Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. In addition to real-life things, I've been having a bit of writer's block. Not in where the story should go since I pretty much know where I'm heading but rather a few minor things. Some ideas needed reworking and reorganized in their ordering. Figuring out Japan's transit structure as of late March 1977 has also been an interesting challenge that I never expected to take on, but I hope that it has added to the realism of things.

Guest: Regarding when Happosai was sealed, there is some confusion on that. On one hand, flashbacks show a notably younger Genma and Soun sealing Happosai. On the other, the OVA with Kurumi and Natsume (who Rumiko Takahashi designed personally) explicitly state that Happosai was out and about ten years before the start of the series. It's a nebulously defined timeframe, much like everything else in this general period of Ranma's past, which gives me a lot of material to play with for this fic. Arguably, a series set in this period of Ranma's life would have as much material available for it as the original show did.

Guest: It's true that muscle memory is in the brain, but Ranma didn't know that. He thinks it's in the nerves in the muscles because Genma sucks at explaining things. It's actually going to be at the beginning of this chapter where he starts to realize that he's not as bad off as he thought, and I'm going to write it a bit more clearly based on your feedback. His main issue will be his younger body's physical limitations, and he already has ways to fix that in time. Cologne is in the same boat, except she's getting used to a stronger body rather than a weaker one. Three days of acclimation will be more than enough for her.

Edit: I went back into earlier chapters and toned down the comment on muscle memory on 2020/12/3 as part of general cleanup.

TheUnitedWritersVXN: I don't discuss my plans regarding future plot points here, but it's a nice idea!

Major Simi: Murphy's Law is an even greater staple of Ranma ½ than the transformations. It'd be a shame if I didn't let it rear its ugly head once in a while~

Wordlurker: Regarding the idea that Ranma doesn't fight girls is just fanon, please see Episode 2, about 20 minutes in when Ranma and Akane are standing in the hallway with buckets after being late for class. Akane taunts Ranma to fight her some time. In the sub's translation, Ranma says he'd have to hold back because she's a girl. In the dub, he outright says "I don't fight girls". I'm not sure which is more correct, though I remembered the dub when writing this. It also lines up with his conduct. He'll fight girls as a girl like with Kodachi, but he typically doesn't do so as a male unless he has no choice or is ignorant of his opponent's gender.


Chapter 08: Battles of Honor

March 24, 1977

"Tchtchtchtchtch...will you stop pokin' it?" Ranma asked of his friend as the young girl applied fresh dressings to injuries on his hands and arms. The fire with the pebbles in it roared nearby and torn apart rocks lay scattered across the area next to their campsite. It looked like an explosion test site from all the training, a large number of shadows reaching from the debris due to the early morning sun's rays.

Ukyo looked up from her work to Ranma's face with irritation. "How can I do this without touching it? Why did you hurt yourself so much, anyway?" The girl's question wasn't without merit, but he didn't give an immediate answer. After Ukyo had practiced with ki manipulation and ki-space to the point of needing to rest, Ranma had taken to training with the Breaking Point and Chestnut Fist again.

When he did so, he'd realized something. Ranma had retained his technique, but it was geared toward an older body's structure and power. This resulted in mistakes in form and the like which he'd initially misdiagnosed as slight clumsiness but could be readily fixed through training. His far larger ki reserves had also carried over and helped him retain his accelerated healing factor. All in all, he was feeling strangely good about his situation considering that he was stuck in the past in a weaker body. Anything of value that he had lost could be reclaimed with interest through practice.

"I just pushed myself a bit too far. I'll be fine! Really!" Ranma finally responded when he became aware of Ukyo's impatient glare. He'd bolstered his hand and arm muscles with ki to get as far as he could and had to spend the night resting. It was a lost day on their journey, but Ranma's father was hopefully in a distant part of Japan right now. "At least you managed to get the ki-space technique down." Ranma praised, trying to distract her from her worry.

"Just with pebbles or paper. I can't get big stuff in or out without messing up half the time..." Ukyo was a bit disappointed and tied off his final dressing with a bit too much force. Rather than showing empathy for the wince on his face, she crossed her arms in displeasure. She was still upset at him for hurting himself in spite of the change in topic.

"Hey, at least it means you can carry money and bus passes without a wallet. You can't get robbed that way! Speaking of robbin'...It's time I taught you a big part of livin' on the road! After breakfast's over, it's time for us to rob some bad guys!" Ranma said this with excitement, trying to get Ukyo on board, but the young girl just stared at Ranma blankly for a few moments with wide eyes. After taking a few moments to process this information, she let out the response of a person with at least a bit of common sense left in her worldview.

"EEEEHHHHH?!"


Nodoka Saotome demurely wiped her lips with the napkin as she finished her meal. Letting others see her eat in public transit was a departure from convention, but a necessary one due to urgency. In spite of the dire situation, she couldn't help but be fascinated by watching Japan speed past outside the window of the train. She'd changed over from the Tokaido Shikansen to the Sanyo Shikansen as she went West, and she finally boarded the Kagoshima Main Line for the final leg of the journey. She had not traveled in a number of years, and this adventure did appeal to her on some level. That part of her started to understand the appeal of a training journey or a vacation breaking up the typical monotony of life. The breakfast okonomiyaki made by Mr. Kuonji for her trip simply made it better, being superior to the offerings on the trains themselves or at the stations it had passed through by a notable margin.

