This is a fic that I started a long time (at least for me) back,
and just now suddenly wrote a bunch more to it for no clear reason.
Considering it's length, it's more of a partial draft than a teaser.
Please tell me what you think. Should I spend more time on this,
or dump it to concentrate more on other fics? Also, tell
me what's working and what isn't. The more comments I recieve,
the more likely I am to continue this.
***
Way of the Cat
(A Ranma 1/2 Alt History)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://Ammadeau.tripod.com/fanfiction.htm
***
Following the path of his son's devastation, the last thing
Genma had expected to find was a group of traveling monks. They
were gathered around in a circle, some sitting, others standing, and
had their hoods pulled down so their faces couldn't be seen. He
was shocked to find his six year old boy, who only a few minutes
ago had nearly torn him in half, resting peacefully in the lap of one
of the monks.
"You attempted to train him in the neko-ken, didn't you?"
asked one of the monks in a soft, almost feminine voice. While it
was phrased as an accusation, the monk's tone was calm.
Not sure of how to answer, Genma simply nodded. For
reasons he couldn't understand, the middle-aged martial artist was
beginning to feel uneasy.
"Do you realize he will be deathly afraid of cats from now
on?" The same monk continued in the same tone, not even looking
at the person he was talking to. "And that the only way he will
even be able to access the neko-ken is by completely surrendering
to the fear, effectively having the mind of a cat?"
The monk paused, as if giving the chance for Genma to say
something in his defense, but continued on after a few minutes
when Genma remained silent.
"In this state he is most likely to attack anyone he perceives
as a threat, and guessing by your condition, that would include his
father." Again a pause. "And the more he accesses this power, the
stronger and less controlled he will become, until he finally reaches
the point where nothing will bring him out of his cat state."
Genma slowly shook his head. Despite the fact that he had
only really skimmed through it, he was sure that the training
manual hadn't said anything about that! He was about to break into
a wail about lamenting the loss of his son, when the monk spoke
again.
"We can cure him," the monk said, finally turning to face
the martial artist. Genma could only make out the monk's eyes,
which were oddly purple in color. Genma wanted to embrace this
monk in joy, but the eyes held him still. It was more than the
color, there was a coldness there that he had only witnessed before
on the rare times that his former master had been completely
serious about something.
The monk continued, "Our order have many skills,
including the healing arts. We could completely remove the neko-
ken from him. It would take some time, but your son would be as
he was before you began the neko-ken training. Or we could give
him the ability to consciously control the neko-ken, which would
remove his fear of cats and stop his mind from lowering to the
level of a cat. That option, however, would take considerably
longer."
The eyes turned away from him once again. For the first
time during this whole exchange, Genma found his voice. "How
long just to remove the neko-ken?"
"About a year. No more than a year and a half. The cure
would depend on many factors."
"And with him able to do the neko-ken?"
"A decade, perhaps longer."
"Ten years?"
The monk nodded and said, "It would have to be a much
slower process than the first."
"Couldn't you speed it up a little?"
"No. To try to do so would endanger your son's mind. The
results could be even worse than getting permanently stuck in the
neko-ken."
Genma pondered this for a while. On the one hand, if he
was simply freed of this neko-ken, he had another ten years to train
the boy, possibly finding some other, less risky technique. On the
other hand, if the boy knew the neko-ken he wouldn't need to train
him for ten years in the first place.
Seeing the indecision, the monk spoke again, "If the boy
retains the neko-ken, he will possess a technique that is nearly
unbeatable. Only masters who have trained for over a century
would have a chance against him."
"Don't suppose I could come along and keep training the
boy as you work with him?"
"No, that would not be possible. For one thing, we will
have to take the boy back to our monastery in Tibet. Few outsiders
are allowed to enter."
"But how am I going to explain this to my wife?"
"One of our brothers will go with you to explain all this to
the boy's mother."
Once the father had left, the monk who had spoken took off
her hood and shook out her long golden mane. Looking down at
the boy still resting peacefully, she smiled, her long canines
resembling fangs.
***
Ranma awoke confused, lying on his bedroll. The last
thing he remembered was the pit and the c ..c..c.c.cats. When he
shivered, he found a comforting hand placed upon his shoulder.
Ranma looked up to see a woman about his mother's age with
thick, long blonde hair. He could swear that she had purple eyes,
but he knew that was impossible. Most people had brown eyes, a
few, like himself, had either blue or green. Him and his mother
were the only people he knew that had an eye color other than
brown.
