Side Story
Where Am I Now?
Two week ago.
The darkness was cloystering, thick as molasses and just as sticky. It also held terrors for him. Nightmares about the Nekkoken came back to him when he was in the pit of cccc...aaa...ttt...sss. He could see their red slitted eyes in the darkness, staring out at him and...hungry, very hungry. He tried to scream and get away from them, but couldn't. They closed in relentless as ever. Their claws cut deep as pain and terror became his whole world. They were demons a part of his broken psyche thought as they closed in even closer. The pain from their claws terring into his flesh as they tried to eat him alive...then...nothing again.
In intensive care, the others looked on. The plotting and scheming of the others more pronounce.
It was then that Dr. Mizuno on her name tag. Before the questions could really begin, a surprising a nurse that was overlooking him tripped with a cup of water and the inevitable happened. It spilled their drink on Ranma, changing him into a female. The reaction of the Crew were normal except Kodatchi.
The others had seen this before and Kuno spouted about seeing his pig tailed goddess again, but when Kodatchi saw it, but seem to disregard it like her brother.
Dr. Mizuno comment broke into his thoughts as she was fascinated and said, "Jusenkyo right?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kasumi's reaction as her eyes narrowed. Her facial expression and look had the quite distinctive look of disgust as if to say that he was a freak. This was a much more sincere look that the ones his fiancees gave him.
After a small interlude, the questions rained down on Dr. Mizuno. The very last answer stunned them all.
"Ranma has extensive damage by the sword and may never come out of the coma again. If he does then it he still may never walk again."
As the news sunk in, the doctor wondered where was his mother in all of this. She should have been here, but he didn't see her anywhere around.
"The boy will marry Akane and untie the families!"
"For honour of the Tendos, he will marry Akane!"
"The Vile Sorceror is now laid low by my majesty, the fair flower, Akane Tendo and my pig tailed goddess are now mine! Hahahahahahahaha!!!"
"So many pretty nurses."
"Where am I now!!" yelled Ryouga then backed off as everyone stared at him. He just appeared out of nowhere. "Oh..." in a small voice and saw Ranma.
"No, he marry Shampoo." and started forward. Cologne and Mousse were strangely silent. As if they were now spectators to what will happen.
3...
"Get away from my Ranchan, you hussy."
2...
"My darling Ranma, come back to me. You will get better. Hohohohoh!!"
1...
"Ranma no baka, this is your fault!!!"
0
More nurses were were called into there room as the Genma and Soun tried to take Ranma, Shampoo tried to take Ranma, Kodatchi tried to take Ranma, Akane and Kuno tried to kill Ranma.
"Airen." Shampoo said without real emotion.
"Ranma you baka! You stop flirting with them, you pervert!" said an ANGRY Akane, taking out the Mega Hammer. Oblivious to the fact that Ranma is now in a coma.
"Violet girl, you stop hurting Airen!" reluctantly, taking out her bonbori.
"That's right, you did enough already to my Ranchan!" remaining where she was and only saying it. Obvious lip service.
"I second that, the Rose of St. Herbeke!" as she twirled her ribbon menancingly, but only seemingly for effect.
A battle ensued as more and more of the combatants starting fighting and elbowing each other until just the nurse, Kasumi and Ranma were out of it. They did even notice when Kuno took out his sword that was painted as a bokken. They were mostly destroying their side of the room until a familiar battle cry was heard again,
"Ranma you baka, this is all your fault"
The fighters suddenly turned towards Ranma. This was enough for the other nurses who were drawn because of the yells and battle.
Kuno suddenly dipped his sword when saw the nurses and then said, "What visions of loveliness, my Nurses goddesses. I must have you all!! I, Kuno Takawaki, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, will date all of thee!" as he produced a huge number of roses and the nurses a huge number of sweatdrops.
The nurses were thinking, "Who is this idiot."
Happosai took one look at the nurses and started to jump.
The Head Nurse on a small stick yelled, "Stop!!" Everyone froze and Cologne was stunned to see Ke Heem who was exiled from the their village.
Though Khun Lo made no acknowledgement of her, she was sad. Ke Heem and her relations was exiled forever from the Amazon village for...political reasons, even her contempt of Mousse had come from this. He was Ka Heem's last family member, but she remembered the tragedy.
In most warrior cultures, healers had very high status akin to the warriors. It was their job to keep the people healthy, also the greater the healer, the greater the respect.
