The Road Less Traveled
by Michael "Ranma13" Cerda
6/25/00
I do not take credit for the Ranma 1/2 characters.
They are owned and created by the goddess Rumiko
Takahashi. The rights go to her and Viz
Communications. This is my own story and in no way
express how Rumiko wanted her story to go. All other
characters are my creation and are not to be used
without my permission. With this at mind, enjoy.
--------------------
Chapter 4: Vengeance
The sun had just risen over the east. Casting a glow
over the horizon. Still early in the morning, most
people were just getting out of bed. Not for one
person though.
Jogging along the beach, Ranma�s been up for awhile.
Getting away from the daily routine he put himself in,
he decided to do something different. �I hope
nobody�s watching me.� As Ranma took off his shirt
and shorts, underneath he was wearing a one-piece
bathing suit. Quickly putting down his towel, he ran
into the water. Hitting the water he instantly
changed into his female form. The red headed
pig-tailed girl.
�Ahhh, the water feels great.� Ranma-chan swam out
into the ocean, enjoying the water.
********
�You�re kidding me Beth?�
�I don�t know, I just don�t know if I want a boyfriend
right now.�
�Why? He�s gorgeous.�
�Because, I broke up with somebody just a month ago.
I don�t think I�m ready to get into another
relationship already. Anyways, I don�t even know if
he�s interested. He didn�t try to kiss me.�
�Stop.� They stopped walking, as Daryn turned to
Beth. �You should get over it, Not many guys come
along like Ranma. You should just go for it.�
Beth looked at Daryn, �I have to think about it.�
They continued walking. After taking a short break
trying to get used to school Beth and Daryn started
their early morning walks on the beach again, much to
the reluctance of Daryn. Beth had been thinking about
Ranma, since that night she took him out for pizza.
She really liked him, but didn�t know how he felt
toward her.
Walking down the beach, they heard noises coming from
the water. Stopping they started looking where the
sounds were coming from. They spotted a girl swimming
in and out of the water. Daryn pointed out the girl
swimming in the water.
�Wow, she has a lot of energy.� Daryn was almost
envious. She wished she could have that type of
energy at this time of the morning.
�Yeah, you can say that again.� Watching, Beth stared
as the girl was heading to the shore.
The girl was getting out of the water, she was small
and slender. She had long red hair pulled back in a
ponytail. They haven�t seen anybody with such beauty
and grace. They admired and were envious of the girl.
They watched as she was walking toward them.
�Okay that�s it, I�m definitely hitting the gym. Look
at her she can put anybody to shame.� Leaning over
whispering to Beth.
Beth was still staring. She had never felt
intimidated by a girl before, but there was something
about this girl that made her feel uneasy. Something
also came to her, she looked awfully familiar.
Getting out of the water, Ranma felt alive. He loved
the ocean and even if he were girl, he wouldn�t let
that stop him from having fun. Looking out to where
his clothes lie, he saw Beth and Daryn staring at him.
Gulping, Ranma-chan walked towards them. Hoping that
they wouldn�t try to talk to him. He was already
nervous from their stares. Standing in front of them
he picked up his clothes hoping to make a clean
getaway.
Daryn couldn�t resist anymore, �Excuse me, how could
you stand the water? Wasn�t it cold?�
�Huh, uh.� Looking around, he was starting to get
nervous. Trying to stay cool, �Not really I�.I found
it kinda invigorating.�
�I�ve never seen you around here before. Are you new
in town?� There was something about this girl that
didn�t seem right to Beth. She just didn�t know what
it was.
�Uh, yeah. You can say that.� Picking up his clothes
trying to get away from the girls.
Intervening she put out her hand, �I�m sorry for being
rude, My name�s Beth.� Pointing to the side of her,
�This is Daryn,� as she waved to Ranma.
Ranma-chan took Beth�s hand while nodding to Daryn.
�Get it together Ranma, they have no idea who you
are,� thinking to himself. �Hi, my name is
Ran�..Ranko.�
�Ranko, where are you from?� Beth had noticed Ranko�s
nervousness.
