Travels, Training & Trials, Chapter 1
Travels, Training and Trials
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
August 18, 1999
Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi, and its characters belong to her. I'm merely borrowing them. The story below is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be used commercially.
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Chapter One
"Fiancee?"
Ranma's eyes bulged so far out of his head they nearly fell out.
Genma had the grace to look somewhat embarrassed.
"I made the arrangement with my friend Tendo before you were born, Ranma. At the time he had only one daughter. Now he has three. If they're as pretty as his wife was, you should like one of them."
[Three choices. Millions of girls in the world, and Pop limits my choices to three.] Ranma had very little experience with girls, but he had begun to take notice of them, and they of him. As far as marriage was concerned, it was a step he was not ready to take, something his father should have been well aware of. [Pop gets more impossible every day.]
"What makes you think I'm ready to get married, Pop?"
The sudden downpour prevented Genma from responding. He pulled out a sign and began to scribble an answer, but Ranma grabbed it from him and shattered it over his head.
"Just show me the way, Pop."
*****
"Father, you have to leave me out of this."
"But Kasumi--"
"I said no! How am I going to explain this to Tofu? It took me MONTHS to get anywhere with him, and now you want me to dump him for some younger guy I've never met?"
"But Kasumi--"
"And I don't give a DAMN if he's Auntie Nodoka's son. Forget it!"
The last words were uttered as Kasumi left the table. Seconds later she was out of the house, stopping long enough to take an umbrella from the stand near the door. Kasumi nearly ran over a soaked girl as she flew down the sidewalk, and she quickly apologized.
"Excuse me! I didn't see you."
She took a quarter of a second to gawk at the panda, and continued toward Tofu's office.
Soun looked warily at his two remaining daughters. So far, neither of them had spoken a word.
"I'm not in the market for a husband right now, Dad. I'm too busy. Besides, having only ONE boyfriend is no fun!"
Soun could only shake his head at Nabiki's statement. He'd thought that Kasumi had been popular in high school. Then Nabiki started attending Furinkan, and boys followed her everywhere. Right now she was going out with two boys, each of whom wanted her total attention. Nabiki seemed to enjoy keeping them dangling while she made up her mind between them.
Akane, on the other hand, didn't have a boyfriend. Her father looked at her hopefully, waiting for her to speak.
"You know how I feel about boys, Daddy. They're nothing but perverts."
"Akane, what makes you think Ranma is a pervert? You've never met him."
"I don't kn--"
"You mustn't jump to conclusions. I expect you to be polite when Saotome and his son arrive. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Daddy."
*****
Hours later, Ranma relaxed in the Tendo bath. He had a lot to think about.
He and his father had totally confused the Tendos when they arrived. Ranma had immediately asked for hot water, and was in the middle of explaining Jusenkyo curses when Kasumi came home, and he'd had to start from the beginning. Kasumi had listened to the explanation and demonstration, shrugged in disinterest, and disappeared into the kitchen to start dinner. Her sister Nabiki had excused herself, saying that she had a date to prepare for. That left only Akane at the table.
The youngest Tendo sister hadn't said a word. At first, Ranma thought that she was as uninterested in his story as Kasumi had been, but her body language betrayed her. She was very interested, but trying to hide it. Akane was doing her best to appear casual, but Ranma could see the way she was leaning in his direction. The very stillness of her body betrayed how intently she was listening, as her eyes looked anywhere but at him. Ranma couldn't help wondering what Akane was thinking.
Ranma had met many girls in the years he had been training. At some dojos, the masters' daughters used any martial arts skills they had to try to attract the men who came to the dojo. Ranma had learned to ignore them. If they persisted, he challenged them to a match, sat them on their rear ends, and ignored them again. Others were serious about the Art, and he'd given and received plenty of bruises training with them.
Ranma tended to prefer the latter type of girl. The soft, sweet girls made him nervous--he got along much better with the tomboys he'd met. There had been one exception to that. Midori. Ranma closed his eyes, thinking of her, and what had happened between them several months earlier.
*****
They'd been staying at a dojo for several weeks, and for once Ranma was the one who wanted to leave. Usually, he preferred to stay in one spot as long as he could, but this particular dojo made him uncomfortable.
