I'm posting this for Kaiton. He would really like some C&C about this fic, email him at kaiton@banet.net
The Wandering Saotome was originally meant to be a very long oneshot, but Kaiton has decided to make it into a series. The fic that I previously posted is now the prologue.
Note: Ranma was raised in Phoenix mountain and is a mage, engineer, and
inventor. He seeks his father but will soon be thrown into a number of myriad
universes
Ranma 1/2: The Wandering Saotome
Chapter One: Meetings
By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton
---Nichieju tribal village, Bayankala region China---
Dawn came to the Nichieju tribe and was greeted by a young girl's anger.
In a luxurious home at the center of the amazon village a purple-haired girl of
thirteen woke up on the wrong side of the bed, for today was her initiation into
tribal life. After a spartan meal and a few stretches the girl went off into
the mountain range surrounding the village for last minute training before noon.
She was beautiful, with flowing purple hair running to her waist and twin
odangos from which gold jewelry swayed. Her eyes gleamed with intelligence and
her gait was light with youth.
The air was dense with mist from nearby Jusenkyo, sufficiently so to dampen
Shampoo's tight tunic and proudly display her budding female pulchritude. At
last she came to a clearing with a gentle stream flowing through it. She began
a series of simple katas but gradually moved to ridiculously complex movements
seemingly clumsy to an untrained eye. Today was the day of her coming of age, a
day when she would be challenged for entrance into the tribe. To this end she
must defeat six warriors unarmed and suffer no debilitating wounds.
The sun was almost at its apex when a clumsy mistake almost cost Shampoo her
initiation. During practice she slipped on a wet stone and fell down a hillock
breaking her leg in the process. With nothing else to do she called out to
anyone for help, lucky for her someone happened to be flying overhead.
Ranma had Pak in its harness form and was leisurely coasting on wind currents
when he heard Shampoo's cries. Depressing a button Ranma had the gliding wings
fold out to aid in his descent, little did he know that this would frighten
Shampoo even more.
[Help!] Shampoo screamed from her position. Her throat was dry and the pain in
her leg had gotten worse. [Anyone out there? Please I need help, I think my
leg's broken!]
[Hold on, I'm coming!] She looked towards the heavens and saw a Phoenix warrior
gliding down, his wings glinting with sunlight. She cringed, Kami only knew
what he'd do to her, probably rape her and take her away to Phoenix Mountain as
a plaything. Ranma landed on both feet and took a cautious step towards the
girl.
[Get away Phoenix! I don't want to hurt you!]
[Your leg is broken, you can't fight.]
He had a point there.
[Do not worry Joketsuzoku I am of Phoenix Mountain but not Phoenix. I will help
you.] Ranma folded his wings and willed Pak to his animal form. Speaking
mandarin was difficult normally but he always carried his translation ring. Pak
crawled over to the girl and sniffed the wound.
[Call your weird animal away please Phoenix. I do not need your help!]
[I beg to differ. You have initiation today do you not?] He began pulling his
staff from null-space.
[How did you know?] Shampoo scowled, the Phoenix may have spies in the village.
[You are not Phoenix?]
[I told you I am of the Mountain but not true Phoenix. See? I have no wings.
Now let me see your leg. Jeez! This leg looks awful!] He grasped the ankle and
at once was amazed at the silky feel of her flesh, then looked at the blood red
bruise expanding from the break. [I'll make it so you can compete alright?
Just don't fight for a little while after that.]
[Fine. You seem too nice to be harmful. My name is Shampoo of the Joketsuzoku,
what is yours? Why do your lips not move in time with your words?]
[Ranma Saotome of Phoenix Mountain, first class mage, apprentice to Lord
Choiler, and heir to the Saotome school of Musubetsu Kakuto Ryu.] He gently
touched the wound with his staff and a speck of white brilliance was injected at
the break. The flesh glowed a bright white, so much so that the shadows of her
bones were visible for just an instant, then it, and the pain, were gone. [Well
Shampoo you should be fine now, I restored the bone to its previous shape.]
