Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all associated licensers. The King of Fighters and it associated series are the property of SNK-Playmore and all associated licensers. This is not a work for profit. I claim no rights to the characters. This is a work of fiction.
Continuity for Ranma is mostly derived from the manga, with some of the anime sprinkled in for good measure. Continuity for the King of Fighters is a modified form of the current story, how that is should be explained in story, but I am willing to explain for those with further questions.
Enjoy!
Chapter 13
Five weeks before the tournament…
"So you see I might be gone for a while." Ryoga fumbled to find the right words to continue. "But don't think… that I won't miss you. I will! Please Akari; you have to understand why I'm doing this."
Akari Unryu gently shook her head. "Don't worry Ryoga, I will wait for you. I can see this tournament means a lot to you."
"Yeah, it really is."
"Then go and win it with honor… like a pig." She leaned in to kiss him.
From the other side of the room, Mousse audibly snickered at the display. These two really were too perfect for each other he thought, a sap and a simp. Or was that a simp and a sap? Pathetic at any rate, nothing compared to the pure love he held for Shampoo.
"You have a problem with me duck-boy?" Ryoga snarled as he turned around.
"Oh no, far be it from me to judge you Hibiki. Such a lovely scene, it warms my heart... like a pig."
"Ryoga?" Akari meekly called out. "Please don't get angry." She watched with relief as her boyfriend relaxed, if only slightly.
Akari really did not understand what was going on. The Chinese man had seemed nice enough when he first arrived, and he had gone through the trouble to escort her boyfriend all the way to the farm, but there was something clearly off about him. It was not just the coke-bottle glasses either; he seemed to get some sort of perverse pleasure out of mocking people.
"You two are teammates right? Teammates are like friends, and friends don't fight!" she was getting a little teary-eyed as she spoke.
"Yes dear." Ryoga complied. He hated seeing any girl cry, but Akari? He would cut off his right arm to stop that. Though cutting off his arm would probably make her cry more. Ryoga then realized should quit it with the metaphors, they were never his strong suit.
"Oh brother…" Mousse muttered, but held back any further commentary. Where had Hibiki picked this girl up from? She was too much! You would think she only existed to serve as his girlfriend or something, to make the Lost Boy's existence slightly less miserable, another sign of God's bad sense of humor.
Silence hung in the air for several minutes. As much as it pained him to admit it, Ryoga knew there was not much more to do here.
"I think we should go." He finally spoke. "Akari, please watch me. I'm going to make you proud!"
"Okay! I'll have a feast waiting for you when you return. Show the world what you are made of Ryoga!"
"Just don't serve him any pork. Wouldn't want him to become a cannibal now would we?" Mousse added.
Akari did not stop Ryoga when he moved to attack Mousse again.
"Unbelievable! In front of my girlfriend! I know I've asked this already, but just what the hell is your problem?" Ryoga said as he nursed some sore ribs.
Mousse only gave him stony silence in return. The amazon was applying some ice to his swollen cheek. They were on the road again, making the long trip back to Tokyo to meet up with Ranma and train themselves for the upcoming fights.
"Fine, keep your mouth shut. It's probably better anyway. Just don't go near Akari again if you know what's good for you." Ryoga adjusted his backpack so it would stop grinding on his sore back.
"Hibiki, if I ever have to return to that dull, stupid pig farm in my lifetime, you are free to kill me. It would the greatest act of mercy I can think of."
Ryoga just shook his head. He cursed his poor sense of direction, but not for the usual reasons. If ditching Mousse were a viable option, he would have done it without a second thought. Before now, the two teenagers had never really spent that much time interacting with each other outside of their mutual association with Ranma. They just never really had either the reason or the opportunity to do so, and in retrospect that may have been for the best. With every passing second they spent together, Mousse's deficits in character became ever clearer to Ryoga.
For one thing, the guy was so obsessed with Shampoo that he always compared any other girl he met to her. If he was not outright hostile to them, then he was at the very least condescending. Ryoga wondered how anyone could go through life like that. He had been madly with love with Akane at one time, but that did not stop him from befriending Ukyo or being sociable to any other female he met. Heck, his code as a martial artist practically demanded that he show any woman he encountered a certain degree of respect by default.
What code of honor did Mousse live by? That was a question Ryoga had no answer to, and considering how much he was going to have to rely on the other man in the upcoming battles, that hardly made him feel at ease.
The bell signaling the end of another school day rang at Furinkan High, and for the students it could not have come soon enough. Another day of crazy antics (courtesy of Principal Kuno) had nearly left all of the students stripped of their hair and their dignity. Good thing Ranma had been there to stop it.
"Man, am I beat. That crazy old man never gives it up." The young martial artist said as he lumbered home, Akane at his side.
"You think he's restless because Summer Break is coming up?" The young girl asked.
"More than a month beforehand? If that's the case, he should go book his flight to Hawaii and get out of here already. I have bigger things to worry about then some nut that needs a vacation."
"Yeah." Akane replied lethargically.
"What wrong with you? The burdens of elected office getting you down?"
"No!" she replied defensively. "It's nothing like that. Just…"
"Well what then?" Ranma stared into her eyes, trying to gauge her emotions. It did not work, as he would be the first to admit he was terrible at that sort of stuff.
"It's just…" Akane felt extremely uncomfortable. It was selfish really; Ranma had enough to worry about at this point without her piling problems onto him.
"I swear I'll never understand girls." Ranma spat out. Always so evasive with their feelings! How did they ever get anything settled? A sudden splash of water broke him out of his thoughts.
"If we're so hard for you to understand, why don't you just spend some more time as one of us!" Akane yelled as she threw a discarded bottle of drinking water to the ground. She then charged off ahead of him, huffing and puffing with every step.
"Like I said, I'll never understand girls." Ranma shook herself a bit to dry off, and continued on home as well.