Over the years, Ranma had become accustomed to spending time with the master in each dojo he visited. He would read everything in the library that he was permitted to, and trade books that he had already read for anything that could be spared. It wasn't uncommon for Ranma and the master to sit talking far into the night.
This place was different. Instead of spending time with Ranma, the master and Genma had become nearly inseparable. Ranma didn't begrudge his father having a friend, but the late nights they spent out drinking annoyed him. He didn't like the way his father acted when he'd had too much to drink, especially when it caused him embarrassment. Ranma had tried more than once to talk his father into moving on, but Genma would have none of it. The weather was cold and miserable, and if he didn't have to travel in it, he wouldn't.
The one person Ranma would be sorry to leave behind was the master's daughter, Midori. She was tall and slender, with long thick hair that she wore in a braid that was wrapped around her head like a crown. Midori was one of the few girls who seemed to be able to mix being feminine with being a martial artist. She was willing to fight him as hard as he would fight her. Yet whenever he was in her presence, Ranma was all too aware of the fact that this was a girl, and a very desirable one. He would sit in a corner of the dojo admiring her grace as she practiced, but too shy to do anything about it.
Ranma wondered if Midori had an interest in him too. She would make excuses to be around when he was in the library, reading. They'd spent many an hour sitting at the same table with their books, yet very little time talking.
Midori had come very close to being Ranma's wife. For once, Ranma had good cause to be grateful to his father for rescuing him.
Midori's father and Genma were out, and Ranma had gone to bed. He woke up, aware that he was not alone. Midori was kneeling beside his futon.
"Midori? What are you doing here?"
"Shhhh," was the only reply he got, then Midori had gently kissed his cheek.
It seemed that Midori's courage left her after that because she simply sat there, staring at Ranma. He sat up, and brushed her hair out of her eyes. It was unbound, and swirled around her in soft ripples.
The touch of his hand to Midori's cheek sent waves of electricity through Ranma. He had been avoiding physical contact with her for days, refusing even to spar with her, afraid of the reaction it caused in him every time they touched. Tonight he wanted to explore that reaction.
Their lips touched, and his arms found their way around her.
Midori's skin was soft and smooth, and her perfume was intoxicating. Then she was no longer in his arms, for she had pulled away, sinking down onto his pillow. She smiled at him, took his hand, and placed it on her breast.
An alarm went off in Ranma's mind, screaming "DANGER!!!!" in a deafening roar, but he was too far gone to heed it. He had been given too few gifts through the years to even consider refusing the one being offered to him now.
Ranma never got to unwrap the gift. He had just taken Midori into his arms and resumed their kiss when his father exploded into the room, breathing heavily. The pair on the futon separated instantly, Ranma turning bright red and Midori white.
"I suggest you return to your room, Midori."
Ranma avoided his father's face as he listened to the sound of Midori's footsteps, and he didn't look up until the door slid shut.
"Get dressed, and pack. We're leaving."
"Pop, I-I---"
"We'll discuss it later."
Genma waited until they had put several miles between them and the dojo before he stopped to talk.
"You were very lucky tonight, Ranma. Midori was in your room for a reason."
"Well yeah, Pop! I think I had that figured out!"
"Don't interrupt me! Midori was with you because her father had sent her there."
Ranma dropped the firewood he was holding onto his foot. He winced, sat down, and took off his shoe to look at it. His father got the fire going and sat next to it, warming his hands.
"I should have guessed what he was up to. For the past few days, he's been praising you, and saying what an asset you would be to any dojo. He must have been planning to marry you off to Midori from the start.
"Tonight he had a little too much to drink, and he made a mistake. He congratulated me, saying that you and Midori were taking the first step toward making us grandparents."
[OhmyGod, I didn't even think of that.] "What did you do, Pop?"
"I tried to leave, of course--to get to you. When he tried to stop me, I put him down. Hard. He won't be getting up for a while."
Ranma stared into the fire for a while, gathering his thoughts.
"Thanks, Pop. I owe you one. But. . ."
"Yes?"
"What about Midori? Is he going to take this out on her?"
"I don't think so, Ranma. At least I hope not."
