Here it is, the last of the Hawaii stories. C&C welcome.
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#8: Doco in Hawaii, part 3: Oahu
Ranma vs. the Volcano!
The Wheel of Fire, Part 3: Doco-- Turning Point
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective properties
and characters. The manga has precedence over material in the anime.
This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its complete
form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain without
permission from the author. (to which the answer is probably "no")
Author's note: This series takes place after the final manga story, Vol.
38, after my previous fics, "Moments of Transition," "Team Ranma vs. the
Orochi Assassins," "End of the Beginning," "Descending Spiral," "Specters,"
"The Law of Amazons," "Doco in the Battle of the Bands," and "Doco in
Hawaii." Knowledge of the previous stories helps in understanding the minor
details of the story (see "Plot Points"). The final part in a three-part
story in Hawaii.
This is the third and final part of a three-part story. The worst has
passed, so what more could go wrong?
Plot Points (from previous stories)
==================================
1. Ranma and Akane are married.
2. The Nerima crew (Doco, consisting of Ranma, the Tendo sisters, the Kunos,
Shampoo, Mousse, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, Ryoga, Akari, Ukyo, and Konatsu)
have won an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for two weeks.
3. The so-called 'Kiss of Death' law has been forcibly-repealed by Cologne.
4. Mousse is now an outsider of his tribe (banished by Cologne). He's now
living and working at Ucchan's, since Cologne's still mad at him for defying
traditions and her authority.
5. Ryoga is looking for his mother to get permission to marry Akari.
6. Mousse and Shampoo have reached an understanding in their 'relationship.'
7. Kodachi and Tatewaki have reached an understanding. Unfortunately for
Ranma, both Kunos hate him-- period.
8. The ex-Ranma-fiancees have reached an understanding. Now they treat each
other like old friends, as there's no reason to fight anymore.
9. Both Kunos know that Ranma and the pig-tailed girl are the same person.
As a result, Kuno's hatred of Ranma was intensified, since the sorcerer
Ranma toyed with his fragile heart. Kodachi saw the curse as an 'added
incentive' to give up on Ranma.
10. Ukyo discovers she can manipulate chi, but as of yet it manifests only
in her okonomiyaki. With proper training she could become more powerful than
Ranma, according to the minions of Orochi.
11. At Ukyo's insistence, Pantyhose Taro now travels with the band. Konatsu
suspects the two are 'more than just friends.'
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Opening: Earth Orchestra (aka the Principal's song)
Honolulu, Hawaii
It was the last leg of the Nerima crew's all-expenses-paid vacation to
Hawaii: three days in Oahu.
The group walked through the terminal they'd passed through on their way
to the Big Island from Japan. Retrieving their baggage, they waited at the
roadside until Kuno drove by with an extra-long van. Taking the interstate
to downtown Honolulu, the gang checked into a high-rise hotel, across the
street from a mall.
Kuno and Kodachi sat on the same twin bed in their room, watching TV,
what appeared to be the local news. Kuno's arms stretched out as he
lay back against the mattress, one arm wrapping around Kodachi's waist.
"Ah, the wonders of modern conveniences," he said, complementing the
overproductive air conditioner in the room.
"You'd better not be trying to hit on me, Brother," warned Kodachi, eyeing
Kuno's arm.
Over on the next twin bed, Akari's teeth chattered under the covers.
"Don't you think this room is cold enough?!" she complained.
"Would you prefer to stand outside, Akari Unryu?" asked Kuno, almost
daring.
Akari shook her head. Outside, the thermometer rose over 100 degrees, way
too hot for her tastes.
Ryoga opened the two-bedroom room, holding a tray before him. In the tray
was a bucket of ice, four glasses, and a couple cans of cold cola. "I'm
back."
"About time," Kodachi snorted, reaching for a glass and can.
After serving drinks, Ryoga voiced, "I wonder what the others are doing."
Akari answered, "Oh, I heard most of them went down to the beach." In
fact, one reason why she and Ryoga didn't go along was Ryoga's insistence to
distance himself from the cold ocean water.
"If time permits," began Kuno, "I'll be joining my lovely Ukyo Kuonji
later this afternoon for a tour of the mall across the street."
"I seriously don't think you're her type," Kodachi noted.
"One date is all I ask!" countered Kuno. "How can I say 'no' to her eyes?"
"Yeah, well, I think she's got the hots for that Taro guy," Kodachi said.
Kuno leaped to his feet on the bed. Dramatically, with arms reaching for
the sky, he proclaimed, "Then I shall redouble my efforts, for one handsome,
wise, brilliant, etc., as I, Tatewaki Kuno, deserve a date with the goddess,
Ukyo Kuonji!"
Ryoga threw a pillow at Kuno, knocking him from his stance. "Don't you
ever learn?"
"Now this was the part of the trip I've been waiting for!" proclaimed
Nabiki, reclining in a chair under an umbrella, next to Kasumi.
The Tendo sisters, Ranma, Shampoo, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, were at the
beach. While Nabiki, Kasumi, and Shampoo limited themselves to sun-bathing,
and Akane to wading, the others playing in the ocean.
For a moment Nabiki wondered why Kuno-chan insisted on staying inside,
and why Ukyo wanted to climb a mountain. Wasn't it time to relax?
I love Waikiki.
"This is it, gang: Diamondhead," Ukyo said, waving her arm at the lone
sentinel before them. Diamondhead was another tourist trap, but one only for
the adventurous, despite having the modern convenience of stairways to the
top. Primarily the purpose of climbing the multiple stairs to the top of the
mountain was to capture the view of the ocean, the beach, and the city
below.
Only Mousse, Konatsu, and Taro came along for the trip; Taro and Mousse
didn't want to get anywhere near the cold ocean, and Konatsu wanted to
travel with Ukyo, no matter what. Both Kunos thought she was crazy--
especially in the heat. Ukyo guessed that Akari and Ryoga wanted to spend
some time alone....
Then, before the day was out, go shopping at the mall, Ukyo thought. It
was about time to get some souvenirs.
An hour later and hundreds of steps later, Ukyo's group made it to the
top of Diamondhead. All four travelers sat on the rocky lookout point which
attracted its own share of tourists, a view overlooking Waikiki Beach and
the ocean beyond.
"This view," started Mousse, "makes me feel like spreading my arms and
flying."
"Yeah, well, I don't have a bucket of cold water, so you're outta luck,
Duck-boy," snorted Taro. "You don't truly know the feeling of flying as I
know it!"
"Hey, you two, cut it out," Ukyo said, butting-in.
Mousse backed away, walking off to sit alone.
"The trip was worth it, nonetheless," Konatsu noted.
"That's for sure," agreed Ukyo. "I know how to pick them!"
Taro got up and sat down at Ukyo's side. "So, if you know how to pick the
good ones, what do you think about me, hmmm?"
Ukyo smiled. "Obviously a diamond in the rough, to put it."
"You really don't care about my name?" asked Taro.
"Of course not! I've answered that too many times already; won't you get
it through your head that name doesn't matter?"
"Doesn't it?"
Ukyo pondered for a moment. "Alright, I take it back. My name matters to
me, so I guess it's natural that your name matters to you. But seriously,
you can't go through life running away from girls who want to know your
name. I'm not the only one who can see pass the name, after all. Most girls
like to think that actions speak louder than words." Like Kodachi, hmm....
"I'll have to remember that," Taro said. "It's rather refreshing, for in
all of my travels, I've finally met someone who likes me for what I am.
Others would have run away at the sight of my monster form, and most
wouldn't even know my name." How many girls did I let slip by like that?
"I think," started the okonomiyaki chef, "that you just needed a friend.
>From my experiences, it's no good to be alone."
"Perhaps," Taro replied. "Maybe I have been alone too long." Pausing for
a moment, he added, "Well, after our fight last night, would you say we're
still a couple?"
