Chapter Five
Here's People
X X X
Tokyo was a bustling city, boasting over a million citizens who moved about their everyday lives. But in the small ward of the city, known as Nerima, all was still and quiet. A rain, mediocre in strength, was falling. The skies had been gray all day, and the citizens of Nerima were all indoors, enjoying the quiet of a rainy day. Nobody was out in the streets.
Except four figures, trudging through the rain like a funeral procession. Three of them wanted to be somewhere else, preferably a nice, warm, and most importantly dry, inn. The other one was simply uncomfortable, having a thick layer of wet fur. Pandas weren't meant for the rain.
Seeing a panda would cause quite a commotion, if anybody was outside to see it walking with the three teenagers. The teenagers wouldn't cause any comment, except perhaps the outfit the shortest one was wearing. A green cloak was draped over that person's form, completely obscuring his or her figure. The hood of the cloak was pulled up, keeping the short teen's head dry while also hiding the teen's face.
"How much longer?" the cloaked teen asked, revealing her gender.
"Dunno, ask Pop," the redheaded girl, slightly taller than the cloaked girl, replied. She trudged dejectedly through the rain without any protection from the elements. She had wanted to stay in China, but her companions had practically dragged her from that place. It wasn't fair; they didn't know what she was going through.
The last member of the group, a boy of sixteen with his black hair held away from his face with a yellow and black bandanna, was protecting himself from the rain with a red bamboo umbrella as he walked. "Like that'll do any good, Ranma." Ryoga waved his free hand toward Ranma's father, who was currently a panda.
Kari shrugged. "Just a question, I thought you might have been there, Ranma." She knew he hadn't, but there was no need to reveal that she knew that information.
"I wonder why we're going to see this old friend of Pop's, anyway," Ranma muttered, not really speaking to anyone but herself.
Kari overheard her and snickered.
X X X
As the last of the rain died down, a conversation of epic proportions was taking place in the Tendo residence.
"What!" Akane cried. "Married?"
"Yes," Soun said, nodding his head solemnly. He never used his authority as head of the house, but he was making it clear from his voice that now he was. "An old friend of mine, Genma Saotome, will be here shortly with his son. They've just arrived back from a training trip in China. When they arrive, one of you will be engaged to his son."
"How old is he?" Kasumi asked as politely as possible, which was far more than she felt was deserved. "Younger men are so boring."
"Is he cute?" Nabiki piped up with what was obviously the more important question.
"I don't know," their father informed them solemnly. "I've never met the boy."
Silence greeted his reply.
The silence was shortly followed by shouting.
"You've never even met him!"
"Oh, my!"
"You've got to be kidding..."
Mixed amounts of shock and disgust were evident on the faces of the Tendo daughters. Kasumi held much of the shock, Akane the disgust, and Nabiki an equal blend. None of them were very happy about their father's announcement.
A knock on the front door brought the attention of the entire household.
Soun was the first to rise. "That must be them." He started off for the door.
"Ooo, so Ranma's here," Nabiki commented, rising and following her father.
Kasumi and Akane both rose slowly, following their family at a lethargic pace. They felt no particular reason to rush to greet unwanted guests. Kasumi might have felt badly for thinking that if she wasn't still in a state of shock.
The sight of six people crowding the entranceway brought her out of that state.
Two of the people were her father and sister. The other four were new. One of them wore a thick green cloak, the hood pulled back to reveal a head of blue hair, held back in a ponytail, and looked no older than twelve, or maybe thirteen. Next to her was a boy of solid build, dressed in a yellow Chinese shirt and dark green pants, tied several times at the ankle. His black hair was held back with a yellow-checkered bandanna. On the green-cloaked kid's other side was a short redhead girl, though she stood a few inches taller than the younger kid, and was wearing a red Chinese silk shirt. Her hair was styled into a pigtail. The last member wasn't even human, rather appeared to be a trained panda of some sort.
Soun was the first to speak. "One of you... surely must be Ranma?"
"Er, yeah," the red-haired girl replied, rubbing the back of her head.
Soun assumed that the girl was speaking for Ranma, not realizing she actually was the person in question. After all, Ranma was a boy, right? "So, you must be Ranma." Soun enveloped Ryoga in a crushing hug. Well, crushing to any normal person. Ryoga barely noticed the grip.
"Er, sir?" Ryoga asked, trying to squirm out of the hug without forcing the man to let go. "I'm afraid I'm not Ranma."
"You're not?" Soun asked, letting go of the boy and stepping back. Scanning over the group once more, his eyes locked on Kari's form. "You're Ranma?" Not waiting for a reply, another bone-crushing hug was given. "You look a bit younger than I expected, son, but it doesn't matter!"
