Disclaimer: I don't own any of the series/movies/books/comics/whatever, that might appear here.
Changing Path
Chapter 2 New Beginning
The rain fell over London, covering the city in a grey blanket. Ranma Saotome was walking towards his hotel room where he had lived the last week or so. He was glad he had bought the trench coat, it had really helped his stay here in London, where it seemed to rain at least three times a week.
He was currently male the coat, hat and umbrella in his left hand made sure of it. It was kind of ironic, now that he was in a country where it appeared to rain constantly, the water magnet curse seemed to disappear. He hadn't transformed more then twice the entire time.
No freak accidents with water, like being hit by a car/mallet/umbrella/other blunt instrument of pain and flying into a pond/sea/river and other sources of water, just one of this city's usual showers. The water-magnet part of his curse seemed to have disappeared.
The last week Ranma had been around London just sight-seeing and looking for a more permanently stay, and a job.
Sure he had the money from the Takeda account, and it wasn't a little sum, but he didn't want to use it if it wasn't necessary.
He had decided to make it on his own and he needed a job for that, so he was checking the wanted ads after a job.
Problem was he had just turned eighteen, hadn't much off an education and didn't know much besides martial arts, and in a city like London there weren't many dojos.
Oh well, need to find a place to stay this week at least. He could always put in some money on the account after he got a job. So he began to search the ads again but this time after an apartment.
It was still raining and he could see the light of the city. This city was a lot different from Tokyo, but he liked it. Some of the customs were strange but he could live with it.
In Tokyo and Japan in general everyone was so tense, so serious, but here everyone was relaxed without seeming lazy.
Well he could come and think of London as home from now on. His thoughts where interrupted by a yell coming from an alley. He turned towards it and saw five punks standing in a half-circle around an older man in his late sixties-early seventies. One had a knife and was pointing it towards the man.
"Just give us your money old man!" The thug carrying the knife said.
"Yeah, or we will gut you" Said another.
As Ranma saw this he decided to help, he dropped the paper he was holding and ran into the alley. He walked up to the thugs and placed himself between the man and the thugs.
"And what have we got here, a little punk trying to play hero?" The man carrying a knife said with a smirk.
"Well he will be a dead punk once we are finished with him" Said another.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I where you" Ranma said with his trademark cocky grin.
"You little sonuva bitch, you are going down" The leader said.
Two of the punks rushed forward in an attempt to beat the living shit out off him. It was the other way around. Ranma grabbed an outstretched arm and twisted it around making the thug land face first into the hard pavement. He then kicked him hard in the stomach. The man was rolling around on the ground, trying in vain to regain his breath.
The second man was punching towards his head, but he swatted it away with his hand and countered with a vicious kick to the mans head. The man fell backwards, blood and a few teeth flew through the air as he landed on the ground unconscious.
Another thug was trying to sneak up behind him and hit him with an iron pipe. He side stepped the attack and then snatched the pipe out of the hands of the surprised man. He used the pipe as a bat and hit him in the stomach and then a grabbed him by the collar and threw him into a wall knocking him out.
Ranma turned around, the last two thugs where slowly circling him. The one armed with a knife rushed forward in an attempt to stab him. He grabbed the outstretched arm and clenched his hand around the guys' wrist, enough to make the guy drop the knife and then redirected the guys' momentum and made him fly face first into the wall, knocking him out cold.
He turned towards the last guy who took off towards the street. He didn't get there, Ranma picked up a small rock threw it up in the air, caught it and then casually threw it at the head of the man hitting dead on. The man groaned and fell forwards, trying to get up but failing miserably.
Ranma turned towards the man to see if he was okay.
"Are you alright?" Ranma asked as he brushed a nonexistent piece of dust from his shoulder
"Yes, thanks to you lad" The man answered looking around with an interested eye on the total carnage.
"Good, then you should probably call the police" Ranma said and pointed around to the broken and beaten would-be muggers.
He then walked out of the alley before the man had time to say anything. Ranma just picked up his newspaper and then walked away towards his hotel.
