Sorry to torture you all with this, but its been banging around in my
skull for a couple of weeks now.  the reason I say torture is this is the
first draft.  This is the first time I have posted to the FFML so I guess
its open season on the new guy. Have at it.

***************

Sighing he faced the darkness before the dawn.  He had spent the entire
night sitting in the yard trying to think of any other way to save his and
his families honor.  His father harped on honor all the time but he only
truly plays lip service to it.  Even for a thief he has little in the way
of honor.  Thinking of his father brings a frown to his the boys face.

He used to look up to his father, even after the c..c�c, that training he
still looked up to his father.  It was not until he was taken to Master
Fey Yang�s Dojo that he had someone to compare his father to.  After that
he had become a person to look up to for his achievements in the art, but
that was all.  For some reason he could never really remember training
with Master Fey Yang, all he remembered were the long talks about his
training trips.  The, then eleven year old, boy would tell a story from
his many adventures with his father, then the old man would ask questions
about it.  From those leading questions the boy figured out how his
father, and by extension himself, had hurt so many people until they
chased them away.

It was after that training that he stopped obeying with out question
everything his father wanted.  But I could not stop loving my father, he
was all I had.  A single tear escaped the solumn mask the boy wore.  Then
came Jusenkyo, the pools of sorrow.  Another sigh escaped his lips.

It took me almost 2 years to come to terms with that day.  Today that
curse is my blessing in some ways.  I thought it threatened who I truly
was, a man.  In reality I have discovered I was and still am a boy.  My
father never allowed me to grow up.  The curse gave me a reason to figure
out who I was on the inside.  Rather than allowing others to define who I
was.

�It is almost time.�  Says a soft voice from behind me.   I can hear the
sadness, pride and a little fear within her voice.  I nod as I see the
beginnings of the predawn light.

�Thank you mother.�  I can hear the footsteps of my second approach.  They
whisper to each other for a moment before the sound of a katana being
drawn.

I look up as the lavender haired woman took her place next to me and
mustered small smile for her.  With this act her honor and place within
her tribe would be redeemed, and with my hand I would set my other fianc�s
free from any obligations to me and my family.

As the first rays of the sun crested he drew the family tanto in one fluid
movement.






Its strange waking up in pain.   I never seem to remember why I was in
pain.  Normally I would assume it was from a mallet or bike tire but this
had all the earmarks of some ones cooking.  Then the memories return, the
blade slicing through tissue, the tensing of my neck muscles waiting for
the finishing stroke, the pressure point being hit on the back of his
neck�Wait a second.  Eyes flying open his hand flying to his neck.  Then a
chuckle from someone beside his bed.

�Its still attached.� The mans spectacles flashed for a second as he
smiled at Ranma.  Then the smile faded and a deep pain appeared in his
eyes.  �You gave me one hell of a scare by the way.�

Tears started to roll down my cheaks as I realized I had failed.  And the
fear of what this would mean,  I have no idear what happens if you try to
commit seppuku and live through it, come think of it I have never heard of
someone living through it.

Seeing the fear in my eyes Tofu understood immediately.  �Don�t get the
wrong idea, Saotome Ranma Died three days ago commiting seppuku.  As a
matter of fact you were dead three minutes and thirteen seconds before I
was able to rescusitate you.�  He walked over to a nightstand next to the
bed and picked up a folder sitting there.  Looking through it for a second
before pulling out a piece of paper.  Ranma could only lay in bed and
stare at Dr. Tofu in confusion.

