Nabiki 1/2
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~tritscwa - shadowmane@ndti.net
(A Very Scary Thought)
by
Jim Robert Bader
Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline
Inspired by the works of such fans as
Wade Tritshler
Richard Lawson
James Jones
And Many Others
Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi
Rumiko and is not my original Creation. All characters belong to
her. This is Only a Fanfictional work,
And is not intended to compromise the rights of the original
owners,
Distributors and Publishers of the Ranma series. I have no
money to
Spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.
Prologue:
Derek leaned back with a smile as he regarded the
readings on reality 593427. Matters were far from perfect there,
but they seemed to be stabilizing and no one on that plane of
existence had any thought that there was something unusual
going on...or at least more so than they would have otherwise
noticed. It was one thing to propose an alternate history for a
world, it was another thing to see it blossom out in new
directions as new possibilities began to be imagined.
"Don't rest on your laurels just yet," his companion
reminded, "This reality still has a ways to go before it proves its
viability."
"Oh posh," Derek said dismissively, "You have no faith,
and besides, this was your idea in the first place."
"I may have posed you the challenge," said Serena, "But
you constructed affairs in just such a way that you left another
possibility open for exploration. Recall that they had a choice
between two alternate siblings?"
"I see," Derek leaned forward, intrigued by the new
proposal, "And you think the other one could possibly have
managed things more suitably than her older sister?"
"Why not?" Serena chuckled, "After all this one thinks as
well as acts, but in all the other realities she merely sits on the
sidelines and plays the casual observer. What if she were to take
a more active part in historical affairs?"
"Yes," Derek stroked his chin, "It would hardly require
much in the way of intervention to get things started, and you are
quite right that it is long since time that we see if she might be
the one we are after. Very well, how do you propose to begin
this?"
"Same as all the others," Serena smiled, "We begin at the
beginning..."
Nabiki 1/2
Chapter One, part 1: Homecoming.
"Lay off, old man, I told you I'm going back, and that's
final."
The young boy who made this declaration trudged
through the rain-soaked streets of Nerima, ignoring the giant
panda who trudged after him on two legs, too all appearances
trying to dissuade him from further progress. Finally, in what
might have been desperation had the creature been human, the
Panda interposed his massive bulk directly in his path. The boy
reacted by assuming a fighting crouch, his face set and
determined with a gleam in his eyes that promised bloody
murder.
"All right, Ojisama," he growled, "If that's the way you
want to play it, prepare to get hurt!"
He launched a direct attack against the Panda, which
blocked his kicks and strikes with a skill far beyond that of any
mere animal. The Panda backed away, forcing the boy to advance
in order to maintain his onslaught. Passers-by stopped and stared
at the spectacle, for this was not exactly something one saw every
day, even in a place like Nerima.
By rights a human being attacking a Panda should have
logically been in trouble, but the boy not only was holding his
own, he was forcing the animal back until a spinning kick
managed to penetrate the creature's guard and knock it sprawling.
"Hah!" the boy mocked the Panda, "Guess that should
show you who's boss here."
He started to resume his original course when combat
instincts fell into play. He ducked quickly as something went
whizzing over his head, then straightened up to find the Panda
was clutching a stop sign, which it had grabbed up and attempted
to use like a brick bat.
"Nice try, Pops, but I'm wise to your tricks," the boy
snapped, "I'm going home to my family and that's final!"
So saying he turned and sprinted way. The Panda stood
where he was, looking stricken, and then he dropped his sign and
started running on all fours, attempting to overtake the fleet-
footed figure...
"At last!" cried Tendo Soun as he clutched the post card
in both hands and wept as he re-read the terse message written in
neatly printed kanji, "After all this time...ten years of waiting and
hoping...my little girl is finally coming home!"
"What was that, Soun-kun?" asked Nodoka as she came
into the room from the kitchen carrying a tea tray.
"Nodoka-chan," Soun beamed brightly, "Nabiki has
written to inform me that she is returning home after all this time!
That means Genma is bound to be coming with her! You can
finally be together, just as my family will at long last be united!"
"That's wonderful," Nodoka replied as she set the tea tray
down and began to pour for herself and Soun, "Ranma hasn't
seen his father since he was a child, and it will be so nice for
Kasumi and Akane to have their sister back. We must tell them
at once."
"Yes, of course," Soun said, then glanced around, "Where
are the children?"
"Kasumi was helping me in the kitchen," Nodoka replied,
"I believe Akane and Ranma were still working out in the dojo.
Shall I get them?"
"Yes, please," Soun grinned broadly, almost bursting with
happiness. Finally all of his dreams would be realized when his
baby girl returned to the Tendo household...
"Hiyaa!" cried Akane as she kicked the punching bag
being held by her reluctant iinazuke. She kicked the bag again
especially hard, forcing him back a half-step as the force
staggered him a little.
"Hey, Akane, take it easy!" Ranma protested, "I know you
want to stay in shape, but don't take it out on me..."
"Why shouldn't I?" Akane snarled as she kicked the bag
again, even harder than before, "It's all your fault I have to train
this hard!"
"Me?" Ranma protested, now holding onto the bag to
keep from landing flat on his back, "What did I do?"
"It's what you haven't done!" Akane snapped, "I've asked
you dozens of time to try and get Kuno to lay off, but so far you
haven't lifted a finger to help me!"
"Hey, I talk to him all the time," Ranma assured her, "But
it's not my fault he's got a crush on you. So the guy carries things
a little far, you could at least give him a chance..."
"Give me a break!" Akane all but exploded as her next
kick did just that to the bag, tearing it open as the chain holding
it above the floor snapped, sending Ranma tumbling backwards
in a hail of sawdust. Akane assumed a fighting crouch as she
continued to snarl, "You just want to worm out of our
engagement so you can crawl up to Kodachi! I'm not taking this
any more, Ranma! Get over here and fight me!"
"I've told you before, you stupid Tomboy," Ranma griped
as he got back to his feet, clearing sawdust out of his eyes, hair
and clothing, "I don't fight girls! I'll help you work out, but I
won't trade punches..."
"Fine!" she cried, already leaping to the attack as Ranma
saw her in time to evade her first punch, "Then I'll do all the
punching!"
"Hey, quit that!" Ranma complained as he moved to avoid
her onslaught, skillfully avoiding each kick and punch from long
practice, "You know that's not fair!"
"Then fight me!" Akane cried, "I can whip your tailbone! I
can beat any guy! I'm just as good as you are..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ranma said patiently, "I've heard it
all before. Look, I'm sorry if I--yikes!"
Only his considerable speed and agility allowed him to
avoid her next strike as he ducked low under her swing and came
up on the opposite side, causing her to spin around with a back-
kick that narrowly avoided connecting.
Before she could renew her attack, however, a very calm
and level voice said, "Ranma, Akane, that is enough! Bow to one
another and come inside. Your father has something he wants to
tell you."
"What does Otosan want now, Aunt Nodoka?" Akane
asked, not exactly calming down so much as backing away with
one eye still intent on Ranma.
"It is for your father to say, Akane-chan," Nodoka smiled,
then gave Ranma a
reproving look and said, "This concerns you as well, Ranma. "
"Me?" Ranma looked surprise, but dutifully followed
them out of the dojo.
