The Three Saotomes
Part 6
Ranma's Enemy.
Ranma Saotome stood in the dust filled room and growled as the figure
stood in the hole that was now gaping in the wall of the school
infirmary. A feminine figure stood where the wall had once been. She did
not move, but simply stared at him angrily. The two wristbands on her
arms glowed with a dangerous looking pink light as she saw her quarry
staring at her.
"So, I find you at last Ranma Saotome."
Ryoga had managed to break the chains holding him to the bed at this
point and stood with Genryu, Akane, and Nabiki near the door. He was in a
ready position and let his guard relax as he recognized the figure before
him. "You ... "
"Die!" screamed the woman as she charged towards Ranma.
"No! Brother!" cried Genryu in alarm as his brother sidestepped the
strike and jumped out the hole in the wall into the courtyard of the
school grounds.
"Come back here!" snarled the woman angrily.
Genryu blocked her path with his fists in front of him. "Xianghua! What
are you doing here?"
The woman paused and glared at the younger boy angrily. She was a pretty
young woman in her early twenties, with short cut blonde hair. Here
clothes were similar to the Chinese style that Genryu wore, accept for
the fact that they were different shades of light green that matched her
light green eyes. "Out of my way whelp!" she snarled at the younger boy.
"No! Why did you follow us?" demanded the Genryu.
"You know why," snapped the woman as she put her arms up in preparation
to attack.
Genryu growled and crouched low to brace for the coming onslaught. A
voice carried over to the pair from outside.
"Stand down! This is my fight!" Ranma was waiting just outside the hole
with an angry looking glare straining his features.
Genryu reluctantly stood down and allowed the woman to pass him. She
calmly walked by with a smirk on her face.
Kuno appeared in the doorway at this point and stared at the scene in
shock. "What is going on here? Who is this woman?"
"Back off Kuno, this doesn't concern you," warned Genryu as he blocked
the boy's passage with his arm.
Nabiki looked at the younger Saotome with undisguised fear. "Murder?"
The boy looked at her and shook his head. "He didn't kill anyone."
"That woman seems to think otherwise," commented Akane with an
uncomfortable glare at the hole in the wall.
"Come on, just stay out of the way or you won't live to talk about
this," said the younger boy as he followed the pair outside.
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Outside they found Ranma staring down Xianghua, neither of them had
moved. Ranma had his hands in front of him in a meditative pose similar
to that of a monk, while Xianghua was in what looked almost like a karate
stance.
Ranma spoke up. "It's been a while Little Mountain Girl." His face was
completely serious as he said this.
"Don't you dare call me that!" snarled the woman in retort.
"He wishes to fight a woman? The coward!" scoffed Kuno.
"Who are you to talk?" snorted Akane.
"That's different. Kuno would never really hurt you," commented Genryu.
Nabiki and Akane looked at him in shock. "What's going on here?"
"Just watch," said the boy somberly.
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There was no warning as the battle began. Ranma rushed forward with a
loud battle cry and Xianghua charged silently. The pair collided midway
and the group of spectators winced, halfway expecting an explosion or a
crash from the impact.
The two fighters simply locked their arms together, simultaneously
striking and blocking each other's strikes. They pushed at each other
hoping to overpower one another, both growled and put their faces
together almost touching.
Xianghua broke off first, by kicking her leg up in an attempt to catch
Ranma's chin.
The boy jumped back and the strike missed, both combatants landed in
crouching stances and glared at each other for a moment before charging
forward again.
--------------------------------
On the sidelines, Kuno, Nabiki, and Akane watched in awe at the sheer
speed at which the pair was moving.
"It's so fast!" exclaimed Akane.
"He runs from her strikes like a coward," commented Kuno. Genryu flashed
him an angry glare and turned his attention back to the battle.
"This isn't a sparing match. They are trying to kill each other," said
the boy finally.
"What?" said the three other spectators in shock.