As Nodoka cleaned up after breakfast, her mind went back to her discussions with the man after they finished speaking with the police. With how tight his margins already were and the need for someone to stay in Kyoto should the kids be found and returned there, Mr. Kuonji was quite happy when Nodoka volunteered to inquire about both Ukyo and Ranma in Kagoshima. The police there hadn't found any sign of foul play or abduction, but the letter that was found in the park during Genma's arrest was the only lead Nodoka had. It was also the most likely place for Genma to go after escaping from his jail cell for that very reason.

As Mount Sakurajima slowly grew in size outside her window, Nodoka picked up the bundle holding the Saotome Honor Blade and clutched it tightly. Though she'd been praised highly for protecting Detective Ito's life with the sword, the truth was that Genma's actions had created that situation in the first place. She was simply fortunate to have been able to prevent it from becoming worse than it already was.

It was one more thing to add to the growing list of dishonorable actions to hold Genma accountable for.

Before long, the train slowed to a stop and entered the station. Operating on less sleep than she would have liked, the young wife rose and straightened out her kimono before she left the train. Taking note of a map at the station and the ferry times to Mount Sakurajima, she was pleased to see that there were ferries across the water to the mountain roughly every fifteen minutes during the day. Nodoka could easily get there from the station by bus plus a one minute walk.

She wondered exactly what she'd find when she arrived.


In spite of her initial hesitation, Ukyo was very happy. She was beaming, in fact, as an older woman in a kimono patted her head while a beaten up thief lay tied up in the street nearby. The purse snatcher had attempted to rob a wealthy lady who had gotten off the Shikansen, and he had gotten a spatula to the back of the knee and a kick to the face for his trouble. "Thank you very much, little ones! It's nice to see some people using their strength for good instead of for themselves! And so young, too! How old are you? Aren't you a bit young to be fighting crime?"

"We're six and we're on a Martial Arts training journey! We're gonna go see his mommy!" Ukyo said, surprising Ranma. He didn't like how much Ukyo had volunteered, but there wasn't much that could be done about it after the fact. Thankfully, the 'training journey' was interpreted by the woman as 'playing while on the way to her friend's house'.

"Six years old and being that strong. Well, justice deserves a reward! Here you go, you two! With this, you should each be able to buy a nice outfit for the coming school year! Don't let your 'training journey' take too long! I'm sure that his mother would be worried if it did." Ukyo and Ranma were each given a 10,000 yen note, which made the former's eyes sparkle. Ranma noted the eye with which the woman regarded his battered and torn gi, and he knew that her statement that it should go to clothing was in part because of his own weathered appearance.

"W-wow! I've never seen this much money before! Ran-chan, look!" Ukyo showed Ranma, even though he had the same amount of money.

"Yeah, it's a lot! Thanks!" Ranma smiled in kind, giving a bow before the woman walked away. Ukyo bowed as well at the reminder and gave another happy smile to her, before turning to Ranma.

"See? Returning the money we take from these thieves is a lot better than keeping it all! We might not get as much, but it's the right thing to do! Right, Ran-chan?" Ukyo was quite pleased with herself, and Ranma couldn't help but find himself agreeing in spite of the fact it limited how much food or water they'd be able to buy. Her smile was infectious.

"I suppose you're right, Ucchan. Pop justified stealin' from thieves by sayin' that the thieves didn't own what we took...but neither do we. Survivin' don't always let you make the best choices, but we ain't that hard-up yet. I'm hopin' we won't be if I can teach you how to hunt and fish along the way." When Ranma finished those words, Ukyo's smile faltered, and he wondered if he'd said the wrong thing.

"Sorry, Ran-chan. If Daddy hadn't dumped me on you...I'm slowing you down!" Ukyo looked away, but Ranma put his money in ki-space and touched Ukyo's shoulder to make her look at him again.

"H-hey, don't be like that Ucchan! I'm havin' fun with you here and helpin' you get stronger's what I want to do! Besides, leavin' you with your pop wasn't a good idea if he's gonna marry you off that easy. You need a fresh start as much as I do." Ukyo only had a brief time to think about this before she and Ranma heard a familiar voice.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! You lose!" The pair blinked for a brief moment before they urgently started to track the sound of the voice and the wailing child that immediately followed. What they saw at the source made Ukyo see red. In a park full of children, sitting on one of the swings, was the Gambling King. He was surrounded by toys, loose change, dolls, and juice boxes while several of the children cried about their lost money and possessions. "Nice try. Next!" He said, over the sound of a crying child in front of him.

"That guy again? Why does he have to be here?" Ukyo asked as she clenched her fist in anger. Ranma needed a moment, but he soon remembered. It had been mere days since Ranma and Ukyo were defeated by this cheater who used extra jokers in Old Maid, only for them to wrap him in a mat and dump him into a river. Ranma had ignorantly gambled away the Tendo Dojo in a promissory note during those games while Ukyo gambled away her family's cart. He never got the note back, and ten years later the creep had come to the Tendo Dojo to claim his ill-gotten gains.

"Hey, Gambling King!" Ranma was stunned out of his recollections when Ukyo barged out and stepped forward. The King looked over, and his eyes widened in surprise and a small bit of fear. Other children looked over in confusion to this newcomer.

"Gah! It's you two! You still owe me that cart, Ukyo! Treating me like that after a friendly game! Where's your sportsmanship?" The Gambling King's words made Ukyo even angrier.

"Sportsmanship? You used a bunch of extra jokers to cheat us! You got what you deserved!" Ukyo's outburst got the children murmuring, only for the Gambling King to smirk.

