Cat Girl Nuku Nuku Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ HailStorm ❯ Chapter 4

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Minor note: This is the first chapter that completely detracts from the SailorMoon 'kill-a-monster' plot and jumps a bit more into Anything Goes Martial Arts.

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The Saotome Legacy - Hailstorm
http://www.geocities.com/laqjr/myfics/TSL/DMS/DMS04.ht ml

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Inspired by Jonathan Ford's story "Who's your Daddy?"
Found at http://tannim.anifics.com/Daddy/Daddy.html

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Chapter 4

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Disclaimer

I do not own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, Ranma Nibunnoichi, or Cultural Cat Girl. Characters, names, and places used without permission.

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My father's curse now haunts me...

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It was a bright and early Sunday morning, two days after Artemis's big debut as a hero and nearly a week after the strange epidemic. The time between attacks from the Dark Moon decreased after every battle, and Ami feared the Senshi may soon be faced with battles separated by hours. Definitely not a pleasant thought when trying to rest through a stress-free weekend.

Today, Ami's mother, Atsuko, had taken the day off and rented a car, and the two of them were traveling to some far out remote city to have fun. That was the plan, anyway.

"Mom, where are we going?" Ami asked, looking up from her book on the history of the first Dynasties of China. She had to wonder about her mother sometimes. The older woman tended to act strangely in different situations. Her attitude convinced Ami they were not traveling out here solely for vacationing.

"We're traveling to Ofuda, Ami. I told you that before we left." Atsuko glanced in her direction, then focused back on the road.

"You did? I don't remember you telling me." And she didn't. Atsuko rushed her a bit in getting ready for the day, so she may have missed her mother mentioning their destination, but the point was moot. "Why are we going out to Ofuda? Where is it, anyway?"

"Ah, you probably wouldn't know. It's a pretty secluded town, up near an inn where they have a special doll with a very tragic legend. She seeks her revenge on whoever disturbs her," said Atsuko.

"A spirit doll?" questioned Ami, intrigued. Could Esmeraude have come out here and sent a droid to bring the doll to life? No, that would be too convenient. Just because the Senshi ran into their enemies virtually everywhere they went didn't mean she'd run into Esmeraude way up here. The area was so remote, Ami had never even heard of the town Ofuda being in the area.

Well, there was the time when Yuuichiro invited us to the mountains for a Princess Skiing contest. Was that merely a coincidence? Certainly the Senshi didn't win merely by luck...

"Mother, why are we going to Ofuda? Couldn't we have spent the day more efficiently at home?" It must be one of her mother's crazy training ideas again. What exactly did balancing on one foot while standing on a board elevated two feet above the ground and balancing a tennis ball on her forehead while dodging paper wads thrown by her mother have to do with Martial Arts?

"We're going to see a tournament they're holding. It's kinda small, seeing as Ofuda's in a fairly isolated place, but I think you'll like it anyway." Once again, Atsuko's words did not inspire much of Ami's confidence in the day to come ahead.

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"M artial Arts Computer Repair?" Ami asked, both fairly incredulous and incredibly curious at the prospect. How could computer repair possibly incorporate the Martial Arts?

"Well, I thought I'd start you out in some smaller and less known competitions so you could have a better chance at winning. And I tried to find something you'd be interested in, but Martial Arts Electronic Gaming really isn't a good place for newcomers to start, and the Martial Arts Piano and Keyboard Competition is a little too easy for someone of your talent. This is the best I could find for now, but I'm sure you'll have fun anyway." Was this really her mother speaking? When did the world suddenly begin revolving around martial arts?

"And, you want me to participate?" Certainly she dreamt this entire conversation. Why would Atsuko drag them out to some small town named Ofuda and to a Martial Arts Computer Repair competition?

"Oh, come on, daughter. It's not that strange. And it's not really hard, either. All you have to do is build a working computer before anyone else and make sure your computer isn't sabotaged. That's where the Martial Arts come in. You can attack your opponents and knock them out, or you can sabotage the other computers. However, if you physically damage or destroy any computer part, you're disqualified."

"Ah, I see." Ami smiled for her mother, considering a polite way to decline the offer. Failing that, she would simply enter and lose. Physical competitions are much too competitive to be entering them haphazardly, as her mother advocated.

Her mother looked away from her, distracted by something. Ami debated getting her attention to voice her opinion about not entering the competition, but chose not to. Her mother turned back to her and said, "Ami, I'm gonna get going now, I have stuff to do elsewhere. Just watch the competition, at least, if you really don't want to enter. Even if you just watch, you can still learn something for the next competition."

