Author's Note: I've changed the Seto school of Alcoholic Martial Arts to the Tachibana school due to a typo in Chapter Eight. I'm also changing Ukyo's nickname for Kodachi from last chapter. Ko-chan seems much better. Both changes have already been made to the previous chapters. As for the Kunos...writing them as being both high class and children is something I'm finding difficult. Perhaps forcing them to act more mature than they are is part of why they had a problem later in life...

Also, sorry for not responding to everyone's comments in Chapter 9, though many were very short or a reply would have spoiled something in the next chapter. Also, I was in a hurry when posting it. I regret that.

Bigou: You're welcome! I did this largely because I just felt like writing it, but the feedback is a great bonus, and has also helped me refine the story a bit in several places!

The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you!

Firelordeg: I'm glad you like the story, and am also thankful for your consideration of the demands on my time. It seems obvious, and people have been very good about it in these reviews, but it's not something I take for granted.

Golden Light 001: Thanks a lot! I like fics where if you change something in the past, or even send the person's consciousness back in time, the ripples can cause all sorts of things. Ranma 1/2 happens to have a whole under-explored lore with a bunch of things that happen around the same time and are vaguely placed in the timeline. That's a fine recipe for a story like this, and we've only just started tapping into what the setting has for us to play with!

Guest: Thank you very much! Martial Arts Acting is something I struggled with for a while to consider the nature and history of. It had to fit in the style of Ranma's world, and I'm pleased that you feel I succeeded in that regard. It started out in the rough draft as Martial Arts Historical Re-enactment, but I thought 'why stop there'?"

Shukkets: Yeah, the Kunos have some redeeming qualities hidden behind the craziness. Get them young, and who knows what might happen...

Major Simi: Thanks, and we'll see just how crazy (or sane) the Kunos turn out to be!

Turkeyboyeli: Ukyo is not the only girl who will be involved in the fic, but she will definitely be a strong contender. I like the idea of exploring how she might change if she stuck with Ranma and didn't have to grow up sad and angry. She deserves a second shot as much as Ranma does, and he wants her to have it.

Mr. Haziq: Thank you very much. I think part of the reason the younger Kunos went mad was not just genetics, but also because they have no one to ground them, see as their equal, or be held accountable by. The other reason hasn't been explored just yet. I'm also glad you find it informative. Expanding on the lore is important, and there's a lot to work with that hasn't been touched very much. It's also a nice excuse to look outside of Nerima at what else might be out there.

Ann: Ukyo's no slouch, and this was her fight too! Besides, she needs a chance to grow as much as Ranma does!


Chapter 10: The Arts of Food and Drink

Nodoka Saotome sat demurely in her seat, sometimes distracting herself by looking out the window of the Boeing 727 that was carrying her over the northernmost major Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was a fairly short flight from Haneda Airport to Chitose Airport, but she felt very apprehensive. One of the reasons for this was that the Saotome Honor Blade was not currently in her hands.

Since Ranma had been taken from her, the woman had coped by wrapping the blade in a blanket which she'd once wrapped her young child in. She had initially even cradled and rocked the bundle, pretending it was her absent child. Her carrying the blade eventually took on another meaning as a physical representation of the honor pledge and what had been taken from her. Nodoka had resolved to carry it until the day her son was judged under the terms of the contract. Sadly, the rules for even domestic air travel were slightly less lax than those of the trains. They required that the weapon be stored in the cargo hold rather than being a carry-on. Nodoka had to admit that she felt almost naked without the blade and found herself reflecting on the past in seeking its meaning. Had she truly become reliant on the equivalent of a security blanket over the years?

This flight couldn't end soon enough.

Her other source of apprehension was the coming meeting. She was heading to the Tachibana School of Alcoholic Martial Arts in the latest leg of her quest. She hoped that she would be able to beat Genma to the scene by using the aircraft and speak with the Tachibana family before his arrival. She was not looking forward to asking of their quarrel with her husband, but it was her duty to know. Trusting her husband blindly had wronged many people, her own son included, and thus Genma's crimes were in part her burden to bear.

Suddenly, she found herself not really wanting the flight to end so quickly. After all, she might just have to strike down her own husband.


"a-ahh-AHH-SNRK!" Genma sneezed into a handkerchief, cursing the crisp Hokkaido air. This and the pressure differential due to the altitude threatened to give him a cold. Hiding in the retracted landing gear of an aircraft could be death for lesser men, but Genma had trained to manage this for cases of emergency. This certainly qualified.

Not only was Ranma missing, but he was an even greater fugitive than before and Nodoka had found out about at least some of his...dealings. Word had reached him about what happened in Kyoto, his wife being praised for standing up to the gunman. While Genma regretted that Nodoka was put in danger, the fact of the matter was that she was motivated to take it out of his hide along with her protests regarding Ranma's care.

The man reflected on the matter, realizing he'd erred in attempting to master the Neko-ken for himself at that time. Seeing Ranma manage to employ that art so well and even learn a ki attack well beyond his years had appealed to Genma's greed and allowed him to let his guard down. He should have waited and went to somewhere more secluded to do the Neko-ken, but he was too lazy to dig another pit and too eager to glean the results of the training. Someone had taken advantage of his distraction to seize his son and the police had taken advantage of it to incapacitate him. In breaking out to avoid Nodoka's blade and to save his son, he'd been forced to elevate himself from one who was too much trouble to pursue in the eyes of the police into a threat to be hunted down. The master would not be pleased with his mistake.

