Chapter 40 Issues and Answers
As Ranma entered the living room, he stopped in mid stride. For some reason, Nabiki was standing in the middle of the room, glaring at him. She had obviously been waiting for him. "What did you say to Mousse?" she asked, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Ranma nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He'd much rather face a charging rhino or elephant than face an angry Nabiki. He was more likely to survive the encounter with the charging beast. Finally he stammered, "Nothing, really. I just asked him to take good care of you is all. He's been good for you and I wanna see that continue."
"So you weren't trying to run him off and keep him away from me?" she said, the hostility leaving her voice.
"Sis, that's the last thing that I would do. He seems to make you happy, and that's extremely important to me," Ranma replied.
Her eyes softened and she said softly, "I'm sorry Ranma that I jumped to a conclusion. Thanks, it's nice to know that you care about my happiness." She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. Then she went upstairs to work on her schoolwork, or maybe dream about Mousse.
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Ranma continued into the dining area, pondering the mystery of women. There he found Mr. Tendo sitting by the shogi board, gazing at the koi pond but seeing nothing. As Ranma walked over, he heard Mr. Tendo sigh, and say, "I miss you Saotome. Why'd you have to leave?"
"Ready to trounce me in a game of shogi, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said easily, "You'll have to go easy on me though, I haven't played in a while and I'm sure I'm pretty rusty."
"Sure, Son," Soun said with a smile, "Though why do I feel like I'm being set up?" Ranma sat down across from his father-in-law, with a beatific smile as if to say, "Who me" and waited for Soun to make the first move.
"Something interesting happened at school today. Akane and I got a new homeroom teacher, a Ms. Hinako Ninomayi. She apparently was taught some martial art techniques that she says are from the Anything Goes School. She actually looks like a little girl, but she can drain a person's battle aura and when she does, she returns to her adult form," Ranma said.
Soun pondered that while he moved his first piece. "Hm, that's not a move that I'm familiar with," he responded, "Are you sure she said it was from our school?"
"That's what she said when Akane and I talked to her after school. She said she was taught by some perverted old man about twenty years ago," Ranma replied. After studying the board for a second, Ranma moved one of his pieces to counter Mr. Tendo's advance.
Soun gasped at the description of the person who had taught Ranma's new teacher. Then he asked, "Did she tell you what this master's name was?"
Ranma frowned in thought and replied, "Yes, she did. I've forgotten it, but it was Happo- something or other. Anyway, he's supposed to be dead. She heard that he had run afoul of a party of Chinese Amazon warriors and no one had heard from him after that. She stopped by the inn where he had been staying and the innkeeper said that he had boxed up all of his belongings and sent them to some disciple that lived in the Tokyo area."
Soun had started crying tears of happiness when he heard that the old master that he had feared for so long was dead. He sang, "The Master is dead, the Master is dead! We're free, we're finally free!" Ranma stared at the game board in amazement, realizing that subconsciously they had each made several moves during their conversation.
"So you were one of his disciples, then," Ranma stated.
"Yes. Both your father and I were his students. His only disciples as far as I know. Shortly after I got married, he disappeared and I never saw him again. That would have been about the same twenty years ago. He had said that he was only going to be gone a few weeks. When those weeks turned into months, and he still wasn't back, your father and I began to have hope that we truly had seen the last of him. Once we decided that, we must have celebrated for a week. It's funny. In a way, that's why you and Akane are married now," Soun said with a wry chuckle, "It was during that week long celebration that Genma and I pledged that one day our children would wed."
"Do you remember receiving anything that might have been his? You're sure there weren't any other disciples?" Ranma asked.
