A New Challenge
-Chiba Hiro
*Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of its content, it all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.*
Chapter 1: Get a Job!
It is a beautiful day in Nerima, and everything seems to be perfect, the nostalgia fills the summer breeze, and a close up on the Tendo dojo, two middle-aged men were playing Shogi out on the porch while a teenaged boy, with his hair tied in a pigtail, was doing a set of push-ups right next to them.
"Ranma, may I have a word with you?" the man with a bandana asked.
"Sure. Whadda ya want, pops?" Ranma asked as he finished his set of push-ups.
"We need to have a man-to-man talk about your future." The man said.
"Would you like me to step out for a moment?" the man across from Genma asked.
"No, this concerns you as well." Genma said.
*Sigh* "What is it this time, pops? What did I do?" Ranma asked in a bored tone.
"Tendo, you are aware of the fact that Ranma is not contributing as much to your epidemic as much as you hoped, correct?" Genma inquired.
"What do you mean, Saotome?" Tendo asked.
"I mean your financial problems." Genma said.
"Well, there's no need to worry about the money, I have it all covered." Tendo said.
"Sure, you have three unwed daughters, all of them are unemployed, they are almost near adulthood, you don't have a day job either, I can't do anything because I don't own the house, and that just leaves Ranma to do the rest." Genma said with mock irony.
"Pops, what are you going on about with this?" Ranma exclaimed.
"Oh, I see. Ranma, your father is right. You are the rightful heir to this dojo, and the sooner you get a job, the sooner you can have Akane, and the sooner you have that, the sooner you can fully pay for the house's mortgage, and everything else." Tendo elaborated.
"You mean I gotta get a job?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Precisely." Tendo said.
"Well, what about Kasumi, or Nabiki? They're old enough to hold jobs, right? Why can't they get a job?" Ranma asked.
"Because Kasumi is filling in for mother's position and she cannot handle a job at the same time, furthermore, Nabiki will be going off to college in a few months, and you have to think of your future with Akane while you still have a chance!" Tendo explained rather loudly.
"When did I say I agreed to this? I'm sorry Mr. Tendo, but I don't any good jobs out there. And, I'm still going to school." Ranma said.
"Foolish boy, you have absolutely no chance of getting through your education with the grades that you've been getting. You are a slacker, and there is a consequence for laziness!" Genma raised his voice.
"Oh yeah! Well, first of all, at least I passed the sophomore year! That's good enough, right? And second of all, you've never sat me down and talked about school and raising grades before! If I had stayed with mom, then maybe I would be the star student that she wanted me to be, but that's never gonna happen, now is it?" Ranma shouted, and stood up.
"What is done is done, boy! The future can still be changed! You just have to work harder!" Genma argued back, and stood up as well.
"With what? You don't have enough money to pay for a tutor; Akane is in over her head when she tutors me, and I don't even think we can get through one problem without having to brawl about it, and lastly, you never gave me any encouragement, whatsoever! What makes you think that you're not involved in any of this?" Ranma's face flared with anger and curled his fists.
"Enough, you two!" Tendo raised his voice above theirs, and stood between them to keep them from fighting. "You are acting like a bunch of children fighting over a date! Genma, let me handle this." Tendo said, and turned to face Ranma.
"Ranma, your father is absolutely correct. Whether or not you think you need it, you have to get a job, and that's final. Alright?" Tendo beamed at Ranma, and Ranma reluctantly shook his head.
"Fine." Ranma admitted. "What do you want me to do?" Ranma asked.
"I want you to go through town, and look for job openings, it doesn't matter what it is. Make sure they pay you the minimum wage per hour. Do you understand?" Tendo said.
"Does it matter if I get my old job back from the Old Ghoul at the Nekohanten, or from Ukyo at the Okonomiyaki shop?" Ranma questioned.
"Son, don't even think of going there. Go to any job besides those ones. Now get going!" Tendo fumed, and kicked Ranma sky high. "And don't come back until we hear that you've obtained a job!" Tendo called after.
... ... ...
Ranma grew too used to being thrown, kicked, or whacked into oblivion, which is why he landed firmly on the ground without getting hurt, but he was splashed by the old washerwoman. "Damn it!" he exclaimed, and transformed into a redheaded pigtailed girl, when he was splashed. *Sigh* "Why do I even bother?" she said glumly to herself.
... ... ...
Ranma walked past a bunch of retail stores that said they would hire her, but quickly rejected the idea as she saw the people working behind the counter. *Ugh, I might as well subject myself to serial rapists. Retail stores are definitely off my list.* she thought and the men behind the counters stared intensely back at her.
She walked through a series of marketplaces, and stopped at a supermarket that had a sign that read 'hiring new people'. "It's a good a job as any other. If I get lucky, I'll get the clean up duty." She muttered to herself as she wandered through the store.
She stopped one of the employees and asked him where she can find the manager, and he pointed to the right direction.
Ranma went up to the door that said 'manager', and knocked twice. She waited, then the voice of the manager echoed through. "Come in."