"I never said multiple jokers were against the rules. You made a bet and you lost. Don't go making slanderous accusations now." He retaliated by pointing at Ukyo insistently, getting over his initial shock. "How about you hand over that cart, and I'll let bygones be bygones!" The Gambling King was still trying to claim what he had wrongly won, a trait which reminded Ranma far too much of his own father.

Ukyo smirked. "Sorry, but the cart was a dowry. It's Ran-chan's now. You're out of luck!"

Of course, the Gambling King didn't find favor with this news and looked to Ranma. "Really? Well, maybe you'll be willing to play another game, Ranma Saotome...what was it you said to me back then? 'Ranma Saotome doesn't lose'?" The taunt got under his skin, and Ranma glared as the Gambling King pulled out the promissory note for the Tendo Dojo. "Old Maid. Joker is the card. The cart for this note of yours, winner takes both. No dumping me in a river this time. What do you say?"

"Kick his butt, Ran-chan!" Ukyo exclaimed, riling up the kids to cheer as well. They'd been ripped off, and they were quite angry now that they'd realized it. The young-again Martial Artist saw the note in his own scrawl and handprint, recognizing the suffering it would bring in the future, and he knew it was time to make up for his mistake. Recalling his own tactics from before, in addition to the intelligence that Nabiki had collected about the Gambling King's tells, Ranma gave a smirk.

"You're darn right I don't! Ucchan, I need your hair ribbon!" Ranma's urgent request surprised Ukyo out of her mood, and she blinked at her training partner for a moment. Untying the bow on her forehead and pulling it from her now free hair, she handed it over to Ranma. The Gambling King looked on, equally confused, only to watch as Ranma tied the ribbon around his face to conceal his eyebrows and mouth.

"I see. You seek to conceal your tells from me. It looks like you've finally gotten serious." The Gambling King was getting nervous. He was used to defeating and taking money from ignorant elementary school children, but this boy seemed to have grown from his defeat into something more. Something told him that this would be the Childrens' Card Game of the Ages.

Of course, the Gambling King's definitions of skill and strategy were fundamentally skewed, so it was likely to devolve into tells and cheating.

Ranma focused, even as he stood in front of the King. The Gambling King shuffled the deck while Ranma watching carefully. It's just like back then, Ranma. Just avoid the card he raises up, and keep him from loadin' your hand with his jokers. Without those tricks, he's a pushover! He was surprised out of this line of thinking when Ukyo slammed her 10,000 yen bill in between the two players.

"10,000 yen on Ranma-chan winning, against everything you've got! We're winning back everything you've taken!" Ukyo glared at the King in a rage while the kids gasped at the money that had just been thrown down. Ranma shrunk away from the furious girl slightly, seeing the briefest flicker of a green aura from her, but the Gambling King smiled in spite of the sweat on his brow. "Oh-ho-ho! I like that fire in your eyes! All in!"

The pressure was on and Ranma got to work. It started out normally enough. As they drew cards and put down pair after pair, the deck started to thin until it finally happened. He drew the joker into his hand. Keeping his face as still as possible behind the bandages, he moved the card up a bit so the top of the card stuck up further than the others...and the King took the bait.

Got ya! I just need to keep my wits about me! Of course, Ranma didn't always succeed. He sometimes drew the joker from the King in spite of his knowledge, but he was always able to pass it back right away. This Gambling King was ten years less experienced than the one he'd previously defeated, so he had a decided advantage in this battle between the worst Old Maid players in Japan!

Though the Gambling King started trying to slide the joker into Ranma's hand more overtly, the latter was on guard against this. He'd move his cards away from the offending limb whenever the King attempted to insert the joker into his hand.

"Hey, what's that thing!" The Gambling King said at one point, managing to insert the joker when Ranma glanced to look where the cheater pointed. Ranma found the card in his hand and a smug-looking Gambling King looking at him from across the picnic table. Ranma's response was to stare the Gambling King in the eye and move quicker than he could track.

To the Gambling King's horror, when he looked back down at his hand, there it was. The joker.

What...what madness is this? Just who is this boy? What kind of training has he gone through? He must be...junior high school-level! The King thought with alarm. He wasn't sure what to do. His own skills were limited to defeating Elementary School students. He was ill-equipped for this battle and would lose at this rate. With this in mind, the Gambling King did something desperate.

For a brief moment, while Ranma was looking at his own cards, Ukyo thought he saw the Gambling King's cards and hand blur. Every single turn from then on, Ranma pulled the joker. He'd always manage to give it back to the Gambling King, but it would be back in his hand on every single turn! It didn't matter which card he pulled. It was always the joker! Ranma was getting worried. What is this? I was doin' so well! It was all he could do to keep pace! Where was he going wrong?

Ukyo was standing to the side and had a very different perspective on the matter from Ranma. Her keen eye allowed her to notice that the Gambling King had changed tactics. He had his row of normal cards in his hand, then a finger holding those steady, then a hand of cards that were all jokers. Ranma drew exclusively from the line of jokers every turn while the Gambling King's own cards were protected!

Ukyo was enraged and about to call him out until she took note of the shadow between the two rows of playing cards.

Ucchan, everythin's trainin'. The sooner you learn that, the quicker you get stronger. Ranma's own words came back into Ukyo's mind and she started to smile as an idea formed. Still standing to the side, she took note of where the audience and the two players were looking at any given time. She took a breath to center herself and got to work. If the Gambling King was going to cheat to win, she'd match him blow for blow!

