* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Masterwork Productions presents... Ranma 1/2: The Sands of Time Based on characters created by Rumiko Takahashi * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Part Three: Ultimatum It took a moment for Happosai's statement to sink in. After a long silence had passed, Kasumi spoke up. "Excuse me, Grandfather," she told Happosai, "But didn't that happen in 1945?" "That's right, my dear," Happosai replied. "Oh, yeah, right!" Ranma sneered. "You expect us to believe that you fought the same kid in 1945 who was at Akane's house yesterday?? We ain't THAT dumb! He'd be a shriveled old goat like you by now! This guy must be his great- grandson, or somethin' like that." Happosai shook his head. "I tell you, it was the same boy." "But that's impossible!!" Akane insisted. "Hey, wait a second," Ukyo interjected. "I don't mean to side with the old lech, but even if this Tatsunada Fushin was somehow an identical descendant of the man he fought in 1945 ... didn't he recognize Happosai by sight?" "That's right, dear Ukyo!" Happosai exclaimed. "It's proof that we fought before! How sweet of you to remember..." "That's right, Ranma ... he did say something like that!" Akane said, looking worried. "No way! I don't buy it!" Ranma insisted, shaking his head. "There's no way that guy could still be around after all these years, and not look any older than ME!!" "The curse of immortality is not entirely unheard of, Son-in-law," Cologne stated. "There are many legends dealing with the acquisition of eternal youth. I've even heard of a few such cases myself, though very, very rarely." "You obviously weren't one of them," Ranma couldn't resist observing. "Joke all you want, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, "But be aware that your opponent is very likely far more dangerous than you expected. He already defeated Happosai once, and his skills have had decades to improve since then." Even Ranma couldn't brush off a statement like that. "Ranma, what you do now?" Shampoo cried, clinging to his arm. "Please, Honey, you've gotta be careful!" Ukyo added, clinging to his other arm. Ranma looked around the room, and noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly. "Aw, geez, whaddya want ME t'say?! I don't even have any grudge against that guy, whatever his name is! This is all the old freak's fault!" "But, Ranma," Happosai cut in, "As my successor, you are now Tatsunada Fushin's target! He WILL come to challenge you!" "And the succession of the Anything-Goes school of martial arts is something YOU chose for YOURSELF, Ranma!" Genma declared, pointing a finger at his son. "Be a man, and face up to your responsibilities!" "Aw, STUFF IT!!" Ranma yelled as he drop-kicked his father out the window. "But he's right, Ranma," Akane pointed out. "No matter what we do, Fushin is going to come back. We'll have to think of something!" "Well then, why don't we just feed him some of your cooking?" Ranma suggested. "Even if that guy really IS immortal, that'd kill him for sure!" "QUIT JOKING AROUND, YOU IDIOT!!!" Akane yelled as she wedged Happosai's breakfast tray into Ranma's mouth. "This is SERIOUS!! I don't want to be kicked out of my own house!!!" "And don't forget that that leaves YOU without a home, too, Ranma!" Soun reminded Ranma as he pried the tray loose. Ranma immediately pushed Soun out of the way, and got into a glaring match with Akane. "What's the matter, Ranma..." Nabiki asked quietly, "...You're not afraid of a little challenge, are you?" Ranma froze. Several seconds passed, and Ukyo waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention, but there was no response. After a long moment, he finally moved, bowing his head. Then, he started glowing. Happosai grinned. "Ranma...?" Akane asked apprehensively. "Aiyaa!" Shampoo exclaimed. "Oh, boy..." Ukyo murmured. Ranma clenched his fist, then raised it to the ceiling. "All right, then ... if that's the way it's gonna be ... then so be it!! There's no WAY I'm gonna LOSE!!!" About an hour later, the entire group (except for Happosai) could be seen walking the route between the Nerima district hospital and the Tendo Dojo. The colorful procession drew stares from many other pedestrians, especially so because there was a giant panda bringing up the rear. "You know, Daddy," Nabiki told Soun, "You should really