[Many thanks Ranma Saotome! You have saved me and I shall never forget you.
Will you return to the village?] Shampoo did a quick flip before realizing how
gorgeous a man Ranma was. [How old are you?] He looked easily a good
seventeen, with a firm musculature and sharp facial features.
[Thirteen. I know it's hard to believe but its true. You see I do a lot of
dimensional traveling so I age a bit faster. And no, I will not return to your
village for I have concerns in Japan but I will return afterwards if you like.]
Ranma replaced his staff and called Pak to him, who obediently turned back into
his harness.
Shampoo blushed, [I'd like that Ranma. I promise when you return I will be the
best because of your help!] She gave him a quick hug and he was off in the air.
[I'm looking forward to it!] He called as he flew off.
---Later that day in the village---
It was with great pride that Cologne, the matriarch of the Nichieju, came
to her great-granddaughter. She had just won the challenge and she could now be
taught amazon secrets and martial arts techniques as well as Wu Shu. The elder
was easily over two hundred and a foot tall, she hopped on a gnarled staff
rather than walking on the ground. Overall she was the most knowledgeable of
the council of elders and possessed knowledge of the charnel arts.
[Shampoo you are now a member of the tribe, I will now be taking over your
training.] Matriarch Cologne visited her great-granddaughter's room after her
victory. [Whatever is the matter? Why is your face red?] All of Shampoo's blood
was flooding her face.
[Aiyah! I was just thinking of a boy I met down by the brook this
morning.]
[Shampoo! How dare you! As champion you must be an example for the
others, do you know what would happen if you were found speaking with a lowly
_man_!] Cologne snapped at her granddaughter.
[He was not just a man! He wore wings like a Phoenix but could take them
off. His name was Ranma.] Shampoo happily fell back into her daydreams about a
certain Japanese boy.
< Detachable wings? Could this have been _the_ Ranma of Phoenix
Mountain?> Cologne had heard stories from friends among the Musk of a child
that could perform magic and conjure machinery named Ranma. [Will he return?]
The boons that a spell-master could bestow upon the tribe would be incalculable.
[I hope so...] Shampoo sighed.
[How old was he?] If the rumors were true...
[He said thirteen, but he looks much older. He remarked on dimension
traveling as the cause.] Shampoo noticed the sparkling grin on obasan's face.
[What is the matter?]
[He's perfect...]
---Juuban, Japan. Three years later---
Genma Saotome walked the streets of Juuban in fear. Fear of every corner
and alley, fear of every door and awning, but in reality it was fear of his
wife. For the past ten years he had lived on the run from Nodoka Saotome, his
wife, for she believed him responsible for her son's apparent 'death.' Genma
was not used to dealing with katana-wielding madwomen so he fled for the dank
alleys where he still lived today.
"Genma?" He stopped, frozen in fear. He slowly, every so slowly, checked
over his shoulder.
"N-Nodoka?" A pause.
"DIE HUSBAND!!!!!!!" She came running towards him with katana level with
his belly, eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "IT'S YOUR FAULT MY SON
DIED!!!!!"
"I'm telling you it's not my fault!" Genma ran screaming down the street
with Nodoka close at his heels. Being a quick thinker when it comes to cop outs
he ducked into a dumpster and shivered in terror. He slowly heard Nodoka's
footfalls disappear in the distance and thought it wise to hide in another city,
at least until Nodoka calmed down. Soun! That's right! Good old Soun Tendo
would help him, they trained under the master together, surly he would
sympathize.
Whistling down the street, he snatched a postcard and pen from a sidewalk
vendor and ran away, leaving an irate man vowing revenge. The Kusenagi School
of Anything Goes Calligraphic Martial Arts would avenge itself for those stolen
goods! Genma, unknowing of the serious danger he'd stumbled into, jotted down a
brief note detailing his plans, then dropped it in a mailbox.
