Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ One-Half a Wing and a Prayer ❯ Grandmaster Funk ( Chapter 25 )

Author’s Note: The NWC and the situations they found themselves in were the work of Rumiko Takahashi and were distributed by Kitty and Viz. I use them without permission, but with humble respect for those before me, and I write this with no intent to profit from the efforts of others. There is sex, there is violence, and some foul language. If any of these offend or you are a minor, be gone with ye, tis not for you.
P.S.: by now you know I do this for Janice.


Ranma sat with his back to the dojo door as he breathed silently in meditation. It had been two days since he had come out of the Neko-ken induced berserker state, and he had been unable to quiet the raging in his mind since then. He had been told by Shampoo and Nabiki the events that happened after he fell into his mindless state, and it worried him deeply what the Neko-ken could be capable of in his over powered demonic form.

It also bothered him that Nabiki had reacted the way she had. He understood the need to put Gosuinkugi in his place, but she had deliberately invaded his mind and made permanent changes. After talking with her for a long time, Ranma had begrudgingly gotten a promise out of her not to do something so drastic again. He had not, however, gotten her to remove the mental damage.

Shampoo had not helped in the matter. The Amazon warrior had argued for the amateur sorcerer’s death. She held that Gosuinkugi was a threat to Ranma, and a threat that needed to be dealt with decisively. Cologne had only chuckled at Ranma’s reaction, telling her granddaughter that it simply was not Ranma’s way.

When Ranma had asked the old woman why she had taken his side in the argument, she answered, “It is in your nature not to take life when you can help it. You are trying to prove to yourself that you are not the monster you appear to be, even though you have already proved it to everyone around you. Add in that you have tried to compensate for your father’s poor parenting, and you will always look for the best in people, even those trying to do you harm. If it were otherwise, you never would have been joined to Shampoo.”

The Matriarch’s words had lifted his spirits, and helped him to convince his lovers that a soft hand was needed at times more then a fist. But she had also opened a slowly healing wound in Ranma’s heart with the mention of his father.

Genma Saotome still had not been heard from, and while Ranma felt no great worry about his father’s safety it still ate at him that Genma had rejected him so easily. It was almost as if Ranma was no more then a tool to the man, and Ranma had done all he could to exceed his father’s expectations.

“I guess all I ever was to him was a pawn,” Ranma sighed into the dark room. Standing, he began a kata, the first he had learned from his father so long ago. Working through the katas he had learned over the years, he let his mind detach from his body as the memory of the movements flowed through his muscles. Feeling detached, he looked for perspective on his standing with Genma, and found the words of Soun Tendo to be a comfort.

“We wait, and hope that your father can see the excellent young man that you have become.”


One Half a Wing and a Prayer
By Seth

Chapter 25
Grandmaster Funk


Nabiki and Shampoo looked over the front of the building Cologne had found and shared a look.

“Your Granny has a twisted sense of humor,” Nabiki deadpanned.

“Ayah,” Shampoo added simply.

The sign for the new restaurant simply read ‘Cat Café’. Inside business had already begun, and two waitresses could be seen running about the small café taking orders. What had set the girls off balance was not the speed with which Cologne had opened, but the fact that the waitresses wore costume cat ears and had fake tails sticking out the back of their short Chinese dresses.

The blue haired Amazon turned to her friend and lover and asked, “Shampoo that cute in cat type?”

Nabiki smirked, “At least. But I think you also have the sexy as hell thing going for you too. I don’t know if Ranma would panic or get a kick out of this.”

“Let’s find out,” Shampoo said and took Nabiki’s hand, turning to head for the Tendo household at the outskirts of the downtown area. They walked that way for some time, hand in hand, but suddenly Shampoo tensed and Nabiki let go to look at her warrior friend.

She took in the look of intense concentration of Shampoo’s face and asked, “What is it?”

“Shampoo…has creepy feeling….almost like great darkness nearby.”

