Alternatives 11
This story is based on the Ranma 1/2 series created by Rumiko Takahashi.
This was written purely for pleasure.
* * *
The late afternoon sun shone on the two young lovers. The boy lay asleep
underneath a cherry tree. The girl busily cleaned up the recently finished picnic.
Dressed in a yellow sundress with a wide-brimmed white hat and matching white
flats, the girl closed the lid of the basket and lay back to watch her friend
sleep. Shaking her head as she smiled, she moved over and put her head on his
shoulder. Within a few moments, she, too, fell asleep.
He lay pretending to be asleep under the spreading arms of a cherry tree in
full blossom. As the wind forced the new leaves and blossoms to sway under its
pressure, the sun's rays moved back and forth across his body. He felt his body
warm and cool as the shadows played across him. Occasionally, the light seemed to
run all the way onto his face causing the world behind his eyelids to turn bright
pink for a second or two. Stirred by the light touch of his beloved's head upon
his shoulder, he slowly opened his eyes so that he could watch her sleep.
As he observed her breathing, his gaze drifted up to her short hair. Wincing
with remembered guilt, he remembered the fight that had forced a new hairstyle
upon her. She shifted slightly, putting her head directly over his heart, hair
splaying out upon his red silk shirt.
Prior to his recent adventures at Jusenkyo, if he had been asked whether she
would ever be able to cook, to look so cute, or even to keep her temper for a day,
he would have laughed at the absurdity of the question. Yet, in the nine months
since their return, with no other girls, or guys for that matter, chasing after him,
he proved to her that she was the only one for him. She was the one he loved. In
the surety of his love for her, her skill in the kitchen blossomed. He would have
a very hard time telling her cooking from Kasumi's now. Additionally, the calming
influence of being loved by the one she loved had brought her jealousy and anger
under control.
Unable to resist any longer, he reached across with his right hand to caress
her hair. As he gently stroked her, she woke. Finding that he was also awake, she
gave him a slow, hungry smile and pulled his head down towards hers.
Just before their lips met, he murmured, "I love you."
As the urgency of their kissing quickened, he began running his hands over her
body. He felt her naked legs and worked his way up to her bottom. As his hands
moved over the swell that was her hips, he felt her ponytail resting in the small of
her back. Confused, he tried to break off the kiss. Yet, she pulled all the harder
as he resisted and maintained the kiss.
Twisting his head to the side, he broke the kiss. Melting into him, he heard
her sigh, "I love you, too, Shima-sama!"
"Argh!" Shima sat upright in his bed screaming. Quickly quieting himself, he
tried to remember where he was. He shivered as he remembered just where he was and
what had happened.
He was Saotome Shima, fourth of the Ranma twins. For one day, he had been Akane's
fiance and hers only. Then, he had honorably jumped into the Spring of Drowned Twin so
that Kodachi could have her promised friend and possible fiance. The resulting split
created him.
He looked towards the door of the room expecting someone to enter, but hoping that
they didn't. Since, as Shima, he was seen as Kodachi's male, he had been farmed out to
the Amazon family that was boarding her. The unfamiliar room was barely large enough to
be graced with the name. If not for the bed in it, most would have called it a walk-in
closet. The dimensions of the room were 8 by 9 meters. The twin bed he lay on nestled
against the wall opposite the door. Between the bed and the door stood a very old,
three-drawer chest of drawers. Made of some wood and stained a brownish tint, it looked
to him that it had stood in its current spot for at least fifty, if not one hundred
years. Across from the cabinet was a small, round window with a diameter of no more
than forty centimeters. To Shima's eyes, the window looked more like a ship's porthole.
Made to open inwards, it could easily be transformed into a shooting port.
Pulling the thin cotton sheet from the bed, he wrapped it around himself and moved
to stand in front of the window. It was raining outside. He watched as the rain ran
down the surface of the window like the tears he himself could not shed. The weather fit
his mood. There were no angry claps of thunder nor were there any bright flashes of
lightning. With no wind pushing it, the rain fell depressingly smoothly. It didn't have
either the energy to be a roaring downpour nor the capriciousness to start and stop. It
simply rained. It was. That's how he felt. He didn't have any energy left, for if he
did, he feared that he would be unable to stop hurting. Shrugging, Shima shuffled back to
his bed hoping to go back to sleep.
* * *
By sunrise, the rain had passed and all was still. The pools of Jusenkyo mirrored
the gray, leaden clouds of the sky. No wind stirred the magically tragic waters. The trees
surrounding the valley stood limply as their leaves searched for the hidden sun. Not strong
enough to support their own weight and the rainwater still upon them, the grasses lay flat
against the ground.
