Chapter Five: Temple Battle and the Return to the Dojo
Kasumi awoke to a light rustle of cloth against her forehead. The young woman opened her eyes and found herself staring into pools of deep, chocolate brown so much like her own. "It is good to see you awake." Kasumi blinked several times as her yes adjusted to the light that was filtering through her eyelids. "What…happened?" The brown eyes she was staring at withdrew a little, and she took in their owner for the first time. The woman before her was a little short, but had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, like her own, and exuded an aura of…innocence and purity that nearly made Kasumi shiver.
"It seems that you were caught in the middle of a series of unfortunate events that only involved me and my sisters. I apologize," the woman bowed her head. Kasumi shook her head and beckoned her up. "It's quite all right. I'm sure Ranma will be coming soon." I hope. Truth be told, she had no idea where she was, and if the pig-tailed martial artist knew. "Where am I?"
"You're in my home. A temple in Nekomi ward. I would like to greet you under more pleasurable circumstances, but unfortunately, I can't make any tea at the moment." Kasumi glanced around. They were surrounded by a glimmering blue barrier in what she supposed was the living room, judging by the couch and TV. Next to them was another sphere that held two more women, one that seemed to be in her early twenties with shoulder-length blonde hair in a rather provocative leather outfit, and another, younger girl of around sixteen, Kasumi guessed, with long black hair dressed in unfamiliar robes.
"Oh, how rude," the woman noted suddenly. "I'm Belldandy, and those are Mara and my sister Skuld." Kasumi smiled and offered a small, polite bow. "My name is Tendo Kasumi. Yoroshiku."
Their chat was interrupted when the door opened and a lean man stepped through. His black hair fell to his shoulders and his posture indicated he was used to command. His face twisted in an arrogant sneer, he glanced at the four women in the room. "In case you don't know it yet, the wards I put up are strong enough to keep even Hild out, so don't count on your little half-breed sister to come to the rescue." His eyes turned to Kasumi. "And as for you…I wasn't actually planning to made a side-trip other than getting to the Nexus of Chaos, but I might as well have some fun while I'm at it."
"You…" Mara grunted obscenities towards the man. "Now, now. It's rather impolite to be muttering such things about your colleages, is it not?" His features turned into an evil smile. "Besides, I am perfectly going to get away with this. You see…Asgard has no control over us." "Us?" Belldandy asked.
A second person entered the room, making the man's answer obsolete. "Lenneth…" Belldandy murmured. "Hello there, Belldandy," the new arrival spat out the name as if it were venom. "What in the name of…I can't believe a goddess is actually going along with that nutcase!" Mara yelled. "What in the seven hells are you thinking!" The woman addressed as Lenneth smiled, an evil smile that matched her companion's. "Simple. I'm tired of being a second-class goddess. We have our limiters, but why? Weren't we supposed to be all-powerful? Isn't that what differs us from these mortals?"
The woman circled the energy barriers once before continuing. "I'm tired of being bound to Kami-sama's rules. He doesn't have any authority to tell us what or what not to do. He's a weak, senile old man who's afraid of our power, that's why we have the limiters!" The man held out a hand. "Lenneth, that's enough. We most certainly do not wish to reveal our plan to these people…even though they will have little chance of informing anyone else."
The two turned and left, leaving the four women alone. Kasumi glanced around nervously. She hadn't exactly understood all of what was going on here, but from what she had gathered this was…a trap. It's a trap for Ranma-kun…
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The usually inviting temple that was the residence of three goddesses in Nekomi district wasn't quite what it had been since Ryoko's last visit. The structure hadn't changed, rather, it was the overwhelming aura of darkness that seemed to permeat the place. If one had a poetic affinity, one might have said it was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw. And was just about as concealable as an elephant in a porcelain store. The two martial artists and two divine beings approached the gate, wary of a trap.
"I don't like this at all," Urd said. "Bell wouldn't leave an aura like that. It's…wrong." Ryoko nodded. "Yeah. We'd better be careful. I don't want to know what surprises this Firkraag has for us." Falling into defensive stances, Ranma and Ryoko passed the gate and glanced around for any sign of activity. Seeing nothing, the pair crept forward, until a muttered curse from behind them had them return their attention to Hild and Urd. "What is it?" Ranma asked. Urd grimaced. "Someone set up demon wards. A lot of 'em. Not even mother can get through. I'll need some time to break through and remove the seals, you two go on ahead. We'll be right there. We don't have time, hurry!"
Nodding, Ryoko continued through the yard, heading for the house while Ranma set off in the direction of the backyard, all the while keeping an eye on each other. Ranma stopped dead in his tracks and shifted to an aggressive stance as he saw the figure appear before him. "Firkraag," he growled. The demon shot him a grin. "Wow, I didn't quite expect you to be stupid enough to waltz in here on your own. Although…I guess you did bring some backup," he continued, indicating Ryoko. Before the other man could move, another person appeared right in front of him. "Lenneth, take care of him while I entertain Ranma here." Ranma glared at the demon. "Listen, pal. I don't care who you are, if you hurt Kasumi I'm gonna make sure it's the last day you see the sun," he growled.
Firkraag smirked. "Famous last words. I haven't hurt her…yet. Still, it might be fun to see what's hiding under her calm façade, wouldn't it? I bet she's the screamer type." "Over my dead body," Ranma grunted. Firkraag's smirk widened. "That can be arranged."
Growling, the Saotome heir lunged at Firkraag, testing his defenses with a series of quick jabs and kicks. The two combatants leapt apart. The demon approached, throwing a left punch and an uppercut that would have sent its target into the stratosphere, but Ranma slapped the punch aside and ducked the uppercut, responding with a snap-kick to Firkraag's gut. The two continued trading blows until Ranma received a vicious palm strike to his chest, sending him flying backwards. While Firkraag didn't know how to fight hand to hand, his attacks more than made up for it in pure strength.
Feh, he hits harder than Ryoga, and can take more damage, too, Ranma thought. "All right, pal. Time to get serious. Môkô Takabisha!" The ki blast roared across the backyard, slamming into the demon, driving him into the ground. Firkraag shook his head to clear it of the ringing, surprised that a mortal could generate this much power. Before he could get back up, Ranma was already on top of him, yelling, "Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri-Ken!" The pig-tailed martial artist kept unloading blows to his opponent's ribcage for a good thirty seconds before backing off, wearing his usual confident smirk.
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Ryoko turned his attention from Ranma and Firkraag to the woman in front of him. She appeared young, maybe eighteen most, with shoulder-length auburn hair and penetrating violet eyes. "I am Lenneth, goddess second class, first category, limited. Leave this place, mortal, and thou shalt not be harmed," she told him. With a wave of his hand, Ryoko cut her off. "No. And cut out on the Shakespearean accent. It annoys me," he said simply. With a frown, her violet eyes lit up in anger, and her extensive goddess garments switched to her battle outfit, somewhat resembling a simple white robe tied off with a golden sash, complemented by golden bracers. "Although it surprises me a goddess would associate with a demon like Firkraag, and for such petty goals, too," he continued.