Four weeks before the tournament…
"This is horrible." Shampoo said breathlessly as she read the articles in front of her. They were collected from Chinese magazines imported from Taiwan that specialized in covering the professional martial arts scene. Cologne had collected them for the purpose of finding out more about the King of Fighters tournament, and she had not been happy with what she found.
"You see the problem then, child?"
"Great-grandmother, Airen is in terrible danger! We have to tell him about this!"
The wizened old master stroked her chin, thinking over what she could do with this information. It was true that the tournament had a dubious reputation, but much of what she had found was mere rumor and speculation. Ranma, being the pig-headed fool he was, would dismiss it out of hand. Plus, it seemed only a few fighters who had entered the tournament in the past ended up dead. Compared to some of the crazier things Ranma had gotten himself into, this was tame.
"Child, I think the best thing we can do is observe. I do not savor the idea of my son-in-law getting mixed up in this business, but you know well trying to stop him from getting into a fight is pointless. Do not despair, I promise you now that if your husband gets in over his head, I will stop him."
"I don't know," Shampoo shook her head. "I have faith in Airen's ability to fight, but not in his ability to deal with crooks. They have no honor. They will take advantage of him, use dirty tricks. Stupid Mousse can't be trusted to guard him from that, he would sell Airen out at the first opportunity. Plus, pig-boy is so dumb he wouldn't even know if he was being scammed, so he's useless too."
"Please child, I will be there watching everything, and the crooks who tamper in my business will not live to regret it. Now, go out and buy the supplies I told you about. This is going to be a long trip, and we need to be prepared."
"Yes Great-grandmother."
As Shampoo walked to the convenience store, she checked over the list Cologne had handed to her. Such mundane items, it annoyed her that a proud warrior like herself had been turned into an errand girl.
Shampoo hated being stuck in Japan, a country whose culture she found strange and where she was regarded as an outsider. Everyone assumed she was an idiot because she had trouble picking up the language (like the Japanese were renowned polyglots!), and the only man she truly cared for always seemed to be out of her reach. Ranma was her one and only love, she knew it deep in her heart. Not just because he was strong, but because he had the spirit of a true amazon; loyal to his friends and relentless against his foes. Plus underneath all that bluster he really was a just a simple and modest little boy and that just made him all the more desirable.
Stupid Mousse! He was strong, and not without his good qualities, but these days… Why had everything become so complicated? When they were both very young, things had seemed so simple. They were friends, or at least Shampoo thought they were just friends. Mousse must have seen things very differently even then. It only got worse as the years past. Any boy in the village who showed the slightest interest in her would quickly be "corrected of their impudence" by Mousse.
When Ranma managed to beat Mousse in their first fight, Shampoo was overcome with mixed emotions. One the one hand her Great-grandmother's gambit to make Ranma return to the village had failed, and that was a bitter disappointment. But that fight had also shown that there was now a man in her life who would not be frightened away by Mousse's antics. Ranma would always there for her, save her when she needed it, care for how she felt. It made Shampoo feel like a normal girl for the first time she could remember. That is why she would never give up on him, no matter how many other girls claimed they were his fiancée.
The tournament changed things however. It upset that delicate balance that had found its way into Shampoo's life. One tournament had introduced Ranma into her life; another could now take him away. She had no idea how she was going to do it, but she had to convince her love to untangle from this mess before it consumed him. What could she do though?
The time was quickly approaching when she would have to make that fateful choice.
Ranma knew something was amiss. He had managed to go through dinner without his dad trying to steal food from his plate even once. Clearly the fat old panda had some stupid plan in mind, and that almost certainly meant Ranma would end up being screwed over big time.
"Boy, we need to discuss something important." Genma said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. The Tendos all looked attentively at the older man. Ranma meanwhile was muttering curses under his breath.
"What are you getting so huffy about? I haven't even said anything yet."
"Oh, forgive me Pops! I mean what have you ever done to betray my trust? Clearly I'm out of line."
Ranma's irony was lost on his father. "Exactly, so settle down. Look, this won't take very long. I just have to make an announcement."
"If you try to pull me into another wedding, I'll make a panda floor rug out of you."
Soun cleared his throat. "Perhaps it would be better if I said it Saotome. This does concern my daughters as well."
"Very well Tendo, I leave it in your capable hands."
Nabiki had to repress a laugh.
"Ranma, Akane," Soun began. "We have been thinking very carefully about the development of your relationship over the past few months…"
"I knew it!" Ranma yelled. He was quickly muzzled by Akane.
"Please father, speak on."
"Thank you daughter, as I was saying, we are pleased by what we see, but recent events have put that into jeopardy. I am of course talking about Ranma's involvement in that upcoming tournament. It is my fear that a prolonged separation between you two could lead to an undoing of all that we have struggled so long and hard for."
Ranma managed to free his mouth from Akane's grip. "That you worked so hard for? I have to take care of every problem you two old fools push on me! This is exactly why I'm glad to be heading off to KoF and handling my own business for once."
Nabiki cocked a smug look. "You might want to listen to the next part then, it directly concerns that."
"Oh no you didn't." Ranma said as he eyes narrowed. He looked over at Genma. "Pops, tell me you didn't."
"Did what?"
"That is why I am paying for both Akane and Nabiki to follow Ranma along and make sure that he does not get into trouble." Soun finally spat out.
"You did!" Ranma cried out. "You did make a deal with her!" he pointed his finger at Nabiki. Every single time he thought he could come out ahead on something, Ranma could count on his dad to muck it up.
"Oh my, you really should not point at people like that Ranma, it's very rude." Kasumi said.
Akane was struck senseless by the announcement. She had not been informed of any of this beforehand, and up until now had been expecting to stay home while Ranma travelled to Europe. It had been gnawing away at her, even though she could not admit to anyone that she was feeling lonely at the prospect of being left behind. This certainly changed things, to put it mildly.