Startled by her mother's nonchalance, Ami hesitated, then replied, saying, "Okay, mother. Um, I'll see you after the competition."

Atsuko turned around and, looking around once quickly, jumped over the crowd, where another woman tackled her in the air.

Hurrying over toward where they landed, Ami could just glimpse them through the crowd. Atsuko had been pinned to the wall by the other woman, aged in her early thirties, with chestnut-brown hair. Sneaking as near as she could and hiding behind a disturbingly close pillar, she overheard their conversation and watched their interactions.

"... we're both girls! People will see us!" her mother said.

"Oh, come on, don't give me that!" said the other woman, encircling Atsuko in her arms. "It's been so long since I've seen you, so long since we..." The mysterious stranger leaned in close to her mother, and... kissed her.

Ami turned around quickly, a blush beginning to show brightly on her face. Though she couldn't be sure, as her view had been obscured by the ever growing crowd of expectant spectators, Ami was certain she saw the two of them kiss. That must be why her mother never dated guys, because she was really... Was she a lesbian? It explained a few things, like why Atsuko came home late sometimes even though she hadn't worked overtime, and why her mother refused to date men. They probably traveled all the way out here to be alone, away from the city.... Ami walked away distractedly, searching for something to occupy her attention.

Maybe entering the tournament isn't such a bad idea after all. I should go sign up and meet the other competitors. Following her own advice, Ami quickly made her way to the registration table and signed up for the competition.

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Th e lobby of the Ofuda Public Library where the registration desk currently resided turned out to be a wonderfully decorated building. After registering for the competition, Ami felt the need to use a restroom, which surprised her as she thought about it, since she hadn't immediately needed to go after the 2 hour trip out here. Politely tapping a young boy on the shoulder, she had quickly received directions and gone on her way.

Now, after exiting the restroom, Ami looked briefly around the lobby before heading in what she thought to be the direction of the exit. This library is really big for such a small town, she thought briefly.

"Hey, you must be new to the competition," spoke a voice from behind Ami.

Startled, Ami turned around to face a boy of about ten years of age looking up at her curiously. It was the same boy she asked for directions earlier.

"Oh, yes," she said, not sure how to reply to the boy. While Usagi secretly prided herself with the ease that she could make new friends, Ami felt unsure of how to continue a conversation with strangers she'd soon be fighting in combat.

"Well, my name is Tendo Kensuke, it's nice to meet a new competitor." The boy smiled cutely at her. With black hair and brown eyes, Kensuke stood around 6 or 7 centimeters shorter than her. He wore baggy jeans and a shirt with unfamiliar gaijin words, which under close inspection looked to be French. Not a style she was familiar with.

"Oh, um. Mizuno Ami. I wasn't really planning on entering, but, um..." She couldn't just explain the situation with Atsuko to a complete stranger, especially to one a few years her junior, but Ami did not want to lie to Kensuke, either. What could she tell him?

"Hey, that's okay. The point is you entered, right? You good in martial arts? What style do you practice?" Kensuke looked at her expectantly, yet Ami was not sure if she should share this information, trivial as it was.

"I've been practicing under a good teacher for quite some time, and I'm good enough to enter the competition," Ami replied, evading the question as best she could.

"Heh, well, I've been practicing a long time, too. My mother's my sensei, her name's Tendo Akane and I practice under the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. It's the best there is for these kinds of competitions, as far as I know," he said. Kensuke looked very proud of his pedigree.

Something about what he said sounded disturbingly familiar, though. What could it be?

"You must be very proud." she Ami.

"Yeah," was Kensuke's reply.

"Why do you participate in this competition?" she asked, hoping to extrapolate more information.

"Well," drawled the boy, leaning against the wall in a casual manner. "Like I said. My mother's been teaching me martial arts for a while, and she wanted me to enter some competitions. My dad didn't care much for the idea, he'd rather have me be safe and study something academic. My mother kind'v agreed with him, so I asked one of my aunts for help. She works for Mishima, you see, so she's really smart and everything. Well, she suggested I practice a martial art that made me smart, too, and when I asked her what kind of martial arts could make me strong and smart, she laughed and said she'll come up with something."

Kensuke paused and looked away from her for a moment, and Ami took the time to consider what he'd told her. "You must like martial arts a lot, to work so hard at it," she finally said.

