Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Taking Out the Trash: part 2 ( Chapter 28 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

[Author’s Note: The characters and setting herein- with the exception of one or two O.C.’s of my own design- are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. But then you knew that already. This story is for fun, not profit. OK, enough with the legal junk and on with the show.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 28: Taking Out the Trash, part 2

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Ranma let out a long sigh. “So… now you know the rest, huh.”

Nodoka nodded in response, sniffing as she dabbed at the corner of her eye. They and the others were sitting at a circular table at an outdoor café not far from the vacant lot. Akane sat on Ranma’s left, while Nodoka was on his right looking somewhat less than happy. Nabiki had parked herself next to her sister while Shingen sat idly in the remaining chair, toying with a glass of water.

It had been no more than ten minutes since the oni incident; ten minutes since Nodoka had lost some of her composure and blurted out an apology to Ranma, which had naturally surprised both him and Akane. He had wondered briefly if she was referring to the seppuku contract, but since that matter had been laid to rest the night of his Purging he felt that couldn’t be the case… yet the look on her face was identical to the look of remorse she had had that night. For a moment, he and Akane shared a moment of confusion as to what had happened, but the moment they heard Genma’s name, the confusion began to lift.

Gradually, Nabiki had rejoined them- after snagging some priceless shots of Kuno and the royally embarrassed Sasuke- and steered the party towards the café where they now sat. It hadn’t taken long for Nodoka to rouse herself from her remorseful mood and begin to relate what she had discovered in Genma’s backpack several nights earlier. Nabiki had interrupted at points, bringing the training trio up to date on the repercussions- the confrontation, the shock collar, everything they had done up to that point. Shingen had sat off to one side and shook his head- partly in surprise, partly in amusement at the mercenary Tendo’s odd sense of justice. Akane had smirked, but the smirk vanished each time she looked at Nodoka- or at Ranma, who hadn’t said anything, but had flexed his right hand and stared at a spot on the table.

“Had I known you would have been subject to something like… that,” said Nodoka, her voice regaining its strength, “I never would have agreed to such a foolish arrangement, not then, not ever. I’m not even sure I want to know what else you went through while you were gone, son…” She looked up, her eyes slightly red. “Why didn’t you tell me you endured so much pain at his hand?”

Ranma shook his head. “I dunno… I guess I thought if I told you what went down during that damn Neko-ken, how I didn’t really want to do it… or any other time I got sick of the old man’s training… I guess I figured complainin’ about it might look weak, or- or unmanly.” Seeing her visibly cringe, he barreled on. “But that’s not the main reason, Mom… yeah, I know Pops did a lot of dumb stuff while we were gone and all…”

“Like getting you engaged to any girl he could find in exchange for a hot meal,” murmured Nabiki in an icy tone.

“Or foisting the blame onto you when some of his ‘deals’ came back to haunt him,” added Akane, “when you didn’t deserve it or even know about it.” Her right hand slid across the table and took his left, giving it a gentle squeeze. And causing some of us to take that misguided blame too seriously, she added silently to herself.

“Yeah… I dunno if he meant to do half the things he did, or if he’s just a moron through and through,” Ranma said in a low tone. “An’ that’s all before we got to those damn springs, too.” He let out another long sigh. “I know he screwed things up majorly, but… well… up until a year ago he was all I had, the only family I really knew. I guess… I don’t know. I guess some part of me just didn’t want to let go of that, didn’t want to risk losin’ it. Yeah, I’ll be the first to admit it, I know he’s not much more than a fat bastard- sorry, Mom. But even so… he’s the only father I got.”

Nabiki stared at him for a moment. Okay, something’s wrong here. Since when did Ranma start acting mature? Or try sorting junk out like this? Geez, maybe all that stuff they said happened in China wasn’t smoke and mirrors after all- I know I’ve heard the stories, but I thought they were exaggerating some of that Jusendo crap. Must’ve been damn serious to get both him and my kid sister to grow up practically overnight… She shook off her train of thought and snorted derisively. “Not much of a father if you ask me, Saotome,” she said. “If he was my dad I probably would’ve reported him to the cops after one of those training exercises he put you through. I swear, you really can be entirely too honorable or loyal for your own good sometimes, little bro.”

“Nabiki, I was a kid. I didn’t know back then; didn’t even start to wise up till that damn Neko-ken experiment of his,” Ranma grumbled. “But what the hell was I s’posed to do? Not like I could run away or nothing; where could I go? I didn’t know anyone besides him…” He looked up at Nodoka with a sad smile. “I didn’t even know for sure if you were still alive until that mess with the seppuku pledge came up and he got us hiding behind the ‘Ranko and Mr. Panda’ dodge.”

“But what about when you did get here?” Akane asked. “You could have done something then, right? And it’s not like you didn’t talk about going back to China more than once, at least at first…”

“I know, I did a lot of talking like that,” Ranma replied, shaking his head. “But by then… puttin’ up with him for ten years like that…” He bit his lip. “I guess I just got used to it. I mean, he is technically Master of the Saotome branch of the school… and… maybe I just stuck it out so there’d be one thing in my life that didn’t change on me.” He paused, then chuckled. “Or maybe I just wanted to keep clobbering him in our sparring sessions.”

Akane bit her own lip. “You mean you didn’t say anything just because you didn’t want another change?” she asked softly. “Even with everything he did to you?”

Ranma paused a long time before nodding again. “Yeah, I guess so… and at the time I still had that contract over my head, too; not so easy to say you don’t respect your father’s ways with that monkey on my back.”

