Ayano Yunokawa lay on the bed in Reiko's guest-room, unable to sleep. Here she was, thirty-one, entering the prime of her life, an international renowned actress, obtained a third-dan black belt in Karate several years ago, and was among the richest women in Japan. And for all her fame, fortune, and adventure, she had felt hollow, lacking in purpose.
Her parents were among the most famous lawyers in Asia, representing various international companies and conglomerates in many Asian countries. They were highly competitive, never giving in to anything... not even each other. They compete against each other in everything, including their only daughter's love and affection.
Looking back, she could see that she was highly spoiled. She always got what she wanted, and quickly learned to play her parents against each other. If her mother said 'no,' she just asked her father, and vice versa. Her parents were always showering her with gifts, for the slightest reason. Although, many times it was just to shut her up.
She had it all: talent, intelligence, and beauty, plus, she was the only daughter of powerful lawyers. She ruled her school, either through simple brains, bribery, or threats. School was too easy for her. There was no challenge. She graduated with the highest honors from high school, and never looked back.
She floated around after high school, no goals or desire for college. As a lark, she has audition for a part in a local movie. The thrill of the make-believe of the movie industry intrigued her, and excited her. After several bit parts, she got a big break, playing a female ninja role. At least, that is what the script called it; in truly, the role was nothing more then being the bed-warmer to a gangster-type character, done by an actor with very little talent. To 'save' the movie, she 'coached' him, and even got the scriptwriter to 'write' that into the movie. She even got the script-writer to beef up her role, from mere bed-warmer, to the 'power-behind-the-throne.' She won many awards for that movie, and a reputation as very driven, professional actress, seeking success and fame. Unfortunately, she also got type-casted into similar roles: female ninja, prostitute, Powerful-Warlord's Mistress, or something similar (they were all the same), who used her feminine charms to secure power behind the scenes.
Very soon after, her life began to imitate her Art. On the set, she was the power behind the producers and directors, and but she did not always care who knew it. She got there, either by financing the film, which was her preferred method of operation, or she actual used her feminine charms to steer problematic films into becoming blockbuster successes.
That too got boring quickly as it was too easy.
Then, in one film, she met Reiko Yonai, who starred against her, and things changed. Reiko was the real deal. She did not need stunt-doubles or choreographer to fake martial arts moves. She did them all herself, even taught martial arts to others. She was nice to everyone, and everyone was nice to her. Without even trying, she usurped Ayano's rule over the set.
Quickly, a rivalry sprang up between them. Egging Ayano into studying the martial arts as Reiko had done. But, she was never satisfied with the public, traditional art that was taught in neighborhood Dojos. Using her money, fame, and feminine charms, she sought out the Masters of the Art, and studied under them. She was a quick learner and impatient, thus, she only stayed with a Master until she learned their techniques in a few months, or the so-called Master proved to be nothing more then a dirty old-man with a trick or two up their sleeves. The latter of the two ended up being the case, most of the time.
But Master Chang was different from all the others. It was he, and he only, until now, that tried to teach the true Art to her. Even warned her of the path she was taking, and tried to show her a better way. Oh, how she wished she had remained with him, or return to him, and this time, truly learn from him.
With her growing skills and knowledge of the Martial Arts, grew a desire to test them out, see how she measured against others, especially, against Reiko.
She had spies on Reiko, any tournament that Reiko entered she too entered.
Many of those at such tournaments had mouths bigger then their talents. It was easy to get through them to face Reiko at the finals. If she lost, she trained more, and if she won, she rubbed it into her face at every opportunity.
But then Reiko stopped entering such tournaments, and the thrill of them left her.
During many of tournaments, she heard rumors of underground fights. Fights that were true test of skills and courage, without the silly rules and regulations the tournaments had.
Cocky, arrogantly, and very sure of herself, she found and entered the underground fight circuit.
She remembered her very first fight: the consent-form, the crowds, the pain, the realization she was way out of her depths, the culture-shock of a different mentality to fighting, and the humiliation of her defeat and sexual use after her defeat. She had been warned about what losing had meant, but she dismissed it as trivial since as winner of many official tournaments, she could not lose. But lose she did, and the victor, Fei Ho, took his winning from her, the brute that he was, and she found herself enjoying the rough sex, such as it was. Being taken by force, helpless, blameless, and just going with the flow was the second best sex she ever had.
The underground fighting circuit became an addiction. Literally, Life and Death were on the line. Nothing held back, nothing to loss, and nothing, truly, to gain. All for the Thrill, with a capital 'T.'
