THROWN AWAY

Genma belched in satisfaction at the fine meal he had just eaten. The alcoholic buzz from the beers and sake he had with his meal just made his satisfaction greater. The sight he saw when he returned to where Ranma waited for him changed his satisfaction to disgust. He looked down at his semi-conscious, bruised and bleeding son while listening to the winner shout in victory. Scribbling a short note, he pinned it to Ranma's gi. Genma motioned to the winner to follow him as he turned and left Ranma laying in the dirt.

He said, "Stick with me and I'll make you the best martial artist in the world...son."

Soun waited for someone to answer the ringing telephone when he remember he was the only one awake. Walking to the hall table, he lifted the receiver and answered the call.

"Hello. Is this the Tendo Dojo?"

"Yes, it is. May I ask who you are?"

"Pardon me for not giving you my name. I am Sister Sayuri at the Saint Assisi convent in Itabashi ward."

"I am Tendo Soun. How may I help you, Sister?"

"A young man was found beaten and unconscious in an empty lot nearby. We tendered what care we could but he needed to be sent to Itabashi General Hospital."

"While I am saddened to hear of his condition, I still have no idea of what help I can provide you."

"A note was attached to his clothing, a gi, I believe it is called. It was barely legible but I was able to make out anything goes. I assumed he was a martial artist and looked in the phone book where I found your dojo listed. Is he a student of yours?"

"You must have an old phone book. I stopped teaching two years ago, so I doubt he is a student of mine. I will visit him at the hospital sometime tomorrow to try to solve your mystery. Will that be of help?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm concerned that his parents are unaware of his condition and location. If his parents aren't located, he may be placed with Social Services."

After exchanging good nights and hanging up, Soun walked to the living room and sat on the couch before the TV. Barely watching the program, he considered various students he had trained but couldn't remember a young man. He had usually trained adult self-defense, police officers and his daughter. Looking at the time, he turned off the TV and went to bed.

Dr. Tofu Ono was making a follow-up visit on one of his patients who had been transferred to Itabashi General from Nerima General. Reading his patient's chart while standing at the nurses station he suddenly heard a loud clanging noise followed by boy's cracking voice yelling for food. Sprinting down the hall, Tofu entered the room and coldly stared at the occupant until there was silence. The boy defiantly stared back but after bit he glanced away from Tofu's gaze.

In a surly tone, the boy asked, "What do you want, Old Man?"

Tofu replied sternly, "Common courtesy for starters. This is a hospital. There are other patients here that need quiet so they can recuperate from surgery."

"So, let me go. I didn't ask to come here. I would have been fine. Pops...," the boy speech trailed off as unshed tears welled in his eyes.

"Pops? Is that your father?" Tofu asked softly.

Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of the gown, the boy screamed, "He's nobody. I don't have a father. I don't need him. I don't need anybody!"

Tofu watched as the boy drew his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his knees and began rocking back and forth. He heard the boy whispering, "Nobody", over and over. Tofu sat next to the boy and put his arm around his shoulder. The boy stiffened, then started sobbing.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "It's not manly to cry but I'm scared."

"Bullshit," said Tofu. "A man can be scared, worried, happy or sad. Whoever said men don't cry is an idiot." (Genma wiped his nose on his sleeve after sneezing.) "But what are you scared of?"

"I don't have anywhere to go. Where will I live?"

"Well, how about your mother?"

"I...I think...she's dead."

"Whats her name?"

"I...don't know. P...Pops took me on a training trip when I was little."

Tofu was starting to get a bad feeling. This boy's story was sounding familiar. He had an idea who he was but needed his name to verify his theory. Standing up, he retrieved the patient chart at the foot of the bed which listed the boy as John Doe. Spotting a backpack in the closet, he walked over and looked for any identifying markings. There on the flap was a stenciled rearing horse. Returning to the side of the bed, he sat on the visitor's chair and looked at the boy.

"The hospital would appreciate it if you would give them your name."

The boy looked away and didn't answer. Tofu sighed and considered how to get the boy to open up to him.

"My name is Tofu Ono. I am a doctor and a pretty good martial artist in my own humble opinion. I understand you are a martial artist too. What school do you follow?"

"I was a martial artist. Not anymore," was the hoarsely whispered reply.