Tears had begun to flow from Nodoka’s eyes once more. Oh, son… I’m so sorry, I’ve failed you as a mother… She stifled a sob and leaned over in her chair, pulling Ranma into a tight embrace, which he quickly returned with his right hand around her shoulders. Akane sniffled once and squeezed his left hand. Nabiki shifted awkwardly in her seat.

For a few long moments, nobody said anything.

“So let me get this straight,” Shingen piped up, breaking the silence. “You put up with a long series of grueling and potentially dangerous training for at least a decade, during which time you couldn’t do much to alleviate it or find an alternative, and then when you do reach an age where you can do something about it, you’ve reached a mindset that wants to retain the status quo out of fear that you might lose what family you do have if you did otherwise.” He set his water down and rested his elbows on the table. “My friend, I think you need to take another look and ask yourself if that’s what you really want- especially considering that you do have an alternative.”

Ranma blinked. “Wait, what’re you saying, Shin?”

“I think he’s saying you don’t have to rely on him as a constant, Ranma,” said Akane. “In the first place, I’m not sure he was constant on much of anything- sorry, Auntie- and in the second place, you’re not alone anymore, you dummy.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve got me, anyway. And Kasumi, too, and Dad… even if he can be a little emotional at times…”

“And me too,” Nodoka added, drying her eyes. “I know I made a big mistake when I let Genma take you on that foolish trip of his; I’m not going to make another mistake like that.” She took his right hand in hers. “I can’t change the past, son, but I can try to make up for lost time. I promise, I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“Same goes for me,” Nabiki piped up. “Fact is, some of this junk’s my fault as well… I wasn’t really trying to sabotage you or nothing with some of those deals I’ve pulled, Ranma. Guess my curiosity and my… uh… instincts got the better of me sometimes. Lure of the almighty yen, y’know… well, that and the fact I was trying like hell to keep our finances afloat when you and your freeloading father showed up.” She sighed. “Long story short, sorry ‘bout all this. Now, do you think maybe we could move away from all this touchy-feely crap and get back to the matter at hand?”

Nabiki’s last comment seemed to break some of the tension. Akane giggled. Ranma guffawed, and pretty soon everyone at the table was sharing a good, healing laugh. By the time they had all finished, a fair quantity of tears had been wiped away and most of them were smiling again.

“Yeah, I think you may have hit the nail on the head, Nabs,” said Ranma with one last chuckle. “Might as well get back to what we were talking about.” He brushed his hair back and his face became serious. “Fact is, you guys’re right. I am sick of all the garbage Pops put me through… I just had my mind on so many other damn things I didn’t bother thinking ‘bout how I was gonna deal with it.” He paused, then smirked. “Gotta admit, though, that little shock collar idea of yours sounded appropriate.”

“Eh, it was nothing,” Nabiki replied, one eyebrow twitching. ‘Nabs’? I HATE that name…

“So what do we do now?” Akane asked, her eyes drifting to meet Nodoka’s. Just then a bad thought struck her and she paled slightly. “Auntie… you’re not going to make Mr. Saotome commit…” Ranma’s eyes suddenly widened and he shot his mother a questioning glance.

Nodoka shook her head vigorously. “No, as much as it might restore some of the family honor, I’m afraid that wouldn’t be right.” At her words, Akane and Ranma visibly relaxed. “Not only because it would be the easy way out, despite how afraid of death he is… but also…” She sighed. “There’s a part of me that, silly as it sounds, hopes that the part of him I fell in love with is still somewhere inside.”

“From what I’ve heard of him, Nodoka-san, you’d have to look pretty hard to find that part. No offense intended,” said Shingen offhand.

“None taken, young man,” Nodoka replied with a sad smile. “I’ve thought the same thing myself this past weekend many a time. I‘ll still look for it, though… and if I reach a point where I’m well and truly sure it’s gone, I’ll decide what to do then.”

“And in the meantime, what happens?” Nabiki asked. “I’ll bet you anything he’s gonna be pissed when we all get back home, what with the number of zaps he’s had so far.”

“Betcha anything he’ll try and pin it on me ‘not doing my duty as a loyal son’ or some crap like that,” Ranma scowled. “With a dose of ‘the future of the Saotome school’ thrown in for good measure.”

“I don’t think he’d be too willing to try that in my presence, son,” said Nodoka in a cool tone as she patted her silk-wrapped katana.

“Yeah, but still… you just know he’s gonna be thinking it. Might throw out some garbage about finding someone else to succeed him as well… not that he’d actually do it, just something he might try an’ use to get my goat,” Ranma replied. A hardness was beginning to build in his eyes; the more they talked about it, the more he was remembering the hellacious training, the things Genma had said were training but usually involved him stealing Ranma’s food or making Ranma carry luggage. And the more he remembered, the more he wanted to make the old man hurt.

“Doesn’t surprise me; the Master turning the Student away is probably the oldest guilt method of any martial arts school,” said Akane. “Not that he’s much of a ‘Master’ himself; you could beat him in five seconds easy, Ranma.”

Nabiki, Ranma and Nodoka all looked up at once. A moment later, a thoughtful look emerged on Ranma’s face, followed by a sly grin.

Akane blinked. “What? What’d I say?”

I think you just gave us the perfect way to shut him up for good, Acchan, Ranma’s voice echoed in her mind’s ear. Akane looked at him again- and her eyes widened and a smile broke out as she realized what he was talking about.

Ranma turned to face Nodoka, who was already sporting a thoughtful look of her own. “Maybe it’s time he and I finally had a little ‘chat’ about the future of the Saotome school.”

Nabiki smirked. Oh boy… this is gonna be good… Her mind began racing, quickly sorting through a list of numbers as she retrieved her favored financial assistant- her cellphone.

