[Ranma][Fanfic] The Pursuit of Happiness Act2 Prelude & Chapter 1
RPM - acct 3/5
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< > - English
// // - emitted from a P.S. system, telephone, or other
electric medium.
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The Pursuit Of Happiness
Act 2 Prelude
Kings, Queens, and Assorted Pawns
---------------------------------
She had no idea what to say.
What do you tell someone when you unexpectedly wake up in
the same bed with him? Especially when you might've been
kissing him? Ukyou certainly had no idea. Her mind was a
mess after the realization of the situation settled in.
Before they could talk about it, Ryouga got lost. He was
stumbling around one moment, gone and probably off to
Siberia the next. For better or worse, that's just how he
was.
She didn't know whether to be mad or thankful.
What were they going to do? How did he feel about her?
She wasn't even entirely sure how she felt about him. All
she knew was that she missed him when he wasn't around.
Why did things have to get complicated? She didn't want
this. Things were simple before, and that's the way she
liked it.
Hey, wait a minute...
This was Ranma's fault. Definitely. If he'd just let
her go home like she wanted to, this mess wouldn't
have happened.
He was joking about her and Ryouga being romantically
involved all the time. Could he have set them up?
Of course he could have. He was GENMA'S son. Maybe he
thought he was doing his old friend a favor, but she TOLD
him to keep his nose out, didn't she? She'd have to give
him a good swift kick in the ass the next time she saw him.
The jerk.
And so there she was, standing there at the crack of
dawn, polishing her grill, staring at the sun.
And she still had no idea what to say.
---
Ryoga had no idea what to do.
This... absolutely nothing prepared him for the disaster
that THIS might be. What was she thinking? Was she mad at
him? Did she think he was a pervert? Was he a pervert?
What if... what if he DID do something?!
He stopped where he was (in some urban street, he didn't
even care where anymore) and leaned warily against the lamp
post. Things were simple before. She was there. He worked
for her. They kept each other company. She was his friend.
He was her friend. Although sometimes, just sometimes, she
made him feel light-headed and a bit self-conscious, and
when she smiled it was just...
No. Nononono. That was the same line of thought that
probably got him into this mess to start with.
*Sigh*
If only she-
No.
He didn't want to lose what he had, even if the reward
might've been something better. The possibility of being
alone again was something he couldn't bear to even think
about.
With that inner conflict temporarily resolved, he had one
thing left to worry about.
"What am I gonna say to her?"
"Say to who?"
Ryouga froze.
The voice was young, a bit sharp, and definitely female.
Surely, he thought, that couldn't be Ukyou.
He turned around.
It was.
"Um... er... nothing, never mind," said Ryouga. He
laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head, and
laughed nervously yet again.
Ukyou didn't seem amused.
"Just in time to be late to school," she said with a
frown.
She was clearly upset. He hated it when she was upset,
and right now he was too tired to deal with it.
"Just... go ahead without me, okay?"
"Don't be stupid. You'll get lost again without me," she
snapped.
"If you wait for me you'll just be late," argued Ryouga.
"I'm just trying to be nice, you jerk!" snapped Ukyou.
Ryouga threw his hands in the air. "THIS is what I was
trying to avoid! Now you're late AND you're mad!"
"I wouldn't be mad if you weren't being stupid about
this!"
"You're the one that's being stupid about this!"
"Just go and change already!" bellowed Ukyou. Without
waiting for any more arguments, she grabbed him by the ear,
stormed back into Ucchan's, and tossed him in his room.
The door slammed, equally by both parties. Ukyou took a
few steps away from the door then leaned against the wall.
Well. Things were back to usual.
Thank goodness.
There was a part of her, a small part, that was
disappointed. It screamed that this was one hell of a way to
get out of the situation. Pretend it didn't happen?
Nonsense!
She managed to ignore that voice.
Ukyou smiled, ever so slightly, and sighed in relief.
Were she able to see through walls, she'd see that Ryouga
was too.
---
It was a fine morning, with skies that had that certain
perfect balance of clouds and blue sky. The pleasant nature
of this morning was lost to most, as they were busy rushing
from point A to point B. Two individuals ignored the
morning rush. They had a point A and a point B, but unlike
the others they just didn't have strict time limits.
Therefore, they were enjoying the morning.
At first glace, there were two young boys, both in suits,
sitting at a table in a recently opened western style cafe.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice that one suit was
somewhat baggy and a little soot-stained, and the other was
tailored to fit exactly and was spotless. After even
further inspection, one would find out that the one in the
soot-stained suit was, in fact, a girl.
If anyone were to ask if the boy and girl were a couple,
a severe mauling (possibly to death) by both parties would
have been the result.
As it stood, this was more of a negotiation for peace
than a breakfast date.
"Noori, how very... surprising to se you," said the boy,
a touch of acid in his voice.
The girl merely gave a one-eyed glare. "Muhoshin, up
yours."
"Finally learned to say it in Japanese, I see."
Now that the opening insults were traded, they settled in
for the morning meal. A waitress arrived a few seconds
later and they placed their order.
"Kyoto omelette for me," said Ryo.
"Mt. Fuji special for me," said Noori.
"Separate checks," they said in unison.
After a brief puzzled look from the waitress, she
departed, leaving the two to discuss current matters in
peace.
"I assume you've registered to be in the King of Nerima
tournament," said Ryo.
Noori nodded. "You?"
"Hibiki will be there. Can't pass up this opportunity."
"So until then... cease fire?" asked Noori.
"Unpleasant prospect," grumbled Ryo.
"It is only a few days away now," said Noori.
"Very true, very true."
There was a moment of silence as the two sipped their tea
in a surprising moment of tranquility. They watched
impassively as the people on the street buzzed back and
forth in the 'rat race'. Neither martial artist envied the
masses, considering them all a part of the life less
interesting.
"It is generally known," said Ryo, "why I'm out to skewer
Hibiki. Your motives, however, are a mystery. Care to tell
your tale?"
Tanya thought about it, then shrugged.
She took a deep breath, then told it.
Ryo blinked.
"That's... it?" he asked.
Tanya scowled. "What do you mean, 'that's it'?!"
"That's it? That is all? Nothing else?" Ryo was
expecting something rather earth-shattering, like, say,
Ryouga being an ex-boyfriend, or perhaps a bitter rival.
Neither was the case.
"Is there nothing more?" he asked again, clearly mocking
her.
Noory 'hmph'ed, turned away from Muhoshin, and finished
her tea. <S'important to ME, an'that's enough.>
"And people thought I was shallow."
---
Breakfast at Furinkan was not unlike the prelude to a
boxing match. At first, a few people would wander in early,
usually getting the good seats. These people were either
the Accidentally Early or the Fanatically Early.
Manami was a part of the Accidental group.
She'd come to school earlier than she'd expected to, and
had some time to kill. She grabbed a breakfast sandwich at
the cafeteria and a soda, then looked for a good spot to
relax for a bit.
While wandering around, she couldn't help but notice the
growing crowd of students making their way to the front of
the school.
Some were watching from the windows of classrooms, others
were taking seats by the courtyard. Manami wondered what
was going on as she wandered around the front doors, then
noticed two girls waving at her.
"Hey, Manami! Over here!" yelled Yuka.
"Um, hi guys."
"C'mon, you'll miss the morning show," said Sayuri.
"Morning show? What morning show?" asked Manami.
The two girls stared at her.
"What action? Manami, you've been in this school for a
couple of months and you DON'T know?" asked Sayuri.
"Um, no?"
Yuka grinned. "Come with us, then. We've got a good
view and some binoculars."
The three walked up the stairs to the second floor, into
one of the classrooms where Nabiki was watching out the
window with binoculars while other girls were writing up
numbers on the chalkboard and talking to other students.
The room was loud with the chatter of numbers. The exact
nature of these numbers she couldn't tell.
"G'morning, boss," said Sayuri and Yuka.
"Good morning ladies," said Nabiki. "Looks to be a good
show today. Our stars are fully rested and they know their
lines."
"What show?" asked Manami timidly.
"Oh, Manami, didn't notice you there," said Nabiki.
"Sorry about that."
"Not a lot of people do," she mumbled, unheard by the
others.
Nabiki handed her a pair of binoculars. "Here ya go."
"Ah, what am I going to do with these?" she asked.
"Watch the front gate. It should start aaaaaany minute
now."
The four watched from their 2nd floor perch, although
Manami still wasn't sure what for.
"Blue-1 is in position," said Sayuri.
"Red-1 on approach," said Yuka. "Coming in fast."
"Blue-1? Red-1?" asked Manami.
Yuka pointed to Kuno, who was now in the middle of the
courtyard in a battle stance.
"Blue-1," she explained.
Then she pointed out in the distance to Ranma, who was
running up to the gates at a high speed.
"Red-1," said Yuka.
Sayuri focused on Ranma and announced, "Red-1 ETA 5, 4,
3, 2, 1... we have contact!"
The whole classroom moved to the window and looked on as
Ranma ran right into Kuno. There was a brief scuffle, then
lots of violence as Ranma rained down dozens of hits on
Kuno, finishing with an uppercut that sent Kuno into low
earth orbit and over the school fence.