"I don't remember getting any packages that would have been his belongings. As your teacher said, he was perverted and liked to collect used women's undergarments. I'm pretty sure I would recall getting a box of panties or bras in the mail. I do know that Genma and I were his only students during that time. We traveled with him extensively for several years, watching him become more and more perverted. It was bad enough that he forced us to help him with his peeping at the woman's bath, but when he began his stealing of underwear, I finally had enough. That's when I went to him and told him that I was through being his student and left. He swore that I would regret that decision, and I've been worried that he would eventually come back. Your father left him shortly after I did as well," Soun said as he made another move, taking one of Ranma's pieces. "Then I found Kimiko and married her, and moved back into the family home. This home, actually. He came by one day, and ran into Nodoka and Kimiko, who were best friends. Apparently they must have been too much for him, since that was when he disappeared," he continued, smiling at the memory.
Ranma smiled briefly, seeing the look on Tendo's face. Then he made his move, taking one of Mr. Tendo's pieces and said, "I believe that puts you in check."
Soun looked at the board and said, "I knew you were trying to lull me into a false sense of security. What do you think, mate in six moves?"
Ranma smiled and replied, "I think so, but you might get lucky."
"Right, and the sun might rise in the west tomorrow, too. That'll be just as likely an occurrence," Soun said with a laugh," Thank you for the game and the conversation. Why were you curious about the Master Happosai?"
"I'm worried about Ms. Ninomayi. I didn't like what I was seeing in her aura and I was hoping I could find something that would tell me more about the techniques that she was taught. Like I said, she normally looks like a little girl, and then when she drains someone's aura, she is restored to her true form. While she is in her little girl form, her aura looks ill and I'm afraid that it is hurting her. I was hoping that if I can find out enough, we may be able to find a way to reverse the curse she is under," Ranma replied.
"His belongings may have been sent to your father. If so, it's probably in the stuff he left here, though it may be at your mother's house," Soun said after a few minutes of thought.
"That's a good idea, Mr. Tendo. I didn't even think about looking at Pop's stuff. Thanks, I can't believe I overlooked something so obvious," Ranma said in gratitude, tinged with a hint of embarrassment for missing that.
"Ranma, I've been meaning to ask you this before. Do you suppose you could call me Soun or maybe Dad?" Soun asked," After all, you're my son-in-law now, so there's no real need to be that formal anymore."
Ranma replied, "I'd be honored to call you Dad. I was just a bit reluctant to do so without your permission." He rose gracefully to his feet and then said, "Good game, by the way. I enjoyed it. We'll have to do it again. If Akane comes looking for me, I'll be upstairs looking through the old man's things while we wait for dinner." He headed upstairs to the guestroom to begin his search.
Fortunately, while Shampoo and his mom had packed up his father's belongings, they hadn't heard from Genma yet, so everything was still sitting in one corner of the guestroom. Quickly emptying the backpack, Ranma sorted through everything, looking for any books, papers or scrolls on martial arts. Finally, he found a battered leather portfolio, with the kanji for Happosai scribed into the leather.
Ranma opened the portfolio and began scanning the pages contained within it. Apparently, whoever this Happosai character was, he had believed in meticulous notes, and further more had arranged all of the techniques in order. Flipping quickly through the pages, Ranma found the Happo Go-en Satsu attack. Smiling happily now that he was sure that he was on the right track, he set the portfolio down long enough to repack all of the belongings of the person who used to be his father into the backpack. He shuddered to think what his mother would have said to him if she had seen the mess he had made while he was searching.
Once he cleaned up the room, Ranma returned to the portfolio and began reading the small, but neat, handwriting describing the Happo Go-en Satsu attack. As he read the pages, his face began to pale, as he discovered that his concern for the young teacher's health was not misplaced. According to what he was reading, he was surprised that she wasn't already very ill. At best, she only had a few more years ahead of her, unless her condition could be reversed.
Akane walked into the guestroom to find Ranma staring at a portfolio in his lap, his face very pale. "Ranchan, what's wrong?" she asked in concern.
Ranma jumped in surprise and then said, "I found this collection of techniques, Acchan. The Happo Go-en Satsu is described in some detail. That old man deliberately gave Ms. Ninomayi this condition, full well knowing that if it wasn't reversed, it would eventually kill her."
