This is an interesting chapter. We get to see Ranma and Kasumi hang out, a guest arrives, we get a bit of the aftermath with Akane, and Kasumi is truly introduced to the world she is entering. You can't see it, but for some reason, I'm cackling. Chaos.
Chapter Begin
Ranma and Kasumi were walking around Nerima's shopping district. Kasumi was pointing out several shops and sites that she was familiar with.
"Over there is Mr. Kobayashi's. He sells a lot of spices that I use," Kasumi explained.
"Nice. I'll have to visit it before I leave. Always looking for new supplies. Now, you mentioned that there was something you wanted to visit," Ranma mentioned. He observed again how in her element Kasumi was while she was surrounded by the market. Here she was open with smiles around everyone while she effortlessly interacted with each person. It seemed that she had a small story with just about everyone.
"Well, there is a new store that opened recently. They were bringing a lot of new cookware to Nerima. I want to update the kitchen a bit so I can branch out to a few new recipes," Kasumi mentioned.
"That works for me," Ranma commented. "One of my sensei will be arriving either tonight or tomorrow to help finalize a deal between Genma and myself. He's a really big fan of bananas, so I think I'll make him some banana themed snacks."
"I always wanted to try making some banana bread," Kasumi said. "We just don't have the baking pans for them."
"Then I'll get some. I need some way to pay for Master Gorrie, especially since I'm technically pulling him from his work," Ranma commented. Kasumi seemed to perk up when he said this.
"You aren't causing him to lose any money are you?" Kasumi asked, half-serious. Ranma waved off Kasumi's question.
"Nah. He's a very successful author. Do you recognize "The Raging Heart?" Ranma asked. Kasumi seemed to consider his question as she tilted her head. Her eyes lit up.
"I think Nabiki is a big fan of that book. Are you saying that he wrote it?" Kasumi questioned. Ranma smirked.
"Yep. He's working on the sequel, "The Supreme Technique." He seemed a little stressed when I called, so he probably was looking for an excuse to get out of the editor's cage," Ranma explained. "That is also why I will be trying to give him some things to relax with. Food is the best, but he also likes to have long conversations despite how taciturn and to-the-point he is. You'll probably love him… just don't be shocked about his appearance."
"He seems quite interesting, but why bananas?" Kasumi asked.
"You'll see," Ranma smirked. "But we can discuss this later. Right now, we have some shopping to do. Especially because I think that we just passed the store," Ranma pointed behind him. There was a more modern looking store with people entering and exiting it at a fairly constant rate.
"Oh my. Let's go, Ranma," Kasumi squealed. In her excitement, she grabbed Ranma's hand and pulled him into the store to the amusement and happiness of the onlookers.
"I can walk myself…" Ranma tried half-heartedly to resist the iron grip. The two quickly entered the building. Inside, they saw rows of different shelfs filled with various cookware, containers, bowls, and multiple electronic appliances lining every shelf. Ranma let out a low, long whistle at seeing the selection. He barely noticed Kasumi letting go of his hand. "That's a lot of stuff. We don't have this selection back home."
"Oh my, I don't know where to start," Kasumi said.
"Well, let's start with the cookbooks. I could use some new ideas. I'm thinking Korean or Chinese, maybe even a few Western recipes," Ranma suggested.
"Can we? Father never lets me make Chinese food, and I've never had Korean. I think Akane has scared him when she tried," Kasumi mentioned.
"What did Akane do? Make a bad meal?" Ranma prodded. Kasumi shuddered at the question.
"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it," Kasumi stammered out. "It looked fairly normal, but Akane doesn't follow the instructions well. She seems to try to power through cooking and just randomly adds ingredients that she thinks will be good with it. She tried making a Chinese style stir-fry and Father had to get his stomach pumped because she both undercooked the meat and added a bunch of wasabi." Ranma winced at that.
"And I thought Miki was a bad cook," Ranma stammered. He was browsing through a few of the cookbooks, and eventually picked out a few he liked. "I take it that Akane was banned from cooking."