Without further word or warning, the goddess charged him. The martial artist ducked a high kick, then flipped over a punch aimed at his solar plexus. Twisting around in mid-air, he used his momentum to turn the movement into a roundhouse kick, snapping her head around. Ryoko landed in a crouch, finishing his descent with a sweep, which Lenneth sidestepped. The goddess started levitating, and Ryoko backed off to gain some distance, leaping to the side abruptly as a forcebolt smashed into the ground where he had been a second ago. The martial artist continued dodging incoming projectiles, before countering with one of his own.
"Hiryuu Kyo-Ken!" A purplish wave of ki tore past Lenneth's barrage of forcebolts, and the goddess twisted, hoping to avoid the incoming ki blade. She partially succeeded, and the blast took off one of her sleeves. The simple blast was enough for her to loose her focus for a moment, and she dropped to the ground. The second she hit the stone ground, the goddess launched herself at Ryoko, throwing out two forcebolts. With a backflip, Ryoko let the two blasts pass beneath him, then shouted, "Môkô Tenshin!" A wall of ki formed before him, intercepting the next two forcebolts. Letting the shield dissipate, he snapped off a quick jab and dodged a kick. That, however, put him in the path of another of Lenneth's forcebolts; searing pain shot through Ryoko as he was blasted backwards, against the wall of the temple. Ouch, feels like I got flash-fried. Watching as the goddess closed in to finish the kill, he allowed himself a small smile, whispering, "Perfected Hiryuu Kyo-Ken." A silvery thread shot from the ki in his hand, hitting the goddess square in the chest. For a moment, nothing happened, and Lenneth stared down at herself, eyes widening at the silver thread sticking out of her.
With a thunderous roar, she was blasted away, skidding to a stop ten meters away. Both combatants picked themselves up, staring at each other.
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Ranma dodged a straight punch and landed a reverse knife-hand on Firkraag's ribcage. "Come on, let's dance!" he yelled as he started dodging around the demon. His enraged opponent roared in anger and picked up the pace of his strikes, only to hit thin air every time. Ranma continued to lead Firkraag around the backyard, tracing a familiar spiral with his steps.
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"Hiryuu Shôten Ha!" Ranma's yell caused Ryoko to turn his head for a split second to see what was going on, before a murderous wind tore at him. His eyes widened as he took in the tornado that was forming around the pig-tailed martial artist. He took a moment too long observing the unnatural natural phenomenon as one of Lenneth's kicks struck his ribcage, twisting him around. Using the excess momentum from the kick, Ryoko whipped around and snapped a sidekick at the goddess, launching her off her feet and in the direction of the forming tornado. He dropped to one knee and drew his fans, yelling, "Mugen Tenketsu Final Attack: Shinkuu-Ken!" Hundreds of ki-enhanced vacuum blades pelted the tornado, slicing into it, aimed for the two beings currently being drawn upwards by the howling winds.
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Ranma stood in the eye of the storm, his hand still raised in an uppercut as he panted, exhaustion of the continuous dodging finally registering with him. For a full three minutes, the tornado he had called forth continued to rage and ravage the backyard, tearing up earth and stone, hurling them away into the four winds. Finally, the storm died down. Ranma's eyes wandered over the backyard, seeking out Ryoko. The other man was in the process of picking himself off the ground when something impacted the ground next to him. Looking up, the pig-tailed youth froze. Levitating in the air above them were their opponents, goddess and demon alike, seemingly unharmed, except for the tattered clothing.
"Foolish mortal! If you think you can defeat us that easily, then…then you're…" Firkraag sputtered in outrage. Ranma noticed Ryoko arching an eyebrow at the apparently illiterate or just plain stupid demon. "Uh, how about…wrong?" Ranma offered. The two immortals landed lightly, and Ranma prepared himself for round two.
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Ryoko eyed the furious goddess before him carefully. He watched carefully as her hand wandered to the delicate gold earring on her right ear. He mentally cursed as he realized she was going to break her limiter. Lenneth shot him a cold smile as she held out her hand and the earring reformed itself into an ornate battlestaff. With a savage yell more suited for a Valkyrie than a goddess, she charged.
Ducking out of the way of her initial slash, Ryoko hit her with a leg-sweep. Lenneth turned her fall into a graceful flip, striking his back with her staff as she went along, slamming him into the ground. She reeled back and brought her staff down hard, only to find it blocked. Ryoko grunted and managed to get the staff away from him with a heave, and planted himself in a sideways stance, fan at the ready. He had no illusions about his chances to win. With her limiter broken, the goddess before him had enough raw power to annihilate a good quarter of the planet, much less deal with him. Come on, Urd, I'm counting on ya…
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Another round of his Kachuu Tenshin Amaguri-Ken and a handful of ki blasts had Ranma panting from the exertion. Whatever happened to Firkraag during the Hiryuu Shôten Ha had definitely had an effect – the demon seemed all the more capable of taking his blows, while dishing out even harder and faster, it seemed. Or maybe I'm getting slower, Ranma suspected. Twisting to avoid a jaw-breaking uppercut, Ranma slid forward to unleash another Amaguri-Ken. He realized that the uppercut had been a feint a split second too late, and the follow-up kick clipped his shoulder even as he turned away. Firkraag snorted as Ranma attempted to pick himself off the ground. "Well fought, Ranma. Now, prepare to die. Heh. I'm going to enjoy ripping out your soul energy."
The pig-tailed boy would have groaned at the phrase he heard so often, but only managed a small grunt as he tried to roll out of the way of Firkraag's forcebolts. The screech of a forcebolt followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground prompted Ranma to open his eyes again. Over him stood the woman from Ryoko's apartment, crackling with lightning, and wearing a victorious smirk. "Thought you could use some help, honey," she noted with a seductive smile and bent down to help him up. It was then that Ranma realized he had an unobstructed view of her cleavage, at which point embarassment and exhaustion combined to make him pull a Ryoga and faint.
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Fan clashed with staff as both combatants furiously sought to penetrate each other's defenses. Ryoko growled as he leapt back and slashed with his fan, sending a windblade hurling at his opponent, who simply blocked with her staff and flung herself back at him twirling her staff. Who does she think she is, Bruce Lee? Ryoko snorted. As expected, breaking her limiter had resulted in Lenneth becoming faster and stronger, not to mention less prone to damage he inflicted upon her. Ryoko blocked one of her thrusts, then countered with a slash of his fan. Lenneth parried the slash by cocking her staff to the side, letting Ryoko overbalance himself. As the martial artist leaned forward, she brought her staff down hard on his shoulder, twirled it around and slammed it into his stomach. Looks like she gained a couple Dan levels, as well, he thought as he fought for his breath.
