Chapter One: Nerima's Newest Visitors
The streets of Nerima were still damp from an earlier shower. A young man ignored the dampness as he ran through the town. He was dressed in a blue okinomiyaki sellers uniform. His damp brown hair hung around his shoulders tied back with a white ribbon. He bore a bandaleer holding mini spatulas across his chest and a larger spatula was strapped to his back. He ran very quickly, considering he was carrying two backpacks, one of which looked very heavy with a red bamboo umbrella strapped onto it.
Behind the man ran a little black pig, which was desperately trying to keep up with the faster man. Tired, the pig began to lag behind, until, finally, he sat down onto his haunches, completely exhausted. He realized his companion was running ahead, not having realized he had stopped running with him. Afraid he would leave him behind, the pig called after the man. "Bweeee!"
Hearing the pig's calls, the man turned and saw the pig. "Come on, P-chan, we're almost there. Wait until we find the restaurant, then you can rest all you want."
The pig seemed to think over what the man said, then shook his head. "Bweeee bwe Bweee," it answered, stubbornly.
"I know it's hard to keep up with me when you're like that, and I would carry you if I didn't already have two heavy backpacks to carry. How can you fit so much in one backpack, anyway? It weighs a ton!"
"Bweee!" The pig answered, indignantly.
"Okay, I'll go slower. Just try not to get lost. Last time you managed to end up in Shikoku before I finally found you."
"Bwee Bwee," The pig nodded. He stood up and followed the man as once again he ran down the streets. The crowd which had stopped to listen to the unusual pair, went back to what they were doing. "First a girl and a panda, now a boy and a pig. What next?" "How can he understand that pig, anyway?" "Nerima's just getting weirder and weirder," and similar comments were muttered by all, but the man and the pig ignored them. They just kept running, headed for the restaurant district.
Just you wait, old man! First I'm gonna pay you back for what you did to me, then I'm gonna go after that bastard you call a son!
The pig tried to ignore the evil laughter that was coming from his friend.
Genma Saotome sat across from his best friend, Soun Tendo. The two middle-aged men were locked in combat. It was a contest of skill, a contest of strategy, a contest to see who was a better cheater. In other words, they were playing shogi, again.
"Ahh, Saotome, isn't life good?" Soun declared gazing out to the backyard. Genma took this opportunity to switch around some of the game pieces.
"It sure is, Tendo. A wonderful night to be alive!" He, too, looked out the window, as Soun switched the pieces further. Genma returned to the game, and the two men lapsed into a contented silence, as they ignored the sounds of their children yelling. Still, it was hard to ignore a overdressed Ranma-chan running through the house with Nabiki and Akane chasing after her.
"I told you I'm a guy!" The pigtailed girl shouted, who looked very cute in Akane's Halloween costume from last year, by the way. She continued to run through the house like her life depended on it, just barely dodging in time to avoid hitting Kasumi, who had just entered the house.
Unfazed, Kasumi walked up to the two fathers, smiling as sweetly as ever. "Oh, Mr. Saotome, this was waiting for you. I found it on the front steps."
Genma adjusted his glasses, as Kasumi handed him the thin box. "Thank you, Kasumi," He said, opening the box and releasing an appetizing smell into the room.
Soun leaned over the shogi board to pear into Genma's box. "Well, what is it, Saotome?" He asked, not being able to hide his curiosity.
At first, Genma didn't answer. He just stared at the package, silently. Inside was an okonomiyaki, with a challenge letter written on it in soy sauce. He didn't know why, but the okinomiyaki unnerved him. He knew that somehow this okonomiyaki means something to him, something bad that he had hoped he would forget, but try as he might he couldn't remember what. Maybe he forgot too good. Still, he had a bad feeling about this...
"Saotome!" Soun snapped, snapping Genma out of his thoughts.
"What is it, Tendo?" Genma snapped back, not appreciating being yelled at.
"What do you got there?"
"A challenge letter" Genma reluctantly answered.
"A challenge letter? Are you sure it's for you? I thought only Ranma gets challenged to fights in this series."
"No it's for me, Tendo. I can read, and it clearly says 'Genma Saotome'...Well, okay it is kind of smudged." He paused, waiting for the water works.
He wasn't disappointed. "Waaaaaah! My best friend's going out to fight in a battle to the death? Who will take care of his young son and wife! He'll probably make me do it! I can't afford this! And who will I play shogi with?" Soun predictably fell to pieces, leaving Genma shaking his head, disgustedly.
"I see you have great faith in me, Tendo," he, dryly, remarked.