�Japan,� Quickly closing her mouth, �I have to go.�
Quickly walking away, Ranma nodded to Beth and Daryn.
Heading down the beach with a quick pace.
�Hmmm, that was interesting.� Beth watched Ranko walk
down the beach, wondering why she was so nervous
around them.
�What�s that?� Daryn turned to look at Beth.
�I don�t know, haven�t you noticed that Ranma and
Ranko look alike. They have the same gestures and way
of speaking. Plus they are both from Japan. I don�t
know, but I think they maybe related somehow.� Beth
turned to look over at Daryn.
Daryn just waved off Beth�s comment. �You�re just
thinking too hard.�
�Ranma came out here to be away from his family, maybe
Ranko came here to bring him back.� Beth turned to
watch Ranko run off in the distance.
�Well enough of that for right now Sherlock. You
still have a decision to make about that gorgeous man
of yours.� Daryn grinned, she would love to have her
friends problem right now.
�Yeah I know.� Watching Ranko disappear from her
sight. �Let�s get back, I still have to get ready for
class.� Beth and Daryn turned and headed in the
opposite direction. She still had a decision to make
about Ranma and didn�t have an answer to the problem
yet.
********
�Whew, that was close.� Closing the door behind him,
Ranma entered his apartment. Looking around he
sighed, �I better go get in the shower.� Heading into
his bedroom, Ranma undressed. Entering the bathroom,
he turned on the shower.
He still had to get used to taking showers, which was
one thing that he missed was soaking in a furo.
Stepping into the hot shower Ranma automatically
changed into his male form. By now he�s used to the
change, and welcomes his normal self.
Satisfied that he�s clean, he stepped out of the
shower. Taking a towel off the rack he started to dry
himself off. Walking into his bedroom, Ranma opened
up his closet and took out the outfit he was most
comfortable wearing. A red Chinese shirt with black
drawstring pants, his clothing of choice.
Putting on his clothes, Ranma went into the living
room. Looking around he walked over to his picture of
his family and friends. �I miss everyone, I wonder if
they miss me at all.�
Taking the picture he leans against the wall and
slides down. Just staring at the picture, especially
Akane. �I wish I could have seen you one last time.
Maybe it was a mistake to leave so early.�
Ranma continued sitting in his empty apartment,
staring at the picture and Akane. Depression started
to set in, staring at the picture he realized now how
lonely he really was. He put the picture down as he
stared at the ceiling. For once in his life, his
emotions come out as a tear came down his cheek and
fell to the floor.
********
�I can�t believe how boring that class was.� Beth�s
walking back to her dorm building. Just getting out
of her philosophy class, �Thank god I graduate after
this year. I don�t think I could handle another year
of this crap.�
Beth didn�t pay much attention in class. Her mind was
consumed with what she�s wanted to do about Ranma.
She didn�t know whether she wanted to just be friends
or try and continue it further. Even though she only
had one date with him, if she could call it that.
There was something about him, something that drew her
to think about him constantly. The baby blue eyes,
his boyish behavior or his stunning good looks.
�Uggghhh,� this was so frustrating. She would have
talk to him and see how he felt toward her. This was
the reason why she didn�t want to get into another
relationship. She was going to graduate this year;
she didn�t need all this in her life right now.
After Beth thought about what she should have do. She
decided to head straight for Ranma�s apartment.
Passing her dorm building she continued walking
towards his apartment. Her mind was made up; she was
doing the right thing. She thought anyways.
As Beth walked on, she didn�t realize that somebody
had been following her. Lurking behind her, staying
in the shadows out of sight. Unaware, Beth continued
walking toward Ranma�s apartment.
********
Ranma�s had been sitting on the floor for awhile.
Unaware of the time that�s been passing by. �I have
to get out of this depression. What�s wrong with me?
It�s was my decision to come out here.� Getting up
and looking around he realized what his problem was.
�I have to start treating this apartment like my home.
I�ve been living here as if I was on vacation.� A
knock on the door interrupts his thoughts.
Walking over to the door, he opened it. �Hello sir.�
�Ranma my boy. How are you today?� Standing at the
doorway was an older Oriental gentleman. He was
wearing a pinstripe suit. Shorter than Ranma, but
much more stockier. He had short black hair with some
gray in it. He was reminiscent of a typical Japanese
businessman.