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It was late in the afternoon by the time Akane and Ranma made it back to the gates of the Tendo dojo. They had parted with Nabiki and Nodoka in high spirits, despite the fact that their nerves were a tad on edge. The plan had been set in motion, now all that remained was to execute it. Ranma had been a tad nervous at first- what with some of his old loyalties trying to re-assert themselves as he, Akane and Shingen had headed back to the warehouse to clean up and get in two last hours of intensive training and a half-hour of cool-down exercises. The nervousness passed midway through an elaborate weapon kata Shingen was showing them as Ranma reminded himself time and again of all the times he had wanted to do this previously. His memories of Genma’s training only helped to steel his resolve, and by the time he and Akane finally perfected the basic sword kata, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to give Genma a small taste of what he had become- and the pain he had endured to get there. Old reservations against doing it had gone right out the window.

Akane hadn’t said much as they were cleaning up the bunk room of the warehouse, but words weren’t necessary at that point. She knew part of what Ranma was going through- more so because of what she had seen in his memories via their Astral Link experiments. She couldn’t help but be nervous of what was about to happen- not because she was afraid Ranma might get hurt, however. Instead, it was a fear that he might lose control and do more than what he was intending. Akane knew Ranma had exceptional control, and there weren’t many things that could make him lose it… but a confrontation like this might be one of those things.

Now, standing in front of the gates of her home… our home, she thought to herself… she looked to her left and saw him take a deep breath, his face clear of emotion. She paused for a moment, then allowed herself a small smile. I shouldn’t be worried. Ranma knows what he’s doing, and I guess this would have happened at some point sooner or later. I have to trust him… trust him not to go overboard.

She hefted her backpack on one shoulder and squeezed Ranma’s hand. “You ready to do this?”

Ranma looked at her and gave her a faint smile. “Not really. But he’s overdue for this anyway.” He squeezed her hand in return and straightened the collar of the blue Chinese shirt he had replaced his battered red one with. “Let’s go say hi.” Akane nodded and the two approached the door. Shingen followed close behind, duffel bag over one shoulder, naginata resting on the other.

“We’re home!” Ranma called out as they entered the foyer, setting their backpacks on the floor while Akane removed her sneakers.

“Welcome home Ranma, Akane!” said Kasumi as she rounded the corner. Her cheerful smile faded after a second, replaced by a concerned look “I hope you’re both well, Nabiki said there was a terrible fiasco downtown today that…” She was suddenly interrupted by a series of angry footsteps that caused her to blanch slightly.

“Raaannnmmmaaa…” At the sound of the voice, Ranma’s eyebrow twitched. The inflections were all there, he could almost feel the blame game about to begin as a singed and smoldering Genma stomped his way into the front hall. Ranma gritted his teeth and forced himself into the Soul of Ice before glancing up at the elder Saotome- and very nearly dropped the Soul of Ice at the sight of Genma. He was covered head to toe in burn marks and his eyes were so bloodshot they looked like Shinjuku street maps. Akane almost snickered herself, but reined her instinct in at the last second.

Genma took a deep breath. “Now son… it’s all very well and good to train. It’s a sign of one’s devotion to the Art to train constantly… and I’m proud of you for taking the initiative to bring Akane with you this time. In that respect I can understand it, wanting to spend time with your fiancée is only right. However…” He took another deep breath; at that point neither he nor Kasumi noticed Soun sidling up into the hallway to take a look. Nor did they notice Nodoka peering around the front gate of the estate, biding her time.

“How could you think of leaving your own father at the mercy of those two women?!?” he snapped in a tight voice, prompting a slow burn from both Kasumi and Akane, which he ignored. “You couldn’t have delayed your trip until I had at least had a chance to RECOVER from that… that USELESS Purging technique?” This time he garnered a very dirty look from Shingen. “And of all the times in the world to let your mother discover that blasted training manual! Have you any idea what she and that heartless Nabiki did to me while you were busy with your own affairs? What kind of dishonorable son are you to leave your own father…” At that point Ranma’s eyes snapped open and his hand shot out, grabbing Genma’s gi and yanking him forward.

“Don’t you dare talk to me about being dishonorable, you son of a bitch.”

Genma’s eyes widened as if he had just been slapped- not merely because of what Ranma had said, but because of the look on his face as he said it. His eyes were practically glacial and there was no warmth to be found anywhere on his face. For a brief second all Genma did was stare in shock, then shook his head and swallowed hard. “What… what did you just say, boy?”

“I think you damn well heard what I said, old man,” Ranma shot back in a sub-zero tone of voice. “I knew you were gonna get started on this the second I came through the door; Ranma’s back, so let’s play Shift the Blame with him once again! That game never gets old, eh, kiddies?” His grip on Genma’s gi tightened. “Guess again, pops. It does get old, and I’m sick and tired of it. And how the hell is it my fault Mom found that manual? You’re the one who didn’t throw it away or burn it when ya had the chance; how was I supposed to know she’d find it cleaning up? And don’t even get me started on dishonor, you’re the one who wrote the book on that subject- especially when ya used me to pay off some debt you were too cheap to pay off yourself, or whenever you needed a convenient scapegoat! Gods, even Kuno’s got more honor than you, you fat, lying bastard!” With a quick shove, Ranma sent Genma staggering back towards the nearest wall and let out a long breath.

Genma was on his feet in an instant. “How DARE you! Have you no respect for your elders, boy? No respect for the trials I went through to keep food in my- OUR stomachs? No appreciation of the hardship that makes up a martial artist’s life? How can you disrespect all I’ve done for the school’s sake and…” Suddenly the color drained from his face as an angry Nodoka entered the house behind Ranma and gave him the hardest glare of her life.

