Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Fistful Of Omake ❯ Redemption ( Chapter 48 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

omakeomakeomakeomakeOMAKE

REDEMPTION, an omake

---------

"They'll be here any moment," said Soun, waving a letter around.

"So what's he like, this 'Ranma'?" Nabiki wondered if something special was up.

"According to this, they just came from a trip into Tibet where they studied ancient martial arts techniques," said Soun. "They've spent most of the past ten years studying under masters of the various fighting arts in a variety of locations. Shaolin temples, the Temple Of The Gate Of The Moon, the hidden city of Chi'ang Lun, and the ancient Nichieju village in China. They've studied at United States Marine bases and amongst the elders of the Apache, even travelling through Europe and the Netherlands in their search for esoteric secrets of the Art."

"Big deal, so they've travelled some," said Akane, trying to hide her envy of people travelling the world to learn martial arts. Since her family knew her, this was less than successful.

"So, you haven't met Ranma in ten years?" Nabiki tried.

"Actually, I've never met him," indicated Soun. "But look at this..."

"Excuse me, 'never met him'?! You've engaged us to someone you've never met?" Nabiki frowned, not liking this.

"Yes, well, Genma and I had a falling out some years ago." Soun sighed. "It was a silly impulse of his. We had just dealt with... a problem from our own training and we'd made the pledge on the spot to unite the families. When we were passing through a village, we'd had to steal food to survive so we could get back to civilization. One of our pursuers remarked that the students reflected the Master. Just silly talk. Yet it seemed to spark something in Genma and two days later he said some silly things about abandoning the school and founding his own school. Ah, but now the Anything Goes style has a future that is assured."

"Uh huh," said Nabiki, smelling something unpleasant about to hit the air circulators.

There was a knocking at the front door.

"That must be them!" Soun got up and started heading for the door. "Saotome my old friend! I forgive you your rash words of that..."

Nabiki was a moment ahead of him and threw the door open.

Two men stood there. Or rather a teenage boy and a middleaged man. Both practically radiated power.

The boy was tall and lean but muscular, wearing a Chinese style shirt and pants, his hair in a pigtail that briefly whipped behind him in the breeze.

Slightly taller than the boy, the man was dressed similarly. Thicker body, but also fairly muscular. He looked tough and weatherbeaten.

"Saotome, my old... friend...?!" Soun stopped. "Genma, is that you?"

The man nodded once. "Tendo."

"You've changed," said Soun. Gone was the pudgy Genma with the shifty eyes, the Genma who had suffered with Soun under their dread Master. This was a more fearsome, tougher, Genma - one who hadn't softened with the passing years but become increasingly tougher as he'd taken everything life could throw at him - and not only survived but thrived. There was also a wicked looking cross-shaped scar on Genma's face on the right side.

"Thank you," said Genma in response. "May we come in?"

"Of- of course," said Soun, feeling rattled. What had happened to his old friend?

The two sat formally at the table without further comment, facing the three daughters while Soun took the head of the table near Genma's position.

Genma bowed his head slightly. "I am Genma Saotome. This is my son, Ranma."

Ranma bowed his head as well. "Pleased to meet you."

"So, in order to unite the two schools of Anything Goes, which of my daughters..."

"No," said Genma.

"Stop kidding Genma! You're such a kidder. Anyway, my daughters are Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. Pick whichever you like, she'll be your new fiancee." Soun felt even more nervous and tried to just push ahead.

"No," repeated Genma. "Neither Ranma nor myself practice the Anything Goes School Of Indiscriminate Grappling anymore. We have moved beyond that school's limitations."

"...but our dream of uniting the schools."

Genma sighed. "Tendo. In order to possibly meet the problems of family honor involved here - Ranma has suggested that he meet and get to know your daughters to see if there is any compatibility there. However the schools cannot be joined as we had planned because neither of us practice Anything Goes."

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Soun began to use his Outrage Demonhead projective chi technique.

Ranma snickered briefly before composing himself again. "Sorry."

Genma sighed. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Ranma stood up. "Works for me."

"How dare you insult our school?!" Akane had found something new to be upset about. "The Anything Goes style is the strongest in this district. I'm the strongest fighter in this district and *I* use the Tendo School."

Akane grew even more upset at the expressions. The BOY smirked and shook his head, while the "old friend" of her father looked like... he pitied her?!

