Ravens Guardian.
CH: 2 The Gloves Are Off
1 Hour Ago:
Ranma went up to his room to think about what he had just seen. He didn't know what to do; he could feel something wrong, but what was so bad about this? He had never felt this feeling of worry before; not even when Saffron took Akane and almost killed her. He knew he could help out; but what could he really help with. Raven was very powerful and she had her friends to help so why did she need him?
"Why should I go half way across the world; when I have so many problems here? She's strong; she can take care of it, whatever it is. I mean it's just another villain they're facing again; no worries." 'Yeah right, something tells me that guy wasn't normal' Ranma thought. "Even if I go, I doubt she'd really remember a little kid she played with for a month six years ago. So why should I help?" 'It's because she may not remember me, but I remember her. In fact she saved me by keeping the hope I had alive that one day I'd see her again. Now I can.' "What am I gonna do?" Ranma groaned as his head was hurting from all these confusing emotions.
Sitting down on his futon, he looked around the room; happy that the idiot panda was gone so that he wouldn't bother him; Ranma crossed his legs and started to meditate; something he hadn't done since he was 13. It took a while to find his center but he did and started asking the questions that were bothering him.
'Should I go to her, should I go to Raven?'
When a person with enough Ki control really meditates; they are able to see visions, truths, and even visions of the possible futures. For Ranma it is no different. Now though he only sees darkness all around.
Ranma looks down and finds little Raven he remembered when he was ten smiling up at him; suddenly behind her were four glowing slits. Scared, little Raven ran from it, but before anything else happened the darkness formed into an outline of a giant. The four slits went on its face for its eyes. Before Raven could even scream the darkness absorbed her, and soon the darkness vanished and a scenery could be seen. As it soon came to light; all around there was a destroyed city, people turned to statues of ash. The vision flashed, and Ranma found himself in a different part of the world; just as before the destruction was everywhere you could see. The end of the world was upon earth at this very moment. Behind the destruction, there was always the darkness with its four glowing eyes.
Ranma gasped in exhaustion as he finished seeing the visions. After what he saw, he realized that he had to help. Though visions were just that, visions, it was possible that it would happen and he couldn't take that chance. Quickly, Ranma started packing for what would be a trip to Jump City. He knew that the peanut gallery would follow him to force him to do something they wanted him to do; whether he liked it or not. It always happened and it wouldn't be any different now. Especially when they find out that his friend was a girl. They'd probably riot and blow everything out of proportion. After Ranma thought of this, he decided to face them ready for what they would do.
1 minute ago:
Ranma sighed as he already heard them yelling about his friend. Ranma growled in anger at how cold Nabiki was when she said he had no friends; even if it was true. He was glad Kasumi was on his side trying to stop the inedible war. Knowing this would happen; he wasn't going to let these people stop him this time. He would leave; even if he had to crush all their skulls to get out the door. Raven was his last true friend and he wouldn't let her fight alone. So with this in mind, he entered the dining room where the chaos reined.
Present:
Everyone saw Ranma and Akane started her attack.
"Ever one I have something to say."
"Ranma no…"
"I'm leaving."
"WHAT!" All present yelled.
"I have to…" Ranma couldn't finish as the explosion happened.
"BOY HOW DARE YOU SHOW SUCH DISHONOR BY LEAVING!"
"RANMA NO BAKA! I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WERE A PERVERT, I BET YOU WERE GOING TO HER TO GET LAID!"
"WAAAHHH! NOW THE SCHOOLS WON'T BE JOINED!"
"Son this is so unmanly of you."
"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP? STOP MAKING ME THE ENEMY FOR YOUR REDICULUS FANTASIES!" Ranma couldn't take this. These people were just impossible.
Everyone stopped for a minute by his out burst; soon though, they had momentum again after what Akane said next.
"RANMA YOU JERK! DON"T TELL ME TO SHUT UP! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!"
"BOY YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME!"
"Son it is not manly to say things like this."
That was the final straw, as Akane hammer came down on him; everyone heard a loud 'BOOM!' and saw Ranma's fist destroy the head of Akane's hammer, his fist continued towards the girl; he opened his fist and slapped Akane hard enough to throw her to the ground. Everyone stopped at this as they would have never thought the day would come that Ranma would stop Akane's violence in such a way. As Akane hit the floor Kasumi heard Ranma whisper two words. "Never Again." When the shock had past everyone exploded again.
"BOY HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO YOUR FIANCE!"
"RANMA HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY DAUGHTER!"
"RANMA! How could you do this to her?" Nodoka asked shocked.
"ALL OF YOU WILL SHUT UP AND LISTEN! I'm leaving to go to my friend in Jump City. She's in trouble I'm going to help!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT THE LITTLE SLUT BOY! YOU MUST MARRY A ERK…!" Before Genma could say another word he was coughing and gasping for breath as his son had smashed his fist into the man's gut so hard it almost tore his stomach out. Ranma let him fall to the ground in a ball gasping for air. The look in Ranma's eyes spoke of death as he gave Genma a warning.
