Ranma ½ Exit, Pursued by a Bear

[AzaggThoth]

Saw that coming from a mile away... Suppose it's not a Ranma fic if there isn't a Kuno after 2 girls. As a balance I suggest Kodachi never see Ranma in human form but decide she wants to take the big cuddly bear home. "Mister turtle could use a playmate!"

 

[Lord Raa]

And this will take you all up to date.


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“Class, we’ve got some new students joining us today,” Takamoto-sensei announced, though he sounded like he would bored by an alien spaceship landing in the schoolyard. “Please introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Ranma Saotome,” Ranma said with a bow. “Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts.”

“I’m Shampoo,” the Chinese girl added cheerfully. “I’m an exchange student from China and I also know martial arts.”

“Well, you can see where there are empty chairs,” the teacher said, somehow managing to keep from yawning contemptuously. “Now, if you can be bothered to take out your textbooks and turn to page 132, we can learn about the dangers of deforestation.”


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In her classroom, Nabiki was frantically considering the right words to use to get Kuno to do the decent thing and remove the demon bear from her life.

“Nabiki Tendo, what do you know of that exotic beauty that accompanied your sister this morning?”

‘I was planning to use Kuno’s lust for Akane as a means to defeat Ranma,’ the mercenary Tendo thought, managing to hide a frown. ‘However Shampoo does like Ranma...’ “Well, for a price I could find out some information for you.”

“Of course, I cannot expect you to work for nothing, Nabiki Tendo,” Kuno replied, thinking he was sounding gracious, but as ever, his words sounded pompous. “How much would be an appropriate level of compensation?”

“Hmm.... five thousand yen, would be a good place to start, I think.”

Kuno’s wallet appeared and flew open, revealing several crisp banknotes. “Is there any particular denomination that you’d prefer, Nabiki Tendo?”

“Thousand yen notes, please, Kuno,” Nabiki replied. She held her hand out for the money without batting an eyelid.

The kendoist counted out five one thousand yen notes into Nabiki’s palm. “Now, what can you tell me about this exotic huntress?”

“... Well, she’s called Shampoo. She’s from China and she’s...” Nabiki paused as she finalised her wording. “She’s been cursed. Cursed in that there’s this demonic bear that follows her around. It’s this bear that you’ll have to defeat if you want to date Shampoo.”

“This bear... was it the one at your house yesterday?”

“That’s the one, Kuno. Now, you know that it’s not a normal bear. No bear can move like that, hell, not even a man in a bear-suit can move like that.”

“Yes,” Tatewaki nodded. “Truly, it is a formidable opponent. But still, the heavens smile upon the righteous and that shall grant me the means to defeat this demon bear.”

Nabiki smiled. ‘Yes, Kuno, you’re finally being of some use.’

“However,” Kuno said, speaking up and interrupting Nabiki’s self-congratulatory thoughts. “What of that ‘Saotome’ fellow that was with your sister and Shampoo?”

“... That’s Ranma,” the mercenary girl answered. “He’s another thorn in your side. His father and mine used to be training partners and he’s staying with us.”

“WHAT? He’s staying under the same roof as Akane? I cannot allow such impropriety!” the delusional wannabe samurai declared, jumping to his feet.

“Kuno, it gets worse.”

“What?”

“Our fathers wish to ‘unite the schools of Anything Goes’ through marriage...” Nabiki added, conveniently overlooking the fact that Ranma and Akane had pretty much refused to get engaged.

“That scoundrel!” Kuno fumed, veins on his forehead were becoming visible.

“Of course, if you were to defeat Ranma, then you’d have a claim to marry Akane...” Nabiki hinted. ‘That should sort things out.’

“Yes,” the kendoist nodded, his excitement rising. “Defeat the demon bear and I would have the affection of the Huntress, Shampoo. Defeat Ranma and Akane would be free to date me... I must act now!”

Before anyone could say or do anything, Kuno dashed to the door to find Ranma and unleash the justice of the heavens.

‘That was some good thinking on my part...’ the mercenary girl thought with a smile as she pocketed the money Kuno had given her.


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That's assuming that you're all enjoying this nonsense.

 

[PCHeintz72]

“Of course, if you were to defeat Ranma, then you’d have a claim to marry Akane...” Nabiki hinted. ‘That should sort things out.’

Hmmm... sister or not, I do not think Akane is going to be all that understanding of Nabiki implying that Kuno can be engaged to her if he defeats Ranma.

 

[Lord Raa]

"But Akane, are you telling me that you wanted to be engaged to Ranma?"

 

[AzaggThoth]

Answer from Akane, "Oh sure, Ranma or Kuno. That is like asking if I'd rather do something as opposed to being slapped with a dead skunk. There aren't many things I can imagine being <b>worse</b> than being engaged to Kuno!"

Ranma glares at Akane while feeling insulted. "Gee, thanks for the rousing endorsement that I'm not the worst thing that could happen to you."

 

[Lord Raa]

I have managed to write something today.

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The teacher in Akane’s class was in the middle of talking about soil erosion being one of the consequences of deforestation when Kuno burst into the room.

“Ranma Saotome, I shall defeat you and claim the hand of Akane Tendo!” the blowhard declared.