Ranma gestured for him to come in. �I�m doing okay
sir.�
�Please Ranma call me Take�.� John Takehiro was the
owner of the house and apartment Ranma lived in. He
was also the owner of the Martial Arts studios Ranma
taught in. Ever since the day he met Ranma, he knew
this boy was something special. Proving his point,
once the boy started teaching some classes his
enrollment almost doubled. Entering the apartment he
looked around the room.
�Sorry s�.Take�.� Closing the door behind Take.
�That�s better,� Looking at Ranma, he knew something
was wrong with the boy. �You seem down, What�s
wrong?� Watching with concern.
Looking down at his feet, �Well, I think I�m starting
to feel homesick.�
�Well know wonder Ranma, look at his place. This is
your home not a training facility.� Walking around
the room, he didn�t realize Ranma didn�t have any
furniture. Only the coffee table in the middle of the
room. �Ummm, Now let me see.� Folding his arms Take
started to think. Quickly he snapped his fingers.
�I�ve got it, don�t worry Ranma I will take care of
everything.�
�No, that�s ok. I don�t want you to do anything
special for me.� Ranma didn�t like people to do
special things for him. He felt like he owed them and
Take was too kind to him already.
Waving Ranma�s statement off. �Don�t worry, since you
joined my staff. The enrollment has been very good.
Let�s just say this is my way of saying thank-you.�
Ranma didn�t know what to say, he felt guilty. Like
he had to do something for Take�s kindness. �There
must be something that I can do for you. To return
the favor.�
�Well, now that you mentioned it. I want another
rematch.� Bringing himself to his tallest stature.
�I�ll not go easy on you this time. Take will be
victorious. Wha ha ha ha ha ha ha.� Laughing
psychotically, he calmed down. �Oh yes, I will be
victorious.�
* Gulp * �Uh, s..sir are you alright?� Ranma stared
at Take in disbelief.
Take� quickly snapped out of his psychotic mood,
�Never better why?�
Ranma smacked his hand on his forehead, keeping his
hand on his forehead he shook his head.� Why do they
always find me?�
�So how about it son, want another rematch.� Take� has
been obsessed with Ranma. They haven�t fought since
the first day they met, that day spotted Ranma on the
beach.
***
�Ahhh, what a great morning for a jog.� Take� stopped
and peered out at the ocean. �It doesn�t get any
better than his.�
* Haaaya *
Take� looked out to where that cry came from. Out in
the distance he noticed somebody practicing his
Kata�s. Letting his curiosity get the better of him,
walked over to take a closer look.
He watched as a boy started doing some impressive Kata
moves. The boy was dressed in a white tank top with
black pants. He had black hair that was tied back in
a ponytail. He watched for awhile, amazed on how fast
the boy was. He couldn�t figure out the fighting
style.
�Okay that�s it I have to find out who this kid is.�
Taking a deep breath, he walked over to him. �Excuse
me?�
The boy stopped and stared at Take�. �Yes?� With a
hint of annoyance for being interrupted.
�Yes, I couldn�t help, but notice you practicing here.
I couldn�t place the style you�re using. Would you
mind telling me what the style is.�
�Well actually, I do mind. I will just say it�s a
family style.�
Take� couldn�t believe that this little punk would not
tell him what he wanted to know. Thinking, an idea
popped into his head. �Sorry for sounding rude, my
name is John Takehiro.� Offering his hand to the boy.
Looking up and then at the hand, the boy took it.
�I�m Ranma Saotome.�
�Now I know you�re not from around here, Your Japanese
right?�
�Yeah, I just arrived here a couple of days ago.�
�Do you have a place to stay, or any sort of way to
make money.� The trap was set, he would easily trap
Ranma into a match.
�No, I�m staying on the beach right now.� Pointing to
a tent behind him.
�How about this then, we a have a little sparing
match. If you win, I�ll provide you with a place to
live and a job. If I win, you will tell me your style
and show me a few techniques.�
Ranma thought for a minute. He does need a place to
stay, sizing up John. He thought about realizing he
had to do this. �Yeah, why not.�
Excited Take� quickly set into a fighting stance.