Ranma was glaring at the Gambling King, trying to figure out what to do, when he felt something shift in his hand. No force but rather an absence. Glancing down, he was stunned to see that the joker in his hand was gone and replaced with a card he didn't have before! ...What? Blinking and pausing in his play of the game, he wondered what was going on only to hear Ukyo giggle. The Gambling King laughed before he could respond.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho! What's wrong, Ranma? Struggling? Even your friend is laughing at you!" The man was pleased that the boy had failed to see through his 'Junior High Joker' technique, intended for matches that he couldn't win any other way. Strangely, Ranma simply responded with confidence. The Gambling King couldn't see under his face coverings, but Ranma was grinning widely.

"Nah, I think I've got this in the bag. Make your move already!" This earned a growl from the Gambling King as he pulled a card from Ranma's hand. The two of diamonds. Presuming the joker to still be in Ranma's hand, the Gambling King grinned. That was, at least, until he looked to his innermost hand to slide the new card in place and saw the joker staring at him.

The Gambling King looked furious, even if he dare not make a sound. He put the joker in the outer hand so that Ranma would draw it, and Ranma drew a joker as expected...but every single time Ranma would draw a joker from the outermost hand that the Gambling King had set up, the joker would appear either in the inner hand or in the shadow between the two! The Gambling King knew that Ranma wasn't using his own hands to put it back. He kept them in view constantly ever since the first time Ranma had countered him, and he was at a loss in terms of comprehending the situation. Ranma, by contrast, soon realized what Ukyo was up to and made sure not to stare too intently at his hand so she could work. Efforts to attack his hand while Ranma wasn't looking were dealt with by Ukyo in a similar manner. The jokers just kept going straight back to the Gambling King.

Ranma soon sat there with a completely empty hand, and the Gambling King was sweating bullets.

"No more cards to draw!" Ranma said, amused under his makeshift mask and having no cards left.

Should I set down three pairs of jokers? No, that would just end the game with my still holding a joker. The kids finding out I have multiple jokers in play isn't a problem. I never said that more than one joker wasn't allowed. With my holding all of them and his holding none, though, I'd still lose! What can I do here? The Gambling King grumbled as he attempted to find a solution.

"Put down your pairs and show the joker, Gambling King! You've already lost!" Ukyo's voice had ample confidence, even as the kids in the audience started to try and get a closer look at the Gambling King's hand. Ukyo had been having some significant trouble getting the ki-space technique to work regularly with such a large audience watching the action and without touching her targets directly. Regardless, she'd pulled it off. Were it an enemy's weapon in their hand in battle, she doubted she'd be able to manage.

The Gambling King smirked even while sweating bullets. "...H-how about we double-down? The ribbon you're wearing on your face! Bet it in addition to everything else, and I'll bet my...my ring! It's 100% imitation gold! If you draw a joker, you lose the ribbon along with the previous bet. Anything else though, you win big!"

Ukyo was worried Ranma would go for it, but her fears were alleviated when Ranma scoffed. "Tryin' to weasel out of it? You're already gamblin' all you've got! Knowin' you, every card you've got's a joker!" Of course, Ranma wasn't saying this due to some miraculous flash of insight. The man had tried and failed to pull the same trick in Ranma's previous 'loop' through life. Still, the accusation was enough for the man to wince.

Dropping his hand on the table, the whole group saw the row of seven jokers. His bluff had been called and his alternatives exhausted. It was time to pay up.

Yeah, like he'd ever do that.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction of the reading of the cards, he leaped up and tried to run. He moved no more than five steps before the two young Martial Artists closed the distance and blocked him off. Even if the man were able to escape the audience of children, it was clear that Ranma and Ukyo were no easier to evade than last time. "N-now, now...it's not nice to hit your elders, children." The Gambling King said, trying to avoid the imminent beating. He acutely recalled being bound and tossed into the water last time...

When Ranma started to crack his knuckles, it was then that he truly realized that he had lost.


A man with tanned skin and ashen hair roared out in rage, swinging from a rappelling rope and extending a kick. Genma wanted to block, but the spikes on the crampons the man wore on his boots forced the wily martial artist to leap and evade. Armed with inferior tools, Genma had to rely on a shovel to deflect the next blow from an ice ax which the man swung on a nylon loop to make into a more suitable ranged weapon.

"Return my son, Yamamura! Kidnapping him was inexcusable!" The disadvantaged martial artist roared out as he used the shovel to scoop up some ash and fling the fine powder to make a smokescreen.

"You dare accuse me of stealing your son! Even after you tried to steal from us?" The man bellowed, able to get through the ashen diversion by swinging his weapon like a propeller using the nylon loop and using the air movement to blow the ash away. He put away the axe and instead dual-wielded grappling hooks before he continued to pursue Genma. Using ki to guide the ropes and the hooks on the ends to optimal positions, he was able to pursue Genma with frightening competency across the face and peaks of Mount Sakurajima.

Such was the ferocity of the Yamamura School of Martial Arts Volcano Climbing.

Lower down the volcano and closer to the shores of the nearby bay, a mother and her daughter observed the conflict from the steps of the Yamamura Dojo using binoculars. Footsteps in the yard called their attention to the newcomer who had just passed the debris that was formerly the front gate before Genma had barged through it. The newcomer spoke with a mild inflection of surprise. "M-my apologies for the intrusion, but it seems my husband has already made his presence known. I'm Nodoka Saotome. May I please speak with Mr. Hideki Yamamura?" The newcomer was revealed to be Genma's wife, which made the other woman's eyes narrow with the revelation of her identity.