The Tendos watched, some curious and others less so, as the two Saotomes took positions on either side of the yard. Both settled into ready stances.

"Well," began Akane, "let's see this..."

Ranma launched himself, foot rotating outward to begin what should have been an easily blocked kick, except that he did a mid-air change that altered it into a roll from which he came out in an entirely different kick.

"...lame..."

Genma wasn't there anymore, having moved himself and rolling under Ranma to come up on the other side, switch direction and throw a punch that Ranma slipped around and counterpunched to - except the counterpunch led to a throw.

"...martial..."

Genma stopped himself somehow in midair, twisting to arc downwards, roll, and shoot across the yard as if he'd just been shot from a cannon.

"...arts..."

Genma's flying charge was neatly blocked by Ranma though the younger Saotome left two furrows in the ground as he slid back. The grass flattened and the dojo's boards rattled from the pressure wave.

"...style," Akane finished. She blinked as she realized all that had happened literally within two seconds.

Ranma and Genma began circling the koi pond. Until they blurred and vanished.

"An invisibility technique?!" Nabiki yelped, never having seen such a thing outside of movies. She knew just enough about martial arts to be very impressed.

*whack* *wham* *thud* *bam* *thwak* *slap*

Soun and Kasumi stared, their heads making sudden birdlike movements as they seemed to be watching something.

*wham* *bam* *crack* *bash* *thwack*

"Oh my," said Kasumi, "they're very fast."

Akane gaped.

Nabiki put the odd jerking motions of her father and elder sister's heads together with the comment and the sounds of body slamming into body. "They're moving so fast that you can't see them? No way."

*THWAM!* This particular impact was sufficiently heavy that a pressure wave passed through the house, rattling dishes inside.

"No way," seconded Akane as she tried not to gape at the Grand Canyon style gap between her own level of skill and that which was being performed now. This was sufficiently over the top that her pride had just started digging a foxhole.

Another set of blurs and Ranma and Genma landed in what had started out as each other's starting positions.

"Are we done warming up, Pops?" Ranma asked his father, a mischievious look on his face.

"Almost," said Genma. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"'warming up'?" Akane repeated, twitching slightly.

"Good," agreed Ranma. "Yaaaaaaaaaa..."

*THOOM!* Genma Saotome formed a sphere of red chi around himself, standing in a crater of his own making as he ignited it.

*FWOOM!* Ranma followed suit, his chi forming blue.

If anything, Akane's jaw had dropped lower.

Tendrils of blue and white met in between the two warriors and began to flare brighter and brighter as the two contested directly through their chi.

Rocks and pebbles rose from the ground to hang suspended in the air. The stone lantern and several rocks from the koi pond followed soon thereafter. Soun caught his Go board before it could fly away.

Akane's eyes followed the sphere of water as it rose from the koi pond, a very startled looking koi visible from where she stood.

The light show ended, everything settling into place slowly.

"Not bad, old man," gasped Ranma, a little out of breath.

Genma drew in a deep breath himself. "Maybe I *am* getting too old for this. Are you ready now?"

"Fine, but let's get something to eat after this," agreed Ranma.

"Sounds good," seconded Genma. "Beef bowl would hit the spot."

"Hmmmph," said Ranma, changing stances slightly.

"Rfffff," grunted Genma, doing the same.

Ranma's hands slashed the air. "Demon God Retribution."

Genma brought his hands up and countered the manuever. "Chi vaccuum blades? I thought we were going to get serious." Genma leapt into the air and began spinning. "Hurricane kick."

Chi forged lightning struck out. "Thor's Hammer."

Genma dropped beneath the lightning and shot both hands at his son. "Double Dragon."

"Grand Miracle Ascension Attack!"

"Ranma, stop," commanded Genma, dropping out of stance. "We're in Tendo's backyard. If you utilize attacks like that here, how much of his house will be left?"

"Oh," agreed Ranma. "Good point."

Genma focussed his gaze on Akane. "Do you still want to spar with my son, Miss Tendo?"

Akane thought very carefully. "Yes."

Ranma nodded. "I understand."

"Well someone explain it to me," stated Nabiki. "Are you $%@# NUTS Akane?"

"It doesn't matter if she loses, only that she responds to what she sees as a challenge," said Ranma. "I would offer insult to her and her school if I take it easy on her, and so I must fight full out."