In this Amazon culture, however, healers were generally taken for granted until in times of great strife or outbreak of disease when their services would have been greatly needed. It was true that they were respected, but in reality who would be remembered with greater respect in a WARRIOR culture, a great warrior or a great healer. It was true that many great healers were great warriors, but subtle and not so subtle their status as warriors won out. In the years that followed, the Council would truly see the extent of mistake because of their petty vengeance. The century of calm would erupt into chaos as old and new forces threaten their very existence.
The Musk, Bird People and especially the Communists attacked them relentlessly whittling down their numbers. It was the start of the Cultural Revolution and then the Great Leap Forward in China that the most damage would be done. Over this period of time, the Amazons would lose over nine tenths of their people in their bloodiest period of history.
Now there were slightly more than 30,000 Chinese Amazons left in three villages at the time Ranma would enter their main one. They had truly realized that their way of life would cease to exist because their numbers weren't growing. They were desperate for new blood, but old ways die hard and only a few made the cut despite their laws.
Status was one of perception. If you were beaten by 'accident' then your status declines accordingly, even if the male was very strong. The mere fact that a fully trained Amazon warrior made a mistake was almost unforgivable.
Healers at this time were trained, but none of them had the tradition that Ka Heem's family had. In the quest for warriors, they had focussed so intently on fighting that the healer's status actually declined as the warrior's increased. This took their toll as all of the young wanted to be warriors, but very few wanted to be healers. Also, many who went into the healing profession were failed warriors. Slowly and surely, there were less healers being trained and fewer attained their full potential in healing. Some would wonder why since healers were a vital part of keeping the culture alive, but it was really the politics that had changed. Healers were marginalized and the last of the great healing families were Kar Heem's who left.
Now, because of Ranma's crippled state, she knew that the Council would never accept him in to the tribe despite his bloodline. They had deep rooted prejudices against any disability. Heck, they believed that Ranma's win was purely luck because he was a male despite her report. She wasn't so blinded since she was there and had the fortitude to realize her mistake and realized at that point that the Council was afraid of Ranma. A bout of inspiration hit her when she put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The Council's worst fear, a superpowered male that wasn't under their contro. Not clouded by Amazon Law, she saw her mistakes that glared at back at her. The mistakes were so galling because she now knew how much she was blinded by some of the outdated Amazons ways for too long and prejudice. The simple fact that they treated him as a prize bull. He never trusted them, but then again how could he when they regularly drugged his food and threatened those around him with magic and violence. She shook her head. She really screwed up. A little more care and everything could have been resolved to both of their satisfaction. Had she been seen more as a wise type than a aggressive type, she could have nudged Ranma to see Xian Pu more as more than a violent girl and not be weary of her.
In a way, it was ironic that she was happy that this happened. He would never have been truly accepted in the village because he would never compromise his principles. Despite the great pressure on him here, he never bow down to anything or anyone who didn't EARN his respect. For that reason alone, it has truly made him a great person who had stood by his principles and not let others dictate to him thier own wishes.
He was also a warrior. It was true that he was arrogant and had a huge ego, but he was one of the best in his generation. He was also a true master of the Art and its harsh code that didn't fit in 'modern' society. She could see Ranma rebellion against the Council. Either he would he would have an 'accident' or he would be forced to leave.
Regrets.
She bowed her head as she acknowledged the truth. The more she was with Ranma, the more she saw why so many of the married men constantly ran away from the village. She saw it through the eyes of the women when she was at the Musk Citadel. The Must treated women like the Amazons were to men, as breeding stock. There were profound similarities to how the Amazons treated mostly outsider men, no matter who they were, made her shiver.
While the Musk were open about their oppression, the Amazons used it subtle and not so subtle ways. She still felt that women were the superior of the species, but was saddened by their casual use of brutality to the men. She winced again as she remembered the callous violence when a great many of the outsider men who were married were gravely injured or killed because their wives or other Amazons saw some transgression against their honour. To many Amazons, being alive or breathing was a transgression by men. It was very common for that to happen, almost a social sigma if the men didn't have any visible injury or limp. Unfortunately, it was increasing over the years as women lashed out at the outsider men when they were attacked by their enemies, most of which were men. She felt embarrassed as she remembered her approval to many of the young married Amazons to put the men in their place.
Just as the Wrecking Crew were about to disregard her and continue to fight, the head nurse said to the other nurses, "They all go. NOW!!."
The nurses acted instantly and after an ensuing battle, "punted" the Nerima Wrecking Crew out of the hospital. It was made clear to the nurses that these morons needed to be booted into the stratosphere. They tried to get in again and were promptly booted out. This time with extreme violence and to such as extent that even Happosai wouldn't be able to get in this time. The Wrecking Crew were made painfully aware of the reputation of the hospital called, The General Hospital. It was guarded by nurses who were very well versed in martial arts and high tech machines. Some even claim that they even do magic. Everyone of the Wrecking Crew were barred from the hospital because of the fight and extreme damage it caused, except Kasumi of course.
