Pretty Magical Girl Ranma
By Ozzallos
Be It Ever So Humble
Part Two
A seven-foot
line of vertical light cut into the local reality, forming atop a water tower
in
The next figure that stepped through the door of light had a
peaceful air about her as she took the redhead's hand. Her rolling brown hair
wavered in the wind softly, as did her dark blue kimono-like dress. The golden
dragons along its lines seemed to ripple with life as she stepped carefully
onto the water tower top. Whereas the redhead's free hand was occupied by a
staff, a thick leather-bound book rested in hers, golden leaf flashing in the
sunlight. Her robe cleared the gateway and the redhead nodded. The act seemed
to cause the wall of light to shudder and collapse in upon itself as if it had
never existed.
They both stepped to the edge, and the brown haired woman's
peaceful serenity cracked slightly in favor of a frown. "Now Ranchan, you know
I don't like heights." There was no anger in the reprove, just a mild
reminder of the fact. She could get over it though. All of Nerima stretched
below them and it was a beautiful view.
"I know Kaschan…" The redhead smiled sheepishly.
"I just wanted to gate in where I knew nobody would take notice of
us." Ranma took in the expanse below her for herself. "Besides, I
can't count how many times I came up her for some peace and quiet."
Kasumi had all but forgotten the height, agreeing with Ranma on
that matter. One could easily appreciate that fact… Especially if one were a
martial artist who used to have three fiancées, two scheming parents and too
many rivals to count. "We might want to change into something a tad more
appropriate before we step off your little foot-stool here."
Ranma blinked with mild confusion before her words finally
caught up to the redhead. Oh yeah. What had been her standard girl-type fashion
statement for the better part of two years now would probably tend to draw some
attention to their person. Probably no more than leaping martial artists, giant
pandas and flying Pheonix birds, but that was no reason to give the entire
family a heart attack. She smiled as the image of her father's reaction to the
robe played out in her mind.
"Ahem." Kasumi brought her attention back to reality
with amusement in her voice. "We need to give them some time to
adjust."
The redhead smiled wider. Leave it to Kasumi to know exactly
what she was thinking. Ranma blinked, and her clothes evaporated, replaced by a
silken red Chinese shirt and black pants.
"The jewelry too, Ranchan." Kasumi pointed out with
that same amused smile. Ranma grumbled and willed the jewelry from sight. Now
only the staff remained and Kasumi knew better than to contest Ranma on that
issue. It served as a magical focal, defense and most importantly, a fond
memory. She too willed her apparel away in favor of a simple pink dress with
elegant white frills. Like the staff, the rich leather bound tome remained
firmly in her hand.
"Ready?"
Kasumi nodded, and they both stepped off the water tower's
edge, floating gently to the ground.
Akane Tendo spun stepped through another kata with
vigor, the day's exertion evident as sweat dripped from her. It had been a
month and a half since the disappearance of her sister with the baka pervert
and she still worried. Sure, it had left her undisputed control of the kitchen
and yeah, the note from Kasumi was a small comfort, but it simply wasn't like
her to just up and disappear into the night, note or no. Ranma, sure. As much
as she grumbled over the matter, she could easily see his point of view these
days. The week following the disappearance was sheer chaos as one fiancée after
another popped in to inquire- sometimes forcefully -on where their fiancé had
run off to. It didn't help matters when they learned her older sister had
skipped town, but at least it had been Kasumi, since nobody in their right mind
would believe that Kasumi had a thing for Ranma or the fact that Ranma would
take advantage of Kasumi. The Fiancées of Destruction were still suspicious as
hell, but that pairing would have been the last thing on their minds.
In the end, the truth set them free. Ranma had gone off to
learn new techniques, which was the truth. Kasumi had gone off to medical
school, which again was the truth. What the family dared not tell a soul was
that they had ran off together, to the same school to learn magic of all
things. The devil's in the details, Akane smiled internally, and set up for
another kata. Dad was furious of course. It took nearly two weeks for demon
head Soun to finally exhaust itself while Genma promised he'd boot his son so
hard his grandkids would feel it. Suffice to say, the baka had quite a bit of
explaining to do when he got home and her sister had better be--
"You've been practicing."
Akane froze mid strike. That voice. It was a girl, but that
voice! She spun around and around found Ranma Saotome in his female form
leaning against the back wall of the practice hall, grinning.
"RANMA, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!" She stomped
over to her, unsure whether she was going to lay the boy-girl out or just chew
his ass off. Or both.
Her anger only caused the redhead's grin to increase. "I
can't tell you how much I've missed that."