"There's nothing to worry about, little one," she told him
and smiled.
"Where's my pop?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Ranma, why were you and your father on a training
journey?" she asked as if she hadn't heard his question.
"So I can be the best martial artist in the world!" he
answered immediately.
"Oh, to be this can you afford to be afraid of anything?"
"I ain't afraid of nothing!" Ranma declared.
"What about cats?"
Ranma flinched at the word. It was all too easy to
remember the darkness of the pit, claws digging into him. He
closed his eyes to shut out the memories and found that they
suddenly stopped. When he opened his eyes, he found that the
strange woman had put her hand on him again.
"I can help you overcome this fear of yours. I might be the
only one who can. If you accept my teaching, I will give you the
chance to become the greatest martial artist the world has ever
seen, and you will not fear anyone or anything. Would you like
that, Ranma?"
Ranma thought about this for a few moments before he
reluctantly nodded.
"I warn you my training will not be easy and once we begin
it may be impossible to stop without grave consequences. You'll
have to work much harder than you ever have before just to
overcome your fear."
"I ain't afraid of work!" Ranma said immediately, even
though he hadn't understood all the words that the woman had
used.
"It will also take a long time. It may be ten years before
you see your parents again."
Ranma thought about this one a little more. He did want to
see his mom, but how could he face her when he had this
weakness? Ranma knew from his pop that he had to be manly
when he met his mom again. He wasn't exactly sure what being
manly meant, but he was certain that being afraid of c�c.c.cats
wouldn't qualify.
"You will be able to write them as often as you like though,
and they'll be able to write back to you," the woman told him as
Ranma was still thinking. "You do know how to read and write,
don't you Ranma?"
Ranma nodded with a proud grin on his face. He could
write his name and a bunch of other words besides. And he could
read nearly twice as many.
"If I go with you I won't be afraid of nothing and I'll be the
greatest martial artist in the world?" Ranma asked.
The woman nodded and said, "I will do all I can, but it will
be all up to you whether you become the greatest or not. It will be
a most difficult challenge for you, so you should refuse if you don't
think you're up to it. Your parents think that you can do this
though. They have already given me their approval."
One of the things that Genma had been drumming into his
son since birth is that one should never back down from a
challenge. He would lose face, which meant losing honor, which
meant not being a man among man and having his mother
disappointed in him. The was no way he was going to back down.
"All right, I'll do it! When do we start?"
The woman smiled at that. "Eager, aren't you? Well, most
of your training can't begin until we go back home to the
monastery in Tibet. However, there are a few things we can do on
the way there. Why don't I start by introducing myself? My name
is Allys, but you will find that most people will call me Mistress."
"My name's Ranma Saotome. Don't you have a last
name?"
She smiled again. "I do, but it's not very important. Don't
worry about it. Why don't you pack up your things? The others
are waiting for us. The sooner we leave here, the sooner we can be
at the monastery and I can begin you're training."
Ranma quickly collected his possessions, of which there
wasn't much, slung his backpack over his shoulder and went with
Allys to where the others waited. No one spoke; they all nodded to
Allys, gathered up their things, and followed her to the train
station.
Ranma fell asleep sometime during the train trip so was
surprised when he awoke to find that she was leaning against Allys
as she looked out the window of what was obviously a large ship.
None of the other monks were to be seen. Allys wore a simple
dress now and her hair pulled back into a pony-tail. He eyes were
as blue as the sky outside the window.
She told the startled boy, "I didn't want to wake you once
we got to the harbor, so I simply carried you aboard. You know,
you didn't weigh as much as I thought you would."
"Where are we?" Ranma asked since he was still feeling
very disoriented.
"On a ship on the sea. I forget what humans call this part
of the ocean. We should be half-way to China by now. Once we
reach there, we'll be taking another train into Tibet."
Ranma had a hard time believing that they had gone so far
so quickly. "You said there was some training we could do before
we got there."
Allys smiled. "There are a few things we can do, small
exercises that might be helpful to you in the beginning. The
training will be tough, sometimes harsh, and there a few things that
you can do to prepare for it. I don't know how much you'll be able
to understand at your age though."
"If its martial arts, then I can learn it!" Ranma announced,
beaming with confidence.
Allys shook her head a little. The boy was almost not to be
believed. "Very well, we will try, but you must tell me honestly
when you don't understand something. That way I know what I
need to be explaining better."