“It would seem to me, husband,” she said, laying heavy emphasis on the word, “that my child is more than capable of giving respect where it is due… and from what I’ve heard from speaking with him and Akane today, I would think he is quite justified in what he says. It is quite true that a child should be respectful of his parents… but such respect does not come free, Genma. It has to be earned. And not toyed with.”

Genma blanched. His worst nightmare was beginning to come true- his wife and child turning against him. He started sweating as he glanced around, finally noting the fire in the eyes of Akane and Kasumi, as well as a dispassionate glare from Shingen. Desperately he glanced in Soun’s direction, wordlessly imploring some sort of support from his longtime friend.

Soun said nothing, but shook his head and looked at Genma with an expression he didn’t want to see. I’m sorry, old friend, he seemed to be saying. Not this time; this is between you and your family. I can’t do this anymore.

Genma cringed, his gaze turning back to Nodoka. “D-dear?” he said disbelievingly. “You don’t really mean it, do you? I… everything I did was to m-make him the b-best… and now he goes and disregards what I’ve…”

“What you’ve done, Genma, is use and abuse my child in ways I never thought possible.”

“I DIDN’T KNOW! How was I supposed to know that training technique was banned?”

“You could’ve read the manual all the way, old man,” Ranma growled. “Look, this is getting old and I’m in no mood to go through and rehash everything you put me through all over again. I told you, I’m sick of it. I’m sick of YOU!” He jammed a hand into his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper, which he promptly thrust into Genma’s hands. “This ends right here and now. Genma Saotome, I’m challenging you to a winner-takes-all duel!”

Genma blinked, then stared at the paper in his hands- a paper written by Ranma hours earlier at the café(with some legalese coaching from Nabiki). “What the… what is this supposed to be?”

“Thought you’d know a challenge letter when you saw one,” the younger Saotome replied. “You and me. Right here, right now. As for winner-take-all, that means what it sounds like.” He folded his arms. “I’m challenging you for the title of Master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes.”

Kasumi gasped. Soun’s eyes widened as his jaw hit the floor.

Genma didn’t know whether to faint or run away. “Ranma… you can’t be serious…”

“Deadly serious, old man,” Ranma replied with all the warmth of a vat of liquid nitrogen.

“Fact is, it’s about time this school had a decent Master anyway,” added Akane with a smirk.

Genma blinked, then paused and narrowed his eyes at Akane. “This… this is your doing, isn’t it? You did something that got him thinking along this line, didn’t you? You always were a forceful little girl, so now that the two of you started getting along, you’ve found some way to turn him against me! I knew it! I should have known you were a bad choice for him right from the start of…” He got no further as Ranma backhanded him across the face with his left fist. Soun stared at Genma in shock mixed with a touch of anger.

“Don’t you DARE talk about Akane like that again!” he snarled. “I’ve been wantin’ to do this for a long time; I didn’t get pushed into nothing! Now are you gonna accept that challenge or not?”

“You wouldn’t want to dishonor the Saotome name by refusing a challenge, would you?” said Nodoka sweetly, fingering the tsuba of her katana. “That wouldn’t be very manly, husband.”

Genma froze; the look in Ranma’s eyes had turned from icy to blazing in an instant, and it wasn’t hard to notice that his aura had begun to manifest. Oh Kami… what’s happening? I’ve never seen him this angry before, and he feels so much stronger, too… gods, I don’t know if I CAN win if he’s like this, but… a challenge for the school itself? The audacity of it all! The arrogance… the… the… He looked up at Ranma’s face again, cringing at the emotion he saw in his son’s eyes. The power… that… I’ve never seen that look in his eyes, not even in some of our worst fights… Oh Lord… could it be that he… he hates me? No, that can’t be, I’m his father… but… but the way he was speaking, what he said…

“Do you accept the challenge, Genma Saotome?”

Genma winced at the harshness of Ranma’s words. He really means it. He’s calling me out, and I’m not ready… I can’t do this. I just can’t. But with No-chan right there… and that look in his eyes… He paused, then bent his head and sighed. I have no choice. Him or her, I lose either way. I’m such a dead man…

He paused again and blinked. On the other hand… there are his weaknesses. And the school is Anything Goes… if I can use them, maybe I’d have a chance after all… A subtle smirk snuck onto his face for a moment, which he wiped away before giving mother and son a resigned look.

“I accept,” he mumbled.

No sooner had he uttered those words than Nabiki popped out from her hiding place in the closet by the stairwell, camera still rolling. “There you have it folks, we have an acceptance. Saotome vs. Saotome in a fight to the finish; the stakes, Mastery of the school. A fight for the ages indeed,” she droned into the mini-cam’s microphone with the flair of a sports announcer.

Ranma groaned. “Should’ve known this wasn’t going to be a normal challenge,” he muttered.

Are they ever normal? Akane asked wryly in their minds’ ear.

No, I guess they aren’t, was his reply, accompanied by a shrug and a wink.

Akane smiled back. Oh, and Ranma…

Yeah?

You didn’t really have to stand up for me like that. She paused, then gave his hand a gentle squeeze. But I am glad you did anyway… thank you.

He nodded and gave her a warm smile. Any time, Acchan.

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“Okay, people, let’s make a little room here, have to make sure nobody’s uncomfortable,” Nabiki said with her typical Ice Queen authority. Ranma’s assessment that the challenge wouldn’t be normal was more accurate than he thought- and both he and Akane shared a thought that even with all that had happened over the last week, the lure of the Almighty Yen was still too much for Nabiki to resist. What he had planned to be a challenge within the family alone had promptly been turned into a small sporting event by the mercenary Tendo, who was currently directing traffic as she ushered in a handful of spectators to whom she had sold admission.

