"Good one." Ranma praised as he was offered a hand to get up. He took it and stood on his feet shakily.
Off to the side Genma and Nodoka eyed the couple as they finished their morning match. This time Midori was the victor as she landed a beautiful crescent kick on Ranma. They were still getting used to the idea that Ranma didn't mind losing a fight, if it meant losing to Midori at least. Genma was still trying to fully understand the new style. The power and deadliness of the Fuin mixed with the speed and unpredictability of the Anything Goes gave as a result something Happosai's student could only dream of before. The old master was in for a surprise when he found out of Ranma's new way of fighting.
Ranma and Midori assumed low stances and started summoning energy. This was not something new, but the fact that Genma and Nodoka couldn't feel any chi being expended could only mean one thing. What Ranma and Midori had talked about, their chi reserves. "That's a lot of energy." Nodoka commented.
Her husband nodded. "I can't begin to imagine the amount of power they can harness."
"Genma, why did Midori have such a hard time fighting Akane? She's obviously a lot more skilled than her." Nodoka had been meaning to ask this of Genma since they witnessed the fight.
Genma looked thoughtful for a moment and answered seriously as he adjusted his glasses. "It seems like Ranma and Midori have only been fighting each other. Their level of skill has done nothing but increase and their techniques have become more sophisticated. I believe there lies the problem."
"What?"
Her husband continued. "It seems like Ranma and Midori spend most of their time fighting skill against skill. That's the true nature of the Art, yet a problem when you're facing an opponent that relies on physical attributes. Ranma is a lot faster than he was when he left, but his strength doesn't seem to have increased much. I'm not saying he's weak, he simply didn't train to get stronger."
Nodoka nodded in understanding. "And since both him and Midori are used to fighting skilled opponents, fighting someone like Akane or Ryoga puts them off balance." She turned to see her son and soon to be daughter-in-law still gathering energy. Sweat pouring down their bodies. "I wonder how Ranma and Midori really fight."
Genma could only nod. He had seen his son fight Midori a couple of times now, and was more than impressed with his skill. The thought of Ranma using those huge quantities of chi during a fight left the father daydreaming. He even convinced himself to start training seriously again, his love for the Art reawakened. Maybe he could convince Soun to start training as well so they both started together.
Nodoka noticed her husband was daydreaming again and rolled her eyes. She stood up and headed to the kitchen. Peace wouldn't last long, of that she was sure. With her son's return chaos would return to Nerima in a matter of days, maybe even hours. She wanted to enjoy the last moments of peace she had.
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Midori panted hard as she tumbled over to the house. Her knees were shaking as she took another unsure step. She saw out of the corner of her eye as Ranma tripped and landed face-first on the ground. She laughed at the sight, and that cost her the concentration needed to keep her balance. She somehow managed to land over Ranma.
Ranma felt something land on his back, rather someone, after he heard laughter. He couldn't help but laugh himself even if Midori was currently on top of him. The couple continued laughing for a couple of minutes, enjoying the peaceful morning.
Finally, after calming somewhat, Ranma broke the silence. "I think we overdid it."
"Really?" Midori playfully asked. "I thought the great Ranma Saotome didn't have a limit."
Ranma managed to assume a sitting position as Midori did the same. They were sitting in the backyard after refilling their reserves. There was still a long way to go, but every step was important. He flashed her his most cocky smirk and stated. "Just need to rest a little and I'll kick your ass."
Midori smiled mischievously. "I thought you said my ass had more important things to do." She reached forward and pulled Ranma into a passionate kiss.
"You two make me sick." A female voice was heard from the wall.
Ranma and Midori, even if physically drained, assumed their fighting stances instantly facing the origin of the voice. Their faces and eyes burning with determination would give pause even to Ihadurca herself if she was still alive.
The owner of the voice was sitting on the wall and placed her hands in front of her in a friendly gesture. "Nice to see you, too."
Ranma and Midori dropped their stances and dropped to the floor, smiles on their faces.