Nabiki took her companions words at face value and started looking around, both with her eyes and mind. It didn’t take long for her to touch on a very greasy mind that was completely closed to her, and a shiver ran up her spine as she sensed it approaching. She shook herself out of her trance, and Shampoo was already in a combat stance as the presence drew close to them. But before it came into sight, a surprise fell on their ears as the thunder of feet and shouts of angry women drew close.

“SWEETO!”

The tiny figure, it was moving too fast to be called anything else, bounced into view with a horde of very pissed off females charging behind it. As they ran by, Shampoo and Nabiki could only stand stunned by the sight. As the stragglers ran by, Nabiki spotted one of her friends from school and called out.

“Kimiko, what the hell is going on here?” The girl in question skidded to a halt and turned to see Nabiki with a dumbfounded look.

She stepped over, out of the way of any further pursuers and spoke in angry tones, “Some little gnome is running around stealing panties. The freak has hit the bathhouse, the gym and about twenty houses in the last hour alone.” Nabiki nodded her understanding, and Kimiko took off like a shot screaming, “Give me back my bloomers you pervert!”

“That the fourth weirdest thing I ever see,” Shampoo said.

Nabiki smirked, “Aside from Ranma, do I want to know what the other three were?’

Shampoo counted off on her fingers, “Exile Enema in girl bat form number three. Ranma number one. Number two that mole shaped like heart you have on…” Before the Amazon could finish, Nabiki slapped her hand over the girl’s mouth and smiled coldly at the few passerby’s that may have heard.

“I get the picture,” she said flatly and removed her hand, showing a very wide grin on the blue haired girl’s face. “That…panty raider headed towards our area of town. We better get back and see if the house got hit. Or if that bunch chasing him caught up.” The two teens jogged the remaining distance to the Tendo compound and ran inside to see an unusual sight.

Soun was planted face down on the floor, bowing deeply to an old man standing no taller then Cologne. Behind the wrinkled midget stood a smug looking Genma holding a sake bottle and nodding to some comment the old man had just made.

“What’s going on here,” Nabiki said in embarrassment as her bowing father.

Soul looked over and started to answer, “Nabiki, this is the founder of the Anything Goes School, Master Happosai.” The old man turned and took in the two newcomers to the living room, and at seeing Nabiki and Shampoo his face instantly brightened and he bounced off the stack of pillows he was sitting on.

He flipped in mid air and Nabiki, thanks to her experience with Amazon glomps, figured that the prune would land in her breasts. Before he made contact, she put up a telekinetic force field around her and Shampoo. He was about to smack into the barrier when his eyes focused on her, and suddenly he blurred, vanishing from sight.

“My, Soun, you certainly do have a talented daughter here,” a voice said from behind her as a shiver ran up her spine. Craning her neck, she looked behind her to see Happosai attached firmly to her jean covered ass. She gave a yelp and jumped into the air, spinning wildly to try and shake the gnome off her.

Shampoo jumped forward and tried to yank the old man off her girlfriend, and missed completely as he voluntarily left Nabiki and clamped on to her bosom. Quickly she brought a fist around with all her Amazon strength, but all he hit was her own chest as the old man disappeared completely for a moment. Coughing air, she curled up into a ball for a moment.

Nabiki had recovered enough to try and track the letch as he moved from point to point. As she felt for the martial arts master, she felt another presence touch her mind, and extended her progress to the new contact. As Happosai bounced in front of the open screen that led to the yard, he had to dodge sideways suddenly as a powerful stomp came down, almost caving in his bald head.

“And you must be Genma’s boy, Ranma,” he said calmly, eyeing the new arrival. “Very good sneaking up on me like that, but then having a mind reader give you directions could be considered cheating, you know.”

Ranma shrugged his shoulders, “Anything Goes, especially when you attack someone I care about.” He looked into the room, glancing at Shampoo and Nabiki and getting a much needed nod that they were all right. His eyes then turned to Genma, and wavered between happiness and anger. He then focused on the miniature master that stood in the middle of the room.