"We've certainly tried our best, and Nabiki tries to make Akane work off any damages that she does, but Akane acts oblivious to how bad it was and often puts up a fight. She refuses to eat it though, so I don't know," Kasumi said. Ranma shook his head.
"Then next time she cooks, force her to eat it before anyone else. It is a cook's job to make certain that the food is good," Ranma proclaimed, making a grand gesture. Kasumi started to giggle while some of the other shoppers looked at Ranma incredulously, but he paid them no mind. All he focused on was the smile on Kasumi's face.
"You really didn't have to buy me the kitchen-aid. It's as expensive as all my pots and pans currently," Kasumi stuttered as the two exited the building. Kasumi had a small bag in her hands while Ranma carried a much larger package.
"I told you that I would buy you something for awakening Geki. It's the least I could do," Ranma countered. "Now, we can get the real training, and you'll get to see all the real tricks that Geki will let you do. Like this…" Ranma made a few movements and suddenly, the box he was carrying disappeared.
"Oh my! How did you do that?" Kasumi asked with wide eyes. Ranma laughed at her dumbfounded look.
"That brings back some memories," Ranma grinned. Kasumi pouted at the look, but Ranma was unfazed. "I had the exact same look when Fu-sensei showed me it. It's a simple concept, but very difficult to maintain. You are taking your Ki and forming a pocket with it. With this pocket, you are able to store multiple items without straining yourself physically. Though you have to be careful because it does drain your Ki fairly quickly depending on the size of the pocket." Kasumi's eyes glazed over at that information.
"That has so many uses for the world. The benefits of being able to carry large objects unhindered would be amazing," Kasumi mumbled out. "People could easily stock up on groceries, deliveries could be done in cars instead of trucks, and people could keep things like bandages on hand for emergencies." Ranma blinked at the sudden torrent of information and ideas. His smile widened as he heard her thoughts.
"While I absolutely agree with your points, there are two major problems with it," Ranma cut through the storm of thoughts. His face lost the smile he had. "The first is that it is really easily abused. While groceries and supplies can be more easily carried, so could weapons and harmful objects like drugs." Kasumi's face shifted to one of shock.
"It sucks, but it's a real risk. However, the more realistic problem is the power requirement. It takes a lot of both ki control and the amount of ki to store something," Ranma explained, but Kasumi's face was blank. He put on a thinking face before he brightened up. "Think of it like this. Say you want to store a cup in your ki-pocket. First, you would need to create a pocket big enough which is the hardest part, but then you need to maintain it and expand it if you want to add anything to it. The problem is, every time you try to double the size, the amount of ki required is increased by a factor of 8."
"I see, so it follows the square-cube law?" Kasumi said. At Ranma's shocked look, Kasumi took on a slightly scolding face. "I was quite the student in high school, and I personally excelled at chemistry and physics. I wanted to be a doctor, but well…you know."
"I'm more shocked that your school taught that. I didn't learn it until I took my more advanced classes," Ranma said, shaking his head. "But yeah, it takes quite a bit of Ki to do so. I've found ways to minimize it, but my Geki is a bit unique, so it only really works for me. It's an advanced technique though so you'll learn it later. However, since you have unlocked your Geki, we can really get you going on learning the Jellyfish Fist. But first, we have something else to do."
"What's that?"
"We got all these cooking tools, but we don't have much in the way of ingredients, and I need to make some food for Master Gorrie," Ranma said. "Do you know where we can get some bananas?"
"I believe there are a few in the farmer's market. Follow me," Kasumi said.
"We're home!" Kasumi called out. They barely got through the door before Akane, Soun and Genma were rushing towards Ranma. Nabiki hung back with a scowl.
"You stupid boy! I had everything under control before you decided you had to intervene!" Akane screamed, ignoring Ranma. Ranma was unfazed at the accusation.
"I'm surprised that Shinnosuke-senpai isn't here. He must have been called to another case," Ranma commented.
"Don't ignore me. You also got Nabiki in trouble too!" Akane continued to scream.
"You are a guest in our house! You should be respectful and helpful to my family, not cause issues for my little girls!" Soun continued with demonic features starting to grow on his face. Genma started to speak before a stern voice sliced through the tension.