Ranma was still railing against his predicament. "And please tell me what Nabiki here could possibly do for me? Steal my prize money? Place bets against me? How did you ever come to the conclusion she's someone who can be trusted?"
"What can I say Ranma," Soun replied timidly. "She makes a good argument."
"PowerPoint is a remarkable tool when used correctly." Nabiki noted.
"Yes, such pretty special effects." Kasumi added.
"You... made… a…" Ranma's words gave out on him at this point. A slideshow? That was enough to convince them? Well at least Akane would never allow herself to be suckered into this stupid plot. Why she would probably start chucking a table at any moment.
"I think it's a great idea." Akane beamed.
"You too Akane?" Ranma croaked out pitifully. That was it, he was totally beaten. Defeating super-powered freaks? No problem! Navigating family politics? A lost cause.
Why couldn't anything ever be simple?
"Don't worry yourself Ranma." Nabiki looked at him mockingly. "I'll manage everything for you. You just win the prize money."
Ranma proceeded to collapse underneath the table. If Akane was not going to make good use of it, at least he could.
Three weeks before the tournament…
"Okay then." Ryoga pulled out an index card. "What's this one mean?"
"Monkey, that's the word for saru." Ranma replied manner-of-factly. "Didn't you show me that one like an hour ago? I wasn't going to forget or nothing."
Ryoga had to resist the urge to smash in Ranma's head with his umbrella. He was going through all this trouble to teach his teammate how to speak and read English at a proficient level, and still he was getting backtalk. The only solace he could take was Akane sitting in on the lessons as well. Ryoga was thrilled to learn that she would be coming with them to the tournament and a little nervous as well.
"Alright, let's try something new." Ryoga took out a clean index card, and then wrote down some words with a pen. "Read this."
Ranma stared at the words for a moment. "Um, wait a moment, this is easy. 'I am an im-per-ti-nent fat-head.' That's what it says." He paused for a moment "So what does it mean?"
Behind him, Akane could be heard giggling loudly. She never knew language instruction could be so much fun!
"Damn it, are you two mocking me? This is no joke!"
Ryoga grinned. "Of course not Ranma, I'm just building your vocabulary. You're a good student by the way."
"Humph, when we spar later, you're mine Hibiki!" Just for emphasis, Ranma stated it again in English.
"Why wait? Let's see you try!" Ryoga challenged back. Akane tried to stop the two boys, but it was too late. The Tendo home was filled with the sounds of fighting.
Across the hall in her room, Nabiki shook her head.
"Great, now he'll be fluent in three languages: Japanese, English, and Moron."
Two weeks before the tournament…
"You're such a baby." Akane teased her erstwhile fiancé. "It isn't anywhere as bad as you make it out to be."
Ranma shook his head glumly. "Says you tomboy, you're practically getting a free vacation."
The sharp sound of Akane's slap could be heard throughout the halls of the shopping arcade. Ranma rubbed his cheek gingerly as she stormed off. Some things never change, he mused.
How was he supposed to feel though? Ranma had spent the last several days begging his parents and Mr. Tendo to reconsider their decision. Much as he cared for Akane, he had enough things to worry about without bringing his screwed up love life to the tournament with him, to be paraded in front of the other great martial artists of the world. He had no intention of coming off as a laughing stock to them before he even stepped into the ring.
And Nabiki? What did he need her there for? Supervisor his butt, that leech would bleed his wallet dry before he even left the airport. Ranma had even tried to make a desperate last minute suggestion that Kasumi be brought along instead, but of course that was literally laughed off by Soun. That stupid old man claimed it had to do with 'protecting his eldest daughter's delicate sensibilities towards violence' but what it really seemed to boil down to was that Soun did not want to be bereft of his all-purpose housekeeper and cook. It was sickening.
The conversation reached its definitive conclusion when Nodoka suggested that Ranma's numerous complaints sounded rather unmanly. At that point he had to shut up, at least if he wanted to keep his head attached to his shoulders.
So now Ranma Saotome had to glumly count down the days until his departure, with only his homework, his English lessons, and his martial arts training to distract him. Pretty glum all things considered. Akane meant well dragging him to the arcade to get his mind off things, but she simply did not understand his feelings. What woman in his life ever truly did?
"Yo there Ranma!"
"Huh? Daisuke? But…"
Standing before Ranma was one half of his friends from school. Daisuke was dressed rather causally. It was odd; Ranma could not offhand remember a time when the other teenager was wearing anything other than his school uniform.
"Yeah kind of awkward meeting you here, don't normally see you outside of school."
"So where's Hiroshi? I thought you two are inseparable."
Daisuke chuckled. "Hey, Hiro-kun and I hang out a lot, but we do have our own lives as well. Of course our lives aren't nearly as exciting as yours."
"It has its ups and its downs." Ranma said as he returned the smile. "Actually for once I have nothing else on my plate. Want to hang out for an hour?" He noticed Daisuke's expression turn tepid. "Geez, what's wrong with you man?"
"It's a little odd is all; I never really thought you'd want to hang out with me outside of school unless you needed something."
Ranma was put on the defensive with that comment. Did people really think he was that callous? Okay, maybe he seemed that way a lot of the time, but he also liked to think that he came off as a standup guy when it really counted.
"Daisuke, I'm serious. We're buddies. I'll tell you, there's a reason I've had so little time to hang out with you and Hiroshi lately. I've been so swamped by work and training, I practically live in my room when I'm not at school. It would be great if we could just shoot the breeze. Honestly, I need it."
"Okay, okay, you've got me Ranma." Daisuke said as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Let's go over to the food court then, I'm sure they'll have a place for us to sit down."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
"So I'm learning all kinds of cool phrases now. Like 'Prepare to feel the righteous fury of my godlike fists!' Stuff like that." Ranma made dramatic gestures with his hand to illustrate his point.
