Since this isn't causing people to die horrible deaths, I'll post a new chapter.
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Thus, the Stallion Escapes Here
By Lord Raa
Disclaim-me-do: If you can’t get through breakfast without a scotch, where the hell does that leave you at your cousin’s wedding?
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Chapter 5
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Genma Saotome looked on tearfully as his wife prepared to depart.
“Nodoka...”
“No, Genma Saotome, I am leaving you. I've made my mind up. If I'd been stronger and resisted you and your plan for his training, Ranma would be a better, more rounded person. Sure, he's a manly young man, but he's too crude and crass for the modern world,” Nodoka chided as she inspected her katana.
“But this other world...”
“This other world might be brutal and awful compared to modern Japan, but it might also be more suited to the man you raised. He could be the greatest warrior in that world, protecting countless people from monsters. Or he could be dead in a ditch because something went wrong after you put a stupid idea in his head.” That last comment was punctuated by Nodoka snapping the blade into its scabbard.
Genma gulped nervously.
“I'll be leaving this sword with you, Genma.”
“Why?”
“Because I am no longer part of your family. If I find Ranma, and I can bring him home, we might meet again,” Nodoka said, clearly emotional about what was happening. “But I wouldn't hold my breath, if I was in your position.”
After handing over the sword, the recently rejuvenated Nodoka left the Tendo home for her new quest.
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The two soldiers on duty at the Itazuma base entrance were surprised to see a civilian woman in a kimono approach them. The men there were even more surprised to see that it was a beautiful woman in her early twenties.
“Can we help you, Mrs...”
“It's MISS Nodoka Kuribayashi. I've got an appointment with General Kawamoto,” the civilian replied.
“Oh, let me check...” the Corporal looked at the list he'd been given and saw that there was a Nodoka Kuribayashi expected that morning. “I'll let the General know that you have arrived. Please bear with me for a moment.”
Nodoka looked around the base, noting that there were a number of men partaking in an early morning run around the perimeter. It reminded her of when Ranma would practice in the morning with his father.
'I wonder if Ranma would consider a role with the military...' she pondered before the Corporal attracted her attention. “Yes?”
“I've spoken with the General's office and he's sending Captain Sato to meet with you,” the sentry explained. “However, I will have to search your bag before we allow it on base.”
“Of course, I understand entirely,” Nodoka smiled as she handed over her baggage.
The two men opened the bag and started to inspect it. They weren't sure what to make of the Chinese style silk shirts, but after they'd gotten a look at Miss Kuribayashi, they decided she would look good in almost anything.
After a few more minutes of searching the two soldiers deemed that there was no contraband or anything sinister in Nodoka's bag and returned it to her.
“Please accept our apologies for unseating everything, but we are on a heightened alert,” the Corporal said with his head bowed.
“I understand the need for security,” Nodoka smiled warmly.
As she zipped up her bag, Captain Sato approached the gate in a jeep.
“Nodoka Kuribayashi?”
“Yes, Sir,” Nodoka said with a salute.
The correct salute took the Captain by surprise for a moment before he recalled General Kawamoto's unusual orders. “If you'll follow me, Miss Kuribayashi, we'll get you kitted out before we put you through the tests.”
After the jeep left, the two sentries turned to each other. “Did you see the size of her bras?”
“I know, those cups were huge. She's properly stacked. Wait, if she's going to be tested, does that mean she'll be running around the base later?”
“She had a sports bra though,” the Corporal said sadly. “No jiggle show for the spectators.”
“Ah crap. But she will be in a t-shirt. I bet even with a sports bra on, she'll fill it out nicely.”
“Too right. Bring on the PT!”
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Nodoka looked rather fetching in her fatigues as she stood at ease with a group of soldiers. Her arrival had been assumed to be part of the selection process for the expedition through the Gate. After all, most of them had been through something similar.
Not that anything had been confirmed to anyone below the rank of Colonel yet, but the open secret was that they were planning for a mission to bring those that attacked Ginza back to face justice.
“Soldiers,” General Kawamoto said, addressing the assembled troops, “I have some good news and bad. Today, I can finally reveal that we will be going through the Gate: We will get justice for those who suffered in the Ginza Incident. That is the good news. The bad news is not all of you will be in the initial deployment.