think about getting a car one of these days." Soun didn't hear her as he was busy showering Ranma with pep talk. "I'm glad you've decided to fight, Ranma, but remember that you must be careful! There's a lot at stake here, and this Tatsunada Fushin is no ordinary enemy!" Ranma ignored him and continued walking with an air of complete confidence. "Hey, Ranma!" Akane barked at him. "I keep telling you, you've gotta take this more seriously! If what Happosai told us is really true--" Ranma snorted. "Aw, gimme a break, Akane! That old freak was just tryin' t'scare us. I'll betcha anything he made that whole story up." "Ten thousand yen versus Ranma's life!" Nabiki called out. "Hey, knock it off!" Ranma told her with a glare. "I ain't puttin' my neck on the line here." "Au contraire, Ranma dear," Nabiki answered. "If the old man's story IS true, then you most certainly ARE." "Yeah, Ranma!" Akane added. "Even if that guy isn't immortal, who do you think taught Hideaki Goda and his gang those fatal techniques?!" "Well ... uh ... if that guy taught those kids, he sure didn't do a very good job!" Ranma stammered. 'Didn't he say that himself?' Genma's sign read. "Ranma, honey, if you're determined to fight that guy, you should at least do it on a full stomach!" Ukyo implored him. "That hospital food isn't much better than Akane's cooking. Let's stop at my restaraunt on the way back, and I'll fix you something." "What was that?" Akane growled in response to the crack about her cooking. "Ranma eat at Nekohanten instead!" Shampoo insisted. "Shampoo have perfect dish, prepare for big fight!" "Oh, by the way," Ukyo told Shampoo, "I forgot to mention that there's a duck watching your restaraunt right now." Shampoo and Cologne stopped and looked at each other as the rest of the group continued. Then Shampoo got angry. "No fair! That low, even for spatula-girl!" She growled. Cologne sighed in resignation. "I hope we haven't lost TOO much business since this morning. I'd better go take care of it." She hopped across a nearby rooftop, and was gone. Shampoo hurried to catch up with the others. Minutes later, Cologne dropped onto the street outside the Nekohanten. She passed quickly through the crowd and made her way inside, where angry voices (along with the sound of a duck quacking) could be heard. As Cologne entered the restaraunt, she passed the girl who had sat next to Ryoga earlier, during their conversation about the monsters. Seeing the old woman, she tugged on her companion's sleeve and pointed. A young man of about twenty, with brown hair and broad shoulders, he looked on with interest. They watched the restaraunt for a moment, then the girl gave her friend a questioning glance. He nodded gravely, and they followed Cologne into the Nekohanten. Having finally arrived home at the Tendo residence, Ranma peered cautiously through the front gate. The bright morning sun shone down on the yard, making it impossible for anyone to hide in the open, and everything within the walls was completely silent. Ranma stepped into the yard and took a good look around. He was followed by Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo, and the rest. Everyone was completely alert, searching for any sign of their enemy. Tension filled the air. Finally, Ranma shrugged and sat down on the grass. "Aw, there's nobody here," he announced. The others milled around the yard, making sure for themselves that he was right. Akane checked the house, then returned to the yard and stopped a few feet from Ranma. "You know, Ranma," she pointed out, "Even if everything that old creep said is true, it still doesn't explain those monsters we fought last night." "Yeah, I know," he muttered without facing her. "And I suppose that doesn't worry you either," she said, glaring at him. Ranma turned and looked over his shoulder at her. "What's the point of worryin' about it?" he said pointedly. "It ain't gonna change nothin'." "Truer words were never spoken," said a voice at the gate. Everyone whirled around to face Tatsunada Fushin as he stepped through the gate and entered the yard. He looked Ranma in the eye with his flat, almost reptillian gaze, and ignored the others completely as they all took up battle stances. He stopped about five steps away from Ranma. "I have returned as promised to discuss the future with you, Ranma Saotome," he declared. "We will decide