The Road Less Traveled	
by Michael �Ranma13� Cerda

Revised 7/13/01

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 
communication.  This is my own story and in no way
express how Rumiko 
wanted her story to go.  With this at mind, enjoy.

-----------------

Chapter 7- Reflections


The sun was slowly rising causing light to filter
through the room.  Trickles of 
light shined through the blinds annoyingly beamed into
the eyes of the two 
people sleeping in the bed, affecting one.  Wincing
trying to find the will to go 
back to sleep, but it was inevitable.  She was awake,
and not very happy about it.  
Slowly opening her eyes trying to get them adjusted to
the bright light.  Sitting 
up she stretched her arms out yawning.

Looking over at her boyfriend, Ranma lied on his back
oblivious to the world 
around.  It didn�t take her long to realize that
nothing short of an atomic bomb 
exploding nearby would wake him and that was a big
maybe.  Watching his 
calm serene face, Beth couldn�t believe it�s been
three months since they first 
met.

The three months have been some of the craziest in her
life, but also some of the 
best.  She knew that he had her love, soul and last
night body.  Even though 
they�ve been going out for three months, it seemed
like she never knew what life 
was like without him.  Her love for him was
unconditional.

Resting her head on his bare chest.  She felt his arms
instinctively wrap around 
her.  They felt so strong and comforting.  She
couldn�t believe it�s been only 
three months.  They�ve probably been through more crap
than most relationships 
that last years.  When they first met he said that
trouble seemed to follow him 
around.  At first she thought that he was kidding, now
she knew better.  Looking 
up at her sleeping lover, Beth smiled.  After that
night they first kissed, her life 
would never be the same again.

******

* Buzz *

�#If you want to get high wit me smokin el in tha
back#�

* slam *

�Uggghh�  Taking her hand away from the alarm, Beth
opened her eyes.  
Looking up at the ceiling , she couldn�t believe what
happened last night.  
Touching her lips, Beth smiled.

Hopping out of bed, she gathered her toiletries as she
walked out of the door and 
into the hallway.  Some of the girls that walked by
her, either gave her a smile or 
a glare.  Opening the door to the bathroom, Beth
quickly undressed and entered 
the shower.  Turning the water on, the hot water hit
her skin relaxing the 
muscles almost instantly.  She couldn�t get the images
from last night from her 
head.  The whole date replayed through her mind.

The door of the bathroom quickly opened, �Beth you in
here?�

�Yeah, Is that you Daryn?�

�Who else, O.k girl you have to tell me what happened
last night?�

�What do you mean?�

�Don�t give me any of that shit.  I heard that you
kissed Ranma.�

�What?!� Sticking her head out of the shower.

Daryn smirked at her friend, �Yeah it�s all over the
campus.  All the girls are 
talking about some hot guy they never met before. 
Then he was seen with you, 
well half of your dorm saw you kissing him last night.
 Well�..�

Sticking her head back under the water.  Trying to
finish her shower, �Well 
What?�

�How was the kiss, was there any tongue.  Come on, I
need details.  It�s not like 
I�m getting any soon.�

�DARYN!!�

�Alright, I�ll leave you alone.  I�ll be in your
room.�

Beth rinsed the shampoo and soap off.  Turning the
shower off, she stepped out 
drying her hair.  Putting her sweats and shirt back
on, Beth headed back to her 
room.  Entering Daryn was lying on her bed.

�Damn you work fast.�

�Shut up�

�Really do you like him?�

�I Think,� Frustrated, �I don�t know, I never felt
like this before.�

�Woah, you�ve only known him for five days.�

�I know, I know, but I never really believed in love
at first sight.  That day we 
saw him at the beach.  I don�t know there was
something instant.�

�That�s deep.�

�I know.  I never met anybody like him.  I honestly
could see spending the rest 
of my life with him.�

Waving her hands, �hey slow down.  He seems like a
good guy, but something�s 
wrong.  Jumping out of a three-story window without
thinking twice. And 
landing safely.�  Pausing, �All I�m saying is be
careful.�

Nodding, �What are you doing today?�

�Since I don�t have class, I was going to hang with
you.�

Beth wanted to spend some time with Ranma, but Daryn
was her best friend.  
�I�m going to his apartment do you want to go.�

�Yeah,� Thinking, �So really how was the kiss?�

Beth just rolled her eyes.