Oh, she went back again and again, trained harder, learned from her mistakes, beat the stuffing out of her opponents, and took parts of her winnings out from them, as Fei Ho, had once did, and she did to him in turn.
She came to enjoy every minute of it, and had the scars to prove how dangerous and serious she took it.
She had thought she had seen it all, until that very afternoon.
Then, out of seemly nowhere, a boy... no, young man... easily half her age lead the martial arts club as if he was the Master. With a serious voice he spoke the spiritual side of the Art, how the Art was created to achieve enlightenment and balance among body, mind, and soul. While the Art offered many things to many people, you only got out of it what you put into it.
She could feel something from the young man... something... powerful... old... majestic... spiritual... something beyond her experience and understanding. She felt drawn to the young man... like a moth to the flame.
He felt like a hurricane... a storm seen only on the horizon, not yet upon you.
And his eyes...
His eyes...
She swallowed, lost in the sea that was his eyes.
She had challenged him.
Why, she could not say. It was something one of her characters would have done. Or maybe she did it to piss Reiko off, after she had praised him so highly, heck; she was worshiping him, as they all changed into the club gi. At first, she had thought the young man had came up with them, after all, they seemed modeled after what some of her old, hentai Masters would have love for her to wear. But she saw the surprise on his face at the outfits, and his, initial, displeasure, until he saw they were functional, and the girls and Reiko really wanted to wear the gi for him.
Of course, her challenged did not go the way she envisioned it. She thought she could use some of her underground fighting techniques, surprise him, and take him down a peg or two.
She never got the chance.
In less then a blink of the eye, her gi was shredded, her nine vital points were 'tapped' to the point where they were sore, and she was on her naked butt on the floor, with no clue as to how it had all happen. She never stood a chance.
But it was his eyes... that really got to her. So much like Master Chang's, filled with knowledge, sadness, and hidden power. The knowledge of the type of person she was, sadness that she allowed herself to become such a person, and the hidden power to deal with such person, if need be, to help or put her out of her misery.
She had lost her chance with Master Chang... she was not going to make the same mistake twice.
She realized that she was an adrenaline-junkie, looking for greater and greater thrills. It was only a matter of time before she looked to take the greatest thrill, the one that ended her life. She realized that, accepted it, and wanted to change.
And Ranma no Kami would give her that chance to change. He did not judge her; he did not want anything from her, save for her to be a better person and a better martial artist.
With a start, she realized all her life; she was looking for something to believe in, something greater then herself, something beyond Life... and she found it in Ranma no Kami.
She could feel it.
With a smile on her face, she fell into a deep, restful slumber.
It was not a good day for Akane Tendo.
And it was all her traitorous, worthless, backstabbing sister and her baka fiancee's fault.
Of course, she got little to no sleep last night, trying to figure out how, Nabiki, of all people, beat Shampoo in a fight.
It was obviously only because she cheated somehow, after all, she was a non-fighter, ignorant of the Art, helpless damsel only good for drama, like kidnapping so the handsome samurai could save her, and the like.
Nabiki even told them that she was not a martial artist, and there was not anything else.
Finding no answers, Akane tossed and turned all night long.
When her alarm went off, she just went out for her morning run, during which she thought if she made breakfast for Ranma, he would see how she was such great cook and martial artist, and come begging her to take him back. Oh, she would take him back, it was a matter of Family Honor after all, but not before getting a promise out of him to be a good husband, just like her father was for her mother, doing everything she said, training him to be as good a martial artist as she was, and all.
Only the kitchen had been moved!
For her entire life, the kitchen had always been off the dining room, but now, where there once was a door, was only a solid wall. And the walls had portraits of her family, and beautiful tapestries, upon it, seemly as if they had been there forever.
While trying to puzzle this out, her father came into the dining room, sat down at the table, and started eating, while reading his newspaper as he always did.
"Dddddddddddaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddyyyyyyyyy", Akane inquired. She did not whine like a little lost girl, and she would pound anyone into hamburger that merely suggested that she ever did.
"Yes, hime-chan?" Soun replied off-handedly, using his old nickname for his beloved daughter.
"Dddddddddddaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddyyyyyyyyy", Akane began. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."
Soun sighed, put down the newspaper, and looked at his daughter with sad, tired eyes. He smiled as he saw the portrait of his late wife and remarked, "You're looking more and more like your mother every day, Akane-chan. You can see the resemblance in that portrait... especially, when you stand like that."
Akane blinked. She was sure that the wall-with-portraits was new, but her father acted as if it was there along.
Since Akane was silent, Soun assumed the conversation was over, so he returned to his meal and reading his newspaper.
