[Ranma][FanFic] Quest for the Dragon Fist--Chapter One: "A New Age Begins"
Wolf Shadow
Quest For the Dragon Fist
A Ranma 1/2 Fan fiction by Jeff Groves
schol...@hotmail.com
Brought to you by TreMoon Productions
http://tremoonproductions.freeservers.com/
This story is the sequel to ToXM1: The True Cat Fist, and will make no
sense whatsoever if you haven't read the new version (available on my
web page, and recently reposted to RAAC).
--First and Foremost--
I would like to apologize to the moderators and readers of RAAC, I
forgot to flag TCF when I reposted it. It should have been flagged as
Serious, Alterniverse, New Character, "Adult" Language, and Some
Sexual Content. Sorry, I was pissed off at some Word98 -> *.txt
formatting difficulties, and forgot.
--Disclaimer--
I do not claim to own the characters or circumstances of Ranma 1/2,
nor do I delusionally believe such. They are the property of one
wonderful woman by the name of Takahashi Rumiko-san (please, woman,
keep writing!), and are released in the US by Viz Communications.
--Warning--
This story contains language strong enough to earn an "R" rating, and
may without warning contain "lime" scenes. I'll warn before going
"lemon", however, when and if I do.
This is a Serious fanfic... not dark, but I'm not hard-wired to write
slapstick. Sorry.
This is an Alterniverse which deviates shortly before the Hiryuu
Shoten Ha Cycle.
This story contains a New Character. Sorry if that pisses you off.
--A Few Notes Before We Begin--
Time is a stream: for it to continue passing, it must have passed in
the fist place. Since no time has ever passed in the Ranma storyline,
previous to my taking hold of it, I must, in order to have it pass
now, force its passage prior. Therefore, I am arbitrarily declaring
that nine months have passed since Ranma came to Nerima (that's
right... three or four years of monthly manga took place in nine
months. *shudder* could be worse... most condense the entire nine
years of Takahashi's work into a single year of time passing).
"Text" is spoken, usually in Japanese, although much of the first
chapter is in Chinese (I'll try to be clear which is which, but let's
use some common sense).
"<Text>" is spoken, almost invariably in some language that few or
none of the present characters understand. This is for your benefit,
dear readers, and mine.
'Text' is thought, or sub-quoted.
*Text* is telepathically imparted, though you'll see little of this,
if any.
<Text> is telempathic communication through Xian Mao's Kinship with
felines.
[Text] is written, language will be denoted. I'll probably use this
for Genma-panda's signs, too.
Now, after way-too-fucking-long a delay, I bring you ...
*****
"Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse."
--Sophocles
"From one thing know ten thousand things."
--Musashi Miyamoto
Quest for the Dragon Fist
Chapter One
"A New Age Begins"
Ranma struggled up the mountain paths leading up to the Joketsuzoku
village... and nearby Jhusenkyo. Strange, how with a chance at a cure
so close, all he could think about was rescuing Xian Mao and Nabiki...
and Shampoo, too, he guessed.
The challenge had probably taken place at least a week ago,
but he had to know how it had ended, and what had become of Xian Mao
and Nabiki. Had Cologne killed them? Had Xian Mao submitted? Had
Nabiki worked out some sort of deal?
Nabiki. She'd hurt him, in the past, for reasons ranging from
boredom to profit. He'd lost count of the times and never understood
why. But, in many ways, she was his sister. A few things had become
clearer since Xian had locked him and Akane in that strange bubble.
Despite what had been done, Nabiki was Akane's sister, and Akane loved
her. That meant that Nabiki was one of the people he should protect;
not just because it was his duty as a martial artist, but because she
was... not family, but close enough.
His reasons for coming for Xian Mao were just a little more
vague. The young priest held the secrets that might cure him of his
cat phobia, and seemed to be a very powerful sorcerer... maybe he
could find a cure for the Curse, if Jhusenkyo didn't hold it? And the
strange young man had also helped him find a little clarity, a little
bit of insight into his own mind and heart. By talking him through
what had happened, then enclosing him in the bubble with Akane, Xian
Mao had changed Ranma's view of the world. He owed it to him to at
least know what had happened.
And Shampoo... for all his new-found clarity, he didn't know
if he cared or not what happened to her. When he'd first met her,
she'd tried to kill him. When she'd found out that the woman she was
trying to kill was actually a man cursed by Jhusenkyo, she'd tried to
wed him. And, despite his repeated (if almost useless) attempts to
push her away, she'd just kept coming. Granted, he understood why,
now: the incident where she'd broken down Akane's door and explained
all the gory details of Amazon Law in frighteningly precise Japanese
had done wonders for his understanding of her situation, but...