She jumped down to the backyard with grace. It was a young woman of about Midori's age with long black hair. She was wearing a dark blue business suit with knee high skirt. Her features were elegant and at the same time revealed a person with great inner strength. She took a few steps and knelt down next to the redhead. They exchanged a quick hug. "I'm glad you could make it, Yuki." Midori said as they broke apart.
"Good to see you, Setsuna." Ranma agreed with a nod. "How have you been?"
Setsuna turned to the man that had captured her best friend's heart. "We only saw each other last week, Ranma." She stated calmly. "And to answer your question, I've been well."
Midori frowned when she asked. "How's your husband?" *I still can't believe she married that asshole.* She added to herself.
Setsuna read Midori's thoughts but ignored them. She understood perfectly well her best friend didn't get along with her love. "He should be around for your wedding as promised. Are you two ready for the big day?"
Ranma and Midori smirked. "Been ready for thousands of years." The pigtailed martial artist said.
Setsuna nodded and helped her friends into the house. Nodoka had left earlier for some grocery shopping. Genma went with her since he had nothing else to do, the Tendo Dojo no longer being an option.
"What did your father say when you introduced Ranma?" Setsuna asked once they were more comfortable. She had been curious to know how Midori's old man would react to having a son-in-law.
Midori laughed as Ranma scratched the back of his head nervously, then answered. "Those are some pretty stars." She burst out laughing at Setsuna's confused expression, soon joined by Ranma. Once they calmed down she explained how her father's first reaction to her 'boyfriend' was trying to cave in his face. Ranma, out of instinct, defended himself and kicked the master martial artist in seven pressure points that locked all his major muscle groups before blasting him through three of the dojo walls.
Setsuna laughed softly covering her mouth with her hand. "I didn't think he would take it like that."
Ranma snorted. "He wouldn't have, but Midori didn't really say I was her boyfriend."
Now it was Midori's turn to look embarrassed. "Don't even dare to ask." It hadn't been one of her best moments. She blushed even remembering what she answered when asked about the young man. *Why did I say that, anyway?*
The trio laughed at the memory and continued talking about the preparations for the wedding.
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The man knew his prey was near. He could feel it.
Moving through the shadows of the alleys so silently not even the stray cats knew he was there, he made his way towards that elusive man. He had managed to escape a couple of times, but his luck would eventually run out.
He caressed the pulsating steel and promised it to satisfy its thirst. Soon the power of that man will flow through the blade. Soon.
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She smiled slightly as she appeared on this new land. She could feel so much life. The ones she was looking for would be difficult to find, but time had no meaning for her.
Her quest was nearly complete, only these two were left after thousands of years. Two. Such a small and insignificant number yet that was enough to ruin everything.
She wouldn't fail. She promised herself she wouldn't.
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He walked the streets of this city calmly. He was supposed to be on a vacation and relax. It was difficult to do so since he couldn't remember the last time he went on a vacation, but the woman walking by his side had an incredible effect on him. She always just had to smile and he could feel all tension leave his body instantly, magically.
He really loved her. More than anything. Even more than his work.
Now they had the chance to spend some time together to visit his friends. He was reluctant at first, but she asked him if he could relax just for this occasion. He crumbled when she gave him the puppy eyes.
And so here they were. On a city none of them knew and about to meet his friends.
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Ranma flexed as he got on his feet. He felt his body had regained most of its strength after the morning's exertion. "Almost as good as new." He joked as he offered a hand to Midori.
The redhead accepted his hand and was pulled to her feet. They kissed lightly and turned to Setsuna. "So what are your plans, Yuki? Will you be staying with us?" Midori asked as her friend stood up and straightened her skirt.
Setsuna shook her head. "I thank you for the offer, but I'm staying at a house not far from here."
Midori and Ranma nodded. "How about we go grab..."
"SAOTOME!!!" Someone roared from the backyard. The three of them turned to see a man wearing samurai armor. He had a facemask that covered his features and a katana tightly gripped in his hands.
Ranma sighed. *I was wondering how long it would take.* "Wait here." He said casually as he walked to meet the newcomer.
Setsuna turned to Midori. "What's going on?"
Midori didn't part her eyes from the soon to start combat as she answered seriously. "Remember all the things Ranma said happened to him on a daily basis?" She didn't quite remember who this person was, but was ready to jump in any second if her love needed help.