"That is enough, Father!" Kasumi stated. Her tone left no room for argument. "Ranma helped Akane when she was being attacked by dozens of boys. He actually stopped them without lifting a finger. However, when the ring leader started to attack Ranma, Akane tried to get a cheap shot because she was mad. She acted dishonorably towards both Ranma and herself." As each word was stated, Soun and Akane seemed to shrink into themselves.
"Waah! My daughter hates me!" Soun cried. A flood of tears cascaded out of his eyes, causing everyone to retreat. Genma was unfortunately too slow. In a moment, the overweight man turned into a massive panda. It did cause Soun to be knocked over and out of his pity party.
"Now that the drama father's are done, what has you all in a rush?" Ranma asked. It wasn't an option.
"Your cop friend came by with Akane and me shortly after you left. He said he would call in a bit, but he was quite upset about a lot of things he found," Nabiki growled out. "The school will be closed for the next few weeks while the police investigates which means that we're going to have some issues with the budget because that's where most of our income is from."
"Why does your income come from the school?" Ranma asked. "I know that you mentioned that Genma is adding to the food budget, but shouldn't Tendo-san make enough money from his job to support the family. You own the land, and there weren't any repairs needed from what I could see." Ranma's explanation caused Soun to scowl while Nabiki seemed to get even more angry.
"Father hasn't had a job since mother died. I've been the one who has taken care of the bills and finance for the past 3 years," Nabiki snarled. Ranma took in the information before he turned to Soun.
"I see. Soun Tendo, you have brought dishonor onto yourself and your family. It is your responsibility as patriarch to care for your family. Take a long look at yourself and your family and see how things are because this is not a healthy family," Ranma shouted, finally losing his patience. Soun looked aghast and lost at Ranma's words. In fact, it looked like he shut down when he heard that.
"How dare you!" Akane screamed. Genma stood by her with a sign that read "You ungrateful boy!" In the next instant, the two were running towards Ranma. Ranma quickly jumped out of the house and into the yard. Genma and Akane followed, sending wild swings and kicks at Ranma who easily dodged the strikes. Kasumi and Nabiki followed.
"Ranma, please don't hurt Akane too badly!" Kasumi called out. Her sister looked at the woman incredulously.
"What are you talking about? Ranma may be skilled but there is no way that he could take them both out, especially with Akane having a temper tantrum at peak rage," Nabiki countered, but she was surprised when Kasumi shook her head.
"Ranma is a lot stronger than he appears. Just watch," Kasumi said. Ranma deflected two simultaneous punches and retaliated with a palm strike to each attacker, sending them both sliding backward. Ranma got into a better defensive stance.
"Both of you stop this!" Ranma demanded, a faintly visible aura formed around him, only visible to Ranma. Unfortunately, the two didn't heed his warning, and continued to try to strike him. Ranma tightened his stance, but made no move as they reached him. "Geki Jyuken Jellyfish Fist." He whispered.
"Take this, you bastard!" Akane yelled as she landed a heavy haymaker on his face. Around her, Genma landed a massive strike to the side of Ranma. When they hit, Ranma's body seemed to distort as the two attacks slipped through his body. Ranma's body reformed, showing he was no worse for wear. However, Genma and Akane overcommitted to their attacks causing the two to collide and fall into a tangled heap.
"What was that?" Nabiki breathed out.
"Geki Jyuken Jellyfish Fist," Ranma explained. He took an easy step before his hand lashed out quickly. Genma and Akane were easily separated, but they were frozen in place. "A fighting style based on avoiding attacks and disabling opponents. For relentless or power attackers like Akana and Genma, it's the worst match up."
"When this gets undone, I'm going to clobber you!" Akane ground out through the dirt. Considering that she was face down in the ground, it was more ridiculous than scary.
"Growf!" The prone panda grunted. Ranma rolled his eyes at his sperm donor.