"What?" Ukyo replied, surprised at Taro's words. "Us, a couple? In all
seriousness, Taro, I never thought about 'us' that way. You have to
understand, I'm not ready to commit to a relationship, not yet." Especially
after Ranma got married, and the doomed emotional turmoil trap that sprung
from dating Mousse for a few days (she still chided herself for falling for
a man she knew she couldn't love).
"I knew it," Taro said, hanging his head low. "So I can't call you my
girlfriend, after all. I never seem to have any luck in matters dealing with
girls."
"You'll find the right girl someday," Ukyo said encouragingly. Lucky for
you, I've already got someone in mind.
Had Ukyo been looking at Konatsu, she would've seen him sigh in relief.
So, it wasn't love, as you feared, after all, Konatsu told himself. At least
Ukyo's being more careful about her relationships.
"It's not a good hobby to listen in like that."
Konatsu turned to Mousse in alarm. The Chinese martial artist was facing
the opposite direction. "H..how'd you know?" Silently, Konatsu cursed, as he
should've known better than to be so obvious.
Mousse pointed to his ears. "I've seen the signs; you're afraid Ukyo's
fallen for Taro, right?" Mousse guessed. "From where I'm sitting, it sounds
like two friends chatting. You shouldn't worry about her so much. Ukyo
knows better. Love is a long and developing process, something that one
just doesn't jump into. She knows that now."
"How eloquent," praised Konatsu. "Is that what you're doing with Shampoo?"
"Of course!" Mousse replied proudly. "Love takes time, and I'm willing to
wait until Hell blows under a blizzard for Shampoo."
"Even if your love isn't returned?"
"Even then. That's what love is truly all about."
Tatewaki and Kodachi strolled down the avenue, passing by store after
store in the streets of downtown Honolulu. As parking was a disaster in the
beach area, Kuno parked the van in a nearby park, across the street from the
enclosed beach area where the others were sun-bathing. Both Kunos waved
fans bought from the hotel gift shop.
"Tell me, Kocchi," began Kuno, "if you were Ukyo Kuonji, and I know you
know her much more intimately than I, what would you perceive as a proper
gift to coerce her to date me?"
"You idiot," Kodachi said, "can't you tell she doesn't want to date you?"
"Ah, that may be true, but like you, I shall endeavor to pursue that which
I most desire!" replied Kuno haughtily, almost mimicking his sister.
Great, he's using my habits against me. "But even then, I recognized there
were limits to what I could do in the name of love."
"Love knows no bounds, you should know that," corrected Kuno.
Kodachi groaned. Almost giving up, she remarked, "Girls love flowers."
At that moment Kuno stopped in his tracks, as if getting a good idea. "I
have it! I'll give her roses, as I did the pig-tailed girl and Akane Tendo
before!"
Oh, brilliant. "And where, pray tell, can you get roses around here?"
Kuno grabbed Kodachi's arm, and started running. "Come, Sister! For I
shall not rest until Ukyo Kuonji agrees to date me!"
I'll get you for this, Kodachi vowed. Drag me on a love trip! One of
these days I'll have to throw you over to Asuka the White Lily.... Yeah,
she'll appreciate that....
Speaking of which, there was only four years left until the 'bet' came
into play again. Hmmm... maybe I can hook up with that Taro guy... if only
he'd notice me. All I need to do is pry him off Ukyo....
That's it!
If Brother dearest wants Ukyo, he can have her, but Taro's mine!
Later that evening, after the Nerima crew regrouped back at the hotel for
dinner, Kodachi approached Ukyo.
"So, tell me, darling, what's this I hear between you and that Taro
character?" asked Kodachi, prodding with a soothing, relaxing voice.
"Oh, Taro?" Ukyo replied. "Nothing, we're just friends. I'm not ready to
commit to another relationship."
"So he's free?" This was perfect!
"Of course!" answered Ukyo. A thought popped into Ukyo's mind, and she
raised her index finger, eyeing Kodachi slyly. "Say... you aren't thinking
about asking him out, are you?" Well, it looks like Kodachi was well-within
the game already.
"Give a girl a break! He barely knows I exist, after what you did for him
last night!" Kodachi returned defensively, raising her arms in emphasis.
"So, you've fallen for his looks like those Chinese twins, eh?" Ukyo
concluded, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Oh crap, how in the world did I let the tables turn like this? "It's not
like that!" Kodachi protested. "So, are you going to introduce me to him, or
not?"
Ukyo laughed. "Why, of course!" She winked. "Don't worry, I'll put in a
good word for you...." With that, the okonomiyaki chef rushed off, to inform
Taro of his good fortune.
How in the world did I let this happen? Kodachi wondered.
In a flash Taro was lead to Kodachi by Ukyo. Obviously, Taro was rather
shy at the notion that someone else could like him, but when his eyes saw
the whip-thin Japanese girl, with that cute pony-tail off to the side, and
that face.... Shit, this wasn't just a girl, this was a beautiful girl!
"Taro, I want you to mean one of my pals, Kodachi," Ukyo introduced
cheerily. "Kodachi, this is Taro, as you know." Wink. "I think I'll leave
you two alone for a while, ehehehehehe...."
Okay Kodachi, you got yourself into this mess, and now you've got to
live with it, Kodachi told herself. Where should I begin?
"Hi."
WHAT WAS THAT?! How could you just say 'hi' like it was nothing at all?
"Nice to meet you," Taro said, with a hint of nervousness in his voice,
extending a hand. So, this was the girl Ukyo had in mind, eh? If I recall
correctly, this was one of the people that argued against Femme-boy last
night. Heh, I like her already.
Kodachi noticed that the extended hand shook a bit, until she clasped it
with her own hand. "We didn't get to know each other last night."
Taro shrugged. "Heh, I didn't get to know many of your friends, either.
Half of them I know already, of course, but I've never met you before."
Hmmm... Kodachi... certainly not a cute name, but one that probably fits
her best: direct and to the point. No way could she be half as nervous as I
am!
Silence followed. "So," Kodachi started, breaking the silence, "what's a
guy like you doing without a girlfriend?" Oh... his aura's overwhelming!
Fight it, girl! Don't let your guard down like this!
"Well, I thought you already knew," Taro replied. "So what's a girl like
you doing without a boyfriend?" Damn, she's gorgeous. It took all of Taro's
will to resist stroking her pony-tail, hanging playfully on the girl's left.
Rats. "Well... because everybody thinks I'm a little on the... crazy side,
I suppose." Do I detect a hint of attraction here?
"Well, some people think I'm a monster," Taro admitted. As of yet, Taro
couldn't recall if Kodachi herself saw his cursed form. "So why are you
trying to get to know me?"
Shoot, he knows this isn't just idle conversation. "Well... you're...
so... cool." Oh no... don't look at his eyes, don't look, don't.... Damn,
you looked. At that point Kodachi's head began to swim.
"Cool?"
"Well, 'cool' doesn't begin to describe it. Maybe... handsome?" Oh no, is
that a conscience I detect growing there, deary? No, don't let your guard
down, not now! "I can't stand this anymore! How can I lie to your eyes? I
need you to help me win a bet against another girl! I need to hook up with
the best boyfriend in the whole world to win!"
Taro moved closer. His lips curved into a smile. "Actually, I'm quite
flattered."
"What?" Kodachi said, puzzled. She bit her tongue, just to make sure she
was still alive. Or, at least, not daydreaming.
"You're the first girl I've met, other than Ukyo, that asked me to go out
with her, albeit in such a strange manner." Maybe Ukyo's right, there are
other girls. The difference between Ukyo and Kodachi was that Ukyo was just
a friend (perhaps his best and only friend at all in this cruel world);
perhaps this Kodachi could become more, if he played his cards right.
"I said that?" Kodachi asked.
"You ARE looking for the best boyfriend in the world, aren't you? You
just asked me a little while ago. I'm saying 'yes.'"
Oh no, what have you gotten yourself into? "Uh... sure." So, the Black
Rose melted at the sight of a hunk-- what has the world come to? How can
you be sure this IS the right guy?
Shut up, brain, Kodachi told herself. This one's all mine....