Genma watched his son's face for a minute. Ranma looked confused, and a little hurt.
"If it makes you feel any better, son, she does like you. I could see that."
Ranma slept little that night. His father's words hadn't made him feel better, because he really didn't know whether Midori had offered herself to him because she wanted to or because she was told to.
[Nobody's ever going to push a girl at me again. I'm going to choose my own girlfriend.]
*****
[Why am I thinking about Midori?]
Ranma knew why. Akane. Her long dark hair, her gi. . .a lot about her reminded her of the first (and only) girl he had ever kissed. This disturbed him, especially when combined with the fact that she was being pushed at him as a potential wife. Ranma had been starting to get uncomfortable with her silence. Then she'd finally spoken, and unknowingly made the resemblance stronger. . .
"I was about to go practice, Ranma. Would you like to spar with me?"
He could hear Midori in his head, asking the same question. He'd kept refusing, but it was evident that he wouldn't be able to refuse Akane. Her father and his looked at him expectantly.
The only response Ranma had given was a nod, and he followed her into the dojo. As they left the house, he heard Mr. Tendo talking to his father.
"Saotome, I have a problem with my girls. Kasumi already has a boyfriend, and Nabiki has two. . ."
*****
They started slowly, gauging each other's skills. Ranma saw that Akane was good--very good--and that she had no intention of losing. He stepped up his attack, and she kept right up with him.
The only sounds in the dojo were of the blows they traded, grunts when they landed, and their feet on the floor. Then, in an instant, it was over. Akane had charged at Ranma, and he had sailed over her head, knocked her flat on her face, then sat on her.
"You're not bad, Akane."
"Neither are you."
"Dinner!!"
That word made both of them smile. Ranma got off Akane, and reached down for her hand. She grasped it, and he pulled her to her feet. They were about to leave the room when Akane stopped him. She looked extremely embarrassed.
"Ranma, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"You know why your father brought you here, right?"
"He told me about it when we were about two blocks away."
"Really? Daddy told us today too. I didn't know what to think."
Ranma nodded.
"Neither did I."
Akane gave Ranma a half-hearted smile.
"They're going to pick me, you know. Kasumi is practically engaged, and Nabiki's trying to make up her mind between her two boyfriends. I--I feel--"
"Do you feel trapped? I know I do."
Akane nodded. "That's exactly how I feel. I wonder what Auntie Nodoka knows about this."
"Who's she?"
Akane's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Your mother, that's who!"
Ranma staggered. Akane thought he was going to fall down, but he caught himself. She watched him attempt to regain his composure, and then he answered in a very shaky voice.
"You know my mother? I can't even remember what she looks like."
Before Akane could reply, Kasumi called them again. This time, she sounded angry.
"Get in here before it gets cold!!!"
Ranma looked at Akane in surprise, and she shrugged.
"Sis is in a bad mood. She had a hard day at college, and she's not taking your arrival very well. She went to see her boyfriend, but he wasn't there, and that made her even crabbier. Try not to let her get to you."
From there, things had gone rapidly downhill. Akane had joined the family (minus Nabiki, who was out on her date) at the dinner table, and immediately announced that she had to write to Nodoka.
"I have to tell her that the two of you are here!"
To everyone's amazement, Genma went dead white.
"You mustn't!"
Ranma immediately looked suspicious.
"Why not, Pop?"
"Because--because."
"Hey! I can tell you're thinking up a lie. Tell me the truth!"
Akane didn't think it was possible for Mr. Saotome to get any paler, but he did. He gulped, and began to talk.
"Ranma, I er, promised your mother that you would be a true man when we returned home."
"So? Why is that a pro--"
[What is my mother gonna think about this curse?] he thought. [I don't want Mother to see me this way: it's embarrassing!]
Ranma's change of expression was not lost on the people in the room. They knew Nodoka, and her ideas about men and women, and their roles.
"She's not going to like this, is she?"
"It's worse than that. If she's not satisfied, the both of us have to commit seppuku."
Akane jumped to her feet.
"No! That's just wrong! Auntie wouldn't do such a thing!"
Genma just looked at her, dread on his face. Akane's expression changed from indignation to sadness, and she sat down.