Soun's expression was beaming with happiness as the
others took their place around him, all except for Kasumi, who
was watching a pot of ramen to make sure it did
not overboil. That was why she heard the brief knock at the door
and was first able to answer it, finding a very nice looking boy
standing on the veranda. The boy seemed somehow familiar, but
Kasumi could not place him, except for his eyes.
Those eyes were searching her face as if trying to make a
connection, then the boy cleared his throat and said, "Kasumi? Is
that you, Oneechan?"
"Oh my," Kasumi replied, giving this boy a more
thorough study. Not bad looking, and very muscular, perhaps a
year or so younger than herself with a lean frame that was very
compact and wiry. Short brown hair framed a somewhat angular
face, and the boy was wearing Chinese style clothing, making
him look both handsome and exotic. He was very tan and healthy
looking, and for no reason Kasumi could name she felt a certain
thrill at the familiarity of his greeting.
Then she stepped back in mild alarm, for a Giant Panda
lumbered up behind the boy and snuffled. Rather than react with
alarm, the boy turned back and snarled, "Don't you start with me,
Ojisama! I'm going inside to talk to my father!"
"Father?" Kasumi asked, blinking slightly. Was this
stranger somehow confused to be calling a Panda his Uncle?
"It's a long story, Oneechan," the boy sighed, then looked
at her again with soulful brown eyes, "I may not look the same to
you now, but I'm your sister, Nabiki."
"Sister?" Kasumi blinked in even greater confusion. Was
she somehow mistaken in thinking this stranger a boy? But he--
she--sounded so masculine...
"Can I come inside," the boy asked with weariness in his-
-her--tone, "It's been a long trip and I..."
Suddenly Soun was at the door, all smiles as he caught
sight of the stranger and beamed brightly, "Nabiki-chan? Is that
you?"
"Uh, yeah, Dad," the boy replied, "It's me..."
"My daughter!" Soun lunged forward and hugged the
stranger close to his body, earning a very awkward and
embarrassed look from the boy, who seemed reluctant to return
the gesture.
Then Soun caught sight of the Panda, and his expression
altered abruptly. He stiffened for a moment, then backed away,
drawing the boy with him as if to thrust him behind himself for
protected.
"Relax, Otosan," the boy assured him, "That's uncle
Saotome."
"That's...?" Soun hesitated, "It is?"
The Panda stood erect on its hind legs, towering over
them all, then turned at the waist in order to reach behind itself so
that it could draw out a sign that Soun had not at first noticed
was being carried on the creature in a backpack it was somehow
wearing.
Holding the sign somehow in one clawed hand, it took out a felt
tip pen and began writing something on the smooth white surface
in Konji.
"What is it doing?" asked Akane, who hovered nervously
near to her father.
"Looks like its trying to write something," said an equally
astonished Ranma.
"Just wait and see," said the boy, and sure enough the
Panda held up the sign, which read, "I am Saotome Genma."
"Genma?" gasped Nodoka as she stepped past the
astonished Soun to look up into the face of the creature, "Is that
you, husband?"
Very sadly the Panda nodded, then turned the sign
around, which read, "A long story."
"That it is," the boy sighed, then said, "Look, do you think
it would be all right if we had a hot bath before we explain
things?"
Akane turned to the stranger and said, "Who are you?"
"Tendo Nabiki," the boy replied, "And you're Akane?"
"Nabiki," Ranma said, "Isn't that a girl's name?"
"Yeah?" the boy flashed him a look, "So what's your
point?"
"Uh, nothing," Ranma hastily said, "Look, I'm sorry if I
didn't know who you were. It's just...well...you don't exactly look
like a girl..."
"Neither do you," the stranger calling himself Nabiki
smiled, giving him a lookover, "You're Saotome Ranma, right?
Uncle's told me all about you."
"Uncle?" Ranma slowly turned to look in dismay at the
Panda, "You mean...that really is my father?"
"He's under a curse," the boy sighed, "Look, it would help
a lot if we could both have a nice hot bath..."
"Oh, sorry," Kasumi said, recovering her manners, "We
were having some difficulty with the plumbing. Someone is
coming over later today to fix it, but until then all we have is cold
water."
"I see," Nabiki sighed, "Well then, Sis, maybe you could
heat some water for us instead? It rained on the way here, and..."
"Oh, of course," Kasumi said in relief, "I'll do that right
away...Nabiki."
Nabiki sighed. It was definitely going to take some
explaining to make them all aware of her situation...
"Um...Nabiki?" Akane said reluctantly.
"Yeah, Sis?" Nabiki looked down at her with a neutral
expression.
Akane hesitated, looked at the ground for a minute, then
looked up and said, "Can you show us some proof that you're my
sister? I mean, no offense, but..."
"Hey, lay off, Akane," Ranma said, looking to Nabiki
apologetically, "She's usually like this. I guess it's hard to be sure
about some things, being so many years and all..."
"Oh, I understand," Nabiki replied, "I'd feel the same way
in your position. Look, it'll take a few minutes for that water to
heat. Is there somewhere we can go to talk? I've got a few
questions of my own I'd like to ask."
"Sure," Akane recovered, sounding relieved that Nabiki
was not offended, "You can join us in the dojo. We were just
working out when you showed up, right Ranma?"
"Oh yeah," Ranma snorted, "More like you were trying to
attack me."
"I wasn't attacking you!" Akane protested, "I was chasing
you because you're too much of a coward to stand and face me..."
"I wasn't running!" Ranma got angry, "It's just like I told
you, I don't hit girls!"
"That's very interesting," Nabiki inclined his/her head and
studied Ranma carefully, "Must be hard to spar if you're not
going to hit somebody."
"Well..." Ranma faltered, but Nabiki clapped him on the
arm and gave him a half-smile.
"Never mind," Nabiki assured, "Let's go. I'd like to get as
far away from the grownups as possible for now."
"No problem...Oneechan," Akane said with some
reluctance.
"You studied Kempo with Dad, right?" Ranma asked
after they entered the dojo.
"Yes," Nabiki acknowledged, giving the place a long
study as if trying to square it with his/her memories, "Musubetsu
Kakuto Ryu, Saotome style. Your father's a good teacher, no
matter his other faults."
"Faults?" Ranma looked at Nabiki sharply, "What do you
mean by that?"
"Never mind," Nabiki smiled at him again, "It's just that
I've been with Uncle for the past ten years since...Mom died...and
I've gotten to know him pretty well."
"Really?" Ranma was suddenly quite interested, "I
mean...before he turned into a Panda, I mean...?"
"Before that," Nabiki replied, looking somewhat reluctant
as if deciding to elaborate. Ranma's expression gave away an
ardent hunger to know everything he could about the man who
had not been a part of his life for ten long years. He did not
realize how much Nabiki envied him for that.
"I'll bet you've had a lot of interesting stories, Oneechan,"
Akane said with a somewhat more relaxed tone, turning to face
Nabiki with a meaningful posture.
"Oh yeah," Nabiki replied, studying her sister's posture
and marking the obvious readiness, "Been over nearly all of
Japan and Okinawa, training with the best, wherever we could
find them. Seen other parts of the Orient as well, even been to
Korea, Singapore Thailand, Malaysia and China..."