Surveying the valley around him, the lone Musk guard stood shaking his head. He knew
that mornings such as these were made so that one could appreciate the comforts of home.
He should be still sleeping in his bed. Wandering out of bed mid-morning, he would have a
leisurely breakfast, sipping warm tea while looking out the dining room windows. Instead,
he was in this forsaken hole, guarding a camp of his fellow unhappy soldiers. Glancing over
at the practice session, he said a quick prayer of thanks for not being volunteered for that
duty.
"Come on, you weaklings, attack me!" bellowed out Myrrh, the leader of the expedition.
Of average height, his shoulders were a full meter across. He had a flat face with a very
broad forehead and cheekbones. His black hair lay flat against his skull in a short-cropped
military style. With the muscles of a body-builder and the dexterity of a martial arts master,
he was a very intimidating man.
As his three sparring partners tried to coordinate their attacks, he focussed on blocking
them. He allowed the men the offensive for several minutes, when he tired of his play. With a
snarl, he reached out and grabbed the closest man and threw him into the others. "Bah, how am
I supposed to prepare for my challenge with this sorry lot?" He asked rhetorically as his
manservant brought him a towel to dry off with.
"Master, the fight is with a slip of woman. How hard can she be?" The servant bowed and
continued, "After all, you can defeat any man of the Musk."
Walking towards his pavilion, where his bath and breakfast waited, Myrrh growled, "I can
defeat any man of the Musk except for one." With hatred and condescension dripping from his
voice, he turned towards his servant, "His Imperial Majesty, Herb."
Entering the tent, Myrrh moved to stand beside the bath. Following in behind him, his valet
subtly motioned to the other servants to begin their duties. As the bath attendants began
undressing their master, he verified that everything was in a proper state of readiness.
Satisfied, he turned back to Myrrh and asked, "Beg pardon my Lord, but if you can defeat anyone
with the exception you've noted, why are you concerned with the upcoming fight with this
unremarkable Amazon?"
"You really don't know? Basil, do you know who that 'Amazon' really is?" Myrrh looked at
his valet. Watching his attendant shake his head in negation, he began to chuckle. "I'll tell
you in a moment. Right now, I wish to relax."
"Yes, my Lord." Basil bowed. With Myrrh taken care of in the bath, he removed himself to
the servant's tent and quickly ate his own breakfast. He knew better than to not be there when
Myrrh came out of the bath. His family had served under Myrrh's line since the founding of the
Musk Empire. His training had been to be the best and only friend, confidante, and valet Myrrh
would ever need.
As he re-entered Myrrh's private space, he watched his friend and Lord allow his robe to be
tied by an attendant. "Ah, my friend! Isn't it wonderful, starting your day with exercise, a
bath, and breakfast?"
"Yes, my Lord. It always seems to put you in the best of moods."
Myrrh walked over to the table where his breakfast was set. Sitting down, he motioned for
the attendants to leave him. Seeing Basil begin to withdraw, he said, "No. Stay. You wanted
to know more of that girl I am soon to fight. Now that there are no other ears to overhear, I
can tell you.
Do you remember when I almost regained what was stolen from my family?"
"Do you mean when His Imperial Majesty Herb was cursed to be female?" Basil asked carefully.
"Yes! Of course I do. If his little adventure had failed, I would have had Herb as my
blushing little bride. However, while on that jaunt and after he had regained his manhood, he
was defeated in single combat. And what was the name of the man that defeated him? Ranma Saotome."
With that said, he looked at his friend while he took several bites of food.
Basil thought while his Lord ate. With a smile, he nodded and said, "The same Ranma Saotome
who has been jumping into the Spring of Drowned Twins! Of course, and this girl you're going to
fight is the female half of this Saotome?"
"Exactly!" Myrrh nodded while getting himself more rice. Pointing his chopsticks at Basil,
he continued, "And by adding her potential with my own, my children will be able to reclaim what
was stolen from us so long ago."
"But what about the other girl, the one you're ostensibly fighting over?"
"That little chit? She is just the bait that drew Saotome in. I had planned on finding
one of his companions and setting up a similar fight. This was merely icing on the cake.
I recognized that pig when I saw it brought in. Remember I have studied the records of both
Jusenkyo, its victims, and the little journey that saved Herb's throne." Thinking of the future,
he began to laugh at the effectiveness of his trap. Ranma had defeated Herb while in male form.
He knew that no mere girl, even one as gifted as this one was, would ever defeat him.
"My Lord has a wondrous plan." Basil smiled with his master.