"We'd better join the others before they get... suspicious?" Kodachi said
finally, latching onto Taro's arm. "Eh..ehehehehehehehe...."
"Hehehehehehe...." laughed Taro, trying to get himself in the mood. She's
even got a cool laugh....
What more could go wrong?
"As you can see," explained the tall man in the white lab coat, "the new
GAIA-series combat machines exhibit the finest in robotics development."
The man gestured to the prototype GAIA standing beside him.
The robot vaguely resembled a man, possessing two arms, two legs, a body
and head, like a man, but that was where the similarities ended. In place of
the hands were empty sockets, concealing triangular blades. The feet were
large and broad, appearing similar to a man who had his feet covered in a
cement block. The robot's body stood with a slight hunch, with a large pack
on its back. The face of the machine appeared as a twisted death's head,
with two glowing red eyes and sporting a malicious grin. The entire surface
of the machine was covered with armor plating. A serial label rested
prominently on left chestplate, reading 'P-GAIA,' standing for 'Prototype
Ground Assault Intelligent Armor.'
"It looks intimidating enough, Dr. Taydome," commented one member of the
gathered audience, "but can it fight as well as it looks?"
Taydome nodded. "The GAIA prototype, hereafter called the P-GAIA, has
successfully passed the test runs against the security robots. However, a
real test of its abilities has yet to be made, but I do have something in
mind."
"And what would that be?" asked another member of the audience.
The robotics scientist walked away from the P-GAIA and toward a large,
empty monitor. Those gathered in the small conference room deep under the
ground in Oahu turned their attentions to what appeared on the monitor: a
group of Japanese tourists, enjoying dinner.
"My sources," began Taydome, "have informed me that a group of traveling
martial artists are in the area. The P-GAIA's final test run will be against
them."
"Excuse me for wondering," voiced another, "but why couldn't we just hire
our own martial artists for this task?"
Taydome chuckled. "Three reasons, my friend. One: these martial artists
are no ordinary martial artists, they are among the best Japan has to offer.
Therefore the P-GAIA may have a match. Two: this way is cheaper, and
practically untraceable back to your organization. Three: my sources have
shown interest in the... demise, of these particular martial artists." He
strode back to his creation's side. "The P-GAIA's advanced artificial
intelligence matrix allows it to operate by itself, but we may observe its
actions from this very room. I assure you, the sights are astounding!"
A woman stood up from her seat. "If the P-GAIA successfully completes
these tests to our satisfaction, be assured that our organization will fund
production of the GAIA series, Dr. Taydome."
"Of course, Chairman," replied the scientist, bowing. Finally, after all
these years of no recognition from the scientific community, the world would
recognize the genius of Dr. Philip Taydome!
Another man voiced, "When can we expect the test to begin, Doctor?"
Taydome smiled malevolently. "Tonight."
One after another the Nerima crew filed out of the restaurant, stuffed
from a generous meal. The group of fifteen traveled down the busy streets
of Honolulu, on their way back to their hotel, when it happened.
Ranma, being at the head of the group, saw it first. Leaping at Akane, he
shouted, "Look out!"
No sooner did Ranma knock Akane down that a triangular blade zoomed by,
where Akane had been standing only moments before.
The others scattered for cover as the incoming bullets rained harder.
Pedestrians scrambled for safety in all directions.
Ranma craned his head toward the source of the bladed bullets, only to
drop his jaw in shock. What he was staring at was something that looked like
a man, with heavy, square-like metal boots, two arm cannons, complete metal
body armor, and a twisted death's head mask. The glowing red eyes told him
that this thing wasn't human at all.
"What the...?" Akane managed to voice before she looked in the same
direction as Ranma.
The creature took two heavy steps forward. In a harsh, mechanical voice,
it bellowed, "Prepare for extermination."
More bullets followed as Ranma and Akane scrambled for cover, hiding
behind a nearby cement wall. The bullets passed harmlessly overhead.
Nearby were Ryoga, Ukyo, Konatsu, and Shampoo. The others were nowhere to
be seen.
"Ranchan, what is that?!" asked Ukyo.
"Beats me!" Ranma yelled. "I don't know what I did, but obviously I made
someone mad!"
Ryoga grabbed Ranma's collar. "If we don't do something soon, innocent
people might get hurt!"
"Well, then I guess it's up to us!" cried Akane, determined.
Ukyo turned to Ryoga. "Ryoga! You and Konatsu see if you can get on the
thing's back side!"
Ryoga nodded, and shouted, "Bakusai Tenketsu!" jabbing his finger into the
concrete ground. Rocky fragments flew as the subterranean system under the
city was exposed. Konatsu followed Ryoga down the newly-made hole.
Ukyo shook her head. "They could've at least used the manhole...." she
said, pointing to the manhole cover just behind the remaining four behind
the wall.
Shampoo peeked her eyes over the concrete wall. Several more bullets
followed as she ducked again. "This one have good aim!"
Akane peeked over the wall and gasped. "Oh no! What do those fools think
they're doing?!"
Ranma, Ukyo, and Shampoo looked over as well. They watched as Kuno,
followed by Kodachi and Taro, charge the creature's flank. The creature
noticed its new adversaries, and turned to greet them, arms extended.
"Kuno!!" Ranma shouted as he leaped over the wall, with the three girls
trailing behind.
"He's either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid," muttered Akane.
In the meantime, Kuno got the attention of the monster. He shouted, "Be
very afraid, monster, for I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall end your reign of terror
in this fair city! Prepare to be smitten!"
Kuno raised his bokken, and made several slashing motions at the creature.
All blows were met with a loud *CLANG!*
"What is this monstrosity that dares mock Tatewaki Kuno?!" cried Kuno in
disbelief. Momentarily, he looked up at the creature's face, whose death
grin seemed to twist back even more.
Before the bullets collided with Kuno's body, Kodachi's ribbon wrapped
around Kuno. She pulled her brother out of the incoming fire, just in the
nick of time.
"Well, that worked out well, Brother," commented Kodachi. "Can't you tell
that armor's made out of no mere alloy? Obviously an expensive job, from
what I can tell...."
Now it was Taro's turn. Incredible inhuman speed allowed the man to dodge
the bullets without scratches. Taro waited until he decided he'd worn down
the monster enough, then, one after another, punched the armored creature
in what would have been critical areas to a normal man, blows that could
possibly kill a man without proper training or precaution. Unfortunately,
the blows barely seemed to faze the creature. It kept firing.
"Shit, this guy's no mere man!" Taro spat in anger, dodging more bullets.
"Even with the armor, those blows should've crippled him!"
It was then Ranma and the three girls made it to the fray. With the
momentum of his running speed, Ranma threw himself, fists-first, at the
creature. Ranma threw both fists back and forth, using his incredible speed
derived from the amaguriken.
The blow knocked the creature off its feet by sheer force of momentum. As
Ranma flipped out of his deadly barrage, the creature was already back on
its feet. His eyes caught the large serial on the creature's chest:
'P-GAIA.' The P-GAIA appeared unfazed by Ranma's attack.
"A mere mosquito," growled the P-GAIA to Ranma. Its arms raised to bear.
"I don't believe it!" Ranma cried as he dodged another barrage of bullets.
"This thing's tougher than Ryoga!"
As if on cue, the ground beneath the P-GAIA crumbled. Ranma could vaguely
hear the cry of "Bakusai Tenketsu!"
A loud *CRACK* was heard, followed by a hissing sound. Ryoga and Konatsu
leaped from the new hole in the ground. The others backed away from the
now-smoking hole.
"What'd you do to it?" asked Akane.
Konatsu's hands clung harder to his blade. Sparks seemed to run along the
length of the blade. "I stabbed it in the back, and it sounded like
something shorted-out." He pointed to the handle of his sword. "Fortunate
that the handle was insulated, otherwise I might've been electrocuted. That
monster is a machine."
"You're kidding," Ukyo said in disbelief. "No machine can be that good!"