Once he had Ranma back, maybe they should train abroad for a while or something.

Genma felt the air pressure gradually begin to rise and roused himself from such thoughts. Noting the descent of the plane and the opening of its landing gear, he observed the joint airport that was Chitose unfolding below him. The man felt tense on seeing the military aircraft present along with the typical civilian craft. F-4EJ Phantom II fighter jets and other assorted aircraft were present on the tarmac below, not that Genma recognized them as anything beyond being potential trouble. Genma gave a nervous gulp at the prospect of being caught by the Japanese Self Defense Force...

"Umisenken, don't fail me now!"


"Ran-chan. You have the money and the list, right? And you know what you're looking for?" Ukyo inquired of the martial artist in a manner similar to what her father did to her in the past. Ranma stood to the side of Ukyo as she worked on making more okonomiyaki. Kodachi was sharing the griddle, having set up her own menu of savory crepes and other applicable examples of French cuisine for sale. Seeing other people aside from her family and servants critiquing her work had gotten Kodachi in the mood to improve by bringing her skills to the masses, and Ukyo was happy to oblige. The two even had a competition going, seeing who earned more money between now and the end of the day. It was the sort of friendly rivalry he wished he could have with Ryoga, and one that Ranma would not have expected of the two girls.

"Yeah, Ucchan. I've got the list right here and I know what I'm doin'. I just have to pick up the order for 'Kuno' from the market a few blocks over and visually confirm it." Ranma said, pondering the matter. He then regarded the purple-eyed girl who was finishing a crepe. "Thanks for arrangin' for more ingredients, Kodachi. I didn't expect you to do that." It was true that Ukyo and now Kodachi were both faring quite well, but this had the predictable effect of burning through their stock of supplies. They'd need replenishment.

"You are quite welcome. Only the finest ingredients will do for such an endeavor, and I know to trust that particular market. Furthermore...there is no need for such formality, Ran-chan. Please, call me Ko-chan like Ucchan does!" This was another thing that had been a surprise. Kodachi was starved for friends to the point where she latched onto the pair eagerly. People who she enjoyed the presence of and didn't need to stand so fully on formality with was a refreshing change. Their skills also brought a form of challenge and growth which the younger Kuno had never even realized she craved.

After seeing the strife between the two girls in his...previous life, Ranma couldn't yet wrap his mind around the concept of their being fast friends.

"Sure thing, Ko-chan. Both of you do your best and I'll be back soon!" With the patriarch of the Kuno family supervising the Furinkan High School Drama Club and Tatewaki electing to watch over the girls in his role as the eldest of the group, that left Ranma to head to the market to pick up the order Kodachi had placed.

Leaping onto the rooftops, Ranma wasn't even registering the strain of carrying the safe anymore. He wasn't carrying the cart at the moment, but it was still definite progress. He suspected that carrying the order back would be good additional training as well. Descending in front of his destination, he promptly entered the old-style market that had likely been here for generations.

He approached the counter where a woman in her sixties sat before standing for a time in silence. The woman did not take notice of his presence. His head not even coming up to the counter was one of the downsides of being young again. "Oi, down here!" The woman almost jumped out of her skin and looked around in surprise before finally taking notice of her customer. "I'd like to pick up an order for 'Kuno'!"

The woman looked puzzled, but when the word 'Kuno' was spoken, her expression immediately cycled through surprise, worry, and then the best forced smile she could manage. "Well, young boy...we do have the order, though it's costly. We've had to delay a few other orders to achieve it. Still, it's here for you to inspect. It comes out to 26,400 yen." It was indeed a steep grocery bill, though dwarfed by the profits the cart was currently making.

"Ko-chan strong-armed you, huh? Sorry 'bout this. It's Ucchan's livelihood though." Ranma was guided back to look at the produce and ingredients which had been selected, the older woman considering the move more a formality to a child who likely didn't know what he was inspecting.

Her suspicions were wrong. Though not a professional chef, Ranma was adept at analyzing the condition of assorted plants and foods thanks to the training of the Yamamura School and his picking of radishes on Sakurajima's slopes. It was also a necessity when hunting and gathering in the wild or otherwise having to worry about eating something that would make him sick. This translated well into verifying that the ingredients were up to snuff. "Glad to see you don't use wax and junk on the veggies to make 'em look better. I hate seeing that fake shine...this is actually good stuff! I'll take it!" The woman seemed to be appeased with this praise, forgiving the child's crude method of getting her attention. Ranma paid the full amount and accepted his change.

At about this time, a girl his age dressed in an old-style delivery uniform with a metal food delivery box entered the establishment and approached the counter. She temporarily got the attention of the senior citizen. "Ah, you're here for your order? It'll just be a moment. I need to finish with this child first." The older woman said to the newcomer.