"China?" said Ranma with obvious interest, "That's great! I've
always wanted to travel myself, but I've hardly been that far from
Nerima."
"You must be pretty good, then," Akane smiled, "Would
you like to spar?"
"Well," Nabiki replied, having anticipated the question,
"Maybe, but I don't usually fight without good reason."
"Nothing wrong with a little practice, is there?" Ranma
asked him.
"Not with practice, no," Nabiki replied, "But what I mean
is that I usually do it professionally these days, for money."
"For money?" Ranma gasped, and Akane looked at
Nabiki with an equally shocked expression.
"It's partly how I earn a living," Nabiki explained, "I don't
do stuff like that for free, you know. If I did, your Uncle and I'd
be living like a couple of vagabonds all the time. If it were up to
him we'd have to steal food for our survival."
"But it's not honorable," Ranma said, "Martial Arts
should be studied for the purity of the art..."
"In a perfect world, maybe," Nabiki chuckled, giving him
a more friendly study as she added, "You look like you'd be pretty
good in a fight yourself. Tell you what, if I win against Akane,
how about you spar with me next."
"Well," Ranma said with reluctance, "Okay. I just gotta
warn you, Akane plays rough..."
"So do I," Nabiki turned and acknowledged Akane's
threatening posture, seeing a flash of anger in the girl's face
without being entirely certain of the reason, "Ready whenever you
are, Sis."
"Sis, huh?" Akane said, all but voicing her suspicions as
she bowed to Nabiki, then moved to attack, snarling, "What kind
of an idiot do you take me for? You're not my sister!"
Her attack was flawless, but Nabiki was no where near
Akane's thrust. Without hardly seeming to move at all she
avoided Akane's next attack, then the follow up kick, with such
ease that she could just as well have been as ethereal as a
shadow.
"I'm hurt, Sis," Nabiki said evenly, without a trace of
concern in her voice, "What makes you say that?"
"Because you're really a boy!" Akane snarled, attacking
again, only to find Nabiki standing right behind her.
"You think so?" Nabiki sounded mildly hurt at the
accusation.
"Of course," Akane turned to look at her, then pointed,
"You've got an Adam's Apple! No girl has that!"
"What?" Ranma gasped, looking at Nabiki's throat with
open confusion.
"Things aren't what they seem, Akane-chan," Nabiki tried
to explain when Akane launched herself into a flying kick that
should have connected, only Nabiki was in the air sailing over
her head with such grace that would have put shame to a
professional gymnast.
Akane landed, looking around in confusion, only to feel a
finger touch her on the back of her neck. She turned around and
saw Nabiki smile at her, holding up the finger to inspection.
"Tag, you're it."
Ranma let out a breath he did not even know he had been
holding in. Nabiki had just demolished Akane's entire attack
without more than that single touch, and all three of them knew
it. Then he saw Nabiki smile his way, and for some reason he felt
suddenly quite nervous.
"You're turn," she smiled, waving him over, after giving
Akane a reassuring look as she said, "I'll explain everything in a
bit, Akane-chan. Just trust me for now, okay? There is a
reasonable explanation."
"There sure is," Ranma took a stance opposite to where
Nabiki was positioned, "Akane's right, you really are a boy."
"Think so?" Nabiki eyed him smugly, "Is that important?"
"It is to me," Ranma smiled back, "It means I can go all
out. Ready--?"
Suddenly before he could move Nabiki was standing
directly in his face, still smiling that smug little smile of hers.
From two inches away she said, "I like guys who go all the way,
reminds me of me. You know, you're kind of cute for a
homebody..."
"What?" Ranma asked in shock, then his reaction became
near instantaneous. He got angry!
Nabiki avoided the swipe he made, but Ranma came on
with twice the speed and power of Akane, so Nabiki did not so
easily avoid the next thrust and had to pivot on one heel in order
to slide around the punch, blocking the kick that followed.
Ranma was angry, but he fought with discipline and control,
altering his attack strategy to match Nabiki's defenses. He was a
formidable fighter, and Nabiki was actually pushed into using
more skill than it had taken to defeat Akane.
In the end, however, Nabiki outlasted his opponent.
Ranma got careless as he slowed to correct his balance, and
Nabiki changed strategies abruptly by lashing out with a side-
kick that caught him totally unawares. He went down with a
solid thump at the far end of the dojo while Nabiki corrected his
posture and resumed a casual stance, breathing in and out very
slowly with his nostrils.
"Ow," Ranma winded as he slowly got back to his feet
while Akane stood with her mouth hanging open. Then Ranma
smiled and bowed to Nabiki, who returned the bow, the fight
clearly having ended.
"Not bad," Ranma said, breathing hard but not appearing
to mind it, "You're pretty good. Did you learn some of that stuff
in China?"
"I mostly picked things up here or there," Nabiki
answered.
"You're incredible!" Akane all but blurted, "Can you teach
me to do that?"
Nabiki eyed her curiously, then said, "We'll see, Sis.
Maybe we can work something out later."
"So she can try and kick my ass?" Ranma sniffed, "No
thank you!"
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane snarled, "Nobody asked you!"
Nabiki looked at them both curiously, then said, "Aren't
you two supposed to be engaged or something?"
Both Ranma and Akane looked sourly at each other, then
Ranma said, "That was a dumb idea Tendo-sama worked out
with my father when we were just kids..."
"Don't call my father stupid, Baka!" Akane retorted, then
to Nabiki she added, "He may be my iinazuke, but it wasn't my
idea to get engaged to this stuck-up pig..."
"I am not a pig!" Ranma protested.
"Well, you sure make enough noise for one!" Akane
retorted then to Nabiki she added, "I still don't believe you're my
long lost sister. You're a guy, there's no doubt about it."
"Actually, I'm glad he is," Ranma said gruffly.
"Why?" Nabiki asked him.
"Because you won," Akane clarified for her, giving
Ranma a scathing look, "And Ranma hates to lose to anybody..."
"There's nothing wrong to losing to somebody who's
good," Ranma retorted, "I just wouldn't want to lose to a girl or
nothing. It's too embarrassing..."
"Ah..." Nabiki faltered, when a scream was heard coming
from the main house.
"Mother!" Ranma cried, already in full motion.
"Saotome-Sama!" Akane also said, doing likewise.
Nabiki hesitated for only a second, then sighed to herself,
"This is going to be a problem..."
Inside the Kitchen Ranma and Akane came to an abrupt
stop, staring at the sight of Nodoka laying on the floor of the
kitchen as though she had just passed out. Kasumi was backing
away almost to the exit, her eyes very wide as she gasped, "Oh
my..."
"Mother!" Ranma looked down at her, then up at a
complete stranger standing before him holding a kettle in both
hands, a very heavyset man in his middle years wearing glasses
with his head wrapped up in a kind of turban. He was also
wearing the same backpack that the Panda had sported, complete
with sign slung in a kind of rack.
Beyond that he was standing in the middle of a puddle
with a worn Karate Gi in place, held up by a thick black belt. He
turned with as much dignity as he could and regarded Ranma
solemnly, then very softly said, "My son."
Soun appeared with a look of astonishment, "Genma, my
old friend! When did you arrive? And where is the Panda?"
"Well, Soun-kun," the man turned solemnly to begin
when he paused in mid-statement, his eyes going back to the
figure of Nabiki.