Happosai nodded at Ranma’s words, also taking note of the boys drifting eye and spoke, “Well said, my boy. It seems that I have something to work with after all.” He bounced over to sit on the mats again and pulled out a pipe, “Don’t just grovel there, Soun. Introduce me to this interesting young man.”

The Tendo patriarch coughed lightly and sat up, “Ranma, this is the Grandmaster of the Founding School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Master Happosai. He has chosen to return to us after all this time away…”

Happosai interrupted, “You and lard ass here threw me in a cave and buried me alive.”

“Um…Yes…Well,” Soun stammered, “At any rate…”

“I have told the Master of my worthless son who has brought shame to me,” Genma said with a sneer, “I have apologized to him for my part in his…forced retirement, and he has agreed to teach you your proper place, boy.”

Ranma leaned against the door frame and gave a cold look to his father, “Just like always, huh old man. I kick your ass fair and square and you won’t accept it. I earned my place, and everything that you put me through is proof of that.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re mistaken my boy,” the midget in front of Genma said, “Sure, you beat up this loser, but I have yet to test you.” Genma winced at the words, but let the old man continue. “I’m getting old, and Soun and Genma tricking me like that ten years ago and sealing me showed me that I’m slipping a little. Genma has told me that he trained you well, and you turned your back on him. Soun paints a different picture. What’s your story, kid?”

Ranma looked the shriveled master over, seeing his eyes drift back to Nabiki and Shampoo every now and then. He left his place in the doorway and sat in front to Happosai, directly in front of the girls. He kept his feet tensed and ready to intercept another grope attempt by the little man, and thought he saw a tiny nod from him. He felt Nabiki and Shampoo sit behind him, a psychic field still up and an Amazon blade drawn and ready.

In his mind, Nabiki spoke, “He can sense my abilities somehow. He’s thinking loudly that he’ll give you a chance to say your peace. The little creep’s also broadcasting every little dirty thought that crosses his mind. You better not let the pervert see your other half.”

Ranma silently acknowledged and spoke aloud, “For as long as I can remember, Genma has been training me. I’ve got no real problem with most of it, but some of it has made me less…human as a result. He hasn’t given a second thought about using some stupidly dangerous, or even lethal, technique to teach me.”

“The Art is risk, boy,” Genma growled, “If you are not willing to put your life on the line then you are nothing!”

Ranma’s eyes narrowed, “My life? It’s never been my life. You taught me to look for opportunities to defeat my opponent, and the last time I bailed you out of jail just to be dumped in another impossible situation you became my opponent.”

Happosai looked back and asked, “You were in jail, Genma?”

“False charges, I assure you,” the larger man said, sweat developing on his brow.

The old man shook his head, “I don’t know which to be more disappointed over. The fact that you have been jailed…”

“At least a dozen times,” Ranma added.

“…At least a dozen times,” the old master repeated slowly, “Or that you got caught in the first place.”

Everyone went slack jawed at this, and the old man cackled uproariously.

Ranma recovered and yelled, “What’s that supposed to mean?! You think it’s all right to have the police of five countries after you?”

“Not at all,” Happosai countered, “I just didn’t think the police would go to all that trouble for a little peeping.”

Ranma blinked, and Nabiki spoke up, “I think there’s a little misunderstanding here. Genma wasn’t caught peeping; the police arrested him for stealing money and food.”

Happosai seemed to take this in for a moment and then turned to yell at Genma, “Is this how you behave! Stealing panties and peeking on the pretty ladies is one thing, but money? A martial artist doesn’t need to steal money. We work, we teach, we never take.”

