Title: Masters of the Neko-ken: Chapter One
Author: DC James [[email protected]]
Archived: Coal and DC's Anime Area [http://www.angelcities.com/members/coalandblue/]
Fandom: Ranma 1/2
Part: 1/?
Type: Ongoing Self Insertion
Warnings: Comedy, sap, waff, and slight angsty.
Summary: Ranma went neko mode and hurt Akane. Now he's faced with the option of
completing his Neko-ken training.
Pairing: Unknown for now... ^_~
Written On: 1/1/01
C&C is welcomed.
* * *
Masters of the Neko-ken
Chapter One
* * *
All rights and privileges belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz
Communications, Inc., and associated parties. The characters of this series are used
without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not
meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyrighted privileges to these
characters are reserved for the author and may not be used without permission.
* * *
Text:
"[]"= Speaking in a different language
::= Thoughts
**= Actions/Characters in Non-talkable forms
_ _= Exaggerated Words
* * *
The sunlight streamed in through the parted window, dimly lighting the guest room of the
Tendo dojo. Ranma yawned on his futon, rolling over to prevent the sun from waking
him. It was then that he felt a nudge. His eyebrows narrowed in suspicion, despite the
fact he was half asleep, :Pop would just throw me out and Akane'd mallet me... who the-:
Another nudge, this time more forceful in the back. Deciding he didn't like to be poked,
he grabbed his pillow, smacking whoever was unfortunate enough to bother him,
"Lemme alone."
"BU-WEEEEE!!" Ranma immediately stood up, removing the pillow as he did to see an
angry P-chan. Ranma was dumbfounded, until he recalled the conversation the night
before. He blushed, scratching his head in embarrassment, "Oops. Heheh, sorry, Ryoga."
[YEAH, YOU BETTER BE SORRY!! NO GET UP!!] "Bu buu Wee bubu bukuweee-"
"I can't understand you." Ranma sing-songed, picking up the porker by his bandanna and
heading for the furo. Knocking and waiting, to make sure no one else was in, he entered
the changing room to undress, "Sorry about the pillow attack. I'm not a very good
morning person."
[So I see] "*snort*" P-chan walked to the corner, appearing to pout.
Ranma picked up the piglet again, stepping into the furo with it, "Aw, I didn't hit you that
hard."
P-chan jumped into the steaming water, Ryoga emerging, "Maybe not. So, sleep well?"
Ranma smirked over the idle conversation, "Well enough."
"Me, too." Ryoga leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling.
"So when we go down for breakfast, right?"
The bandanna'd boy nodded, "Right. We start a fight, get out, and pretend to fight all the
way down to the Nekohatten. If Ukyou or Kodachi or someone else sees us like that,
they won't get suspicious. Hell, there's hardly a second where we aren't together and
aren't fighting."
The blue eyed boy grinned, "Y'know... it's kinda nice."
"Nice?"
"Yeah. Us not fighting to the death or anything... a nice change."
Ryoga looked thoughtful, then shrugged, "Well... I guess I'd have to agree." He glared,
"But I still want revenge for the curse!"
Ranma let out an exasperated sigh, sinking lower in the water, "Ry-o-ga~a!!! Ya sure do
know how to ruin a peaceful moment!"
"Are you saying my revenge isn't just?!"
Ranma straightened with flames in his eyes, "Well, what do you want me to do?! Want
me to pay for it with my life, my blood, what?! Ryoga, how can I give you what you
want when all you do is scream and come after me?! Don't you think that has a tiny bit
impact on my trust with you, buddy? And I lost track of how many times I've said sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cure my curse, Ranma!" Ryoga snapped back.
"Well, neither does attacking me!!" Ranma sat back down, aggravated. "Honestly, if it's
not one thing, it's another."
A tense silence played over the boys for long minutes. Ryoga averted his gaze from his
rival, obviously angry. He listened to the other occupant, eyes still fixated on the far
wall. A heavy sigh resounded a few minutes later and the water moved, showing the
pigtailed boy had climbed out, "We can't even have a normal conversation without it
ending in an argument."
"Ranma?" Ryoga asked, curiosity overpowering his slight irritation.
Ranma wrapped the towel around his waist, heading towards the changing room, "I'll
wait in the hall until you come out, Ryoga." He shut the door behind him before the lost
boy could reply.
***
The Tendos and Genma sat at the breakfast table, waiting patiently, for some impatiently,
for the last two people in the house to come downstairs. Genma glared at the boy's food,
Kasumi keeping an eye on him. Soun was hardly paying any attention, his nose in the
morning paper. Akane and Nabiki were sitting quietly together, though Akane still
looked pissed and in pain. Suddenly, there was a crash upstairs.
"C'MON, PORK-CHOP, YA CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!"
"RANMA!! JUST DIE!!" *BAM! CRASH!!*
"NYAAAA!! YOU'RE TOO SLOW FOR ME, PORKY!!