"Well, Pops?" he snorted, "What are you going to tell
him?"
Soun looked from Genma to Nabiki with a look of
puzzlement while Ranma and Akane knelt down to check on
Nodoka. Kasumi was watching them all with a very puzzled
expression. Genma just stood where he was, as if afraid to say
anything, so Nabiki sighed and took a step towards the nearby
teakettle.
Suddenly Genma became animated as he reached for the
kettle, only to have Nabiki snatch it up before he could stop him.
"No-nonononono!" Genma hastily protested.
"Back off, Ojisama!" Nabiki snarled, then upended the
kettle over himself, shuddering at having hot water land on top of
his head.
Genma backed away as something very strange
happened, and whimpered faintly, "I'm going to die..." in a
plaintive voice.
Ranma and Akane gasped, Soun's jaw hit the floor while
Kasumi's eyes got even wider than before as Nabiki set the kettle
down and turned to face them, her features and frame much
altered as she appeared to even have shrunk a few inches.
"Daughter?" Soun managed to gasp out.
"Oneechan?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"I'm going to die!" Genma whimpered more loudly than
before.
"Who are you?" asked Ranma.
Nabiki just heaved a sigh and looked down at her entirely
feminine curves, then said, "I'm Tendo Nabiki...sorry about
this..."
Continued
Comments/Criticism: shadowmane@ndti.net
Nabiki 1/2
(An Altered Destiny)
Chapter 1, Part 2: Setting a Routine.
By
Jim Robert Bader
(Inspired by the works of
Wade Tritshler
Richard Lawson
James Jones
John Walter Biles
Sebastian Weinberg
And many others)
(Standard Disclaimer: Inspired by the works of Rumiko
Takahashi, all rights go to her and Her associates. I only claim
credit for this Story, so please don't sue me)
Nabiki sighed as she leaned back into the bathwater,
enjoying a good soak for the first time in what felt like ages. Only
now, alone by herself in the House she had not lived in since her
childhood, after all the excitement and shouting of the day, she
finally had privacy and peace to sort matters out. The jumble of
emotions welling up inside her could be sorted out and logically
dealt with at last, beginning with the reactions of the other
members of this house when they heard the story of Jusenkyo,
beginning with her father...
"Saotome!!!" Soun had cried, pressing his longtime friend
up against one of the support beams of the house, "This is all
your fault! How could you let something like this happen to my
daughter???"
"Calm down, Otosan," Nabiki had urged him, "It wasn't
entirely his fault. Uncle Saotome can't read or speak a word of
Chinese, like I can."
"You speak Chinese?" Ranma asked in surprise.
Nabiki's reply sounded to him like a strange set of noises,
then she smiled and said, "I picked up a little Mandarin when we
spent a few weeks in Hong Kong doing...business."
"What has that got to do with what happened to you and
Saotome-sama?" Akane asked her.
"I should have known what we were getting into," Nabiki
explained, "And I would have if Uncle had let me read the travel
brochure instead of hogging it to himself. That's why I usually
insisted on doing all our travel arrangements...he was forever
making blunders like this that got us both into trouble."
"Then why didn't he allow you to read up about this
place," Nodoka hesitated, "I believe you called it...?"
"Jusenkyo," Nabiki helpfully supplied, "The Cursed
Springs of Jusenkyo, to be more precise, so named because it has
over a hundred pools bubbling up from a natural aquifer, only
there's some kind of legend about it being cursed in a war
between the ancient Gods of China..."
"I have heard of this place, Nabiki-chan," Kasumi said
pleasantly, "It was in one of the books I borrowed from Tofu-
Sensei. It seems a great number of tragic stories are connected
somehow with these pools of which you speak."
"That's right, Oneechan," Nabiki replied, nodded, "As the
legend goes, whatever falls into one of the cursed springs will
take the form of the person or creature who last drowned there.
As it so happened, I fell into a spring called Nannichuan, the
Spring of the drowned man, about a young boy who died there
over a thousand years ago, a very tragic story."
"Fell in?" Akane asked, "Or were you pushed?" she eyed
Genma with suspicion, noticing his nervous reaction.
"Actually," Nabiki eyed Genma as well, "A little of both,
really. We were fighting at the time, one of our endless training
missions, when I knocked him off a bamboo pole into the pool
called Shonmaoniichuan, or Spring of the drowned Panda. The
next thing I know, a Panda is attacking me, and I get knocked
into the other pool. I come out looking like the boy you met a
little while ago. It happens every time I get splashed with cold
water."
"And hot water reverses the spell?" asked Kasumi.
"Hai, Oneechan," Nabiki sighed, "And in case you can't
guess by now, life hasn't been a picnic ever since."
"Surely there is a cure for this?" Nodoka asked, "A way to
break the curse?"
"Not according to the guide who showed us to the
springs," Nabiki sighed,
"He said that there was an elder in a nearby village who might
know of a way to break the curse, but Ojisama over here messed
that up and got us in trouble with the locals. That's when I
decided I'd had enough of his stupid training mission and made
my mind up to come back home. I want to get my life back in
order, which means, Old Man, that our partnership is definitely
over!"
"Partnership?" Ranma asked in confusion, "I thought
Otosan was your trainer?"
"A little of that," Nabiki smiled, "But mostly we worked
as a team, fifty-fifty, dividing up the spoils of whatever fortune
we came into. Don't worry, Pops, you'll get your share of the take,
minus a few expenses that I've been keeping a careful tab about.
Considering all you've cost me, be glad with what I give you."
Genma's expression went through a series of comical
transformations, from elation that Nabiki had even considered
sharing their combined assets to depression as he considered just
how much she would deduct from his share of the profits.
"Saotome," Soun's growl brought him back into focus as
he felt his back once more make rude contact with the wooden
support beam, "Just what have you been teaching my daughter?
What unnatural habits has she picked up from being around
you?"
"Tendo-kun..." Saotome tried to explain, wanting to
convince his old friend that it really was not his fault, that he
could hardly be blamed for Nabiki having the acquisitive
instincts of a barracuda, and that she was hardly the great
innocent she was pretending to be at the moment, but words
failed him. Besides that, with the incriminating evidence already
compiled against him, it was doubtful he could convince Soun--
let alone Nodoka--of anything he told them.
He silently appealed to Nabiki, who watched him back
with that calculating look in her eyes that he knew so well and
dreaded. This was going to cost him in some way, but he silently
surrendered to her unvoiced comment. Anything was better than
the fate that awaited him if she did not bail him out right then
and there. Better to deal with the devil he knew, and he sighed,
resigning his soul to permanent indenturement.
Nabiki had enjoyed watching him sweat, but in all truth
she was not angry enough to want to get him into too much
trouble. No matter his faults, he was still her Sensei and partner,
and he owed her too much to just cast him aside before she had
finished milking his market potential. Besides which, it was
convenient having someone in her permanent debt that could
back her up when needed.
So she just smiled and said, "He's not to blame for
everything, Father. I take responsibility for my own conduct,
thank you. Besides, Saotome-Sama is a very good Sensei. I've
learned a lot from him, and we have so many interesting things in
common, isn't that right, Uncle?"