Kari, unfortunately, didn't have Ryoga's endurance. "Getting... crushed..."
"Er, you might want to let go, daddy, or you'll kill him," Nabiki piped up.
"Right, of course," Soun said, letting go of the 'boy,' who collapsed on the ground. He sweated a little. "Maybe I overdid it a bit."
X X X
"What the heck happened?" Kari wondered, sitting up and rubbing her head. She had a mild headache that came from lack of oxygen.
Ryoga and Ranma were sitting with the Tendo sisters, snickering. The youngest of the Tendo sisters was giving Kari a death glare. Nabiki simply looked as if she was calculating something. Kasumi was nowhere in sight, probably off in the kitchen. Kari wondered what was going on.
"I'm glad to see you've woken up," a voice spoke up. Kari turned her head to see Soun, who was kneeling on a cushion next to Kari. Genma was behind the man, still in panda form, though Soun wasn't paying him any mind. His attention was focussed on Kari alone.
"What happened?" Kari asked. Turning her attention to her two companions, she added, "And what's with the snickering?"
"I'm not marrying you," Akane piped up, continue to glare. If looks could kill, Kari would find herself in a fight for her life.
Kari looked confused. "What?" That statement made no sense...
Soun clapped a hand on Kari's shoulder. "Your friends explained that your father will shortly be on his way. But while we wait, you should choose which one of my girls will be your fiancé!" He pushed Kari forward, who ended up sprawled on the ground in front of Akane and Nabiki. "This is my youngest daughter, Akane," Soun said as he picked Kari up and placed her in a seated position. "She enjoys practicing martial arts and is a studious student." He turned his attention to the middle daughter. "This is Nabiki, seventeen. She enjoys finances and is a future businesswoman." He turned to Kari. "My oldest daughter is Kasumi, nineteen. Her hobbies include cooking and keeping the household in good shape. Choose any one, and she will be your new fiancé."
Kari was silent for a few moments. "Er, Mr. Tendo? I'm not Ranma."
Mr. Tendo stopped. "That's impossible. You're the only other boy here, and your friends claimed that you're Ranma."
Kari sighed. "My friends were playing a joke at my expense." She looked Soun in the eyes. "Besides, I'm not a boy, anyway." She unclasped the only tie on her cloak, over her right shoulder, and pulled off the thick cloak. Before it had hidden her figure. But with it off, the Tendos could see her in her lime green ninja outfit and tell she was a girl. Her outfit wasn't revealing, at all really, but the curve of her small breasts were visible. "My name's Kari Umikage, not Ranma."
"You're a girl?" Akane asked, sounding relieved. She blushed a little, remembering how she had just treated the girl. She mentally chastised herself, and swore to be nicer to the poor girl.
Kari nodded. "Yeah." She laid her cloak on the ground; it was wet, after all. Why had they left it on, anyway?
"So then, where is Ranma?" Soun Tendo asked, looking at Kari. He looked serious and spoke with a demanding tone.
"He's sitting next to your daughter, Nabiki."
Soun turned his head to look, then turned back to Kari. "That's not funny. She's a girl. Where's Ranma?"
"Well, her name is Ranma Saotome," Kari replied calmly. "That's who you're looking for, isn't it?"
"But... but..."
"Come on," Akane spoke up. "I'll show you three our dojo." She stood up, walking to the open shoji. She felt sorry for Kari and Ranma, having to come all the way to her house for nothing. And then having her father talk about engaging them? As if, they were all girls. Her invitation had included the boy with them as well. It would have been rude to leave him out, and it's not like there was any risk of her being engaged to him, right?
Ranma smiled, springing to her feet. "All right."
Kari and Ryoga quickly followed Ranma's actions, and the three left after Akane, leaving the head of the Tendo house trying to figure out what was going on. Seeing no reason to stay herself, Nabiki rose and left for her room.
Soun muttered, "But... girl... Ranma... son..."
The panda sighed. His old friend was much the same, it seemed.
X X X
"Nice dojo," Kari commented as she looked around. It was indeed in impressive shape. The wood was polished; the shrine at the front was well kept. A few blocks and other training necessities were to the side, but they were all arranged neatly. "Very well kept."
"Thanks," Akane said as she bowed into the dojo.
Kari double-blinked. Why'd she say thanks? Didn't Kasumi clean everything...?
"Say," Akane spoke up, turning to Ryoga. "What's your name? I know Kari and Ranma, but not you."
"Ryoga Hibiki," the young teen replied. He liked Akane, she seemed nice.