---Japan, Nerima Ward---
Soun Tendo usually pruned his bonsai about this time, he found it a
peaceful exercise in the heat of the afternoon sun. Today he was sitting in the
tearoom, crying his eyes out, unwilling to move for fear it was all a dream.
That morning a postcard had arrived from his old friend Genma Saotome. As he
read the signature, he was sure Genma had remembered the engagement and was
bringing his son to uphold the family honor. After reading the note scrawled in
haste, however, he realized the schools would never be joined.
"Tendo, I'm coming to you for protection. Nodoka is out to kill me
because Ranma was eaten by bears. Oh woeful day! The schools will never be
joined now! I'm coming to discuss our problem. Should arrive later on
Saturday. Genma." The postcard now lay before him on the table. Sighing with
the weight of honor upon his shoulders, Soun decided it was time to break the
news to his daughters. Standing stoically in the sunlight, he called for his
three daughters down to the tea room.
"Kasumi!" No response. "Kasumi!" Still no response. Deciding she was
out shopping, Soun sat back and began to cry, waiting for his other two
daughters to come home from school, he'd announce the bad news that night.
Kasumi Tendo _was_ actually out shopping for dinner and was on her way
home when Soun called his children to break the news. She was planning on
making sukiyaki that night and didn't want to forget the noodles her father
liked so much. Smiling at the old widow washing her walk, the groceries
clutched in the crook of her arm. It was a beautiful day, she'd have to hang up
the clothes to dry before sundown. She didn't realize where she was walking
until her arms bumped into a man on the street, her bag scattering across the
sidewalk.
"Oh I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching...where...I-I was..." She trailed
off as a good looking man with a muscular build clasped her hand and helped her
to her feet. <He looks so handsome! I wonder he he's single?> She kicked
herself for even thinking such a thing, her family needed her! Still...
"Are you all right?" The man asked, his gray-blue eyes searching her own
soft-brown. Beside him a slivery creature snorted, sitting on its haunches. He
shook her hand gently then reached down to help her with her foodstuffs. "I'm
sorry I don't know this neighborhood well. Do you live here?" He was sure this
one would know some magic, her mana levels showed she was a Priestess of
Serenity, caregivers and stress relievers in Teh Sthlhu.
"Y-yes I do. Pardon me, I'm Kasumi Tendo." She bowed to the man, the
creature at his feet raised a mirrored eyelid at her gesture. He sat up and
waddled over to her, sniffing at her long skirt. "Oh my! Aren't you cute!"
She knelt beside it and patted its metallic head. "And you are?"
"Ranma Saotome. This here is my traveling companion, Pak." He
affectionately patted the silver animal's neck. Pushing a tiny button on the
underside of his creation, a piece of paper appeared on its back. "Uh, you
wouldn't happen to know a 'Nodoka Saotome' would you?"
"Auntie? Are you Auntie's son?" Kasumi had begun walking again with the
stranger and Pak following alongside. "I thought you were about Akane's age."
"It's a long story. I don't really want to tell it in the street, but if
you could spare some time over a cup of tea I'd be happy to tell you." He
grinned at her, showing slightly pointed canines. His red silk Chinese shirt
and black pants rustled in a sudden breeze, outlining his muscles for his quite
eager audience.
"Well then it's settled," she eased open the gate and smiled at her guest,
"please, won't you come in?"
---A few blocks away---
Genma Saotome puffed and wheezed as he exited the train station. Getting
from Juuban to Nerima by train with no money was difficult, but laying on the
roof of one doing top speeds was impossible. Three times Genma had lost his
footing and had slid down to the next car. He was just thankful the train had
so many compartments, if not he'd be lost in the city or run over by a train.
The latter preferable to meeting his wife.
Nerima was a quiet ward, with many old homes and samurai ties in its
lineage. Most homes were individual with high concrete walls, very few
apartment building were situated in the suburbs, where Soun Tendo lived, they
were far more common downtown where Genma stood now. Throngs of people pushed
their way through the marketplace, an ideal situation for him to steal some
prime eats. Under the cover of the crowd, he filled his belly than paced the
way he remembered to Tendo's house.