***

�O.k class, good workout.  Remember that I want you to
stretch everyday.�  
Looking over at his students, they seemed happy and
eager to learn.   �Class 
dismissed� as he bowed to the class.  The class bowed
back as they dispersed.

Walking over to his gym bag, Ranma grabbed his towel
wiping his face down.  
Pulling it away, two girls stood in front of him.

�Sensei,� standing to attention.

�Yes, Jane and Taylor?�

They beamed with excitement that he remembered their
names, �We were 
wondering.  Did you really come from Japan?�

Ranma nodded, �Yes it is�

�Wow, did you train under a really powerful martial
artist?�

Ranma thought about his pop running away from the
places he stole from.  He 
also thought of the old leach stealing ladies
undergarments.  About old man and 
Mr. Tendo demonstrating crouch of the wild tiger,
answering his students  
�More or less.�

�Cool,� giggling, �Well have a good day sensei,� as
the girls walked away.

Smiling, he liked teaching the beginning class.  It
gave him the opportunity to 
teach the fundamentals properly.  That way his
students wouldn�t learn bad 
habits from the very start.

In the corner of the dojo, Kyle and Tony stared at
Ranma.  They were the top 
two martial artists in the Dojo, but since Ranma
arrived he taught the majority of 
the classes.  They were pushed down to becoming
assistants.

Looking at Tony, �I�m sick of this.  He thinks he�s so
good.  I bet he tricked the 
sensei into giving him the job.�

�I don�t know man, he may kick your ass.�

�SSHHIITT, I�ll beat his ass.  That�s it I�m going to
challenge him.�

Shrugging his shoulders, �Alright, but I warned you.�

Walking over to Ranma, Kyle tapped him on the
shoulder.  �Hey, I�m sick of 
your walking around like you won the place.  You�ve
only been here for a 
couple of months.  I officially challenge you to a
duel.  The winner gets to be the 
top ranked martial artist here.�

�Nah, I don�t think so.�

�What you dishonor me by declining my challenge.  I
demand a duel.�

Knowing a true martial artist wouldn�t decline a
challenge he knew he had to 
accept the challenge.  �Students if you could come
over her.�  The students who 
hadn�t left came up to Ranma.  �I was officially
challenged.  That means that we 
are to have a duel.�  Looking over at the students, 
�You will be here to witness 
the match and the winner.�

There was a buzz amongst the students.  They�ve never
seen their sensei fight 
before.  They knew it was going to be a great match,
Kyle was the best fighter in 
their dojo.  They couldn�t wait to see who was going
to win.

Ranma walked to the middle of the mat, waiting for
Kyle to follow.  �It�s not to 
late.�

Taking his place in the middle of the mat, Kyle faced
Ranma.  �Yeah right, I�ll 
show you who�s the better fighter.�

Just staring at each other, Ranma noticed two people
walking into the dojo.  
Looking over it was Beth and Daryn.  That slight
distraction was all that it took 
for Kyle to launch his attack.  Rushing in Kyle
punched Ranma in the face.  
Standing back smiling, he thought that was a knockout
blow.  He was surprised 
to find Ranma relatively unfazed by the attack.

Beth and Daryn watched the young man come in and punch
Ranma in the face.  
They were surprised that Ranma barely moved.

Cursing himself, he knew better than to get distracted
during a match.  If it was 
somebody stronger that could have been a fatal
mistake.  Watching his 
opponent, Ranma easily choreographed Kyle�s next
punched.  It was slow and 
untrained, with ease Ranma stepped away from the
punch.  Grabbing the 
extended arm, Ranma flipped Kyle with enough power and
force that he hit the 
mat hard.  Looking down at the unconscious Kyle, Ranma
grimaced.  He 
shouldn�t have flipped him so hard.

The students watched with awe, they never would have
thought that Kyle would 
lose so easily.  Looking at Ranma they all cheered.

