Todo Kasumi remained calm as the uninvited guest closed in on her. She knew
in her current state she'd have a really hard time defending herself should
the youngest Tendo try anything aggressive, but so far she hadn't see any
sings that it would be the case. "Good morning, Tendo-san." She greeted
politely. As she waited for a response she heard Rock and Yoko rush into
the house. The injured woman couldn't hide the relief she felt at knowing
her daughter was safe.
Akane studied her opponent carefully as she approached. The woman responsible for Ranma leaving her. The woman responsible for her family's disgrace. The woman that took her legacy. She didn't care it was Ranma who issued the challenge, she was certain Kasumi was behind it. "I want the sign back." She said in a barely controlled voice.
Kasumi sighed deeply at the teenager's rather rude request. "Howard-san told you already, Tendo-san. To win it back you have to win first place in the tournament. There's nothing I can do about it, I didn't make the challenge and my husband agrees with his master."
Akane visibly flinched when Kasumi called Ranma 'husband.' Her fists clenched by her sides and through gritted teeth she growled a retort. "I don't care what that pervert does. I want what is mine back!"
Kasumi blinked at the sudden mood swing. *Seems like I misjudged the situation. She might want a confrontation after all.* Thought the surprised woman, not having witnessed Akane's emotional instability before. "Your father accepted the challenge for the dojo's sign."
"I don't care!" Akane yelled as she glared at the small woman in front of her. "You take everything that's mine away from me! First you took that pervert, and now my dojo sign. I want them back! Give them back!" She ordered menacingly raising her fists.
Kasumi was completely shocked at the demands coming from Akane's lips. *She actually believes all that!* She thought appalled. The hope that Akane would learn she didn't own Ranma, especially after last night, was crushed with the sight of the young Tendo demanding to have her toy back into her hands. Kasumi felt her own anger growing, something that hardly ever happened, at Akane's audacity. "I already told you, Tendo-san. Ranma is not mine, nor is he anyone else's." She slowly stood up, careful to hide the fact that her side was killing her. "Ranma is his own person. That he chooses to share his life with me makes me happier than anything else, but that's his decision to make. Not mine, and specially not yours." She finished forcefully, and prepared to counter an attack for her every word only seemed to make Akane's anger grow.
Akane's blood boiled at the words Kasumi threw in her face. *She doesn't know what she's talking about. Ranma has fought many times for me. He even 'killed' for me! It's high time I fought for him.* She told herself, for the first time since she met Ranma doing something for him instead of herself. Before she protected her property when fighting over Ranma. But now, even if misguided, she fought for someone else.
Kasumi narrowed her eyes and assumed her fighting stance.
"AKANE!" Nabiki yelled as she stormed out of the house towards her younger sister. All the yelling Akane did was hard to miss, and both Geese and Nabiki knew Kasumi was alone in the yard. Alone and injured with a person that held great animosity towards her. The middle Tendo sister sighed in relief when Akane turned to regard her, which gave Kasumi the chance to back up a little even if she looked like she wanted to teach Akane another lesson.
Kasumi only backed away from Akane because she caught sight of Yoko running tearfully towards her. Her mother instincts overrode the anger she held towards the teenager. She backed away so that Yoko wasn't close enough to Akane. The young Tendo was so angry she could lash out at anyone without even realizing it.
"Nabiki." Akane said after recognizing her sister through the haze of anger that filled her vision. Then her features returned to a scowl as she remembered whose side Nabiki was on. "What do you want?" She growled out.
Nabiki stopped just a few feet from her sister, her eyes boring holes on the younger girl. "Shouldn't you be in school? What are you doing here, Akane?"
"I came to take back what is mine!" Akane yelled back at her sister. "I came to get Ranma back with me as he's done before!"