* * *
As the farmers left their rice paddies to go back to the village for lunch, few noticed
the boy in black sitting in one of the trees bordering the fields. He had been there all morning.
Shifting slightly as he watched the men leave, Shima sat with his back against the trunk of
the tree and his bottom balanced on a strong branch. His back and legs were wet where they had
soaked up the water left from the rain off the tree's branches and trunk. The black clothed boy
sighed and closed his eyes. His comfort or discomfort was the very least of his problems. He
felt more depressed than ever before, even more so than when he tried to learn the Shi Shi Hokodan.
His mother didn't have time for him. Her focus was split between the preparations for Ranma's,
Ranchan's, and Luan Ma's weddings and teaching Ranko how to be a proper young lady. Nodoka told
him that she would have plenty of time for him when they returned to Japan.
The very worst thing about being Shima Saotome was Kodachi Kuno. When still Ranma, he made
an oath to be her friend. She wanted much more, yet he wanted nothing more than to curl up in
a ball and hide forever.
With his eyes closed, he heard a slight rustling coming towards him. He opened his eyes
and saw Kodachi. She was walking along the border between the farmland and the forest, searching
for him, he guessed. She wore a pair of black cotton safari-style shorts, black hiking boots
with white socks, and a white cotton tee with an embroidered black rose over the left breast.
He decided to let her find him.
As she moved closer, he saw her face light up in recognition.
"Shima-sama, Wherever have you been?" She asked in a very worried tone of voice. "I've
been looking for you since you ran out of the house before breakfast."
Wincing slightly at the honorific, He jumped down and landed lightly in front of her.
"Um, I wasn't hungry this morning. I wanted to do some thinking. And Just call me Shima,
okay? I'm not your superior."
"If you need some more time, I'll be happy to leave again." Looking hurt, she backed
away and began turning around.
"No, I've done all the thinking I can for one day." He reached out towards her, but
stopped short. Remembering his pledge to be her friend, he asked, "Since you found me, would
you like to take a walk with me? We really need to talk."
"Are you sure, Shima?" She asked timidly, looking back over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm sure." With that said and without another glance at her, he began to move
towards the far end of the rice fields.
They walked silently together for several minutes. Shima stayed along the edge delineating
the forest from the fields. Kodachi walked beside him on his left, occasionally glancing at
him with a questioning look.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Kodachi finally ventured, "I'd like to know more
about you, Shima. Will you tell me a story about yourself?"
"I don't have any stories," his voice sounded dead with despair. "I've only been alive for a day."
"Nonsense, you were split yesterday from your brother Ranma, that is true, but you were
the person born Ranma Saotome until yesterday. Tell me a story about yourself." Afraid that
she had pushed too hard, she amended, "I know! Let's trade stories. You tell me a story and
I'll tell you one about me. That way we'll get to know each other better."
He looked at her as they continued walking. Surprised at the effort she was putting out
for him, he was impressed despite himself. Still wanting to be alone, he decided to try and
scare her off. After a few moments of thought, he knew exactly what tale he wanted to tell.
He spotted a boulder a few meters away and sat down on it. Kodachi sat across from him, eagerly
awaiting his story.
"Have you ever heard of the Neko-Ken?" He began.
She shook her head in the negative.
"Well, it's an ancient fighting technique that's been banned," he explained before
beginning the tale.
She listened as he began to explain the training endured at the hands of his father.
A mixture of rage at the worthless man who tortured his son and empathy with the pain that
Shima endured moved within her. Unconsciously, she moved closer to the boy until she held his
hand to comfort him. As he described how the cats attacked his face while he struggled to
escape his bonds, she reached out with her right hand and caressed his face, letting it fall
to his shoulder to support him as the occasional tremor ripped through him.
Once into the story, Shima withdrew into himself so that he wasn't really aware of
anything more than his thoughts. Shivering, he finished. "The very last time Pops threw me
into the pit, he asked me to stand naked while he tied the fish cakes and sausages onto me.
He then told me to dress myself. Once I was dressed, he tied and blindfolded me before dunking
me into a barrel of whale oil. The last thing I remember clearly is screaming as I fell
into a screeching pit full of starved animals. Later, I woke up in the lap of an old woman
who had taken me in a couple of times. Pops was jumping up and down about how I had finally
learned the technique. All I knew was that I never, ever wanted to see a c-c-cat again."
Shaking himself, he looked expectantly towards where Kodachi had been. Instead, he found her
holding his hand, her head against his chest.
Shocked at her unexpected closeness, he gently removed his hand from hers, crossed his
arms across his chest, and turned just enough away from her to force her head up. "Ah, umm,
that's how I learned the Neko-Ken."