At that moment all gathered heard the sound of an explosion. The group
expected parts of the machine to fly out of the hole, but in fact the entire
P-GAIA emerged, rockets firing from it's back. Broken cables hung out of the
robot's back, sparking.
"Your persistence is futile!" bellowed P-GAIA. "I rise again."
"Correction," noted Taro, "no ordinary machine can be as good as this
one! Time to run before being gunned!"
The group of teens dodged as the new barrage of bullets came.
"Somehow I believe that machine has plenty of ammunition," Kuno commented
darkly.
"Strange," observed Kodachi, rolling behind a concrete wall, "by now I
would've thought that thing had run out of power by now. Its power plant
must store enormous energy!"
"No way am I going to wait for this thing to run out of energy!" cried
Taro, joining Kodachi. "This thing goes down NOW!"
Ukyo reached for two spatulas on her bandoleer. "I've had quite enough of
this!" she cried, throwing both spatulas.
With deadly precision, one spatula clogged itself in one arm cannon, the
other spatula doing likewise. A loud whine was all that was heard before the
explosion.
All that was left of P-GAIA's arm cannons were smoking stumps, with more
broken, sparking wire. Both spatula-darts clattered on the ground before
the robot, sparks racing across their metal surfaces.
"Now's our chance!" Ranma cried as he charged the disarmed machine. The
others did likewise.
However, Ranma was greeted by a heavy foot into his gut. The P-GAIA was
far from helpless without his arm cannons. The feeling Ranma felt was like
running into a wall, only that the wall was pushing back. The body of the
martial artist was flung several feet away from the impact.
"Ranma!" cried Akane as she ran to Ranma's side.
Needless to say, Ranma was coughing violently. Without warning, he threw
up his dinner on the street, supported by Akane.
The smoking arm cannons dropped from P-GAIA's arms, revealing retracted
blades. The blades extended to a distance as long as Kuno's bokken. Ukyo
raised her combat spatula to parry the blows as Ryoga reached for his
umbrella.
"Shit!" spat Ukyo. "This thing's got as many weapons as Mousse!"
"Speaking of which," shouted Shampoo, "where is silly goose?!"
"Oh sure," Kodachi yelled back sarcastically, "you want HIM to get
electrocuted, don't you?" Especially considering how Mousse had a tendency
to throw heavy metal chains that lead right back to him.
Kodachi snapped her ribbon, letting it catch hold of a nearby bench. She
hurled the bench at the robot, but the heavy object didn't seem to affect
the creature. Some help I am, Kodachi thought darkly.
"Insects!" spat the unemotional machine menacingly. P-GAIA's head turned
to greet Shampoo and Kodachi with red laser beams from its eyes. Both girls
cried out in pain as the heat ray hit each square in the chest.
"KODACHI!" cried Kuno. As a result, the elder Kuno intensified his
attacks against the armored monster, fighting with greater fury than
before.
"You'll pay for that, machine!" threatened Taro, as he threw a punch
across the P-GAIA's death's head face. The toothy grin lost some of its
'teeth' in the process.
The machine, having dealt with Ranma, thrust its foot into Konatsu. But,
as it was expecting a counterforce, the P-GAIA wasn't prepared for the
insubstantiality of its latest victim, and fell forward. The machine lay
there comically, propped-up by its outstretched foot.
In fact, Konatsu was actually behind the P-GAIA. "Secret kunoichi image
technique! Now you'll pay!" He thrust his sword into the machine's back,
once, twice, three times, and more. Sparks shot across the blade of
Konatsu's sword.
Taro threw a heavy kick into the P-GAIA's back, toppling the heavy
armored monster to the concrete surface of the street off it's foot.
"Finish it, now!" ordered Taro. "Hurry, before it gets up again!"
Nodding quickly, Ukyo raised her spatula overhead, and, with the sharp
end, plunged it through one of the machine's arm sockets. Konatsu ran to
her side and helped in hacking off the mechanical arm.
Ryoga threw aside his umbrella, and jammed a finger into the P-GAIA's arm,
shouting, "Bakusai Tenketsu!" Immediately, pieces of armor flew off the
machine's arm, exposing the interior wiring to Kuno's bokken. One downward
thrust finished the other arm. Sparks flew across the surface of the arm.
"Impossible...!" squealed the machine.
It was then, when the P-GAIA's head turned toward the sky, that it saw its
last sight: Kuno raised his bokken, and smashed the creature's eyes.
That final sight was the last Dr. Taydome, and his gathered audience, saw
as well.
"Well...." Taydome said, visibly sweating, twiddling his fingers.
"Well indeed, Doctor," the female Chairman replied.
Tense silence followed. The only sounds in the room came from the
organization members shifting in their seats, waiting for an answer. The
Chairman merely waited, hands folded in her lap.
"It appears that I've underestimated the might of these martial artists,"
explained Dr. Taydome. "But, as you can see, the P-GAIA works perfectly."
"Yes, indeed," nodded the Chairman. "The Director will be impressed with
your GAIA series, Doctor. Production of the robots will begin immediately."
YES! thought Dr. Taydome. In the back of his mind, Taydome reminded
himself, one day, I will show up those martial artists, for man cannot beat
the machine!
In the end the Ranma sported a cracked rib, and Kodachi and Shampoo had
heat burns, but relatively minor burns at that. The others suffered various
cuts and scrapes from the battle with the P-GAIA. Fortunately, Mousse and
the others managed to get innocent bystanders to safety, and there were no
casualties that night. Whoever built the robot, and why, was still a
mystery.
The next morning Taro and Kodachi sat outside, lounging on beach chairs
near the hotel swimming pool.
"I see you're okay," Taro noted.
"Of course I am!" Kodachi replied happily. "No silly bucket of bolts can
top the Black Rose!" She leaned closer to Taro. "You were worried about me,
weren't you?"
"Of course!" Taro admitted. "I'm just sorry I wasn't the one to take that
thing out. Whoever built that monster will pay."
"Oh, forget about it," Kodachi said, placing an arm on Taro's shoulder.
"I can't help but think there's a madman out there, making these machines
to attack the innocent like that! Such senseless destruction without purpose
is... inexcusable! Not only that, I can't stand the thought that creature
could've hurt you more than it did. I have to do something about it."
"You're thinking about leaving?" No one could miss the hint of sadness in
Kodachi's voice.
"I'm thinking about it. If there are more of these monsters out there,
then its up to me to find out who and why they're doing this. If it weren't
for me, something terrible might have happened. But I won't leave if you're
still hurt."
Kodachi didn't bother to correct Taro. She wanted more than anything for
Taro to stay with her. "At least stay around until we get back home to
Japan, won't you?"
"Sure. Maybe while I'm there, I can take care of Happosai."
Silence passed for a few minutes, as Taro reclined back in his beach
chair. Finally, he said, "Kodachi, why do you behave like you do around me?"
Kodachi smiled, and leaned over to Taro's ear, and whispered, "You've
never experienced love, have you?"
"No," Taro admitted. "I have no idea what love feels like. But, how can
you love me, even with the name I have?"
"Ahahahahaha, silly!" Kodachi laughed. Without warning, the lithe girl
leaped from her chair and landed in Taro's lap. Wrapping an arm around Taro,
Kodachi said, "Because love knows no bounds!"
And, to Taro's surprise, Kodachi leaned over for a deep kiss to his lips,
throwing all her body weight into the move that the beach chair toppled
over backwards.
It was later that day, in the evening Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo were
shopping at the mall across the street from the hotel. To Ranma's constant
annoyance, Akane would walk into the clothings store and want to try on new
outfits.
"I don't understand what's with girls and clothing," Ranma complained as
he and Ukyo waited outside the fitting room. "You I can understand, but not
anyone like Akane."
"So what do you think I am?" Ukyo remarked shrewdly.
Ranma began to sweat. "I didn't mean it that way! I mean, to me, that
you're just not like a girl, that's all. I mean, you're like one of the
guys, that's all."
"I'm kidding, Ranchan."
"Oh."