"I--I won't write to her, but sooner or later she's going to come here. What are you going to do?"
"That's where you come in, Akane. If you and Ranma were married, she would consider him a man."
Akane was back on her feet again.
"Why ME?"
Kasumi looked up at her sister.
"Sit down, Akane. There are reasons why you would be the best choice."
Akane sat, and Kasumi calmly recited the reasons, counting on her fingers as she went along.
"One: Out of the three of us, you're closest in age to Ranma. Two: You're the martial artist in the family. Three: I know you don't like boys, and Ranma is half girl--"
If there were any other reasons on Kasumi's list, she would never get to express them. Ranma threw down his chopsticks, rose from his seat, and towered over her.
"Get this straight! I'm a GUY!! Not a girl, not half a girl, a GUY!"
Kasumi cringed. Genma jumped up, and pushed Ranma away from her.
"Sit down, boy!"
Ranma sat. Silence reigned for several seconds as Ranma glared at his father. Then he looked down at his plate and sighed. When he looked up again it was at Soun.
"Mr. Tendo, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. Kasumi, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I have something to say about this. May I?"
Soun nodded. "Go ahead."
"I understand that you've made an agreement with my father. What I don't understand is that you expect me to choose a wife today. I just got here. Would you be willing to give me some time to make up my mind?"
Soun thought for a minute before replying.
"That's a reasonable request. How much time were you thinking of?"
"I don't know--a couple of months at least? I don't really know your daughters, and they don't know me. This has got to be as embarrassing for them as it is for me."
*****
The water was beginning to cool down. Ranma sighed, and got out of the tub.
He was grateful that his father and Soun had agreed with his request for time. It was bad enough being pressured to take a wife, but having to choose one within hours of meeting her was totally unfair. Besides that, his immediate attraction to Akane scared him a little. He felt as if he had fallen into a trap, and the last thing his father should know was that he liked the bait.
Ranma made his way upstairs. The house was dark and quiet, but when he entered his room, Genma lay on his futon, snoring loudly. Ranma crawled into his futon and closed his eyes, but there was too much on his mind to allow sleep.
[No sense in listening to that snoring if I don't have to.]
Ranma opened the bedroom window, and climbed up onto the roof. A light breeze made the night comfortable, and the view was nice. Ranma was about to sit down when he saw Akane lying on her back a few yards away, staring at the stars. He walked over, looked down, and greeted her.
"Hello, Akane."
Ranma sat next to Akane, and smiled at her. She sat up, and looked at him rather seriously.
"Couldn't you sleep, Ranma?"
"No."
"Me neither."
Akane looked up at the stars for a minute before she spoke again.
"This is my special place. The only other person who can get up here is Daddy, but he never does. I come here when I need to think, or if Auntie No-"
Akane realized she was talking to Nodoka's son, and stopped short.
"What about Mother?"
"Sometimes I come up here so she can't find me. We, um, we don't always agree with each other. She's got some ideas about how women are supposed to act that I just can't agree with. If she had her way, I'd give up martial arts, and spend all my time being a 'lady'. We've had the same argument over and over again. Mom would have listened to me."
"She wants you to give up martial arts? No way, Akane! You're too good at it. Besides, you, um. . ."
"I what?"
"You can be a lady and a martial artist too."
Akane lit up.
"Thank you! That's exactly what I've been telling your mother. Mom did both, and I want to do both."
[I can't believe it! A boy I don't want to pound into the ground. . .this is weird. And he has the nicest eyes. . .]
[She's so cute. . .No! Don't start thinking that! Look at the trouble it caused last time! I�ve got to think of a way to protect myself.]
"Er, Akane, about this engagement thing. You were right. Kasumi doesn't like me, and Nabiki isn't interested. That sort of leaves just you and me."
Akane flinched. [Here it comes, and I don�t know what to do!]
"Ranma, you said you needed time! What are you getting at?"
"I'm saying that I'd like to get to know you. As a friend. If it doesn't work out, I'll leave. There's no way our fathers are going to force us to get married if we can't get along. What do you say?"
Akane's response was to hold out her hand. Ranma grasped it, trying to ignore the feeling touching her caused.
"It's a deal, Ranma. Friends it is."