The fight had been easy, the thugs weren't even close to hit him. Out of habit he pulled up a pack of cigarettes, putting one into his mouth. He was about to light it when he stopped and then took out the cigarette again. He looked down on it with a frown and then threw it and the packet away into a trashcan.
During his stay here he had finally been able to heal and get his ki- reserves filled. After the fight with Saffron he didn't get time to heal and recharge his ki, and the fights with his rivals didn't make things better, they had left him with constant hurting body and low ki reserves, and that had made him extremely stressed. Now that he finally had his body back to one hundred percent ass-kicking mode he only smoked out of habit.
Which was bad considering that it looked like he wouldn't die at the hands of his rivals after all.
No stupid cancer will do Ranma Saotome in, that's for sure.
He looked through the ads again, there has to be a cheap apartment here somewhere.
------------------------------------------
Q could only watch as the young man made short work with the would-be muggers.
The last man retreated but didn't get far, a perfectly thrown stone hit the man in the head.
The young man turned towards him and looked at him.
"Are you alright?" The man asked and looked around on the unconscious thugs with a frown.
"Yes thanks to you lad." Q said with his thick British accent and looked with interest on the defeated gang.
"Good, then you should probably call the police." The man said and the walked out of the alley.
Q pulled out his cell-phone and dialled a number.
"Miss Money Penny, would you please send me a car to the corner of Granger Street, and please call the police, tell them that a group criminals are waiting to be picked up."
"007 is in the neighbourhood, I will call him at once, sir."
"Thank you Miss Money Penny."
Q walked out of the alley, and stood and waited for 007. A black Jaguar pulled up and the door opened.
Inside he could see the British Secret Service best agent 007 or James Bond as he was more commonly known as.
Q walked up and sat in the passenger seat.
"So Q, what happened? Why did Penny ask me to pick you up?"
"I was enjoying a walk in the park 007, and decided to take a shortcut back to the bureau. Unfourtunely I had a rather nasty encounter with those men over there." He said and pointed to the alley and the unconscious gang.
Bond raised an eyebrow, it looked like the men had gotten quite a beating. He had heard that Q was quite a successful agent in his youth, but that he still was able to fight of a gang of young thieves that he didn't suspect.
A police car pulled up and two officers stepped out and walked over to the unconscious men.
"I was in quite a problem, but then this young man came and took care of the thieves. Quite efficiently I might ad." Q said as he looked out as another police car pulled up and began to take the thugs away.
"And where is this young man now?" Bond asked as he started up the engine of the car.
"He walked away, he asked if I was alright and then left after telling me to call the police."
"Did you get a name?"
"No, the man didn't bother to give me one."
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Nabiki listened as one of her many contacts told her the same as all her others. They couldn't find Ranma, neither his boy nor his girl half. She hung up the phone and the rubbed her temples wither fingers, she could feel the beginning of a big headache. She had checked the hospital, police and then the airport, she couldn't find Ranma anywhere. She had called in a lot of favours but came up with nothing.
If Ranma had left the country her chances off finding him was slim to none, especially if she couldn't find to where he left. She suspected that Kasumi knew where Ranma was, but every time she asked she would just avoid the question.
When she had asked Dr Tofu he had said that he couldn't hand out information on a patient, it was an oath he had sworn as a doctor. When she had tried to sneak into his office she had found that his file was gone, no sign that it had ever existed.
The day after that Dr Tofu had called to make her remember that the medical files were restricted information and if he handed it out to her it would be illegal. And that he couldn't give away any personal information regarding his patient.
Even though it had sounded like he just made it clear that he couldn't help her. But she caught the underlying meaning that if she ever tried to steal files again he would report her to the police.
Apparently Ranma had made sure that his file was safe, a move she didn't suspect from the cocky martial artist.
The last person she could think off that could possibly know where Ranma where was Nodoka. She hadn't heard anything from her spy that would watch Nodokas house, but she didn't really have much hope off getting anything useful from there.