"Maybe he intended to reverse it once she was well. Remember, she was already in the hospital when he found her. Maybe he got killed before he could undo what he had down," Akane replied, " Does it say anything about how to undo what he did?"
"Well, there are several hints in what I've read. The technique he taught her only works if you already have the ability to absorb chi. He had to change her from a normal little girl into that chi vampire and I haven't found out how he did that, yet. We've got a lot of reading to do, I'm afraid, and looking at some of the titles alone is enough to make me blush. When she said he was a pervert, she wasn't kidding," Ranma said.
"What do we tell her, Ranchan?" Akane asked, her face showing her concern.
Ranma stared at her, lost in thought as he considered her question. "We have to tell her what I've found out so far. I'd also like Doc to take a look at her as soon as possible. Tomorrow, we need to show her this portfolio, and find out what other techniques she might have been taught. After that, maybe we can convince her to see Doc," he said finally.
The next day, after class, Ranma and Akane waited for Ms. Ninomayi to meet them at the front gate. Ranma had invited her to join them for some ice cream at the local ice cream parlor, and as he had hoped, she had been unable to resist the lure of the frozen treat. Finally, the young teacher joined them, skipping lightly down the steps from the main building and then down the front sidewalk to the gate. The three of them made their way to the ice cream parlor, where they made their selections and then found a booth away from everyone else so that they could have some privacy. Once they sat down, Ranma grumbled, saying, "It still feels funny eating ice cream as a guy, Acchan."
Ms. Ninomayi looked up at that and asked, "What does that mean?"
Ranma said, "Oops, I forgot. It's a long story, but for now, let's just say that my father has funny ideas about men eating ice cream. We asked you to join us for a reason, sensei. After our conversation yesterday, I talked to Akane's father. He had never heard of the technique that I described to him, but he did confirm that his old master was the pervert you met. He and my father were the only disciples that old man ever had, so I had hopes that we might be able to find more information about the ability to drain chi."
"Why were you curious about that ability, Ranma? I doubt you want to learn the technique based on how it's affected me," Ms. Ninomayi asked.
"Uh, something about your chi when you are in this form looked odd to me, Ms. Ninomayi. I can sense chi levels some because of my training, but I'm not an expert. Would you be willing to meet our brother-in-law, Dr. Tofu Ono. He is an expert at reading a person's aura," Ranma replied.
"So you think there's something wrong with me?" Ms. Ninomayi asked in concern.
Akane hesitated and then replied, "We found a portfolio that belonged to Happosai that contained information about the Happo Go-en Satsu. It also listed a lot of other techniques as well. We still have a lot of reading and research to do, but one thing we have learned is that the use of the Happo Go-en Satsu eventually will make you very ill, and possibly kill you."
Ranma added, "While you're in your child form, your aura seems to be dark and not like any I've seen before. As an adult though, you look normal. Also, when you absorb chi from a male it seems to want to unbalance you even more. I expect you feel a little queasy when you drain a guy as opposed to when you drain a girl."
She thought for a while, and then replied, "Yes, I do feel better when it is a girl. I stay in my adult form much longer when I have to drain a female delinquent. When it is a male, I have to rid myself of that energy, so I revert to a child sooner. I think I would like to visit your Doctor Ono and have him take a look at me. I'm not sure I want to go to his clinic, though. I know it sounds silly, but I have a morbid fear of hospitals and clinics. I suppose because of all of the time I spent in one as a child."
"Then why don't you join us for dinner? He and my sister Kasumi still live with us. After dinner, he can examine you, and also all three of us can read the notes that Happosai left," Akane suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea, Akane," Ms. Ninomayi said, "I haven't met too many people yet here in Nerima, and I do get a bit lonely in my apartment."
Ranma smiled at her and said, "Then let's go home. There you'll meet some pretty nice people. Everybody loves Kasumi and Tofu." The three of them rose and left the ice cream parlor.