"Hmm, yeah," Kensuke replied, distractedly. "Well, anyway, I just keep practicing at home when one day, my mother calls me inside and says Aunt Natsume found the perfect competition for me to participate in. It turned out there was this really remote area near a place they once visited that held a semi-annual Martial Arts Computer Repair competition. That was two years ago."

"So you've been doing this for two years?" Ami asked. He must be really good, then.

"Yeah, well, I won the first two competitions, but there weren't a lot of people participating until it was announced that the top two people got cash prizes. I lost the last one, came in fourth, but I plan to win today." Kensuke turned toward her, staring intensely into her eyes.

"They say there's a great martial artist who's gonna compete today. Never lost a fight without coming back and winning the rematch. I wanna see if I can find out who he is, and I'm gonna try ta beat him. It doesn't matter if he comes back and rematches me and I lose, 'cause if I can win against him, people will know I'm a serious opponent when it comes to a fight." Pushing himself away from the wall, Kensuke bowed to her, saying, "Thank you for speaking with me, Mizuno-san, but I must be going now. The competition is about to begin." He turned and walked briskly away.

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"C ompetitors, to your stations!" shouted the announcer, who just so happened to have appeared. Ami walked to her station, numbered A6 by the hexadecimal numbering system the judges used to order and process the competitors. There were only 82 competitors, but the judges decided that handing out numbers in order would be unfair, so stations were assigned by lottery.

The rules, as Atsuko had already stated, were really simple. First, you must build a working computer to win. Second, you must be conscious to win. Third, any person who physically damages any component of hardware, even in the minutest sense, will be disqualified. Fourth, anyone who leaves the platform for any reason has forfeited the competition, and anyone not on the platform when the competition begins cannot enter or step onto the platform. And the final rule, anyone disqualified for damaging hardware had to pay for its replacement.

Easy as the rules were to comprehend, they left allowable actions open ended. Any offensive or defensive maneuver was allowed, provided the performer did not break any laws and did not physically harm any computer components. Ami did not feel safe in the least bit.

The area of combat consisted of 256 different stations situated in a 16x16 square. Because of the small number of competitors participating, only one out of every three stations were station had all the essential pieces and components required to build a computer, including but not limited to screws, cables, case, expansion cards, socket 7 CPUs, the core fan structures, heat sinks, an electric screwdriver, batteries, a computer case and its different covers, a hard drive, some RAM, a 3½ inch drive, the power structure, the system board, and the video card. Even the ROM chips sat in a little white, unidentifiable box, probably having been detached from the system board before the competition.

If Ami had not spent some time taking apart her computer without her mother's permission, she wouldn't have known what to do with it all.

Just as well that she did, as the competition would overwhelm her easily because of her sparingly fair knowledge of computer hardware and little experience in the martial arts. The way her competitors geared themselves, Ami doubted anyone who required even a glance at the documentation provided would last the time to read a paragraph before being knocked unconscious.

The most disappointing fact about the competition was the fact that Ranma Saotome, who Ami knew as her abandoning father, also chose to compete here today. Just what was he doing here in the first place? Certainly Atsuko had not brought Ami out here to reconcile with him? Or was he so obsessed with Martial Arts Competitions that he would seek out such a small, locally established competition designed to prepare its competitors for working under the extreme conditions of the nearby Mishima Heavy Industries factory?

Ami sat down at her station and looked carefully around at the various items on different mats. There were too many items to account for, and before she could finish her inventory, the judges announced they were ready to begin the competition.

"All right, and begin!" said the announcer, quickly backing off the edge of the gigantic combat platform. The world as Ami knew it erupted into chaos.

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Th e events of the competition were hard to follow in sequential order, and keeping track of her nearest combats came as no easy task for Ami. Though relatively new to Special Style Martial Arts competitions, with her added experience as a Senshi in dire combat against monsters, Ami deflected the attacks of and retaliated against the relatively slower combatants in her area. Meanwhile, she could see her father tearing into his competitors, often fending off three or four competitors and slowly turning the various fights between temporary alliances into a vagarious free-for-all.

In some ways, Ranma's intent would help her immensely in staying in the competition. With everyone fending for themselves, Ami had less of a chance running into a team of combatants trying to knock her out before she could piece together her computer. So far, only the system board and power supply were screwed into the case at her station, meaning she'd spent nearly an hour in both building and battle.

