I don’t own Ranma ½ or any of the other Animés in this story.

 

 

               "Speaking"  ("Language other than Japanese")  <"Thinking">

 

               Setting:  Jusenkyo, Qinghai Province, China.  Time:  approximately 12 years ago.

               There are many springs located in the cursed area known as Jusenkyo.  Few know the secret of these springs that can change people into different forms.  Fewer still know of the few permanent springs that reside there.  Even fewer in number are those that know about the one spring called blessed.  Gathered around said spring is a group numbering ten.  The group is composed of an old man looking to be in his 60's, the Jusenkyo guide, six armed men (three holding hostages), Saotome Genma, and Saotome Ranma.  "Is this the one?"  The old man asks.  Even though he appears to be in his 60's, he moves like a man in his prime.  His long gray beard reaches halfway down his chest.

               "Yes, this Blessed Spring," The Jusenkyo Guide confirms.  He is being held by one of the men.

               "The Blessed Spring?  Why have you brought us here?"  Another man being held asks.  He has been beaten rather badly.  It is hard to tell that this man was once known as Saotome Genma.

               "Shut up!"  The man holding him says.  He lets go of his bound arms and punches him in the stomach.  Genma coughs up a bit of blood after falling to his knees.

               "Pops!"  Little Ranma yells.  He tries to get to him, but he is held fast by someone.  "Are you all right?"  He asks.

               "Do I look all right boy?"  Genma sarcastically asks.  Genma looks around.  <"Damn it!">  He thinks as he gets up.  <"If only I wasn't tied up, and they didn't have all those guns, then maybe I could get away.  After all there's only seven of them.">  He looks angrily at the old man.  "So why did you kidnap us and bring us here?"  He asks.

               The old man looks at him and smiles.  "I don't have to tell you that."

               "You don't...Don't give me that!"  Genma yells at him.  "And why not?"

               "Because you're not going to be alive for much longer,” He says.  Genma's face goes white with those words.  The old man motions to the man holding Genma.

               The man smiles.  He lets go of Genma, and then knocks his feet out from under him.  "Damn it!"  Genma says in pain.  The old man turns his head in disgusted.

               The man continues to smile as he slowly pulls out a pistol and points it towards Genma.  Genma turns his head to the cold steel.  "Die," The man says just before pulling the trigger.  The bullet easily passes through Genma's chest.  Genma’s body falls into the spring and floats on the surface.

               "Pops?"  Ranma can only watch in shock and horror.  "Pops!"  He screams out.  The old man nods to the one holding Ranma.  The man lets go of Ranma, allowing him to run to his father.  The boy hops into the knee-deep water and immediately grabs his father.  "Pops!"  He screams out.

 

               Setting:  Jusenkyo, Qinghai Province, China.  Time:  Now.

               "Yaaaa!!!"  The young man known as Ranma awakens from his dream with a shout.  He immediately gets up and looks around.  Seeing no one he begins to calm down and return his breathing to normal.  After a moment he wipes the sweat from his forehead and heads to the edge of the small cliff.  He looks out of the valley and says one word.  "Jusenkyo."  He bends down and picks up the handle of a long leather duffle bag.  After putting it on his shoulder he reaches down and takes hold of something.  It is long and slender wrapped in a gray cloth.  There are no visible signs of what it could be.  He begins to walk towards the only building in the valley, the small home of the guide.

               ("There haven't been many visitors lately,") (Chinese)  The guide thinks to himself as he walks from his table to his stove.  <"The rice is nearly done,> He thinks.  He turns back to the table to get everything ready.  But stops dead in his tracks when he sees someone standing in the doorway.  The guide eyes him for a moment.  <I've seen this one before.>  After another moment of staring he finally remembers him.  ("You!")  He exclaims.  ("You're the one who was put in the Blessed Spring!")

               Ranma does nothing for a second.  Then he motions behind the guide.  ("You have enough of that for two?")  Ranma asks in perfect Chinese.  The guide smiles then nods.

 

               Setting:  Nerima, Tokyo, Japan.  Time:  Two weeks later.