That stopped her immediately. The anger was still there, but
the comment wasn't a jibe at her expense. It was pure honesty, and she knew
Ranma well enough to know that for a fact. The anger stalled momentarily, she
took stock of the girl in front of her. It was the same Ranma that had left her
a month ago, yet something indefinable had changed. And the staff? For the
first time she noticed a staff leaning against her body, rest in the crook of
her collarbone. In fact, it looked like the old guy's staff if she remembered correctly.
Did they give them out like candy or something? Enough curiosity had built up
to stay her anger until she could formulate something close to probing
questions. A tongue lashing wasn't nessisarily out of the question either.
"Did I hear you yell Ran--" Nabiki popped her head
into the practice hall to find Ranma leaning against the wall and her little
sister barely reigning in her anger. Nabiki recovered from her surprise rather
quickly. "Ooh, a lot of people aren't going to be happy with the betting
pool." Ranma shared her humor with a smile. "Most people weren't
expecting you back for another month." She stepped into the dojo fully
now. "So where you been, Soatome?"
Ranma affected a lazy shrug. "Magic school. Here and
there, mostly."
"HEY!" Akane's rage fired back up once more.
"I'm asking the questions here! Where's my sister!"
"Probably saying 'hi' to her parents." Akane missed
the subtle twist in grammar but Nabiki did not and her grin instantly died,
eyes narrowing sharply on Ranma.
"It would seem we have a lot to talk about, Saotome."
Nabiki remarked flatly, but it did nothing to dent Ranma's spirts much to her
surprise. The dyanamic has changed, she noted silently as the redhead pushed
herself off the wall, walking past Akane to the doorway she stood in. That
pointed observation didn't even produce a blush. That's a lot of change in a
month and a half. The staff jiggled happily as it balanced lightly on the
redhead's shoulder. Another oddity. I'm missing some serious information here,
she decided.
'Ranma, I'm not done with you!" Akane charged, intending
to forcefully stop the girl by gripping her shoulder. Or at least that had been
the plan. Her hand slapped down and through her shoulder which promply faded
from existence, causing Akane to stumble, flailing desperately to maintain her
balance. Nabiki watched in shock as Ranma popped back into existence behind her
sister. Freakin' magic school indeed. Ranma tipped the staff downward beside
Akane so she could grip it and maintain her balance. As soon as the sister
righted herself, she tipped the staff back to her shoulder. Akane couldn't
believe it either and stared at Ranma with incredulity.
"But… you were just… Where…?" Akane was gibbering
mess, anger forgotten for the moment.
"We are so gonna make money off that move, Saotome."
Nabiki smiled evily, yen signs flashing in her eyes.
"I miss you too Nabiki, but no." Ranma's light smile
never faded from her face as she walked around the still stunned Akane.
Nabiki blink. Wait. Did Ranma just say no? To me?
That set her analytical brain into motion. Nobody bluffs me, least of all a
martial arts jock named Ranma. "Oh, I think I can persuade you to help
out."
Ranma paused beside her, never changing in tone or her
expression. "Naw. Besides, I learned a little secret a few years
back…" She let Nabiki hang with curiosity and gave her a gentle pat on the
shoulder, whispering, "Blackmail only works when your victim gives a
damn."
The redhead proceeded out of the practice hall,
leaving two stunned sisters in her wake.
"Boy, you've got a lot of explaining to do."
Genma Saotome looked at the girl in front of him with seething
irritation. To his left stood his wife Nadoka Saotome and his right, Soun
Tendo. The Boy- or girl as the case was -had disappeared for a month and a half
to go learn magic tricks, of all things. That was the last thing the heir to
the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts should be doing, let alone departing
with his fiancée's sister in the middle of the night.
"Quite right, old friend." Soun rebuked sternly,
eyeing his future son-in-law. "Highly improper behavior."
"Indeed." Nodoka chimed in, but with a twinkle in her
eye. "You should have taken Akane with you too." The pair at her side
faceplanted into the floor as she lost herself in visions of her manly son
seducing two Tendos.
"Not like I wanted to go with the baka in the first
place!" Akane retorted from behind Ranma, watching the scene from the edge
of the living room with her sisters Nabiki and Kasumi. The middle sister stared
at Kasumi with piercing interest. Like Saotome, she had been gone for
forty-five days and returned with an indefinable something. And like the
pigtail boy, seemed to have an artifact in her possession at all times. For him
it was that odd ringed staff. For her, it was the rich leather bound book.
Ranma's father swifty recovered from his wife's words and
continued. "…Not to mention you're still prancing around like a girl with
that stick." He paused momentarily. "We're awaiting, Boy."
Kasumi stiffened at the mention of 'the stick' and she quietly
prayed that the elder Saotome wouldn't push that particular button too many
more times. The slight but audible intake of breath didn't go unnoticed by the
middle sister. Nabiki was definitely going to be pumping her sister for information
tonight.
