[Fanfic][Ranma]Revenge

    Disclaimer.  All characters, settings, and situations are the
copyright of their creators.  I seek no profit, recompense, or credit
for their ideas.  This work is soley for the enjoyment of readers
everywhere, and to honor the countless hours of work the creators put
into their creations.  Any characters I introduce I would like to
claim as my own, but knowing me, I saw them somewhere else and just
forgot about it. ^_^

A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
Revenge

    Ranma Saotome.  I know the name well.  Since birth, my mother has
told me of how Genma Saotome threw her over for another woman.  Her
life ended on that day.  She went through life mechanically, marrying
a man for money and prestige, helping her family.  She had a lifestyle
of wealth and power, but it didn't bring her happiness.  Father loved
her dearly, but her love had died on that fateful day when Genma left
her.  Ever since she passed away, I have sworn revenge on Genma
Saotome for causing my mother so much pain.

    I have been following Genma and his son, Ranma, for ten years now.
Mother and Father gave me the one ability that made it easy.  Both
Mother and Father could move without being noticed.  People would look
past them.  Father made much of his money just by listening when
people thought they were alone.  Father's money made it easy for me to
follow Genma and Ranma, even through their trip to China.

    I started following them when I was 10.  Father had withdrawn into
seclusion upon my Mother's death, and Father's advisors kept his vast
fortune growing.  I had nearly full access to Father's money and
rescources.  I never spent too much, in fear that I would be cut off,
and unable to fufill my revenge.

    After following Genma and Ranma for six months, I realized that
Genma couldn't be the target of my revenge.  He had put all his hopes
and dreams into his son.  I knew that in order to break Genma like he
had my mother, I needed to break his son.

    I learned of the engagment of Ranma to one of the Tendo daughters
by accident.  Genma muttered something about it one night when he was
drunk.  This could be used to my advantage, and I managed to
manipulate the father of one Ukyou Kuonji.  I convinced him that the
one for his daughter was Ranma, and even tapped into Father's money to
give him enough to open a store, freeing his daughter for travel.

    Genma managed to foil that one, though.  He stole the yattai that
Ukyou's father offered for the dowry, and left Ukyou behind.  I goaded
Ukyou into revenge and left, still following Ranma and Genma.  Ukyou
doesn't even remember me.  My special ability made sure of that.

    When they travelled to Jusenkyo, I thought that the curses they
aquired would cause them to lose all hope, but they seemed to adapt to
the curses like they had lived with them all their lives.

    I thought that at the Amazon village, Ranma and Genma would get
what they had coming, but they managed to avoid the revenge crazed
Amazon with such luck, one would think they were blessed.  It took me
a while to track her down and let her know they had returned to Japan.

    All this time, I have been watching and learning the same fighting
styles that Ranma learned.  I know that I could not match him, but I
could hold him off for a while.  I knew then that outside manipulation
would not be enough.  Ranma and Genma seemed to adapt or avoid
everything I could arrange.  I knew then that Ranma needed to be
confronted directly.

    Of course, there was only one way to confront him directly.  I had
to draw him out, and his Fiancees seemed to be the only logical way to
do it.  When I had finally figured out my plans, there had already
been several kidnapping attempts, and after seeing how Ranma delt with
the people responsible, I knew that it wouldn't work for me.

    Now, I am still sitting on the Tendo Dojo wall, watching him
practice.  He doesn't even notice me.  My ability still works.  Father
is dead now, and I am waiting for my next birthday when I take over
Father's estate.  My revenge must be completed by then, or else I
can't fufill the duties my inheritance will entail.

    Ranma has gotten better, but then again, so have I.  I still can't
take Ranma one on one, I know that, but I can still hold him off for a
while.  I also know that he loves Akane Tendo.  That is the only way I
can really get back at him.  The only problem was that I had no way to
take her from him.  She loved him as well, but they could never get
together long enough to admit it to each other.  Thanks to me,
usually.

    I am fighting a losing battle, though.  I know that it is a matter
of time before they admit it to each other, and I won't be able to
stop them.  Ranma must pay for what his father did, and I am almost
out of time.  Shampoo and her Great Grandmother, Cologne, have proven
to be ineffectual tools.  Ryoga isn't reliable, Ukyou has sworn off
revenge and is now hoping that Ranma chooses her, but is calm about
it.  The Kuno's are not controllable.  It has all come down to me.  I
will not fail you, Mother.

    The visits of Ranma's mother have been me as well.  I let her know
that her husband and son were at the Tendo home, but they used their
cursed forms to evade that trap.  Happosai, once again, was me.  I
released him from his prison, but even he could not fufill the revenge
I sought.

    I guess that I need to confront him directly.  I don't want to,
but I have no choice.  There is nothing left for me to do.  Killing is
something I cannot do, Mother and Father raised me too well for that.
I have to beat him emotionally, and that is the hardest fight of all.

    Ranma showed up where I set the challenge at, and I confronted
him.  He seemed to be too relaxed, too at ease.  I told him nothing
about my manipulations of his life, but I filled him in on the
suffering that my mother went through.  He seemed to be shocked that
his father had actually done that.  Apparently he thought that his
father had made it up.

    I still challenged Ranma, using what I had learned about him
during his travels to tear down that calm exterior.  Ranma reeled like
I had hit him every time I said something, but the calm never left
him.  The bitterness I had felt for the last 15 years seemed to drain
out of me with every insult I yelled at him.  When I finished, Ranma
looked at me, fire in his eyes, although I could tell that the fire
was not directed at me.

    Ranma took me back to the Tendo Dojo to confront his father.  I
was so stunned at Ranma's reaction that I could only follow.  For the
first time in my life, my revenge was understood, and the target of my
revenge was the one that understood.  I quietly entered the Tendo
home, still being led by Ranma.  Genma looked at me, and his reaction
let me know that he saw my mother in me.

    Ranma confronted his father, yelling and beating on him.  I just
sat there, confused.  All my hatred of Ranma seemed misplaced now, and
I could see that I had become what my mother had become.  I had no
friends, no family, and no one to love.  I knew then that I had to
learn a new way of life.

    Ranma walked out with me, and I knew that he was sincerely
horrified that his father had done that.  Ranma even offered his
friendship, but I knew that I could not stick around.  I had too many
things to learn before I could manage the inheritance, and I felt that
no matter what, my Mother could at last rest easier, knowing that even
though Genma left her, his son cared about her.