No Need for Destiny
Chapter 5
No Need for Children
Disclaimer: I donÆt own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.
I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.
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Ranma sighed, looking at the younger off-color version of himself, sitting in his lap. He had his deep blue eyes, even if the whites of them had been replaced with a lighter purple that was found in TokimiÆs eyes; the hair a blend of red and brown, giving it a copper appearance.
Then there was the hair done in a pigtail; a definite sign of Ranma-genes. ôSo,ö said Ranma, ôshould I expect a request for child support from Tsunami was well?ö
ôNo,ö said the human-sized Tokimi, taking on a form she could only maintain for short amounts of time within her temple. ôOnly I bore a child from that encounter, and only Washu had from before the encounter.ö
Ranma nodded. ôSo,ö he said, turning to look at his child with Tokimi, ôwhatÆs your full name, little one?ö
The child smiled, looking with happiness on the form of his father finally before him. ôIÆm Ranma!ö
ôRanma?ö asked Nabiki.
ôHeÆs named after Daddy,ö chimed Miyuki.
ôCan I be named after Daddy too?ö asked Mikumo.
ôWhatÆs your full name?ö asked Ranma, letting Nabiki handle the other children asking why they werenÆt named after him.
ôUm ... I forget.ö
Ranma blinked in surprise. ôTokimi?ö he asked, assuming the mother of his child would know.
ôHis name is Ranma Chaotica Kuramitsu.ö
ôChaotica?ö asked Nabiki, trying to explain to Mikumo why he now wasnÆt named after her. ôThatÆs an unusual middle name.ö
ôSome believe I am a Goddess of Chaos,ö said Tokimi, walking over to her son and Ranma, rubbing the childÆs cheek affectionately. ôIt just seemed ... appropriate ... considering whom his father is.ö
ôTrue,ö said Nabiki. ôRanma-kun does seem to attract chaos.ö
Growling a bit at Nabiki, who was now holding the two kids they had raised for the last four years, he turned to Tokimi. ôAnd you were going to tell me I was a father again ... when?ö
Tokimi sighed, before sitting beside him, taking hold of his hand. ôUnlike WashuÆs son, he was born to a fully active goddess, which means his powers are a lot stronger, much sooner than her sonÆs will be. As such, he must be trained to handle his powers, before he could leave this temple, before he could meet his father.ö
ôBut I wanted to meet Daddy!ö yelled out Chaotica. ôThatÆs why I used that spell; to bring Daddy here.ö
ôI have gone over the spell he used,ö said D3, fading into his ghostly view. ôWhile the intent was to summon Lord Ranma Kuramitsu, the wording caused the spell to seek out the closest male relative. As his father only shares half of his DNA with him, the DNA shared by the Goddesses adds to that, making Lord Mikumo Kuramitsu a closer match as far as the spell was concerned.ö
ôSo it brought me?ö asked Mikumo.
ôYes,ö answered D3. ôLord Ranma Chaotica was not specific enough for the spell to solely target your father.ö
ôThen whyÆd it bring me?ö asked Miyuki.
ôYou were holding his hand,ö answered D3, ôso you were brought along as well.ö
ôOh,ö said the now blushing girl.
ôDoes this mean weÆll be a family now?ö asked Chaotica hopefully.
Tokimi looked at him, a small tear in her eye. ôRanma, my son, I cannot leave this place until my sisters asked to be freed, and I could not ask your family to stay here.ö
ôBut I donÆt wanna lose them again!ö whined Chaotica.
ôTokimi,ö said Ranma, ôcan we share custody. I can help train him in control.ö
Tokimi looked at the child she bore with the man, as well as the man himself. ôI will allow it to be tried. I will need to instruct him on the proper way to teleport. We can work out issues of length of time on a moment-to-moment basis.ö She looked directly into her sonÆs eyes. ôYouÆll have to double your studies, learning both your fatherÆs style, and that of me. This is a big responsibility. Do you accept?ö
Chaotica nodded quickly, smiling. ôYEAH!ö
Tokimi turned to Ranma, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. ôIt will take a week, and he will be able to teleport to your home before I let him go.
ôUntil that time, I request you stay here, and enjoy the temple. They may not solely contain ghoples, but I am certain the children will enjoy it.ö
She turned around, looking at the massive man known as G. ôPlease escort the children on a tour. I wish to further discuss things with their parents.ö
ôAs you wish, miÆlady,ö bowed the man, as he motioned for the children to follow.
ôRanma,ö said Tokimi, looking at her son. ôAfter the tour, why donÆt you show your brother and sister your room?ö
ôOkay mommy,ö said the sad kid, not wanting to leave his father so soon after seeing him.
ôAnd no more spells, young man, until weÆve had time for you to learn more control.ö
ôOkay,ö he sighed, rushing off to catch up to his siblings.
Nabiki smirked as she walked over to the two remaining people. ôDonÆt tell me this was your solution to get us back in the sack, Tokimi-chan?ö
The goddess blushed a bit, appearing to become nervous. ôWell, the thought has crossed my mind. After all, a girl never forgets her first love or her first time.ö
ôThat depends on how good they were,ö chuckled Nabiki.
ôDonÆt I get a say in this?ö asked Ranma. ôI do have rights, you know?ö
ôThat is okay, Ranma-kun,ö said Tokimi, straightening up. ôWe have too much to discuss at the moment for such ... enjoyable activities, even though IÆm certain your wife will be more energetic this time without a baby girl holding her back.
ôNo, we need to discuss the arrangement for Chibi-RanmaÆs life outside the temple.ö
ôSuch as?ö asked Nabiki, taking a seat on the other side of Ranma, as Tokimi took a seat on his right side.
ôHe will need some way to limit his powers. As a godling, he will be stronger than most people, if not all; including those enhanced with GP technology.ö
ôThat wonÆt be too much of a problem,ö Ranma said, smiling, as he rolled back his bracer sleeves, to reveal metal cuffs.
Nabiki shook her head. ôAfter we first arrived on Seniwa, Ranma-kun learned he needed to hold back more and more, but his time was torn between fighting the isolationist policies of the former council and us. So, with my help and with what technology we were available to use from TsunamiÆs trees and WashuÆs upgrades, we constructed bracers that acted as dampeners.ö
ôNot perfect, though,ö said Ranma, rubbing his wrists. He had upped their power on the ship, afraid he would destroy them all when he tried to take out the invaders. Even after all this time, he was relatively certain he was at a level now that on Earth; he would have been after twenty years or more, thanks to the advanced training abilities of the Academy and Jurai; such as gravity rooms and adaptive fighting holograms. ôThey have to be upgraded every few months, but they help.ö
ôRanma-kun is constantly expanding his reserves,ö added Nabiki, leaning back into her chair. ôHe reminds me a bit about an anime race, but that is neither here nor there.ö
ôItÆs something I set up when I first learned to use chi and ki as weapons on Jurai,ö he said, his voice low. ôI created a technique where my reserves would continue to grow, but not to the rate where they would trash my body.ö
ôA workout without doing the work?ö asked Nabiki.
He nodded. ôI didnÆt want to take the chance IÆd be overwhelmed again. Palk has been helping me with it, allowing me to train in my dreamscape.ö
ôMaybe you should take some time off to train a bit here in reality,ö suggested Tokimi, ôbefore the levels start to get to where they will tear you up, or at least until you can stop the technique.ö
ôCanÆt stop it,ö said Ranma. ôAt least not yet. It sort of spun out of control, and the dispel technique I had planned to use isnÆt working.ö
ôHow strong?ö asked Nabiki.
ôI could probably level about two-thirds of the capital city on Seniwa right now with one attack.ö
Nabiki whistled, impressed at that. The capital city on Seniwa was pretty big, bigger by far than any city she had known of on Earth, and probably a few islands as well.
Tokimi nodded. ôThen I will teach you the techniques as well, and ask that you provide Chibi-Ranma those bracers, until he learns control of his physical abilities.ö
Nabiki nodded. ôSounds good, but exactly how well do those techniques youÆre teaching Chibi-Ranma work?ö
ôVery well,ö said Tokimi. ôIÆve had my subordinates working on those techniques based off what Galaxy Police does with their upgraded and enhanced individuals and those systems. IÆve just had a problem in that he progresses faster in power than control.ö
ôOkay,ö said Nabiki. ôI think we have several rooms he can stay in, and Ranma keeps several models of the bracers in his subspace pocket for spare parts; so we should be able to construct a few prototypes to test on Chibi-Ranma.ö
ôDoes he have the same blessings that you and your sisters gave us?ö asked Ranma.
