A scream of pain resounded on the cliff, silenced by the explosion that
quickly followed. Blood splattered on the cold marble floor of the fighting
platform, somehow seeming unreal to those who knew just who was fighting.
"RYU!" Kimi's mother cried out and jumped onto the platform, quickly making her way to the bleeding fighter in the black gi. She couldn't believe her man would simply ignore Genma's killing technique to deliver his own chi blast. Then again... The woman reached the bleeding martial artist and, ignoring his unspoken protest, opened his gi top to reveal a deep bleeding wound on his midsection. Any other person would've been cut in half by the vacuum blade. "We have to take care of this wound." She said and looked up into his red eyes. The anger was still there, as usual, yet she could see it was somewhat satisfied after the one-move fight. "Kimi-chan." She called out. Sure enough the little girl was by her side in an instant, which brought a smile to her features. "Be a dear and take your father to a doctor." She turned to the shocked form of Tendo Soun and continued. "I'll join you as soon as the fight is over."
Little Kimi beamed at her mother and nodded. She took her father's hand in her own and proceeded to drag the man towards the building.
The fighters that knew Ryu all stared in shock. Genma's move was powerful enough to make the fight end in a draw? Granted, Ryu made no attempt to dodge and he could keep on fighting with wounds a lot more serious, but still...
Seeing Kimi drag Ryu away didn't come as a surprise, though. It wasn't the first time it happened. Sometimes it seemed the warrior could only be deterred from fighting by his lover and child.
The ones that had never seen Ryu fight before were staring in complete shock at the unconscious form of Saotome Genma. The man's gi top was completely incinerated and some first degree burns could be seen covering his upper body. The bald man was slumped against a cracked wall, against which he impacted, after being sent flying back by the huge and highly- concentrated chi blast. Ranma's biological father was, mercifully, unconscious before he hit said wall.
The fighters would be even more shocked if they knew Ryu toned down his chi blast not to kill the man. That wasn't even his standard chi projectile.
-----
"That technique..." Geese muttered as he stared at Kimi's mother and Tendo Soun as they got ready for their match. "Is that one of the forbidden techniques you spoke of but wouldn't show me?" The blond man couldn't help but allow his respect for Genma to increase a little. That technique, even if it needed some adjustments, was powerful indeed.
Ranma nodded seriously. "Yes." He didn't care for his father's techniques. They were meant for thieves and assassins. The pigtailed man didn't like to think of himself as either.
-----
Soun, after recovering from the shock of seeing his training partner defeated so quickly, stood straight in front of the Chinese woman. He stared down at her and assessed her as best as he could. He wasn't as out of shape as he was when Ranma challenged the Tendo Dojo, though he definitely wasn't at his best either. He still thought he was good enough to show a gaijin woman the superiority of Japanese martial arts, not withstanding the fact that her stance was graceful and relaxed.
"I'm Chun Li." The woman said as she bowed slightly to him. She frowned when he didn't deign answer her greeting, but shrugged it off and assumed her fighting stance.
Once done with his assessment Soun assumed his own fighting stance. As expected, she favors Wu Shu. He thought to himself, already thinking on which moves to use so he could exploit the weaknesses in the style.
-----
"He's a fool." Terry said as he shook his head.
"What?" Shingo asked and turned to stare at his teammate. "Why would you say that?"
Terry continued to stare at the combatants as he answered. He could see Soun start on the offensive, with Chun Li dodging and generally assessing her opponent's skills. "He's underestimating Chun Li. At this rate the fight will be over in a matter of a few minutes."
Shingo could only nod in understanding. While mostly overlooked because of Ryu, Chun Li was not someone you took lightly. Over the many tournaments the Chinese woman had participated in her opponents learned this important lesson, more often than not painfully.
-----
Chun Li had two choices right now.
The first one was to get upset over Soun's dismissal of her skills as a fighter just because she was a Chinese woman. It was obvious in his attitude that he didn't consider her a challenge, and the reasons were easy to guess for someone that had lived among fighters in Japan for a long time.
But Chun Li was too experienced to waste such a chance. That's why she took the second option and, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, decided to use Soun's overconfidence against him. The Chinese woman continued to dodge and block Soun's attacks, purposely allowing him to gain ground and slowly corner her against the edge of the platform. She was careful to keep her facial expression as concentrated as possible, not wanting to give away her little plan.