               Tendo Soun is sitting down at the small table in his dining area.  He slowly sifts through the mail until he notices something unexpected, a letter from Saotome.  "Could...could it be?"  He asks himself.  He quickly rips through the envelope and begins to read.  The letter is not what he expected.  His eyes slowly water up until finally they burst.

               His wailing brings Kasumi and Nabiki to his side.  "What is wrong father?"  Kasumi asks.  Soun does not answer.  He simply points to the letter.

               Nabiki picks it up and reads it aloud.

               "Dear Mr. Tendo,

               I regret to inform you that my husband, Saotome Genma, has died.  From what I have gathered he died while training with my son, Ranma.  But from what Ranma has told me we must discuss something.  We will drop by your home to discuss the arrangement between my late husband and yourself.

                                                                                                                        Saotome Nodoka"

               Nabiki puts the letter down and looks at her still weeping father.  "So I guess this guy was a friend of yours."

               Soun nods.  "He and I trained together years ago," Soun says between the sobs.

               "What is the arrangement that Ms. Saotome spoke of?"  Kasumi asks.

               Soun suddenly stops crying and looks at the two of them.  He composes himself rather well.  "First go and get your sister," He says to Nabiki.

               Nabiki gets up and goes to the most obvious place to find her sister.  And like always she finds the young martial artist breaking bricks in the dojo.  Nabiki quickly drags Akane into the house.  "Fiancé?!?"  They all scream out.

               "Yes.  Even though Genma is gone, the pledge between our two families still stands.  I'm sure that Genma's wife and Ranma will see this and agree to the marriage," Soun explains.

               "You can't expect us to marry someone we haven't even met yet!"  Akane shouts.

               "That's easily fixed," Soun smiles.  "While Nabiki was out getting you I called Ms. Saotome.  They're headed here right now."

               "I hate boys," Akane says.

               "Is he cute?"  Nabiki asks.

               "I hope he's older than me," Kasumi asks.  "What kind of boy is Ranma?"

               "I don't know," Soun says.

               "What do you mean, you don't know?"  Nabiki asks.

               "Ranma and his father having been training for many years.  I've never met him," He explains.

               "Father..."  Akane is about to explain to her father how medieval arranged marriages are, but she is cut short by a knock at the door.

               "We have visitors," Kasumi says as she gets up and heads to the door.

               "That must be them," Soun says excitedly.  "Now I want you three to be nice to him."

               "Humph.  If he's a martial artist he should be able to take care of himself," Akane says.

               "He may not be over the lose of his father," Soun says.  "Remember how we all felt when your mother died?"  Soun asks teary-eyed.  Akane softens.  "He may need time to get over the initial lose."

              

               "Hello," Kasumi says to the young woman and teenage boy at the door.

               "Hello.  I am Saotome Nodoka," She says with a smile and a bow.

               "And I am Saotome Ranma," The boy says with a bow.

               Kasumi looks Ranma over (Ranma's appearance here isn't that different from the Manga/Anime, except his hair's a bit longer, he's a couple of inches taller, and he's more muscular).  <"This whole arranged marriage might not be too bad.">  Kasumi remember her manners after the momentary lapse.  "Please come in."

               "Thank you," The two Saotomes say as they enter.

               Kasumi leads them into the where the rest of the family are waiting, occasionally stealing a few glances at Ranma.  <"Not bad at all,"> She thinks.

 

               Nabiki immediately notices the handsome young man behind her sister.  <"Whoa,"> She thinks.  <"Please let that be Ranma.">  She struggles to keep her emotionless face.

               Akane also notices how handsome and mature Ranma looks.  <"He's cute,"> She thinks.  But her thoughts soon return to normal as she remembers the boys at school.  <"He's probably a pervert like the rest of them.">

               Ranma and Nodoka set down after introducing themselves.  Nodoka sits opposite the girls, next to Soun.  Ranma sits in the doorway and stares outside oblivious to the looks the girls are giving him.  "I'm sure that you all know why we are here," Soun says.  Everyone, save Ranma, nod.  "So who will it be, Ranma?  Kasumi, 19, Nabiki, 17, or Akane, 16.  Pick whichever you wish to marry."

               Before any of the girls can even think about the possibility of marrying Ranma, Nodoka speaks.  "Please wait just a moment Mr. Tendo.  My son and I have talked a very long time about this.  And we have come to a conclusion.”