Genma swallowed, then forced himself to smile and said,
"H-hai! Hai, Nabiki-chan. Your daughter is a very fine student,
Tendo-kun, the best I have ever had or could ask for, and you
would be proud of her having a good business sense and an
ability to deal intelligently with her problems."
"Tendo-Sama," Ranma suddenly spoke up, kneeling
before Soun and bowing his head with as much dignity as he
could, "Please forgive Otosan for not being as careful as he could
with Nabiki-san. I know it was wrong, but he is still my father."
Nabiki stared at the boy with interest. Such fine manners,
she thought, so unlike his behavior a few minutes ago in the
dojo...
Soun finally relaxed his grip on his old friend, his anger
vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He looked to Nabiki,
then Ranma and said, "Very well, since you both have asked this
of me, I will try to abide my temper. Provided I hear a more
reasonable explanation for what he allowed to happen."
"Like I said," Nabiki replied, "It's as much my fault as
his. I should have asked the guide for more details, but who'd
believe in Cursed Springs that could turn a man into a panda and
me into...a guy," she said the last part, wincing.
"Has it been very hard for you, Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi
asked her.
"Well..." Nabiki hesitated, then said, "It has made my life
a bit more complicated, but there are a few advantages in being
able to switch genders. For one thing it helps if someone's
chasing you to be able to change appearance..."
"Who would be chasing you?" Nodoka asked her in
puzzlement.
In reply Nabiki just smiled and said, "It's been known to
happen...sometimes when Uncle and me wore out our
welcome..."
"Well, yes," Genma stammered, "Sometimes the natives
aren't always friendly..." he silenced himself as he saw the
reproving stare from Nabiki...
Nabiki sighed again. Uncle Genma was going to be a
problem. She would have to coach him better to avoid his
annoying habit of always putting his foot in his mouth, which
could have been a rather endearing trait had it not tended to wind
them both up in so much trouble with the wrong sort of people.
She sank back into the bath, enjoying the luxury of being
in her natural shape. Warm water was much harder to come
across than cold, she had discovered with annoying regularity,
and it was good to take advantage of such a pleasant sensation of
being clean with unsnarled hair. She had kept it deliberately short
and manageable in the front, only allowing it to grow long in the
back, where she bound it up in a pigtail braid, which was a trait
she had picked up during their sojourn in China.
She combed her unbound hair down the back with her
fingers then stretched her legs out again, studying them critically
and wondering if they needed shaving. Now that she was home
she intended to make full use of all the feminine pleasures she
had been denied on the open road, and she wanted especially to
look good for the boys, should she ever consider doing normal
girl things like dating. Her legs were one of her best attractive
features, she well knew, long and shapely with graceful, athletic
curves and well rounded feet that--while hardened from many
years of wandering barefoot over harsh terrain--still appeared as
attractively feminine as the rest of her. It would serve her needs
well to preserve such qualities, like any good investment.
Maybe I can get a job as a model, she thought to herself.
They did very well showing off their looks for outrageous sums of
money. Body parts could be marketed just as well as the rest of
her in one package, and there was never any shortage of
commercial applications to arm and leg-shots. Then again there
were stars that paid a lot of money to body-doubles who could
sub for them in non-facial close-ups...
Well, that was one option to consider anyway. In truth
she had a lot of other potential careers that were worth pursuing.
Time enough to sort that out later, for now she decided to
concentrate on her family and what she had learned in the brief
time since her arrival.
Her father seemed jumpy and nervous, barely in control of
his emotions and tended to veer wildly from one extreme to the
next. That was not a very good quality in a martial artist, but she
decided not to rush to any conclusions. His paternally protective
attitude could be a problem if he intended to interfere in her
personal business. On the other hand, it also meant that he would
be easy to manipulate, so perhaps there were advantages here that
were worth a more careful study.
Saotome Nodoka, on the other hand, was shrewd and very
alert to small details, if a bit too conventional in her thinking. She
would be a more challenging party when it came to negotiations,
assuming she and Ranma intended to continue living in the
Tendo House now that Genma was returned. Aunt Nodoka was
friendly and congenial company, which might make her a very
good ally, but Nabiki sensed that there was steel behind her
gentle frame, which meant that crossing her would definitely not
be in anyone's best interests.
And then there was Kasumi...her older sibling. Kasumi
disturbed Nabiki in a way she did not know how to grapple. She
was...nice...maybe a bit too nice, and overly cheerful, as though
she could find the bright spot in almost any situation. That was a
quality Nabiki was not used to encountering, and there was
something else about Kasumi's manner that puzzled her greatly.
It took a moment to grasp one part of the significance of her
behavior, especially when it came to how she and Akane acted
together.
Kasumi was more than Akane's older sister, she acted
almost like a surrogate mother. She helped Nodoka around the
house and clearly shared the domestic chores while her father did
not appear to do much of anything at the moment. Nabiki
wondered if Soun Tendo was even running the dojo like in the
old days. If not, then this raised some serious questions about the
family's financial situation.
Like the problem with the plumbing that had caused so
much confusion in the beginning. The plumbers had shown up
and fixed the pipes, but when it came to payment Nodoka had
been ready to haggle about delaying the payment. She and Soun
had been very surprised when Nabiki offered to pay them in cash,
explaining that she carried a little "pocket change" with her, not
elaborating on where exactly she had gotten the several hundred
thousand yen she just "happened" to be carrying on her person.
The family financial picture was definitely something she
was going to have to look into. With that in mind she turned to
the last two members of the Household.
Akane was first, of course, being her sister by blood.
Akane was harsh, slightly bitter, very quick to anger and not very
feminine in her behavior. She was, however, rather cute for her
age, and a competent Martial Artist. Her defenses were weak but
her attack pattern was formidable. She had to work a bit on her
speed and maybe learn some more complicated maneuvers, but
overall there was a lot of raw talent there to work with...
She smiled as she caught herself appraising her younger
sister's combat potential, feeling almost like Genma. He was
always sizing people up in terms of their ability to fight. Most
people he would dismiss out of hand as not worth bothering over,
and there was something almost charming about his chivalric
interpretation of Bushido. She had learned a lot from his
teaching, not least of which was that a Martial Artist only used
their skills against other fighters. Not that it wasn't still handy
once in a while to know the value of intimidating non-fighters...
She thought of Akane again, seeing in her a basically nice
girl who seemed to have a few emotional issues that would
require further exploration. Her temper was, perhaps, her greatest
weakness, and that was something else to be considered. The
thing that bothered Nabiki the most though was the way she
behaved around Ranma, her iinazuke.
And that brought up the final member of the family
equation: Ranma himself. Nabiki had avoided thinking about
him until now, but when she did she found herself confronted by
several conflicting emotions. On the one hand he seemed like a
very nice, if average, boy who could be so polite one minute and
then turn around and be as rude as a six-year-old brat. He acted
like he and Akane genuinely resented each other, and that
condescending Macho attitude of his...yes, it was definitely clear
that he and Akane did not get along that well together.
But the boy did have his good points. For one thing he
was a very good fighter, perhaps the best she had seen of late,
almost as good as his father. For another thing he was very brave
and obviously no bully. He did not like to hit girls, and had
Nabiki not been a boy at the time when they sparred he would
obviously not have gone so all-out, which was a useful thing to
know about him.
