Chapter 3
Ranma awakes. It took him a short while to remember what had happened to him. He looks over his shoulder and confirms that Uranus is in fact out like a light. Putting his face in his hands he attempted to get a better grip on the situation. He had not planned on Uranus attacking him like that. Nor did he plan for her to change from a frightened little girl mind set to a sadistic 'I want to kill everybody I see' mind set.
"At least I woke up first." Ranma sighed; unfortunately he had spoken far too soon. He could hear Uranus begin to stir.
"I'm…hungry." Uranus said warily. Ranma noticed that she had tears in her eyes. He could only guess what she had been dreaming about.
"So you're not going to attack me anymore?" Ranma asked, with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. Uranus shook her head in the negative.
"I just want to get out of this cave." She said, drawing her knees close to her chest. "I've been here for far too long. The chains kept me alive, but now…I'm hungry."
"Okay." Ranma said with a sigh, "Lets get you something to eat. I didn't bring any food with me, but I think we can make it to a town. Can you stand?"
"Yes, I think so." Uranus said, slowly standing, "I heal pretty quickly." She took one step then began to fall. Ranma quickly caught her.
"Ya don't heal quickly enough though. I'll carry you." Ranma said, squatting down so that she could get onto his back. Once she was positioned comfortably enough for the both of them Ranma walked off. It was dark out. This is because it was nighttime.
"By the way. I don't know if I introduced my self yet or not. I'm Ranma Saotome."
"Thank you. For taking me away from that cave…I'm Uranus. I don't have a last name." She said, quietly.
"Well don't worry Uranus. I won't let that freak Busuzima or anyone else put you back there again…ever. I promise." Ranma's words went unheard however, Uranus not being able to keep her strength up, quickly fell asleep.
Ranma continued to walk until he came to the nearest town. He didn't want to wake up Uranus so he found a cheap inn and rented out a room. He gave Uranus the bed and slept up against a wall. He was nearly out of money. He would be able to by food for him and Uranus for the next day, but he wasn't certain about anything after that.
The next morning went off without a hitch. Ranma finally found out how serious Uranus was about being hungry. Staying trapped in that cave must have really built up her appetite.
"So, what are we going to do about money? I still have amnesia or what ever, and you've been stuck in a cave for two years." Ranma asked finishing off his meal. Uranus looked at him as she slurped up a ramen noodle.
"I don't know. Wait, we could become assassins!" Uranus yelled with a strange glint in her eye.
"No! I hate the thought of killing!" Ranma yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. Cracking its surface.
/Ranma stood alone, sweat and blood covering his body. Not just his blood, but also the blood of the phoenix god Saffron.
Ranma clutched his head as the memory came back to him. This time the memory not only brought physical pain, but emotional pain as well. "Was that really me?" Ranma thought, "Did I really do that?"
"Ranma, are you okay?" Uranus asked, even when concerned her eyes were still cold.
"Huh."
"Are you okay? You clutched your head right after saying that you hate killing."
"I…I'm fine. I just remembered something." Ranma said, looking at the cracks on the table he had just caused.
"About your past? Were you an assassin?" Uranus asked, suddenly becoming very curious. She had been curious about everything since leaving the cave. Even with the mindset of a twenty year old.
"NO! I mean…I don't think so." Ranma felt bad when he yelled out like that, and found the ceiling suddenly very interesting. Uranus looked at his sudden shyness then noticed that people were staring at him from his sudden out burst.
"Don't worry Ranma." Uranus said, coldly. "I will destroy all the people in this restaurant for embarrassing you."
"What! No way!" Ranma said, snapping out of whatever funk he was in.
"Why not?" Uranus asked, curiously.
"Life is important. Once it's taken away you can never bring it back! Never…" Ranma lectured, starting to depress himself. He assumed it was from his past memory. But it could have been something else. "Besides. Weren't you trying to kill me yesterday? What's with the sudden change?"
"After careful consideration I have decided to spare your life. You did free me from the cave after all." Uranus said, taking a sip from her soft drink.
"Joy. I'm honored." Ranma replied in mock Sarcasm.
"And you should be! I am the most powerful zoanthrope after all! Once I take over the world, it would be good to spend time with someone." Uranus said with sincerity.
"This taking over the world thing? Does it involve death?" Ranma asked.
"Yes." Uranus stated as a matter of fact.
"Then don't do it. Don't kill. Aw, what the heck? It's no use!" Ranma said, leaning back in his chair.
"Killing is necessary." Uranus replied.
"Why?" Ranma asked, not bothering to move from his current position.
"That's what I was taught."
"By Busuzima?"
"Yes. Killing is necessary to change the way things are."
"I agree that sometimes killing might be a last option. But I don't think it should be your first option. I hate killing, and hopefully I'll never have to kill" Ranma said to himself. But in his head he mentally added, "again." Once again making his mood sour.
"You may be right. But I may also be right." Uranus said, looking at the ceiling. She had just noticed a coffee stain and was curious as to how it managed to get up there.
"Whatever. What do you want to do next?" Ranma asked, not caring to continue the conversation.
Elsewhere,
A brown haired girl about the age of sixteen ran into her sister's room holding a flyer in her hand. She was very hyper and had her hair tied back in a braid.
"Alice! Lookie at what just came in the mail today!" Said girl squealed, shoving said flyer into Alice's face.