"Well, I came to tell you that our truck broke down, so I'm not exactly sure how we're going...to...move..." The girl said, before staring in silence past the proprietor as her eyes gradually widened. Following her gaze and turning around, the elderly woman did a double-take.

Distracted from asking how Ranma wanted the goods moved, and thus not cluing the child into how that was typically done, the boy just started to pick up the crates of items and make them vanish. He concealed the items from view with a natural skill before they simply ceased to be, the woman closing her eyes and opening them again in disbelief. "Thanks! I've gotta hurry back to the festival! See ya!" Ranma called out as he went outside, thinking himself done here.

The elderly proprietor of the establishment noted that the child could have taken whatever he wanted and she might be none the wiser. "I'm glad that boy chose to pay rather than use that power to be a shoplifter." The brown-haired, blue-eyed delivery girl was momentarily stunned at the display before snapping back into awareness.

"W-what? Hey! Wait up!" The delivery girl ran out of the establishment and onto the streets while carrying her empty delivery box, hoping that she'd manage to grab his attention. Thankfully, Ranma had not yet jumped onto the rooftops of Sekigahara. He'd been close enough to hear her and turned to see her approach as she sputtered out a question. "That technique! W-was that ki-space?"

Ranma regarded the girl and shrugged. "Eh? You know about it? It's real handy, right?"

The girl was stunned by this nonchalant response. That power was one of the legendary skills of Martial Arts Delivery, among other disciplines. Perhaps this boy could help her. He was stunned when the girl set down her delivery box and went to her knees, prostrating herself before the boy. "P-please, help me! The truck meant to carry our ingredients broke down! We need help moving supplies to our stall at the festival! I-if you can use that power to carry them there, Daddy and I can do the rest! Please! It's our big chance to expand our restaurant's name!"

Ranma recoiled back a step, seeing the girl in front of him on the ground. The position the girl was in was a bit familiar for some reason which made him alarmed, but he couldn't really understand the reason for the sensation. He decided, however, that it couldn't be helped. He was going to the festival anyway and martial artists helped people. The girl also seemed ready to cry, and that was something Ranma just couldn't deal with.

"O-okay, okay! I can carry some stuff. I don't know about a whole truck, but we'll see, okay?" The girl was thankful for Ranma's aid. Grabbing the hand of the boy she'd stumbled across, the young girl eagerly ran back inside to purchase the ingredients her father so urgently needed. It didn't take long for her to obtain what she needed and for Ranma to store it, though there was a complication which Ranma would just have to deal with.

"Are you alright?" The delivery girl asked Ranma, who was straining a bit as they left the market. He wasn't carrying the yattai right now, but being loaded down with all this stuff along with his standard equipment made him feel like an overloaded pack mule. Of course, he met this question with a smile.

"It's a little more than usual, but nothin' I can't handle! Let's get going-oh..." He looked to the girl and dared to ask a question. "Hey, can you roof-hop yet?" The girl blinked and shook her head to the negative. Ranma sighed, knowing that it couldn't be helped. At least he had a solution. Lessening the strain on himself by calling it from ki-space, he pulled out the Hitensha and had a seat. "Hop on. We'll get there faster on this. You've gotta hang on tight though."

Surprised at how the boy she was with pulled a literal vehicle from his ki-space, she was hesitant. After a bit of persuasion, though, the girl got on and put an arm around Ranma. The other held her ever-present delivery box. Once she'd assumed Ukyo's position, the pair sped off. Due to the lack of a license and a desire to get to the site faster, Ranma routinely used his own feet as well as his control over the Kinjakan to make the bike jump onto and across rooftops. The boy finally understood why Shampoo used that blasted bicycle as she did. It was fun.

The delivery girl simply screamed in fear, though this gradually turned into excitement and glee.


After the plane landed, Genma and Nodoka moved toward their mutual destination in very different ways. One claimed her lethal parcel of honor and departed via taxi. The other took to roof-hopping after sneaking out of the plane's landing gear, braving the Sapporo air that still carried echoes of winter's chill. The man elected to employ stealth and search the site in question for Ranma first rather than just attacking in anger as he had before. With his lead over Nodoka, he allowed himself to ponder the situation before him.

Seto was a man who had some Russian ancestry in his line and had included some western drinks along with the traditional in his Art. Potatoes, grains, fruits...if it could be fermented and was remotely fit for consumption, the man experimented with such both for enjoyment and combat purposes.

Genma couldn't even recall most of his time here before or the exact circumstances of the engagement agreement. His copy of the agreement had gotten soaked by red wine, save for the address and just enough surviving text for him to know that he'd pawned Ranma off again. He was so plastered at the time that he had a massive hole in his memory...one more reason to do some recon instead of just barge in. Thankfully, sneaking into places one wasn't supposed to be in was exactly what the Umisenken was made for. Upon arrival, he infiltrated the building via the roof access and got to looking around.

The Tachibana Brewery was a large, family-owned operation which was known for both its domestic alcohol and its related Tachibana School of Alcoholic Martial Arts. There were assorted temperature-controlled areas with casks, vats, ingredients, bottles and labels, crates, and other relevant equipment and items. It was generally a large multi-level warehouse built over a war-era bunker that had been converted into a brewery. Some of the spirits were ones he could identify, but others were extremely exotic. There was a dojo as well, though the materials it was constructed of included concrete and metal rather than being purely traditional wood.