“This is maybe getting off point,” Genma tried to recover as he squirmed under the master’s glare, “We had an arrangement, Master. You would make Ranma remember his place, and I would hand over the Amazon he picked up for you.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

The three teens shouted at the same time, but Ranma and Shampoo added action to their words, lunging at the elder Saotome. Shampoo’s sword was imbedded in the wall behind Genma, less then an inch from his right ear, and he found his escape from his son’s wrath blocked by the shivering metal.

“I put up with it, and I thought we were done after I handed you your ass last month,” Ranma growled, grabbing Genma by the shirt and hauling him off his feet, “And then you come back and pull this shit. I outa…”

Happosai was in between the two men in a heartbeat, and used his pipe to flick Ranma away. The teen stumbled back, hand going to his chest where he could feel a bruise already forming from the light blow and glared at the miniature master. Narrowing his eyes, he fell into a loose stance and stared down the founder of his school.

“Enough,” Happosai bellowed, “Genma’s fate is mine to decide! He is right about your attitude, but I can see the lines of power, weak as they are, connecting the three of you. I won’t interfere with that.”

“Good to hear,” Ranma snorted.

The little man chuckled again, “I can ask to borrow one for a little squeeze and snuggle though, can’t I?” In a blur, Ranma shot forward again and fired a punch at Happosai’s face. The old man blurred, and as Ranma finished the punch he found himself eye to eye with the small man, who was now sitting on his extended arm.

“Quick, boy,” Happosai stated, “but too predictable. You’ll need to do better then that if you want to protect those lovely ladies of yours.”

Punching at Happosai again, Ranma snarled, “I’m just getting warmed up!”

“That’s the spirit,” the little man laughed, dodging Ranma’s blow again and hopping out into the back yard. Ranma shot a glance at his father and followed, taking his usual loose stance across from the founder of the Anything Goes School.

“I think you two better stay back,” Ranma sent to his loves, “This guy is something else.”

Nabiki and Shampoo nodded, and Shampoo took Nabiki in her arms and leaped up to the roof to observe the coming battle. Genma moved out onto the porch with a small smile playing across his lips, and Soun followed him out with a thoughtful look.

Happosai sat, a pipe slowly puffing smoke in his hands, watching Ranma as the young man apprised him. He hid a small smile when he saw that even with his provocation; Ranma was not going on an immediate offensive. Instead of justified rage, Ranma was holding back his fury and waiting for the ancient martial artist to make the first move. Happosai noted the ready stance Ranma was in, poised like a cobra to strike but leaving several openings to exploit. Happosai also saw that these openings were traps, subtle ones at that.

For someone raised by my idiot student this boy has more going on then it seems. Genma has no idea the potential his son has, Happosai thought. The lines connecting Ranma to the two girls also drew his attention. They were not ki, and they almost felt like magic to his sharpened senses, but there was something off about them, as if they were distorted at the moment.

Deciding that Ranma had enough time to prepare, Happosai tapped out his pipe and put it away. Standing, he assumed a stance of his own and jumped high, launching a simple attack at the boy.

Ranma moved like water and dodged the attack, flowing into a low sweep to try and score a hit on the much shorter man. The elder fighter moved easily out of the way and danced in to strike at Ranma’s chest, but his blows were stopped short when Ranma crossed his arms and blocked the surprisingly powerful punches. The fight continued at close quarters, and Happosai continued to increase the level of his attacks as the fight progressed.

Ranma was forced back several times, amazed at how fast and strong the old man was. Easily a match for Cologne, Happosai dodged, blocked or countered every move that Ranma tried to use. As the battle wore on, he could feel something on the edge of his senses, similar to when he felt a presence in his demonic form. Each time Ranma was about to grasp at this phantom feeling, Happosai would increase the level of his attacks and Ranma would be forced to concentrate on the fight or suffer the consequences.

As Happosai pushed the young man, the also taunted, “If you keep this level up you’ll never be able to stop me from getting a nice little snuggle from your girlfriends back there!”