ôYes,ö said Tokimi. ôAs such, when your trees start to bear seedlings, I ask that you give him his own space tree.ö
ôWill it be powerful enough to assist him?ö asked Nabiki. As far as she knew from what she had gathered from the Jurai Tree Gardens and their caretakers, was that each generation tree born was lower than the parents, and thus weaker. Can a second-generation tree handle Chibi-Ranma?
ôYes,ö said Tokimi. ôAs Ranma has shown with his tree, Palk; they are quite remarkable. They can easily help him learn control.
ôBut this requires a level of control for himself. Being the child of a goddess, he already possesses large amounts of power. If he does not learn control before he is joined with his tree, then the feedback may injure both ... or kill them both.ö
ôI see,ö said Nabiki. ôBut with your techniques to help him, as well as the discipline Ranma can teach him through Anything Goes ... will that be enough to help?ö
Tokimi nodded. ôThat was my hope. I wanted him to be prepared as best as I could before I summoned you here. However, I underestimated his need for ... family.ö
Ranma nodded. ôHe just wanted to know there was more, wanted to know why,ö he said, sighing, and leaning more into the chair. ôI canÆt blame him for that, and he did get Mikumo and Miyuki out of there.ö
He reached into his shirt, accessing his subspace pocket, and withdrew two bracers. ôThese are the last ones I used. They should be a good starter set for him, and hold him until we get some major headway on his control.ö
ôThat will have to do for now, until we determine what more we may need to do, if anything,ö said Nabiki.
ôWell,ö said Tokimi, standing up, ôthat takes care of the most important issue. Now for the second important issue.ö
ôWhich is?ö asked Ranma, before both he and Nabiki fell backwards as the back of the couch shifted, reforming as a bed.
Tokimi licked her lips. ôTake a guess.ö
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ôWhat was that noise?ö asked Chibi-Ranma, as the group had paused before the ghoples that were kept within the Temple.
Mikumo and Miyuki shivered a bit.
ôWe know those noises,ö said Miyuki. ôMommy and Daddy said weÆre not to bug them when theyÆre making those noises, or itÆll make us wet the bed till weÆre twenty.ö
ôYeah,ö stuttered Mikumo. ôDad said our hair would fall out and weÆd go blind.ö
G simple looked in the direction the moan had come from. Strange, I did not believe sound carried that well around here. We are kilometers from their last location, after all.
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Ranma was panting as he finished his kata. It was merely that he had to catch his breath and not the lack of energy to continue on that was disturbing him. It meant he had more energy than his body was trained to hold and use adequately.
Simply put, he was a kidÆs toy running on a nuclear battery.
ôDamn it,ö he muttered, ôI didnÆt think the imbalance was this great.ö
Even with the techniques Tokimi had shown him after their ... personal time, he was still becoming upset with what he was discovering. He wasnÆt keeping up with his reserves. And everyday, the gulf between the two grew larger and larger.
He had never had this problem in Nerima. His body adapted as fast as his reserves did. If not, then some idiot with a grudgeùusually something stupid or based off GenmaÆs actions, which was sadly the same thing in most casesùwould exploit it and take him out ... permanently.
ôI was a young fool back then,ö he muttered to himself, resuming a light kata to keep some kinks from forming in his muscles as he contemplated his situation. ôThere were some idiots I should never have allowed a second chance.ö
He cursed himself for not wising up sooner.
Was his old man evil? Probably not. Being evil would have required Genma Saotome to have an IQ larger than the number of pieces on a shogi board. He acted stupidly, without full knowledge of the situation, and without regard to others made him seem evil.
I wonder if some people viewed me like that. I really was the baka-pandaÆs son, wasnÆt I?
Oh, it didnÆt mean he would forgive the bloated moron; far from it. If Genma learned of what Ranma had now, the old man would demand ôhis fair shareö, and then keep coming back for more and more.
Of course, the old Ranma might have fallen prey to such actions. Hell, the old man knew exactly what strings to pull to get him to jump.
Now, he had three children to think of, a former wife who would not be with him for eonsùassuming he lived that long, one wife who loved him more now then he could have ever thought possible on Earth, a Goddess who seemed to care for him a great dealùeven if he was a ôlesserö being, and a corporation/empire that he was slowly guiding to what he felt was a better way of life.
And this was all based on what he believed was important.
It was important ... right?
ôOf course it is,ö he spat, angry that he had ever doubted it.
Seniwa was doing better now than it had during the reign of the greedy board members. Business was good, people were happy, and the future looked better. Xenophobia and other stupid beliefs were losing steam with the truth being placed in the open; forcing those who thrived on such hate to either see the truth or withdraw from societies that no longer accepted their dogma as sacred law.
The women... The children... How could he ever doubt them as important?
NabikiÆs smile when they first woke up in the morning...
TokimiÆs giggle when you tickled her ribs just so...
The first time Mikumo had grabbed his finger with wide open and joyous eyes...
The birth of Miyuki...
But such thoughts struck a cord in him, making him feel a large amount of sadness. He didnÆt have those memories for Chibi-Ranma. He hadnÆt been around for his birth, his first words, first steps, first anything; Ranma had been absent for over three years of his sonÆs life.
Not that he blamed himself of Tokimi for that. He had to admit she had perfect reasons. For all he knew, one diaper incident could wipe out all life on a planet. Not a happy image, and probably not true; but it was just an example of the dangers Chibi-Ranma could create if untrained.
Not that his old man is any better. IÆve got a short-cut going out of control, and no clue how to stop it. Hell, I barely get to see them as it is; and I canÆt let up at Seniwa yet until things are secured.
Man; IÆm worse than my old man. As much of a fuck-up that he was, at least he was there ... well, more than I have been.
ôDaddy?ö
Ranma stopped his kata, turning to see Chibi-Ranma standing in the doorway. ôCareful, the roomÆs set for twenty times standard gravity.
ôOh,ö said the kid, before he walked out onto the floor, not even showing the slightest sign that the gravity was straining him.
Ranma merely raised an eyebrow. ôTrain in higher gravity?ö
Chibi-Ranma nodded. ôYep; Mommy says it is to help me burn off energy.ö
Ranma nodded. It made sense. The kid would need to learn to handle normal gravity and hold back, but also needed to burn off excess energy. ôSo, you want to spar?ö
The kid nodded happily, glad to be spending time with his father.
This is so perfect!
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ôIÆm sorry! IÆm sorry! IÆm so sorry!ö cried Chibi-Ranma.
Ranma winced a bit as G began to heal him. ôItÆs okay, son. There is always the chance of getting hurt in a spar.ö
The two went through a simple warm-up exercise; Ranma being surprised that somehow, Tokimi had already had Chibi-Ranma taught the beginnings of Anything Goes. He didnÆt know that the information had been ôdownloadedö when the Three Goddesses had reunited.
As such, Ranma went through a simple spar with his newest son, wanting to find any holes in the style. He could tell the teachings had been second-hand knowledge; it showed in his form. So, Ranma corrected him, demonstrated, and carried on.
It wasnÆt that Miyuki and Mikumo had no talent for the Art. They did. But Chibi-Ranma had surpassed them for the moment; he had the advantage of having to be taught control at a rapid pace, while the other older siblings had other duties and scholastics to learn.
Nabiki was very adamant that they have their studies done before training.
Tokimi was apparently the same, just in an opposite view: training before studies.
So, Ranma cranked it up a notch, seeing how well Chibi-Ranma was versed in Anything Goes, as well as his control as a martial artist. He was surprised at the level the three year old boy was fighting at.
So much so, that he didnÆt react quickly enough when Chibi-Ranma landed a kick ... hard, sending Ranma sixteen centimeters into the wall.
Normally, that wouldnÆt have been a problem; fights with Ryoga and AkaneÆs usual reactions toughened him up beyond that.
No; it was the fact that he had hit the junction that controlled the gravity.
Thus, Ranma was slammed back down to the floor and experiencing close to two hundred times standard gravity; eight times the highest he had ever trained in.
Suffice to say, he received a few injuries.
ôPlease donÆt be mad!ö
ôSON!ö cried Ranma, finally snapping Chibi-Ranma out of his furious apologizing, and making him look at his father, who was now a healthier shade of pink. ôThis was an accident, they happen, this is not your fault in any form. Is that understood?ö
The boy started to sniffle, trying to dry his tears. ôI u-understand,ö he whispered.
ôGood,ö said Ranma. ôOn the bright side, you have one hell of a roundhouse kick.ö
Chibi-Ranma chuckled a bit, before he threw himself on the healed man. ôYouÆre not leaving?ö
Ranma shook his head. ôNah, IÆd never leave my kids.ö
Chibi-Ranma smiled, before he drifted off to sleep, the day being too much for him, and the mental exhaustion finally catching up to him.