"Well Mrs. Okazaki certainly does not teach stuff like that in 2nd period." Daisuke laughed heartily. "Ryoga sounds like the sort of English teacher I would want."
"Heh, the idea that anyone would want Ryoga as a teacher seems really odd. No offense."
"None taken, but it sounds like you're really throwing yourself into this, Ranma."
"I have." The pigtailed boy's features hardened. "This might be the biggest thing to ever happen to me, I have to be ready for it in every way possible." He noticed Daisuke was somewhat awestruck as he spoke. "Of course I can't get too full of myself, seeing what happened last time."
"Yeah, that was pretty scary. I never saw anyone beat you in a fair fight before."
"I never thanked you and Daisuke for helping me find a doctor after that. Like I said, you guys really are friends, whether you realize it or not."
"Sure. But we owe you big time too, Ranma. Before you showed up, our lives really sucked. There was nothing exciting to look forward to, and the bullies picked on us like no tomorrow, and Upperclassman Kuno… well he was no bully, but you had to be careful whenever you were around him."
"Upperclassman my butt! That guy really gets on my nerves. At least we won't have to worry about him for a while."
"I was going to ask you about that, where did Kuno go off to anyway. No one at school has seen him all week."
A thin smirk formed on Ranma's lips. "He's up in Hokkaido, looking to have a "romantic rendezvous" with the Pigtailed Girl."
Daisuke's eyes widened a little bit as he tried to process the logic of what Ranma had said.
"Wait, you are the Pigtailed Girl. You mean you sent a letter…"
"Not me." Ranma vigorously protested. "I'd never do something that underhanded. It was Nabiki. Suppose to be a "favor" to me or something, though I never asked her in the first place. I'm sure I'll end up paying for it later. Still, I can't feel sorry for Kuno. Anyone that delusional deserves to be suckered." Ranma let out a deep breath and placed his hands behind his head.
"Wow, Nabiki can be really scary sometime." Daisuke said as he lay back in his seat a little more.
"No doubt about that, and now I have to put up with her on the trip." Ranma said that as if a giant boulder had been strapped to his back. Daisuke, who was normally happy just to sit back and not get too heavily involved in the problems around him decided that he had to do something.
"Well, sorry about that man, I know that sucks. But you want to know something? We'll be rooting for you. Not just Hiroshi and I either, I think most of the students are really excited about it. They just don't normally show it because they are afraid of the Principal coming down on them and all."
Ranma perked up at that. Of course it had to be somewhat of an exaggeration, but he was a sucker for any sort of flattery. A man needs some vices after all.
"Good to hear. Be sure to watch me, 'cause I'll show you just how tough Ranma Saotome can really be!"
Daisuke gained a knowing look on his face.
"It won't be just us. I've heard the King of Fighters tournament is going to be broadcast on TV again for the first time in years. The whole world might end up getting to see you fight."
"Like I said, you'll all get to see just how tough I am." He did not let it show on the outside, but internally Ranma was very surprised to learn that bit of news. There was so little about the tournament that he really knew; it was overwhelming at times. But there was no turning back now, he knew that much.
"Ranma!" an irritated female voice could be heard in the distance. "Where are you? We need to get home. Get over here already!"
"That would be my cue." Ranma said as he rose from his seat. "Sorry to cut you off when things were just getting interesting Daisuke."
"No problem, I understand. I only wish I had a girlfriend or two."
"Akane is not my girlfriend!" Ranma instinctively yelled. Uh oh, Akane was sure to hear that one. Before he marched off to face his punishment, he decided to give his friend a piece of sagely advice.
"Hey Daisuke, if you really want a girlfriend, invite some girls over to watch the tournament; perfect excuse to hang out with them. I'd try out Yuka and Sayuri first." Who said martial arts could not be used for constructive purposes?
"Really? Thanks Ranma!"
"Just doing my part." The young martial artist said as he walked off. If Akane did kill him, at least he could say he had done one really good thing before he reached heaven.
"Ranma you jerk!" the youngest Tendo sister yelled as she saw him casually approach her. "You're always are causing me trouble! And what was that about me and girlfriends?" She cracked her knuckles.
He just hoped his death would be quick and painless.
One week before the tournament…
Kasumi carefully handled the hot kettle and set it down on a tray. For once, it was not being used to undo someone's Jusenkyo curse, but rather to serve guests tea. From the kitchen she could make out noises of Ryoga and Mousse sparring in the dojo. They had been at it all morning without a minute's rest. Their work ethic was truly astounding, and she could only admire them for it.
It was sad. As much as Kasumi truly enjoyed Ranma and his friends' presence in her household and all of the fun and adventure that it entailed, she always seemed to be on the periphery of it, only there to clean up the mess and make everyone feel better. In some ways that was good, because Kasumi was fully aware of just how hard a martial artist's life could be. She had tried to be one herself when she was still a young child, when her mother had still been alive. Things just never seemed to work out however. Her own father had once said some people just do not have the talent in them, and should not feel guilty about it.
And then Ryo entered the picture. He was an odd man, not a judgment Kasumi made lightly considering she regularly interacted with ultra-powerful cursed martial artists, but he was odd regardless. She had seen him defeat Ranma in a match, and yet he was so… what was the term she was thinking of?
Oh, that's right: humble.
He put on a cocky front certainly, but underneath that exterior was perhaps the least conceited person Kasumi had come across. So strong, but he was modest about it too. No else knew this, but when she had gone off to clean the house the night he had visited, Kasumi had eavesdropped on the conversation between Ryo and Ranma. She had not meant to, but the Tendo dojo's walls were not all that thick, and her curiosity overwhelmed any reservations she harbored.