“Wait, what?” the teacher asked in confusion. “Ranma Saotome, do you know what Kuno is talking about?”

“No, not really,” the pigtailed martial artist replied honestly. “I’ve been in town for like three days. I don’t even know the way from here to the Tendo dojo.”

“Saotome is the man who is standing in the way between the noble beauty that is Akane Tendo and my righteous self,” Kuno half explained. “And what would you know of the Tendo dojo?”

“I’m staying in the dojo. Literally,” Ranma answered truthfully.

“You sleep under the same roof as Akane Tendo?”

“No, I have to sleep in the dojo. Not the house, the dojo.”

“It’s true,” Shampoo nodded.

“My glorious Warrior Princess,” Kuno smiled, momentarily distracted by the Amazon’s form-fitting clothing. “May I ask as to how you would know what the sleeping arrangements of that uncouth wretch are?”

“I’m also staying with the Tendos.”

“Under the same roof as Akane?” the kendoist murmured, his mouth starting to water. “Does that mean that there vigorous training sessions? Followed by skinship in the bath afterwards?”

Ranma frowned when he heard the lecherous intent in Kuno’s voice. “What makes you think that either Akane or Shampoo would be interested in you?”

“Clearly you are as blind as you are ill-mannered, Saotome,” Kuno replied scornfully. “Can you not tell from my manly profile that I’m of good noble lineage? My skills with the sword are unmatched at Furinkan.”

“And?”

“What do you mean, ‘and!?’” the delusional swordsman demanded.

“And what of your alleged skills with the sword and your family line? Is that supposed to impress us? Well-bred isn’t too far from inbred, you know.”

The gazes of the students turned to Ranma and Kuno in turn as they argued their point. It was rare that anyone had the guts to stand up to Kuno for very long, but Ranma looked like he didn’t care for the pompous windbag.

What made him even more interesting to the girls in the class was that he wasn’t fawning over Akane, like so many of the other boys in the school.

“How dare you!” Kuno fumed. “You will taste the justice of the heavens!”

“Probably, but not today,” Ranma smirked as he finally rose from his seat. “With sensei’s permission, we’ll do this outside.”

“Please, it’ll keep the disruption to a minimum,” the teacher replied. ‘Yet another martial artist... Can’t they get real jobs?’

Kuno watched his newly acquired nemesis walk to the hallway and open the window.

“I see that you’d rather plummet to your death than face the justice of the heavens.”

“No, it’s just the quickest way down. Or are you so feeble that you have to take the stairs?” the pigtailed martial artist mocked. “Best I find out now how I easy I need to go on you.”

That was the final straw. The red mist descended and Kuno charged at Ranma, intent on giving this insolent youth a good thrashing.

The class blinked in surprise as Ranma grabbed hold of the kendoist and jumped out of the window with him.

As they rushed to the window, they saw that the combatants were heading towards the outdoor pool.

“At least they’re going to land in the pool...”

“Pool?” Ranma asked just as he hit the water.

The students gasped in surprise when they saw that Ranma had disappeared and that a large black bear had taken his place.

“W-what is that?!”

“How?”

“It’s a long story,” Akane winced. She turned to see that Shampoo had already left to get to the pool.

“Well, aren’t you going to tell us what it is?” the teacher asked.

“Well, I don’t really know all the details, Sensei. And I don’t want to start any rumours just because Ranma didn’t tell me something about his curse.”

“Curse?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story,” the Tendo heir said apologetically.


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There could be more soon, but I promise nothing.

NOTHING, you hear me!

 

[Wharpt]

There could be more soon, but I promise nothing.

NOTHING, you hear me!

Ehh ??? What was that you said? :wacko:

 

[Lord Raa]

Well, I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up.

That said, have some content!



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Even though Shampoo had rushed to the pool, by the time she got there, Ranma had dragged himself and Kuno, albeit reluctantly, out of the water

“Ranma?”

The bear nodded before holding his front paws up to keep Shampoo away for a moment. He shook the excess water from his fur.

After about a minute of this, Ranma seemed happy enough to let Shampoo approach him.

“You didn’t know there was a pool there, did you?”

Ranma shook his head.

“This is chance to practice your signs, remember.”

The bear bowed his head, almost as an apology for being so forgetful.

‘¬No, I didn’t know there was a pool here.¬’ The sign was flipped around. ‘¬Do you have any hot water with you?¬’

“Yes, here you go,” the purple-haired girl smiled as she pulled out a flask and emptied it on Ranma’s head. “Better?”

“Yes. Well, aside from the fact that I don’t know where my shirts keep going, but yeah, I’m feeling better now. Thank you, Shampoo.”

Their moment was ruined by the groans of Kuno as he regained what passed for his senses.

“What happened?”

“You fell in the pool, Kino-sempai,” Shampoo embellished.

“My name is Kuno.”

“Sorry, we were only just introduced,” the Amazon shrugged.

“Shampoo, do you have a towel handy?” Ranma asked.

“Yes, let me help you.”

Kuno frowned. How could this odious young man have won the heart of this buxom warrior princess? Did she not recognise that Ranma was beneath her status and that he, the great Blue Thunder of Furinkan was more suited to her?