"Time?" asked Nabiki.
Sayuri looked at her stopwatch. "15 seconds." In
response, some in the room cheered, while many others
groaned.
"This... happens every morning? asked Manami.
"Yep," said Sayuri. "This is the morning show."
"And the gambling?" asked Manami.
"A tradition since those two started their rivalry," said
Sayuri.
"Ladies, how'd we do?" asked Nabiki.
"Did good, boss, did good," said Yuka. "Tho Hiroshi and
Daisuke nailed us again."
"As long as we're in the green," said Nabiki.
While Sayuri and Yuka walked with Nabiki back into the
room to tally the day's results, Manami continued to look
out the window, still surprised at the strangeness of the
situation, when she spotted someone else out there walking
slowly towards the school.
"Hikaru-kun! Hi!"
Gosunkugi, who usually didn't get any greetings, looked
around in confusion. Someone calling him? Couldn't be.
"Hikaru-kun!"
Gosunkugi finally looked up to see Manami waving at him.
"Manami-san! Hi!"
The schoolground was abuzz. A girl talking to Gosunkugi
was... not part of the normal. It was abnormal. There were
a few that knew the two were friends already, but only a
few. The campus as a whole was generally surprised.
Nabiki hmmed. "Hey guys, how much you wanna bet those
two become an item?"
Manami blushed slightly and turned around. "W-we're not
like that, really!"
Sayuri tsked. "The way he's around you a lot, I'm
surprised."
"Yeah," said Yuka. "You two'd make a good pair."
"You really think so?" asked Manami.
"How many boys offer to carry your books anymore?" asked
Yuka. "I see him doing that for you every now and then."
"How many boys do you know pull a bouquet of flowers from
their sleeve and give'em to you?" asked Sayuri.
"Or pull those cute rabbits outta hats and give'em to you
for pets?" asked Yuka, referring to the time a half dozen
small bunnies jumped out of Gosunkugi's hat during lunch
several days ago. "Pretty good trick, that. Impressed
everyone." Then she paused. "Say, are you keeping all those
rabbits?"
Manami frowned. "Actually, they ran away the day after
he gave them to me. I don't know how they got away,
though. I thought the cage was locked. Hm."
"Anyway, the two of you just seem... like a good match,"
said Yuka. "Two quiet shy people, y'know?"
"I-I guess..." said Manami uncertainly.
Nabiki cut in, tapping Manami on the shoulder. "Hate to
interrupt but class is in a minute."
"Oh my!" She gathered her belongings and scrambled to
the door. "See you guys later!"
Nabiki, Sayuri, and Yuka watched her leave with pleasant
smiles.
"And the seed has been planted," said Nabiki. "Very
sneaky, you two."
"Well, they do seem good together," said Yuka.
"Stranger things have happened," said Sayuri.
Nabiki shrugged. "Bets?"
"Two weeks."
"A month."
Unnoticed by all, Kuno stomped back into the school
grounds. As the bell rang, signaling his tardiness, he
yelled in frustration.
Yet another morning in Furinkan High.
---
"Sentaro, the time is coming soon."
Sentaro Daimonji turned around solemnly at his
grandmother's words. Next week was a very important time for
the Daimonji School of Tea Ceremony Martial Arts.
"Today you shall meditate, grandson. Think on all the
wisdom your masters have given you. Soon, very soon, we
regain our lost honor."
"We will, grandmother, I swear it."
Soon after, Sentaro was once more alone with his thoughts
and his tea.
But not for long.
His eyes, half-closed in meditation, opened slightly more
at the sound of feet approaching.
The voice was soft, sweet, a voice tat he loved dearly.
"Darling... may I talk to you for a moment?"
"Satsuki, dearest, of course."
His fiancee scooted towards him in that odd
sitting-down-yet-moving maneuver that the Tea Ceremony
Martial Arts practitioners tended to do all the time.
"About the tournament," said Satsuki.
"Don't worry about me," said Sentaro, holding her hands.
"This time will be different than the last."
"I just... I..."
"Oh, Satsuki," said Sentaro, taking her into his arms.
"Don't you worry."
"But Sentaro... I... I just remember the last time you
fought him," she said quietly. "I don't want to see you
hurt like that again... your face planted in the ground...
with footprints on your... pants... and an eyebrow
missing... and graffiti on your face, and-"
"I get the idea, Satsuki," said Sentaro miserably.
---
[Furinkan High, lunch]
As usual, the lunch crowds in Furinkan were segmented
into the boys and the girls, and further into their
respective social circles. Ranma, Ryouga, Daisuke, and
Hiroshi were, as usual, observing the daily Battle for their
daily Bread.
"Hey man, you ready for it?" asked Ranma.
Ryouga blinked. "Ready for what?"
"The King of Nerima Tourney, man!" said Hiroshi.
"Oh yeah, that," said Ryouga.
"How could you forget, man!" exclaimed Daisuke. "It's
the event of the year! The show of shows! And now that you
guys are in it, it'll be even better!"
Ranma, in a statement that summarized his grand and
supreme confidence, simply asked, "You guys bet on me,
right?"
"Of course," said Daisuke.
"Definitely," said Hiroshi.
Ryouga scowled. "Hey!"
"Like you've beaten me yet?" teased Ranma.
"If I run into you in this tournament, I will this time!"
declared Ryouga.
"We'll see," said Ranma smugly. "We'll just see about
that."
Coming up quickly behind Ranma was Ukyou. She strode
right behind him silently, took a good, measured view of his
posterior, and...
*THWAP*
"Ooooow!"
Ranma hopped around clutching his rear. "Hey! What'd I
do now?!"
"That was for last night, you jackass!" snapped Ukyou.
Without another word, she stormed off, leaving Ranma and his
sore backside wondering what on earth happened for him to
deserve _that_.
"So, what'd ya do to her last night?" asked Daisuke
slyly.
"Nothing! I didn't do nothing!" protested Ranma. He put
his brain to work, thinking on last night and what she could
possibly be upset about.
This, of course, would take some time. The thinking,
that is.
"She's been getting more violent since you started
working for her, y'know," said Hiroshi, elbowing Ryouga.
"She that violent in bed?"
"NO! I wouldn't know anything about that!"
Meanwhile, Ranma's brain was tallying up some facts and
figures. Last night... last night... there was cards.
Could Ukyou be sore about losing a few hands at the card
table? That was ruled impossible a few seconds later,
simply because Ranma only won once last night, out of sheer
luck, against Akane. After that, she wanted to go home, but
instead Ranma talked her into staying in. And then she fell
asleep.
Oh. Wait.
The next morning she was with Ryouga.
Hm.
That would mean RYOUGA DID SOMETHING and Ukyou was
blaming him for it! Why that...
"RYOUGAAAA!" Ranma grabbed him by the shirt angrily and
shook him around. "What did you do to Ucchan?!"
Ryouga, irritated by this odd reversal of roles, grabbed
Ranma's shirt in retaliation. "I didn't do anything!"
"Yeah, right! You expect me to believe after last night
you tw-"
*POW*
"Well, there they go again," said Daisuke.
"Say, I wonder what Saotome meant when he said, 'last
night you two...' hm?" wondered Hiroshi.
"Don't you dare bring that up!" roared Ryouga at Ranma.
He heaved Ranma up and tossed him over a nearby fence. From
there, Hiroshi could hear the sounds of violence that was
typical of those two.
"'Last night' he says," observed Hiroshi. "Sounds
interesting."
Daisuke nodded. "I was gonna tease'em about it, but
Ryouga usually gets more violent than Ranma."
"Anyways," said Hiroshi, "It all starts up next week.
Man, I can't wait!"
In the distance, a stormcloud rumbled. Had anyone been
paying attention, it would have surely been a harbinger of
worse times. As things were, the moment was lost on them.
---
[Furinkan High, after school]
"So, is everything falling into place?" asked Nabiki.
"We've got 45% of the Nerima student body calling in to
place their bets, chief."
"The roster of fighters is shaping up as you predicted,
boss. Just got confirmation Sanzenin is on his way and
someone claims to have seen Ryu Kumon by the station."
"We've got the roster for at-site operations staff lined
out, chief."
"We have a guaranteed first-right-to-buy on all matches
and already have advance orders for the premium seats in the
first round."
"Good, good," said Nabiki, pacing back and forth at the
front of the classroom. Meanwhile, her handful of
henchwomen and associates scurried about the room with
papers, reports, and laptop computers.
"Just to confirm my beliefs," said Nabiki, "who's the
favorite so far?"
"Ranma Saotome, chief, getting 80% of the bets."
"Figures," she said with a smirk. "So, are the matchups
posted yet?"
"Only a few, chief. The full list hasn't been put out
yet."
A frown appeared on Nabiki's face. Something felt wrong.
"That's odd. I was told it'd be done today by noon," she
said, rubbing her chin.
"We tried calling, but they keep on saying the schedule
maker is out on his break or busy."
"Somebody give me a phone, I'll get to the bottom of
this." One of her assistants handed Nabiki a cellular
phone, which she flipped open casually then dialed.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Nabiki started tapping her foot on the floor. She hated
waiting on the phone.