With a grunt, Ryoko collapsed to his knees, the fan falling from his hand as he clutched his stomach. Lenneth glanced away for a split second to block an incoming lightning bolt, and he took the chance to lash out with his foot, slamming his heel into her right knee, forcing her to stagger back to recover. Which gave Urd more than enough time to nail the wayward goddess with several of her patented and copyrighted Urd bolts.
A hand on his shoulder steadied him, and another went around his waist to help him as he staggered to his feet. "Thanks, Urd," he grunted, looking around for his fan. Ryoko's eyes finally settled on a downed Ranma, with Hild leaning over him, her usually revealing dress uncovering even more of her skin than usual at that angle. He quickly joined Urd in snickering. "Poor boy," the goddess whispered. Ryoko only nodded. "Like daughter, like mother, huh?" he whispered with a smirk. A stifled curse from inside caused the two to turn around and approach the door. Ryoko grinned as he listened to the feminine voice rattling off profanities that would make a drunk sailor blush, and opened the door. Urd was grinning, as well, recognizing the voice as Mara's.
Hild and Ranma joined them, with Hild half dragging, half supporting the martial artist, who was still mostly out of it. By the time they had reached the living room, he had returned to his senses, and was keeping as far away from Hild as possible. The four stopped once they took in the living room and its four occupants, all of which were encased in sealing spells. Mara's face lit up once she noticed them arrive. "'Bout damn time you showed up!" She indicated the younger goddess of the future next to her. "The squirt was starting to bug the hell out of me."
Ranma glanced at Ryoko, who was trying to contain his mirth, while Urd and Hild went to work on trashing the wards. "Come on, Ranma. Let's help them. If you see any of these," Ryoko said, holding up an ofuda, "take it off, rip it to pieces, and incinerate it. Not necessarily in that order, though." Withing moments, between Hild, Urd, and the two martial artists, the floor was soon littered with torn paper and ashes, and the wards disappeared. "What took you so long?" Skuld grumbled, as Urd laughed. "We got lost on the way," the older Norn grinned. Hild and Ryoko shook their heads as the two sisters started bickering like nothing had happened, with Mara throwing in the occassional comment while Kasumi and Belldandy were offering their thanks. Ranma blushed bright red when Kasumi smiled and kissed him on the cheek, drawing a giggle from Mara and a chuckle from Ryoko.
An outraged shriek from Mara and a yell of "Sweeto!" got their attention, however, and they turned just in time to see Firkraag groping for Mara's cleavage as an elbow slammed into the demon's head, followed by a trampling courtesy of an angry Mara. "Hentai! Pervert! Molester! FIRKRAAG NO BAKA!" The demoness yelled as she stomped the already beaten and bruised demon further into the ground. Ranma shook his head. "You'd think he was related to Happosai, or something…" the pig-tailed martial artist muttered as Mara continued to stomp and yell at the demon at her feet. Ryoko leaned over and whispered, "Want to bet she's gonna get out a mallet real soon?" As if on cue, Mara produced something from out of nowhere. Calling it a mallet would be the understatement of the century. Being a demoness, calling it a warhammer was a more fitting descripting for the tool of destruction as she swung her weapon like a professional golfer. The poor demon was sent flying off, until he hit the barrier he himself had erected around the temple and slumped to the ground. Ranma and Ryoko gulped. "Grrr…If that guy ever gets out of punishment, I'm gonna maim him so badly…and to think, he asked me out on a date!" Mara rambled.
"Oh my, would you like some tea?" Belldandy and Kasumi asked at the same time. The same thought popped up in Ranma's and Ryoko's heads. How can anyone be so similar? "Uh, sure, thanks," Ranma replied, while everyone else voiced their affirmation. After the two women had left for the kitchen, Ryoko collapsed into a chair. "So, what do we do about those two?" he asked, jabbing a thumb at the still unconscious figures in the backyard. "I'll take care of them," Hild said as she came through the door. "I'm pretty sure going through all nine hells will be quite the lesson, wouldn't you agree?"
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As they walked back to Juuban district, Ranma fiddled around in his pockets and came up with a piece of paper. "Huh? What's this?" He unfolded it and skimmed over it. Ryoko glanced back at him. "What is it?" The pig-tailed martial artist grinned and shot a smile of thanks at Kasumi. "It's my mother's address. She lives in Juuban, too, so I think I'm gonna stop by or something." His face fell immediately after that. Ryoko noticed, and fell back a little, to walk beside Kasumi. "What's up with him? Shouldn't he be happy to see his mother?"
The oldest Tendo daughter nodded. "Yes, but there is a complication. Auntie Nodoka is very traditional. I'm not sure if I am supposed to tell you this, but she made Ranma and his father sign a contract before they left for their training trip. It stated that Ranma would be raised as a 'man amongst men,' or commit seppuku along with his father." Ryoko paled. "Wasn't Ranma a little kid back then? How could anyone possibly hold him to that contract?" Kasumi sighed again. "He isn't so much afraid of his death, what he really fears is the impression he'll leave on his mother. Especially his curse has shaken his belief in his 'manliness' as Auntie Nodoka calls it."
Shaking his head, Ryoko shot a glance at Ranma. "That's stupid. I've only known him for a week, but even I can see he's brave an honorable – almost to an unhealthy extent. Changing into a girl's body doesn't change his personality." "Not to mention his manners certainly have improved," Kasumi added with a smile. "We should get them to talk, you know. I'm not sure how long his mother hasn't seen him, but from the looks of it, it's been far too long." Ryoko caught a wry smile from Kasumi, an expression he'd not expected from her. "She has, although in cursed form. She thinks his cursed form is our cousin Ranko. He hasn't found the heart yet to tell her the truth, and I agree with you, they should talk."
A grin crept up Ryoko's face. "Tell you what. Tomorrow, while Ranma's at school, let's pay her a visit." The girl's grin nearly matched his own.
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Ryoko kept shooting glances at the young woman walking next to him. As he watched her, he began to see what Ranma had meant when he described her as a goddess. She's almost exactly like Belldandy…I wonder if it's some cosmic joke or something, the martial artist mused. He forcibly tore himself out of his musings about the woman as they arrived at the door of the Saotome estate. Glancing up, the house was an impressive three story building, constructed in European style. It looked definitely antique. The door opened only seconds after he knocked, revealing a middle-aged woman with short brown hair dressed in a formal sakura-patterned kimono. She was carrying a wrapped katana at her side and was eyeing him suspiciously. Her look turned towards welcoming, however, when she noticed Kasumi standing next to him.