Soun, for his part, allowed a smirk to form on his face once he had the woman two steps away from the edge of the platform. He was completely overwhelming her with his intricate attacks, so much that she had yet to attempt an offensive move of her own, and about to finish the fight. It was quite an unusual behavior on the Tendo patriarch's part, yet in the months of seeing his dream threatened he had changed and become desperate. Victory in the tournament was a must, since his Dojo depended on it. A victory here would mean the revival of his legacy and the opportunity to force Ranma into doing the honorable thing.
Now! Both Chun Li and Soun thought at the same time as the woman's foot landed inches from the edge.
Soun threw his hands forward in a double blow. His left hand going low while his right hand was aimed at her face, a double palm strike meant to make her leave the platform, either by dodging or by being hit. With both his feet firmly planted on the ground his stance was strong enough to push her away at least a dozen feet should the attack connect.
For the first time in the short fight Chun Li moved with her actual speed and agility, making the Tendo patriarch seem like a snail in comparison. Her lithe form gracefully swerved to the side, avoiding the double blow, and she flipped neatly to avoid Soun's desperate sweep at realizing the situation. When it was over Soun was out of balance and had his back to the edge just as Chun Li started raising her leg for a kick.
-----
"It's over." Mature said impassively.
-----
"As expected." Wolfgang Krauser nodded to himself, having expected the outcome of the fight from even before seeing Soun fight.
-----
"Very skilled." Lotion, the older of the participating Amazons, said.
-----
To Soun's credit he managed to block the first kick coming his way. The power behind said kick numbed his arm and he was unable to block for a second time. He nearly blacked out when the foot crashed against his jaw.
Chun Li only needed two kicks to defeat her opponent. She kept her leg in kicking position as he landed on his back and lowered it slowly.
Soun blinked a couple of times and stared incredulously at the woman who defeated him, his hopes and dreams coming to a crashing end.
Kimi's mother bowed respectfully to Soun, even if he underestimated her prowess, and rushed towards the building where the medical staff was found.
-----
"And so another fight is over." Geese said in obvious disappointment. He wanted to be the one that fought against the Anything Goes Team so he could get back at them for their boneheaded actions against the Todo Dojo. The crime lord particularly wanted to fight against Genma.
Ranma didn't say a word. Instead the pigtailed martial artist turned and walked towards the building, following Chun Li at a more sedate pace.
His companions didn't even bat an eyelash at the action. They were, in fact, expecting for it. Ryu didn't have many friends. Geese was pretty sure those few could be counted with the fingers of one hand.
Ranma was one of them.
-----
He walked into the building and past a distracted Akane, who was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn't notice him, paying her no heed. As far as he was concerned his business with the Tendos was finished. If they started anything with his family he would make sure to end it, but otherwise he'd try his best to ignore them.
Several rooms in the building, the ones not used for the fighters' living quarters, were used by the medical staff of the tournament. Even if only a couple of fights had taken place the rooms were already being used.
Ranma ignored the ones holding Ukyo and Genma, which he walked past without even a glance, and stopped at the third door. He knocked even if the door was open.
Inside Chun Li, Kimi and Ryu turned to regard him while a doctor was busy stitching the wound on the latter's midsection closed. Their reactions at the pigtailed man's appearance varied. While Ryu remained impassive, something expected of the laconic fighter, Chun Li smiled. Kimi, on the other hand, was a little more enthusiastic. "Uncle Ranma!" She cried out in joy and rushed him.
Ranma smiled down at the girl as she hugged him. "How're you doing, Kimi- chan?" While it was true all of the fighters arrived yesterday Ranma was unable to greet the trio, due mostly to the fact he was avoiding his many enemies so there wouldn't be any trouble before the tournament.
The little girl beamed up at him. "We won the first round!"
"I saw it. You fought very well." He praised and turned to Ryu. "How're you doing with that wound? Didn't expect you to let that attack land."
Ryu's red eyes locked with Ranma's own. "I'll heal." In the room everyone but the doctor knew the wound would be completely gone after two days. Out of all the fighters Ranma knew the only one that healed faster than this was Geese.
