A Ranma by any Other Name
by Night Hunter MGS
Author Note's: Thank you, everybody who's reviewed this, and even those who haven't. Your comments, suggestions, and praises mean far more to me than you can possibly know. I'd like to take this opprotunity to "shout out" to my reviewers. Thanks guys.
To Bookstick: Thank you, your comments and your suggestions meant an awful lot to me, and I'm honored to have you as my first reviewer ever. There will definitely be more Youngbloods. I'm starting on a fic, which I'm going to call "Molding A Soldier" or something along those lines, which will follow Ranma growing up as Hawk's son, joining the Army, becoming a Joe, and the introduction of the rest of the Youngbloods, ending just before Genma escapes the first time. After I'm done with that, I'll start a fic chronicling the Youngblood's exploits after the events in Soldier's Vow, and I'll definitely use the ideas you suggested. Once again, thank you.
To Ranshin: Trust me, I know what it's like, having the various voices and muses in your head fighting for control. It sounded like you'd genuinely like to see more of Ryouga and Ranma as Predators, so I might expand The Hunter into a seperate fic if I have the time. As for the Youngbloods, don't worry, you'll see more of them in the near future, I promise.
To timewaster: Heh, thanks. Just about you and every other mother's child seems to want more Youngbloods, so you'll get them.
To Blaze Stryker: Thank you for the detailed review, I'm glad you liked it. I'll definitely write more Youngbloods, and since you're not the only one who seems to want The Hunter expanded into a seperate fic, with more stories about "Short Fang" and "Two Bodies", I'll probably devote some time to fics about them as well, although I might need some help since I'm not too familiar with the Predators universe past the first movie, and a quick read of some of the comics. As for Samus being introduced, I assume you mean Samus from the Metroid series. It's an interesting idea, and I'll give it serious thought.
To A reader (anonymous): Thank you, thank you so very much for telling me exactly what you thought of my work. I appreciate the constructive criticism as much as I enjoyed the praise. Once again, Soldier's Vow will definitely be expanded into it's own fic, and the Youngbloods will become major characters.
To Jason: Thank you as well. You say you want more crossovers besides GI Joe and Ranma ½ to be in the Youngblood's universe when I write more? Hmmm, ok, it sounds fun. Do you have any ideas of series you'd like to see crossed over into it? I've thought of Gunsmith Cats, Hellsing, and Full Metal Panic so far. I also thought of X-Men: Evolution, but I don't want to imitate Red Witch too much. If you haven't read her stuff, be sure to do so. She's a genius with GI Joe fics and crossovers, and the idea of the Youngbloods was sort of a combination of the Rawhides in the GI Joe movie and her own unit, the Misfits. If anybody has series they'd like to see crossed over into the Youngblood's universe, let me know.
And to TS, Gopu, Lady Mystra, and everyone else: Thank you all for your compliments and praises, it inspires me to new heights, and I'll try to get more writing done and posted ASAP.
Oh, just one more thing, everyone be sure to check out the other fics that I've posted recently, Neo-Saiyans in the Dragonball Z section and Batman AC in the Gundam Wing section. Now strap in and enjoy the fic!
Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz, yes? Real Bout High School belongs to Reiji Saiga, Sora Inoue, and Tokyopop, yes? This story and any original characters that might appear in it belongs to me, yes? And you will surrender your immortal souls to me and my dark purpose, yes? NO?! Dang, almost had ya'.
Story 3: The Transfer Student
Iwao Saotome sighed as he enjoyed one of his rare moments of peace, something he'd be getting a fair amount of during the month of summer vacation. Of course, even then he'd be busy preparing new lesson plans, getting ready for new classes, and above all sparring once a day with the school's karate instructor. Since the K-Fight tournament had been introduced about six months ago, all traditional forms of discipline at Daimon High had been thrown out of the window. All conflicts were solved by often brutual matches between skilled opponents. It was, as the principal Mr. Todo had put it, a brass knuckles approach.