Last of all...he was cute.
She stifled that thought. Ranma was Akane's iinazuke.
No matter what else Nabiki knew herself capable of, she would
never hurt family, at least not deliberately. Or in any way
permanent.
She sighed again. Thinking too much was one of her
greatest problems. She was tired and it did not help to make
decisions without sufficient rest to recharge the old brain cells.
Time to get up out of the tub and get dressed in her spare
traveling clothes so she could ask Kasumi to find a bedroll or
Tami mat on which to sleep. Akane had offered to share her room
for the night since Kasumi slept in the same room with Nodoka
and Ranma had another room to himself.
Genma would probably sleep out in the dojo, she thought
with a smile. If it weren't for his snoring, she'd gladly join him.
At least she was used to having him around in case of intruders,
both as alarm system and an alternate target.
She got herself out of the tub and began to reach for the
nearby towel when the door to the bathroom opened. More
curious than alarmed, she turned to find Ranma striding in,
halting in mid-step when he caught sight of her. The expression
on the young man's face was comical dismay, which was why
Nabiki checked her normal impulse to cover herself up in the
presence of a stranger.
His mouth was working like a fish while his eyes
remained wide open. Nabiki felt a bit like an exhibitionist as she
turned to him with arms held at her side, then with a tilt of her
head said, "See anything you like?"
"Gah!" Ranma finally burst out, backing away with such
haste that he tripped over his owns feet and went sprawling out
into the hallway. He kept on backing up until he was pressed
against the hallway wall, still staring at Nabiki, who just
watched him pointedly and wondered if the boy really was
having a nosebleed or was that just her imagination?
"What is it, Ranma?" asked Akane, which startled Nabiki
into hastily grabbing up the towel to cover herself before Akane
looked in to find out what had caused Ranma to behave in such a
fright. Akane saw Nabiki clutching the towel, her eyes widened,
and then she turned back to Ranma and her expression became
livid.
"You--you--PERVERT!" she screamed, "My own
sister!!!"
"Ah," Nabiki started to say with a somewhat guilty sense
of having unintentionally given Akane the entirely wrong picture,
but Akane yanked the door closed, which spared her the sight of
what happened next. Instead she heard Ranma stammer some
lame explanation, only to wind up on the receiving of what
sounded like a lot of very violent conduct on the part of Akane.
Nabiki stood there listening to Ranma make lame excuses for not
having known that the bathroom was in use before fleeing in
evident terror for his life. She sighed to herself then and decided
to wait for Akane to calm down before assuring her that no actual
harm had happened. After all, it would not do to have her
younger sister believe that it was Nabiki who was some kind of a
pervert.
Instead she began to dress herself, then went to speak
with Kasumi...
Nabiki had awoken early, as was near habitual from her
years of training, which allowed her to escape the treatment
Genma instead visited upon his son. Ranma had very loudly
protested getting up a whole hour earlier than he usually did. The
three of them met outside in the garden area outside of the dojo,
where Genma and Nabiki squared off for their usual way of
working out their aggressions.
Namely beating the Hell out of one another!
"I warn you, old man!" Nabiki snarled as she and Genma
squared off, "Things aren't like they used to be! I'm home, which
means I don't have to obey your stupid orders!"
"Insolent girl," Genma said sternly, "I talked with your
father last night and he is in total agreement that you should not
be allowed to grow slack in your training regimen. That means,
at least for the first two hours of this morning, you're still mine to
do with as I see fit!"
"What?" Nabiki reacted, "You worked this out with my
father instead of me?"
"He is your father," Genma replied, "But it was agreed
between us that I should have responsibility for seeing that your
ten years of training do not amount to nothing."
"But that's my decision to make, not his!" Nabiki
protested.
"Foolish child," Genma responded, "He is your father.
You must obey his wishes."
"Like Hell!" Nabiki snapped, "You just bought yourself a
world of pain, old man! Sensei or no, you're going down for
messing with my life!"
"You talk just like a woman, girl," Genma retorted, "Try
backing your words up with some action!"
"You asked for it!" Nabiki snarled, and the two of them
came together in a flurry of punches and kicks, dodging and
darting about the yard trading blows with a speed and ferocity
that was highly motivated and almost seemed to be part of a
blood feud.
"Wow," Ranma gasped from where he stood watching
this exchange, then he flinched as he became aware that Akane
was standing near to him and said, "If you're going to beat me up
some more..."
"I'm sorry, Ranma," Akane said with unusual hesitation,
"I...didn't mean to overreact like that...Nabiki explained that you
were surprised..."
"Yeah, sure," Ranma said, keeping his attention focused
on the fight rather than show Akane his bruises.
Akane did not speak again for a while until after Genma
and Nabiki separated to recover their wind and calculate their
next movements, and when she did it was plain her thoughts
paralleled those of Ranma, "They're both very good. No wonder
Nabiki-chan was able to make us both look so..."
"Yeah, whatever," Ranma said neutrally, not wanting to
admit that he was just as impressed.
"Your father really is as good as Dad always said he
was," Akane noted matter-of-factly, "It should be interesting
having him and Nabiki around."
"I'll say," Ranma said casually, but something in his tone
told Akane he meant a lot more than he was saying.
Akane sighed and sat down beside him. They were not
always the best of friends, but they had spent most of their life
together and knew each other as well as any brother and sister.
She could tell something was bothering Ranma, and knew him
well enough to know he would have to be the one who decided to
tell her what it was. It took another moment during which they
watched Nabiki and Genma exchange blows that would have
taxed either one of them, neither one holding back to all
appearance, and then finally Ranma sighed and said, "This isn't
what I expected."
"Oh," Akane replied, "You mean...your father...?"
"Look at what he's done to her," Ranma said, "I don't
mean teaching her to fight, which he's obviously done a very
good job at. I mean...things they were telling us...and other stuff
they kept hinting at all night..."
"I understand," Akane said with equal sadness, "Nabiki
hasn't exactly turned out like I thought she would either."
"It's not the same thing!" Ranma insisted, "She's only
your sister...that man there is supposed to be my father, a father I
haven't seen in ten years. You haven't seen your sister since she
was eight..."
"Well, so what?" Akane asked, "I may not have a very
good memory of her, but she's still my sister..."
"I didn't think you'd understand," Ranma looked away.
"Understand?" Akane retorted, losing control of her
fragile temper, "You can be such an insensitive..."
"That's enough!" Genma called out suddenly, bringing the
fight to a sudden halt.
"The Hell it is, old man," Nabiki growled, "I haven't
finished pounding on you yet."
Genma flashed a stern look her way, and Nabiki faltered.
He might not be her master in other things, but when it came to
training missions, he was her Sensei. Long habit took over and
she backed down, obeying his instructions.
"Ranma!" Genma turned around, putting a stern tone in
his voice, "Your turn to spar with me. Nabiki-chan tells me you
have some skill at fighting. It is time for your father to decide
how much skill that is. Step forward. Nabiki, go sit down with
your sister."
As angry as she was, Nabiki could not miss the hostile
stares being exchanged between Ranma and Akane as Ranma
took her place in the garden. She decided a talk with her younger
sister was just the thing she needed to cool down, so she sat
down on the porch once her breathing returned to normal. She
nodded to Akane, who nodded back, then said, "Good morning,
Sis. I hope you slept well."