"Why wouldn't you want to continue?"

"Why? You want to know why?" relied the boy in tones rising to a scream. "Because my sensei abandoned me in an empty lot. My father tossed me aside as worthless trash. That's why!"

Tofu quickly reached out and touched a few points on the back of Ranma's neck to calm him.

"There are other schools you could follow."

"My school was the best...I was going to be the best...the best," came the sobbing reply.

"Ranma."

"Ho...how do..you know my name?"

"Because the note mentioned anything goes. You're evidently trained in martial arts from the calluses on your hands and feet. There are only two schools of anything goes that I've heard of. Grandmaster Happosai trained only two students, Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome. Soun has the Tendo school of anything goes martial arts. He has three daughters. Genma has the Saotome school of anything goes martial arts. His only student was his son, Ranma. The last I heard from Soun was that Genma left on a ten year training trip with his son. His mother hasn't seen them since."

"M..moth...mother...you know my mother...she's alive...?"

At that point, injuries and shock caused Ranma to do an unmanly thing...he fainted.

"Hmmm, it's still early morning. Nodoka should be at home, I'll try giving her a call."

Ranma gradually became aware of several things: his right hand was in a vise, the ceiling had sprung a leak and soaked his shirt and the wind was moaning outside. Coming fully awake, he realized he was mistaken when he looked at his chest to find a sobbing woman had placed her face there.

"Nodoka...Nodoka...Ranma is awake."

Ranma saw the woman turn her face towards his. She sat up and dried her eyes with a tissue then leaned over and gently kissed his forehead. She leaned back and looked at him. He looked at her and worked up his courage to ask if she was his mother. Unfortunately, she got her questions off first.

"Are you Ranma Saotome?"

"Uh...yes."

"You sound unsure of your answer. Who are you?"

"Ranma Saotome"

Tofu listened in disbelief as she interrogated Ranma.

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen, I think."

"You think, don't you know?"

"I don't know for sure. I never had a birthday celebration. I don't even know what month its in."

"Nonsense, Genma promised to raise you properly. He certainly would have celebrated your birthday...if you are Ranma."

Tofu motioned for Nodoka to come into the hallway for a private conversation. Reigning in his emotions to be able to speak calmly was hard but he managed.

"Nodoka, what are you doing? We can verify who he is by the footprint on his birth certificate."

"Unfortunately, he was home birthed, so the certificate has no footprint."

"Why are you so sure that boy isn't Ranma."

"Because in the morning mail, I received a postcard from Genma stating he and Ranma had just departed for China and would return in three years. So, if Ranma is with Genma, who is this person posing as my son?"

"Nodoka, the police had contacted the school he was in and verified his identity. The landlord verified Ranma was staying there with a man named Genma Saotome."

"Why would Genma need an apartment in another ward when he has a house in Nerima?"

"I don't know why but maybe Ranma can answer that."

They went back into the room. Tofu stood next to Ranma's bed while Nodoka sat in a chair across the room. Tofu couldn't believe she was actually distancing herself from Ranma. Nodoka had a neutral expression on her face as she gazed at Ranma. Tofu could feel Ranma emotionally shutting down, it was all he could do to keep from grabbing Nodoka and shaking some sense into her. Nodoka was treating her son as if he was on trial and she was the prosecutor. Hell, she was the judge, jury and executioner to boot. Nodoka began grilling...er...questioning Ranma some more.

"Describe your father's appearance."

"Well, he's bald and kinda fat. Wears a bandana all the time to cover his head and has round lens glasses. His height is about shoulder high on the doc here."

"Why do you say he's fat?"

"Well, if you painted him green and made his earlobes longer, he'd be a dead ringer for Buddha."

Both adults became tight lipped. Tofu because he was trying not to laugh at Ranma's description. Nodoka because she was becoming furious with this imposter.

"Why is he so fat?"

"Pfft...he's always stealing food off my plate saying its speed training. If I'm not fast enough to keep him away I deserve to starve he says."

"Why did you live in that apartment? Genma knew he had a house in the next ward."

"I dunno. Pops...He said he needed to earn enough money for the China trip. The way he spent it on food and booze as fast as he earned it kept us there long enough for me to get a whole term of school. Longest time I ever spent in a school. I was even starting to make friends. I even had a sparring partner, of course, he wasn't better..."