The concealed man made sure to steal some of the more palatable ingredients to eat later, as well as some of the alcohol.

After spending roughly half an hour searching for his son's ki and not finding any sign of it, Genma felt Nodoka's ki approaching. He'd sensed her presence on the aircraft and kicked himself mentally. There was no way she was about to let this go. Perhaps he could take advantage and listen in on their meeting though...


The Hitensha rolled up to the okonomiyaki cart with an added passenger, much to the surprise of a stunned Ukyo. Ranma quickly got off the bike and started to unload and put away the items that had been purchased as if in a hurry, albeit efficiently and with impressive speed in cases where the ingredient was durable enough to endure. This was slightly less surprising to Ukyo than it was to the others present, as she had been watching him train at times. "Ran-chan, welcome back, but...who's this?"

Ranma stopped cold, blinked, and shrugged. "Huh...didn't ask her name. She just needed help movin' ingredients since her family's truck broke. And...there! All stocked up. How's the battle goin'?" The delivery girl noted the question with confusion while Ukyo and Kodachi simply smiled.

"We are matched blow-for-blow, it seems. It may yet be anyone's victory. Of course, this shipment gives me more diverse ingredients with which to expand my menu!" Kodachi gave the beginnings of her future haughty laugh as Ukyo shuddered, having not thought of that particular advantage.

"H-hey! If that's how it is, you're paying 100% for the ingredients I wouldn't use!" Ukyo said in anger at being blindsided.

"Or you can take the opportunity to expand your own repertoire...unless you seek to yield." Kodachi smiled, prodding her rival to rise and meet her rather than to simply handicap herself. It seemed that Kodachi hadn't placed winning above all else just yet at this point in her life.

"Kaori? Did you cancel the order at the market?" A man called out, and the girl on the Hitensha hopped down and ran to hug the man's pant leg. Ranma flinched in recognition. While he could be forgiven for not knowing the girl, he could clearly identify her father. Mr. Daikoku had a very well-defined appearance, after all.

"I didn't have to! That boy knows ki-space, Daddy! I asked for help, and he carried it all here for us!" We can keep going!" Kaori beamed, excited at having been able to fix the problem, and the man gave a wide smile.

"Oh, really? You have my gratitude! If you don't mind, can you come over to our stall and unload it? It's that Seven Lucky Gods Ramen Stand over there." The man was cautiously optimistic. Ki-space was not a common ability, even among the most skilled martial artists. He didn't know what to expect from the child, in spite of his daughter's account of events.

"I'll be right back Ucchan, Ko-chan. I need to unload over there." Ranma smiled, hoping he could get out of this quickly.

"Alright. No more holding back! It's time for round two, Ko-chan!" Ukyo and Kodachi smiled at their continued competition, while Ranma was led by the nearby ramen stand. It was not immediately adjacent, but it was still in view of the okonomiyaki cart. Mr. Daikoku was pleasantly surprised when Ranma started pulling out and dropping off the entire order behind the stand, while Kaori and her father helped put the items in their proper places.

"I had some of your friends' food earlier. Quite fine examples of their craft. Of course, you seem to have some surprises as well. How did you learn one of the pinnacle techniques of Martial Arts Delivery?"

Ranma hesitated for a moment, before electing to give a vague answer that still held some truth. That's how Nabiki worked, anyway. Twist the truth as far as it could go, but never break it. It was harder to be called out on junk. He thought of it as 'Martial Arts Truth Bending'. "Ah, my pop picked it up a while back. I don't know where he got it. I've been makin' myself carry more and more to get better at it."

The man smiled at the simple answer. The fact Ranma was six probably helped him accept it. "Well, thank you for helping my daughter. I'm Kozuchi Daikoku, Master of the Seven Lucky Gods School of Martial Arts Delivery. This is my daughter and heir, Kaori. Kaori...this is Ranma Saotome, your fiancé. His father and I arranged it when you were but toddlers." Ranma tensed up immediately and wondered for a moment how the man knew, but the answer would be immediately forthcoming.

"Imagine my surprise to see you announce himself so plainly during the Martial Arts Acting Tournament, after all these years." Ranma inwardly kicked himself. He was supposed to be laying low, but he'd let his competitiveness take over. "Your father and I have an honor pledge, where I'd raise you and have you marry Kaori. Then you would become my heir." Mr. Daikoku was pleased to have found 'his son', and fully intended to collect. The police were looking all over the place for Ranma and with Genma having been proven an unfit parent, he was fairly confident he could get custody if he cooperated with their efforts. The smile the man wore was an uncomfortable one.

"Yeah, I know about it even with Pop keepin' quiet," Ranma recognized with a low grumble to the surprise of Mr. Daikoku. "Pop was starvin' to death after not eatin' for a week. It was die or give up his son to some random guy for one small meal. I don't like what Pop does, but after thinkin' about it...you were the shady one that time!" Ranma had been forced to reconsider that not all of Genma's victims were fully innocent, after realizing how knowingly dishonorable Mr. Kuonji had been. Mr. Daikoku fell into the dishonorable category, resorting to such extortion.

