Honour Redefined
Ch4: Sending out the search parties
I've got to Say WSRaptor really breathed some life into this. Wonderful job, I appreciate it, Proofreading cant be easy.
The elite of Jurai had gathered in Azusa's throne room to discuss the threat to the empire. Azusa, emperor of Jurai, sat between his two wives Misaki and Funaho facing the heads of the three royal families Ushio Kamiki, Amasi Tatsuki and Kuzuki Amaki. The image of the three alien vessels that had destroyed one colony and significantly damaged another hovered hauntingly between them where the young doctor, who had briefed them all on the threat, had left it.
"Gentlemen, however it may seem, we have in our history weathered worse storms than this one." Azusa started in an attempt to calm the mood of his peers. "Let's put it all into perspective: one colony has been damaged, one destroyed, and an heir to the throne of Jurai has been killed over the course of a few months. The Jurian Empire spans over hundreds of thousands of such colonies and has several heirs to the throne. It may sound callous, but the empire has grown so large, that all but the most advanced colonies face extinction everyday. It is the nature of space."
Azusa secretly grieved for Tenchi and every single one of his citizens that lost their lives in what was looking more and more like an invasion as time went on. An invasion from whom or what and with what motives was still unclear, but he knew that if he allowed the panic to spread from this room then the war was half over. The heads of the royal houses had been keen to exploit any perceived political weakness upon the destruction of a starter colony. However, with the death of one of Tsunamis knights and the attack on a colony that was almost as well defended as Jurai they had quickly grown fearful.
"It is..." Azusa cut off what he was about to say when he saw a body phasing through the roof. Fearing that his security had been breached, he almost reached for the light hawk wings in an attempt to protect himself, his wives and the heads of the houses.
"It is wise that you stay alert at times such as these, my son." Before he could even make out her face, Asuza recognised that the gentle voice belonged to none other than the goddess, Tsunami. "I am not here to bring harm to any in this room, but to advice on the troubles ahead."
Tsunami looked on as the Elite of a powerful empire bowed in supplication before her. While she did not crave such attention like her sister, she still found it flattering on the odd occasion. Still, Tsunami disliked too much. It was one of the reasons her visits to Jurai were so sparse.
"As you have no doubt heard by now, one of my knights has been slain on the colony world of Earth. He died to awaken you to the deadly threat you and the people of Jurai now face. It is a struggle that every Jurian will need to face for the Empire to come out stronger for it. Sadly, it is a struggle that I can take no part in. You must rise or fall by your own merits." She was now suspended before all those in the great hall. "The Jurian Empire will become more united and achieve supremacy in this galaxy or it will fall and become a distant memory for those of your citizens who survive. This may be a turning point in the history of your great empire. However, you all should know that if I didn't have faith in you overcoming this hurdle, then I would never have chosen to help the ancestors of your families when you chose to form your own confederation."
She then began to fade away, like mist in the wind. However, before totally vanishing from where she had appeared, she whispered, "I may not be able to interfere directly, but never forget that I am always watching."
*****
Silence followed her departure. While everyone in that room had expected Tsunami to comment on the latest problems, even foretell what the future had in store for the people of Jurai, none had expected the message to be so dire or so public. While in Jurai's long history, it was not unheard of for Tsunami to appear before people other than the emperor or her knights, it certainly didn't happen often. For her to appear before so many people at once seemed to add weight to her already hefty announcement.
"Lord Azusa!" the doors to throne room burst open to reveal an aide. It was apparent to everyone in the room that the red faced aide gasping for breathe had run in order to bring whatever news he carried to the assembly.
"Lord Azusa!" he managed to gasp out again in a vain effort to catch his breath. "Merchants on route to Jurai from Ombus III have discovered one of our patrols…. guttered."