Before Akane could say anything more, everyone else joined them. Kasumi sat on her father's left, Nodoka sat of Kasumi's left, and Genma sat Nodoka's left. Then Ranma and Nabiki came in, smilingly and laughing together at some joke only they knew and was probably making fun of her, the jerks.
The family, without waiting for her, dug in.
Angered at the insult, she waited for an apology, but none was forthcoming.
Added insult to injury, everyone ignored her! How dare they!
Then they had the gall to leave without so much as a 'by your leave.'
Was she not the Heir of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu? Owner of the Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu Dojo? Hence, Owner of the Tendo-ke, and Lady of Tendo Clan? She deserved the utmost respect.
Realizing she was late, she ran through the house and out the door towards school.
Of course, the old, mean, tyrant of a homeroom teacher made her hold buckets of water out in the hallway. Dammit, she was on time! It was not her fault that the homeroom clock was five minutes fast! It was only a five-minute run from home to her homeroom, and she had ten minutes to spare!
And that hussy cook was gloating at her lateness, while her own fiancee ignored her completely! It was his fault, she was late! He should be standing in the hallway, wasting his time, not her! After all, all he was going to do was teach the beginners class at her Dojo... he did not need a degree for that! He would work under her degree and ownership, just like her father did under her mother's!
And if that was not all, the hentai freak had to take over the class! Wasting the class and teacher's time with useless, meaningless stories of his exploits!
And then! And then, the hentai egotist had the nerve to show-off by jumping out the window before she could deliver her righteous punishment for his neglect of his fiancee!
She was seeing red by the time she ran out the hallways, pushing people down that dared to get in her way of her righteous mission to correct the errors of the male subspecies!
Of course, the hentai freak was not around the schoolyard to take his punishment like a Man. But then, the hentai freak was not a man... not like her father and Tofuu-sensei! The hentai freak probably drove the sweet, innocent Tofuu-sensei away with all his freakiness and perversion of all that was Holy!
Well, she could not find the hentai freak! But, she did find her blood-traitor, backstabbing, waste of flesh ex-sister behind her.
Turning around, Akane screamed at Nabiki, "YOU!"
Nabiki sighed as she saw Akane walking around, drunk on anger. One could, literally, feel the anger rolling off of Akane. So much so that, no one was stupid enough to get anywhere close to her.
Well, almost anyone, Kuno-baby did and paid the price. She almost fought sorry for the baka. Although, if Kuno-baby, somehow, managed to have offsprings, may the Kamis and her Master have mercy on the World, his offsprings would have felt that.
She assigned the two boys of the Martial Arts Club members to carry Kuno-baby to the Nurse's Office as she dealt with her baka drama-queen of an imooto-san.
She knew this was coming. Akane was so predictable, and unfortunately, spoiled too.
It was a simple matter to get behind her imooto-san, even easily to cast a sleep-spell or such on her to avoid what was coming. Avoid, yes, but it was an inevitable confrontation. One which was likely needed to be repeated several times for the Truth and Reality to sink into her imooto-san's thick skull.
Not for the millionth time, she wished there was a magical spell that could cure Akane's condition. The Imperius Curse came close, though... too bad Ranma agreed it was an Unforgivable Curse to use.
Using the time, she studied her imooto-san's aura and mana flow.
It was not surprising to see that Akane had a magical ability, all the Tendo daughters had it, after all, their mother had used her miko abilities to combat sex-demons, and Soun used it for his martial arts, which is why his "Demon Head" technique was so successful. Of course, it was nothing short of a miracle that some devil hunter had not come around when he used that technique, and killed him. Hmmm... maybe that is how her parents had met... which would be slightly better then how the Saotomes had met. Genma, apprentice to Happosai, had stolen Nodoka's panties. Nodoka, who considered herself a Lady Samurai, had challenged Genma to a fight, a fight which Genma barely won, having to resort to use, what would later become, his Forbidden Techniques to win.
Nabiki sighed to herself; Akane's mana flow was a mess. Worse, she had over done it, as she over-did everything she tried, and had fused her mana flow into her muscles, which accounted for her abnormal strength and muscle density. Her abnormal strength was what gave her punches, and such, so much force behind them, even those they were sloppy and ill-formed, and it was her abnormal muscle density, that allowed her to ignore most punches, kicks, and such used against her. It was not any martial arts skill that allowed Akane to defeat that hentai horde of young boys, but ill-used, untrained, magic. Of course, with a mob of hormonally challenged, untrained boys, it would not take any skills to beat them anyways.