And did she have to towel off Ranma’s chest in such a manner? One would think that they were courting.

“Is there a towel for me, my Warrior Princess?”

“Sorry, no,” Shampoo replied, not looking away from Ranma’s muscles as she patted them dry.

“But there’s one there...”

“Doesn’t mean it’s for you, Kuno,” Ranma smirked.

Oh how that smirk was beginning to annoy Kuno. “Wait a minute, we didn’t fall out of the window, you threw us out!”

“Only because it was the quickest way to get outside, Kuno.”

“The heavens will have their justice!” the kendoist declared as he jumped to his feet. “Have at you!”

Ranma rolled his eyes and snap-kicked Kuno in the chin, knocking back into the pool.

“Shampoo, I think we’re going to have to go back to class. I think we have to answer a couple of questions.”

“But I don’t want to,” the Amazon pouted. She was quite happy to spend time with the shirtless Ranma in the sunshine.

“We’ll get into trouble if we skip school, Shampoo. I don’t want us to get grounded. I promised you a date, didn’t I?”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Shampoo conceded. “Let’s go back to class.”


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Back in his classroom, Ranma was not entirely surprised by the barrage of questions directed at him.

“I didn’t think it was place to tell them,” Akane told him. “Plus I didn’t want to tell them in case I got something wrong.”

“Thank you,” Ranma smiled. “Right then. Where do you want me to begin?”

“What was with that bear?”

“That’s my curse.”

“Why did it appear when you hit the water?”

“It’s a magical curse from a place called Jusenkyo. Cold water activates it, hot water changes me back. Until the next time I get splashed. Next question?”

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“Where’s your shirt? Did it rip when you changed into a bear?”

“I don’t know what happens to my shirt. If I’m wearing one when I change, it disappears by the time I change back. It’s annoying; it seems I go through shirts like tissues.”

“You lost your shirt, but why not your trousers? And you’ve got your shoes on, too. How does that work?”

“Hey, it’s a magical curse, not some perverted ‘let’s get everyone naked’ curse!”

Shampoo nodded. “It’s strange, but it’s a magical curse. At Jusenkyo, there’s a spring of drowned octopus. Jusenkyo is at least two week’s hike from the sea.”

“Anything else?” Ranma asked, hoping that the bulk of the questions had been answered.

“What’s that about you and Shampoo staying at Akane’s?”

“My father and Akane’s father used to be training partners and we’re staying as their guests,” the pigtailed youth answered diplomatically. Yes, he omitted the pledge to unite the schools, but they didn’t need to know about that.

Hell, it wasn’t even certain that they were going to be united – Akane still needed to defeat Shampoo in the rematch.

“What about Shampoo? Why is she with you? Is she your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” the Amazon answered reflexively.

Ranma frowned, but was forced to let it slide. Kuno had returned to gain his vengeance.


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To be continued...

 

[Wharpt]

Thank you. I am content to read your newest content.

 

[ThreadWeaver]

Eventually, if Kuno spends enough time unconscious, he may end up a drooling vegetable. Well, moreso than normal that is. I'm glad to see he seems determined to achieve that goal.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Lord Raa]

Exit, Pursued by a Bear


By Lord Raa


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Disclaim-me-do: You can be a gentleman or a reporter. You can’t be both.


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Part 6


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Kuno realised that something was wrong with this Saotome person. Sure, he had fast reflexes, and he was strong, but there was something else that felt wrong.

Even Tatewaki Kuno wasn’t deluded enough to believe that he was the fast or strongest man alive.

But no, it was something else that wasn’t sitting right with him.

It took him overhearing something from one of the other students that made him realise what it was.

“Did you see that bear that was in the pool?”

Of course, Ranma Saotome was the Demon Bear’s human disguise! It was the only logical explanation, how else could he be so strong and so fast?

Though it seemed odd that Nabiki Tendo, normally one of the sharpest people in Nerima, hadn’t realised the truth.

‘Though she did seem to make a connection between Ranma and his true bear nature, so perhaps she is unfamiliar with the divine and infernal? It makes sense that she’s not as attuned to the divine as I am, after all, I am a tool of heavenly justice.’

Shaking his head, Kuno rushed off to change out of his wet clothes and confront the demonic presence disrupting his school.


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[PCHeintz72]

Hmm... Kuno ranting to Nabiki about a demonic bear having a human disguise may well and away shock her back into accepting Ranma.

The alternative would be too horrible to bear(sniggers). It would mean *Kuno* was right about something *and* she would be acknowledging it and agreeing with him.

 

[Predhack]

Enjoying this. Too brain dead for other comments at the moment, sorry.

 

[Wharpt]

Hmm... Kuno ranting to Nabiki about a demonic bear having a human disguise may well and away shock her back into accepting Ranma.

The alternative would be too horrible to bear(sniggers). It would mean *Kuno* was right about something *and* she would be acknowledging it and agreeing with him.

Nah... Nabiki would probably treat Kuno's rant like a broken clock. And even a broken clock is right twice a day. Tick-kcoT. :snigger:

 

[H-Man]

You know, a story where Nabiki is utterly, completely wrong about everything is so refreshing when you think about it. So many stories where she's the smartest character in the story.