News of a guttered patrol evidently shocked and surprised many of the people in the room but it quite clearly angered Azusa. "How could one of our patrols be completely destroyed without our being aware of it and why was it left for some merchants to find?!?" Azusa growled. The threat that Tsunami had warned them about was here and they were woefully unprepared for it.
"I want patrols doubled and restricted to the inner colonies. The outer colonies will have to fend for them selves for the time being. Someone hurry the academy! We need answers yesterday!"
"But what about the people who live in the outer colonies? They will be helpless if they were to be attacked. How can you justify just abandoning them like that?!?" argued Ushio Kamiki.
Azusa almost exploded in anger. How dare he question his authority before the others?!? If he had doubts then they should have been brought up privately. Only the fact that his wives sat beside him stopped him from reacting more forcefully. "We must protect our scientific and industrial centre, without which we would surely lose this struggle. Already it must be obvious to everybody that our defenses are inadequate and we haven't enough ships for patrols. Once we correct these oversights, then we will show these invaders why no one has threatened the Jurian Empire for ten thousand years!"
He found it hard to ignore the skeptical looks he received in reply to his statement.
*****
Nodoka walked slowly, almost stately, through the streets of Tokyo. In one hand, she held her family Katana and in the other, she held the address for the Tendo dojo. Today, Tsunami bless, she would see her son for the first time in over ten years. If Genma had run into trouble on his trip, which for a dishonourable cur like him would not be hard, then Soun, his old training partner, would be the first place he went.
It had not been as hard as she had thought it would be to track down Soun after all these years. He had married and settled down in a well known dojo in Nerima. A few questions about such a well known personality very easily yielded some answers.
She had heard that Soun's wife had died leaving him to raise three daughters alone. He would make an easy mark for her conniving husband. Nodoka just hoped that she would be able to make recompense for whatever troubles he had brought upon and would no doubt continue to bring upon them.
Finding the right place, she knocked. It seemed that Soun had come into some money since the days he trained with her husband. The house was large for a property in the middle of Tokyo; the taxes alone must have cut a dent into their wealth. No wonder her husband had not come home. He was in the lap of luxury compared to where she would have had him living.
Within a few moments the door opened to reveal a young woman wearing a plain housedress and an apron. "Hello, can I help you?" the young woman asked as she left her sentence hanging.
Nodoka recognised Kasumi from descriptions that she had received of Soun's daughters. She knew her child must have had a very lonely life growing up on the road. She also knew that no one could replace her as Ranma's mother. However, from the reports she had received, Kasumi would have made an ideal surrogate.
"Nodoka Saotome." she replied. "I've come to see my husband and son. I understand my husband is staying here." Even if she knew no such thing, it was best to put on a knowing face when dealing with her wayward husband and his friends.
"Of course, please follow me," the young woman answered demurely. Nodoka followed Kasumi into their main dining room where the Tendo family was obviously planning some kind of trip. Genma sat in the corner eating the rations that had been previously packed, effectively undoing a lot of the work that the others had done.
"Genma!" Nodoka snapped as she unwittingly saved some of the remaining rations. Genma immediately started sweating, as he jumped up and looked for a quick exit. "Where is my son?!?" the swish of her katana leaving its sheath and the thunk as it entered the wall within a hair's breath of his head stalled any hope of flight on his behalf.
"Genma, what is this?!? Not another fiancée I hope! Ranma will marry Akane...just as soon as we find him!" Soun's demon head roared in anger at Genma who was, by now, cowering from his wife and his training partner."
"Husband..." Nodoka drawled out with contempt, "Explain now! What is this about fiancées?"
Nabiki, quick to smell a profitable situation, took charge of the degenerating situation. "Mrs. Saotome perhaps I can help?"
Nodoka looked up at the middle daughter with slitted eyes. She had heard about her as well. "Nabiki, I will not pay you. If you will tell me where my son is, fine. If not..." she glanced quickly at the quivering martial artist next to her embedded katana, "I can always take it out of my husband's hide."