Squatting in front of Kyle, Ranma quickly tapped a
couple of pressure points, 
motioning for Tony to come over.  �He will wake up
soon and shouldn�t have a 
headache.�

Tony nodded as he looked down at his friend who was
lying flat on his back 
unconscious.  The dirty blond hair of Kyle�s covering
half of his face.  �Man 
you got knocked the fuck out.�

Walking over to Beth and Daryn, he could feel his face
turn become a little 
flush.  He felt comfortable with Beth, but he never
had a girlfriend before.  
Fianc�s were the only thing he had to deal with in
his life.  They were easy to 
handle, to a point.  A girlfriend was completely new
to him.  Scratching the back 
of his head, �Hi,�

She didn�t know why, but she was a little nervous
seeing Ranma.  Just looking 
at him made her heart jump.  

Daryn watched the two just staring at each other. 
Waving a hand in front of 
them, �Hello, snap out of it you guys.�

That brought them back to reality.  Looking up at
Ranma, Beth moved in giving 
him a hug.  She could feel him tightening up for a few
seconds.  He then 
loosened up as she felt his arms wrap around her. 
They were strong and 
comforting.  Beth could have stayed like that forever.
 Looking over his 
shoulder, she saw a bunch of girls� just staring
daggers at her.  They all had a 
murderous look on their faces.

Looking down, �What�s wrong?  Oh yeah,� Turning
around, �Students this is 
Beth.  Beth these are my students.�

The girls instantly had a cute big eyed expressions,
�Hi Beth,� as soon as Ranma 
turned his back they gave Beth an evil glare.

Gulping Beth turned her attention back to Ranma, �We
went to your apartment.  
Since you weren�t there I figure you were teaching.�

�Yeah this was my last class for today,�

�What�s with him?�  Daryn motioned to the still
unconscious Kyle on the mat.

�Oh,� Looking over his shoulder, �He challenged me, he
didn�t know he was 
challenging the greatest martial artist in the world.�

Nudging Ranma, �A little big headed aren�t we,�

�Martial arts is the one thing I don�t joke about.�

Daryn and Beth just looked at each other as if they
knew he was dead serious 
about the statement.  Knowing not to tease him
anymore.  Beth thought it was 
best to change the subject.  �We were thinking of
going bowling tonight.  Do 
you want to join us?�

�Well,� Scratching his head, �I don�t know what that
is�

�You�ve never been bowling,� Daryn was happy, �Finally
somebody I can 
beat.�

Ranma took that remark as a challenge, �I accept.  I
need to go home and take a 
shower.�

�We�ll meet you at your apartment at six.�

�Okay,�  Ranma made the initiative and gave Beth a hug
and kiss.  He was 
surprised how easy it was.

Breaking apart, Beth and Daryn left the dojo.  She
turned around to wave bye as 
Ranma waved back.  Going back to his bags, he picked
them up to leave for 
home.  Walking past his students, �Bye girls,�

The girls just sighed, �Bye sensei,� as they watched
him walk out of the door 
and onto the street.

�That whore has her evil grips on our sensei.  We must
break them.�  All of the 
girls cried in unison.

�Yeah that slut.�

The girls started chatting amongst themselves as Kyle
started to stir.  �What 
happened?�

Tony leaned over his friend smiling, �Man you got
knocked tha fuck out.�

***

Feverishly writing his letter, he knew that he would
have to call upon an old 
friend.  Takehiro knows that he must watch himself. 
Ranma�s a very powerful 
person and he doesn�t have the skills to bring him
down. 

�Ranma Saotome, you have met your match.  Bwa Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha,� as he 
continues to laugh hysterically.

Just outside of this apartment, Ranma gets a shiver. 
Hearing the laughter, he 
gets a strange feeling.  Shrugging it off.  Ranma
walked up the stairs to change.

Take� looked out his window, watching Ranma walked up
the stairs.  He 
grinned, �You�ll get yours.�

***

�Now why do I have to put on these stupid looking
shoes.�  Looking at the two 
colored bowling shoes.

�Because when you bowl, you have to wears shoes that
will help you slide.  
Regular shoes will stick and you could lose your
balance and fall.�

�Oh� putting on the shoes, Ranma walked over to the
bowling ball rack.  Beth 
showed him to how hold a bowling ball properly. 
Picking up one he held it the 
same way.  �Alright this fits perfectly,� Walking
through a crowd of people, 
�Excuse me.�

They looked at him and separated.  One of the guys in
the group started to 
snicker.  �Hey get a load of the chinks clothes,� the
group started laughing.