"That's just the point, Akane!" Nabiki yelled back. She usually didn't lose control like that, but yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind and body. She unconsciously rubbed her cheek as she glared at her sister. "Ranma-kun isn't your property. The sooner you understand that the sooner you'll be able to get over him." Before Akane could retort to that she continued. "He's a married man, sis. A married man with a daughter to look after. Do you really think he would give that up to be with you? Don't you understand Ranma-kun at all?"
Akane took a step back at Nabiki's questions, an expression of shocked realization on her face. As much anger as she held towards Ranma for all the things he'd done to her she still wanted him by her side. Nabiki's words made the youngest Tendo think about something she'd been trying to block from her conscious mind since the incident. If anything Ranma was a loyal man. He'd proven that staying by her side even with Shampoo and Ukyo throwing themselves at him. But now that loyalty wasn't directed towards her. That very same loyalty that brought him to kill the phoenix, even if the self-proclaimed god was many times more powerful than the pigtailed martial artist, was now with two women.
A wife. A daughter.
Nabiki did have a point. Ranma would never betray them. He killed Saffron for his unwanted fiancée. What would he do for his wife and daughter?
Nabiki watched with no small amount of hope as Akane calmed down and fell deep in thought, obviously mulling over the questions asked. *Come on, sis. You can't continue like this. Wake up.* She thought as she nervously waited for a reaction from Akane, her previous anger drained now that she saw a small ray of hope.
Kasumi comforted Yoko as she stared at the confrontation between the Tendo sisters. She was on her knees again, thankful that her daughter had the strength of a five-year-old. Any more force on the hug would reopen her wounds.
Akane's eyes suddenly regained their focus and she looked up sharply at her sister.
-----
"He's here, isn't he?" Ranma asked seriously as they made their way back to the house.
Mature didn't react at all to the question. "Who is?"
The pigtailed man chuckled in amusement. "Don't play around, mother. You know I of all people can tell."
The blonde woman shook her head and smiled. Ranma was indeed the best suited to feel if 'he' was around or not. *They share that frighteningly monstrous power, after all.* She thought to herself before answering. "You're right. He's here, daughter." It was very satisfying to see Ranma stumble in shock at the way she referred to him. And her amusement only increased when the pigtailed man turned to glare at her. "Did I say something wrong?"
"That's not funny and you know it." Ranma said as he recovered.
"Isn't it?" Geese's wife asked raising an eyebrow.
Ranma sighed in exasperation. *Great! She's in a teasing mood.* With another glare directed her way he resumed walking calmly towards the dojo and tried to get the subject back on track. "Does the master know?"
Mature nodded. "Are you reconsidering my place in your team?"
Ranma thought silently for a moment on that and shook his head. "Nah." Mature blinked in confusion and he elaborated. "Kasumi and Leona, even if they'll be in good shape, won't be in top form for the tournament. You don't have a team, and I'm guessing you want to participate this year."
"And what would give you that idea?" Mature asked in genuine curiosity, though she knew part of the answer.
Ranma smirked. "You can't fool me. I saw the expression on your face after the fight with Shampoo." He said pointing a finger at her. "You can't deny the fact of fighting again, even after this long, makes you feel excited."
Mature blinked as she stared at the man in front of her. She really wanted to laugh in his face and tell him he was completely wrong. There was only one slight problem with trying to do that. He wasn't. She hadn't fought a serious battle just for the sake of fighting in years, but the excitement of matching her prowess against another's, even one as inferior to her as that purple haired Amazon, called to her. She wasn't the most passionate of warriors, certainly not in her husband's league, but she was a warrior nonetheless. It was her calling.
Ranma's smirk widened when he got his answer through her silence. "Better start training more seriously, mom. You'll be needing it."
Mature glared at the smirking man. "Care to back up your words, 'daughter'?" She growled out, and she only got more annoyed when instead of missing a step Ranma smirked even more infuriatingly.
"Try me, old woman." Ranma challenged.
-----
A pale-faced Ukyo slumped against a wall. "Mother?" She whispered the question in disbelief.
