You know the drill. If you got something to say to me, send it here: oddball22@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER: I have never, nor will I ever, say I don't deny that I don't own or may or may not have created anything. I'm just a puppet, so you'll have to ask the man holding my strings... Ranma 1/2: New Challenges Winds of Change Chapter 3 Light spilled into the dojo, bringing Kenji out of his slumber. He blinked his eyes a couple of times and sat up. He stretched the kinks out of his arms and yawned. Standing up, he instinctively sniffed the air and caught the mouth-watering scent of breakfast being made. He was just about to get dressed when he heard a couple of voices outside. "Is he up yet?" Akane's voice could be heard. "I don't know," Ranma answered. "Why don't you check for yourself." "Baka." Akane's tone raised a couple of notches. "I was just going to make sure he was ready for breakfast." "Whatever." Ranma's voice trailed off as he walked away. Next Kenji heard Akane knock at the door. "Kenji-san? Are you awake?" "Yeah," he replied. "Breakfast will be ready soon." "Okay, I'll be out shortly." Kenji grabbed the clothes that were laying near his bed. They were the ones he was told he was wearing yesterday when he was found. Someone must have cleaned them, since they smelled and looked fresh. "The only link to my past," he said softly. He stood up, got dressed in the gray shirt and dark pants, and then went promptly into a few stretching exercises. As his muscles loosened, what little pain remained all but disappeared. Yet, he still couldn't recall anything further back than yesterday. "Well, that doc, what was his name? Oh yeah, Dr. Tofu said my memory would return, so I guess I can't dwell on that now." He suddenly froze in the middle of his stretching. he wondered. He finished up and headed out to the dining room after a quick stop in the bathroom. Washing his hands, he took a look at the face in the mirror. Angular cheekbones highlighted his narrow face, while a pair of unknown gray eyes stared back at him. His mostly black hair tapered down to his shoulders, but what caught his attention was the white streak. It started at the middle of his forehead and ran in a line, straight back to where his hair ended just below his neck. It scared how much he almost didn't recognize the face in the mirror. He shook his head to clear his mind, then headed out to the dining room. The family made room for him at the table and he sat down between Ranma and his father. Kenji glanced around the table, taking a look at each of the people seated there. Soun and Genma were reading the paper and Ranma was looking bored. Nabiki and Akane were engaged in a light conversation. "Sleep well, son?" Kenji turned his head to see Soun looking at him. "Hai," Kenji quickly replied. "I do feel a little better." "That's good." Soun went back to his paper while he continued to talk. "I hear Akane and Ranma are going to stop by some shops today so you can get some clothes of your own." Kenji started. "What are you talking about? I don't have any money!" "Well, we can't have you wearing the same thing everyday," Nabiki interjected. "And we can't have you keep wearing Ranma's stuff either. It's bad enough to have one person in this house who insists on wearing the same outfit everyday." Akane laughed at that but Ranma chose to just simply ignore it. Kenji boggled a little at Nabiki. He shelved that issue for the moment, as Kasumi and Nodoka began putting food on the table. Glancing over, he noticed Genma and Ranma had already jumped in and were cramming food in as fast as it would go. "Better dig in now and get something before our two vacuum cleaners inhale it all," Akane warned, indicating the two male Saotome's. Ranma paused for a second to stick his tongue out at her. Kenji nodded and picked up his chopsticks. His stomach rumbled quietly. He began to eat the pickled rice and miso soup. "This is really good!" he said between bytes. "Arigato to the cook." Kasumi blushed. "Thank you, Kenji-san. But it's really nothing special and Nodoka-obasama helped, too." The meal passed quickly, except for when Ranma 'accidentily' knocked his water glass over and splashed Kenji with it. He apologized, but Kenji got the feeling he did it on purpose. The meal ended and slowly everyone began to disperse to start on the day's activities. Soun and Genma set up a shogi table and began to play while Kasumi and Nodoka went back to the kitchen to clean. Nabiki left, saying something about debt collection, while Akane announced she was going to the dojo to workout. "You do martial arts?" Kenji asked. "Yeah," Akane confirmed. "This is a dojo." Ranma stood up. "Why don't you join us? That is, if you think you you're up to it." Kenji's eyes narrowed as he stood to follow them out to the dojo. "That's right. I still owe for for those sucker punches you hit me with yesterday." He cracked his knuckles. Ranma assumed an attack posture in the center of the room. "Then why don't you do something about it?" Kenji went into a more offensive stance. "This is where I deal some payback." "Men," Akane muttered, then glanced between the two. "Don't hurt him, Ranma." "I think you should be more worried for your boyfriend," Kenji stated with a snort, then charged. A month