Bowing to Ranma, who bowed back. As they took their
positions, Take� had a huge grin on his face. �This
will be a piece of cake. This kid doesn�t realize
that I own a line of martial art studios and I�m a
triple black belt. He doesn�t have a chance.� Take�
is starting to get really confident.
Attacking first, take lunged for Ranma. For a guy his
age he was pretty face. As he reached Ranma he
blinked, as Ranma wasn�t there anymore. Feeling a tap
on his shoulder. Turning around, he stared at Ranma
who was behind him. He quickly followed by a kick,
which didn�t come close to hitting Ranma. He followed
with a series of kicks and punches each missing its
target. After ten minutes of Take� hitting air, he
stopped and looked at Ranma.
�H�* huff * How come y... * huff * you didn�t try to
h�* huff * hit me?� Take had his hands on his knees
trying to catch his breath.
Ranma walked over to the tired man. �Sorry, you�re a
very good martial artist, but I didn�t want to hurt
you.�
Take� looked up and would have been pissed at what
this guy just said, but when he looked at Ranma. He
had this confidence and there Take� knew that what he
said was true.
�Well I promised you a job. I own three martial art
studios. How would you like to be one of the
instructors.� He saw a gleam in Ranma�s eyes as soon
as he mentioned being a teacher.
Getting excited, �Sure�
�Great! I can�t pay you a lot, but I do have a little
apartment above my garage. I use it as a storage
room. If you clean it out its yours.�
�Okay� Ranma walked over to Take� and put out his
hand.
Taking Ranma�s hand, and shook it. He would find out
what style Ranma was and eventually beat him. �Well
Ranma, lets pack up your stuff and I�ll show you your
new apartment.� As Take� helped Ranma pack up his
camp, �Saotome huh, where have I heard that name
before.�
***
�Yeah, why not.� Ever since he met Take�, he�s been
bothering to have another sparring match. Each time
Ranma�s declined, but he must spar with him so he can
get Take� off of his back.
�Great! Well I guess I better be going.� Take bowed
to Ranma who bowed back. As Take� was about to open
the door.
* knock * * knock * * knock *
�I�ll get the door for you Ranma.� Take� opened the
door. He stared at a beautiful blond in front of him.
�Uh, Hi, is Ranma here?� She looked beyond the man
inside the apartment.
Ranma quickly walked up to the door. �Hi Beth.�
Beth held her breath, she hasn�t seen Ranma for a
couple of days. The very sight of him gave her
goosebumps. �Hi Ranma.�
�Hummmum, hummmum.�
�Oh, Beth this is Take�. Take� this is Beth.�
Shaking Beth�s hand, �Nice to meet you.�
�Nice to meet you.�
Turning to Ranma, �Well Ranma I guess I better get
going. I�ll talk to you later.� As Take� walked out
of the door. Behind Beth�s back he put a thumb up and
gave Ranma a wink.
Ranma quickly ushered in Beth and quickly closed the
door and Take. �I�m glad to see you. Sorry that I
haven�t been by to see how you�re doing.�
�That�s okay. I�ve been busy, with classes starting
and everything.� Beth was starting to get nervous,
she had to talk to him, but she thought she should
wait till she felt it was a better time. There was
something she wanted to talk to him about though,
�There was something strange that happened this
morning.�
�Oh�oh really. What was it?� It completely slipped
his mind that Beth and Daryn saw him in his female
form this morning.
�Well, I was jogging this morning on the beach. Daryn
and I saw this girl. There was something strange
about her. Then I realized that she acted, moved and
talked just like you. I was wondering if she was.�
Ranma braced himself, he had never met anybody who
figured it out. He might as well tell her. �Yes it
was.�
�I knew it! I knew it was your sister.�
Ranma looked at Beth kinda dumbfounded. His brain was
still trying to register what Beth just said. For one
thing his secret was still a secret to his relief. He
hated to lie to her, but he couldn�t tell her just
yet. �Was she a red head with a pig-tail.�
�Yes that�s her.� Beth was getting excited that she
figured it out.