�This� said Dr. Tofu �is Saotome Ranma�s death certificate.  I am sorry
Ranma but you are now a ronin.  Your name has been marked as dead on the
Saotome Roster.�

A sudden thought made Ranma�s eyes go large �But Sham Poo.  What will
happen.�

Tofu held up a hand silencing Ranma.  With a sad smile he said �She has
returned to her people with honor.  Koo Long decided that using your own
honor to defeat you without destroying her own was worthy of an amazon
warrior.�  Tofu paused and seemed reluctant for a second.  �There was one
other thing they asked for that I did give them.  I was�you have to
understand Ranma I was worried about you and did not want them to continue
hounding you. � Ranma could only stare perplexed at Tofu�s insecurity.  �
You see they wanted to add your genetic material to their village, so they
asked me to artificially inseminate Shampoo.�

Ranma stared confusedly at Dr. Tofu for a minute.  �So?�

Dr. Tofu returned Ranma�s stare for a minute before sighing.  �I took your
sperm and used it in a surgical technique to impregnate Shampoo.�

Ranma�s eyes started getting big Your sperm  and were practically falling
out of his head by the end of the Tofu�s explanation.  He just layed there
in shock before another wave of pain from his abdomen brought him out of
it.

Tofu seeing his discomfort immediately checked his IV drip.  Only to shake
his head seeing it did not need to be changed.  �looks like you are
developing another immunity.  This is the fifth pain killer we have used
on you in the last three days. �

Ranma used one of the few meditation techniques Genma had ever allowed him
to learn.  While being fairly simple it was also very powerfull in its own
way.  He turned the �Volume� on his pain down till he barely noticed it.  
Once you understand pain is just a warning system that something is wrong,
you just have to learn to control that system.  You don�t want to turn it
off though,  its there to keep you informed of problems after all.  And as
Nabiki is fond of saying, �knowledge is power.�

Tofu chuckled again as he saw what Ranma was doing.  �If only all of our
patients could do that.�  He turned off the medicine in Ranma�s IV.  �If
you can control your pain with out drugs I will allow it.  But make sure I
know if you need anything extra.�  He looked at Ranma again with his brow
furrowed.  Ranma recognized the technique tofu had tried to teach him.

�So what do you see Doc?�  Ranma asked with a lopsided smile.  Wondering
if he could learn the technique now that he could see auras.

�Your Ki is still low, but that is understandable.  Most of your wound is
healed, another two or three days I think you will have healed up your
wound.   You know anyone else would be dead from what you did.�  A small
smile touched his lips. �Make that still be dead.�

Ranma grinned back up at him.  �I am the best.�

Ranma woke up to a nightmare.  Hoppasai was leaning over Ranma�s stomach
hmm and hahing.

Seeing Ranma wake up a grin split his.  �I seem to have let the best
student in my school die on me.  I was wondering if you wanted to take his
place?�

Ranma Growled at the old man.  �And what are you going to teach me?  How
to steal panties?�

Hoppasai frowned at Ranma �Pish, where is the challenge in that,  I could
teach you how to steal panties while women are still wearing them� he
smiled.  � But then from what I have seen you could ask for a girl for
them and have fair odds at getting them.�  He gave Ranma that look that
all older folk have learned that says �youth is wasted on the young�.

Ranma frowned for a minute something in Happosai�s making him uncertain. 
�Are you offering to do serious training.  Not play around like you did
with Pops and Mr. Tendo?�

Happasai gave Ranma a smile that actually reached his eyes.  �I have
waited for a student that had a back bone Ranma.  Someone who would follow
their convictions.  At first I thought Genma might have what it took.  But
I am afraid I overestimated him.  I gave him his trial for mastery of my
school and it broke him.  You see the final trial in my school is within. 
You have to accept the truth of who you are on the inside.  Genma could
not accept what he saw.�  Happosai let out a sad sigh.

�Nodaka found Genma a broken man and managed to put him back together
again and I swore I would take anymore students.  But then I watched you
over the last year and a half.  At first I thought you would crack like
your father did.  But I continued to watch, and I learned that it was my
final technique that might have been flawed and not necessarily Genma.   I
watched you search within yourself for answers when nobody else would help
you.  I watched as you reached the only honorable decision you could
reach.   And I watched as you executed that decision.�  Suddenly the merry
light Ranma is used to seeing n Hoppassais eyes comes back into them.