Ranma nodded.
"First a question: Ranma tell me, what is pain?"
Ranma thought about this for a while. "When something
hurts?"
"That's true, but 'hurt' and 'pain' are really the same thing.
What pain is is your body's way of telling you when its been
damaged in some way. For example, you must have sustained
some injuries, like scraped knees or bruises, during you martial arts
training."
Not completely understanding, Ranma nodded anyway.
"While this can be helpful to you, it can also be a
distraction. I'm afraid that the only way I can help you is going to
be very painful, both physically and mentally. You will have to be
able to control that pain, become its master rather than let it master
you."
Seeing Ranma look up at her uncomprehending, Allys tried
to explain it a different way. "Ranma, does training hurt?"
"Sometimes."
"Wouldn't it be better if it didn't?"
Ranma nodded.
"Good. I'll teach you some ways of controlling that hurt,
but I must warn you that even if you do learn this, the training will
still hurt some."
Ranma noticed that when they were getting off the ship,
Allys brought him immediately to the train station. "Aren't we
supposed to wait for the others?"
Allys laughed a little at that. "The others have gone on
ahead of us, to prepare for our arrival. We will meet up with them
again once the train has taken us to where we need to go."
The train was much older than Ranma was and thickly
smelled of smoke to his nose. He wonder if his companion could
smell it too since she seemed vaguely irritated by something, her
posture stiff as she stared out the window, watching the scenery go
past swiftly.
When Ranma tried to ask her what was wrong, she
immediately put a finger to his lips, stopping him. Then she
brought her own lips closer to his ear and whispered, "You mustn't
speak a word of Japanese until we have left this train far behind.
We should be safe, but it's best to be careful."
Ranma nodded and kept his silence. Their car was mostly
empty so he stared out the window on the other side, that is until
his view was blocked by a short, bald man wearing a green
uniform. He jabbered at Allys in a language that Ranma guessed
to be Chinese since he couldn't understand a word. She responded
in kind and handed the man two booklets of some kind which he
studied for some time before handing them back with a smile and a
few more words. Allys smiled and nodded as the man continued
on to the other passengers.
Unable to talk to his new sensei, Ranma leaned back,
closed his eyes, and waited for the ride to be over.
Ranma and Allys had to walk some distance from the train
station before they reached the truck that waited for them, occupied
by what was to Ranma some familiar faces. He recognized their
previous traveling companions, but they barely noticed him at all,
instead speaking quickly to Allys who nodded and helped them
both into the truck.
They had been driving for a while before Ranma finally got
up the courage to whisper, "Is it okay for me to speak now?"
Allys chuckled. "Yes, its okay now. It was very wise of
you to hold your tongue like that."
Ranma blushed faintly from the praise. "I was only doing
what you told me to do."
"That is a more difficult lesson to learn than you may
think," Allys replied. "Some people never learn it."
"That is because humans are stupid," a man to Ranma's
right suddenly said.
"Stupidity is hardly something that is exclusive to humans,"
Allys told him.
Ranma could only catch him mutter something about 'bird
people' before he grew silent once again.
The truck eventually pulled into a garage attached to a
medium-sized dwelling at the foot of the mountain that looked as if
it had been reinforced to withstand conditions much harsher than
the slightly chilly day with a sky free of clouds.
While the others left without so much as a word, Allys lead
Ranma into the interior of the house. The boy was thankful for the
sudden warmth, shaking off the chill that had lingered with him
ever since he had left the train. The kitchen where they stopped
was the warmest place of all, he could feel sweat beginning to
collect on her brow.
It was occupied by a woman with almost orange hair and
strangely pointed ears. Her face was deeply lined, which faded
somewhat when she smiled at her new visitors.
"You have brought the boy to see me, mistress," she told
them, her dark blue eyes twinkling with delight. "I am deeply
honored."
"So you can see it as well? I shouldn't be surprised."
The woman smiled as if she had just been paid a large
compliment. "It's as clear as day even to my old eyes. I find it
hard to believe that someone couldn't."
"It has nothing to do with how well someone's eyes are
working, Dimnse," Allys told her, shaking her head slightly, and
then changed the subject. "I thought Ranma could use a hot meal
after our long trip. Besides, I'm in no rush to continue on to the
monastery."
"No really, I'm fine," Ranma told them, feeling too nervous
to eat, but then his stomach rumbled, betraying him.