"I'm certain you are trying to say something about I'm a disrespectful boy who is dishonoring you," Ranma mocked. He took a seat on the Panda's back and positioned himself so Genma could see directly into Ranma's eyes. "I'll say this only one more time. I am not your son. You stopped being my father when you threw me into the pit. Should this repeat, I will consider this your forfeit, and I will personally force the information out of you." His eyes became slitted as he said that, scaring the not-so-poor panda.
Having said his piece, Ranma hopped off of the panda, effortlessly picked up both of the paralyzed fighters and carried them towards the house. He deposited them gently on their backs in the family room. He turned to the onlookers. Nabiki was staring with a deer in the headlights face that she schooled before she retreated, Soun still was staring blankly, while Kasumi had stars in her eyes.
"That was amazing," Kasumi whispered in awe. "Will I be able to do that?" Her question seemed to knock Soun out of his stupor.
"What?" The two shouted. Kasumi and Ranma turned to them blankly, before Ranma hit his fist in his palm.
"We never talked about this with you," Ranma realized. "I guess I didn't consider it because Kasumi is 19."
"What does Kasumi's age have to do with it?" Soun asked with a hard edge. Kasumi stepped forward.
"Ranma has started to teach me GekiJyuKen. He is taking me on as a student," Kasumi said.
"What do you mean? Why didn't you come to me if you wanted to learn martial arts," Soun asked with tearful eyes. Kasumi gently looked at her father before her face turned hard.
"You wouldn't be able to teach me what I wanted," Kasumi explained. "I haven't seen you practice or teach anyone for years. You've spent more time crying at the drop of the hat than helping around the house."
"But Kasumi…" Soun started.
"No! I am 19 years old. I'll turn twenty in a few months!" Kasumi screamed with tears in her eyes. "For almost a half decade, I've been the sole person to take care of the house. I was 13 when I was fully in charge of cooking and cleaning our entire house! Nabiki is a glorified mercenary so we didn't starve since you couldn't bother getting a job or teaching new students. Half the time, I don't even think you remember I'm your daughter since I'm basically the family's live-in maid!" Ranma gently laid his hand on Kasumi's shoulder. He was shocked when she buried her face into his chest, but he quickly wrapped her in a comforting embrace. Soun meanwhile looked devastated as he looked at his eldest daughter. The daughter who it appears that he had brutally mistreated.
"Tendo-san, I believe it would be best if you gave Kasumi a chance to calm down," Ranma ground out.
"I believe that you are correct. I have to think about some things," Soun said. He went to leave the room but he stopped at the doorway. He opened his mouth to speak before he decided to keep walking.
"It's okay, Kasumi," Ranma consoled her. He guided her to the table. "I'll go make some tea." Ranma went to leave, but Kasumi refused to let him go.
"Please, don't go," she weakly protested. Ranma looked at the defeated girl with some apprehension, but he eventually relented. The two sat together with Ranma being a firm rock for the distraught girl. The two stayed there for hours before Kasumi eventually left to head to bed. Ranma watched her go with a sad expression. During this time, Akane and Genma's paralysis wore off, and the two stalked off.
Breakfast the following day was an awkward experience. Everyone was seated at the table, but no one was talking. They just ate. Ranma took over for breakfast after he saw the disheveled appearance of Kasumi, though she did look a little better than yesterday. Akane and Genma had looks of hatred while Soun seemed to be contemplating something as he read the morning newspaper. At least, he tried to appear to, but it was obvious that he was watching his eldest. The only one who seemed relatively unaffected was Nabiki who was sipping some sort of hot drink with an empty plate.
"Alright, I have things I need to figure out," Nabiki drawled out. "Thank you for the meal. I should be back by a little after lunch." Having said her piece, she dropped her dishes in the kitchen and left the house. Everyone seemed to ignore her before a sudden scream escaped her. This shook everyone out of their funk, as they all rushed towards the noise.
"I can't believe that you are here! I love your book. Let me get my copy so you can sign it," Nabiki squealed as she rushed through the house and up the stairs. Ranma and Kasumi looked at each other with a knowing look while Akane, Soun and Genma looked towards the figure that was at the door.
"Greetings, Tendo family and guests. I am Gorrie Yen," the man greeted in a gruff voice. He stepped into the house and revealed himself to be dressed in a shirt with flame decals, loose kung-fu pants, and simple shoes, but that wasn't the most interesting fact about him.