or two ago, Akane would have strenously denied Kenji's remark, despite the fact he had no actual clue as to their relationship. Now, there was nothing she wanted more. She wisely decided not to say anything, however. Up close, Kenji snapped a lightning fast side sick to Ranma's face, only his target was no longer there to receive it. Kenji was surprised for a split second, then adjusted his follow through. He leapt upward, dodging the return sweep, then came down on Ranma's head with a thrusting kick. The next thing he knew, several punches impacted his chest and he was flying across the room to land against the wall. "Wha...?" Kenji shook his head and stood up, noting Ranma smirking at him from the middle of the dojo floor. Anger flashed through him. "Alright, no more kid gloves! Hyah!" He flipped and somersaulted across the floor. As he reached his opponent, he lashed out with a rapid foot sweep that Ranma easilt leapt over. Kenji continued the motion while standing up, bring the same foot around at mid-chest level. Again, he met empty air. was all Kenji could think, when he felt something lightly vault off his leg and land on his head. "Come on, work with me here," Ranma said from his perch on Kenji's head. "You're not that bad." Kenji thought. His only verbal reply was a snarl, as the amnesiac young man launched a full offensive of almost blindingly fast punches and kicks. Surprisingly, Ranma blocked all of them instead of dodging, but Kenji only realized this after impacting the wall from another impromptu flight. Sitting up, he saw Ranma shake his head. "You're all speed mostly, but not much power. Just the opposite of Akane. Skill's not that bad, but there's a lot of room for improvement." Kenji rubbed the bump on his head. He now noticed Akane had been watching from the sidelines, and there was a curious expression on her face. "Well obviously he's no match for you, Ranma," Akane stated. "Maybe I should try sparring with him." Then she turned and reduced a few cement blocks to rubble. Kenji blinked. "Uh, yeah, I guess." He stood up. Ranma shrugged. "Sure, I suppose." He turned to Kenji. "Be warned, she's as tough as a gorilla!" This time Ranma went flying across the room from a punch delivered by Akane. She then turned to him and assumed a ready stance. "Well, let's go!" The amnesiac youth began to have second thoughts, but then squelched them. He brought his hands up. "Whenever you're ready." She grinned and attacked. After several hours, the trio emerged from the dojo and headed back to the house. Kenji seemed especially tired. In contrast, Ranma wasn't sweating at all and Akane seemed to be in the middle. Kenji did have to admit that Ranma was good, way too skilled for him. Even though he had found out that Ranma was pulling his punches, the impacts still hurt. was almost as fast as Ranma, but had nowhere near the strength. He was closer matched to Akane, but she was still able to hand him his head in 2 out of 3 matches. Kenji wiped his brow with a towel. "Whew! I can't remember when I had such a workout. Of course, I can't remember much of anything." He laughed, just because he was feeling a nice high from the physical workout. "I'll admit you got some potential," Ranma slapped him on the back causing Kenji to wince in pain. "Oh, sorry man. You just need to learn to keep your guard up." "I'll keep that in mind." "But seriously, you're pretty fast," he complimented. "You just need to develop more of an instinct for where your opponent is what they're gonna do. Also, do some strength training to make your attacks and blocks more effective. I noticed you tended to dodge more than block but, while that's not bad, learning to block effectively will help improve your combat skills." "Why don't you grab a hot bath, Kenji-san," Akane suggested. "Than we'll take you to Ucchan's for lunch." "Sure, why not," he replied. "Hey Ranchan, hi Akane-chan," a girl across the counter greeted the three as they entered the restaurant known as `Ucchan's.' Then she frowned as she noticed Kenji. "Who's your friend?" Ranma waved. "Hey Ucchan! This is Kenji." Kenji stepped forward and bowed. "Ohayo, Ms...?" Ukyo smiled and returned the bow. "Kuonji Ukyo, but you can call me Ukyo." "Pleased to meet you, Ukyo-san." Kenji sniffed the air. "Mmmm, that smells pretty good." Ukyo grinned as she poured some batter onto the grill. "Sure is, sugar." "Ucchan makes the best okonomiyaki in all of Japan," Ranma explained while taking a stool by the grill. Akane sat next to him and Kenji sat down next to her. He took a moment to study this new girl. Quite attractive, he realized, with the ribbon in her long chestnut-colored hair and the purple shirt she wore. The black pants fit quite tightly and Kenji had to avert his eyes, lest he be caught staring at her legs. Then he noticed the huge spatula she had strapped to her back, as well as the bandoleer of smaller spatula's across her chest. Kenji's brow furrowed in thought as Ranma and Akane made their orders. "What would you like on yours, Kenji-san?" Ukyo asked him. "Oh, I don't have any money..." his voice trailed off. "Don't worry about, it's on the house!" "Arigato," Kenji thanked her. "In that case, give me your specialty." She nodded and began to work, talking as she prepared the meals. "You know, I