"I have just the thing for growing boys," Dimnse said as if
she hadn't heard him. "Just the thing. Just have a seat, this
shouldn't take me more than a few minutes. Anything for you,
mistress?"
"Just some tea, Dimnse. I'm not hungry."
Dimnse snorted lightly as she collected things from around
her kitchen. "Never hungry when you visit me. I almost think that
you have something against my cooking."
Allys chuckled as she situated Ranma at the table and took
the chair next to him. "It's more like poor timing. I really have
very little need for food since..."
"Yes, yes, I know," Dimnse replied, throwing ingredients
into a pot with small splashes. "I know that as well as anyone.
You're almost as marked as the boy is, so I suppose it's fate that
you found him."
"Luck," Allys answered immediately, her face serious. "I
don't believe in fate."
While Dimnse stirred her stew, and young girl came in.
Her ears were pointed as well, though her hair and eyes were of a
chestnut brown. She seemed very submissive, speaking in low
tones to Dimnse so Ranma couldn't make out what she said. She
served them all tea, each with a small bow, and then left.
Ranma was staring at the door she had just went through,
hand around a cup of tea, when Dimnse suddenly set down a large
bowl of stew before him. He blinked in surprise, nearly spilling
the hot tea on himself.
"Thank you," he said to her a bit nervously.
"You're welcome, Ranma," she said to him with a small
smile as she sat next to him and took up the tea that had been set
out for her.
Ranma moved the large wooden spoon around at he stared
at the stew. He had never had anything like it before. It was a sort
of a greyish-brown muck that was thicker than mud he had walked
through once, filled with chunks of vaguely identifiable meats and
vegetables. Feeling his stomach rumble again, Ranma decided to
just get it over with and brought the loaded spoon to his mouth.
Ranma blinked as the stew nearly exploded with flavor in
his mouth. He had never tasted anything this good before, not
even his mother's cooking, which he had previously held as the
best the world had to offer. The next moment, he was shoveling it
down as quickly as possible, only stopping for a second to savor
each mouthful before swallowing.
While Ranma ate, Allys and Dimnse talked.
"Has there been anything going on in the council since I've
been away?" Allys asked.
Dimnse hmmed. "Nothing unexpected, nothing unusual.
Some of them are getting restless since their time is approaching,
but there isn't anything they can really do about it expect make a
fuss and generally be annoying. The youngest are perhaps worse,
always with their plans to speed up the process. Most know that
all we can do now is wait and prepare for the future."
"Any of these plots that should worry me?"
"None as such at the moment, but I have heard rumors that
they might try to use Alise against you, as a control. Some are
worried about the power that you wield and seek to find a way of
holding power over you."
"Foolishness. I am still answerable to the council, and have
followed their plans to the letter. Besides, that plot would fail. I
made the pact as agreed and my obligation is solely to the project.
Nothing more."
"That may be true, but it still relies on your cooperation.
Technically, you could be able to ignore the council's wishes. No
one else solely wields as much power as you do."
"That is the reason for the pact in the first place."
Dimnse shook her head, her face melancholy. "I can't
believe that you agreed to all that, to give up so much. I still think
the whole pact is needlessly cruel."
"It is cruel, but not needlessly so. It is proof of my
commitment and loyalty to the project. I knew what I was getting
into before I agreed to it."
They all sat in silence for a few more moments, sipping at
their tea, when Ranma finally set the bowl back down again and
leaned back with a contented sigh. He had licked the bowl clean,
there wasn't so much as a drop of the stew left.
"A healthy appetite is something I can approve of," Dimnse
declared as she collected up the bowl and brought it to the sink.
"Better savor that meal while you can, because they won't feed you
nearly as well at the monastery."
"Brik tries his best," Allys told her.
Dimnse sniffed disdainfully. "Never trust a man with a
meal, especially when he doesn't do it all himself. Too many
assistants result in a bland dinner."
"He does have a few more people to feed than you do,
Dimnse."
"I suppose that's so," the older woman admitted with a
shrug as she began to wash the dishes. "Doesn't mean I have to
like it though."
Ranma shivered as cool air blew across his exposed face. It
was already cold to begin with and grew colder the further they
followed the trail up the mountain. Used to much warmer climes,
Ranma was having some difficulty adjusting. He shook, but tried
to hide it from the others who seemed immune to the cold. They
also seemed to not notice his discomfort when they noticed him at
all, which was rare. Allys was the only one who paid him much
attention.