what it holds." Ranma glowered back at him. "Did you come here for a fight, or what?" Fushin smiled indulgently. "Not necessarily," he replied. "But, first, I think we should be aware of each other's positions. Has old Happosai told you anything of me?" "He said some stuff that didn't make much sense," Ranma answered carefully. Again Fushin smiled. "And yet, the truth is that I met him atop Mt. Aso when he was just a lad. There's no denying that even then, he was one of the most talented martial-artists I'd ever encountered. That's why I've waited until now to claim my prize." Ranma cracked his knuckles. "And what prize is that?" he growled. "Well, the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial-Arts, of course. Goda should have relayed that message to you -- he followed all my other instructions to the letter." Before Ranma could reply, Akane stepped forward. "Are you saying that you ordered those kids to commit seppoku when they lost?!" she demanded. "Akane, stay back," Soun pleaded. "Why, yes, my dear, that's exactly what I'm saying," Fushin replied in response to Akane's question. "They had disgraced themselves in battle, and besides, they had already served their purpose." "'Their purpose'?" Ranma repeated. "To weed out the weaklings, for lack of a better term," Fushin sneered. "Alas, it turned out that they themselves were the only true weaklings, while the rest of you carried yourselves quite nicely." "You mean..." Ranma growled, shaking with anger, "...That you just threw them at us, to test our skills?!" "More or less," Fushin replied with a shrug. Then, he fixed Ranma with an urgent stare. "Now, young Saotome, before you charge at me with that vengeful fury in your eyes, let me tell you all a little story." "When I was your age -- I mean, TRULY your age -- my father and I were assassins for the Shogun. He had learned that one of his enemies had found a great treasure in China, and was having it brought back by ship. We were to travel to China and locate this ship, then kill the crew and bring the treasure back to the Shogun." Fushin shrugged. "It was a simple enough task, and was carried out just as simply. Afterwords, we found a large chest in the ship's hold. We carried it back to our campsite before returning to Japan. But, that night, out of curiosity, my father decided to open the chest. And do you know what was inside?" Fushin raised his eyebrows and grinned at them. "Fish meat! At least, that's what we thought it was. It must have been something very rare for the Shogun's enemies to want it, so my father and I each decided to try some." He chuckled softly. Then he looked at them again, and his flat, predatory stare hardened even more. "Well, just a moment later, my father ... changed. He became something else ... he was no longer human. A monster, you could say. I was terrified, and I ran to a clearing nearby, and hid amid a cluster of springs until he had gone. That was the last time I ever saw him." He smirked. "And I have not aged since that day either." "Fish meat that make you live forever? What that?" Shampoo asked. "I imagine it was the flesh of a mermaid," Fushin replied. "The flesh of a WHAT??" Ranma repeated in disbelief. "A mermaid," Fushin repeated. "Surely you've heard the legend, that he who eats the flesh of a mermaid will never die, but live on forever and ever, until the end of time. Of course there's a lot more to it than that. It doesn't work for everyone, and those who do survive often come to curse their immortality." "So, then..." Akane murmured. "Those creatures that attacked us last night were..." "They were two of my former apprentices," Fushin replied without so much as a hint of regret in his voice. "The mermaid's meat is very unpredictable. Even when you consider the 'ideal' effect it can have on humans, it really isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's ultimately a sort of curse either way. However, I've found a way to turn this curse to my advantage ... and that is why I've come here." "All right, I give up." Ranma said, crossing his arms. "What the hell does ANY of that have to do with us?" "It's really quite simple, young Saotome," Fushin replied. "I'm sure you're aware that the world's most powerful martial-artists are also its most ancient. Dedicated fighters who spend decade after decade training their mind and body, seeking a