At first, he'd been against the principal's idea, especially since it originated from the delinquent transfer student Shizuma Kusanagi, but after he'd participated in it and seen the reactions of the student body to it, he'd finally come to appreciate the opprutunity for young warriors to develop their skills and the valuable lesson that the K-Fights taught. The basic, undeniable lesson that in the long run, might made right. Take Ryoko Mitsurugi for example, the school's champion and idol. She was completely undefeated in the tournament, and promoted order and justice in the school, a lead that many of the other students followed out of respect, admiration, and occasionally fear of winding up on the wrong end of her sword. Still, it was really the teacher's job to promote discipline, not the student's, and with the K-Fight system that meant that any teacher who wanted to maintain order on their own had to be an accomplished fighter, so he'd been training during every moment of his spare time to fine tune skills that had remained unused for far too long. The next time he entered into a K-Fight, the students would be in for a surprise.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of the ringing phone. Groaning as he stood up and stretched, he quickly picked up the reciever. "Hello, you've reached Iwao Saotome, how can I help you?"
"Iwao?"
At the faint, scared sound of a feminine voice, the teacher instantly became more attentative. "Nodoka? I haven't heard from you in nearly two years. What's wrong? Have you heard from my idiot brother? Have you found Ranma?"
"Yes, but... Oh, Iwao, it's too much! Why Iwao, why did I ever agree to marry Genma Saotome? How could I ever be so foolish?"
"Nodoka! Listen to me, just calm down and tell me everything!"
Several moments passed as the woman on the other end struggled to regain control. When she spoke again, it was with a calm, steady voice. "Iwao, I found Genma and Ranma about half a year ago. Ranma's become a fine, honorable young man and an unbeatable martial artist, but Genma's ruined him in so many other ways. Ranma's rude, uneducated, he's afraid of me, he can't deal with women, and I could just go on and on! And Ranma's life is a living hell! Why, just two weeks ago Genma and his friend Soun tried to force him to marry Soun's youngest daughter, Akane! But she's not the only girl that's gotten engaged to him due to Genma's greed and foolishness. The food was drugged, the wedding was bombed, one of the guests brought a real katanna to try and kill Ranma with, and at the end of it all the Tendo girl pummeled him and accused him of ruining the wedding! And this is normal! He is regularly manipulated, lied to, used, and abused, and he can't turn to me because his father has taught him all of his life to be afraid of me. What can I do, Iwao?"
Iwao Saotome could feel the phone threatening to slip through his limp fingers and his mouth hanging open. He'd always known that his estranged older brother was a gluttonous fool, and had often expressed the opinion that the only thing that Genma had done right in his life was to marry a good woman and have a healthy young son, but now he'd corrupted even that success! Firming his resolve, he came to a fateful decision. "Nodoka, you say that Ranma's in danger there and needs to work on his education? Is that correct?"
"Yes, it is. What do you recommend?"
"There will be a train ticket and a school transfer notice in your mail in a few days, give them to Ranma and I'll be waiting for him."
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Three weeks later, a young man sat in a meditative pose in the middle of a medium sized apartment, eyes closed in contemplation and concentration. Beside him, his instructor in several new facets of life relentlessly grilled him. "Ok, let's work on Japanese history. What battle allowed the Tokugawa Shogunate to rise to power?"
The answer came quickly and calmly, completely different than how the boy had answered the questions given him just four weeks ago. "The Battle of Segikhara was the final battle which allowed the Tokugawa family to attain power, sensei."
"And what ended the reign of the Tokugawas?"
"The Meiji Revolution, sensei."
"And the age of Emperor Meiji when he assumed the throne?"
"Fifteen years old, sensei."
The older man couldn't help but beam. This is why he loved teaching, the thrill of seeing a student suddenly understand something that they'd struggled to figure out previously. "Very good Ranma, you've made astonishing progress."