Setsuna turned back to the men outside. She cursed inwardly for forgetting about Ranma's stories and not bringing her sword with her.
Ranma stopped a few feet from the armored man and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're trespassing."
"Silence, knave! Know that thy evil spells shall not affect my noble self as they did before." The samurai stated as he shifted his weight to his front leg. His katana at the ready to strike down the abomination that had dared come back.
Ranma raised and eyebrow and tenses his muscles in preparation to dodge. "Kuno?" He asked mostly for Midori and Setsuna. He had recognized the delusional fool at first sight from his stance.
Ranma fell into a stance when Kuno started glowing a soft red. He was glad he did as Kuno moved faster than ever before and slashed downwards with his blade, intending to cut Ranma's head in two. The pigtailed martial artist barely had time to sidestep and jump over the following slash intended for his legs. *Kuno's gotten good. He's really fast.* At first Ranma had dismissed Kuno, but now he was preparing himself to fight seriously.
Setsuna turned to Midori and saw the worry in the redhead's eyes. She knew the couple had nearly died in escaping from Evil Zone and both were incredibly weak. Midori wanted to help Ranma but didn't because she knew she would only make matters worse. Fighting an armed opponent required a lot of free space for mobility, and the reduced space of the backyard would not be enough for two dodging martial artists.
Kuno relentlessly continued attacking his foe. A wall of steel preventing his opponent to make an attempt at taking the initiative. He was very careful in keeping the fight in the open, not allowing Ranma to use the terrain to his advantage. He allowed a small smile to shine in the darkness of his helmet at seeing his foe start to sweat.
As he kept dodging he went over different ways to beat Kuno without killing him. The Saotome Forbidden techniques came to mind, but he didn't have enough control on them yet to cut Kuno's sword without killing him. The Hi Ryu Shoten Ha was another option. *Kami knows he's letting off enough heat.* Kuno's aura was mostly powered by his rage. The only problem with that was that he would ruin his mother's garden. He didn't even want to think what she would do if she found a huge crater there. So what to do?
So immersed was he in his thoughts that he was taken by surprise by a hideous laugh. *Oh no!* He stumbled a little as he looked to his side to see Kodachi, sexier than ever, in a mad dash towards him.
Kuno's eyes narrowed and he took advantage of his foe's distraction. He took a step forward and managed go graze Ranma's thigh. Not enough to cripple him, but enough to seriously hinder his moves. He laughed as he continued his assault. It was a matter of time before he landed the killing blow.
Setsuna blinked as Midori suddenly vanished from sight. She turned just in time to see her friend landing a ferocious kick on a beautiful woman wearing a leotard and twirling a ribbon? *Guess Ranma didn't make up that one either.* She admitted to herself as she watched Ranma taken in a hit. *Damn.* The fight hadn't been easy for the pigtailed martial artist before, now it was becoming a losing battle.
Kodachi managed to roll with the fall to stand face to face with a redhead. Even if this one was so much different than the other it didn't matter to her. "How dare you harridan stand in the way to my Ranma-sama?" She demanded as she started twirling her ribbon.
Midori growled. If it hadn't been for this crazy woman Ranma wouldn't have been injured. Now she knew he was in deep trouble facing Kuno. She didn't bother with words. She would usually enjoy a fight with someone new, a challenge for her martial arts. But his woman had managed to make it personal. She charged forward and delivered a powerful sidekick.
Kodachi managed to duck under the attack and ensnared Midori's leg with her ribbon. With a twist of her wrist the redhead was sent towards the wall and crashed painfully. Kodachi retrieved her weapon and turned back to greeting her love.
Midori couldn't believe what had happened. The pull of the ribbon had been incredible, not even when fighting Rainrix had she crashed against something with such force. She managed to get up and could see Kodachi walking away. "We're not finished." She growled out, angry at herself for attacking so recklessly.
Kodachi turned to see the redhead in a fighting stance. She laughed again. "I see you peasant don't know when you're outmatched. You can't possibly believe your pathetic skills are enough to even face the Black Rose." And she laughed again.