Ranma turned and gave them a glare.  Keeping his
emotions under control.  He 
turned his head and walked away.  Going back to his
lane, he put the ball in with 
the others.

�What happened back there?�  Beth had a concerned look
on her face.

�Nothing.�

Daryn knew some of the people in the group, �Don�t
worry about them.  They 
can be assholes.�

Beth nodded, �Well, I�m up.  Forget about them let�s
have some fun.�

Ranma watched as Beth grabbed her ball.  Setting up
she concentrated.  Going 
in motion, she let the ball go.  Hitting the pins,
only one stood.  After seeing 
how the game was played, Ranma understood what to do.

�Alright now I�ll show you how it�s really done.� 
Mistaking Ranma�s ball for 
her own, Daryn tried to pick it up.  �Jesus, What the
hell.  Is this your ball 
Ranma?�

�Yeah, I think.�

�It weighs a ton.  Are you sure you�ll be able to use
it.�

�Yeah, Why?�

�No, reason,� picking up the ball, she rolled a gutter
ball for the first try.  
�Damn!�

�Hey, I thought you were going to show us,� Beth
started laughing.

�Bite me,� concentrating on the pins, Daryn threw her
second ball.  She 
successfully knocked down eight pins.  Going back to
her seat she turned to 
Ranma, �Beat that.�

Ranma stood up, picking up his ball he went to the
lane.  Mimicking Beth, he 
went through the same motion as she did.  Releasing
the ball, it went 
immediately went into the gutter.

The whole group behind him started laughing.  Ranma
was starting to get angry.  
In the background Beth was yelling her support.

His ball returned as Ranma grabbed the ball and went
back into position.  
Hearing the people make jokes of him was getting Ranma
mad.  Going through 
the motion and releasing the ball, it flew with such
speed and power that when it 
hit the lane it left an impression.  The ball struck
the pins causing a huge 
explosion.

The room became deafly quiet as they witnessed a cloud
of dust coming from 
the pins.  The person in the lane next to Ranma just
stared as he saw the pins 
disintegrated from the bowling ball hitting them.  He
was in such shock that the 
bowling ball he was holding slipped from his hands
landing on his feet.

Daryn�s mouth dropped staring at what used to be
bowling pins.  Her mouth 
started moving, but nothing was coming out.  

Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his
head.  �How could I be so 
stupid?� The guy in the background was hopping up and
down in pain.

Not really knowing what happened, everyone started
running for the exits.  They 
were yelling and screaming, thinking that a bomb went
off.  

Turning around quickly, Ranma grabbed Beth and Daryn�s
arm.  �Come on, 
let�s get out of here quick.�

Both girls quickly followed Ranma out of the door.  As
they followed him out 
the door, they felt his arms wrap around them.  In a
split second, their feet were 
not touching the ground anymore.  They were jumping
from branch to branch 
till they were on top of the roof over looking the
chaos.

Ranma gently set the girls down as he looked over at
the scene below.  Turning 
back around, �I�m glad that nobody saw us come up
here.�

Daryn couldn�t keep it in now, �What the FUCK just
happened?!!�

Beth knew about Ranma�s talents, she had to try and
calm her friend down.  
�Daryn settle down.�

Hysterical, �Calm down didn�t you see what the hell
happened!!�

�Yes, and there is a perfectly logical explanation.�

Calming down, �Sure let�s hear your explanation of
making pins explode that 
are supposably indestructible to suck force from a
bowling ball.�

 Ranma just shrugged his shoulders, �Well, when I
threw.  What was it a gutter 
ball.  I got angry from those kids making fun of me. 
I guess I threw the ball to 
hard.�

�Threw the ball too hard!!  What are you some kinda
fuckin monster??!!  What 
planet do you come from?�

At that moment sirens could be heard as they pulled up
to the front of the 
bowling alley.  Police officers quickly got out of
their cars and entered inside.