Nabiki suppressed a grimace. It seems someone had been talking about her. When she found out who they were, they would regret it. "Ranma is engaged to my younger sister Akane..." she said, gesturing to the youngest of the daughters "to unite the schools."
"He has recently gone on a training trip. We are packing to join him." 'Well, he did tell Kasumi he was going on a training trip and we are going to join him. No need to tell his mother that we have no idea where he is.'
When Nodoka looked over and made eye contact with the daughter that his son was allegedly engaged to, Akane grunted "Not that I care about the perverted jerk!" as she looked away from the penetrating eyes that seemed to judge and deem her unworthy.
Looking at the amount of traveling gear and hearing Nabiki's vague explanations of her son's whereabouts, Nodoka decided that there was more going on than what was immediately apparent. If she was to be reunited with her son any time soon, she decided she would almost certainly have to tag along.
"I will come with you. Genma and I have a lot of catching up to do." she said smiling evilly. "Akane and I can also discuss my son on the way. What better way is there to get to know my son again than talking to his fiancée?"
Nabiki just blinked and decided that she needed to make some phone calls. Genma shivered as he remembered all the training he put his son through. Akane smiled thinking, 'What better way to win the fiancée war than to get close to his mother'.
Nodoka stood guard over her husband. It wasn't really that important that he didn't escape. After all, she had gotten what she wanted about 17 years ago when Ranma was conceived. What was important was that she find her son and she knew that this family would lead her to him. Yosho had made it clear that every minute that he wasn't found, brought the empire closer to a disaster that didn't bear thinking about.
*****
Ranma gently laid the sleeping Ryoko down on the bedding that he had made up for her. There wasn't much left intact after their fight, and what a fight it was. That sword of her's and the fireballs were impressive enough, but once she started to control those trees like she had... Ranma shivered with excitement. If the girl in front of him had been in better shape, he doubted if he would have been able to take her.
As it was she was still recovering from that weird technique of hers that nearly drained her of all her ki. 'In fact...' Ranma thought with a frown '...she shouldn't have been able to fight nearly as well as she did.' Whatever energy she had been using it wasn't ki, yet the only thing he had found when taking care of her over the last few days was that weird tattoo on her wrist. 'Ah maybe that's it,' he thought remembering back to the time when Ryoga got his power up from a tattoo.
Once she recovered, Ranma wanted to make sure that she taught him those techniques. It didn't matter overmuch that she didn't use Ki to fuel her most potent attacks. His school had adapted a number of techniques that didn't necessarily fit in with their teachings.
'The sword and fireball might be achievable through the use of my aura. With a little bit of work, I might be able to replicate the energy blast. However, the sword would require a level of control that I just don't have.'
Ranma had spent most of his time exploring his centre. He didn't often have time to do this. Something was always happening on the road and when he was living in Nerima. After Cologne had taught him the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken and the Hiryü Shöten Ha, he had felt himself to be on the verge of a new level. A level he knew he could reach if he just had the time to sit and explore the changes occurring in his aura and body.
He was so close he could feel it. He had been pleasantly surprised at the control he had been able to achieve over the surprisingly large reserves he had found. He had always known that as his aura would slowly increase over time as he improved but since Nerima, it had increased markedly. He would have to thank the old ghoul.
The meditation had also been good for thinking on past encounters with his rivals and fiancées. He had picked through all his encounters with them not only for further martial inspiration, but also in an attempt to avoid any misunderstandings with people that he met in the future. If he became less vulnerable to Nabiki's schemes, well, that would be a bonus.
He had messed that up though. The first person he had met ended up in a fight with him. It wasn't only the misunderstanding (though he was sure that contributed), but the grief he had seen in her face. It must have been almost overwhelming for her if he had noticed.
Maybe in that light, it had been a suicide attempt rather than an exotic martial arts technique gone wrong. If that was the case, not only had she been recovering from a suicide attempt, but she was also trying to cope with the death of a loved one as well.
