Ranma Tales ½: Chapter 5- Explanations

Part 1: Aftermath of Shampoo

Ranma looks at the Tendo's and says "I guess you'd like another explanation...?"

Nabiki says "That might be nice..." Kasumi and Soun nod. Akane is trying to not laugh at the way Ranma had acted around Shampoo or let her jealousy show at the attractive girl Ranma seemed to know.

Ranma just sighs "Ok, well this is a long story... Initially it all started in China with pop taking me to Jusenkyo. After we both ended up cursed we wondered around for awhile. Eventually we camped at the edge of an area held by the Chinese amazon village..."

Nabiki interrupts "Chinese amazons?"

Ranma nods "Yes, Chinese amazons... We didn't know it then, but they are ruled by a strict female hierarchy of elders. Men are second class citizens there." Soun looks a bit pale at this.

Ranma continues "Anyway, pop when out looking for supplies while he had me set up camp. Not long after he came back in his panda form with a bunch of food and other things. He tossed me some of it and started eating. Well I had no idea where he got it, but I was hungry so I ignored those thoughts at the time and started eating." He pauses as he tries to figure out what he wants to say next...

"Shortly afterward we hear a yell from the trees and a young girl attacks pop, swatting him with her bonbari... Ah that's a kind of wooden mace by the way... I didn't understand Chinese at the time and neither did pop, so we couldn't understand what she was saying. Pop fought back and knocked the girl around a bit until a whole group of women armed with a variety of weapons found us."

Akane blinks and says "Your dad beat on a little girl?" interrupting Ranma's story. Ranma nods and gets interrupted again.

"So the little girl was Shampoo huh?" this time the interruption was from Nabiki again.

Ranma nods again "Yes that little girl was Shampoo and yes pop seemed to have no problem with hurting her. I was rather ashamed at him and was planning on intervening when the women arrived. Pop's freaked though and ran over to me. I thought briefly he was going to have both of us make a hasty retreat. I very quickly learned that pop just wanted to toss me to the lions. Literally. He grabbed me and tossed me at the women. While they were busily untangling me from them pop crept away."

All four Tendo's were shocked at hearing how Genma had thrown his son at the amazon's to give himself time to flee. Though Soun recognized it as something of a sound plan against angry female warriors.

Ranma continues "I was gonna get up and chase after pop, but the purple haired young girl stood in my way ans said something to me I didn't understand. Not happy when I just stared at her, she attacked me. I defended myself until I got in a lucky kick that knocked her back a ways. Then I dashed out of there to find pop. At the time I just wanted away from the crazy girl attacking me more than anything else. I didn't understand pop had stolen food and the other times from her house so she had tried to track him down. I still hadn't gotten any hot water yet, so I had been a young girl at the time myself. Little did I know what all that Chinese had meant."

Everyone looked at him curiously and he went on "See these amazons believe in two ways to deal with defeat by an outsider. The kiss of death for any girl or women which requires them to track you down and kill you if you defeat them in a challenge or the kiss of marriage for men who defeat them which requires that they marry the guy in question."

Surprised looks from everyone and suddenly putting two and two together Nabiki adds "So that little girl would be forced to marry your father and kill you?" in shock.

Ranma nods to frowns from all the women present "Yeah that's about it. Later after pop died and sensei took me in he started having me try to fix things my father had wrecked. Of course all I had to go on was what I remembered, which often wasn't to accurate though. That incident I did remember and by description sensei realized who they were."

Nabiki asks "So what did you do...?"

Ranma replies "Well sensei wanted me to go explain things to them..."

Part 2: Amazon Village Take 2

(Begin flashback. Note: Unless otherwise stated everything in this flashback is said in Chinese.)

A young fourteen year old Ranma stood next to his sensei. Nervously Ranma asks "Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

Shadows smiled in that way that Ranma had come to understand normally meant chaos was catching up, and said "Well I could let you do this on your own..."

Ranma hurriedly says "No that's Alright sensei. I know, I do have to try to make up for what my father has done and restore the families honor. I'm just not very excited about entering this amazon village you've told me about." Ranma frowns and adds "Especially since we are both going in as guys."