That didn't change what had been said and done, or its
effects.
So he, Akane, Oyaji, and Tendo-san climbed the steep, rugged
path to the Joketsuzoku... wondering what lay ahead.
It is worth noting that, upon arriving at the gates of the Amazon
Village, even Ranma could tell that there were certain unpleasant
social undercurrents floating around. Despite the fact that she (yes,
Ranma somehow found a puddle to fall into) had been here before, she
really didn't know what it should be like--it had been a tournament,
then, and a festival--but she knew that this wasn't it. Everything
was subdued, greyish, and quiet... the recent rain only added to the
atmosphere. The streets were muddy and ill-kept, people darted about
their business as quickly as they could, not bothering to look around.
Very few smiled.
Ranma and her companions stood at the gate, wondering what was
going on.
"Should we," Akane hesitated, "go in?"
Perhaps speaking set it off, or perhaps it only seemed that
way, but when Akane spoke, a flurry of activity began. There was a
cry in Chinese, and out of nowhere three Amazon warriors, armed with
bladed weapons appeared. Ranma, Akane, and their fathers froze. They
knew better than to confront these warriors. They might win, but that
could be as bad as loosing.
There was a good deal of shouting in Chinese, and poking of
the four outsiders with sticks and weapons as a crowd gathered.
Ranma's temper began to sizzle, but she did not want to come out of
this with another Kiss of Death... or, worse, another fiancee. Odd,
that she thought of another suitor as worse than another who wanted
her dead.
"Hey! Watch where you stick that thing!" Ranma-chan yelled.
The offending Amazon said something that was clearly crude, and made a
gesture that was not only probably obscene, but very obviously
suggestive. Possibly inviting.
Someone stormed out of one of the larger huts, shouting.
Probably something along the lines of "what's going on here?"
"Shampoo!" the Pig-tailed girl cried.
"Ranma?" there was no small amount of shock or surprise in
the violet-haired girl's voice.
Xian Mao, Nabiki, and Shampoo were having breakfast when the commotion
at the gates began. At first, they ignored it.
"What do you think has got those bimbos riled up this time?"
asked an ever-acidic Nabiki. Her Mandarin was improving, but not
quite at "conversational" levels yet, so they spoke Japanese among
themselves.
"No clue," Shampoo confessed. While everyone knew her name
was properly pronounced Xian Pu, "Shampoo" had become a preferred
moniker, reminding of the good times and avoided confusion with Xian
Mao... generally called "Xian" by either girl, now.
A shout from outside, and the resident male nearly dropped his
tea.
"That was Japanese."
"Come again?" Nabiki demanded.
"Whoever is outside is yelling in Japanese," he clarified.
Animal senses were not quite so bad, out here in the boonies... his
hearing, in particular, was useful. Unfortunately, Shampoo and Nabiki
had very similar cycles, and his little trouble with fertile women was
going to kick in any time, now.
"Shampoo go look," the purple-haired young woman declared,
sighing and standing up. Sometimes, she still spoke in the third
person... an old habit from Nerima. On occasion, it slipped into her
Chinese, as well.
The Amazon warrior--still the strongest youth in the tribe,
and stronger now than before she went after Ranma--stepped outside the
hut. It was the one she'd once shared with She Who Was Gone, but that
mattered little to her. Some saw it as strange that she still lived
there, but that hardly mattered.
"<What in the world is going on here?>" she demanded, storming
toward the gates. A group of warriors had gathered there, and were
poking at several newcomers.
"Shampoo?"
Now -that- was a familiar voice.
"Ranma?"
Astonishment was really the only word that could describe what
she was feeling. -Ranma- had come here? Why? For Nabiki? For Xian?
For her? For She Who Is No More? Why?
A few quick orders sent all but the most paranoid guards away.
Them, and one Elder.
"<So,>" Lin Long said, voice sugary with contempt, "<this is
the Ranma you dishonored yourself over?>"
Shampoo quirked an eyebrow at the Elder, but said nothing.
There was no right response, and no response was the least of many
wrong ones.
"<I see. Quite a woman he is. I thought your tastes less
traditional than that, Xian Pu. Perhaps there is hope, after all.>"
Shampoo snorted, and returned her attention to Ranma.
"I see you bring Akane and Panda-man, too. And Violent-girl's
father," there was no malice in her voice, and she smiled warmly.
"Come, there are two here, at least, who will not point weapons at
you."