perfect fusion of the two. If anyone ever reached that level, they would be able to achieve ANYTHING. And yet, the constraints of time and the inevitable deterioration of their bodies has always rendered this impossible. But ... what if they didn't have to worry about growing old or dying? Wouldn't it then become possible to achieve this perfect level of skill?" He laughed. "And so, it is to this end that I have travelled the world, challenging and defeating the champions of every school of martial-arts in existence. When every school, every style, has been laid low ... then I shall create a new school. The ultimate martial art, which combines centuries of experience with thousands of individual techniques to forge an invincible style of fighting." He smirked. "Modern warfare will be changed forever." "And, lemme guess," Ranma threw in, "Since the Anything-Goes style is only practiced by our two families ... it's one of the last ones on your list." Tatsunada Fushin smiled. "That's correct, Ranma Saotome. And, as such, you have a choice. You can fight me for control of the Tendo Dojo. Or, you can become my disciple. A boy of such exceptional skill would make a truly ideal first student. Perhaps some of your friends could also join us ... that is, if they are worthy." Ranma's eyes narrowed. "So ... what happens if I fight you?" "I admire your spirit, Ranma!" Fushin laughed. "All right, I'll tell you what will happen if you fight me. I will kill you. I will also kill any of your allies who dare to challenge me. This dojo, this house, and everything under its roof will become mine. The Tendo-Saotome legacy will become my own. Your bloodline will end here, and mine will begin anew." "Geez, that sounds awfully midieval," Ukyo muttered. "Now, wait a minute!!" Soun hollered. "You can't do that! Ranma and Akane are going to carry on the Tendo training hall, and it will be THEIR children who become the next generation to inherit it!" 'Yeah, that goes double for me!' Genma's sign read. "But, Ranma will be dead," Fushin pointed out. "And I need an anchor, a place where my legacy can grow. It's nothing personal. This is simply the easiest, and most efficient, way." He gave Soun a nasty grin. "The fact that all three of your daughters are exceptionally beautiful is merely an unexpected bonus for me." It didn't take much to send Soun over the edge; the effect Fushin's statement had was akin to squashing a fly with a wrecking ball. "YOU!!! How dare you come in here and say that??!! As long as I'm alive, you won't touch ANY of my girls!!!" Fushin's eyes narrowed. "Be quiet, Tendo-kun. It's becoming apparent that I'm going to have to kill at least a few people today, and I'm completely indifferent as to whether or not you're one of them." "I don't think he's changed his mind, Father," Kasumi observed. She sighed to herself in annoyance. "Well, he IS older, but I really wish people would tell me about these things ahead of time..." Akane and Nabiki were both too busy staring at their oldest sister in utter amazement to offer any comments of their own, and the yard was silent for a moment. Then Ranma snorted in derision. "Don't get the wrong idea or nothin'," he told Fushin as he cracked his knuckles, "But I'm not gonna stand here and let you talk about takin' Akane OR her house. It's my duty to stop you." His eyes narrowed. "You think you can beat me, just 'cause you've got a couple hundred years of experience? You ain't the first. And you won't be the last." Tatsunada Fushin turned his full attention to Ranma, facing him with a broad grin. "Time will tell, young Ranma Saotome ... time will tell." The two combatants faced each other, and everyone else in the yard stood perfectly still. Ranma watched Fushin's movements, trying to discern a fighting style or tactic. The trouble was that he didn't move. He just stood there, watching Ranma ... probably doing the same thing. And I just gave myself away with my stance, Ranma realized. Aw, the hell with it. I'm not gonna play his game. With a shout, he lunged forward with a rushing punch. Fushin easily avoided it, but Ranma had expected that. It was the follow-up reverse kick that'd nail him... ...And Ranma's foot swept through the empty air. Startled, he looked around for his opponent and found he was above him, coming down from his jump with a diving kick. Ranma rolled out of the way, then