“Because of the unknown factors surrounding this mission, it has been decided that we will take only the best JSDF infantry in the initial expedition. Right now, in three other bases in Japan, the JGSDF is having briefings very similar to this one.”
He looked across the faces of the soldiers before him and felt a sense of pride swell inside his chest. Then he noticed his niece, Nodoka. She certainly looked the part in the fatigues and had been strong-willed and focused enough to complete physical any task put to her, but this was very different to climbing Mt. Fuji or running a marathon.
“We will be performing three tests today as part of the final selection. First, will be the standard fitness test, then we'll have some gunnery practice and finally, a special forces exercise. You will be scored on all three tests, with the top fifty percent being selected.”
The soldiers looked on, waiting for more clarification from their commanding officer.
“Those of you who are not selected for the initial deployment will take part in the second deployment. The exact nature of this second deployment has not yet been decided. This is because of the unknown factors surrounding an operation like this, but it has been expected that you will be there to help build the base camp. You might be relieving front line troops for patrols. Not being selected is not a slur on your skills as an individual soldier, as some of you have already proved yourselves. What it is, is the JSDF wanting to put its best foot forward on this mission. We will have the eyes of the world upon us.”
After taking a moment to allow his words to sink in, the General handed off to Captain Sato to begin the first stage of the selection process.
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General Kawamoto looked at the results of the first round of physical testing. His niece had come in with the best time for the women the and fourth best time over all . Evidently, she was ready to go on this mission to bring her son back. If he hadn't seen Nodoka change before his eyes, he wouldn't have believed such a plan could come close to working.
Though, he had to wonder what would happen if she did actually meet Ranma. Would he believe that this woman only a few years older than than he was was his mother?
But even if she found Ranma alive and well and they both made it back to Japan, what then? Ranma had been declared dead and his name was to be inscribed on the planned memorial. Japanese bureaucracy was not something that could be easily overridden, even if someone came back from the dead and walked into the office.
Could someone even have a normal life after such an experience? It was possible that Ranma could have been captured and put to work as a slave in harsh conditions. If that was the case, he'd need some serious therapy before he could be a productive member of society.
Then again, what if Ranma had been fortunate enough to travel around this other world? What information could be tell them? Could he draw them a map? Or perhaps he might know something of the political or economic systems of this world?
Regardless of what Ranma wanted, he'd have be questioned thoroughly before he'd be allowed back into Japan.
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Nodoka's gunnery skills were impressive. She ranked second place, only dropping a few points thanks to her first three shots being affected by the wind. Once she got herself into the zone, she'd proved herself lethal with every round she fired. Heart, face, neck, sternum, all were double-tapped when she was on the semi-auto phase of the shooting section.
“How do you do it, Kuribayashi?” one of the prospective members of the expeditionary force asked. “How do get that many kill shots so effortlessly?”
“I pretend that the silhouette is a panda,” Nodoka said as she field stripped her weapon and started to clean it. “ I hate pandas.”
“But pandas are cute,” another countered.
“You obviously haven't spent any time in Nerima lately.”
“What?”
“It's a long story, but because of a stupid, lazy panda, I've got to go rescue someone important to me,” Nodoka said as she cleaned the barrel of her rifle. “Maybe one day I'll tell you the story, but for now, don't dress up as a panda around me if you want to remain healthy.”
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After lunch, Captain Sato brought the interim report on the candidates to General Kawamoto.
“Hmm...” the General said as he looked over the scores. “Looks like Nodoka is going to qualify for the cut.”
“Yes, Sir,” the Captain agreed.
After a moment, Kawamoto could sense that there was an unasked question. “What's on your mind, Captain?”
“Permission to speak candidly, sir?”
“With the caveat that this conversation never took place, speak your mind, Captain Sato.”
“What's your interest in Private Kuribayashi?”
“She's my niece. She came to me yesterday for a favour.”
“Yesterday? That would explain why I found no record of her in the system before yesterday,” the Captain said, clearly uncomfortable with the nepotism being displayed here.
“I know. I'm not proud of what I did, but what else can you do when a family member tells you that they have to search for their son?”
Sato blinked. “Son? But she's only 20... The invaders captured an infant?”
“No, Ranma isn't an infant, Captain. Though it would make things a little easier if he was. Not because child abduction is a good thing, but it would mean that I hadn't seen something I wouldn't believe possible,” the General sighed. “When you get the chance, check out the report that was filed for 'Genma Saotome' after the Ginza Incident or better yet, go visit the Tendo Dojo in Nerima.”