Leaning over the edge of the roof, Ranma watched the
scene below.  �Wow, I 
didn�t think it was going to get this outta control.�

�What do you think?  There was an explosion, they
think it was a bombing or 
something.�

Beth was trying to stay calm even though she was
shaking all over, �You may 
be right.  Ramma?�

Ranma turned to Beth, �Yeah,�

�I think we should get out of here.�

Looking down at all of the police cars, �Yeah, I think
your right.�  Picking up 
Beth and Daryn, Ranma quickly jumped off of the rood
and disappeared out of 
sight.

***

Detective Lorenze stepped out of his car.  Looking up
he thought he saw 
something on the roof.  �Hmm� walking into the bowling
alley, �Hey Todd.�

A young officer comes up to Det. Lorenz, �Yes sir,�

�What happened here?�

�Well, a young Asian male came in with two female one
blond and the other 
brunette.  Witnesses say that when he rolled the ball
down, at contact with the 
pins an explosion occurred.�

�Alright,� Detective Lorenz made his way down the
gutter slowly and 
cautiously.  Reaching one of his investigators. 
�What�s going on?�

�I don�t know Dave.  Everyone here says an explosion
occurred.  I�m telling 
you, a bomb did not cause this with the evidence I
see.  There�s no gunpowder, 
no shrapnel, nothing to indicate any type of bomb.  Do
you notice something 
else?�

Dave looked around, �Well the lane seems intact.�

�Exactly, if there was an explosion.  This lane would
have been singed or 
marked.  Something to indicate an explosion.�  The
investigator acted really 
excited going past Det. Lorenz.  �Look at the marks on
the lane.�

Looking at the lane there was a slight indentation and
crack in the hardwood, �Is 
that what I think it is?�

�Yes, whatever happened.  Somebody was able to throw
the ball with such force 
that it caused the hardwood to crack and shatter the
pins.  I know it sounds 
crazy, but I think that�s what happened.  We examined
a ball that could have 
been the one thrown.   It was a twenty-weight ball. 
Nothing human could do 
this, it�s impossible.�

Det. Dave Lorenz nodded, �Clean up and give me your
report by the end of the 
night.�

�You got it�

�And keep this between us.�

�Yeah, I understand.�

Walking off the lane and heading outside, a barricade
was placed to keep people 
away from the building.  Walking outside he was
immediately hounded by the 
media.

�Detective! Can you tell us what happened?�

Not saying a word he climbed into his car and drove
off.  For some reason the 
shadow he saw on the roof was involved in the incident
somehow.  �Great, and I 
thought this would be a quiet year.�

***

<�Today a small explosion occurred at a local bowling
alley.  There�s no word 
whether this was an isolated incident.  The police at
this time are not talking.  
Nobody was wounded and everyone made it out of the
building safe.  We will 
keep our viewers informed when more word comes out�>

�I didn�t thing it would cause this much trouble.  I
should have kept my 
emotions in control.�

�O.k so your telling me you have super human powers.�

�Well, I thought is was normal.�  Ranma felt
depressed.

�Believe me buddy your anything, but normal.�

Beth put an arm around Ranma, holding him close. 
�Don�t worry everything 
will be fine.�

The waiter came brining two pizzas with him.  Setting
them down on the table 
they thanked him as he walked away.  Ranma immediately
grabbed a slice of 
pizza and quickly put it away.  In less than a minute
half o the large was already 
consumed.

Beth paid no attention to Ranma as she went about
eating her pizza.  Daryn 
hadn�t started as she watched amazed at how fast Ranma
could eat.  She 
watched, as he devoured the whole pizza in five
minutes.

Ranma looked up as he noticed Daryn not eating, �Are
you hungry?  I can help 
you finish your half.�

�What planet did you say you were from again?�

Beth started giggling, as did Daryn.  Ranma just
stared at the two not knowing 
what they were laughing about.  Just then Daryn words
registered as he started 
to laugh with them.
  
***

Walking silently through the campus.  Ranma and Beth
enjoy the clear cool 
night.  After just walking Daryn to her dorm, Beth
thought it would be a good 
idea to get to bed early.  

