The Three Saotomes
Part 14
Genryu vs. The Wolf
++++++++++
Genryu Saotome sat alone on the back porch of the Tendo home. He seemed
to be simply enjoying the quiet. His thoughts were something more though.
"That wolf. I wonder if I should tell Ranma?"
"You seem lost in thought today," commented Nabiki as she sat down at
the table with a drink in her hands.
"It's something I saw on the way home today. Nothing for you to worry
about," he replied without looking back at her.
"Another problem?" she said in mock disbelief.
"Not if I'm right. This could actually be good for us," commented the
boy.
"Well, that's certainly a change. You two seem hell bent on prophesizing
our destruction," said Nabiki with her eyes half closed.
"We aren't all that bad," said Genryu with a slightly annoyed look.
He paused, as if something had just occurred to him. "Say, what was that
wolf doing in Nerima anyway?"
Kasumi walked into the room with a small tray of snacks. She set them
down and smiled at the pair. "I thought you might be hungry."
"Hey! That's great Kasumi!" exclaimed the boy as he jumped up and raced
for the table. He had completely forgotten about his train of thought
from before.
Nabiki was still frozen in a half sip as she looked at the boy in
disbelief. "Did you just say 'wolf in Nerima'?"
Genryu looked up with his mouth full of food and blinked. "hurn?"
Almost in answer, a massive form of gray fur bounded over the wall. It
was growling angrily and sniffing at the air around it.
"Wht dr?" muttered Genryu. He finally swallowed and looked at the animal
for a moment.
Nabiki backed away in terror and stumbled over the pillow she had been
sitting on. She was sprawled out across the ground and back paddling
across the floor. The animal was huge, easily bigger than she was by
about two hundred pounds.
Genryu stood up and faced it. "What the heck do you want?"
The animal's head snapped around and it bared its teeth at him. Its ears
went flat against the back of its head and its hair began to stand on end
along its neck, making it look even larger.
"Hey, I know you. You're that stupid dog from China!" said Genryu as he
stepped forward.
The wolf snorted angrily and slowly stalked forward.
"You know this thing?" cried Nabiki in shock.
"Oh my, Genryu, I don't think that doggy is very happy right now,"
commented Kasumi. She had yet to move from her place at the table. She
did have enough sense to look frightened.
"Aw, he's nothing to worry about," replied the boy casually as he
flicked his pigtail over his shoulder. "I wonder how he got here?"
The animal shot forward with his teeth bared. Genryu merely sidestepped
and snapped the animal's jaw shut with a quick jab. The beast landed on
the ground and shook its head from side to side for a moment.
It lunged forward again and snapped at the boy again. Genryu laughed at
this as he ducked. He was forced to block several quick leg strikes the
animal gave him as it passed over him.
"Oh my," commented Kasumi.
"A martial arts wolf?" said Nabiki in disbelief.
"We used to fight all the time in China," said Genryu playfully as he
eyed the wolf coolly. "He never won."
"That's crazy!" screamed Nabiki. Her brain was starting to fry as she
attempted to process it.
"You're right. It's too crazy," said a new voice. Everyone looked up to
see Ranma standing on top of the outer wall. He was pouring a teakettle
out onto the wolf below. The animal changed instantly. "I thought as
much. Well, it's been a while Ryoga."
"You shut up! I've seen hell because of you!" screamed the nude boy
angrily.
"Ryoga?" said Genryu as his fists fell at his sides. "Man, you look like
hell. What happened?"
The boy in question turned his head aside. He was covered in bruises,
and still had the nylons hanging from his neck. "That's none of your
business. Do you have any idea the tortures I've had to endure because of
you?"
"It's your own fault you never showed up. Stop putting the blame on us,"
replied Ranma curtly. "Besides, we didn't shove you into that spring."
"Spring?" said Genryu in confusion.