"Your husband is still 'speaking' with mine at the moment. My husband is in his element while your own is...well, his efforts are admirable for someone outside of his niche." Mrs. Yamamura pondered for a moment, during which she gave Nodoka a wary glance, before allowing Nodoka to take a look at the action through a spare set of binoculars. Nodoka accepted them and looked on at the battle in progress. She took on a shocked expression at the display of prowess before steeling herself.

"I see that my husband is hardly subtle regarding this matter. My apologies, Mrs. Yamamura." Nodoka said, surprising the lady of the house as she turned and removed the binoculars from her face to give a fairly deep bow. "Genma stopped listening the moment he realized our son was missing and that the note bearing your husband's name was found at the scene. Had he been more attentive, he would know of your husband's alibi as well as other aspects that the police believe to make your family's involvement unlikely." Nodoka's comments helped alleviate the other woman's hostility to a degree.

"Well, at least you seek to be civil. I must ask though, why you are here if you know the accusation to be false?" The woman stood next to her young daughter, who was watching the new development with caution. "Are you here to talk some sense into your husband?"

Nodoka gave a nearly imperceptible sigh before regarding Mrs. Yamamura with a focused expression. "While it is true you are not likely to be the one responsible for the disappearance of my son, you are also the only lead. With my son gone and my only choices being to either stay idle or chase a probable lie across Japan...well, my staying idle and trusting my son's welfare to my husband is what has led us to this point. I am also here on behalf of Mr. Tetsuya Kuonji, the father of a six-year-old girl named Ukyo Kuonji. She disappeared with Ranma, and I seek clues to find both of them."

Mrs. Yamamura's expression softened in understanding. It was a horror that no mother should go through, and at least this woman was carrying herself with grace. Nodoka continued speaking even as the woman made this observation. "I have also learned through this nightmare that my husband has become a petty criminal rather than training my son properly. The descriptions the police have given me are so different from the man that I married..." An expression of sadness replaced Nodoka's stoicism. "I need to hear it first-hand from those my husband has wronged. Just what sort of man has he become?"

After a brief time of contemplation, Mrs. Yamamura smiled. "Please come inside for some tea, and I'll tell you everything I remember while we wait on our husbands. It will take some time for the men to finish thrashing each other."

With Nodoka nodding in acceptance of the offer, the trio then entered the Yamamura home.


"I'm Queen of the Castle~" Ukyo gleefully sang from the top of the jungle gym, the arms of the coat of the Gambling King tied around her neck to form a cape. Said Gambling King, having been demoted by the children to the 'Gambling Joker' at Ranma's suggestion, groaned as he was rolled about by the children on the ground after being stuffed through no less than four tires. On his face in permanent marker were drawn assorted images as well as the words 'Joker', 'Cheater', and 'Thief'. His beard was in tatters and stuffed full of his extra jokers. He was stripped down to his boxers, socks, and undershirt and as such was stripped of his winnings as well. Redistributing them all had taken some time, but it was a surprisingly peaceful affair. None of the kids really felt like cheating each other after being cheated themselves. They were just grateful that Ukyo and Ranma were returning all their stuff without being mean about it.

"How can you treat me like this again! Have you no honor? We had a gentlemens' agreement!" The Gambling King cried out to Ranma as he was rolled around like a toy. Some of the kids even used sticks to do so, resulting in the man feeling pokes and prods which would surely become more bruises.

"Hey, all I agreed to was not to toss you back into the river. Rollin' you up like a sausage again was still on the table!" Ranma looked to the prize in his hands, the note awarding the Tendo Dojo to the bearer. Seeing it again and knowing it was only a few days old cemented once more that he was stuck in the past. Still, he didn't feel any source of panic or urge to go back. He felt no real worries. His only real regret was leaving the future Akane behind, and he didn't even know if she loved him back.

When he set the agreement on the ground and drew the Kinjakan from ki-space, everyone froze and stared at the ornate staff. The offending document went up in flames the instant a small pulse of fire was launched from the weapon. The Gambling King gawked at the clearly valuable and magical weapon, while the children realized that magic was real and looked on in awe.

"Hey! Who is that boy, anyway?" One of the girls in the playground asked Ukyo, who then smiled and looked back down. She started to ponder as Ranma ensured that the document was nothing more than ash.

"...Well...he's the King, I guess. Or maybe a Knight? I'm still figuring it out...but he's very important either way!" Ukyo said, face slightly red as she looked to the contemplative boy. She then jumped down from the jungle gym and went to see Ranma.

On seeing her, Ranma pulled off the hair ribbon which he had used to obscure his expressions and tells from the now-fallen Gambling King and handed it back to Ukyo. "Here you go, Ucchan. Thanks, by the way. You...really helped me out back there." Ukyo hesitated for a moment before accepting the ribbon. She stared at it for a little while and then back at Ranma. The boy wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking. Expressing gratitude to someone was not a common thing for Ranma, and he wondered if he misspoke himself. "...Ucchan, what's wrong? Did I mess up or somethin'?" Ranma asked the girl in concern.