"Did you know that Kuno wanted to go on a date with me?" Ukyo said,
changing the subject.
"You're kidding," replied Ranma. "Doesn't that loser ever learn?"
Just as well as you do, Ranchan. "No, I don't think it's a bad thing,
really. Actually, I'm surprised he thought of me, after Akane and all."
"Well, take it from me, and stay away from him," suggested Ranma. "His
idea of dates are awful."
"What would you know about a good date? You're a guy, and he took you
out as a girl."
The discussion was dropped after Akane exited the fitting room. Not long
after that the trio walked out of the store.
When they reached the large open-air stage at the center of the mall, the
crowd choked up the area. The sound of disco filled the air.
"What do you suppose is going on?" asked Akane.
Ukyo stood up on her toes. "Looks like some sort of dance to me."
In fact there was a single, white-haired young man who stood on the knee-
high stage, dancing by himself to the sound of rocking music issuing from a
stereo set near the edge of the stage. More specifically, the man was
breakdancing to disco.
"I heard disco was making a comeback," commented Ranma, "but I didn't
think it'd happen this way."
The three watched the man dance until the music stopped. The audience
clapped as Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo made their way to the front of the stage.
The dancing man made his way to their position. With one disinterested
finger he shut off the stereo. His attention turned toward Ranma, Ukyo, and
Akane, as he waved a finger, trying to recognize a face.
"Hey, I recognize you," the man said in fluent Japanese.
Ranma looked to each side, and pointed to himself. "Me?"
"Yeah," confirmed the man. "You're one of those guys who beat up that
robot last night. I saw it televised on the news, some ammeter video guy
took it when he was there."
"Well, that's me," Ranma answered proudly. "Nothing I can't take care of."
The dancing man grabbed Ranma's shirt by the collar. "Well, you've just
met your match!" With surprising strength, he threw Ranma onto the stage.
Ranma shook his head. "What'd I do to you?"
Back to the audience and the open stage, turning on a nearby stereo set,
the man stood up, and it was then his true height became apparent. The man
dwarfed Ranma by two full heads, emphasized by his extra-long khaki pants.
He cracked his knuckles in emphasis of what was about to happen. More of the
disco music began to play.
"Okay, Jap, you oughta think twice before crossing the turf of Honolulu's
champion street fighter!" snarled the man. "You can't just waltz into my
town and make your claim to fame like that."
"Well, sorry you're such a sour person," snorted Ranma, gathering himself
to his feet.
The man put on a pair of gloves. "The boys on the street know to clear a
path for me when I arrive. My peers say I fight like lightning. I'm Johan
Dell, champion breakdancer and street fighter!"
Johan dropped himself to the ground, planting his hands, and swept both
his feet across Ranma's legs, tripping him. The white-haired man's legs
moved with the music that issued from the stereo set. The rhythm of the
attack made onlookers think this was simply another dance.
But Akane and Ukyo knew a challenge when they saw one. "Ranma!" both
shouted.
Ranma got up from the stage. Carefully, he began to circle his new
opponent, trying to gauge his power. I gotta keep cool about this, Ranma
told himself. If I can get him mad enough, I can finish this quick!
Johan's fighting stance appeared more of a dance than anything, as he
danced in the circle Ranma was making. "C'mon, I thought there was more than
that!"
Without warning, Johan leaped into the air, somersaulting. Ranma's eyes
followed, until the white-haired man sailed over him. Suddenly, Ranma felt
Johan's legs clamp on his neck.
Johan, in a hand-stand, flipped Ranma over with his legs, bashing Ranma's
head into the stage floor. He remained in his hand-stand as Ranma got up
once more, then spun himself around in a whirlwind spin. The flurry of kicks
caught Ranma's midsection. In rhythmic motion, Johan switched his overhead
hand-stand to under, reverting to the foot-sweeps he used earlier to knock
Ranma off his feet again.
Ranma gritted his teeth, then launched a flurry of one-two punches at
Johan. The first of the hits connected, but the trailing punches failed as
the dance man dodged side-to-side each time, all the while following the
music. As soon as Ranma completed his punches, he felt his feet lift from
the stage, then felt the hard impact of his back against the ground.
This guy moves like water, thought Ranma.
"Had enough, Jap?" taunted Johan. "You ain't as tough as you look."
"Leave him alone!"
Johan looked over his shoulder, confronted by one of the girls that was
with Ranma earlier. "I don't fight girls. My qualms is with your boyfriend
here!"
"Too bad, because I have no such compunctions about men!" Ukyo cried,
reaching for her spatula-darts. "And he's not my boyfriend!"
"He's my husband!" corrected Akane, still standing at the bottom of the
stage.
"You think you're so hot with your breakdancing, eh?" taunted Ukyo. With
five spatulas in each hand, Ukyo spread them outward, like a fan. To those
farther from the stage, it would appear that Ukyo was holding a pair of
metal fans. "Do you know the dance of fans?" She waved her spatula-fans
as if in emphasis. "Prepare yourself for centuries of Japanese tradition,
pal!"
"If you insist, bitch," spat Johan.
Of course, the fan dance was never meant to be a fighting technique, but
then, if dancing was an art, and fighting was an art, why not put the two
together into its own art? Ukyo reasoned with herself. Especially since
I'm an artist at heart. Well, at least those days of rather worthless
practice can pay off now.
Ukyo dodged a flying spin kick, followed by several footsweeps. "Hah, is
that the best you have to offer?"
Ranma gathered himself once again, watching as Ukyo nicked Johan's arms
and legs with her spatula-fans, in motions such that it appeared Ukyo
herself were involved in a dance herself. She mixed her attacks with well-
placed kicks into Johan's gut.
"Shit, those hurt!" spat Johan, eyeing the blood-stained spatulas.
"Had enough yet?" taunted Ukyo. "I'm only just warming up!"
There's something about that guy's attacks, Ranma thought, that caught me
off-guard. It's gotta be something rather simple, for a simpleton. Ranma's
eyes followed Ukyo's rhythmic dance, mesmerized with her movements. And that
was when realization hit him. Of course!
"Ucchan!" Ranma called. "Stop!"
Both the attentions of Johan and Ukyo turned to Ranma. "This guy's mine!"
Ukyo nodded, 'folding' her fan of spatulas.
Johan turned his back to Ukyo. "So, I suppose you ain't hidin' behind
your girlfriend anymore?"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Ranma corrected, running a new circle.
"Whatever," Johan replied. "I'll show you who's the king around here!"
"Whoever that is, it certainly isn't you," taunted Ranma. "You can't be
all that good if you get beaten by GIRLS."
Johan snarled. "After I'm through with you, both your bitches are mine!"
With that, the white-haired man followed-up with several footsweeps, which
Ranma cleanly jumped over, one after another.
"Your tricks don't work on me twice, pal," Ranma shouted. "This time I'm
ready for you!"
Ranma drew his arm back, then threw a bolt of force, shouting, "Moko
Takabisha!" The ball of pure pride collided with the nearby stereo set,
smashing it to pieces. The disco music died off slowly.
"I watched you fight; as dance is based on rhythm, so is your fighting,"
explained Ranma. "Obviously, your rhythm is based on your music. Only a
fool like you would base your fighting on such a glaring weakness. You
couldn't fight without your rhythm if you wanted to, you puffed-up
aerobics instructor!"
"Shut up!" Johan threw several high kicks in succession, but Ranma dodged
them all. "Stand still, you Jap bastard!"
With those spitting words, Johan threw himself at Ranma, catching Ranma by
surprise. He landed with his legs to either side of Ranma's head, and, by
throwing his weight back, flipped Ranma over and onto the stage.
"Oh, swell," Ranma said as he got up, cradling his head in one arm.
"One thing you forgot, you little twerp!" cried Johan. "I can still 'hear'
the music in my head! My technique isn't as crippling as you thought!" He
threw himself into a handstand, and, spreading his legs out and apart, spun
in place. Ranma rolled out of the way just in time to miss the barrage.
