Chapter Three

 

Time Off

 

            Ranma yawns as he opens up his window.  He smiles as he watches the sun rise.  (“To think that I would meet up with Hino-sensei after all this time.”)  He lets his mind wonder back.  (“How many years has it been?  8?  9?  Maybe even 10?”)

 

 

            Flashback

            It is morning.  A light rain has fallen dampening the earth.  But the sun will soon rise and dry the world.  Genma walks down the road with Ranma.  Ranma, who is six maybe seven, looks up at his father.  “Where are we goin’ today?”

            Genma signs.  “Must I tell you again?”  Genma asks.  Ranma nods.  “We are looking for a man that is supposed to live around here.  From what I’ve heard he has mastered the Neko-ken.”

            Ranma shudders.  “Why are we looking for him?”

            Genma smacks Ranma on the back of the head.  “You couldn’t master that simple technique!  Hopefully this man can tell where you went wrong!”  Genma yells.  Ranma rubs the back of his head.  He doesn’t say a word.  He’s too afraid to upset his father.  After walking for maybe another hour Genma stops.  “Lets rest here for a second.”  Genma sits down on a bench.  He looks back to his son and notices that Ranma hasn’t sat down yet.  Instead the boy is looking up at the Shinto Shrine in front of them.  “What’s wrong, boy?”

            “I ain’t sure.  I…I…Something’s callin’ me.”

            “Calling you?”  Genma stares at the boy.  (“Maybe he’s finally lost it?”)  Without uttering another word Ranma rushes to the shrine.  “Ranma! Wait!”  But Ranma pays him no heed.  Instead he makes it up the shrine’s steps with three leaps and disappears into it.  Genma rushes after the boy.  (“Damn it!  I’m goin’ beat some discipline into that boy!”)  Genma rounds a corner and is surprised to see Ranma sitting in front of a priest.

            The priest looks up at Genma and frowns.  “So you were the one who taught this innocent the Neko-ken.”  It is not a question, more like a statement.

            Genma humphs.  “So what if I did.  If the boy’s too weak to learn a simple technique like the Neko-ken than he ain’t fit to be my heir.”

            “A simple technique you say?”  The priest’s hand glows an eerie red.  “You fool!”  The glow flares into a claw.  “The Neko-ken is all but impossible to master.  This boy has more potential than I have ever seen, but even he should not have been taught the forbidden technique!”  Genma does not look impressed.  The priest lets the glow and the claw die out.  “Leave.  Come back in two months.”

            Genma arches an eyebrow.  “I refuse.  The boy maybe weak, but he is my heir.”

            “If you want your heir to learn this simple technique than you will leave him with me for two months.”

            Genma eyes the priest for a second.  Finally he nods.  “Very well.  But you have two months.  After that I will be back.”  Genma turns and leaves.

            “Boy?”  The priest asks.  “What is your name?”

            “Ranma…Saotome Ranma.”

            “Ranma eh?  It suits you.  You may call me Hino…Hino-sensei.”

            Ranma smiles.  “Hai sensei!”

            End Flashback

 

 

            (“Those two months were some of the best and hardest times of my life,”) Ranma muses.  He smiles as he recalls the first time Hino-sensei had shown him a cat.  (“I spent the rest of the day fixing the hole in the wall.”)  Ranma’s smile disappears as he remembers something else.  (“I also found out another reason why the Neko-ken is forbidden.  Me and Hino-sensei nearly died ta learn that leason.”)  Ranma is pulled from his musings by a knock at the door.  (“Who could that be so earlier in the morning?”)  Ranma opens the door and is a bit surprised to see a rather large man on the other side.  “What are you doing here Namaru?”  Ranma asks.

            The man smiles.  “You said stop by Sunday for lessons didn’t ya?”  Ranma nods.  “It’s Sunday, so I’m here.”

            Ranma frowns and shakes his head.  “I didn’t think ya’d be here this early.”  He steps back.  “Come on in.  We’ll get started after I eat.”

            The man shrugs his shoulders and enters.  “That’s fine with me.”

 

 

            Makoto frowns as she walks through the park.  (“The best school of martial arts?  What could it be?  I don’t think it would be one of the usual schools like karate, judo, or something like that.  So what?”)  She thinks.  A thought suddenly occurs to her.  “Could it be…the Neko-ken?”

            “Is that all you got?”  A voice yells out.

            “Shut up!”  Another one yells.

            (“What’s that?”)  Mako wonders towards the voices.  She makes her way through a small grouping of trees and emerges into a clearing.  She stops dead when she notices what’s going on.  In the clearing are two people, one nearly six and a half feet tall and built like a bodybuilder.  The only is… “Ranma?”

 

 

            Ranma does not notice the small crowd around him.  It is still early in the morning and only around ten people have stopped to watch the sparring match.  Course, it’s more like Ranma’s dodging while Namaru is trying to hit him with everything he’s got.  “Can’t you move any faster?”  Ranma asks with a smirk.

            “Jerk!”  Namaru yells out as he unleashes a roundhouse.