"Ah, hello. Is Noriamo in?"
//I'm sorry// said a voice, probably a secretary, //he's
busy at the moment.// The voice seemed a little familiar to
Nabiki, but she dismissed that as insignificant at the
moment.
"Tell him it's Miss N."
//Could you hold please?//
"Okay."
Soft music was piped through the phone, making Nabiki
somewhat ill. She never did take to being put on hold very
well, but in the business world it happened all too often.
She could also name the song on the phone. It was a
symphonic version of 'Barefoot in the Park'. Nabiki winced
and shook her head. Definitely too much time spent on hold
lately.
//N-Noriamo speaking.//
"Ah, Noriamo-san, so good to hear you."
//T-Tendo-san! What can I do for you today?//
"The matchups for the first round. Why are they not in
my hands yet?"
//B-but I sent you-//
"An incomplete list. You know how I hate incomplete
work."
//I'm sorry but we've had a few snags. It will be done
in an hour, I assure you!//
"I hope so, Noriamo-san," said Nabiki with a hint of
menace. "You know my e-mail address, I'll be waiting on
it." With a frown, she hung up and put the phone aside.
"Things got settled, boss?" wondered one of her
underlings.
"Seems to be," said Nabiki. "Expect something in an
hour."
"What's wrong, chief? You don't look happy."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think Noriamo was up to
something... but he isn't intelligent enough to pull off a
scheme on his own." She looked out the window, thinking for
a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe I'm just getting paranoid."
---
"Back to work, Noriamo-san."
"Y-yessir," stammered Noriamo. He breathed a sigh of
relief after the feel of a cold blade was removed from the
back of his neck.
---
Tarou stared at the envelope with great suspicion.
It wasn't often that the old freak wrote to anyone, and
it was even more unusual that Happosai wrote a letter to
him. Life was either about to become a little more
interesting or a lot more aggravating. He began to read the
letter, mumbling some parts aloud out of habit.
"Hrm.... Dearest Pant-" Tarou took a moment to grit his
teeth. "Hm... mm-hmm... Change of heart... change of
name.... only if you win the King of Nerima tournament."
So, the old man was willing to change his name if he won
this tournament, eh? Nerima... Nerima... fem-boy oughta be
there... along with all those other jokers. Heheh, a little
entertainment and a cool new name at the end of it all.
Should be a good time.
---
A bandanna-clad figure stood in an empty rural road,
under a tree. In the distance the sun was beginning to set.
The light breeze lifted his hair in a nicely dramatic
fashion.
Wandering from town to town, he started anew the process
he began so many years ago. He trained in the Art. He
traveled all across Japan, fighting, studying, growing
stronger, recovering from the defeat that had forced him to
start all over again.
Then he got a letter.
It was rather puzzling how he got it. It was just there
one day when he woke up. It was an invitation to a martial
arts tournament.
It was going to be in Nerima.
That, of course, meant that _he_ was going to be there.
The one that had caused his fall.
Ranma.
Ryu Kumon stood up dramatically, the invitation gripped
tightly in his fist. This would be a good test of his
skills, definitely. He needed to prove, if only to himself,
that he was once again a formidable martial artist.
And a small measure of revenge wouldn't hurt either.
---
As was typical of the Hibiki line, Ryouga was... well...
you know.
"Could've sworn Ucchan's was down the corner."
He frowned as the skies rumbled. If the weather was any
indication he wouldn't be staying a he for long. The
rumbling sky and sudden gust of rain had him suddenly
stumbling down the street, struggling to keep the rain at
bay with his umbrella.
After a few more minutes of stomping around in the rain,
Ryouga had lost the battle to keep his gender. She wiped
the rain from her eyes and found herself in a back alley of
sorts, in front of a door.
A rather familiar door.
Could it be? Could he actually have found Ucchan's? It
seemed too good to be true!
-click-
"Uky.... oh."
It was.
He found himself in a very dark room, lit only by
candles. Arcane and mystical items, figures, and drawings
were set everywhere. At the center of the room, lit by a
solitary candle, was a girl with long brown hair clad in
dark blue robes. She was, at the moment, peering in to an
odd glass object with odd shapes swirling from within.
"Welcome," said the girl. "May I help you?"
"Oh," said Ryouga-chan, "sorry, I thought I was somewhere
else."
"I see," said the girl.
Ryouga-chan reached for the door, but hesitated.
Curiosity was nagging at him.
"Excuse me, what is this place?" she asked.
"This is just a humble little shop of magicks," said the
girl. "And I am just a practicing fortune teller. You can
call me Mio."
"Fortune telling?" asked Ryouga-chan. "As in predicting
the future?"
Mio nodded.
Ryouga-chan had a feeling. He wasn't sure what it was.
A nagging feeling, a whispering suggestion in the back of
his mind, a suspicion that fate was giving him a big clue
and he should really take the time to listen.
"I don't suppose you could... ah..."
"Tell your fortune?" asked Mio, smiling slightly.
"Well... on a cloudy and mysterious day like today, it would
seem the fitting thing to do, yes? Please, have a seat."
Ryouga-chan took a seat across from Mio and peered
curiously into the glass object at its center.
"Hey, what is this?" she asked.
"Oh, this? Lava lamp." With an embarrassed smile, Mio
took the lamp away and pulled out a deck of cards. She went
through a process of separating the deck and shuffling the
cards in a process that Ryouga lost track of.
"Now... concentrate on your question and tell me," said
Mio.
Question? Ryouga-chan didn't think she'd have to think
of a question, just get an answer about her future. Oh,
that's a question. Okay, good, now concentrate....
"What does my future hold?" she asked.
Mio blinked. "That's it?"
"Um... yeah, that's it," said Ryouga-chan.
"Kind of general, but I guess it'll do," said Mio. "Now
concentrate on that question, okay?"
Ryouga-chan nodded, and Mio started to shuffle the deck
in various and complicated ways once more.
Finally, she laid down a card. It depicted the moon in
the sky, with some creatures emerging from the ground below.
"This is the moon," said Mio. "It signifies your
immediate obstacles and concerns. The moon symbolizes
unseen perils around you and trickery afoot. There are
anxieties that you cannot overcome as well."
She drew another card from the deck and placed it atop
the first one. A picture of an angel holding two golden
chalices was on it. "This is Temperance. It symbolizes what
influences you are under at the moment. There is a certain
stability and harmony in your life at the moment. There is
friendship that keeps you feeling secure in things for the
moment. There is no desire for extremes, only a longing for
peace and a search for the middle ground."
She drew a third card and placed it below the two stacked
cards. Mio smiled as she saw this card. "Ah, the lovers.
This is the goal you seek, a soul mate, perhaps for life."
Ryouga-chan blushed visibly, but tried to pretend she
wasn't.
Mio drew a fourth card and placed it to the left side of
the first two. This one, however, was upside-down.
"Judgment, but reversed. This is the foundation of your
past. Indecision, procrastination, separation, and a
failure to achieve your happiness."
Ryouga-chan winced. She couldn't help but think of Akane
at that moment.
A fifth card was drawn and placed atop from the first
two, across from the third card. A dark tower, crumbling to
the ground was show. "The Tower. This symbolizes the
recent past. There was a loss of stability. Things were
undone. You were subjected to ruin and misery."
Again, thought Ryouga, she was disturbingly on target.
Mio drew forth a sixth card, placed to the right of the
first two cards. It depicted a rather disturbing creature.
"Ah, the Devil. This symbolizes what will influence you in
the future. There will be strange experiences. Black magic
is afoot. There will be disasters, downfalls, violence, and
shocks."
Could this be the tournament? wondered Ryouga. She
couldn't imagine what else could cause such events.
A seventh card was drawn, placed to the right of the
other cards and by itself. It depicted an old man with a
lamp. "The Hermit. This represents you. You seek answers
from life. You're cautious. You're denying yourself
something.... maybe love."
The eight card was drawn and placed above the seventh.
"The Wheel of Fortune. This symbolizes what influences your
future. You have a part to play in destiny, and luck will
be on your side."
A ninth card was drawn and placed above the eighth. On
it sat a royal figure on a throne, holding a sword in one
hand and weight scales in the other. "This is Justice. It
symbolizes your inner emotions. You've much integrity,
honor, and a sense of justice."
Ryouga's ego was swelling. Badly.
A tenth card was drawn and placed above the ninth. It
depicted a man hung from his feet. "The hanged man. This
is the final answer."
Ryouga's ego was deflating. Quickly. 'Hanged man'
didn't sound good. No, not good at all.
"The hanged man," explained Mio, "He symbolizes a moment
of transition. There will be sacrifice, change, and
rebirth. You will face a crossroads, and it will all be up
to you whether or not your goal is achieved. The choice, in
the end, is yours."
Ryouga's mood was dragged down a great deal. The future
sounded very... difficult. Then again, nothing was easy.
"Well, that's it," said Mio. "I hope it helps you out."
Ryouga-chan nodded absently, then looked outside. "Say,"
she said, "do you have any hot water?"