Tofu saw Ranma draw his knees up to his chest again and rest his head against his knees. He heard Ranma sob softly, so did Nodoka. She looked at him with disgust and left the room. Tofu quickly followed and called out to her. Nodoka turned with a furious look on her face. Tofu looked around and saw an empty office. Motioning her to follow, Tofu entered the office but did not close the door. Before he could say anything, Nodoka slapped his face.

In a hoarse whisper she said, "How dare you! How dare you raise my hopes with a lying imposter! I thought I had my son back but the way he described Genma doesn't resemble the man I love and married. So, no, that...that...no, he is no son of mine. If he was my son, I'd be his second."

Tofu blinked and blurted out, "Why?"

"Genma and Ranma signed a pact before they left."

"Nodoka, Ranma would have been, what? Three? Four? He wouldn't have understood...and how the hell does a child that young sign anything?"

"He was finger-painting so his hand was covered with paint, Ranma put his hand on the pact and that is his signature."

Tofu took a moment to keep his cool and then closed the door to the office. Standing before the door to block her exit, Tofu, with eyes and voice colder than liquid nitrogen, read her the riot act.

"I have NEVER seen or heard of a more despicable, dishonorable act as I witnessed today...

"How dare you..."

"SHUT UP!"

Nodoka blindly backed away from the doctor and suddenly collapsed onto a chair. She had never been spoken to like this before and certainly not by him. Everybody knew he was a kind and gentle person, he would never be the kind of person to rip her a new...ahem...lets get back to Tofu.

"What did you think was going to happen when they returned? You would have your three year old son back? If a relative moved away and visited you ten years later, you wouldn't be surprised if they had changed. Children grow up, adults get older, sometimes fatter, lose hair. Ranma answered your questions as truthfully as he could, don't take it out on him because it doesn't match your memories. Who knows what kind of events or stresses their travels placed on them. Genma said he would do whatever it took to make Ranma the best martial artist in the world. Maybe that is what brought about the changes Ranma described."

Nodoka said, "But my son is supposed to be manly, not an emotional crybaby."

Tofu stared at her and asked, "What is manly? Who decides how manly a man is? Is there a chart defining manliness?"

Nodoka said proudly, "Any woman can tell you what is manly."

"So tell me what you think is manly."

"Tall, handsome, confident, strong, attracts women willing to have his children, shows no emotion, looks down on his inferiors..."

Tofu listened to her ramble and asked himself, "Why am I trying to convince her to take Ranma. It's pretty obvious she's a few cards shy of a full deck, I mean, geez. There's no way she'd be a capable mother, she'd make Ranma's life a living hell."

Tofu waited until she stopped to take a breath and broke into her spiel.

"Nodoka...you know...if Ranma's hand print matches the one on the pact, that will prove he is your son."

Nodoka turned her face away from Tofu and tried to ignore him.

"I see, even if it is proven, you will deny him your love and home."

"Yes," she hissed. "That is not my son."

"So be it. The hospital will have no other choice than to place him with Social Services due to abandonment by his parents."

"Fine. If that is all, I'll be leaving."

"Not before I compare hand prints."

To say Ranma was confused would be an understatement. A man who said he's a doctor brought a woman that he claimed was his mother to meet him. He had thought that maybe he still had a parent that would take him home. He remembered talking to other kids and hearing how moms would hug and kiss them. How they would take care of them when they were sick. How they made wonderful meals. He had proof of the meals because occasionally one of the kids would give him something from their bentos. Wistfully, he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, this woman would be his mom. Surely she would be better than...Pops. Unfortunately, his hopes were extinguished as the woman began asking him questions. So what if he had stammered a bit before giving her his name. She should know his name, right? He honestly told the truth about his age, he never had a birthday party, didn't know what month he was born in, people told him what age they thought he was so he just accepted what they said. When the two adults left the room, he knew they were talking about him. He didn't know why, but, he could feel the woman's feelings for him change. When they returned, Ranma wasn't surprised to see the woman sit across the room. He felt a cold darkness begin to grow inside him, saddened by the knowledge that he was being rejected and abandoned once again. The questions she asked and the truthful answers he gave only reinforced the darkness. The final question she asked forced him to relive his defeat and abandonment and he had broken into tears. He was lost in his despair until one of his hands was forced open, opening his eyes, he saw the doctor glancing at his hand and then a piece of paper.