Ranma cursed his lack of social decorum. Thinking back to what he had unwittingly implied, he shook his head cursing himself again. Well, he would just have to make it up to her starting with dinner. Well, whenever she woke up and he managed to salvage what he could from the remains of his camp.
*****
Ryoko roused from her slumber to the smell of cooking. 'What's Sasami doing all the way out here?' she thought drowsily. Painful and unwelcome flashes of recent events ensured that she quickly regained her bearings.
"Good, you're awake. I apologize for any misunderstandings we may have had. I assure you I didn't do anything improper." A male voice said. Yes, it was that damned human Tenchi look alike.
"I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Ranma Saotome," he said holding out a bowl of soup. It didn't look like much, but it smelt great and she was starving.
"Ryoko," she said guzzling down the soup. It not only smelt good, but tasted great as well. Maybe what they said about hunger being the best spice was true.
"So, who was he?" Ranma asked, tactlessly, as he handed her a second bowl.
Ryoko paused, narrowed her eyes, then resumed eating at a slower pace. "I don't know what your talking about." she replied. She was not going to spill the beans to some human. Most humans on this planet still believed that they were alone in the universe and besides this particular human made her nervous. Not only did he wear a face similar to Tenchi's, but he had been able to best her in combat. Anyone who could beat her in a fight, even weakened as she was, made her nervous.
Still, she was hungry, he was being hospitable, and then there was that cursed resemblance to her beloved Tenchi. "I don't suppose the name Misaki means anything to you," she asked. There was, after all, the chance that the resemblance was more than a coincidence. If that was the case, maybe there was the chance that she would have someone to talk to after all.
"Nope sorry," the man said handing her another serving before starting to serve himself. "That doesn't mean much though. I've been on the road most of my life. It's not someone my old man ripped off is it?" he said it as if it had happened often.
'What kind of family did this man come from if he has to ask that type of question?' she asked herself. Outloud she replied "Ah forget it. So what brings you to this remote section of Japan. We are still in Japan aren't we?"
This time, it was Ranma's turn to look at her funny. "You aren't related to Ryoga are you?" he asked shaking his head. "Ah, it doesn't matter. How I came to be out here? Well, that's a long story involving martial arts, fiancées and some of the weirdest challenge matches you've ever heard of..."
A/N - thanks to Dogbertcarrol for his explanation on Yosho.
- I'm not sure how widely known it is that Tsunami merged with Sasami so I decided that only select people will know.
- After some careful consideration and consultation with my proofreaders I decided not to spend time revising the Tenchi cast characters whom I have been told were behaving a little OOC. I would much rather get on with telling my story No I don't own Tenchi or Ranma, I'm not referring to those stories.
-Heres what WSRaptor said - something I agree with heartily.
1) This story happens in an alternate/crossover universe. Since the Tenchi universe and the Ranma universe have been combined, things would have to be different from the series. It's a different world so it's only natural that the characters would act differently.
2) Tenchi and a lot of Jurian citizens were murdered. The empire is under attack from an unknown and powerful foe. Under these circumstances, wouldn't you think that the cast would act a bit differently from the norm.
If you lost someone close to you or someone you knew, wouldn't you be affected by it? I most certainly would.
3) This is fanfiction-made by fans for fans. This is not a rehash of the series or manga. If people are so hung up on making it exactly like the
series or manga, then they should watch the series or read the manga and stop bothering you!
I am not discouraging criticism in fact if you feel there are problems please email me.
- Finally there is one issue that I feel needs to be addressed about the death of Tenchi and why he wasn't just brought back to life. Tsunami has stated that she will not interfere and that Tenchi was martyred so that the Jurians would wake up to the idea that there is an actual threat. A few colonies destroyed - happened before. A knight of Tsunami killed - That's a big problem. With her powers locked up in those gems, Washu has to depend on technology and no technology has the power to bring the dead back to life.