"Looks like I have no choice," Ranma muttered under his breath. No chance
the other techniques could take him out for long. Heaven forgive me for what
I'm about to do! He prepared tracing the spiral for the next attack.
"Oh no!" cried Akane, recognizing what Ranma was going to do. To Ukyo,
she shouted, "We've got to try to clear the people out of the way!"
"How?!" Ukyo replied in frustration, throwing her arms about. "They won't
listen to us, not with something as interesting as this battle!" Stupid
Americans, they always had to get in the way, even if it wasn't in their
best interests! Bah, they wouldn't run from Godzilla if he stomped through
town right now!
This is about the time I wish I had a gun, Akane thought darkly. That
would've gotten peoples' attention.
"So," taunted Ranma, "learn those moves from a rubber band? You're so
flexible, I could twist you into a pretzel! Naw, make that two pretzels. How
is it, being such a 'macho' guy and all, that you stand to wear spandex for
so long and stay manly? Oops, I guess you can't, girly!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!!" cried Johan with seething anger. "I'll make
you eat those words!"
Hot battle aura burst from Johan, almost like a deadly radiation. Then
again, Ranma thought smugly, in a way, it was. This next trick should hit
this wiseguy like a moth to flames. Trace the spiral, stay cool, use your
opponent's hot chi against him! Now Ranma was waiting just for the right
moment to act, staying cool in the meantime. The spiral began to close.
After dodging one final kick, Ranma knew it was time. "It's about time
someone showed you how good you really are!" Ranma taunted. Pulling a fist
back, he shouted, "Hiryu shoten ha!" and the punch collided with his
opponent. Hot and cold chi mixed violently in the spiral, forming an
incredible gale force of the Saotome final attack.
Surprised by the attack, Johan was tossed up into the whirlwind, the crowd
in the immediate vicinity scattering from its path.
"Shhhiiiiiiiiii......!!!" screamed the white-haired man as he ascended to
the heavens. The audience 'ooh-ed' and 'awwww-ed' in wonder; some even
started clapping. At least, until the whirlwind moved toward their
direction, in which case they tried to run for their lives. Some weren't
lucky enough to escape.
"Looks like even America has its share of Kunos," noted Ranma in disgust.
As the whirlwind continued on its path, he walked back to Ukyo and Akane,
both having eluded the whirlwind's deadly embrace. "Come on, let's get out
of here before the dance man touches down."
It was the third day of the Nerima crew's stay in Oahu, and it would be
that evening when the vacation would be all over, as the airplane trip back
to Japan was scheduled then. Therefore, each and every member of the group
sought to make the most of their last day in Hawaii.
Ukyo noticed that everybody seemed to go their separate ways in couples.
Ranma and Akane, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, Shampoo and Mousse, Kodachi and
Taro, Ryoga and Akari, Nabiki and Kasumi, herself and Konatsu. As Kuno was
the only one left, and since he couldn't convince Ukyo to go on a date with
him, he ended up traveling with Nabiki and Kasumi, who went shopping. Nabiki
appreciated the extra arms, while Kasumi though it would be nice to have
Kuno along.
For a moment Ukyo wondered how well Taro and Kodachi were getting off.
Neither appeared to want to commit to a relationship, yet enjoyed each
others' company. Ukyo could understand why Kodachi might want to go out with
Taro, but why would Taro want to go out with Kodachi?
Ukyo stood silently alone in the middle of the park that was across the
street from the enclosed beach. Konatsu sat nearby, next to where Ukyo set
down her bandoleer earlier. The only sounds that could be heard that quiet
morning were the sea and birds.
Konatsu watched as Ukyo produced two feather fans, and proceeded to
perform a fan dance. The kunoichi watched the transformation within Ukyo,
letting go of herself, surrendering her thoughts to the dance. So mesmerized
by the spectacle, he failed to notice that a crowd gathered, watching the
dance themselves. It was a full ten minutes before the dance was over, when
the gathered audience applauded enthusiastically. Ukyo bowed, then retrieved
her bandoleer.
"That was beautiful," praised Konatsu as the two walked away from the
park.
"Until yesterday I hadn't done a dance for a long time," Ukyo said. "I
remember practicing for festivals-- I haven't done it for a long time. I
think I should do that more often; I found it quite relaxing and refreshing.
It gave me some time to think."
"About what?" asked Konatsu.
"About what's important to me, that's all," answered Ukyo. My family, the
family I ran away from. It's time to stop running.
* * * * *
Nerima, Japan
The airplane from Honolulu, Hawaii, landed at the airport in Tokyo,
following the sun across it's path in the sky. It was evening when the
group left Oahu, and it was still evening when they arrived in Tokyo.
It was the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new one.
Ryoga was surprised when both his parents greeted him at the airport.
The two'd been staying at the Tendo residence since the beginning of the
trip two weeks ago, and by chance both managed to arrive at the same place
at the same time. Most would've called it luck, but Ryoga believed it was
destined by fate.
To Akari's happy ears, she and Ryoga were going to get married. Together
the three Hibikis and Akari left for the Unryu farm.
The Kuno siblings returned with little or no fanfare, depending on how
one looked at the situation. Servants arrived to take their luggage back to
the Kuno home. One servant informed the two, to their delight, that Father
wasn't coming back anytime soon. Both chuckled, images of Father in Abu
Dhabi, penniless, running through their minds. Hopefully another three
years without him.
Shampoo approached her great-grandmother, asking, no, begging to let
Mousse come back. The twins, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, also put in good
words, claiming he's still a young, strong man. Cologne seemed a little
disappointed when she concluded that Shampoo made no efforts to turn Ranma
away from Akane, but agreed to let Mousse return home. Of course, Mousse
didn't know whether to be happy or not; happy that he can finally go home,
mad that he'd have to put up with old Cologne again. Of course, the feeling
in Cologne was mutual.
Ukyo seemed a bit sorry that Mousse would no longer stay or work at her
restaurant anymore, now that he can go back to the Nekohatten. The thought
that Mousse was happy made Ukyo smile; that in turn made Konatsu happy. Of
course, the problem now was getting the restaurant up and running back to
normal again. To Mr. Tendo's relief, Konatsu retrieved his little white cat,
Snowball, as he couldn't stand the little stray's presence in the empty
Tendo home.
Taro left wordlessly, unnoticed by those in reunion. It took a while
before the others noticed he disappeared. The general consensus was that
he left on another training trip. Kodachi was almost sad that he left, as
she was just getting to know him. Of course, her cultured upbringing taught
her better than that. She knew he'd be back.
The three Tendo sisters hugged their father as they were welcomed home,
and Ranma did likewise to his mother, Nodoka. Genma couldn't help himself,
as he pestered his son on his, 'work,' with Akane. Of course soon thereafter
Soun got into the act as well. Neither Ranma nor Akane could hear the end
of it.
Later that night, at the Tendo household, a 'Welcome Back' party was held.
Many of Ranma and Akane's friends were present. Even Happosai was there,
which was a surprise since the gang figured he'd either be on a training
trip or a panty raid. The Hibikis, Akari, Ling-ling, Lung-lung, and Cologne
were not present.
It was when the party was in full-swing Nodoka pulled Kodachi aside for a
word. A stern look from Nodoka was enough to get Happosai off Kodachi's leg.
"You're one of Ranma's friends... Kodachi, right?" Nodoka asked.
"That I am," replied Kodachi, dispensing with the haughty airs she usually
spoke with. "To what pleasure have I for this interview?"
Direct and to the point, thought Nodoka. "I was wondering. You've spent
two weeks with my son without adult supervision. What have you done with
your time?"
Kodachi turned away, waving an arm. "Ahahahahaha! Your son is a heart-
breaker! Why would he care about me, and why should I care about him?
Obviously my love enough wasn't enough for him, so he got what he deserved!"
"Indeed," nodded Nodoka.
After Kodachi left, Nodoka pulled Shampoo aside, and asked her the same
question: "What have you done with your time?"
To which Shampoo answered, "Shampoo got to know silly Mousse better. Maybe
not as stupid as he looks, but not have Shampoo's heart."