"You all fight, right?" Akane asked as she walked into the center of the dojo. "So, who wants to spar?"
"Kari," Ranma and Ryoga replied in stereo.
Kari glared at the two. Just because she was the only natural girl, those two nominated her to fight against the other girl? She had traveled with Ryoga for close to two years, and still he insisted that fighting girls was wrong. She had, of course, managed to beat it into his skull that he could fight her, but he didn't have the notion beaten out of his head entirely. Ranma was much the same.
"So, you're going to spar me?" Akane asked, looking over Kari. She noticed that Kari seemed hesitant. Not knowing of her internal monologue, Akane incorrectly interpreted the pause. "It's okay, I'll go easy on you."
Kari sighed, walking into the middle of the dojo, standing opposite of Akane. "You'd better not," the young girl advised. "Whenever you're ready, we can start." Even though she said she was ready, Kari hadn't taken up a stance, simply standing with her arms by her side.
Akane decided to take it easy on Kari, despite the girl's warning, seeing how the girl hadn't even taken up a stance. She went in with a slow straight punch, which was avoided by simply shifting to the side. Akane smiled, then threw another telegraphed punch, avoided the same way but to the other side. Akane decided to see just how good Kari really was - nobody could dodge like that unless they had, indeed, trained - and threw out a quick jab. Akane was sure she hadn't telegraphed the move at all, and it was near her fastest, but Kari again easily avoided the blow by stepping to the side. With her punch still extended, Akane tried to show Kari why real martial artists didn't dodge like that by bringing her extended hand toward Kari's head in a hammerfist, but Kari ducked under the blow. Akane was impressed.
Kari smirked, and Akane felt a light, quick blow to her stomach. "Point," Kari stated. "Good try, Akane. That last move was nice."
Akane blinked. She hadn't even seen Kari's hand move, but she had felt the blow. She laughed. "Wow, you're pretty good."
Kari snorted. She wasn't doing near as good as she could have, but didn't say anything.
"I'm just glad you're not a boy," Akane finished.
Kari grimaced at that statement, but the expression was gone quickly.
X X X
As Kari, Ranma, and Ryoga all stepped inside, they were stopped by the eldest Tendo. Kasumi was holding three towels, and handed one to each of the three teens. "I've drawn up the furo," the young woman said, smiling. "You girls can go in, and the young man can go in when you're done."
A furo was a Japanese bath, a large tub full of steaming hot water, big enough for several people and deep enough to bury yourself up to your neck. You were generally expected to clean yourself before entering the furo, using buckets to rinse yourself over drains next to the furo. That way the water would stay clean so it could be reused, and with no draining that meant it conserved water.
"We really don't need a bath," Ranma replied kindly. Like there was any other way to reply to Kasumi.
"Nonsense," Kasumi said, not quite scolding, but coming as close as Kasumi could. "You've all been fighting, right?" Before Ranma could reply with the fact that, no, she hadn't, Kasumi continued. "Besides, you all walked here in the rain, didn't you?"
Ranma sighed. "Fine, fine."
Ryoga snickered. "You girls have fun."
Kari and Ranma both thwacked him in the back of the head with blows that even Ryoga felt, obvious by the fact he rubbed his head in irritation.
Kasumi smiled at their antics. It must be nice to have such good friends.
X X X
"All right, you can go in," Ranma told Kari. "I'll go in when you're done."
The two were standing outside the bathroom of the Tendo residence. Kasumi had told Ranma and Kari to take a bath together. It was common practice for people of the same gender to take baths together, but what Kasumi didn't know is that they really weren't the same gender. Kari was indeed a girl, but Ranma was a boy. It could be argued that Kari had a boy's mindset, which was true enough, but she wasn't about to let boys see her female body in the nude.
"Okay, I'll come tell you when I'm done," Kari replied. "Shouldn't take too long. You go and keep Ryoga from getting lost, or something."
Before he left, Ranma had to add one last comment. "Don't take all day, I wanna get my bath in before it's time for sleep."
Kari growled. Stupid chauvinist. Like she'd take all day in a bath. She walked into the changing room and slammed the door closed behind her.
Quickly stripping herself of her ninja outfit and throwing it into the clothing hamper, Kari entered the main bathing area and began filling up the bucket with cold water. The Tendo encounter had gone a little different than she remembered. She honestly didn't recall exactly how their meeting went in the manga or anime, as it had been quite a few years since seeing either one, but she certainly knew that Ranma was the one identified as Ranma. And Ranma was the one to fight against Akane.
Something else happened after that to Ranma, but Kari didn't remember what that was.