Ranma opened the door and walked into the office. The manager appeared to be busy typing something on the computer, and he turned to face Ranma. The manager had big, round glasses, and a shirt and tie for semi-formal reasons.
The manager took his glasses off and gestured for Ranma to take a seat right in front of him, and she did.
"So, what can I do for you, miss?" the manager asked.
"Well, you see, I'm looking for a part-time job, and I was wondering if I can work here." Ranma explained.
"Okay, well, before we begin, can you tell me what you are capable of doing if I were to give you a job position?" the manager asked.
"I'm capable of doing martial arts!" Ranma exclaimed.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't think that martial arts will be applicable to any of the positions here. Is there anything else?" the manager asked.
"Um, I'm pretty strong. Does that count?" Ranma asked.
"Yeah, well, I'm sure you are." The manager said sarcastically, and checked the computer for positions that were available.
The manager turned to Ranma, and said: "I'm sorry. We don't have anything available for what you just mentioned. Please try someplace else."
Ranma steadily got up, and slowly turned around. "I'm sorry to hear that. But you know what, I don't care for jobs." She muttered and walked out the door.
... ... ...
The sun was about to set, and Ranma wandered aimlessly through place after place, and no one had anything for her. As she got tired of wandering through town, she stopped by the park bench and lay there.
"Job hunting can be pretty hard. How do they get jobs nowadays?" she asked no one in particular, and closed her eyes.
... ... ...
"Son-in-law?" a voice rang in her ears, but she would not wake. "Son-in-law?" The voice asked again.
"Son-in-law!" the voice shouted, and Ranma was rudely awakened by a bop to the head.
"Ow! Who the hell is the wise guy? Can't you see I'm sleeping here?" Ranma exclaimed, and saw that it was Cologne that woke her up. "Oh, it's only you." She said.
"Sorry for the rude awakening, but I had to wake you up, otherwise you'd catch a cold." Cologne said.
Ranma looked around, and saw that it was nighttime, then she turned back to Cologne. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Eight-thirty exactly." Cologne answered.
"What? You mean I slept for that long? Oh, man! That means I must've missed dinner!" Ranma exclaimed.
"Calm down, son!" Cologne said, and whacked the side of Ranma's head. "I'm here to help, and I can't help noticing that you slept here."
"How long have you been here?" Ranma asked.
"Oh, two hours, at least." Cologne said.
"You didn't wake me up, and you just sat there watching me sleep? Now you're even more demented that that old freak." Ranma said.
"Anyway, now that you're up. I'm guessing that you haven't been fed, right? Come with me." Cologne said, and led Ranma to the Nekohanten.
Cologne set two bowls of Ramen in front of Ranma. "Now eat up, and we'll talk later."
"But, why'd you give me two bowls?" Ranma asked.
"It's all on me." Cologne said simply, and hopped back into the kitchen.
Ranma was astonished, but she ate anyway.
... ... ...
After the meal, Cologne emerged from the kitchen once again, and sat directly opposite from Ranma. Ranma was once again in his male form, and she began conversing with him. "So, what were you up to today?" Cologne asked.
"I was looking for a job." Ranma said.
"Yes. Why were you looking for a job?" Cologne asked.
"Because I wanted to. Got a problem with that?" Ranma asked.
"No. But, were you successful in finding a job?" Cologne asked.
"No, but why are you asking me about all this?" Ranma questioned.
"Because I want to help you as much as I can. If you need a job, then I can help you out." Cologne said.
"Oh, and what will you do once I'm hired?" Ranma asked.
"The same thing as last time." Cologne answered.
"Ha, do you think I'm stupid? I'm not so dumb enough to get hired by the likes of you again! You just want me to spend more time with Shampoo, don't ya?" Ranma suspected.
"Yes, but that is beside the point." Cologne said.
"By the way, where is Shampoo?" Ranma asked.
"She is on a long delivery, and she won't be back for another hour. Anyway, the real reason why I sought you out today was to tell you of your new position in China."
"Wait a minute? You sought me out to tell me of a position? What is it?" Ranma asked.
"I have a letter from the council of elders in Joketsuzoku, and the chairmen of Jusenkyo for you." Cologne said and handed Ranma an envelope, addressed to him of course.
Ranma opened the envelope, and read its content.
Dear Ranma,
We, of the Council of Elders, and Jusenkyo Chairmen have chosen you to guard the waters of Jusenkyo. The position is free of charge, you will be paid in Yen, and the plane ticket will be free, and the ticket is inside the envelope you received with this letter. And, the final proposal is that you will be granted a chance to cure yourself of your Jusenkyo curse. You have exactly three weeks from the moment you obtain this letter to accept the position and come to Jusenkyo, alone!
Sincerely,
The Jusenkyo Chairmen, and the Council of Elders
... ... ...
A/N: Well, this is another story made by yours truly, and I hope you enjoyed it, and if you find my grammar to be incorrect in some places, please disregard them and let me handle it. Please rate, comment, and review this story. Thank you!