Ranma smirked and shot back, “At your age you better be careful. Too much of that and you could have a heart attack.” Ranma once more kicked his attacks up a notch and the two combatants began to blur around the yard. Only Nabiki with her senses extended to detect Ranma could keep up with the battle.

On the porch, Genma began to sweat. The boy is even faster then when I fought him, he thought. What the hell has he been doing for the last month?

Suddenly the battle paused, the fighters coming to a rest on either side of the small pond in the middle of the yard. Ranma was breathing heavily; sweat pouring from his brow as Happosai worked his arm around, trying to keep circulation going.

“You’ve been Amazon trained, boy,” the old master commented.

Ranma nodded, “By my grandmother in law. You ain’t half bad either, Gramps.”

Happosai laughed, “Good, good. Come at me boy, and let’s see if you can keep this up.”

Ranma almost didn’t, but he saw a tiny opening in the old man’s stance and jumped in, two fingers extended for a strike to the master’s chest. Before he could hit the pressure point, however, Happosai flipped his pipe out of his shirt and caught Ranma’s outstretched hand. With a burst of power that Ranma could easily feel this close, he redirected Ranma’s momentum skyward, and the pigtailed boy went flying.

Ranma, stunned by the unexpected blow, flipped several times before regaining control. He looked down to see that he had already gone up fifty feet from the single toss, and was losing momentum.

On the way down he thought to himself, I need more speed. I guess I’ve got no choice but to use the transformation, even if Nabiki says the old man will get off on it. With that, he corrected his fall by shifting his body and landed feet first in the koi pond. The splash was large, and he used it to hide his next move as the curse magic washed over him, replacing his male body with his demonic form.

Happosai glanced into the water wall created by Ranma’s landing, impressed that the boy had the presence of mind to use it to hide his next move. Suddenly, his senses seemed to light on fire as the distorted magical signature coming from Ranma became active. It blazed in his mind and he could see the lines between Nabiki, Shampoo, and Ranma as clear as day.

He shifted to a tight defensive stance as a form burst from the water, a lightning fast punch striking him with the force of a truck. His vision blurred for a moment with the impact, but as it cleared, he saw a redheaded girl, beautiful and radiating power. He took note of her steel blue eyes, her prodigious bosom, and her perfect hips.

He also saw the smirk on her perfect lips, the same one that Ranma had worn earlier.

Then he took note of how hard the Tendo compound wall was as he crashed into it.

Ranma stepped forward, out of the settling pond and shook her head, sending drops of water flying as her ponytail whipped around. She slid into a new stance, low and close, with her fists drawn even with her waist. She let out a low breath and extended her otherworldly senses, preparing for Happosai to shake off the effects of the wall stopping his flight.

The dazed master also shook his head, and then settled his eyes on the fiery beauty just as she kicked off, sliding across the ground in a graceful dance that would end with her foot solidly in his face. He chose not to be there when it connected and took a moment to examine this new twist. The ki life energy flowing from the busty girl was similar to Ranma, but the magic was of a type he had not seen in a very long time.

His eyes went wide at the realization, and he yelled out, “You didn’t tell me your boy was a succubus, Genma!” Then he paused, “How is your BOY a female sex demon?”

“It is a curse,” Genma growled from the house, “It is like the one I have that you saw on our journey back. The boy embarrasses the Schools by prancing around in that disgraceful form. This is the reason I have asked for your assistance, Master.”

Happosai’s jaw dropped open and he yelled back, “You call this a curse?! No wonder the boy has two girlfriends. It probably takes an army to keep her satisfied. And I can help with that!” The small man bounced towards Ranma and she moved to intercept him with a powerful stomp. As her attack came down however, the old master faded from sight.

Looking around wildly, Ranma tried to find her opponent again. Suddenly a shiver ran up her spine, and her demon senses went crazy as she began to feel a pull on her energy coming from her chest. Looking down she saw that Happosai had attached himself to her front, his hands lightly squeezing her breasts.