�Well she�s my twin sister. I didn�t think she would
find me so soon.�
�Is she here to take you back to Japan.� Beth was
getting worried, she didn�t want Ranma to leave just
after she met him.
�Yes, she is.� Ranma kept calm, he needed to go with
this. Changing the subject. �Why don�t we get our
minds off of things and go get a bite to eat.�
�Sure, why not?� Beth wanted to know how he felt
towards her. Each minute she�s with him. She can�t
help, but fall more and more for this guy. Every time
she looked into his deep blue eyes. Somehow she
forgot about everything else getting herself lost into
his gaze. She watched as Ranma opened the door for
her. Walking out the door, she looked up at his face
as she passed by. He gave her a smile, all she could
do was smile back. Walking out of the door. Beth
thought that maybe she could see herself with him.
She�ll definitely have to think about this some more.
Ranma and Beth walked down the stairs and headed
towards a local restaurant. In the distance there
lied a person trailing Beth. Waiting for his chance,
he just sat there and hid. Knowing he would get his
chance to get his revenge.
********
Beth didn�t know what to think anymore, she was so
sure of herself. Today though, she had a great day
with Ranma. They first went to eat at a local
restaurant. She was able to see how good of a person
Ranma was. They talked and laughed, it felt nice to
be with somebody again. After their lunch they
decided to go and watch a movie. The movie itself
wasn�t very good, but that didn�t matter. She was
falling for Ranma and she had it bad for him.
Walking with Ranma, she looked up at him. She never
really felt love at first sight, but she had a feeling
this was how it felt. She knew how she felt for him
now, but the question was how he felt towards her.
Which she would find out by the end of the night.
Ranma didn�t know what to do about Beth. He really
liked her, but he didn�t know how she felt toward him.
She was fun to be with and was so nice. Not to
mention she was gorgeous. He just had many things on
his mind. Maybe he�ll talk to her and find out how
she felt toward him. They did need to talk that was a
guarantee. He looked down at her, their eyes meeting
each other in a gaze. She was definitely beautiful.
The sun was setting, the sky was a beautiful magenta.
With some purple and red mixed in. Walking in
silence, they reached the park that they�ve walked
through many times in the short time they�ve known
each other. Not knowing that they had each other on
their minds. Unsure about how the other felt. They
knew that the talk was inevitable.
Walking through the park, Beth would have thought she
would be scared to death. She wasn�t scared a bit, to
her that night didn�t even happen. She was a strong
person who would not let that night dictate her life.
***
In the middle of the park a figure was hiding in the
bushes, waiting for his opportunity. Like a tiger
lying in wait for the right moment to pounce on it�s
prey.
***
Ranma was enjoy his time with Beth, something started
to feel strange to him. He looked around, but didn�t
notice anything. Something was troubling him, with
all of his years of martial arts training he could
sense when something was about to happen.
Beth definitely noticed the sudden change of Ranma�s
mood, �What�s wrong?�
Ranma looking around, �I don�t know.� He tried to
stretch out his senses. He knew something was out
there, and for what he could tell it was all around
them. He brought Beth behind him.
Beth behind Ranma was getting frightened. She didn�t
like how he was acting. She knew something was
terribly wrong. Looking around, �Let�s get out of the
park as quickly as possible.�
***
The figure in the bushes watched as Ranma and Beth
started to walk quickly toward them. He smiled as
they reached the point he wanted them to be, �NOW!�
As Ranma heard the shout, he looked around at his
surroundings. Cursing himself, they stepped into a
clearing surround by bushes. A perfect place for an
ambush. He watched as nine men jumped out of the
bushes. All were surrounding them, as they carried
various weapons. To his relief none were carrying
guns. He had some luck after all.
�Well, well, well. Isn�t it the bitch,� A young man
walked out from the group to approach Ranma and Beth.
�And look guys,� as he turned to look around the
group. �It�s the hero.� All the guys started
laughing. �Well hero, the last time we played. You
left so unexpectedly, so I decided to bring some
friends.� Pointing to Beth, �Now bitch! We didn�t get
a chance to finish what we started. So I figure my
friends and I could all have a turn of having some
fun.� All the men started to get a hug grin on their
faces.