------------------------------
Ranma reeled back as a kick slammed into his face. He caught his balance
and staggered for a moment cursing to himself and bringing his arms up to
guard his face and body. It was too late though as the woman took
advantage of his position and viciously punched and kicked at him.
The blows were hard and fast, sweat and blood flew from the boy's face
as he was struck. Finally she slowed slightly and he managed to regain
his balance. He shot forward like a bullet and landed a strong blow in
her belly sending the girl back a few feet. He pressed his advantage and
continued to pummel her mercilessly. She blocked many of the strikes, but
a few got through and she jumped back away from him.
"For my brother!" she cried as she landed and charged forward again.
Ranma raised his hands in defense.
"I didn't kill your brother! He was my friend!" snarled the boy angrily.
"Liar! Betrayer!" screamed the woman in anger as she attacked again.
Ranma was forced on the defensive and backed away from her.
"I don't want to fight you! Your brother died trying to help me damn
it!" snapped the boy. He ducked under a kick and punched upward catching
her in the crotch. "Stop this!"
The woman clutched herself with one hand and staggered back away from
him with a dark rage in her eyes. "I will have your life Saotome!"
Ranma narrowed his eyes as she brought her wrist up in front of her
chest and crossed them. The pink glow from the bracers on her arms flared
for a moment and he jumped back into a defensive position. "Damn you!
Don't make me kill you!" cried the boy.
"Die!" screamed the woman as she thrust both hands forward. A pink ball
of energy flew from her hands and struck the boy dead in his chest. Ranma
screamed as he was thrown back, he managed to get his arms up and took
most of the blast on his forearms, but some of it got through.
He staggered to his feet and glared towards her. His vision was blurring
as his eye began to swell shut, but he could make out the woman charging
up another blast vaguely. "Damn!"
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"What the hell was that?" cried Akane as she rushed forward. Genryu
stopped her with his arm and shoved her back roughly without taking his
eyes away from the fight.
"Ranma, no ... " muttered the boy.
Kuno and Nabiki were in too much shock to speak.
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Xianghua smirked as the boy knelt on the ground and struggled to rise to
his feet. The pain from her injuries was burning through her face and
body, but she ignored the sensation as she felt her victory come within
her grasp.
"Now Saotome! You die!" She let loose another blast at the boy. Her eyes
went wide with shock as he jumped over the ball of energy and tackled her
to the ground holding her wrist apart.
"Leave me alone!" he screamed as he forced her down. He lifted his torso
off the ground and snarled viciously.
"You can't hold me forever Saotome!" snapped the woman angrily as she
struggled.
"You're right," said the boy with a strange glazed over look crossing
his face. Her eyes went wide as he lifted his torso off of her chest and
reared back his head.
---------------------------------------------------
Akane and Nabiki jumped in shock as Ranma headbutt the woman on the
ground repeatedly. They clutched each other protectively as the sound of
bone clashing resounded through the schoolyard. Genryu stood calmly and
said nothing as the boy repeated his relentless attack over and over.
Kuno merely stood with his mouth open and watched in horror.
Finally, Ranma released the woman's arms and slowly staggered too his
feet. He stumbled towards the group and finally stopped leaning against
his brother with a look of pain on his face. "She always did have a hard
head."
Genryu smiled at this and supported him. "What are we going to do with
her?"
"Leave her for now, when she recovers she'll be in no condition to
attack me again for a while," said the boy calmly.
Akane pushed Nabiki off of her and walked slowly over to the prone form
on the ground. She kneeled down next to her and tried not to avert her
eyes. The woman's face was covered in blood, and the rest of her wasn't
that much better. The exposed area of her arms and chest was covered in
bruises.
Nabiki moved up tentatively from behind her. "Is she?"
"She's alive," confirmed Akane. "She's badly beaten, but I don't really
see anything permanent. Her nose isn't even broken. Possibly a few
cracked ribs, maybe a few fractures ... "
Genryu looked up at his brother, he didn't look much better. He smiled
slightly at Akane's assessment. "Going soft brother?"
