Tattoon Ranma
Disclaimer: What are you looking at me for?!
: Thoughts
Chapter 7
I'm Not Going Back!
Eric shook his head as he waited for Balla to emerge from the bedroom. As he sat on the couch, dressed in a festive kimono, he wondered just WHAT was he doing.
I MUST have been out of my mind to have agreed to this! The one who used to be Ranma Saotome shook his head. First Ryoga, then Mousse... and I already sensed Ukyo, Shampoo and that... BITCH, Akane as well as everyone else last night. Just what was I thinking?! They're BOUND to see me if I go out to the festival tonight! It was bad enough with Lisa this morning...
Flashback to that morning at school...
"Eric! Eric!"
"Yeah, what do you want, Lisa?" Ranma replied as he turned around to face her.
The bow-wielding class president took a deep breath and said to him, "Eric...? I mean... how have you been since... that nut with the guns...?"
Ranma waved it off and said nonchalantly. "I'm okay. He wasn't someone that I didn't know how to handle before. From what I heard, he's either going to be spending a lot of time in Japan or he's not going to be in the country for much longer."
Lisa nodded in agreement. It was either prison or deportation for Mousse. "Well I knew that he wasn't going to get off easy after what happened yesterday. Carrying guns and shooting at crowds is definitely against the law."
The martial artist shrugged. "So's attempted murder. So what? It's not like I haven't been in THAT situation before."
"Uh, yeah... right." Lisa had a bit of a sweatdrop on the back of her head, then bolstered her courage. "In any case, Eric... there's... something that I wanted to ask you." She began to twiddle her index fingers absent-mindedly.
"Yeah, what? Make it quick. I don't want to be late for my next class." Not that I care, but I don't feel like holding up buckets.
"Well... I mean, you... do know that tonight's going to be annual festival in town and..."
"And what?"
"And well... I was... wondering... if... you know, ah... what I mean..."
At that moment, a bouncy blonde came up and glomped onto Eric in her usual perky way. "Hi Eric!"
"Arrgh! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" Eric growled as he tried to push her off.
Balla good-naturedly released her hold and smiled at him. "I'm so excited about tonight's festival and I wanted to know when we're going."
The made Lisa's heart suddenly jam in her throat when she heard this. "You... mean... she's already asked you...?" She was trying hard not to let her tears flow from her eyes.
Eric frantically waved his hands and said in denial, "Hey! Don't get the wrong idea! It's not like we're on a date or nuthin'! It's just that it's her first festival here and..."
Lisa however, had seen and heard enough as she turned and started to walk away. "I... understand... I hope that you two will have fun tonight..."
Balla saw the sadness in Lisa's heart, and though Lisa was her rival for Eric's affections, Balla still wanted to be friends with her. She then called out to the bow girl. "Lisa! Why don't you come with us? It'll be fun!"
"Huh?" Lisa turned back to them in surprise.
"Eric and I wouldn't mind! We'll make it a threesome!"
Eric winced at Balla's choice of words as he tried to protest, but he was a little slow with getting his mouth to work.
"You mean it? You wouldn't... mind?" Lisa asked.
"No problem! We'd love to have you with us. Isn't that right Eric?"
"Well, I... don't... I mean I wouldn't mind... that is, I.... uh..."
"Then it's settled! We'll pick you up at seven, okay?"
"Uh... sure, all right." Lisa replied as she turned to head to her next class. Though it meant sharing Eric with the Tattoon Girl, at least it was better than not going at all.
Back in the hallway, Eric could only stand in disbelief as he felt a foreboding sense of deja vu.
End of Flashback...
Didn't I go through that kind of situation before?! Now I'm stuck with TWO girls instead of one! Why did I even agree to this?!
It was at that moment that Balla stepped out from the bedroom that Eric got his answer.
The Tattoon High Priestess looked radiant in her emerald green kimono with flaring sleeves. The outfit wasn't as revealing as her tribal wear, but it still flattered her figure and emphasized her beauty. Her hair was done up in its usual topknot style with braided sideburns, but she was now sporting a decorative, butterfly hairpin. Her slim waist was tied up with her red sash and she had a pair of sandals on her slender feet. In her hand was a collapsible fan to wave in the warm, evening heat.
"Well, Eric? What do you think?" She did a little turn to display the entire ensemble.
Eric found himself speechless for a long time before finally replying. "Balla... you look... great!"
"You really think so?" Balla asked eagerly.
The martial artist could only stand up and shrug his shoulders while nodding. When the girl smiled at him, Ranma felt a funny feeling in his chest and a random thought crossed his mind. Man... she's even cuter than Ukyo, Shampoo and Akane put together... He then blinked in confusion and mentally chided himself. WHAT AM I THINKING?! SHE'S JUST A GIRL, THAT'S ALL! AND THIS ISN'T A DATE!
It was then that Balla sided up to him and took his arm. "Let's get going Eric! We have to pick up Lisa!"
"Er... yeah, right." Ranma then let himself be led out the door of the apartment and down the stairs.
Lisa paced about in the living room of her house, dressed in her new dark blue and white kimono. Her grandfather chuckled a bit as he watched his relative nervously wring her hands as she continued to wear a hole in the floor.
"Is little Lisa having first date jitters?" The old man said slyly.
"Oh will you please cut that out, grandpa?! I've got enough to worry about!"
Her grandfather smirked, then let off a guffaw. At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Lisa stiffened up as soon as she heard it. She then took a deep breath, walked to the front door and opened it.
Some time later...
"This is so exciting!" Balla exclaimed as she took in every sight and sound, as she, Lisa and Eric walked through the aisles of games, shops and displays. She clung to Ranma's right arm while Lisa held onto his left. Sandwiched between the two girls, Ranma was in obvious discomfort and gave scowls to anyone who looked at them. Many of the male spectators were jealous that one guy could be lucky to be taking two girls out at once.
"Ooh! What's that, Eric?" Ball a asked as she pointed to a booth.
Eric turned around and the sight brought back some bittersweet memories. It was the traditional fishing game in which one had to scoop up a goldfish with a paper hoop. He remembered back to a time in which he had to learn the Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire Technique. He ended up catching piranha with his bare hands since that old ghoul had put the Full Body Cat's Tongue pressure point on him. He couldn't get near anything hot until he got that Phoenix Pill. And that had been a problem when he had his curse. Though he was grateful to that old crone for teaching him that skill, he still harbored very angry feelings toward her for what she and her great-granddaughter had put him through. And when he encountered them again, (which would be inevitable)... all bets were off.