Not that she needs to be stupid or anything, but the fear of a bear has been quite amusing. Therefore, I would like to see Nabiki take everything Kuno says the wrong way. She shouldn't like Ranma, it's going to end the comedy too soon.

 

[Lord Raa]

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“Saotome!” Tatewaki shouted, drawing his nemesis’ attention.

“What do you want, Kuno?”

“I have been given a divine mission,” the kendoist announced. “It has fallen to me to defeat you and banish you back to the pits of hell from whence you came!”

“I see,” Ranma replied, his eyes narrowing. “And just how are you going to do that?”

“I... I will defeat you in honourable combat... with a blessed weapon!” Kuno declared. “I will exorcise Nerima from the Demon Bear!”

“A good strategy, but it has two minor flaws. One, I’m not a demon bear. And two, I’m not a demon bear. I know that I’ve repeated myself, but I thought that it was important enough to mention a second time.”

“But that’s just what a demon bear would say in order to deceive us!”

“Well, I’m not going to win that argument, am I?” Ranma asked rhetorically. “So, are you going to go away to get your blessed weapon?”

“I... I will need to find a suitable tool with which to dispense the divine justice of the heavens!” Kuno replied, turning on his heel and briskly walking away.

The teacher turned to Ranma. “So, are you actually a demon bear or what?”

“I’m just a martial artist who’s cursed to turn into a bear when splashed with cold water. I could have fallen into any of a hundred springs and gotten a different curse: a monkey, or a girl, or maybe a duck. Would any of those make be a demon whatever?” the cursed teenager asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Akane replied. “I’m not saying that your curse doesn’t make you a bit strange, but I don’t think it makes you a demon.”

Ranma nodded in approval, though Shampoo wasn’t so pleased with the way Ranma seemed to be attracting the attention of some of the girls in the class.

Not that she could blame them. Once it was known that Ranma was actually a young man and not a bear, he had attracted a great deal of attention in her village.

Of course he would – he was strong, handsome, a skilled martial artist and not as dull-witted as that other Japanese teenager that wandered through their village looking to fight Ranma.

Shampoo idly wondered what had happened to that clumsy oaf.


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Why yes, that is a reference to Red Dwarf in there.

 

[Lord Raa]

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“Damn you, Ranma! Because of you, I’ve seen hell!” a fanged young man bellowed impotently at the valley below him.

An elderly man approached him and asked him what was going on.

“I’m looking for Ranma Saotome, he ran out of our duel!”

“And why do you think he’s here, young man?”

“He’s a coward. I’ve been chasing him for years, I caught up with him once, but I soon lost him.”

“Do you know where he’s supposed to be?” the old man asked.

“I think he said something about going to Tokyo.”

“Well, Tokyo is 200 kilometres east of here.”

“So I can get there if I head east?”

“Yes, that way is east,” the old man smiled. His smile quickly disappeared. “You’re going the wrong way!”

But it was too late, the young man had departed in a northerly direction.

“No wonder he’s been chasing this Ranma person for years...”


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[H-Man]

Hey, not to say you'll even make it that far, but if you did, does Saffron exist in this world [mangá] or not [animé]?

 

[Stormfury]

saffron doesn't 'exist' in the anime because the anime covers nowhere near as much ground as the manga. Hell, I'm pretty sure the entire first season of the anime fits into the first volume of the manga.


I wish it had at least reached the mid 20s of volumes so the Ryu Kumon/Herb arcs got animated : (

 

[Lord Raa]

Have a little more.

If you like this sort of thing, I mean.

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Back at the Tendo Dojo, Genma was putting his old training partner through his paces. He was not terribly impressed with how badly Soun had let himself go.

Of course, had things been different, perhaps Genma himself would have allowed himself the chance to relax a little.

After all, if raising Ranma took a great deal of effort, Genma shuddered to think what kind of stress Soun would have gone through raising three daughters.

But now was not the time for hypothetical scenarios, now was the time for Soun Tendo to start working on his upper body strength.

“Tendo-kun, you must complete one hundred push-ups.”

“I can do that, Saotome-kun,” the long haired man nodded.

“Good, we start now.”

“‘We’? You’re doing them, too?”

“Yes. I need to maintain my training just as much as you and Akane need to improve. Are you ready? One. Two. Three.”

The two men continued their exercise with Genma counting out the push-ups, their grunting attracting Kasumi’s attention from her gardening.

‘It’s good to see Father so full of life again,’ the brunette thought with a smile.


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“So, Shampoo, what can you tell us about these springs? How long have they been there?” asked Takamoto-sensei.

“They’ve been there for hundreds of years. Our tribe occasionally use the springs as a punishment,” the Chinese girl answered. “If you fall into a spring, then you take the form of what last drowned in that spring. But if something drowns in a spring, then that thing forms an imprint on that spring.”

“For example, sensei, I fell into the spring of drowned bear. If I’d drowned in the spring, it’d change into spring of drowned martial artist,” Ranma added.

“Yes, and there are over 100 springs,” Shampoo confirmed. “Girl, boy, panda, bear, cat, duck, octopus, virtuous man, twins. The most terrifying one is the Spring of drowned Yeti-Riding-a-Bull-Holding-an-Eel-and-Crane. That one makes you a monster made of yeti, bull, eel and crane. There are stories about a monster like that who travels countryside.”