It had taken her almost a week to find her house after Ranmas disappearance, and that would have given Ranma enough time to leave. She rubbed her temples again, this was one of those days you shouldn't leave bed.
The telephone rang again, and as she answered she could hear the voice of Yuka, the one watching the Saotome home.
"Sorry boss, nothing unusual here. No sign of Ranma."
She sighed again and then hung up the phone without bothering to reply.
Two weeks without Ranma had been a serious setback for her scheming and money making plans. In almost all her business Ranma played a crucial role in it, one way or another Ranma had managed to make an entire district resolve around him.
The chaos he had brought with him when he arrived had made Nabikis affairs bloom and when he disappeared the affairs went down the drain. The only thing remaining where the high costs off all the fights from the NWC trying to blame Ranmas absence on each other.
Now it was something all Nerima had learned, even tough Ranmas present brought chaos, his absence brought even more.
Nabiki walked into the living room, looking in disgust at Soun and Genma lying sprawled out on the floor sleeping. After Ranmas departure both had begun to drink and wailing that the schools would never be joined.
Nabiki herself didn't care the slightest about the schools, or Ranma for that matter she just wanted her money generator back.
She walked into the kitchen and took an aspirin and a glass of water, she was then heading for the stair and her bedroom.
She was stopped by the sound of the telephone. She turned around and picked it up.
"Tendo dojo Nabiki speaking."
"Good day ms Tendo its Mrs Saotome here"
"Good day auntie, what can I help you with?"
"It's about my sons' absence I need to talk with your father and the rest of my sons... acquaintances.
Nabiki shuddered at the way Mrs Saotome had said that word.
"When do you get here?"
"I will be there in less then an hour." She said and then hung up the phone.
She put the phone down and then walked into the living room again. She surveyed the inhabitants and the walked into the yard, filling a bucket with water from the koi-pond.
A moment later a very drunk panda and a slightly more sober human woke up.
"Father, Mr Saotome, Nodoka called and said she needed to talk with you concerning Ranma."
She left both fathers and walked towards the telephone once again. She was going to call the rest of the NWC and sell the information of the meeting for a high price making up for the last two weeks of loss.
"Auntie Saotome please come in." Nabiki could hear Kasumis voice as she answered the door.
"Thank you dear."
Kasumi entered the living room followed closely by Nodoka. Both Genma and Soun was now relatively sober, sitting at the end of the table.
Everyone was present even Ryoga who they found walking around in the yard. He had been to Dr Tofu and his jaw was healed but still sore.
Everyone was staring at Nodoka intently.
"No-Chan do you know where Ranma is?" Asked Genma after awhile.
"Yes I do and that's the reason I am here."
Naturally Soun misunderstood it all.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaa! The schools will be united at last"
"So No-Chan, where is he?"
Nodoka shifted her gaze towards Genma, eyes filled with anger.
"As I said Ranmas absence is the reason I am here. He will not come back."
An uproar was heard from the table, Ranma wouldn't come back? He was honour- bound to be here.
"Mrs Saotome son-in-law is by Amazon law to be married to Shampoo here." Cologne said diplomatically.
"And as my son told you before he left he won't marry anyone."
"But he must marry a Tendo it was made on the Saotome clans honour" Said Soun.
"And his father has already taken my dowry so he must return and marry me." This time Ukyo butted in.
"Ranma is just an unhonourable dog, to run away from his duty" This time it was Kuno and both Ryoga and Mousse agreed.
"First off all every agreement made by Genma was invalid from the beginning, he wasn't the clan head, I am."
Now everyone turned towards Genma.
"I made the pacts as his father and not as the clan head." Was the lame excuse.
Everyone seemed satisfied with the answer and turned towards Nodoka once again, if it still meant Ranma would be engaged to them they would believe it.
"Second Ranma is no longer a member of the Saotome clan."
"WHAT?!" Came from the table, everyone was looking at Nodoka in shock, had Ranma chosen to become a ronin?
This bit off information made the trio of rivals snicker, their arch-enemy had become a ronin? Oh happy days.