            Ranma leans back and avoids the kick by a few inches.  “Tell me again why I’m doin’ this.”

            Namaru jabs at Ranma as he answers.  “Cause you need the money.”

            “Oh yeah.”  Ranma swats the jabs away.

            “You can counterattack at anytime,” Namaru reminds him.

            “I can?”  Ranma asks as he sidesteps a snap kick aimed at his stomach.  “You sure?  I maybe be going easy on ya, but ya still might get hurt.”

            Namaru smirks and hops back.  He drops into a defensive stance.  “Just don’t hurt me too bad.  I have to fight tomorrow.”

            “All right.”  Namaru tenses as he waits for the inevitable.  “Here…,” Ranma sets his feet.  “I…,” He cocks his fist.  “Come!”  He lashes out at Namaru. 

            “Kuso,” Namaru mouths.  He knows he’s lost.  He sees the punch coming but makes no move to stop it.  It connects with his gut and drives the air from his lungs.  He falls to the ground clutching his stomach.

            After a minute he raises his head and looks to Ranma.  “That will be 100,000 yen (around $800, I think),” Ranma says as he holds out his hand.

            Namaru smiles and reaches into his pocket.  “So what did I do wrong?”  He asks as he puts the money in Ranma’s hands.

            Ranma pockets the money then speaks.  “You gave up.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “As soon as I started to attack you gave in and that’s why you lost.  It wasn’t because I was faster or stronger.”

            “I see.”

            “If there’s one thing I learned from that bastard it’s this: don’t ever give up.”

            Namaru thinks for a second then nods.  “Hai.  I will see you tomorrow.”  He bows, Ranma returns the bow.  Then Namaru leaves.

            Ranma smiles and turns back for his apartment.  He stops when he recognizes someone in the crowd.  “Kuso.”

 

 

            “That was amazing Ranma!”  Mako says as she walks up to the young man.

            “Really?”

            “You handled that guy easily, and he was allot bigger than you!”

            “Ah…Mako could you do me a favor?”  Ranma asks nervously.

            Mako arches an eyebrow.  “What do ya need?”  She asks.

            “Please don’t tell anybody about this!”  He bows to her and pleads.

            “Huh?  Why not?”

            “I don’t want anyone ta know.  I only taught Namaru cause he begged me, and I needed the money,” He explains.

            “I won’t tell…if you do something for me.”

            Ranma waits for her to finish.  When it becomes obvious that she is not going to continue he just asks.  “What do you need?”

            Mako smiles and winks at the young man.  “A date.”

            “A…A date?”  Ranma practically screams.

            “Yeah.”

            Ranma thinks for a second be signing and nodding.  “All right.  I’ll take ya on a date.”  (“Great!  I really don’t need this!”)  “When?”

            “How’s tonight?”

            “I’m free.”

            “Good.  We’ll meet back here tonight at six, k?”

            “Hai, hai.”  Ranma answers in a joking tone.

            Mako and Ranma share a laugh.  Then Mako remembers what she was thinking about before the fight distracted her.  “Ranma…I’ve been thinking…About what you asked me yesterday.”

            Mako looks at Ranma and is a bit surprised to see a confused look on the pigtailed youth.  “What did I ask you yesterday?”

            Mako facefaults but quickly recovers.  “I asked you about the Neko-ken, and you said that you’d tell me about it if I could answer your question.”

            Ranma smacks his palm with his fist.  “Oh that’s right.  What is the best martial arts school?  That was the question right?”  Mako nods.  “So do you have an answer?”

            “I think so.”  She takes her time trying to think of the best way to answer the question.  “I figured that I could eliminate the usual school like karate, etc., right?”  Ranma nods.  “Then it came to me.  The best school of martial arts has to be the Neko-ken!”  Mako turns to Ranma.  “Am I right?”

            Ranma shakes his head.  “No.  You’re wrong.”

            Mako looks at him in confusion.  “If the Neko-ken isn’t the best school than what is?”

            Ranma smiles and begins to walk around the park.  “It was a good guess.  You chose a school that ain’t widely known.  But it ain’t the best.  To be honest it was a trick question.”

            “A trick question?”

            Ranma nods.  “There ain’t no best school.  They all have their strengths and weaknesses.  The Neko-ken is probably the most powerful school I’ve ever seen.  But it’s got some major weaknesses.  Amazon Wu Shu probably has the best techniques I have ever seen.  Mutsubetsu Kakuto Ryu is probably the oddest school around.  But it’s also one of the best.  I think it’s the best.”

            “But you said that there is no best school.”

            “There isn’t.  Mutsubetsu Kakuto Ryu is…well…” Ranma struggles to find the right words to describe his own school.  “Mutsubetsu Kakuto Ryu’s most basic form is kempo.  But when ya get more advanced it stops being any one form.  It takes on pieces of every style around.  It’s not really a single school.  That’s why it’s not the best school.”

            “I see.”  Mako frowns.  “So this means you won’t tell me about the Neko-ken, huh?”