"I cannot believe that your father could do that to you, Shima. If he hadn't already
been sent away, I think I'd suggest that he be given the same training you underwent." She
did not want to cry, but the emotional trauma that he had shared with her forced a few tears
from her. Looking into his eyes, the rose loving girl said, "I vow to you that no one shall
ever do anything like that to you again."
Standing up and backing away from her, Shima nervously said, "That's okay, Kodachi."
Touched and embarrassed by her obviously real concern, he surprised himself, "Thanks, though.
I appreciate the thought."
"Thank you for sharing something so painful with me. I realize how hard it was for you
to tell. Please, come back and sit down." She patted the stone close, but not too close,
to her. "It's my turn to tell you a story about myself. Since you told a story of your
father's cruelty, I'll tell you a story of mine."
He carefully sidled back and sat near her. "Um, yeah, sure."
"It started one night when I was eight years old. I was in my bedroom and I was awakened
by the yelling of my parents."
The little girl lay still in her bed, trying to figure out just what had awakened her.
She wondered if one of the servants had called her for breakfast. She looked towards her
windows and saw that the curtains were shut and no light filtered through them. It was still
night. Pulling herself out from under the pink satin sheets, she padded over to her door.
The mumblings were louder near there. She recognized her Daddy and Mommy's voices. She
carefully opened her door so that she could sneak down and see what they were doing.
As she moved towards the upper landing, she began to make out some of the words being
shouted.
"Dear, you must..." Her mother began before lowering her voice again.
"... is nothing wrong with..." her father said.
"Dearest, I love you, but your obsession with Hawaii is ruining our family. You
need some help." Chibi-Kodachi heard her mother say as she crept to the edge of the
stairs and saw her parents.
"As I've already said, my little Wahini, there is nothing wrong with loving
things Hawaiian!" The little girl settled herself down to watch her parents.
"There is when you start acting and talking like a Hawaiian when you're in Japan!"
The woman stared down her husband.
"There is nothing wrong with me and I will not go to anyone for help with my hobby!"
He stood glaring at his wife in a Hawaiian print shirt, shorts, and sandals. "In fact,
I think you're just jealous that I've found such an engrossing diversion."
"Kuchuo, if you don't agree to seek some help tonight, I'll take Tatewaki and
Kodachi tomorrow and leave you alone in your family's mausoleum." Her mother's anger
was greater even than the time she had planted dandelions in grandmother's urn. How
was she to know that it wasn't dirt? They were pretty, too.
"You would leave me? All because I like Hawaii?" The eldest Kuno was absolutely
flabbergasted. "I thought you loved me!"
"I do! That's why you must see someone before this thing destroys you!" Her
mother held out her hands in supplication, "Please, Kuchuo!"
The man walked around in a circle thinking the ultimatum over. As he walked,
he seemed to puff up in righteous anger, "How dare you threaten me! Don't you know
that I have the blood of Samurais in me? You, all that you brought to our marriage
was the blood of peasants. Leave me if you will, but you shall not take our children.
Get out of my sight!" He turned away from her and began to walk away.
"I'll leave, but my children go with me. Do you hear me?" she scornfully added.
He stopped and turned around. "Yes, I hear you. If that is the way you want it,
then you leave me no choice." He moved forward and grabbed her. As she started to
struggle, he hit a shiatsu point paralyzing her. He kissed her and said, "I'm sorry,
my love, but you made me do this." He reached down and grabbed her underneath the
knees and shoulders like a newlywed husband carrying his bride across the threshold.
Instead of a doorway, he carried her up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he began
crying and kissed her as he said, "I will always love you." He let go of her and she
tumbled helplessly down the stairs. She was dead before she reached the bottom.
"No!" Chibi-Kodachi screamed as she watched her father toss her mother away.
She ran to her room and locked the door.
Her father turned an ashen face towards her as he heard the scream. He followed
her to her room, but the door was locked by the time he got there. "Kodachi, darling,
let Daddy in. We need to have a little talk."
The rest of the house had awakened at her scream and Kuchuo soon had to leave.
The story he told everyone was that Kodachi had a nightmare about something in the kitchen.
His beloved wife, being the perfect mother that she was, had gotten out of bed and was
going to walk through the kitchen with Kodachi to prove that there nothing to fear there.
The next thing he knew, there was the scream and he heard Kodachi's door slam shut.
His best guess was that his wife slipped on the stairs while Kodachi watched.
The police came and questioned the staff and her father. She tried to tell them
what really happened, but they refused to believe her. Her father, as a respected
authority on children, claimed that she must have transferred her feelings of guilt
onto him. By the time that they left, she had been bundled off to her bedroom and
the family physician called in to "calm" her.