               “What conclusion would that be?”  Soun asks.

               “Ranma will not be marrying a Tendo.”

               "But...but..the pledge...the schools," Tendo mumbles.

               "No buts.  It would seem that during the time that my husband died and Ranma returned to me, many things have happened." She explains.

               Tendo immediately uses his most dreaded attack, the Demon Head.  He aims his attack at Ranma, who has just been sitting quietly looking outside.  “YOU WILL MARRY ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS!”

               For a second Ranma does nothing.  It is as if he hasn’t noticed the attack.  Finally he turns and looks straight into Soun’s eyes and says, “No.”  With that said he returns his gaze to the outside world.

               Ranma’s response surprises Soun.  But it does not deter him from his course of action.  His Demon Head intensifies.  “IT IS A MATTER OF HONOR THAT YOU MARRY ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS AND UNITE THE SCHOOLS OF ANYTHING GOES!”

               This time Soun’s attack gets a different response from Ranma, a response that Soun did not expect, a response that only he sees.  Ranma turns to him and looks into his eyes once again.  Again he says, “No.”  But this time there is added element, a hidden threat.  For a split second Ranma allows Soun to see the real him.  His pupils become like those of a cats and gleam with an eerie power.  That, needless to say, ends Soun’s attack.

               “Now if you will excuse us.  We live in Juuban, and we should really be getting back.”

               "You live in Juuban?"  Akane asks.  Nodoka nods.  "How did you two get here so fast?"

               "Ranma is a very fast runner," Nodoka explains. 

               "One of the benefits of training so much," Ranma says with a flex of his arm. "Running across the rooftops is faster than running along the streets."

               "Really?"  Akane cracks her knuckles.  "I wouldn't mind seeing your skills then."

               Soun thinks for a moment.  "Perhaps it would be better for you and I to speak alone." 

               Nodoka turns to Ranma.  "You know how I feel about this," He says. 

               She turns back to Soun and nods.  "Akane, Nabiki, Kasumi why don't you three give Ranma a little tour?  As a martial artist I'm sure he would love to see the dojo," Soun says.

               "Of course father," Kasumi says.

               "Just don't do anything that'll mess up our budget," Nabiki says.

               Akane walks over to Ranma.  He looks up at her.  "Come on," She says cheerfully.  Ranma gets up and walks with the girls.

 

               "And this is our family's dojo," Nabiki says as they enter.

               "We're undefeated," Akane boasts.

               "Is that so?"  Ranma asks.

               "Yep," Akane says confidently.

               "Akane is very good and takes on all challengers," Kasumi says.

               "What about your father?"  Ranma asks.

               "Father hasn't done much fighting since mom died," Akane explains sadly.  "He doesn't even train me that much.  I usually train myself."  Ranma walks around the dojo examining it.  "Hey!"  Akane shouts.  Ranma looks to her.  "You want to spar?"

               Ranma sizes her up.  "Not much of a challenge," He says.

               "What?"  Akane grinds her teeth together.

               "Might as well though," Ranma says.  He shrugs his shoulders moves to a few feet away from Akane.

               <"I'll show you,"> She thinks as she gets in her stance.  She is a bit surprised to see Ranma simply standing there, with both hands in his pockets,  not even bothering to get into a fighting stance.  "Is that you're stance?"  She asks.

               "For a fight like this it is," He says without any hint of emotion in his voice.

               <"Damn him!">  Akane thinks as she rushes him.  She unleashes a furious volley of punches and kicks.  But they are nothing to Ranma.  He easily dodges and hops over the attacks with a grace that Akane finds almost elegant.  <"Damn it all!"  All right, everything into one punch!">  She unleashes a punch that could have easily put a normal person into the hospital for a month.  But Ranma isn't even there.  Akane is surprised to feel a small tap on the back of her head.  She turns and is surprised to see Ranma standing there.  He has one hand in his pocket and the other near Akane's head.

               "You lose," He says nonchalantly.  He quietly walks out of the dojo leaving three stunned girls.

               "Did you see how he did that?"  Akane asks her sisters.

               "He did a flip with a twist," Nabiki starts.

               "Then landed and tapped the back of your head," Kasumi finishes.