Ranma looked up at the stars and then turning to look
at Beth.  Noticing he was 
looking at her, �What�s wrong?�

Thinking, �Are you sure you want to get into this?�

She was surprised by the question, �What do you mean?�

�Well it seems like no matter where I go, trouble
seems to follow.  If something 
bad were to happen to you,� Ranma paused, �I couldn�t
forgive myself.�

Beth stopped, as Ranma stopped with her.  She grabbed
his hand, �Ranma, I�ve 
only known you for a short while, but I care for you
deeply.  Don�t worry about 
me.�

Ranma was taken back by Beth ability to so easily
confess her feeling to him.  �I 
know I�m not an easy person to get along with,
especially my inability to 
express my feelings so freely.�

Beth put her fingers to Ranma�s mouth for him to not
say a word, �your actions 
speak highly of how you feel.�  She leaned in and gave
him a kiss.  

After a minute they broke the kiss still looking at
each other smiling.   Walking 
through campus, they approached Beth�s dorm building. 
Stopping in front of 
the main entrance.  They looked into each other�s
eyes, leaning forward, their 
lips touched slightly as it grow into a more
passionate kiss.  

They broke the kiss reluctantly.  Standing there
holding hands, Beth stared into 
Ranma�s deep blue eyes.  She could look into them
forever forgetting all of her 
worries.  Sadly she knew that she had to get inside. 
�I better go,� giving him 
another kiss, she slowly walked toward the door.  They
continue to hold hands 
till the very last instant until she was out of his
reach.  Before walking inside, 
�Goodnight Ranma,�

Smiling, �Goodnight,� Ranma watched Beth walk in.  His
heart was still 
pounding.  Never before has he been so happy.  At that
instant the sprinklers 
came on changing Ranma.  Standing there soaked, �You
couldn�t leave it alone 
could you Kami-sama.�  Not even being wet could change
his mood.  Ranma 
was exhilarated, taking off toward home he thought it
was a good to night run on 
the rooftops.  

Running out of the campus and toward the main street
that ran along the campus 
, he jumped landing on something and leapt onto the
nearest building rooftop 
and running into the night.

***

Det. Lorenz was riding along the main street.  Even
though it was a Thursday, 
the night was relatively quiet.  At that moment
something landed hard on the 
roof of his car.  �What the fuck?�  Losing control of
the car momentarily, he was 
able to stop.  Getting out, he looked at his car.  On
the rood was a huge indent.  
In the middle was what appeared to be a foot imprint,
�O.k that�s it I�m gonna 
get his guy.�  As he stared at the imprint.

******

Beth sat up, �Hey Ranma,� Nothing happened.  �Honey
its time to wake up.�  
Ranma just groaned and turned over.  Getting a
mischievous grin, Beth learned 
over and whispered into his ears.

Ranma slowly stirred as he opened his eyes.  Looking
down at him was his 
beautiful girlfriend, �Morning,�

�You�re a heavy sleeper aren�t you,�

�You can say something like that.�

Smiling, �I guess we�ll have to find different ways to
wake you.  Now won�t 
we?�

Ranma blushed at the statement.  He watched Beth jump
out of bed, she was 
wearing a tight tank top and her underwear.  He was so
in love with her.  
Smiling as she turned around and blew him a kiss
before going into the 
bathroom.  

Ranma lied back down staring at the ceiling.  He
couldn�t believe they were 
going out for only three months.  It took her in three
months what everyone of 
his fianc�s tried to do, win his heart.  She was
somebody that he knew he 
couldn�t let go.  The very fact that she didn�t leave
him from everything that 
happened the last three months proved what type of
person she was.  Yes, in his 
mind she was a very special girl.

****** 

Walking down the street, he thought it would be a good
idea to get some fresh 
air.  The sun was up and the weather was great.  For
two weeks he�s been 
bashing his head about the incident at the bowling
alley, two weeks and no 
leads.

Passing by something caught his attention.  Peering
into a local martial arts 
studio, a young man was practicing.  He was about six
feet, slender, but very 
muscular.  He had jet-black hair that was tied in a
ponytail.  Stepping in he was 
immediately greeted.