"Kasumi-chan! I didn't know you were in Juuban! Please, come in!" Ryoko managed to suppress a grin at her cheerfulness – mostly. When they were seated in the living room, Saotome Nodoka set down a tray on the table, pouring tea with a big grin on her face. "Thank you, Auntie Nodoka," Kasumi smiled as she accepted her teacup. Ryoko stood and offered the Saotome matriarch a crisp bow. "Good afternoon, Saotome-san. My name is Meiou Ryoko."
He gulped as Nodoka shot them a calculating look, and he noticed even Kasumi was squirming slightly. "Say, Kasumi, who is this nice young man? Your boyfriend?" Ryoko groaned minimally, before chuckling. "Actually, Saotome-san, I'm not. I happen to be a friend of your son's, and we came to talk to you about him." If anything could get Nodoka's attention, it was either their family honor, or the mention of her son. "What is it? Can you tell me about Ranma?" Kasumi laid a calming hand on the older woman's arm. "Auntie, we need to talk about that…contract, and we need to tell you about Ranma."
Nodoka's eyes widened in shock. "My son hasn't done anything dishonorable, has he? He hasn't done something…" Waving her off, Ryoko interrupted. "Quite the contrary. Saotome-san, I've only known your son for a week or so, but I can tell you – and Kasumi here will confirm that – that Ranma is one of the most honorable and kind people I know. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's begun to fix that. No, if it's honor you're worried about, he has done nothing to dishonor him." The martial artist wanted to continue, but Kasumi took over. "What Ranma-kun is worried about is something…of a more delicate matter. Have you heard about the training trip to China?"
It was evident the Saotome matriarch hadn't, so Kasumi launched into an abbreviated version of the story of the journey. When she reached the part about Jusenkyo, she halted. "There's a special training ground in China, you see," she began again, slowly. "It seems like Ojisan thought it would be a good idea to go there. Unfortunately, he couldn't read a word of what was written in the travel guide, and failed to listen to the guide." "What's so special about this Jusenkyo?" Nodoka asked.
"It's cursed," Ryoko told her. "There's some hundred-odd springs that are cursed. Whatever falls into them, turns into whatever drowned there last when splashed with cold water. The curse is reversible with hot water, but there is no known cure." He noticed Nodoka's eyes had narrowed to slits, and her hand was gripping the katana tight enough that her knuckles were turning white. "Ranma and his father fell in. He was afraid to tell you, because he feared you would reject him for what he had become, and he didn't want you to be hurt by it," Kasumi finished.
"What do they turn into?" Ryoko glanced at Kasumi, since she was more familiar with Ranma. "Ojisan turns into a panda," she began, pausing to let Nodoka make the mental connections. "A panda…and…my son…Ranko?" Her gaze fixated on Kasumi. "Ranko is my son?" Kasumi nodded. "Yes, Auntie." The three fell into an uncomfortable silence as Nodoka contemplated the story she'd just been told. Her first impulse was to go and make a panda-skin rug for the fireplace, for all her husband had put their son through. Her second was to ask them to take her to Ranma. Her third was to combine the two and make a panda-skin rug while being led to Ranma.
"Can I meet him?" she whispered. Ryoko arched an eyebrow, unmoving. "Are you going to hold him to the contract?" Nodoka shook her head. "I never intended for him to commit seppuku, it was just to keep my husband in line…if Ranma is indeed as you tell me, I have nothing to be ashamed of. Except for that husband of mine, but I'll settle that at a later date. Right now I only want to see my son." With an approving smile, both Ryoko and Kasumi shared a glance. "Saotome-san, would you honor me by dining with us tonight?" Ryoko offered. The woman leaped at the opportunity before catching herself and bowing in acknowledgement. "You honor me with your invitation," she replied. "When do you want me there?"
Glancing at his watch, Ryoko smiled. "I'll be here at about…six o'clock to escort you there." The two bowed as they left. "Ranma's going to be in shock," Ryoko mused as they walked back to his house. "Yes," Kasumi giggled. For a moment, Ryoko thought he caught a hint of mischief in her eyes.
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Ranma returned from his after-school training session, following the scent of dinner to the kitchen. He was surprised to see Kasumi standing there, putting the last touches on a large dinner. The first thing the pig-tailed martial artist noted was that Ryoko was conspiciously absent. The second thing Ranma took note of was that there was enough food for five. While he knew Ryoko would never let Kasumi cook while she was a guest – no, scrap that, would never let her cook everything by herself, since holding Kasumi from a kitchen was virtually impossible – he wasn't present. Which made Ranma wonder where he had gone off to, and why Urd was setting the dinner table for five – she had been banned from the kitchen ever since that incident with the bug on the windowsill. Ranma gave up trying to connect both mysteries and decided to just let his host surprise him when the lock clicked open.
Laughter wafted through the door, followed by a female voice. "Oh, you'd be perfect for someone like Kasumi-chan." That statement was followed by a string of vehement denials and stuttering that left Ranma wondering why the first voice sounded familiar. That was when Ryoko and his company entered the dining room. Ranma froze dead in his tracks, like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move. There, right next to Ryoko, arm hooked through his, was his mother. "Mo-mo-mother," he stammered. That was as far as he got, before being engulfed in a glomp that would do an amazon proud.
Slowly, he began returning the hug, choking out, "M-mom…air…" Urd snickered while Ryoko blushed, suddenly experiencing a slight sense of dejá vú. Nodoka released her son, who found himself unexpectedly drenched with water from a glass she had been holding. Before Ranma could begin to stutter and start babbling, Nodoka hugged her again. "Oh my son!" Urd decided to do the mortal a slight favor and conjured up a blob of warm water above his head. With pinpoint accuracy, she let it drench Ranma, triggering the transformation again. That caused Nodoka to loosen her hug and splash her son once more, giggling like a little girl with a new toy as her son changed genders again. Which, in turn, caused Urd to conjure up more hot water. Which caused Nodoka to splash him with more cold water. The two women played around, giggling like little children, while Ranma, Ryoko and Kasumi just stood there, chuckling and rolling their eyes.
Sheesh, she reminds me of Ukyo doing this, Ranma mused with a grin as he endured the shower he got. Finally, Nodoka ran out of water, and Ryoko cleared his throat. "Uh, Saotome-san. It's nice to see you and your son are getting along so well, but dinner's waiting, and I really don't want to let Kasumi's heavenly cooking to go cold." Within moments, everyone was seated. Ranma had quickly brought up his aura and used it to dry his clothes to an acceptable degree. Nodoka was still eyeing her son with dreamy eyes. "Ooh, what a manly son I have," she muttered, then began bombarding the pig-tailed martial artist with questions. Ranma, who had calmed down somewhat after realizing his mother wasn't going to hold him to the seppuku contract, was just arriving at the part where he had arrived at Ryoko's place to have some "peace and quiet to recuperate from going out with so many girls at once," as Kasumi put it. Urd was frantically trying to control the laughter that was welling up inside her.