The pigtailed man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Kimi had released her hold on him and was now standing next to her mother again, nearly jumping from one foot to another like the hyperactive child she was. "When the tournament is over you're welcome to stay with us for a few weeks. A lot of things have happened since we last saw each other." He didn't make the offer for a longer time because he knew Ryu never remained in one place for more than that.
Chun Li nodded thankfully. While it was true that their lifestyle hadn't changed even after the incident it still hit them hard. Now more than ever since they didn't have a place to rest from their travels. Ryu didn't need one, but both Kimi and she did. She chanced a look at her man and he nodded at her. "Thank you. How is little Yoko doing?"
Ranma smiled in a way only a proud father could. "She finally asked."
That got Ryu's attention. It was a wonder to him why Ranma didn't start training Yoko since she could walk, pretty much what Chun Li and he had done with their daughter. Instead the pigtailed man had waited for his child to make the decision by herself. While he wouldn't object if Kimi decided she didn't want to train anymore, he wanted to instill within her the love for the Art both his parents shared. So far it seemed he'd succeeded.
Chun Li smiled and placed her hand on top of Kimi's head. "How about Kasumi? I'm surprised she isn't participating with you this year."
The way Ranma sobered told them something was wrong. "Kasumi was... hurt a few months ago." He proceeded to explain the events that led to his wife's injuries.
When the pigtailed man was done speaking Chun Li felt she should've kicked her opponent a little harder, maybe breaking a rib or two. Kimi was frowning, though her frown lessened when Ranma told her Kasumi was completely healed, she was just a little out of shape and therefore couldn't make the tournament. Ryu was unresponsive again, but Ranma and Chun Li could tell he was angered by the story. "If we win the Dojo sign will go to your friend." He said firmly. "We can't allow someone like that to teach martial arts."
Ranma nodded thankfully. He wanted Nabiki to have the sign when it was all over. "I should return to the fighting area. Just wanted to make sure you were alright." Seeing Ryu nod he gave the small family a smile and walked out of the room. There would be enough time for talk later, when the fights of the day were over.
Once the pigtailed man left Kimi turned up to her mother. "Mommy, why is uncle Ranma fighting as a man?"
-----
As Ranma walked back he saw Akane standing in the same spot as before, only that now she was staring at him. He felt the urge to walk past her without even acknowledging her presence, but decided that whatever she had in mind would better be dealt with now.
Soun and Genma were defeated. He didn't fool himself thinking this would be the last he heard of the moronic duo, but at the same time it became obvious using force would be useless. With those two out of the way for now he had to deal with another loose end.
The youngest Tendo sister waited till Ranma stopped in front of her to speak. "Ranma..." She hadn't spoken to him since the Dojo incident where Kasumi was hurt. Now that she had him in front of her she didn't know what to say.
"You fought well, Akane." Ranma said once the silence stretched for too long. "Too bad it wasn't really you that was fighting."
The accusation made Akane's blood boil. How dare he?! She screamed inwardly as her fists clenched tightly. "What?" The question was more a demand than anything else.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "You're wearing that thing, Akane." He pointed at the dogi with his hand. "We both know you would've lost to Kimi-chan in less than ten seconds without it."
Akane wanted to deny the words. She really did. In fact denying them would've come as second nature to her if she'd won the fight and this took place several months back. Yet the girl couldn't fool herself this time. The truth was there for all to see and trying to ignore it was useless.
When Ranma saw the girl struggle for words he raised an eyebrow. He expected her to deny things forcibly as usual and then lash out with her mallet.
The youngest Tendo sister took a deep breath to calm herself and changed the subject away from her wounded pride. "You know her?" It didn't escape her notice the affective way Ranma addressed the little girl.
Ranma nodded, surprised with Akane's behavior. "Known her since before she could walk, though I see her rarely. Her family lives on the road."
"Like you?"
The pigtailed man shook his head. "I used to live like that, until I settled down when Kasumi became pregnant with Yoko."
Akane winced at the reminder of Ranma as a father. The father of a child with another woman. Even if she'd had time to assimilate the concept it still hurt her. "Why?"
Ranma sighed in exasperation. "We already went through this, Akane. I love my wife."
Akane shook her head, ignoring the stinging pain in her chest for the open declaration of love. "No. I mean why would you settle down? You wanted to be the best." The girl knew Ranma didn't want to settle down and be tied to the Tendo Dojo, because then his skills would stop to grow. She'd beat him up enough times for voicing his thoughts in the past, taking it as a direct offense to her martial arts skills.
