Ranma was going to say something when the television came back to live after a pause and a voice could be heard shouting, "Yomigaeru Aiyan Sheffu!"
Everyone turned to the screen to see the life-size portraits of three gentlemen being displayed on the background, and said gentlemen, themselves, being raised via platform to stand behind their portraits.
Announcer Kenji Fukui's voice could be heard as the camera shown close-ups of the three gentlemen, "Here are... Your Iron Chefs! Iron Chef French... Hiroyuki Sakai! Iron Chef Japanese... Rokusaburo Michiba! Iron Chef Chinese... Chin Kenichi! Whose cuisine shall reign supreme?!?!?"
The camera cut from the Iron Chefs to Chairman Kaga on the floor. Next to him, stood Ranma, who was in his early twenties, slightly younger then the one who stood in the living room, groaning in embarrassment as the magical tape continued.
Chairman Kaga asked, "Which Iron Chef shall you challenge, Chef Saotome-san?"
Ranma bowed towards the Iron Chefs and said in a polite voice, "This one would be honored if Iron Chef Michiba-sama would accept this one's challenge."
The camera focused on Iron Chef Japanese, Rokusaburo Michiba, who looked at Ranma, slightly surprised and calculating, then nodded his head.
The screen went blank for a moment and then Chairman Kaga's
voice-over could be heard saying, "If memory serves me correct...
There is a place out in the country-side, where Time had barely
touched. There Tradition and the Old Ways flowed from field to
field.
"There was a simple restaurant serving Traditional foods and enjoyed
by the local populace. I happened upon this quaint little place one
day, and was pleasantly surprised at the skill and timeliness of the
Traditional foods they served.
"Intrigued, I sought out the chef, and discovered this young chef!
One does not find such dedication and skill in one so young....
I was amazed and humbled by this young chef."
The camera shows an interview with Ranma said with a humble voice with a lot of sincerity in it, "Hachirobei-sensei was kind enough to take me in when I had nothing left in my life. The least I could do was give him and the Art my all."
Scenes of the local area and regulars patrons praising Ranma's cooking, stating how Traditional, yet convenient and quick it was.
the Chairman voice-over continued, "From humble beginning to noble grandeur... Show us what you're made of, Ranma Saotome!"
The screen blanked for a moment, then returned with Ranma and Iron Chef Michiba facing Chairman Kaga, whose stood behind the display for the Main ingredient. The Main Ingredient was Tofu, the simple but traditional food stuff of Samurai and farmers.
The Ranma on the screen was one that the parents were not familiar with, he was quiet, humble, and determined. As he cooked, he was asked if he would win, instead replied, "It was an honor simply for such an icon and great figure as Michiba-sama to accept this one as a worthy opponent."
One could hear and feel the sincerity in Ranma's voice. Missing was the "Ranma Saotome never lost," or barbs at his opponent. Yet, there was a determination to learn and improve in his eyes, vastly different then the determination to win that they had usually saw there.
After the hour was over, Ranma had produced eight traditional tofu dishes to Michiba's six, although, Ranma's two extra dishes were a different type of soup and a different style of dessert.
Even before the verdict was given, Ranma was congratulating Iron Chef Michiba's on his win, and asking questions about his technique and food choices.
After the match, when interviewed, Ranma again thanked Iron Chef Michiba for the opportunity to learn and sharing in the joy of cooking.
The screen once more went blank, and the parents turned to Ranma for an explanation.
"That was the third world we had visited," he stated. "In the prior world..."
Seeing that Ranma could not continue, Nabiki did, "Ranma was cursed by a jealous goddess."
"Stupid magic-girl," Ranma muttered under his breath.
Holding him close, Nabiki explained, "The curse was serious one..."
"How serious?" Genma inquired with a touch of fear in his voice.
"Never to use Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu again," Ranma replied in a flat voice, still pained after all the time since then.
"Never?" Soun and Genma echoed. Soun wailed that the schools would never be joined, and fainted, while Genma simply paled in fright.
Nodoka knew how much the Family Art meant to Ranma, it was his life... To have that taken away... she, too, paled and held her husband close.
"With my Family Art denied me," Ranma paused and then continued in an even voice, "I lucked out and found a new Art... the Art of Cooking."
"Not that you had any other skills, Saotome," Nabiki joked.
Ranma lightly caressed Nabiki's back and smirked at her flushed face, challenging her to counter his implied statement.
Nodoka understood and grinned with a Mother's Pride.
"Shortly after finding out the extent of the curse, and that there wasn't much we could do on that world," Ranma continued the tale. "We found a restaurant run by a kindly old man that needed help, and for room and board, we did."
"Hishida-sensei taught us a lot about the restaurant business and Ranma how to cook as a chef," Nabiki took up the tale. "Ranma, of course, applied the same determination he gave his Martial Arts to the Culinary Arts. Very soon, Ranma's culinary skills exceeded even Hishida-sensei's. And the restaurant's patronage grew."
"Three years later, Hishida-sensei sent a challenge letter to the Iron Chef show. Someone, not sure if the Chairman actually came or not, came one night, sampled some of my cooking, and the following day a letter came accepting Hishida's challenge," Ranma stated. "The following week, Nabiki and I went to the studio and you saw on the tape what happened."