"Ranma is now the clan head of the Takeda clan and as that he will chose who he wants to marry."
Nabiki couldn't believe it, clan head? Ranma?
"But it is a matter of honour." Came Souns voice, they needed Ranma for their retirement.
"And you don't have a valid claim, he is no longer a Saotome."
"But he stole my dowry." This time it was Ukyo who argued.
"I am sorry to hear that and the Saotome clan will compensate for the lost property but Ranma will not marry any of you."
"But he is Shampoos airen by Amazon law."
"But you are in Japan now and here your laws don't apply."
Nabiki didn't like the way this was going, soon they would run out of arguments and then it would become violent.
"Mrs Saotome during his stay here Ranma have worked up a big debt and I may consider it repaid if Ranma returns."
Naturally she wouldn't do it, but it was a good way to find out Ranmas location.
"Are you trying to bribe me Ms Tendo?" Nodoka asked with an innocent voice.
"N...No Mrs Saotome I just want the debt paid."
"Ms Tendo there is no debt understood, after all the blackmailing and scheming you think I will give you even more money?"
"How dare you talk to my daughter that way." This time Soun was angry, when it came to his daughters he would do almost anything to protect them.
"Yeah, how dare you talk to Nabiki that way." Akane was furious, no one talked that way towards her sister.
The rest of the table was looking closely at the spectacle as it played itself out before their eyes.
"I dare because it is the truth. Ranma will not return, he will not marry any of you, he has begun a new life, a life without any of you I might ad."
"HE IS MY FIANCÉE, HE BELONGS TO ME." Akane was now really pissed. She had used Ranma as a stress reliever, she found it was really therapeutic to pound him to the ground and she wouldn't let any one take him from her.
"My child belongs to no one, he has chosen his path and I can only show pride because of the decision he made." Nodokas voice was now cold as ice, how could she mistake Akane for a sweet girl instead of the maniac she was.
"He is Shampoo airen, Amazon laws more important than outsider laws." Shampoo didn't want to lose Ranma, he was her prize.
"All engagements to Ranma are void, as Takeda clan head it is within his power to do that. That is the only reason I am here, to make what Ranma already told you official." She looked around at the table.
Half a second after she said that, everyone began to argue with each other and wasn't paying any attention to Nodoka.
"Now if you would excuse me I will take my leave." Nodoka stood up from the table leaving the arguing group of people behind who didn't even notice her absence.
Nabiki shock her head, this was defiantly not good, if Nodoka didn't want Ranma to marry anyone from Nerima she would have a hard time getting Ranma back.
She sighed, this day had just gone from bad to worse.
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Ranma was standing the top of a mountain, the cold breeze going over his skin. He could see the white clouds dancing over the blue sky.
He felt at peace.
The green grass was fluttering in the wind making it look like a green sea. He could see around for miles from his location on the mountain, a huge valley with a river running through it like a silver serpent.
He felt calm.
He could hear the sound of the wind whispering as it went through the trees. He heard a scream from behind him, he turned around.
Everything was burning, the sky was covered by the black smoke, the flames engulfing the valley, the river drying up. He could feel as tears ran down his cheeks, his anger flaring, a battle aura forming around his body, the tears dried up because of the heat it generated.
His face was filled with anger, hate. Who had done this?
He heard the scream again and turned around, it came from behind him.
On a mountain far away he could see as a pillar of flame shot up in the air, raining down fireballs upon the surrounding lands, burning even more of the valley.
He clinched his hands into fists, his face had a snarl on it.
He heard the scream again, a loud high pitched scream from a girl.
It was a scream in pure terror and anguish, a scream that ripped at his soul.
He began to run, the intense fire scorching his clothes, but he didn't care, didn't feel it, only the voice was important.
Soon the fire subsided, leaving a blackened landscape, all trees gone, small black stumps the only evidence that there once had been a forest here.
He stopped, looking around, the tears once again running down his cheeks. He clenched his hands, nails cutting into his palm, so much that blood began sipper between his fingers.