"I couldn't do that to Kasumi anymore." Ranma said quietly. "Living on the road... is hard. We traveled around for a while practicing and improving our martial arts, and even if she didn't say anything I could see her desire to start a home. A family." He sighed and turned to regard the door to the outside, where the sounds of fighting could be heard. "Seeing Yoko now makes me think I made the right choice." While he didn't think Kimi was unhappy with her life, Ranma wanted his own daughter to have a normal childhood.
Akane turned to stare at the floor. "So it's over..."
"It was over a long time ago, Akane." Ranma said seriously and walked past the girl, who still didn't look up.
The youngest Tendo sister was left alone in the hall. He settled down. He really did settle down. The thought made her realize there no longer was a battle to fight. What she learned in the Dojo that day was only confirmed with today's revelation. She looked up and felt... a weight lift off her shoulders. She didn't know why but even with the pain in her chest she felt somewhat relieved.
What Tendo Akane didn't realize at that time was that she started to move on.
-----
"What the hell happened?" Ranma asked as he returned to his place and stared at the defeated forms of Mint and Lime. In the platform Herb was fighting against Shingo's wife. I think her name's Sakura.
Iori answered his question, obviously amused by the events that took place. "Those idiots got distracted because they were fighting a woman in tight clothing and asked if they could touch her breasts. She nailed them with a kick to the groin each." The redhead had to fight down the urge to laugh. The morons both fell for the same thing. Herb's facial expression when he saw his subordinates make asses of themselves was priceless.
Ranma snorted and shook his head, not at all surprised by what Iori told him.
He then turned to see the fight, knowing that even if Herb managed to defeat Sakura and Shingo, not a difficult task, Bogard would win in the end. As strong and skilled as Herb was Terry was that much stronger. It was only his bad luck that, aside from Mary, he was always partnered with weaklings.
-----
Kasumi smiled when she entered the dojo and placed the tray with lemonade on the table. The room was packed with people, nearly all of them her students that came to see the tournament on television.
"Thanks, Kasumi!" Daisuke said with a big smile on his face. He was leaning back against a wall as he stared at the fights with an arm around Yuka's shoulders. The girl was leaning her head on his shoulder and staring at the fighting as well. After Daisuke recovered they had started dating and, while Yuka didn't start training, she spent a lot of time in the dojo.
Yoko was sitting on Leona's lap and staring at the screen waiting for the daddy to fight. The blue-haired woman had a small smile on her face. "Seems like Ranma was telling the truth about them."
Kasumi giggled and sat down next to her friend. "I'm surprised too. It sounded too weird to be real." They were referring to Mint and Lime's defeat because of their interest in women. Or rather of how Yabuki Sakura beat the living crap out of them for trying to grope her.
Both women were completely healed after the injuries they sustained because of the Neko-ken. Kasumi was still a little out of shape, but it was nothing a couple of weeks of training wouldn't fix. Leona, on the other hand, was in top form. She just didn't participate in the tournament because there wasn't a team to participate with. While she didn't particularly like being left out she also didn't mind too much.
The black-haired woman stared at the screen, where Terry and Herb were exchanging blows. It was becoming obvious Herb was too tired after the long fight. He defeated both Sakura and Shingo, but Terry was taking advantage of his debilitated state to deliver some serious damage. "They should be fighting soon."
-----
Nabiki stood in front of the screen, watching the fights and nodding to herself. So far what Geese had told her about the result of the matches had been true. The way things were going they'd be insanely rich by the end of the tournament. The disowned daughter of Tendo Soun couldn't help but smirk.
A man in a black business suit entered her office and showed her a folder. "The results of the betting pools."
Nabiki nodded without turning to regard him. She already knew the results without the need to actually see them. "Leave them on my desk."
"Yes, Howard-san." The man placed the folder on Nabiki's desk and bowed before leaving the room.
The girl continued to watch the fights, her smirk never leaving her face.
END PART 24
Author's notes: Well, this one is rather short, but considering how long it's been since I updated it I wanted to give something to you people to read.
As you can see the fighting continues in the tournament. Akane had a talk with Ranma, and she'll finally start to grow up. And we see a little glimpse of what happened during the months before the tournament. Next chapter should continue with the fighting and show a little more of what's happening outside.