Her bout of humor was interrupted, however, when she heard Nodoka say, "Oh, how manly my son is! Making out here with three lovely girls as well!" As she said that, she was eyeing Kasumi and Urd with a calculating look that would have sent shivers down even Nabiki's spine. Urd blanched, while Kasumi "eep'ed" and let out her trademark "Oh, my!" And it was Ryoko's turn to laugh – their reactions were bad enough, but he could only imagine the look on Setsuna's face at Nodoka's implication that she was romantically associated with the "Wild Horse" of Nerima. The goddess of the past wasn't going to let him get out of the sling so easily, though, and grabbed his arm, before declaring, "Actually, Nodoka-san, I'm already Ryo-chan's fiancee!"
"You are?" Ryoko squeaked.
Before anyone could comment on that, a shout from the outside pierced the neighborhood. "WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW? RANMA, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE FOR MAKING MY LIFE HELL!" Ranma grimaced, while Ryoko arched an eyebrow, inwardly glad to get off the embarassing topic. "Don't tell me it's that Hibiki boy – the one with that horrible sense of direction?" Ranma nodded. "Yep. More like, without sense of direction. I knew it was only a matter of time before he stumbled across me accidentally. He probably sensed my aura as I used it to dry." To make matters worse, a second shout echoed through the night. "RANMA! You will come and fulfill your family honor this instant, you ungrateful boy!" Ryoko noted with amusement that Nodoka's hand had tightened around her katana. He started heading for the door. "I don't know how they found you, but I'll take care of them. Be right back."
He opened the door and stepped outside, surprised when he noticed Ranma had followed him. "Hey, they are my problems. I should deal with them. I'll make it fast," Ranma told him. In the growing darkness, Ryoko could see two figures standing at his gate – both rather large. However, wheras one seemed to be all muscle, the other was just plain…fat. Ranma leapt off the stairs and landed in the middle of the yard. Ryoko moved to stand next to him, falling into a stance.
"What're you doing?" The pig-tailed boy asked in bewilderment. "I don't need help." Chuckling at the boy's confidence, Ryoko shook his head. "I know you don't need help, Ranma. I was just thinking, your mother's waiting inside, and the food's getting cold. We should hurry before she decides she wants pork chop and a new panda-skin rug." He winked at his friend. "Plus, I'm dying for Kasumi's dessert." Ranma grinned widely at the last comment. "Good point. You take Ryoga. I'll take oyaji." Ryoko nodded, and the two martial artists leapt, crossing the distance between them and the two intruders while they were still trying to figure out what the heck was going on.
V----------------------------------------V
Ranma landed a flying kick against Genma, before touching down on the ground. "What do you want?" he snarled. The old man frowned. "Boy! It's time for you to get over your childish behavior and marry Akane!" Ranma laughed. "Oh, right. I suppose I knocked you out when I left, huh. Well, sorry to break the news to you, but the engagement's off. Plus, I'm not marrying that violent, uncute, homicidal tomboy!" Genma lunged at his son. "You will do what honor demands!" Dodging, Ranma tossed back, "What would you know about honor?"
"Insolent child! Accept your fate already! You'll marry Akane and join the schools!"
"No way!"
"I shall have to teach you respect for your elders! Yield now and I won't hurt you," the panda-man threatened, causing Ranma to laugh as he effortlessly dodged and ducked attacks that should have sent him sprawling. Hm…all that sparring with Ryoko's paying off. I never realized he was so close to my level. We both actually nearly went full out as much as we could without causing too much damage. "Start thinking with something other than your stomach, and you might be able to beat me, oyaji!" Ranma shouted as he flipped over Genma's head, leg extended backwards in a kick that sent his father bouncing against the low wall that surrounded Ryoko's house.
V----------------------------------------V
Ryoko's hammerblow managed to clock Ryoga's head to the side, but didn't really do much more. It was, however, enough to snap the lost boy out of his thoughts. "Hey! Who are you, and why did you attack me?" Ryoko shrugged noncommitally. "Well, this is my house. And I can't have you threaten my guests." Ryoko ducked a punch that he was pretty sure could break through concrete and swept his opponent off his feet. He grinned. While Ryoga had brute strength – and more than enough of that – he was relatively slow. Ryoko knew he couldn't quite match Ranma's speed during aerial combat at the moment, but he could quite easily outmatch his friend's agility and speed on the ground. The daily sparring sessions had taken care of equalizing their skills.
Dodging an umbrella thrust, he executed a spin kick to the lost boy's face, snapping it around and following up with a double-handed palm strike to the chest that sent Ryoga flying backwards. Deciding to cut the fight short so he could still enjoy the remains of dinner, he charged his ki and closed in. He wasn't surprised to see Ryoga rising from his place on the ground, from what Ranma had told him this guy was really tough. But, compared to their styles, which revolved around speed, he was slow enough to dodge effortlessly. Catching one of Ryoga's fists in a tiger-claw grip, Ryoko used to leverage to close in with his opponent.
"Munashii Raishuu," he whispered. The lost boy's eyes widened in surprise as he got blasted by 102 ki-powered palm stikes to the exact same spot in split second. Winding down on the attack, Ryoko uppercutted the lost boy, then turned around dusting his hands while a fading, "Ranma, this is all your fault!" resounded in the night.
V----------------------------------------V
"Yo, Pop, I'd love to play longer, but we're having dinner. And I doubt my host would appreciate missing dinner 'cause of you and Ryoga. In fact, I have it on good authority he's quite pissed right now." Ranma was grinning. A confused Genma glanced around, earning him a bonk on the head. "What? Where?" A finger tapped on his shoulder, and he whirled around to come face to face with Ryoko. Ranma's eyes widened at his friend's sudden appeareance. He'd seen him punting Ryoga one moment, the next he stood there behind his father. He hadn't even sensed his approach, which meant he had to have a technique similar to the Umisen-Ken.
"Who are you, and how did you do that?" Genma demanded, eliciting a chuckle from Ryoko. "First, my name is Meiou Ryoko. Second, this is my house, and you're most definitely not welcome here. Third, it's so easy to sneak up on you. You're lacking situational awareness. Fourth, I practice a ninja art. Fifth…" Ryoko brandished Ryoga's umbrella and swung it like a baseball bat. "Homerun! Yeah!" Genma's fading form could be seen soaring across the Juuban skyline, and many would mistake him for a UFO that day.
At Ranma's odd look, he grinned at the other martial artist, hoisting the umbrella on his shoulder. "Something I picked up from a gaijin movie. I have to admit, it is kind of fun. Now I see why Mara likes to mallet people."
V----------------------------------------V
As the two martial artists returned to the dining room, a mere three minutes after they had left, the satisfied grins on both their faces were obvious to Nodoka and Kasumi. "I take it the matter was resolved all right?" Nodoka asked. Ryoko shot her a warm, mischievous grin. "Oooh, yes. Very much so. Quite a good stress-reliever, wouldn't you say, Ranma-kun?" he told her in an overly sweet tone. Ranma turned and copied the grin and the voice. "Definitely, Ryoko-kun."
