Chapter 4 - Murder house escape

Ranma Saotome, martial arts extraordinaire, currently in his female form, hung limply over his panda-shaped father as he trudged up towards the overgrown path to the Tendo residence. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving only the pale glow of the moon behind the grey clouds to illuminate the scene. Ranma groaned, shifting slightly as he glared at his father.

"You couldn't at least let me walk?" Ranma muttered. "Carrying me like this makes it look like I'm luggage or something."

Genma, still in his panda form, grunted dismissively and waved a sign he'd conveniently pulled from somewhere: MARTIAL ARTISTS FEAR NOTHING.

Ranma sighed, resting his chin against Genma's back. "Yeah, yeah. But a martial artist also knows when to take a break, old man."

Ranma paused at the gate, his gaze narrowing as he took in the state of the house. Warning signs written in bold red kanji were plastered all over the gate and fence, declaring: DO NOT ENTER and DANGER: CURSED PROPERTY, and BEWARE THE MURDER HOUSE.

"This is the Tendo place?" Ranma asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me. It looks like a ghost story waiting to happen. Straight out of Sadako vs. Kayako."

Genma, still in his panda form, grunted in response and waved a sign he'd conveniently produced from who-knows-where: MARTIAL ARTISTS FEAR NOTHING.

"Yeah, you already pulled that one, martial artists don't normally walk into cursed houses either," Ranma shot back, crossing his arms. He scowled at the foreboding aura emanating from the place. A faint chill seemed to seep from the very air around the property, prickling the back of his neck.

Genma transformed back into his human form with a splash of water from his canteen and gestured dramatically at the house. "Ranma, as a martial artist and the future husband of one of Soun Tendo's daughters, it's your duty to investigate this matter!"

They walked inside andsaw that the Tendo dojo was completely gone, its absence a glaring wound in the landscape. In its place lay scattered debris: splintered wood, shards of shattered tiles, and torn tatami mats strewn haphazardly across the ground. The surrounding weeds and vines crept over the rubble, as if trying to obscure what remained. Ranma's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene, a deep sense of unease gnawing at him.

Ranma rolled his eyes, already regretting agreeing to come here. "You mean it's my duty to clean up whatever mess you're too chicken to handle."

Genma's expression hardened, but before he could retort, a faint whisper floated through the air. It was barely audible, like wind brushing through leaves, but it sent a shiver down both their spines.

Ranma hesitated for a moment, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. But then he clenched his fists, shaking off the unease. "Fine, old man. Let's see what's so scary about this place." He took an offered canteen and splashed himself with warm water, turning back into a tall teenage boy.

The two pushed open the creaking gate, stepping onto the weed-choked path that led to the front door. As they approached, Ranma thought he saw movement in one of the shattered windows—a flicker of something small and shadowy darting past the frame. He stopped short, peering up at the building.

"Did you see that?" he asked, his voice low.

Genma huffed dismissively. "You're imagining things. Focus, boy. A martial artist's spirit must remain unshaken."

Ranma muttered something under his breath but followed his father up the steps to the front door. The decrepit wooden door loomed ahead, its surface warped and splintered from years of neglect. The metal hinges groaned painfully as Genma pushed it open, revealing a darkness that seemed to swallow the faint moonlight behind them.

The air inside was thick and oppressive, carrying the sharp tang of mildew and the stale, earthy scent of decay. Dust particles floated lazily in the faint beam of Genma's flickering lantern, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance along the walls. Ranma wrinkled his nose at the assault on his senses, a faint chill creeping down his spine as he stepped inside.

The interior was no better than the outside. The house was surely now a shadow of its former self. A myriad of family photographs were scattered on the floor, with barely a couple still hanging from the walls. Ranma stopped for a moment, picking up one of the pictures. It showed the Tendo family, all smiles, gathered around the dinner table: a mustached man, a woman with a pixie cut, and three girls aged between six and twelve. A pang of anger and unease gripped him. He had never had anything like that, and the thought of something bad happening to this precious happy family filled him with frustration.

Cobwebs draped every corner, and the floor creaked ominously with every step. Strange, faint whispers echoed through the halls, growing louder as they ventured further in. Ranma clenched his fists as he placed the photo on its place on the wall, his resolve hardening despite the eerie atmosphere.

"This place gives me the creeps," Ranma muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

"Don't be such a girl!" Genma gestured ahead. "Keep moving. A martial artist must never falter in the face of…" He paused as a a small, childlike yokai with glowing red eyes and an unsettling grin peeked out from a doorway and giggled softly. It darted across the hall in front of them, leaving behind faint, echoing laughter that sent chills down their spines.