The chef was out on an errand when she caught sight of Ranma walking down the street with a gaijin woman. She didn't know who the woman was, but by seeing them engage in conversation she could tell they were far from strangers. Ukyo followed them from a safe distance and managed to catch the last part of their conversation. They weren't making any efforts to keep it private.
She was shocked when she found out Shampoo fought the blonde, and judging from the bloodied sleeve got a shot in. That was the only injury apparent on the woman, though. She didn't want to think about it, but if the Amazon did indeed attack this woman the later should sport more injuries. *Unless she won.* Came the alarming thought. Shampoo was a better fighter than Ukyo herself was.
After that Ukyo heard something about a tournament. *No doubt that new one they've been announcing.* The thing had the stench of Nabiki everywhere, and the okonomiyaki chef knew coincidence didn't exist around Ranma.
That wasn't what shocked her, though. What did was hearing Ranma call the woman an affectionate 'mom'. And even more shocking was to hear the woman call Ranma 'daughter'. She didn't follow when Ranma rushed down the street with the woman in hot pursuit. "The King of Fighters Tournament." She said out loud, wondering about the significance of said tournament.
-----
The chef smiled darkly when he finished reading the letter. "You will marry my daughter yet, boy." He growled out as he held the invitation with the infamous 'R' in his left hand. He needed to prepare things for this tournament.
-----
Akane glared at her sister. "I don't care!" She screamed as she raised her fists to face the problem the only way she'd ever learned how. "He can still see his daughter, but Ranma will be my husband!"
Before either Kasumi or Nabiki could angrily retort at that, another voice was heard from the side.
"You seem to have a learning deficiency, girl." Geese said with a serious expression on his face. "What my heir can and cannot do is his business, not yours."
"This is none of your business!" Akane screamed at him. She was intimidated by the man's behavior, but her own hurt pride as a martial artist prevented her from seeing the signs of someone that was barely containing himself back.
Geese didn't waste any more of his breath with the heir to the Tendo school of Anything Goes. Rather he moved.
Both Kasumi and Nabiki opened their mouths to prevent Geese from killing Akane. One blow from him would rip off her head. They paused and closed them when they saw what the man did, though.
"Let me go!" Akane angrily bellowed as Geese applied more force to the hold he had on her arm, which was painfully held behind her back. "You pervert! Leave me alone!" She continued screaming as Ranma's master forced her to walk towards the front gate. She struggled as fiercely as the pain would allow her to, but to Geese all those efforts meant nothing.
Kasumi returned her attention to her still crying, but a lot calmer, daughter and hugged her back. As angry as she was with Akane she didn't like what Geese was doing to the young girl. He was humiliating her, trying to destroy the fight left in her. Geese was quite capable of destroying a person both physically and emotionally. He was aiming for the later right now, a fate worse than the former.
Nabiki just stared at the form of her sister for the time it took for her to be thrown out of the Todo compound. *Damn idiot!* She didn't know who the insult was directed at.
-----
Geese reached the outer gate and sighed in annoyance at the little brat that was screaming obscenities at him. Not many people could really make him angry, but this stupid little girl somehow managed it in less than five minutes. He casually shoved the girl away, releasing his hold of her arm. As he did, though, he kicked her feet with his right leg.
Akane found herself landing awkwardly on the ground. She rolled as best she could with the fall and winced in pain as her still tender ribs voiced their protest at the treatment. She jumped to her feet and turned to glare daggers at the man to humiliate her like this, a visible aura of anger surrounding her body.
Geese stared dispassionately at the girl and her lack of discipline. "Don't even think about it, brat. Attack me and I'll kill you just like I'm going to kill that fool Saotome."
Akane's aura winked out as she stared in shock at the ease with which Geese spoke of killing. The coldness in his voice was enough to penetrate her anger, her only emotional defense. "What?" She whispered.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Geese snorted in an insulting manner. "I'm not one of your stupid little friends. Mess with me and I'll destroy you."