The sparkling crystal-clear river, had turned pitch black and stale, smelling like something had died in it.
The scream came once again, this time it was sounding almost muted, like the life of the person was slipping away.
Another pillar of flame shoot up in the air, spreading fireballs around him. He could feel the heat as the flames surrounded his body, but he didn't care.
He just ran, as fast as he managed towards the voice, towards the pillar of fire. Somehow he knew that the voice was important, but it eluded him why.
He just ran as fast as possible, sot and grime covering his body after the assault from the flames.
He could hear a rumbling sound, and after a second he identified it as laughter, a sinister evil laugh.
He didn't know why but he became angrier as he heard it.
He continued to run, climbing the mountain with extreme difficulty.
At the top of the mountain he could see a pillar of fire, and from it came the evil laughter.
Thirty or so feet from the pillar of flame there was lying an unmoving body of a girl.
He ran over to her and turned her around, looking at the face of Akane.
Her face was completely white, without any colour and her body was cold, her ki was almost completely gone.
"So mortal... what are you going to do now?" The voice was filled with a cruel, sadistic mirth.
He turned towards the voice. The pillar of flame had changed shape.
Now it displayed a man with pearl white wings, but his body was covered in burning flames. He had the most evil smirk on his face, displaying only hate and blood thirst.
"What have you done?" Ranma said in barely a whisper and clutched her body, stroking her hair softly.
"She will soon die mortal... And nothing you can do can stop it."
"What have you done?" He asked again.
"The power to give her back her life is within the healing waters of the spring behind me... Are you foolish enough to fight a GOD, mortal, to get the water for her?"
Ranma let go of Akanes body, and stood up and faced the being of flame.
He took a martial arts stance, favouring speed and agility before strength. The tears and anger had disappeared, instead replaced by an emotionless mask. "I will take great pleasure in killing you mortal." The winged being said.
Ranma launched an attack towards the Phoenix, not even caring about the intense fire consuming his body.
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The alarm sang out its insistent tone and woke up Ranma from his nightmare. He was gasping, his body covered in sweat.
"It... it was just a nightmare." He said and brought up a hand to his forehead, brushing away all the sweat.
He looked at the clock, 05.30.
"Why did I set it so early?" He mumbled to himself as he half fell, half dragged himself from the bed and to the kitchen.
He grumbled to himself as he had a bowl of corn flakes for breakfast, sure they tasted okay, but he missed a Japanese breakfast and one cocked by Kasumi specially.
"Why did I set the clock so early?" He asked himself again, still half asleep.
He tried to remember. He had rented an apartment two weeks ago, paying with the Takeda clan money. He then had continued to look after a job, but because he didn't have a college diploma he didn't get one.
The only thing he really could do was martial arts.
He sat bolt upright, he finally remembered why he set the clock early, he had found an ad in the paper for a hand to hand instructor for a government agency. He had called and asked and the secretary that had answered said he should come by today at 08.00 for an interview.
The building wasn't to far away, only 5 km, a ten minute trip with the subway.
He took a quick shower to wake up and then took out the clothes he would wear, black shoes, a white shirt with black tie, and a beige business suit.
"Might as well do a good first impression." He thought to himself.
He stepped out of the apartment building and walked over to the subway.
Fifteen minutes later he steeped out of the train and headed towards the twenty story building.
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"You must be Ranma Saotome." A man in his mid fifities said as he walked over to Ranma and took his hand in greeting.
"Yes, but who are and how do you know my name?" Ranma asked confused. "My name is Avery Williams, and I am the current hand to hand instructor. Please follow me." He said and began to walk towards an elevator.
"And how I know your name, well you are the only one interested in the post as instructor, so it wasn't so hard to guess" They stepped into the elevator and Avery pressed a button.
"But if you're the hand to hand instructor... I thought that the position was empty?" Ranma said as he stood to the left of the man.
"It will be, I am about to retire." Avery said with a smile.
"Okay I understand."
They both fell silent for a while, but Avery resumed the conversation.