"Daddy? D-did you really do something like that?" Mr. Daikoku's eyes widened as he was forced to regard his child. The disappointment and surprise in her voice. He had to salvage the situation.

"Kaori. Ranma. There's something you both have to understand. A man who can't support himself can't support a child. I felt that if I didn't try to take Ranma from his father, then Ranma would have starved to death sooner or later. Would I benefit from having you as my son and heir, Ranma? Yes. But in exchange, I would have saved you from your father's failings in a way that preserved his honor. I'd have given you a life. Does that really seem so bad now?" Kaori exhaled in relief, buying it hook, line, and sinker. He couldn't blame the girl, though. What child doesn't want to believe in their father? Ranma, however, had long since learned better.

"You talk a real good game, but you've got hunger in your eyes." Mr. Daikoku recoiled a bit, surprised that a six-year-old could see through him so readily. Little did he know that Ranma had seen that look on too many faces as they tried to manipulate and control him. Even his own trusting nature had limits. "...This is a problem I can fix myself, though." Mr. Daikoku and Kaori watched as Ranma got out some money and looked at some menus of assorted stalls nearby. He provided exact change for a fish, a bowl of rice, and two pickles, plus that amount again for interest. He then gave Mr. Daikoku a glare.

"If you can try to buy me for that little, I can buy myself back. One engagement down, umpteen and some change to go." He seethed a bit at Mr. Daikoku's effort to manipulate him, but turned and gave a bow to Kaori. "Sorry about this. Fathers are stupid sometimes. I've got no problem with you though." Kaori wasn't sure what to think. What her father did sounded bad, but he had a good reason, right? Why was her fiancé so angry with him? That line of thinking was interrupted when Ranma's instincts flared and compelled him to leap over the counter and out of the noodle stand.

The crack was heard as the Daikoku School's Noodle Noose narrowly evaded Ranma and instead struck the ground inside the stand. Mr. Daikoku leapt after Ranma with a stern expression. His normally calm demeanor was broken by the disrespect and urgency of losing his heir, a rope of ramen ready to strike at Ranma like a snake. A few people started to flee from the action while Ukyo and the others watched Ranma bound onto one of the Lei Tai platforms. Ranma hoped this would contain the fight to a degree.

"Sorry, my boy. I can't simply let you buy out the engagement. Your knowledge of ki-space is a boon for Martial Arts Delivery that can't be ignored! I will raise you into my heir as your father and I agreed years ago. If I have to test your skills before that can happen by subduing you first, fine! It will give me an idea of where to start your training." Ranma thought back to his last lifetime when he saw Kaori use techniques of the school against Akane and others during the Martial Arts Take Out Race. He prepared himself for similar movements as best he could, while an audience started to assemble.

"Isn't the Martial Arts Acting Tournament over?" One woman inquired.

"Who cares, let's see what they can do!" A man said, opening a beer in preparation for the show. It seemed that the people did not realize that this was an actual fight. No help seemed to be forthcoming, not that Ranma intended to avoid this fight any longer. Mr. Daikoku decided to probe Ranma's general defenses with the Fish Cake Blizzard technique, shooting fish cakes at blinding speeds toward the boy with his hand at blistering speed and force. Ranma, however, didn't disappoint. The boy deflected them, grunting a bit as he tried to keep up with the speed and volume of the attack. Unfortunately, Ranma felt one of his feet buckle when a fishcake got past his reach and hit his ankle with a fair amount of force. The boy fell to one of his knees for a moment, surprised.

Mr. Daikoku gave a laugh of approval. "Not bad, Ranma. Still, you're a bit too slow to protect all of your pressure points at once..." Ranma took note. Kaori had only used the attack to distract and blind before, but it seemed that the move had a higher form of mastery. With a grunt of exertion, Ranma managed to rise and narrowly jump out of the way of another Noodle Noose attack. With his leg acting up, however, his speed advantage was notably reduced. "You won't be able to run for long, Ranma..."

Ranma dodged as best he could, avoiding the whip as it tried to grab and wrap around him. He tried to reason out the technique. It reminded him of Kodachi's and Natsume's ribbons. He must have been feeding ki through it like a conduit to control it freely. Unfortunately, he found himself moving too slowly one on one dodge, and Ranma's arm was ensnared. Pulling back, he attempted to keep the noodle noose taut to avoid giving Mr. Daikoku any advantage. Unfortunately, the gleam in the man's eye revealed that he had another technique in mind.

"Seven Lucky Gods Technique: Noodle Wrap!" Pulling Ranma easily into the air with exertion, he then willed the noodles to wrap around Ranma like a yoyo, pulling him closer to Mr. Daikoku while at the same time binding him. Noodles infused with ki wrapped around his arms, legs, and even his mouth. Angered muffles could be heard while the noodles were used to restrain him. He was in a younger body that was less able to resist being lifted and he had a disadvantage in ranged combat if he didn't want to reveal his more advanced techniques. "Not bad, but I see a number of areas we can improve in. We will have plenty of time, though-"

"Get away from Ran-chan, ya creep!" Ranma suddenly saw a flash of metal and felt a tug in the line. A spatula struck the noodles with its cutting surface, but the ki-reinforcement made them simply resist being cut and instead absorb the force like a rubber band. The spatula bounced off and clattered across the Lei Tai platform uselessly. Several more were thrown by Ukyo as she descended from her leap onto the stone tile battlefield, the spatulas making the older man jump back. The talk of fiancées and marriage had helped her realize the fact that this wasn't Martial Arts Acting, but the real deal.