Akane would usually raise up to the challenge, but she could read it in the man's eyes. He wanted her to do it. He wanted the excuse to follow through with his threat. She wasn't standing in front of Shampoo or Ukyo. Hell, not even Kodachi would be able to kill someone. They were not killers, even if the Amazon would protest to that. But Geese Howard, the man staring down at her right now, would be quite happy about soaking his hands with her blood.
Geese noticed the hesitation in Akane's demeanor and smirked arrogantly. "That's right. Weaklings like you have nothing to do against us." He said and inwardly laughed at the hatred burning in her eyes at the remark. She didn't move though. "Do you have any idea what you were about to do, girl? Have you got the slightest idea of how close you came to total destruction?" Seeing she didn't he shrugged and turned around. Before he left her alone, though, he gave her something to think about. "Should we find you in the tournament we won't kill you." With that said he walked inside, leaving a confused girl staring at his retreating back. *Just beat you into a bloody pulp.*
-----
Ukyo entered her restaurant with her shoulders slumped. Seeing Ranma, the man she wanted for herself, so different from what she remembered was still unsettling. Her Ranchan would never hit a girl, and would fall to pieces whenever one of the girls after him shed a tear. That Ranma was gone. The pigtailed martial artist she saw today didn't hesitate in severely injuring the girls after his affections. Granted, they were trying to kill his wife and daughter, but before the incident he would try his best not to hurt anyone. Now it seemed that he only cared about his family.
"Ukyo." A male voice brought her out of her musings and she turned up to see her father sitting by the grill. "We need to talk." He said at length and motioned for her to take a sit.
*How dare he?* She inwardly raged. It was her restaurant, the fruit of her labor, and he already acted as if he owned the place. She held back that anger and let it out in a long-suffering sigh as she complied.
After she was sitting next to him the man started. "I received an invitation for the tournament, today."
She instantly perked up at that. "You did?" She asked, remembering how Ranma spoke of participating in such tournament. When she saw her father nod with a smile she shared it with him.
"That idiot boy sent us a letter with the invitation. Says if we want to settle things we should do it in the tournament." Ukyo's father said as he handed her the letter.
She recognized Ranma's handwriting instantly. It seemed like even growing up in another world didn't change the fact that he had nearly unrecognizable handwriting. She understood the message of the letter nonetheless, and frowned. "But it says here that unless we have three members for the team we can't participate. And even if we do it says nothing about Ranchan marrying me."
The man snorted. "So what? If we do prove we can take them all out that boy won't be able to resist us." He paused and looked directly at her. "I'll call my brother to join our team."
Ukyo suddenly remembered what had just happened outside. It seemed like that gaijin woman Ranma was talking to took out Shampoo with little trouble. The pigtailed martial artist took the three girls out with a single move. The girl shared her thoughts with her father, to which he frowned in thought. "I see." He said once she was finished. "He's indeed quite a prize for you, and once you own his loyalty he'll be the husband you deserve."
"But how can we face them?" Ukyo asked as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "If they're all that powerful we won't make it past the first round, much less defeat them all."
He didn't answer his daughter's question. Instead of that he stood up and looked down at her solemnly. "Pack what you need for a training trip. It's high time you learn the true power behind our school."
Ukyo just stared stupidly at the retreating back of the man she called father. *True power?*
-----
Akane watched as Ranma entered the gate of his house, an older woman close on his heels and screaming at him to stop and take what he deserved. She could sympathize with the feeling, Ranma was a jerk most of the time.
With a sigh she started her way home. She didn't want to face Ranma like this, ashamed of being scared off by that gaijin man. *But I'll show him.* She thought to herself with determination. *He wants to fight in the tournament. I'll give him a fight and show Ranma once and for all I'm a martial artist too.*
END CHAPTER 21
Author's notes: I better leave it here before I screw it up any more. The players for the tournament are now all ready to face the challenges to come. Even more hints were dropped about the 'he' Geese and Ranma have been referring to. For those who still haven't made the connection, you'll see his appearance in the next chapter, which will take place in the tournament. Old and new faces will meet to fight it out.
