Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Hikaru No Go Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma no Go? ❯ End of a Beginning ( Chapter 4 )

Ranma no Go?

Summary : One night Genma carried Ranma away from home to go on a training journey. They went to make a stop at an antique shop to sell something that Genma stole and Ranma met Sai for the first time. After that, Ranma and Sai continues to influence each other and finally Ranma resolved to learn Go. They finally arrived in a temple with monks that plays Go. Sai finally played with opponents other than Ranma. After they departed from the temple, finally they start their last leg of their training journey to China. At last, Genma is going to end Ranma's martial art training in Anything Goes at the legendary pool or sorrow 'Jusenkyo'. Now, let's get on with the show shall we!

Disclaimer : I do not own nor do I take any profit from this and also I am NOT the owner of the following series : 'Ranma 1/2' and 'Hikaru no Go'. They are the property of If I do I won't be writing this fic am I?

Note : By the way, if there's anyone who are interested to make omakes for this fic since I'm not creative enough to make one, please send me a message. I'd really appreciate it!

"..." Dialogues

'...' Thoughts

'...' Special Emphasis

Chapter 04 : End of a Beginning

Ranma, 15 Years old, After Jusenkyo

Rage and cold fury, regret and self loath, anger and confusion, myriads of emotion without outlet, Ranma was unable to even begin describe all those emotion swirling in his heart. At the very least he was able to gave his 'father' the beating of his life and help a poor guy from falling into a pool in Jusenkyo too. Ryoga, his old buddy was very grateful to be kicked away from the direction of the Jusenkyo pools when he was knocked by Genma on his escape attempt to run from Ranma. After beating Genma, he was able to at least suppress his emotion and calm down to talk to Ryoga and finding out what has been going on in his old friend's life. They had met on a sunny day when Ryoga was asking a direction to his school and Ranma seeing Ryoga was always walked to a different direction from where he points and decided to just bring Ryoga there himself. From there they have formed a friendship and after being discovered by a truant officer Ranma was also able to go study at Ryoga's school for a little while. Finding out that Ryoga's directional curse was a big surprise and they finally parted after Ryoga went on his way (Lost again) and Ranma asks the Jusenkyo guide for possible cures for his curse only to find out the his 'condition' is permanent. If only for consolation Genma had also gained a curse and transform into a panda when he was hit with cold water. Turning into a girl when he was splashed with cold water is not very bad according to the Jusenkyo guide. After hearing what curse is in store on the other pools he could not bring himself to hate his curse. However his 'father' will not accept that his son is 'cursed' to be a weak little girl and took him away to seek the secretive Amazon village to ask for clues to cure their condition after hearing it from the Jusenkyo guide.

Disbelief was one of the major emotion in Sai's mind, even after seeing Ranma's and Genma's curse he still couldn't believe Jusenkyo's curse. Seeing the pool still gave him shivers and fear of what could be. At the very least he was able to calm Ranma down after he gave Genma a very through beating into a black and blue panda. Sai went on to push on Ranma to ask for a through information from the Jusenkyo guide for the curse. He was relieved that Ranma was able to return to his birth form but seeing his host was still very shocked emotionally he tries to give Ranma support and help him to adapt by giving Ranma more information regarding the opposite sex. It seems giving Ranma the 'Talk' again is going to be needed if the curse is as thorough as he predicted.

Hearing the 'Talk' again brought him embarrassment beyond belief as he could not believe that girl could bleed down there. He was lucky that Sai is an ancient ghost who had a lot of experience in giving people counsels even though he do not want to know how Sai can give the 'Talk' for a girl and he do not want to know that. On their way to the Amazon village, they was able to calm down and ask for more information regarding the village itself. Hearing the brief history of a village with such long tale is enough to give Ranma a glimpse the unwritten history itself. Long ago Sai had taught him of the bloodied tale on his era, listening to Amazon tribe's blooded tale is enough to warn him that he need to give extra caution so he will be prepared when he reach the village.

When Sai heard a shout from the centre of the crowd is enough to rang his Genma idiocy alarm that he had developed since long ago but could not do anything since he do not have solid form to stop it from happening. Finding Genma in his panda form stuffing himself with the food on a large round table with a sign-board on top gave him enough clues of what has happened. Genma had eaten the food without permission and they were in trouble because of him... AGAIN!