"Yes, in the bathroom," said Mio, pointing to a nearby
door.
Mio watched the young girl enter the bathroom, then heard
the sound of water rushing from the sink. A moment later,
and much to her surprise, a young man, dressed exactly like
the girl that had entered the bathroom, emerged and headed
somberly for the door.
"Thanks for the hot water and the reading," he said. "I
guess I'd better go now."
"Um... anytime," said Mio, clearly surprised.
He headed out the door, leaving Mio there and utterly
baffled.
Mio shook her head, then put away the tarot cards.
"Strange days we live in."
---
Up in the second floor of the Tendo household, generally
bad vibrations were being emitted. Kasumi didn't notice,
being surrounded by a constant field of Very-Niceness. In
her room, Nabiki kept on looking around, as if expecting to
see something that was on the edge of her vision. Soun and
Genma were downstairs playing shogi, as usual. They were
used to this sort of thing.
The Master was probably very, pardon the pun, Happy.
Happosai cackled gleefully as he stared out into the
stormy horizon. The invitations were sent, received, and
now chaos was to ensue. Pantyhose was on his way, Happy was
sure of it. So was Prince Toma. And of course his old pals
Chingensai and Lukosai were coming in for the big tournament
as well. All those, and so many more good 'friends' were on
their way.
Oh Happy day indeed.
In the distance he heard a knocking at the door and
grinned.
Ah. That would have to be....
---
In the doorway stood two young girls. One, Akane's age,
was lean, with sharp, serious features and long brown hair.
The other, a few years younger, had a softer face and a
generally happy disposition.
Akane stood there, holding the door open, a look of utter
surprise on her face. She wasn't expecting to see _them_.
A part of her was still afraid of them, even though she'd
proven herself their equal.
"Kurumi! Natsumi! Um... hi!"
Natsumi, the older girl, bowed respectfully. "Akane, it
is good to see you again."
"Hi Akane!" cheerfully said Kurumi, the younger one.
"I, ah, guess you're here for the tournament?" asked
Akane.
Natsumi nodded. "It is a perfect setting in which to
test our skills."
"And we missed you too!" said Kurumi.
---
"Heheheh, bingo."
Happosai pulled out a clipboard, checked two names off,
then resumed watching Keiko's Aerobics Workout. These were
good days indeed.
---
"Hey, Nabiki, who was last year's champion anyway?"
She pulled out her laptop and showed him.
"Oooooh. Her. Ain't she that wanna be Ry-"
"Hundred Yen."
"Huh? What for?!"
"Information services."
"*Sigh* Nevermind."
-end act 2 prelude-
--------------------------------------------------------------
< > - English
// // - emitted from a P.S. system, telephone, or other
electric medium.
--------------------------------------------------------------
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT 2
The Kings of Nerima
Day 1
Minor Arcana
========================
------PRE-FIGHT JITTERS-----
[Furinkan High, the Lunch Hour]
The excitement in Furinkan High was a tangible thing,
buzzing in the air like flies. Everywhere one looked,
evidence of its coming was heralded all around, whether it
be posters and t-shirts that were owned by the students,
cameramen from the tournament setting up equipment in the
various fields and the gymnasium, or the agents of Nabiki
taking bets from the masses.
It was time.
---
Under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, Ranma and
Akane were eating lunch together. Normally, they'd be with
their separate factions, Akane with Sayuri, Yuka, and
others, while Ranma would be with Hiroshi, Daisuke, and the
guys.
Today, they felt the need to just be together.
Much to her annoyance, though, something was distracting
him.
"Hey, Ranma, something wrong?" Akane nudged Ranma
slightly
"Hm?"
"Are you worried about something?"
"Yeah," he said absently. "You."
---
"Me? What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" demanded
Ukyou.
"You might get hurt in the tournament. I don't think
it's such a good idea for you to be in it," said Ryouga,
looking absently down below. The roof of Furinkan had a
pretty good view of the neighborhood, even if it did have a
gigantic bronze pineapple installed on it now.
"Hey," Ukyou nudged Ryouga with her foot. "Is this
because I'm a girl?"
"Yes! No... er... I mean..."
"You absolute-"
---
"- idiot! I can take care of myself, you know!"
"Aw, come on Akane, this is different!"
"How so?"
"It's, er, this is tournament fighting!"
---
"It doesn't make it any easier than any of my past
fights," said Ukyou. "I've got the experience and the
skills. I've been fighting almost all my life, so don't you
dare think I'm not good enough just because I'm a girl!"
"I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?" said Ryouga
defensively. "I just..." There was the slightest hint of a
blush on his face. "I'd hate to see you badly hurt out
there."
Ukyou's expression softened a bit, her frown turning into
an ever-so-slight smile.
"It's part of being a martial artist, sugar."
---
"Okay, you're right, it is," said Ranma moodily.
Akane smiled and leaned next to Ranma, smiling. "Hey
Ranma."
"Hm?"
---
"Thanks for caring," said Ukyou softly.
"Um... no problem... I mean... I..."
---
"... love you too, Akane."
And they kissed.
---
And they wished each other luck.
---
Daisuke shuddered.
Hiroshi elbowed him. "Something wrong, man?"
Daisuke blinked, looked around, and shrugged. "I
dunno... I had this sorta... really sick feeling, ya know?"
"Oh? What kind?"
"The kind ya get when you're watching a movie with a
date, only the movie was her pick, not yours, and it's
turning out to be a major chick film with all the stupid,
mushy, romantic bits."
"Ugh, nasty."
"No kidding. Wonder why it hit me."
Hiroshi shrugged. "Something in the air, maybe. C'mon,
let's see if a turkey sand'll fix that."
"There any left?"
"I cut a deal with Rodumanu," explained Hiroshi. "The
man'll do anything for cash."
--------- Round One --------
"Be careful, Sentaro!" cried Miss Satsuki, holding
Sentaro in a desperate embrace.
Sentaro returned his beloved's embrace, his face solemn
and grim. "Do not fear, my love. I will have my vengeance on
this day. In the name of the Daimonji School of Tea
Ceremony Martial Arts, I CANNOT fail."
Reluctantly, he and Satsuki separated from each other,
and he strode (actually, glided on his knees as those who
practice Tea Ceremony Martial Arts were apt to do) into the
battlefield, the football field of Furinkan High. The small
crowd watching included many of his fellow students, and
those of the Miyako School of Tea Ceremony Martial Arts as
well.
"DO YOUR BEST!" yelled his grandmother.
"I WILL NOT FAIL!" he yelled back.
"YOU'D BETTER NOT, YOU HALF-WIT USELESS MORON!!!"
Ignoring his Grandmother's cheer, Sentaro Daimonji
mentally prepared himself, eyeing his most hateful enemy.
The one that defeated the entire Tea Ceremony Martial Arts
dojo one fateful night a year ago. He that brought shame to
them all.
Sentaro locked eyes with his nemesis and struck a mighty
pose (an amazing thing, considering that he was kneeling).
"TODAY, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Ryo Muhoshin idly twirled his umbrella, looked Sentaro
over once, and said a single word.
"Five."
---
Focus.
Ryouga repeated that simple mantra to himself as he
prepared for the upcoming fight. The scene of the fight was
a stretch of land by the canal, a place he knew Ranma
frequented for practice. Strategically, this was good and
bad. Had he been the 'feature match' of the day (the
feature match today being some people he didn't know...
apparently the champion of last year's match versus some
promising and new martial artist), he'd be fighting in the
auditorium, and he MUCH preferred open-air matches. Of
course, the canal nearby was a water hazard, but he felt he
shouldn't worry about that too much or else he might be
overly distracted during the match.
A medium sized stand was erected nearby for viewers who
bought tickets to this match. He could see a great many
students from Furinkan (the girls circling around talking to
everyone being Nabiki's Agents, he suspected) watching the
match amongst the spectators and to his surprise some
carrying banners cheering him on.
He wished Ukyou was there, but she had a match of her own
to fight.
With a bit of a sigh, he looked at his umbrella,
currently plastered by various logos from companies
(YOKOHAMA TIRES // SONY // CAPCOM // SHONEN KNIFE ) and
local merchants (UCCHAN'S OKONOMIYAKI // KING'S CAFE //
UCCHAN'S OKONOMIYAKI // TERRI'S TERIYAKI & STEAK//UCCHAN'S
OKONOMIYAKI//). He never thought promotional money could be
earned from martial arts... but then again, this was a new
day and age.
And Ukyou insisted on it.
His opponent for this first round looked serious. He was
a young man with a strong, thick build and a shaved head. A
Buddhist monk, perhaps? A warrior of the Shao-Lin? Ryouga
braced himself for the worst, refusing to take his enemy
lightly.
As the announcer approached with portable microphone in
hand, the two combatants stepped forward and the crowd
hushed in anticipation.
//TODAY'S MATCH, RYOUGA HIBIKI VS. LAI-RI KU-LEE MOH!//
Lai-Ri Ku-Lee Moh? Bizzare name... almost... Chinese.
There was something familiar about it, though...