Akane nodded and took Genma's place in the yard. "I am Akane Tendo, and I don't lose!"

"Ready," said Genma, waiting for nods from both parties. "Begin."

*WHAM!*

"Very well, father," said Ranma as he rotated his shoulders. "We should be going. I think I saw a ramen stand a few blocks down the road."

"Yes, I noticed," said Genma. "A snack *would* be nice about now. Then we can try to find a real meal."

Nabiki looked around. "Where's Akane?"

Kasumi walked past Nabiki, her arms loaded with futons that she began piling in the yard. She tested the wind with a wet finger, then moved the mattresses a few feet.

*WHUD!*

Staring at the small crater Akane's landing had created amongst the futons, Nabiki could say only one thing. "Hey, isn't that *my* mattress?"

-------

Ranma slurped noodles happily. "So who's next Pop?"

Genma considered. "I think that was the last one. We can go to Juuban next and see if the Princess has awoken yet. If she has, then we can formally petition to enter her service."

Ranma nodded. "And if not, there's always the Street Fighter and maybe that Mortal Kombat thing."

"True, the path of a true martial artist is one of conflict," agreed Genma.

------

Nabiki stopped Akane a few yards away from school and the battle. "Akane, do you want to keep up the fights with your fan club?"

Akane frowned. "You know better than that, Nabiki. I hate that."

"So if I find a solution to this, you could pay me back later?" Nabiki inquired, her gaze off in the distance.

"I suppose, if you're not talking about something perverted," said Akane knowing full well her sister could be terribly ecchi at times.

"Good enough. Keep your mouth shut, just nod at appropriate times, and follow me." Nabiki stalked forward and gestured her way through the crowd.

"ATTENTION PEOPLE! Akane will not be able to date any of you if you defeat her at this point!"

"What say you, Nabiki Tendo? How dare you challenge the terms when even the fair Akane has not," said Tatewaki Kuno, dropping his concealment for the moment.

"Not my doing," insisted Nabiki. "The thing is that there was a previous engagement and the suitor defeated Akane."

Nabiki continued on, telling the crowd about how Ranma Saotome had appeared and heard of the challenge - then formally dueled with Akane and defeated her after a lengthy battle. Then Ranma had left, saying only that he needed to perfect his martial arts further. Family honor and Kuno's own agreement now dictated that only someone who defeated Ranma Saotome could date Akane.

Nabiki took Akane's elbow and hustled her inside the school as the crowd discussed this.

"What do you mean coming up with that story?!" Akane growled at her sister.

Nabiki lifted an eyebrow. "Is there a guy at Furinkan you *want* to date, Akane?"

"Well, no," admitted Akane.

"Do you honestly think Tatewaki Kuno or any other member of that loser's club can defeat Ranma?"

"Well, no," admitted Akane again.

"So the crowd of perverts has to not only find Ranma, but fight and beat him, in order to date you." Nabiki turned at the stairs to go up to her class. "I'll have payment arrangements for you by this afternoon."

Akane blinked. There was something wrong with this whole thing but she wasn't quite sure *what* was wrong with it.

-------

It had taken a few months, but it was done.

Genma sat back and watched as his son defended the Princess - using all the various skills and martial arts talents he had in a considerable package.

True, neither of them were members of this fantasy kingdom that Genma had run across the records of first in that old Tibetan monastery. They had no magical powers coming from reincarnated links to ancient power sources.

When Genma had run across the records and the prophesies, and the ancient monk who'd seen the return of these warriors, he'd known he had what he'd sought.

A bunch of schoolgirls, plus one reincarnated king, who had darn little knowledge of strategy or tactics. Further scraps of legend uncovered at that Amazon village had provided more details.

He'd have to tell that old woman, Cologne, of this. She was quite interested in seeing this utopia come about, and making sure that her Amazons had a place in it. They'd bet he couldn't find them, but now she'd have to pay up.

As for him, well, Genma felt he'd done it finally. This was more than a fight against a silly looking monster. This was a battle to save lives, preserve hope for the future, and achieve justice.

He'd spent years committing crimes under the Master, and years before that as well.

Redemption.

It had a nice ring to it.

=============
***this piece was going over the Genma Ascendent concept and trying a different spin to it. Whatta ya think?