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ôSo, this is your room,ö said Nabiki.
Chibi-Ranma looked amazed. ôThis is all ... for me?ö True, it was smaller than his room at the Temple.
But it wasnÆt the size that impressed him. It was the fact that he had a spot all his own ... in his familyÆs home. He was part of a family.
But... ôWhereÆs Daddy?ö
Nabiki smiled, rubbing the boyÆs head. ôHe had to take care of something real quick.ö
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ôI see,ö said Ranma.
ôThat is all we got from them,ö said Detective Hinata. ôThey received their orders from an anonymous source, paid very well with untraceable funds, and left no way for contact.ö
Ranma nodded. ôThese assholes were too well prepared. They had our flight plan right down to exit point from hyperspace and the design specs for the ship we were on.ö
The detective nodded. ôWe searched the ships at the location of the attack. We found several programs meant to open the safe rooms; Class 1 overrides.ö
Ranma closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. ôThose overrides are only known to the design team and the owners of those ships.ö
ôAnd since yours is the only currently active model...ö
Ranma gritted his teeth. ôIt means I have some people to ... talk ... with.ö
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Ranma and Nabiki were sitting down, watching some late-night television. Despite his earlier activities, Ranma had made it to dinner that night on time.
Of course, Nabiki wasnÆt known for missing the activities at work, so she easily spotted what he had been doing.
ôReally, Ranma-kun; blowing up a research lab and threatening to send a lab tech to the fiery pits of hell one strip of flesh at a time were a bit much.ö
He snorted. ôThese guys seriously underestimated us. They wonÆt make that mistake twice; which means we have to get them now.ö
ôI know, Ranma-kun,ö she said, snuggling up to him. ôBut we still need to have a few trump cards up our sleeves.ö
ôWe have trump cards,ö said Ranma. ôWe have two of them growing right now.ö
ôYouÆd better not be talking about the children,ö she said, her voice harsh.
ôNo, the trees,ö said Ranma. ôIf we can get them space-worthy and WashuÆs...ö he paused, shaking his head of the memory of his first wife. There will be time enough for those memories when we are together again, Washu-chan. ôIf the cloak works, the ships can follow us around, and be our emergency trump card.ö
He turned back to the television. ôI have several board members I can trust to run things a little more, while I work on the training for the children and you.ö
Nabiki sighed. ôI know; I shouldnÆt have gotten my leg broken when they busted through.ö
ôThatÆs not it.ö
She turned to him, curious. ôThen what is it?ö She found his answer as he clutched at her hand.
ôI donÆt want to lose anyone ever again. I donÆt want to lose you, or Mikumo, or Miyuki, and Chibi-Ranma. I donÆt want my family to suffer because I was distracted from making certain youÆd be able to stand by yourself in a fight if need be.ö
Smiling, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. ôSo does this mean IÆll be seeing more of you around the house?ö
He nodded, smiling slightly. ôMost of what I do can be done at home. IÆll just have to go to the office occasionally for the intimidation factor.ö
They were prevented from going further, when a small child wandered into the room, a blanket trailing in his hands, as he crawled up onto RanmaÆs lap.
ôChibi-Ranma?ö asked Nabiki.
ôCan I still sleep with you guys?ö he asked, having done so while they had stayed at the Temple.
Chuckling a bit, Ranma smiled once again. ôSure, son. Just be careful and no kicking in your sleep. Plus ... could you leave me some covers tonight?ö
His joke was lost on the youngest Kuramitsu child, as he had already fallen asleep.
ôHeÆs still afraid,ö said Nabiki.
ôCan you blame him?ö asked Ranma. ôTokimi could only take that form perhaps once or twice a month. That means a lot of nights where he was all alone with no family to comfort him.ö
Nabiki nodded. ôI remember nights like that; just after my Mother passed on. I would crawl into KasumiÆs bed, hugging her all night. Sometimes, I had to be careful because Akane would be doing the same thing, and she wasnÆt the calmest of sleepers. You?ö
ôYou think the old man was ever the caring type?ö he said, rocking Chibi-Ranma slightly. ôIÆll admit ... there were times I wished he was, that I was back with Mom,ö he said, a single tear falling from his eye as he recalled those times, usually after a tirade from his old man about ôbeing a weak girlö, or some technique training that the old man hadnÆt really thought through or even came up with; such as the Nekoken, the Lion Cub training, and the beginning lessons for how to fall ... starting from a third story window.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. ôYou have a caring family now, Ranma-kun. WeÆre all here for you.ö
Nodding, he turned to her. ôNabiki, is it okay if they all stay with us tonight?ö
ôSure,ö she said, before turning to the doorway. ôYou can return your blankets now and head for our bedroom, you two.ö
ôEep!ö came the dual reply.
For the night, all five slept in the same bed.
For the night, no nightmare was able to get through to them.
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ôThis is pathetic!ö yelled Kain, tossing the data-board across the room. ôWe had numbers, we had forces, and had superior power, and they still survived!ö
ôThe sheer cost was very disconcerting,ö said Min, a tale female with silver hair and yellow skin. ôToo bad we cannot recover those funds.ö
ôA small pittance,ö said Joh, a four-armed green-skinned troll-like figure. ôWe acknowledged that getting rid of the Kuramitsu line would not be a cheap enterprise.ö
ôIt was one thing for the old man,ö said PÆiu, a human-looking figure with reptile eyes. ôIt was easy to sabotage his ship and send it towards a black hole.ö
ôAh, but that obviously failed,ö said Kain. ôHe survived, and had a grandson.ö
ôSo what do we do now?ö asked Joh. ôYouÆve heard the same GP reports we all have. These are not mere upper-class pieces of trash. These are folks with serious power.ö
ôSo?ö said Kain. ôYou all initially wanted the old man out of the way, and you got it. But then you spoiled what could have been a boom for you with petty squabbling and outdated fears.
ôThen came Jurai, who maintained the company in lieu of the new ownerÆs return. Your associates were arrested and dealt with, while you managed to hide yourself in the shadows, awaiting your own ascension to power.
ôNow we have another Kuramitsu family,ö he added. ôWe have the elders Ranma and Nabiki, their two children Miyuki and Mikumo, and weÆve learned of yet another child Lord Kuramitsu has apparently sired by another woman, named Ranma Chaotica Kuramitsu. These five are all that stand between us and our goals.ö
ôThen we should expose his indulgence in those other than his wife,ö stated Joh.
ôThat will not work,ö said Kain. ôHis wife already knows of this, and the childÆs records have already been made public. Only the motherÆs name is left as unknown, and we have yet been unable to get a scan to identify a potential maternal parent.ö
ôThen what is your plan?ö asked Joh. ôAll weÆve heard from you is complaints and the occasional suggestion. This does not befit the position you claim.ö
Kain glared disdainfully at the man. ôYou dare question me?ö
ôWe all do,ö said PÆiu. ôYou claim leadership, yet I find your skills sorely lacking, as does many of our group. I have yet to hear you offer a plan, you merely rehash information we are all well aware of.ö
Kain glared at them all. ôMy plan is quite simple; so much so, that I am amazed you fools have not considered it yourself.ö Ignoring their growls of anger, he continued. ôThey have a weakness many of their kind have, and when it is exposed to the best of our options, I shall exploit it.ö
ôAnd that weakness is?ö asked Min.
ôThey are parents, and parents will do anything to protect their children ... even walk willingly and knowingly into a trap that means certain death.ö
ôAnd you plan to carry this out how exactly?ö asked PÆiu.
ôWe merely need to bide our time,ö said Kain. ôThanks to the failed attempt, they will be on guard.
ôBut we do have the advantage of knowing one simple fact: they plan to send their children ... to public school.ö
ôAnd that helps us how?ö asked Joh. ôThey will surely take steps to ensure their bratsÆ safety.ö
ôThe last time, the parents were able to reclaim control of the ship and severely deplete the forces. This time ... they will not have such control, and we shall already have our agents in place.
ôAfter all, there are only three elementary schools near their place, so their options are limited.ö
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ôThis place sure is big,ö said Mikumo in awe, as he stared at the top of the Willow Mountain Elementary School Complex.
Chibi-Ranma nodded in agreement. At the moment, he was grateful that he had tested high enough to be placed in the same class as Mikumo and Miyuki. In a new school, he certainly didnÆt want to be alone. ôThis is bigger than the main room at the Temple.ö
Miyuki smiled. ôThat just means more people to be friends with.ö
ôYou think any of them are into martial arts like us or Dad?ö asked Chibi-Ranma.