Her ponytail sticking out straight, Ranma forced herself to ignore the pleasurable sensation of the lust filled energy she was getting from contact with the perverted old man on her chest. She found that it was an almost equal exchange for the power that Happosai was getting from her.

Ki, she realized. Somehow he’s draining ki from me through contact, just like I drain lust energy. This epiphany did not help her current situation however. The old man was stuck to her like glue, and every time she attempted to pry him off, his hands seemed to squeeze that much tighter. Even a body slam to the ground did little to dislodge her unwanted passenger.

She was finding herself more then a little put out.

Ranma finally decided to change tactics. Focusing her power, she held it back from the old man, pulling more and more in to a tight ball within her. It was becoming easier to manipulate the otherworldly energy, and she felt it was time to put it to the test. With a supreme force of will she allowed the ball of her energy to collapse to as small a size as she could.

Her vision began to swim, and she suddenly realized that not only was she suppressing her demonic energy, but the very power source she lived off of. She looked down to see that Happosai was no longer pawing her, and instead looking up at her with a curious expression. He quickly jumped down, a worried look crossing his face.

“I can see you don’t like letting me have a little gratification, but killing yourself is a little much,” Happosai said. His statement shocked Nabiki and Shampoo into jumping off the roof and running out into the yard, but Happosai jumped in front of them, “Stay back! If she loses control right now it could harm her, as well as anyone close by.”

“What’s going on, old man,” Nabiki gasped as she felt a sickening tug from Ranma’s spirit.

The old man grunted, “A misjudgment on my part. I thought Genma’s son here contained a succubus. At least that’s what it felt like. But this reaction…”

“Husband is demon girl,” Shampoo said, “But she still good man, no like other men touching like that. No girl would.”

“Amazing,” the master muttered. He then moved forward slightly and spoke calmly to Ranma, “You hold the very spark of your life in your hand. You must let it flow again, but not too quickly. It’s under pressure, and if you let go it could hurt you greatly. Let it flow slowly, like a small brook flowing from your mind to your heart.”

Ranma grunted, under visible strain, and gasped out, “There’s too much…it hurts…”

Nabiki moved forward as well, ignoring Happosai’s attempt to stop her. Her mind opened to the struggling demon and with a touch to the girl, let her will flow into Ranma. With one hand she motioned for Shampoo to join them, and the Amazon moved and placed herself behind the shaking redhead, allowing the girl to lean against her strong form.

Happosai watched as the two teens closed their eyes, and then saw their energy blend together with Ranma’s. The energy wove into a pattern inside Ranma and supported her attempt to return her compressed life force to its original state. As the energy began to expand again, and the mystic bond between the three girls increased in power to aid in the healing, a soft glow began to emanate from the standing trio. A blue aura appeared around the trembling redhead, a green one around Shampoo, and a light brown field around Nabiki.

Happosai watched the three girls standing in a deep meditative state and whispered out, “A Trinity of body, mind and soul…Fascinating.”

He pulled out his pipe and lit it, taking a long drag as the healing continued. After a moment he turned back to the porch, looking squarely at Genma and announced, “Deal’s off, fuzz butt. I’ve got bigger plans for the boy.”

“But Master,” Genma whined, “The boy must be taught respect for the good of the school.”

“Stuff it,” the old man snorted, “He needs to grow into his role, not be pushed into something that never should have happened in the first place.”

Soun spoke up, “You mean the union of the two schools.”

“Bingo. I see you’re getting some of the old noodle back, Soun. Anything Goes is just that, Anything Goes. It was never meant to be sectioned off and lessened by dividing it into two sister styles. But we will deal with that at a later time. For now the well being of a very determined young man, or rather woman at the moment is paramount.” With that he tapped out his pipe and walked over to the girls, their glow slowly dimming as Ranma came to, held up by her Amazon lover.

“Going to try again, old freak,” Ranma said weakly.