"Hn. Not bad, child. You must be that Kuonji girl." Mr. Daikoku had been told about both missing children when the police had come to investigate those with a marriage agreement brokered by Genma Saotome. The kids were surprised that this man knew who they both were. Ranma wondered if he and Ukyo had been followed. "I'm sorry for what you've been put through, but I'm afraid my daughter's claim to Ranma predates your own by years."

"I ain't here to force Ran-chan to do anything! I'm protecting him from a creep!" Ukyo said, her face tinged with pink. Of course, the two were distracted from their banter when they heard a nice, heavy series of chomps. The sound of someone eating ravenously drew the attention of the pair to Ranma chewing through the binding in front of his mouth with ki-strengthened teeth. With the now ki-free noodles slackened further from being chewed through in places, the ramen noodles fell off of Ranma with a sloppy and squishy thud. He could have used the ki-claws of the Neko-ken, but he didn't want to reveal that ability openly just yet...

"Alright...Ucchan! Open your ki senses and pay close attention to what I do next. You might learn somethin' from this one..." Ranma smirked as he reached down and took some noodles in his hand, feeding his own ki through them. The noodles, still close together in a slack heap, were banded together as Ranma constructed his own noodle noose and controlled it with his noodle-wrapped hand. "Infusin' ki into weapons is somethin' your school does, right? This is how ya do it. I'll help ya practice it later, so remember what you see here."

The near-instant replication of one of his school's hallmark techniques wasn't something Mr. Daikoku had expected to see, and it was re-affirming his suspicions about Ranma's true potential. He might just have to take this more seriously to subdue the boy. Ranma's leg already seemed to be supporting his weight more solidly, indicating a recovery from his initial strike. While he could still do so, Mr. Daikoku fired forth more fish cakes in an effort to incapacitate the boy with pressure points and keep him from regaining full fighting strength. Ranma, however, simply used the noodle noose to efficiently tank the blows and absorb the fish cakes which had been fired.

"That one won't work again! Your range advantage just went to nothin'!" Ranma called out with a smirk. His own noodle noose lashed out like a whip and attempted to smack Mr. Daikoku, but it was met with the man firing another noodle noose from his ramen bowl. The two edible weapons snaked and struck at each other, seeming to only consider gravity or physics as rough guidelines rather than law as they probed each other's defenses. While Ukyo's nascent ki-senses were beginning to see structure and nuance as she observed the combat of the consumables, Kodachi was similarly enthralled with the flexibility she saw. While playing with her food was beneath her standing, it didn't stop her from being impressed. Perhaps if she used a different weapon to accomplish the same?

Ranma finally committed to an attack, but Mr. Daikoku's own noodle noose entangled with Ranma's and the two fought like snakes biting each other. Each combatant attempted to force out their opponent's ki from the now joined and warring noodles, but Mr. Daikoku was wary. Something was wrong. There was also something strange about the ki distribution of Ranma's noodle noose. Like there were points of focused ki inside of it...

This and Ranma's cocky grin were all the warning Mr. Daikoku had before the fish cakes which Ranma's noodle noose had intercepted earlier were launched back at Mr. Daikoku like ki-propelled bullets. The bowl which Mr. Daikoku held was smashed to pieces by the fishcakes, and pressure points were struck as Ranma gave back several-fold what he'd been forced to endure.

Mr. Daikoku fell to the ground with a groan, struggling to rise. He looked at Ranma's smirk and gave a chuckle in defeat. "To think that you'd beat the Seven Lucky Gods School of Martial Arts Delivery...by evolving the school's own techniques. I'll have to practice that one myself..." Ranma withdrew the noodle noose, signaling the end of the fight.

"Facin' you again would be fun if it weren't for the stakes, Mr. Daikoku. I have to name that move, though. Maybe 'Fishcake Fury Noodle' or somethin'" Ranma said, having to admit that he'd enjoyed himself on some level.

"Daddy! Are you alright?" Kaori asked, scrambling onto the Lei Tai platform and rushing over to him with concern. Mr. Daikoku smiled at his daughter.

"I'm not hurt, Kaori. They're just pressure points. I'll be just fine in a few minutes. After we're done tending to the stand for the day, we'll step up our training. Ranma's given our school a new technique to master, after all..." Kaori looked quite relieved, though a bit irritated that her father would go so far. She was more than a little confused about the whole thing. She'd never seen her father lose, much less to someone her age...

The man looked to the boy, contemplating the matter. If he wasn't careful, he'd lose Ranma outright and be counted as an enemy. If he couldn't win, maybe a different approach was needed. Calling up all his skill as a businessman and negotiator, he tried a different tactic. "Ranma. I owe you an apology, it seems." This surprised the child and made him listen carefully. Ranma couldn't remember the last time an adult apologized for their mistake and that threw him for a loop...just as Mr. Daikoku had hoped.