don't think I heard your full name, Kenji-san." His face fell. "I don't remember..." Ukyo looked puzzled, prompting Akane to explain the details of yesterday. She explained his unexpected arrival and amnesia, but left out his attacking of Kasumi, to the young man's surprise. When she was finished, Ukyo looked sympathetic. "Poor dear," he offered. "Don't worry though, I'm sure it'll come back. And Tofu-sensei is the best there is. He'll find a way!" Kenji nodded and Ukyo took a moment to study the newcomer while she prepared the meals. He was slightly thinner than Ranma and a tad shorter. He also appeared less muscular too, but from looking at his sleeveless arms it was obvious he wasn't entirely weak either, and she came came to the same conclusion as Ranma, that he was a martial artist of sorts. she deduced as she read his body language in case she had to fight him. His hair was mostly black and hung loosely down to his shoulders. A small white streak ran down in the middle part of his hair, from his forehead to the ends. Deep gray eyes promised to draw her in and she had to look away lest they do just that. she mused with an internal grin. She allowed that grin to the surface as she finished the meals, plopped them onto three plates, and served them. Ranma was quick to dig in as usual, while Akane ate at a slower pace. Kenji tried a piece. "Well, how is it?" Ukyo asked after he had swallowed. "Very good," Kenji complimented her. Ukyo smiled in thanks. "Arigato, Kenji-san. So, have you given any thought to what you're gonna do now?" "I really hadn't thought about it much," he replied after a moment. "I was thinking of leaving soon to look for any signs of my real family. Or at least people who know me." "Japan is a big place," Ukyo countered. "You have any leads?" He reluctantly shook his head. "No, but what else can I do?" "You might as well stay here, Kenji-san," Akane suggested. "You're best chance to get your memory restored lies with Tofu-sensei. Once you've got that back, then you'll know for certain where your family is." Ukyo nodded. "I have to agree with Akane-chan." An idea seemed to pop into her head. "Say, how about coming to school in the meantime?" Kenji frowned. "Why?" "Well, you are 17, and truency is somewhat enforced around here," Ukyo replied. "If it's discovered you aren't attending school, you could get into some trouble. And I'm sure you can get transferred to your real school once you find out where you live. I should know; I had to attend a couple different schools as I wandered around Japan." Ranma nodded. "Me too. That's one thing Pop couldn't get away with a whole lot. He wanted me to train all the time, but truency officers caught us a couple of times and forced him to send me to school." Ukyo chuckled. "And you'll like Furinken. One thing I'll say, you'll never get bored!" Ranma shook his head while Ukyo and Akane snickered. Kenji guessed it must be some kind of inside joke. After they calmed down, Ukyo inquired as to their plans for the day and Akane informed her that they were just going to get a few extra pairs of clothes for Kenji, so he had something to wear. Then added that they should get him a school uniform as well. Ukyo became excited. "Shopping! Ooh, can I come with you?" Ranma gulped down the rest of his meal. "What about your restaurant?" he asked. "Konatsu-kun should be back soon, and he can handle the light crowd I have between the lunch and dinner crowds," Ukyo answered. They finished up their meals and headed outside when Konatsu came back. Ranma seemed to focus in on something and tapped Ukyo on the shoulder. When she looked up at him, he pointed to... a mailbox? Kenji realized, and watched as Ukyo became visibly upset and unholstered her huge spatula. Fascinated, he continued to observe as she flattened the mailbox, then scooped it up and swung at it, batter style, launching into the sky. His eyes grew even wider as he beheld a female face popping out of it. "Ukyo-sama, I love youuuuuuuuuuuu!" the face said as it sped out of sight. "And don't come back!" Ukyo yelled. Kenji scratched his head. "Uh...." He struggled for words. Ukyo replaced her battle spat'. "Don't ask. Let's go." They departed for the mall and the young amnesiac decided to push the incident out of his mind for now. Ukyo gathered info from Ranma and Akane about how much they had told the new boy, and was warned about keeping an eye on him. She agreed and dropped back to talk to him herself. Finally, when he could contain his curiosity no longer, he asked about the huge spatula on her back. She laughed and wondered why he didn't ask sooner and he replied that he didn't want to be rude. "Awww, polite to the end." Ukyo smiled at him. "We just might have to keep you around." Kenji blushed mildly, causing Ukyo to laugh. She told him a bit about her life in Nerima, the restaurant, school, and her relationship with Ranma that went way back. Kenji was just about to ask her another question when he sensed something coming from above. At first he thought it was going to hit him or Ukyo, so he pulled her to the side, just as it slammed into Ranma. "Ni Hao!" came the greeting from the figure on the bicycle. It was a Chinese girl with long purple hair and carrying a delivery box in one hand. "Shampoo brought special ramen for