"Easy, Pops." Ranma smiled, brushing past the
parent's misgivings. "It was a training trip to fix my Ki pathways."
Well, more than a training trip, she amended silently, mirroring Kasumi's
thoughts exactly as if he could have heard them.
"And what of my daughter?" Soun menaced, threatening
to burst into a demon head at any moment.
"Invited by Sensei." Ranma replied easily. "I
just told her I was going."
The answer seemed to mollify the parent for the moment, but his
own father continued to probe the matter further. "We told you not to
leave without our permission, Boy." This gained nods from the two
remaining parents.
"Come on, Pops," Ranma started with a hint of
dejection. "If you had a potential cure in your grasp, would you wait for
permission to go get it?"
Genma opened his mouth, then closed it, looking at the girl in
front of him. A moment passed and he asked, "Well… did you?"
Now Ranma smiled. "Kas-chan and I are workin' on it."
Even as Nabiki's poker face slipped, she watched Nodoka's eyes
shine brightly. The Saotome matriarch just heard what I did, she thought. Both
sets of eyes were instantly on Kasumi even if Genma, Soun and Akane sat
blissfully unaware. Kasumi simply smiled her peaceful smile, but both women
recognized the term of endearment the moment it had left his lips, and it
certainly hadn't been one uttered by him before.
"Hmmf!" Genma snorted, staring down his son. Gone for
forty-five days and the only thing he had to show for it was a jingling staff.
Pathetic. Speaking of the staff… "Yield the stick, Boy. There's no place
for weapons in The Art!"
"Mr. Saotome, I don't think that…" Kasumi stepped
forward to warn Ranma's father, but was ignored as his hand shot out to grasp
the length of the staff. Genma's hand locked around the shaft and tried to pull
it back, meeting with resistance. Ranma's smile vanished instantly.
"I said let go, boy!" Genma pulled harder,
failing to notice his son's blue eyes glowing now.
Another tug and Ranma's patience broke violently. "Back
off, Old man!" Ranma pulled the staff back suddenly, and Genma with it,
over extending the father's center of gravity. She gave the shaft a hard slap
with her free hand that sent it twirling clockwise, its rings singing the
entire time. Already off balance, the father began to flip as well and Ranma
extended out left, sending him flying into the living room wall with
considerable force. The glow in her eyes softened momentarily and she held up
two fingers, whispering a something intelligible. Genma's ki poured through his
body as it reflexively braced him for an impact that never came. He opened his
eyes and blinked, finding himself upside-down, suspended four feet in the air
and inches removed from the wall itself. The entire family stared in shock, save
Kasumii, who simple sighed.
Ranma walked over to his father. "Get this through your
head right now Ol' man," She fumed. While the majority of her heat was
directed at her father, the proclamation obvious went for everybody in the
room. "There are only three people who can even touch this thing.
One of em's dead and you're not the other."
The glow faded from Ranma's eyes and she took a deep breath to
calm herself and the action seemed to disrupt whatever was holding her father
in the air. With no warning, he fell to the wooden floor with a painful
"oof!" She continued is a calmer voice. "If I didn't go for the
training, I'd be dog meat, Pops. You know what I face. I'd be screwed in a
battle without my ki."
The father stared at his boy from a painful upside down
position on the floor while Soun broke the silence. "No worries, Son!
You've only been looking for a month and a half. Something is bound to--"
"We've been looking for nearly twelve years."
Ranma's tone dropped to sub zero temperatures. Her shoulders slumped with
fatigue and she padded up the stairs silently, save the ever-present jingle of
her staff.
Every eye was riveted on him until he turned the corner. Once
out of sight, they all snapped to onto Kasumi.
"Oh my." She murmmered, suddenly the center of
attention. "Ranma-kun is right though. The Jyusenkyou curse is saturated
with death magic. It has been extremely… resilient to our attempts to break
it."
Nabiki couldn't hold her silence any longer. She arched a
skeptical eyebrow. "Twelve years?"
Kasumi sighed. The questions would only get tougher from here
on out. "For all of you, only a month and a half has passed. For us…"
Kasumi paused, looking into the eyes of each family member carefully,
"Nearly twelve years have passed. For Ranma, that mean she is an
accomplished mage. For myself it means that I have become skilled in the
healing arts." Kasumi made her way to the stairs herself. "Please
realize in your dealings with Ranma-kun that all of your information on him-
and her -is quite out of date." Not to mention myself, she added mentally,
turning on them without another word for the stairs and her room.