"Leave this place!" A child-like spectral voice said. "Or you will be killed!"

"…in the face of that," Ranma deadpanned. "This is ridiculous. Let's leave."

"Keep your wits about you," Genma warned, though his tone betrayed more nervousness than he intended. "Where there is small fry, there may be bigger threats."

Ranma grunted in response. He eyed the garden and frowned. "It's been bugging me for a while, old man, where are the Tendos? What happened here?"

"How should I know!?" Genma gruffly replied, "A martial artist's duty is to face fear head-on. Especially if you're going to marry into the family!" His words carry a heavy weight that Ranma doesn't immediately recognize.

Frustrated, Ranma retorts, "Is ditching your problems also part of a martial artist's duty?" His voice is sharp, but there's a flicker of confusion in his eyes as he notices a rare seriousness in his father's tone.

Genma, unusually subdued for a moment, glances at Ranma with an expression that's almost wistful before returning to his usual gruff demeanor. "You'll understand one day, boy," he mutters under his breath, though Ranma is too annoyed to catch it.

The moon hung high over the ruined Tendo property, casting long shadows across the debris-strewn grounds. Ranma crouched on the edge of what had once been the Tendo dojo, his sharp eyes scanning the crumbled remains for anything unusual. Genma stood nearby, holding a small lantern that flickered unsteadily in the wind.

"I don't know why you're taking this so seriously, Pops," Ranma said, his tone laced with irritation. "This place's falling apart. If something scary was here, it'd already be gone."

Genma's brow furrowed as he adjusted the lantern. "You don't understand, boy. Tendo... he is... was my friend. My one friend in the world. We need to find out what happened to them. No matter the cost. Save them if we can, avenge them if we must."

Ranma rolled his eyes, kicking a loose plank aside. "Right. And you're only interested because of that engagement, huh?" He placed his hand on the dirt where the dojo used to stand. "But there's nothing for you here, nothing for you to steal, your dreams of uniting the schools won't ever come true."

Genma didn't answer, his silence uncharacteristic enough to make Ranma glance back at him. For a moment, the older man's face was shadowed, his usual bluster replaced by an expression Ranma couldn't quite place.

"Hey, Pops, what—"

A sudden gust of wind cut him off, swirling around them and carrying with it a faint, eerie laugh. Ranma straightened instantly, his eyes darting toward the source of the sound.

"There's definitely something here," he muttered, his voice losing its earlier cockiness.

As they made their way to the second floor into the ruins, Genma's foot hit something hard. He bent down, brushing away the dirt to reveal a jar, sealed with fairly simple looking charm. The symbols etched into it glowed faintly, pulsing as though alive.

"This…" Genma's voice faltered. "I've seen this kind of seal before. It's that hag Ayase's work."

"Ayase?"

"A spirit medium who shows up on TV, I think people know her as Santa Dodoria these days."

"A fake spirit medium from TV?" Ranma asked, crossing his arms. "What's a jar doing here with her seal on it?"

"She's the real deal, boy." Genma's face darkened. "Tendo and I used to hang around her place. She's… scary. If she sealed something here, it's because she couldn't banish it from this realm. Only something terrible, beyond your wildest nightmares, could be that powerful."

"Sounds serious." Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Great. So let's leave it alone, then."

"Don't be an idiot!" Genma snapped, clutching the jar protectively. "It's our duty as martial artists to deal with this!"

Ranma groaned. "Right. Let me guess. It's my duty as the fiancé too, huh?"

"Yes, and-"

"Like I said, I don't think I'll be marrying anyone any time soon." Ranma replied, moving his flashlight to illuminatea large altar that looked immaculate, unlike everything else in that place. The photos of Tendo Soun, Tendo Kasumi, and Tendo Nabiki are all too clear for them to see.

Genma put the jar down and stared at the altar. His shoulders slumped, and a stream of tears flowed freely down his face. "Tendo… I'm so sorry," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "I should've been here… I should've done something." His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he shook his head. "You trusted me, and I failed you."

Ranma, watching his father, hesitated. The sight of Genma's raw vulnerability was jarring, a far cry from the boisterous, bumbling fool he was used to. "Pops…" he started, but Genma cut him off, his gaze still fixed on the altar.

"They deserved better," Genma said, his voice tinged with both sadness and disgust. "Tendo and his girls… he was my only real friend. And I let this happen. What kind of martial artist… what kind of man does that make me?"