"Your body is foolish," Allys told him suddenly. "Its
reactions are millions of years out of date. But you can be stronger
than your body can ever hope to become, and if you reach your full
potential, there will be nothing that you can not overcome.
Nothing. You won't even notice the cold anymore."
Ranma had no idea she was talking about, but thought it
would be rude to say so. It did manage to keep his mind off the
cold for a while though.
It wasn't long after this that the twisting path they had been
following for an hour or so ended. High stone walls now blocked
their path, supported by the mountain to either side. In the center
stood a giant gate like something out of a medieval fantasy.
Slowly, the gate began to open.
"Welcome to your new home, Ranma," Allys told the boy
with a small smile as she lead him inside.
Ranma stared wide-eyed at everything around him,
especially the people who bowed their heads to Allys, muttering in
a strange, melodic language as they passed.
"Are you a queen or something?" He asked new sensei.
She couldn't help it, she laughed, causing most of the
people around to look at her oddly. "No, Ranma," she told him her
voice light with amusement. "I am much more of a... chairwoman
of a company than a queen. The people are showing their respect
to me because they feel I've earned it, not out of any obligation."
"But you're the one in charge of this place, right?" Ranma
pressed.
"I suppose so, but there are sometimes that I wonder."
The room that Allys eventually lead Ranma to was tiny.
There was barely enough room for the bed, desk, and chest it
contained. On the bed sat a tall, young man with glasses wearing a
white martial arts gi. He smiled pleasantly when he saw them
enter.
"It is good to see you have returned safely, mistress," he
spoke to Allys in a voice full of respect. "And this must be the boy
Ranma that you mentioned in your telegram."
Allys nodded to him in acknowledgment and turned to
speak to Ranma, telling him, "Ranma, this is Dr. Tofu. He will be
your sensei and continue your training in martial arts when I am
not training you in the neko-ken."
Ranma bowed to the young man and said, "Pleased to meet
you, Tofu-sensei."
***
"What's the matter, little one?"
Ukyo had been crying. She had been doing so for so long
that her eyes were red and puffy. First, her fiance steals the dowry
and abandons her, then her own father rejects her. She was
supposed to be living with her aunt and uncle, but she hated them
so she had run away. The burden had simply become too much to
bear for the seven year old.
"Nothin' ."
"Something must be wrong if a little girl like you is crying
all by herself."
Ukyo looked up in surprise to the speaker, who was a
young red-haired woman in a blue sun dress. Even before getting
abandoned, Ukyo was in the habit of dressing like a boy. It just
made things easier for her and her father, who almost seemed to
wish that Ukyo had been born male. Afterwards, she had worked
on completing the disguise to the point that even the relatives she
had been living with believed her to be a boy.
"I ain't a girl," Ukyo declared angrily. Being a girl had
brought her nothing but problems.
"It's a very good disguise for one so young, but it can't fool
me."
"I said I ain't a girl!" Ukyo screamed at the stranger,
drawing her mini-spatulas in a threatening manner.
The woman didn't look intimidated at all. "And why is
being a girl so bad?"
"Because everybody leaves you behind! My fiance, my
father, my mom, everyone!"
Then Ukyo's bravado crumbled and she feel to her knees,
shaking with her sobs. When the woman gently wrapped her arms
around her, Ukyo instinctively clutched her close, crying onto her
chest.
The woman ran her fingers through the little girl's hair and
said, "There, there child, let it all out."
After a while, Ukyo settled down and said, "Thank you, I
sort of needed to do that for a while."
"It's all right, I understand. My name is Basia, would you
like to be friends?"
Ukyo slowly nodded. "I'm Ukyo Ko . . ., just Ukyo."
"Well Ukyo, I take it from these bags that you're running
away from home."
"Place ain't my home, just my aunt's that my father dumped
me with. Probably doing them a favor by leaving anyway, they'd
dump me with someone else sooner or later."
"If you have no place to stay, why don't you come and live
with me then? If you do, I promise that I'll never leave you
behind."
"Really?"
Basia nodded.
Ukyo thought about this for a little while. She didn't know
this woman, but despite the fact that she'd only spent a little time
with her, Ukyo felt safe with Basia. In a way, the redhead
reminded her of her own mother in the little ways that Ukyo could
remember the woman who had given birth to her, only to die a few
years later. Then there was also the fact that she really had no
where else to go.
"Where do you live?"
"In Tibet."