The rest of the dinner went peacefully, with Ranma continuing the story about his life on the road – including as many of his fiancees as he could remember, the stupid techniques his father had trained him in, and finally stopping short at the confrontation with Akane, just over a week ago. Nodoka was already livid, her eyebrow twitching dangerously, and it was taking all of her self-control not to go and give a certain panda-man, a mercenary girl, and, most of all, a violent, perverted tomboy of a girl a piece of her mind. Then the rational part of her mind caught up, realizing that Ranma's account of events probably was biased. Her ire grew, however, when Kasumi and Ryoko confirmed his story to the last bit.
Kasumi then filed her in on the events that had led to Ranma leaving the dojo. She was starting to fear this had been a bad idea, for Saotome Nodoka was giving off a gigantic, crimson battle-aura. Ranma finally said something that broke through her mass of angry thoughts. "Mom? I'm not going to marry Akane. I just can't. We tried to make it work, but…she keeps hitting me and…Akane never trusts me, I think that's the real problem." Then Nodoka did something totally unexpected. She grabbed her son into a hug that threatened to cut off his air supply. "Ranma, forget about honor. You proved to be more honorable than Akane, her father, and your father together by staying with her this long…just for this once…I don't want to see my child suffer anymore…just for once…honor be damned!"
Ryoko and Urd watched as Ranma and his mother hugged, sharing the love of mother and son who had been separated for a decade. Kasumi joined them on their side of the table. "Oh my, I wonder what Ranma-kun will do now?" she asked no one in particular. Ryoko glanced up at the eldest Tendo daughter. "He'll need to go back. There are still things in Nerima left to settle for him, and knowing Ranma, he will return – it's not in his nature to run from his problems." Ryoko paused for a moment to give the couple another look. "And he'll need your help, Kasumi. He cares deeply for his friends and family, and especially you. Many will not be pleased when he returns and announces the engagement is off."
A look that neither Ryoko nor Urd thought Kasumi possessed crossed her angelic features for a split second, before she adopted her usual smile. "Of course." Ranma glanced up from where he sat with his mother. "Mom, they're right. I left a lot of stuff unfinished when I ran out of the Tendo dojo. I'm gonna go fix my situation with Akane, and that'll be it. No more making up. Kuno can have that kawaiikune, irokunee tomboy if he wants her. Plus, knowing Pops, he'll be here tomorrow or the day after again if we don't return. Depending on how far you hit him." Ryoko and Urd grinned, while Kasumi was torn between giving him a stern look and a grin and a thumbs-up. She was glad Ranma was finally going to take his life into his own hands. He was finally taking that last step in growing up to be a man.
"Then it's settled. First thing in the morning, we're going on a road trip to Nerima," Ryoko announced. "What do you mean, we?" Ranma arched an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm coming with you. I'm not about to let you face Akane alone. Plus, I have a bill to present to Hibiki Ryoga – for blasting two meters of my wall with his punch." "Be glad he didn't try his Bakusai Tenketsu," Ranma laughed.
V----------------------------------------V
As soon as she arrived, Setsuna and Urd retired to one of the rooms, and Setsuna began filling in the goddess about Ranma's life. And, if the angry noises coming from the room were any indication, the goddess of the past was not pleased. The room quieted down after a few minutes, and an eerie silence descended over the house, strangely reminiscent of the calm before the storm. After another hour, the two women stepped out of the room, looking rather smug and cheerful.
Ryoko immediately noticed the gleam in his sister's eyes that told him she was planning something, and attempted to make a hasty retreat. Urd, however stopped him. "Don't worry, it doesn't have to do with you," she told him, the same mischievous glint in her eyes. "Uh…right," Ryoko said, looking rather not convinced. "Oh, and brother?" "Yes, Setsuna?" The green haired woman smirked. "I'm coming along to Nerima."
V----------------------------------------V
It was a warm, sunny day in Nerima as an unusual procession made its way from the train station to a certain dojo. The two men and four women that walked calmly through the streets attracted a lot of attention, and most people they passed stopped whatever they were doing to catch a glimpse at them. The two males and two of the women of the party carried themselves with the grace of year-long martial arts training, while the other women, while appearing nowhere as dangerous, exuded an aura that commanded respect. That same air of respect and confidence was also what kept most people out of their way, the masses at the busy Nerima marketplace parting easily before them. Most of the people were also wondering what kind of insanity was going to spring up at the Tendo dojo this time.
When the six of them approached the gate of the dojo, they were greeted by the sight of a certain, shrivelled up old man getting chased by a mob of enraged schoolgirls and housewives swinging brooms and whatever else they could get into their hands coming right their way. Ryoko grinned shook his head. "He's still into that, is he," he chuckled. Ranma leapt up to meet the diminuitive martial arts master, planting a foot firmly in his face. "Yo, old lech."
Happosai looked up, grinning as he saw Ranma. "Hello, Ranma, m'boy! Haven't seen you in a while, I was starting to miss my Ranma-chan!" Out of nowhere, the perverted Anything-Goes master produced a bucket of water. Before he could fling it at the pig-tailed boy, however, the bucket fell apart, neatly sliced in half, drenching the ancient pervert. Glancing to the side, Happosai's eyes widened as he saw Ryoko standing there, opened fan in hand. "Hello, Master Happosai. How's life been treating you?" The other members of the group gaped as they saw him bow before the grandmaster of Anything-Goes. Their jaws dropped a good bit lower as they saw Happosai bowing back. "Fine, fine. And you, Master Ryoko?"
Said man chuckled. "Pretty good. I see you're still as lively as ever, huh? Who can blame you, such nice young ladies…" The mob that had been chasing Happosai had dissipated to two girls walking around the corner, one trying to cover up her laughter while the other was grumbling in anger. When they came face to face with the group that had stopped in front of the dojo, the two girls froze. "Ranma?" Akane whispered. Nabiki just stared.
The pig-tailed martial artist gave them a short wave, before he replied lamely, "Hey." Akane was about to rush to him when she noticed the four women with her ex-fiancé. Nodoka didn't bother her the slightest. Kasumi was strange, since she had said she'd be visiting a friend, but it was entirely possible that she had run into Ranma on the way home. So far her mind was still capable of rational thought. What ticked her off, however, was the fact that there were two other, very beautiful women with them. One could almost hear Akane's mind grinding as it began to work:
Ranma + Odd, beautiful, exotic girlsmore fianceesit's Ranma's faultpunt Ranma
"Ranma," she hissed threateningly as she stalked towards said boy, her emotions boiling as the pent up grief and bitterness turned into the familiar heat of rage. "Who are these hussies?" Akane indicated Urd and Setsuna. "More fiancees?" Suddenly, bursting out of the house came the two idiot men of the house, one alternating between crying, "The schools will never be joined," and "How could you be unfaithful to your fiancee?" The other was grumbling something about family honor, but as soon as he saw Nodoka, dove into the koi pond, emerging as a wet, massive panda. "Looks like you didn't hit hard enough, brother," Setsuna commented, and Ryoko nodded in agreement.