Akane studied her opponent carefully as she approached. The woman responsible for Ranma leaving her. The woman responsible for her family's disgrace. The woman that took her legacy. She didn't care it was Ranma who issued the challenge, she was certain Kasumi was behind it. "I want the sign back." She said in a barely controlled voice.
Kasumi sighed deeply at the teenager's rather rude request. "Howard-san told you already, Tendo-san. To win it back you have to win first place in the tournament. There's nothing I can do about it, I didn't make the challenge and my husband agrees with his master."
Akane visibly flinched when Kasumi called Ranma 'husband.' Her fists clenched by her sides and through gritted teeth she growled a retort. "I don't care what that pervert does. I want what is mine back!"
Kasumi blinked at the sudden mood swing. *Seems like I misjudged the situation. She might want a confrontation after all.* Thought the surprised woman, not having witnessed Akane's emotional instability before. "Your father accepted the challenge for the dojo's sign."
"I don't care!" Akane yelled as she glared at the small woman in front of her. "You take everything that's mine away from me! First you took that pervert, and now my dojo sign. I want them back! Give them back!" She ordered menacingly raising her fists.
Kasumi was completely shocked at the demands coming from Akane's lips. *She actually believes all that!* She thought appalled. The hope that Akane would learn she didn't own Ranma, especially after last night, was crushed with the sight of the young Tendo demanding to have her toy back into her hands. Kasumi felt her own anger growing, something that hardly ever happened, at Akane's audacity. "I already told you, Tendo-san. Ranma is not mine, nor is he anyone else's." She slowly stood up, careful to hide the fact that her side was killing her. "Ranma is his own person. That he chooses to share his life with me makes me happier than anything else, but that's his decision to make. Not mine, and specially not yours." She finished forcefully, and prepared to counter an attack for her every word only seemed to make Akane's anger grow.
Akane's blood boiled at the words Kasumi threw in her face. *She doesn't know what she's talking about. Ranma has fought many times for me. He even 'killed' for me! It's high time I fought for him.* She told herself, for the first time since she met Ranma doing something for him instead of herself. Before she protected her property when fighting over Ranma. But now, even if misguided, she fought for someone else.
Kasumi narrowed her eyes and assumed her fighting stance.
"AKANE!" Nabiki yelled as she stormed out of the house towards her younger sister. All the yelling Akane did was hard to miss, and both Geese and Nabiki knew Kasumi was alone in the yard. Alone and injured with a person that held great animosity towards her. The middle Tendo sister sighed in relief when Akane turned to regard her, which gave Kasumi the chance to back up a little even if she looked like she wanted to teach Akane another lesson.
Kasumi only backed away from Akane because she caught sight of Yoko running tearfully towards her. Her mother instincts overrode the anger she held towards the teenager. She backed away so that Yoko wasn't close enough to Akane. The young Tendo was so angry she could lash out at anyone without even realizing it.
"Nabiki." Akane said after recognizing her sister through the haze of anger that filled her vision. Then her features returned to a scowl as she remembered whose side Nabiki was on. "What do you want?" She growled out.
Nabiki stopped just a few feet from her sister, her eyes boring holes on the younger girl. "Shouldn't you be in school? What are you doing here, Akane?"
"I came to take back what is mine!" Akane yelled back at her sister. "I came to get Ranma back with me as he's done before!"
"That's just the point, Akane!" Nabiki yelled back. She usually didn't lose control like that, but yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind and body. She unconsciously rubbed her cheek as she glared at her sister. "Ranma-kun isn't your property. The sooner you understand that the sooner you'll be able to get over him." Before Akane could retort to that she continued. "He's a married man, sis. A married man with a daughter to look after. Do you really think he would give that up to be with you? Don't you understand Ranma-kun at all?"