"RYU!" Kimi's mother cried out and jumped onto the platform, quickly making her way to the bleeding fighter in the black gi. She couldn't believe her man would simply ignore Genma's killing technique to deliver his own chi blast. Then again... The woman reached the bleeding martial artist and, ignoring his unspoken protest, opened his gi top to reveal a deep bleeding wound on his midsection. Any other person would've been cut in half by the vacuum blade. "We have to take care of this wound." She said and looked up into his red eyes. The anger was still there, as usual, yet she could see it was somewhat satisfied after the one-move fight. "Kimi-chan." She called out. Sure enough the little girl was by her side in an instant, which brought a smile to her features. "Be a dear and take your father to a doctor." She turned to the shocked form of Tendo Soun and continued. "I'll join you as soon as the fight is over."
Little Kimi beamed at her mother and nodded. She took her father's hand in her own and proceeded to drag the man towards the building.
The fighters that knew Ryu all stared in shock. Genma's move was powerful enough to make the fight end in a draw? Granted, Ryu made no attempt to dodge and he could keep on fighting with wounds a lot more serious, but still...
Seeing Kimi drag Ryu away didn't come as a surprise, though. It wasn't the first time it happened. Sometimes it seemed the warrior could only be deterred from fighting by his lover and child.
The ones that had never seen Ryu fight before were staring in complete shock at the unconscious form of Saotome Genma. The man's gi top was completely incinerated and some first degree burns could be seen covering his upper body. The bald man was slumped against a cracked wall, against which he impacted, after being sent flying back by the huge and highly- concentrated chi blast. Ranma's biological father was, mercifully, unconscious before he hit said wall.
The fighters would be even more shocked if they knew Ryu toned down his chi blast not to kill the man. That wasn't even his standard chi projectile.
-----
"That technique..." Geese muttered as he stared at Kimi's mother and Tendo Soun as they got ready for their match. "Is that one of the forbidden techniques you spoke of but wouldn't show me?" The blond man couldn't help but allow his respect for Genma to increase a little. That technique, even if it needed some adjustments, was powerful indeed.
Ranma nodded seriously. "Yes." He didn't care for his father's techniques. They were meant for thieves and assassins. The pigtailed man didn't like to think of himself as either.
-----
Soun, after recovering from the shock of seeing his training partner defeated so quickly, stood straight in front of the Chinese woman. He stared down at her and assessed her as best as he could. He wasn't as out of shape as he was when Ranma challenged the Tendo Dojo, though he definitely wasn't at his best either. He still thought he was good enough to show a gaijin woman the superiority of Japanese martial arts, not withstanding the fact that her stance was graceful and relaxed.
"I'm Chun Li." The woman said as she bowed slightly to him. She frowned when he didn't deign answer her greeting, but shrugged it off and assumed her fighting stance.
Once done with his assessment Soun assumed his own fighting stance. As expected, she favors Wu Shu. He thought to himself, already thinking on which moves to use so he could exploit the weaknesses in the style.
-----
"He's a fool." Terry said as he shook his head.
"What?" Shingo asked and turned to stare at his teammate. "Why would you say that?"
Terry continued to stare at the combatants as he answered. He could see Soun start on the offensive, with Chun Li dodging and generally assessing her opponent's skills. "He's underestimating Chun Li. At this rate the fight will be over in a matter of a few minutes."
Shingo could only nod in understanding. While mostly overlooked because of Ryu, Chun Li was not someone you took lightly. Over the many tournaments the Chinese woman had participated in her opponents learned this important lesson, more often than not painfully.
-----
Chun Li had two choices right now.
The first one was to get upset over Soun's dismissal of her skills as a fighter just because she was a Chinese woman. It was obvious in his attitude that he didn't consider her a challenge, and the reasons were easy to guess for someone that had lived among fighters in Japan for a long time.
But Chun Li was too experienced to waste such a chance. That's why she took the second option and, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, decided to use Soun's overconfidence against him. The Chinese woman continued to dodge and block Soun's attacks, purposely allowing him to gain ground and slowly corner her against the edge of the platform. She was careful to keep her facial expression as concentrated as possible, not wanting to give away her little plan.