"QUIT CALLING ME THAT!!"
The two teens jumped down the staircase, looking to be in the middle of the fight.
Punches were exchanged, and dodged, and it looked fairly even until Ranma made a high
kick while Ryoga was in mid jump. The hit landed on the lost boy's stomach, sending
him flying into the backyard. Ranma rebounded, following quickly.
Kasumi smiled sweetly, "Well, I'm glad they moved it outside."
In the backyard, they kept going at it, Ranma mostly dodging as Ryoga attacked with full
force of his rage. Ranma finally turned, jumping over the wall. With a harsh cry, Ryoga
followed, the two rushing down the street, yelling insults back at each other. They
entered the Nekohatten, stopping their fight upon entering. Ranma rubbed his shoulder,
"You're good when you're not angry."
*BONK!* Ranma held his head as Ryoga gave a disapproving look, "'Porky'?"
"...sorry."
Xian Pu walked over, a tray in her hands, "Nihao! Great-Grandmother see you in minute.
Please, sit. Hungry?"
Ranma nodded, "Thanks, Shampoo. Um... some soba'd be good! Ryoga?"
"I'll have the same with tea, please."
She bobbed her head while writing down the orders, then headed into the kitchen. Mu
Tzu turned to her, huffing, "[I can't see how you talked me into this.]"
She sighed, handing him the ticket, "[Because Ranma is dangerous without his control
and you agreed this be the most humane way of helping him. And you know very well if
you 'put him out of his misery', as you so well put it, I'd put _you_ just after him.]" With
that, she turned on her heel and stomped to another table.
Mu Tzu glared at the pigtailed martial artist as he made their meals. Picking up the
bowls, he smirked, "Heads up!" He called before throwing them to the table.
Ranma and Ryoga were able to grab their orders and, with a nod of thanks, they began to
eat. They finished in a tense silence that still lingered from the furo, and was finally
shattered when Khu Lon hopped over. She pulled up a chair, sitting on it, "Well, son-in-
law, I see you're doing better today."
Ranma nodded, "I s'pose."
She looked over her shoulder, waving one frail hand, "Mu Tzu! More tea! And this time,
show some respect and don't throw it." She turned back to the boys, resting her staff on
the table's edge, "Now then. What is it you wish to know, son-in-law?"
"First, I'm not your son-in-law-"
"If you want my help, you'll let me call you whatever I want, boy." She warned.
He opened his mouth to protest, but common sense won out, which it rarely does, and he
nodded, "Fine. Tells us about this Neko-ken school Shampoo told us about."
Khu Lon chuckled warmly under her breath, leaning back in the chair, "The Neko-ken
isn't something I can tell much of. It is indeed an ultimate technique, very powerful. In
fact, I believe you would have mastered it if not for two mistakes your father had made.
One, the teacher has to have some experience himself instead of just buying the manual
and using it that way. Secondly, he has to have all the manuals for the techniques."
A hushed silence flows over the table, only the sounds of the elder amazon sipping her
tea is heard. Finally it is destroyed by an ear-ringing "WHAT?!?!"
Khu Lon picked up her staff, knocking Ranma gently with it, "Come now, son-in-law,
you of all people should know Genma would be stupid enough not to have a real manual.
It is a cheap imitation that someone made because he couldn't get the real thing."
Ranma growled, clenching one hand in anger, "When I get my hands on that stupid fur-
ball, he's gonna wish I did put him in a zoo!"
"Now, son-in-law," Khu Lon sat her cup down, eyeing him seriously, "Don't get the
wrong idea. What you went through is part of the beginning training of the Neko-ken.
You can still get the training, if you wish."
Ryoga blinked, "But... I thought that it wouldn't work after you're a certain age."
"You can't _begin_ the training after a certain age. Son-in-law has already begun it, so he
can continue it. His psyche was fragile and still developing when he was younger, and he
first learned it. The Neko-ken isn't just physical, it relies on many factors. The fear had
to be implanted into you first, so that you may have a path to access the techniques. I am
truthful when I say I don't know very much about the Neko-ken. I have seen it in action,
but much of it is still a mystery to me." She smirked at the pigtailed youth, "I do have
contacts in China, son-in-law, so that you may finish your training of the Neko-ken and
finally master it. Would you like that?"
Ranma looked at Ryoga, then gave the ancient Amazon a wary look, "And why should I
trust you?"
"Because you have no other choice," she deadpanned.
"What if I don't want to continue to learn the Neko-ken?" Ranma crossed his arms over
his chest.
Ryoga frowned, "He's got a point... you can't force him to learn, he has to agree of his
own free will."
Khu Lon shrugged, closing her eyes, "It is your choice, son-in-law, but do you really want
an incident like what happened with Akane to occur again, or even worse? What if you
kill someone?"