Ranma smiled, one of the first carefree smiles he'd been able to wear in the last several months. "I owe it to you, Uncle Iwao. You explained to me that knowledge was a different kind of power, and that I'd be leaving myself vulnerable to those who can more easily use that power unless I learned how to utilize it myself."
"Exactly, Ranma. Think about it, President Kennedy, Hitler, Martin Luther, Ghandi, or anyone else of real consequense or status used their words. Words and knowledge are powerful tools. They can be used as weapons to harm, or as soothing balms to heal. To ignore this fact is folly, like training how to punch just with your right arm and not your left, or learning how to attack but not to defend. Understand?"
"Sure thing, Uncle Iwao! It makes a lot more sense to me now since you've been explaining education in martial arts terms."
"Heh, well I'm certainly not up to your caliber, but I am something of a martial artist too, don't forget Ranma."
"You're not so bad for a guy who follows the traditional styles, Uncle Iwao. You could definitely mop the floor with that uncute tomboy who calls herself a ,artial artist, at least I think you could."
Affectionately, Saotome-sensei reached over and tussled his nephew's hair. For nearly a month, Ranma had been staying with him, and would be attending Daimon High in a week when classes started again.Ranma probably wouldn't have bothered staying with his uncle, but his mother had let him know that it was important to her that he try this out. More than anything else in the world, Ranma didn't want to disappoint his mother, so he gave it his all. Surprisingly, this experiment of living with a different relative had benefited not only him but his uncle as well. Ranma was getting three square meals a day without having to worry about his food getting stolen, had peace and quiet, nobody trying to beat him or force him into something, and was spending time with his uncle who genuinely cared about him and had a the sort of special touch that was required to get Ranma truly excited about learning and education. As for the benefits to Iwao, he was getting to spend time with the nephew he hadn't seen in over thirteen years, was getting lots of pointers on his martial art skills, and was getting to do what he loved, teaching. As soon as Ranma fully realized that in his uncle he'd found someone to talk to that he could trust, the two of them had become close, more like brothers or like father and son than uncle and nephew.
Looking out the window, Ranma gazed into the distance towards the infamous Daimon High School. Ever since he'd come to live here, his uncle had told him stories about the school, about the K-Fight tournament, and the skilled martial artists that inhabited the school in abundance. The summer would end and he'd officially be going to Daimon in just a few days. For the first time in his entire life, he couldn't wait for school to begin.
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Ryoko Mitsurugi was skipping along merrily, whistling a cheerful melody on her way to the first day of school at Daimon High. Anyone who knew her even a little bit could tell you that this picture was horribly wrong, and that something must be troubling the young girl. Those who were truly close to her knew this as well, and knew the reason behind this forced cheerfulness. Ryoko, the undefeatable swordswoman, was heart broken. For a long time, she'd had a serious crush on Tatsuya Shishikura, the kendo club president who'd guided her and encouraged her to become a great woman. A couple of months ago, he told her goodbye forever. As of this school year, he was transferred to a different high school.
Ryoko tried to be strong without him, but it was so hard! It was like being an artist who'd lost their inspiration, or a soldier who'd lost their sense of purpose. And so she wandered through life, aimless and lost. Glancing across the street, she saw Azumi Kiribayashi, a master of the naginata and another girl who had a crush on Tatsuya, who'd graduated last year from Daimon. She'd been so excited when Azumi's graduation approached, anticipating being able to spend the next year without any competition for Tatsuya's affection, but now she had no more claim to him than Azumi did. Feeling her emotions start to get out of hand again, she dashed into a nearby alley, determined not to cry in the middle of the street. Slumping down to the relatively clean ground, the young girl let the tears building inside of her to burst out in a series of heaving sobs. Suddenly a red, silken handkerchief was thrust into her field of vision, and a gentle voice flowed into her ears. "You know, my uncle says that when you see somebody crying, you should stop and listen, because unloading your troubles into a friendly ear is the best way to make your burden lighter."