Soun, for his part, allowed a smirk to form on his face once he had the woman two steps away from the edge of the platform. He was completely overwhelming her with his intricate attacks, so much that she had yet to attempt an offensive move of her own, and about to finish the fight. It was quite an unusual behavior on the Tendo patriarch's part, yet in the months of seeing his dream threatened he had changed and become desperate. Victory in the tournament was a must, since his Dojo depended on it. A victory here would mean the revival of his legacy and the opportunity to force Ranma into doing the honorable thing.
Now! Both Chun Li and Soun thought at the same time as the woman's foot landed inches from the edge.
Soun threw his hands forward in a double blow. His left hand going low while his right hand was aimed at her face, a double palm strike meant to make her leave the platform, either by dodging or by being hit. With both his feet firmly planted on the ground his stance was strong enough to push her away at least a dozen feet should the attack connect.
For the first time in the short fight Chun Li moved with her actual speed and agility, making the Tendo patriarch seem like a snail in comparison. Her lithe form gracefully swerved to the side, avoiding the double blow, and she flipped neatly to avoid Soun's desperate sweep at realizing the situation. When it was over Soun was out of balance and had his back to the edge just as Chun Li started raising her leg for a kick.
-----
"It's over." Mature said impassively.
-----
"As expected." Wolfgang Krauser nodded to himself, having expected the outcome of the fight from even before seeing Soun fight.
-----
"Very skilled." Lotion, the older of the participating Amazons, said.
-----
To Soun's credit he managed to block the first kick coming his way. The power behind said kick numbed his arm and he was unable to block for a second time. He nearly blacked out when the foot crashed against his jaw.
Chun Li only needed two kicks to defeat her opponent. She kept her leg in kicking position as he landed on his back and lowered it slowly.
Soun blinked a couple of times and stared incredulously at the woman who defeated him, his hopes and dreams coming to a crashing end.
Kimi's mother bowed respectfully to Soun, even if he underestimated her prowess, and rushed towards the building where the medical staff was found.
-----
"And so another fight is over." Geese said in obvious disappointment. He wanted to be the one that fought against the Anything Goes Team so he could get back at them for their boneheaded actions against the Todo Dojo. The crime lord particularly wanted to fight against Genma.
Ranma didn't say a word. Instead the pigtailed martial artist turned and walked towards the building, following Chun Li at a more sedate pace.
His companions didn't even bat an eyelash at the action. They were, in fact, expecting for it. Ryu didn't have many friends. Geese was pretty sure those few could be counted with the fingers of one hand.
Ranma was one of them.
-----
He walked into the building and past a distracted Akane, who was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn't notice him, paying her no heed. As far as he was concerned his business with the Tendos was finished. If they started anything with his family he would make sure to end it, but otherwise he'd try his best to ignore them.
Several rooms in the building, the ones not used for the fighters' living quarters, were used by the medical staff of the tournament. Even if only a couple of fights had taken place the rooms were already being used.
Ranma ignored the ones holding Ukyo and Genma, which he walked past without even a glance, and stopped at the third door. He knocked even if the door was open.
Inside Chun Li, Kimi and Ryu turned to regard him while a doctor was busy stitching the wound on the latter's midsection closed. Their reactions at the pigtailed man's appearance varied. While Ryu remained impassive, something expected of the laconic fighter, Chun Li smiled. Kimi, on the other hand, was a little more enthusiastic. "Uncle Ranma!" She cried out in joy and rushed him.
Ranma smiled down at the girl as she hugged him. "How're you doing, Kimi- chan?" While it was true all of the fighters arrived yesterday Ranma was unable to greet the trio, due mostly to the fact he was avoiding his many enemies so there wouldn't be any trouble before the tournament.
The little girl beamed up at him. "We won the first round!"
"I saw it. You fought very well." He praised and turned to Ryu. "How're you doing with that wound? Didn't expect you to let that attack land."
Ryu's red eyes locked with Ranma's own. "I'll heal." In the room everyone but the doctor knew the wound would be completely gone after two days. Out of all the fighters Ranma knew the only one that healed faster than this was Geese.
The pigtailed man nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Kimi had released her hold on him and was now standing next to her mother again, nearly jumping from one foot to another like the hyperactive child she was. "When the tournament is over you're welcome to stay with us for a few weeks. A lot of things have happened since we last saw each other." He didn't make the offer for a longer time because he knew Ryu never remained in one place for more than that.