Ranma just stood there cool and calm, �I�ll give you
guys a chance. If you leave now, you�ll not get hurt.
After that I can�t promise what will happen to you.�
Beth looked up shocked at what Ranma just said. She
couldn�t see his face, but this was totally insane.
She felt awful, it was because of her that Ranma was
in this trouble. Tom of all people was the one who
was attacking them.
�Beth go over to that tree.� Ranma was pointing to a
tree out of the way. Turning around to face her.
�You�ll be safe there.� Looking down at her giving
her a reassuring smile.
�Yeah get over there. Don�t worry we will not forget
about you.�
Beth quickly went out of the way, heading to the tree
and hiding behind it. Her first instinct was to turn
and run, but that wouldn�t be the right thing to do.
It was her fault for all this in the first place. She
needed to stay near Ranma no matter what happened.
Ranma waited till Beth was out of the way. He went
into a fighting stance, letting his battle aura flow
through him. Getting his mind clear and into fighting
mode. Allowing his senses to stretch out sensing
everything around him.
�Huh, you sure are confident for somebody who�s about
to die. Get Him!�
The men rushed after Ranma, as he stood his ground
waiting for the right moment.
********
�Ahhh, What a great meal.� As Take� patted his
stomach. �Seeing Ranma always makes me crave some
fine Japanese cuisine.� Take� had been obsessed over
Ranma, ever since they sparred that day. There was
something about him that was very mysterious to Take�.
�Enough of Ranma tonight. This will be a night of
rest and relaxation. Possibly talk to some family out
west.� Yes, he couldn�t wait to get home.
Take� took his usual way home, through the park.
�Looking around, I love these nights. Who wants to
drive when you can walk in this beautiful weather.�
He stopped as he looked out in the distance. �It
looks like somebody is being jumped.� Take� ran over
to where the action was happening.
�Get Him!�
Take� ran as fast as he could. Stopping, as his eyes
couldn�t believe what they were witnessing. Ranma
was getting attacked by,.. nine men. �Ranma!�
Ranma didn�t have time to look in the direction of the
voice. �Take�, I�m fine,� Ranma dodged a bat swing
and kicked the guy in the back. �Go to where Beth is
and make sure nothing happens to her.�
�But!�
�No, Buts! Just go!�
Take� scanned the area, finding Beth scared behind a
tree. He could only see the head poking out from
behind a tree. As quickly as possible he ran over to
her. �Are you alright.�
Beth looked up scared she didn�t know what to think.
Not only did she risk her own life, but also Ranma may
get killed trying to protect her. She was starting to
go mad.
Watching the madness come over Beth, Take� took Beth
and looked into her eyes. �Don�t worry, you going
crazy will not help Ranma out. You need to stay
strong.�
Beth nodded as tears started streaming down her face.
Mustering all the courage she could, Beth calmed down.
As she looked out as the fight continued.
Watching Beth satisfied she was all right turned his
attention to the fight. Anger was swelling in him.
Clenching his fist, Take� wanted to fight alongside
Ranma. He knew Ranma didn�t stand a chance against
nine men, it would eventually catch up to him.
***
The men stopped attacking as they circled Ranma,
trying to figure out a way to get through his
defenses. Circling waiting for an opening to happen.
Ranma hadn�t broken a sweat. To him these guys were a
joke, but he couldn�t take the chance of an accident
happening and some innocent bystander getting hurt.
He knew that he had to end this fight quickly. �Look,
I don�t want to hurt you guys. If you leave now, I�ll
forget this whole thing happened.�
The men looked at each and laughed. One of the men
spoke up, �Nice try hero, let�s finish this.�
Ranma was angry now. Smiling, �lets� he said calm and
coolly. He watched as some the men rushed in after
him.
As they reached the spot where he was standing they
blinked in astonishment, as he wasn�t there anymore.