Kasumi had heard Ryo's life story, every detail. Like her, he had lost his mother at a young age, had to take care of a younger sibling, push himself to defend the family honor in seemingly impossible circumstances. And yet Ryo had become a great martial artist in spite of his own shortcomings, and was even now working hard to become stronger. He took nothing he had for granted, but still dreamed of obtaining more.
That stunning blond hair of his was just an added bonus.
Whoa, where had that come from? Kasumi purged any lurid thoughts from her mind. No, it was not like that at all she assured herself. She had just never before met someone who could understand her own experiences in life. It was just a shame they had not had a chance to get better acquainted with one another. Ryo had exchanged contact information with her though. Perhaps she could contact him just to see how he was doing?
No, he would probably be too busy. It would be rude to disturb him, and Kasumi would rather die than be rude. Why would he want to talk to a silly housekeeper like her anyway? It just was not meant to be.
Maybe Ranma could say hello for her at the tournament, provided those two even saw each other in the first place.
"Kasumi dear?"
Yes, that would have to do.
"Kasumi, are you alright?"
"Auntie Nodoka, when did you come in? Oh my, did I just space out there for a moment?" She slipped on a smile with practiced ease, and then turned back to her tray. "I am so sorry Auntie, but I need to get this tea to the boys before it gets cold."
Nodoka looked over the girl carefully. Something was very wrong, although Kasumi was trying her hardest to conceal it. Poor girl, always trying to be so mature and strong for everyone around her; what had she sacrificed in the process? Nodoka knew well how family and honor were paramount in the life of a Japanese woman, and that they could consume one's life until there was very little room for anything else. But still, this was a different age from Nodoka's own childhood, and Kasumi had so precious few opportunities to truly be herself. If she could not even honestly confide her thoughts in the privacy of her own home, then where or when?
"I will be back in just a moment Auntie." Kasumi tried to exit the kitchen as quickly as possible, but a firm hand reached out to stop her.
"I think the boys can wait a few more minutes for their tea dear, so put the tray down. Do not try to hide anything from me Kasumi. I have been around far longer than you, and I can see when another woman is in distress, no matter how well you try to hide it. Take a seat, talk to me. We are like family, and I want to help you if you need it."
"Oh auntie I could never waste your time with my silly problems."
"Kasumi Tendo," Nodoka spoke the girl's name sternly. "I am the one who will decide whether my time is being wasted, not you. Now speak, and do not hold back."
Taking their seats at the table, Kasumi nervously played with her hands, not sure where to start.
"Auntie, this is strange. I know what I want to say, but I just cannot get it out."
"Then I will take an educated guess then. You are interested in a boy."
"Not a boy really, he's a man… my God, did I just say that?" Kasumi cupped a hand over her mouth for a moment, but then removed it. "How did you know?"
Nodoka chuckled. "Kasumi dear, after I reached a certain age, I started to recognize certain things very easily. Maybe it is part of motherhood, or just acquired wisdom in general, I cannot say with any certainty. However, it is what it is, and I saw through your feelings very easily. So what is this man like?"
"Oh my," Kasumi began to blush profusely. "Well, he's older."
"Yes."
"And a martial artist."
"A fine a choice as any." Nodoka said with a knowing smile.
"He has a younger sibling who he had to help raise," the younger woman paused slightly as she realized that Ryo had sworn Ranma to secrecy about his past. "Well he's had a tough life, but he really made the best of it."
"Sounds like an interesting man. So, how often do you speak to him?"
Kasumi sighed. "That's the thing auntie, I have not seen him in over a month, and I worry I might never get to see him again the way things currently are. I have to admit, I have no idea if there's any chance for something, but… but…" she trailed off, if was just too painful to continue. It was all just a fantasy anyway.
"Dear, you have to go and meet him. If you hold back your feelings and do not let them blossom, you will regret it forever. You should know the courtship between my husband and I was no easy process either. There was a lot of doubt and hesitation from both sides."
Nodoka thought back to that time. Genma had been such a stubborn ass about admitting his feelings. He was so consumed by his training, and the constant protests that he was too poor to be considered a good match. It seemed at times as if they would never be together, but she made up her mind and persevered. At last she came out victorious. Of course even Genma's parents questioned what she saw in him, but the greatest pride of her life, her ever so manly son, had come of that union, and she did not regret all of the hardship she had endured for even a moment.
"It's not that easy." Kasumi started again. "You see auntie…"
"…So you see, Kasumi must attend the tournament as well."
"I don't really see it at all dear." Genma bluntly replied. "Kasumi needs to attend the tournament so she won't feel left out? What sort of argument is that? She should be thankful that she's being kept out of this insanity. Hell, I wish I was left out of half of my foolish son's shenanigans!"
"Why do you want to take all of my daughters away from me Nodoka?" Soun sobbed. "It's going to be lonely enough without my dear Akane and Nabiki around."
"Soun you have to let your daughters have a little more independence, all of them. I know you think Kasumi is this composed and well-adjusted young woman who can handle anything, but she's very lonely and needs to go out and experience things. Are you going to allow her to grow into a sheltered old maid with no friends?"
"Why that's preposterous Nodoka! I know for a fact that Kasumi has a large number of friends that she does various activities with. She's known many of them since she was in grade school." Soun crossed his arms defiantly. He knew his daughters better than anyone! Nodoka meant well, but simply did not know of what she spoke.
"Actually Tendo, now that I think of it, I haven't seen Kasumi go out with her friends in quite a long time." Genma said, if only begrudgingly. He liked Kasumi, but he had to admit that her social life had become a lot more limited since he first met her over a year before.
"Are you sure about that Saotome, I swear I can remember her going on a shopping trip very recently."
"Tendo, that was ten months ago."
"You're kidding? That long? Why has she not done anything else with them?"