Balla saw that Eric was becoming moody again and was determined to get him to lighten up. This was supposed to be a time of forgetting one's problems and to enjoy oneself. She began tugging on his arm and leading him toward the fishing game. "Come on Eric! Let's go see!"
The martial artist sighed as he let himself be dragged toward the booth. As they neared it, they saw a small, girl trying her best to catch one of the goldfish. She let out a sad 'aaawwww' when yet another of the fish broke through the hoop and plopped back into the tank.
"Almost got it that time." The booth manager said. "You want to give it another go?"
The little girl shook her head sadly as she replied. "I can't. I'm all out of money! And I really wanted one!" Tears began to form in her eyes as Ranma and his two companions stood behind her.
"What are you supposed to do in this game?" Balla asked.
"You use that paper hoop to catch the goldfish." Lisa explained. "Good luck though. Those things couldn't even strain tea leaves."
As the girl began to cry, Ranma felt a small pang of his old self come to the surface. He also felt a sense of deja vu as he remembered back to that time in which he helped another child in just such a situation. He didn't WANT to get involved, especially with females, no matter what age they were! They were nothing but trouble! However... as he saw the tears roll down the little girl's cheek...
Why me?
Without saying a word, he crouched down and firmly nudged the child to one side. He then picked up a paper hoop and a small bowl.
"Eric?" Balla said tentatively as she saw the look in her beloved's eyes. Lisa also gazed upon him and noticed the determination in his eyes, though the rest of his face remained like cold stone.
Then it happened.
Before the startled eyes of the booth manager and the little girl, not to mention Balla and Lisa, Ranma's right arm began to blur over the tank of water. In mere heartbeats, the goldfish were quickly picked up and placed inside bowls of water, as Ranma used his Chestnut Technique to gather them up before they could break through the hoop. He continually changed bowls as he scooped up the fish. In ten seconds, he had more than a dozen bowls beside him, with three or four fish swimming in each of them. In twenty seconds, the tank was empty as the last fish was caught and deposited.
"WOW! THAT WAS NEAT!" The girl chirped as she saw all those fish.
The booth manager's jaw dropped as Eric stood up and addressed him.
"Well, since I caught them all, that means they're free, right?"
The man could only nod wordlessly as he was still in a state of shock. He had been put out of business in half a minute!
Luckily, Ranma had no intention of keeping the fish as he looked down at the girl. "So... what are you waiting for? Pick a bowl." He said gruffly.
"Me?" The girl said as she pointed to herself.
"Well?" Ranma said more forcefully.
The child looked down and selected a container that was near the center of the group. It contained three fish that were each colored differently. The sullen martial artist nodded as he picked it up and handed it to the booth manager. "Bag it up for her and you can dump the rest back into the tank."
Without another word, Ranma turned away and began walking off. Lisa and Balla stood in shock for another minute before they regained their senses and went after him.
"Eric! Wait up!"
The girl became all smiles as she was handed a small plastic bag of water with the three fish. She held up her gift and then waved to the nice man.
"THANK YOU MISTER! YOU'RE REALLY NICE!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THAT IDEA! I AM NOT A NICE GUY!" Eric denied as he had been teased by Balla and Lisa for the last five minutes.
"I know you better! It was really sweet of you to have helped out that little girl." Balla said as she snuggled closer to him. "You're just a big softie!"
"Eric, you really surprised me back there." Lisa added. "How did you do that?"
"Just a little trick I picked up back in Tokyo." Ranma said with nonchalance. "It's no big deal." He then gave Balla a bit of a scowl. "And I didn't do it because I felt sorry for the kid. She would have started bawling her head off and drive me nuts with all that crying. That would have been really annoying."
Balla smiled as she shook her head. She wasn't fooled for a second. She had always known that deep down, Eric really was a good person and slowly, but surely, she was seeing more of his tender side.
A little while later...
THUNK!
The crowds that had gathered around the booth applauded after Ranma had nailed his fiftieth bulls eye and knocked the target back.
"You've got really good aim!" Lisa remarked as Ranma cocked back his arm and threw the ball in a pitch that would have made Nolan Ryan green with envy. "Did you ever think about trying out for the baseball team?"
Ranma said nothing as he hurled another three balls into the target with such force that they left deep impressions into the surface.
"Wow!" Balla clapped her hands with glee as looked down at the pile of prizes that Ranma had accumulated. So far, he had won more than a dozen skill games, which included shooting, throwing, balance and strength. This particular festival had some imported American carnival games. He had astounded the people at the classic, Test-Your-Strength challenge. When the booth manager had offered him the wooden mallet, it took all of Eric's control not to break the instrument over the man's head. He swatted it aside and then slammed a fist onto the wooden plank. The little lead weight shot up the wire like a rocket and nearly knocked the bell off the post.
CLANG!
Balla began wondering what they were going to do with all the stuffed animals and trinkets that Eric had won. Sure they were cute, but they were going to take up too much space in their tiny apartment. Many of the children that were in the crowds looked longingly at the playthings.
Fortunately, Ranma had no intention of keeping them. After knocking off the last target in the ball toss game, he was awarded a cute stuffed pig. He frowned at the prize as he was reminded of a certain martial artist who was currently in traction. He looked down and saw a little girl looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. Without a word, he roughly shoved the toy into her arms and walked away.
"Eric! What about all your prizes?" Balla called after him.
"I don't want 'em! Do what you want with 'em! Give 'em to those kids for all I care!"
Balla looked down and decided to just take one souvenir. She selected a charming little stuffed dolphin and then went after him. "Wait up!"
Lisa also decided to take just one prize and chose a pretty bracelet. Before joining her friends, she addressed the kids and said, "You can all have the rest!"
The children gleefully descended on their treasures and once they each had at least one toy, they waved back at the one who had won them.
"That was really nice of you to give those kids your prizes." Lisa commented.
"Ah, it's not that I wanted them anyway." Ranma replied with nonchalance. "Besides, what would I do with a bunch of stupid toys anyway?"
"Oh come on, Eric! Lighten up! I agree with Lisa. That was really sweet of you. "She nuzzled her dolphin and then snuggled up closer to her beau. Not wanting to be outdone, her rival also moved closer.
This of course, made Ranma extremely uncomfortable, but unlike the times he had in Nerima, he found that this wasn't as bad as it was then. In Nerima, Shampoo and Ukyo would squish him like a marshmallow in a nutcracker while Akane would bash him over the head, accusing him of being a pervert. Balla and Lisa were being civil to each other, at least in public. So far, no fights had broken out and there wasn't anyone after his head. To anyone who was watching, he was just an ordinary guy enjoying a night at a festival with two friends.