Hesitating just for a second, Ryoko grudingly accepted the piece of cloth drying her eyes before looking up at the person who intruded on her solitude. There, hanging upside down from a fire escape ladder was a boy about her age with black hair tied into a ponytail just a little longer than Tatsuya's own bushy ponytail, and wearing a Daimon High School uniform similar to Shizuma's, with a loose jacket worn over a white silk shirt and baggy black pants. As Ryoko stared at the casual display of acrobatic prowess, the boy stuck his tongue out and make a funny face at her, causing the schoolgirl to laugh in spite of herself. Chuckling good naturedly, Ranma swung down from his perch and flipped over to sit beside the laughing girl. "See, whatever it was wasn't so bad that a little friendly intervention couldn't help, right?"
Grinning, Ryoko nodded. Something about this boy made her instantly feel better, as if he had a natural aura of contentment and a love of life surrounding him and everything that he did. Standing up, the boy offered her a hand to help her up, and she gratefully accepted. Silently, the two walked together until Daimon High School was in sight. Flashing her a grin the boy gave her a quick bow and a farewell before bounding away, leaping over the school walls as if they were nothing. "Well, hope you feel better. See ya' around!"
For a moment Ryoko stood there, happy for the first time since Tatsuya told her that he was leaving, before a frown shadowed her features and she trudged off to class. Just perfect, she'd forgotten to ask him his name.
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Shizuma Kusanagi was doing what he did best, slacking off during class in the school courtyard, when he felt a sudden presence. Opening his eyes, he looked up into the face of another student, somebody that he'd never seen before. The boy just stood there looking at him for a moment, as if he were sizing him up, before finally speaking. "Shizuma Kusanagi?"
"Yeah, thas' me, waddaya want?"
Ranma couldn't help but wince as he listened to Shizuma's coarse speech. Was that really what he sounded like before his mother and uncle started caoching him in proper grammer? Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Ranma bowed lowly to the other boy. "My name is Ranma. I just transferred here today, but I've already heard about the invincible Shizuma Kusanagi. I'm also a martial artist, and also want to establish a club. However, I hear that there are already too many clubs at this school, so I have a proposition for you."
At the sound of the word proposition, Shizuma's ears perked up and he sat up to better study the new kid. From what he could see, the guy looked pretty tough. "Alright, you've got my attention. What sorta proposition?"
"A K-Fight. If you win..."
"When I win."
"Then, I'll allow you to dictate whatever terms you want. But if I win, then the Shizuma Kusanagi Club gets closed down, and you join my club, deal?"
It only took Shizuma a moment to think it through. It looked like this guy promised a good fight, and he really didn't think that this new kid could beat him no matter how tough he might be. "Alright, today at lunch behind the secondary gymnasium, also known as The Promised Land. Say, you got a name besides just Ranma or are you ronin or something?"
The pigtailed fighter just turned around and walked back towards the school, calling to the other boy over his shoulder. "You'll find that out at the fight."
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News of a K-Fight between one of the school favorites, Shizuma Kusanagi, and a newcomer spread through the school like wildfire, and by lunchtime every area surrounding the secondary gym was jam packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of the match. Next to the announcers table that had been set up in preparation for the fight, Principal Todo sat waiting for the festivities to begin. And next to him sat Mr. Saotome, who had a big grin on his face that was really making Todo very curious. "I was under the impression that you didn't approve of K-Fights, Mr. Saotome, yet you seem to be very eager to see this one commence."
Mr. Saotome's grin just got even wider as he addressed the head of the school staff. "Don't worry Mr. Todo. All I'll say is that this match will be... interesting."