ôMaybe,ö said Mikumo. ôDad did warn us about crazy people at school. He said we should look out for people who are lost, speaking in bad poems, have weird laughs, or launch exploding fruit at us.ö
ôYou think that stuff really happened to them?ö asked Miyuki. ôWho gets lost in a room with one door?ö
ôWell,ö said Chibi-Ranma, ôthere is the one room at momÆs Temple, where the directions are always wrong. She told me once that the space in time was not fixed or something like that.ö
ôWeird,ö said Mikumo. ôWell, we better get to class.ö
ôIÆm hungry.ö
ôYouÆre always hungry, Ranma,ö said Miyuki. ôAnd we just ate a big breakfast.ö
ôI know,ö said Chibi-Ranma, ôbut thatÆs what Dad always says when he gets nervous.ö
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ôThe packages have been sighted,ö said one groundskeeper, pruning some bushes.
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Lunch time arrived, and the students flew their classrooms to the outside, intent on enjoying recess as well.
All except for three students, who were eating their lunch together.
ôYummy,ö smiled Mikumo, looking at the meal his parents had prepared for his lunch that day. ôBeef!ö
ôI got chicken,ö smiled Miyuki, looking at the meal lovingly prepared for her.
ôPerfect!ö cried out Chibi-Ranma, ôI got ghople!ö
The other two stopped devouring their meal to look at him, face aghast with horror. ôYou canÆt eat ghople!ö cried out Mikumo, remembering that it was their favorite anime character still.
ôYeah, what if it was a friend of Sgt. Floaty?ö asked Miyuki, tears in her eyes.
ôWhatever,ö said Chibi-Ranma, having not liked the show. ôIf they didnÆt want to be eaten, then they shouldnÆt taste so goooooood.ö
ôBut it could be part of Sgt. FloatyÆs team!ö cried out Mikumo.
ôThen they have fallen before the might of me; Commander Ranma!ö
The other two merely shook their heads, before resuming their meal, and not trying to think of the delicious smells that the fried ghople was producing.
After all, cartoon superheroes were not supposed to be tasty ... werenÆt they?
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ôThe targets are in Classroom 4-A.ö
ôPrepare for stasis field...activate.ö
ôField online; all communications between the classroom and the outside world have been disabled.
ôWait ... theyÆre still moving!ö
ôImpossible; they should be frozen in time!ö
ôThe field is working perfectly ... they just arenÆt frozen!ö
ôTeams, prepare to move in and acquire targets!ö
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Chibi-Ranma sighed, quickly finishing his meal with speed-eating, as were his siblings. ôLooks like Dad was right.ö
The others nodded, as they slowly stood up. ôMan,ö complained Mikumo, ôI was enjoying a normal day.ö
ôCrud,ö muttered Miyuki, ônow weÆll never be popular. I say we break bones; like Mommy said, no prisoners.ö
ôSounds like a plan,ö said Chibi-Ranma. ôRemind me to thank my mom for giving me that little crystal to wear,ö he said, pointing to a glowing necklace that was supposed to be another blessing from Tokimi to protect him; something that was keeping them free of stasis.
How did she know IÆd need it though?
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Tokimi sighed once again as she assumed a fourth-dimensional form, plucking several crystals off her. ôReally, what is the reason these things keep forming? All they do is seem to distort reality a fraction ... well, that and allow me to track my son.
ôI wonder what heÆs up to. TodayÆs supposed to be his first day of school. I wonder if heÆs enjoying himself.ö
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The teams prepared to breech the classroom at six points, while wearing neutralizers that would prevent them from becoming stuck in the stasis field, if in fact the kids were still active.
ôGo!ö yelled the team commander, as they blew open their entry points, hoping to surprise and stun the children for easy submission. After all, the Kuramitsu clan was more likely to bow to their wishes if they had three live and healthy kids.
Of course, six balls of blue-gold energy begged to differ.
ôM÷ko Takabisha!ö
As the teams were sent rocketing back, the smoke began to clear from the monitors in the control room for the mission, revealing the three children, standing in a triangle formation, arms pointed exactly at the breech points.
ôWhat would Daddy do?ö asked Miyuki.
ôHeÆd tell us to remember; if they break it, they buy it,ö stated Mikumo in a sagely tone.
Chibi-Ranma just chuckled. ôWell, it is our recess. LetÆs enjoy it!ö
With that, the three dove into the breech holes to clear them out.
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Ranma and Nabiki raced onto the grounds, stopping as yet another body flew out of a smoking window, screaming, as it landed on several others already on the ground.
ôTold you, Nabiki,ö smirked Ranma. ôThey can handle these losers on their own.ö
ôIÆm their mother, Ranma,ö stated Nabiki in a low growl. ôThese guys are trying to hurt my babies!ö
Ranma merely sighed, before stretching out his arm, causing dust to fly up from below it, followed by a thud less than a meter behind it, as a figure slowly shimmered into view.
ôCrappy equipment,ö muttered Ranma as he bent over the guy to make certain he was alive. After all, a dead man told no tales ... or screamed when you made him tell those tales.
ôDad!ö
Ranma turned quickly, seeing the dirty forms of his three children standing before him, looking upset.
Mikumo snarled. ôThat was the last one, and we had a tie going.ö
ôI would have won,ö said Chibi-Ranma.
ôNu-uh!ö cried Miyuki. ôI can sense people much better than you! Mommy even said so!ö
Some moans from the pile of former assaulters drew the attention of the kids.
ôStill awake!ö yelled out Mikumo. ôNo points unless theyÆre out cold!ö
As the trio dashed to beat up the bad guys ... again, Nabiki turned to her husband who was now tying up the man he had captured. ôThey think this is a game?ö
ôFastest way to get them to learn is to make it so they enjoy doing so,ö said Ranma.
He turned to his wife as he lifted the fallen man up and placed him over his shoulder as Seniwa Security finally arrived. ôWhat, you expected my to teach them like Pops did me?ö
ôNo, but that still doesnÆt mean IÆm going to stop watching you.ö
He smiled as he kissed her on the cheek. ôI would have it no other way, my love,ö he said, before heading over to the children.
Shaking her head, Nabiki chuckled. ôStill smooth, Saotome,ö she muttered, before turning to the approaching security forces. She needed to have a few words with them anyway about reaction times, and how such incidents would not be tolerated.
She stopped in front of the squad, before taking a deep breath, and going into a Tendo-Style Demon head. ôWHAT TOOK YOU THIS LONG TO PROTECT MY DEFENSELESS BABIES?ö
ôIs his arm supposed to bend that way?ö asked Mikumo.
ôAAAAAHHHHH!ö
ôIt does now,ö said Miyuki.
NabikiÆs head returned to normal size, as she stared like a demon from hell, at the members of the team assigned to protect her children. ôDonÆt you care that they were almost abducted?ö
ôSon, stop kicking him. HeÆs out cold.ö
ôJust making certain I get that point,ö said Chibi-Ranma.
NabikiÆs head dropped down. It was hard to make a case for protecting her children when they were behind her and continuing to abuse the would-be abductors. ôJust take them away, full interrogations, and make certain we have GP observers so they canÆt claim some legal technicality.ö
ôYes, maÆam,ö squeaked the man in charge, as his team went to retrieve the thoroughly beaten attackers, before the children finished them off.
As the children were left in the yard, talking animatedly with the other students about how they defeated the bad guys, Ranma came up to Nabiki, rubbing the back of his head.
ôHow bad is it?ö she asked.
ôWell,ö chuckled Ranma, as he turned back to see the smoking area that had once been a block of classrooms, ôtheyÆll be naming the school after one of us when the repairs are finished.ö
ôAnd why are we paying for the repairs?ö she growled out.
Ranma sighed. ôBecause I get the feeling these guys will be just as helpful as the others that attacked us a year ago; which means...ö
ôWhich means weÆll be left holding the bag.ö Cursing, she turned to him. ôWeÆre naming it after me. Anything named Ranma tends to attract trouble.ö
ôThatÆs not true,ö he said.
Reality, however, had other ideas.
ôHey!ö yelled out one kid. ôHe ate Sgt. Floaty!ö
ôGET HIM!ö
ôEEK!ö cried out Chibi-Ranma, as fan boys and girls of the anime began to chase him about the school.
RanmaÆs head hung low. ôFine; weÆll name it Nabiki Tendo Kuramitsu Elementary School.ö
Smirking, Nabiki went to collect Mikumo and Miyuki, since school would have to be cancelled until repairs were made. ôHave fun saving Chibi-Ranma.ö
Kicking an idle piece of stone, he started to jog after his son and the chasing mob. ôI donÆt understand what the problem is. I think ghoples taste pretty damn good.ö
As they left, no one noticed the vacant spot where one groundskeeper had stood, or his discarded tools.