"So what do you know about martial arts? What kind of forms have you practiced?"
"I know a many forms of martial arts, including karate, judo, kempo and a few others. As for how good I am, well I have been training regularly since I was six."
"That is quite impressing." The elevator stopped and they walked into a long corridor.
Avery walked down to the left and then walked into an office, Ranma following close behind.
"Have a seat." Avery said and pointed to a chair at a table, as he sat in his own chair.
To the left of Avery an old man in his late sixties, early seventies sat.
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Ranma stood up from the chair. And shock hands with both Avery and the old man. The interview had been over two hours long.
He followed Avery back to the lobby, where he wished him good luck and then walked away. Ranma just nodded and left the building, heading back to his apartment.
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Q watched as the young man that had helped him with the thugs left the room. The man didn't seem to recognise him.
Q looked down on the papers which Ranma had filled out. They would check his background and make sure he was clean, and if he was Q would make sure the man got the job.
This was his way of repaying the man for his help.
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Ranma muttered darkly, he had been sitting and reading a book, something that people back in Nerima would have a heart attack if they found out.
The book in question was "Chinese for beginners" He had bought the book after sitting and trying to translate the book with an English/Japanese lexicon.
After translating the first page and making no sense whatsoever, he decided to learn it instead.
And that was his problem, learning Chinese was a serious pain in the ass. He shut the book closed and looked out the window. He would get the answer about the job in a week, so he had the time to learn it.
Right now he really DIDN'T want to read, but he had already trained on the roof, using the Umi-sen-ken to stay invisible. Not only did it help him keep his concentration, it also deepened his ki-reserves.
He had used the technique for over an hour, and together with the extreme workout had made him really tired.
He flexed his shoulders and an audible crack was heard. He didn't really know what to do with so much spare time.
He looked out the window again, the sun was setting and the street lights were turning on. He could see as some people walked into the pub across the street, "The hanged man", it looked really inviting.
He walked down the stairs and across the street, opening the door and stepping in.
The pub wasn't like those he had visited with Genma when he was younger, this one was clean, well lit and the bartender seemed friendly.
"What can I serve ye lad" The man said with a thick Scottish accent.
"A beer." He said simply.
"Coming right up." He said and took a clean glass from a shelf, and filled it with beer from the tap.
He paid the bartender and then walked up to an empty table, picking up a discarded newspaper.
He took a sip and grimaced at the unfamiliar taste, but compared to Akanes cocking this was nothing. So thinking he took another sip and after about half the glass he found it tasted quite good.
He sat reading a newspaper and then a tall bulky man with read hair walked over to him. He was maybe twenty-twenty five and looked quite dangerous.
Ranma being used to getting attacked without reason tensed his muscles and prepared for a counter, but still remained seated reading the newspaper.
"Hey mate, care for a match in dart? We are one person short" the man said and pointed to a corner where four others where standing and throwing darts at a dartboard.
He laid the newspaper on the table, quickly drank up his beer and then turned towards the man.
"Why not, would be a good end to the day." He said with his trademark cocky smirk.
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Ranma walked into the pub, looking at the clock on the far wall. "I am fifteen minutes early, might as well order a beer." He though and walked up to the bartender.
The bartender had already begun to fill a glass of beer as soon as he saw Ranma enter.
During the last two months Ranma always came here at eight O'clock in the evening to have a beer and play a game of dart with his friends.
He sat at the table at the far corner, thinking about his work. He had trained different groups of people in martial arts from nine O'clock to three O'clock. The people had been everything from police officers, military, to the secret intelligence, and the top seemed satisfied with his work.
He was grateful for the fact that the people he trained already had some experience fighting unarmed, he only had to polish up their skill a little.
But one thing he didn't suspect with this work was the amount of paperwork that needed to be filled out. At least they paid well.
The first time he opened his pay check he almost fainted, the money would easily cover the expenses he had had during his stay here.
He just took a sip on his beer, he didn't complain about the extra money though.
After the work he usually spent an hour or so trying to learn Chinese, which he still thought as a serious pain in the ass.