Still, because of the over-usage that had to have started shortly after their Mother's death, and the fusion into her very muscles, it would be impossible for her to straighten out her mana flow. And since her Master lacked the mage-gene, neither could He. It would take a seasoned Mage-Healer to fix Akane's condition, and even then, there would no guarantee of results. Ignorance and self-damage were the worst magical conditions possible.
Nabiki purposely cleared her throat, several times, loudly to get Akane's attention.
When Akane finally spun around to confront her, she did so by pointing her finger at her and screamed, "YOU!"
With a mischievous smile on her face that had sent several Dark Wizards and Sith Ladies into hiding, she remarked, "Yes, me. I have always been me. Nothing but me." To herself, she added, "Unless my Master wishes something else."
Akane's rage rose to new levels and she sputtered, "You! You! You!"
Stilling smiling, she replied calmly, "Yes, we have already established, I am me. Can we get on with it?"
A red aura of mana filled with hatred and rage sprung up around Akane, many of the students watching, mistook it for a battle aura, and made sounds of amazement that Akane could produce one. Nabiki mentally snorted at their ignorance. She thought for a moment of shielding her imooto-san, but to block her mana flow so abruptly, would have the same effect as a sudden blood sugar drop would. The resulting magical coma would take a good Medi-Witch to get her out of it. If the House-elves could get her, she suppose she could get Madam Pomfrey to make a house-call, but would be an iffy thing. Besides, Akane would just be at it again, after she recovered.
"You! You! You -- Cheater!" Akane exclaimed indignant.
The crowds stood silent, not understanding, but waiting for what would be the best gossip around for some time.
"You cheated!" Akane repeated in an angry voice. "That's the only way you could have beaten that gaijin whore, Shampoo!"
The crowds were stunned. Akane was swearing and had just said that Nabiki, the Ice Queen of Furinkan Koukou, had won against Shampoo.
"And how, pray tell, did I cheat?" Nabiki asked in amusement. She was curious to see what Akane thought she had done.
The crowds began to whisper in wonderment, Nabiki had not denied that she had beaten what they knew was the best female martial artist in the area. They knew that she was married to Ranma, and obviously, he would train her, but to train her to that level, in such a short time...
Indignant, Akane chanted, "You cheated, cheater! Cheater! Cheater!"
Nabiki signed, Akane was obviously in one of her moods. In a cool voice, she asked again, "And how did I swindled Shampoo?"
With a dark-smile on her face, Akane exclaimed, "See! See! You admit it! You, cheater! And you know all about swindling people... You're nothing but a mercenary! Taking money from everyone! You--"
Seeing that Akane was going to rave and rant, Nabiki quickly got tired of it and shouted back, "And who started that rumor? And where do you think all that money goes, you baka! It goes to feed the family and take care of the Dojo! It helps to make ends meet! Kasumi might be a good cook, but she's lousy at accounting! If it wasn't for me, the family would have been broken several times over, many, many years ago! Hell, baka, most of the money goes to the damages you make and those dresses you insist on having! Little Miss Princess can't have the hand-me-downs that I accept to save money! Hell, Kasumi has only three dresses... while Little Miss Princess has handfuls of dresses just sitting in your closet never worn, yet, you won't let me return them to get our money back!"
The whispering in the crowds ceased with that. Many too scared to draw either Tendo sisters' attention, as well as, shell shock after hearing such a revelation. Everyone knew that the Tendos were not well off, but with what Nabiki was saying, it sounded worse. Several of the students had been angry with Nabiki for the money they had lost... but they had to re-evaluate their feelings, now knowing where the money had truly gone. None of the students could ever recall Nabiki having anything new... or seen her with anything 'extra.' Well, there was that CD-player... but that was won off a student, who had been planning on getting something more modern before hand. Of course, the only CD's that Nabiki had were exercise music, a girl had to exercise as she could, after all.
Akane's rage continued, angered that Nabiki was talking back to her, accusing her of such things, and using her Father's nick-name for her like that. She screamed, "How dare you! I am the Heir of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu!"
Nabiki blinked and laughed, and laughed.
After several moments, Nabiki calmed down a bit and calmly stated, "You honestly believe that non-sense? Do you even know what Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu is? Let alone, what the Tendo School of it, is about? Fine... What is the first principal of the so-called Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu?"
The crowds waited for Akane's answer, curious to know themselves. After all the only example of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu they had ever saw was what Akane had used to defeat the daily Hentai Horde. They were residents of Nerima, who were always interested in martial arts.
"What?" Akane asked bewildered.
Smirking, Nabiki asked again, "Come on, as the so-called Heir of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, you must know what ever beginning student of any Art must! What's the first principal of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu? To what purpose is Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu to be used or not used? What makes Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu different from any other style?"