“I didn’t know about that last one,” the part-time bear said. “That would have made things even more awkward.”

“Indeed,” the teacher nodded. “You turning into a bear is terrifying enough for most people.”

“I’m not that scary,” Ranma insisted. “I know that it might look that way if you try to steal my food or hassle me when I’m asleep, but generally speaking, I don’t really want to hurt anyone.”

Takamoto and several male students were not wholly convinced by Ranma’s words.

“Well, maybe I don’t mind hurting that idiot Kuno, but that’s only because he’s got it into this head that he needs to attack me.”

“Being bothered by someone all the time is not nice,” Shampoo agreed. ‘At least here in Japan, there’s no stupid Mousse.’

Akane nodded in understanding, but said nothing.


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[H-Man]

This is so late, I know. Quite sorry.

I think this didn't get much of a response [in this excerpt, I mean] because it's so small and because it's not very funny. Nothing silly or bizarre really happened when Genma set to training with Soun and the second half was just explaining what curses are - again - and hinting at Taro or Mousse, who aren't around.

I don't think it's unnecessary, but it's not enough either. A little more humor would have made it more interesting, I think.

 

[Lord Raa]

It's not dead yet!


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Genma looked upon the sweating, out of breath form of his old training partner with a look that was a blend of disapproval and disappointment.

“Surely you’re not still recovering from this morning’s run, Tendo-kun?”

Kasumi approached with a tray of cold drinks. “How are things going, Father?”

“I’m... I’m just out of practice,” the long-haired man said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He took a glass from his eldest daughter. “Thank you, Kasumi-chan.”

Genma said nothing. He knew that Tendo had to pick up his training, but couldn’t use his normal motivational techniques with Kasumi around. Denigration could be useful motivator to those with substantial egos, like Ranma.

Soun, however, seemed rather spineless in comparison.

Had family life turned Tendo the Tiger into a housecat? Yes, it was conceivable that domestic life would have had a similar effect on the Saotomes, but where was the drive that made those who practiced Anything Goes to be the best?

That drive hadn’t even carried over to parenting. Nabiki seemed smart, but cold-hearted. Akane was the big fish in a small pond and Shampoo would wipe the floor with her any day of the week. And as for Kasumi...

Genma reached over and took the offered glass. There was something almost tragic about Kasumi’s situation. The portly man sipped his drink and pondered the brunette before him.

‘Kasumi is the one who does all of the housework. Why? Surely all three of them should be sharing the chores. Never mind them not being able to get a husband, they should be at least able to take care of themselves. What if Ranma had chosen Kasumi and they’d had to leave on a training trip?’

“Is something the matter, Mr. Saotome?” Kasumi asked.

“I was just thinking,” the balding man smiled in an attempt to deflect attention. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Thinking about what, Saotome-kun?” Soun asked, his eyes narrowing. Experience had taught him that when Genma Saotome started thinking, trouble soon followed.

Genma managed to hold back his wince at the look being shot his way, but waved off the question. “Don’t worry, Tendo-kun, it’s nothing.”

“You’re not reassuring me, Saotome-kun.”

The cursed martial artist shook his head at the defensive posture his friend had taken up. It was clear to him that Soun would not get back to training without his question being answered to his satisfaction.

‘Best not insult him in front of his daughter...’ “If you must know, I was wondering what Kasumi would have said had Ranma chosen her to be his fiancée.”

“Oh my,” Kasumi blushed. “I... don’t know...”

“Kasumi isn’t a fighter, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Shampoo!” Soun protested.

“Akane is and she doesn’t stand much of one now.”

Soun bristled at the slur against his teaching skills, causing Genma to laugh.

“Ah, there we are. I was wondering what happened to the Tendo the Tiger I trained with. Prove to me that your skills are enough to train Akane so she can beat Shampoo. Prove it and I will work in your dojo until I can train 100 students to black belt standard or higher.”

“You’re on!” the long-haired man declared, jumping to his feet and puffing out his chest.

‘This shouldn’t be too hard,’ the portly man mused. ‘Tendo’s tired and out of shape. Better give him a helping hand.’ “I’ll even let you have a weapon while I fight unarmed.”

“I don’t need your handicap!”

Kasumi was concerned for her father. She hadn’t seen him get so worked up in a long time. Add in the fact that he was clearly still recovering from the earlier workout and she wasn’t sure he could defeat the man who trained Ranma.

“Father...”

“I may be out of practice, Kasumi, but I can assure that I still have the muscle memory,” Soun said defiantly. He turned to see that his words hadn’t reassured his eldest daughter as much as he’d hoped. “But if it makes you feel better, I will use a weapon.”


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Four minutes later, Genma was shaking his head at the crumpled heap that was his former training partner.

“Tendo-kun, what happened to you?”

“I... you cheated.”

“I gave you a steel-bladed weapon.”

“I didn’t want to shed blood.”

“You obviously didn’t want me to train a hundred students, either,” the portly man sneered. “But still, we’ll continue our training after you’ve had a rest.”

Kasumi helped her father up off the flow. “Father...”

“No, Kasumi, don’t worry about me. I’ve been in worse scrapes,” Soun insisted.

