[Alright, here's another part. Um, I know 19 doesn't EXACTLY follow 1, but the volume order is totally unimportant, and this is one of the ones I have done. Anyway, here's the Ranma bit.]
The King of Fighters '12: Clash of Forever
Volume Nineteen: Musabetsu Kakuto
Chapter One: Another Day at the Dojo
Ranma Saotome awoke with a start. Ryouga stood above him, nearly glowing with anger. Ranma
sighed.
"Damn you, Ranma! This is all your fault!"
Ranma looked at Ryouga and rubbed his eyes. "Dude, that was fourteen years ago. Give it a rest."
"Not that, idiot!" Ryouga shouted, producing an envelope, "This!"
Ranma sat up and took it from Ryouga's hand. On the back was a wax seal bearing the letter Z.
Raising an eyebrow, Ranma opened the envelope quickly, pulling the slip of thick-stock paper out.
Amazing. It was an engraved invitation. Ranma had never received an engraved invitation before, much
less for the...
"KING OF FIGHTERS?!?" Ranma shouted, causing Akane to wake up. Amazingly, she hadn't
yet.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SHOUTING ABOUT?!?" She screamed, looking distinctly
unhappy to be awake.
Ranma turned to his wife and proudly answered, "We're entering a fighting tournament."
"Really?" She asked, obviously in disbelief, "And what is it, the 'Let's get Ranma to kill
a monster' Annual? The 'Let's beat the shit out of Ranma' Open?"
Ranma looked at her for a moment before turning to Ryouga. "Anyway, it says here for me to
Make a team of three, and then to... hey, why were you so mad?"
Ryouga shrugged. "I wanted to wake you up. It's illegal to open other people's mail, you know."
"What the hell are you shouting about?!?"
Kasumi Tendo turned her head at the sound of her sister yelling at her husband. Most would grow
concerned, but not Kasumi. She knew this to be the rule, not the exception. Of course, she already knew
what they were so excited about. The King of Fighters tournament was being revived, and Ranma had
received an invitation.
Her fiancie had told her about it. Oh, her wonderful Ryu-chan. After Tofu had died, Kasumi was
heartbroken. But then she met him. Her Ryu-chan. He lent her a shoulder to cry on and a get out of debt
free card. In the end, he proved to be a better man than Tofu ever was. With him, she could be her true self, unlike anyone else. They had been engaged for nearly two years, and were going to set a date for the wedding next time he visited.
Soon, she wouldn't be Kasumi Tendo anymore. She would be Kasumi Yamazaki... the name had
a good ring to it, if she did say so herself.
"The King of Fighters?" Shampoo asked, leaning forward over the countertop.
Ryouga nodded proudly. "Yup. Got the invite this morning. Me and Ranma and Akane are gonna
be representing Nerima."
"Wow. You guys are finally hitting the big time," she said, sneaking a peek at Mousse, who was
having a bit of trouble with one of the customers, "Good luck; you'll need it."
"Thanks... say, why do you guys even bother working the shop anymore? I mean, don't you have
tons of money and lots of restaurants to manage? Shouldn't you be in an office?"
Shampoo raised an eyebrow. "You've known me for thirteen years, and you just now ask me this
question?"
Ryouga scratched the back of his head.
"Right," Shampoo sighed, "Well, Mousse and I aren't really that good with business, so we let
great-grandmother do that part. It's easier for us to do this part. Plus, we're happy here."
"Fair enough."
Genma beamed with pride when he heard his son was going to be representing Saotome School of
anything goes Martial Arts in the world-known King of Fighters tournament. The kind of honor the Art
deserved was finally in sight. All those years... all that pain and torment... it was all going to be worth it.
"Pop, are you crying?" Ranma asked his father.
"Yes," the old man replied, brimming with happiness, "And they're tears of joy!"
"Right."
The rest of the household, which consisted of Ranma, Akane, Kasumi, Nodoka, Soun, Kento and Yuki nowadays, continued eating, unaware of Genma's continued flow of tears. Normally, it would be
Soun making this kind of spectacle of himself, but not today. Today, it was Genma's turn today he was
truly...
The phone rang.
Kasumi quickly stood and picked it up, talking to the person on the other end.
"Oh, Masaki-san? Yes, he's here. Just a moment," she said, putting her hand over the receiver,
"Saotome-san, it's for you."