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He read the first page of the book Happosai had given him and his left eye twitched violently, he knew that he should stop there, but his curiosity got the better of him.
He flipped the page and it wasn't a bit better then the first. It continued like this for another forty pages, the twitch in his eyes became more and more violent.
"Figures that the first forty pages in the book would be on pleasure and sexual pressure points, some things just never change" He thought and sighed.
----------------------------------------------------- Ranma was sitting in the bar, it was Saturday evening, and the rest of his dart friends had already left. He was going to drink his beer and then hit the sack. He knew when to stop, three beers where absolute maximum.
He heard the door open but didn't pay it any attention, until he could hear a couple of voices say.
"Hey there girl, wanna go and have some fun?"
"Yeah, you wanna be with a real man?"
It was Samuel, the local drunk and, and his gang, and they were harassing a young girl.
"N... no thanks." The gang didn't look like they cared, and Samuel took her wrist and began to drag her towards the door
Both Ranma and McTavish, the bartender, saw this and they both began to move towards the gang.
"Let her go Samuel." Ranma said, anger was evident in his voice, and he was backed up by McTavish.
The gang locked eyes with Ranma, and Samuel let go of the girl.
"Don't worry Ranma, we didn't mean no harm, honest." He said a little fearful.
Neither MvTavish nor Ranma liked when there was trouble in the pub, and during a wild fight a couple of weeks ago Ranma had intervened and stopped it quite brutally.
He had earned the respect from numerous guests, and the fear from many trouble makers.
Samuel and his gang ran out the door, they didn't want a fight with a guy that could turn eight guys into dog food.
Ranma muttered darkly and walked back to his table, being thanked by the bartender for his help. He picked up his newspaper and continued to read it.
The girl still stood up and looked around the bar, looking a little lost. She then gazed at Ranma and it looked like she debated with herself on what to do. She then walked slowly over to the table, and then sat down.
"Thanks for the help." She said and looked shyly down at the table.
"No problems, glad I could help you." He said casually.
Ranma folded the paper and placed it on the table, looking at the girl.
She was maybe twenty, with strawberry blond hair at shoulder length. She was maybe a little taller than his girl form, with an hour glass figure that would put his girl form to shame. The clothes she was wearing was a tight dark red top and black skirt. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen, and Ranma noticed a second later, that she had the most intriguing crimson eyes ever.
Ranma stood up from the table.
"Are you leaving?" She asked a little disappointed.
"No, I will just order something, do you want anything?" He said and looked into her eyes.
"Y... yes a coffee thanks." She said shyly.
Ranma only nodded and walked over to the bar. Half a minute latter he returned with two cups of coffee. One he placed in front of the girl and the other in front of himself.
He took a sip from his coffee, it was still quite hot. The girl was looking down at the table into her cup. She seemed lost, nervous, sad, and a little scared.
"So what are you doing here, I have never seen you here before." He said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"I... I just needed some time think about things you know. I had had a stressful day and needed time relax."
"You don't seem to enjoy it." He said and took another sip
"Well I.... it's hard to explain. Let's just say I find it hard to have fun." She said with a sigh.
Ranma saw as his attempt went down the drain, the girl was looking even sadder, and Ranma being Ranma couldn't stand see a girl sad.
"Well then the night is still young, want to go to and do something." He said with his killer smile that would make every girl swoon.
"Su...sure why not." She said, but this time she had a blush on her cheeks.
Ranmas smile became wider, and he took the girls wrist and escorted the girl out of the pub, to enjoy London's night life.
Authors Notes
Q: Grandmaster to much?
A: Ranma fought and defeated a god, if that doesn't make him a grandmaster nothing will.
Q: Which James Bond?
A: I think it will be Pierce, he looks a lot like Ranma.
From the beginning I didn't plan on writing a James Bond crossover, but when I read the reviews I thought why not. The idea was to make Ranmas father British, and the first name I came up with was James, it wasn't meant to be James Bond.
James Bond will NOT be the primary crossover, so you know.