As the champion of the contest who had won the battle approaching him, Ranma turns all his tactical gear on since he had a gut feeling that not properly solving this problem in the bud will probably gave him a large headache in the future. After he finished listening to the guide's translation of what the girl has said, Ranma asks politely for what he could possibly do to make amends saying that no, they do not have anything that they could use to repay what Genma has eaten in his gluttony. Ranma was thinking along the line of giving the girl a panda rug instead and Sai agrees with him. However his conscience would not let him do that and he offered to work at the village for a time until the amount Genma has eaten is repaid. It was all coming smoothly until Genma in his panda form tried to escape and he beat Genma up till he unconsciousness for even trying to run that all his plan is ruined. When he received all that weird looks from all the young girl and woman in crowd he felt like a mouse cornered by horde of c-c-c-ca- feline from hell. After seeing Ranma beat down the very skilled pet panda they have failed to stop they had to grind their teeth to stop themselves from challenging the very attractive male to marry him right then and there. Some of the widowers was even thinking of taking the boy to their home to console them. Luckily Ranma can't read mind if he could he would faint of blood loss from his nose from all the 18+ rating thoughts surrounding him.

Sai sweat-dropped. He knew that Ranma is in trouble and he would not be able to do anything to help. He can't just tell Ranma to run away since Ranma's sense of honor is forbidding him from escaping from a debt they could pay but he is thinking to ask Ranma to anyway. Sai could remember all the young women in the court as they surrounds him with similar eye and seeing it from the side-line let him know that Ranma is facing similar problem. Then he quickly tell Ranma to be polite an refuse all the offers that possible is coming from those woman until they lost their interest or have other business to tend for.

He is going to give Sai his heartfelt thanks and Genma a dose of very strict diet after he deprives his 'father' from eating for at least three days. He had ensured that Genma is caged on a solid steel cage and told the Amazon that his 'pet panda' is being punished and to make sure it could not escape. All those amazon women following him as he work in the village is starting to grate on his nerve and after finding out of the secret 'law of marriage' from the guide before the guide returns to Jusenkyo let him know that he is walking on a tight-rope. His cultured and polite behaviour as he works is only making the situation worse as his follower increases even when Ranma do not realize it. The only positive result that he sees from working in the village is his Chinese language skill had improved tremendously.

After a month of following Ranma working and training his martial art in the village, Sai is getting bored and decided to wander inside the village to see what they had to offer. He was amazed to see 'very matured' cough women are the leaders in the village. He had never seen Matriarchal based society in his past and he is very interested to find out all he can know as he only knew how Japan is lead by an emperor and a prime minister at the top and they are always male. But when he found out how males was treated like slaves was no better with how female was treated in ancient Japan. Therefore he always look out for Ranma so that he won't be trapped into a deal that will doom his life as a slave in this barbaric village. One day he found out that the elders likes to play 'Wei Qi' which is another name of 'Go' in their language. When he saw the level of skill of the elders Go, he can't stop himself from telling Ranma to ask for a game from those elders. He never knew how knowing Go would affect their stay with the Amazon Tribe.

He saw the old ghoul cough elder that he knew is the great-grandmother of one of the girls that kept following him around suddenly fell from her cane when he requested to have a game of Wei Qi. He was even more surprised when he saw all the girls and women that were following suddenly quiet and starry eyed when he turned his eye to look at them. After asking if the Elder called Khu Lon is all right, she quickly asks him to follow her into her house. He could only follow her and starts to play Go with the Elder when she asked him for a serious game. She offered him a manual of advanced martial art style that she acknowledge as one of the most obscure and also strongest style she knows, to clear all of his debt, and also all information that Amazon tribe could offer regarding his Jusenkyo curse if he could win against her knowing Ranma's curse not long after Ranma lives in the village. Ranma could not believe that she would offer something as valuable and asked for a reason but Khu Lon only said that it was only fulfilling an old promise. He was very surprised when Sai asked him to play the elder himself as usually Sai always played Go with other people since he was only interested in playing with Sai and he do not know if he is strong enough to go against other Go players. In the end he was convinced by Sai as the prize is something that Ranma needs to earn with his own skill even if Sai himself itched to play with the Elder. Soon, Ranma found himself playing Go that presents a very different type of challenge than when he played Sai. He had never felt this exhilarated as he found himself playing Go with someone on an equal ground and he knows that it was only the beginning. It was as if elder Khu Lon suddenly switched gear that he found himself was being pressured by her 'presence' and it only increase as elder Khu Lon pound him with her Go as and he could only do his best to hold out as he was forced on the defence. When they had exchanged more than 80 moves, Ranma could see that he was behind by several moku. It was as if he was playing against Sai at his best and he knew that he is going to lose soon if he could not mount a comeback.