Midori clenched her fists but controlled herself. She wouldn't let her anger get in her way again. Turning to the side she could see Ranma was doing his best to fight off Kuno's attacks, which had slowed somewhat. He had several skin wounds, but none of them were serious. What was serious was the fact that he was losing a lot of blood. His face was already pale even if he stubbornly refused to lose consciousness. He needed help.
With that in mind she turned back to the Black Rose. She needed to take her out with her next move.
Not wasting any more time she charged again.
Kodachi saw her opponent run forward again and smirked demeaningly. Her eyes widened slightly when the redhead separated in two and one of them attacked from the side while the other continued charging forward. She sidestepped the punch coming from the side and lashed out with her ribbon, slashing open a deep cut on Midori's left arm. "You fool! It was obvious where the attack was comin..." She gloated before falling unconscious to the ground.
The other Midori, the one running for a straight attack, panted heavily as the other one disappeared. She still had the deep cut on her arm, but she had won the match. "Pressure points." She said in between breaths. She so wanted to pummel the gymnast with her fists, but knew she wouldn't do much damage after crashing against that wall. Her vision darkened and she fell forward unconscious. Her body drained after sustaining that impact and executing one of her special techniques.
Setsuna rushed to Midori's side and checked her friend's pulse. Sighing in relief at finding one she turned to see Ranma fall to his knees in apparent exhaustion. "RANMA!" She cried as Kuno slashed downwards.
Ranma knew he couldn't last much longer and gambled everything in a desperation move. He just hoped he had enough energy to pull it off. He dropped to his knees, which were already giving out on him anyway, and concentrated his chi.
Setsuna saw as Kuno's sword was held by Ranma's palms. She recognized the technique used as Ranma suddenly had four more arms. "AMAGURIKEN!" The black-haired woman winced as Ranma's fists pummeled Kuno's body. The armor gave away after the first couple of blows, followed by the man's ribs. His red aura winked out as he was thrown back by the force of the assault. He didn't get up.
Ranma collapsed after the attack, totally spent.
Setsuna sighed and started picking Midori up. "Great, now I have to take care of them both." Truth be told she didn't mind. She was glad her friends had managed to pull out of this with only some minor injuries. She groaned as she strained in carrying her friend. Even if she was in great shape, Midori was heavy.
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Genma and Nodoka paced back and forth in the living-room. They couldn't believe something like this could happen just in the time it took them to go grocery shopping. Sitting calmly, Setsuna watched Ranma's parents impatiently waiting for either Ranma or Midori to recover consciousness. They had arrived just as she was attending to Ranma's injuries. After a quick explanation of what happened, which Nodoka and Genma took in without hesitation, they continued tending the wounded.
After that she explained her relationship to Midori and their son. Once again they took everything in without questioning her. She could only wonder what kind of lives they had led to believe such ridiculous stories. She being a friend of Midori's from their childhood and meeting Ranma in another world? A samurai and a gymnast attacking in their backyard? It sounded stupid even to her, and she experienced it.
She turned to said yard and guessed the beaten fighters left as soon as they recovered. There wasn't any other explanation for them not being still there.
That was another thing to consider. She could tell Ranma and Midori were extremely skilled just by the fact that they got a victory out of much stronger opponents. Both her friends weren't at top form, yet they managed to fight with more grace than she remembered. Ranma's fight was superb, he managed to fight and defeat an armed opponent even with an injured leg. Midori recovered from a blow that would've killed a normal person and executed a very skillful and ingenious attack before passing out.
Indeed. Ranma Saotome and Midori Himeno were far better than she remembered, and she was certain they were a lot stronger, too. They just needed to get back to full strength.
The Saotome parents and their guest were suddenly drawn to one of their patients as moans could be heard. They saw Midori opening her eyes and blinking as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and stiffened. "Where's Ranma?" She asked no one in particular as she turned all around, frantically looking for him. Upon seeing he was lying down next to her she calmed down and caressed his face with her hand, a soft look in her eyes.