�Good afternoon mister, I�m John Takehiro.  Owner of
the best martial arts 
school in the nation.  How may I be of service to you
today.�

�Hi, I�m� Getting out his badge, �Det. Lorenz, I just
wanted to ask a few 
questions about an incident that happened two weeks
ago.�

�Ha, you�re talking bout the explosion at the bowling
alley.�

�Yeah, I�m just asking local residents if they heard
or seen anything that may 
pertain to that night.�

�No, I�m sorry I can�t help you.�

�That�s quite alright,� nodding over to the young man,
�Who�s he?�

�Ranma Saotome, my top sensei.  A superb martial
artist.�

�Is he from here?�

�No, he�s from Japan.  Came to California four months
ago.  He is legal, I have 
the proper paperwork if you would like to see.�

�No, that�s alright.  I just want to ask him a few
questions.�

�Sure, Ranma can you come here for a sec.�

Ranma stopped his katas, �yeah, be right there.� 
Getting a towel and wiping his 
face, Ranma headed toward the two men, �Hi,�

�Afternoon, I�m Detective Lorenz, Mr. Saotome.  I was
just asking Mr. 
Takehiro about the incident that happened two weeks
ago at the bowling alley.�  
He saw Ranma tense up, �I was wondering if you may
have seen something.�

Ranma was a little nervous, �I was there that night,
but I left before anything 
happened.�

Studying Ranma, �Well if you remember anything,�
handing him a card, �here�s 
my number call me.�

�Uh, yeah sure.�

�Have a good day gentlemen,� Det. Lorenz left the
building.  He walked down 
the street thinking that Ranma was hiding something. 
Now he had a suspect.

***

Takehiro was smiling, he had just finished reading a
letter that he received in the 
mail.  The Anything Goes School was going to pay for
ruining his life.  Ranma 
being sent back would be too easy.  He had another
idea; �We will see how 
great of a martial artist you really are Mr. Saotome.�

***

Det. Lorenz sat at his desk scanning over Ranma
Saotome�s file.  Upon 
returning to the police station, he got in contact
with a few people he knew in 
Japan.  Within the hour he was emailed Ranma�s
complete life history.

�Let�s see Ranma Saotome, born from Nodoka and Genma
Saotome,� 
Something seemed strange to him.  The file mentions
Ranma�s birth date, but 
there isn�t anything else until he enrolled in Middle
School.  A couple of months 
later he dropped out of school.  A few years later
he�s enrolled at Furinkan High 
where he finished school and graduated.  �How can
somebody have seventy-five 
percent of their life missing.�

At the age of sixteen he enlists at Furinkan High in
the Nerima district of Tokyo.  
At his arrival strange events start happening in the
town.  Unknown forces were 
destroying buildings.  The reports say that there were
no traces of any explosive 
device.  Witnesses report a giant bird that laid waste
to many buildings almost 
leveling the town.  Page after page of buildings
getting damaged.  Citizens 
becoming terrified, and on all the police reports one
name always comes up, 
Ranma Saotome.

Closing the file he stared at the blank screen.  There
was something about the 
guy he couldn�t put his finger on.  The only way he
was going to find out 
anything was to follow Ranma and maybe he would get
some answers.  Turning 
his computer off, the Detective pushed the chair away
from the desk.  Standing 
up he grabbed his coat.  One way or another he was
going to get some answers.

******

Ranma sat up, he was nervous about today.  Hopping out
of bed, he headed to 
the living room.  Looking around, Beth made a huge
difference in his life.  His 
living room actually had furniture in it.  It was his
home and looked lived in 
compared to what it use to look like.

Moving the coffee table out of ht way to make some
room.  He started going 
through his morning ritual.  Starting to perform his
katas, he slowly started 
going through movements he performed a thousand times
now.  They were like 
breathing, it came naturally to him.  With each
movement he started moving 
faster and faster, each strike was perfectly executed.
 Ranma was the 
grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial
arts.  He would expect 
nothing less.

Beth stood in the doorway watching her Honey go
through his katas took her 
breath away every time she watched him.  His movements
were fierce, but also 
very eloquent.  She could watch him for hours.

