AN: The characters don't belong to me sadly. Now to answer questions, ok first, Genma is not healed at the beginning of part one, he got kicked out of the hospital. So in fact he is trying to steal food with his hands and arms in partial casts. Sorry, I didn't make that clear. Second, I'm not really sure where this incarnation of Genma came from, he showed up one day when I was bored out of my mind at work, though it might have something to do with the fact that he has sold Ranma off to do just about everything else.
Yes the way I jump about in time is a bit confusing, so here's a short synopsis. Ranma leaves, four days later, Genma is kicked out of the hospital and the Tendos return to the Dojo. Ranma's letters are handed out after breakfast the next morning, and the fights begin.
Collapsing Dreams, part 2
Once every one had arrived and Nabiki had 'convinced' a sulking Akane to leave her room and join the others down stairs, Nabiki decided to move the meeting out into the garden. With that accomplished, all the while refusing to answer questions regarding Ranma's current location, she began handing out the letters Ranma had left her. Naturally she asked that they all wait to open and read them until she was done, but of course, spoiled little princess Akane did whatever the hell she wanted and began reading immediately. Which meant that the rest of the wrecking crew just had to follow suit. The only one who actually did what Nabiki asked was Auntie Nodoka.
Nabiki had read the letters before giving them out, just as Ranma knew she would and so she was not surprised when Akane began growling and turning red fairly quickly. Most of the others seemed to be getting angry as well. Only Cologne, Happosai, and Auntie Nodoka remained outwardly calm while reading, though Ranma's mother did seem to be significantly paler and more rigid since she started reading the letter left her by her son. Seeing her reaction and knowing the contents of the letter, Nabiki figured that Genma Saotome had better run as fast as he could with his limbs still encased in plaster if he wished to keep his head attached to his body.
Amazingly, most of the wrecking crew finished their letters at the same time. After a few seconds of apoplectic silence Akane charged Shampoo, screaming about perverted boys. Shampoo, red with rage, knocked her aside and charged Genma Saotome, who was trying to sneak out of the garden, with intent to kill. Mousse, managed to get in her way long enough to trip her while he ecstatically hugged a shrub, declared his love for Shampoo and his joy at Ranma's permanent absence. Shampoo fell into the middle of the fight between Ukyo and Kodachi. Dismissing Kodachi as a serious threat, she in turn tripped the Black Rose, and focused on beating the fiancée in front of her into a bloody pulp.
Meanwhile, Kuno began a gloating speech declaring that the cowardly, evil sorcerer Saotome had finally fled the overawing might of the Blue Thunder of Furinken High, and that his loves the fierce tigress Akane Tendo, and the pigtailed goddess would now be his. He was interrupted by a mallet wielded by the furious Akane Tendo as she ran past sending him flying high over the streets of Nerima heading west towards Tokyo harbor, his longest flight yet.
While the children 'played', and Soun Tendo cried about the schools never being joined, Genma was being hauled back into the garden by a disgusted Master Happosai to face the wrath of his wife, Elder Cologne, and Kasumi Tendo. Genma immediately began to beg and plead with the angry women, trying to convince them that he was innocent of wrongdoing. When that didn't work, he tried to use his remaining injuries from Ranma's attack to convince his wife not to kill him. At that point, Happosai tapped the pressure points needed to render his despicable student silent and immobile. Then the discussion about what to do with and to Genma Saotome began. The argument lasted nearly two hours as ideas regarding punishment, torture, and death flew back and forth, while the participants ducked the flying bodies and debris of the fight between the younger members of the wrecking crew continued next to them.
Kasumi suggested that since Ranma had already done so much damage, that they lock Genma in panda form and sell him to the worst zoo they could find, someplace he would be miserable for the rest of his life. This suggestion was vetoed immediately as being too mild a punishment for what Genma had done to Ranma since he first left Tokyo to train Ranma. Her next suggestion consisted of turning his hide into a rug while he was still alive, something that got surprised looks from the others and a wide eyed look of terror from Genma that became permanent during the rest of the discussion.
Cologne suggested that they remove the organs which made him male and roasted them over a slow fire forcing Genma to watch as he bled to death. Happosai seemed to think this was a good idea, until Nabiki pointed out that Ranma had already removed the anatomy in question once already and that the doctors had only been able to reattach part of it. That stalled the discussion until Happosai suggested that they feed him to sharks while still alive. Cologne countered with throwing him into a pit of starving cats big enough to make sure he didn't survive the experience. Even Kasumi liked that idea, but Nodoka mentioned the Seppku contract and insisted that Genma at least follow its terms.
When the others looked disappointed, she smirked and commented that once Genma had cut himself open, she would be satisfied and they could then do what every they wanted with him. That led to a whole new set of ideas on the parts of Cologne and Happosai. Kasumi looked a bit ill at the idea of Genma cutting himself open and only got greener as the ideas got increasingly interesting, until that is, Cologne winked at her, nodded at Genma and smirked. Kasumi's color immediately returned as she struggled not to giggle. The devious old pair were trying to scare him to death, and it seems they were succeeding if the yellow stains on the from of Genma's gi, and the awful smell coming from his direction were any indication.