It was dusk, and in the local vacant lot (TM), the young man stood. He held his giant spatula casually, as he waited for his enemy to show. Sure taking his time He thought impatiently. That is if he does show. It wouldn't surprise me if the coward had skipped town the moment he received my message. He would do that! He gripped his spatula tighter, thinking of all the things he would do with the old man if he did run away.
The okonomiyaki chef had spent his whole life preparing for this moment. When he and his only companion in the world had finished setting up their restaurant, he had immediately tracked down Genma Saotome and sent the challenge letter. Now if only he would show...
He sensed the presence of his opponent before he saw him coming. Quickly, the man hid.
The man watched as Genma entered the vacant lot. The old man glanced around for the one who challenged him. On his face was a nervous, dreadful expression, as he walked into the center of the lot. He didn't look like much of a challenge looking like a short fat bald old man which he is, but he still managed to successfully dodge the projectiles the hidden chef threw at him.
Genma looked down at the objects he had just dodged. Spatulas! He looked up again in time to see his attacker come flying at him. It was too late to dodge, and Genma was kicked square in the chest. He flew backwards landing hard on his back. Weakly, he struggled to get up, at least that is what it looked like to his attacker. In truth, Genma wasn't that badly hurt. He just made it look like it to throw off his opponent. No doubt about it, he's good. I have to play this carefully... "What do you want with an old man like me? What did I ever do to you?" He waited as his attacker stepped out of the shadows. Genma finally got a good look at him. A young boy, looks about Ranma's age...Hmmm... Genma tried to think real hard. Where did he see this boy before?
The boy paused in his fighting to sneer at him. "You still
don't recognize me, do you?" He asked. "Well, I remember
you, Genma Saotome. Although I tried to forget. I'm Ukyo,
Ukyo Kuanji, the child you left behind! And you have ruined
my life! I'm gonna make you pay for that!" With that, the
boy twirled his battle spatula around in an offensive move,
which caught Genma by surprise. The sharp blade cut against
his chest and he doubled over in pain. All the while his
mind was screaming at him, now remembering where he had seen
this boy before. Oh, no, not Ukyo! If Ranma finds out, he's
gonna kill me! He saw Ukyo once again come at him, with
murder burning in his eyes. Genma gulped. Not unless, Ukyo
kills me first.
He tried to defend himself but as the wise ones said: "Hell
hath no fury, like an okonomiyaki chef scorned. The night
was filled with Genma's screams.
A block away, Akane Tendo was walking in the night. She just
had to get away from Ranma and his insults. Telling me that
I am built like a gorilla and half as cute! How dare he!
Ranma, you make me so mad! She punched a telephone pole
and left a fist sized hole in it. She was about to continue
with her silent ranting when she heard an agonizing scream
of pain.
She immediately recognized it as Genma's agonizing scream of
pain. She had heard it often enough when he and Ranma
sparred.
Akane briefly wondered if she should go help her 'future
father-in-law'. Who would miss him, if he did turn up
missing? But her compassionate side took over and she ran
towards the loud screaming. Gee, I wonder why no one else
is bothered by the noise he's making? But why should they?
They live in Nerima. They were used to it.
Akane soon found herself in one of Nerima's vacant lots
TM. She arrived just in time to see the figure of a young
man hovering over the unconscious heap of Genma Saotome.
The boy saw her, then leaped away disappearing in the night.
Akane ran to Genma, to see to her disappointment that he was still alive. (It's not that she wanted to wish misfortune on the man, but she was tired of him always bugging her to marry his hentai of a son.) "Mr. Saotome! Are you okay!" She asked, actually worried.
But he didn't answer. Hey, I said he was unconscious!
Sighing, she heaved the man onto her back and struggling slightly under his massive girth, she began the long walk home. She'll think of it as training.
Damn, that girl, interrupting my fight! I was just getting started! Ukyo Kuanji wasn't in a very good mood as he raced down the abandoned streets heading towards the restaurant district. Actually, he was feeling kind of relieved as well. I guess it was all for the best. I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted him to pay for almost ruining my life, that's all. I guess beating the hell outa him counts as revenge... Still, I can't help but wish it could have lasted longer... I was having fun Then he remembered that he still had Ranma to gain his revenge from, and he immediately brightened. Beating him up, will be twice as much fun... Cause this time he had a partner, to join in the fun.
So, Ukyo was grinning by the time he finally arrived at one particular building smack dab in the middle of the restaurant district. It wasn't much to look at yet, but Ukyo had big plans for the place. To him it was already home.