"Well enough," Akane said evenly, then more tentatively
asked, "Do you do this every morning?"
"Do what?" Nabiki blinked, then answered her own
question, "Oh, you mean sparring? Sure, Ojisama and me, we've
been doing it since I was very little."
"He seems awfully strict with you," Akane paused,
fumbling for her next words, then just said the first thing that
came into her mind, "He wasn't pulling any punches, was he?"
"Nope," Nabiki sniffed, "And I wasn't pulling any
punches with him."
"You...seemed pretty angry out there," Akane hesitated
again.
"Anger makes a good focus," Nabiki replied, "As long as
it doesn't control you, and where Pops is concerned, I have a lot
of pent-up aggression."
Meanwhile Ranma was sizing up this man who was his
father, unable as yet to get his mind in focus at the idea that this
stocky, balding man was the very man he and his mother had
waited ten years to meet again. He knew, of course, better than to
judge by appearance, and the fact that Genma was not breathing
very hard from having gone out with Nabiki said a lot by itself.
Genma adjusted the glasses he perpetually wore fastened
around his head and smiled as if anticipating his son's thoughts,
"Ranma, you feel uneasy looking at me. Am I so very different
from what you thought I might look like?"
"Ah," Ranma hesitated, staying on his guard as he
considered his reply, then just said what came into his mind,
"Not really...Otosan."
"It is good that you can say this," Genma replied, "There
is no shame in admitting your feelings. I will have to work to
rebuild your image of me, to earn your respect so that you can
have no doubt that I am your father. I can freely say that I am
proud of what I see in you, my boy. Your mother and Tendo-san
have raised you well. You are a son any father could be proud of.
Now, show me what you know and I will teach you what I
should have taught you the last ten years of your existence."
"H-hai, Otosan," Ranma said, feeling a strange mix of
pride and awe at the praise he had just been given.
The next second he was almost flat on his back, having
been overcome with the suddenness of Genma's charge, not to
mention the punch that had knocked him sprawling.
"Too slow, my son," Genma said sternly, "You must have
better defenses than that! Get back to your feet and we will try
this again."
Ranma wasted no time flipping himself back onto his
feet. Genma's blow had not really hurt him very much and was
obviously meant to shake him up, which Ranma was expert
enough to recognize as a warning shot. The next blow would
most likely take his head off.
Genma allowed himself one smile of pleasure. His son
was a fighter, there was no doubting it. Now all he had to do was
bring out the best that was within Ranma. There was a very
promising beginning in the boy, and all it would take was to
make Ranma call upon his own potential, the duty of a father.
He came at Ranma with as much speed as he felt the boy
could handle, and Ranma leaped to one side and counter-
attacked. This went on for several moments before Ranma got
serious in his offensive. At no point did he come anywhere near
to connecting with his Father, but Genma was pressed hard
keeping up his defenses. Only when the boy slackened, showing
signs of fatigue, did Genma lash out at him in earnest, sending
Ranma sprawling in the dirt, and only then did he relent in order
to allow the boy to regain his bearings.
"Too slow, Ranma," Genma deliberately taunted,
"Nabiki-chan could take you in her sleep! Get up and fight me for
real!"
"Hai!" Ranma cried, in spite of being nearly winded
feeling a surge of renewed spirit. No matter if he were tired, he
would not allow himself to look weak in the eyes of his father.
"Good," Genma praised, then tweaked the boy's pride a
little more, "An enemy will not allow you time to rest in a serious
fight. We're going to have to work on building up your reserves if
you want to be worthy of carrying on the Saotome School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"Hai!" Ranma cried more fiercely then came at Genma for
real, only to wind up sprawling in the dirt nearest to the Koi
pond.
"A fighter must use his brain as well as his body,
Ranma!" Genma continued to taunt, "Get angry if you must, but
stay in control and use your anger to strengthen your
movements!"
"Wow," Akane said with rounded eyes, "Uncle Saotome
really doesn't take it easy on anyone."
"Pops just knows how to push all the right buttons,"
Nabiki smiled, thinking privately that she would never allow
Genma to provoke her that easily. She knew most of his tricks
intimately, which was unfortunately not true of poor Ranma.
Akane was looking at her curiously, then asked, "Why do
you call him Pops?"
"Habit mostly," Nabiki replied, "On the road he always
told everyone that I was his niece, but sometimes he also
pretended I was his daughter. I got in the habit of calling him
Pops any time I felt like ribbing him. It was mostly a reminder
that I wasn't really his daughter, and that there were only some
things he could get away with around me."
"He doesn't seem like the type to..." Akane started to say,
jumping to the incorrect conclusion.
"How would you know?" Nabiki challenged, "I've met all
kinds in my travels, but no, Ranma's Dad isn't the kind of man
who'd take advantage of any woman. That often worked to my
advantage, but sometimes...it could really get annoying."
"Annoying?" Akane asked in confusion.
"I mean he could sometimes wind up practically useless
in situations he'd get us both in when he did something dumb,
like think with his stomach," Nabiki replied, "I've lost count of all
the indignities I've had to put up with bailing the both of us out of
his messes, but he's never done anything intentionally wrong that
I can remember. In fact that's his biggest problem: good
intentions, poor execution."
"So, what was it like traveling to all the places you've
been to?" Akane asked her.
"Educational, mostly," Nabiki smiled, "Sometimes very
profitable, which is a good thing, or else I'd have sold him to a
Zoo the minute I wound up with this curse."
"Enough!" Genma suddenly cried, stepping back as
Ranma fought bravely against the urge to collapse from
exhaustion, "You have potential boy, but you're an
embarrassment as you are. Get your breath back then we'll try
this again, only this time I think you should spar with Nabiki."
"N-nani?" Ranma stammered, badly winded.
"I won't have my heir in worse shape than my other star
pupil," Genma told him solemnly, "I am proud of the way you
fight, but pride alone won't preserve you in a real battle. From
now on you will train with Nabiki and Akane until all three of
you are worthy of the Anything Goes School."
"I'm not fighting with them!" Ranma protested, able to get
the words out now that he wasn't struggling for his life, "I can't
fight against girls..."
"And what if you are attacked by a woman?" Genma
asked him, then sighed, "I understand your feeling son, and they
do your father proud. But you should know that women are every
bit as dangerous as a man. Underestimating one has gotten me
into situations I am rather reluctant to talk about. I would not see
you suffer the same humiliation as your father."
The words obviously stung Ranma, for he straightened up
and clearly made an effort to regain full command of his
breathing. Genma saw this but resisted the temptation to smile,
instead nodding to the two girls watching them and said,
"Akane-chan, Nabiki-chan, indulge us both by sparring together
until Ranma is ready to fight the winner."
"Hai, Ojisama," both girls replied, stepping out into the
garden while Ranma walked off his fatigue, making practice
punches and kicks at the air to keep himself limber while Genma
supervised the next match.
Soun and Nodoka came out onto the porch just then,
having watched the whole thing from inside, and Ranma was
pleased to see his mother smiling at him before turning to Genma
and saying, "That was a very good thing you just did, husband.
Ranma has always been difficult to control, but he seems to
respond to your voice like the obedient son I have always wanted
him to be."