Ranma stopped as he smiled at his love, �Hey you�

�Hey back to you,� she walked up to him wrapping her
arms around his neck, 
while giving him a kiss.  �Your kinda sweaty,� smiling
seductively, �Even 
though I don�t mind, it might not make a good
impression.�

�Yeah, I think your right,� he give her one last kiss
before heading to the 
bathroom.  Little did she know the sweating wasn�t
from the workout, but how 
nervous he was.

******

Det. Lorenz had followed Ranma all day, from his
apartment to the studio.  
What was curious was when he went to the university
and met with a blond girl.  
Making a mental note to run a check on her.

Most of the day and into the night had followed them. 
>From time to time he 
thought that Ranma knew he was being followed. 
Following them through the 
park Ranma stopped, looking around.

The Detective quickly hid behind some bushes watching
the expression on the 
young man�s face.  Something was definitely agitating
him.

***

Ranma had a nice night with Beth.  They went out to
eat, but something had 
been nagging at him all day.  He knew somebody was
following him, but he 
couldn�t do anything about it.  Beth had to do a lot
of homework so he thought it 
was best to cut the night short.

Walking through the park they were hand in hand. 
Ranma stopped as he looked 
around.  

�What�s wrong?�  Beth had a concerned look on her
face.

�I sense somebody very strong heading our way.�

�What? Where?�  Beth was looking around the park
frantically.

�Beth,� Pointing to some bushes, �A cop is hiding
behind those bushes.�  
Pointing to a line of bushes a hundred yards away. 
�You�ll be safe there.�

�What about you?�

�I�ll be alright.  Just go.  NOW!!�

Beth ran to the bushes and found a very surprised cop
looking up at her.  �Sorry, 
Ranma told me that you would be hiding here and that I
would be safe here.�

Det. Lorenz didn�t know what to say.  How could he
know that he was there?  It 
was impossible then something came to him.  �Safe,
Safe from what?�

�I don�t know,� as she knelt down behind the bush,
�but I think we�re about to 
find out.�

Ranma tensed up, he could tell his guy was a very
strong fighter.  Even though it 
was unlikely, he wished that the guy didn�t want to
fight.  He had to look out for 
Beth.

�Ah, finally the famous Ranma Saotome.  The
self-proclaimed greatest martial 
artist in the world.�  Stepping into the clearing was
a fairly tall man, about six 
foot three.  He was very muscularly built, with blond
hair that came to the 
shoulders.  He was wearing a read gi with a black belt
tied around.  �I must say 
that you�ve made many people in the underground
fighting circle very 
displeased.�

�And you are?�

�Oh forgive me you can call me Ken.  As I was saying a
very good friend of 
mine has been very upset.  You may have heard of him,
Ryu.�

Ranma�s eyes went wide, �You don�t� mean the same Ryu
who defeated the 
unbeatable kickboxer Sagat.�

�Ah, you have heard of him.  We trained under the same
master.�

�My father told me stories about Ryu and how he spent
his whole life training in 
the art.  He�s a legend.�

�You can say something like that.  Wherever we go your
name keeps coming 
up.  You�re like an urban legend, but something else
also comes out.  That you 
proclaimed to be the greatest martial artist in the
world.  So when Ryu heard 
that, being the prideful person he is.  He went into
training.  I guess I would be 
boasting that myself if I killed a demi-god myself.�

Ranma looked up surprised, �You know about that.�

Ken started laughing, �Don�t be surprised some of your
exploits are very well 
known.�

�So why are you here?�

It�s simple, a fighter can only compare his abilities
when fighting the best.  
Since you�re the greatest, let�s see how I stack up.�

Ranma stared at his opponent, it�s been awhile since
he fought somebody of 
Ken�s caliber.  Ranma was in for the fight of his
life.

�Well, Mr. Saotome there�s no need to wait any longer.
 Let�s begin.�

-----------------

To Be Continued��

I�ve been getting a lot of feed back about how people
didn�t like the Akane story 
arc.  So  I�m putting it off, don�t worry I will be
continuing it, but later.  Now I 
don�t know if this  chapter confused you, but the next
chapter will clear 
everything up.  The next chapter will feature Ranma
and you guessed it, Ken 
from SFII.  Along with Ranma will have to face his
toughest challenge yet in his 
life.  Again C & C will be greatly appreciated, so
email me on what you think of 
this chapter.  








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