Tofu could see at a glance the prints matched, Nodoka looked at both and a look of uncertainty was visible for a second before she regained her stoic mien. Tofu motioned her back into the hall and back to the previous office.

"Nodoka, the prints match. That is your son, Ranma Saotome."

She sniffed and said, "At first glance, they are apparently a match. When I looked closer there

were obvious differences. Lines on his hand that don't match with the pact and, disregarding the obvious differences in size, the length and proportion of his fingers don't match."

Tofu spoke between gritted teeth, "Nodoka, are you deliberately... Fine, I give up. Feel free to leave."

Nodoka headed for the door but halted at Tofu's next words.

"The boy may be placed in a home in Nerima. If you should meet him on the street, please I beg of you, treat him with the same courtesy as you would any other person."

Without looking back, she gave a short nod of agreement and left the office. Soun was walking down the hallway towards the young man's room and thought he recognized the woman striding towards him. Realizing he might cause the woman some embarrassment if he was wrong, he merely nodded as he passed her. He did recognize Doctor Ono as he glanced into an office he passed. Glancing at the room number sign, he knocked on the door for admittance, hearing what he thought was permission, he entered the room. The boy in the bed barely acknowledged Soun's presence in the room. Soun scanned the boy's face and any other visible potion of his body.

Soun thought to himself, "The boy doesn't have bruises, he is a bruise. Someone, who didn't know or care when to stop, worked this boy over mercilessly. He must be a fast healer because it looks like he was beat-up a couple of days ago not last night. The bruising will heal, what may never heal is the wound in his psyche. I have only seen that dark an aura in people who have lost all hope."

Tofu entered the room and stopped in surprise at seeing Soun. He had thought to call him about Ranma but held off because of Nodoka's visit. Soun noticed Tofu and motioned him to join him in the hallway. Once the door was closed, Tofu asked Soun why he was there.

Soun said, "Last night I received a call from the St. Assisi convent here in Itabashi. I was told that a young man had been found beaten and unconscious. A note attached to his gi mentioned anything goes, so they called me to see if I could try to identify him. They were worried that if his parents were not notified the young man might be placed with Social Services.

Tofu sighed and said, "They had good reason to worry. It looks like Ranma will be placed with them.

Soun gave Tofu a startled look and said, "Ranma? Ranma Saotome?"

Tofu nodded and said, "Ranma Saotome, identified by the police, school officials and a hand print."

Soun stared down the hallway and said in a low voice, "That was Nodoka I saw then."

Tofu sighed and nodded. He told Soun what had transpired mere minutes before he arrived. Soun couldn't believe that Nodoka would deny Ranma was her son. Every time she visited his daughters to teach them the skills needed by a housewife, she couldn't help but boast about his looks and abilities. Frankly, Akane was getting tired of being told about the great Ranma Saotome. He realizes that her anger and frustration are his fault for stopping her training. It isn't fair to tell her it's her duty to be heir of the Tendo School and Dojo and then fail to finish her training. He knows she is trying to keep up her skills, but, without a sensei to train her properly she will admit defeat and give up. Because he can't strike his daughter, the Tendo legacy will be lost. Tofu knew Soun was emotional but why did he suddenly break into tears. Tofu shook Soun to gain his attention. His tears gradually dribbling away, Soun looked at Tofu.

"I know you're upset about Ranma' s situation but..." Tofu began saying when Soun broke into tears again. Tofu listened in disbelief as Soun sobbingly cried about the loss of the Tendo Legacy. One dope slap later, Tofu reminded Soun they were talking about Ranma and not the Tendo Legacy.

Tofu asked Soun, "Would you consider taking in Ranma."

Soun replied, "I'm having enough trouble feeding and housing my daughters and I to consider adding another mouth. I also have to consider that his condition would involve costly counseling sessions."

"His condition? The bruises and cuts?"

"Check out his aura."