Ranma stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table, "I won't let that happen! I'll
get more control without your help!! I know how you can be, Cologne, you just want me
to go to China and marry Shampoo! I ain't gonna fall for it!! You haven't given me one
reason to trust you unless it was for your own benefit as well!" He stalked towards the
door, leaving the restaurant without a backwards glance.
Ryoga was partially stunned, but recovered after a few seconds and left soundlessly. Khu
Lon watched the doorway calmly, then finished the rest of her tea, "This will be more
difficult than I first thought."
"Ranma, wait up!" Ryoga called. "You're right, Cologne might be tricking you, but you
can't just ignore the fact that you could hurt someone!"
The Saotome heir stopped in his steps, allowing his rival to catch up. He turned to his
friend, blue eyes blazing with fading anger, "I know that, Ryoga. I know it's dangerous,
but I can't just... I can't trust Cologne. Every time I try, she pulls some stunt and I get
burned by her. And how do I know that she won't keep me at that village when we get to
China? How do we even know that she really knows a Neko-ken master? It's all on a
bunch of assumptions and I have a zero trust factor with her."
Ryoga bit his lower lip, adjusting his bandanna as a nervous habit, "Ranma... it's a fifty-
fifty chance. I trust her as much as you do... well, maybe a little bit more, but how are
you going to gain control for a martial art technique as rare as the Neko-ken? We gotta
plan this out, Saotome. Don't get so damn hot headed. Okay?"
Ranma looked away, eyes firm with determination, "We'll see."
* * *
Khu Lon tapped her fingernail lightly on the table of the restaurant, the diner already
closed for the night. Mu Tzu was cleaning up in the kitchen while Xian Pu took a
shower. The mouthpiece of the phone was silent except for the ringing, waiting to be
picked up and connected to her old friend. Finally, it was picked up and a cranky voice
snarled, "[This had better be good or else you're going to be in serious pain!]"
"[Hello, Xo Hap. Is Kasai there?]"
She allowed a smile as the young man meeped and a shuffle was heard, along with the
sound of an old man, "[What is your damage, boy?! Are you _trying_ to break your
neck?]"
"[It's Honorable Elder Khu Lon, Kasai-sensei!]"
There was a moment of silence then she heard an ancient voice speak with her in a light
tone, "[Hello, Khu. What has you calling me this late in the night? And how did you get
a phone? There aren't any in the village.]"
"[So many questions, Sai. Well, I have a phone because I am running a restaurant in
Japan--don't you dare start laughing--and I'm calling because it has to do with my son-in-
law.]" Khu Lon answered with amusement.
"[Son-in-law?]"
"[WHAT?!?!?!]"
Khu Lon pulled the phone from her ear, rubbing it to stop the ringing. She then
continued with her conversation, "[I'm guessing Hakujin's awake.]"
"[However did you guess?]" The male amazon asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"[What about this--Hey! HAKUJIN, STAND DOWN!!! GAWK!!!]"
"[WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SON-IN-LAW', GREAT-GRANDMOTHER?! WHO THE
HELL DEFEATED XIAN?! I'LL--I'LL--]" A Japanese accented voice threatened in a
loud tone on the other end of the line.
"[Hakujin, she's in love. He defeated her and she's more than happy. Now please let me
talk with your sensei.]"
A low grumble was heard on the other end, then: "[All right, but you _are_ going to
explain this to me, right, Great-grandmother?]"
She blinked innocently, even though he couldn't see it, "[Don't I always, Great-
grandson?]"
Another silence then Kasai spoke up again, "[Ouch, my back... now then... what about
this son-in-law of yours?]" Then she heard a whisper from the old man, "[Xo Hap, quit
snickering and get to bed. Hakujin, go clean up the kitchen--no arguments this time!]"
Khu Lon leaned back in her chair, sighing, "[We have a situation right now, Kasai.
Xian's future husband is a Japanese martial artist, one Saotome Ranma. He's been
difficult to try and convince that he is Xian's, but you know how stubborn these Japanese
are.]"
A soft chuckle, "[I do very well, thank you. I've had to train one for the last nine years.
What kind of a situation does he concern you about, Khu Lon? I know you too well, so I
know you would only call me if it was deeply important.]"
Khu Lon sipped her tea, glancing over to see Mu Tzu turning off the kitchen light and
heading up to his room. "[His father tried to teach him the cat-fist.]"
A heavy silence settle in the room and on the phone, until a shocked, angered voice
hissed out, "[You are joking and it isn't funny, Khu.]"
"[I don't joke about the cat-fist. But he never got past the pits of cats. When he's around
cats too long... well, you know what happens. It has happened recently, he was locked in
a room full of cats at a local shelter, and he attacked his fiancé.]"
"[Is Xian all right?]" Kasai asked with a panic in his voice.
Khu Lon sweatdropped, clearing her throat, "[Well... basically, Son-in-law _is_ the
situation. He has three fiancés, Xian included.]"