The hospital was said to be the best and the most heavily guarded. It was because of some of their exotic, but highly effective treatments and the security that the hospital became famous for. Prominent people such as rock stars, movie stars, politicians, and the wealthy from all over the would could come in for treatment and not be harassed by any paparazzi or press people while in the hospital.
It was made painfully clear that that none of them were permitted on hospital ground and no flights over the hospital were permitted because of the area. The hospital itself was in the intersecting area between Nerima, Juuban. Between crazed martial artists, Sailor Senshi and giant Mecha Robots, they have seen it all from high tech to hostile magic. Any flights over this particularly hostile space were promptly shot down by the craziness of the area.
The Wrecking Crew started to walk away and some uttering death treats against one Satome Ranma. The parting remarks, by the head nurse, was that the Tendo Dojo, the Neko Ken, Ucchan's and the Kunos will get the bill to fix the damages.
After that, it was anything but restful for the nurses after the ejection of the morons aka as the Nermia Wrecking Crew.
It was a day later that Ranma woke up and to find out about his condition. His recovery was incredible. Broken vertebra and upper legs with enough blood loss to kill anyone else on the spot. The tests they ran stunned them. In all their years, the doctors hadn't seen anyone with so many injuries. All his bones were broken more than once, he had substantial muscle and tissue danmage as well as ligament damage, and he had concussions. They still don't know HOW he survived such an ordeal or why he was still INTACT at all. To them, it defied anything they had ever known.
The realization of the extent of his injuries hit Ranma like a runaway train. It finally hit him that he couldn't move or even feel his legs or anything below his waist. Normally with an injury, he would brood and be as depressed as Ryouga and then try to overcome it. This was different. This might be a permanent condition and he had no idea of what he would do now that he was diminished in the Art.
As his life came rushing before his eyes, he truly felt that he was truly alone and without the Art. The first thing was shock then all of the stress from the craziness of his life came bubbling from the depths of his scarred soul to erupted in the form of a real scream. The first one in his entire life.
In all of the history of the hospital, the scream that ripped through the hospital would be remembered to all for the rest of their lives on par with the call for Armageddon. It was the scream like of one of the most condemned. The hurt, the sorrow, the frustration and the betrayal were so vibrant that the staff as well as the patients felt that they could feel it permeating their very being. Their pain forgotten for a moment, silence encompassed the hospital as everyone froze in disbelief then a violence ensued from one part of the hospital.
In the true fashion of repressed feeling erupting, Ranma basically went crazy. Not accepting, cannot accept that his injury would make him weak. Made him prop himself up and try to move out of bed.
In these situations, the nurses should have left him alone to come to terms with it, but no. They had to interfere and he turned his anger at them as they tried to hold him down.
Even though his body and ki were exhausted, adrenaline fuelled his rampage. Also despite having useless legs, he had more than enough strength and skill to taken on more than 10 nurses at one time. In other words, he adapted. Weapons were strewn all around, swords, knives, bedpans and chairs as the nurses became frustrated as their intention to restrain became to dish out as much bodily punishment as possible.
Ranma, despite his injury, was literally raised for battle. He had trained if one or more parts of his body were disabled which included his eyes, ears and all four limbs. Unfortunately, he only really used it consciously when he was in a battle. That's why he didn't really adapt when Dr. Tofu paralyzed his legs.
It wasn't until the head nurse came and waited patiently for her chance to knock him out. She was impressed at his sheer training and ability. She was even more impressed that even in his diminished condition, he had been able to take on a great many of the nurses without hurting them. She could detect more than 100 styles that melded into a single flowing style.
He was tiring as the adrenaline rush was ebbing and he was using too much of the little chi he still had. Despite that, he pushed himself onward. She was surprised that he lasted this longer in his condition. By all rights, he should have passed out long ago. She had to take him out quickly before he totally exhausted himself. She had seen something like this only once and that person had died.
Dr. Mizuno was there. He knew what was happening and was berating himself at not seeing it sooner. He did the one thing that the nurses thought was suicidal, he stepped in front of Ranma. To everyone else's surprise, Ranma hesitated as tears started to fall from his eyes.
The Head Nurse then saw her chance as he hesitated and pressed the sleeper point. The nerve point that was above the affected area. The remaining nurses were looking angrily at him, but didn't do anything from the glare of the head nurse. She told them to forget the incident. Arguments came from the nurses.