Ranma in a flash took out the first that rushed after
him with powerful punches to the faces. The other men
looked at each other and all at once rushed after
Ranma. Ranma ran into the pack, �Kachu Tenshin
Amaguriken.�
***
Beth was watching in awe. She couldn�t believe that
someone could move that fast. He was moving so fast,
her eyes had a hard time trying to keep up with him.
�Take� why are they being knocked out? The punches
seem to be completely missing their target.�
Take� watched at the young man. He had never seen
such speed in a person before nor had he ever seen the
technique Ranma was using. Watching closely he
finally saw what was happening, �Ahhh, look closely.
To us it appears to be one single punch, but it�s
actually repeated punches moving so fast to create the
illusion of one punch.�
Looking closer, finally she saw what Take� was talking
about. Or at least she thought she saw what he was
talking about. �Can anything like that be possible.�
�I wouldn�t have believed it, but,� Pointing to the
battle scene, �there it is.�
***
In the bushes off to the side, Tom was watching as one
by one his men were getting their asses kicked.
Knowing when to retreat he left the park cursing the
man who had ruined his life. He problem wasn�t with
the girl anymore, he would come back and this time
kill that guy for good.
***
As the last of the men fell to the ground, Ranma
looked around the area. Nine men were laying on the
ground unconscious. He scanned the area for Tom who
was nowhere to be seen. Breathing in a sigh of
relief, he walked toward Beth and Take�
As the two looked at each other in amazement, they
didn�t know what to say. Never had they ever seen
anything like what they just saw.
�Are you alright Beth.� Ranma looked at Beth, he knew
she was physically all right. He was worried about
her mental state of mind. Witnessing something of
this nature had to take a heavy toll on the mind.
Staring at Ranma, �Y�Y�.Yeah.�
Ranma smiled, he knew she was going to be okay.
Turning to Take�, �Thank-you very much for protecting
Beth.�
Take� had the same look as Beth, �Huh, uh, don�t worry
about it, I was glad to have helped out.�
�Well I think we should get out of here Beth, it�s
getting late.� Ranma looked at Beth. He watched as
she was looking around at the bodies lying on the
ground. �Don�t worry, they�ll be out for awhile.
Just in case though maybe we should go around them.�
Ranma turned to Take�, �I�ll talk to you later Take�.�
Take� looked at the bodies sprawled everywhere,
�Yeah.� He watched as Ranma led Beth through the park
away from the bodies, disappearing from sight.
Shaking his head, Take� heading in the opposite
direction. He was amazed at the power and speed of
the boy. He hadn�t seen anybody with so much power
since that day in Japan. Something suddenly came to
Take�. �Saotome?� With all that he had, Take� took
off. Running to his house a fast as he could.
Leaving the bodies lying on the ground. Who will when
woken up will never do anything bad or against the law
again. They�ll never know how close they were to
death.
********
Walking in silence, Beth could only look down at the
ground. Occasionally looking at Ranma. She�s still
running in her mind what had just happened. She
couldn�t believe that Ranma was that amazing. Knowing
that he would not hurt her, he even saved her not
once, but twice. She still couldn�t help, but feel
intimidated who was so strong.
Ranma turned to look at Beth, he had felt very
uncomfortable since they left the park. Beth was not
looking at him, but the ground. Turning to look
straight ahead, he gave a sigh.
Turning, she looked at Ranma. Wanting to say
something, but she didn�t know what to say or even how
she would say it. He had such an innocent, peaceful
face. Not believing that body held so much power.
Turning to look ahead, wondering what she�s going to
say to him.
They both continued walking down the street, in an
uncomfortable silence. Not really knowing what the
other was feeling or thinking.
********
Take�s in his attic going through some of his old
belongings. At the time of the fight he didn�t
recognize the name Saotome, but now it just came to
him. It was the Anything Goes School, he knew it.
Going through a box, he pulled out a pair of lingerie.
This was the whole reason he left Japan in the first
place. He remembered that day for the rest of the
life. Thinking back to his younger days, he was in
love with some girl. Even though she never knew, but
that wasn�t the point. He couldn�t have been more
than nineteen years old, just out of High School.
***
Walking down the street, he heard some yelling coming
from behind him. Turning around he saw a little man
running down the street with a handkerchief wrapped
around his face. Behind him were two guys carrying
knapsacks filled with something.