Maybe... just maybe, he could enjoy himself... at least for tonight.
Meanwhile, in another area of the festival...
"GIVE ME ANOTHER!"
Nabiki and Kasumi both watched as their younger sister angrily try to scoop up the fish and failed each time. She had already gone through thirty hoops and at the rate she was going, she'd be out of money in less than a minute. She wasn't even doing it right. With every failure, she would hit the water with increasing force, breaking the hoops and scaring the fish.
"Give it up, Akane. You're such a klutz." Nabiki said. "You're never going to catch them that way. The only person who could catch them was Ranma."
"Don't say that name!" Akane said angrily as the fish once again scattered when her hoop hit the water. "I CAN DO THIS! I DON'T NEED HIS HELP! I CAN DO THIS BETTER THAN HIM!"
At this point, many people were crowding around the booth after hearing Akane's repeated shouts and began watching.
Kasumi could only sigh and shake her head as she watched her youngest sibling get more frustrated by the minute, plus drawing attention to herself with her tantrums. She knew that things had gotten hard for her since Ranma left the Tendo home. The boys at school had been giving her a hard time every morning with their fight-for-the-right-to-date-her routine and Kuno becoming even more irritating. She would always come home shouting to the heavens and cursed the day that she ever met Ranma, and blamed all of her past, present and future woes on him. It was all his fault, it always was!
It was at that moment that Kasumi remembered back to when the last time she saw Ranma...
Flashback...
Ranma: I've had it! I've had it with people always blaming me for things that go wrong! No one ever listened to me! I didn't ask for this engagement. GIRLS ARE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! I QUIT! DO YOU HEAR ME? I QUIT!
End of Flashback...
Kasumi had never seen Ranma so upset. Oh he would blow his top every now and then, (nowhere near as many times as Akane, of course), but he'd usually cool off after a while and then forget about whatever made him angry in the first place. She couldn't fathom as to what got him so upset to actually leave. After all the things he had endured since coming to the Tendo home, what could have driven him to abandon his life in Nerima?
Though Kasumi was one of the most well-meaning people in the world, she wasn't perfect. She did have her flaws, and there were two that indirectly made Ranma leave the Tendos and his father. Her first flaw was her... tendency to see only the good things about people and ignore all the bad things. Secondly, she was too optimistic. It was one thing to keep ones hopes up, but it was another thing to accept reality when it was undeniable.
However, Lady Fate (Kismet to her friends), would once again play a hand as Kasumi absently looked to one side and saw someone who looked familiar.
He was a sullen-looking fellow with raven hair that was cropped short. He wore a festival kimono, but he did not seem to be enjoying himself. He was slightly slouched and scowling as two attractive girls walked beside him, each holding onto one of his arms. Kasumi then noticed that he had some kind of cross-shaped scar on his forehead. However, when he turned his head in response to Akane's voice, her eyes widened as she saw his full face.
Look over there Eric." Balla pointed to another booth. "There's another one of those fish-catching games."
"Big deal." Eric said gruffly.
"Wow. There seems to be a crowd drawing over there." Lisa commented. "Listen. Sounds like the person who's playing isn't doing so well."
"Well, it ain't exactly easy. Heh. I remember one person who was so much of a klutz that..."
"GIVE ME ANOTHER!"
Ranma's blood went cold as soon as he heard that voice. Slowly, but surely, he turned around and saw... Kasumi?
For one brief moment that seemed to last an eternity, their eyes met. Then... Eric grabbed both of the girls' hands and bolted... fast!
"Eric! Where are you going?!" Lisa cried out as they were dragged away from the area at high speed.
Ranma neither answered nor looked back as he wanted to make certain that they were as far away from THOSE people as possible!
"I'm telling you! I saw Ranma!"
"Where?" Nabiki asked anxiously as she, Akane and Kasumi ran through the crowds in search of Akane's former fiance.
"Who cares!" Akane said with utter contempt. "We don't need that jerk!"
Kasumi looked about as she tried to pick out Ranma's face from the crowds, but the area was thick with people and bright lights, which made it easy for one person to blend into the background. She and her sisters stopped for a moment, then the eldest Tendo daughter decided that they should split up. Akane immediately refused to take part in the search, but her vote was vetoed as Nabiki grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off in one direction. At first, she protested, but when her older sibling whispered something in her ear, Akane soon followed Nabiki, though very reluctantly. Kasumi nodded as she went off in the opposite direction.
"Eric, what's wrong?" Lisa asked as she, Balla, and Ranma hid behind a booth. She had never seen him run from anyone, but he bolted like a wild colt as soon as he looked at those girls who were at that fishing game booth. What was going on?
Eric scowled as he peered around the corner and watched the Tendo sisters spilt up to search for him. It wasn't that he couldn't beat all three girls; with Akane, he wouldn't have any problems with hitting her and he owed Nabiki big time for all the blackmailing and photo ops. As for Kasumi, well he didn't really have anything against her, but if she and her sisters were here, that meant that their father and Genma were close by. And that could only lead to trouble.
DAMN! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE!
"Eric?" Balla asked with some uneasiness in her voice. She saw the look on his face and the slight battle aura that was beginning to emerge. She hoped that this wouldn't explode into another bloodbath. Ryoga would not be out of the hospital for at least six months and Mousse was going to prison or back to China in disgrace.
"They're here." The sullen martial artist growled.
"Who's here?" Lisa asked as she looked around the corner. All she could see were throngs of people. In the distance, she saw a young women dash of in one direction, and two younger girls head off in another.
It was then that Balla realized who Eric was speaking about. "It's... them, right? The... Tendos?"
Ranma nodded slightly as he watched Kasumi and her sisters disappear into the crowds. He turned back and took a long, sad sigh. "I should have known that they'd turn up sooner of later. Shit! I guess it was too much to ask for just one fucking night without having to worry about this crap!"
"What should we do?" Balla asked.
"What are two talking about? Who are these Tendo people?" Lisa inquired.
"They're bad people!" Balla replied. "They're as bad as that Mousse person!"
"You mean that nut with the guns?!" The bow girl still got the shivers thinking about how close he had come to mowing down innocent bystanders, just to kill Ranma.
"The enemies of my husband are my enemies as well!"