“That’s true,” Genma nodded. “We need to keep you motivated. How about this: If you can defeat me before Akane and Shampoo conclude their challenge, I’ll train those hundred students for you.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Father, are you sure?” Kasumi asked, clearly concerned for the injured man.

“I have my pride. Besides, it’s not like I have to challenge Saotome-kun today,” Soun smiled before coughing. “Ow...”

“Don’t worry, Kasumi, the rest of today’s training will be easy. Nothing more strenuous than balance training.”


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At Furinkan, Nabiki was disappointed in the way Kuno had failed to deal with Ranma. The “Blue Thunder” of Furinkan was more like a “True Blunder”. Sure, Ranma was good, but he wasn’t some invincible martial arts god. The fact that his father had been able to put him down on more than one occasion was proof enough of that.

But Ranma had no obvious weakness.

‘He seems to like Shampoo. Maybe I can turn her against him? Make him feel isolated...’ the mercenary girl pondered. ‘I won’t be able to do it directly – she’s clearly in love with that freak. But what if I turned everyone else against Ranma?’

Nabiki seemed to like where this line of thinking was heading.

‘Yes, if everyone is worried about the dangerous bear roaming around Nerima, then Ranma will be ostracised. And even if he’s not feared as a bear, the girls seem to like him. Maybe I can use that to drive a wedge between him and Shampoo...’


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It's entirely possible that I might complete this chapter before the end of the year.

 

[Deathwings]

It's entirely possible that I might complete this chapter before the end of the year.

Now now, don't throw your back out or anything old man. :snigger:

 

[Lord Raa]

We seem to have some kind of encoding issue.

Or at least, I am.

Let's see if this report will help things.


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Exit, Pursued by a Bear


By Lord Raa


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Disclaim-me-do: You can be a gentleman or a reporter. You can’t be both.


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Part 6


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Kuno realised that something was wrong with this Saotome person. Sure, he had fast reflexes, and he was strong, but there was something else that felt wrong.

Even Tatewaki Kuno wasn’t deluded enough to believe that he was the fastest or strongest man alive.

But no, it was something else that wasn’t sitting right with him.

It took him overhearing something from one of the other students that made him realise what it was.

“Did you see that bear that was in the pool?”

Of course, Ranma Saotome was the Demon Bear’s human disguise! It was the only logical explanation, how else could he be so strong and so fast?

Though it seemed odd that Nabiki Tendo, normally one of the sharpest people in Nerima, hadn’t realised the truth.

‘Though she did seem to make a connection between Ranma and his true bear nature, so perhaps she is unfamiliar with the divine and infernal? It makes sense that she’s not as attuned to the divine as I am, after all, I am a tool of heavenly justice.’

Shaking his head, Kuno rushed off to change out of his wet clothes and confront the demonic presence disrupting his school.


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“Saotome!” Tatewaki shouted, drawing his nemesis’ attention.

“What do you want, Kuno?”

“I have been given a divine mission,” the kendoist announced. “It has fallen to me to defeat you and banish you back to the pits of hell from whence you came!”

“I see,” Ranma replied, his eyes narrowing. “And just how are you going to do that?”

“I... I will defeat you in honourable combat... with a blessed weapon!” Kuno declared. “I will exorcise Nerima from the Demon Bear!”

“A good strategy, but it has two minor flaws. One, I’m not a demon bear. And two, I’m not a demon bear. I know that I’ve repeated myself, but I thought that it was important enough to mention a second time.”

“But that’s just what a demon bear would say in order to deceive us!”

“Well, I’m not going to win that argument, am I?” Ranma asked rhetorically. “So, are you going to go away to get your blessed weapon?”

“I... I will need to find a suitable tool with which to dispense the divine justice of the heavens!” Kuno replied, turning on his heel and briskly walking away.

The teacher turned to Ranma. “So, are you actually a demon bear or what?”

“I’m just a martial artist who’s cursed to turn into a bear when splashed with cold water. I could have fallen into any of a hundred springs and gotten a different curse: a monkey, or a girl, or maybe a duck. Would any of those make be a demon whatever?” the cursed teenager asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Akane replied. “I’m not saying that your curse doesn’t make you a bit strange, but I don’t think it makes you a demon.”

Ranma nodded in approval, though Shampoo wasn’t so pleased with the way Ranma seemed to be attracting the attention of some of the girls in the class.

Not that she could blame them. Once it was known that Ranma was actually a young man and not a bear, he had attracted a great deal of attention in her village.

Of course he would – he was strong, handsome, a skilled martial artist and not as dull-witted as that other Japanese teenager that wandered through their village looking to fight Ranma.

Shampoo idly wondered what had happened to that clumsy oaf.


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“Damn you, Ranma! Because of you, I’ve seen hell!” a fanged young man bellowed impotently at the valley below him.

An elderly man approached him and asked him what was going on.

“I’m looking for Ranma Saotome, he ran out of our duel!”

“And why do you think he’s here, young man?”

“He’s a coward. I’ve been chasing him for years, I caught up with him once, but I soon lost him.”

“Do you know where he’s supposed to be?” the old man asked.

“I think he said something about going to Tokyo.”