               "Unreal," Akane says.  She finally pulls her hand out of the wall of the dojo.  She looks at it for a second.  "I didn't even touch him.  And he wasn't even trying."  After a second Akane's anger gets the better of her, and she makes another hole in the wall.

 

               The Tendo sisters return to their father and Ms. Saotome soon after.  Ranma is already there and is in the same position he was in earlier.  There is a moment of awkward silence before Nabiki speaks.  “So who’s Ranma going to marry?”

               “No one,” Soun says.  Needless to say, all three girls are shocked.  With something as big as their families honor on the line, they thought that nothing less than an act of God would make their father give in.  They then turn to Ranma.  Three pairs of eyes go wide when they see Ranma’s arms lovingly wrapped around a purple haired girl.  Ranma is holding her close to him.  “It would seem that Ranma has already gotten married.”  Ranma smiles and kisses the girl’s cheek.  She giggles in response.  “It hurts me so to see that Genma’s son has become honorless.”  Ranma stiffens.  “To think the son of Saotome Genma has thrown away him honor and married some Chinese whore.”

               In a flash Tendo Soun is off the ground and embedded in the wall.  Ranma tightens his grip on the old man’s shirt.  Soun kicks and punches at Ranma trying to escape, but his attempts prove useless.  Akane moves to save her father, but Nodoka holds out a hand and stops her.  Nodoka smiles and nods assuringly to the young girl.  Ranma, however, is not smiling.  He’s down right pissed.  “You have no right to speak about my wife that way!  You do not know the Hell I’ve been through these last ten years.  My life has been destroyed multiple times.  First when pops took me from mom.  Then when the Old Man took pops from me.  Then when the Old Man took my family from me.  You have no right to speak about me when you know nothing about me, and the same thing goes for my wife.  And just for the record, pops sold me and engaged me to multiple families before he died.  So who’s honorless?  The one who knowingly violated your oath?  Or the one who didn’t know about it and tried to find happiness?”

               The young woman steps up beside her husband.  She places a hand on his shoulder.  “Ranma, put him down.”  Ranma nods and complies.  Ranma’s wife looks at Soun with a disgusted expression.  “I am Shampoo.  I am a Chinese Amazon.  According to the laws of my tribe I should kill you right here.”

               Soun smiles.  “Like a little girl like you could hurt me.  I….”

               The fist that buries itself in his gut cuts off Soun.  “Ranma, however, does not believe in killing when it is not necessary.  So I will settle for this.”  Shampoo takes a step back and lets Soun fall to his knees.  “If you decide to insult me or my husband again, I might slip and accidentally kill you.  After all, I’m just a Chinese whore, ne?”

               Nodoka signs as she gets up.  “Shampoo, your Japanese is getting much better.”

               Shampoo nods.  “Husband help.  I mean.  Ranma is helping me.”

               Nodoka bows to the Tendos.  “We will be leaving now.”

               Shampoo does not bow.  Instead she leaves without a word.  Ranma, however, bows.  “I did not want this to happen.  I still hope that our families can work out an arrangement that both sides will be satisfied with.”  He turns and walks out.  Kasumi follows.  She’s a proper hostess and has to make sure they find their way out all right.

               “Why that!”  Akane turns to her father.  “Don’t worry daddy.  I’ll make sure that they pay for this!”  She begins to follow after the Saotomes.

               “Akane, stop!”  Soun calls out.  She does and turns.  “Don’t go after them.  They are far more skilled than you or I.”

               “What!  I’m the best martial artist in Nerima!”  She boasts.

               “Akane!”  Soun yells out in a commanding voice.  “It maybe true that given enough time you could beat Shampoo.  But you would need a sensei far more skilled than myself.  She was holding back when she punched me.  Her speed and power are greater than yours.  As for Ranma,” Soun stops and tries to choose his words carefully.  “I have not felt power like his since I trained under my former master.  And yet, Ranma was holding back.  I could not see him move, and still I know that what he has shown us today is not even half of his power or speed.”

               Akane fumes as she listens to her father speak.  <”I don’t care what you say dad.  I’m the best martial artist in Nerima.  I’ll show this jerk that he can’t get away with what he said and did.”>