"Sit still Uriko! I can't read it when you hop around like that!" Alice said, quite annoyed. She had brown shoulder length hair and was not nearly as hyper as her sister. She seemed to be eighteen or nineteen and looked and acted more grown up than her younger proclaimed sibling.
"It's another tournament! See, they even got this cool new design to go with the flyer!" Uriko said, handing Alice the flyer.
"It sure is fancy. Ah well, none of our business." Alice said, tossing it to the side.
"Aw come on, I wanna enter!" Uriko said, picking up the flyer.
"What! Why?" Alice asked in pure shock and amazement. "That tournament has already caused us way too many problems before. Why would you want to go back now?" Uriko put her index finger on her chin as if in deep thought.
"I have no clue! Maybe Long will be there! And who knows, maybe Yugo too!" Uriko said getting her self over excited again. Alice blushed.
"Why would I care if that jerks there or not? He really ticks me off!" Alice fumed.
"Huh? Another fight or something?"
"Yeah, something like that. Anyway, you sure you wanna go?" When Uriko nodded Alice couldn't help but sigh. "Fine. Where's the sign up slip?"
"We gotta go to Tokyo tower. The sign ups are there."
"Fine. Well I guess I'll be going as well. Your mother would have killed me if I let anything bad happen to you!"
"Yep!"
"Quit sounding so happy. I'm hurt."
"C'mon you know you wanna see Yugo!"
"Shut up!" Alice yelled, throwing a pillow in Uriko's face.
Later that day, Ranma and Uranus walked home from some very light shopping. Ranma knew that he couldn't let Uranus walk around in the get up she had when he first found her in, so bought her a few pairs of clothes. They were the exact same as Ranma's, but different sizes. Ranma was stuck carrying them.
They were walking home when something caught Uranus' eye. It was getting dark out so Ranma was amazed that she would notice something and just stop everything to look at it.
"Look Ranma. It's the same mark on you hand." Uranus said, pointing to a tournament flyer that had been taped to a light pole that was in need of repairing.
"Huh? Let me see." Ranma slung the bags that were currently holding most of Uranus' clothes over his shoulder and looked at the flyer.
"See, it says: Bloody Roar Tournament. Come all zoanthrope warriors to take part in this year's tournament. As usual there will be a large money prize, and of course the title letting everyone know that you're the biggest, badest, strongest zoanthrope out there! Sign ups are at Tokyo tower and we are expecting some new competitors with this year's tournament. All are allowed to join. That is, if your up to the challenge!" Uranus looked at the flyer for a few seconds as if in thought.
"Well, this sounds interesting." Ranma said to no one in general.
"I'm going to win this tournament!" Uranus said, quite forcefully. "I am the strongest zoanthrope. No one will take that title from me!"
"So you're going to enter?" Ranma asked. It really wasn't a question. He knew the answer.
"Yes. Aren't you going to?" Uranus asked, once again curious. Ranma's behavior was odd to her.
"It's a zoanthrope tournament. I'm not a zoanthrope. I'll come and watch. Besides, we need the money. We may have enough to get to Tokyo tower, but that's it."
"But your marks on the flyer. Are you sure you don't have any relation to this tournament? Seems odd to me."
"I highly doubt that I'm a zoanthrope. I'll enter though if they let me. I sure beat the holy crap out of Busuzima. So I know I'm good enough to fight against zoanthropes. Oh yeah, I matched you too." Ranma said, pretty cockily.
"Just be lucky that these shackles are still sealing my power Ranma. I'm stronger than what you have seen. And as for my 'father'," Uranus said with venom dripping from her voice, "He will be utterly obliterated when I see him next."
Ranma was about to say something about her comment, but chose against it. He didn't like Busuzima all that much and didn't really care what happened to him. Though he would stop Uranus from killing Busuzima. He would let her torture him to her little hearts content.
The rest of the walk back to the inn went on in silence. Uranus concentrated on both, killing Busuzima and winning the tournament. Ranma on the other hand was more worried about the flyer having his tattoo on it. He knew this was probably some trap thought out by Busuzima, or someone related to him, but like a moth to the flame, the went on, hoping to find some answers. He was actually hoping that he would remember some more techniques that the amnesia had erased from his mind. The Moko Takabisha held a lot of power. He also had a felling that he knew at least one or two more attacks like it that would come in handy, but of course, he couldn't remember.
Ranma however, did not know the most important thing of all that is key to succeeding in this journey he is about to face. He is Ranma Saotome. Heir to the Saotome School of anything goes martial arts. He cannot lose so easily. When he does it only makes him stronger, faster, and more focused. He will never fall for the same tricks over and over when in battle and has almost limitless fighting capabilities. The training he endured to get as good as he is now will not let it self be forgotten so easily. It will break through the mental block keeping out all of Ranma's memories and will shine a light that will scare away the darkness. For this is what Ranma is. His sole existence is only to fight. He knows nothing else. This is Ranma Saotome, the slayer of the phoenix god, the defeater of the Musk dragon prince, and forever the hero of the amazons.
To be continued.
AN: Hey everybody. I'm alive! Sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the others. I'm kind of out of practice. But I'll get better. By the way, could some of you email me some sites with good bios on the bloody roar characters? My hard drive was erased and I lost everything…
So tell me how you liked it, and remember. Once I finish the fanfic, as well as all my fanfics. I'm going to go back and fix spelling and grammar errors. I'm also going to rewrite a few chapters to make them run more smoothly. I consider everything right now a rough draft.
Just to let you know
Well until my next chapter. Ja ne!