"Genma; talk about Raven like that again; and I'll tear your heart out and show it to you." His expression softened as he looked at Kasumi. The others too shock at what was happening couldn't say anything.
"Kasumi I hope to see again one day, but I can't stay here anymore. I must leave to help Raven. Thank you for showing me those clips, I feel closer to Raven than ever. You and her are my only friends in the world now, and I'll never forget all you've done for me since I got here. Thank you so much." With this he gave the unresponsive Kasumi a hug and started toward the door, but was blocked by Genma. Ranma could see how shaky the old man was as he hadn't recovered enough from Ranma's hit.
"Get out of my way old man, before I shove you out of my way. You can't do anything that could hurt me." He said evenly.
"Boy you break your fathers heart how could you be so dishonorable?" Genma got into a stance.
"Don't preach to me about honor! You're not my father any more! I don't consider you that, after all you've to me!"
"Boy you leave me no choice but to use my forbidden…gack!" Once again Ranma stopped his speech by choking him and lifting him up several feet in the air with one hand.
"Let me tell YOU something old man! You have no idea what honor is! So you can use a few so called forbidden moves; I already know them and I'm tired of holding back and letting you control me! Your moves are weak and MY hidden moves are FAR more powerful than your Yamisenken and Umisenken. You don't have any honor and you're not my father anymore; because to you I was never your son! To you I was just a bargaining chip, a way to escape paying, a way to use my status to your advantage, and a mostly a way to shield yourself when something YOU did came back to haunt you while you just pushed the problem on me; while avoiding any lumps! I AM TIRED OF PICKING UP AFTER YOU!" Ranma held Genma with one hand as he charged up his fist with Ki while Genma struggled to get free. "Now old man you're gonna get SOME of what you deserve!"
With this said Ranma let Genma go for just a second as he smashed his fist into the man's fat face. The force was so great; Genma flew out to the backyard. Due to the force; he made a trench in the ground all the way to the pond before he bounce off one of the rocks and landed in the water with a big splash. When he floated back up unconscious as a panda; people could see that he had several concussions, and his jaw looked like it had been broken 5-6 places. Ranma just scoffed and was about to leave when his mother called to him.
"Ranma don't go, you can't go!"
"I'm sorry mother, but I must go help her, she needs all the help she could get." Ranma answered as he didn't turn to face her.
"Ranma I can't have you go, it would be considered unmanly if you leave! Think of what would happen to your honor and mostly our families if you go dishonoring your father." She said in desperation; too unnerved at his recent actions to really think about what she was saying.
Ranma clenched his fists tight enough to cause trails of blood to flow as he vented on what she said. "Is that really all you care about; if I'm manly enough for your standards? Is that all you care about, honor and me being manly? Do you have any idea what has happened since you GAVE me away to Genma for that training trip! I was yelled at, hurt, beaten for crying for you, tortured, sold off, engaged, and mostly used! You want to talk about honor, Genma has no honor, and he lost it the moment the trip started when he kept selling me off! How can you defend him after all that he's done to countless families, and our family name?
Further more, what makes you think that after ten years of not being in my life, you could just come in and judge me when you have no idea what my life has been like since I was 5? I'm tired of my life here 'mother'. Like I said before, no one will stop me; and I don't consider what you have to say to be important, because you have no right to tell me how to live my life! So…good bye!"
"Wait Ranma! Please stop. If you don't stop then you could be cast out of the Soatome family." She was now in tears, but because Ranma had his back turned away from her he didn't see this.
"I DON"T CARE! If that fat ass wants to mark my name off his disgusting line, then so be it! I'm not like him and I won't let someone I care about be hurt when I could have done something! I shouldn't have to explain more why I must go. A real mother would have understood my need to have my own path. Instead you're just someone who only cares about themselves and their own image; just like your idiot husband!
I guess I can see now how you two got together. Now since I'm not a Soatome anymore Nodoka; I have my freedom I've wanted since I started living in this hell hole. So good bye and may the gods make you happy the way I couldn't as your son." With this finally said Ranma jumped onto a roof and started to run towards the city's airport.
At the Tendo house Nodoka fell to her knees and started crying more than Soun could ever hope to on his best day. Through all this Kasumi, Nabiki, Soun, and Akane all stayed silent as they didn't want to either be the target of Ranma's wrath or they just were too shocked at what happened to move. It was Akane who was the ladder she still couldn't think how could Ranma slapped her when her martial art skills were unsurpassed. Kasumi didn't move as she knew from Ranma's earlier eruptions that this was something that needed to be done. Nabiki still couldn't believe that Ranma would have actually had any back bone to do this. As for Soun, he didn't want to get killed by Ranma, so he just whelped harder as his dream had been shattered.
