from his center and leaving himself open.
Ranma barely noticed the subtle exchange, but evaded to the right, shifting his center to accommodate his balance and making it seem as if he was oblivious to the strike, and dodged on a whim. The knife fighter let go of one of the handles, and spun it by the handle he was still holding like a fan. Ranma went for a kick at the blade, and inhaled sharply at the sting to his toe.
The stranger stopped 'fanning' the knife, and windmilled the blade towards Ranma, rolling it around his thumb, then his combined index and ring finger. Ranma waited for the hand to flash out, and bent backwards. The man's hand went up in an arc after missing before Ranma bent forwards with a smile on his face. Ranma knew he was still slightly out of range of the blade, and stayed firm as the guy reversed his windmill motion.
Ranma was out of range of the blade, but didn't anticipate the bite handle being used again as the actual attacking weapon, and it having a sharp, pointed catch that cut a thin line in Ranma's cheek, right beside his nose.
"Ah!" Ranma exclaimed, jumping back, and then dragging his right index finger lengthwise across his face.
"You got your warning, you're not dealing with whatever promdi {hick} you've been dealing with."
Ranma noted the man's accent got heavier, and licked the blood from his finger before exposing a tight smile, "I guess I'm just going to have to get serious now..."
"Oooh, astig! {tough!}," the man chuckled.
Ranma went to his full abilities, aiming to end this fight sooner. His opponent stopped chuckling, and Ranma found himself hard pressed to avoid the knife this time. Ranma kept a step ahead of the other fighter, but just barely, by noting his opponent's pattern was heavily based in sinawali {heaven six pattern}. The pigtailed boy was getting hits every so often in, infuriating his opponent.
Suddenly, the knife fighter closed his blade, and shoulder charged Ranma. Ranma rolled tightly around the other man's charge, and while still facing away, executed a reverse jackknife. Unfortunately for Ranma, his opponent rolled around the kick the same way Ranma had, and ended up facing the same direction Ranma was going to land in.
The pigtailed boy's eyes went wide as he felt the sharp pain into side of his abdomen. The other man looked sideways at Ranma with a cold smirk, before quickly jerking the knife out with a wet tearing sound. Ranma fell to his knees, stunned, and managed to look up at the guy in morbid wonder.
The man reached into his own pocket, and pulled out a wad of bills, "medical expenses. You aren't bad, kid, but you should have stayed in the pee wee tournaments." With that, he walked off, not caring what happened to his victim.
___________________________________________________
"And that's how I found him," Genma said somberly, "I had gotten him to a hospital when he went into shock, and since then he's been different. His whole attitude's changed; he finishes his fights much quicker than before, going straight for the kill..."
Genma turned to look at Akane, "...and he doesn't take well to threats towards him. Last girl who attacked him wasn't too healthy after their confrontation. Her grandmother was concerned if the girl would be able to walk again soon."
Akane's eyes widened a bit in fear of what could had happened to her, before she caught herself and scowled, stating in order to cover her nervousness, "The pervert deserved it, I say..."
Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi both turned towards their younger sister; Nabiki's face openly scowling, while Kasumi gave the youngest a sad look.
"I've got homework to finish," Nabiki stated firmly and neutrally, getting up and going upstairs.
"I must finish the dishes," Kasumi stated quietly, also getting up to go about her business.
Soun took a slow puff from his cigarette he had just lit after Akane's comment, "Akane, isn't there homework that you need to finish?"
Akane wilted under the stern look her father was giving her, and nodded. The girl got up and went upstairs, entering her room quietly as not to attract attention to herself. Soun sighed and turned to his old friend with an apologetic look.
"So, tell me, how is it you required these curses?"
Ranma continued the long version of his Yang style Tai chi form, while the two men's conversations drifted towards other events.
__________________________________________________
Akane flumped onto her bed, already having had finished her homework. She wouldn't have admitted it due to her foolish pride, but she felt guilty. She wouldn't know what to do if she had come that close to death, and aside from being a pervert (well, not really, she had admitted to herself, begrudgingly), he did seem to want... a friend. Maybe if he had opened up more...
The youngest Tendou sighed. Maybe they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Which reminded her, how did he change from a girl to a guy?