Chapter 5
No Need for Children
Disclaimer: I donÆt own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.
I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.
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Ranma sighed, looking at the younger off-color version of himself, sitting in his lap. He had his deep blue eyes, even if the whites of them had been replaced with a lighter purple that was found in TokimiÆs eyes; the hair a blend of red and brown, giving it a copper appearance.
Then there was the hair done in a pigtail; a definite sign of Ranma-genes. ôSo,ö said Ranma, ôshould I expect a request for child support from Tsunami was well?ö
ôNo,ö said the human-sized Tokimi, taking on a form she could only maintain for short amounts of time within her temple. ôOnly I bore a child from that encounter, and only Washu had from before the encounter.ö
Ranma nodded. ôSo,ö he said, turning to look at his child with Tokimi, ôwhatÆs your full name, little one?ö
The child smiled, looking with happiness on the form of his father finally before him. ôIÆm Ranma!ö
ôRanma?ö asked Nabiki.
ôHeÆs named after Daddy,ö chimed Miyuki.
ôCan I be named after Daddy too?ö asked Mikumo.
ôWhatÆs your full name?ö asked Ranma, letting Nabiki handle the other children asking why they werenÆt named after him.
ôUm ... I forget.ö
Ranma blinked in surprise. ôTokimi?ö he asked, assuming the mother of his child would know.
ôHis name is Ranma Chaotica Kuramitsu.ö
ôChaotica?ö asked Nabiki, trying to explain to Mikumo why he now wasnÆt named after her. ôThatÆs an unusual middle name.ö
ôSome believe I am a Goddess of Chaos,ö said Tokimi, walking over to her son and Ranma, rubbing the childÆs cheek affectionately. ôIt just seemed ... appropriate ... considering whom his father is.ö
ôTrue,ö said Nabiki. ôRanma-kun does seem to attract chaos.ö
Growling a bit at Nabiki, who was now holding the two kids they had raised for the last four years, he turned to Tokimi. ôAnd you were going to tell me I was a father again ... when?ö
Tokimi sighed, before sitting beside him, taking hold of his hand. ôUnlike WashuÆs son, he was born to a fully active goddess, which means his powers are a lot stronger, much sooner than her sonÆs will be. As such, he must be trained to handle his powers, before he could leave this temple, before he could meet his father.ö
ôBut I wanted to meet Daddy!ö yelled out Chaotica. ôThatÆs why I used that spell; to bring Daddy here.ö
ôI have gone over the spell he used,ö said D3, fading into his ghostly view. ôWhile the intent was to summon Lord Ranma Kuramitsu, the wording caused the spell to seek out the closest male relative. As his father only shares half of his DNA with him, the DNA shared by the Goddesses adds to that, making Lord Mikumo Kuramitsu a closer match as far as the spell was concerned.ö
ôSo it brought me?ö asked Mikumo.
ôYes,ö answered D3. ôLord Ranma Chaotica was not specific enough for the spell to solely target your father.ö
ôThen whyÆd it bring me?ö asked Miyuki.
ôYou were holding his hand,ö answered D3, ôso you were brought along as well.ö
ôOh,ö said the now blushing girl.
ôDoes this mean weÆll be a family now?ö asked Chaotica hopefully.
Tokimi looked at him, a small tear in her eye. ôRanma, my son, I cannot leave this place until my sisters asked to be freed, and I could not ask your family to stay here.ö
ôBut I donÆt wanna lose them again!ö whined Chaotica.
ôTokimi,ö said Ranma, ôcan we share custody. I can help train him in control.ö
Tokimi looked at the child she bore with the man, as well as the man himself. ôI will allow it to be tried. I will need to instruct him on the proper way to teleport. We can work out issues of length of time on a moment-to-moment basis.ö She looked directly into her sonÆs eyes. ôYouÆll have to double your studies, learning both your fatherÆs style, and that of me. This is a big responsibility. Do you accept?ö
Chaotica nodded quickly, smiling. ôYEAH!ö
Tokimi turned to Ranma, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. ôIt will take a week, and he will be able to teleport to your home before I let him go.
ôUntil that time, I request you stay here, and enjoy the temple. They may not solely contain ghoples, but I am certain the children will enjoy it.ö
She turned around, looking at the massive man known as G. ôPlease escort the children on a tour. I wish to further discuss things with their parents.ö
ôAs you wish, miÆlady,ö bowed the man, as he motioned for the children to follow.
ôRanma,ö said Tokimi, looking at her son. ôAfter the tour, why donÆt you show your brother and sister your room?ö
ôOkay mommy,ö said the sad kid, not wanting to leave his father so soon after seeing him.
ôAnd no more spells, young man, until weÆve had time for you to learn more control.ö
ôOkay,ö he sighed, rushing off to catch up to his siblings.
Nabiki smirked as she walked over to the two remaining people. ôDonÆt tell me this was your solution to get us back in the sack, Tokimi-chan?ö
The goddess blushed a bit, appearing to become nervous. ôWell, the thought has crossed my mind. After all, a girl never forgets her first love or her first time.ö
ôThat depends on how good they were,ö chuckled Nabiki.
ôDonÆt I get a say in this?ö asked Ranma. ôI do have rights, you know?ö
ôThat is okay, Ranma-kun,ö said Tokimi, straightening up. ôWe have too much to discuss at the moment for such ... enjoyable activities, even though IÆm certain your wife will be more energetic this time without a baby girl holding her back.
ôNo, we need to discuss the arrangement for Chibi-RanmaÆs life outside the temple.ö
ôSuch as?ö asked Nabiki, taking a seat on the other side of Ranma, as Tokimi took a seat on his right side.
ôHe will need some way to limit his powers. As a godling, he will be stronger than most people, if not all; including those enhanced with GP technology.ö
ôThat wonÆt be too much of a problem,ö Ranma said, smiling, as he rolled back his bracer sleeves, to reveal metal cuffs.
Nabiki shook her head. ôAfter we first arrived on Seniwa, Ranma-kun learned he needed to hold back more and more, but his time was torn between fighting the isolationist policies of the former council and us. So, with my help and with what technology we were available to use from TsunamiÆs trees and WashuÆs upgrades, we constructed bracers that acted as dampeners.ö
ôNot perfect, though,ö said Ranma, rubbing his wrists. He had upped their power on the ship, afraid he would destroy them all when he tried to take out the invaders. Even after all this time, he was relatively certain he was at a level now that on Earth; he would have been after twenty years or more, thanks to the advanced training abilities of the Academy and Jurai; such as gravity rooms and adaptive fighting holograms. ôThey have to be upgraded every few months, but they help.ö
ôRanma-kun is constantly expanding his reserves,ö added Nabiki, leaning back into her chair. ôHe reminds me a bit about an anime race, but that is neither here nor there.ö
ôItÆs something I set up when I first learned to use chi and ki as weapons on Jurai,ö he said, his voice low. ôI created a technique where my reserves would continue to grow, but not to the rate where they would trash my body.ö
ôA workout without doing the work?ö asked Nabiki.
He nodded. ôI didnÆt want to take the chance IÆd be overwhelmed again. Palk has been helping me with it, allowing me to train in my dreamscape.ö
ôMaybe you should take some time off to train a bit here in reality,ö suggested Tokimi, ôbefore the levels start to get to where they will tear you up, or at least until you can stop the technique.ö
ôCanÆt stop it,ö said Ranma. ôAt least not yet. It sort of spun out of control, and the dispel technique I had planned to use isnÆt working.ö
ôHow strong?ö asked Nabiki.
ôI could probably level about two-thirds of the capital city on Seniwa right now with one attack.ö
Nabiki whistled, impressed at that. The capital city on Seniwa was pretty big, bigger by far than any city she had known of on Earth, and probably a few islands as well.
Tokimi nodded. ôThen I will teach you the techniques as well, and ask that you provide Chibi-Ranma those bracers, until he learns control of his physical abilities.ö
Nabiki nodded. ôSounds good, but exactly how well do those techniques youÆre teaching Chibi-Ranma work?ö
ôVery well,ö said Tokimi. ôIÆve had my subordinates working on those techniques based off what Galaxy Police does with their upgraded and enhanced individuals and those systems. IÆve just had a problem in that he progresses faster in power than control.ö
ôOkay,ö said Nabiki. ôI think we have several rooms he can stay in, and Ranma keeps several models of the bracers in his subspace pocket for spare parts; so we should be able to construct a few prototypes to test on Chibi-Ranma.ö
ôDoes he have the same blessings that you and your sisters gave us?ö asked Ranma.