Akane took a step back at Nabiki's questions, an expression of shocked realization on her face. As much anger as she held towards Ranma for all the things he'd done to her she still wanted him by her side. Nabiki's words made the youngest Tendo think about something she'd been trying to block from her conscious mind since the incident. If anything Ranma was a loyal man. He'd proven that staying by her side even with Shampoo and Ukyo throwing themselves at him. But now that loyalty wasn't directed towards her. That very same loyalty that brought him to kill the phoenix, even if the self-proclaimed god was many times more powerful than the pigtailed martial artist, was now with two women.
A wife. A daughter.
Nabiki did have a point. Ranma would never betray them. He killed Saffron for his unwanted fiancée. What would he do for his wife and daughter?
Nabiki watched with no small amount of hope as Akane calmed down and fell deep in thought, obviously mulling over the questions asked. *Come on, sis. You can't continue like this. Wake up.* She thought as she nervously waited for a reaction from Akane, her previous anger drained now that she saw a small ray of hope.
Kasumi comforted Yoko as she stared at the confrontation between the Tendo sisters. She was on her knees again, thankful that her daughter had the strength of a five-year-old. Any more force on the hug would reopen her wounds.
Akane's eyes suddenly regained their focus and she looked up sharply at her sister.
-----
"He's here, isn't he?" Ranma asked seriously as they made their way back to the house.
Mature didn't react at all to the question. "Who is?"
The pigtailed man chuckled in amusement. "Don't play around, mother. You know I of all people can tell."
The blonde woman shook her head and smiled. Ranma was indeed the best suited to feel if 'he' was around or not. *They share that frighteningly monstrous power, after all.* She thought to herself before answering. "You're right. He's here, daughter." It was very satisfying to see Ranma stumble in shock at the way she referred to him. And her amusement only increased when the pigtailed man turned to glare at her. "Did I say something wrong?"
"That's not funny and you know it." Ranma said as he recovered.
"Isn't it?" Geese's wife asked raising an eyebrow.
Ranma sighed in exasperation. *Great! She's in a teasing mood.* With another glare directed her way he resumed walking calmly towards the dojo and tried to get the subject back on track. "Does the master know?"
Mature nodded. "Are you reconsidering my place in your team?"
Ranma thought silently for a moment on that and shook his head. "Nah." Mature blinked in confusion and he elaborated. "Kasumi and Leona, even if they'll be in good shape, won't be in top form for the tournament. You don't have a team, and I'm guessing you want to participate this year."
"And what would give you that idea?" Mature asked in genuine curiosity, though she knew part of the answer.
Ranma smirked. "You can't fool me. I saw the expression on your face after the fight with Shampoo." He said pointing a finger at her. "You can't deny the fact of fighting again, even after this long, makes you feel excited."
Mature blinked as she stared at the man in front of her. She really wanted to laugh in his face and tell him he was completely wrong. There was only one slight problem with trying to do that. He wasn't. She hadn't fought a serious battle just for the sake of fighting in years, but the excitement of matching her prowess against another's, even one as inferior to her as that purple haired Amazon, called to her. She wasn't the most passionate of warriors, certainly not in her husband's league, but she was a warrior nonetheless. It was her calling.
Ranma's smirk widened when he got his answer through her silence. "Better start training more seriously, mom. You'll be needing it."
Mature glared at the smirking man. "Care to back up your words, 'daughter'?" She growled out, and she only got more annoyed when instead of missing a step Ranma smirked even more infuriatingly.
"Try me, old woman." Ranma challenged.
-----
A pale-faced Ukyo slumped against a wall. "Mother?" She whispered the question in disbelief.
The chef was out on an errand when she caught sight of Ranma walking down the street with a gaijin woman. She didn't know who the woman was, but by seeing them engage in conversation she could tell they were far from strangers. Ukyo followed them from a safe distance and managed to catch the last part of their conversation. They weren't making any efforts to keep it private.