As they neared the Tendo home, Ranma cursed as he felt the transformation occur. She glared at the old lady who had managed to get her with her hose. "Damn, here I'd almost made it through the day," she growled. Then she turned to her companions only to see Ms. Ninomayi looking at her in shock.
"But, you were a boy!!" the teacher said in surprise.
"Uh, I'll explain when we get home," Ranma said, "And yes I'm still the same person."
The three of them entered the Tendo house. As they entered, Akane called, "Tadaima, we're home, and we brought a guest."
Soun looked up from where he was sitting and asked, "Hello, Akane, Ranma, who's your friend."
"This is that new homeroom teacher, Ms. Hinako Ninomayi, that I told you about last night, Dad," Ranma replied, "Ms. Ninomayi, this is Soun Tendo, Akane's father and my father-in-law."
"I'll go tell Kasumi we have a guest for dinner, and get you some hot water, Ranchan," Akane said.
"Thanks, dear. Now, I'm sure you have a ton of questions about what just happened, sensei. The short version is my father and I fell into some cursed springs at a training ground in China called Jusenkyo. When I get splashed with cold water, I turn into a girl, and then I change back with hot water. As far as we know, there is no cure, so I've had to learn to live with this. As you can imagine, it has made my life interesting," Ranma said.
"But that's magic!" the teacher said.
Ranma raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and said, "You change forms between a young girl and an adult and you have a hard time believing me?"
"Uh, good point," she said blushing.
Kasumi and Nodoka followed Akane from the kitchen, Akane carrying a pot of water. Ranma took the pot of water and went outside. "Kasumi, Mom, this is our new homeroom teacher, Ms. Hinako Ninomayi," Akane said, "Ms. Ninomayi, this is my oldest sister Kasumi, and Nodoka, Ranma's mother and m my mother-in-law."
"Oh my, they get younger every year," Kasumi said.
Nodoka looked surprised, saying, "You'll have to excuse us, it's a bit hard to believe that you're old enough to be a teacher."
"Mom, Kasumi, stop that! You'll embarrass us in front of her. She has an odd ability that changes her from her normal adult form to what you see here," Ranma said, as he came back in, wet but now male, "Is Doc home from the clinic yet, Kasumi-chan?"
Kasumi smiled and replied, "No, he called to say he would be home a little late. One of his patients was running longer than he expected. He did say he would be home in time for dinner, though."
"Okay, thanks. While we wait, why don't we look through that portfolio? Maybe we can find out more about all of this," Ranma suggested. The other two nodded, and followed Ranma to the room he shared with Akane.
Once the three of them got comfortable, with Ranma and Akane sitting on the bed, and Ms. Ninomayi sitting on the desk chair where she could look over his shoulder at the portfolio, Ranma said, "I guess the first thing we ought to find out is what all techniques you were taught and then see what the notes say about each of them. Is that all right with you, Ms. Ninomayi?"
She hesitated for a second and then replied, "Sure, that sounds like a good idea. Also, please, stop with the Ms. Ninomayi. I'd like you two to call me Hinako at least while we're not in school. Now you've already seen the Happo Go-en Satsu. That attack allows me to drain off someone's battle aura. The next technique is similar, the Happo Goju-en Satsu, which allows me to drain someone's chi, even if they don't have a battle aura. I can also use various levels of Happo Tsurisen Gaeshi to blast the chi that I have collected back at someone."
Ranma flipped through the notes that were in the portfolio and then smiled. "Yes! The other two are here as well." The other two read with him as he perused the notes on each of the three techniques, Akane getting slightly impatient waiting on Ranma to finish each page. Finally, they finished, all three of them looking extremely pale.
Hinako put her head in her hands and began to sob. Ranma looked helplessly at Akane, who went over and held her, trying to comfort her. "It's not hopeless, Hinako," Akane said gently, "I have to believe there is a way to undo what that old man did to you."