Shadow just continues to smile and says "I thought I'd made it clear that you can't follow your fathers path of hiding or running away, or you'll simply end up becoming like him. Hiding the fact that you are both a guy and a girl from them won't help solve your problems with them. It also won't restore any of your families honor." His smile increases to become a grin and he adds "Besides, it's always better to receive a kiss of marriage, than a kiss of death."

Ranma looks shocked and says "I'm not marryin' one of them! I don't care what their crazy laws say!"

Shadow just gets an even bigger grin and says "Well personally I'd rather be married than dead... At least when your married you can do some rather pleasant activities..."

Ranma groans and says "I'm not hearing this, I really am not hearing this! It was bad enough when you decided to 'explain' the 'bird's and bee's' to me, I really don't want to know any more about that sorta thing right now."

Shadow laughs, not being able to hold it in any longer and says "I'm just teasing you, though I know one day you'll meet the right girl and you'll want to do what I was teasing you about." He looks briefly worried as he stares of into the distance and says "No I know you'll find the right girl for that. Hopefully you realize what you have before the world catches up to you." Then he grins again and says "I must be getting old, I'm starting to get ahead of myself."

At this point they've no walked a ways into the amazon village itself and a young girl of fourteen or so walks up to them looking angry. "What are you outsider men doing in amazon village? If amazon women wanted you we'd come take you, you don't' need to come here."

Shadow looks at her and says "I have business with the council of elders, could you please go ask them if they are available?"

The young girl looks even more upset and says "The council of elders doesn't need to speak to one such as you. Why don't you just leave the village?"

Shadow sighs and says "Is that the way to speak to a blooded warrior who has stood beside the amazon's in the past?"

The girl looks shocked and says "Outsider men can't be blooded warriors! That title is only given to certain exceptional amazon men and no others!"

A voice calls out from behind the girl "What is the problem Xian Pu?" The three turn to see an tiny elderly woman hop toward them on a weathered staff. As the figure gets close enough to make out the identities of the two men she pales slightly.

Xian Pu misses this exchange and says "Great grandmother Koh Lon these men wanted me to call on the council, because they think they have business with you and your sisters. I told them they were wasting their time."

Koh Lon ignores Xian Pu and addresses Shadow saying "Well Peacock I see you still look as young as ever."

Shadow grins and says "Peacock is it? Never heard that one before. I don't think I'm really vain enough to count as that." He smirks and adds "Though if I remember correctly you were something of a peacock when you were younger. It's almost to bad I'd lost my last wife not that long... well for me anyways... before I met you back then." Koh Lon cackles, relaxing ever so slightly at this.

Both of the young people standing by them however can't help but stare at the scene before them. Ranma wonders to himself 'How old is sensei if he knew this old ghoul when she was young? He doesn't look to be more than ten or so years my senior!'

Koh Lon asks Shadow "So what brings you to call on the amazon village? You've been overly reluctant to use the favor we owe you..." They start to talk about why Shadow and Ranma are here, though it stays fairly vague as Shadow tries to discover how much they already knew about that night when Ranma and Genma had last been here.

In the meantime Xian Pu fumed. 'Great grandmother treats this outsider male with respect! She even says we owe that silly man a favor! Why would great grandmother act like this?' She studied the man and Koh Lon much more closely until she noticed Koh Lon's reaction to something she'd said that made Shadow frown. Xian Pu in shock thinks to herself 'Can what I saw be true? Did great grandmother actually quiver in fear of this man! No! Great grandmother couldn't be a weak woman afraid of a lowly man! She is one of the greatest warriors of the tribe and the second most powerful woman in the whole tribe! She can't be afraid of a man!'

Shadow says "Then you knew the man was cursed to take the form of a Panda?"

Koh Lon replies "Yes his actions were just to intelligent for an animal and we could explain the presences of the girl no other way as well Not to mention the remains of the camp which showed two people had been intending to stay there. It was odd however that their were no items one would expect with a girl present, but we didn't worry to much about that."

Shadow nods and says "Well I can explain things a little clearer, since my protege here was actually present at the time."

Koh Lon frowns and says "He would have been very young then how was he not discovered?"