As Ranma jumped from rooftop to rooftop, he regretted what he had said to his mother. Though most of what he said was true, he couldn't help but think he went too far as saying he didn't care about becoming a Ronin; but he shook it off.
"The way I see it, there was no way to get out of this mess, except to either renounce my name, or cut off my head. And I was 'not' gonna cut my head off. I guess this was an inevitable outcome; it just took a friend in trouble for me to realize it."
He stopped on a roof and checked his bracers. On them were a sewed up holes that he tore open and out of the holes dropped two small, but very valuable, gems; the only three of their kind that he was able to keep from Genma selling them off for beer money. The third one he gave to Raven so long ago.
Being with a thief gave him one good skill; the ability to estimate items worth. As Ranma looked at the gems he estimated that he could afford a plane ticket to the U.S. Ranma nodded and was about to continue on his jump when he heard someone he didn't want to hear now.
"OH Ranma-chan! I've been looking for you; here wear this brazier for your old master!" As Happosai threw a bucket of water at Ranma, he was surprised to see that Ranma had dodged the water and punted him to the edge of the roof; where he flipped to right himself. He glared at the boy as he saw how serious Ranma was.
"Listen old man, I don't have the time or the patience right now to play with you! So leave me alone!" Ranma growled.
"OH? And where would my favorite girl be going in such a rush?" Happosai questioned.
"I don't have to tell you shit old man. But to make you sleep better I'm just gonna say I'm leaving and not coming back." As Ranma got ready to leave again, Happosai stopped him again.
"Can't let ya do that boy. As my heir you have to stay here. This is nonnegotiable."
Ranma growled in anger that was hard to keep under control. "I am so SICK of people telling me what to do! Especially people who think they CAN control me! Happosai I challenge you for the title of grand master of anything goes! If I win you not only allow me to go, but I get your title as grand master." Ranma demanded as he got into a straight posture.
"You want my title eh boy? If I win, what do I get? It better be something good or I could just say no." Happosai retorted as he calmly got into a stance.
Ranma narrowed his eyes at the man. "If you win…you can name your price."
"Eh? So if I ask you to model for me nude in your girl form, you'd do it?" Ranma cringed at that but nodded. Happosai smiled at that and agreed. 'Heh the kid really thinks he can win the way he's standing now. Look at him, he doesn't even have his aura out, what a cocky fool; this shall be an easy bet won.' Happosai and jumped up and with a ki fist powered up for a strike. "The TRUE Happo Fire Burst!" Happosai's fist glowed red as the energy soon grew to basketball size and his fist went straight for Ranma's chest.
A nanosecond before the hit connected, Happosai gasped as Ranma's chest suddenly was surrounded by a crystal like skin, that not only stopped Happosai's attack but Ranma didn't even flinch at the attack.
"W-What is this?" Happosai asked as he saw Ranma look like a crystal version of himself.
"This," Ranma's voice came out sounding like a machines. "Is the technique Invincibility." Crystal-Ranma grinned as Happosai eyes widened.
"B-But that's impossible! That technique has been lost for centuries!" Happosai couldn't contemplate this further; as Ranma uppercutted him into the air.
Ranma jumped into the air after the gnome; when he reached Happosai, he drew his fist back smiling the whole time. "Lets just say I know a friend who knows her scrolls. This is another move with it; Invincible Fist!"
As his fist drew back, silver energy glowed around it. With a loud 'Boom' Ranma sent the old man down with a blast of silver energy. When Happosai hit the roof; it almost gave way to the force of the attack. When the energy dissipated, there was only a very burned and unconscious old pervert. Ranma had changed back to normal and crashed on the roof. As he got up he smiled and said "I win".\
Ranma walked tiredly towards the airport. When he defeated Happosai he could barely stand let alone jump anymore roofs for that night. He had to climb down the roof and walk the rest of the way to the airport. Hell, he was so weak right now that he had to stop several times in order to rest from the walk over to the airport.
"Damn, I hate being so weak after I use Invincibility. But what can I do? That was one of the best ways to handle the old troll, even if I can only use it for a minute. For a quick kill; its one of the best; at least I only have ta go a little further to the airport.
Ranma stopped at a near by pawn shop and pawned off his two gems. Just as he thought, it was enough for one plane ticket to the U.S. Once he got to his destination, Ranma got a ticket and sat on a seat of the plane. It was few hours before he gained back his full strength and as he looked out his window he hoped that he would make it in time. From what he remembered from the vision; this adventure he was on would decide the fate of the world.
To be continued:
(AN: I know all of you were waiting for the reunion of Ranma and Raven, but I had to put this one up first. You've seen a glimpse of what Ranma special techniques are and I decided that there will be 12 in all. Also it will take a little more time on the reunion because I still haven't decided on how the two will meet. Either I could keep Ravens character and make her mildly happy to see Ranma or I could be funny and make her all excited causing her powers to make mass chaos all over the city. Anyway, thank you all for your reviews.)