Kodachi stopped as tears slowly tracked down her cheeks. She bowed her head
trying in vain to keep Shima from noticing them. As unhappy as he looked, she didn't
want to add to his burden.
Shima sat staring at her in complete shock. Until hearing her story, he had
believed that he held the patent on misery. The horror of seeing her mother killed
easily beat any of his traumas. After all, he was a guy and guys could take it. He
found himself leaning forward towards her as he said, "Kodachi, I'm..." He stopped as
he realized that saying sorry would be wrong. Instead, he said, "...really needing
to stretch. Would you like to spar with me?"
* * *
As Ryoga and Ranko arrived at the practice field, they both found armor already
set out for them. Ranko had the same armor as the day before, except now it was glistening
clean again. However, Ryoga found that his was different this time.
"What's up, Cologne?" He asked, as he looked the equipment over.
"Today we are going to work on Ranko's defense. In this, you will be faster
than her and able to hit much harder." She motioned the two to put on their gear.
A few minutes later, Ranko stood looking much the same as the day before except
she wore a white gi underneath the padded vest and boiled leather chest plate and back
brace. She had thrown away her lime top and black pants the day before. That practice
session and mud had destroyed them. She grimaced as she tried moving, as her cotton padding
had been reinforced with leaden weights to slow her down.
She looked at Ryoga with some mild surprise. He looked good in his armor.
The wore a chain mail vest that covered his torso and upper thighs, leather greaves
on his thighs and calves, armbands over forearms. Leather gloves encased with metal
scales covered his hands. He flexed them to show her that he still had a full range
of motion in his hands.
"Cool gloves, man!" Ranko admiringly looked her sparring partner over. "I'm
glad that you're too slow to be able to hit me with those! That would hurt.'
Ryoga ignored her taunt as he finished a stretching kata. Finished, he settled
into a ready stance, looked at her and said with a laugh, "Saotome, you don't need to
worry about feeling it. When I hit you today, you won't feel anything for a while.
You'll be getting your beauty sleep." Grinning a little more, he slowly looked her up
and down. "I don't know, but I think you need it."
Ranko cracked her knuckles in response and grinned back at him. Within minutes,
their world had diminished to each other and their sensei, Cologne.
* * *
"May I help you?" Kasumi asked her host as she moved towards the kitchen with her
lunch dishes.
The man shook his head as he gently pulled the items away from her. "No Speak
Japanese." He said as he continued on into the kitchen.
Not having seen anyone else since breakfast and left with nothing to do, she decided
to walk around and enjoy the day. Kasumi had not gone very far when she came upon the
village's training field. The young woman noticed Ranko and Ryoga sparring under Cologne's
strict eye.
She found a spot to sit and began to watch them. After a little while, Kasumi
noticed that the other women in the area had also stopped what they were doing to watch
them. Most of them sat on the outside of the poles that lined the ring. A few sat atop the poles.
The eldest Tendo daughter found it hard to look at Ranko for very long. It made her
uncomfortable and at first she couldn't understand why. As she continued to watch,
she mused over this. Towards evening, an epiphany struck her. She knew why Ranko and
her siblings disturbed her. For their family and personal honor, they sacrificed everything
they were. Ranma had no hand in setting up any of the commitments of honor, yet
had undergone nothing less than repeated torture to respect them.
Their sacrifice mirrored her own. When her mother died, it was she who filled
the role of mother and housekeeper. Her father dissolved into a blubbering mass of
grief and was no help. She, as the oldest daughter, found herself bound by honor and
necessity to keep the family together. Kasumi remembered all of the friends she had
lost as the other girls her age went out and did fun things. She cleaned house. Her
friends did not want to come over and help her. Her dreams of going to college shattered
when she realized that neither Nabiki nor Akane could handle the home when she graduated
from High School. The closest she came to achieving that dream was to borrow books
from Dr. Ono. That ended when she realized the pain she inadvertently caused his patients.
With new eyes, she looked at the women around her. They would not have allowed
one of their own to fall into the trap she found herself in. As a village, they would
have taken care to see that the children would have been allowed to grow up. Nabiki,
Akane, and she all bore scars from their loss. Nabiki's blemish was her inability to
see the worth of anything not substantial. With Akane, she saw that her youngest sister's
first response to any stress was anger. She had never developed any better coping skills.
As for herself? She believed that her biggest problem was that she retreated from any
conflict in order to try and maintain the family's balance. She had hidden her own
intelligence for many years for that very reason.