Deciding it was a moot point, there were bound to be changes between canon Ranma and the real version, with her in the equation. Also noticing that the bucket was full, Kari sat down on the stool set up near the furo. She dumped the bucket over her head, shivering from the ice cold water. It was cold!
Kari reached for the soap. The sooner she was clean, the sooner she could soak in the furo.
X X X
Ranma and Ryoga sat together at the back shoji, staring into the backyard. In the room behind them they could hear the talking of Soun and Genma, who had finally returned to human form. Ryoga watched Nabiki peer curiously at the pair, wondering who Genma was. Surprisingly, the girl never thought to ask Ranma or Ryoga. She had asked Kasumi, who was on her way to the kitchen, but hadn't asked them.
Realizing something, Ryoga turned to his currently female companion. "Hey, Ranma?"
The pigtailed girl looked over at Ryoga. "Yeah?"
"Where's Akane?"
Ranma shrugged. "She was on her way up to take a bath. I saw her on my way out here."
Ryoga's eyes bulged. "But... but... Kari's in there, isn't she?
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "So? They're both girls."
Ryoga sighed. His rival really was clueless...
X X X
Kari looked up as she heard the door to the bath slide open. Her eyes widened when Akane walked in, smiling at the younger girl.
That's what had happened in the manga. Akane walked in on Ranma.
"Hello," Akane said. "There's room for two in there, I hope." She giggled at her own joke.
Kari tried her best not to blush (or get a nosebleed.) She had never noticed when watching Ranma 1/2, but Akane really was cute. Of course, this was real, and not an anime, so that might have something to do with it. This was decidedly uncomfortable, Kari believed. Being in the same room as a nude girl was not a good thing, while pretending to be a girl. Of course, most men (or people with the mindset of a man) would kill to be in her position, but Kari wasn't really thinking about that. Realizing she was staring at Akane, she blushed and turned away. "Sure thing," she said, finally replying to Akane. It's not as if she could kick Akane out of the bathroom. At least without appearing really awkward.
Akane paused when she noticed Kari look her over, then blush and turn away. She took a moment to look over Kari herself. She had assumed Kari to be about thirteen, but now even that appeared to be a conservative estimate. Akane had always been somewhat short, but Kari didn't even reach the top of Akane's chest. The girl also appeared fragile. Akane couldn't tell Kari was a martial artist, even knowing what to look for. Akane walked over to the furo and sat down on the stool next to it, beginning to rinse herself off.
Kari was trying very hard not to look.
"So," Akane spoke up, "why are you travelling with Ranma and Ryoga?" It seemed odd for such a small girl to be travelling with two older teens, especially as there was no relation. Where were the girl's parents?
Kari was purposely looking away as he answered. "Ryoga and I left our home, in Sendai, to track down Ranma and his father. Because we were all friends, and Ryoga and I didn't want to be separated from Ranma, just because of his idiot father." The answer was short and to the point. Kari had tried to keep it brief. Mostly because thought was hard when there was a cute girl bathing next to you.
Akane noticed that Kari wasn't looking at her, but decided to ignore that fact. She hadn't noticed, however, that Kari was using the 'wrong' pronouns when referring to Ranma. "How long ago was that? How old were you?" Akane was now washing her hair, trying to avoid getting any shampoo in her eyes as she watched Kari.
"Two years ago," Kari replied. "I was twelve."
Akane double blinked as she dumped the last of the water over her head, rinsing out the shampoo. "Wait, two years ago? So you're fourteen?"
Kari grimaced. "How old did you think I was?" she demanded, turning toward Akane without thinking, just as Akane was standing up to get into the furo. Blushing furiously, she quickly turned away. This was going to be a long bath...
X X X
As Akane and Kari walked into the living room, they found the entire household, including the new guests, sitting down at the table. Soun and another man Akane didn't know were sitting next to each other, chatting amiably. When they entered, all eyes turned to them.
"Ah, you're finally here," the bald man said. "Have a seat, girls."
"What's going on?" Akane asked, taking one of the open spaces, sitting next to Ryoga. Kari took the space next to her, next to Nabiki. Who was this guy? Maybe he was Ranma's father, they said he would be coming soon.
"My name is Genma Saotome," the man said, adjusting his glasses with one finger. He looked over to the current redhead. "And this is my son, Ranma Saotome."
Nabiki snickered, and Akane flat-out laughed. "Son? But Ranma's a girl!"