In the far distance he saw girls running after them,
yelling something. He couldn�t decipher what they
were saying. Trying to listen more carefully he
understood what they were saying. He had a complete
look of shock on his face. �Nay, are they saying give
us back our underwear?�
Take� looked and saw his true love in the group of
girls. Take� mustering up all of the courage ran in
front of the little man, �Stop!�
The little man stopped, �Get out of my way you
insolent twit.�
�No, why are these girls chasing after you,
especially.� Pointing to one of the girls who are
coming closer. �That one.�
�Oh, yeah, I stole some of their little numbers, but
that one.� He pulled out a piece of lingerie. �That
one had a rare piece indeed. This will go in my
private collection.�
Take� was fuming now, reaching over he grabbed the
undergarment from the perverted little man.
�Give that back.� The little man was turning red with
anger.
�NO!� Take� couldn�t believe that one person could be
so perverted.
�How dare you?� The little man was glowing a bright
red.
Take� just stared as he started trembling. He watched
as the little man started making a huge image of
himself out of the glow aura around him. This made
Take� stand there like a deer caught in a pair of
headlights.
�Please master, it was just a mistake. Please spare
his life.� The two men were on their knees begging
for his mercy.
�Shut up Saotome, Tendo. He had insulted me and now
he will face the full wrath of Happosai, Master of the
Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.�
Taking step back, he braced himself for some kind of
attack. He watched as Happosai sent the image toward
him. He closed his eyes waiting for death to come.
Nothing happened after a few seconds. Opening his
eyes the saw the group of girls stomping the three men
into the ground. Calling them leaches perverts�. Etc.
Take� took his chance and ran in the opposite
direction. He could hear Happosai in the background.
�You will pay for this. I will get my revenge, no
matter how long it takes.�
That day Take� packed his bags and the undergarment,
which was the only thing that he had of his love and
left for the United States vowing never to return to
Japan again.
***
Take� opened his eyes. �So Happosai has finally found
me and instead sent his student to kill me. Well I
have a few surprises for them. BWHA HA HA ha ha ha,
BWHA HA HA ha ha ha.�
Putting everything back in the box, he left the attic
and headed downstairs. Since the first day he arrived
in the States, he has been practicing Martial Arts
just in case the day arrived he would run into
Happosai. Now he had to plan something for Mr.
Saotome.
********
Ranma and Beth had reached her dorm building. They
didn�t say a word, the whole way. Finally, somebody
broke the silence.
�Well, um,� Looking down at the ground. �I guess I
should be getting inside.�
Ranma looked behind to the building, �Yeah I guess.�
They were standing there in silence, not knowing what
to do. They just stood there staring at the ground.
Getting up the nerve, �I don�t think they�ll mess with
us again.�
Beth didn�t know what to say, �No, I don�t think they
will either.�
That was it, Ranma known there was nothing else to
say. �Well, I guess I�ll be going.�
She knew she had to say something else, she didn�t
want the night to end like this, �Be careful on your
way back home.�
Ranma smiled, �Okay.�
Beth smiled back, she wanted to so bad. Deciding this
was it she leaned forward�.
* Tch * * Tch * * Tch * * Tch * * Tch * * Tch *
Beth covered her face as the sprinkler system kicked
on. The spray passed over the couple, Beth was still
covering her face. �I guess they thought we��
Stopping in mid sentence, she stared at Ranma.
Just standing there, Ranma stared back with huge eyes.
Blinking every so often. As the two just stared at
each other.
********
A ship as just pulled into the docks. The ship was
coming in unloading cargo from Japan. As the men
hoist crates onto pallets bringing onto the docks,
they failed to notice a small shadow hiding behind
some crates. The small figure in quick movements
jumped from shadow to shadow eventually leaping from
the ship onto the docks.
The small figure leapt from shadow to shadow till it
reached the beach. Under light a small black pig was
looking around. Starting down the beach, the pig was
carrying a backpack in its mouth. A yellow
handkerchief was tied around its neck.
�Bweeeee.�
--------------------
End of Chapter 4
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