Surveying the practice area with the many strong women in it, especially, Elder
Cologne, Kasumi vowed that the time had now come for her to make her own way. Nabiki
and Akane both were past the age where they should have learned housekeeping skills.
Had she burdened them by not allowing them the chance to learn what she had? When they
married, would they be able to manage their homes? Concerned for their future happiness,
she said a quick prayer to her mother's spirit. She worried more for her father than
for either Akane or Nabiki. Akane leaned upon Ranma for support and friendship.
Nabiki had many friends at school. Her father had no one but Mr. Saotome and herself.
He allowed her to run their home. She pondered whether he could even find anything
in the home. He was forever asking her where little things like the teakettle, shogi
pieces, even where his clean gi was. Firming her resolve, she remembered that he had
been a grown man, years on his own, when he had met and won her mother.
She had her own path to make. She wondered what it was and where it would take
her. Smiling now, she leaned forward and enjoyed the spectacular show Ranko and Ryoga
were giving and left the thoughts of how to tell everyone else to another day.
As the day waned, Kasumi noticed that all of Ranko's brothers had migrated to the
practice field to watch their sister fight Ryoga. Uncharacteristically, they sat and
watched, critiquing the sparring amongst themselves, but not harassing either with their
commentary. Interested, she moved towards where they were, but Cologne called a halt
to the practice before she could get within earshot. As Ranko and Ryoga stripped off
their armor, the Saotome brothers left.
As Ranko and Cologne approached the women's baths, Ranma, Ranchan, Luan Ma, and
Shima stepped up towards them from where they had been waiting. Taking the lead, Ranma
stepped in front of the others.
"Hey, Ol," he stopped before he could insult her and continued, "Cologne.
Could we talk with you for a few minutes? It's kind of important."
Cologne and Ranko stopped and looked at the four boys in front of them. None of
them were able to look their sister in the eye. They stood looking like toddlers caught
raiding the candy jar.
Cologne motioned her student to go on into the baths. After she was out of
earshot, she asked, "Now boys, what can this 'Old Ghoul' do for you?" She smiled
as she saw nervous beads of sweat form on Ranma's brow.
"Cologne, we been thinking." He hesitated as he looked at the others for support.
"Ah, that is a bad thing for males to do." Cologne chuckled at her joke.
Shima blurted out, "We want to be able to avenge Ranko if Myrrh beats her. We
thought that if our adoption into the tribe could be held after her challenge fight,
then we could be free to do what would be necessary to free her." As he finished the
others shook their heads in agreement. "Not that we think she'd be stupid enough to
lose or anything." He added as an afterthought.
"Ah, I see now." Cologne smiled at them with genuine amusement. "You thought
that because Ranko is a girl, that she'd probably lose and you'd need to save her
and Ryoga from the Musk." She watched as they shuffled guiltily in front of her.
"She is involved in a challenge between the Amazon and Musk tribes. If you interfered
with it, you would be inviting attack from both tribes. Have you considered this?"
"Yeah, we have." Luan Ma answered this time. He was wearing a dark purple shirt,
one that matched Shampoo's favorite color. "We won't fight him until he's on his way
home. That way, since we won't be members of the Amazon tribe yet, we won't be insulting
anyone but him." His face firmed with resolve. "There's no way that we will let her
be taken against her will. If that means starting a fight between us and the entire
Chinese Army, well, then so be it."
Cologne shook her head at them to hide the pride she felt for the four of them.
"Son-in-law, would you be willing all that you've accomplished these last few weeks
just for her?"
"Yeah, she'd be doing the same for any of us." This time it was Ranchan who
spoke. Cologne knew because he had chosen to wear blue shirts to differentiate himself
from Ranma.
"You are right. She would be doing the same for any of you. She is quite a
woman and will be very formidable once her training as an Amazon is complete." She
scanned each of the four Saotome brothers carefully before continuing. "Very well.
I will formally adopt Nodoka and Ranko as planned tonight. I will adopt each of
you after Ranko wins her fight. We won't have much time since three of you will be
married the day afterwards." She smiled as she heard an audible gulp come from
three of the four.
* * *
The days leading up to the fight went quickly. Ranko and Ryoga trained under
Cologne's intense tutelage. Occasionally, Shampoo or one of Ranko's brothers were
invited for a session, but mostly it was the two of them sparring. Shampoo, Ukyo,
and Akane were all very busy with the preparations for a three-way wedding. Nodoka
went from being extremely worried over Ranko's fight and its possible outcomes to
being ecstatic at the thought of three of her children all being married to wonderful
girls all on the same day. She was already suggesting names for her grandchildren.