Genma and Ranma stood facing each other in the middle of the hall, each dressed in a white gi. Nodoka and Soun sat at the far end of the dojo, with Kasumi sitting next to her father, Akane sitting next to Nodoka at her insistence. Shingen stood leaning against the door frame with his arms behind his head, an almost tired look on his face. Daisuke and Hiroshi waved hello as they wandered in and sat near the door, along with a half dozen random upperclassmen Nabiki knew from homeroom; Sayuri and Yuka weren’t there, citing homework as their excuse. The Amazons made an appearance as well; Cologne hopped over and took a seat between Nodoka and Soun, exchanging a cordial hello with each. Mousse sat down near Daisuke after exchanging greetings politely with the others; he gave Ranma a nod and a smile before taking his seat. Shampoo said a few awkward hellos before taking a seat near Kasumi, unable or unwilling to look at Akane or Ranma directly- though her gaze did wander in Mousse’s direction once she was settled in. Shortly thereafter Ukyo stepped inside, gracing Genma with a scathing look before crossing the room and taking a seat with the other Furinkan students, choosing a seat close to the door.

“It sounds as if we may have an interesting bout on our hands,” said Cologne offhand. Nodoka nodded, but said nothing.

“Think Ranma’s really gonna do it?” “Bet his old man won’t last ten minutes, tops.” “D’you think it’s true that his dad really threw him in a pit of wild animals?” “Look at his eyes; wouldn’t wanna be in his dad’s place right now…” muttered the Furinkan clique.

“Old goat deserves this, if ya ask me,” scowled Ukyo with her arms crossed. “Wish I could help…”

“From what I’ve heard this afternoon, Ranma’ll probably be glad to let you have what’s left of him as a punching bag,” Shingen whispered to her out of the corner of his mouth. Ukyo looked up in time to see him give her a wry smile before lapsing back into his expression of boredom. Elsewhere, Nabiki finished talking to a few of her guests and skipped lightly over to the front of the room, taking a seat next to rather irked Akane.

“I thought you agreed you weren’t going to pull stuff like this anymore, oneechan,” Akane hissed.

“This is different, sis,” Nabiki whispered. “I’m only taking advantage of Mr. Saotome this time; no way he’ll be able to stomach a loss with an audience.” She paused, then smirked. “Besides, if I recall you had no compunction against getting into the betting pool yourself, Akane.” Akane started to retort, then flushed and fell silent.

A hush fell over the crowd as father and son took two steps towards each other and bowed. Genma looked up nervously and wiped the sweat off his brow. I’ll have to work fast otherwise I won’t have a chance, he thought. Have to take advantage of an opening as soon as I can, hit him when he least expects it. I can’t afford to lose now… His eyes trailed from Ranma to Nodoka, then Soun, then the three Tendo sisters in turn. Oh Kami, what have I done to deserve this? he silently lamented, then sighed and let his shoulders slump before falling into a ready stance. Who am I kidding, I know what I did… but… it was all for the sake of the school!

Ranma glared at Genma with a calculating eye. He’s got something up his sleeve, I know it. Probably gonna try and catch me off guard an’ blindside me with something. Like a c-cat or gods know what else… well, it ain’t gonna work this time, old man. This time the gloves come off. After eleven years, I know you all too well.

Ranma dropped into a loose stance. “Time for us to settle the score once and for all, Father,” he said in an icy voice. Genma flinched as he heard the derision in Ranma’s voice, especially the emphasis on the word ‘father’.

“Perhaps you need another lesson in keeping your place, boy,” Genma replied, failing to hide the nervousness in his voice. “I won’t go easy on you, Ranma.”

Ranma flashed his favorite cocky smile. “That’s just the way I like it.”

At a signal from Nodoka, the duel began.

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One minute and seventeen seconds later, it was over.

Genma had promptly pulled back and disappeared into the Umisen-ken the instant the fight started, prompting Ranma and several other people to roll their eyes. The Furinkan clique, Ukyo and the Amazons had been surprised, first by his disappearance, then by his re-appearance a moment with a burglar bag suddenly full of practice weapons pilfered from around the dojo. The bag had snapped open, launching the shinai and several bokkens in Ranma’s direction; Ranma barely flinched as he darted around the projectiles almost as if they weren’t there. Genma burst forward and began a fusillade of punches and kicks that were at least twice as fast as anything he had done in their morning sparring sessions; Ranma responded by dodging the blows or blocking using only his left arm, keeping a glacial glare locked on the fat man in white.

Genma tried to pick up the pace and herded Ranma back with a series of jumping spin kicks, all of which Ranma evaded with ease. Pulling back to catch his breath, Genma entered the Umisen again, this time attempting to use the technique’s snake bite strike to catch Ranma in the back and shoulders. Unfortunately for him, Genma’s initial nervousness was beginning to show and thus the Umisen did not work properly; Ranma’s hyper-sharpened aura sense followed the panicky panda and grabbed him by both wrists the second he re-appeared. A quick wrench and a spin, and Genma was sent tumbling across the room. He landed awkwardly, took a deep breath and plunged back into the fight, this time launching a flurry of insults as well as his fists in an attempt to unnerve Ranma or make him lose his temper.

Ranma almost smirked when Genma began lambasting him with words, calling him a ‘weak and ungrateful son,’ or a ‘puny little girl’; he merely shrugged and continued deflecting blow after blow. He grabbed Genma’s wrist as the older man attempted a spinning backfist, stepped to one side and yanked, sending him tumbling across the floor where he came to rest near Nodoka. Genma gulped upon seeing the look in her eyes, scrambled up and saw Ranma had turned his back. Now’s my chance! he thought as he dashed forward, pulling a long piece of wrapping paper out of his gi- wrapping paper that was printed with pictures of cats.