In a moment of decision, Ukyo didn't put the bow back on as it had been before. Instead, she carefully and deliberately tied it in the more feminine bow and ponytail which Ranma knew from her older years. Nervously, with her head down and her eyes looking shyly to the ground, she explained herself. "Mommy always tied my hair like this when I was really little. Daddy made me stop once she was gone because it was girly, but if I'm allowed to be girly again like you said before...does it look okay, Ran-chan?"

Ranma relaxed a little bit. If she was going this route, it was probably a good thing. For once, he actually thought he knew the answer to the question the girl was asking, too. "Yeah, I think I like it even better this way, Ucchan! It's cute!" Ukyo was frozen like a deer in headlights for a moment, and Ranma started to worry that he'd stuck his foot in his mouth again after all. "Eh, Ucchan, are you alright? Did I say something wro-"

Ukyo pulled Ranma into a big hug, and he couldn't help but hear light sobbing next to his hear. Ranma tensed up in surprise and uncertainty. There was an insistence to the embrace which Ranma eventually complied with by returning the hug in confused concern. When she pulled back, she was beaming happily through drying tears. "Come on, Ran-chan! The other kids have something to give us for helping them! You'll love it!"

With Ukyo pulling him by the hand to a worn-down maintenance shed on the property, Ranma had little choice but to follow. His confusion was piqued as the kids opened the door to what was essentially their clubhouse and wheeled out the surprise.

Ranma looked at the gift they'd been presented with. Ukyo was ecstatic, and the other kids were waiting for his approval. Could he really approve of this? The bike was a heavy single-speed that, while structurally sound for the most part in spite of the surface rust, had a badly bent front wheel and missing handlebars. Perhaps its only saving graces were a set of large shocks and a powerful brake on the rear wheel that were both clearly from another bike. It also had a rather long seat and passenger pegs on the rear wheel due to the kids trying to make it a two-seater.

"It's...really nice! Thanks!" Ranma said in an uncharacteristic effort at being polite. They were kids giving a gift, after all. Still, what could he do with this? He had no idea. Ukyo seemed rather excited though. She snatched the Kinjakan out of Ranma's hand before he even realized it and started to disassemble the front of the bike. "U-Ucchan, what're you doin'?"

The girl didn't know about gearing or complex mechanics, but she didn't need to. What she was doing was simple by comparison. When she stepped back and admired her handiwork, Ranma gawked. Parked before them was a makeshift two-seater bike where the front wheel, fork, and handlebars had been replaced by the whole of the Kinjakan. The children were quite impressed with the 'repairs' Ukyo had made.

"Now we can go anywhere we want a lot faster! Whatcha think, Ran-chan?" The girl asked, proudly and expectantly.

Any nuanced thoughts Ranma may have had regarding the desecration of the Phoenix Peoples' royal regalia couldn't even be articulated. Not with the deep and uncontrollable laughter welling up from his core and erupting violently from between his lips. It took a solid thirty seconds for him to stop and finally convey his approval.

The children waved goodbye as the pair hopped on the bike, which Ranma made sure to reinforce with his ki to at least some degree. Ukyo wrapped her arms around him and clung to his back, her feet on the passenger pegs on the back wheel.

"Hang on, Ucchan! I'm not sure how fast this'll wind up bein'." Ranma, holding the Kinjakan by its guard-turned-handlebars, started the bike off. He cried out in surprise briefly as the bike charged forward with a trail of smoke in its wake. The children cheered as Ranma's cries of surprise turned into excitement. "Alright! Now we're talkin'! Time to head east!"

"Here's hoping that's the last time I see those two..." The Gambling King lamented his loss as he watched the bike charge eastward. It cared not for road nor grass as the two Martial Artists sped off on the next phase of their journey.


Genma Saotome had been forced to tie his headband around his face and evade the lava flows and ash from their perilous battlefield. Pogoing around the mountain face on his shovel to avoid the burning rocks falling from the sky, the man could hear Hideki Yamamura's laughter even over Mount Sakurajima's rumbles.

"See, Saotome? Mount Sakurajima has judged you and finds you unfit for its slopes! Atone for your sins, or suffer our combined wrath!" Hideki Yamamura skillfully evaded lava flows, bursts of superheated gas, falling red-hot rocks, and even lightning strikes all borne of the eruption. Where Genma saw Hell on Earth, Hideki claimed to see divine judgment.

Perhaps the two weren't mutually exclusive in this situation.

Nodoka watched from the living room window of the Yamamura home as the volcano billowed black smoke and lava flowed down the mountainside, accented by the occasional blue lightning strike in the growing cloud of ash. Genma seemed to be doing well enough for now, but she found it a strange dichotomy to find the Yamamura mother and daughter unconcerned with the state of affairs.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Saotome!" The daughter said with a smile while pouring the visitor some tea and placing the cup on the table in front of her. "Sakurajima isn't really angry right now. It's just sneezing. It does that sometimes. If Sakurajima were really angry, it'd be a loooooooot louder!"

The girl's mother had a seat opposite Nodoka at the table and was smiling at her child's assessment. "Naomi's right. It is not at all unusual for Sakurajima to erupt like this once or twice in a given day. It has been erupting almost constantly since 1955. We've learned to recognize when there is actual danger and when it is behaving normally." The wife, Minami, began to laugh a bit when a thought occurred. "Of course, my husband is likely proclaiming it as being angry at your husband's sins right now. 'Look upon Sakurajima's fury and repent before it consumes you'. That sort of thing."