"[...... excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. Did you say _three_?! Are all of
them amazons?]"
She snorted a laughter, rolling her eyes, "[Oh, don't insult the village, one is an arranged
marriage before he was even born and the other is because his father was hungry.]" She
refilled her tea, closing her eyes, "[The one that was attacked was the one made before
birth, one Tendo Akane. She only had a bad scratch on her arms, so she got off lucky.]"
"[I see. He is still unstable. This is very dangerous, not just to the village and Xian, but
to everyone around him. I'm guessing you have a plan in mind, yes?]"
Khu Lon smirked, "[You _do_ know me well. Since son-in-law refuses to go to China, in
fear we might make him stay there, could you send one of your students here to Nerima,
Japan? The restaurant is the Nekohatten. He can train Son-in-law in the cat-fist, and also
give him some other mannerisms that his father has warped.]"
"[Hmm... it will probably be Hakujin who goes to train the boy. He knows Japanese
more fluently than Xo Hap, and Xo is going back to America in a few weeks to finish his
training there.]"
"[All right, I will prepare for Great-grandson. Thank you, Kasai, and good night.]" She
hung up the phone, drinking her tea slowly. She smiled to herself, leaning back in her
seat, "I was hoping he'd allow Hakujin to come anyways." She tilted her head back,
laughing to herself, "This ought to be very interesting!"
* * *
"WHAT?!" Soun and Genma tag-teamed the Saotome heir, faces red from anger. Ranma
glared at Nabiki, who was smirking with a smug satisfaction. Ryoga seriously considered
putting her out of business, but she was Akane's sister and the youngest Tendo would
never forgive him.
Ranma sat his chopsticks down as he remained unfazed by the intimidation, "Okay, so I
went and talked to Cologne. Why should it be any of your business?"
"WAAAAAHHH, HE'S CHEATING ON MY LITTLE GIRL!!"
Ryoga raised an eyebrow, "With a three hundred year old mummy? Now that's
disgusting, Mr. Tendo."
"RANMA--!!" Akane growled out in warning as she stood up, mallet in hand, "YOU
HURT ME AND THEN YOU GO TO SHAMPOO FOR COMFORT, YOU
PERVERT?!"
"Aw, shut up!" Ranma snapped hotly to his fiancé. Without waiting for their stunned
silence to end, he left the table and headed out the door.
"THAT BAKA!!!" She screamed after a minute of being stunned. Ryoga winced as the
mallet slammed against the table, effectively breaking it in two. Deciding it was safer to
take Ranma's course of action, he left the house so she could calm down a bit.
The sky was very clear that night, much to his relief, with a half moon shining down and
lighting up the yard, combined with the effort of the street lamps. He couldn't see his
rival anywhere, and on a hunch, began to head towards the dojo.
"Cold."
He stopped, blinking. He took two steps back.
"Warmer."
He turned and looked at the roof of the Tendo home, seeing Ranma smirking down at
him with no malice. It was a half smile that didn't reach his eyes, that could be seen even
from Ryoga's distance. He jumped onto the roof, settling beside the blue-eyed boy.
Ranma crossed his arms, leaning his head back to look at the firmament, "Decided ya
didn't wanna become a tenderized pork-chop?"
"Insults won't work on me right now, Ranma. I'm not in the mood."
"Neither am I, but it seems to be the only thing that carries on a conversation between
us."
Ryoga frowned, turning his dark eyes to his friend, "That's not true... well, not all of the
time."
Ranma snorted, rolling his eyes in disbelief, "Come off it, Ryoga, we both lack social
skills and we try to practice on each other, which ends with us sparring." He shrugged his
shoulders, leaning back against the roof, "Then again... I guess that's what drew us
together."
"You stepping on my head drew us together, Saotome." Ryoga deadpanned.
"Aah, but I would have stepped on that other guys first, until I saw we had something in
common. Y'know I'm not very good at making friends."
Ryoga smirked, "However you exceed in making enemies."
"Nah, they accumulate." He replied with a grin, eyes lightening in shade. Ryoga
chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. He sat up, patting the lost boy's shoulder,
"Thanks, Ryo-kun. I needed that."
"Tch, yeah, whatever. Let's see if they calmed down yet, ne?"
Ranma raised an eyebrow, the faintly muffled sounds of crying, screaming, and stomping
could still be heard drifting from inside the house. Ryoga shrugged sheepishly, and the
two laid back down, watching the stars, talking of one thing or another.
End Chapter 1
Author's Notes: In the next chapter, there will be a flashback to explain why Ryoga and
Ranma are trying to rebuilt their friendship. Also, how are Nerima's Amazons going to
take this sudden change in plans? How are the Neko-ken Master Amazons going to take
it? ... okay, that was pathetic, but gimme a li'l credit for effort here. ;.;
Author: DC James [[email protected]]
Archived: Coal and DC's Anime Area [http://www.angelcities.com/members/coalandblue/]
Fandom: Ranma 1/2
Part: 1/?