came back with a quick lunge, aiming to catch Fushin with a punch while he recovered from his landing. But as Ranma's fist whistled through the air, his opponent's head suddenly snapped to the side, and he grabbed Ranma's arm and threw him. How can he be so fast?! Ranma wondered even as he was flung into the air, hearing something *pop* as he travelled over Fushin's shoulder. He hit the ground a good three meters away, and his right arm exploded with pain as he landed. Clenching his teeth, he realized Fushin had somehow dislocated his shoulder when he threw him. Akane gasped, seeing his arm hanging limply. "Hang on, Honey!!" Ukyo yelled as she bashed his shoulder with her spatula. "GAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! WHAT'RE YOU -- uh." Ranma realized his arm felt fine now. "Er, thanks Uk-Chan." With that, he dove back into the fight. "I'll give you credit for your tenacity, Saotome," Fushin told him as he dodged the flurry of attacks Ranma launched at him. "You're incredibly talented for your age." He jumped over the last kick Ranma threw at him and landed on the wall above, regarding his opponent with interest. "There must be some way I could convince you to become my disciple." Ranma glared up at him, clenching his fists in frustration. "C'mon, FIGHT me already!! I'd rather die than bow down to a guy like YOU!" With a leap, he joined his enemy on the wall and quickly threw another punch at him as he landed. This time, Fushin caught Ranma's fist inches from his face, instead of dodging it. His eyes narrowed as he looked Ranma in the eye. "Poor choice of words, Saotome." he hissed. His free hand tightened into a fist, and Ranma tensed. Suddenly the wall collapsed beneath their feet, and the two combatants leapt apart to land on opposite sides of the gap. As Ranma watched, Shampoo jumped onto the wall, facing Fushin. "Shampoo will no allow you to hurt Ranma!" she declared, levelling one of her mace-weapons at him. Fushin glowered at her and then, moving with the speed of a striking snake, knocked the weapon from her hand. Although surprised, Shampoo recovered instantly and swung her other mace at a downward angle. Fushin feinted sideways, avoiding Shampoo's swing, and struck her in the side just below her ribs. He then snapped around and backhanded her, both attacks taking less than half a second. The force of the blow spun Shampoo around to face Ranma. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. Then, without a sound, she crumpled to the side and fell from the wall. "SHAMPOO!!!" Ranma shouted. "I have no sympathy for anyone who would interrupt us, Ranma," Fushin told him in an annoyed tone. Ranma simply stared at him for a moment. Then his face twisted in fury, and he raised his hands. "MOUKO TAKABISHYO!!!" A blast of energy lashed out from Ranma's hands and engulfed his enemy, tearing the shingles from the top of the wall and completely obscuring his silouhette. When the light faded, Ranma was breathing heavily but Fushin was still crouched atop the wall, although he'd been pushed back several feet. Lowering his arms (which he'd raised to protect his face), Fushin grinned at Ranma. "Impressive. That's a very unusual technique." "...I ... won't ... forgive you..." Ranma panted. "Son-in-law!" A voice interrupted his thoughts of revenge, and Ranma glanced at the street below them. Cologne was there, cradling Shampoo in her tiny arms. "Shampoo will be all right, Son-in-law!" she told Ranma. "Concentrate on your battle!" "Who are you?" Fushin demanded, adressing Cologne. "Listen to me, Tatsunada Fushin!" Ranma shouted, and once again he had his enemy's attention. "Let's take this fight somewhere more private!" With that, Ranma leapt from the wall and quickly left the area, vaulting from rooftop to rooftop as he went. Fushin looked at Cologne again, then turned his gaze to the Tendo sisters. "Quite an interesting boy," he commented. "I will return." Turning, he followed Ranma's lead. As soon as Fushin had gone, the other wall shattered and Ryoga burst into the yard. "Where?! Where is that guy?!" he shouted, looking around angrily. "Ryoga! Over here!" Akane yelled, waving to him. "Akane!! You're safe!" Looking relieved, Ryoga ran over to where the group was gathered. "What's happened here?" he asked, noticing the damage. "What did I sleep through??!" "Well, you see," Kasumi