Shadows replies with a grin "He was 'discovered' he simply has a curse of his own."

Koh Lon grins and says "He was the girl! Ah! That makes more sense, to bad we weren't able to interrogate the guide at the time or we would have known sooner. This will be better than forcing Xian Pu here to marry the old man who turns into a panda."

Shadow frowns "Koh Lon I won't have your laws interfering with my students life. I'd hardly call that a challenge anyways. Ranma never understood what Xian Pu or any of the warriors said as he didn't speak Chinese then. In fact he's still not that great even now after I've been teaching him for almost a year. I'm afraid I'll have to call in my favor and ask you to accept this issue as invalid. No sneaking around and challenging him to cause this to be a problem in the future either."

Koh Lon sweats as Shadow frowns at her "Maybe I was to hasty, is the boys father around? Xian Pu should still honor that challenge if nothing else."

Shadow smirks "'Fraid not, his luck ran out and he died when I encountered Ranma here. It's better that way for Xian Pu anyways, he was a horrible thief and coward whose only skills lay in the lesser arts, though he was a master."

Koh Lon nods and having a thought asks "Since he is also a she, could we not make him a honorary amazon sister? That would settle our claim and the reason for the law, without having to force him to marry Xian Pu." She pauses and adds "With her consent of course, we don't wish to force the issue."

Shadow begins to nod and say "That may be possible..."

When an angry Xian Pu interrupts him ands yells "No! This stupid boy who can adopt form of a girl will never be an amazon sister! I won't allow it! I challenge you to a fight to the death boy!" Xian Pu stands there in a haughty pose staring at the bewildered Ranma who was having trouble following the whole conversation. Koh Lon is to shocked to move.

Shadow stands in front of his young pupil and says "I don't think you won't to do that Xian Pu."

Xian Pu screams and says "I will kill him and reclaim my honor from the last fight! If you stand in the way I will challenge you as well!"

Shadow smiles grimly at the girl and says "Come back in a millennia or two, then we can play. Until then if you insist on this I will fight you and to avoid more issues I will simply kill you rather than leaving you alive." This was said coldly enough to make Ranma shiver and he felt really sorry for anyone crazy enough to annoy his sensei.

Xian Pu simply continued to stand haughtily until Koh Lon popped her in the head with her staff, Xian Pu crumples to the ground. A pale Koh Lon says to Shadow "No there is no need to fight this girl. I have no wish to lose my great granddaughter today so we will make sure she obeys." Koh Lon motions to a few warriors that had come up during the commotion and has them take her away.

(End flashback)

Part 3: Intermission

The Tendo's stare at Ranma who has just finished recounting most of the story involving his last visit to the amazon village. Questions finally make their way out a few mouths, though in the trend Nabiki is first.

"So how old is your sensei anyways? You did say he was old enough to have known that amazon elder when she was young, yet that very elder claimed a girl your own age was her great granddaughter!" Was Nabiki's question.

Ranma answered "I'm not sure, he doesn't like to say. I do know that she is supposed to be something like three hundred years old if the rumors are true. So that would imply he is at least older than that. My own guess says he's closer to at least five hundred years if not more."

Nabiki practically yells "He's at least five hundred years old? And he looks like his in his mid-twenties? How is he even still alive? Let alone the ancient amazon elder..."

Ranma shrugs "I don't ask, in fact I'm almost positive I don't want to know how they do it..."

Nabiki is just sitting their stunned. Akane asks "Was the amazon elder really scared of your sensei? Would he really have killed Shampoo like that?"

Ranma nods and says "He can be scary, especially if he's upset. He protects those he cares for and has little pity for anyone who would hurt them. He also has a soft spot for anyone who doesn't seem able to defend themselves... On the other hand there are a few things he can't stand and bring out all his anger. Rape for instance is not something to even suggest around him..." Ranma shivers...

Akane quietly asks "Why is that? Not that rape isn't bad or anything, but why does he have such an extreme reaction to that...?" Somewhat dreading the answer.

Ranma shrugs "I'm not entirely sure... Though from what he said after that time..." He stops and looks sorta ill.