"Isn't it obvious? The idiot told us he followed us to Jusenkyo." He
looked down at Ryoga again. "I've got no problem if you want to fight
Genryu for the sake of doing it. Just stop blaming your own stupid
problems on us."
"You shut up!" snapped Ryoga.
"Whatever. Are you just going to stand there in the nude?" said the
older boy with his arms crossed.
Ryoga took a quick look down and promptly jumped behind the bushes with
a full body blush.
"I've got some clothes you can borrow," said Genryu with a sigh.
"Don't bother. I found his backpack on the way here. It was stashed in
some alley." Ranma tossed the boy his bag and jumped down.
"So, how did you know?" said Genryu as he gave the lost boy a confused
glance.
"Simple, I suspected while we were in China. A wolf that uses martial
arts, and only attacks your little brother is just a little too weird.
When I saw the stupid jerk in the yard, I knew for sure he was cursed. A
wolf wouldn't travel across the ocean, no matter how determined it was to
kill you. I wasn't sure who he was until I hit him with the hot water
though."
Ranma smirked as he said this. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting Ryoga to
be cursed at all. He hadn't chased Genma away from Jusenkyo, and had
picked up the angry Genryu by her shirt and carried him back to the
guide's hut. The boy had calmed after he discovered that the change was
not permanent. In his mind, that meant no P-chan. Unfortunately, Ryoga
had wandered into the springs on his own. That meant he couldn't blame
them personally for his curse though, which was good. He did kind of
wonder when he found the backpack though.
Ryoga appeared from behind the bushes and snarled at Ranma. "You! you
knew about this!"
"I did not. I assumed the wolf was cursed because it followed us back to
Japan. An animal wouldn't do that. I had no idea it was you."
Ryoga paused and turned away. "Even if it was my fault. That still
doesn't excuse Genryu for what he did."
"Got to lunch before you? That's not a punishable offence. Had you
trained harder than you did, you might have beaten him on occasion."
Ryoga shrank back slightly under his words.
"Ranma, that's enough. He knows it wasn't our fault," said Genryu as he
stepped between them. "Don't you think he's been humiliated enough?"
"Fine. He's your rival, do what you want with him. I would like to know
how that got around his neck." Ranma pointed down at the ground. Ryoga
had removed the nylons from his heck when he changed and left them there.
"That's none of your concern," snapped the boy angrily.
"You think its Taro?" said Genryu his face lit up with surprise.
"Could be. I doubt if he followed us here though. It's not his style. If
he's here, he's after something," replied the older boy carefully.
"Taro?" said Nabiki with a questioning glance.
"Nothing I can't handle. I do wonder though," said Ranma coolly.
"Wait. You know that demon?" said Ryoga as he caught some of the
conversation.
"Demon? Oh, you mean the cow-thing right?"
Ryoga stepped back with a look of shock on his face. "You do know that
devil!"
"He's not a devil. He's cursed like you. I don't think he minds too much
though. We met a while back in China."
"He turns into that thing, and he doesn't mind?" said Ryoga in
disbelief.
Ranma nodded in reply. "Spring of drowned yeti riding bull while
carrying crane and eel."
"What?" deadpanned Nabiki.
"Some of those springs are just plain weird," replied Genryu with a
shrug. "Hey bro, remember that chick that had a thing for you for a
while? The one with the arms?"
The older boy hung his head. "How could I forget that? Man, she was
almost as bad as the demon."
"My, you've been busy," said Nabiki as she rolled her eyes.
"You don't know the half of it. After we left that village in China, we
spent the better part of a year running from various weirdos and monsters
of some kind or another."
"I thought it was kind of fun," said Genryu with a shrug. "Most of them
weren't trying to kill us, just a couple of 'em."
"Lets see now, Herb, Rouge, that bird chick... uhh Kiima, that's her
name! Still don't know how we pissed her off." Ranma clicked off the
names on his fingers as he tried to remember.
"Shampoo, those weird bun head guys, Xainghua... Apparently Ryoga was
after us too." Genryu didn't seem to notice that he looked exactly like
his brother did as he continued.