“Well, Tokyo is 200 kilometres east of here.”

“So I can get there if I head east?”

“Yes, that way is east,” the old man smiled. His smile quickly disappeared. “You’re going the wrong way!”

But it was too late, the young man had departed in a northerly direction.

“No wonder he’s been chasing this Ranma person for years...”


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Back at the Tendo Dojo, Genma was putting his old training partner through his paces. He was not terribly impressed with how badly Soun had let himself go.

Of course, had things been different, perhaps Genma himself would have allowed himself the chance to relax a little.

After all, if raising Ranma took a great deal of effort, Genma shuddered to think what kind of stress Soun would have gone through raising three daughters.

But now was not the time for hypothetical scenarios, now was the time for Soun Tendo to start working on his upper body strength.

“Tendo-kun, you must complete one hundred push-ups.”

“I can do that, Saotome-kun,” the long haired man nodded.

“Good, we start now.”

“‘We’? You’re doing them, too?”

“Yes. I need to maintain my training just as much as you and Akane need to improve. Are you ready? One. Two. Three.”

The two men continued their exercise with Genma counting out the push-ups, their grunting attracting Kasumi’s attention from her gardening.

‘It’s good to see Father so full of life again,’ the brunette thought with a smile.


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“So, Shampoo, what can you tell us about these springs? How long have they been there?” asked Takamoto-sensei.

“They’ve been there for hundreds of years. Our tribe occasionally use the springs as a punishment,” the Chinese girl answered. “If you fall into a spring, then you take the form of what last drowned in that spring. But if something drowns in a spring, then that thing forms an imprint on that spring.”

“For example, sensei, I fell into the spring of drowned bear. If I’d drowned in the spring, it’d change into spring of drowned martial artist,” Ranma added.

“Yes, and there are over 100 springs,” Shampoo confirmed. “Girl, boy, panda, bear, cat, duck, octopus, virtuous man, twins. The most terrifying one is the Spring of drowned Yeti-Riding-a-Bull-Holding-an-Eel-and-Crane. That one makes you a monster made of yeti, bull, eel and crane. There are stories about a monster like that who travels countryside.”

“I didn’t know about that last one,” the part-time bear said. “That would have made things even more awkward.”

“Indeed,” the teacher nodded. “You turning into a bear is terrifying enough for most people.”

“I’m not that scary,” Ranma insisted. “I know that it might look that way if you try to steal my food or hassle me when I’m asleep, but generally speaking, I don’t really want to hurt anyone.”

Takamoto and several male students were not wholly convinced by Ranma’s words.

“Well, maybe I don’t mind hurting that idiot Kuno, but that’s only because he’s got it into this head that he needs to attack me.”

“Being bothered by someone all the time is not nice,” Shampoo agreed. ‘At least here in Japan, there’s no stupid Mousse.’

Akane nodded in understanding, but said nothing.


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Genma looked upon the sweating, out of breath form of his old training partner with a look that was a blend of disapproval and disappointment.

“Surely you’re not still recovering from this morning’s run, Tendo-kun?”

Kasumi approached with a tray of cold drinks. “How are things going, Father?”

“I’m... I’m just out of practice,” the long-haired man said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He took a glass from his eldest daughter. “Thank you, Kasumi-chan.”

Genma said nothing. He knew that Tendo had to pick up his training, but couldn’t use his normal motivational techniques with Kasumi around. Denigration could be useful motivator to those with substantial egos, like Ranma.

Soun, however, seemed rather spineless in comparison.

Had family life turned Tendo the Tiger into a housecat? Yes, it was conceivable that domestic life would have had a similar effect on the Saotomes, but where was the drive that made those who practiced Anything Goes to be the best?

That drive hadn’t even carried over to parenting. Nabiki seemed smart, but cold-hearted. Akane was the big fish in a small pond and Shampoo would wipe the floor with her any day of the week. And as for Kasumi...

Genma reached over and took the offered glass. There was something almost tragic about Kasumi’s situation. The portly man sipped his drink and pondered the brunette before him.

‘Kasumi is the one who does all of the housework. Why? Surely all three of them should be sharing the chores. Never mind them not being able to get a husband, they should be at least able to take care of themselves. What if Ranma had chosen Kasumi and they’d had to leave on a training trip?’

“Is something the matter, Mr. Saotome?” Kasumi asked.

“I was just thinking,” the balding man smiled in an attempt to deflect attention. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Thinking about what, Saotome-kun?” Soun asked, his eyes narrowing. Experience had taught him that when Genma Saotome started thinking, trouble soon followed.

Genma managed to hold back his wince at the look being shot his way, but waved off the question. “Don’t worry, Tendo-kun, it’s nothing.”

“You’re not reassuring me, Saotome-kun.”

The cursed martial artist shook his head at the defensive posture his friend had taken up. It was clear to him that Soun would not get back to training without his question being answered to his satisfaction.

‘Best not insult him in front of his daughter...’ “If you must know, I was wondering what Kasumi would have said had Ranma chosen her to be his fiancée.”

“Oh my,” Kasumi blushed. “I... don’t know...”

“Kasumi isn’t a fighter, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Shampoo!” Soun protested.

“Akane is and she doesn’t stand much of one now.”