Because of her relative proximity to the center, Ami at first became part of the center of attention, but as competitors began pressing each other against the edge of the platform in attempts to gain leverage against each other, the burden of physical battle gradually eased from the center of the platform. Already Ami finished placing the ROM chips, CPU, and heat sink on the system board, and she only had to stop once to block a kick aimed at her head and punch the offender hard in the gut, then the temple. Though generally Ami detested such levels of violence, the competition was currently driving her to a level of awareness that permitted only a certain degree or manner of logic, and social etiquette had neatly undergone defenestration long ago.

Most of the competitors by this time were cleared off the stage, and Ami could see that of the groups that were left, Kensuke stood a few meters to her right fending off two younger girls who were trying to overpower him, and her father fought an older man who looked to be very powerful. Feeing only two other entrants who were occupied with pulverizing each other, Ami took the opportunity to continue her work on the computer at her station.

Just as she finished placing in the video card, Ami saw Kensuke running toward her position holding something in his hand. He threw it, saying, "ESD Attack!" Ami had just enough time to lift up the static bag that held the video card to catch his punch and stop his special technique, then counterattacked by knocking Kensuke's feet from under him. He rolled quickly away before Ami could follow up her strike, but was attacked from behind by her father. Kensuke had barely enough time to dodge away from a kick that would have struck his head and knocked him out.

The victorious girl of the earlier dueling pair chose then to make her appearance, descending upon Ami with a punch aimed at the ball of her shoulder. Jumping back and away from her station, yet staying close enough to defend it, Ami held the end of her ESD bracelet to conceal it and waited for the girl to make her move. Unfortunately for her nameless competitor, she ended up being dragged into the fight between Kensuke and Ranma, and quickly lost when Ranma absentmindedly knocked her toward one of the stations, where, upon trying to get her bearings, she stepped on a RAM chip and broke it. The girl was disqualified.

Watching the battle between Ranma and Kensuke closely, Ami jumped in at a moment when both were distracted and kicked Ranma hard in his left side. Because they had wandered over to the BF station, Ranma fell off of the platform and was disqualified.

"It's just you and me, then, Mizuno-san," spoke Kensuke, breaking their temporary silence.

"Yes," Ami replied. "By process of elimination, and now we're the only ones left." She eyed him warily, waiting to see if he would attack her first.

"But you can't win unless you build a working computer," Kensuke continued for her.

"Yes, you can't win without building a working computer. Why don't we finish this by seeing who can build it first?" offered Ami. "You're really good in martial arts, but building a computer requires knowledge and experience."

"That sounds like a challenge! I never back down to a challenge," Kensuke said. "Fine, but we both start with new computers, down at the F6 and F9 stations."

"Okay," Ami agreed softly. Straightening from her defensive stance, she followed Kensuke to the appointed stations.

"You ready, Mizuno-san?" asked Kensuke.

"Anytime you are, Tendo-san," Ami responded. In a flurry of movements, each began their work on the computers at their individual stations, hoping to beat the other in the rush to build a working model of a computer.

Ami, of course, won.

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Am i walked slowly away from the library, basking in the glow of her recent victory. She'd won first place in the competition, though it came really close in the end.

Kensuke actually had more experience than her in building computers, as he competed and won twice before by not only defeating all other challengers but also building a computer himself. The main reason she won was Kensuke had forgotten to plug in the hard disk. He already had the case closed and ready to plug in while she was still double-checking the connections inside the case, but because of the extra time Ami spent making sure everything had been connected correctly, she won first place while Kensuke came in second.

Looking around at the crowd around her, Ami could find no sign of her mother. Does she know the competition's over? Nearly three hours have already passed.

The competition also had the added effect of highly boosting her spirit, partly because she won and partly because she had defeated her father. Logically, Ami knew that Ranma could have beaten her just by firing one of his beams of energy, and distantly, her heart and mind were quite surprised at her actions during the competition, but it didn't matter at the moment. Winning did.

She heard a voice, and turned around to see her father walking her way. Disappointed that Atsuko still hadn't come for her, she decided talking to Ranma wouldn't hurt much as a way to pass the time.

"Hey, Ami-chan, you did great in the competition! I can still feel the kick you gave me in my side, it's probably gonna leave a mark later on," Ranma said in greeting.

"My name is Mizuno Ami, Father, if you have forgotten," Ami said in return.

"No, no I haven't forgotten. Are you okay? You kinda seem out of it." Ranma gazed intently in her direction.

"I'm fine, Father. I am merely waiting for my mother to pick me up so we can go home." Ami returned his gaze, stare for stare.