Ch4: Sending out the search parties
I've got to Say WSRaptor really breathed some life into this. Wonderful job, I appreciate it, Proofreading cant be easy.
The elite of Jurai had gathered in Azusa's throne room to discuss the threat to the empire. Azusa, emperor of Jurai, sat between his two wives Misaki and Funaho facing the heads of the three royal families Ushio Kamiki, Amasi Tatsuki and Kuzuki Amaki. The image of the three alien vessels that had destroyed one colony and significantly damaged another hovered hauntingly between them where the young doctor, who had briefed them all on the threat, had left it.
"Gentlemen, however it may seem, we have in our history weathered worse storms than this one." Azusa started in an attempt to calm the mood of his peers. "Let's put it all into perspective: one colony has been damaged, one destroyed, and an heir to the throne of Jurai has been killed over the course of a few months. The Jurian Empire spans over hundreds of thousands of such colonies and has several heirs to the throne. It may sound callous, but the empire has grown so large, that all but the most advanced colonies face extinction everyday. It is the nature of space."
Azusa secretly grieved for Tenchi and every single one of his citizens that lost their lives in what was looking more and more like an invasion as time went on. An invasion from whom or what and with what motives was still unclear, but he knew that if he allowed the panic to spread from this room then the war was half over. The heads of the royal houses had been keen to exploit any perceived political weakness upon the destruction of a starter colony. However, with the death of one of Tsunamis knights and the attack on a colony that was almost as well defended as Jurai they had quickly grown fearful.
"It is..." Azusa cut off what he was about to say when he saw a body phasing through the roof. Fearing that his security had been breached, he almost reached for the light hawk wings in an attempt to protect himself, his wives and the heads of the houses.
"It is wise that you stay alert at times such as these, my son." Before he could even make out her face, Asuza recognised that the gentle voice belonged to none other than the goddess, Tsunami. "I am not here to bring harm to any in this room, but to advice on the troubles ahead."
Tsunami looked on as the Elite of a powerful empire bowed in supplication before her. While she did not crave such attention like her sister, she still found it flattering on the odd occasion. Still, Tsunami disliked too much. It was one of the reasons her visits to Jurai were so sparse.
"As you have no doubt heard by now, one of my knights has been slain on the colony world of Earth. He died to awaken you to the deadly threat you and the people of Jurai now face. It is a struggle that every Jurian will need to face for the Empire to come out stronger for it. Sadly, it is a struggle that I can take no part in. You must rise or fall by your own merits." She was now suspended before all those in the great hall. "The Jurian Empire will become more united and achieve supremacy in this galaxy or it will fall and become a distant memory for those of your citizens who survive. This may be a turning point in the history of your great empire. However, you all should know that if I didn't have faith in you overcoming this hurdle, then I would never have chosen to help the ancestors of your families when you chose to form your own confederation."
She then began to fade away, like mist in the wind. However, before totally vanishing from where she had appeared, she whispered, "I may not be able to interfere directly, but never forget that I am always watching."
*****
Silence followed her departure. While everyone in that room had expected Tsunami to comment on the latest problems, even foretell what the future had in store for the people of Jurai, none had expected the message to be so dire or so public. While in Jurai's long history, it was not unheard of for Tsunami to appear before people other than the emperor or her knights, it certainly didn't happen often. For her to appear before so many people at once seemed to add weight to her already hefty announcement.
"Lord Azusa!" the doors to throne room burst open to reveal an aide. It was apparent to everyone in the room that the red faced aide gasping for breathe had run in order to bring whatever news he carried to the assembly.
"Lord Azusa!" he managed to gasp out again in a vain effort to catch his breath. "Merchants on route to Jurai from Ombus III have discovered one of our patrols…. guttered."
News of a guttered patrol evidently shocked and surprised many of the people in the room but it quite clearly angered Azusa. "How could one of our patrols be completely destroyed without our being aware of it and why was it left for some merchants to find?!?" Azusa growled. The threat that Tsunami had warned them about was here and they were woefully unprepared for it.