Kasumi softly asks "What time Ranma?"

Ranma sighs and says blandly "Back not that long after I started training under sensei I was stuck in my female form because of the rain and we were passing through a small village. He was talking to a man who ran a small shop asking for directions to a good place to stay. I stayed under a sheltered area across the street. An ugly tough looking guy came up to me from a nearby alleyway and started hitting on me. I didn't understand what he was doing and he seemed to sort of understand that. He got annoyed though and said 'Well if your to stupid to know what to do, then maybe I should just use your cute little body instead'. I got frightened and tried to get away, but he just grabbed me by the throat and started trying to feel me up. About this time sensei noticed what was going on. He walked over and with a move almost to fast to see he snapped the mans arm off of my throat and had whipped it back behind the man. It broke in the processes of getting behind him and he'd started screaming like crazy. All sensei did was say one word, but the tone in his voice cold have frozen lava when he said it. That word was simply 'die'. Without anyone having touched the man again, he simply dropped dead on the spot his scream getting caught off suddenly. After we'd gotten to a hotel he told me a story about how he'd once been away from his home at that point in time while one he cared about was living there. When he arrived home again he had been to late to stop a man or men from abusing the one he cared for in the same way the man had tried to with me. He vowed then that any man who would do such a thing deserved a fate equal to a mad dog for that was what they were. He said a lot of other things to help me deal with it, but I learned one lesson he hadn't intended as well. I learned I never want to know what it takes to kill a man with one word." Even the normally composed master martial artist couldn't keep the bitter anger and disgust as well as fear out of his expressions. He also couldn't help the single tear that made it's way down his face while the Tendo's stared at him in shock.

He added "I think that might have had something to do with why I reacted so badly to the Hentai Brigade. They made me remember what it felt like that day yet again and I think in a way I have to agree with sensei. Anyone who would wish to do that to someone is just a vile disgusting person, not that those boys would have done that... But to me they struck the same cord and felt too similar. It may have been nearly three years and I've worked through it pretty well... Not that I wouldn't have helped out if a woman was being attacked anyways, but this was different for me..." Deciding he'd probably ended up saying maybe a little too much he stopped.

Akane walked over and wrapped her friend and sensei in a hug "It's ok Ranma." Kasumi also walked over and gives Ranma a hug. Even Nabiki felt tempted, but her desire to keep up appearances stops her. Soun coughed slightly and said "Well I think I've had enough explanations for one night, how about dinner?" Everyone agreed.

After a subdued meal everyone heads to bed. Akane however stays up thinking about what Ranma said about her future in martial arts, about spirits and such, and about everything else. Eventually she does come up with the answer to the questions Ranma had asked her before the creature had come and messed everything up. He choice made she slips off into sleep.

Author's Notes:

First I'm gonna thank everyone for the feedback again. I also wanted to make a couple comments.

First about the commas, spelling issues, and sentence structure... Well all I can say is I'm the worst proofreader possible after having been a netizen for more than a decade. I just end up making sense out of garbage, I think I do a fairly good job of clearing up a lot of the initial confusing choices, but I'm going to miss some. Occasionally though I do intentionally make them a bit odd, normally when I want to show some confusion on the part of a character... I think I've only done that 3 times including in this chapter though.

Also Ranma may indeed actually go through with some sort of book deal and I'm sure if he did Nabiki would be the one to help with it. On the other hand he'd have to ask his sensei before he'd dare comment about their times together in a way just anyone could read. Pamphlets though... That might be more tempting and have fewer issues...

Oh I hope you like this Shampoo, one that seems to have let her pride and unwavering traditions of her people end up causing her to go down a bad path... You'll see more of her later, but she gets... Sidetracked, for awhile at least... So don't expect a confrontation again for at least another chapter or two.

Lastly the whole near rape thing is very intentional on my part. It's one of the things he will have to deal with, even if it's been quite awhile... More so if Kuno ever sees him as a girl... When hasn't the dumbass decided he loved the female Ranma...? With a large part of his time spent trying to hug her... Probably not the best idea if Kuno would like to keep his head attached to his body in this case... It's also unfortunately something far to many women have to deal with that should never happen.