//THE FIGHT PROCEEDS UNTIL ONE SURRENDERS OR IS KNOCKED
OUT!//
Ryouga tried to assess Moh by his stance stance, but
could assess nothing. It wasn't because his stance was
unreadable, but that he wasn't in a stance. Moh merely stood
there impatiently, arms crossed in front of him.
Clearly, an arrogant guy. This, he felt, would be an
easy match.
//FIGHT!//
---
She could feel the warmth of the gigantic grill that they
both stood on, knowing that this was _her_ home turf. She
had the advantage here.
She was surprised that the King of Nerima officials
accepted it as a place to hold a match, but she wasn't about
to complain. Actually, she was grateful for the advantage.
It'd make pounding her enemy that much easier.
"So, Joe, back for more?" sneered Ukyou.
"This time... you fall."
Joe the crepe chef. This was the last person Ukyou
expected to see in the match. She hadn't seen him since she
defeated him in their crepe vs. okonomiyaki duel a while
back when he'd threatened to drive her out of business. She
thought she'd seen the last of him.
Joe, meanwhile, was determined not to waste this shot at
redemption. It'd taken him quite a lot of money to get this
match arranged, and he had to outbid that weird guy in the
octopus mask to get this arranged too...
It was at this point that someone in the stands decided
to be a wiseguy.
"TAAAAAKEEEEOOOUT KOOOOOMBAAAAAAAT!"
Joe and Ukyou both scowled.
//FIGHT!//
And soon, the air was filled with violent waves of
okonomiyaki and crepe as the two culinary warriors collided.
---
"What's that?!" asked Moh, gaping while pointing at
Ryouga's shirt.
"Huh? What?" Ryouga looked down briefly. "What's
what?"
"That!" yelled Moh, striking forward with his single
finger, stinging Ryouga's chest. Before Ryouga could react
to the underhanded attack, Moh clenched his hand into a fist
and moved it from Ryouga's chest to his jaw, connecting
solidly, then poked Ryouga in both eyes.
The lost boy staggered back, rubbing his eyes, while Moh
remained in a 'cool pose' (or so he thought) with two
fingers jutting out like fangs from his hand.
"Now you know the force of STOOGE-FU! Nyuk nyuk nyuk!
Woooooo!"
The time bomb that was Ryouga's rage began ticking. He'd
just fallen for the oldest trick in the book, and he was
getting humiliated by someone using Stooge-Fu.
Stooge. Fu.
Ranma would never let him hear the end of it.
"Why youuuu...."
---
"FIGHT HARDER, BOY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" bellowed
Genma from the stands. "HOW DARE YOU SHAME YOUR FATHER THIS
WAY!"
"Not now, DAD!"
Ranma's first round match was against a foe he'd taken on
before, the Dojo Destroyer. The Destroyer seemed as wide as
he was tall, and his height was approximately seven feet
tall. His technique was the use of signboards of dojos that
he'd defeated, wielding them somehow with telekinesis of
some sort, or possibly just incredibly strong fighting
spirit. He'd defeated 99 dojos, and thus had a swarm of 99
dojo sign boards to attack with, constantly circling him
like insects.
He and Akane took the Destroyer down before, as a team,
but now he was facing him alone.
The fight was not going as well as Ranma thought it
should. The Dojo Destroyer was still standing, and five
minutes had already gone by. Not only that, but his
fighting style had improved, becoming much more effective
defensively. Almost every blow was somehow blocked by a
signboard. The strikes that did make it through were hits
to his massive stomach, which didn't affect the Destroyer
much at all.
However, the Destroyer hadn't managed to land many hits
on Ranma either. The few hits he did manage, though, were
still stinging.
And so after a furious exchange of attacks, the two stood
apart by several yards, each assessing their foe to try and
find that one weak spot (and get a small rest). Ranma was
in his combat stance, ready to spring at a moment's notice,
while the Dojo Destroyer stood mightily, his signboards
circling around him like a swarm of bees.
<Damn> he thought, <this isn't gonna be as easy as I
thought.>
---
"AND *WHAM* STAY *WHAM* DOWN! *WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM*"
A royal stomping wasn't good enough for this clown, or so
Ryouga believed as he continued to viciously stomp on Moh's
prone form on the ground. Moh had previously yanked his
hair, stepped on his feet, stomped on his feet, threw PIES
in his face, all after many ridiculous distractions he
shouldn't have fallen for in the first place. The second Moh
left himself open, Ryouga began pounding him to the ground
and hadn't stopped yet.
If Ranma made one joke, just ONE joke about this, Ryouga
swore he'd kill him.
Finally, Ryouga stopped his stomping and cautiously
checked Moh for signs of consciousness.
Nope, out like a light.
He sighed and smiled in relief. Round one of the King of
Nerima tournament was over, at least for him. He idly
wondered if Ranma was faring as well.
---
Ranma was plowed into the ground by an unmerciful swarm
of dojo signboards, feeling strike after strike impact on
him, finally ending after approximately 48 hits. He was
dimly aware of the Dojo Destroyer toppling backwards and
hoped that his plan worked.
The plan was fairly simple. He noticed that just before
the Destroyer unleashed a 'heavy' volley of signs, he left
himself wide open for a brief amount of time. Ranma thought
he could exploit that, and did, zooming for several
chestnut-fist strikes to his vital points.
What he didn't expect was for the Dojo Destroyer to be
standing AFTER his vital points were hit and continue with
the volley of signboards. Hence his current position
embedded in the floor.
He slowly pulled himself from the floor as the Dojo
Destroyer stomped menacingly towards him. Ranma was
hurting, but his willpower shrugged that aside.
The Dojo Destroyer staggered in his step, then fell to
one knee. Ranma smiled. The attack _had_ taken its toll,
and now the Destroyer was leaving himself open again. Now
was the time to attack.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
---
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ukyou was gloating. She wasn't normally the type to
gloat, but she really _hated_ Joe. This was also her first
time to gloat after a glorious battle, so she was really
trying to enjoy it.
"You aren't looking so hot NOW, are ya sugar? Eh?
What's that?" She kicked aside small bits of crepe and
booted a gigantic okonomiyaki casually.
"Ow!" it said. "Let me outta here!"
"Let you out?" asked Ukyou. Her grin became somewhat
scary as she brought out a match. "Say... did you know that
I use gunpowder in my okonomiyaki mix?"
"N-no... you wouldn't!"
"Ooooh yes I would!"
"FINISH HIM!" boomed the obnoxious heckler. Ukyou took a
moment to glare at the stands, then dropped a lit match.
------BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM-------
//AND THE WINNER, UKYOU KUONJI!//
The crowd cheered. Ukyou flashed a winning smile and
waved her battle spatula. Somewhere in the crowds, the
wiseguy came back...
"FATALITY!"
Ukyou took a moment to grab a chunk of crepe that was on
the floor and heaved it at the wiseguy.
Meanwhile, the automatic commercial queuing kicked in.
//FOR THE BEST OKONOMIYAKI IN NERIMA, VISIT UCCHAN'S!
OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK, CATERING AVAILABLE! CALL 42-UCCHAN
FOR DETAILS!//
"Damn you," whimpered Joe.
---
"FALL DOWN, DAMN YOU!" yelled Ranma as he pounded away at
the Dojo Destroyer. This was Ranma's tenth time to take
advantage of the Destroyer's opening, pounding away at his
vital points with the chestnut fist. At times it seemed
that the Destroyer was about to topple, but he just kept on
going.
And the chestnut fist was _very_ draining on Ranma's
endurance.
For this, the tenth time he managed to sneak in, Ranma
decided it was time for all or nothing. As he pounded away
at the Destroyer's vital points yet again, he built up his
ki and confidence, ending his furious barrage with a cry of
"Mokou-Takabishi!" that lifted the titan off of his feet and
thundering down to the ground.
"Is... is it over?" He fell to one knee, breathing
heavily. The Dojo Destroyer, meanwhile, hadn't moved a
muscle. Ten seconds passed in silence.
//AND THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT, RANMA SAOTOME OF THE
SAOTOME/TENDO DOJO!//
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. He still could have
fought on for quite a few more minutes, but he wouldn't like
the level at which he'd be fighting. Using those chestnut
fist attacks were really draining on his endurance. He was
already reviewing the fight in his mind, seeing where he
went wrong and making notes on how to do better in the next
match as he staggered to the sidelines.
"That took a bit long, boy," said Genma.
He would have liked to have said, "shut up pop!" if only
he wasn't so tired. For now, he had to get his wind back
and find out how the other guys were doing.
"Well, my match begins soon," said Genma. "See you
later."
"You mean... you hadn't fought yet?"
"No. They're holding the first round matches at
different times, so that people may attend more of them.
Mine is in about... thirty minutes at the main stadium."
"Wait a sec... the main stadium?"
Genma nodded proudly. "We are, after all, the two
masters of the Saotome/Tendo dojo."
"If I find the guys in time, we'll try to watch it."
"Thanks, son."
Genma strolled out to his destiny, while Ranma took long
pulls from his Gatoraide bottle and wobbled to the nearby
bulletin board to figure out where the others were and if he
had a chance to watch their matches as well.