"I want patrols doubled and restricted to the inner colonies. The outer colonies will have to fend for them selves for the time being. Someone hurry the academy! We need answers yesterday!"
"But what about the people who live in the outer colonies? They will be helpless if they were to be attacked. How can you justify just abandoning them like that?!?" argued Ushio Kamiki.
Azusa almost exploded in anger. How dare he question his authority before the others?!? If he had doubts then they should have been brought up privately. Only the fact that his wives sat beside him stopped him from reacting more forcefully. "We must protect our scientific and industrial centre, without which we would surely lose this struggle. Already it must be obvious to everybody that our defenses are inadequate and we haven't enough ships for patrols. Once we correct these oversights, then we will show these invaders why no one has threatened the Jurian Empire for ten thousand years!"
He found it hard to ignore the skeptical looks he received in reply to his statement.
*****
Nodoka walked slowly, almost stately, through the streets of Tokyo. In one hand, she held her family Katana and in the other, she held the address for the Tendo dojo. Today, Tsunami bless, she would see her son for the first time in over ten years. If Genma had run into trouble on his trip, which for a dishonourable cur like him would not be hard, then Soun, his old training partner, would be the first place he went.
It had not been as hard as she had thought it would be to track down Soun after all these years. He had married and settled down in a well known dojo in Nerima. A few questions about such a well known personality very easily yielded some answers.
She had heard that Soun's wife had died leaving him to raise three daughters alone. He would make an easy mark for her conniving husband. Nodoka just hoped that she would be able to make recompense for whatever troubles he had brought upon and would no doubt continue to bring upon them.
Finding the right place, she knocked. It seemed that Soun had come into some money since the days he trained with her husband. The house was large for a property in the middle of Tokyo; the taxes alone must have cut a dent into their wealth. No wonder her husband had not come home. He was in the lap of luxury compared to where she would have had him living.
Within a few moments the door opened to reveal a young woman wearing a plain housedress and an apron. "Hello, can I help you?" the young woman asked as she left her sentence hanging.
Nodoka recognised Kasumi from descriptions that she had received of Soun's daughters. She knew her child must have had a very lonely life growing up on the road. She also knew that no one could replace her as Ranma's mother. However, from the reports she had received, Kasumi would have made an ideal surrogate.
"Nodoka Saotome." she replied. "I've come to see my husband and son. I understand my husband is staying here." Even if she knew no such thing, it was best to put on a knowing face when dealing with her wayward husband and his friends.
"Of course, please follow me," the young woman answered demurely. Nodoka followed Kasumi into their main dining room where the Tendo family was obviously planning some kind of trip. Genma sat in the corner eating the rations that had been previously packed, effectively undoing a lot of the work that the others had done.
"Genma!" Nodoka snapped as she unwittingly saved some of the remaining rations. Genma immediately started sweating, as he jumped up and looked for a quick exit. "Where is my son?!?" the swish of her katana leaving its sheath and the thunk as it entered the wall within a hair's breath of his head stalled any hope of flight on his behalf.
"Genma, what is this?!? Not another fiancée I hope! Ranma will marry Akane...just as soon as we find him!" Soun's demon head roared in anger at Genma who was, by now, cowering from his wife and his training partner."
"Husband..." Nodoka drawled out with contempt, "Explain now! What is this about fiancées?"
Nabiki, quick to smell a profitable situation, took charge of the degenerating situation. "Mrs. Saotome perhaps I can help?"
Nodoka looked up at the middle daughter with slitted eyes. She had heard about her as well. "Nabiki, I will not pay you. If you will tell me where my son is, fine. If not..." she glanced quickly at the quivering martial artist next to her embedded katana, "I can always take it out of my husband's hide."