Nodoka smiled a bit at the imitation of Mr. Yamamura and took a sip of tea, while the daughter laughed more openly. "Speaking of my husband's sins, might you be willing to tell me how Genma and your family came to be acquainted? I am sorry if it is uncomfortable, but I need to know what sort of man he is now." Nodoka wanted to tread carefully, but she truly needed to know the truth.

Minami Yamamura nodded and started to tell the story. "Alright. It all happened a little over two years ago, during the radish growing season. Since being a martial artist doesn't always pay the bills, we also work as farmers. The Sakurajima Radish is the largest breed in the world. Unfortunately for the farmers, the safe lands for farming have been shrinking with the continuous eruptions. We're the only ones that can harvest in certain abandoned areas due to our art. We also integrate this act into our training..."


December 23, 1974

"Alright, that's a fine grip, Naomi. Now pull as hard as you can!" Hideki said to his child. The mother, father, and daughter were all standing on the rich volcanic soil. The child pulled on the leafy plant as hard as she could with a cute groan of exertion before the ground gave way. A white Sakurajima radish popped out of the ground and the girl fell back onto her haunches in surprise.

"Good job, Naomi! I'd bet that one to be ten kilograms! We'll have that one for dinner tonight, okay?" The proud mother beamed at the child. Sakurajima was behaving itself for now, and it was in these winter months that the family made most of their income for the year. Abandoned farmlands were, sadly, growing more numerous each year. While the family was able to find a niche in working this unsafe farmland, no one else dared to travel up this far.

When Hideki took note of fresh footprints in the ashen soil, he paused and tracked them with his eyes. They were of a person who was barefoot and by no means fully grown. "...Minami, keep an eye on Naomi. I've got to tend to some wayward child on the mountainside."

When the wife nodded in recognition of the serious nature of the situation, the husband departed and tracked said footprints. As the tracks went further up the mountain and the terrain became more unstable, Hideki became worried. Finally, in an area well beyond what was safe for farming, he found what he was looking for.

A child no older than four, in a worn and ash-stained gi, was pulling up radishes from the ground. Some he would put in a sack but others he would rub clean and ravenously consume. Clearly hungered, the boy didn't seem able to distinguish between good and bad radishes, sometimes having to spit out ones that weren't suitable. The farmland he pulled them from had been left alone for a long time and was quite treacherous. Hideki was more than a little surprised to watch as the child leapt and bounded across the debris like it was natural to him. Such a child was further along in his training in the Art than his daughter, even at this younger age.

Hideki decided to be non-confrontational and address the child. "Hey, boy? Are you alright up here? You're not eating any bad radishes, are you?" The child looked alarmed and jumped up into a position that would allow for fight or flight. When he regarded the posture of the older man and realized that this wasn't an attack, the child returned to digging up radishes as he spoke.

"I bite into some but always spit out the bad stuff," Ranma spoke in a simplistic manner, not really explaining his presence.

"It's very dangerous pulling radishes up here. Only martial artists who can handle the volcano are supposed to be up here. Are you lost?" Hideki asked, approaching the boy before squatting down to eye level with the child. The boy then pulled out a twelve-kilogram radish with a wide grin.

"Nuh-uh. Pop says this is trainin' an' free food! We're s'pposed to be up here!" The kid gave a grin and put the radish in his sack. The child was supposed to be up here? Hideki hadn't heard of anyone else getting approval to harvest in this area.

"I see. Well, I'm Hideki Yamamura, Master of the Yamamura School of Volcano Climbing. Who are you?" Hideki inquired of the boy.

The boy looked to Hideki with wide eyes when he said he was a master martial artist and gave a smirk. "Ranma Saotome, Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Are you issuing a challenge, Mister?" Hideki was surprised at this and found the attitude amusing and refreshing. If the child was here for training, would it hurt to see what he was made of?

"Ranma, don't talk to strangers!" A gruff voice called out, and Hideki looked to the approaching man. He had a stout frame and glasses. Moreover, he approached with a similar stance and type of movement as the boy did. He also had a similar sack of radishes and stopped near Hideki and Ranma. "Hmm. I thought this area was abandoned by the farmers." Genma said, warily.

"All but those who obtain permission from the city beforehand. Only practitioners of the Yamamura School of Martial Arts Volcano Climbing have bothered to obtain permission to farm and harvest these areas this year. Who might you be, sir? This boy's father? He shows an interesting amount of skill." Hideki asked, noting a similar smirk appearing on the other man's face.

"Of course he does. He's my son. I'm Genma Saotome, Master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. As for permission...when a man is hungry, he does what he must." Genma said, sagely. Hideki looked to Ranma, watching him show skill in navigating the slope and strength and balance in pulling the radishes. Genma noted his glance and smirked. "Say...why don't we make a deal? You're Hideki Yamamura, right? And you have a daughter?"

Hideki gave a curt nod, listening to the man and wondering what he was going to say.

"Why don't we agree to a marriage between our kids? She's not that much older, and my son could always learn the skills to improve. You let us pull radishes every year and train him during that time. When he's older, we merge the schools through marriage!" Hideki couldn't believe what he was hearing at first, but it was a fine deal in his eyes. The boy was clearly a prodigy and would be a fine heir. His daughter, as proud of her as Hideki was, would need a husband as the school's master for the school to be taken seriously in the future.

"...Prove to me the boy's skills, and you'll have a deal, Saotome." Hideki said, convinced of the potential.


"...After Ranma displayed his prowess, my husband started to train him in our ways and let him pull radishes. I was furious over the whole thing. What father engages his six-year-old daughter to be wed without talking with his wife or even really knowing the boy?" Minami was about to say something else, but stopped so her daughter couldn't hear the otherwise imminent rant.