When pressed further, Nodoka noted that Shampoo talked more about Mousse
than Ranma. Finally, she pulled Ukyo aside.
"This is something rather important, pertaining to your son, isn't it,
Mrs. Saotome?" Ukyo guessed immediately.
"Very perceptive," Nodoka said. "Since you know the subject, can you
answer my question?"
"You want to know, after two weeks without your supervision, if Ranma is
still an honorable man," Ukyo said. Not waiting for confirmation or denial,
she continued, "You know, for a while, I wondered that myself. It wasn't
until those two weeks I realized I've been kidding myself. I mean, it's not
Ranma, but myself; leaving me behind ten years ago was dishonorable, but it
wasn't Ranma's fault. I can't simply dismiss it anymore; it is a stain that
needs to be resolved."
"So you understand now that what my husband did to you was in fact
dishonorable." concluded Nodoka. "If I asked you before those two weeks you
couldn't accept that 'incident' was truly dishonorable because you wanted to
defend Ranma's honor. Now you cannot, why?"
"Because in doing so I further stain my own honor," answered Ukyo. "I
can't ignore how important honor is to me now-- I mean, I've come to realize
how important honor is. My dishonor has yet to be rectified, and I've done
nothing to help fix it. Your son, Ranchan, is just fine. It's me. I've been
running away from my family, my duty, and my honor. It has to stop now; I'm
not going to run anymore. So if anyone was being dishonorable, it was me."
"I'm happy to hear that my Ranma remains honorable," Nodoka said. "And
I'm happy to hear that you've made such a decision about yourself. I've
been watching you with my son over the past months. Besides thinking of a
way to solve the dishonor, I've come to notice that Ranma treats you almost
like a sister." Nodoka leaned closer and whispered, "Under different
circumstances I would have been willing to allow Ranma to marry you, but now
I must resort to other means; you are still my responsibility." Standing
straight up, she finished, "So, what would you say if my husband adopts you
into our family as a daughter to the Saotome family?"
Ukyo stared at Nodoka in surprise, the words lost to her lips.
"By agreeing to do so, you remove your dishonor my husband has caused you.
If you become a Saotome, you will have fulfilled the agreement between your
father and my husband. Loose though that arrangement may be, had you
married Ranma the results would have been the same-- you would become our
responsibility as a member of the Saotome family. As one of your first
acts on your new leaf, you would become Ranma's sister by law."
"But, my father...."
"While you were gone I was in touch with your father, and he seemed most
agreeable. All I want now is to hear your agreement."
"I haven't seen my dad in a long time," noted Ukyo. "How in the world did
you get your husband, I mean, Mr. Saotome, to agree to such a thing?"
"I have my ways," replied Nodoka cryptically.
"Mrs. Saotome, I'm flattered you thought of me," Ukyo said. "I don't
know what to say." She reached a hand into a pocket and produced a small,
plain jewelry box, and opened it, staring into the ruby eyes of the pair of
jade dragon earrings, a pair passed through the Kuonji family for many
generations. Behind those eyes were generations of tradition, of fine
cooking in the Kuonji name, and deeds best left to her imagination. I've got
to ask Grandpa about it sometime, Ukyo told herself. She knew the earrings
had a more specific meaning, one beyond her comprehension, and that alone
helped resolve Ukyo's decision. "Mrs. Saotome...."
"Please, call me 'Mom,'" Nodoka insisted, confident she knew what Ukyo's
decision would be. Accepting was the honorable choice.
"Okay, Mom," Ukyo said, feeling strange calling Mrs. Saotome 'Mom,' "it
was very generous of you to offer this option for me, but I must decline."
"Why?" asked Nodoka, surprised. "What about your honor?"
"Honor isn't defined by any one person," explained Ukyo. "I am one of the
few surviving members of my family, one with long tradition. More so, I'm
the one who inherited my family's most prized treasure, these earrings,"
she continued, showing the jewelry box to Nodoka. "I can't let my family's
treasure leave Kuonji hands, you have to understand. I feel compelled to
honor my family, my ancestors, and continue the Kuonji name and tradition
myself. Even though I might not fully understand what that tradition is, or
what these earrings represent, I have to do this."
"Is it truly honorable to abandon my name just to rectify one dishonor,
important as it may be?" continued Ukyo. "Would you allow Ranma, the sole
heir to the Saotome school and name, to change his name to 'Tendo,' no
matter how unlikely? Like Ranma, I am a single child, and the only one who
can carry on my father's name. I may be a girl, but I was raised a boy."
Mostly because Dad didn't know how to raise a girl, thought Ukyo. "I am,
effectively, both his son and his daughter; I have responsibilities. That is
why I cannot accept your offer."
"It is," concluded Ukyo, "as you would say, the honorable thing to do."
Nodoka remained silent for several tense moments.
Oh great, did I just make her mad at me? Ukyo wondered.
Finally, Ranma's mother answered, "Well said, Ukyo! It was not my
intention to force you to abandon your name for the sake of honor. You truly
honor your family more than you believe. However, it is unacceptable for me
to leave you with your dishonor my husband left you with. What would you
say if I allowed you to retain your ancestral name as well?"
It was Ukyo's turn for silence. "T...that's unprecedented."
"There's always a first time for everything. Besides, who said it hasn't
happened before in our history? Is it truly a legal requirement to take on
another name, or common tradition?"
Needless to say, Nodoka's smile became infectious.
"You're not going to settle with 'no' for an answer," teased Ukyo.
Nodoka replied, "I'll be happy to have a daughter such as you in my
family."
"You do realize, that I'm not just like any girl," Ukyo warned, smiling.
"Of course, that's why I like you."
After the party, only the weary members of the band were left, exhausted,
in the living room. Nodoka and Genma emerged from their room, with Genma
visibly sweating, Nodoka a bright smile on her face.
"Ranma, Akane, can I have a word with you two?" Nodoka called to the
couple. She then retreated back into her room.
In short order Ranma and Akane walked into Nodoka's room, occupied by only
Nodoka herself and Ukyo. Ranma could tell from Ukyo's expression that this
was serious, but somewhat good, news.
"You wanted to talk to us?" Ranma began.
"Ranma, tell me the truth," Nodoka said. "What do you think of Ukyo?"
Sweat rolled down Ranma's forehead. Oh great, was this about that promise
ten years ago? Diplomatically, he replied, "Well, she's my best friend. What
else can I say?"
"How well do you think you know her?" continued Nodoka.
"Well, I hope I know her enough...." Crap, Ranma, what kind of an answer
was that? "No, I mean, well... you know... she's there to listen when I need
someone to talk to, and, well... not enough to share our deepest secrets,
you know... I mean, well...."
"You don't know me as much as you like," voiced Ukyo, although Ranma
seemed to ignore her words.
"Well, I suppose..." rambled Ranma. "I mean, every time I think I have
you figured out, you turn around and surprise me."
"Akane, what about you?" asked Nodoka, as Ranma driveled on. "How well do
you think you know Ukyo?"
Now it was Akane's turn to be flustered. "Well... I guess enough that we
know how each other feel about certain... things. I mean, well, when we
were at Hawaii, I got to know Ukyo better... and... well, helped her come to
terms with herself."
"So you're saying you two are rather close?" concluded Nodoka.
"Well, I guess...." Akane shot a glance over at Ukyo.
"That's as far as I'd put it," Ukyo said.
Nodoka turned her attention back to Ranma. "Well, Ranma?"
"I don't know!" Ranma cried, running his hands through his hair in
frustration. "I mean, it's cool that Ukyo and Akane get along so well, and
she's my best friend and all... it's not like Kodachi or Shampoo or
somesuch like that... she's like the sister I never had. That is, if I knew
what having a sister was like. There! What's the point of this?"
Nodoka nodded. "So you wouldn't object if we made Ukyo your sister by
law, Ranma, Akane?"
"Of course not!" answered Ranma. "What difference would it make? She's
still my Ucchan."