She was shocked when she found out Shampoo fought the blonde, and judging from the bloodied sleeve got a shot in. That was the only injury apparent on the woman, though. She didn't want to think about it, but if the Amazon did indeed attack this woman the later should sport more injuries. *Unless she won.* Came the alarming thought. Shampoo was a better fighter than Ukyo herself was.
After that Ukyo heard something about a tournament. *No doubt that new one they've been announcing.* The thing had the stench of Nabiki everywhere, and the okonomiyaki chef knew coincidence didn't exist around Ranma.
That wasn't what shocked her, though. What did was hearing Ranma call the woman an affectionate 'mom'. And even more shocking was to hear the woman call Ranma 'daughter'. She didn't follow when Ranma rushed down the street with the woman in hot pursuit. "The King of Fighters Tournament." She said out loud, wondering about the significance of said tournament.
-----
The chef smiled darkly when he finished reading the letter. "You will marry my daughter yet, boy." He growled out as he held the invitation with the infamous 'R' in his left hand. He needed to prepare things for this tournament.
-----
Akane glared at her sister. "I don't care!" She screamed as she raised her fists to face the problem the only way she'd ever learned how. "He can still see his daughter, but Ranma will be my husband!"
Before either Kasumi or Nabiki could angrily retort at that, another voice was heard from the side.
"You seem to have a learning deficiency, girl." Geese said with a serious expression on his face. "What my heir can and cannot do is his business, not yours."
"This is none of your business!" Akane screamed at him. She was intimidated by the man's behavior, but her own hurt pride as a martial artist prevented her from seeing the signs of someone that was barely containing himself back.
Geese didn't waste any more of his breath with the heir to the Tendo school of Anything Goes. Rather he moved.
Both Kasumi and Nabiki opened their mouths to prevent Geese from killing Akane. One blow from him would rip off her head. They paused and closed them when they saw what the man did, though.
"Let me go!" Akane angrily bellowed as Geese applied more force to the hold he had on her arm, which was painfully held behind her back. "You pervert! Leave me alone!" She continued screaming as Ranma's master forced her to walk towards the front gate. She struggled as fiercely as the pain would allow her to, but to Geese all those efforts meant nothing.
Kasumi returned her attention to her still crying, but a lot calmer, daughter and hugged her back. As angry as she was with Akane she didn't like what Geese was doing to the young girl. He was humiliating her, trying to destroy the fight left in her. Geese was quite capable of destroying a person both physically and emotionally. He was aiming for the later right now, a fate worse than the former.
Nabiki just stared at the form of her sister for the time it took for her to be thrown out of the Todo compound. *Damn idiot!* She didn't know who the insult was directed at.
-----
Geese reached the outer gate and sighed in annoyance at the little brat that was screaming obscenities at him. Not many people could really make him angry, but this stupid little girl somehow managed it in less than five minutes. He casually shoved the girl away, releasing his hold of her arm. As he did, though, he kicked her feet with his right leg.
Akane found herself landing awkwardly on the ground. She rolled as best she could with the fall and winced in pain as her still tender ribs voiced their protest at the treatment. She jumped to her feet and turned to glare daggers at the man to humiliate her like this, a visible aura of anger surrounding her body.
Geese stared dispassionately at the girl and her lack of discipline. "Don't even think about it, brat. Attack me and I'll kill you just like I'm going to kill that fool Saotome."
Akane's aura winked out as she stared in shock at the ease with which Geese spoke of killing. The coldness in his voice was enough to penetrate her anger, her only emotional defense. "What?" She whispered.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Geese snorted in an insulting manner. "I'm not one of your stupid little friends. Mess with me and I'll destroy you."