ôYes,ö said Tokimi. ôAs such, when your trees start to bear seedlings, I ask that you give him his own space tree.ö
ôWill it be powerful enough to assist him?ö asked Nabiki. As far as she knew from what she had gathered from the Jurai Tree Gardens and their caretakers, was that each generation tree born was lower than the parents, and thus weaker. Can a second-generation tree handle Chibi-Ranma?
ôYes,ö said Tokimi. ôAs Ranma has shown with his tree, Palk; they are quite remarkable. They can easily help him learn control.
ôBut this requires a level of control for himself. Being the child of a goddess, he already possesses large amounts of power. If he does not learn control before he is joined with his tree, then the feedback may injure both ... or kill them both.ö
ôI see,ö said Nabiki. ôBut with your techniques to help him, as well as the discipline Ranma can teach him through Anything Goes ... will that be enough to help?ö
Tokimi nodded. ôThat was my hope. I wanted him to be prepared as best as I could before I summoned you here. However, I underestimated his need for ... family.ö
Ranma nodded. ôHe just wanted to know there was more, wanted to know why,ö he said, sighing, and leaning more into the chair. ôI canÆt blame him for that, and he did get Mikumo and Miyuki out of there.ö
He reached into his shirt, accessing his subspace pocket, and withdrew two bracers. ôThese are the last ones I used. They should be a good starter set for him, and hold him until we get some major headway on his control.ö
ôThat will have to do for now, until we determine what more we may need to do, if anything,ö said Nabiki.
ôWell,ö said Tokimi, standing up, ôthat takes care of the most important issue. Now for the second important issue.ö
ôWhich is?ö asked Ranma, before both he and Nabiki fell backwards as the back of the couch shifted, reforming as a bed.
Tokimi licked her lips. ôTake a guess.ö
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ôWhat was that noise?ö asked Chibi-Ranma, as the group had paused before the ghoples that were kept within the Temple.
Mikumo and Miyuki shivered a bit.
ôWe know those noises,ö said Miyuki. ôMommy and Daddy said weÆre not to bug them when theyÆre making those noises, or itÆll make us wet the bed till weÆre twenty.ö
ôYeah,ö stuttered Mikumo. ôDad said our hair would fall out and weÆd go blind.ö
G simple looked in the direction the moan had come from. Strange, I did not believe sound carried that well around here. We are kilometers from their last location, after all.
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Ranma was panting as he finished his kata. It was merely that he had to catch his breath and not the lack of energy to continue on that was disturbing him. It meant he had more energy than his body was trained to hold and use adequately.
Simply put, he was a kidÆs toy running on a nuclear battery.
ôDamn it,ö he muttered, ôI didnÆt think the imbalance was this great.ö
Even with the techniques Tokimi had shown him after their ... personal time, he was still becoming upset with what he was discovering. He wasnÆt keeping up with his reserves. And everyday, the gulf between the two grew larger and larger.
He had never had this problem in Nerima. His body adapted as fast as his reserves did. If not, then some idiot with a grudgeùusually something stupid or based off GenmaÆs actions, which was sadly the same thing in most casesùwould exploit it and take him out ... permanently.
ôI was a young fool back then,ö he muttered to himself, resuming a light kata to keep some kinks from forming in his muscles as he contemplated his situation. ôThere were some idiots I should never have allowed a second chance.ö
He cursed himself for not wising up sooner.
Was his old man evil? Probably not. Being evil would have required Genma Saotome to have an IQ larger than the number of pieces on a shogi board. He acted stupidly, without full knowledge of the situation, and without regard to others made him seem evil.
I wonder if some people viewed me like that. I really was the baka-pandaÆs son, wasnÆt I?
Oh, it didnÆt mean he would forgive the bloated moron; far from it. If Genma learned of what Ranma had now, the old man would demand ôhis fair shareö, and then keep coming back for more and more.
Of course, the old Ranma might have fallen prey to such actions. Hell, the old man knew exactly what strings to pull to get him to jump.
Now, he had three children to think of, a former wife who would not be with him for eonsùassuming he lived that long, one wife who loved him more now then he could have ever thought possible on Earth, a Goddess who seemed to care for him a great dealùeven if he was a ôlesserö being, and a corporation/empire that he was slowly guiding to what he felt was a better way of life.
And this was all based on what he believed was important.
It was important ... right?
ôOf course it is,ö he spat, angry that he had ever doubted it.
Seniwa was doing better now than it had during the reign of the greedy board members. Business was good, people were happy, and the future looked better. Xenophobia and other stupid beliefs were losing steam with the truth being placed in the open; forcing those who thrived on such hate to either see the truth or withdraw from societies that no longer accepted their dogma as sacred law.
The women... The children... How could he ever doubt them as important?
NabikiÆs smile when they first woke up in the morning...
TokimiÆs giggle when you tickled her ribs just so...
The first time Mikumo had grabbed his finger with wide open and joyous eyes...
The birth of Miyuki...
But such thoughts struck a cord in him, making him feel a large amount of sadness. He didnÆt have those memories for Chibi-Ranma. He hadnÆt been around for his birth, his first words, first steps, first anything; Ranma had been absent for over three years of his sonÆs life.
Not that he blamed himself of Tokimi for that. He had to admit she had perfect reasons. For all he knew, one diaper incident could wipe out all life on a planet. Not a happy image, and probably not true; but it was just an example of the dangers Chibi-Ranma could create if untrained.
Not that his old man is any better. IÆve got a short-cut going out of control, and no clue how to stop it. Hell, I barely get to see them as it is; and I canÆt let up at Seniwa yet until things are secured.
Man; IÆm worse than my old man. As much of a fuck-up that he was, at least he was there ... well, more than I have been.
ôDaddy?ö
Ranma stopped his kata, turning to see Chibi-Ranma standing in the doorway. ôCareful, the roomÆs set for twenty times standard gravity.
ôOh,ö said the kid, before he walked out onto the floor, not even showing the slightest sign that the gravity was straining him.
Ranma merely raised an eyebrow. ôTrain in higher gravity?ö
Chibi-Ranma nodded. ôYep; Mommy says it is to help me burn off energy.ö
Ranma nodded. It made sense. The kid would need to learn to handle normal gravity and hold back, but also needed to burn off excess energy. ôSo, you want to spar?ö
The kid nodded happily, glad to be spending time with his father.
This is so perfect!
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ôIÆm sorry! IÆm sorry! IÆm so sorry!ö cried Chibi-Ranma.
Ranma winced a bit as G began to heal him. ôItÆs okay, son. There is always the chance of getting hurt in a spar.ö
The two went through a simple warm-up exercise; Ranma being surprised that somehow, Tokimi had already had Chibi-Ranma taught the beginnings of Anything Goes. He didnÆt know that the information had been ôdownloadedö when the Three Goddesses had reunited.
As such, Ranma went through a simple spar with his newest son, wanting to find any holes in the style. He could tell the teachings had been second-hand knowledge; it showed in his form. So, Ranma corrected him, demonstrated, and carried on.
It wasnÆt that Miyuki and Mikumo had no talent for the Art. They did. But Chibi-Ranma had surpassed them for the moment; he had the advantage of having to be taught control at a rapid pace, while the other older siblings had other duties and scholastics to learn.
Nabiki was very adamant that they have their studies done before training.
Tokimi was apparently the same, just in an opposite view: training before studies.
So, Ranma cranked it up a notch, seeing how well Chibi-Ranma was versed in Anything Goes, as well as his control as a martial artist. He was surprised at the level the three year old boy was fighting at.
So much so, that he didnÆt react quickly enough when Chibi-Ranma landed a kick ... hard, sending Ranma sixteen centimeters into the wall.
Normally, that wouldnÆt have been a problem; fights with Ryoga and AkaneÆs usual reactions toughened him up beyond that.
No; it was the fact that he had hit the junction that controlled the gravity.
Thus, Ranma was slammed back down to the floor and experiencing close to two hundred times standard gravity; eight times the highest he had ever trained in.
Suffice to say, he received a few injuries.
ôPlease donÆt be mad!ö
ôSON!ö cried Ranma, finally snapping Chibi-Ranma out of his furious apologizing, and making him look at his father, who was now a healthier shade of pink. ôThis was an accident, they happen, this is not your fault in any form. Is that understood?ö
The boy started to sniffle, trying to dry his tears. ôI u-understand,ö he whispered.
ôGood,ö said Ranma. ôOn the bright side, you have one hell of a roundhouse kick.ö
Chibi-Ranma chuckled a bit, before he threw himself on the healed man. ôYouÆre not leaving?ö
Ranma shook his head. ôNah, IÆd never leave my kids.ö
Chibi-Ranma smiled, before he drifted off to sleep, the day being too much for him, and the mental exhaustion finally catching up to him.