Nabiki sat down at the table again and picked up her drink again. "Busy
just isn't the word."
"Hey! What about our fight?" snapped Ryoga angrily as he pulled the
front of Genryu's shirt and made the boy face him.
"What? Now?" said the boy in reply.
"Of course! Who knows when I'll find you again?" snapped Ryoga.
"All right! Jeez, don't blow a vessel ya jerk," said Genryu as he jumped
back and seemed to relax.
"Prepare to die!" screamed Ryoga as he charged.
Ranma snorted and turned away from the scene towards the house.
"Aren't you going to watch?" said Nabiki in slight surprise.
"Why? I know Genryu's going to win," he replied as he walked up the
stairs towards his room.
++++++++++++
Akane smiled as Matin stood up easily from the counter throw she had
just shown him. They were practicing together in a deserted lot near the
Tendo home. Spurts of grass dotted the mostly dirt surface of the ground.
"Thanks lady, I think I've got it now," he said as he dusted his pants
off.
"Show me then," she replied as she got into a firm stance.
"All right," said the boy with a smirk.
He charged forward and lashed out with a kick. Akane blocked it and her
arm became locked as he twisted his ankle around her wrist and twisted
his waist. She was thrown to the side hard, and skid across the dirt
before finally rolling to a stop.
She was on her feet in a moment and grit her teeth in anger. A month ago
she would have stayed down. "Ranma," she growled softly.
"I think I can take him down now," said the boy with a smirk as he
flexed his hand in front of his face.
"I can't teach you much more than I have. These counters are just basic
though. The advanced counters from my school would be useless against
him. The Saotome and Tendo schools only differ in the advanced arts."
"I understand how he fights much better thanks to you," said the boy
with a confident smirk. "I'll think up a few new things of my own before
I face him, just to be sure. He has a nasty habit of adapting to anything
I throw at him."
"I've got to go now, there's no need for us to do this again. Just make
sure you get him. You've been a good student. Good luck," said Akane as
she turned away.
"Yeah, thanks lady," muttered Matin with a small frown forming on his
face. He watched her go for a moment, and then grabbed his school bag
before heading towards his own home.
++++++++++++
Matin walked into his home a short time later and smiled as he walked by
his parents on the way to his room. "Hey Mom. Hi Dad."
"Oh, you're home. Did you have a good day... umm... err... Son?" The
pretty thirtyish woman standing behind the stove turned to greet him
cheerfully.
He paused on the stairs for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."
"That's nice... err ...hmm... boy." muttered his father as he kept his
nose in the paper he was reading in the living room.
Matin hung his head and started to walk up the stairs again. "My own
parents can't even remember my name! How can I possibly tell that girl
that I fell in love with her?" He slowly staggered his way towards his
room with tears of bitterness in his eyes.
+++++++
Meanwhile, at the Tendo home...
Ranma smirked as Akane charged towards him again.
"Die! Why won't you just die!" she screamed as she jumped into the air
in a flying punch.
Ranma met her half way and grabbed her extended arm, pulling her towards
him violently. His elbow strike passed in front of her face and he
released her before landing lightly on the ground opposite her.
Akane growled and rubbed at the tip of her nose. It felt like it was
burned slightly.
"Looks like another point for me! Boy Akane, you sure are slow," teased
the boy with a wide grin on his face.
Genryu glared at them angrily with a hammer in his hand and several
boards tucked under his arm. He was busy patching up the holes in the
wall from his fight with Ryoga. After thoroughly trashing the yard, the
lost boy managed to wander off. That left Genryu with the task of
cleaning up the mess they had made.
"Do you two mind? I'm trying to work here!"
"Soun asked me not to train her in the dojo anymore. Remember when she
tore that wall down?" replied Ranma with a shrug. His back was turned to
his student and she kicked at him from behind. He simply leaned to the
side and grabbed the extended foot between two fingers.