Nabiki arched an eyebrow as Ranma tensed slightly, but didn't start to run or sputter excuses. "First, Akane is not my fiancee anymore. I-" Ranma was cut off as a sign knocked him over the head. He turned and shot a glare at the panda, who was holding up a sign that read, "Boy, you must uphold your family honor. What will your mother think if you are such a weak, whining girl?" the shock over seeing his retirement in danger had overcome the fact that his wife was in fact standing right there. A thing he ignored until the gleaming blade of a katana stopped right in front of his face.
"You will let our son speak his part, husband. I shall deal with you later. Also, you have no right to speak for me about what I think of my son." Keeping an eye and her sword levelled at her panda-husband, Nodoka nodded at Ranma. "Continue, son." The pig-tailed youth returned his eyes to the two Tendo sisters before him. "First of all, who they are is none of your concern. They are friends. And they are most certainly not fiancees, unless oyaji here did something stupid again." Before he could continue, Akane interrupted him with a wave of her hand. "Then what are these…sluts doing here? I mean, look at their clothes!" Indeed, Urd's clothing was somewhat skimpy, considering the fact that it was a pretty stripped-down variation of a kimono that exposed more than it covered. Even Setsuna's usual business suit seemed a little shorter than usual, the skirt only reaching mid-thigh. "Ranma no baka!" Akane yelled, charging forward, mallet in hand.
Ryoko grinned at the exchange. He knew the two of them had been up to something when they had stayed up late the night before, going through their closets. After he had decided to join them, they had worked out a plan to teach a certain violent martial artist-wannabe that messing with the wrong people could prove painful – if Ranma couldn't. As he heard the "sluts" comment, however, Ryoko's eyes narrowed in anger. All right, I knew it was bad, but that her temper takes her to these levels of rudeness…The girl in front of them sent them a glare. "Who are you, anyway? Go away, I don't want anything to do with perverts like you. You're probably just as bad as that baka there is," Akane nearly shouted. Nabiki kept trying to interrupt her, and shot Ryoko an apologetic glance.
Kasumi was staring in wonderment at her sister. How could she have forgotten her talks about Ranma so quickly? She had vowed to treat him better, to try and be friendly towards him if he ever showed up again. Yet it seemed that one moment of jealousy and pent-up anger had been enough to wipe it all away. Sharing a glance with Nodoka, she noted the Saotome matriarch was shaking her head in disgust. Indeed, this was not a fitting fiancee for her son.
Akane came out of the kitchen, carrying a pot full of stew, and carefully set it down on the dining table. "Dinner is served!" She announced cheerfully, only to be greeted by dead silence. No one answered her, and the entire house was deserted. Not a single soul on the property. No Soun to praise her for putting so much effort into cooking, no Kasumi to tell her how much she improved, no Nabiki to make a smug comment. And no Ranma to tell her how awful it was and stow it. He was the only one ever there when she cooked, she recalled. And despite what she said to him and hit him with, his comments motivated her to try even harder. Now, he was gone, and no one was there to eat her cooking, no one to tell her how terrible it was, and no one to tell her how much she had to improve. It was frustrating, she thought. And Ranma wasn't around to release the frustration on. Her emotions finally got the better of her and she started sniffling, then breaking out crying. She was still crying when Kasumi came home from shopping.
Ranma watched the mallet head sailing down towards him, while noting the satisfied gleam in Akane's eyes. Her look turned to one of confusion, however, when she felt her blow stopping in mid-air. Ranma knew he mirrored her expression, because he was wondering why he hadn't been hit yet. Taking into account the velocity of the mallet and its trajectory, by all means, he should be sailing through Tokyo airspace by now. Or at least trying to get out of a Ranma-shaped hole in the pavement. Ryoko stepped from the sidelines, sending the mallet back towards Akane with a flick of his wrist. The fan he had used to block the mallet casually vanished back into his sleeve.
"First of all, it is rude to address guests like that. Second, it is rude in general to address people like that. Third, it is not nice to hit people who haven't done anything. And fourth…you have no authority over us, so don't tell us what or what not to do." The martial artist presented this in a matter-of-fact tone that was almost pleasant. Almost. Even Nabiki shivered at the underlying tone of ice, and hoped this man wouldn't ever address her like that. As he turned his back on her to look at the rest of the group, he didn't see the red battle aura bursting up around the youngest Tendo daughter. When she lashed out with her mallet again, Nodoka and Kasumi gasped in shock, while Setsuna, Urd and Happosai – who was still there – had a look of smug satisfaction on their faces.
Akane growled in anger as she swung her mallet. She had that little pervert now, with his back turned to her, he would have no chance of evading her righteous fury. Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when Ryoko casually deflected her mallet with his fan. She lunged to begin another swing, and again he blocked without turning around to look, his right hand holding the fan, casually swinging it over his shoulder. Finally, the martial artist turned around. "It is also rude to hit people with their backs turned. That is also very dishonorable and cowardly," he stated pleasantly. When Akane took another swing at him, he lightly tapped her on her chest with his fan, instinctively finding the area between her ribs, striking her right in the solar plexus. The blow sent Akane sailing down the street. In a flash, Soun and Genma were on top of him, the former yelling and crying up a river, while the other tried to heave up Ryoko by his collar and was currently failing miserably. Which was quite an accomplishment, considering the giant panda weighed about three times as much as the man he was trying to lift up.
Ryoko sent a quick look towards Happosai. "What is this, Musabetsu Kakuto Tendo-Ryu Ultimate Technique: Drowning the enemy in tears or somethin'?" Turning his attention to the giant panda tugging at his collar, he noted, "and Saotome School Special Attack: Child's tug? Happosai, I thought you'd have made more out of our school than what those two fools are demonstrating. Ranma's the only one here who shows any promise. These two don't even count." The tiny, ancient grandmaster shook his head as he indicated Soun and Genma. "I concur. I, too, am disappointed in the two of them. But what should I do," he shrugged, "they blew up a cave right on top of my head and ran wild for a a decade and a half." Everyone stared in shock as the two talked, seemingly so familiar – also, Happosai was remaining completely serious. That is, until Akane came back at a run. "I challenge you!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "I, Tendo Akane, Master of the Tendo School of Anything Goes, challenge you!"