Ranma held up a hand. "Well, most of them are people that I wouldn't want to see again, but they're are a couple that aren't THAT bad. One of those people is here tonight, and I think it's time that I settled a few things." He began considering his options, then asked the Tattoon girl, "Balla... do you think you can use those powers of yours to keep Akane and Nabiki away from that booth over there? I need to have a private talk with Kasumi." He pointed to a stand that was serving ramen and tea.
The High Priestess considered her beloved for a moment and then nodded. "Which ones are Akane and Nabiki?"
Ranma glanced back toward the crowds, then pointed them out. "Those two girls over there. Can you lead them away from that booth?"
"No problem." She held up a hand and let the mystic tattoo appear. She then grasped Lisa by the arm. "Come on Lisa!"
"Hold on Balla!" The bow girl cried out as she found herself being dragged off.
As his two comapanions went off to lead Akane and her sister away, the former Saotome sat down at the booth and ordered some ramen with a cup of tea. As he ate quietly, he began extending his Tattoon senses outward. The mark on his forehead glowed slightly as he psychically touched the auras of everyone present. He mentally sorted out each of the minds that he touched and was amazed at how acute his awareness to the environment had become. All that instruction in how to use his Tattoon powers was paying off. When he came into contact with Kasumi's essence, he began emitting a kind of energy which compelled the eldest daughter of Soun Tendo turn her head and gave her an urge to walk in his direction.
Kasumi didn't know why she suddenly had the urge to walk back to the place where she and her sisters had split up. In a few minutes, she was right back where sheb had started from. Then she looked around and saw Ranma, sitting at a noodle stand and sipping tea. She looked about for her sisters, but saw no sign of them. Unknown to her, Balla was purposely leading Akane and Nabiki away from the area with a few simple illusions, making the girls think that they were somewhere else. By planting images in their mind, the two Tendo girls thought they had caught glimpses of Ranma and moved even further away from the area.
Back near the ramen booth, Kasumi decided that she couldn't go look for her sisters. This would be her one and only chance to speak with Ranma and perhaps convince him to return to Nerima. The honor of her family was at stake and she knew that Ranma and Akane were meant for each other... right?
She bolstered up her courage and began walking toward him. When she neared him, he was just downing the soup in his bowl. Just as she was about to speak, Ranma put down the bowl, wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke without turning his head.
"I was wondering when you would get here... Kasumi."
The eldest Tendo daughter stiffened when she heard the hard edge in his voice. That was Ranma all right, but he seemed so... sullen and moody, far more so than she remembered.
"Well? Are you going to sit down?" He gestured to an empty stool.
The daughter of Soun Tendo took a deep breath before nodding and sat down. She then tried her most friendliest smile and said, "It's good to see you again, Ranma. I..."
"Save it." Eric said, cutting her off. "I'm not interested in what you or anyone else from Tokyo have to say. But you're going to listen to every word that I have to say. I'll tell you right off... I'm NOT going back... EVER! If that's the reason why you and the others came; to try and convince me to return, then you wasted your time. In any case, I gave up the Soatome name, so it doesn't matter now."
"What?"
"The name's Eric Kobayashi. Got it?"
"But, Ranma..."
"DON'T... call me Ranma. Understand?"
"But..."
The x-scarred martial artist gave Kasumi a low and very dangerous growl, which surprised the eldest Tendo daughter. Ranma had never even considered raising his voice to her before, and she was unused to people being angry with her. However, she knew that she was starting to tread on dangerous ground and decided to humor him... for now.
A few minutes before, close by...
"It's been a long time since we've been together, Nodoka."
"Yes." Nodoka agreed as she and her sister Atsuko walked together. Both were dressed in festive kimonos. The two were very similar in appearance, but Nodoka's sister had hair that went past her shoulders and she was about two inches taller. Her eyes were green instead of gray-blue and her face was more angular.
"By the way, sister. Have you heard from your son and ... husband lately?" The elder Kobayashi sibling's eyes narrowed a bit as she thought about the weasel that Nodoka had married. Like all the members of her family, they had disapproved of Genma Saotome, but Nodoka seemed blind to the man's faults.
What kind of man leaves his wife and takes away their only child for some training journey without so much as a single visit or phone call for over a decade? Nodoka had maintained that she had been receiving letters regularly, stating that her son was fine, but Atsuko had her doubts. After all, Genma had not a single yen to his name when he and her sister married and Atsuko had suspected that he only wed Nodoka because she belonged to a prominant and wealthy family. However, their father had disowned Nodoka and both she and her husband had received nothing. Though the Kobayashi patriarch refused to see his second daughter, Atasuko had maintained a steady relationship with her sibling and even set up a secret trust fund for her, which amounted to a huge fortune. Genma knew nothing of it, which Nodoka's sister had intended.
"Genma and Ranma are doing fine." Nodoka said as they unknowingly neared the place where Eric was having it out with Kasumi.
Atsuko shook her head. "That's what you always say, but what proof do you have? You haven't seen Genma or Ranma in over ten years! You probably wouldn't recognize your son if you met him now."
"I'm certain that he has grown into a fine young man." Nodoka said with confidence. "After all, Genma did promise to make him a man among men. Otherwise, I never would have agreed to let him take Ranma on that training journey."
Nodoka's sister sighed and shook her head. "Sister, you have some very odd notions. Why you married that idiot against father and everyone else's wishes is beyond me."
"Maybe when you fall in love, then you will understand."
"Hmpf! Love is one thing, but being blind to certain truths is another. You haven't seen your family in over ten years! And what are you talking about Genma promising to make Ranma a man among men?"
"Well, I wanted my son to grow up into a man that any mother would be proud of. I'm certain that Genma will do a good job."
Atsuko shudered at the thought of her nephew growing up to be another Genma. "And exactly what is YOUR idea of a man among men?"
When Nodoka explained to her sister of her idea of a man among men, Atsuko began to wonder if her sibling had all of her oars in the water. Peeping? Petty theft? Most of the traits in which her sister considered as manly had no real place in the world, by modern standards, and a few didn't make any sense at all. She was very shocked when she was told of the Seppuku Pledge. Genma would be idiotic enough to sign away his only child's life. But for Nodoka to agree to it?! With her sister's skewed ideals of what was considered as manliness, Atsuko began mentally praying to Kami-sama that her nephew would not turn out to be anything like Genma.
Little did she know that the Almighty had already granted that wish.
"Ah, if Ranma were to turn out to be half as manly as Eric, then I would be content." Nodoka said with a bit of longing.
"Who?"
"He's a waiter that serves at my favorite coffee shop. His name is Eric Kobayashi."
"Kobayashi? Is he part of our family?"