Akane would usually raise up to the challenge, but she could read it in the man's eyes. He wanted her to do it. He wanted the excuse to follow through with his threat. She wasn't standing in front of Shampoo or Ukyo. Hell, not even Kodachi would be able to kill someone. They were not killers, even if the Amazon would protest to that. But Geese Howard, the man staring down at her right now, would be quite happy about soaking his hands with her blood.
Geese noticed the hesitation in Akane's demeanor and smirked arrogantly. "That's right. Weaklings like you have nothing to do against us." He said and inwardly laughed at the hatred burning in her eyes at the remark. She didn't move though. "Do you have any idea what you were about to do, girl? Have you got the slightest idea of how close you came to total destruction?" Seeing she didn't he shrugged and turned around. Before he left her alone, though, he gave her something to think about. "Should we find you in the tournament we won't kill you." With that said he walked inside, leaving a confused girl staring at his retreating back. *Just beat you into a bloody pulp.*
-----
Ukyo entered her restaurant with her shoulders slumped. Seeing Ranma, the man she wanted for herself, so different from what she remembered was still unsettling. Her Ranchan would never hit a girl, and would fall to pieces whenever one of the girls after him shed a tear. That Ranma was gone. The pigtailed martial artist she saw today didn't hesitate in severely injuring the girls after his affections. Granted, they were trying to kill his wife and daughter, but before the incident he would try his best not to hurt anyone. Now it seemed that he only cared about his family.
"Ukyo." A male voice brought her out of her musings and she turned up to see her father sitting by the grill. "We need to talk." He said at length and motioned for her to take a sit.
*How dare he?* She inwardly raged. It was her restaurant, the fruit of her labor, and he already acted as if he owned the place. She held back that anger and let it out in a long-suffering sigh as she complied.
After she was sitting next to him the man started. "I received an invitation for the tournament, today."
She instantly perked up at that. "You did?" She asked, remembering how Ranma spoke of participating in such tournament. When she saw her father nod with a smile she shared it with him.
"That idiot boy sent us a letter with the invitation. Says if we want to settle things we should do it in the tournament." Ukyo's father said as he handed her the letter.
She recognized Ranma's handwriting instantly. It seemed like even growing up in another world didn't change the fact that he had nearly unrecognizable handwriting. She understood the message of the letter nonetheless, and frowned. "But it says here that unless we have three members for the team we can't participate. And even if we do it says nothing about Ranchan marrying me."
The man snorted. "So what? If we do prove we can take them all out that boy won't be able to resist us." He paused and looked directly at her. "I'll call my brother to join our team."
Ukyo suddenly remembered what had just happened outside. It seemed like that gaijin woman Ranma was talking to took out Shampoo with little trouble. The pigtailed martial artist took the three girls out with a single move. The girl shared her thoughts with her father, to which he frowned in thought. "I see." He said once she was finished. "He's indeed quite a prize for you, and once you own his loyalty he'll be the husband you deserve."
"But how can we face them?" Ukyo asked as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "If they're all that powerful we won't make it past the first round, much less defeat them all."
He didn't answer his daughter's question. Instead of that he stood up and looked down at her solemnly. "Pack what you need for a training trip. It's high time you learn the true power behind our school."
Ukyo just stared stupidly at the retreating back of the man she called father. *True power?*
-----
Akane watched as Ranma entered the gate of his house, an older woman close on his heels and screaming at him to stop and take what he deserved. She could sympathize with the feeling, Ranma was a jerk most of the time.
With a sigh she started her way home. She didn't want to face Ranma like this, ashamed of being scared off by that gaijin man. *But I'll show him.* She thought to herself with determination. *He wants to fight in the tournament. I'll give him a fight and show Ranma once and for all I'm a martial artist too.*
END CHAPTER 21
Author's notes: I better leave it here before I screw it up any more. The players for the tournament are now all ready to face the challenges to come. Even more hints were dropped about the 'he' Geese and Ranma have been referring to. For those who still haven't made the connection, you'll see his appearance in the next chapter, which will take place in the tournament. Old and new faces will meet to fight it out.