Type: Ongoing Self Insertion
Warnings: Comedy, sap, waff, and slight angsty.
Summary: Ranma went neko mode and hurt Akane. Now he's faced with the option of
completing his Neko-ken training.
Pairing: Unknown for now... ^_~
Written On: 1/1/01
C&C is welcomed.
* * *
Masters of the Neko-ken
Chapter One
* * *
All rights and privileges belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz
Communications, Inc., and associated parties. The characters of this series are used
without permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not
meant for sale or profit.
All original characters are the creation of the author. All copyrighted privileges to these
characters are reserved for the author and may not be used without permission.
* * *
Text:
"[]"= Speaking in a different language
::= Thoughts
**= Actions/Characters in Non-talkable forms
_ _= Exaggerated Words
* * *
The sunlight streamed in through the parted window, dimly lighting the guest room of the
Tendo dojo. Ranma yawned on his futon, rolling over to prevent the sun from waking
him. It was then that he felt a nudge. His eyebrows narrowed in suspicion, despite the
fact he was half asleep, :Pop would just throw me out and Akane'd mallet me... who the-:
Another nudge, this time more forceful in the back. Deciding he didn't like to be poked,
he grabbed his pillow, smacking whoever was unfortunate enough to bother him,
"Lemme alone."
"BU-WEEEEE!!" Ranma immediately stood up, removing the pillow as he did to see an
angry P-chan. Ranma was dumbfounded, until he recalled the conversation the night
before. He blushed, scratching his head in embarrassment, "Oops. Heheh, sorry, Ryoga."
[YEAH, YOU BETTER BE SORRY!! NO GET UP!!] "Bu buu Wee bubu bukuweee-"
"I can't understand you." Ranma sing-songed, picking up the porker by his bandanna and
heading for the furo. Knocking and waiting, to make sure no one else was in, he entered
the changing room to undress, "Sorry about the pillow attack. I'm not a very good
morning person."
[So I see] "*snort*" P-chan walked to the corner, appearing to pout.
Ranma picked up the piglet again, stepping into the furo with it, "Aw, I didn't hit you that
hard."
P-chan jumped into the steaming water, Ryoga emerging, "Maybe not. So, sleep well?"
Ranma smirked over the idle conversation, "Well enough."
"Me, too." Ryoga leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling.
"So when we go down for breakfast, right?"
The bandanna'd boy nodded, "Right. We start a fight, get out, and pretend to fight all the
way down to the Nekohatten. If Ukyou or Kodachi or someone else sees us like that,
they won't get suspicious. Hell, there's hardly a second where we aren't together and
aren't fighting."
The blue eyed boy grinned, "Y'know... it's kinda nice."
"Nice?"
"Yeah. Us not fighting to the death or anything... a nice change."
Ryoga looked thoughtful, then shrugged, "Well... I guess I'd have to agree." He glared,
"But I still want revenge for the curse!"
Ranma let out an exasperated sigh, sinking lower in the water, "Ry-o-ga~a!!! Ya sure do
know how to ruin a peaceful moment!"
"Are you saying my revenge isn't just?!"
Ranma straightened with flames in his eyes, "Well, what do you want me to do?! Want
me to pay for it with my life, my blood, what?! Ryoga, how can I give you what you
want when all you do is scream and come after me?! Don't you think that has a tiny bit
impact on my trust with you, buddy? And I lost track of how many times I've said sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cure my curse, Ranma!" Ryoga snapped back.
"Well, neither does attacking me!!" Ranma sat back down, aggravated. "Honestly, if it's
not one thing, it's another."
A tense silence played over the boys for long minutes. Ryoga averted his gaze from his
rival, obviously angry. He listened to the other occupant, eyes still fixated on the far
wall. A heavy sigh resounded a few minutes later and the water moved, showing the
pigtailed boy had climbed out, "We can't even have a normal conversation without it
ending in an argument."
"Ranma?" Ryoga asked, curiosity overpowering his slight irritation.
Ranma wrapped the towel around his waist, heading towards the changing room, "I'll
wait in the hall until you come out, Ryoga." He shut the door behind him before the lost
boy could reply.
***
The Tendos and Genma sat at the breakfast table, waiting patiently, for some impatiently,
for the last two people in the house to come downstairs. Genma glared at the boy's food,
Kasumi keeping an eye on him. Soun was hardly paying any attention, his nose in the
morning paper. Akane and Nabiki were sitting quietly together, though Akane still
looked pissed and in pain. Suddenly, there was a crash upstairs.
"C'MON, PORK-CHOP, YA CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!"
"RANMA!! JUST DIE!!" *BAM! CRASH!!*
"NYAAAA!! YOU'RE TOO SLOW FOR ME, PORKY!!