Nabiki stewed in her room, unable to focus on her
homework. She pushed away from her desk and paced the room, mind running
furiously in circles. Twelve years? It was absolutely unbelievable
coming from Ranma's mouth, but Kasumi never lies. Ever. If she said they had
been gone for twelve years then they had somehow been gone that long …But the
implications. And the clues. She didn't have all the information yet, but what
she did have was leading- albeit vaguely -to a very disturbing conclusion.
First, the dojo. Explaining things to their parents. Daddy didn't
exactly rate a plural all by himself. Second, their familiarity, as in the fact
that Ranma had no problems violating what she normally perceived as Kasumi's
personal space or confiding in her. Next was her own sister's subtle reactions
to the parental confrontation and finally, her defense of Ranma in that
meeting.
The middle Tendo dissected these facts carefully. On one level
they were behaving as very good friends would to one another, almost best
friends. That alone was a disturbing change from the last time she saw the two.
But the hints… The hints themselves were pushing her to a more startling
conclusion. Which of course, was impossible. Kasumi had Tofu. Ranma had Akane.
And a curse for that matter. And fiancées in waiting. Twelve years is
a long time to get to know one another… A voice from the back of her head
whispered. But it was Kasumi! Ranma! They're only three years apart in age,
it countered her objections. But… But… Ranma was a barely a man! Twelve
years ago. The whisper reminded her. Jeez, that would make him older than
me now! But they didn't look any younger whatsoever!
Nibiki's attention snapped back into the real world. Time to
get some answers. She stepped out into the hall and found Kasumi's room,
twisting the handle. Traditionally, there had been no real privacy between the
trio, so it was understandable that when the door swung open Nabiki's entire
world shattered.
Kasumi. Arms. Legs. Entwined. Around Ranma's marvelous
male physic. The rhythmic movement and soft caresses on her bed ground to a
halt as their heads snapped to the doorway, the couple's eyes locked onto
Nabiki. Part of her was thankful that a thin sheet covered the lower half of
the obviously nude partners while the other half of her just wanted to see.
Well there's your answer, the voice in the back of her head mused. And
you didn't even have to ask the question.
Something close to a coherent though began to form in her mind
when another door clicked off to her left. "Oh, you're talking to Kasumi…
too?" The words died on Akane's lips as she stepped up to the doorway with
Nabiki. Her eyes widened and her mind stopped receiving input. Ranma… Her
fiancé… Kasumi….! Whereas Nabiki couldn't tear her eyes away from the couple,
the reality circuit breaker in a Akane's brain slammed down hard and she simply
proceeded down the stairs. Less than ten seconds later a piercing howl echoed
through the dojo.
"EEEEIiiIiAAAAAaaAHHH!"
A door slammed somewhere downstairs And Ranma's head dropped in
defeat. Kasumi closed her eyes shaking hers in disappointment.
Nabiki took a deep breath. "I'll give you two a moment."
Her gaze narrowed on the couple. "You have so much explaining to
do."
She didn't know the half of it.
Ten minutes later, the two separated, clothed and
went to find their respective sources of angst. Kasumi sat down on Nabiki's
bed, smoothing her nightgown out while her sister's gaze bored into her. She
couldn't wait to her this one.
"Oh my…" It was less of a statement and more a
resigned sigh. Amazing how two simple words could be bent to form so many
emotions, Nabiki through wryly. "I have no idea where to begin."
Nabiki did. "Let's just start with the part where you
began shacking up with Saotome and take it from there."
Kasumi winced, but they had been prepared for this eventuality.
Granted they had both hoped to explain everything under calmer, more controlled
circumstances, but…
"Ok then," Kasumi decided. "Seven years
ago."
The middle Tendo choked. "You've been… With him… For
seven YEARS?"
"And her." Kasumi smiled mischievously, something she
Nabiki hadn't seen since their childhood. The comment did nothing to hold her
sister's choking, but she could let Nabiki just interrogate her and not have
any fun.
Nabiki eyed her sister wearily. Obvious Ranma wasn't the only
dynamic to change here. Ranma and Kasumi. Ranma-chan and Kasumi, for that
matter! And she obviously had no problems admitting the latter either. Kasumi,
the happy hentai homemaker. Nabiki's mind boggled.
"Dare I even ask why?"
Kasumi nodded. "Some of the tasks Ranchan's Sensei sent
him on were …arduous. I had taken to following him around as much for
mutual company as to make sure he stayed out of trouble." She looked
directly at Nabiki with a smile. "Of course, you know Ranchan and
trouble."
"As in he's a magnet." Nabiki supplied and Kasumi
nodded once more.
"That particular errand for Sakkarin-sensei ended up
lasting two years on the Sha-Ni Plane." The sister watched as Kasumi's
eyes clouded darkly. "It wasn't a very pleasant world to put it
mildly."