Soun bristled at the slur against his teaching skills, causing Genma to laugh.

“Ah, there we are. I was wondering what happened to the Tendo the Tiger I trained with. Prove to me that your skills are enough to train Akane so she can beat Shampoo. Prove it and I will work in your dojo until I can train 100 students to black belt standard or higher.”

“You’re on!” the long-haired man declared, jumping to his feet and puffing out his chest.

‘This shouldn’t be too hard,’ the portly man mused. ‘Tendo’s tired and out of shape. Better give him a helping hand.’ “I’ll even let you have a weapon while I fight unarmed.”

“I don’t need your handicap!”

Kasumi was concerned for her father. She hadn’t seen him get so worked up in a long time. Add in the fact that he was clearly still recovering from the earlier workout and she wasn’t sure he could defeat the man who trained Ranma.

“Father...”

“I may be out of practice, Kasumi, but I can assure that I still have the muscle memory,” Soun said defiantly. He turned to see that his words hadn’t reassured his eldest daughter as much as he’d hoped. “But if it makes you feel better, I will use a weapon.”


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Four minutes later, Genma was shaking his head at the crumpled heap that was his former training partner.

“Tendo-kun, what happened to you?”

“I... you cheated.”

“I gave you a steel-bladed weapon.”

“I didn’t want to shed blood.”

“You obviously didn’t want me to train a hundred students, either,” the portly man sneered. “But still, we’ll continue our training after you’ve had a rest.”

Kasumi helped her father up off the flow. “Father...”

“No, Kasumi, don’t worry about me. I’ve been in worse scrapes,” Soun insisted.

“That’s true,” Genma nodded. “We need to keep you motivated. How about this: If you can defeat me before Akane and Shampoo conclude their challenge, I’ll train those hundred students for you.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Father, are you sure?” Kasumi asked, clearly concerned for the injured man.

“I have my pride. Besides, it’s not like I have to challenge Saotome-kun today,” Soun smiled before coughing. “Ow...”

“Don’t worry, Kasumi, the rest of today’s training will be easy. Nothing more strenuous than balance training.”


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At Furinkan, Nabiki was disappointed in the way Kuno had failed to deal with Ranma. The “Blue Thunder” of Furinkan was more like a “True Blunder”. Sure, Ranma was good, but he wasn’t some invincible martial arts god. The fact that his father had been able to put him down on more than one occasion was proof enough of that.

But Ranma had no obvious weakness.

‘He seems to like Shampoo. Maybe I can turn her against him? Make him feel isolated...’ the mercenary girl pondered. ‘I won’t be able to do it directly – she’s clearly in love with that freak. But what if I turned everyone else against Ranma?’

Nabiki seemed to like where this line of thinking was heading.

‘Yes, if everyone is worried about the dangerous bear roaming around Nerima, then Ranma will be ostracised. And even if he’s not feared as a bear, the girls seem to like him. Maybe I can use that to drive a wedge between him and Shampoo...’


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[Lord Raa]

Got some more for you folks.

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Elsewhere in Furinkan, Ranma was trying to stay awake during his class. He could feel his head dropping down as his eyes closed.

Shampoo watched this with amusement.

It wasn’t often she got to see Ranma in such an unguarded state. Sure, she’d seen him in various states of undress during their trip from China, but those times had always been after a training. Today felt different.

It was like Ranma could relax because he wasn’t expecting an attack. Like he could have something resembling a domestic life.

Shampoo decided that she liked it.

Looking around, the Amazon noticed that some of the other girls were also casting speculative glances at Ranma.

Shampoo decided that she didn’t like that at all.


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Soon it was lunch time and Ranma sat with Shampoo under a tree. He was attempting to relax while she was throwing some not so subtle warnings for the girls to keep away from Ranma with her body language.

It was going well until a section of the wall exploded.

Ranma leapt to his feet and scanned the dust cloud for threats.

“Ranma! I've found you at last!” a male voice declared.

“And you are?” Ranma replied, his eyes narrowing.

“Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Ranma!” the figure said as he strode into view.

“Wait...” the part-time bear trailed off as he tried to remember who it was that he was speaking to.

The young man shook his head. “Don't strain your brain, Ranma...”

Ranma finally twigged who it was standing before him. “Ryoga Hibiki!”

“Yes. And I'm here to finish the duel you ran out from!” the fanged boy declared.

Shampoo looked aghast. In the time she'd known Ranma, he'd never backed down or shied away from a challenge.

His father, well, that was another matter.

“Ranma?” she asked hesitantly.

“Hey, I waited three days for you!”

“And when I got there on the fourth day, you'd gone!” Ryoga snarled angrily.

“It was behind your house,” Ranma protested. “How long was I supposed to wait?”

“You know I can't find places easily!”

Shampoo had to look away to hide her laughter.

(Scene incomplete)

Now, if you folks have any ideas for what to do with Ryoga, I'm open to suggestions. I don't want to go with canon Ryoga, but I'm unsure what to with him at the moment.

Should I give him a curse? If so, what should it be?

At the moment, Ryoga (in this story at least) isn't an irredeemable helmet. I feel he should have some kind of success in this iteration. Perhaps pair him up with Akane? Maybe Nabiki falls for him?