"Yeah, about that, we have to go as soon as possible." Ami's father looked around uneasily, and Ami felt her elation begin to seep away.

Mother... Was this her real motive? She brought me here to be with my father? This had definitely not been in the plans she managed to pull from her mother before they arrived.

"What happened to my mother?" Ami asked him. "Why can't I go home with her?"

"Ah, she's... not here right now, Ami," replied her father. "Here, here's the key to the car. Just go on ahead and wait for me there, I gotta take care of something first." Unlike her mother, Ranma jogged away from her rather than leaping over the crowd. Ami didn't feel like following him, so she went to find the car, depressedly thinking about how she'd have to endure at least another two hours of her father's presence.

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Re ading is the perfect escape for one's mind, especially when trying to distract oneself from one's plethoric companions. Even if she didn't remember anything from what she read due to her currently split concentration, the end result was Ami could for the most part ignore her father's presence in the seat next to her.

One of the main reasons for her shattered concentration was the factor of pride in herself for winning the competition. Logically Ami knew she felt starstruck, or something similar. The second reason came in the form of what her mother's relationship to Ranma was. What could it be?

The third and final reason for her distracted mindset happened to be Kensuke's last words to her before he disappeared from her view in the crowds. I'm gonna train harder than ever now in order to beat you. So be ready. I'm coming after you when I'm done training. Could he find her in Minato-ku?

"So, Ami, what did you think about the competition?" her father asked her. Ami ignored him and kept on reading 'A History of Mechanics', one of her favorite math books.

"You did really well in the competition today, Ami," he said. He seemed to be straining for words.

Her concentration still split, and her mind still in the clouds from her recent accomplishment, Ami distractedly stated the first thing on her mind, paying no more attention to her surroundings.

"I hate you, you know," stated Ami calmly. The world stood still for one Ranma Saotome.

"W-what?" said Ranma. Ami looked up from her book, not quite believing she'd said it, either. She blushed at the realization that she actually had told her father she hated him. What's done's done, though I might as well finish what I started.

"You're never around," Ami said, looking at her father while he focused on the road ahead of him. "I haven't seen you since I turned ten, and now after my greatest secret comes out, you appear from nowhere and try to protect me. I don't want your help, and I don't need it." The car remained silent for some time.

"You know what, Ami?" Ranma asked. Ami looked curiously at her father. "I'm proud of what you did today. You did really well in that competition. But I was even more proud of you when you won that accelerated scholars award your first year of middle school. I'm proud of everything you do."

Looking at her father's calm gaze and focus, Ami found she had no answer to give him, and the car remained silent for the rest of the trip home. All she could think of were her father's words. I'm proud of everything you do. Was he really proud of her? For everything? Even for hating him?

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Hi gh up in one of the executive offices of Mishima Industries Headquarters, a woman sat watching a large HD wide format screen, catching the last few minutes of the Mishima-sponsored competition in Ofuda. "Mizuno Ami, hmm? How quaint. Interesting, that two of my greatest nuisances share a name."

The woman looked away long enough to snatch up one of the miscellaneous photos laid out on her desk. "How on Earth you managed to hide from me, Ranma, I'll never know," she said while looking at the picture of the martial artist, taken sixteen years prior. Said martial artist flew off the platform on the screen, being disqualified for leaving the battle.

The woman toyed with the picture of Ranma as a teenage boy, then focused on one of the photos of Ranma as a teenaged girl that still sat on her desk. "I hope for your sake you don't think you've seen the last of me," she said softly to the photo before her. "Nabiki never forgets those who owe her."

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Au thor's Notes:

Four things kept me from posting this up earlier.
1: The previous two weeks were both exam weeks for me, so most of my time was spent on study.
2: I'm applying to go to a different college/university/institution. Applications are just as complicated as I remember them being.
3: This chapter's twice as long as the others, not to mention almost completely of my own creation, so it took me nearly twice as long to type the whole thing up.
4: My immediate family was under the impression that isolating me in a large city with no immediate computer or internet access would be good for my health, especially since I wasn't even home for Christmas (they wouldn't let me leave!). Anyway, back to the story.

Thanks go to TerraEpon (id=260536), my new prereader. He's the one who gets to tell me whether I'm going out of bounds or getting characters OOC, whether I have too many loose ends, stuff like that. (Spelling and Grammar errors are checked seperately in my final drafts)

Special thanks to Ayden. I goofed, and he caught it.

C&C welcome at laqjr_200@hotmail.com