Nabiki considered choking once more, but settled for a hacking
cough instead. Wa- World?"
Kasumi's eye's brightened. "Of course! You don't think we
stayed on Earth for the last twelve years now did you?"
Nabiki gaped. "Forty-five days, Sis! Count em. That's how
long you've been gone to us."
The smile faded. "Yes it is easy to forget
sometimes." She continued, "Anyway, we spent the next two years
fighting for our lives, though it was Ranma who took the brunt of keeping us
alive. Not simply kept us alive but sacrificed to keep us alive." Kasumi
saw the question in her sister's eyes. "Ranma's male form is barren to
magic and crippled to ki because of the curse, so he stayed in his female form
for nearly the entire time to protect us both."
"So female Ranma can perform magic but male Ranma
can't?" Nabiki thought she grasped the problem.
"Exactly." Kasumi confirmed. "And since he can't
use ki in either form, his skill in the martial arts- while still exceptional
-was nowhere near the level of what we faced on a day basis. So instead he
would use offensive magic and I would keep him spell healed and summon as
backup."
Nabiki blinked. Did she even want to ask? "Summon… what,
exactly?"
"Oh, elementals, undead, giant spiders… maybe a demon or
two but they can be testy at times." She replied casually. And the scary
thing was she meant it casually too. "Well by the time we returned home,
we had become an inseparable… and..."
Nabiki sighed. "Nature took its course." Kasumi let
the silence speak for itself. "You have no idea how many betting
pools you just ruined. So I take it since you share the same bed you're
also…"
"Happily married."
She couldn't suppress the sharp intake of breath. That is going
to take some getting used to hearing, Nabiki realized. Ranma was now totally
off limits to any and all fiancées. "God, this is going to become a
nightmare once it gets out."
Kasumi's next words sent shivers down Nabiki's spine.
"I've lived through nightmares. They'll either accept my claim or they'll
be… disciplined." The finality of that statement was stunning and Nabiki
no longer had any doubt that she could back that claim up fully and completely.
The eldest Tendo looked directly at Nabiki now, dangerous storms flickering in
her eyes. "And I almost can't wait until the Amazon's try to force Ranma's
hand. They'll find he has become a very changed person."
"SEVEN YEARS?"
That was Akane. And Soun Tendo. And Genma Saotome. And Nadoka.
Akane's piercing scream had woken everybody up and the entire family had now
cornered Ranma in the family room as she related the same basic tale to her audience.
The parents had taken the news surprising well, but that was to be expected.
When it came right down to it, Kasumi and Ranma had predicted their responses
with startling clarity, i.e., one Tendo girl was ultimately as good as another.
The two fathers straddled the middle ground in their feelings on the matter.
They didn't want to see Akane hurt, but the Dojo's future was positively
secure, as was their retirement. Mother and Akane were on totally opposite ends
of that spectrum, however. Nadoka was positively delighted as there was no
longer any question of if there would be grandbabies, but when.
Her son was without a doubt a manly man.
Akane on the other hand was an anti-matter mixture of crushing
depression and betrayal and the bright blue aura flickering around her was the
clearest indication of that. Sure it had been a rocky relationship and it had
been slowly getting better, but to instantly go from THE fiancée to castaway
without warning was indescribably crushing, and both Kasumi and Ranma had been
dreading this very moment for seven years.
Ranma looked down at the floor now and it was as if his solid
frame visibly shrank. "We… We've been together… For twelve years.
Training. Fighting. Hopping from world to world knowing nobody else. Trusting nobody
else. For most of that twelve years I've only had two people I could rely on.
And that's Sakkarin-sensei and Kas-chan."
"Worlds?" His father looked at him as if he'd
grown a second head. The remaining three were likewise, save Akane who still
radiated disgust
"Yeah, worlds." He looked up meekly at the family,
Akane's aura flickering but somewhat diminished. "Some of them were
beautiful… The Plane of Azeroth… Arcadia… Faerûn … But some were nothing short
of hell." The meekness disappeared and fire began to burn in his eyes.
"Those places made me sorry I ever bitched about your training trips Pops,
and in those places I had exactly one person I could rely on no matter
what."
"But… Us…!" Akane's aura had all but faded, tears
streaming down her cheeks. "Three years together, Ranma!" She
screamed at him plantiffly.
"Dammit Akane! I tried! WE tried! For five years we
tried!" Ranma said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Neither one
of us thought it'd be proper! Hell, half the time I think the old fool sent us
on errands just for match making purposes!" There was annoyance in that
last part, but everybody before him noted the affection he named the old fool
with. Ranma clutched the staff that had followed him everywhere for the last
four years.