Kasumi and Nabiki did as each was asked, but also spent considerable time each day
walking around the village and learning of the tribe. Kodachi and Shima continued
to spend most of each day talking and sparring with each other. Tatewaki continued
his vigil, shadowing Ranko wherever she went. Since he was merely a male, Soun was
ignored. After Ranko's outburst, Genma had not been seen.
Finally, it was the morning of the challenge. The practice field had been
turned into an arena overnight. Risers had been placed on both sides of the field to
accommodate all who cared to watch the fight. The earth in the center of the ring
had been dampened and tamped down to allow both fighters a good gripping surface and
to lessen the dust for the watching witnesses. The poles demarking the edge of the
grounds had either been replaced or freshly tarred for the match. The swinging log
upon which Ranma had kicked Shampoo off so long ago had even had its chains shined
for the occasion. As soon as the sun rose, the stands began filling with those who
wanted a good seat, but didn't have one reserved by reason of being and Elder or
related to Ranko.
Seats were available for all of Ranko's friends and family directly behind
the seats provided for the Elders, which were in the center front. Across from
the place of honor, another set of seats had been reserved for Myrrh and his men.
Myrrh arrived around 9:00 a.m. followed by all of his men. Resplendent in
their uniforms, they marched taller and straighter after noticing the Amazons
watching them. Their leader strode five paces in front of them. He wore his
ceremonial robes of state; a white felt overcoat over a brown silk chancellor's
robe. Myrrh looked more like a man going to a treaty signing than one going to a
fight. He smiled at the watching Amazons, who returned his smile with cold stares.
Ignoring them, he made sure that his men were seated before going out onto the
tournament field to await his challenger. Basil had placed a lounge for him to
lay on and was setting up a pavilion to shade him as he waited.
"Thank you, Basil," he thanked his friend for his work.
"Do you think it wise to so provoke the Amazons, my Lord?" Basil asked as
he offered chilled water to him.
With a chuckle, Myrrh picked up the glass and sipped from it. "I've read
somewhere that an angry man fights himself and that anyone who fights himself,
loses. If I can make my future wife angry enough, she'll lose before ever setting
foot on this field."
"Ah, of course! My Lord is very wise." Basil bowed as he moved away from Myrrh.
The Musk leader continued to relax upon the challenge field as the time of his
match approached. From the vantage of the watching Amazons, he seemed to be eating
and drinking with abandon, as if he considered his upcoming battle to be a joke.
This was calculated to irritate them and it worked. What they didn't know was that
the wine he drank was really water and the food he ate really was being deposited
under the plates in a hollow of the serving tray. During this whole time, he kept
his back towards his hosts and faced his men.
Myrrh watched with amusement as the stands filled and outraged murmurs continued
building throughout the morning. As the time of his noon match with Ranko approached,
he lolled back, closed his eyes and slept.
Basil shook his shoulder lightly to let him know Ranko had arrived on the field.
She stood on her side of the field, looking at the pavilion with a mixture of wonder
and anger at Myrrh's sheer audacity. After two weeks of intense training, she felt
prepared. She stood facing her opponent, wearing a loose fitting, sky-blue silk top
and equally loose black silk pants. Underneath her blouse, she wore a protective
leather breastplate. On her arms, Ranko wore studded bracers.
"My Lord, your opponent has arrived. Shouldn't you begin limbering up?" He
looked at his superior with a quizzical look.
"Hah, I don't need to stretch for her. She'll be lucky to last more than two
minutes against me." He said loudly enough for all to hear. "Bring me a bucket,
I need to relieve myself." He parted his gown and prepared to urinate as the bucket
was rushed towards him.
Ranko watched, stunned by the sheer lack of any sort of respect being shown
towards her and to the Amazons. Myrrh, seeing her reaction, laughed and asked,
"Do you want to use the bucket, too?" He feigned surprise as he continued, "Oh,
I forgot, women can't go standing up. You'd get all wet, wouldn't you?" He shook
himself off, allowing everyone to see.
"That's disgusting!" Ranko's face screwed up in repulsion. "This is a field
of honor that you're defiling, not a bathroom."
"This, a field of honor?" Myrrh looked around with aristocratic disdain. "I
see a place where women play at being men," he looked directly at the Elders, "and
failing." He turned back towards Ranko. "Why don't we bypass this fruitless fight."
He spread his hands and smiled in a friendly gesture. "We both know that you'll lose.
If you admit that now, I'll let that pig turned girl go free." He motioned towards
where Ryoga sat in girl form. "You, I've decided to give the honor of becoming
my first wife." He pointed at himself and dipped his head towards her, as if he had
just given her an immense gift. Turning serious, he continued in a musing tone.