Chun Li nodded thankfully. While it was true that their lifestyle hadn't changed even after the incident it still hit them hard. Now more than ever since they didn't have a place to rest from their travels. Ryu didn't need one, but both Kimi and she did. She chanced a look at her man and he nodded at her. "Thank you. How is little Yoko doing?"
Ranma smiled in a way only a proud father could. "She finally asked."
That got Ryu's attention. It was a wonder to him why Ranma didn't start training Yoko since she could walk, pretty much what Chun Li and he had done with their daughter. Instead the pigtailed man had waited for his child to make the decision by herself. While he wouldn't object if Kimi decided she didn't want to train anymore, he wanted to instill within her the love for the Art both his parents shared. So far it seemed he'd succeeded.
Chun Li smiled and placed her hand on top of Kimi's head. "How about Kasumi? I'm surprised she isn't participating with you this year."
The way Ranma sobered told them something was wrong. "Kasumi was... hurt a few months ago." He proceeded to explain the events that led to his wife's injuries.
When the pigtailed man was done speaking Chun Li felt she should've kicked her opponent a little harder, maybe breaking a rib or two. Kimi was frowning, though her frown lessened when Ranma told her Kasumi was completely healed, she was just a little out of shape and therefore couldn't make the tournament. Ryu was unresponsive again, but Ranma and Chun Li could tell he was angered by the story. "If we win the Dojo sign will go to your friend." He said firmly. "We can't allow someone like that to teach martial arts."
Ranma nodded thankfully. He wanted Nabiki to have the sign when it was all over. "I should return to the fighting area. Just wanted to make sure you were alright." Seeing Ryu nod he gave the small family a smile and walked out of the room. There would be enough time for talk later, when the fights of the day were over.
Once the pigtailed man left Kimi turned up to her mother. "Mommy, why is uncle Ranma fighting as a man?"
-----
As Ranma walked back he saw Akane standing in the same spot as before, only that now she was staring at him. He felt the urge to walk past her without even acknowledging her presence, but decided that whatever she had in mind would better be dealt with now.
Soun and Genma were defeated. He didn't fool himself thinking this would be the last he heard of the moronic duo, but at the same time it became obvious using force would be useless. With those two out of the way for now he had to deal with another loose end.
The youngest Tendo sister waited till Ranma stopped in front of her to speak. "Ranma..." She hadn't spoken to him since the Dojo incident where Kasumi was hurt. Now that she had him in front of her she didn't know what to say.
"You fought well, Akane." Ranma said once the silence stretched for too long. "Too bad it wasn't really you that was fighting."
The accusation made Akane's blood boil. How dare he?! She screamed inwardly as her fists clenched tightly. "What?" The question was more a demand than anything else.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "You're wearing that thing, Akane." He pointed at the dogi with his hand. "We both know you would've lost to Kimi-chan in less than ten seconds without it."
Akane wanted to deny the words. She really did. In fact denying them would've come as second nature to her if she'd won the fight and this took place several months back. Yet the girl couldn't fool herself this time. The truth was there for all to see and trying to ignore it was useless.
When Ranma saw the girl struggle for words he raised an eyebrow. He expected her to deny things forcibly as usual and then lash out with her mallet.
The youngest Tendo sister took a deep breath to calm herself and changed the subject away from her wounded pride. "You know her?" It didn't escape her notice the affective way Ranma addressed the little girl.
Ranma nodded, surprised with Akane's behavior. "Known her since before she could walk, though I see her rarely. Her family lives on the road."
"Like you?"
The pigtailed man shook his head. "I used to live like that, until I settled down when Kasumi became pregnant with Yoko."
Akane winced at the reminder of Ranma as a father. The father of a child with another woman. Even if she'd had time to assimilate the concept it still hurt her. "Why?"
Ranma sighed in exasperation. "We already went through this, Akane. I love my wife."
Akane shook her head, ignoring the stinging pain in her chest for the open declaration of love. "No. I mean why would you settle down? You wanted to be the best." The girl knew Ranma didn't want to settle down and be tied to the Tendo Dojo, because then his skills would stop to grow. She'd beat him up enough times for voicing his thoughts in the past, taking it as a direct offense to her martial arts skills.