"Shut up and get me home," grumbled the boy angrily.
"You can't just leave her here!" cried Akane in shock as the pair
staggered away.
"Why not? Tokyo is relatively safe. She'll be able to move around on her
own once she wakes up," said Ranma coolly.
"How could you?" cried Nabiki as she jumped up and rushed towards the
boys.
"Are you blind? She was trying to kill him!" retorted Genryu. He turned
away and started walking again.
Both girls looked at each other and then back towards the beaten form of
the woman. Akane reached under her arm and motioned for Nabiki to help
lift her. The middle Tendo was about to when Kuno seemed to shake himself
out of his shocked stupor.
"Akane Tendo, I shall assist you."
Nabiki paused and stared at him. The boy had not said two words since
the end of the fight up till then. She shook it off and followed the pair
as they carried the woman off the school grounds. She blinked in surprise
and then realized that they were taking her to Dr. Tofu's office. She
paused again and looked around as she seemed to remember something.
"Where is that other guy? Ryoga or whatever?"
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Ryoga found himself walking through the woods near Furinkan a few
minutes after the fight had ended. He felt a cold shiver run down his
spine as he thought back to the bloody battle between the pair. He had
briefly considered staying with the group, but ended up watching from a
small distance away. The fight itself was none of his business, but the
way the two boys had handled their enemies bothered him slightly.
"Somehow I think I got off easy," he told himself. He looked back the way
he had come from and shook his head. Genryu was completely different from
what he remembered, growing more like his brother used to be. The boy he
remembered would have never handled his enemies this coldly and
viciously. Then again, it had been a life and death struggle. Genryu had
given him little more than a bit of humiliation and a headache for his
trouble.
His thoughts focused again towards the younger Saotome boy. "What could
have done something like that to a boy his age?" He smiled to himself and
shook his head again. "Perhaps he's seen a bit of hell himself?" The
thought was not entirely unpleasant to him. As far as he was concerned
the boy deserved it.
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Tofu Ono gasped in shock at the woman who the three students had brought
him. "This is the most brutal thing I've ever seen! Who could have done
such a thing?"
"Ranma," said Nabiki with a small look of pity towards the fallen woman.
"Your fiancee?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.
"Don't feel too bad, he's not in much better condition," commented Akane
as she helped him place her on the examination table with Kuno.
"The boy is indeed ruthless," agreed Kuno with a frown forming on his
face.
"I've heard rumors about him. He's been causing quite a stir lately,"
commented Tofu with a disapproving frown.
"All of it true," said Nabiki flatly.
"She was trying to kill him. She said he murdered her brother." Akane
stepped away from the still unconscious Xianghua.
"Murder? That's a serious accusation, we'd better find out all we can
before jumping to conclusions," said the doctor calmly as he looked over
her wounds.
"Two of her ribs are cracked, she's got quite a few bruises and cuts.
Hmm, interesting."
"What is it?" said Kuno as he walked up beside the man.
"She shouldn't be out too much longer. It looks to me like when he hit
her head, he deliberately avoided a death blow."
This came as a shock to everyone in the room.
"How long till she wakes up? We need to find out about Ranma and his
brother! If what she says is true ... " Nabiki looked towards her with an
almost calculating stare.
"Indeed, this could be very serious. The Saotome brothers could very
well be fugitives from the law," agreed Kuno. The idea was not entirely
unpleasant to him, it would be an excellent way to rid him of his new
rival.
"She'll probably be conscious within a few hours, but she'll need rest.
Why don't you two go home tonight and come back to speak with her
tomorrow. I'll try to find out what I can tonight. I can make a few calls
to some friends of mine in the police department," said Tofu with a sigh
as he started to clean some of the wounds on the woman's body.