Genryu sighed and nodded. "Right, just try and keep from breaking
anything I've fixed all right?"
"Will do bro!" chimed Ranma cheerfully as he swept the girls free leg
out from under her. She managed to perform a flip in time and freed her
captured leg in the maneuver. She landed on the ground in what appeared
to be a closed boxing stance.
"Hey! That wasn't too bad!" said the older boy cheerfully.
++++++++++
"Oh my! Ranma certainly enjoys teaching Akane," said Kasumi cheerfully.
"More like he enjoys torturing her," replied Nabiki as she munched on a
bag of chips next to her while reading a magazine.
"You really shouldn't say things like that Nabiki. It isn't nice,"
chided the older girl.
"Even if it's true?" replied the girl without looking up from her
magazine.
Ranma bounded by quickly followed by Akane just outside. He was making
faces at her as she tried to catch up with him. "I suppose you're right,
but still," said Kasumi as she glanced at the dueling pair in the yard
yet again. Ranma was standing on the girl's head and her arm was extended
in a punch. She seemed to be shaking with rage.
"I'm supposed to marry that sadistic jerk?" grumbled Nabiki as one of
Akane's long lines of profanity floated over to them.
"I still don't know where Akane learned to speak like that!" exclaimed
Kasumi.
"The world may never know," said Nabiki without looking up.
Kasumi glanced at the magazine and blushed suddenly. The younger girl
was reading an article entitled '101 ways to dump your current
boyfriend.'"Oh my!"
++++++++++++
Xianghua smirked as she stood over the fallen form of Dr. Tofu in the
yard. "You ain't too bad doc."
"Yes, well I'll admit I'm a bit out of shape," said the man as he sat up
and accepted her hand.
She pulled him to his feet and pat him on the back roughly. "Come on,
we'll fix you up inside!"
"Yes. I suppose," said the man weakly. "And I thought Akane was a
tomboy!" he thought to himself with a nervous glance towards the woman.
Xianghua was smiling at the moment, but her gaze was anything but
friendly. "Ranma, when next we meet. I'll tear you apart for sure!" she
thought darkly.
"You sure look happy," said a new voice.
Xianghua whirled around and saw a familiar figure standing in the
doorway of the small practice. "YOU!"
"What are you mad at me for? I just stopped by because I recognized your
voice," said the boy as he stepped forward into the daylight.
Tofu frowned, he moved like an expert martial artist.
"What the hell are you doing here, Pantyhose Taro?" snapped the woman
angrily.
The boy narrowed his eyes and frowned at her. "Looking for someone,
don't worry, it's not you. I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I might
decide to change my mind."
Tofu stood upright and glared at him. The boy was Chinese, he was
wearing a vest that looked as if it was made of scales of some kind. He
was wearing loose white pants with a pair of nylons tied around his waist
like a sash. He was a rather handsome boy, with short cut blue green
hair, and a small red earring in each ear.
"Looking for Saotome are you?" snapped the woman bitterly.
Taro raised his eyebrow slightly. "He's here?"
"Why else would I be?" replied Xianghua as she relaxed slightly.
"Oh, I assumed," replied the boy as he glanced at Tofu for a moment.
"That you had your reasons."
"He's a nice guy, but not really my type," said the woman with a small
smirk. "Just make sure you stay out of my way."
"I've got my own problems. Although, I'll admit I might stop by and
visit for a bit," said the boy cautiously.
"I'll see you around," said Taro with a strange smile on his face.
Tofu looked between the pair for a moment. He wasn't sure if that was a
threat or not. After a moment he spoke. "So, who was that?"
"Just an old acquaintance from China. He's nothing to worry about
really. He's not after me."
"Another friend of young Ranma?" said the doctor carefully.
"You could say that. I wonder what he's looking for, if not Ranma?"
"Maybe we won't have to find out?" said Tofu hopefully.
"Like we would be so lucky," snapped Xianghua.