Ryoko arched an eyebrow at Happosai, not even bothering to turn around. "Did you grant her mastery?" "Nope." Ryoko glanced at Genma and Soun as he dislodged them from himself. "Did you grant her mastery?" The two men violently shook their heads under his withering glare. "In that case, I won't accept your challenge. Go and learn to control your anger before you challenge someone, child." Shooting another look at Happosai, he added, "if I were you, I'd kick her out of the school. She doesn't have the nessecary control or devotion for the Art." Before he could say anything more, his hand caught a punch that would have shattered concrete, and flipped Akane over his leg without seemingly noticing – or with him looking.
"You're not only a pervert, you're also a coward!" the downed Tendo daughter yelled as red began to creep into her vision. "Akane…maybe it would be better to back off now…you're in way over your head," Kasumi cautioned. "I'm a martial artist, too! I'm the best! I won't let some boy beat me!" Akane glared at Urd and Setsuna, her red battle aura reaching impressive sizes as it flickered in a two meter tall flame of ki. "Go and run to your hussies there, if you don't want to fight."
Silence reigned. For a few moments, it was totally still, then a distinct snap could be heard. Ryoko turned towards Akane. "No one insults my friend and sister and gets away with it," he whispered. Everyone took an involuntary step back at the icyness in his tone, and another as a silvery-blue battle aura exploded from him, raging uncontrollably to sizes only Happosai and Cologne could match – barely. Akane gulped, thinking she might really be in over her head this time, but her pride quickly took over even as Ryoko reigned in his battle aura until it was a mere silver glow around his body and a silver fire burning in his garnet eyes.
"I, Meiou Ryoko, of the Mugen Tenketsu Shiranui-Ryu, accept your challenge." He stood in a neutral stance, waiting for her to come. And come she did, charging at him with a savage yell. With her arms cocked back for punches, Ryoko found it pretty easy to dodge the attacks that were coming his way. He kept dodging, until Akane launched into a crescent kick that threw her off-balance. Slipping past her, Ryoko slammed the back of his right hand into the small of her back, launching her forward into the ground face-first. Getting back up, Akane seized up the man before her and shot out one last taunt. "You're not even a master of your school."
Happosai averted his eyes, scrunching them up in a funny grimace. "Ooh, she's so gonna get it now." On a closer look, he was grinning like a maniac. Kasumi was standing there, a passive look on her face. She knew Akane had it coming for a long time now. Nabiki was staring wide-eyed. As Akane charged, Ryoko blurred and vanished. The girl was seemingly lifted into the air and buffeted around by the man everyone knew to be there, but couldn't see. Ryoko re-appeared in the air, right above her, yelling, "Munashii Raishuu," slamming palm strikes into the exact same spot at speeds that made the Amaguri-Ken pale in comparison. Shortly before they impacted the ground, Ryoko kicked off, leaping into the air again. He slashed his twin fans as Akane slammed into the ground in a crater, creating two parallel gashes deep into the ground right next to her. "Challenge me again, child, and I won't miss."
As he got up from his crouching position, Nabiki managed to snap out of her stupor. "Who the hell is that guy?" Ranma grinned. "That is the guy who kicks my butt around the training floor six falls out of ten." Her eyes nearly bugged out. Ranma admitting that someone's better than he is? And smiling at that? Her attention refocused on Ryoko as Happosai bounced towards him. "Nice work, Ryoko," the diminuitive master chirped as he bounced up and gave Ryoko a high-five. "Thanks, Happi. So, how's it, Ranma, let's go inside. You had something to discuss with the Tendos." Nabiki's brain shut down and went to autopilot as she took in the scene before her.
Before Ryoko could move from his spot, however, a demon head Soun appeared almost right in his face. "How dare you hurt my baby girl!" Genma-panda was holding up a sign threateningly. It read, "How dare you do that to Akane!" With a sigh, Ryoko bonked them both over the head and started moving inside. Happosai followed him, snickering at the two downed men. "Morons, you don't know when to quit, do you?"
V----------------------------------------V
After everyone was settled and tea had been poured, Nabiki spoke first. "So, Meiou-san, who exactly are you? And, you seem to know Jii-san here quite well." "I've never heard of the Mugen Tenketsu style before," Ranma added. "And I've seen a lot of weird styles. Although it did remind me a bit of Anything-Goes." Ryoko chuckled and glanced over at Happosai, who was bouncing up on the table. "Well, you see here, Meiou Ryoko is the co-founder of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. We ran into each other shortly after my visit to the amazon village. Half the techniques and most of the sealed moves you can thank him for."
"But…but…that means you…over…three hundred years old," Nodoka spluttered. Ryoko grinned. "Yeah. Actually, I'm currently 324 years old." Exchanging a glance with Happosai, both grinned once more. "As to why I don't look like Happi here…long story. Boring one, too." Nabiki managed to regain her wits. "So, why don't you practice Anything Goes? And why aren't you one of the grandmasters?" Suddenly, the bright light in Ryoko's red eyes dimmed somewhat, and she knew she hit a sore spot. "I left the school. Five years after we founded it, because I disagreed with one of the masters back then. The fool demanded that I step down from grandmastery because I wouldn't teach him the sealed techniques." "For a good reason," Happosai added.
"Yeah, some of these techniques have enough punch to blow up a sizeable chunk out of this planet. And he was very much like Akane here. All ego and confidence, full of rage, and no self-control. Back then Anything Goes was pretty much the elite style, there were few that could hope to beat it, including amazon Wu-Shu and the Shaolin animal styles. Most students grew confident and lax. So, I left," Ryoko shrugged at the assortment of gasps and gapes across the table. No one thought that the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu had that kind of powerful attacks. He nodded his thanks as Kasumi refilled his cup of tea. "It was about then I found my sister. That's another story. But I made up a new style, the Mugen Tenketsu. It was weird, developing it, because some of the katas and attacks are definitely intended for women. Some even involve wearing a formal kimono," he chuckled. "As to why you've never heard of my style, that's simple to answer. I didn't make a fuss out of it, and there were only three people that ever seriously practiced it."
Glancing at his sister, Ryoko noted her encouraging smile and continued. "Me, my sister Setsuna here, and…my daughter." Damn, dredging up those memories hurts, even after almost a hundred years. "Shiranui Mai. She refined the school further, and in her honor I've kept her family name. She wasn't a particularly famous fighter in the Meiji era, but developed the fighting style for twin fans and umbrella – she said she wanted to use them to take revenge on the Hitokiri Battousai for killing her best friend, Yukishiro Tomoe. She was killed by the Hitokiri." People across the table nodded as they recognized the name. Ryoko sighed before he added, "The sad thing was that she had drowned so deep in her sadness and hatred that she lived only for revenge." Happosai directed a glare at Akane. "So, Akane, you were right. He's not a master, he's the grandmaster of his school. Not to mention grandmaster of your own school. And I agree with his judgement. Unless you learn to control you temper, I forbid you from using the Anything Goes style of martial arts."