"I am sure it's because her friends are moving on with their lives. It happens all the time Soun." Nodoka frowned ever so slightly. "Can't you see she is already being left behind?"
For a moment, Soun was shaken out of his complacency, but quickly buckled down. He still had one card left to play.
"Well even if that is the case, I know that Kasumi will not become an old maid. Doctor Tofu is quite interested in that girl; she does not realize it yet. Tofu is a fine man, and he will make a fine husband for my daughter when the time comes. We just have to let the relationship grow, let Tofu get over his shyness."
Genma and Nodoka both stared at Soun rather incredulously, making the latter feel rather uncomfortable. Had he offended his friends in some way?
"Tendo," Genma at last muttered. "The Doctor has been gone from Nerima for more than a half a year now. No one knows where he is."
It took a moment for that to sink into Soun's thick head. Tofu was gone? How could he possibly miss something that significant? He had known the man for over a decade! He noticed that his face was starting to twitch uncontrollably.
"Well if that's the case Saotome, where have you been going off to in the mornings? I thought you had a part-time job at Tofu's clinic!"
"Tendo, I've been here the whole time. You know, lounging around as a panda, playing shogi with you? I rarely leave the house anymore."
"Oh… oh my." Soun gasped. "Have… have I really been that out of touch with things?" It was a good thing Soun was sitting down, because otherwise he might have just slumped to the floor right then and there.
It was one thing to get lost in routine, but this… this was horrible! Maybe he had simply planned one marriage scheme too many, or spent to many hours lost in his work (the bills did need to be paid), but it seemed that Soun had let himself go on autopilot for far too long, and now his family was suffering for it. Something had to change.
"I guess one more plane ticket won't bankrupt me." He finally relented. "But how will I ever run this house without Kasumi?"
"I will gladly take over those duties in the interim." Nodoka offered. "You and Genma have to start getting your act together though."
"Why are you dragging me into this woman? I'm just a guest here."
"A guest who is contributing nothing to my finances," Soun growled. "Are you telling me you've not brought a single yen into this house for all this time?"
"Well you didn't say anything before now. I thought you were fine with it."
"Saaaoootttooommmeee!"
The resulting Oni's Head was quite impressive, enough to strike terror into the hearts of the bravest of men…
"Six months Tendo, isn't there an expiration date on these things?"
Nodoka sighed. Just another sacrifice for the new generation…
Three days until the tournament…
"Are you sure you want to do this Mistress?"
"I don't have much of a choice now do I Konatsu?"
"But you do have a choice; you simply do not want to admit it."
Ukyo was carefully packing up her clothing into a suitcase. She had been going through this process over the course of several days, carefully planning what she might need. The most painful part had been withdrawing a significant part of her savings in order to finance her vacation. Even if it was for the good cause of winning over Ranma's heart, Ukyo was never one to part easily with her hard-earned cash.
"Don't try talking me out of this. I'm already behind the game here, getting cut out of that weird business in China." She huffed as she pushed down on some clothing in order to create more room. "I'll be damned if I let it happen twice. You've come a long way Konatsu. I can trust you to run the shop for a few weeks."
Konatsu frowned. "That is not my point. Do you have any idea of how this is going to work out once you get there? You have never traveled outside of Japan, or even put much planning into this trip. Besides, Mr. Ranma is going to be preoccupied with his own responsibilities. I do not believe he is going to be in much of a position to do anything but fighting, if that is what worries you."
Ukyo gave her employee an annoyed glare. Stupid little ninja, he had a point of course, but she was sick and tired of being left behind on the big stuff. She had heard that now all three Tendo sisters would be accompanying Ranma along with Ryoga and Mousse, and the okonomiyaki chef had no doubt her rival Shampoo was planning to go as well.
But Ukyo's reasons for wanting to go extended beyond mere romantic intrigue. First and foremost Ranma was her friend, and he clearly needed moral support. Ukyo Kuonji would sooner be dead then fail in that duty.
Enough of that, she thought. Angst did not suit her. It was time to lighten the mood.
"Hey if all else fails I might be able to at least expand my business. I think it's about high time Europe was introduced to okonomiyaki, what say you Konatsu?"
The cross-dressing ninja forced himself to smile, but he could find no words to answer his boss.
"Well fine, be that way. At least help me push down these cloths, this damn trunk is overflowing."
"Yes Mistress."
Two days until the tournament…
"Kanpai!"
The combined Saotome and Tendo family members (plus Ryoga and Mousse) raised their cups and drank. It was a merry end to a long night of celebration. Tomorrow morning, Ranma's team would be off to the airport to catch their flight to Germany, and Nodoka had insisted that her boy and his companions get a proper sendoff. She had even insisted on doing all the cooking herself, to let Kasumi start her vacation early.
"I'm stuffed." Ryoga said as he sat back down and patted his belly. "Mrs. Saotome, my compliments to you."
"You're welcome Ryoga. If my cooking can give you that extra bit of strength to get you through the tournament, it will be all worth it."
Kasumi rose from her seat. "If you will excuse me, I think I am going to retire for the night."
"I agree sis." Akane said in support. "We've to get up early. The trip to the airport alone is going to be bad enough, and then the wait through security. I'm going to be a zombie if I don't get some rest."
"Right Akane, if anyone needs their beauty rest it's you." Ranma sarcastically fired off. This earned him no lack of evil glares from his surrounding company (except for Mousse, he found it rather funny).
"Just be glad that I'm in a good mood Ranma, or I'd pummel you." Ryoga crossed his arms intimidating. Ranma thought of giving a smart reply to his rival's challenge, but decided against it.
"Ranma, you're more than just a jerk!" Akane growled. "You're a killjoy!" she stomped out of the room.
"What wit." Mousse observed dryly. "It should be registered as a deadly weapon… a very dull weapon."
"Boy, are you ever going to learn?" Genma groused.