"But that all changed after Sha-Ni." Ranma shook his
head and the edge of steel crept across his features. "Two solid years of
constant life and death struggle all because of my damn quest for a cure. I
can't tell you how many times I almost lost your sister and frankly I don't
give a damn if I ever find one after that."
The entire downstairs family reeled. Never once had Ranma even
come close to giving up his dreams of being one hundred percent male and right
here and now they had just heard the impossible. Even Akane's smoldering
resentment and betrayal was checked by the shocking admission.
"I dunno… Maybe someday." Ranma admitted, but an aura
of gloom and haunted memories hung around him. "But I got my priorities
strait on that place…"
"So I'm nothing to you now…!" Akane's voice cracked
and the tears continued.
And now came the moment Ranma had dreaded for so long.
"You're a friend. A best friend… But the engagements are over. For
everybody."
The hand came in across his right cheek and Ranma did nothing
to avoid the stinging slap. "I don't think I can take a friend like
you."
With a final tearful glare, Akane had gone to lock herself in
her room.
Sunlight crawled through the windows and Nadoka
Saotome stepped softly out of the guest room that she shared with her husband.
Even as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, a delightful smell tickled her
nose. Food. Breakfast. And by the smell of it, a good breakfast, which
shouldn't have been possible. With Kasumi gone, Akane had tried to take over
the kitchen with disastrous results. The family still wasn't sure what she had
served that night so many weeks ago, but the moment it slithered off their
plates, the youngest Tendo was relieved of her command in a most expeditious
manner. Nadoka stepped in to take over the kitchening duties and it had run
smoothly ever since, which brought her to the dilemma at hand. Akane couldn't
cook. She had just woken up. Nabiki never stepped foot in the kitchen, so who
could possibly be fixing such a delightful aroma?
Nodoka padded down stairs and saw Ranma outside through the
window practicing his katas. She sighed, heartened her to know that he wasn't
slacking off on his manly practice. Nadoka stared at her son a moment longer
before seeking out the kitchen and the only person who could possibly divine
such a breakfast aroma. Ranma's wife! While she would have never
outright admitted the fact out loud, she was secretly glad that Akane had been
disqualified, however rude the surprise may have been. She was a good girl, but
she had a long way to go before she would be worthy of a manly man herself and
it had been all she could do to keep the ex-fiancée from destroying the kitchen
entirely. Nabiki wasn't much better when it came right down to it. Of course
she had a head on her shoulders and was attractive, but trust in that one was
sorely lacking. Maybe given time, she could amount to a womanly woman but fate
had conspired against both the younger daughters. Of all the Tendos, only
Kasumi came close to her the womanly ideal for her son. Now if she could be
persuaded to take up some combat training, she would be perfect. Maybe even the
katana, Nadoka smiled to herself. I could teach her while the grandchildren run
around…
Nadoka pushed open the kitchen door and her pleasant daydreams
were rudely interrupted by the impossible sight playing out in front of her: In
the middle of the kitchen fixing breakfast was indeed Kasumi Saotome, but
standing in a whirlwind of controlled chaos. Bowls floated. Spoons mixed.
Knives sliced through the air. And Ranma's wife stood in the middle of it all
humming a tune with a peaceful smile, as if she were conducting an orchestra.
Being a womanly woman herself, Nadoka wasn't one prone to fainting spells
though what she was now witnessing severely taxed that ability.
"Oh my…" Kasumi noticed her visitor and the state of
shock she was in. She walked through the busy cloud of floating kitchen
implements and gently took her mother in-law by the arm, leading her out of the
kitchen and closed the door. "Take a deep breath Mrs Saotome… It's
ok…"
Nadoka did take a deep breath and her grip on sanity was helped
in no small part by Kasumi's calm demeanor. It took a few moments for a
coherent thought to tumble from her brain to her mouth. "Ah… Is it okay to
leave… Um, that going on in there without you?"
"Oh most definitely." Kasumi replied happily.
"Most of those are enchantments. They'd continue to work even if I fell
asleep." Nadoka blinked, still trying to wrap her head around the concept.
"Now the omelets I pay special attention to." She smiled
mischievously.
Nadoka shook her head, sitting at the table. "Do you
always cook like… That?"
Her daughter in-law shrugged. "Mostly, but it's always
good to get your hands dirty once in a while." Then she cocked her head
curiously. "Of course, it has been a while since I've cooked in a proper
kitchen too."
Ranma's mother nodded dumbly, still trying to take it in. In
lieu of anything that made sense, she decided to latch on to something she
could make sense of.
"So when can I expect grandchildren?"
"Come on Boy! Let's see what you
learned!" Ranma halted his kata and turned around to find his father and a
smug look plastered across his face. The pig-tailed boy smiled right back and
gave the staff in his grip a graceful twirl, sending its rings singing. Genma
frowned. "Without the stick, boy."