husband! In return, Ranma can take Shampoo for lunch date!" "Ranma's married, AND he has a fiancee?" Kenji asked in surprise. Shampoo turned her eyes looking for the voice, and saw Kenji. "Who you?" He shrugged indifference, but couldn't help but notice how well... endowed the purple-haired girl was. "The name's Kenji." The woman smiled slightly as Akane stepped in. "Kenji-san, this is Shampoo. Shampoo, meet Kenji," she said flatly. "And no, Ranma's not married to her." Shampoo frowned. "Violent tomboy find new fiance so Ranma belong Shampoo now?" Akane fumed while Kenji blinked. "I'm just a guest at their house for the moment." "Do you mind getting off me now?" came a voice from under the bicycle. Shampoo backed off a bit allowing Ranma to get to his feet. A tire mark ran down his face. "First off, I've already eaten lunch, and second of all, I ain't your fiance! How many times do I have to tell you!?" Akane began to walk off. "Well, you can have him!" She smiled to herself when she turned her back. "Akane, wait!" Ranma ran after her, a smile on his lips too. Kenji was about to say something when Ukyo laid a hand on his arm and shook her head. "They'll be fine," she told him. Shampoo looked slightly upset, then her beeper went off. "Hmph, fine then. Shampoo have other deliveries to make." She bicycled off. As Ukyo and Kenji made to catch up with Ranma and Akane, Kenji made a comment. "I don't know what my life was like before, but it couldn't have had as many strange people in it." Ukyo smiled. "You have no idea..." Kenji could only cock his head in confusion. In her room, Nabiki completed her logon to the internet. The computer was a definite improvement over her ledger, and she had easily been able to afford it with the money she made from picture sales and the bets she took on the various fights at Furinken. The bait was a preliminary profile on Kenji she had compiled, and now was the time to throw it out onto the internet and see if she could get a bite. In addition to several pictures she had taken of him, she added the rest of the information she knew. Personal Name: Kenji Family Name: Unknown Age: 17 Height: 5'5" Weight: approximately 125 lbs. Hair: black with white stripe down the middle Character Info: Appeared in our yard yesterday and claimed he had no memory of who he was. Suffers from headaches if he tries to remember. Possess some martial arts skill, a black belt rating. If you have any info, e-mail: icequeen@hotmail.com. Nabiki clicked the send button, and the profile was delivered to all her contacts and posted to several sites. Then she leaned back in her chair. Now all she had to do was wait. The mall was pretty crowded, but the four managed to work from store to store. At almost every clothing shop, Akane and Ukyo picked out numerous outfits for Kenji to try on, and a few for themselves as well. By the end of the day, Kenji would look back and see that at least half his time was spent in the changing rooms. He went along with it, only because they were his hosts and were paying for new clothes. He noticed Ranma, for the most part, just hung back and didn't say much. To Kenji, he looked like a fish out of water, always scanning the crowd for an escape route or something. During a period of relative rest, the young amnesiac was seated on a bench while Akane dragged Ranma into a store saying something about how he needed some new shoes. With nothing else to do at the moment, Ukyo sat down next to him. "But, Akane, I don't need new shoes!" Ranma complained when they were in the store. "Oh shut up," she told him and then pointed. "I just wanted you to see something." Ranma's eyes followed where she pointed and he saw Ukyo and Kenji sitting next to each other, happily talking away. "So, what's the big deal?" Akane frowned at him. "Are you that blind? I think they're hitting it off!" Ranma choked. "Nani?" "They seem to like each other and I think this will really help both of them, since Ukyo's still seems kind of depressed." "The guy's only been around since yesterday and we don't know anything about him!" Ranma exclaimed when regained control of himself. "I hope you're not thinking of tryin' to play matchmaker or nothin'..." The look on Akane's face told him she was thinking along those lines. "Ah, geez, just leave 'em alone. They'll get along fine without your help." "Like you're a big expert on relationships!" she yelled at him. "Hey I can't help it if I'm so good-looking that girls naturally fall all over me; You're the uncute one, remember?" As soon as he finished speaking Ranma mentally kicked himself, then instinctively braced for what would happen next. And happen it did. Just because they had been getting along better, didn't mean the end of their little tiff's. In one fluid motion, the extra-dimensional mallet appeared in Akane's hand and left it's impact on Ranma's head. He fell over and landed on his back, doing a good impersonation of a dead bug. "Baka," she muttered, then grabbed an arm and dragged him out of the store. "Come on, we're leaving," she told an astonished Kenji and a chuckling Ukyo as she passed them. A quick look at Ukyo confirmed that he shouldn't say anything and just follow. As they left, Kenji couldn't help but shake his head and wonder if the life he had before was anything like this.