"You first Pops." Ranma got up from his seat. "Right now, I think I'll take the Tomboy's lead and go up for the night." He promptly left before anyone else could register a complaint.
"Good for nothing son, he has to ruin everything."
"You should not speak ill of him Genma, he's under a great amount of stress."
"Does that give him the right to insult my daughter without any provocation?" Soun asked pointedly
As the adults continued their argument, Nabiki sat quietly in her chair contemplating her future. In all the hustle of the past few days, she had been all but ignored. Normally that would have bothered her quite a bit, but in this case it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
There was money to be made, she knew that much. It was just a question of how she was going to make it. Nabiki had never worked at this level before, most of her previous 'business ventures' were small-scale and easy to cover up. No, this would require a good deal of finesse, an attention to detail, and a lot of hard work.
Nabiki hated hard work.
Perhaps the best way to do it was just to pass herself off as the team's manager like she had originally planned. She could negotiate deals behind Ranma's back before that dimwit knew what happened; little effort with a high potential for profit. Not that she put a lot of stock in Ranma's ability to win. He had already gotten his clock cleaned by one pro fighter, and Nabiki was sure there were plenty of others who could do the same. Regardless of all the training he had been putting himself through, the chances of Ranma getting knocked out of the early rounds of competition were high. Nabiki needed a backup plan.
There was the old reliable standby of placing bets, but there were problems with that as well. Nabiki had no idea what kind of setup the organizers had, and even worse than that little information on how the competing teams stacked up against each other. Only a fool would bet blind, so this meant she would have to start scouting right away, in order to get a clearer picture of the situation.
More work for her, joy.
"Nabiki." Kasumi whispered from behind her. "I think you should go to bed early as well. You cannot afford to push yourself to hard."
"Oh don't worry sis, this is a vacation remember? I'm just planning to have some fun."
And what could be more fun than striking it rich?
That night, Ranma found himself having great trouble falling asleep. It was an unusual problem for him; usually he never had trouble sleeping. More often than not Ranma had to be literally knocked awake in the morning to get moving.
But it was all so exciting! The time had finally arrived, and in just a few more hours Ranma would be off to a strange land he had only heard of to compete against opponents with abilities he could only imagine. All that he had been striving for during his short life seemed to be building up to this.
Ever so carefully, Ranma snuck out of his room. He had to be careful not to wake up his father, who was snoring away and seemed at peace for once in his life. It probably was because Genma knew that for the first time in over a decade he would be alone with his wife with no pressing responsibilities. What he would choose to do with that time… it was best not to dwell on.
After reaching the courtyard, Ranma chose to do some kata to burn off his excess energy. Maybe after an hour or two of that he would be exhausted enough to go back to bed. Which one should he start with first?
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, boy. Expending all your energy late at night, you'll regret it." A voice shot out from the roof.
Ranma looked up at his uninvited guest. That sneering, high-pitched voice, he knew it all too well.
"Just got back to Nerima, Happy? Took you a while, starting to slow down there a bit?"
"You wish boy." Happosai leaped down from the roof like a cat, touching the ground with a grace that belied his crude appearance. "I just took the scenic route home is all. Tokyo is not the only place in Japan where one can find beautiful women and their undergarments."
"Ugh, like I had enough trouble falling asleep already." Ranma shivered. Was there anything in this world viler than Happosai? The younger man could not think of one, and he sure hoped there was not.
"You treat me with such distain boy. You're in no position to judge me given your own position. Stringing all those girls along, are you going to argue that it's somehow better than what I do?" Happosai idly lit up his pipe and began to smoke.
"I'm no pervert, and that's a big thing in my book." Ranma asked himself why he even bothered to respond. The old man was incorrigible, and it was a waste of time to try and debate him. On the other hand, he really did have nothing else to do right now.
"Eh, so you consider yourself moral huh? Then stop using my art now, since you clearly don't need it."
"What? Give up Musabetsu Kakutou? I'd die first!"
"Heh, a bad choice of words, but for once I won't hold you to it. All I'm trying to say is that Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu is my creation. You find no contradiction in using it despite hating everything I represent?" Happosai could see the confusion coming over Ranma's features. This boy, it was all too easy with him.
"I don't use it like you do Happy! I protect people, I help…"
"Spare me all that. You try, but you have your moments where you're as bad as me, you just rationalize it, while I accept my nature. I'm a very honest man you see. Let me tell you something, from the earliest time I can remember, I was labeled a troublemaker. They called me a pervert, a lusk who lived only for his own pleasure, and you know what boy… they were right! I've lived my life on my own terms, and have gotten more enjoyment out of it than a so-called "respectable" hypocrite like you could ever hope to. I regret nothing I've ever done, and I'm a better man for it."
Ranma looked on at the wizened master with condescension. What was this disgusting old fart trying to prove? Was this supposed to be Happosai's version of a pep talk?
"Yeah, that's wonderful Happosai. My life has been forever enriched by your words of wisdom. I think I'll run off to bed right now, so I can ponder them further."
"I am not finished boy!" the old man snarled. "Remember that you are still a hundred years behind me in skill! You will listen to everything I have to say, or you won't be leaving here in one piece!" Seeing that he had stunned the younger man into silence with his outburst, Happosai continued.
"Yes, my life has been one spent in pursuit of pleasure… with one exception. Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu, the ultimate martial art, my personal creation and ultimate legacy to this world. Can you even begin to guess how many decades I spent crafting the style you now use? Too many! I could have spent that time enlarging my panty collection a hundred fold, but something deep inside drove me to perfect the art, to make it the strongest this world has ever seen.
"Of course, you don't create a new martial art style just for the hell of it. I always intended to pass it on to any who were willing to learn under me. For some reason though, I could only find two young idiots who could barely run in a straight line, let alone fight. Still I did the best with them that I could, and they returned the favor by betraying me."