Before he could ask what Saotome meant by that, Todo's attention was pulled to the center of the fighting arena by the sounds of wild cheering. There, approaching from different ends were the challengers, Shizuma basking in the praise heaped upon him and as flamboyant as ever, and the mysterious challenger gliding lightly over the ground, pumped up and ready for action yet in a partially serene state. As the two fighters assumed their positions in the impromptu ring and the crowds hushed in anticipation, the announcer strode from the sidelines to the center of the clearing, striking a pose as she brought the microphone to her lips. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Second Annual K-Fight tournament has officially begun! In this corner, with over sixteen victories in last year's tournament, returning favorite Shizuma Kusanagi!"
Loud cheers erupted from the crowd and Shizuma just soaked it all in like it was his due, causing Ranma to smirk. One of the hard lessons that he'd been forced to learn after Phoenix Mountain and the infamous Wedding Incident was that pride was a weakness, a weakness that could not be tolerated, and that if you believed yourself to be invincible and misjudged your opponent then you'd already lost the fight even before it began. Shizuma really reminded him of himself just a few months ago, before the humbling he endured at the hands of Herb and Saffron and the lessons he learned from his mother and uncle. Turning to him, the announcer continued her introductions. "And in this corner, we have a new student..."
At this Ranma walked over to her and handed her a note. Opening it, the announcer stared at it incredulously before looking back at Ranma, who nodded in confirmation. Swallowing past the sudden lump in her throat, the announcer continued to introduce Ranma, reading from the paper that he'd given her. "Heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, student of Grandmaster Happousai and the Matriarch of the Amazon tribe Ku Lon, master of Amazon Wu-Shu, creator of the Moko Takabisha technique, defeater of Prince Kirin and the Seven Lucky God Martial Artists, defeater of the Dragon Prince Herb of the Musk Dynasty, and slayer of the Phoenix God Saffron, Ranma Saotome."
Stunned silence reigned as everyone slowly absorbed everything that the announcer had said, the only sounds being Mr. Todo's pipe hitting the ground after falling from his limp fingers and Mr. Saotome howling in laughter.
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Ryoko looked down upon the fight from one of the third story windows, Hitomi standing next to her. Staring down at the conflict brewing below, she couldn't help but blush as she saw the boy that had helped her this morning facing off against Shizuma, his muscles clearly defined by a tight tank top that left most of the girls who were watching the fight drooling. He was so kind, so calm, so confident, so much like Tatsuya. A small smile spread across her face as Ryoko stared out at the recently introduced young man, his name escaping her lips in a soft whisper. "Ranma Saotome..."
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Shizuma was as stunned as the rest of the school when he heard the boy's name announced, but quickly hid it with a cocky grin. "Heh, that sounds like a fair bit o' accomplishments. And the name Saotome, you related to the old man?"
"Mr. Saotome's my uncle, he's the one who arranged for me to come here."
"Yeah? Heh, he's pretty tough for an old geezer..."
"I suppose you're right, the two of us have been training together lately."
Hearing this, Shizuma's cocky grin just grew wider. So, this kid was trained by Saotome-sensei, eh? Great, that meant that this would be an enjoyable fight, but still a sure win. After all, he'd beaten the teacher, so if this guy was trained by him then he couldn't possibly be tougher than Mr. Saotome. Smiling, Shizuma cracked his knuckles and cricked his neck, the very picture of a brawler getting ready to bust some skulls. "Well, been nice talkin' to ya, but I've got a fight to win."
With a blur of motion the mono-browed fighter surged forward, fist extended. Students across the campus winced when they heard the thunderous smack of flesh hitting flesh as Shizuma's fist buried itself into Ranma's cheek. Ranma was totally motionless and his eyes were closed, it looked like Shizuma had won with just a single punch. Smirking, Shizuma taunted his apparently defeated opponent. "Heh, sorry about that man, guess I don't know my own strength."
Suddenly Ranma's snapped open and he looked at Shizuma with an evil smirk that sent shivers down the spectators spines. Shocked and suddenly afraid, the larger boy leapt back, staring incredously as Ranma dusted himself off, not even a small bruise showing on his cheekbone. "Heh, I heard that you had the most brute strength of anyone here, and that blow proved it. However..."