Ranma sighed. He just wasn't going to let good enough alone.
"Kas-chan?" Kasumi poked her head out the patio door. "Could you
watch Sakkarin for a moment?" She smiled and took possession of the staff.
"I thought only two other people could touch the
stick…?" Genma eyed him suspiciously and watched Kasumi ducked back into
the house.
"Yep. I'm one and your daughter in-law is the other."
Ranma stated matter-of-factly.
Genma bit back a sharp retort. That whole daughter in-law thing
out of the blue is going to take some getting used to, he thought as he stared
at his son taking up a an unusual battle stance. His body was facing him edge
on to present a minimal attack aspect while the right arm arched gracefully
outward, the left curled around in a hook. Whatever that was, it sure as hell
wasn't a standard Anything Goes technique, he observed and took up his own
battle stance.
Ranma watched his father take up a dragon stance. Before the
two had parted company last, he was able to beat his father a solid eight out
of ten times, assuming ol' Pops didn't outright cheat. Now he was facing him
for the first time without the ability draw on ki or even a weapon to even the
odds. Ki did a lot for the martial artist. It acted in offense and defense,
softening and deflecting blows that would otherwise break bone while enhancing
muscle power and reaction times. High ki users were even able to mold that
power into a variety of hand to hand and ranged attacks …Much like I used to be
able to, Ranma thought with some regret. Any damage I do today would be on my
physical merits alone. Likewise any damage I take. But that's what the Dancing
Leaf school specializes in, Ranma smiled. It will make for a good opener.
The two engaged simultaneously, Genma leaping into a high
arcing tumble that brought him down into his son, who was already sliding right
to avoid the hard kick and the numerous combinations the attack would open up.
The Dancing Leaf was an art of minimal contact, maximum damage that he had
picked up on the Plane of Hyrule. Ranma darted in and tapped his father
forcefully, sending his airborne attack out of control and spinning into the
ground violently. The style also emphasized the subtle magnification against an
enemy's own attack against it, and Genma found that out the hard way as he
augured in with a pillar of dust and rubble. Ranma didn't wait. He switched
stances and rushed into the cloud, finding Genma easily despite the lack of
visibility. The Jyuuken School was next and tagged several key points along his
father's body. While he didn't necessarily have the gifts that could put the
school to its full use, the pigtailed boy targeted the major ki points,
reducing the flow through them. It wasn't the decisive shutdown a true Jyuuken
master could achieve due to his handicap, but the attack would help even the
odds in the long run.
Ranma jumped back just as a roundhouse kick blew by his head
and Genma re-engaged with vigor. The attacks were coming faster now and Ranma
struggled to keep from being decisively engaged. His father feinted and
reversed with a punch that landed his ribcage at full power. Ranma rolled away,
favoring his side. It was days like these he missed the ki buffering he had
come to rely on so many years ago.
"You're getting soft, Boy!" Genma leered. "I
haven't even dipped into the clan special techniques yet!" Despite his
bravdo, Genma was getting concerned. The boy may not be able to use ki, but he
had more fighting styles than you could shake a stick out now and that punch
should have hit with substantially more power.
"You just go ahead and try those techniques, Pops. But I
gotta warn ya," Ranma affected lopsided grin, "you'll get hurt when
you do!"
Genma ground his teeth at the challenge and watched Ranma slide
into yet another attack stance he had never seen before. Fine. Time to put the
boy to bed and go get breakfast. Genma charged in and initiated the Umi Sen
Ken, abruptly fading from sight. Even as he cloaked, Genma knew something was
wrong. His ki was being restricted? Ranma saw a faded ghost of his father and
initiated the Coup de Vitesse school on the shocked old man, abandoning his
usual defensive measures for a brutal and crushing offense. There was no
elegance in the favored style of the Sphynxian Plane and Ranma opened Genma's
guard like a can opener, landing several punishing kicks and an uppercut even
as the father realized his technique had been breached. His ki buffering was
also limited thanks to the Jyuuken school of attacks and he took the damage,
yet it still wasn't enough. The father spun off, breaking contact and retook
the offensive. His ki output may have been limited, but the speed it provided
was sufficient to do the job as he landed two more punches to Ranma's gut
before grabbing him by the shirt and flipping him into the koi pond with a
splash.
A female Ranma sputtered to the surface, spitting out pond
water, but instead of the usual cursing Genma expect to hear, she broke the
surface with a wild grin.
"Damn, just like old times!"
Genma limped over to the ponds edge and did something most
un-father like-gave Ranma a hand out of the pond. He eyed the smiling girl
warily "What the hell's happened to you, Boy? You got some good hits in,
but…"
"Yeah, but not enough power." Ranma shrugged, already
used to the fact after twelve years of hand-to-hand combat experience without
ki. "That's why I slapped the ki points on you in the opening moves, Pops.