"No, he's not. Kobayashi is a very common name. I think he told me once that he was part-American. Oh, you should meet with him! He's a perfect example of a man among men!"
"Oh really?"
"Oh yes! He's even got a girlfriend and..." It was then that she noticed a certain someone sitting at a nearby ramen booth. "Oh look! There he is! And that might be his girlfriend!"
As they came toward the booth, they saw a girl with long, light brown hair sit down beside Eric. They started listening in on them just after he had told Kasumi not to call him Ranma, unaware that he was in fact Nodoka's son.
Kasumi took a deep breath. "All right... Eric. But I don't understand. Why are you...?"
Ranma scowled at Akane and Nabiki's sister and said with sarcasm, "Why? After all the SHIT that I was put through for a year and a half, you've got some NERVE to ask me why."
The eldest Tendo daughter was caught off guard by the swearing and anger. "But..."
"I don't give a DAMN as to what you, your father, my father or that BITCH you call a sister want to say! As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't mean SHIT to me!"
Kasumi was shocked to hear such profanity and open hostility from someone whom she thought was a gentle person inside. Ranma had changed. That much was certain.
"You don't really mean..."
"Oh yes I do! Mark my words... I MEAN IT! I want NOTHING to do with your family... or mine." He started thinking dark thoughts about Genma before continuing on. "As far as I'm concerned, the further away I am from them, the better off I'll be. I especially don't want be near that BITCH Akane!"
That statement shocked Kasumi to the core. Ranma had insulted Akane in the past, but never with this kind of intensity. "You really don't mean that! Things can still work out. Akane really is a good girl and she cares..."
"STOP IT!"
The harshness in his voice made Kasumi pause as he turned to glare at her. His eyes blazed like hot coals as he took a deep breath, then addressed her in a quiet voice that was barely restraining his anger.
"Kasumi... if you truly believe what you are saying... then you're an even bigger FOOL than that idiot you call a father."
Kasumi gasped at his words and felt as if she had been slapped.
"THIS is the Eric that you admire so much?" Atsuko asked as she and her sister stood nearby.
"I... don't know what's going on. I'll admit that Eric can get abrasive at times, but I've never seen him like this before. I don't know what that girl had done to him, but whatever it was must have really hurt him. She might not be his girlfriend." Nodoka replied as she and her sibling contiuned to listen in on the conversation.
Ranma was not going to be silent, nor did he show any outward sign that he was regretting having to hurt Kasumi. It pained him to do this, but if the Tendo girl was to have any understanding of how he felt, then he would have to be blunt and force the truth on her. Being blissfully ignorant of the bad things about people had its own drawbacks and caused problems to grow if not checked.
"You say that it will work out? What's there to work with, huh? Day in and day out, the same crap over and over again! Did anyone ever listen to me when I had something to say? NO! No one did! Did anyone give me a chance to explain when something went wrong? NO! No one cared! NO ONE FUCKING CARED!"
"You can't say that! We cared! We all did and..."
"Bullshit."
Once again, Kasumi was shocked at Ranma's casual usage of profanity. "But..."
"I SAID... BULLSHIT!" Ranma hit a fist on the counter, almost breaking through the wood. "NOBODY cared as to how I felt or what I wanted! The only thing that everyone cared about was themselves!"
"But..."
"No buts! That's how it was when that stupid 'unite the schools' shit started!" Ranma raged. "It was bad enough that Pops put me through that god-damned Neko Ken training! He THREW me into a pit of starving cats without reading the whole manual, for God's sake! It was worse when he was too cheap to buy plane tickets and I had to swim to China! HELL! He didn't even BOTHER to learn one word of Chinese before taking me to Jusenkyo and getting me cursed! Was that enough? Oh no! He just had to add one more load of CRAP! As soon as we got back to Japan, he tells me that I have to marry somebody that I had never met, just because of some dumb-assed promise he made before I was born! Most likely he made it when he was DRUNK!"
"I don't know about you Nodoka, but that stuff sure sounds like things that your idiot husband would do." Atsuko remarked.
Nodoka gave her sister a bit of a glare before turning her attention back to the conversation.
"And how about when I got to your home, eh? Was I welcomed with opened arms? NO I WAS NOT!"
"You're not being fair Ra... er, Eric." Kasumi protested. "We... weren't expecting the engagement either, and... you have to admit, we weren't ready for what happened when you and your father showed up."
Eric snorted in disgust. "You can chalk that up to your father and my Pop's stupidity! I didn't even want the FUCKING engagement, but NOOOOOOOOOO! I was dragged into it against my will! And what happened after we explained everything? You and Nabiki just pushed me onto that bitch Akane like I was damaged goods! Just how do you think that made me feel, huh?" Ranma then added with his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh that's a really FINE way to treat a guest!"
That stinging jab cut the eldest Tendo girl to the quick as she remembered back to that first meeting. Eric had a point. That had been bad manners.
Eric continued on. "My father and your father didn't give a SHIT as to what I had to say or how I felt about this whole thing! No! All they cared about the damned dojo, while sitting on their asses playing shogi and stuffing their faces! They didn't want to work or help out! They didn't CARE that I was being hurt every day! They just decided to keep little Akane happy by taking her side and leaving me to take all of her crap and everyone else's crap!"
"That's not true! They were only fulfilling the family honor and..."
"Honor?! Don't you preach to me about honor! You don't know anything about honor! No one in that house knew about honor! Not Nabiki, not that abusive bitch Akane, not YOU, and especially not your father or mine! In fact, our fathers were the biggest FUCKING hypocrites when it came to honor!"
"I'll not have you insult..."
"SHUT UP!" Eric roared, causing Akane and Nabiki's sister to become silent. "YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HONOR! If you knew about honor, then the pledge would have been invalidated when Pop kept on selling me off!"
"Eric was sold off?" Atsuko repeated.
Nodoka became even more interested at this point.
Ranma began counting off the fingers on one hand. "I was sold for a fish, rice and pickles when I was a baby! Pops engaged me to Ukyo and took her family's yattai when I was six! He would have sold me off to that nut-job Kodachi when she offered a dojo, cash and a free barbeque! The way I see it, he wants this engagement with Akane so he can freeload off the dojo and my sweat for the rest of his life! I wasn't his son! I was just a piece of property in which he could sell to the highest bidder! Kami-sama only knows how many other times he used me as a bargaining chip without me knowing it! And Kami-sama only knows how many more times he would have done it! Despite all of his crimes, your father STILL wanted that stupid marriage! I'd have to be crazy not to be royally PISSED OFF!!"