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ôSo, this is your room,ö said Nabiki.
Chibi-Ranma looked amazed. ôThis is all ... for me?ö True, it was smaller than his room at the Temple.
But it wasnÆt the size that impressed him. It was the fact that he had a spot all his own ... in his familyÆs home. He was part of a family.
But... ôWhereÆs Daddy?ö
Nabiki smiled, rubbing the boyÆs head. ôHe had to take care of something real quick.ö
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ôI see,ö said Ranma.
ôThat is all we got from them,ö said Detective Hinata. ôThey received their orders from an anonymous source, paid very well with untraceable funds, and left no way for contact.ö
Ranma nodded. ôThese assholes were too well prepared. They had our flight plan right down to exit point from hyperspace and the design specs for the ship we were on.ö
The detective nodded. ôWe searched the ships at the location of the attack. We found several programs meant to open the safe rooms; Class 1 overrides.ö
Ranma closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. ôThose overrides are only known to the design team and the owners of those ships.ö
ôAnd since yours is the only currently active model...ö
Ranma gritted his teeth. ôIt means I have some people to ... talk ... with.ö
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Ranma and Nabiki were sitting down, watching some late-night television. Despite his earlier activities, Ranma had made it to dinner that night on time.
Of course, Nabiki wasnÆt known for missing the activities at work, so she easily spotted what he had been doing.
ôReally, Ranma-kun; blowing up a research lab and threatening to send a lab tech to the fiery pits of hell one strip of flesh at a time were a bit much.ö
He snorted. ôThese guys seriously underestimated us. They wonÆt make that mistake twice; which means we have to get them now.ö
ôI know, Ranma-kun,ö she said, snuggling up to him. ôBut we still need to have a few trump cards up our sleeves.ö
ôWe have trump cards,ö said Ranma. ôWe have two of them growing right now.ö
ôYouÆd better not be talking about the children,ö she said, her voice harsh.
ôNo, the trees,ö said Ranma. ôIf we can get them space-worthy and WashuÆs...ö he paused, shaking his head of the memory of his first wife. There will be time enough for those memories when we are together again, Washu-chan. ôIf the cloak works, the ships can follow us around, and be our emergency trump card.ö
He turned back to the television. ôI have several board members I can trust to run things a little more, while I work on the training for the children and you.ö
Nabiki sighed. ôI know; I shouldnÆt have gotten my leg broken when they busted through.ö
ôThatÆs not it.ö
She turned to him, curious. ôThen what is it?ö She found his answer as he clutched at her hand.
ôI donÆt want to lose anyone ever again. I donÆt want to lose you, or Mikumo, or Miyuki, and Chibi-Ranma. I donÆt want my family to suffer because I was distracted from making certain youÆd be able to stand by yourself in a fight if need be.ö
Smiling, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. ôSo does this mean IÆll be seeing more of you around the house?ö
He nodded, smiling slightly. ôMost of what I do can be done at home. IÆll just have to go to the office occasionally for the intimidation factor.ö
They were prevented from going further, when a small child wandered into the room, a blanket trailing in his hands, as he crawled up onto RanmaÆs lap.
ôChibi-Ranma?ö asked Nabiki.
ôCan I still sleep with you guys?ö he asked, having done so while they had stayed at the Temple.
Chuckling a bit, Ranma smiled once again. ôSure, son. Just be careful and no kicking in your sleep. Plus ... could you leave me some covers tonight?ö
His joke was lost on the youngest Kuramitsu child, as he had already fallen asleep.
ôHeÆs still afraid,ö said Nabiki.
ôCan you blame him?ö asked Ranma. ôTokimi could only take that form perhaps once or twice a month. That means a lot of nights where he was all alone with no family to comfort him.ö
Nabiki nodded. ôI remember nights like that; just after my Mother passed on. I would crawl into KasumiÆs bed, hugging her all night. Sometimes, I had to be careful because Akane would be doing the same thing, and she wasnÆt the calmest of sleepers. You?ö
ôYou think the old man was ever the caring type?ö he said, rocking Chibi-Ranma slightly. ôIÆll admit ... there were times I wished he was, that I was back with Mom,ö he said, a single tear falling from his eye as he recalled those times, usually after a tirade from his old man about ôbeing a weak girlö, or some technique training that the old man hadnÆt really thought through or even came up with; such as the Nekoken, the Lion Cub training, and the beginning lessons for how to fall ... starting from a third story window.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. ôYou have a caring family now, Ranma-kun. WeÆre all here for you.ö
Nodding, he turned to her. ôNabiki, is it okay if they all stay with us tonight?ö
ôSure,ö she said, before turning to the doorway. ôYou can return your blankets now and head for our bedroom, you two.ö
ôEep!ö came the dual reply.
For the night, all five slept in the same bed.
For the night, no nightmare was able to get through to them.
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ôThis is pathetic!ö yelled Kain, tossing the data-board across the room. ôWe had numbers, we had forces, and had superior power, and they still survived!ö
ôThe sheer cost was very disconcerting,ö said Min, a tale female with silver hair and yellow skin. ôToo bad we cannot recover those funds.ö
ôA small pittance,ö said Joh, a four-armed green-skinned troll-like figure. ôWe acknowledged that getting rid of the Kuramitsu line would not be a cheap enterprise.ö
ôIt was one thing for the old man,ö said PÆiu, a human-looking figure with reptile eyes. ôIt was easy to sabotage his ship and send it towards a black hole.ö
ôAh, but that obviously failed,ö said Kain. ôHe survived, and had a grandson.ö
ôSo what do we do now?ö asked Joh. ôYouÆve heard the same GP reports we all have. These are not mere upper-class pieces of trash. These are folks with serious power.ö
ôSo?ö said Kain. ôYou all initially wanted the old man out of the way, and you got it. But then you spoiled what could have been a boom for you with petty squabbling and outdated fears.
ôThen came Jurai, who maintained the company in lieu of the new ownerÆs return. Your associates were arrested and dealt with, while you managed to hide yourself in the shadows, awaiting your own ascension to power.
ôNow we have another Kuramitsu family,ö he added. ôWe have the elders Ranma and Nabiki, their two children Miyuki and Mikumo, and weÆve learned of yet another child Lord Kuramitsu has apparently sired by another woman, named Ranma Chaotica Kuramitsu. These five are all that stand between us and our goals.ö
ôThen we should expose his indulgence in those other than his wife,ö stated Joh.
ôThat will not work,ö said Kain. ôHis wife already knows of this, and the childÆs records have already been made public. Only the motherÆs name is left as unknown, and we have yet been unable to get a scan to identify a potential maternal parent.ö
ôThen what is your plan?ö asked Joh. ôAll weÆve heard from you is complaints and the occasional suggestion. This does not befit the position you claim.ö
Kain glared disdainfully at the man. ôYou dare question me?ö
ôWe all do,ö said PÆiu. ôYou claim leadership, yet I find your skills sorely lacking, as does many of our group. I have yet to hear you offer a plan, you merely rehash information we are all well aware of.ö
Kain glared at them all. ôMy plan is quite simple; so much so, that I am amazed you fools have not considered it yourself.ö Ignoring their growls of anger, he continued. ôThey have a weakness many of their kind have, and when it is exposed to the best of our options, I shall exploit it.ö
ôAnd that weakness is?ö asked Min.
ôThey are parents, and parents will do anything to protect their children ... even walk willingly and knowingly into a trap that means certain death.ö
ôAnd you plan to carry this out how exactly?ö asked PÆiu.
ôWe merely need to bide our time,ö said Kain. ôThanks to the failed attempt, they will be on guard.
ôBut we do have the advantage of knowing one simple fact: they plan to send their children ... to public school.ö
ôAnd that helps us how?ö asked Joh. ôThey will surely take steps to ensure their bratsÆ safety.ö
ôThe last time, the parents were able to reclaim control of the ship and severely deplete the forces. This time ... they will not have such control, and we shall already have our agents in place.
ôAfter all, there are only three elementary schools near their place, so their options are limited.ö
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ôThis place sure is big,ö said Mikumo in awe, as he stared at the top of the Willow Mountain Elementary School Complex.
Chibi-Ranma nodded in agreement. At the moment, he was grateful that he had tested high enough to be placed in the same class as Mikumo and Miyuki. In a new school, he certainly didnÆt want to be alone. ôThis is bigger than the main room at the Temple.ö
Miyuki smiled. ôThat just means more people to be friends with.ö
ôYou think any of them are into martial arts like us or Dad?ö asked Chibi-Ranma.