He entered the building and shouted out to his housemate: "I'm back! How are you holdin' up, Ryo-chan? You unpacked, yet? He heard movement from another part of the restaurant, then sweat dropped when he heard his friend's foot steps going the wrong way. "WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW?" A muffled voice cried. Sighing, Ukyo followed the sound of Ryo-chan's shouting, and sure enough found Ryoga Hibiki inside an empty closet.
"You never cease to amaze me," Ukyo muttered, shaking his head.
Ryoga blushed, and played with the bandanna tied onto his head which blended in nicely with his jet black, thick, unruly hair. "I can't help it! You know that."
Sighing, Ukyo grabbed his friend's hand and led him to the kitchen. Boxes were stacked all around the empty room, but he managed to find the equipment he needed to make two okinomiyakis on his brand new stove. As Ryoga ate his, Ukyo lovingly cleaned his stove, just knowing that he was going to love this place.
After finishing his meal, Ryoga finally spoke up. "So did you kill him?"
"No, some girl ran into the lot, and so I stopped. I didn't really want to kill him anyway, just make him bleed."
"I haven't decided whether I want to kill Ranma or not. After what he had done to my life, he does deserve it..."
"I hear you. But Ranma can wait until we start school. We need to finish getting the restaurant ready for the Grand Opening."
Ryoga nodded. "I guess I can wait a couple more days, but do I really have to go back to school? I have never gone that often before because of my, uh, problem.."
"Oh, don't worry about that anymore, Ryo-chan. I'll be there to make sure you don't end up in Alaska. You just worry about catching up on two years of absences." With that said, Ukyo went upstairs to get ready for bed, laughing quietly to himself the whole way.
Ryoga sat in silence, still dreading the thought of school. "That's what I was afraid of," He muttered to himself. Then he realized that Ukyo had left, and that he had no idea where his room was. "Where did the stairs go!"
Ukyo sighed once again, as he came back down the stairs to help Ryoga find his room, Jackass He thought, clearly annoyed with the lost boy. Oh, well, you get used to it. He turned and headed back to his room for the night.
To say that the Tendo's and Ranma were surprised by the state Genma was in, by the time, Akane got home, would be an understatement.
Well, Kasumi did her characteristic. "Oh, my." Then left to find her first aid kit. Nabiki tried to question Genma on who had beaten him up, and what were the odds of that person against Ranma. No doubt, she was planning to use this information for future reference. Soun's tears had almost flooded the house. He was so distraught that someone would clobber his best friend, and Ranma was surprised that the attacker wasn't after him. "Are you sure the challenge letter was for you, pop? I mean our names are kind of similar, it could of been a typo!" Ranma actually hoped it had been for him. The only person he had to fight around here (Besides Akane, and he doesn't hit girls) was Kuno, and frankly, fighting Kuno had become rather boring lately. Ranma was ready for the next challenge, whatever that could be.
"NO IT WASN'T FOR YOU, RANMA!" Genma yelled at him, losing what little patience he had. Ranma scowled in answer. "Geesh, ya didn't have ta shout about it, Pop."
Nabiki looked at Ranma, silencing him with her icy glare. "Can I talk to him, now?" She turned back to the beaten up old man, and began questioning him, with a professionalism that many detectives would probably be jealous of. "Now, Mr. Saotome, who was it you said had done this to you?"
Genma blanked. How could he admit to his son and future in-
laws that he had been beaten up by a young, weak,-
Ranma impatiently, bopped him on the head. "Come on, Pop. We ain't got all night!"
Genma turned to his son, and shouted at him: "Do you mind? I'm thinking here!"
"Well, think harder, stupid!" Ranma shouted back.
By this time, Nabiki had finally given it up, deciding to get the information later. With a huff, she exited the room, leaving Father and Son in the middle of their current argument.
"Mr. Saotome," Akane cut in, brave enough to interrupt this 'touching' moment. "Does this have anything to do with that boy I saw at the lot?"
Genma sighed realizing he may have to admit the truth after all..
Ranma just laughed. "Ya got beaten up by a kid, Pop? Getting slow with your age, ain't ya?"
Genma glared at him, again. "I can take you on any day, Boy, so you better not get any cockier." He turned to Akane, completely ignoring the 'yeah, right' look on Ranma's face.
"Why, yes, that 'boy' was the attacker." This time, Genma couldn't ignore the smug expression on Ranma's face. Since his back was turned from the pigtailed martial artist, he couldn't actually see it, but he knew it was there just the same. "I wouldn't laugh Ranma, if I know him. He will be coming after you next.."
Ranma was happy to hear that.
Next time: Gee, do the two new students have anything to do
with Genma's attack?
Gee I wonder...
Characters property of Rumiko Takahashi!