Ryouga had a match against some guy with a weird name.
Ukyou was facing... Joe? The crepe chef? And it was
probably too late to catch that match. She was facing off
against him in her own gigantic grill / fight ring.
Akane... Akane... she was at the Furinkan High Gymnasium,
facing off against...
Before he could read further, he was bumped from the
side, spilling his drink all over the place, including on
himself.
"Hey," he, now she, scowled, "watch where yer goin!"
"Sorry, sorry," said a bandanna-clad girl with fangs.
"Do you know how to get to... to... Ranma?"
"Ryouga? Hey, I was just about to look for you. Seen
Ukyou around?"
"No, I was trying to find her."
"Well, come on, let's go find her," said Ranma-chan.
"But before we do..." She whapped Ryouga-chan on the head
savagely.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" yelled Ryouga.
"For gettin'us both wet, moron!"
"It was an accident, you jerk!"
Before the two could begin a fight, a gigantic spatula
sliced between them.
"Boys, boys, I just can't leave you two alone for a
minute." Ukyou sighed, pulling her spatula back up.
"He started it!" yelled Ryouga.
"Did not!"
*CLANG*CLANG* "CUT IT OUT, MORONS!"
The two wobbled away while Ukyou put her spatula in its
holder.
"Come on, boys, let's go find Akane... we should be able
to catch some of the action... unless her opponent trashes
her totally. Who's she fighting anyways?"
"I was about to find out until lost boy here made me
spill my drink," said Ranma.
Before the two could start bickering again, Ukyou yelled,
"Drop it already!" Ryouga and Ranma grumbled and turned
away from each other, while Ukyou checked the bulletin
board.
"Heeey... she's fighting a 'Kurumi Tendo'."
"WHO?" both Ranma and Ryouga said.
---
The ribbon swirled madly in chaotic patters, a red gash
in the air moving in impossible ways. Even though she was
dodging them, just to be near their presence sent a slight
burning sensation into her skin.
Akane sprang away to a safe range and tried to get her
second wind. Her opponent did likewise, quickly tying her
ribbon back in her hair with deceptive ease. Although she
was younger, Akane knew better than to be overconfident
against the girl. After all, she'd beaten Akane once
before.
Kurumi knew her strengths and weaknesses in this match.
>From a distance, she could wear Akane down with her ribbon
whip, but at close range Akane's strength would surely wear
her down.
The spectators were many and cheering, mainly because
quite a lot of them were from the old Akane Tendo Fan Club.
They were worried about their number one heroine, but had to
admit, this match against her apparent relative of sorts was
a good one, filled with precision martial arts and thrilling
moments of suspense.
In the back of her mind, Akane wondered where Ranma was.
"Go for it, Akane!"
"We know you can do it!"
"Don't give up, sugar!"
The Akane Tendo Fan Club waved their banners (GO AKANE!
WE LOVE YOU AKANE! AKANE RULES!) more vigorously.
Akane smiled, recognizing Ranma, Ryouga, and Ukyou's
cheers. Her confidence swelled, and she felt her second
wind coming to her.
The problem, she thought, was definitely the ribbon. Had
to get rid of the ribbon.
Suddenly, it all became obvious. It might hurt, but it
would definitely get rid of the ribbon. Akane was,
actually, rather embarrassed she didn't think of this in the
first place, since she did it before.
Kurumi's whip snaked out again, snaking through the air
as if it was alive. Akane dodged to the side, advanced
slightly, ducked under another wave of the ribbon, then
swung her arm across at the next strike. There was a hard,
sharp sting, then she felt the firm grip of Kurumi's ribbon
as it wrapped itself around her arm.
Kurumi's eyes went wide as she realized what Akane was up
to. She pulled back on her ribbon, trying to get it away.
That tug backfired when Akane gave a mighty pull of her own,
lifting Kurumi off her feet and forward for a short
distance.
When Kurumi looked around again, Akane was nowhere to be
found. She scanned her left, her right, behind her, and in
front of her once more quickly.
Then she saw the shadow.
By the time she looked up, it was too late. Akane's
flying kick struck her straight in the chest, knocking the
wind out of her and sending Kurumi to her knees, then to the
floor.
Ten seconds later, with Kurumi not rising, the announcer
bellowed //AND THE WINNER, AKANE TENDO OF THE TENDO DOJO
ANYTHING GOES SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS!//
She could hear the cheer of the crowd, roaring in the
air. She could hear Ranma call out her name, and see him
rushing out to the field.
Akane smiled, then went to Kurumi to make sure she wasn't
seriously injured. They both thought the same thing.
<I _really_ need a rest.>
--------INTERMISSION--------
An hour later, Akane and a crowd of several others were
gathered at one of the few places to carry the pay-per-view
broadcast of the King of Nerima tournament, King's Cafe.
Several other tournament fighters were lounging there as
well, winners and losers, in an almost carnival-like
atmosphere.
"Hey, are you alright?" asked Akane, looking with concern
at Kurumi.
"I'm okay," said Kurumi with a bit of a smile. "You
fought well."
"You did too," said Akane encouragingly. She turned to
the elder of the sisters and asked, "So, how'd your match
go, Natsume?"
Natsume, the elder of the two 'other Tendo sisters',
shrugged. "It was... disappointing, I suppose. My
adversary was not worthy."
"Oh? Who was your opponent?"
"He was named.... Shen Pu," said Natsume, "and he kept on
ranting on the sacred tactics of the Fourth Stooge Fist."
Everyone seemed puzzled, except for Ryouga who knew exactly
what she was talking about.
//In one of the most spectacular defeats of the day, Ryo
Muhoshin defeated Sentaro Daimonji in record time...//
"Daimonji... wasn't he the one from the Tea Ceremony
Martial Arts Dojo?" wondered Akane.
"Yeah, that's him," said Ranma.
// ...and now, here's a replay of the entire match. Yes,
the entire match.//
---
One...
Ryo blazed forward with alarming speed, his umbrella
spinning in a blur. Sentaro refused to panic, and calmly
lifted up a tea pot and ladle to block and counterstrike.
Two...
Sentaro raised the pot to block the umbrella slash. He
felt the pot shudder, but with a surprisingly light touch
instead of the brutal heavy strike he was expecting.
Three...
As he swung his ladle forward to strike, the tea pot
suddenly exploded, sending water and metal shards
everywhere. Surprised by this, Sentaro could only reel
backwards and try to cover his face while his ears rang from
the sound of the explosion.
Four....
Still reeling back, Sentaro was alarmed when he felt
Ryo's hand snare his throat tightly. The world spun madly
as he felt himself lifted into the sky, then slammed head
first into the ground unmercifully. His world immediately
faded into black.
Five.
The crowd was speechless, except for a girl cheering
enthusiastically, sitting next to a gigantic pig. Ryo
smiled and bowed to her. Elsewhere, Satsuki and Grandmother
Daimonji looked at the ground in sorrow, lamenting Sentaro's
brutal defeat.
The almost-silence continued for several seconds more, as
the judges waited to see if Sentaro would stir. When it
obvious that he wouldn't, the announcer stepped into the
field, microphone in hand.
"AND THE WINNER, RYO MUHOSHIN!"
The crowd cheered politely, a few of them very much
impressed (and a few of them not, after all Sentaro was a
martial artist of the _tea_ variety), and Ryo bowed to them
all, taking a moment to glance downward at his enemy with
contempt.
And then he began strutting rather fashionably, showing
off the jacket, shirt, tie...
//RYO MUHOSHIN'S WARDROBE PROVIDED BY HIKARI'S. SUIT BY
ARMANI. TIE BY TOMJONAVICH. SHOES COURTESY OF BRUNO
MAGLI...//
---
//and once again, Sentaro Daimonji leaves the King of
Nerima tournament in defeat and embarrassment.//
"Well... what do you expect from a guy that practices TEA
CEREMONY martial arts?" said Ranma.
"Don't be so mean, Ranma," chided Akane, giving him a
light elbow.
"Well it's true, ain't it?"
//And on an opposite theme was the match between Anything
Goes Martial Arts masters Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome.//
"Aw man! I knew I forgot something!" said Ranma. "I was
supposed to watch Pop's fight right after Akane's."
"Well, technically, you are," pointed out Ukyou.
"Oh yeah... good point." Satisfied that he was
technically in the right, Ranma relaxed again.
//This grueling match of masters just ended minutes ago,
lasting almost an hour. This spectacular match had several
highlights, almost all of them in the final minutes as they
seemed to give all their strength in an effort to defeat
each other.//
"This is either gonna be real interesting or real
stupid," muttered Ranma.
---
Soun and Genma sweated heavily, both feeling their bodies
reminding them of exactly how old they really were. Each
was doing exactly what the other expected of them. Genma,
despite his massive girth, continually sprung into the air
for some impressive offensive maneuvers, while Soun stayed
mostly on the ground and tried to end it quickly with
powerful strikes to Genma's vital points.
After almost an hour, each had landed many blows on the
other. They knew each other too well to make it an easy
fight.
"You're still as good as I remember, Tendo."
"As are you, Saotome."