Kasumi was speechless at this moment. She couldn't deny that either.
"Call me crazy, but the more I hear about Eric's father, the more I think he's describing Genma."
"He's not talking about Genma!" Nodoka denied. "Genma's nothing like that!"
"Oh really?" Atsuko then began counting off her fingers. "There was that time after you two got married that he tried to sell off some of our family heirlooms for a free meal. Then there were those rumors about a certain someone who was said to have been seen with a perverted underwear thief two decades ago. Then we started hearing those alleged charges of repeated petty theft over the last five or so years with witnesses describing your husband..."
Nodoka gave her sister another growl as she turned back to where Eric was still addressing Kasumi.
"Honor... yeah, right! To them, it was just an excuse! In fact, that was the thing that I hated MOST about your family... and you!"
This really shocked Kasumi to the core. "W-W-What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that next to being hypocrites... the thing that I hate most about your family and all those other assholes was the fact that they didn't want to face REALITY! Even when the god-damned truth was SHOVED in their faces, they didn't accept it! They SAW how much abuse I took from Akane every day! YOU saw how much shit I took! But did you admit that there was a problem? Did ANYONE see that it wouldn't work out?! NO THEY DIDN'T! And do you know why?! It's because every one made FUCKING EXCUSES! And the worst excuse of all was defending AKANE!"
By this time, Ranma's words were being heard by people passing by and several of them stopped to listen.
"Akane Tendo." Eric growled. "If there's one person that I hate most in this world, it's that self-absorbed BITCH!"
"You don't mean that..."
"LIKE HELL I DON'T!"
Right now, Eric's rage was hot enough to melt steel and the eldest daughter of Soun Tendo became very concerned. Was the Ranma she once knew truly gone?
"Day in and day out... I had to take all that crap!" Eric snarled. "It was supposed to be out of honor... out of duty! Well SCREW honor and duty! Nothing in this world would make me go back to that SPOILED BRAT!"
"But..."
"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! Your father and mine might have thought that we would come to 'love' each other, but that's BULLSHIT! There never WAS anything between us! There never WILL be anything between us! Do you know why? Do you know the FUCKING reason why?! I'll tell you why! It's because NOBODY, especially Akane knew what love was! I wasn't anybody's fiance! To Akane, I was just some possession that was HANDED to her by my father, your father, your sister and YOU!"
"What are you talking about?"
"SHIT! YOU CAN'T BE THIS DENSE!! Akane never had to go look for a fiance! The engagement GAVE one to her! She didn't HAVE to do anything! And once she got it, did she give me any fair treatment? FUCK NO! SHE NEVER DID! She just assumed that I belonged to her! She would always treat me like low-grade GARBAGE! She would hit me whenever I did something wrong! She would hit me whenever another girl would look at me. She would hit me if I looked at another girl! HELL, she'd hit me for no reason at ALL! She NEVER had any faith in me! Not one shred of faith! She would always be ready to assume the worst about me! She'd jump to the wrong conclusion every time!"
"That's not totally true!" Kasumi protested. "There were those times when she tried to help you..."
"ONLY BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED THAT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE WAS GOING TO TAKE AWAY HER PROPERTY... NAMELY ME! When it was over, she'd go right back to abusing me! If that's her definition of 'love,' then she can go eat SHIT for all I care! I never hit her back because of my honor code, but you don't know just how many times I wanted to SMACK her!"
Kasumi desparately tried to regain control of the situation. "I... don't understand why..."
Eric wouldn't let her. "OF COURSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! The reason why you don't understand is because you didn't want to face up to the truth! Instead of realizing the problem and trying to fix it, instead you just made excuses! AND I HATE EXCUSES!"
"But..."
"NO BUTS! IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN THE TRUTH! Whenever Akane would hit me, what would you say?" Ranma mimicked her voice. "Please, Akane's not that bad, she's just a violent maniac." He then continued on. "And whenever I got mad at Akane in front of your father, does he try to find out why I'm mad?! No! He says, DON'T YOU HURT MY SWEET LITTLE GIRL and goes into that Demon Head of his! And how about MY father?! It's a matter of honor boy, so don't whine about it! And it went on, and on, and on without any end in sight! Everyone saw that there was a problem, but NOBODY wanted to admit that there WAS a problem! And that's when they started making excuses, especially when it involved Akane!"
"What are you...?"
"What I'm saying is that since everyone kept on making excuses for her, Akane NEVER had any reason to change! You kept on saying that things will work out in the end, instead of telling that bitch that it's wrong to hit someone with enough force to crush skulls, for something as trivial as name-calling! That stupid father of yours kept on defending her, even when it was clearly HER fault! Everyone kept on saying, 'oh that's all right Akane, or it's no big deal!' Since everyone kept on taking her side and assumed that I was always at fault, Akane NEVER changed! Everyone kept on making excuses for her and she never had to take one billionth of the crap that I had to take!"
"But... you're not being fair! Akane is really..."
"There you go again! You're making an excuse for all the things that she did to me! Did you ever stop and think about all the things that I had to endure? I had to EAT her cooking while everyone else, including her, ate better! And everyone made the excuse that since I was her fiance, I HAD to eat it! And whenever she hit me, even when I had nothing to do with it, did anyone say that it was wrong? NO! They took HER side! THEY ALWAYS TOOK HER SIDE! Sometimes, even complete strangers took her side! And whenever something WENT wrong for Akane, did anyone ever try to find out the reason? NO! They just made more excuses, assuming that it was MY fault because I was there! NOBODY ever thought Akane could be at fault! Akane was the perfect little princess who could do no wrong! There was no reason to blame her! YET another excuse! She had no discipline when it came to other things! She always assumed that she'd get it right on the first try! And when she failed, everyone would lie and say that she's getting better, when in fact she got worse! MORE EXCUSES! Did she ever improve on her cooking? NO! Did she ever get better at sewing? NO! Could she even do something as simple as follow a recipe that's laid out for her? NO! She couldn't cook, she couldn't sew, she didn't keep house or even help out with finances! In other words, she was ABSOLUTELY USELESS EXCEPT FOR BREAKING THINGS AND ABUSING ME! What did I have to do? I had to save her from every lunatic that kidnapped her! I had to take all of her abuse! I had to let Nabiki make money off me to help with the finances! I WAS THE ONE WHO HAD TO SUFFER WHILE AKANE NEVER HAD TO DO MORE THAN KEEP ON HITTING ME!"
"Right on, brother!" A boy from Ranma's school in the crowds said.
