The reason this didn't go out was simple, it wasn't done yet. I
accidentally almost posted it. Since I made the mistake I decided to
finish it up tonight and post it. I was planning to do it tomorrow. This
is a good one that starts the story flow, since I'm pretty much done
introducing the base character set.
Without anymore babbling, here is Ruroni Ranma part 10...
Ruroni Ranma
Part 10
Saiyonara Ranma!
The morning had come; at long last it was time for him to leave. Genma
Saotome glanced over his shoulder and saw his son lying on his mat next
to him inside the tent. Without even bothering to secure their gear he
lifted the boy over his shoulder. "We have to get out of here." He lifted
the limp child over his shoulder and pushed back the flap to his tent.
They had purposely set up camp at the edge of the army's encampment.
What he didn't know was that his son was awake the whole time. He
glanced back and sulked into the shadows. "I'm sorry boy, but we can't
stay here. This is no place for someone as young as you. I still don't
know what those fools were thinking when they allowed you to join."
Genma turned back inside the tent and lifted up the flap in the back.
The forest was a mere dozen feet away. Silently he crept along the ground
with the boy on his back. Ranma watched coolly as the guards snuck up on
his father from behind. He didn't speak, only watched. One of them
noticed his eyes on him and he froze in place with the other guards
following suit behind him.
They had no intention of facing a fully aware Genma Saotome, in the
short time since he had joined the Chinese forces they had become almost
legendary. Aged and experienced soldiers had less combined kills than the
pair of Japanese recruits.
Then something none of the men expected happened. Ranma lifted up his
hand and beckoned them to move in.
Genma sat tied up in a chair, he was beaten and tired. Three guards had
been injured in his attempt to escape. The Chinese commander paced back
and fourth in front of him angrily. "You coward, how dare you run away
from us! You will be put to death!"
Genma looked up at his son; the boy was standing in the corner like a
statue of pure ice. The life that was once in his eyes long gone. He
wasn't a child anymore, no matter what his appearance. "How dare you do
this to my son."
The man stopped cold and stared at the martial artist in shock. The gaze
he found there was one of pure hatred, anger, and malice. The purest
emotions found on the battlefield. "You wish to protect your son?"
"What kind of man wouldn't wish that? This is no place for a boy; we are
not your countrymen. We have nothing to defend here!" screamed Genma in
reply. "You have no right! Look what you've done to him!"
The man slowly turned around and looked Ranma in the eyes. The boy met
his gaze evenly and calmly. No single hint of emotion could be found in
his features. "We have granted your wish, he is a man among men. Despite
his interesting problem."
"He is not a man, he is a boy... and a killer," replied Genma coldly.
One of the men standing next to him hit him with the butt of his rifle.
The commander raised his hand and frowned.
"The only reason you are still alive, is because you do this for the
sake of your son. However, he is too important, and too good a soldier to
lose. I am sorry, but you will be relocated into another unit. Your
son... we have special plans for him."
"Send him to one of your pleasure brothels you have set up for your
men?" snapped Genma darkly, as punishment for me?
"Please Mr. Saotome, you think too little of us. We would never even
consider it. Our previous experiences with Ranma would teach us better
than that. We have already lost five men because they were fool enough to
try. Your son did away with them quite nicely. All I will tell you is
that you will never see your son again." The man turned and took Ranma by
his shoulder. "Come boy."
"Wait! Let me speak to him one last time!" cried Genma desperately.
Ranma paused and looked at his father, his eyes were cold and dead.
"Where will I be assigned to?" He continued to walk away from his father
as the man screamed his name. The sounds of wood meeting flesh filled the
air behind him for a moment until the busy sounds of the forces moving
about their day drowned it out.
"You are an excellent soldier, but your skills will benefit us more
elsewhere. Those techniques your father unsealed will be most useful to
us." The commander watched his men move about proudly.
As for Ranma, he didn't feel pride, he felt empty, no more or less so
than he did before he saw his father. "I am to become an assassin?"
"Yes, the Joketsuko tribe has been giving us trouble in the North east,
you will help eliminate that problem," said the man coolly.
"Why not simply destroy them? We have the technology. The mountains
would protect much of the land from fallout," said the boy.
"To do so would show weakness in our army. We will overcome them with
sheer numbers soon enough. However, the presence of men like you will
help casualties greatly. Besides, the mountains are rich with natural
resources we could use to help the war effort."
Ranma nodded with understanding as the man spoke. "I see." He glanced
back over his shoulder one last time and found that he had lost track of
which tent his father was in.
"You miss him?" asked the man half jokingly.
"No, I just remembered I forgot where he was," he looked forward. There
was nothing inside of him, how could he miss the man? He strode forward
and never looked back, in fact, he almost didn't notice the single tear
run down his face.
Ranma woke up from his dream and almost screamed out loud as a flood of
emotion overtook him. He gasped desperately for breath and hung his head
down between his arms. The dreams had not come since he left China, now
his past was catching up to him again. "Why? Why did I?"
He stood and turned on the light inside the room only to find it out. He
glanced over to the small digital clock and realized that there was a
blackout. Thunder rumbled outside and lightening flashed through the sky.