"But... I'm afraid it's time to end this match, don't
you?"
"Definitely, old friend."
Suddenly, the two martial artists glowed brightly with
battle aura. With a dramatic sweeping of their arms, they
simultaneously launched solid beams of ki that canceled each
other out.
---
"Whoa, no way," said Ukyou, mouth half-full of peanuts.
Akane and Ranma could only stare at the screen in
surprise.
"Hey, Ranma, pass the chips?" asked Ryouga.
---
Genma displayed an amazing variety of aerial assault
techniques, while Soun clearly held advantage while they
were both on the ground. It was, by the looks of the
audience, a crowd-pleasing battle. Unfortunately for the
fighters, it was also a very tiring battle. Things had to
end soon.
Genma sprang in the air again, aiming for Soun's jaw.
This time, however, he was suddenly surrounded by a battle
aura that solidified into a gigantic version of himself.
Either this wound end it for Soun, or for himself. The
effort of using his battle aura in this manner was so
tremendous that he would surely be too exhausted to fight on
after it was done.
Surprisingly, Soun didn't panic at the sight of a
monster-sized Genma flying foot-first at him. He decided to
unleash his most powerful attack and hope it was strong
enough to deflect Genma's titanic foot.
"GEEEEEEEEEEEENMAAAAAAAA!!!"
The spectators fled in panic and several cameramen were
blown away as the full might of the Tendo School of Anything
Goes Martial Arts Demon's Head attack was unleased,
shattering the battleground. It was the most effort he'd
ever put into it, and the Demon's Head he was generating was
large enough to swallow Genma, battle aura and all.
Genma, as was his nature, panicked. In fact, he was
scared witless, having never seen Soun's demon head strike
_that_ powerful. He passed out from fright and his battle
aura immediately flickered into non-existence.
Unfortunately for Soun, there was still the matter of
physics. Demon's Head or not, there was still the matter of
Genma's rather large body flying at him. Soun couldn't
dodge because he was still locked in the Demon's Head
attack, so the end result was a titanic demon's head with
eyes bulging out in panic and fear as Genma's rump flew
towards his face.
With an absolute lack of grace, Genma's prone form plowed
INTO the massive ki-projection of the Satanic Soun Face and
into its mouth. It was immediately distorted in an odd way
(some witnesses would say that it looked like it swallowed
something rather distasteful), turning a deeper shade of
purple, then exploded with a bang.
When the dust settled, both masters of the Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts were on the floor, deeply
unconscious.
---
"Oh my gosh," said Akane, burying her face in her hands.
"I have no idea what to say," said Ranma quietly.
Ryouga patted Ukyou on the back. "Hey, are you alright?"
Ukyou wasn't saying anything, she was too busy
snickering, and already shaking badly from the effort to not
laugh hysterically out loud.
//Meanwhile, four other members of the Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts fared better, winning their matches.
Ranma Saotome fought a grueling match against the famous
Dojo Destroyer, knocking him out after forty minutes of
combat.//
"Hey! They're showing me! Turn up the volume, man!"
shouted Ranma.
"Not getting a little egotistical, now are we Ranchan?"
The television went on to display a few choice moments of
Ranma's match, including the several times he was struck by
a signboard flurry from the Dojo Destroyer as well as the
final blow via Mokou Takabisha.
"Alright, they're makin'me look cool."
"Egomaniac," muttered Ryouga.
"Aw, getting jealous, Ryouga?"
"Shut up, you!"
//Akane Tendo also went on to the second round, taking on
fellow Anything Goes student Kurumi Tendo in a grueling
twenty minute bout, Natsume Tendo emerged victorious over
Stooge Fu practitioner Shem Pu, and Anything Goes Master
Happosai defeated his old friend and rival Chingensai.//
The screen briefly flickered the finishing blow of each
of the matches, then the announcer took a break for
commercials, promising more hard-hitting action when they
returned.
//The full versions of these matches and more will be
broadcast tonight at ten.//
"That... was it?" wondered an unhappy Akane.
"My match was worth more than a ten second clip," mumbled
Natsume.
"Don't feel too bad about it," said Ranma. "Not everyone
gets the spotlight... like me."
*CLANG*WHAM*THUD*CRACK*
"J-just... joking.... owwww."
"So," said Ryouga, "when do we know who we're going to
fight next?"
"I dunno, I think I heard'em say that they'll release the
schedule in about an hour," said Ukyou.
"Great, and our next matches all start in about two
hours," said Ranma. "I'm still worn out from the first
match."
//And in a great upset today...//
---
//... Kinnii of the legendary cult of the Muscle Sword
was defeated in stunning fashion by Furinkan's own Blue
Thunder, Tatewaki Kuno.//
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
The footage played out, to Nabiki, like a scene from a
horror movie: a terrible, terrible act that you knew was
about to happen, yet could not prevent.
Kinnii, massive swordsman of the deadly Muscle Sword cult
was struck by a blazing upward slash of Kuno's bokken,
sending him flying several feet back until striking the
ground, unconscious.
Nabiki was speechless, utterly totally speechless. The
other girls in Nabiki's temporary base of operations
(Furinkan High, third floor) were also stunned beyond vocal
ability. The odds against Kuno were pretty high, and they
all figured to get a little easy money from that matchup.
Instead, Kuno won, and a handful of lucky bastards just
hit the jackpot.
"You just HAD to pick NOW to start winning again,
Kuno-chan," growled Nabiki. "Someone get me footage of
that match! I need it NOW! And who the hell DID bet on
Kuno anyways?"
---
"Hiroshi, my friend, I shall never doubt you again."
"Why thank you, Daisuke."
"Who'd have thunk that betting a modest amount of yen
would've nailed us the jackpot?"
"These are beautiful days indeed, my friend. Now c'mon,
let's go find Sayuri and Yuka. We can finally afford to
give'em a good date."
---
In a darkened room, a figure leaned back on the plush
office chair, examining a sheet of paper. A pencil was
twirled for a moment, then it was moved towards a set of
names.
[ROUND TWO: R. Saotome vs. G. Yotaro]
"Hmmm... no."
The name Yotaro was scratched off, and replaced with
something far more interesting.
-------- Round Two ---------
"Ranma Saotome, it seems we meet again."
The aforementioned Saotome winced. First the Dojo
Destroyer, now Kirin. Ranma had taken Kirin on quite a
while ago, and it took unusual circumstances for Ranma to
bring him down. Now, under normal circumstances, this would
be a tough match. Kirin's speed matched Ranma's. He used
his chopsticks in alarmingly deadly ways, including ki
blasts. Unless Kirin had been slacking off, this was not
going to be easy.
"Heya, Kirin. How's married life treatin'ya?"
"It goes well. And you?"
"Eh... not there yet."
"Say, how'd you end up hearin'about this tournament
anyway? I thought the King of Nerima tournament was a local
thing."
"Local?" Kirin frowned. "How odd, then. An invitation
was sent to the Seven Lucky Gods Dojo, and thus invited, the
Seven Lucky Gods came."
"Wait... you mean the OTHERS are here?"
"That is correct."
"Oh boy," grumbled Ranma. "Great. Who else showed up,
Prince Toma an'his guys?"
---
"Alas, Prince Toma, we meet again."
"Ah... Tatewaki Kuno, yes?"
---
Ryouga's match wasn't quite as... it just...
He was facing... well...
"Ook!"
A monkey.
"Hey, is this a joke?" asked Ryouga.
The announcer shook his his head. "Nope, no joke.
That's your opponent. Sanae of the Tea Ceremony School of
Martial Arts."
"Ook!" The monkey martial artist flashed a toothy grin.
"I'm not fighting a... a... a MONKEY! This is stupid!"
"EEK!" Sanae definitely looked insulted, and rattled off
a long string of 'eek's and 'ook's along with agitated
facial expressions and a bit of poking at Ryouga's knees (it
was a rather short monkey).
"Shut up!" yelled Ryouga. "Jeez, I'm fighting a monk-"
*********CLANG*********
"Eeeeaaagh." Ryouga shuddered in anger while he took the
small iron pot off of his head. "Why yo-"
*********CLANG*********
Removing the large iron pot from his head, Ryouga's
battle aura began to rev up.
"THAT'S IT! THE MONKEY DIES!"
"EEK!"
What followed wasn't so much a martial arts duel as it
was a public display of animal abuse.
---
Another barrage of small, chopstick-shaped ki blasts flew
through the air, and Ranma twisted around in an attempt to
dodge them. He felt a sting and a hiss as several of the
projectiles hit his clothes, stung his flesh, and left their
burn marks. This was, yet again, not an easy match for the
young Saotome.
Ranma frowned. Same old problem. Kirin was too fast.
His arms could move to parry whatever assault Ranma
attempted. The analytical part of his mind was churning the
situation over, looking for that weakness. Everyone had a
weakness, he just needed more time to pinpoint it.
The analytical part of his mind finally had an idea.
It'd rely on him taking on more punishment again, but at
least this was the last match of the day.
He landed, getting into the stance for the mokou
takabisha, and built up his ki. A swarm of ki blasts was
heading his way.