"QUIT CALLING ME THAT!!"
The two teens jumped down the staircase, looking to be in the middle of the fight.
Punches were exchanged, and dodged, and it looked fairly even until Ranma made a high
kick while Ryoga was in mid jump. The hit landed on the lost boy's stomach, sending
him flying into the backyard. Ranma rebounded, following quickly.
Kasumi smiled sweetly, "Well, I'm glad they moved it outside."
In the backyard, they kept going at it, Ranma mostly dodging as Ryoga attacked with full
force of his rage. Ranma finally turned, jumping over the wall. With a harsh cry, Ryoga
followed, the two rushing down the street, yelling insults back at each other. They
entered the Nekohatten, stopping their fight upon entering. Ranma rubbed his shoulder,
"You're good when you're not angry."
*BONK!* Ranma held his head as Ryoga gave a disapproving look, "'Porky'?"
"...sorry."
Xian Pu walked over, a tray in her hands, "Nihao! Great-Grandmother see you in minute.
Please, sit. Hungry?"
Ranma nodded, "Thanks, Shampoo. Um... some soba'd be good! Ryoga?"
"I'll have the same with tea, please."
She bobbed her head while writing down the orders, then headed into the kitchen. Mu
Tzu turned to her, huffing, "[I can't see how you talked me into this.]"
She sighed, handing him the ticket, "[Because Ranma is dangerous without his control
and you agreed this be the most humane way of helping him. And you know very well if
you 'put him out of his misery', as you so well put it, I'd put _you_ just after him.]" With
that, she turned on her heel and stomped to another table.
Mu Tzu glared at the pigtailed martial artist as he made their meals. Picking up the
bowls, he smirked, "Heads up!" He called before throwing them to the table.
Ranma and Ryoga were able to grab their orders and, with a nod of thanks, they began to
eat. They finished in a tense silence that still lingered from the furo, and was finally
shattered when Khu Lon hopped over. She pulled up a chair, sitting on it, "Well, son-in-
law, I see you're doing better today."
Ranma nodded, "I s'pose."
She looked over her shoulder, waving one frail hand, "Mu Tzu! More tea! And this time,
show some respect and don't throw it." She turned back to the boys, resting her staff on
the table's edge, "Now then. What is it you wish to know, son-in-law?"
"First, I'm not your son-in-law-"
"If you want my help, you'll let me call you whatever I want, boy." She warned.
He opened his mouth to protest, but common sense won out, which it rarely does, and he
nodded, "Fine. Tells us about this Neko-ken school Shampoo told us about."
Khu Lon chuckled warmly under her breath, leaning back in the chair, "The Neko-ken
isn't something I can tell much of. It is indeed an ultimate technique, very powerful. In
fact, I believe you would have mastered it if not for two mistakes your father had made.
One, the teacher has to have some experience himself instead of just buying the manual
and using it that way. Secondly, he has to have all the manuals for the techniques."
A hushed silence flows over the table, only the sounds of the elder amazon sipping her
tea is heard. Finally it is destroyed by an ear-ringing "WHAT?!?!"
Khu Lon picked up her staff, knocking Ranma gently with it, "Come now, son-in-law,
you of all people should know Genma would be stupid enough not to have a real manual.
It is a cheap imitation that someone made because he couldn't get the real thing."
Ranma growled, clenching one hand in anger, "When I get my hands on that stupid fur-
ball, he's gonna wish I did put him in a zoo!"
"Now, son-in-law," Khu Lon sat her cup down, eyeing him seriously, "Don't get the
wrong idea. What you went through is part of the beginning training of the Neko-ken.
You can still get the training, if you wish."
Ryoga blinked, "But... I thought that it wouldn't work after you're a certain age."
"You can't _begin_ the training after a certain age. Son-in-law has already begun it, so he
can continue it. His psyche was fragile and still developing when he was younger, and he
first learned it. The Neko-ken isn't just physical, it relies on many factors. The fear had
to be implanted into you first, so that you may have a path to access the techniques. I am
truthful when I say I don't know very much about the Neko-ken. I have seen it in action,
but much of it is still a mystery to me." She smirked at the pigtailed youth, "I do have
contacts in China, son-in-law, so that you may finish your training of the Neko-ken and
finally master it. Would you like that?"
Ranma looked at Ryoga, then gave the ancient Amazon a wary look, "And why should I
trust you?"
"Because you have no other choice," she deadpanned.
"What if I don't want to continue to learn the Neko-ken?" Ranma crossed his arms over
his chest.
Ryoga frowned, "He's got a point... you can't force him to learn, he has to agree of his
own free will."
Khu Lon shrugged, closing her eyes, "It is your choice, son-in-law, but do you really want
an incident like what happened with Akane to occur again, or even worse? What if you
kill someone?"