Ranma felt like he needed to say something to console his old man. But resentment kept his mouth shut. Instead, he decided to grab the jar from him. "You can make amends after we leave this place, let's bury this where we found it. If you say this Ayase hag is the real deal, maybe she had a reason to leave the jar behind. We could go to her and find out what happened."

Genma lunged for the jar, his hands gripping its sides with surprising strength. The two twisted and turned in a chaotic dance, their voices rising over the eerie whispers surrounding them.

"Let go, old man!" Ranma snapped, his frustration mounting. "You don't even know what's inside this thing!"

"That's exactly why we need to keep it safe!" Genma shot back, holding the jar like his life depended on it. His voice wavered, a rare hint of desperation slipping through. "It's the least I can do after failing Tendo."

Ranma's movements faltered for a split second, his eyes narrowing at his father. "Yeah? And what's the least I'm supposed to do? Fix all your mistakes? Console you? No thanks." His tone was sharp, but anger at himself simmered beneath his words.

"Boy, you don't understand!" Genma growled, twisting his body to shield the jar. "I owe it to him. To them!"

"Then let's put the damn thing back where we found it!" Ranma snapped, stepping forward aggressively. "It's too dangerous to mess with, and you know it!"

Genma's face distorted with conflict. "I… I can't. Leaving it here feels like abandoning them all over again."

"You're not." Ranma insisted.

"This is martial artist business, boy! Stop whining and do your duty!"

Ranma snarled in frustration, his foot lashing out in a low kick aimed at Genma's leg. The older man countered by spinning, narrowly avoiding the attack while clutching the jar tightly. The charm on the seal began to glow faintly, pulsing in rhythm with their movements.

"Why do you always have to make everything worse!?" Ranma asked. He leapt into the air, twisting to deliver a precise kick aimed at dislodging the jar from Genma's hands.

Genma raised the jar defensively, using it to block the attack. A low hum emanated from it as the seal's glow dimmed, almost half of it was already crispy black. Both father and son froze momentarily, their eyes darting toward the faintly trembling jar.

Ranma paused; his foot still pressed against the jar. "Wait… did we… did we break it?" Ranma asked, his voice tinged with panic.

"Not yet," Genma replied, before immediately bringing the jar down on Ranma's head with a resounding thud.

"Moron!" Ranma barked, clutching his head. "Are you seriously trying to kill us?Why do you always have to make everything my problem?"

The jar survived the impact. But Genma raised it a second time, smashing it at Ranma's head. The seal dissolving into wisps of light. A thick, dark mist spilled out, swirling ominously as it began to blend into a diminutive humanoid form.

What could only be described as a goblin emerged from the mist. A diminutive old man floated over their shoulders like a twisted parody of a face twisted into something far more sinister, his head becoming a scowling flaming skull. His small frame was overshadowed by grotesque tentacles that sprouted from his back, lifting him from the ground, writhing as though they had minds of their own.

Genma scrambled. "Ma-Master!?"

Ranma's attention snapped back to his father. "Master?"

"Ah, it's so refreshing to be free and be able to stretch my legs!" The creature's voice echoed unnaturally, a mix of a squeaky tone and something that sent chills down Ranma's spine. It seemed to recognize Genma, and a twisted smile formed on his face. "Genma! You ungrateful moron! Did you think you could keep me sealed forever?"

Genma stumbled back, his bravado replaced with pure terror. "H-Happosai?! No, it can't be!"

Happosai's grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "Oh, but it is. I'm back, and with a few upgrades, not that I needed them. And now, it's time for a little payback, you ungrateful student."

One of the tentacles shot forward, piercing Genma's stomach. The man let out a choked gasp, collapsing to the ground as blood pooled beneath him. He gasped for breath, stood up just in time and backflipped barely dodging a second tentacle.

"Pops!" Ranma shouted, rushing to his father's side. He glared at Happosai, his fists clenching. "You're gonna pay for that, you little freak!"

"Stay away Ranma!" his father warned.

Happosai laughed, spreading his arms wide as the dark mist around him began to expand. "You think you can stop me, Genma? You're nothing compared to me."

Genma was about to retort something when a small ball rolled to his feet. He swore as a bomb went off, sending him smashing one of the walls. He lowered his head, his breathing slowing to a crawl.

The monster saidwhile his tentacles writhed like grotesque vipers, their tips dripping with an unnatural, dark fluid as he loomed over Genma's fallen body. The old man's twisted grin widened into a manic sneer, "Genma, you were always a disappointment, full of potential, but a coward to the end. But at least you've given me this moment of satisfaction." His eyes flicked to Ranma. "And who may you be, boy?"

"The one who's stopping you." Ranma squared his stance, his expression hardening. "Get away from him you rotten midget!"