Akane's exclamation was met by Ranma turning away from Akane, and Genma looking even more serious. "I'm afraid that he, despite his looks, is my son, Ranma." He nodded solemnly. "Now, where to begin my story? Ah, yes, I know." He reaches behind him and pulled out a kettle. "I saved this for when everybody was here. We only want to do this once." He handed the kettle to his son, who accepted it with a grimace. "Show them, son."
"Do I have to, Pop?" Ranma asked, pleading. "Can't we just leave? I don't want them to think-"
"Be quiet, son!" Genma practically shouted. "We're going to be staying here! They need to know!" One could tell it was an old argument. Ranma never wanted to reveal his curse.
With a sigh, Ranma hefted the kettle over his head, allowing the contents to splash onto him. Nabiki and Akane were both shocked when Ranma suddenly gained several inches in height, had her hair turn from red to black, and, most importantly, turned from a girl into a boy. Kasumi simply said, "Oh, my," and the others had all expected it.
"It was a training accident that did this to us," Genma said, looking at the Tendo daughters one by one. "A horrible training accident. It was all Ranma's fault, of course, but I suppose I take a small share of the blame."
"A small share?" Ranma asked incredulously. "The entire thing is your fault!" Stupid old man...
Genma coughed. "As I was saying, it was all a training accident. The boy and I had just reached the sacred and mystical training ground, Jusenkyo..."
X X X
"Oh, father, is this the mighty training ground I have heard so much about?" The frail looking boy, wearing a dirty once-white gi, looked to his father for the answers.
"Yes, boy," the muscular man known as Genma replied. He ran a hand through his thick black hair. "This is the legendary training ground we've heard so much about. Though, I must admit, its legends don't match up to the reality."
The training ground looked to be a complete mess. Bamboo poles were sticking up out of small pools of water, but many of the poles were broken, and several held together with only tape. The water of the pools was murky, as if full of mud and grime. It wasn't a remarkable sight, and hardly a training ground worthy of Genma Saotome.
It was then that Genma made his only mistake. He decided that, even though the run-down look gave the training ground an eerie feeling, he decided to train there anyway. After all, it was the last stop on their training voyage.
"Come, Ranma!" the older man shouted, easily leaping over the bowing form of the Jusenkyo guide, who was busy prostrating himself in front of the mighty form that was Genma Saotome. Ranma followed, though much slower and with a marked amount of less skill. "Are you ready, boy?" Genma asked, easily balanced on top of the pole.
"Y, yeah," Ranma replied, though to Genma he seemed awfully unsure of his footing.
Oh, well, a good dunk would teach his foolish son a lesson!
SPLASH!
X X X
Ranma stared. Kari stared. Ryoga blinked.
"And that's when I realized my foolish son wasn't getting up," Genma continued. "Being the caring father I was, I immediately jumped down to help him, but-"
"That ain't how it happened AT ALL!" Ranma shouted suddenly.
Genma growled. "Who's telling the story, boy?"
"Not you, Pop," Ranma replied. "You're just making stuff up!"
"It was only six months ago," Ryoga piped up. "You definitely didn't have a full head of hair."
Kari nodded. "We were there right when Ranma knocked you into the spring. You fell in first, not him."
"So what DID happen?" demanded Nabiki, slapping her palm on the table. "And the truth, this time!"
"I'll tell the story," Ranma spoke up. "It happened like this..."
X X X
Ranma and Genma were a little sore from travel by the time they arrived at Jusenkyo, though it was nothing the two martial artists couldn't handle. They hefted their large travelling packs over their shoulders and dropped them to the ground with a thud.
"So, this is the legendary Jusenkyo, huh Pop?" Ranma's voice was cocky. "This doesn't look so tough."
"Don't be foolish, boy!" Genma replied. "This is the legendary training ground for a reason! The travel guide had it circled in red, with lots of bold words and everything!" He looked over the training ground before continuing. "Though I guess you do have a point, we've been to harder training grounds when you were ten." He couldn't see what was so tough about it.
Contrary to Genma's description, Jusenkyo seemed remarkably well kept. No broken poles, pristine water in the pools, and nothing to mar the beauty of the Chinese landscape.
That's when a short, somewhat pudgy man, dressed in a green communist outfit, ran toward Ranma and his father. "Sirs! Sirs! What you doing here? This place very, very dangerous!"
"Don't be foolish!" Genma snapped. "This place won't even make us break a sweat!" With foolish confidence born of years doing nothing but thievery and harsh training, Genma made an impressive leap onto one of the bamboo poles.
Ranma easily matched his father's leap, landing easily on a pole about fifteen feet away from his father. Balanced easily on one heel, the ponytailed boy smirked. "Come on Pop, let's get this over with."