"A Gorilla?" Akane, Soun and Genma called out as the man-rilla approached. He handed each of them a book.
"I am like this because I used a forbidden technique, but I make do as an author," Gorrie explained. "Have a copy of my best seller." The three were dumbfounded at the casual behavior of the man.
"It's good to see you Master Gorrie," Ranma said. He came out with a tray of bread and a few different toppings for it. "I have a treat for you that Kasumi and I made." He presented the food to his sensei.
"Ah, thank you." Gorrie gratefully took a slice and coated it with some cream cheese. He took a bite and soon had scarfed it down. "Delicious. My compliments to you both." He gave a small bow before entering the house. In an unexplained method, soon they were all seated back at the table with Gorrie seated at the head. Nabiki seemed to be physically vibrating as she held up the signed copies of Gorrie's book.
"Let me reintroduce myself," Gorrie Yen stated. "I am Gorrie Yen, one of the Seven Kensei's of GekiJyuKen, and the master of the Gorilla Fist. I will be the one to referee your duel." Gorrie looked at the people. Ranma and Kasumi looked at him with a neutral, but welcoming face. Genma seemed to look at the man with apprehension while Soun had a thoughtful look on his face. Nabiki was in her own world, but Akane was glaring at Ranma during this whole process. Gorrie placed a piece of paper onto the table.
"Ranma has already relayed to me what the details of the deal are. I've written them down for you. Please review so we can make it binding," Gorrie stated. He pushed it to a wet Genma, but it was snatched by a suddenly refocused Nabiki. She quickly reviewed it.
"Hmm, it looks pretty simple. The basics of it are that the winner gets what they want. Genma gets Ranma to come back to fulfill the Saotome-Tendo Pledge while Ranma is entirely free from Genma, he finds the location of his mother, and one request is fulfilled," Nabiki said. "There is a caveat that any sabotage will be investigated, and should a guilty party be found, that means it is an automatic forfeit. Signing this document means it will be legally binding." Gorrie nodded as he continued to eat the banana bread.
"Well said," Gorrie replied. Genma snatched the paper from Nabiki and signed it sloppily. He shoved it over to Ranma.
"Don't be a coward and sign the paper boy," Genma said. Ranma rolled his eyes and signed the paper. He handed it back to his master.
"Very good. Report to the dojo at 9 am in 3 days," Gorrie stated. "Kasumi, may I speak to you privately?" Kasumi looked at Ranma who nodded affirmatively.
"Very well Master Gorrie," Kasumi said. She went to follow Gorrie, but Akane slammed her hand on the table.
"You will not take my sister anywhere!" She screamed. Gorrie looked at the girl with an unmovable expression.
"It is Kasumi's choice on whether she follows me or not. I believe she is over 18 years old, so she can make her own choices," Gorrie reasoned.
"Shut up!" Akane rejected. Her face turned red as she stomped up to Gorrie. "I'm tired of all of you Geki losers coming into my house and telling us how things are. I don't trust you with my sister! Especially to some gorilla." Gorrie stared at the girl for a few moments as she seemed to get more angry.
"Say what you will," he finally said. He walked past a stunned Akane and motioned her to follow him outside. They had just left the room when a yell echoed through the house.
"Don't ignore me!" Akane shouted. She leapt at the master who easily ducked around the attack. An aura formed around Gorrie before he threw his hands at Akane. A ribbon seemed to materialize out of the aura and wrapped around Akane, immobilizing her. "Get off me!" She futilely tried to escape but she couldn't even cause it to stretch.
"Stop struggling. This is pure Geki that is restraining you. You don't have the ability to break free," Gorrie explained. "It will hold you for about an hour. Take the time to reflect on your anger." Having said his peace, he guided Kasumi outside so they could speak. Kasumi seemed to hesitate, but she quietly followed Gorrie. The others stood awkwardly while they processed what happened.
"Why did Gorrie-sensei want to talk to Kasumi?" Nabiki asked. Genma and Soun nodded while Akane continued to try to break free.