“What? Why? Did he do something?”
“He turned into a panda right before Lieutenant Inoue and Dr. Soh.”
“Turned into a panda?” Sato repeated in disbelief. “Wait, there's a rumour that Private Kuribayashi hates pandas... That's not related, is it?”
“That is not something I could possibly comment on, Captain. But to allay your fears about Private Kuribayashi, she was a reservist for a number of years. There might be some record of a Nodoka Saotome in some dusty office somewhere if you find that you must know more, but we have much more pressing matters. Is that clear?”
“Crystal, Sir. I'll leave you to look over the scores from the gunnery tests, sir.” Sato saluted before leaving the office.
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In the world beyond the Gate, Ranma's language lessons were coming on in leaps and bounds. Sure, he couldn't correctly conjugate a verb and his tenses were often confused thanks to Japanese only having two tenses that the local language having three, but Lelei was impressed with Ranma's progress. After only a few days, he already had the vocabulary of a preschooler.
What had helped the learning process was the decision to include a blank book and some charcoal so Ranma could sketch the concept he needed to communicate. It was effectively playing a parlour game in lieu of being in a classroom, but it was the best they could do under the circumstances. Adapting things was a speciality of Anything Goes practitioners, after all.
Lelei was beginning to wonder if she should start teaching Ranma how to read before they got to Rondel or use one of Cato's friends to take care of that while she researched this shape changing problem of his. Though, the more she thought about Ranma's language skills, the more questions she had about his origins.
“Ranma,” she said turning to the bored looking young man. “Can you write your name for me?”
Ranma blinked in confusion.
Lelei mimed writing in the blank book and said, “Ranma.”
“¬Oh, right, you want me to write my name. Sure thing.¬”
Picking up the charcoal and book, Ranma wrote the kanji for his name and handed it back.
Lelei's eyes widened when she saw the characters. “Ranma?”
“¬Yes. Ran. Ma,¬” the martial artist said, pointing to each character and speaking the sounds for it. He took the book back and wrote 'Lelei' in katakana. “Lelei.”
While it wasn't surprising for there to be different characters used for the names, it seemed unusual for there to be such a difference between the ones used. “These letters are so different.”
“¬Ah, I know what's wrong. Give me a minute,¬” Ranma said retaking the book. He wrote his name in katakana. “Ra. N. Ma.”
Lelei scratched her head. This language Ranma spoke was complicated. There were different ways to write his name, and that wasn't just a simple spelling choice, it was a whole set of characters. She would have to learn more about his language when she had time to study it.
She wrote some letters down in the book and showed them to Ranma. “Ra. N. Ma.”
Some of the letters looked the same, causing Ranma to realise what was going on. “¬It's like kana, their writing is based on sounds... Man, the one time I could do with Hinako-sensei and she's a world away!¬”
Ranma work out a crick in his neck. “Show Ranma letters.” He punctuated his words with the mime for writing.
Lelei smiled. “Very well, Ranma, here are the letters to our alphabet...”
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Nodoka had managed to complete her part of the final training stage with no problems. She'd been told as soon as she'd caught her breath back that she's been selected for the initial deployment.
“Thank you, Sir,” she saluted Captain Sato.
“Though, I do have a few questions for you, Private Kuribayashi.”
“If I can answer them, I will, Sir.”
“Please, follow me to my office. I think this is something best discussed in private.”
Nodoka frowned for a moment, but if it would help her plan to get Ranma back, then she could tolerate a come-on from a superior officer. “Of course, Sir.”
When they were alone in the office, Sato took his seat behind his desk. “You seem hell-bent on going through the Gate, Private. Why?”
“I... I felt it appropriate to defend Japan's honour after the Ginza Incident,” Nodoka answered reflexively. “To see one's homeland invaded is a grave insult. It should be answered in kind.”
“I see,” the Captain nodded, figuring that this was a practised answer. “Apparently, one of the people lost during the Ginza Incident was a young man named Ranma Saotome. Did you know this person?”
“Not as well as I would have liked,” the Private admitted.
“Were you engaged to be married?”
“Oh no, I-” Nodoka froze as she realised that she couldn't just say what her relationship was to Ranma. For one, Captain Sato would never believe her, and secondly, it would embarrass her uncle, General Kawamoto. “I mean, he's a family member.”
