Cat Fist Fury



Ranma  is Rumiko Takahashi's. Blah, blah, yakety smackety. 

    <>: Thoughts 



                                  Chapter 3

                             Following a New Path



     It had taken Ranma three days to get to Jusenkyo on foot. He 

had decided not to travel in his tiger form, as it would have 

attracted too much attention. When he finally arrived at the cursed 

training grounds, it was already sunset. When he approached the 

entrance, he was greeted by a thin man that was dressed in the 

same brown uniform as the other guide had wore.

     "Greetings! Welcome to famous Training Grounds of Cursed 

Springs! Jusenkyo!"

     Ranma immediately noticed that this wasn't the same guide he 

had met three months earlier. "Hello. I don't recognize you. What 

happened to the other guide? You know, the fat one?" 

     "Oh! He is out helping a customer find his lost son. Been gone 

for three months now. I am temporary replacement." 

     Ranma nodded. <Guess that means that Pop is out there 

looking for me. Then again, since he doesn't know that I can 

change back into a human, he's probably looking for a black, 

saber- toothed tiger.> He then asked, "Tell me. Did this customer 

fall into the Spring of Drowned Panda? Was his name Genma 

Saotome?" 

     "Oh yes sir! Him very popular lately!" 

     "What do you mean?"

     "Many, many people come here to Jusenkyo asking for him! 

They very angry with him!"

     "You don't say." The young martial artist's expression took on a 

frown. <Knowing Pop, it's probably some people that he's stolen 

food from! Or a bill collector!> Turning his attention back to the 

skinny guide he asked, "So what exactly did these people want with 

Genma?"

     "Oh it is very confusing! They said that this man cheated them! 

Say he promised his son to marry their daughters!" 

     Ranma's expression turned from disgust to shock as his face 

paled. <Marry their daughters?! What's he talking about?!> 

"Excuse me? Exactly what did they mean that his son was 

supposed to marry their daughters?" 

     "Oh I no understand it either! Many parents and their daughters 

had been searching for this man for years! Say that Genma 

engaged his son to their daughters in exchange for food and 

money! If true, then this man has promised son to ten fiances!" 

     "Say what?! Exactly who are these people?!" 

     "Well," The guide began. "First people who come to Jusenkyo 

two weeks ago, was father with funny-looking ears and beautiful 

daughter with brown hair. They come from Japan. Say name was 

Daijkoku. Tell me they search for Genma for more than fifteen 

years because he sold his son for a fish, a bowl of rice and two 

pickles! If you ask me, he make very poor trade! He no keep 

promise though! He stole baby son back! If you ask me, Genma is 

very stupid to sell son like that!" 

     "Kami-sama" Ranma said with barely a whisper. <I don't 

believe it! I was sold for a fish?> "Who was the next person to 

claim his son?" 

     "Oh this one I no believe either! Very big man came with son! 

Strange-looking too! Also come from Japan. Both had big spatulas 

on their backs! Say they met Genma when son was six! Genma 

promise to engage son to his child in exchange for okonomiyaki 

cart! But Genma stole cart and left child on road! Very bad man! 

Though I no understand why he engage boy to boy!" 

     Ranma felt as if he was having a stroke. <It can't be! That 

almost sounds like> "Tell me! Was their name Kuonji?" The 

Guide nodded. <No! That would mean that we stole Ucchan's 

cart! But Pop told me that it was a gift! And why would Ucchan's 

dad engage me to him? Unless> Ranma became weak in the 

knees and he braced himself on one of the pillars that were at the 

entrance. He began to recall all of his early memories with his 

playmate. Ucchan had always seemed somewhat softer. He 

always refused to go swimming with him in the nearby streams. 

His voice was higher than usual. And most of all, he always 

seemed to be more friendly toward him than what he considered 

normal between two boys. As the realization dawn on him, Ranma 

mentally kicked himself for not knowing sooner. No wonder 

Ucchan was so angry when he and Genma left him! The guide's 

revelation now made the final memory all clear! The reason why 

his childhood friend had screamed, "You promised to take me with 

you!" 