"Word has gotten out recently about all the marriage engagements your father has put you through. Many people who thought they had planned for their daughters' futures are finding out that it's not a sure thing anymore. I saw you, I saw the skill you possessed, and I saw the disrespect and even hate that you showed for your situation. I acted quickly and rashly for fear of my daughter's future. I apologize for that." With some effort, he managed a seating position and crossed his arms. "I understand that you can't honor all of those engagements. I also understand that choosing one isn't easy for you. Since you've more than made up for any dishonor your father may have caused my school by paying back the debt and providing our school a new technique, it seems I should deal directly with you instead of your father..."

Add in a bit of recognition for the child's maturity over his father? Check.

"So let's try this. Instead of harassing you to honor your father's agreement...we just agree for you to give Kaori a fair chance. It won't be today or tomorrow. It could be ten years from now. I just ask that you consider her by her own merits at the appropriate time rather than resenting her for my actions. I'd still like you to have a positive relationship with the Seven Lucky Gods School, even if things don't work out." Of course, Mr. Daikoku truly hoped they would. The vehemence with which Ranma resented the other engagements might just make Mr. Daikoku look like the best possible option...simply by treating him with a little respect.

Ranma opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried to think of a way to handle this. It sounded like the kind of thing Nabiki might do, but he couldn't grasp the nuances. Ukyo looked very worried for some reason but said nothing. After some time to think, Ranma sighed. "Look, I don't want to sign or promise anythin' specific. Pop and his friends are good at trickin' you into agreein' to stuff without knowin' what you're really in for. The old man even tricked me into fingerpaintin' on a seppuku contract when I was two." This information made Mr. Daikoku visibly flinch in surprise. "But I've said it before and I'll say it again. I've got no problem with your daughter. Don't know her from a hole in the wall one way or the other except for what I saw today. My anger over the engagements won't reflect badly on her. If I meet her when I grow up, whatever happens...happens on its own. Is that what you wanted?"

Mr. Daikoku gave a nod, realizing that to be the best that he was going to get. "That's all I ask of you, Ranma." The man soon struggled to his feet and stretched a bit. "It's been a number of years since I had a fight like that. I look forward to seeing what kind of man you become. You're already more honorable than what I remember of your father."

Throw on a bit of praise to sweeten his parting impression of the school? Check.

Ranma gave another smirk in response. "I should hope so. Pop sets a really low bar."


The sound of another explosion rang through the brewery as Nodoka sipped from a cup of fine sake. She was seated in front of Seto's wife in the Tachibana Brewery's built-in Dojo. The bursts of collateral damage were initially disorienting, but they were less of a concern after the first ten minutes. The site was intentionally built to be durable.

Almost as soon as Genma tried to eavesdrop upon the meeting, the house head had somehow seen through Genma's Umisenken and attacked the intruder. His wife called it the 'Sight of Spirits' when Nodoka inquired, elaborating that it was a technique that allowed mild hallucinogenic effects to show hidden truths when one was buzzed or drunk. It seemed that Seto had developed the technique in response to Genma's last visit to Sapporo and was often in a state of slight intoxication which allowed the move to be employed.

The brown-haired man with a thick beard kept chasing Genma around, chucking ki-infused bottles of alcohol that served as Molotov cocktails or even remotely guided grenades. If Genma got too close, Seto would click the fillings in his teeth to make a spark and exhale a massive flame of alcohol and fire at Genma.

It seemed that stealing from the local shrine his sister and niece tended, combined with Seto's own quarrels with Genma and the injury of a police detective, had left the school eager to elevate its art and vent its frustrations upon his hide. Nodoka quietly approved.

"I cannot believe that he offered you my son and even intended to have him take the Tachibana name. While I will not downplay the likely value of the recipe you traded to him in exchange, I can say that the loss of the Saotome name would be unacceptable. I apologize for my husband's conduct. I do not understand how the agreement came to have these terms though." Nodoka was surprised. To give away Ranma in this situation...

"Well, your husband has some alcohol tolerance, but an even greater thirst. He was getting more and more drunk as the agreement was hashed out, as I recall. Because our son likes to dress...nicely...and lacks the alcohol tolerance to be a master in the art, I believe your husband fell under a misconception when Seto said he lacked an heir that could inherit and was getting desperate. My husband never bothered to fix the misconception. Instead, he insisted that I produce a daughter as soon as possible. The one good thing we got out of this was my daughter Shuko. She's a darling, but I think she'd be too young for your son." The rest, as they say, was history. Ranma got engaged to a young boy who dressed as a girl because a couple of drunken fathers were out for number one. In exchange, Genma got the recipe to Flexible Sake No. 4, which was a ki-brewed alcohol that could be made from almost anything one found while in their travels and had a uniform taste. When Genma realized that No. 4 tasted like cheap rotgut and was a failed product, he'd sold the recipe to a pawn shop and moved on.

It was far later when it was realized that Genma had stolen the recipe for the family's Tachibana Wine, a family secret which was made from fermenting oranges. This and the fact that he'd stolen Ranma back on departing had resulted in the beatdown that Genma was doing his best to avoid.