After three blocks he had a good idea where he was and gave a few glances
at the houses around him, most being modern or small. After walking along the
canal he inquired at a policebox as to where the Tendo Dojo was located.
Receiving simple directions, Genma found the compound easily enough, shingled
walls, tall gate, it was as he remembered it being.
He knocked on the front door twice. He heard faint rustlings inside the
house and a feminine voice call out for him to wait. Kasumi, Tendo's eldest
daughter, answered the door. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, Kasumi, is your father in?" He smiled at her confusion, she
probably didn't recognize me after so long. "I have to speak with him."
"Father! You have a visitor! Excuse me." She invited him into the house
then walked back behind a sliding door to another guest he assumed from the male
voice he couldn't quite place...it sounded familiar somehow.
"Yes? How can I help you?" A tall man with long black hair and a mustache
walked in. Genma watched as realization dawned on his face then was rushed by a
fierce embrace. "Saotome-kun! Old friend such tragedy! Your lost son! The
houses will never be joined!" He began to cry waterfalls.
"Heh heh, old friend you're crushing me!" Soun let him go, ushering him
into the tearoom where Kasumi and her own guest were drinking tea and talking.
"Oh! Kasumi I didn't realize you had a guest!" <He seems strong enough, it's a
pity that Genma's son died, they would've made a good couple.> "Who is your
friend?"
"I bumped into him on the street, father. He was looking for Auntie
Nodoka, he is her son." Kasumi set another two cups on the table for her father
and his guest. She didn't see the bug-eyed expression on either of their faces,
nor the hardened glare Ranma gave his father. "I called her and it seems she
hasn't seen him in ten years! She's coming for dinner! Isn't that wonderful?"
She still was not aware of the chaos she had just caused.
"WHAT!?!?" Genma screamed and looked around for a place to hide, if
Nodoka was coming so would her blade. Then his pea-brain finally heard what she
had said before that. "RANMA!?!?" Was this true? Was this man sitting at the
table his son? "You aren't Ranma! My son would only be sixteen!"
"Genma," he spat out the name like a curse, "you vile piece of trash!"
he reached behind him to Pak, who jettisoned a vibro-rod into his outstretched
hand. In one deft maneuver, the rod was ignited, set to stun and swung at the
poor, fat martial artist. The invisible extension cracked him over the skull,
knocking him out immediately. Seething with rage, Ranma took his weapon in
hand, setting it to kill. "You abandoned me! Deceived me!"
"Ranma! Stop!" Kasumi's voice lent a small amount of sanity back to the
man, who reluctantly lowered his weapon and deactivated it. "Are you Ranma?"
"Yes. I am Ranma Saotome, no thanks to this lazy bastard." He gave the
rod back to Pak who had opened a subspace pocket. "He abused me and left me to
die in the forests of China!" He resumed his seat and chanted a short sight
spell. A floating circle of images appeared in front of him. "I was saved by
the people of Phoenix Mountain and taught their ways." Images of Choiler,
Saffron, the Mount itself, Kima and the landscape washed across the screen.
"Son, what was that?" Soun had watched in astonishment as Ranma had cast a
spell. "Magic?"
"Yes, and no. I have discovered, by my sensei's teachings, an alternate
world called Teh Sthlhu where science is what you would call magic." Pak
waddled into view, great titanium claws adorning his paws. Ranma motioned it to
morph, standing with his back towards it. Before the wide eyes of Kasumi and
Soun, the artifical animal melted and twisted into a slim backpack that affixed
itself to Ranma's shirt. "This is an example. This is Pak, an artifically
intelligent robot I created using their technology." Soun and Kasumi seemed to
be in a trance. "I know this is a little too much to understand right now.
I'll tell you the full story when Mom arrives tonight." He sipped calmly at his
tea.
---To be continued---