"You tell like it is!" Another agreed while giving him a wave. Kasumi tried to say something, but Eric wouldn't let her, She would hear everything he had to say.
Ranma was on a roll and there was no stopping him. "Excuses, excuses, nothing but FUCKING excuses! Akane never got punished for anything bad. Nobody told her that what she was doing was wrong, so she kept on doing it! She was left uncontrolled and not once did anyone tell her that she was wrong! HELL, even I made excuses for her, saying that it didn't matter every time she hit me! WELL IT DOES MATTER! IT MATTERS A FUCKING LOT TO ME!"
"But..." Kasumi began but was once again cut off.
"And not once was she ever sorry for anything that she did! When was the last time she ever apologize?"
"You're not being fair..."
"Not once! Not FUCKING once did Akane ever say... I'M SORRY! Even when it turned out that it WASN'T my fault, she never said that she was sorry, because everyone simply made excuses for her! They said that it was all right, it didn't matter or it was MY fault! It didn't matter when I got hurt, as long as they kept Akane HAPPY!"
Kasumi was rendered speechless as she thought back. Ranma was right on that account. Akane had never apologized for her actions when Ranma was not at fault. She never had a reason to say I'm sorry, because everyone gave the reasons for her. In other words.... they made excuses for her acts of violence, mistrust, snap judgments and jealousy.
It was at that moment that the eldest Tendo daughter realized why Ranma had left Nerima.
Ranma nodded as he saw some comprehension in her expression. "I'm tired, Kasumi. I'm tired of people who do not want to take responsibility for themselves and just make excuses for their actions. I'm tired of being the fall guy for things that aren't my fault. I'm NOT making any more excuses, nor am I going to TAKE any more excuses! I tried to make it work. Kami-sama knows I tried. But it's NOT going to work! I realized that I was just making an excuse, thinking that things would be better and letting all those times that Akane abused me go by as if they were nothing. Well, there is NO excuse for taking all that CRAP and not fighting back! NOBODY should take kind of SHIT!"
"Knock some sense into that bitch, the next time you see her!" Another boy cheered. By this time there was a sizable crowd around the ramen stand. Even a few girls in the throngs were starting to take Eric's side.
Ranma continued on. "To HELL with my father and all those bullshit excuses about the family honor! I'm not listening to any more excuses! Not from my father, not from your father, not from your sisters, and not even from YOU! I've had it with excuses and I won't take any more of them!"
"YOU GO, ERIC!"
Ranma turned to see Brody and Deiner cheering him on as well. Even though he held those two dopes in the lowest regard, at least they had an understanding. He turned back to Kasumi, who looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"I stopped believing in the excuse that things would turn out all right, when I knew that things weren't going to get any better. I stopped believing in the excuse that Akane would change, though I knew that I was only fooling myself. And I STOPPED believing in the excuse that it was all for honor, when it did nothing but serve my father and yours! All they wanted was to keep Akane happy long enough to unite the schools and they were quite happy to put all the blame on me, while making excuses for Akane's actions. They just didn't want to face up to the fact that it wasn't going to work. Instead, they just made up more excuses. They did it so much that I think that they started believing those lies. They didn't want to take responsibility! They didn't want to get involved! They just ignored the problem and made MORE excuses."
"Eric... I... don't know what to say. I didn't know..."
"Don't hand me THAT! You're not THAT ignorant. You knew, Kasumi." Ranma's eyes took on a very harsh glare. "I can see that. NOBODY could have missed all the pain and hurt that she caused to me, especially when a lot of it was done right in front of YOU! You knew all along, but like everyone else, you decided to disregard the problems and make an excuse for not doing anything about them. Like father, like daughter. You probably believed in those excuses about family honor and that it will all work out. Well? AM I RIGHT?"
At this point, from behind a nearby sushi stand, Lisa and Balla were listening to every word as Eric had it out with Akane's sister. The archer girl began to have a better understanding on why Eric had been so bitter when he came to Hiroshima.
As for the Tattoon Priestess, she redoubled her resolve to be by her beloved side.
"I..."
"I don't want to hear it!" Eric cut her off once again as he stood up. "I told you, I don't want to hear any more excuses. And like I said before, I'm NEVER coming back! I don't hate you completely Kasumi. You were one of the few people in Nerima that showed me any kindness, and I thank you for it. However, I don't like excuses, even from you! I don't care about that stupid pledge... and I DON'T CARE ABOUT AKANE!"
"But..."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT AKANE! I DON'T CARE IF SOME OTHER GUY WANTS HER! I DON'T CARE IF SHE GETS KIDNAPPED! I DON'T CARE IF SHE GETS BEATEN UP! DO YOU GET IT?! I DON'T CARE IF SHE LIVES! I DON'T CARE IF SHE DIES! I DON'T FUCKING CARE!!!"
Kasumi was now shocked beyond all comprehension at Ranma's new attitude. It seemd that when he left Nerima, the part that was connected to her family had been permanently severed.
Eric then calmed down a bit. "And now, I'm giving you and everyone else fair warning. LEAVE... ME... ALONE! Or I won't be responsible for whatever happens next! Sayonara."
"WAIT!" Kasumi got up, but by the time she stood up, the martial artist had already leapt high and lost himself into the crowds.
The brown-haired girl found herself standing in the midst of a huge crowd with no sign of her sister's former fiance. She then began to weep as Ranma's words came back to her.
You knew all along, but like everyone else, you decided to ignore the problems and make an excuse for not doing anything about them.
It wasn't entirely true. Kasumi had tried to get Akane to be less violent and even made her promise not to strike out in anger... once. Akane had long since broken her promise and Kasumi had not reminded her of it. In other words, she simply made the excuse that things would work out on their own. Ranma was right. All the abuse that he had endured could not be justified and Kasumi should have done more to stop it.
It was a good thing that their mother was gone. If she were alive today, Kasumi suspected that Kimiko Tendo would have died in shame from seeing how Akane had turned out. Her sister had been left with little control and she had been spoiled. People such as her father, her sister Nabiki and even outsiders like Ryoga would always come to her defense. Ranma would especially be ptotective and would take most of the lumps. And what did Akane usually do in response to such devotion? She would hit him. What kind of gratitude was that?
Akane had been sheltered and catered to, while never having to answer for any mistakes that she made, especially the acts of abuse that she put on her betrothed.
At that moment, Kasumi felt that she had failed as the surrogate mother for letting all of this go on for so long. When their mother had died, it had been her duty to help her father raise her sibling right. However, when trouble came about, Kasumi had simply chosen to be oblivious and rationalized that everything would be fine. Basically, instead of addressing the problem, she made excuses, just like her father and his friend.