You got too big an advantage in offense and defense for me to fight
normally."
Genma stared with sympathy. "That bad?"
"Hell yeah." Ranma admitted openly. "Think of
all the crap I can't unleash without ki… Chestnut fist, the Dragon, my Moko
Takabisha, the Umi Sen Ken, the Haku Dato Shin Sho…" Ranma simply shook
her head. "That's half the Anything Goes School heavy offense right there,
not even counting the fact that your attacks land with full force without ki
shielding." Genma winced, only now realizing until just now how bad it
actually was. "Now Kas-chan could probably hold her own against you, but
it took me three schools of combat just to give you a bruising."
Genma nodded, but froze suddenly. "Kaschan…? KASUMI!"
Ranma's father did double take as he realized just who his son, the redheaded
girl was talking about. "We are talking our Kasumi, right?"
"Sure. We've only had ten years to polish her
skills." Ranma remarked casually and headed back to the house.
"Taught her everything I know and every style you just saw me use here…
And unlike me, she can use her ki, even if she doesn't have the raw capacity we
have …Or had in my case."
Genma had a pensive look about his face as he watched Ranma. He
had just come to a sobering realization. "Kinda hard to take over the dojo
if you can't master the art, Son."
"Aw, don't worry about it, Pops. I've had some time to
think this over." Ranma brushed his concern aside. "I can still teach
everything we use in Anything Goes and Kaschan can spot on some of the higher
ki techniques." The father was still worried. " 'Cides, I would have
kicked your butt if you've let me fight with Sakkarin." Even as he said
the name, Ranma held out her hand and the staff materialized in midair,
dropping into her waiting hand with a jingle.
"Neat trick." Genma remarked testily. "But you
can't rely on a weapon, Boy."
Ranma stopped short of the patio door. "You're right,
Pops. That's why we learned how to do this…" Ranma held out his free hand
and quickly formed a series of complex signs. Her eyes glowed ever so slighty.
The koi pond rippled and a glob of water the size of a baseball separated from
the surface, floating up and over to the pair. The orb rippled lazily above her
palm and Genma stared at it with incredulity. She extended her hand suddenly
and the glob of water shot across the dojo property, obliterating Akane's pile
of anger management bricks with a loud crash. When the dust cleared, only
scattered debris remained.
Genma Saotome gaped, his estimation of magic usage suddenly
increasing. "Well why the hell didn't you use that on me earlier,
Boy!"
'Was a guy." Ranma admitted. "Boy-type can't use
magic, and God knows I've tried."
"No ki or magic?" His father just shook his head in
sympathy. "Cryin' out loud…"
"That's what I've been tryin' ta tell ya, Pops."
Author's Notes
Having fun with this chapter dropping hints at just how extensive Ranma and
Kasumi's training has been and the family just now realizing how much change
has occured. Hope you're enjoying it so far, and if you can guess guess all of
the obscure references littered throughout this chapter without looking at the
notes below, you have my sympathies ;)
Azeroth; The World of Warcraft.
Arcadia; The World of Skies of Arcadia
Faerûn; The World of Forgotten Realms
Hyrule; The World of Zelda
Jyuuken; A fight style that emphasizes precision lethal strikes to
disrupt the chakra (for our purposes, ki) flow throughout the body. Only
members of the Hyuuga Clan have been known to use this style to its fullest
potential due to their unique ability to "see" chakra/ki flow
throughout any living organisim. Reference anime Naruto.
Coup de vitesse; Coup de vitesse is a fusion of several western and
oriental martial arts, developed primarily as a hard style where emphasis is
placed on offense sometimes at the expense of defense, resulting in a very
brutal and effective style. Coup de vitesse lacks the elegance of judo or
aikido. It is an offensive hard style that borrows from every martial art, from
savate to t'ai chi, and distills them all down into sheer brutality. Reference David Weber's
Honor Harrington series.
Dancing Leaf; An Art of minimal contact, maximum damage. The
style also emphasized the subtle magnification of an enemy's own attack through
redirection. I made this up.
Ki;
Though it's never been explained in-depth in the series, I attribute ki as
playing the same roll as chakra does in Naruto… It powers nearly every super
human ability Ranma performs, from augmenting rooftop hopping to allowing a
body to utilize advanced combat techniques, such as the Kachu Tenshin
Amaguriken. Without the ability to properly utilize this ki, Ranma is limited
to standard combat forms. While many are still lethal, a skilled ki using
opponent of equal skill will have a substantial edge in movement, offensive and
defensive techniques over a skilled non-ki user.