"Don't be so cocky, boy!" Genma shouted, leaping toward his son. Ranma leaped toward him and the two met in midair, exchanging a rapid series of blows.
'They're good,' the Jusenkyo guide thought. Maybe they wouldn't fall in?
The exchange of hits ended with a kick from Ranma, hitting his father in the gut and knocking the older man down into one of the pools below, a rather large pool near the center of the training grounds.
That's when Kari and Ryoga showed up. Ryoga, surprisingly, was leading the group. The two got a good view of Genma falling into a spring, sending up a large splash of water.
"Damn, too late," Kari muttered.
Ryoga was about to ask what she meant when Genma burst forth from the spring, landing on the pole above the pool. But what everybody, with the exception of Genma himself, realized was that Genma wasn't quite normal. He had turned into a large furry panda.
"What the hell is that!" Ranma shouted down to the Jusenkyo guide, so surprised that he didn't even notice Kari and Ryoga standing a ways behind the flustered guide.
"I try warning customers! Whoever falls in springs take body of what drown there! Bald customer fall in Shonmaoniichuan, spring of drowned panda." The Jusenkyo guide appeared miffed that his warning had fallen on deaf ears, even if Ranma was giving him his full attention at the moment. "At least he have hair now..."
"That panda is Genma?" Ryoga asked Kari, trying to make sure he understood it right.
"Yeah," Kari replied. "It is." That was weird. She knew it would happen, but all the same, seeing somebody change forms in front of you was disconcerting.
Genma grunted something, then leaped for Ranma, who was still looking in shock toward the Jusenkyo guide. With a single swipe of his paw, Genma sent Ranma flying into a spring near the edge of the training grounds.
"Ranma!" came the simultaneous shot of Kari and Ryoga. The two ran toward their fallen friend, concern etched in their faces. Kari knew what was going on, but she was still concerned. Ryoga simply had no idea what had happened, so he was doubly worried for their friend.
They reached the side of the spring just as Ranma sat up. The spring, apparently, wasn't more than a few feet deep. Ranma looked up at her two friends. "Huh? Ryoga? Kari?" She was confused. "What are you two doing here?" Her voice sounded off, somehow.
That's when the Jusenkyo guide found his way to the spring. "Oh, very sorry sir, you fall in Nyannichuan, spring of drowned girl. Very tragic story of girl who drown there one thousand, five hundred year ago. Now whoever fall in spring take body of young girl."
"What?" Ranma's voice was deadpanned. The martial artist looked down, and noticed he wasn't a he. The breasts were confirmation of that fact.
"I think he's in shock," Kari whispered to Ryoga, who nodded mutely.
"POP!"
Ranma's shout, which was heard all the way in the Amazon village, caused Genma to stop in his tracks. Genma had been calmly walking toward his son, intent on chewing him out, when he had noticed two strangers and the guide standing around his boy. Thinking perhaps that his son had been hurt, and therefore needed to be yelled at some more for being weak, he began stomping toward his son's position. Then he heard the scream. A scream full of such rage it briefly reminded Genma of the one and only time he had truly angered his master.
And Genma knew fear...
As Ranma jumped out of the spring, intent on causing horrible bodily harm on Genma, Kari turned to the Jusenkyo guide. "Hey, Mr. Guide," she spoke up.
"Yes?" the guide asked, turning to the young girl.
"Where is Naniichuan? The spring of drowned man?" It would solve so many problems. She could get Ranma, and possibly Genma, cured before they even left China. And, most importantly, she could 'accidentally' fall in herself. She may have grown to accept her girl body, but it was the way a man eventually accepts a terminal illness. She had learned to live with it and the fact she would be stuck with it, but would do anything in her power to be rid of it if the chance presented itself.
The Jusenkyo guide gasped. "Little miss, you very smart customer! Nobody before think of curing curse by jumping into opposite spring!"
Kari felt like face faulting, but held herself back. What kind of idiots fell in these springs?
"But is too bad," the guide continued. "Naniichuan is currently under repairs. Maybe come back later?"
X X X
"So that's what really happened," Ranma concluded. His story-telling skills weren't the greatest, but at least he spoke the truth. With a little help from Kari and Ryoga, the Tendo sisters got an accurate description of the events that took place in Jusenkyo. "Now, whenever me or Pop is hit with cold water, we change forms, and hot water will change us back. Like those color change toys, only better."
Nabiki was the first to gather her wits and speak after the tale. "How is a spring under repairs?" Or the first to speak, at any rate.
Kari shrugged. "I don't know. But it was all boarded up and stuff, so I didn't go near it. Ranma and his idiot father might ignore the guide, but he knows Jusenkyo a hell of a lot better than I do."