"Why, you, little brat! I will show you how to treat your elders!"

Ranma gritted his teeth, his gaze flickering between his father, who lay wheezing on the ground, and the advancing Happosai. "You talk too much," Ranma spat, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. He tightened his stance, readying himself for an opening.

Twin tentacles darted at Ranma. He managed to hit one with a sharp piece of the jar, and using the distraction to dodge the second one. "Sorry, you freak, but I'm not going to let you kill me so easily."

Happosai burned with hate-fueled fire. "What is your business if that sack of disappointment lives or dies?"

"I'm Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial arts, and I can't let you kill my old man."

Happosai smiled, suddenly pleased. "Ah, well, maybe not the heir, seeing as Genma is dying one way or the other. How does it feel to be the last of the Saotome clan? After I'm done with you, I'll deal with the Tendo brat that got away."He threw a volley of bombs at Ranma, who ricochetted around the room, barely avoiding getting the worst of the blasts. "Stay still! You're just like that meddling old hag!"

Ranma's stomach churned. The image of the Tendo family photo he had seen earlier flashed through his mind. He didn't know the Tendos at all, but the thought of Happosai hunting down the last of them, a little girl at that, filled him with a protective fury.

"Not on my watch," Ranma growled under his breath. He silently made a solemn vow to protect that little girl until his last breath.

Genma let out a weak cough, blood dripping from his mouth as his breaths became shallow and ragged. Ranma's gaze softened momentarily as he looked at his father. He had never liked the man—not his cowardice, his selfishness, his idiotic plots, his long list of failed training ideas that got Ranma cursed in more way than one, or any of his countless mistakes for that matter. But despite everything, Ranma felt a pang of love and despair as he watched Genma's blood pool beneath him.

Happosai's tentacles shot forward. Ranma reacted instantly, leaping into the air to avoid the strike. The appendages lashed out where he had stood a second before, splintering the wooden floor with ease.

"You'll have to do better than that," Ranma taunted, though his voice betrayed the strain of the situation. The bombs or the tentacles, he could probably deal with either of them, but both together? His confidence in his abilities was faltering. He needed to get away from the little monster, yesterday.

Using the momentum from his dodge, he landed near Genma, scooping him up with ease despite the weight. "Come on, old man."

Genma smiled weakly at him. "Ah… the Saotome Secret Technique. Fast Break?"

"I don't know if I can pull it off."

"Oh, you're not getting away that easy!" Happosai said, as four tentacles appeared out of nowhere, two from the ceiling, and two more from the floor. Each managed to graze Ranma. One barely missing cleanly cutting his head off.

"Ouch!" Ranma said, putting a hand over his neck.

"Leave me boy." Genma managed to say and grabbed something from his robes. "Take this, leave me, and never look back. If you master this, you'll be able to hide, even from him."

Ranma looked at his father for a moment. Black ooze, flowing from his mouth and stomach, but he still somehow had strength to hand him some old notebook. He took it without hesitation.

Genma forced himself to his feet. "I'll keep him busy. Run Ranma and never look back. And don't you dare try to play hero with the Tendo girl. She's dead already."

Happosai laughed, landing in front of them. His aura started to expand, making it look as if he was growing larger in size. Ranma was surprised that his own pops was also using the same technique. Their chi was extending all over their bodies, giving them massive strength.

There was hope, he thought, seeing that Genma was growing larger than Happosai. Both broke past the ceiling and lashed at each other.

That hope was quickly dashed when another tentacle pierced his pop's shoulders and he immediately was knocked out. His body became its regular size in an instant.

Ranma cursed, picked up his father one more time, and jumped through a window onto the koi pond.

"Running away already?" Happosai sneered, his tentacles writhing menacingly as he advanced. "You won't get far."

Happosai's eyes widened as he saw that instead of a boy and his father, in the pond stood a pink haired girl holding Genma over her shoulder.

"Oh, Jusenkyo got you good, cursed little boy. You're a cutie! And look at those magumbos!" Happosai tried to follow the boy-turned-girl, but as soon as he touched the edge of the window, his whole body shot up in flames, and he bounced off an invisible barrier.

"Whut?" Ranma managed to say.

On the second floor, Happosai was screaming bloody murder. "I'll tear that damn medium, limb for limb!"

Without another word, Ranma bolted toward the nearest exit, every muscle in his body screaming in protest as he carried his father away from the cursed Tendo home. The sound of Happosai's cries of agony mixed with insane laughter followed them into the night.

But the worst about what had happened was the fact that his old man hadn't turned into a panda when he got wet. It sent chills down his spine.