At Akane's silence, the crowds began to talk amongst themselves.
"Of course," Nabiki continued, "You don't know really know Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, just the basics of Kempo that Father taught. Or rather tried to teach."
The crowds were listening to Nabiki's words.
"Do you even remember that Father tied to continue to teach Kempo after Mother died?" Nabiki inquired in a pained voice. "Try being the optimal word, but you would not allow it."
Confused Akane just went, "Huh?"
"Does," Nabiki started to say, then changed her voice, pitching it higher and mockingly sweeter, and continued, "Look at me! Look at Me! You're not looking... Look at me! Look at me!" Back in a normal voice, she finished with, "Ring any bells?"
A few people in the crowd snickered at that, while Akane, herself, grew more confused.
"You did that," Nabiki stated, "each and every time Father tried to teach a class. Over and over... Everyone that it was cute the first couple of times, but you did that ever minute, ever hour, ever day... Father even tried to work with you... use you as a model for the students... but no, Little Miss Princess only did what she wanted. Rather learn from some movie, then from Father."
Akane was seeming from what Nabiki was saying, so she shouted, "That's not true!"
Nabiki smirked, "Oh? And when did you study with Father? Or study with anyone? All you do is break bricks and run around... That's not martial arts. And yet, that's all you do."
The crowds began to mutter amongst themselves.
"I'm a martial artist!" Akane screamed, whether at Nabiki, the crowds, or to convince herself, not even Akane was sure.
"Why?" Nabiki asked.
"What?" Akane asked puzzled.
"Why?" Nabiki asked again.
"Why what?" Akane growled.
"Why do you call yourself a Martial Artist," Nabiki explained. "By what right or reason to you can you truly call yourself a Martial Artist?"
Growling, Akane replied, "I'm the Heir of Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu!"
"Please," Nabiki retorted. "We've already established just what that means...."
Akane's face took on a look of pride that her oneesan had finally acknowledged her right to the Heir-ship.
"Nothing," Nabiki concluded.
Akane's face went from showing pride to extremely pissed-off, in three point five six seconds, a new record. Akane showed off how she was a card-carrying member of the Nerima Wrecking Crew as she charged at Nabiki full-throttle screaming, "Die!"
Several of the students screamed for Nabiki to get out of the way, but she stood her ground with a smirk on her face. At the next to last moment, she sidestepped Akane, and tripped her, so Akane fell face-first into the ground.
Akane quickly got up, anger ablazing around her, she charged at Nabiki like an angry bull, trying to clobber her, but Nabiki kept moving out of the way, with the greatest of easy.
As Nabiki was dodging, she commented, "It's a shame... Everyone but you has improved since Ranma-dono arrived. Hell, even Kuno-baby has... but you, Little Miss Princess. I suppose you think you don't even improvement.... Of course, Little Miss Princess thinks she's the best martial artist in the World... without any training, but breaking bricks and run around. Hell, Ranma-dono offered you a chance to train with him... and you refused... More the baka you are, Little Miss Princess. Hell, a chance to train with one of the acknowledged Masters of our Days... Yeah, hell I took it... I'm no fool."
All of which went in one of Akane's ears and out the other, but the crowds were listening and mutterings grew abound.
Akane grew exhausted, which caused her to slow down. Pissed, she screamed, "Fight me for real, you... you..." She lacked the breath and brainpower to find a suitable insult.
"Baka, baka, baka!" Nabiki teased her imooto-san. She was not the least bit winded, still as 'fresh' as before this all began. "We've been fighting for some time, baka! But then again, all you know is beating up a mob of hormonally crazed boys. But if you insist..."
The sound of flesh hitting flesh could be heard throughout the schoolyards.
Nabiki used her forearm to block one of Akane's punches. The forearm hit Akane's, and pushed her punch out of the way. Afterwards, Akane had to rub her forearm to get some feeling back into it.
Taking the Initiative, Nabiki threw punches and kicks at Akane, quicker and faster then she could deal with. In a very short time, Nabiki overwhelmed Akane's non-existent defenses and rendered her unconscious.
Seeing Akane on the ground, unconscious, and all that had been said, the crowds were silent. So silent Nabiki's whisper could be easily be heard, "Baka imooto-san, even if you were the Heir of a non-existent style, I'm still the First Disciple of Rando Ryuu. Yes, I'm not a martial artist, but that just means I'm a Warrior-Mage."
Nabiki picked Akane up, took her to the Nurse's Office, and went to class. Thus, she failed to hear the whispering and the gossip that was going around in the schoolyard.
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