"Genma and Ranma would stay with us from December to February to help with the harvest and train Ranma, and they did so for a total of three times. Last month, a number of petty crimes were attributed to Genma. He even tried to steal the scrolls with our family techniques before he finally fled with Ranma in tow." Minami sighed, and Nodoka's arm held her ever-present cloth-wrapped bundle more tightly.

"That wasn't Ranma's fault, Mommy. I don't know about marrying him, but he was always fun to play with! Like a little brother or something..." Naomi seemed upset to hear that Ranma was missing, and the mother put an arm around her child.

"I know, dear. Ranma wasn't at fault for any of that. He didn't even understand what was happening. All he knew was that training was fun and that he ate well for a few months out of the year. Now we understand that his father never wanted him to understand any more than that. It made him easier to train and easier to take away." The woman looked back to Nodoka, who now had her sympathies.

"Genma uses Ranma to get whatever he can from people. He never actually intended to honor that agreement. We know that now from a letter that arrived early this morning." Minami placed a letter on the table for Nodoka to read. Her eyes widened as she read the letter, finding the hand in which it was written familiar.

Hideki Yamamura, Master of the Yamamura School of Martial Arts Volcano Climbing

I'm sorry for any problems this causes, but I freed Ranma Saotome from his father Genma. The man has a long list of crimes and regularly engages his son to any girl he can trick the parents of if he can get anything out of it. He's done this dozens of times over the years to many people, ourselves included. Ranma's only now starting to understand what's happening and thankfully considers it to be in error.

I left a note at the scene claiming to be you, taking Ranma from Kyoto to Kagoshima. When Genma comes looking for you, go ahead and take out any anger on him. I'm sure you can handle yourself against him admirably.

Seto Tachibana, Master of the Tachibana School of Alcoholic Martial Arts

Nodoka's eyes narrowed, and she took the letter which was found at the scene with Genma. Placing them side-by-side, it was clear that they were written by the same hand. The letter that the Yamamuras received had been express-mailed so it arrived as early as possible, and the postmarks indicated that it was mailed directly from Kyoto Station.

"We've contacted the police about this already, and they've made copies for analysis. Apparently, the Tachibana have a rock-slid alibi like we do. They also have a marriage claim on Ranma. Of course, we can't exactly let Genma off that easily by telling him about the contents of the letter without a fight. It also gives the police a chance to organize and trap him on Sakurajima." Minami crossed her arms, while Naomi giggled.

"Genma naturally needed disciplined for his actions against you. Of course, given that he broke out of jail, the police would likely want him softened up before trying to take him on again." Nodoka explained the matter, the wife of the house not at all surprised about the jailbreak comment. Her commentary and line of thinking was interrupted by a loud crash outside. The two women and the child quickly looked up to find a battered Genma running through the house.

"Now where's that letter-N-N-N-No-chan?" Genma had intended to find the letter but instead found his wife. The daughter of the house stepped back and the mother was ready to fight, but both other sources of anger paled in anger compared to Nodoka.

"Genma...can you imagine how...disappointed I was to learn about your trespasses?" The woman stood and took a position in the room, allowing the bundle around the blade to fall before she drew it on her husband.

"N-No-chan, listen. If I'm in a jail cell or dead from your blade, I'd be useless finding our son! Calm down and let's talk about this..." Genma was more than a little panicked at seeing his wife, knowing that she had cause to end his life there and then.

"Our son...yes. The son you used to bargain and cheat your way through life. The son who you allowed to go missing. The son who, if he learned any honor, did so in spite of you. The son you promised, under pain of seppuku, to raise and train properly when you took him from my arms..." Genma could sense his wife's mood through her ki. It was a cold, wrathful energy that could lash out at any instant. The mention of seppuku and the sight of the sword made the mother of the house realize just how serious things had become, and Naomi was quickly ushered out of the room. The letter lay forgotten as Nodoka continued to speak. "Oh, did you know? When you broke out of jail in Kyoto and let that other man escape, he nearly shot and killed a police detective with a gun stolen from the evidence room that you broke into. I had to deflect the bullet with my blade. But you didn't consider that you may have ended lives, did you?"

"What? How did that-...listen, No-chan. I never meant for that. I was focused on getting out of there and getting our son back!" Genma said, raising his hands to placate the woman.

"You stole Yakuza gold while you were in that evidence room!" Nodoka screamed, her rage building.

"To buy out the agreement and get him back, No-chan!" Genma clarified. It was a half-truth, of course. If he could steal Ranma back and keep the gold, he most certainly would. "My sole purpose right now is to get the boy back! On that, we should be united!" Nodoka glared at her husband, debating his words, when the father of the house rushed inside with rage and attempted a flying kick with his crampon-clad foot. With a crash, the man hung himself from the nearby wall by the spikes in the piece of mountaineering equipment.

"Saotome, you coward! Running from a battle between men! I'll tear you to pieces, dishonorable cur!" Nodoka's surprise and Hideki's self-imposed handicap were the opportunities Genma needed to leap, slide across the table to grab the note to the Yamamuras, and flee out the window. Nodoka rushed to the window, too late to act, and cried out in a blend of grief and rage.

"GENMAAAAA!"

Her cry fell on deaf ears, however, the man having achieved his objective and resolving to flee. The wife of the slippery martial artist suspected that the police wouldn't have any luck catching him today.