Akane and Nodoka both gasped as they saw the paper, as did several other people the moment Genma began lifting it up- shoving it in Ranma’s face just as he was turning around.

For a moment, nothing happened.

A moment after that, Ranma’s right fist burst through the paper and caught Genma full-force in the nose. The fat man screamed in pain and staggered backward, clutching his face as Ranma tore the rest of the wrapping paper to pieces. Akane blinked, then heaved a sigh of relief. He must’ve known his dad might do that, she chuckled inwardly as everyone else noticed the blindfold over Ranma’s eyes.

“Can’t be scared by what you can’t see, old man,” said Ranma emotionlessly as he advanced on Genma, battle aura flaring reddish-gold around him. “Your tricks aren’t gonna work this time… and by the way, your grace period is over.” He cracked his knuckles. “Now I get serious.”

A second later, a side kick to Genma’s stomach had knocked the wind out of him. Three seconds later an intercepted eye gouge left Genma with a sprained wrist. Four seconds after that, Ranma parried a high kick and retaliated with a punch that cracked Genma’s cheekbone and knocked three of his back teeth out. This in turn was followed with a well-placed lightning series of side kicks and a reverse roundhouse that broke two of the old man’s ribs, cracked a third, dislocated his shoulder and hyperextended his right knee. As he fell, Ranma grabbed him by the collar, spun him around with one arm, ripped the blindfold off his eyes and gave Genma a look that would burn a hole through wood.

One look at his eyes was all Genma needed to freeze up. They weren’t the eyes of the son he remembered from so long ago, before the start of the ten-year training trip. They weren’t the eyes of a laughing, happy child that suddenly emerged in his mind’s eye. They were the eyes of a blooded warrior- a man who had been pushed to and beyond the breaking point. They were eyes that held little or no love for him, only cold, controlled anger. For the first time in his life, the full weight of Genma’s actions began to crush down upon him harder than Akane’s mallet- he had achieved his goal and made Ranma into a fighter beyond his greatest expectations, but at the same time, he had broken the father-son bond between them. No amount of berating or guilting his son would bring that back.

“Do you yield?” Ranma snarled.

Genma wanted to say yes. He tried to say yes. But seeing the look in his son’s eyes and feeling the amount of physical pain he had been subjected to in such a short span of time, he was in no condition to speak. His tongue refused to listen to him and he began to shake in fear. This can’t be happening, I didn’t mean it, son… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… great Kami, I’ve been such a fool… Unable to say anything, he simply let his head drop forward.

Ranma released him and let him drop to the ground, then breathed out a long sigh. “Good answer,” he said quietly. “I didn’t wanna hurt you any more than I had to.” He straightened up and flipped his bangs out of his eyes. Heh. Didn’t even break a sweat.

Nodoka stood up. “This duel is finished,” she said in a serious tone. “By surrender, victory and the title of Master of the Saotome school belong to Ranma Saotome.” She turned and bowed to the combatants, then smiled broadly. Well done, my son… you did the noble thing, offering the fat fool a chance to yield. Akane beamed happily; Cologne nodded at Ranma appraisingly. The Furinkan clique gave him a healthy round of applause, though Daisuke was grousing about the fight being too short. Shampoo was applauding as well, though far more subdued. Mousse gave him a nod and a thumbs-up. Shingen simply smiled and nodded.

“Good going, Ran-chan,” said Ukyo from the sidelines with a grin. “It’s about time, too,” she added under her breath.

“I’ll bet he’s had that coming for a good long while now,” muttered Shingen as she and the others got up from their seats. “Still amazes me, the level of control Ranma’s got; I could feel his anger earlier and he could easily have put that man in intensive care with just a fraction more power.”

Ukyo shrugged. “You’ve only known him a short while, sugar,” she said. “Stick around him for the better part of a year, you’ll get used to it.” Though I doubt I’d ever get used to seeing him at full power, like yesterday, she thought. Not far from where they were, the others began crowding around Nabiki to see who won the duel pool. The Amazons were discussing something with Nodoka, and Akane was giving Ranma a congratulatory hug- apparently not minding doing so in public.

Still seated on his cushion, Soun looked sadly at the battered and broken body of his old friend and sighed. In his heart of hearts, he knew the fight would have happened sooner or later- he’d known it ever since learning about the Neko-ken training and Genma’s string of fiancée incidents. He hadn’t said much about it in deference to their past friendship, but he had worried for a long time that karma was eventually going to catch up to Genma. Soun knew he was being weak, but he hadn’t known what else to do- Genma had always been the strong one, even when they were training. Events of the past week, though, had shown him things in a much different light. Not to mention Genma’s outburst in the foyer, where he had not only berated Ranma meaninglessly, but had insulted Akane and Nabiki in the process- and shown a severe lack of gratitude towards Shingen’s Purge attempt.

He folded his arms and gave the wounded man a pitying look. “It is true what they say, I suppose- that we reap what we sow,” he said to himself quietly. “I only hope you may learn from this, old friend.” I know I have…

--------------------

Dinner that night was peaceful. Genma stayed out in the dojo wrapped in a blanket- his wounds mended, surprisingly, by Ranma’s utilization of a basic Naosu Kousen. It didn’t heal as effectively as Shingen’s technique, but was enough to set and expedite the healing of Genma’s broken ribs. Soun brought a light dinner to him and acted as a sounding board as Genma perused the challenge note and occasionally blubbered over the loss of the school. The rest of the household gathered around the dinner table.

“That was pretty damn generous of you, little bro,” said Nabiki as she took a sip of tea. “Patching him up after kicking the crap out of him… and how did you manage to do that trick, anyway?”