+++++++++++
Ukyo Kuonji sat at her desk and frowned at the paper in her hands. All
around her, boys of her own age sat looking up at the teacher. All of
them dressed the same as she was, a dark blue boy's school uniform.
"Can it be?" she muttered under her breath. She had been looking at the
note since she had received it three days ago. Daring to hope that it was
true.
"Hey Ukyo! What's up buddy? You've been so quiet," said the boy next to
her nervously.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothin," she replied. "Just revenge. At last," finished
her mind.
"Oh. Well, me an some o' the guys are getting together after class. You
wanna come?"
"Not today. I've got some stuff to do," she replied. It still disgusted
her. They saw her as nothing but one of the guys, that was the plan after
all. It got easier with time, but it still wasn't natural. She wasn't
feminine all that much really, but being a guy all the time was harder
than it looked. She couldn't even figure out how they did it without even
trying.
She read the note again. "Genryu Saotome, Nerima, Tokyo, Tendo Dojo.
Signed, a friend."
Who had sent it to her? No one had asked to be paid for finding them.
That ruled out the private investigator she had hired. Perhaps a clan who
owed her family a favor? Or had her father hired someone else to find
them? It could even be one of the others hunting the pair down. Most of
them were after the older boy, as far as she knew.
They also tended to want him to themselves. So why send her the note? To
her knowledge, only herself and one other were looking for the younger
boy. She had never met him, but the Chinese girl she met several months
ago mentioned him. One of them may have been nice enough to inform her,
especially since she only had a passing interest in the older boy. It was
fairly clear that she'd let someone else have him in order to get to
Genryu.
Her mind wandered again, back to Xianghua. "I wonder if she found Ranma?
I hope so, that jerk deserves whatever he gets from her."
She sighed as the bell rang to end class. After folding the note
carefully she placed it into her bag and walked out of the room. Never to
return again.
++++++++++
Genryu sneezed as he walked out of class. It had been a long and boring
day for him, as usual. "Man, I'm sure glad Ryoga showed up. Ranma's been
having all the fun. I almost wish my life were as exciting as his. I get
sick of just watchin."
Ranma strolled up next to him as he exited the building. Kuno was flat
on his back, with several footprints on his face. "I hope Kasumi's almost
got dinner ready."
"Man you said it! I'm starved!" said Genryu cheerfully.
Matin watched them walk away and smirked. "Tomorrow, I'll have my
revenge R- uhh... R-WHATEVER!" He smiled and clenched his fists. "I'm
sure that girl will be pretty happy too. Maybe even happy enough to..."
His mind quickly went into a fantasy.
"Oh! You're so brave! I'm so happy I could kiss you!" said the fantasy
Akane, who didn't have a name by the way. Matin blushed and smiled gently
as he turned away from the, badly drawn, fallen Ranma, looking rather
bishonen. Complete with fuzzy outline and magical sparkles as he brushed
his hair out of his face.
"Oh, your innocent kiss has stolen my heart! Please! Would you go out
with me?"
"Of course!" exclaimed fantasy Akane.
In reality, Matin was drooling like an idiot with a huge dumb grin on
his face. "Man! I'm such a stud!" he cheered his fantasy self on out
loud.
Unbeknownst to him, a large group of girls were passing by around him.
"Man, what a weirdo," muttered one of them.
Akane blinked and turned to see him. "What the hell is that idiot
doing?" She shook her head and turned away in disgust. As long as he beat
Ranma, that was all that mattered. It wasn't like she was going to date
him or anything.
+++++++++
Deep in the woods of Japan, Ryoga Hibiki shuddered as he felt something
deathly cold pass by him. He glanced around nervously and frowned. "What
the hell was that?"
A small cackle of some unknown darkness echoed as softly as a whisper in
the distance.
"It was probably nothing," muttered the lost boy. He knew he was wrong;
whatever it was, it was the strongest presence he had ever felt.
TBC...
Next time: Matin's Great Counter Attack!
C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com