As he spoke, Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously and he assumed a low, loose stance. "If you had truly dedicated yourself body and soul to the Art, if you'd fought every day of your life just for the right to survive to see another sunrise, and if you'd sacrificed and seen even half as much as I have, then you would know that in my world, among martial artists of my caliber, your punches mean nothing."
Nobody even saw him move, it was like one instant he was there and the next he'd teleported across the distance between him and his foe, his fist buried in Shizuma's gut. The brawler coughed, a line of blood trickling from his lips, and then crashed face first into the ground, barely conscious. Ranma knelt down before him, speaking in a matter of fact way. "You see Shizuma, pride is a weakness. Remember, there is always someone better than you out there. You assumed that my uncle had been training me and that meant that I was weaker than him, when in reality I've been training him. I've dedicated my every waking moment to the martial arts since I could walk Kusanagi, but of course you didn't know that. You lost this fight even before I showed up. Learn well from this defeat. The first club meeting is tomorrow after school in the night-duty room. Be there."
The crowd parted before him in silence as he walked casually back to the school building, leaving Shizuma behind for the nurse to deal with. They all knew somewhere in their minds that a true champion had arrived at Daimon High School.
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The next day after school, Ryoko rushed towards the night-duty room. She hadn't seen that boy, Ranma, since his fight with Shizuma, and she wanted to talk to him again, something within her drawn towards him like iron to a magnet. As she entered, she saw the room filled with students, many of them from the various martial art clubs. Behind a table at the far end of the room sat Ranma, with Shizuma sitting on his left and the square-jawed karate club member Daichi Koga sitting on his right. At the moment, he was calmly addressing another member of the karate club who was standing in front of them. "I'm sorry, but as you can see we've already got a representative of the karate style, and we;ve confirmed that he's the best suited to being a member of the Extreme Martial Artists Club. Thank you for applying. Next!"
As the slightly dejected boy walked past, Ryoko grabbed him on his way out. "Hey, what's going on?"
The boy smiled, his mood instantly brighter. "Oh, Miss Mitsurugi! Well, you see, apparently the new club covers every possible facet of every known martial arts style, both mainstream and exotic, and so they're selecting one member from each of the various clubs to join them. Looks like the flower arrangment club's representative is being chosen now. Well, good luck Miss Mitsurugi! I'm sure that you'll get in."
As he left, Ryoko turned around to see Ranma interviewing one of Azumi's old friends from the flower arrangement club. "So, why do you want to be in the Extreme Martial Artists Club?"
"Well, ever since Azumi graduated there haven't been any fighters to represent the flower arrangment club's interests in K-Fights. I'm the most athletic member in the club, so I was elected to represent it in this new club of yours. I heard that you offered training in styles suited to the individual clubs."
"You heard right, I will indeed be helping all of the members to improve their skills or to teach them a martial art if they don't already know one. Your reasons for joining sound good, and you do indeed seem to be the most qualified member of your club to join the Extreme Martial Artists Club. Welcome aboard. I'll be training you on Mondays and Wednesdays after school and on Tusedays and Thursdays before school in Martial Arts Flower Arrangement and Martial Arts Tea Ceromony, with the possible addition of some Martial Arts Calligraphy lessons. Congratulations on making the club, I'm sure you'll do well. Next!"
And so it went on for over half an hour before Ryoko's turn in front of the table finally came. Quite frankly, she was feeling a little overwhelmed at the variety of martial art styles that she'd heard mentioned. Who knew that Martial Arts Takeout and Cooking and Martial Arts Marching Band actually existed! As odd as some of the styles mentioned may have seemed, every club on campus got a member into the new club representing a martial arts style sutied to their clubs normal activities and philosophies, just as Ranma had apparently promised.When she stepped up, Ranma graced her with a hesitant grin. "Well, hello. I haven't seen you around for awhile. I don't think that I caught you name, Miss... ?"