"It's nothing, Nodoka-chan," Genma beamed proudly,
"You are to be praised for teaching our boy to be as manly as he
is. In no time at all I will have him fighting with the same
tenacity as Nabiki."
"Saotome-kun, you are indeed a wonder," Soun said in
praise, "I had my doubts about you last night, but I can see that
Nabiki has turned out well in spite of her...um...problem."
"I only did what I thought was best, Tendo-kun," Genma
replied, "I am sorry for my lack of caution that lead to both
our...problems...but in spite of this, she has proven an excellent
student. There is not too much more that I will soon be able to
teach her."
"If only..." Soun's voice faltered, then he spoke again
more firmly, "If only Akane-chan could learn to fight with the
same spirit. She is very good, make no mistake, but she
has...difficulties that I have not been able to help her master."
"So I see," Genma said as diplomatically as he could,
having already defined a dozen problem areas from the way
Akane was trying to lay a hand on the quick-moving Nabiki,
"She has good control over her power, but her movements are
controlled by her anger. Her defense is pitiful, and her speed is
inadequate. She needs to slow down more and work on building
up her reflexes."
He half feared that Soun would take his words the wrong
way, but instead his old friend responded with enthusiastic
confirmation, "Hai, Saotome-san! That is it exactly! You have hit
the nail on the head, my friend. That is why I ask that you take it
upon yourself to train her. I...have done as much as I could, but
she needs a Sensei who will not spare criticism or go lax on her
because she is my daughter."
"I thought as much, Tendo-kun," Genma sighed, "It will
be an honor to help her learn to be more like her sister.
But...something puzzles me greatly."
"Yes?" asked Soun, as if anticipating the question.
"She and Ranma..." he did not elaborate, nor did it seem
that he needed to.
"I know," Soun replied in droll understatement, "Things
have not turned out quite the way we had intended.'
"If you are referring to that iinazuke business," Nodoka
said with just a slight edge to her otherwise pleasant voice, "Then
you must know how I feel about the matter. Uniting our families
in marriage would be a good idea if both parties were in total
agreement. However, perhaps there is still a chance that Ranma
and Akane will grow out of this angry phase they are going
through and realize that they truly do care for one another."
"Perhaps," said Genma.
"Hai," Soun agreed, "Perhaps," but he was nonetheless
studying his middle daughter with a look of speculation.
Akane could not remain on her feet any longer and
collapsed to her knees, panting fiercely as she snarled, "Why
won't you hit me, Oneechan?"
"Because it wouldn't be fair," Nabiki replied, not even
breathing hard, which infuriated her sister.
"Fair?" Akane snarled, trying to summon up the strength
to renew her onslaught, "I'll show you..."
"Akane-chan!" Genma barked out, "Trade places with
Ranma!"
"But all she's done is warm Nabiki up!" Ranma protested.
"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane snapped.
"Uncute Tomboy!"
"You...!"
"Did you just call my sister a Tomboy?" Nabiki asked
Ranma curiously.
"It's just a nick-name I give her," Ranma replied as
Akane sat down beside Nodoka.
"That's what I thought," Nabiki smiled, and suddenly
Ranma had a close inspection of the bottom of her foot, which
was one inch away from the bridge of his nose. He tried not to
flinch but could not help swallowing. Akane smiled in spite of
herself and wanted to cheer her sister, but Genma was not
amused by the display of restraint on Nabiki's part, or Ranma's
sudden paralysis.
"What are you waiting for, Boy?" he called out, "Defend
yourself and hit back!"
"B-but I can't!" Ranma protested as Nabiki withdrew her
leg, allowing him to get a better look at her from no more than
two arms lengths distance. She winked at him and he swallowed,
feeling his stomach knot up for some reason.
"Foolish boy!" Genma growled as he stalked up to both of
them, then casually kicked Nabiki into the Koi pond, "If you
won't fight her as a girl, will a boy do instead?"
"What did you go and do that for!" snarled Nabiki as he
splashed around in the pond, his voice now two octaves lower
than before with no trace of femininity about him.
Ranma just blinked, startled more than before at the
sudden transformation.
"Enough of your bellyaching," Genma said sternly to
Nabiki, "Get out of there and work off your aggression. Show
Ranma you're twice the man he is and maybe he'll really start to
learn something."
Ranma was staring at his father in disbelief, then back to
Nabiki. Genma could not be serious! Male body or no, that was
still Nabiki!
"All right," Nabiki said as he leaped out of the pond and
came to stand, soaking wet in his Chinese style clothing as he
turned with a furious look towards Ranma, "Better get your guard
up kid or you're going to get pounded!"
At that moment Kasumi appeared to call out, "Breakfast
is ready everyone...oh my!"
"We'll be there in another minute, Kasumi-chan," Soun
said with a smile, "Let's watch this last match, then I really will
have an appetite."
Kasumi said nothing. Her eyes were focused on the two
fighters, but she seemed intensely concerned with her
transformed sister.
Genma returned to the porch, then folded his arms while
he watched his son come out of his daze to fight back in earnest
against the now-male Nabiki. Without turning his head he spoke,
"Akane-chan?"
Akane was surprised as she looked up at him and asked,
"Hai, Ojisama?"
"You need work," Genma replied, "But you have many
good points to work from, almost as many as Ranma."
"Ranma," Akane growled his name and looked sullenly at
the fight, "He never goes all-out like that with me..."
"You don't turn into a boy, dear," Nodoka said patiently,
"It's my fault, really. I always told Ranma that a man does not
prove himself by fighting with women. Perhaps I should have
taught him to make more of an exception in your case."
"Because I'm not very lady like?" Akane said with both
anger and sadness.
"Any fool with eyes could see that you are a young
woman entering the flower of your beauty," Genma replied, "You
have the heart and soul of a warrior. You will make Ranma a
good wife..."
"I'm not marrying him!" Akane protested.
"Akane!" Soun said sternly.
"I'm not!" Akane said more loudly, "He's arrogant,
opinionated, insufferable and..."
"In other words much like most young men his age,"
Nodoka said sweetly, though her smile was all but transparent,
"He will grow out of it in time, you'll see."
"I doubt it!" Akane said flatly, "Sometimes I just want to
beat some sense into his fool head..."
"Good," said Genma, "Then that gives us something to
work with. If you can learn to restrain your anger it could be one
of your most devastating weapons."
"You think so?" Akane asked with a hint of pleasure in
her voice.
"I have trained the best," Genma smiled, "I know I can
train you to be as good a fighter as you want to be, just so long as
you listen to my teaching."
"I will, Ojisama!" Akane said enthusiastically, standing
up with a broad grin, "I'll go wash up and get myself ready for
school. Now..."
"Please be sure to eat your breakfast first, Akane-chan,"
Kasumi reminded her without taking her eyes off the two
combatants.
"I will, Oneechan, I promise," Akane smiled as she
headed into the House.
There was a pause before Soun spoke in a level tone,
"Saotome-kun?"
"Hai, Tendo-kun?"
"What you said just now," Soun remarked, "About
Ranma and Akane...did you mean that?"
There was a very long pause before Genma replied
evenly, "What do you think, old friend?"
Soun just sighed, "That was what I was afraid of..."
Continued. Comments/Criticism: shadowmane@ndti.net
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