Nabiki suppressed a grimace. It seems someone had been talking about her. When she found out who they were, they would regret it. "Ranma is engaged to my younger sister Akane..." she said, gesturing to the youngest of the daughters "to unite the schools."
"He has recently gone on a training trip. We are packing to join him." 'Well, he did tell Kasumi he was going on a training trip and we are going to join him. No need to tell his mother that we have no idea where he is.'
When Nodoka looked over and made eye contact with the daughter that his son was allegedly engaged to, Akane grunted "Not that I care about the perverted jerk!" as she looked away from the penetrating eyes that seemed to judge and deem her unworthy.
Looking at the amount of traveling gear and hearing Nabiki's vague explanations of her son's whereabouts, Nodoka decided that there was more going on than what was immediately apparent. If she was to be reunited with her son any time soon, she decided she would almost certainly have to tag along.
"I will come with you. Genma and I have a lot of catching up to do." she said smiling evilly. "Akane and I can also discuss my son on the way. What better way is there to get to know my son again than talking to his fiancée?"
Nabiki just blinked and decided that she needed to make some phone calls. Genma shivered as he remembered all the training he put his son through. Akane smiled thinking, 'What better way to win the fiancée war than to get close to his mother'.
Nodoka stood guard over her husband. It wasn't really that important that he didn't escape. After all, she had gotten what she wanted about 17 years ago when Ranma was conceived. What was important was that she find her son and she knew that this family would lead her to him. Yosho had made it clear that every minute that he wasn't found, brought the empire closer to a disaster that didn't bear thinking about.
*****
Ranma gently laid the sleeping Ryoko down on the bedding that he had made up for her. There wasn't much left intact after their fight, and what a fight it was. That sword of her's and the fireballs were impressive enough, but once she started to control those trees like she had... Ranma shivered with excitement. If the girl in front of him had been in better shape, he doubted if he would have been able to take her.
As it was she was still recovering from that weird technique of hers that nearly drained her of all her ki. 'In fact...' Ranma thought with a frown '...she shouldn't have been able to fight nearly as well as she did.' Whatever energy she had been using it wasn't ki, yet the only thing he had found when taking care of her over the last few days was that weird tattoo on her wrist. 'Ah maybe that's it,' he thought remembering back to the time when Ryoga got his power up from a tattoo.
Once she recovered, Ranma wanted to make sure that she taught him those techniques. It didn't matter overmuch that she didn't use Ki to fuel her most potent attacks. His school had adapted a number of techniques that didn't necessarily fit in with their teachings.
'The sword and fireball might be achievable through the use of my aura. With a little bit of work, I might be able to replicate the energy blast. However, the sword would require a level of control that I just don't have.'
Ranma had spent most of his time exploring his centre. He didn't often have time to do this. Something was always happening on the road and when he was living in Nerima. After Cologne had taught him the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken and the Hiryü Shöten Ha, he had felt himself to be on the verge of a new level. A level he knew he could reach if he just had the time to sit and explore the changes occurring in his aura and body.
He was so close he could feel it. He had been pleasantly surprised at the control he had been able to achieve over the surprisingly large reserves he had found. He had always known that as his aura would slowly increase over time as he improved but since Nerima, it had increased markedly. He would have to thank the old ghoul.
The meditation had also been good for thinking on past encounters with his rivals and fiancées. He had picked through all his encounters with them not only for further martial inspiration, but also in an attempt to avoid any misunderstandings with people that he met in the future. If he became less vulnerable to Nabiki's schemes, well, that would be a bonus.
He had messed that up though. The first person he had met ended up in a fight with him. It wasn't only the misunderstanding (though he was sure that contributed), but the grief he had seen in her face. It must have been almost overwhelming for her if he had noticed.
Maybe in that light, it had been a suicide attempt rather than an exotic martial arts technique gone wrong. If that was the case, not only had she been recovering from a suicide attempt, but she was also trying to cope with the death of a loved one as well.