Ranma stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table, "I won't let that happen! I'll
get more control without your help!! I know how you can be, Cologne, you just want me
to go to China and marry Shampoo! I ain't gonna fall for it!! You haven't given me one
reason to trust you unless it was for your own benefit as well!" He stalked towards the
door, leaving the restaurant without a backwards glance.
Ryoga was partially stunned, but recovered after a few seconds and left soundlessly. Khu
Lon watched the doorway calmly, then finished the rest of her tea, "This will be more
difficult than I first thought."
"Ranma, wait up!" Ryoga called. "You're right, Cologne might be tricking you, but you
can't just ignore the fact that you could hurt someone!"
The Saotome heir stopped in his steps, allowing his rival to catch up. He turned to his
friend, blue eyes blazing with fading anger, "I know that, Ryoga. I know it's dangerous,
but I can't just... I can't trust Cologne. Every time I try, she pulls some stunt and I get
burned by her. And how do I know that she won't keep me at that village when we get to
China? How do we even know that she really knows a Neko-ken master? It's all on a
bunch of assumptions and I have a zero trust factor with her."
Ryoga bit his lower lip, adjusting his bandanna as a nervous habit, "Ranma... it's a fifty-
fifty chance. I trust her as much as you do... well, maybe a little bit more, but how are
you going to gain control for a martial art technique as rare as the Neko-ken? We gotta
plan this out, Saotome. Don't get so damn hot headed. Okay?"
Ranma looked away, eyes firm with determination, "We'll see."
* * *
Khu Lon tapped her fingernail lightly on the table of the restaurant, the diner already
closed for the night. Mu Tzu was cleaning up in the kitchen while Xian Pu took a
shower. The mouthpiece of the phone was silent except for the ringing, waiting to be
picked up and connected to her old friend. Finally, it was picked up and a cranky voice
snarled, "[This had better be good or else you're going to be in serious pain!]"
"[Hello, Xo Hap. Is Kasai there?]"
She allowed a smile as the young man meeped and a shuffle was heard, along with the
sound of an old man, "[What is your damage, boy?! Are you _trying_ to break your
neck?]"
"[It's Honorable Elder Khu Lon, Kasai-sensei!]"
There was a moment of silence then she heard an ancient voice speak with her in a light
tone, "[Hello, Khu. What has you calling me this late in the night? And how did you get
a phone? There aren't any in the village.]"
"[So many questions, Sai. Well, I have a phone because I am running a restaurant in
Japan--don't you dare start laughing--and I'm calling because it has to do with my son-in-
law.]" Khu Lon answered with amusement.
"[Son-in-law?]"
"[WHAT?!?!?!]"
Khu Lon pulled the phone from her ear, rubbing it to stop the ringing. She then
continued with her conversation, "[I'm guessing Hakujin's awake.]"
"[However did you guess?]" The male amazon asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"[What about this--Hey! HAKUJIN, STAND DOWN!!! GAWK!!!]"
"[WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SON-IN-LAW', GREAT-GRANDMOTHER?! WHO THE
HELL DEFEATED XIAN?! I'LL--I'LL--]" A Japanese accented voice threatened in a
loud tone on the other end of the line.
"[Hakujin, she's in love. He defeated her and she's more than happy. Now please let me
talk with your sensei.]"
A low grumble was heard on the other end, then: "[All right, but you _are_ going to
explain this to me, right, Great-grandmother?]"
She blinked innocently, even though he couldn't see it, "[Don't I always, Great-
grandson?]"
Another silence then Kasai spoke up again, "[Ouch, my back... now then... what about
this son-in-law of yours?]" Then she heard a whisper from the old man, "[Xo Hap, quit
snickering and get to bed. Hakujin, go clean up the kitchen--no arguments this time!]"
Khu Lon leaned back in her chair, sighing, "[We have a situation right now, Kasai.
Xian's future husband is a Japanese martial artist, one Saotome Ranma. He's been
difficult to try and convince that he is Xian's, but you know how stubborn these Japanese
are.]"
A soft chuckle, "[I do very well, thank you. I've had to train one for the last nine years.
What kind of a situation does he concern you about, Khu Lon? I know you too well, so I
know you would only call me if it was deeply important.]"
Khu Lon sipped her tea, glancing over to see Mu Tzu turning off the kitchen light and
heading up to his room. "[His father tried to teach him the cat-fist.]"
A heavy silence settle in the room and on the phone, until a shocked, angered voice
hissed out, "[You are joking and it isn't funny, Khu.]"
"[I don't joke about the cat-fist. But he never got past the pits of cats. When he's around
cats too long... well, you know what happens. It has happened recently, he was locked in
a room full of cats at a local shelter, and he attacked his fiancé.]"
"[Is Xian all right?]" Kasai asked with a panic in his voice.
Khu Lon sweatdropped, clearing her throat, "[Well... basically, Son-in-law _is_ the
situation. He has three fiancés, Xian included.]"