"So, son," Soun said, clapping his hand on Ranma's shoulder, "your problem isn't so bad after all!" He laughed. "You know my daughters, son, so choose one and she'll be your new fiancé!"
Akane was shocked. "What!" There was no way her father was being serious!
"Oh, Akane wants him," Nabiki piped up.
"Definitely," Kasumi agreed. "She's always said she hates boys." She turned to Akane with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Well, you're in luck. Ranma's half-girl."
Akane growled. "How could I-?"
Her question was interrupted by Soun's exclamation. "It's decided!" He smiled broadly. "Ranma shall be engaged to Akane!"
"That's unfair!" Ryoga cried, just as Akane shouted "No way!" "You can't just engage them without their consent!" Ryoga finished.
Akane looked over at the boy who was defending her. He seemed awfully nice, standing up for her, unlike all those other boys.
"Yeah, Pop!" Ranma piped up.
"Foolish boy!" Genma shouted. "This is a matter of family honor! Do you want to dishonor us both, as well as the Tendos!"
Ranma relented under that point.
"How cowardly," Kari commented quietly to herself. "Hiding behind honor just so he can grow fat and retire when Ranma inherits the dojo."
Genma looked over at Kari. "You say something, girl?"
Kari gave a sweet, and obviously fake, smile. "Of course not, I'm just an innocent little girl, remember? Tee hee."
Genma nodded, satisfied, but Nabiki looked over Kari with new respect. There was more to her than there appeared.
Akane slammed her palm onto the table. "Wait! We haven't finished!"
"You have no say in this, girl," Genma replied. "So, yes, this is finished."
"You can't argue with Pop when he's got his mind made up," Ranma told Akane.
"Shut up, pervert!" Akane snapped in anger. She wasn't really at Ranma, just at the world in general, but when he spoke he also gave her a target to refocus her anger.
Ranma scowled. "Hey, look, I don't want this any more than you do!"
"Liar!" Akane snapped again.
"Hey, hold up!" Kari said, placing a hand on Akane's shoulder. "None of this is Ranma's fault, so blaming it on him won't help the situation."
"Then who do I blame?" Akane asked, more quietly but still with some force.
"The ones who deserve it," Kari replied, motioning toward Genma and Soun with her free hand.
Ryoga laughed with Kari as Akane and Ranma rose as one, moving over toward their fathers, who had moved into the kitchen for some celebratory sake.
X X X
"There's room here for all of you," Soun began, speaking as best he could with a swollen lip. "Genma, Ranma, and Ryoga can have the guest room, and Kari can share a room with one of my daughters."
"Which way?" Genma asked his old friend, rubbing his left arm as it hung limply at his side.
"I'll show you," Soun replied. Both men stood and limped rather pathetically toward the stairs.
Ranma and Ryoga both sighed. "See you tomorrow, Kari," said Ranma, standing up.
"Yeah, have a nice night," Ryoga added. He and Ranma then followed the two adults, taking a leisurely pace, as anything faster would put them ahead of the two slowly limping men.
Kari looked nervously over at Akane. It would be either her or Kasumi, and she wasn't sure which one was worse. Then a picture of Akane, naked, her long hair dripping with water as she... Kari blushed and threw her mind away from that thought. Okay, so she hoped she would room with Kasumi.
"Hey, Kari," Nabiki spoke up.
"Huh?" the girl in question eloquently replied.
"In Jusenkyo, you never mentioned, but did you or Ryoga get curses?" Nabiki leaned forward. "Both you and Ryoga were protected from the rain. You had your cloak, and Ryoga had his umbrella. So we wouldn't know if either of you had one."
"No," Kari replied, though a little too quickly for Nabiki's taste. "Nothing happened to either of us. Just Ranma and his stupid father."
Akane looked at Kari in wonder. Maybe Kari had the same curse as Ranma, and that's why she was so nervous in the furo? Then she immediately threw that idea out the window. After all, that's where they were - the furo. Kari had been submerged to her chin in hot water.
"It's getting late," said Kasumi in a motherly voice. "You should get some rest, Kari, you've been travelling a long time."
"I've been through worse," Kari replied simply, then immediately followed that statement with a yawn. Blushing a bit, she added, "Though I guess I am still tired."
Akane chuckled. "You can share my room." Akane figured that Kari would like it more with her than Kasumi, as they were closer in age. The gap between their ages was noticeable, but much less so than with Akane's eldest sibling. Nabiki would be all right, too, if the middle sister would agree to it, which was about as likely as snow in a desert during the height of summer.