“So you have never been Nodoka Saotome, wife of Genma Saotome and mother of Ranma Saotome?” Sato asked in his sternest tone.
Nodoka frowned. “Do I look like I'm old enough to have a teenaged child?”
“No, but apparently, General Kawamoto saw something strange in his office yesterday evening,” the Captain replied. “Speaking of yesterday, why is there no reference to you in the JSDF system before yesterday? Tell me the truth or you'll never set foot through the Gate.”
“General Kawamoto will override you, Captain Sato. That's how hierarchies work, isn't it?”
“And yet, I am above you. You will tell me what I want to know.”
There was a deafening silence as Nodoka pondered what to do. This man was throwing up quite the obstacle for her plan. A plan already fighting impossible odds just to get off the ground.
Sato realised that he was pushing his luck, given the General's earlier comment about them being too busy to investigate. He coughed politely. “Of course, this briefing is off the record. If anyone asks, we are having a polite chat so I can determine which unit you should be assigned to. So, please, tell me what I want to know.”
Nodoka took a deep breath before explaining that she was Ranma's mother, but had served Genma with divorce papers. “I heard his story, but I didn't believe that Ranma was dead. I have to find out what happened to him.”
“But the odds of you finding your son alive and well are remote.”
“Sir, I missed most of Ranma's life, so I only know a fraction of what he went through. But from what did I hear, fighting against impossible odds and winning is a family habit,” the Private said proudly. “A mother's love is not something to get in the way of.”
“Indeed. Though, is it true that you hate pandas?”
“Pandas are worthless beasts. Any animal too lazy to keep up its population numbers by mating deserves to be allowed to die off,” Nodoka said, her eye twitching ever so slightly. “Plus, my ex-husband turned into a panda when splashed with cold water.”
“I... what?” Sato asked, unsure of what he'd heard.
“It's a long story, one I couldn't possibly have the time to go into significant details without knowing which unit I was assigned to, Sir.”
'You're a cunning thing, aren't you, Nodoka Kuribayashi?' the officer mused. “Well, officially, we don't know what the situation will be, so we're developing several scenarios. One of them involves recon teams. Your name will be on the list for such a deployment.”
“In that case, perhaps we should reconvene after dinner? I imagine that I'm not exactly fragrant right now,” Nodoka smiled.
“We'll meet in the Mess at 20:00 for dinner. Be prompt.”
“Sir,” the Private said, snapping to attention.
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In the Mess Hall, Nodoka was waiting in the food line for Captain Sato.
“Apologies, Private, I needed to complete some paperwork. I hope I haven't keep you waiting.”
“Not at all,” Nodoka smiled as she handed a tray to the office.
“Thank you, Private. I made a few calls earlier, apparently there are some stories floating around Nerima.”
“Oh?” the Private asked. “I'm sure that every ward in Tokyo has stories about it floating around.”
“But not stories like Nerima has,” Sato replied, a ghost of smile on his lips. “I hear that there are a number of skilled martial artists there.”
“One or two,” Nodoka replied non-committally. “But, like I said, I'm sure that could be the same for almost any part of the country.”
“Yes, but these stories also involve a panda.”
Nodoka froze. “Panda...”
“Yes. One that was seen with a red-headed girl.”
“So there was a girl with a pet panda,” the Private replied before ordering her food. She turned back to the Captain. “What of it?”
“The girl had exactly the same name as a boy in Nerima.”
“Careful, Captain, people might think that you're having a mental breakdown to talk about boys turning into girls and back again,” Nodoka said, hoping that Sato would take the hint and wait until they had a little more privacy before continuing the conversation.
“Indeed. I wondered if there was a problem with the water supply in Nerima after I heard the stories,” Sato smiled before ordering his own meal.
The pair made their way to a table far away from the rest of the room.
“So, what do you want to know, Captain?” Nodoka asked as she seasoned her food.
“How much of what you hear about Nerima is true?”
“How much of anything is true? What's that saying? Anything can be true, for a given value of true. Of course, I wasn't there for much of Ranma's time in Nerima, so I couldn't verify much of anything, but I'll answer what I can.”
“Fair enough. Let's start at the beginning. The panda and the redhead.”
“Well, apparently that started on a training trip to China...”
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To be continued...