     "Sir?" 

     Without turning to face the guide, Ranma quietly asked, "Tell 

me. The boy you saw with that man. Was his name Ukyo 

Kuonji?" 

     "Oh yes sir! How you know?" 

     "I think I figured out why that man engaged his son to Genma's 

son."

     "What you mean?" 

     "Ukyo isn't a boy. He's a girl." 

     "Really?! Oh now that make sense! I thought he was boy. If he is 

really girl, then it clear! Still not right for Genma to steal cart 

though!" The Guide then noticed that Ranma's expression had 

darkened and that he was having a hard time keeping his temper in 

check. "Sir?" 

     Ranma was hunched over and his body was trembling as he tried 

to hold back the tears. He failed. As the slick drops began running 

down his cheeks, he recalled a conversation that he had with his 

father a short time before they left Ukyo and his no, her father. 



Nine years ago

     "Son? I have something very important to ask you. Which do 

you like better? Ukyo or okonomiyaki?"

     "Uh okonomiyaki!" Replied the slightly confused boy.



The present

     "Sir? Are you okay?"

     Ranma angrily wiped away the tears and calmed himself. When 

he faced the Guide again, his expression was devoid of all 

emotion. "Tell me, who else came looking for Genma? Who were 

they, and what did he sell his son for?"

     The guide took on a puzzled look then answered. "The Tanaka 

clan came because of five bags of rice. The Shiga family had made 

a deal over a full course meal at their restaurant. The Nanatomo 

clan for some sukiyaki! The Sentaro family for a month's supply 

of pork! The Yasmi family for some pork buns! The Wu family for 

some ramen. The Shintoro family for some gold. And a woman 

from a nearby Amazon tribe. She get him to promise his son for 

three pounds of silver!"

     By the time the guide had finished, Ranma had become a 

seething volcano of emotions. <How dare he! How DARE he sell 

me off to all those people like I was like some bargaining chip! 

He's always ragged on me about honor! He's nothing but a 

hypocrite! He's scum! He's worse than scum! He's nothing but 

trash! And I let him do this to me! He made me abandon 

Ucchan! The best friend I ever had! That does it! He's history!>

     "Sir? Are you okay?"

     The teen came to a decision. He took a long and deep breath 

and replied. "No. I just realized that someone whom I had some 

respect for, has lied to me for over fifteen years. I came here in 

order to find him, but now I couldn't care less if I never see him 

again!" 

     "Oh sir! You look for Genma too? Are you Ranma, his son?" 

     Ranma was silent for a moment, then replied. "No. I'm not. My 

name isn't important. The way I heard it, Ranma Saotome's life 

ended when he came to this place. Anyway, why would I want to 

find a scumbag like Genma? I'll be leaving now. Sorry for 

troubling you." Ranma turned and walked away from Jusenkyo, not 

once looking back. 

     As he got more than a mile away from the training grounds, he 

let out a roar and triggered his transformation. His body instantly 

flared with a red light which briefly enveloped him. When the light 

faded, Ranma Saotome was no longer present. In his place was a 

snarling and ferocious-looking saber-toothed tiger. Taking a final 

look back in the direction of Jusenkyo, he then bounded off into 

the distance. As his feline form disappeared over the horizon, he 

let off a final roar of anguish.

     <Goodbye Genma Saotome! And good riddance! I swear that I 

shall never, EVER listen to you again! For nine long years I have 

followed your ways but no more! As of today, I am on own!>

     Then, he was gone. 



To be continued



Author's Notes

     So far the changes I've made to these chapters are relatively 

minor, as I wanted to clear up any spelling and grammar mistakes. 

I have made a few errors in my continuity and I thank all my 

readers who were gracious enough to point these out.



