Rightfully Mine
Chapter 4
Flashback…
"I'm sorry, Mr. Saotome but I'm afraid that she could no longer bear a child," the doctor answered with pity on the man.
It had been their second attempt to have a child and yet it always fails. At first the doctors said it would be risky and yet they did it anyway only to find out that the child would die even before it completed its parts. For their second attempt, they have taken hormonal medicines and vitamins just to conceive a child. And they did but their hopes had never lasted for two months, his wife got a miscarriage and the doctor has no choice but to take her uterus.
Genma's chance of having an heir had vanished in an instant. His dreams of having someone to train to be a great martial artist and so as a business tycoon had slip out of his reach.
When he married Michiko it was a dream comes true for him. Not only that the Takeda Family is filthy rich but they were also naïve of Genma's true motive. He needed financial support for his martial arts training and they provided him with it. Also by marrying the sole heiress, he had also taken control of all their finances. Even though he had no knowledge of managing a business, he had learned that with money, an ignorant man would be treated as if he had invented the Nuclear Bomb. He doesn't have to do a lot of things because he pays people to earn money for him. And that's how his life became when he got married.
The only thing missing with his life is an heir to take over and be passed on the art. But with the event that had happened, he had all his hard work in vain.
After that unforgettable day, Michiko has spent her days on her bedchamber. Engulfed in her misery, she chose to deal with it in darkness and away from people. Genma, on the other hand, had divulged himself in the Art and has travel across the world gaining new techniques to be the greatest martial artist.
One day, Genma brought a young boy from his training trip. He said, he had adopted him since his father thought that the boy would have a better future with him. Michiko had been delighted to see the boy. Somehow with the child's presence, Michiko had been revived. Ever since that day, Genma had became satisfied with his life. He had his heir and all he has to do is to teach him the way.
End of Flash Back…
"HIBIKI"
It was written in bold letters in the envelope in front of him. Inside of it was a stack of pictures and some documents about the family.
Ryoga stood as he picked up the folder then he throw it away in the trash. For weeks, he had kept the folder, torn between reading it and leaving it as it is. His instincts pushed him to at least take a glimpse of it and yet when the folder is almost at his reach he would have second thoughts.
Twenty years, he had been on the family Saotome, had been kept as their own and yet for that two decades Ryoga have always kept this heavy feeling inside him. Indeed, the Saotome's have been good to him. They gave him every thing he wants and even much more than he needed. Though at times, Genma could become so controlling but never did Ryoga thought ill of Genma's actions. However, even how much they could try to make him feel at home, he had always felt this aloofness with them.
Now he had everything at arms length. He would be able to know the truth but he couldn't pull himself and open the envelope. The feeling of betraying the people around seems to plague his conscience. And so instead of opening it, he threw it at the trash just like how he had easily been discarded by his own parents.
After that moment of confusion, Ryoga went through his day ordinarily. He had a lunch meeting and a board meeting after that. Drowning himself with so much work, he had forgotten all about the things he thought earlier that day.
He was supposed to be driving himself towards home when he had to drive back to his office because he had forgotten something. Rummaging his desk for the papers that he needed, there he saw it again the envelope that he threw earlier. From his trash, it had been brought back into his desk again; somehow, someone placed it there. Must be the janitor or his secretary but either way he felt relieve seeing that it was there.
With his shaking hands, he slowly opened the envelop that held a great part of his life. The one that he had long been wanting to know and yet couldn't find the courage to look for it.
A family portrait was the first one that welcomed him. A man around his forties together with his wife and two beautiful girls was seen in the picture. It was a photo of a happy family. The man's name is Ryosuke Hibiki. His beautiful wife is Yoku and their equally beautiful children are Rei and Rina. Their resembling smile directed to the camera was one that wasn't foreign to him for he too bears the same one.
He scanned through the pictures taking every piece of information that he may get. As he reached to the end of it, he couldn't help himself from feeling angry for giving him away and not even bothering to look for him. He had not known he was capable of this much anger for not once did he ever felt this angry before.
With a strong blow from his fist, the table had split into two and sent the pieces of papers and pictures flying.
It was the middle of the day and Ranma was sitting comfortably on the back of the limousine. The cars were building up causing traffic. His limousine had been trap in the middle giving them no other option but to continue.
"I'm sorry, sir but there's no way we can get out from this traffic," the driver said looking so anxious.
"How long will this last?" Ranma responded nonchalantly.
"About an hour sir," the man said.
"If you want to keep your job, bring this car at the office at exactly," looking through his watch, "an hour from now and not a minute more." Then without waiting for an answer, opened the car's door and took his things then started walking.
It is more than two kilometers' walk to be able to get to his office. It had been months since Ranma had to walk into the streets like this.But he need not care about the distance for his only worry was to lose his clients.