"What?!! He nearly killed me!" A nurse with two large bruises on her shoulder and hip from his palm strikes.
"Look at what he did to our sisters."
"Yeah..." another nurse that was getting groggingly off the floor.
A hand from Dr. Mizuno stopped the argument. She patiently explained, "If I hadn't intervened, he could have possible beat all of you." She continued with a pointing finger, "Even in his madden state, I didn't see him once cripple or kill any one of you, only disable. Don't kid yourself, he was fully able to permanently cripple or kill you at any time."
Silence then gasps and more gasps accompanied that statement.
"He couldn't.."
"No way!!"
"I know him. He is...was the best. Even without both of his legs still defeated you without resorting to any of his LETHAL moves. A little more force and most if not all of you would have died." said Dr. Mizuno. She had known about Ranma from her vice, mangas. She thought that all that in the manga was made up until she met the local Nerima practitioner, Dr. Tofu. He showed her that such things weren't stories like their Sailor Senshi.
All arguments abruptly stopped when she pointed to places around the room where bent and broken weapons. Tempered steel crumpled like tissue paper and hole sized palm prints in the walls around the room. Seeing the sheer carnage that could have happened if he had intended to kill or even seriously hurt them. Too many things happened so fast that they didn't notice it. They had a lot to think about as they filed out. He could have done serious damage, but didn't.
Although, the situation called for restraints, the doctors and the head nurse felt that it was unnecessary. Ranma seemed to have spent his rage. There were token restraints just to make the nurses happy. This was how it went for a week until they felt that the need for show was past, but Ranma was still brooding.
As the chaos that had been Nerima calmed down as people took a hard look at exactly who was responsible for the damage that occurred. It was true that Ranma was always a part of it, but looking at the bigger picture EVERYBODY around him could be held accountable. The fights by Ranma's rivals, the schemes of Nabiki, the truly major damages that occurred when Akane blamed Ranma for things he never did and getting Ryouga involved in most of the fights that did the most damage. Ranma was their scapegoat until now.
Ranma was a person with deep contrasts to them even in his short stay already. The nurses who was hostile to him after the fight couldn't hold those feelings for him after some of his crazy life story filtered through from Nerima to them. The curse, multiple fiancees, a martial arts prodigy with the idiot for a father who started the mess and his enemies who were still trying to get in to finish him off that were normal everyday occurrences.
Many were sceptical of many of the other stories in his life until they heard of a particular idiot bokken wielder who spouts poetry and who says that the "vile villian Satome has enchanted Tendo Akane and his pig tailed goddess". That indeed fits the description of the idiot. Despite their oath not to kill, it was hard for them when the insane Kendoist would go on his monologue of bad poetry and trying to get in to kill Ranma at the same time.
The truly hardened ones paled when they found out about Ranma's 'unfortunate' conditions. The first was the Jusenkyo curse, in that he changed into a beautiful redhead and the 'other' condition much more serious condition, the Neko Ken. When it was confirmed, alarms went off and they immediately tried to get all cats or cat like objects out of the hospital. It was an especially hard situation for them because of the tragic results that happened nearly fifty years ago.
The patient, a child of ten, was rushed to the hospital, but no one knew what had happened to the child or the affects were until it was too late. Five died. Four swat team members and the child.
The nurses on the shift and the last member of the five man swat team would never forget the look the child had made at them, the look of "please kill me and end my suffering" when the child actually came out of it for just a second.
The swat member had never hesitated and killed the child.
The nurses found out later that, after the incident, he quit the force altogether and moved to the Canada.
They knew the training method. Wrap a child, preferably before seven years old in fish and sausages and then throw the child into a pit of starving cats. Everyone knew that only an complete and utter idiot would train anyone in the Neko Ken. The trade offs weren't worth it. The wielder became extremely powerful, but completely insane and extremely dangerous. That isn't including that the technique could easily defeated because it would be easy to distract the wielder. Most who underwent the Neko Ken died. The few who survive become feral and couldn't be broken out of that state after the training. Ranma was the only one to break out of it and to stay sane for over ten years was truly remarkable.
When he exhibited signs of fearing cats and still was sane, many of them were in awe of him because, if the rumours were true, he had it since he was six years old. Stories that lingered at that particular event were gruesome to say the least. There were quite a few nurses who, given the chance, would like to personally beat the stuffing out of Ranma's father.
Over the two weeks, the entire staff found Ranma to be an extraordinary individual because they got only a small taste of his life. It took all of their will to not kill or at least induce serious bodily injury to the mostly clueless people who keep on attacking him, be it enemy or fiancee. There was also the trading cards and manga that the children had that was just similar to be just a coincidence.