Her choked giggles turned into outright laughter as Genma's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted when Cologne suggested that they tie Genma to a spit and roast him until his clothes burned off, then force him to commit seppku, followed by tying him up and throwing him into a deep pit of starving cats to be eaten alive. When Genma finally landed in the dirt a stinking sodden mess, even Nodoka had to chuckle. Then the real discussion began. It was eventually decided that Genma would be forced to commit seppku and left to die from blood loss. Removing his head once he had cut himself open, was deemed too merciful after what he had done to Ranma.
Feeling partially responsible for Genma's stupidity, Happosai agreed to stay and make sure no one rescued Genma before he died. He also promised to make sure that Soun was in no shape to attempt to rescue his friend Genma. Since Nodoka had to be present to witness her husbands 'honorable' death, Cologne, Nabiki, and Kasumi were nominated to keep the Nerima Wrecking Crew occupied so they would not interfere with justice.
The fighting continued for weeks.
Fortunately, things had calmed down somewhat by the end of the first week. Ryoga had disappeared, Pantyhose Taro had come and gone, Ukyo had returned to her shop full time and stopped fighting, and Mousse had been 'convinced' by Cologne to stay out of it. The fact that he was concussed and seeing triple after he latched onto Akane and declared his love, thinking it was Shampoo, might have had an impact. Since four of the wrecking crew were out of the fights, Kasumi brought the dishes back out of the cellar so no one had to eat off of paper plates.
By the end of the second week, Kuno was in no shape to attack anyone, and the only ones still actively attacking others were Akane, Shampoo, and the Black Rose, Kodachi Kuno. Luckily for everyone else, once Genma poisoned himself with Akane's cooking before Nodoka could force him to commit seppku, the three girls mostly focused their attacks on each other with the occasional foray against Ukyo and Kuno. The girls continued to fight frequently for weeks, nothing anyone did convinced them to stop until Cologne took charge of the situation.
Akane refused to be reasoned with, insisting that all the blame lay with Ranma and the other fiancées and that she had done nothing Ranma hadn't deserved. She had become even more angry and violent since Ranma's departure, attacking with little to no provocation other than the presence of the individual attacked, and her cooking had gotten even worse, impossible as that may have seemed.
Cologne's remedy for Akane's behavior was simple. She and Happosai force fed Akane her own food, laced with some of Cologne's herbs, along with daily recitations of the coroner's report on Genma citing poisoned food as his cause of death, and Ranma's letter to her. They also took turns smacking her with a mallet until her delusions crumbled and she was forced to admit that not only was she a rotten cook, but also that her abuse had played a major role in forcing Ranma to leave.
Happosai's manner of containing Kodachi Kuno was even simpler. It involved a strip search, a reinforced strait jacket, and a one way trip to the psych ward at Tokyo General accompanied by her brother in a matching jacket. Both eventually ended up in an expensive private facility.
By the time the easily convinced ones was dealt with, three more weeks had gone by, and Ranma had been gone from Nerima for almost six weeks. The Nekohaten and it's clientele base was much the worse for the wear, and Shampoo was as delusional and obsessive as ever. Even Cologne had to admit the girl had gone too far when she started trying to kill Akane, convinced that if she was gone, Ranma would magically reappear declaring his love for her. Apparently nothing in her letter from Ranma regarding her own role in driving him away from Nerima had registered.
Eventually, after many attempts to convince the obsessed girl that Ranma would not be coming back to her ever, no matter what she did. Cologne was forced to return to China with the girl drugged to keep her calm and tractable until they reached the village and other measures could be used to get through to the delusional girl. Rather than return to China, Mousse remained in Nerima and reopened the Nekohaten under a different name in partnership with Kasumi Tendo. Nabiki headed off to university while Akane continued to fight off the hentai horde every morning at Furinken Highschool.
After her husband's suicide by poison, Nodoka Saotome retired to a life of contemplation and prayer. Soun Tendo became a certified alcoholic for a short time until Master Happosai returned to Tokyo and whipped him back into shape. As a result, the dojo reopened, and Soun began teaching again. Happosai took over Akane's training himself much to her chagrin. However, working with the perverted grandmaster of Anything Goes provided her with many opportunities to practice her fledgeling self control and perfect anger management techniques.
All in all, things quieted down in Nerima and life became almost boring. Still, occasionally, the fragments of dreams that collapsed after Ranma left continued to haunt the remaining members of the Nerima Wrecking Crew.
AN: I'm very sorry that it took me so long to get this section of ch 2 out. Writer's block is a royal pain. In any case Decisions will be the last chapter in this fic, what happens to Ranma after he uses the mirror will be documented in a new fic, Demon's Angel which I will be posting un the Gundam Wing AC section of
Thanks for all the reviews!