"[...... excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. Did you say _three_?! Are all of
them amazons?]"
She snorted a laughter, rolling her eyes, "[Oh, don't insult the village, one is an arranged
marriage before he was even born and the other is because his father was hungry.]" She
refilled her tea, closing her eyes, "[The one that was attacked was the one made before
birth, one Tendo Akane. She only had a bad scratch on her arms, so she got off lucky.]"
"[I see. He is still unstable. This is very dangerous, not just to the village and Xian, but
to everyone around him. I'm guessing you have a plan in mind, yes?]"
Khu Lon smirked, "[You _do_ know me well. Since son-in-law refuses to go to China, in
fear we might make him stay there, could you send one of your students here to Nerima,
Japan? The restaurant is the Nekohatten. He can train Son-in-law in the cat-fist, and also
give him some other mannerisms that his father has warped.]"
"[Hmm... it will probably be Hakujin who goes to train the boy. He knows Japanese
more fluently than Xo Hap, and Xo is going back to America in a few weeks to finish his
training there.]"
"[All right, I will prepare for Great-grandson. Thank you, Kasai, and good night.]" She
hung up the phone, drinking her tea slowly. She smiled to herself, leaning back in her
seat, "I was hoping he'd allow Hakujin to come anyways." She tilted her head back,
laughing to herself, "This ought to be very interesting!"
* * *
"WHAT?!" Soun and Genma tag-teamed the Saotome heir, faces red from anger. Ranma
glared at Nabiki, who was smirking with a smug satisfaction. Ryoga seriously considered
putting her out of business, but she was Akane's sister and the youngest Tendo would
never forgive him.
Ranma sat his chopsticks down as he remained unfazed by the intimidation, "Okay, so I
went and talked to Cologne. Why should it be any of your business?"
"WAAAAAHHH, HE'S CHEATING ON MY LITTLE GIRL!!"
Ryoga raised an eyebrow, "With a three hundred year old mummy? Now that's
disgusting, Mr. Tendo."
"RANMA--!!" Akane growled out in warning as she stood up, mallet in hand, "YOU
HURT ME AND THEN YOU GO TO SHAMPOO FOR COMFORT, YOU
PERVERT?!"
"Aw, shut up!" Ranma snapped hotly to his fiancé. Without waiting for their stunned
silence to end, he left the table and headed out the door.
"THAT BAKA!!!" She screamed after a minute of being stunned. Ryoga winced as the
mallet slammed against the table, effectively breaking it in two. Deciding it was safer to
take Ranma's course of action, he left the house so she could calm down a bit.
The sky was very clear that night, much to his relief, with a half moon shining down and
lighting up the yard, combined with the effort of the street lamps. He couldn't see his
rival anywhere, and on a hunch, began to head towards the dojo.
"Cold."
He stopped, blinking. He took two steps back.
"Warmer."
He turned and looked at the roof of the Tendo home, seeing Ranma smirking down at
him with no malice. It was a half smile that didn't reach his eyes, that could be seen even
from Ryoga's distance. He jumped onto the roof, settling beside the blue-eyed boy.
Ranma crossed his arms, leaning his head back to look at the firmament, "Decided ya
didn't wanna become a tenderized pork-chop?"
"Insults won't work on me right now, Ranma. I'm not in the mood."
"Neither am I, but it seems to be the only thing that carries on a conversation between
us."
Ryoga frowned, turning his dark eyes to his friend, "That's not true... well, not all of the
time."
Ranma snorted, rolling his eyes in disbelief, "Come off it, Ryoga, we both lack social
skills and we try to practice on each other, which ends with us sparring." He shrugged his
shoulders, leaning back against the roof, "Then again... I guess that's what drew us
together."
"You stepping on my head drew us together, Saotome." Ryoga deadpanned.
"Aah, but I would have stepped on that other guys first, until I saw we had something in
common. Y'know I'm not very good at making friends."
Ryoga smirked, "However you exceed in making enemies."
"Nah, they accumulate." He replied with a grin, eyes lightening in shade. Ryoga
chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. He sat up, patting the lost boy's shoulder,
"Thanks, Ryo-kun. I needed that."
"Tch, yeah, whatever. Let's see if they calmed down yet, ne?"
Ranma raised an eyebrow, the faintly muffled sounds of crying, screaming, and stomping
could still be heard drifting from inside the house. Ryoga shrugged sheepishly, and the
two laid back down, watching the stars, talking of one thing or another.
End Chapter 1
Author's Notes: In the next chapter, there will be a flashback to explain why Ryoga and
Ranma are trying to rebuilt their friendship. Also, how are Nerima's Amazons going to
take this sudden change in plans? How are the Neko-ken Master Amazons going to take
it? ... okay, that was pathetic, but gimme a li'l credit for effort here. ;.;