began, "Tatsunada Fushin, the man who defeated Grandfather in 1945, arrived a while ago, and told Ranma that he could either become his disciple, or fight him to the death. He also said that he would take over our dojo, and turn it into his own ultimate school of martial-arts, and that everything under the roof belonged to him, including the three of us." She blushed slightly. "Which is very rude, even if he IS older, and so Ranma decided to fight him, and then..." she stopped, noticing Ryoga's blank stare. "You don't need to tell him EVERYTHING, Sis," Nabiki interrupted, looking uncomfortable. Then she turned to Ryoga. "The bottom line, lost boy, is that right now Ranma is fighting Tatsunada Fushin somewhere in this city, and if he loses, then Kasumi, Akane and I--" she emphasised Akane's name for Ryoga's benefit "--will have to become his personal handmaidens, or something disgusting like that." "WHAT??!!!" Ryoga shouted, his blood pressure skyrocketing. "Worry not, Akane Tendo!!" Kuno bellowed as he popped up next to them, prompting everyone to jump in surprise. Acting reflexively, Akane punched him. Kuno cleared his throat and continued, completely unperturbed. "What villain is this, who insinuates such lechery against so pure and bright a flower as thee! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, invincible master of the art of Kendo, do swear by my blade that from this day forward I shall protect you from all harm." He drew his bokken dramatically. "That evil brigand may do what he will with these others, but you he will never touch, my love." "Thank you SO much, Kuno-Baby!" Nabiki exclaimed, grabbing Kuno's outstretched hand as Akane looked on with disgust. Kuno blinked, then glared at Nabiki and shook her loose. Then, he grabbed Akane's wrist. "Come, Akane Tendo, let us retreat to my sanctuary where we will be protected from such villainy as--" He was interrupted in mid-speech as Ryoga's umbrella slammed down on his head, pounding his body into the ground until, when the dust cleared, only his head and shoulders were visible. "Oh my," was Kasumi's reaction. "Curse you," Kuno croaked at Ryoga. Nabiki shook her head, looking down at the fallen swordsman. "He really is hopeless, isn't he," she observed. "That hurt, you know," Kuno added. "No matter what that jerk says," Ryoga growled, "I really WILL protect you, Akane! You can count on me!" "Thanks, Ryoga," Akane began, "But..." "Here we go again," Ukyo sighed. "Hey, jackass!" she hollered, banging on Ryoga's head with her spatula. "Quit standing around, and let's go help Ran- Chan! That guy is too strong for him to handle alone!" "And why should I help HIM?" Ryoga demanded, blocking the spatula. "Ranma can take care of himself." "Listen to her, Ryoga!" Cologne called from the hole Shampoo had made in the wall. They turned to see her still holding her great-granddaughter's limp body. "Oh!" Akane gasped. "But, Grandmother, I thought you told Ranma that Shampoo was okay?" "She will be, but it's a miracle," Cologne said grimly. "I'm stimulating her pressure-points. If I weren't, she would've died instantly." Her eyes narrowed. "Son-in-law will be in trouble if his opponent gets in any good hits." "But ... but, he couldn't be THAT strong...!" Akane argued. "It's that old technique he's using, remember?" Cologne explained. "It's obvious that he is the one behind its reappearance. The Shitsume Strike -- the strategic blows he lands, aimed at the right pressure-points, can kill with very little effort." "And if he kills Ranma," Ryoga said grimly, "He'll come back ... for Akane and her sisters." "So nice of you to remember us," Nabiki commented. "Well then, what're we waiting for?!" Ukyo hollered. "But, before you run off," Cologne told them, "You should talk to someone." Akane noticed for the first time that there were two people standing behind Cologne. One was a pretty girl with straight, dark hair, who was a bit shorter than Akane. The other was a handsome young man with brown hair and broad shoulders, who looked a bit older than Ranma. "Excuse me," Akane said, "But who are these people?" "There's no time to explain," the young man said as he stepped forward. "But that man has to be stopped. My name's Yuta, and this is Mana." He indicated his companion. "Pardon me for asking, but ... do you have any weapons in your dojo?"To Sands of Time - Chapter 3, part 2