Ranma finished his mouthful of fish before turning to her and shrugging. “That ‘trick’ was just a little something I learned over the weekend,” he said. “As for patching him up… well, it’s not like he hasn’t done anything decent. Just wanted to make it even for the one or two things he did right for me.”

“I think you’d be hard pressed to figure out what he did right,” Akane chuckled.

Ranma turned and looked her in the eye. He brought me here, didn’t he? We wouldn’t have met if he hadn’t done his meddling; that’s about the only thing I’m really thankful to him for. Don’t ya think so too, ‘kane?

Oh yeah… you’re right, she replied wordlessly with a blush. He did do that much, even if we both hated it in the beginning… She took a bite of her own meal and swallowed, then smiled. Maybe I should think about thanking him once he’s had a chance to get over the shock.

Ranma snickered. He might not believe you, you know… and who knows if he’ll ever get over this shock…

“Hey, what’s with you two?” Nabiki piped up. “I swear, it’s like you’re both lost in your own little world over there.”

The two teens immediately flushed and turned their attention back to the table. “It’s nothing, Nabs,” said Ranma awkwardly.

“First off, stop calling me ‘Nabs’, okay?” she replied with a half-lidded glare. “Secondly, if you’ve got some kinda private joke you’re sharing, why not let us in on it?” She paused, then smirked. “Did something… happen on this little trip of yours?”

“Nabiki, how can you ask something like that?” Kasumi asked, giving her younger sister a disapproving look.

“It isn’t very polite to pry into their personal matters, dear,” Nodoka added. “Whatever it is that may or may not have happened while they were away, it’s not our concern.” At her words, Akane and Ranma breathed out a silent sigh of relief, though the blush they sported did not fade completely.

“My sentiments exactly, Nodoka-san,” said Shingen from his place at the end of the table.

“Okay, fine,” Nabiki groaned. “Just wondering why you two seemed to be carrying on a conversation without actually talking, that’s all. All those looks you keep giving each other, it’s making me sick.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Nabiki,” said Kasumi. “Personally, I think it’s sweet.”

“Whatever.” She took another swig of tea. “Anyway… how’s it feel now that he’s out and you’re in, Ranma?”

Ranma bristled. “Putting it a little bluntly, are we, Nabiki?”

“Geez, sorry.”

“Well, she does have a point,” said Akane. “Still… it is a little much to take in all at once, Ranma. And I’ll bet you anything your dad’s not going to stand for it for too long.” She paused, then smiled. “Despite the fact the better man did win.”

Ranma shrugged. “I think he was overdue for retirement a month ago,” he said before turning serious. “Still, you’re right- he’s not gonna be happy in the morning. He is still head of the Saotome clan, after all, so even if he’s not head of the school right now…”

“Not quite,” Nodoka murmured. Everyone except Nabiki paused and turned to look at her.

“Huh? Whatcha mean, ‘not quite’?”

“Yeah, what’s that supposed to mean, Auntie?”

Nodoka set her chopsticks down and gave the others a wry smile. “There was more at stake in that challenge letter than just the school,” she said softly. “The truth is, I’ve been worried ever since Saturday about whether he might have anything else up his sleeve- especially when it comes to the arranged marriage between our houses. Since you and Akane aren’t twenty years old yet, you wouldn’t legally be able to take over the dojo when the two of you do marry- meaning he would likely be set up as trustee of the dojo until such time as you were old enough to claim it.”

Ranma scowled. “Geez Loueeze, I hadn’t thought of that… he’d be in a prime position to squander everything.”

“He wouldn’t dare…” said Akane in a dangerous tone.

“He might,” Nodoka murmured. “I can’t say for sure, but after everything I’ve learned it’s a risk I don’t want you to take. Which is why I took the liberty of making this duel a true ‘winners-take-all’ situation.”

She paused and cast a sly look in the direction of the dojo. “He left the Saotome clan seals in my possession when he left on that abominable training trip, probably so he could avoid signing any binding documents. And as I have full use of those seals, there wasn’t much trouble to prepare and file the necessary paperwork. A little bit of trouble over the terms, but Nabiki-chan was most helpful in drawing them up in our favor.”

Ranma’s eyes widened. “Hey, wait a minute… Mom, don’t tell me you’re throwing Pop out of the clan…”

“No, Ranma, that’s not what I’ve done.” She took a deep breath. “But from what I’ve learned about his past actions, I’ve come to the conclusion that he is unfit to be head of the Saotome clan.” A sudden howl echoed from the dojo, a pained, mournful howl. “I’m afraid Genma may have just read the section of the challenge that deals with that… and what would happen if he were to lose.”

“Auntie…” Akane breathed. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

“She’s saying the ‘winner takes all’, sis, just like the challenge says,” said Nabiki with a grin. “Ranma’s not just head of the school now… once he reaches Majority age in a few years, he’ll be head of the Clan as well.” She flashed the two suddenly wide-eyed teens a grin. “Always happy to help out family; no need to thank me now, you can just owe me a favor.”

Ranma blinked. “Mom, you can’t be serious, can you?”

“Unless Genma can find a way to redeem what honor he has left in my eyes and yours,” Nodoka replied with a sad smile, “then he is unworthy of leading our family any longer. I know it’s sudden, son; I’m sorry, but I can’t take the chance that he’ll try to ruin our family name more than he already has. And as much as it galls me to do so… it allows me to give him one last chance to become the man he used to be. If he can’t do that… then I may have to consider something more permanent.”

Kasumi shook her head in amazement. “Oh, my…”

“I don’t believe it…” Ranma said softly. “So it really was all or nothing out there…” Akane nodded, and for a moment nobody said much of anything.