His felt as if his heart is pounding when he saw the game in front of him. He knew that after all these years that Ranma is closing the gap between their skill and he knew that the day Ranma would be able to match his skill will come soon. However he also knew that Ranma is still inexperienced and his Go style is still developing. Sai felt that this was a chance for Ranma to get an experience in important match where something important to Ranma is on the line. However, he could see that Ranma's inexperience is also what still holds Ranma back from showing his skill early in this match. Unless something is going to happen Ranma is going to lose. Ranma's opponent is very skilled and her Go is first rate. He had no doubt that she is one of the strongest Go player he had ever seen. Therefore, he knew that Ranma could not make a comeback against her. Not a Go player of her level at Ranma's current level.

All his trap and dodge was deflected skillfully. He had no doubt that elder Khu Lon is a very strong Go player and he had started to adapt to her style. However the earlier deficit when she made a move he could not foreseen is making it's toll on him. Everything he do could not help much... even when he show her all of her strength... he knew then... that he is going to lose... Ranma could only felt like he is not strong enough, like everything that he had learned is useless...

Sai could only look at Ranma with his eyes as with each move, the fire of determination in Ranma's eye is dimmer as he realized that everything he did is useless against a superior foe. He hopes that Ranma would not let this defeat hold set him back. Ranma... he did his best... He is proud to see his disciple's Go had grown this far even when his true dedication is to his 'Art'.

Each of his brain cells felt like they are on fire and his tactical mind tried to think of a way to survive on the Go-ban. With every seconds passed, his brain threw away strategies that he deemed useless against someone of Khu Lon's skill. After what had felt like an eternity, Ranma could not find a way and he was ready to give up. 'NO! Ranma Saotome do NOT give up!' a part of him said, 'But no matter what we did now is useless... even with the best scenario we cooked up we would still lose by 3 moku' another part of him said. When he is going to resign, as he look at the Go-ban, his gut was telling him that he need to look closer as there's still a way to survive. 'There! on the upper left corner' He thought, on the verge of resignation, Ranma was able to see a path to survive that he had not seen before and moved his hand to put the stone that is going to be his key of survival. Sai and Khu Lon gasped. Ranma does not realize it as all his concentration was on the Go-ban, too look beyond the board and surpass his own Go that was not able to see this path to survival before.

A chill went down by his spine, Sai was frozen as he look on the Go-ban as even he could not see who will be ahead now that the sente is on Ranma's hand. He could see that Khu Lon was shaken and as shocked as he was if the tightening of her visage is any indication. Ranma, he has grown again, no... Ranma had evolved himself Sai realize.

The game is closing to an end and there is no indication on who was ahead as the shape was very complicated. Everyone who watched this game could only gulped as they saw someone who could match an Elder Khu Lon in Wei Qi as they knew that Khu Lon was the best out of all the players in the village and they knew that all the elders are experts of the game and combined with their rich experience and long live was a very deadly combination in a player.

It finally ends. Ranma thought to himself. He could not believe that it ended to a draw from his defeat. However he also was not able to win and thus he won't gain anything from the elder. He look at Sai and saw Sai solemnly nodded with a hint of proud expression on his face. He thanked the elder for the game and after Khu Lon nods her head to let him know her acknowledgement and walked to exit the elder's house.

In the end of their stay, Ranma was able to avoid every marriage challenge (ran away from every challenge that he would never do if he still follow what his 'father' taught him) that came to his way and also made a lot of friends among the younger generation of Amazon tribe (Admirers who still follows him around after he had shown his Martial Art and Go skill). Before he left with his 'pet panda' that has tried to escape numerous times and was thwarted by him, Khu Lon gave him a small bundle and told him that he deserved it after played her and able wrench a victory from her hand. What he didn't know is that even though Khu Lon had told the younger generation of Amazon women to let Ranma go without any hindrance, many of them secretly swore to track him down to follow him wherever he goes.

And thus it marks the end of Ranma's another chapter in his life. It was time to return to their home, to Japan.

End of Chapter 04

Extra Information:

Sente : Tempo in the Go, often those who wield the tempo is the winner in a Game

Wei Qi : Another name for Go in Chinese

Go-Ban : A small table with 19x19 horizontal and vertical lines the Go-ke is placed at the intersection of those lines except for the outermost lines.

Go-Ke : Stones that is used to play go, is in two colors, black and white.

more will be added as needed.

Author's Rant:

Damn! I guess Ranma's stay in the Amazon village was changed a great deal from what I had planned to accommodate a plan that I had made for Ranma. I hope everything is going fine and even though I know Sai had not shown too much in this chapter but I had to make do with what idea as I went on. I hope you guys enjoy this fic cause I enjoy write it too. Please tell me if there's any problem with my writing style and grammar. I know I'm not perfect and my English is not very good so I'd appreciate is if I could improve them. Till next chapter!