ôMaybe,ö said Mikumo. ôDad did warn us about crazy people at school. He said we should look out for people who are lost, speaking in bad poems, have weird laughs, or launch exploding fruit at us.ö
ôYou think that stuff really happened to them?ö asked Miyuki. ôWho gets lost in a room with one door?ö
ôWell,ö said Chibi-Ranma, ôthere is the one room at momÆs Temple, where the directions are always wrong. She told me once that the space in time was not fixed or something like that.ö
ôWeird,ö said Mikumo. ôWell, we better get to class.ö
ôIÆm hungry.ö
ôYouÆre always hungry, Ranma,ö said Miyuki. ôAnd we just ate a big breakfast.ö
ôI know,ö said Chibi-Ranma, ôbut thatÆs what Dad always says when he gets nervous.ö
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ôThe packages have been sighted,ö said one groundskeeper, pruning some bushes.
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Lunch time arrived, and the students flew their classrooms to the outside, intent on enjoying recess as well.
All except for three students, who were eating their lunch together.
ôYummy,ö smiled Mikumo, looking at the meal his parents had prepared for his lunch that day. ôBeef!ö
ôI got chicken,ö smiled Miyuki, looking at the meal lovingly prepared for her.
ôPerfect!ö cried out Chibi-Ranma, ôI got ghople!ö
The other two stopped devouring their meal to look at him, face aghast with horror. ôYou canÆt eat ghople!ö cried out Mikumo, remembering that it was their favorite anime character still.
ôYeah, what if it was a friend of Sgt. Floaty?ö asked Miyuki, tears in her eyes.
ôWhatever,ö said Chibi-Ranma, having not liked the show. ôIf they didnÆt want to be eaten, then they shouldnÆt taste so goooooood.ö
ôBut it could be part of Sgt. FloatyÆs team!ö cried out Mikumo.
ôThen they have fallen before the might of me; Commander Ranma!ö
The other two merely shook their heads, before resuming their meal, and not trying to think of the delicious smells that the fried ghople was producing.
After all, cartoon superheroes were not supposed to be tasty ... werenÆt they?
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ôThe targets are in Classroom 4-A.ö
ôPrepare for stasis field...activate.ö
ôField online; all communications between the classroom and the outside world have been disabled.
ôWait ... theyÆre still moving!ö
ôImpossible; they should be frozen in time!ö
ôThe field is working perfectly ... they just arenÆt frozen!ö
ôTeams, prepare to move in and acquire targets!ö
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Chibi-Ranma sighed, quickly finishing his meal with speed-eating, as were his siblings. ôLooks like Dad was right.ö
The others nodded, as they slowly stood up. ôMan,ö complained Mikumo, ôI was enjoying a normal day.ö
ôCrud,ö muttered Miyuki, ônow weÆll never be popular. I say we break bones; like Mommy said, no prisoners.ö
ôSounds like a plan,ö said Chibi-Ranma. ôRemind me to thank my mom for giving me that little crystal to wear,ö he said, pointing to a glowing necklace that was supposed to be another blessing from Tokimi to protect him; something that was keeping them free of stasis.
How did she know IÆd need it though?
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Tokimi sighed once again as she assumed a fourth-dimensional form, plucking several crystals off her. ôReally, what is the reason these things keep forming? All they do is seem to distort reality a fraction ... well, that and allow me to track my son.
ôI wonder what heÆs up to. TodayÆs supposed to be his first day of school. I wonder if heÆs enjoying himself.ö
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The teams prepared to breech the classroom at six points, while wearing neutralizers that would prevent them from becoming stuck in the stasis field, if in fact the kids were still active.
ôGo!ö yelled the team commander, as they blew open their entry points, hoping to surprise and stun the children for easy submission. After all, the Kuramitsu clan was more likely to bow to their wishes if they had three live and healthy kids.
Of course, six balls of blue-gold energy begged to differ.
ôM÷ko Takabisha!ö
As the teams were sent rocketing back, the smoke began to clear from the monitors in the control room for the mission, revealing the three children, standing in a triangle formation, arms pointed exactly at the breech points.
ôWhat would Daddy do?ö asked Miyuki.
ôHeÆd tell us to remember; if they break it, they buy it,ö stated Mikumo in a sagely tone.
Chibi-Ranma just chuckled. ôWell, it is our recess. LetÆs enjoy it!ö
With that, the three dove into the breech holes to clear them out.
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Ranma and Nabiki raced onto the grounds, stopping as yet another body flew out of a smoking window, screaming, as it landed on several others already on the ground.
ôTold you, Nabiki,ö smirked Ranma. ôThey can handle these losers on their own.ö
ôIÆm their mother, Ranma,ö stated Nabiki in a low growl. ôThese guys are trying to hurt my babies!ö
Ranma merely sighed, before stretching out his arm, causing dust to fly up from below it, followed by a thud less than a meter behind it, as a figure slowly shimmered into view.
ôCrappy equipment,ö muttered Ranma as he bent over the guy to make certain he was alive. After all, a dead man told no tales ... or screamed when you made him tell those tales.
ôDad!ö
Ranma turned quickly, seeing the dirty forms of his three children standing before him, looking upset.
Mikumo snarled. ôThat was the last one, and we had a tie going.ö
ôI would have won,ö said Chibi-Ranma.
ôNu-uh!ö cried Miyuki. ôI can sense people much better than you! Mommy even said so!ö
Some moans from the pile of former assaulters drew the attention of the kids.
ôStill awake!ö yelled out Mikumo. ôNo points unless theyÆre out cold!ö
As the trio dashed to beat up the bad guys ... again, Nabiki turned to her husband who was now tying up the man he had captured. ôThey think this is a game?ö
ôFastest way to get them to learn is to make it so they enjoy doing so,ö said Ranma.
He turned to his wife as he lifted the fallen man up and placed him over his shoulder as Seniwa Security finally arrived. ôWhat, you expected my to teach them like Pops did me?ö
ôNo, but that still doesnÆt mean IÆm going to stop watching you.ö
He smiled as he kissed her on the cheek. ôI would have it no other way, my love,ö he said, before heading over to the children.
Shaking her head, Nabiki chuckled. ôStill smooth, Saotome,ö she muttered, before turning to the approaching security forces. She needed to have a few words with them anyway about reaction times, and how such incidents would not be tolerated.
She stopped in front of the squad, before taking a deep breath, and going into a Tendo-Style Demon head. ôWHAT TOOK YOU THIS LONG TO PROTECT MY DEFENSELESS BABIES?ö
ôIs his arm supposed to bend that way?ö asked Mikumo.
ôAAAAAHHHHH!ö
ôIt does now,ö said Miyuki.
NabikiÆs head returned to normal size, as she stared like a demon from hell, at the members of the team assigned to protect her children. ôDonÆt you care that they were almost abducted?ö
ôSon, stop kicking him. HeÆs out cold.ö
ôJust making certain I get that point,ö said Chibi-Ranma.
NabikiÆs head dropped down. It was hard to make a case for protecting her children when they were behind her and continuing to abuse the would-be abductors. ôJust take them away, full interrogations, and make certain we have GP observers so they canÆt claim some legal technicality.ö
ôYes, maÆam,ö squeaked the man in charge, as his team went to retrieve the thoroughly beaten attackers, before the children finished them off.
As the children were left in the yard, talking animatedly with the other students about how they defeated the bad guys, Ranma came up to Nabiki, rubbing the back of his head.
ôHow bad is it?ö she asked.
ôWell,ö chuckled Ranma, as he turned back to see the smoking area that had once been a block of classrooms, ôtheyÆll be naming the school after one of us when the repairs are finished.ö
ôAnd why are we paying for the repairs?ö she growled out.
Ranma sighed. ôBecause I get the feeling these guys will be just as helpful as the others that attacked us a year ago; which means...ö
ôWhich means weÆll be left holding the bag.ö Cursing, she turned to him. ôWeÆre naming it after me. Anything named Ranma tends to attract trouble.ö
ôThatÆs not true,ö he said.
Reality, however, had other ideas.
ôHey!ö yelled out one kid. ôHe ate Sgt. Floaty!ö
ôGET HIM!ö
ôEEK!ö cried out Chibi-Ranma, as fan boys and girls of the anime began to chase him about the school.
RanmaÆs head hung low. ôFine; weÆll name it Nabiki Tendo Kuramitsu Elementary School.ö
Smirking, Nabiki went to collect Mikumo and Miyuki, since school would have to be cancelled until repairs were made. ôHave fun saving Chibi-Ranma.ö
Kicking an idle piece of stone, he started to jog after his son and the chasing mob. ôI donÆt understand what the problem is. I think ghoples taste pretty damn good.ö
As they left, no one noticed the vacant spot where one groundskeeper had stood, or his discarded tools.