Ever since he made it big into the business world, he rarely got the chance to walk. He pays more than a hundred thousand yen just for his driver alone. His limousine which cost more than ten million had been his constant ride. Two more equally expensive car variety were hidden in his garage. So how can he walk when he had paid so much for his rides.
He came into the pedestrian lane where a crowd was waiting for the change of the lights. There were a couple of old folks and a bunch of office workers heading back to work. A number of students were also there busily chatting on the latest gossip on their school. Ranma could only watched them and imagine his life was as he was younger.
Flash back…
"Bastards!" the boy whispered as he slowly turns around.
But the word did not escape from Ranma's ears. He heard it loud and clear that immediately he advanced to the boy.
"What did you say?" Ranma shouted and in a flash his hands were already on a tight grip of the boy's neckline.
"You heard me clearly, bastard," the boy said spitting every word to Ranma's face.
This had enraged him more than ever. He had heard almost all the cruel names they could think of and even bare them but this one it was too much for him, especially not in front of her sister, Ranko. The word would have no meaning if it were aim unto him alone but when it comes to his sister; it's a whole new different thing.
In such a young age, Ranma had to endure much pain to protect the people he loves. He grew up not knowing his father and without a father, he had embraced the role of being the man in the house. He looks out for his mother and sister longer than he could remember.
Nodoka, his mother, tries to provide them with their basic necessities but sometimes her monthly earnings would come short on their expenses. Knowing this, Ranma had learned to gain that extra money they needed. Sometimes he does some errands for their neighbors, wash dishes in food shops, sell newspapers and the last few years he had engaged himself in those street fights.
It was hard for him knowing that kids with the same age as his were supposed to be playing and enjoying their youth. But Ranma couldn't afford to do that because no one would help them except themselves.
He was twelve when he started working part time. However, his mother doesn't know this because he knews she won't agree to it. When he hands her some money, he would often say "it came from my allowance that I saved," but the real thing was his allowance wasn't even enough for his food expenses. He only eats twice a day: breakfast and dinner. The food that he would have will be given to his sister.
One instance that he could never forget was when he was in his high school. Because he needed to deliver the newspaper and be early at school, he had forgotten to eat breakfast. In the afternoon, his stomach had started protesting but he had to do another job. When he got to the shop, piles of plates were already waiting for him and immediately he began washing them. He finished after an hour. By then his stomach was loudly protesting and his hands were shaking because of hunger. He knew he could no longer go on that he had not known he was sitting beside the trash. He had rest for a while and when his eyes had opened, the leftover food which were thrown in the bin had become as valuable as gold to him. He did not care if it were in the trash or if it was someone else leftovers because to him it was the food that he needed and he didn't have to pay for it.
That event became an eye opener to him. He didn't want his mother nor his sister to go through like that not when he is alive. Right there and then, Ranma Masaki had decided one thing on his life and that is his going to be rich.
Other than being rich, there is another thing that Ranma wants and that is to be a great martial artist.
By the age of five, he learned the basics of the Art through their Martial Artist neighbor. Back then, they lived in Nagoya and their neighbor, a man around fifty was teaching martial arts to the local kids like him for free. With the way, the man taught the little Ranma had been mesmerized and eventually fell in love with the Art.
Nodoka had no idea about it since she had openly profess to her children her dislike of anything that got to do with fighting and that includes martial arts. However, her real fear was that her children would maybe follow the footsteps of their father and leave her which she really doesn't want to happen again.
Knowing the basics and having no formal education of the Art, Ranma searched his own way to satisfy his unquenchable desire to learn. He read books, watched movies and even engaged himself to combat once and a while just to learn new techniques. Some of which paid off, acquiring new techniques from it but for the other instances, it gives him bruises and a reminder not to do it again.
So eventually he became a great fighter at such a young age. When he wasn't working part-time, he spent his hours practicing the new techniques he had learned. It was in that instance that an underground fighter saw him and was amazed by his skills that he had invited Ranma to join the betting tournament. The betting tournament is where fighters gather to test their skills and gain easy cash. It is an illegal tournament so they don't limit on the ages of the participants. As long as they are capable to fight, it is a fine with them.
He was so young. It was like watching a cub along with the fearsome mass of predators. And if he doesn't do something in order for him to have his share of the food then he'll die of hunger and be soon become the next meal of the large ones.
In that place, Ranma learned how to live. 'Survival of the fittest' often said by the people there. But to Ranma, he need to survive so he could protect the people he love. If the need for him is to kill then be it as long as he is alive and can still protect them.
He did survive. He succeeded in proving his skills and eventually gained the respects of the mass.
Other than the money he earns after winning a fight, Ranma had also gain some friends. They were the ones that taught him how to survive.