�And then I watched as Koo Lon nocked Sham Poo out while Dr. Tofu worked
to save your life.  Kasumi right next to him.  I learned the next day that
Nabiki saved your hide.  She arranged for Tofu and Koo Lon to show up just
in time.�  He smiled wistfully.

�Anyways since I had to mark you dead on the family roster I figured mabe
I could make it up to you.  I swore never to take anyone through the
mastery trial again, but since I think you did it on your own.  I am
prepaired to instruct you in the advanced portions of Anything Goes.�


Ranma smiled �Hai sensei, I accept.�

Ranma suddenly frowned as he thought about what Hoppasai just said. Then
his eyes got round and he stared at Hoppasai.  �We�re RELATED!?�

Five years later.

Hoppasai looked on his great grandson with approval.  He had just offered
Grandmastery to the twenty-two year old man and been rebuffed.  Normally
this would have pissed him off to no end, when he says your ready, damn
it, that means your ready.   But Ranma was correct,  to be a grandmaster
of anything goes he had to more than just knowledge of how to fight.  Of
course Ranma was also wrong.  Ranma already knew everything he needed to
succeed in the art.  Now he needed to learn how to enjoy life.  I mean
come on there is more to life than the art�such as panties.

Ranma was looking at the mushroom in his hand.  �your sure this is the
right size?  I don�t want to be six years old again.�

Happosais chuckled. �It should put you right around sixteen again.�

With a look of determination Ranma ate the mushroom.  �Kamis-sama those
are disgusting.�

Hopposai tapped his pipe against his teeth in thought. �hmm, give or take
a couple of years.  Then grinned and started running.�

It took ranma a second to figure out what Hopposai meant then �Aaaargh,
Die grandpa� as the forteen year old boy took off after Hopposai.


The first day of School and already he was running late.  I am going to
have to set up an alarm clock to let me know when to stop practicing in
the mornings damn it.  He jogged along the sidewalk a faint smile on his
face as he remembered how he used to run on anything that gave him a bit
of  challenge.  His new challenge was to try and fit in with his
schoolmates.

Thank god he did not have to worry about water anymore.  Part of his
training with Hopposai was in controlling his curse.  As hopposai had said
its all about the aura.  There are feminine auras and masculine auras. 
Control my aura and I control my form.  I still change to female on a
regular basis, after all guys don�t eat ice cream.

The scream from behind a fence cut off my musing like knife through
butter.  I was jumping the fence before my ind even registered someone was
in trouble.  What I brought anger like I have not felt in years.

Four teens had were preparing to molest a girl who they had just knocked
out with a bat.  Another female was standing behind them laughing and
egging them on.  To say I was angry is an understatement.  The fight if
you could call it that was short and completely one sided.  I had all five
of them trussed up like pigs for a banquet and had the cops on and an
ambulance on their way before they realized they had been seen.

Officer Takai, looked at Ranma dubiously.  �So your saying you took them
all down with out getting hurt yourself?�  He then looked at the for male
teenagers that were all half again bigger than ranma.

Another officer walked up and did a double take. �Ranma!?�

Ranma had the look of a deer caught in the headlights.  Before closing his
eyes and smiling at his old friend. �Hey Ryoga.�  Ryoga just started
chuckling, looked at his partner and said �I will take care of him.  You
go with the girl and get her statement when she wakes up.�  Nodding the
other officer walked off towards the ambulance that was loading up the
girl.

�How about a cup of coffee Ranma, I would like to hear this story.�  Ryoga
said with grin.

Ranma Smiled �Um I am supposed to be on my way to school right now. �

Ryoga looked at ranma for a couple of minutes then started laughing.
�Okay, let me give you a ride then.   That way I can write you a note for
being late.