Happosai smiled at the demoness’ continued defiance and answered, “Not today, I’m afraid. For now you should have your two bound lovelies take you upstairs to rest. After all, you need to recover from what almost happened.”

Ranma gave a cautious nod and let Nabiki and Shampoo support her as she moved towards the house. They only stopped once when Nabiki asked a question.

“How did you know we are bound?”

“I’ve met Ranma’s breed before, long ago,” Happosai said warmly, “But that is a story for another time. Go now.”

The three girls turned back to the entryway, and passed between the two fathers standing on the porch. As they passed, Genma’s arm moved suddenly shooting towards the back of Shampoo’s neck. Before the girl felt an impact however, Happosai was standing on her shoulders, the tip of a knife held between two fingers. The old master pulled the weapon out of Genma’s grasp and hopped down, tossing it lightly from one hand to the other as he nodded for the three girls to continue on.

Before he could be reprimanded by Soun or Happosai, Genma hissed out, “It must be done if the boy has any hope of fulfilling his role. You can see the weakness those women are inflicting on him. Killing the Chinese girl would solve half the problem, and if you had raised your daughter right there would be no problem at all.”

Soun frowned, “I’m having a great deal of trouble understanding your view, Saotome. My daughters were raised to be strong and independent, despite my own shortcomings. Their mother would be proud of them.”

“That’s just it,” Genma countered, “We are martial artists. We do not need the approval of weak women.”

“Shut up, Genma,” Happosai intoned, examining the knife still in his hands. “Silver? Were you planning on killing your own blood if she failed to live up to your demands?” Sighing heavily, he continued, “I guess that you would.”

There was a long silence, finally interrupted by Soun, “You would spill blood in this house for your own gain. What happened to the honorable young man I started out training with? I’m sorry my old friend, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave this home. You have upset the harmony of this place far too often.”

“And where are Ranma and I supposed to go,” Genma asked.

“Ranma’s not going anywhere,” Happosai stated calmly, “He is now under my protection. If you ever interfere with the boy again, you will face my vengeance. After all, I have to look out for the heir to the Founding School, after all.”

Soun and Genma’s eyes widened in surprise and Happosai chuckled at the reaction, “I can already see that the boy has the most potential of any student of the school ever. And I’m getting old. It’s time for the new generation to take over, and he will someday surpass both of you, and even me.”

Genma started to shout back, “The boy must…”

Soun moved in front of his old friend and put a hand up, silencing him, “Enough! I could have considered us brothers once, but ever since you have returned into my life you have brought pain. You insult my beloved wife and daughters, and now argue with the Master’s decision. Your son won his freedom, and the Master chose him for an heir. You should be honored, but instead you shame us all. Get out Genma, and don’t come back.”

Genma snarled at his old friend, and made to attack. As he flexed his muscles he looked into the eyes of Soun Tendo, and saw ice. The stoic resolve of the man was one hundred times colder then the glare of his middle daughter, and Genma knew from experience that he could hit even harder then his youngest. Add the presence of the Master, solidly on Soun’s side, and Genma could do nothing to challenge them.

At least not yet.

Walking away with a snort of disgust, Genma hopped over the compound wall and disappeared. Soun and Happosai stayed alert for his presence for some time, however. Both men saw that Genma was more than angry with their decisions, and that he felt that this was nowhere near over.

Their vigil however ended when Akane, Kasumi, and Kodachi returned to the house with groceries for the evening meal. The old masters introduction to the girls consisted of a grope of the gymnast, a squeeze of the homemaker, and a mallet to the head from the youngest Tendo.

Later that night, Happosai moved about the house. It was long past midnight, and he moved quietly along, inspecting the residence. He stopped momentarily in the living room and took note of a photo on the bookshelf of a young Soun with a beautiful young woman holding a brown haired baby girl. He held his hands in a silent prayer to the departed mother of baby Kasumi in the photo and moved along.