Oh gods, that smile, the kind voice! He was so much like Tatsuya that it hurt. But it was a pain that she was willing to deal with. This man had intrigued her, had made her feel something that only Tatsuya had ever made her feel before, and she wanted to know more about him. Willing herself not to blush or stammer, she smiled and addressed him in a pleasant tone of voice. "My name is Ryoko Mitsurugi. Do you have an opening for a kendo practioner?"
She was the only one who saw the pigtailed martial artist wince slightly at the mention of kendo. Why did he do that? Could he not like kendo for some reason? Quickly composing himself, Ranma looked her over with a critical eye, guaging her ki and muscle build up. "So, your the infamous Ryoko, huh? I heard that you were school champion. In fact, the Kendo Club advisor was in here earlier to tell me that he'd accept nobody but you to represent the kendoists in this club. So, I guess that answers your question. We're glad to have you, Ms. Mitsurugi."
Entranced by the beaming, beautiful girl in front of him, he couldn't help but entertain some dark thoughts built up from months living in Nerima surrounded by cute and athletic girls just like Ryoko. Gods above, I just know that I'm going to regret this sooner or later.
Unnoticed by everyone in the room, Daisaku crept back into the shadowed hallway, clutching the videotape and pictures that he'd taken of Ranma Saotome entering the school, fighting Shizuma, and talking with Ryoko. He wasn't into the extortion or blackmail business, but he had no choice but to let his business contact in Nerima know about the arrival of the person she'd been searching Tokyo for during the last month. If he didn't tell her anything and she found out anyway, which she would eventually, then Daisaku would find himself in debt and blackmail up to his eyeballs long before she got through with him. Running to a nearby phone, Daisaku cursed the day he ever met Nabiki Tendo.
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It was two and a half weeks later that Ryoko found herself walking home late at night, exhausted after a lengthy training session with Ranma and the rest of the club. In under a month, he'd taken a group of about thirty-five average high school students, some of which had no prior martial arts training, and turned them all into skilled warriors. It still amazed her to see the girl from the Flower Arrangement Club hurling hard stemmed roses like throwing darts, the boy from the baseball team weaving a bat around as if it were an actual sword, and the person from the Broadcasting Club swinging a pair of microphones tied together like nunchuku. Even the stronger and more experienced students, like Daichi, Shizuma, and herself were constantly learning new moves and improving drastically. Still, it all paled in comparison to what Ranma himself had shown them.
Ryoko still remembered the first practice for the club, and what Ranma had shown them and spoken with them about, his voice ringing in her memory as if he really were speaking right now.
He'd stood in front of everyone seated in the dojo they were using, testing them with his eyes. "The first thing I'm going to tell you is, throw away all of your preconceived notions about what is and is not possible. Especially you, from the Science and Chemistry Club. Despite what you might think, science does not explain everything. There are forces in the world that are unexplainable, and the human body and spirit is one of those things. In reality, you have no limits."
With that, Ranma started to float inches above the ground as he let his aura loose. Ryoko had seen both Shizuma and Tatsuya manifest a ki aura, but those were like dull embers just barely coming off of the skin. This, this was an inferno, surrounding Ranma in a three foot wide nimbus of energy. Astonished, everybody stared in awe as he reigned the energy in before taking out a water bottle and splashing himself with it, transforming into a busty redheaded girl in front of their eyes. Again, he addressed them, this time in a higher tone of voice. "The second thing I'm going to tell you is, magic and things like it are real. I received this curse that turns me into a girl sometimes while training in China, just one of many sacrafices made for the Art. If you can't accept these things, then the door is on your left."
Nobody moved even an inch towards the door, causing Ranma to grin as he dumped a steaming thermos over his head. "Smart choice. Now let's get to work."