This was going to hurt.
---
The Blue Thunder nodded to his opponent, who nodded back.
"En garde, Prince!" Kuno charged forward, bokken at the
ready.
Prince Toma smiled. A rolling wave of fire swept out
from Prince Toma's hand, enveloping the Blue Thunder.
The audience gasped.
Tatewaki Kuno didn't even stop. To Toma's utter
surprise, Kuno was on him and lashed out with a devastating
midsection slash. For a brief flickering moment, Toma
thought he saw blue flames...
---
- an hour later-
Once more, in King's cafe, Ranma & company gathered for
rest and nourishment. The festivities around him seemed
rather crowded, with Akane, Nabiki, Ryouga, Ukyou, Natsumi,
Kurumi, and Prince Toma.
Aside from Prince Toma, they were all there to talk of
battles won and lost, how their own battles had gone, and to
egg each other mercilessly. Prince Toma was busy hitting on
Kurumi for a date. Natsumi frowned while Toma flirted, but
didn't interfere in any other way.
"Saw your match, Ryouga," said Ranma. "Good job
beatin'the monkey. You really spanked that monkey. Got the
monkey off your back. No monkey business h-"
"SHUT UP RANMA!"
"Sheesh, no sense of humor," he replied, rubbing his
arms. "Ow. Damn, that wasn't a fun match."
"Who was your matchup?" asked Ukyou.
"Kirin," said Ranma. "Head of the Seven Lucky Gods
Dojo."
Ukyou hmmed. "Oh, wait, you told me about him... he was
the one that used chopsticks and kidnapped Akane?"
Akane nodded. "That's the one."
"So that would explain those," said Ukyou, pointing to
the many narrow chopstick-esque burn marks on Ranma's shirt
and hands.
"Yeah, he was no pushover. Figured out his weakness,
though."
"Which was?" asked Akane.
"Well... his arms were fast, but his legs weren't. He
usually stood in place when he was doin'his stuff."
"And?" asked Akane.
"His ki blasts. They were small. I figured a really
solid mokou takabisha would blaze right through'em, and
Kirin'd be too slow to dodge. Of course, that meant I hadda
take some hits to build up ki before I could do it." He
took that moment to apply a damp warm towel to the various
burn marks on his arms and face. "I'm beginning to think
the guy that makes the matchups really hates me... and
sending all the clowns your way, Ryouga."
Ignoring the discussion, Kurumi giggled and blushed as
Toma mentioned how very much her eyes reminded him of the
sunsets on his island. Natsumi was splitting her attention
between her meal and occasional glares at the young prince.
"It isn't my fault all my matchups were against...
just... RIDICULOUS martial artists!" Ryouga gritted his
teeth. "They're making me look like a joke out there!"
"Well hey, if the shoe fits..."
"YOU SAYING I'M A JOKE?!?!"
As the conversation between the two rambled on into a
shouting match, Ukyou and Akane rolled their eyes. Kurumi,
meanwhile, talked about her wanderings through Japan with
her elder sister, with Prince Toma listening attentively.
"And there they go again," sighed Akane as Ranma and
Ryouga yelled loudly and gestured with much sweeps of arms
and pointing of fingers. "So, Ukyou, how'd your match go?"
Ukyou shrugged. "Took on some polearm fighter. Not
easy, but not too hard either. Think his name was...
Bishamon... Bishamonten... something like that. How about
you?"
Kurumi was giggling badly at a few carefully selected
words whispered in her ear by Prince Toma. Natsumi was
itching to thwap the boy.
"Kaori Daikoku," said Akane to Ukyou.
"Never heard'a her," replied Ukyou.
"She hasn't been around in a long time... she was an
ex-fiancee of Ranma's."
Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Another one? Genma's fault,
yeah?"
Akane nodded.
They both became distracted by the rather loud clacking
of keys as Nabiki impatiently pounded on her laptop.
"Say, what's that you're looking at?" asked Ukyou.
"King of Nerima website," said Nabiki.
Akane leaned towards Nabiki, trying to get a glimpse of
her screen. "This thing has a website?"
"Yeah, it's got statistics and bios for all of the
fighters in the tournament, as well as stats on today's
matches."
Ukyou's curiosity was raised a little. "Really? What
kinda of stats?"
"Longest matches, shortest matches, martial artist with
the shortest average match, longest average match, wins by
knockout, wins by submission, etc."
"Really? So who's got the longest time per match?" asked
Ukyou.
"Let's see... Kaeru Yaroshi, Yaroshi School of Grappling.
Twenty-three minutes and forty seconds average per match."
"How about the shortest?" asked Ukyou.
"Hm.... Ryo Muhoshin, Unorthodox Weaponry School of
Martial Arts, eight point seven seconds per match."
"Eight point seven???" Ranma looked irritated, possibly
because someone was doing better than he was. "Who the heck
did he fight in the second round?"
"Freddy Takoma, Martial Arts Basket Weaving," said
Nabiki.
"How'd a BASKET WEAVER get into the second round?!"
yelled Ranma.
"He beat Ken Kashu, Martial Arts Poetry."
"Okay, now I've heard it all," said Ukyou.
"Get outta here! Lemme see that." Ranma nudged Nabiki
aside and stared at the screen. "Ken Kasu, Martial Arts
Poetry. Aw geez."
"As silly as that may seem, there's something even odder
happening," said Nabiki. "And I don't like it one bit."
"Like what?" asked Ukyou.
"Like Kuno making it to the third round."
The table fell silent, except for Toma, who was telling
Kurumi about this great stretch of beach on the south end of
Togenkyou Island...
"Waitaminute," said Ranma. "Kuno won AGAIN?"
Nabiki nodded.
"Who'd he beat this time? Must be someone pretty
pathetic," said Ranma smugly.
Nabiki pointed at Toma, who at that moment grinned rather
sheepishly.
"I... guess I underestimated him," offered Toma
sheepishly as an excuse. Natsumi smirked. Kurumi glared at
her sister briefly, then offered comforting words to the
young prince.
"Two strong wins in a row is no coincidence," said
Nabiki. "I had footage of his two victories sent to a few
analysts. Before tomorrow's matches, I should have an
answer."
"Maybe this... Kuno is just better than you thought?"
asked Natsumi.
"You don't know Kuno like we know Kuno," said Ranma.
---
Mio hit the pause button again... backed up a few
frames... then sat back with a puzzled expression on her
face.
On her television was Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High, paused in mid-strike. There was something
disturbing in his aura. It was almost like... like...
She flipped through a nearby occult reference book,
pausing at several pages, then stopped.
Then she moved the footage of Kuno's fight forwards a
bit, pausing as a brief but large flash of dark aura flamed
from Kuno's bokken.
"Oh no... it can't be..."
-end part 1-
WRITER'S NOTES: The Big Index of Obscure Ranma 1/2
Characters for The King of Nerima Tournament
--------------------------------------------
Kaori Daikoku: (ANIME)
Heiress to Takeout Martial Arts and a fiancee
of Ranma. Lost her 'fiancee' status when
she was defeated by Ranma-chan in a
takeout martial arts race. Has shown
a surprisingly deadly use of noodles.
Crepe Joe: (MANGA)
crepe chef that briefly took away Ukyou's
business and defeated her in combat. She
trained hard and returned, defeating Joe
soundly. A competent martial artist, but
not terribly impressive.
Sentaro Daimonji: (ANIME/MANGA)
Heir to the Tea Ceremony Martial Arts Dojo.
Was under the impression that he was engaged
to a monkey, until someone arrived to clarify
things.
Sanae (ANIME/MANGA)
Pet Monkey of Lady Satsuke, heiress to the
Tea Ceremony Martial Arts Dojo. Nasty little
monkey.
Prince Toma (MOVIE)
young Prince (younger than Akane) of a magic and
mobile island whose underground spring turned any
animal into a male human, causing a severe shortage
of women on the isle. He briefly kidnapped Akane
to take as his bride. Wields a sword, and has
a _very_ strong power of illusion.
Kirin: (MOVIE)
Master of the seven lucky gods dojo. Was under the mistaken
impression that Akane was his destined fiancee, so he
(what else?) kidnapped her. Has displayed arm speed
matching Ranma's, and always fights with a bowl of rice
topped with a pickle.
Bishamontten (MOVIE)
Big bearded fighter of the lucky gods dojo. Wields a
polearm in combat.
Natsumi & Kurumi 'Tendo': (OAV)
orphans rescued by a man claiming to be Soun Tendo at
a young age, they were promised the Tendo Dojo if they
became strong and worthy enough of the responsibility.
Natsumi is the elder one, fighting with a specialized
staff, she can send waves of wind with it. Kurumi is
the younger, and the ribbon in her hair is actually
a deceptively long whip-like weapon, wielded as such
in combat.
Kinii: (ANIME)
Servant and Enforcer of the Jusenkyou Guardians, and
disciple of the Muscle Sword technique, where the
warrior and sword become one. His technique is
incredibly destructive in nature.
Chingensai: (ANIME)
Old friend of Happosai's that perfects a technique
for turning invisible. Soun and Genma tried to learn
it, but failed.