"However, you've got too much independence for my tastes. You'll have to learn how
to obey." He smiled at her as his eyes stopped at her breasts. "I shall enjoy those,"
he paused and savored the next word, "lessons."
Tired of the pleasantries, Ranko settled into her ready position.
"Let's just see who teaches who today. Are you ready, Cow Manure Man?"
"My name, my soon wife, is Myrrh, but you can call me, Master." He chuckled
disdainfully. Turning his back to Ranko, Myrrh held his arms out wide.
Basil quickly moved forward and removed Myrrh's felt overcoat. It was
carefully folded and handed to another servant. Silently, Basil returned to
Myrrh and lifted the brown robe off of him and revealed that Myrrh was indeed
ready for the match. The Chancellor of the Musk Empire stood wearing a
silvery looking gi. Upon closer inspection, one could see that he actually
wore a finely woven chain mail garment lined with linen. It looked heavy,
but Myrrh moved forward towards Ranko like a dancer towards his partner.
Ranko merely watched and awaited his first attack. She knew it would
be far better to defend and try to gauge her opponent's skill level. She was
sure that he had an approximate idea of what hers was; however, she also knew that
it was probably based on her fight with Herb. She had some surprises waiting for him.
As soon as Myrrh got within his kicking range with Ranko, he began a series of
kicks to test her with. He dropped low for a leg sweep. It swept along the ground
in an attempt to trip her. Without glancing away from him, she yawned and stepped
over his leg as it went under her. She put her hands behind her back and smiled
at him. He smiled back as he stood back up. He faked another drop for a leg
sweep, but changed his momentum and kicked at her midsection. The red-haired girl
swayed backward and tapped his foot as it went by.
"First touch!" She rocked back and forth in amusement.
Myrrh acknowledged her feat with a tiny nod of his head and a crinkling around
his eyes. It was time to test her a little more fully. He stepped forward, now
able to strike Ranko with either hand or foot. He began striking at her with jabs,
strikes, slashes, kicks, and spin-kicks. Ranko merely stood swaying, as if listening
to music rather than actively dodging blows.
As he began to hear snickering from the Amazons, Myrrh backed off from Ranko.
"You are skilled. I like that. I was taking it easy on you because of your gender.
I see that I don't need to." He again tilted his head in appreciation of his opponent.
"I really don't want to hurt you, so I'll offer you one more chance to willingly
become my first wife. If you don't accept this time, I'll make sure that your friend
has an extremely spirited welcome by my troops."
"First off, I'm going to kick your butt into the ground. Secondly, my friend
over there could beat all of your," she spat out the next word, her disgust evident
to all, "men." Ranko had been enjoying herself until he told her that he wasn't
taking her seriously. Now, she wanted to teach him a very painful lesson. She
leapt towards him initiating her first attack of the fight, right leg extended for
a strike at his chin. Myrrh twisted to his left and attempted to catch her leg as
she flew past. As his hands closed around her leg, she attacked his arms with
her own hands. They traded blows as she continued past him. Twisting in the air,
she landed facing him and they began trading increasingly swift blows. Each blow
was blocked. Tired of the stalemate, Ranko sped up her strikes until she was using
her full Amaguriken speed. He matched her.
They continued until they settled into a pattern. As soon as Ranko realized
what they were doing, she analyzed Myrrh's pattern of blows until she found a tiny
hole in his defense. If she waited until he tried a left jab, she could duck
under it and hit him with a uppercut to his jaw. She waited for his jab. When
it occurred, she ducked and began her strike when she saw his trap spring.
Caught off-center and in a lunge, she was unable to dodge as he brought his right
hand around in a chop to her neck. Pain exploded along her body as his blow landed.
She couldn't believe the strength behind it. It was twice as strong as anything
Ryoga had ever been able to hit her with. Falling to the ground momentarily stunned,
she lay on her stomach and watched helplessly as he dropped a knee into the small of
her back.
He stood up and kicked her. Like a rag doll, she rolled across the ground
ending up against one of the poles lining the arena.
Myrrh looked at her and spat. "It's over."
Ranko struggled to her knees. Taking a breath, she braced against the pole
and stood up. "It ain't over till I tell you it's over, jerk. And it definitely
ain't over!"
* * *
Hi folks,
This chapter IS over. I hope you enjoyed it! If you liked it, hated it, or were lukewarm, please email me with your comments so that I can approve.
Also, the last time I sent anything to my pre-readers, I got very little response. If you would like to pre-read for me, please let me know. I'll add you to my list.
Thanks,
Mike Allen