As time went on, they found it hard to tell the difference between his enemies and fiancees on many occasions. The crazy thing was that they kept on blaming him for all the things that went wrong in their lives even though they did it themselves. The nurses had to shake their heads at so much hopes and cluelessness surrounding him.
They found that Kuno wouldn't leave them alone. They knew about his curse, but it was just unbelievable to them that even when he changed, Kuno changed from trying to kill him to trying to marry him and Akane and them and whoever he fixated upon. They found his enemies, except Kuno in disarray. Ryouga and Mousse were unsure, now that Ranma was injured. Even when they uttered death threats, they never really expected him to lose. Happosai, they could take care of.. Also after the initial bout with Kuonji Ukyou, the Amazons and the Tendos, they never came back except Kasumi, of course.
It was at this time that things were going to turn for the worst. The biggest threat was the one thing that Ranma couldn't fight back on even if he regain the use of his legs at that instant. This would be his largest and hardest challenge and he was going to have to do it from his hospital bed.
Author's note:
Ranma in real pain. The others don't care at all at how he feels, but their own needs. For here, it gives him time to heal from his life and what has happened to him.
Some of the problems he will begin to figure out. The manga and other things are only the tip and it is their confidence in his inability to do anything non physical that will be their downfall. He is learning and adapting to use his head instead of his fists or feet which WILL make him truly dangerous to them.
Rumiko Takahishi was seen by some as a feminist work and that Akane was an empowered female. In some ways, I agree with that. She was independent and go after what she wants. On the other hand, she gets SO many breaks from the others against Ranma that it becomes ridiculous.
Takahishi also vented the absurdity about men and Japanese society, but I found that no man in the story had been given any sort of serious dealings. Maybe Dr. Tofu who was more "normal" than the rest, but the he disappeared when the author cut him out. She didn't even give him a decent reason write out. The men were seen as clowns. The women, no matter what they did, were always forgiven. Compared with what happened to the men, no females were ever reprimanded greatly for any of their failed schemes or mistakes. This was especially prevalent for Akane, who blamed Ranma for any transgressions whether deserved or not.
A prime example occurs when Akane accuses Ranma of doing something perverted or is a pervert because Shampoo or Ukyou bringing him lunch and then insults the Shampoo and Ukyou by calling them bimbos. She is the one who starts out the yelling match. It is almost inevitable that Ranma gets the blame and the girls then just leave.
Another example occurs when he had, by circumstances, decided to eat at Ucchans and let Akane cool off (when Akane called him a pervert for things that happen everyday with him and gives him the cold shoulder) with his LEGITIMATE fiancee. Akane had the gall to get angry at him when he doesn't come back to her. Who in their right mind would want to stay with he when she smashes him emotionally. Obviously Ranma since it happens more times then he could probably count.
My big peeve is that Ranma gets in trouble for things that are not his fault or was not even taught to him. EVERYONE knows how he was brought up with TOTALLY no social skills and Akane was the opposite in KNOWING them, YET they give AKANE the slack when she abuses Ranma and blame RANMA when with something that was not his fault.
It must be said that this happens less in the later volumes of the manga series, but it is still there in the anime. Overall, who was on Ranma's side when all of this stuff happened to him? No one, especially not his parents.
Anyone else would be outraged, but who had taken his side to say that he had the RIGHT to eat where he liked. Who defended him when he was FORCED to eat Akane's cooking by EVERYONE since they didn't want to hurt her feelings or be in traction for months at the hospital?
The answer is no one.
It was a very typical thing for her to do. The times when AKANE breaks the engagement and should shoulder the dishonour for the non committed transgression, who is blamed by everyone. Who is demanded by HONOUR to take the brunt of the dishonour for breaking the engagement, yet PRESSURED for the engagement be reinstated and APOLOGIZE for his faults? Who does all the work to get back the engagement?
Ranma, NOT AKANE, was the one to do it.
An incident comes to mind, it was the things that AKANE did FIRST for Shampoo just glomping him. Yet, she denies that she cares. Worse was that she then insults Ranma and throws water on him when Shampoo was with him to change him into the girl and Shampoo into a cat. She knew full well at that point that he didn't want to be in his cursed form and of his fear of cats. That was just plain mean. I think she said he deserved it for two timing her.
Why is it a ROMANTIC comedy. Comedy, I can see, but definitely not ROMANTIC. It seemed that she took pity on the characters and gave them the 'almost' wedding after all the things she did to get them together. I do feel that actually no one else had a chance at Ranma except Akane.
I had a suicide episode in it, but a friend told me that Ranma would have tried to overcome his injury, so I took it out.