Nodoka and Genma just exchanged a knowing look at the scene. It was usually Nodoka who reacted that way in the past, since Genma was usually the one fighting and paying the consequences of it. As they thought back on it, it seemed like all the fighting and adventures had been passed on to their son. Since he was born Genma didn't face anything too out of the ordinary. Maybe it was a family curse.
Setsuna smiled. "You should have seen him, Midori. He defeated that madman in a show of skill and willpower even Rainrix would recognize."
Midori smiled as she gazed down on her love. "Sorry, I was kind of busy."
Setsuna nodded and stood up. Unnoticed by Midori she walked out of the room followed by Genma and Nodoka, who wanted to give the soon-to-be-married couple some privacy. Setsuna offered to help Nodoka in the kitchen while Genma went to Tofu's clinic so the doctor would come and check his heirs. Even if Setsuna had treated their injuries expertly it was better to be sure.
Midori remained staring at Ranma, his features forming a calm expression. She was happy to see the color had returned to his face, meaning he was as fast a healer as always. A quick check of his injuries proved he was recovering as usual, though the cut in his thigh would take some time to completely heal.
She herself had an injury that would be bothering her for a while. It was incredible how a simple gymnastics ribbon came close to cutting her arm off if she didn't raise her chi to stop it from doing so. She had seen others charge their weapons with chi before, but this Kodachi had by far outclassed them all. From what Ranma told her, the Black Rose didn't depend on her ribbon alone. Midori didn't even want to think what she could do with other tools.
And then there was Kuno. The way he fought was so unlike what the pigtailed martial artist remembered. The samurai was one with his sword, placing a wall of live steel in front of any kind of offense attempted against him while he attacked flawlessly. How did he get so good? How did Ranma defeat him in his current state?
"Beautiful." She heard Ranma whisper. Blinking she locked gazes with Ranma, who was currently smiling up at her. "A tomboy, but beautiful." He teased.
Midori leaned down and kissed him. For the longest time he had called her his tomboy. At first she wanted to tear his tongue out for his trouble, but with time she understood Ranma didn't learn how to express his emotions without insulting people. He had gotten a lot better in dealing with people, but he still called her his tomboy as a pet name. *And he's right. I am a tomboy.* Midori thought as she deepened the kiss. She had also found a pleasant way to silence him when he put his foot in his mouth.
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Nodoka smiled from the door and returned to the kitchen. Her smile tipped Setsuna on what was happening. "I can't understand those two lovebirds." She said to her host. "They act as if they were teenagers."
Nodoka nodded. "My son lives every second of his life as if it was the last. Midori-chan seems to be like that, too." She sat and took a cup of tea to her lips. "I wish I could live like that again."
Setsuna didn't comment on that one. She had seen how Midori was always enthusiastic about fighting, something she herself didn't really like even now. In fact, Midori was enthusiastic about everything she set her mind on to. Even if she didn't like what she was doing she would give it her all.
"Arigato." Nodoka said and startled Setsuna.
"What for?" She looked genuinely confused.
The Saotome matriarch smiled at her and took her cup of tea in between her hands. "I don't want to think what would've happened if no one was here when the Kunos attacked."
Setsuna dismissed it and looked down to her hands. "I couldn't help them. I forgot what Ranma told us of his life here and left my sword behind."
"But you did help them, dear. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."
"Tadaima!" Genma's voice was heard from the front door, followed by the door opening.
Nodoka stood up and placed a hand on Setsuna's shoulder. "Come on, dear. I'll introduce you to some of Ranma's friends."
Setsuna looked up to the face of the woman she had only heard of before. She wondered if all that Ranma had said about her was true. *I can't believe she actually accepted that contract. She seems so nice.* But it didn't matter. "Hai." She said as she stood up and walked with her host.
END PART 3
Author's notes: Sorry for the BIG delay on releasing this one. I hope to start updating it together with my others fics after this chapter was done. It was the most difficult chapter to date and I don't really know why.
I wonder if someone could tell me who the people arriving are? This time the question shouldn't be as easy as the others, I hope.
Next chapter will include Tofu and Kasumi meeting with Ranma and a couple of revelations on who some of the people arriving are. Also, Ryoga tries to find Ranma after seeing what he did to Akane.
See you in PART 4! |