School was a bit of a blur for me.  Saotome Ranma was dead so I could not
use his records not to mention they describe a guy who is supposed to be
22 years old now.  So I spent the entire day taking placement tests.  With
mixed results, some subjects placed me in high school, some placed me in
junior high.   Deciding that a challenge would be better for me than
breezing through, they placed me in first year high school.  I was told if
I needed help there was a student tutor program that I could use.

The one thought on my mind as I left school grounds was thank god for
starting class on a Saturday.  Half the day off and Sunday no class.  Of
course as I passed the fenced in lot from this morning I could not help
but wonder if the girl was okay.

That night Ranma made sure to make extra portions of ramen, hey its cheap
and he was living on his own now.  Knowing Hopposai was rich enough to set
Ranma up with a studio apartment plus a weekly allowance for food was
slightly disturbing to Ranma for some reason.

Ranma could feel his guest arrive before he even stepped out of the
elavater.   Ranma set two bowls of ramen on the table then opened the door
just as Ryoga lifted his hand to knock.   �Come on in Ryoga,  I hope your
hungry.�  Ranma grinned at the slightly nervous Ryoga.

Ryoga shook his head for a second then went to sit at the table, while
looking around the place.  �So your in high school and living on your own
huh?�

Ranma looked at Ryoga for a second before smiling � And you have stopped
chasing your anger.�

Ryoga frowned for a second.  �No I just found a proper outlet for it.�  He
looked at Ranma for bit while eating his noodles.  �I stumbled into a
serial rapist case when I was eighteen.  One thing led to another and a
seargent in the precinct sponsored me into the academy.�  He shrugged.

Ranma smiled through his noodles �You found a purpose in life other than
killing me.  Not sure if I should be happy or disappointed.�

Ryoga just grunted and finished his noodles.  �You know its weird talking
to you after all this time.� Pausing a moment he shook his head again.
�Even weirder talking to you when you look like your fourteen years old.�

Ranma nodded.  �Sorry buddy, five years of training with hopposai, and I
came to understand that while am one of the best when it comes to the art,
I have trouble relating to anything outside of it.  Everyday things in
this world are a mystery to me�like computers.�  Ranma pointed to a system
in the corner of the room, with ire.

�I have turned that thing on once, and then all I could do was stare at it
like a fool.  I know its supposed to be useful and all but I  have no clue
what to do with it.�  Shrugging in frustration.

Ryoga felt a bit shocked at ranma calling him buddy.  As Ranma continued
venting about computers Ryoga started to understand his friend.  Wait
friend, he looked back at their childhood and came to the conclusion Ranma
had been his friend even when he wasn�t Ranma�s friend.

Ryoga nodded when Ranma began to wind down a bit.  �I know what your
talking about.  I picked up bits and pieces of a lot of things as I
traveled.  Half the weight in my backpack was books.  But I suppose Genma
discourged anything of the sort for you.�

Ranma chuckled �He carried the technique scrolls and food.  I carried all
the gear and usually some lead bricks.�

Ryoga stood up, � I should get going Akan�um� he looked at ranma not
wanting to cause his friend anymore pain.  But Ranma just smiled.

�You�re a lucky man Ryoga.  Happosai told me about the wedding.  She and I
 both knew she would always be second to the art in my life.  And I knew
she deserved better than that.�  Ranma gave ryoga the old cocky smirk
suddenly �To cheer me up Hoppasai offered me Nabiki�s underwear though��

Ryoga grinned like the day his son was born.  �So you�re the one who
mailed them to her?�

Ranma shrugged.

�Damn but she was pissed for a week after that.�

Ryoga opened the door and was about to leave before he stopped and looked
at Ranma.  �I have to tell Akane that I have seen you, and that your okay.
 I cant lie to her.�

Ranma nodded, �I understand.  Oh, let her know that Hoppasai prefers the
panties with the little duck if she can find more of them.�  Ryoga just
chuckled.  Unsure if he would get hurt for that message or not.




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