"I agree with Acchan," Ranma said, his voice ringing with confidence, "We just have to look through these notes some more, I'm sure. There'll be something that will fix this."
"Thanks, you two. You're right. I can't give up hope. Not yet at least," Hinako said, lifting her face bravely and looking at the two young adults who were refusing to give up hope.
Akane remembered one of the passages they had just finished reading, and asked, "Wasn't there a comment in there about chi vampires that referenced something?"
"Yes! Now that you mention it, I recall a passage that talked about how we are created," Hinako said with growing excitement, "I think it was in the second set of notes we read." Ranma flipped to those notes and handed the portfolio to the two women. Hinako quickly scanned down the page until she found the passage that she had remembered. It described a technique of using pressure points to allow someone to absorb chi energy.
"Pressure points to absorb chi energy, hm," Ranma said, "I think we need to talk to Doc for sure now. He knows a lot about pressure points, and I bet he can find out what we need."
"Ranchan's right, Hinako," Akane agreed, "I'm sure he'll either know, or be able to find someone who does!"
Nabiki said from the door, "Hey, Kasumi sent me up here to tell you it was time for dinner."
"Thanks, Sis. Tell her we'll be right down," Akane said. The three of them left the room and followed Nabiki downstairs, where they met the final member of the Tendo household entering the living room.
"Hinako, this is my brother-in-law, Tofu Ono. Tofu, this is my homeroom teacher, Hinako Ninomayi," Akane said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Kasumi mentioned that you were here, and told me a little about your condition. I've never heard of it before, but I'd like to try to understand what happens to you. Maybe we can talk after dinner," Tofu said.
"Actually, I'm looking forward to it. One of the reasons I'm here tonight is for you to examine me and then hopefully help us find a cure," Hinako replied.
"Apparently, Pop's old master used a set of pressure points on her to enable her to absorb chi energies and then taught her several techniques to do that," Ranma added.
"Pressure points to absorb chi, where have I seen that before," Tofu mused.
Nabiki protested, saying, "Enough shop talk you guys. I'm hungry and Kasumi is waiting for us."
After dinner, Tofu excused himself and went with Hinako into the bathroom to examine her carefully. After a few minutes, they came back out, with Tofu wearing his professional face, and Hinako looking extremely sober. "Ranma, you were right, there is something very odd in her aura. It's almost as if there is some sort of feedback loop. I hate to ask this, but I need to see what her chi looks like when she is an adult," he said.
Ranma sighed and said, "Please be gentle with me, Hinako."
She giggled and pulled out a fifty-yen coin, and cried, "Happo Goju-en Satsu," draining just enough chi from Ranma to transform to her adult form. "Was it good for you, Ranma?" Hinako asked archly. Soun's eyes bugged out as he saw the very attractive young woman standing before him.
"Very funny," Ranma said weakly, from the floor where he had fallen.
Tofu gazed at Hinako for several minutes and said, "The feedback loop seems to be gone in this form. I think that means if we can reverse the pressure points that you received as a child, you will be perfectly healthy in this form. I've got several books at work that I need to look at. It's early enough in the evening that I think I'll go back there."
Kasumi asked sweetly, "Could you use some help in your research, dear?"
"I would love your company, Kasumi. It will make the reading go much quicker if there is another set of eyes," Tofu said.
Hinako bowed, and said, "I want to thank all of you for your concern. Also, thank you for a wonderful dinner. Ranma, Akane, I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Soun replied, "You're always welcome here, Ms. Ninomayi."
She batted her eyes at him and said, coyly, "Please, call me Hinako."
"Certainly, Hinako. I hope we see more of you," Soun replied. He stood up and escorted her to the door, while everyone else face-faulted.
Tofu and Kasumi followed them out to begin their research at the clinic.
"Acchan, I think I'm gonna need some help to get upstairs," Ranma moaned.
Akane snickered, and helped him up. Still holding onto him, she half-carried and half-dragged him upstairs.