“Does that mean… wait, if he becomes head of the Clan when he’s twenty, who’s in charge now?” Akane asked at length.

“For the time being, that responsibility falls to me,” said Nodoka quietly. “As trustee in his name, and only until you’re old enough, son. In truth, I would as soon have you named Clan leader right now… but you are still underage, and besides… you have enough to worry about at the moment as it is.” She paused, then looked up. “I had to take a step towards restoring our honor some way, Ranma. Please understand…”

Ranma took a deep breath. “It’s… it’s okay, Mom… I understand. Guess it’s just gonna take me a while ta wrap my head around this.” He paused, then smiled slightly. “Can’t say I blame you for it much… and you’re right, he did pretty much drag the Saotome name through the mud. ‘Bout time we got around to fixing it.”

Akane nodded slowly, then smirked. “Now that I think about it, there’s something else that I think both of us need to get around to.”

Ranma looked up. “What’s that?”

“Homework. We have to go back to classes tomorrow, remember?” She giggled, prompting a laugh out of him, and pretty soon the entire table was laughing.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that,” Ranma groaned theatrically, standing up from the table. “Might as well get it done sooner or later.”

“Not too much later, otherwise you might fall asleep in Ms. Hinako’s class again, dummy.”

Ranma smirked and puffed his chest out. “Hey, a little respect for the Master of the Saotome school, please?”

“Okay then, let’s go hit the books, sensei dummy.” She giggled and dashed out of the room with a laughing Ranma hot on her heels.

Kasumi leaned on the table and sighed. “My word… so much goings-on, and in such a short span of time, too.”

“Most likely the continued influences of the chaos stream in this ward,” Shingen mused, downing the last of his tea. “This does seem to be a place prone to strange happenstance.”

“Indeed,” the eldest Tendo daughter replied. “What with all the spirits, pranksters and other such that kept cropping up these days- and now this new wrinkle- it’s a wonder that Akane and Ranma had any chance at all to have some peace and quiet.”

“I very seriously doubt that those two will ever have a full day of peace and quiet,” Nabiki added.

There was another moment of silence.

“You know,” Kasumi finally said, “I still think it was in slightly bad taste to make a betting pool on how fast Ranma could defeat Mr. Saotome.”

“Oneechan, we both knew he could win any day of the week, the question was how fast he could do it.”

“So who did win that pool, anyway?” Nodoka asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. “Akane,” she grumbled, prompting snickers out of Nodoka and Kasumi. “I don’t get it, she never wanted any part of those before, and she seemed so damn sure of the timeframe she chose. It’s like she knew what was going to happen ahead of time- almost like she was reading his mind.”

Shingen coughed and looked away, hiding a smirk.

“I’m surprised you didn’t invite more people than you did,” Kasumi said.

Nabiki shrugged. “No way in hell I was inviting the Kuno Crazies here, despite the profits we could’ve made. Only other place I tried was the Unryuu place, but some old geezer said Akari-chan and Ryoga were out on a lunch date.”

“Lunch date? It’s awfully late for lunch,” said Nodoka with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s what he said. Said they left that morning, so with any luck they’ll be home tomorrow, unless Akari remembered to pack a map.” She giggled.

--------------------

In a distant pit of darkness, a pair of violet eyes cracked open.

Damnation. The idiot pawn failed to do any reasonable harm, and the Gate Key is out of our hands. It would seem I underestimated the scions of Sagara and Saito; their power grows faster still.

It would appear we will need to take things to another level. You must continue to observe them, minion. You may not have been able to see what happened at the Oni Gate closely, but even you can tell their power is a force to be reckoned with.

I will not be able to act to my full extent until the final seal drops… though I have every reason to believe it will fall soon. You and your brothers… do what you do best. Sow the seeds of chaos; be my eyes and ears till I am free once again.

And free I shall be before long. The Hidden One has been biding his time.

Once he acts, it shall be the beginning of the end. My revenge will be brought to completion. In the meantime…

Search out the mad canines. Their blood yearns for the chance to spread anarchy and destruction. They will serve my purpose well. Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.

The green-eyed imp bowed low before the violet eyes and disappeared into the darkness.

To Be Continued.

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Author’s Note 10/3/05: Well, this chapter got a little longer than I expected, but the further I get in this chronicle the more detail it seems to warrant. Hopefully this installment has lived up to expectations. I know it got a little WAFFy in parts, maybe a little too introspective, but this was a period of growing up that everyone needed.

Some of you may be asking why Nodoka didn’t just have Genma disowned and then divorce him, or something else. Well, IMHO, that would have been giving him the easy way out. Death or divorce, as painful as it would have been, would have gotten him out of Nodoka’s wrath too quickly. And as much as I consider Genma to be a rat bastard- a sentiment shared by most, it would seem- I think Nodoka still has it in her heart to offer him one last chance. But not one that would give him a chance to scam the family again, mind you.

I’m not entirely sure of how Japanese culture operates, or the rules concerning the head of the Clan. Majority Age(legal age of adulthood) is twenty, that much I do know- and considering how much Ranma and Akane still have to deal with, and considering Nodoka is aware of the Hunter blood, it seems to me she would want to make an arrangement such as this. It strips Genma of his authority while keeping Ranma from being overwhelmed for the time being- and who doesn’t think Nodoka would make a better leader than the panda?

Not that many people, in this humble author’s opinion.

To everyone who’s read this chronicle, thank you. I’ve been having fun writing this, and while it will end eventually, for now there’s still much to be done. If you’d leave me a review I’d be very grateful; I’d like to know if what I’m doing is hitting on all cylinders, as it were. No flames, please. Until next time.

-Neon Ronin