He glanced at the small table just inside the door and frowned deeply. He
knew why he was having the dreams again.
"Battosai kills three!" It was the headline across the newspaper that
lay there on the desk. Someone claiming his name was killing people. How
long would it be before someone found where he was, or who he was? This
had to be stopped.
Whoever it was, they were good. Too good for the police to catch
apparently, despite the brutality of the killings, he knew that from the
descriptions alone. He lifted the page into his hand and rubbed his brow.
"Someone from my past? Or is it something else?"
Nabiki Tendo frowned as she read the paper again. According to the
reports the one called Battosai was male, something she knew not to be
true. At least she thought so, if that girl was indeed Battosai.
Her father glanced at his eldest daughter and smiled. "Kasumi, what made
you call that girl Ranma?"
The girl looked at her father and blinked. "Father, that was Ranma."
"Really?" the man rubbed his mustache and sighed. "I don't understand."
"Akane told me her name was Ranma," replied the girl sweetly. "She's a
friend of Ranma's."
Nabiki stopped and dropped the paper. "She was here? Did she have red
hair?"
Kasumi nodded, "She didn't have any clothes on either, it was very
strange."
Both of them coughed out loud and looked away from her going back to
what they were doing. "Why would Battosai be here? And why was she
naked?" Nabiki thought it would be best to forget about it.
Ranma came down the stairs and bowed deeply to the family gathered in
front of him. "It's time Tendo."
Soun looked up at him and nodded. "So it is Saotome."
"I'm sorry things didn't work out," said the boy respectfully.
"Are you going to leave now?" Nabiki looked surprised, but not too much.
"Yes, I think it would be best if I leave before Akane and Yuriko
return," said the boy honestly.
"Without saying goodbye?" Kasumi looked scandalized.
"If I wait for them, Yuriko might become a problem. You know how badly
she wants to go with me," said the boy as he lifted his bag onto his
shoulders and turned towards the door.
"Akane did not ask you to stay did she?" said Soun a little drearily.
"I'm sorry Tendo, it just didn't work out between us."
"Could you give it a little more time?" asked the man seriously.
"Maybe someday I will, but neither of us is ready to be married. I'm
sorry."
Nabiki stood up from her place at the table and smiled. "Not so fast
Saotome."
Ranma turned to face her and blinked. "Oro?"
"Please stay, I don't want you to leave," she stood up from her place at
the table with a cruel grin on her face.
"What?" Ranma was in complete shock at this. "Why would you..."
"The agreement was for one of us to ask, not specifically Akane. Now,
I'm asking. Please don't go," She placed her hands on her hips and winked
at him. "Now you can't leave."
"Ranma..." started Soun.
"No, she is right Tendo, I gave my word of honor," he placed his bag
down and smiled at her. "I would like to know why though."
"Simple, I haven't found out what I need to know. There's also this,"
she held up the paper and smirked at him. "Battosai is a friend of yours
isn't she? We'll be safer with the real one around to protect us won't
we?"
Ranma narrowed his eyes slightly at this and she stepped back. "On the
contrary, that makes you targets."
She stepped up to him and smiled despite the uncomfortable gaze he was
giving her. "I won't let you leave Ranma."
The boy sighed and sat down at the table, immediately his normal
demeanor returned. "So, is it Go or Shoghi tonight Tendo?"
Nabiki Tendo smiled to herself as she returned to her seat. There were
other reasons she wanted him to stay. Akane had never gotten this close
to any boy as far as she could remember. There was no need to voice that
though.
About an hour later, Akane blinked as she walked into the house and
found Ranma sitting at the table. "She was supposed to be gone!"
Yuriko smiled obliviously as she sat down next to her. "I was afraid
you'd be gone by now."
"Ranma isn't going anywhere," said Nabiki calmly.
"What?!" screamed Akane angrily. "We had an agreement!" She turned on
the boy and grabbed him by his collar.
"The agreement was that any one of us could ask him to stay. I decided I
like having him around," said her older sister. "Besides, he hasn't told
me what I want to know."
Akane's jaw dropped. "You asked him to stay?"
Kasumi listened in from the kitchen and smiled. Despite the posing, she
could tell Akane was happy. If Nabiki hadn't done that, she would have.
Although her reasons would have been different. She continued to cook
dinner cheerfully as her younger sister started chasing her elder sister
around the yard screaming about a long overdue sparring match. It was so
nice when they played together.
In the shadows of an alley a lone figure smiled as he dropped his
cigarette on the ground and watched the city move about. "Battosai is
here, I can feel it in my bones."
He turned away from a badly beaten group of thugs and shook one of them
awake. "You're the only one left alive, tell me what I want to know and
I'll keep it that way."
The man nodded vigorously and mumbled a few incoherent words. "The
killer known as Battosai. I want everything you've heard. Don't try to
lie, I know you've got connections. You wouldn't want the Japanese
government breathing down your boss's neck would you?"
The man started to whimper and shook his head violently from side to
side.
"Good, tell me... everything." In the end he knew the man would die
anyway, but it would be much more merciful than what his boss would do to
him if he found out.
TBC...
Next time: The False Battosai Murders! Ryoga returns! And at long last,
Saito; but not Saito!
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