Upstairs he looked into each room. Soun slept in the master bedroom, still alone after the loss of his wife. Akane slept in her room, holding a small black piglet that Happosai assumed was a pet of some sort. Kasumi and the Kuno girl shared a room, and Happosai could sense the bonds of teacher and student between the two.

Finally he entered Nabiki’s room, where two beds had been pushed together to accommodate three people. He saw Nabiki and the Amazon, Shampoo, cuddled together. The sheets were kicked down to their waists and exposed that neither girl wore anything to bed. Happosai enjoyed the view of their well formed bodies pressed together when he realized that something was missing.

“Like what you see?”

The master spun around, searching for the source of the voice. In the darkness next to the door a pair of glowing blue eyes wavered into existence as a shadowed female shape took form. Ranma stepped out of the shadow wearing only her loose red Chinese shirt and moved slowly towards the much shorter man.

“Ranma,” Happosai acknowledged quietly, “I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

“And get a look at the three of us in the buff.”

The old master chuckled, “Granted. But I think you know better then most why I find young women like this attractive.”

Ranma half nodded and asked, “So are you a demon too?”

“No, but I did learn something from one of your kind when I was younger. You use the energy you collect as a power source and life source; I’ve adapted the idea to extend my life. How old would you say I am?”

Ranma considered this for a moment, “I know my grandmother in law is almost three hundred years old, so it could be anyone’s guess.”

“Three hundred you say,” Happosai mused, “That’s actually pretty close to me. I should have died a long time ago, but I used every trick I could to cheat the Reaper.”

“Why?”

Happosai smiled in the dark, “I was waiting for you.” Ranma blinked and the old man continued, “I’ll admit I’m not the best person in the world. I’ve been considered a thief, a letch and a pervert, and I won’t deny any of it. But I did build up one of the most fluid and powerful arts known to man. I’ve done everything from training in the wilds of China before Mao and his like took over, to walking the American West during their great expansion, to serving the Emperor himself here in our homeland. I’ve been waiting two hundred and ninety eight years for someone who understood that honor is more than one person’s view. That right and wrong are not always separate. I thought that Soun and your father could be the ones I had been waiting for, but I know that I was wrong now.”

Ranma looked down at Happosai and wondered at his change in attitude. Earlier he had been annoying and lecherous, but now he seemed dead serious.

“What do you want me to do,” she asked quietly.

“Nothing,” the old master responded, “But I would like to ask you to think about taking on the role of the heir to all of the Anything Goes School. It’s not a demand, and I’m not going to ask you to decide right away. It’s just something I want you to think about.” With that Happosai began walking towards the door.

“Wait,” Ranma said, stopping him, “You said you’d run into ones like me before. Is there anything you can tell me about them, their powers and abilities? I’ve been going on instinct, and it’s been hard groping in the dark.”

Happosai turned back to look at the two nude girls sleeping and chuckled, “Groping in the dark indeed.” A glare from the redhead stopped him and he smiled up, “I’ll help with what I can, but only if you’re ready for it. Some of that kind of thing may be a little much for you right now.”

Happosai continued out the door, but on the way out he whispered, “I see that the carpet matches the drapes.” Ranma looked after him for a moment, then remembered some of the lunchtime talk at school and looked down, taking note that she had only thrown on her shirt before the old man came in.

“That little…” she growled. “He’s just short enough to get a good look, ain’t he. I got a feeling that this is gonna be a long week.”


To be continued.

Endnote: Ok, folks. A little note here that I’m taking another break from writing for a bit. This time it’s not because I’m low on ideas or anything, but I’m leaving for a week at Disney World with Janice. I may update Mercury 2.0 before I leave, but it’s probably going to be October before I post again. With that said, thanks as always for reading and reviewing and next time we’re going to see how Ranma’s going to handle his new training. And Shampoo and Nabiki are going to conspire a little to get our hero to relax a little. Until then, I am a jelly doughnut.