"An excellent suggestion Doctor," agreed Kuno as he turned towards the
door.
"We should avoid talking to Ranma about this, if he is a fugitive and he
finds out we're on to him ... " Nabiki left the rest unsaid and turned
towards the door of the office.
Akane nodded grimly and looked back at Xianghua one last time before
following her sister out of the clinic.
----------------------------------------
Ranma sat against a wall about halfway between the Tendo home and the
high school. His brother stood with him with his arms crossed watching
the street carefully.
"We're leaving Nerima," said the elder boy finally after he finished
wrapping his ankle with a small roll of bandage tape.
"I was just thinking the same thing," agreed the younger boy. "Ryoga
might show up again, he wandered off after the fight."
"So what? I don't think he's after our blood, probably never really
was," commented the older boy as he struggled to his feet again. "What
worries me is the fact that she followed us all the way here."
Genryu nodded in agreement. "If she followed us this far ... "
"Right, I've no doubt that others will as well. She was always a pain,
but hardly as relentless as some of the others, especially him."
"Do you think ... ?" started Genryu with a worried look on his face.
"I know, the others will ignore the Tendos if they stay out of the way.
He'll kill anyone that so much as stands between him and us. It's too
dangerous for us to remain here." Ranma began to limp down the sidewalk
again.
Genryu stood for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face
before following. "Sorry Xia-chan."
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"You can stop pretending to be out now, the girls have gone," said Tofu
as he looked at his patient.
"You're not as incompetent as you look Doctor," said the woman with a
small smile appearing on her face. It quickly vanished as pain raced
through her body again from her injuries.
"Thanks, I think," muttered the man.
She snorted in halfway-amused laughter and stopped as the pain coursed
through her yet again.
"Hold still if it hurts that much," commented the man as he pulled out a
bottle of disinfectant cream. "This is going to sting."
"Couldn't possibly hurt more than it does now," commented the woman as
she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"You have a grudge with Ranma Saotome?" asked the man calmly.
"I don't think he's ever met anyone who doesn't have one now," snorted
the woman angrily. She grit her teeth as he applied the cream onto some
of her wounds. "I guess I was wrong about the pain."
"I did warn you," said the man cheerfully.
"Don't bother," said the woman as she suddenly changed her demeanor.
"Pardon?" said the doctor as he glanced up in confusion.
"You won't find anything out from your friends in the police department.
My brother was Chinese, and he died there, in the wilderness."
"I see," Tofu's expression became neutral. "You think that Ranma killed
him."
Xianghua sat upright and fell back in pain onto the table again. "I know
he did! My brother told me right before he died!" She spoke through the
pain and relaxed again.
"Calm down please, you must understand that I'm only trying to help,"
said the man firmly as he began to apply more of the cream.
"I don't need your help!" snapped the woman as she turned her head away.
"Don't misunderstand me. I usually respect my patient's privacy much
more than this. However, I'm not only interested in helping you."
"What do you mean?" said the woman as she faced him again.
"One of those girls is engaged to marry Ranma, if he is as dangerous as
you say ... " Tofu raised his eyebrow at the look that crossed her
features. It was one of pain, but not physical pain.
"I ... see. I pity her then," she turned her gaze away from him again.
"I'm willing to bet that her father doesn't know about this, it was an
arranged marriage you see. The more I know, the more I can help her. I
hope you understand."
Xianghua sighed and nodded her head. "I'll tell you what I can later,
right now ... " she sat up again and grabbed him by his throat. "That
really hurts!"
"I guess the cream can wait a little while, until you rest, but I don't
want it to get infected."
"Right, you can do the medicine crap later."
"I'll let you rest now," Tofu walked out of the room and left her alone.
Xianghua closed her eyes for a moment and tears began to fall down her
face. "Oh Ranma ... why?"
TBC ...
Next time: Tides of the heart.
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
URL: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/
A quick side note. Xianghua's name is pronounced 'Shan fa'.