The Shampoo leading them to the large hut was not the Shampoo either
Ranma or Akane remembered. They remembered what a westerner would
call a classic cheerleader: air-headed, bubbly, always happy... and
clearly never bothered by stray thoughts. A girl in every sense of
the word. This Shampoo was no girl but rather an intelligent young
woman. Where and when had the change occurred... or, had it? Maybe
this was the real Shampoo? Or a mask put on for the village?
Ranma and Akane followed Shampoo, and their fathers followed
them... none of them entirely certain what to do or what was to come.
"Look what the cat dragged in!" their "hostess" declared
brightly as she opened the door to her home. It would be hard for
anyone to say which group was the more surprised: those seated at the
breakfast table or those coming in.
Everyone blurted names, pretty much at about the same time,
while Shampoo sat back and laughed, ushering the four Nerimans fully
into the house. Fortunately, She Who Was No More had liked having
guests, and there were several extra chairs. Shampoo gathered them up
and saw that everyone was seated, then made another pot of tea.
Finally, as the young Amazon finished pouring tea, the rambunctious
group was settled... well, mostly. Tendo Soun was still crying,
jabbering about his little girl not being dead. It took several hard
slaps from Nabiki to get him to shut up.
"So," Genma said, trying to sound impressive. "Why aren't you
dead? We thought for sure the Old Ghoul would kill all three of you."
Everyone stared at Genma for a little bit. Then eyes turned
to Xian, who sighed and sipped at his tea.
"The short answer," he began, voice weary, movements minimal,
"is that the Neko-ken is just as invincible as you thought it was,
Saotome-san. I am a... no, I am -the- Master of the Neko-ken."
"-The- Master?" Ranma asked. "I thought that would be some
old guy back at your temple?"
"It... it is a long story, Ranma. The monks at the
Wang-Mao-Yue temple are the ... caretakers of the Art, not its
masters. They are there to remember the traditions and to train the
one child born each generation who can master the Mao Fu. Others are
taught, too, in the process of finding that one, and to the end of
furthering the tradition.
"But... as I was saying: I defeated She Who Is Gone."
That was more than a little stunning. Shampoo and Nabiki had
been there and seen it happen, and didn't quite believe it. And the
rest... best not to mention it, even if they were specifically asked.
"How?" demanded a very annoyed (and therefore very shrill)
Ranma-chan. "What happened? -TELL-!" It was somewhat harmful to
Ranma's dignity that Xian Mao, whom she could defeat easily, had
somehow managed to defeat the woman who had so casually beaten her so
many times. Then it clicked: *I defeated She Who Is Gone* Like the
Japanese, the Chinese did not speak the names of the dead. Much more
softly: " 'She who is gone?' You killed Col -- her?"
With a sigh, Xian Mao began the tale...
I arrived the morning after I left Nerima. I ... really do not
remember much of the space in between. I was so upset, I lost control
.... I only regained it a few hours outside of the village.
It ... disturbed many of the other Elders, I believe, though I
did not think of it at the time, that I could cover so great a
distance so quickly without making enough noise for even one of them
to hear. She Who Has Left was merely excited. I challenged her, and
she greeted the challenge with such great enthusiasm that disturbed a
few of the tribe more than my arrival did.
We began as the sun began to set, and it was over before full
dark.
I had invoked the fullest power of the Cat Fist, and while the
victory was not easy, it was hardly a challenge. At least, the fight
with -her- was hardly a challenge, the fight with myself was
significant... I understand, now, Ranma, what you go through fighting
off the "Cat Fist" when it comes on you. I wanted to toy with her,
like a mouse; that, or shred her flesh for taking the girls. Turns
out it was harder than I thought at the time. I destroyed her, in the
end, casting her body towards the Springs.
Then I collapsed, and did not awaken for three days.
She'd broken one of my ribs, and I was covered in bruises... I
was also utterly drained, both from using the Cat Fist and from
deflecting her Chi attacks.
That was two and a half weeks ago... I still have trouble
walking.
Xian Mao collapsed back into his chair. He found the lies
distasteful, but knew the necessity better, even, than Shampoo or
Nabiki. His true Nature--which he had only just grasped--was not
something he was ready to unleash upon the world, and he doubted that
even his friends could grasp it.
Shampoo gave him a sympathetic look and poured him another cup
of tea.
"So," said Nabiki, changing the subject, "how did you guys get
here?"
Ranma shrugged, and said, "We walked."
"We took a plane to Beijing, but we couldn't afford tickets
any further, so we had to hitchhike and walk from there."
"Ah, quit whinin' Akane. I went through worse with Pops."
"Well, I'm sorry if I'm just not as tough as you are Ranma!"
"I was ten! Quit whinin'!"
Amazingly enough, that shut Akane up.