Kari groaned. Gods, why'd Akane have to pipe up? At least there would be no nervousness with Kasumi, who was far too motherly to think about like that, or Nabiki, who was far too conniving to be attracted to. But arguing would appear too odd. "All right, Akane."
"I'll show you to my room," Akane added happily, getting to her feet and heading toward her room.
Kari followed dejectedly.
X X X
End Chapter Five
To be continued...
X X X
Author's Notes: It was my plan from the beginning to skip up to this part. You'll find out what happened in China some other time. Like flashbacks. Those are fun! At any rate, I don't feel like coming up with long author's notes, so... It's time for "Naze Nani Insert Self Here!" Which absolutely isn't a rip-off of either MegaTokyo or Nadesico. Absolutely not. For those of you who haven't seen/read any of those, Naze Nani is a small part where we dress up in funny costumes and tell you about how the comic/anime/fanfic.
For the costumes... I know you can't see it, but I'm wearing a bunny outfit.
Today's episode: Character names
Kari Umikage: Kari is a female version of my name in Japanese. My name in Japanese would be Karu, and Kari was close to it. This one, in fact, was directly mentioned as to how it came about. "Karu isn't a good name. How about Kari?" Umikage is a mix of two Japanese words, umi, meaning ocean, and kage, meaning shadow. It has to do with Shinzumaru's fighting style, but that'll come in later. Here's for spoilers, eh?
Shinzumaru Umikage: Shinzumaru is a play off of Shikamaru, my favorite anime character of all time. You'll also notice Shinzumaru acts a good deal like Shikamaru. Well, that's not done as a tribute to Shikamaru, I did that because I hate those all-knowing powerful mentor characters, so I made this mentor as many character flaws as I could think of. In the end, it just made him interesting, though. For his last name, read Kari's name creation, you lazy bastards.
Itachi Gatsuhara: Itachi is the Japanese word for weasel. I chose this name because it represents his double-crossing nature. And because I hate weasels, just like I hate Itachi. He's a bastard, you know. You might think he has redeeming qualities, but he doesn't. Trust me. Gatsuhara is a play off of Matsuhara, the animator for Ah! Megami-sama!
Ryo Sakegachi: Ryo is a common Japanese name. It also happens to be a kind of short version of Ryoga, his rival. Sakegachi... well, his name can be broken into two parts, the first of which has to do with his love and passion for drinking, the second... added so his last name wouldn't be "sake."
Nanashi Machiho: Nanashi, as explained, means "no name" and is given to almost all children of Nanashi's ninja clan. His last name, Machiho, is a place in Japan.
Raphael Harding: Raphael is the name of my favorite Renaissance artists. Mmm, School of Athens. Anyway, Harding is a typical foreign name without being too typical. Nothing special for that.
Kikucho Akihara: "El Kikucho" is an etching done by an artist. No special reason for using it, I just found it funny that a Spanish etching had a Japanese-sounding name. Akihara is the name of a Japanese doctor who helped poor Chinese children with vaccinations.
Akira Kodaku: This is a no-brainer. Akira is the name of a popular anime film. Kodaku is a Japanese version of Kodak, the film. That has to do with his self-perceived stardom.
Katsuharu Ono: Katsuharu is the name of a Japanese racer. Punk, racing, same thing ya know. And Ono... well, you can figure that out.
Shinji Ikari: Gods, do I have to spell these things out for you? Neon Genesis Evangelion. Watch it sometime.
Kouichi Yamadera: This is the name of Ryoga's voice actor.
Kappei Yamaguchi: This is the name of Ranma's voice actor.
Kojiro Shimizu: Kojiro is the Japanese version of James's name, from Team Rocket in the anime version of Pokémon. He's cool, so yeah, this is my homage. Shimizu was me trying to remember Shizune's name (from Naruto,) but I couldn't remember it and came up with Shimizu. Yeah, be quiet, I'm sure you make the same mistake.
Team Shirokuro: Named after Ryoga's guide dog.
Team Crimson: This has to do with the blood of their enemies. Yeah, Ryo's sadistic, ain't he?
Team Konoha: Homage to Naruto, and the village of the Hidden Leaf.
Team Phoenix: Named after a phoenix. This can be taken as a homage to Saffron and his tribe, or to Fawkes from Harry Potter.
Team Watanabe: These two unnamed members are, in fact, Nabeshin and Watanabe from Excel Saga. Their team is named after Watanabe as well.
Team Champion: This is just a bit of irony, Team Champion being the first to lose...
And there ya go! Everything you wondered about character names, and more! Much, much more... See you later!