            “Ask me after tonight.”  He winks at Mako.  “If I’m in a really good mood maybe I’ll tell ya.”

            Mako smiles and nods.  “I’ll make sure we have a really good time tonight!”

 

 

            “I still don’t get it.”  Ranma scratches his head as he and Mako exit the movie theater.

            “His lover died, so instead of living without her, he killed himself.  It’s romantic.”  Mako has a dreamy-eyed look about her.

            “Romantic?  That’s pretty stupid if you ask me,” Ranma says as he and Mako walk along the dark sidewalks of Tokyo.

            “Why’s that?”  Mako asks.

            “Only a weak willed person would choice death over life.  I would want my lover to keep living.  If she lives than I live through her love for me.”

            “Ranma…that’s…”  Mako struggles to find the words to describe what he has just said.

            “Stupid?”  Ranma asks.

            Mako smiles and shakes her head.  “No.  That’s very romantic.”

            “It is?”  A confused Ranma asks.

            Mako nods.  “Yep.  Now that I think about it you’re right dying just because someone else died is pretty stupid.”

            “Well it’s not the dumbest thing I ever see.  You should have seen some of the stuff Oyagi did.”

            Mako laughs.  “Was he a very funny man?”  Mako stops laughing when she hears none coming from Ranma.  She looks and is surprised to see anger adorning his face.  “Ranma, daijobuu?”

            Ranma is snapped out of his musings by Mako’s voice.  “Huh?”  He looks down at Mako, then her words register.  “Oh yeah, I was just thinking about Oyagi.  And no he wasn’t funny.”  He shakes his head and mumbles.  “Not funny at all.”  Ranma shakes his head and smiles.  “Well a promise is a promise.”

            “Ara?”  Mako is confused.

            “I said I’d tell you about the Neko-ken, so I’ll tell,” Ranma explains.

            “But you said you’d only tell if you were in a good mood.”

            Ranma smiles.  “I am in a good mood.  This is the most funny I’ve had since…since…” He pauses and tries to remember the last time he had this much fun.  “I can’t remember when I had this much fun.”

            (“But we haven’t done anything major.  Have you really had that bad of a life?”) Mako wonders.

            “So what do you want to know about the Neko-ken.  Ask anything.”

            “Anything?”

            “Yeah.  As long as it doesn’t deal with when, where, how, and who came up with the Neko-ken I can probably answer it.  There’s probably only a handful of people that know more about the Neko-ken than I do,” There is no pride in Ranma’s voice.  He does, however, try to keep his cheery tone through his speech.

            “All right.  What is the Neko-ken?”

            “A martial arts technique designed around cats.”

            “It’s really forbidden?”

            “Yep.  Has been for…50 years, I think.”

            “Why?”

            “The training.”

            Mako nods.  “One of my friends said that the training was impossible to survive.”

            “Impossible…” Ranma thinks for a second.  “Nothing’s impossible.  It’s just really, really hard to survive.”

            “Why?”

            “The training’s really easy to do.  Take one student under the age of ten, tie them in fish sausages, and throw them in a pit with starving cats.”

            Mako goes white.  “You’re joking, right?”  Ranma shakes his head.  “That’s horrible!”

“Repeat until student is dead, insane, or has learned the technique.  Most students don’t even make it up to five times in the pit.  Even then most of them die or go insane.”

“So that’s why the Neko-ken isn’t the best school, huh?”

Ranma stops and thinks.  “That’s one of the school’s weaknesses.  If you’re lucky enough to survive the training then odds are you’ll be insane.  If you’re not insane then you’re scared of cats for the rest of your life.”

“But I know someone who trained in the Neko-ken, and he’s not scared of cats.”

“Some people were able to overcome the fear but there haven’t been many.”

“What about different levels?”

Ranma sighs and looks up at the sky.  “There are legends about people who have mastered the Neko-ken to the point where they can transform into things that are half-cat, half-human.  But no one knows how to do it.”

Mako turns and looks Ranma in the eyes.  “How do you know so much about the Neko-ken?”

Ranma grins that cocky grin that has been the end of many martial artists (and the beginning of many female infatuations).  “I know allot about the Art.”

Mako smiles and laughs.

 

Ranma walks towards his house.  (“It was nice,”) He comments about his date with Mako.  He smiles as he continues on.

“Please sir,” A voice calls out to him.  Ranma turns and is surprised to see a dirt old man with is hand open towards him.  “Please spare some yen for an old man.”

Ranma smiles and dips into his pockets.  He takes out some money and hands it to the man.  “Here ya go.  That’s all I’ve got.”

The old man smiles and bows.  “Thank you!  Thank you for remembering the Forgotten.”

“The Forgotten?”  Ranma asks.  “What’s that?”

“We homeless call ourselves that.  We are the Forgotten.  No one even notices when we disappear,” The man says with some sadden.

“Disappear?”  Ranma frowns.  (“He didn’t say die.”)  He kneels and looks the old man in the eyes.  “Tell me…who is making the Forgotten disappear?”