"Gorrie is the head of the JyuKen Consultation Office. He knows the Dark Forest Path, so he's probably helping her figure out her next step whether it is staying here, continuing to practice GekiJyu or something different," Ranma stated. "Whatever the case, she will find her answer at the end." Having said his piece, Ranma left the room.
"Well, Tendo ol' pal, do you want to play?" Genma said, pulling up a game board. Soun shook his head.
"Not today, Saotome. I have a lot to think about," Soun sighed.
Kasumi and Gorrie continued to walk down the street. Gorrie got a few strange looks from passersby, but the two ignored them. Eventually, they reached a small park with a cluttering of picnic tables. The early morning sun warmed the two, and the laughter of a few kids could be heard in the background.
"Please, have a seat," Gorrie motioned to an empty seat at one of the tables. The two sat down. "I am quite surprised that Ranma found a student already. Especially one with such baggage, but even more talent." Kasumi blinked.
"How did you know?" Kasumi asked.
"I can feel your Geki. You have a large amount," Gorrie replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of coins. While he was talking, he began making towers by stacking the coins on the edge. Soon he had four towers of coins set up in a triangle with a larger tower in the center. He carefully balanced his book on the center one.
"If the central pillar collapses, the whole house crumbles," Gorrie stated. He flicked out the bottom of the tallest stack. Doing so caused the book to jerk down and everything collapsed. Kasumi sighed.
"That is exactly what I'm worried about. I've spent so much time supporting the family, but I've recently realized I've become too supportive. Yesterday was the first day I spent any time doing something for myself. It was only a few hours, but I loved it," Kasumi excitedly exclaimed. However, she turned somber. "I realized that I was unsatisfied just cleaning and cooking. I wanted to do so much more, but I cannot leave my family so suddenly."
"Perhaps, but there are ways to circumvent a shoddy foundation. Try to find a balance with these," Gorrie challenged. He presented several carved figures of various sizes. Four of them were vaguely human shaped, while the others looked like books, a pot, buckets, and folded clothes. "See if you can balance this without everything falling down. It should help you prepare for what needs to be done." Kasumi observed the figures and started to stack them while Gorrie took out a bundle of papers and a pen. The two sat in comfortable silence.
"I got it!" Kasumi cheered. She had finally gotten a working set up.
"Very good," Gorrie commented, putting away his papers. "Do you know what you have to do?" Kasumi nodded.
"I do. Thank you, Master Gorrie. I don't know what I would have done without your guidance," Kasumi said, taking a bow. She looked up at the sky and saw the sun was almost at its apex. "Oh my, I need to hurry back for lunch. Pardon me." With one last bow, she left at a brisk pace.
"Heh, the future of GekiJyu is in good hands with these kids," Gorrie laughed. He took one last look at the new triangle before he left at a more sedate pace. On the table, the tallest figure and two shortest figures formed a triangle with various smaller figures sitting on their heads to balance the book. Sitting on the book was Kasumi's figure free of responsibility and facing towards the sun.
Chapter End
No Omake this time. I couldn't think of anything. Master Gorrie was fun/frustrating to write because he is both taciturn and talkative, so I tried to present him as someone who can read the situation and say exactly what needed to be said, but he also likes to lead the conversation. It's why I picked him because he can give a good talk to Soun (off screen or next chapter) and help Kasumi realize what needs to be done. Honestly, this was probably my favorite scene to write in the whole story so far.
Next Chapter is either the final or second to last chapter of the story. I am eventually going to add extra chapters (more one-shot specials) but I want to finish the Ranma ½ side before I really introduce the GekiRangers side. After that, it will be much more sporadic (like potentially months) before I continue it. I need to plan and I need a break. My goal is to be done with the next chapter by the 4th.
This was a question: How many styles does Ranma know and how many GekiBeasts could he manifest? Yes. Reality. He is a master of his two main styles, but he supplements with Cat Fist, Bat Fist, and several other styles. He knows the basics for about a dozen to start teaching them including Jellyfish Fist. He can manifest every GekiBeast (and RinBeasts) except the Rhino.