"Of course," Nabiki added, "what you didn't see what that our Ranma here impressed Michiba-sama, that he traveled all the way out to our place to sample and see Ranma, himself. That later in the season, the producers had gotten a Chinese Chef, whom had cooked for two Emperors of China, our Emperor and his family, and several Heads of State of Russia, Britain, and the U.S.. And this Chef won't accept the invitation to the show, unless his conditions were meet."
Ranma held up a finger as he counted those conditions off, "One, that there would be no assistants from the show. Two, that he would face off only against Michiba-sama and no other. Three, that he would have his own equipment with him. Four, that his apprentice and Heir would be the only assistant he would need. And Five, that he could select the main ingredient."
"It was a coup for the show that they couldn't pass up," Nabiki resumed. "So Michiba-sama asked Ranma to be his assistant for the show. And official became his apprentice there after. At the end of the season, Michiba-sama announced his retired and asked that Ranma would succeed him as Iron Chef Japanese."
"Battling in Kitchen Studio for three seasons was different then anything else I had ever experience or done before," Ranma said with a laugh.
"And Ranma became a household name," Nabiki giggled. "And the endorsements..."
"I prefer to remember those I helped to learn to enjoy the culinary Arts," Ranma remarked.
"Endorsements?" Genma asked puzzled. Something in his brain linked the word 'endorsement' with 'money,' but he was unable to make out what the connection was.
"Yep," Nabiki grinned at Genma. "Lots and lots of money... just for using something Ranma would have used anyways..."
"Money?" Genma and Soun said greedily.
In a mock, sad voice, Ranma stated, "But you can't take it with you."
"Why not?" Genma inquired.
Ranma, Nabiki, and Nodoka just looked at Genma, who sat back down.
Ranma continued, "From then on, we tried to broaden our skill sets and be as independent as we can."
"Are you a Martial Artist, boy?" Genma asked his most important question with a degree of seriousness, that none save Nodoka had heard from him.
Looking directly at his father, Ranma stated, "No."
Genma looked to Nodoka, unable to look at his son.
"No, I am not a Martial Artist. I am a Warrior," Ranma said seriously.
Genma's head snapped towards Ranma's and his eyes searched Ranma's deeply. He saw something, he nodded his head once, and tears formed in his eyes. He said with in a whispered voice with tears falling from his face in sadness, "I'm sorry, my son."
Ranma was shocked. Never had he seen a single true tear in his father's eye, let alone seeing his truly cry as he was. He looked to the others, and they were shocked too. Then he understood. His father was a Warrior too. A Warrior who tried to teach his son only to be a martial artist, yet failed to protect him fully. For a rare moment, Ranma understood his father completely. Compelled by emotions, Ranma hugged his father, and his father hugged him back.
Soun's started to cry silently, for once, and Nodoka smiled at her husband and son sharing a deep moment together. Nabiki stood by silently, giving Ranma some time with his father and awaiting his return to her side.
Dinner that night was a relatively quiet affair.
Akane would glance at Ranma mutter, "pervert", and then look away, then look at Nabiki mutter something even she, herself, was not sure what she was muttering, and then looked away elsewhere, only to return to stating at Ranma, starting the cycle over again.
"Now that you're married," Nodoka stated. "What college will you be attaining, Ranma-chan? After you graduate from High School, of course."
Akane's muttering ceased. She turned to Nodoka and croaked, "Married?"
Nodoka went on to describe Ranma and Nabiki's marriage to Akane and Kasumi. Both Tendo girls listened with great interest about their mother. When Nodoka got to the part where their mother held Nabiki close, just before the symbolical leaving the Tendo Clan for the Saotome Clan, Kasumi started to cry and Akane ran up to her room.
Surprised, Nabiki gathered her sister into her arms, whispering soothing words to her. Nodoka went upstairs to comfort Akane.
Genma and Soun just shrugged not understanding, and continued to eat.
Ranma looked at the Fathers, frowned, and looked at Nabiki and Kasumi. He took Kasumi into his lap, and both gave comfort to her.
Kasumi calmed down a bit after a little way, and realized that she was in Ranma's lap. Very comfortable in Ranma's lap, she found. She heard Nabiki teasing her a bit, but she could not handle it, and fainted.
Ranma shot Nabiki a look of annoyance, to which, his wife just humorous return his look with a smile on her face.
Ranma then carried Kasumi up to her bedroom, setting her down gently on her bed, and left Nabiki to get her ready to sleep it off. Once in Nabiki's room, he stripped to his boxers, folded his clothes neatly to the side and got into Nabiki's bed.
In Kasumi's room, Nabiki floated her sister above the bed, magically removed her clothes, conjured a set of silk pajamas onto her sister, floated the bedding up slightly, and gently floated her sister into the bed and tucked her for the night.
Nabiki then headed to her room, paused and took in the sight of Ranma in her bed, smiled at him, stripped completely naked, and slid into bed with him. Ranma's arms encircled her as she drifted off to sleep.
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