"I couldn't do that to Kasumi anymore." Ranma said quietly. "Living on the road... is hard. We traveled around for a while practicing and improving our martial arts, and even if she didn't say anything I could see her desire to start a home. A family." He sighed and turned to regard the door to the outside, where the sounds of fighting could be heard. "Seeing Yoko now makes me think I made the right choice." While he didn't think Kimi was unhappy with her life, Ranma wanted his own daughter to have a normal childhood.
Akane turned to stare at the floor. "So it's over..."
"It was over a long time ago, Akane." Ranma said seriously and walked past the girl, who still didn't look up.
The youngest Tendo sister was left alone in the hall. He settled down. He really did settle down. The thought made her realize there no longer was a battle to fight. What she learned in the Dojo that day was only confirmed with today's revelation. She looked up and felt... a weight lift off her shoulders. She didn't know why but even with the pain in her chest she felt somewhat relieved.
What Tendo Akane didn't realize at that time was that she started to move on.
-----
"What the hell happened?" Ranma asked as he returned to his place and stared at the defeated forms of Mint and Lime. In the platform Herb was fighting against Shingo's wife. I think her name's Sakura.
Iori answered his question, obviously amused by the events that took place. "Those idiots got distracted because they were fighting a woman in tight clothing and asked if they could touch her breasts. She nailed them with a kick to the groin each." The redhead had to fight down the urge to laugh. The morons both fell for the same thing. Herb's facial expression when he saw his subordinates make asses of themselves was priceless.
Ranma snorted and shook his head, not at all surprised by what Iori told him.
He then turned to see the fight, knowing that even if Herb managed to defeat Sakura and Shingo, not a difficult task, Bogard would win in the end. As strong and skilled as Herb was Terry was that much stronger. It was only his bad luck that, aside from Mary, he was always partnered with weaklings.
-----
Kasumi smiled when she entered the dojo and placed the tray with lemonade on the table. The room was packed with people, nearly all of them her students that came to see the tournament on television.
"Thanks, Kasumi!" Daisuke said with a big smile on his face. He was leaning back against a wall as he stared at the fights with an arm around Yuka's shoulders. The girl was leaning her head on his shoulder and staring at the fighting as well. After Daisuke recovered they had started dating and, while Yuka didn't start training, she spent a lot of time in the dojo.
Yoko was sitting on Leona's lap and staring at the screen waiting for the daddy to fight. The blue-haired woman had a small smile on her face. "Seems like Ranma was telling the truth about them."
Kasumi giggled and sat down next to her friend. "I'm surprised too. It sounded too weird to be real." They were referring to Mint and Lime's defeat because of their interest in women. Or rather of how Yabuki Sakura beat the living crap out of them for trying to grope her.
Both women were completely healed after the injuries they sustained because of the Neko-ken. Kasumi was still a little out of shape, but it was nothing a couple of weeks of training wouldn't fix. Leona, on the other hand, was in top form. She just didn't participate in the tournament because there wasn't a team to participate with. While she didn't particularly like being left out she also didn't mind too much.
The black-haired woman stared at the screen, where Terry and Herb were exchanging blows. It was becoming obvious Herb was too tired after the long fight. He defeated both Sakura and Shingo, but Terry was taking advantage of his debilitated state to deliver some serious damage. "They should be fighting soon."
-----
Nabiki stood in front of the screen, watching the fights and nodding to herself. So far what Geese had told her about the result of the matches had been true. The way things were going they'd be insanely rich by the end of the tournament. The disowned daughter of Tendo Soun couldn't help but smirk.
A man in a black business suit entered her office and showed her a folder. "The results of the betting pools."
Nabiki nodded without turning to regard him. She already knew the results without the need to actually see them. "Leave them on my desk."
"Yes, Howard-san." The man placed the folder on Nabiki's desk and bowed before leaving the room.
The girl continued to watch the fights, her smirk never leaving her face.
END PART 24
Author's notes: Well, this one is rather short, but considering how long it's been since I updated it I wanted to give something to you people to read.
As you can see the fighting continues in the tournament. Akane had a talk with Ranma, and she'll finally start to grow up. And we see a little glimpse of what happened during the months before the tournament. Next chapter should continue with the fighting and show a little more of what's happening outside.