And that was how the past days had gone by. Eventually, the rest of the school learned about Ranma's curse and grew to accept it. Sure, the curse had thrown Ryoko off for a little bit, but she soon realized that Ranma was still the same no matter what body he might be in.As he taught them, Ryoko became increasingly impressed by his skill and strength, but even more so by his compassion and paitence with others. She'd begun to make a habit out of having lots of little conversations with Ranma, asking him lots of questions about places he had seen, how she could improve her skills, and about his past. But while he was polite and answered her questions about the first two topics without hesitation, when it came to himself and his life he'd refuse to tell her anything, almost as if he was afraid to let her into his mind.
Suddenly Ryoko's thoughts fled from her mind as the rudimentary danger sense that Ranma had helped her develop kicked into gear, and she instinctively leapt back from where she was walking in time to see a large, round, and very heavy looking mace come flying at her. Sadly, she'd begun to dodge too late, and while the weapon missed it's intended target of Ryoko's head, it still connected solidly with her shoulder, snapping the bones in it and causing Ryoko to scream in agony. As she lay on the ground, frozen by pain, a young girl in a Chinese dress and with purple hair stepped out of the shadows with a muderous glare on her otherwise pretty face. Walking in front of the prone Ryoko, the other girl lifted another of those enormous maces high above her head and spoke to her intended victim with an icy voice that froze Ryoko to the core. "You is obstacle to airen. Obstacles is for killing."
Then the mace descended, and Ryoko's world faded first to red and then finally to eternal darkness.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Two weeks after the death of Ryoko Mitsurugi, Iwao Saotome stood beside his sister in law Nodoka as they gazed sadly at a small grave in Nerima. On the headstone was the name Ranma Saotome.
When Ryoko's aunt couldn't be found immediately, it was Ranma who'd been asked to come to the morgue to identify the body. But he'd recognized more than just the body of his best student in the Extreme Martial Artists Club, he'd recognized the way she'd been killed. While the shock and grief of Ryoko's death was still fresh at Daimon High School, Ranma disappeared suddenly. A week after that disappearance, the police found the body of a purple haired Chinese girl near Nerima's Cat Cafe, her neck snapped in two. Pinned to her clothing was a note with just a single word, revenge. Two days later, a file was left on the doorsteps of Toyko Police Headquarters, with evidence against one Nabiki Tendo for blackmail and extortion, as well as proving the indirect involvement of her and one Daisaku in the death of Ryoko Mitsurugi by providing the murderer with information about her and her whereabouts. The day after Nabiki and Daisaku were arrested, Ranma reappeared at the Tendo Dojo and confronted his father, Akane, Soun Tendo, Ukyou, Cologne, Ryouga, and Mousse. He told them that he held them all responsible for the death of Ryoko because they wouldn't leave him in peace. When he was done with them, his skills fueled by rage and sorrow, Genma was put into a coma, Cologne was crippled, Mousse lost his right hand, Soun's legs were broken, Ryouga was put in a full body cast and forced to eat nothing but jello through a straw for five months, Ukyou had her nose broken, and Akane would forever bear a scar on her cheek. When he was finished, Ranma pulled out a tanto and said that he was also to blame, because he let Ryoko become involved in his life, and that it was that involvement that ultimately killed her. With that said, Ranma thrust the blade straight into his heart.
It was the day after Ranma's death that his uncle found the teenager's journal. In it, Ranma confessed that he was developing feelings for the beautiful Ryoko, and that if she hadn't been killed then he may have eventually come to love her. As Nodoka walked away from her son's grave, Iwao stood there, looking into the sky before sighing. "I pray you've found peace, nephew."
With that he also turned and walked away, leaving the cemetary quiet and alone.
Author's Notes: Sweet baby Jesus! I was not expecting that when I started writing this, but suddenly the mood struck me to turn this into a dark fic. Please don't lynch me. I'll write an alternate ending in the next story, with lots of fluff and a nice happy ending, promise! Anyway, please review, and check out my other fics, Neo-Saiyans and Batman AC. 'Til next time, ja matta ne minna!