No wonder Ranma HATED her in that respect.
Kasumi sunk to her knees with her face in her hands, weeping even more. Though Akane never said it, her sister was willing to do so.
"I'm so sorry..."
Atsuko gave a low whistle after Ranma had vanished into the crowds. "Well, you have to admit, he raised a lot of valid points. I certainly wouldn't have taken half the things that he had endured."
"I didn't know that Eric felt that way. No wonder he never wanted to talk about his past life." Nodoka said.
"No kidding! I wouldn't have wanted to talk about it, if all that happened to me. The fact that Eric didn't lash out at that abusive girl shows that he does have a lot of patience and control."
Nodoka nodded as she motioned for her sister to follow her, leaving Kasumi to weep.
I think that I'm beginning to understand you, Eric.
"So are you done with them?" Balla asked as she and Lisa met up with Ranma, a few minutes after he had left Kasumi. The Tattoon girl had left both Nabiki and Akane running on a wild goose chase before rejoining her beloved.
Eric shook his head. "I may have gotten through to Kasumi, but there's still Akane and Nabiki to deal with. I'm afraid that we're going to have to head home."
"Awww! Can't we stay just a little longer?" Balla pouted.
"No." Ranma replied coldly. He knew that things would erupt into chaos if Akane, her father or his father were to find him here. He prefer to confront them on his own terms. That meant that he needed to prepare.
Lisa had the good sense to keep her peace.
"Can we at least stay for the fireworks?" Balla pleaded.
Eric was silent for a long time as he considered the Tattoon Priestess' request. The fireworks display was one of the things that she had been looking forward to seeing at this festival. It was becoming dark and the show was going to start in a few minutes. He finally nodded while letting off a tired sigh. "We go straight home after that, got it?"
"Yay!" Balla gratefully hugged him.
Eric was deep in thought as he considered his options. If the Tendos had come here to Hiroshima, then that meant that Nabiki somehow managed to track him down. She would be the only one with the resources to do it. Therefore, he could only expect that she was going to attempt to force him back under her thumb. Well, Ranma may be easy to manipulate, but Eric was a different story. He had been planning for this eventuality for some time now; making a few phone calls to certain people in Nerima and calling in old debts. This time, Akane's mercenary sister was going to find out that her usual tactics were not going to work on him.
As for everyone else, well he had a good idea that Nabiki had sold out information on his whereabouts to them. He would just have to cross those bridges when he came to them. Things were going to get very hairy, very soon and Eric needed to take out as many of those headaches as he can.
It was at that moment that the skies was suddenly lit with bright colors and patterns. The air became filled with whistling noises and the sounds of crackling explosions. The people all turned their gazes skyward to enjoy the show. There were many 'oohs and ahhs' among the spectators as they viewed the pyrotechnics.
Balla and Lisa became delighted at the spectacle and seeing their happy faces made Eric begin to think that coming to the festival was actually worth it. Tentatively, he reached out with a hand toward Balla.
As Nodoka and her sister were enjoying the fireworks display, she happened to glance toward a certain direction and saw Eric standing nearby with a couple of girls. She smiled as she saw that one of his hands was clasping a blonde girl's and he moving closely to her. Ranma's mother correctly assumed that she must be Eric's love interest. In her mind, Nodoka acknowledged this as the final proof of Eric's manliness.
Ah... so that's the one, eh? She's beautiful! I can tell that she's the one for him! I must meet with her! Oh, if only Ranma had the same kind of good fortune that Eric has!
After Ranma and Balla had dropped off Lisa at her home and returned to their apartment, Eric wasted no time in getting his plans for Nabiki and her family into motion. He picked up the phone and dialed a certain number.
"Hello? Tokyo Police? Listen, I have some evidence concerning some criminal activities in the District of Nerima that you have not been able to solve. And I also have proof of their connections with some recent underwear thefts in Hiroshima as well." All those panty raids that have been going on here can only be that old freak's work! "I also have some evidence about certain individuals who had been hiding a known felon and acts of racketeering, underage pornography, illegal wire tapping, extortion, blackmail and bribery. I have several witnesses in Tokyo who are wiling to testify." I'm sure that all those people that Nabiki had fleeced will want a piece of this. Ranma paused as he spoke with the officer on the other line. "If you want to get more proof, you can contact me at this number..."
To be continued...
Author's notes
I decided to hold off on the big blowup until next chapter or so, as I wanted to have it out with a few things that have bugged me about the Ranma/Akane relationship of the original series. The thing is... people always seemed to take Akane's side and never Ranma's, even when he had nothing to do with it. And I kept on hearing nothing but excuses for her, while Ranma had to face the music every time. Furthermore, I never heard Akane ever say, I'm sorry, (except at the end of the manga). Having an abusive stepmother who never apologized for whenever she hurt me for no reason, nor admit that she was wrong, I can understand that. People who never had that experience on a daily basis, simply don't consider that fact, especially with the Akane lovers.
Throughout the series, Akane simply does not apologize for any acts of violence she commits, nor does she admit that she was wrong. She usually says things like, 'you're such a liar Ranma' or 'Admit it, you were wrong!' She won't hesitate to gloat or show her superiority. And the fact of the matter is, the rest of the Tendos and even Ranma end up saying, 'it's all right Akane,' 'forget it,' or 'it doesn't matter.' Let's face it, she's spoiled. To me, it DOES matter, and to this Ranma, it matters a lot.
I find this story to be good therapy, like Skysaber finds his story, Shampoo's Revenge as something to vent out one's feelings. However, I'm not going to go too far and some characters from the Nerima Gang will be saved. For those of you who think that I went too harsh on Kasumi, just remember that she's not perfect and that obliviousness of hers can be annoying at times. I didn't have Ranma strike her, but she needed to be confronted with the truth in a way that even she can't ignore. Perhaps this might finally get her to see the real world and realize that there are some things, though unpleasant, have to be acknowledged and accepted.
That's the rewrite for Chapter 7, and though Nodoka is still unaware that Eric is really her son, she now has a bit more understanding of him and why he acts this way. Things are really going to get intense once she does realize the truth. What's going to happen? Well, that is a secret!
This rewrite also introduced nodoka's sister Atsuko and gives some background on their family as well as what they thought of Genma. The added reasons as to why Eric abandoned his old life filled out some of the gaps left by the original. I also wanted to make the chapter with more emotion.