"Ten?"
Genma nodded.
"A fine training mission, that. I took the boy up to the top
of Fuji-san, and made him run all the way down the slope, and then
back up without stopping. Then I decided that that wasn't tough
enough, so I made him do it again... through the forest, instead of on
the path."
Soun nodded.
"Ah... you remember when the Master made us do that, Tendo?"
"Of course I do, Saotome. Every day for weeks. Wasn't that
the life, Saotome?"
"Indeed it was, Tendo, indeed it was."
Ranma sighed. Akane facefaulted. Nabiki shook her head.
Shampoo rolled her eyes.
Xian buried his face in his hands. "<I can't believe I'm
hearing this.>"
"<Believe it, friend. I've heard them say worse. Them and
Grea--She Who Is Gone.>"
"So, Daddy, just how much money -did- you spend getting here?"
Bigsweats all around.
As the companions drank tea quietly (for them) in the hut that had
been the Lost Elder's, another meeting was taking place. In the Hall
of the Council, the Council of Elders huddled around their large,
wooden table, talking in harsh whispers... almost as if to try to keep
secret even from themselves what must be kept from the rest of the
tribe.
"Now that the Gaki has fallen," the eldest among them stated
harshly, "things will begin to change."
Though each of the ancient women had despised Khu Lon with a
bitter passion, not one of them had failed to fear or respect her
power. When the People's Army had come, it had been Khu Lon who had
led the warriors to destroy them from within. When youngsters had
questioned the honor of the raiding party's tactics, Khu Lon had used
a weapon taken from the Outsiders: a pistol, shooting one of the
youth's leaders in the arm. "They are Outsiders, who live without
honor. Why should they die with any?" she had said. The youth had
been quelled, but it had been Khu Lon, alone, who'd been able to
control them. Only Khu Lon's heirs and students had remained loyal,
while the other Elder's progeny and proteges had died or been slain or
turned traitor.
When the weak--particularly the males--had begun to leave, it
had been Khu Lon and hers who had held the strongest in the village...
and who cared about the weak?
But Khu Lon had been vicious in ways that not even others of
the Council could be, and in time the situation had come to -require-
that viciousness to maintain the status quo.
"Yes," hissed the Second Head. She would have been Head,
herself, had her body not aged so poorly. She was more shriveled,
even, than Khu Lon--"the Gaki"--had been. "Things will change.
Perhaps it is time."
"Past time," stated the Council's youngest member. Youngest,
at a hundred and eighty.
"But it must be us that dictates the changes. Us, and no
others," declared the Head. "And if we are to dictate the changes, we
must remove those who might do so, themselves."
"The Gaki's Heir," snarled the eldest.
"Her, and her Outsider friends," agreed the Head.
"I fear you miss the point," stated one of the council, and
all heads turned toward her. "It is not they who must go, but he of
Wang-Mao-Yue. Xian Pu cares as little for politics and governing now
as she did before that infamous Tournament... perhaps less. Of all
the Outsiders, only the girl She Who Is Gone kidnapped is a potential
threat... she has much the same bearing as the Gaki did in her youth:
'all the world is mine, it just doesn't know it yet'."
"And yet you say they are no threat?"
"And how are we to be rid of him? He who slew the Gaki?"
"And what do you suggest, then?
The council member smiled.
"They are no threat because they do not care to be one. They
do not know or care -how- to be one. And I suggest that we get rid of
him by getting rid of them all."
The Head gave her a caustic look.
"If you had nothing to contribute, then why did you speak?"
"Because it is best to have the truest intention in mind, even
when the course is the same," she said, paraphrasing one of the Great
Matriarchs. The others nodded. Old truths were strong truths.
*****
Note: A Gaki is, if I have my mythology right, a form of Chinese
undead. They are the souls of those who are greedy and gluttonous in
life, damned to a barren wasteland of a Hell, where they eat forever,
but never slacken their inhumanly vast hunger, and never die of
starvation... sometimes, they get out. "Gaki" is fairly similar in
concept to some forms of the western "Ghoul" (except incredibly more
powerful), and I thought it would be a nifty cultural adaptation.
Well folks, here we go.
Should not be more than a month before the next chapter, which this
very day is being sent to my pre-readers.
Who, by the way, i'll be thanking right now:
Thanks, publicly:
David (Latin_D)
Lady Sharon
Rommel Villanueva
Without you, this story would have been much less legible. With any
luck, you'll help the entire work be even better than it would be on
my own.
So i'll see you next time for:
Quest for the Dragon Fist
Chapter Two
"None Such Thing"
1700 hours
4/11/00
Jeff Groves