Tofu took a 'look' at Ranma's aura, he flinched at the darkness he observed. Soun pointed out that Ranma is likely to need some professional counseling sessions if not a suicide watch. As he was about to look away, he saw Ranma hold his hand out palm up and manifest a small black sphere. Ranma shouldn't be able to do that at his age, hell, most masters and grandmasters aren't able to do that. Tofu silently swore at the world at the burden he was about to bear. Tofu Ono, chi adept and confirmed bachelor, will have to have Ranma become his student after a home is found. If he is placed outside the Tokyo area, he will have to ask another chi adept to accept Ranma as a student. Tofu turned his attention back to Soun.

"Soun, I hadn't realized that he would be a strain on your household. I was just thinking since he was a student of anything goes, it would make sense for him to live with you."

"If it wasn't for returns on several investments, we would be out in the street. I have a potential job with the Ward Council, but I have yet to hear back from them."

"Would you be willing to let him train in your dojo to keep up his skills? Maybe train him in your school?"

"Ahhh...let me get back to you on that."

Tofu thought that was somewhat curious, but let it pass for now. He had to speak with Ranma about his aura before he blew out the wall of the room. Thanking Soun for dropping by, Tofu re-entered the room and closed the door. An ordinary person would look at the boy sitting in the bed and see him staring at his empty palm. Tofu saw a boy staring at a now basketball sized sphere, his aura slightly hazy rather than dark. Tofu calmly walked across the room and opened a window facing an open field.

Then he calmly walked over to Ranma, gave him a dope slap, and slapped the chi ball out the window and over the field. The detonation rattled windows in all the surrounding buildings.

"Hey, Old Man! Why'd ya slap me?"

"Several reasons. One, you were deep in a depressed state and needed to come up for air. Two, you obviously know a little about your aura and chi, just enough to be a danger to yourself and bystanders. Three, slapping you distracted you enough I was able to smack the chi ball out of the room before it exploded. Any questions?"

"Yeah, is there a fourth reason?"

"Keep up the attitude and find out."

"Why shouldn't I have an attitude? I heard you and that woman talking about me. She's my mother and she doesn't want me! So, I have no father, no mother, I don't know if I have any other relations I might live with. That Soun guy doesn't sound like he wants to let me stay at his place. The only reason I have a bed to sleep in and meals to eat is that I'm in the hospital. So, as soon as a doctor says I'm well enough to leave, I'll be living on the streets."

Tofu sighed and closed the window, returning to the side of the bed, he sat in the visitors chair.

"Ranma, there are some things that you should be aware of. One, I can delay your living on the street if you allow me to become your doctor and transfer you to Nerima General. Two, The hospital here has informed Social Services of your abandonment by your parents. Three, If Social Services cannot find a relative willing to take you in, they will have no choice but to place you into an orphanage or foster home."

Ranma lowered his head so Tofu couldn't see his eyes, but Tofu could hear the tears dropping one by one on the bed sheet. Ranma cleared his throat several times before he spoke.

"So, I guess...the ten years I spent to become the best was wasted. All that pain...for nothing."

"Maybe not for nothing. I can't promise anything but I'll see if I can have a say in your placement. One thing that will help is if I know how you were treated and trained for those ten years."

Tofu was able to judge by Ranma's aura if he was telling the truth. There was a little stretching of the truth sometimes, usually when Ranma was discussing his abilities, but on the whole, it was a factual recital of years of daily abuse and torture. What was most disturbing about the recital was Ranma's expression on his face. It was a calm thoughtful expression like a person gets when trying to remember a part of their vacation. Tofu felt a chill at Ranma's pride that other kids didn't get trained like he did.

"Oh...My...God," thought Tofu. "he honestly thinks that daily horror he went through is normal!That that is how a father treats their sons. No wonder, his aura is black. He 'knew' his mother would give him hugs and kisses and be kind to offset his father's brutality and she tossed him aside."

Ranma continued to detail his life on the road, the lack of friends, fighting his father to get enough to eat, hardly any schooling, and on and on. The longer his litany went on, the more determined Tofu became to protect the boy. When Social Services interviews Ranma and hears what a horror his life had been, Ranma will probably be institutionalized. He'd never get the chi training he needs and would die from chi poisoning.

Tofu thought to himself, "Screw Social Services, I'll take him in. I'll speak to Mother and have him added to the Ono Clan!"