"You're kidding," Akane said, catching on much more quickly than Ranma.
"This IS about that promise, isn't it?"
Ukyo nodded. "Only by law. But I'm opting to keep my own name."
By then Ranma caught on. "Mom! Why'd you do such a thing?"
"It's never good to leave loose ends untied," answered Nodoka sagely.
"Matters of honor especially, Ranma."
"You don't like the arrangement?" guessed Ukyo.
"No, it's not that," Ranma answered quickly. "It's just... very
unexpected! What did Pop say about this? I figured he'd never go for this
kind of thing."
"Oh, I've had a talk with him, and he's all for it," replied Nodoka,
with the same cryptic air she used before with Ukyo.
"It's strange," Ukyo began, "I've never had a mother figure in all my
life, and now I've got one, sort of."
"So, where're you staying?" Akane asked Ukyo.
"Oh, c'mon! Of course I'm keeping my restaurant! Besides, there's no one
else around to look after Konatsu. I mean, it's no big deal, we still see
each other every day, and it's not far to the dojo from the restaurant."
"I'd prefer you enjoy your youth instead of working it away," Nodoka
began, "but that's your choice. Your obligations are your own, and we will
respect your familial traditions, so long as you respect our own."
Ranma placed his hands on Ukyo's shoulders. "A sister...."
"Hey, I've never had a brother before, either," replied Ukyo.
"This is going to take some getting-used-to," observed Akane. "I mean,
it's almost like nothing has changed."
"And nothing should change, among us," declared Ukyo, throwing herself in
a warm embrace around Ranma, catching the Saotome by surprise.
Nodoka smiled. There was no doubt in her mind that everything will work
out.
Soon the decision was announced to the rest of the group still lounging in
the Tendo household. Needless to say, many were surprised.
Without warning, Kuno leaped from his seat, and charged to where Akane,
Ukyo, Ranma, and Nodoka stood, with a look of frantic panic on his face.
Kuno practically threw himself on the floor before Ukyo, seemingly ready
to kiss her feet. "Ukyo Kuonji, would you date me?"
"Get up," commanded Ukyo.
Kodachi slapped a hand on her forehead. "Oh, Brother, why belittle
yourself like that?" For the life of her, Kodachi still couldn't figure out
what Tacchi saw in the common chef.
Kuno stood up, and looked down at Ukyo's lovely face. To Tatewaki Kuno, it
was as if he were being sucked into a whirlpool, but he made no effort to
escape it. "How I have dreamed the day which I may steal away your lips, and
make them my own, only to treasure it for all eternity, and display it for
all the world to see!"
Konatsu shook his head. "Ukyo-sama won't buy that...."
Mousse commented, "I think he's serious. After all, he had spouted this
stuff the past few weeks already."
Shampoo replied to Mousse's comment, "You kidding."
Now it was Nabiki's turn to be disgusted. "Wonderful, Kuno-chan.... Why
in the world did you save all those words for her?" Dammit, Nabiki, was this
jealousy you're feeling now? Why should I be jealous?! Was it because no
guy would shower that attention on you? Oh well, best that could happen if
this worked out was gaining access to Kuno's money through Ukyo if they got
together... now that was a plan....
Had anyone been looking at Nabiki's direction, they would've been scared
out of their wits from her oddly-malicious grin.
Dramatically, Kuno raised his arms, as if reaching for the stars. "Once
upon a time, not long ago, these eyes could not peal from Akane Tendo, nor
the simulacrum, the pig-tailed girl. 'Tis better to have loved and lost,
than to never have loved at all. Had I not experienced love before I would
have died unhappily, ignorant to true beauty that my eyes behold now! It is
this heart that speaks to you now, the heart of Tatewaki Kuno, thus scoffed
many times before, that professes his undying love this evening! I would
ask but one small favor before I depart from this world, and that would be
to date you, Ukyo Kuonji!"
To say that Ukyo was speechless and flattered was an understatement.
Kasumi commented, "Oh my, such a pretty speech!"
Ukyo turned to Akane, Ranma, and Nodoka, with a plainly-confused look
glazed over her eyes. "I... I... don't know what to say."
"He seems like a nice young man," commented Nodoka, smiling.
"Kuno?" Ranma scoffed. "Fat chance."
"Ranma, you shouldn't judge your friends like that," chided Nodoka. So
far, this Kuno boy hadn't done anything to question his own honor in
Nodoka's eyes. She thought it was a pleasant surprise that he helped stop
the first wedding; he was right about it being too soon.
Ranma almost gagged at the thought of Kuno as his 'friend.'
"I must admit, he almost had me there, too," Akane said. "He sounds like
he means it."
When Ukyo turned around she was greeted by a bouquet of fresh roses, held
forth from Kuno's outstretched hand.
"You need not answer now, fair beauty," Kuno said. "For love is eternal,
burning flames, fueled by that which flows in my veins...."
"Stop that," Ukyo said, accepting the roses. She shook her head. "What am
I going to do with you, Tatewaki Kuno? Although this is against my better
judgment... sure, I'll go out with you." If only to get rid of you.
The next moment the roses were crushed as Kuno clamped himself onto Ukyo.
Kodachi shook her head. Why, Brother, do you throw yourself at women like
that? Dignity was thrown out the window in Tacchi's cases.
Shampoo commented, "Strange, but Spatula-girl look good with him."
Mousse leaned over to Shampoo. "Shampoo, will you go out with me?"
To which Shampoo responded by sending Mousse into orbit.
Closing: Friends (Nabiki and the tinkling sound of yen....)
-----------------------------------------------
Author's Rant
Throughout my entire series I've hinted that Kuno may have more than a
passing interest in Ukyo.... well, now it's blown out of the can for all
the world to see, beyond mere passing comments. Not that Ukyo appreciates
this, mind you.... The idea was inspired after watching the anime episode,
"Ukyo's skirt" where Kuno passes over both Akane and the pig-tailed girl
so he can pick up Ukyo. Man, I still laugh thinking about it. Oh well,
might be fun to play around with for a while. :)
I can't write Genma, so he has no part in the discussion. I thought
Nodoka's cryptic remarks about him were adequate enough....
I couldn't pass up Kodachi's little scheme after I thought a bit about
Asuka the White Lily. Convenient, that Taro is a handsome guy. Whether
or not this goes anywhere remains to be seen. I tried to write the scene
with Kodachi in control, then slowly losing it. Did I do a good enough job
of it?
According to Blade (you know who you are!), the foremost expert on Taro
(self-proclaimed), only Kodachi and Ukyo have a good chance to get together
with him, if they got pass Ranma. Arguments for either girl are good, but as
the story stands now, Ukyo isn't ready to commit herself (especially after
failing with Mousse), but Kodachi is. We'll see where this goes (as I think
it's cruel to put Ukyo with Konatsu, but then, it's cruel that nobody could
be put together with Kodachi. So right now I have it this way: Kodachi has
Taro, and Ukyo leans on Konatsu for emotional support-- not that Konatsu is
good at that kind of thing).
No, Ukyo and Konatsu will NOT end up together, no matter what. I can't see
it happening within my lifetime. The same goes for Nabiki and Kuno-- NEVER.
Taro wouldn't care much for Kuno, and Kuno hardly knows Taro exists, with
his current infatuation with Ukyo-- it's not likely that the two will come
to blows in the near future at this point over Kodachi. So, either way,
Kodachi wins.
As this is the end of the series of 'Doco in Hawaii,' I feel I must
explain myself. Why Hawaii? Because I knew it better than I knew any other
popular vacation spot, as I've been there first-hand. Why only stories on
three islands? Because there's not much on those other islands for a good
story. (Of course, the Big Island was all about Uncle Billy's... worst
place to stay, but reasonable prices).
Don't worry, we'll see Dr. Taydome again someday. And Johan...?
I think I'll write a story delving into the past of the Kuonji family
later, to explain the significance of the earrings. A bit of research into
Japanese culture and history is in order.
Razorclaw X
http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
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