Genma pointed at himself in disbelief. Kasumi nodded. Shrugging, he got up and took it from her
hands. "Moshi moshi."
The voice on the other end was one he knew well. "Genma, how's it going?"
"Katsuhiko?" Genma shouted, "That you? I thought I'd never hear from you again!"
"I was hoping..." the voice joked, "Anyway, I need you to do me a personal favor."
"I don't have to work, do I?"
"..."
Genma gave the phone a dirty look. "Whaaat?!?"
"Anyway, it's about the King of Fighters. As you know..."
"Ah, yes!" Genma interrupted, "The pride and prestige that accompany it! I see you heard about
Ranma being in this year's KoF! I hope..."
"He is?" Katsuhiko asked, "I wasn't aware. Maybe we'll get to fight him, eh?"
"We?"
"Yes. You see, I too have been invited, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind joining the 'Masters'
Team."
Genma's jaw dropped. "Me? In the King of Fighters? Hot damn! I'm there!"
"Fantastic. Meet me and Saisyu at my shrine in two days' time. We will get everything settled."
"Saisyu, eh?" Genma asked, rubbing his chin, "I haven't seen that dog in a long time. Not since...
The funeral..."
Katsuhiko went silent at the mention of Takuma Sakazaki's funeral. It was years ago, but still a
bitter memory for all of them. The only consolation was the fact that Geese had been killed in vengeance.
By a gun, but in vengeance nonetheless...
Everyone except the two young siblings stared at Genma, slack-jawed. Yuki and Kento continued
eating. They were hungry.
"You're in the KoF?" Ranma asked, clearly disbelieving.
Genma grinned. "Of course! That was my old buddy Katsuhiko Masaki, and he let me know that
the head of KoF HIMSELF wanted me on the Masters team with Katsuhiko and Saisyu Kusanagi! HA!"
Everyone raised an eyebrow.
"Top that," Genma growled.
Ranma stood up, a look of confidence across his face. "Alright, old man, I think I can top that.
How's this? I got an engraved invite in the mail. I got to pick my own team. I'm the Captain. The
CAPTAIN of MY team. MINE! Top THAT, Pops..."
Genma huffed and walked away angrily. Ranma smiled broadly. Father vs Son was a game he always won.
"A training trip?" Akane shouted, looking at her husband incredulously.
Ranma stepped back. "Yeah, well, we're gonna need all the practice we can get. It's a big tournament."
"What about Taka and Kaede?"
He looked at his wife for a moment. "Well, I guess they can come, but I think it would be safer if your father and Hinako take care of them... I don't want our children getting hurt, you know."
"You... you mean you actually thought about that beforehand?" Akane asked, incredulous. Ranma nodded. "You actually thought about the safety of our children, rather than their martial arts skills?" He nodded again. "And you took care of all the details of this without making me help you?"
"Geez, I'm not a baby anymore! I'm thirty years old! And I care for our children more than my life... but we still have to win this tournament. We've done this before for a few days at a time... they'll just have to get used to us being gone for a week at a time."
Akane clasped her arms around him. "I love you so much!"
Ranma shrugged, confused.
Ryouga looked into Akari's eyes for a long time, pleading with her. "I have to go train with them, dear. I promise to be back soon..."
"Is that all you had to say?" She replied, "I thought you were going to tell me you were cheating on me or something! Don't get me worked up over something like that!"
"So... I can go?" He asked timidly.
Akari sighed. "Of COURSE you can go! You're gone for weeks at a time just trying to come home, and you are your own man, anyway. Just do us proud... your father too."
Ryouga coughed a bit before mumbling.
"What?"
"I said...."
"I couldn't hear you, dear."
"He's in the tournament."
"Who"
Ryouga frowned. "My father. He's bringing his little team with him... I might have to fight him."
Akari smiled. "Don't worry, Ryouga. Your father does love you... He's just been a little preoccupied," Akari saw Ryouga still frowning, "And if you beat him, he won't hold it against you. You are his son, after all."
"Thanks... I love you... I'll be back in a week or two!" Ryouga said as he kissed his wife and bounded away for Nerima.
Actually, as Akari could tell, he was bounding for Osaka. He'd get there eventually, though. He always did.
[There ya go. So did you like it? Whatever. More tomorrow. Oh, and I don't own these characters and stuff, and don't use this without giving me credit.
-Forrest "DUNOTS" Walker
Big_Joe@n2.com
http://DUNOTS.tripod.com ]
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