The wife then presented Nodoka with a letter, which she proceeded to read. It was in the same hand as the previous ones.

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

Long story short, I freed Ranma from his father Genma. Genma is a criminal and uses engagements to steal dowries. Ranma knows better now and hates it. I left a note in your name claiming responsibility. When he comes looking for you, go ahead and beat him to your heart's content before sending him my way.

Naoto Tozawa, Grandmaster of the Tozawa School of Martial Arts Cavalry

Noting that this one was a more terse letter, Nodoka wondered just how many such letters were being written. Were these intended to fool the police? No...the kidnapper might not have expected Genma to get arrested. These were likely meant to fool him and him alone.

"The police say that places all over Japan are getting these letters, but not to tell Genma. They're really helping paint a picture of how much fraud that Genma has committed. It's adding fuel to the fire for the police to nab him and giving them opportunities to do so." The wife of the Tachibana School laughed ever so slightly before she caught herself.

"But none of them have found Ranma..." Nodoka said, with worry. It was unlikely that the person who sent these letters would give out their own information. Still, the wild goose chase was all she had. Sitting at home waiting for news was unlikely to yield any results. She pondered the matter as the sounds of martial arts battle spilled outside. Detective Nogura's cry was heard signaling the police to act, and the battle escalated in earnest.

Nodoka believed that even this wouldn't be enough to stop her wayward husband.


"Well, time for us to get goin'!" Ranma said, having pulled out the Hitensha. He'd been given contact information for the Daikoku family, who far were too busy with their noodle stand at the moment to say goodbye. Ranma wondered if he'd misjudged the man's desperation for malice, but had decided to forgive him for trying to get an heir for a pittance. The subsequent betrayal and the humbling in front of the festival had been enough. Strangely, the battle had been amazing publicity for their stand. That just left the Kunos to say goodbye to.

"A shame you must depart, but I understand the need. Breaking free of such dishonorable entanglements cannot be easy. Please endeavor to find us when you are in Tokyo. I desire to try our challenge once more after some practice, Ucchan." Kodachi provided Ukyo the phone number and address of the Kuno estate.

"Sounds fun! I look forward to it, Ko-chan!" Ukyo said, accepting the written information handed to her. While Kodachi narrowly lost the competition with Ukyo, she handled it with a grace that her elder self would not have. He didn't know what had caused such a change, but he hoped that things would be better for her this time around.

What he did know was that Kodachi was fascinated with the concept of using ki to achieve fine control of a flexible weapon. She'd asked a number of questions to Ranma on how to develop the skill, though she acknowledged that Ranma had to leave before he could provide any meaningful training. He had mentioned that one could achieve similar control with a ribbon, guiding her thought process a bit. Silently, he wanted to make sure she'd turn out reasonably sane rather than pure crazy before he risked teaching her the finer points of such things. Ranma suspected that she'd be joining a Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Club even sooner this time around. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.

"Indeed, Saotome. The sight of Kuonji's metal implement failing to cut the rope of noodles coaxes me to dream...might my wooden sword one day be able to stand against a metal blade, should my mastery ascend to such?" Ranma pondered for a moment after Tatewaki asked him this question. He saw a stone Lei Tai tile discarded nearby which, while not salvageable for its intended purpose due to damage to the corner, was dense and heavy enough for what he had in mind.

"Well, I can demonstrate it before we go if I can borrow your sword." Ranma's statement was met with surprise by the kendoist, and Tatewaki handed the weapon over after a moment of thought. Surrendering his blade to another was not something he would typically entertain the notion of, but he dared to believe. With a grin, Ranma held the blade and channeled energy into it. Ukyo saw a faint yellow glow with her ki-sense and Ranma stepped forward. With a single slash, he cut the damaged tile cleanly in two. The top part of the tile above the cut slid and fell away to reveal a clean and polished surface where the blade had struck. Even a metal blade wouldn't have been able to do such so readily. Tatewaki gawked for a moment, as did his sister and father.

"If you get good enough at ki-strengthening, your wooden sword wouldn't just match a metal blade. It could cut clean through it if the other guy doesn't have comparable skill. You could even control the strength and sharpness to make sure you only cut when you wanted to. Important for parryin' and blockin' somebody else's strikes until you're ready to dish out your own." Ranma returned the blade to Tatewaki, who inspected it for damage. The wooden sword was none the worse for wear.

"I see...the man truly does make the blade..." Tatewaki was convinced that his desire was wholly achievable, and smiled widely as he placed the wooden sword back in its rightful place. Kocho Kuno, meanwhile, watched in surprise and silent contemplation. Had he truly just seen that?

"See you later, Ko-chan! Tatewaki!" Ukyo waved as she got on the magical bike behind Ranma, who also waved. The two waved back as Ukyo wrapped her arms around Ranma's torso. Once both riders were secure, the bike sped off in defiance of conventional logic. The magical implement of transport was still an odd topic that none of them broached, but it seemed far less strange given the revelations that they'd had today.

As they sped along, Ukyo started to quietly wonder why had she been so scared that Ranma would accept Kaori...