"That's just tragic old man, my heart bleeds." Ranma smirked. "So what was the point of this story again?"
"Like I said, I don't regret anything I've done in my life, but sometimes I wonder if my style would have spread further if things had been different." The old man blew out a puff of smoke before he continued. "As it stands, you are the future of the school. I don't like that for a second, but I accept it regardless. In the coming years, the reputation of Musabetsu Kakutou will be judged by your actions boy. You hate what I do so much? Let's see if you can do any better. The tournament will be your first challenge, but hardly the last."
"How did you know about the tournament? You weren't around for any of that!"
"Again you don't give me any credit. Just try not to lose too soon boy, show the world what my creation is capable of."
"I'll do more than that, I'll win it outright!" Ranma jabbed his thumb into his chest, brimming full of confidence. "You'll see for yourself what the future of the school will be."
"Heh heh heh, don't make claims you aren't prepared to back up." Happosai dumped some of the burnt ash from his pipe onto the ground. "Just try to survive, that's the best you can hope for."
"Are you actually saying I should take care of myself? You're not just getting slow Happy, you're getting sentimental too."
"Well I guess I'll be taking off then." Happosai said as he turned around. "There's just one more thing I have to do first."
"What?"
"Embrace those sweet melons of yours!" Without warning Happosai sprung onto Ranma, knocking him into the Tendo's koi pond with great force. The now transformed girl spent the next few seconds being groped, at least until she regained her senses.
"You perverted old lech!" she screamed "Repent in Hell!" Happosai was sent into the sky with a mighty punch.
"You see boy!" He called out before he disappeared into the night. "I regret nothing!"
Ranma spent a few seconds panting as she collected herself. Should have seen that one coming, she though, as if Happosai would ever be content to just have a conversation when the lure of boobs were involved. When the old man said that she was a hundred years behind, it had not been all exaggeration.
"What the hell was that?" a voice could be heard from inside the house. It sounded like Akane. A few seconds later, various lights could be seen turning on. Ranma shook her head.
"Well I won't be getting any sleep now, thank a lot you dirty old man... really"
End Chapter
Lucky chapter thirteen, or is that unlucky? Oh well, I never put much stock in stuff like that anyway. Not much to say about this chapter, except the whole Ryo/Kasumi thing. I never intended to write about that when I first started the fic. Kasumi was going to have a rather marginal role and stay behind in Tokyo, but then it turned out to be a lot of fun to write for her, so I wanted to expand her role in some way that would not derail her character. Then it occurred to me that she and Ryo have a lot in common, and I had added in that small little bit about her not being present with the rest of the family in chapter eight (which had been done for a throwaway gag). I thought the resulting scene with Nodoka, Genma, and Soun turned out quite well though.
Now let's move on to reviews. I have a small backlog on them at this point:
DrTempo: Is my version of Mousse all that much smarter than how Takahashi wrote him? He had flashes of cunning in the manga too, enough to keep Ranma on his toes. I'll admit Mousse in this story is more of a jerk than an idiot. Then again Mousse was one of the biggest jerks in the whole series. I remember this one scene in the anime where he taunted Ryoga about only being good enough to be Ranma and Akane's family pet (as P-chan), a plaything for the horde of children they would undoubtedly have… brutal stuff when you think about it.
It's strange, but it's a lot of fun to write a character that, while not evil, is not really all that good either. Mousse is like a lot of people we run into during our lives: we don't like them, but we still manage to coexist and work with them anyway. They may end up even becoming a valued acquaintance, even when they are still jerks to the core, but that's just my two cents on the issue.
As for a hint on who the villains are, next chapter will be very relevant to that, so keep reading.
I really am a terrible person, aren't I? :P
Kamen Double Rider: Ranma being paired up with a girl from KOF would be interesting, but at the same time, I feel like building up a romance with the main character in what is in essence an action fic would end up looking bad. Either the action would be forced to come to a halt, or the romance would fall flat. You can only do so much, or maybe I'm just not that creative a writer. This story is always evolving however, so I can't rule anything out. That's the best answer I can give you right now, sorry.
Chojomeka: Is Kensou all that jealous a person however? Not from what I've read of him. When Athena had a crush on Kyo, Kensou never took it personally, in fact he befriended Kyo! He'd probably think Ranma is a cool guy as well. Kensou is certainly an interesting character, and I plan to do some stuff with him, though it may have to be cut down in the interest of keeping the story focused. That's the problem with a story like this, so many characters to keep track of!
Guest commenter (Please leave a name next time!): Well, Ranma did come off as cocky at the end of chapter twelve. Then again, this is Ranma we're talking about here. You take away the cockiness and he's not really the same character anymore; same thing with his habit of putting his foot in his mouth. Don't worry though, he may be boasting in front of Akane, but he did learn his lesson from his fight with Ryo. He's going to be taking things seriously at the tournament… more or less.
Tearian: You made an interesting point. But still I think you are overstating the hopelessness of the situation here. Ranma had the potential to be Ryo, he just needed to develop it. And also keep in mind the Ryo is one of the strongest fighters in the SNK universe, basically stated by the developers to be their answer to Ryu from Street Fighter. I can think of a lot of other KOF characters Ranma could defeat fairly easily. Ryoga is almost equal to Ranma, and Ranma recognized that in the manga as well. Mousse is strong enough to fight competitively as well. It's not like I'm going to throw them up against Terry Bogard and company in the first round; that would be way too much. I think you will find my choice of opponents quite interesting however. They're not the typical choices you would find in a lot of other stories, which is why I think they will be a blast to write and read.
Fionn the Otaku: I just wanted to thank you for your reviews, you clearly put a lot of thought into them, and I appreciate that.
Well, that's enough for now. Chapter fourteen will be ready in three weeks. Until then, take care!