Ranma cursed his lack of social decorum. Thinking back to what he had unwittingly implied, he shook his head cursing himself again. Well, he would just have to make it up to her starting with dinner. Well, whenever she woke up and he managed to salvage what he could from the remains of his camp.
*****
Ryoko roused from her slumber to the smell of cooking. 'What's Sasami doing all the way out here?' she thought drowsily. Painful and unwelcome flashes of recent events ensured that she quickly regained her bearings.
"Good, you're awake. I apologize for any misunderstandings we may have had. I assure you I didn't do anything improper." A male voice said. Yes, it was that damned human Tenchi look alike.
"I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Ranma Saotome," he said holding out a bowl of soup. It didn't look like much, but it smelt great and she was starving.
"Ryoko," she said guzzling down the soup. It not only smelt good, but tasted great as well. Maybe what they said about hunger being the best spice was true.
"So, who was he?" Ranma asked, tactlessly, as he handed her a second bowl.
Ryoko paused, narrowed her eyes, then resumed eating at a slower pace. "I don't know what your talking about." she replied. She was not going to spill the beans to some human. Most humans on this planet still believed that they were alone in the universe and besides this particular human made her nervous. Not only did he wear a face similar to Tenchi's, but he had been able to best her in combat. Anyone who could beat her in a fight, even weakened as she was, made her nervous.
Still, she was hungry, he was being hospitable, and then there was that cursed resemblance to her beloved Tenchi. "I don't suppose the name Misaki means anything to you," she asked. There was, after all, the chance that the resemblance was more than a coincidence. If that was the case, maybe there was the chance that she would have someone to talk to after all.
"Nope sorry," the man said handing her another serving before starting to serve himself. "That doesn't mean much though. I've been on the road most of my life. It's not someone my old man ripped off is it?" he said it as if it had happened often.
'What kind of family did this man come from if he has to ask that type of question?' she asked herself. Outloud she replied "Ah forget it. So what brings you to this remote section of Japan. We are still in Japan aren't we?"
This time, it was Ranma's turn to look at her funny. "You aren't related to Ryoga are you?" he asked shaking his head. "Ah, it doesn't matter. How I came to be out here? Well, that's a long story involving martial arts, fiancées and some of the weirdest challenge matches you've ever heard of..."
A/N - thanks to Dogbertcarrol for his explanation on Yosho.
- I'm not sure how widely known it is that Tsunami merged with Sasami so I decided that only select people will know.
- After some careful consideration and consultation with my proofreaders I decided not to spend time revising the Tenchi cast characters whom I have been told were behaving a little OOC. I would much rather get on with telling my story No I don't own Tenchi or Ranma, I'm not referring to those stories.
-Heres what WSRaptor said - something I agree with heartily.
1) This story happens in an alternate/crossover universe. Since the Tenchi universe and the Ranma universe have been combined, things would have to be different from the series. It's a different world so it's only natural that the characters would act differently.
2) Tenchi and a lot of Jurian citizens were murdered. The empire is under attack from an unknown and powerful foe. Under these circumstances, wouldn't you think that the cast would act a bit differently from the norm.
If you lost someone close to you or someone you knew, wouldn't you be affected by it? I most certainly would.
3) This is fanfiction-made by fans for fans. This is not a rehash of the series or manga. If people are so hung up on making it exactly like the
series or manga, then they should watch the series or read the manga and stop bothering you!
I am not discouraging criticism in fact if you feel there are problems please email me.
- Finally there is one issue that I feel needs to be addressed about the death of Tenchi and why he wasn't just brought back to life. Tsunami has stated that she will not interfere and that Tenchi was martyred so that the Jurians would wake up to the idea that there is an actual threat. A few colonies destroyed - happened before. A knight of Tsunami killed - That's a big problem. With her powers locked up in those gems, Washu has to depend on technology and no technology has the power to bring the dead back to life.