
   Dragon Child

   Disclaimer: OW! That uncute tomboy really knows how to hurt a guy! In
   any case, I'm still not going to write any stories that pair her up
   with... WAIT! HOLD ON! NOOOO!!!!

   < >: Thoughts

   [" "]: Telepathic communication

   Chapter 5

   Fiance Fracas

   "You're... a dragon?!" A-Ko was stunned after hearing her classmate's
   explanations.

   Ranma sheepishly smiled and nodded to A-Ko. "Well... I'm more or less
   part dragon on my mother's side. You see one of my ancestors WAS a
   dragon and most of his traits were passed down through the
   generations. I also learned

   a lot from the other dragons who raised me for the last ten years."

   "You were raised by dragons?!"

   "Well... yeah, for the last ten years or so. I've only found my human
   parents a couple of days ago."

   "Whoa." The superstrong teen was impressed, though not too shocked.

   "You're taking this rather well." Ranma observed. "Another person
   would be totally speechless. I expected you to faint or something."

   Now it was A-Ko's turn to be a bit sheepish. "Well, you being a dragon
   isn't exactly something out of the ordinary for me, considering what
   I'vebeen through in Graviton City. I've gone up against aliens,
   monsters and ofcourse that stupid girl, B-Ko. You've already seen me
   fight her and her battle mecha."

   "I have and you're strong! I've never seen a regular person rip open a
   robot like that. Are you using some kind of strength-boosting magic or
   something?

   "No, I was just born this way. I kind of inherited some stuff from
   parents too."

   "Oh? Who are your parents?"

   "Well, let's just say that my Dad's a really SUPER guy and my Mom's a
   WONDERFUL woman."

   "Okay, so what's the deal with your fight with B-Ko? Does that happen
   often?"

   "Just about every day." A-Ko shrugged. "She's got some obsession with
   taking C-Ko away from me and claims that I walked out on her during a
   duel of honor, or some nonsense. Though I appreciate the help that you
   gave me back there. B-Ko has been getting on my nerves lately. I wish
   I could've seen the look on her face when you broke up her toys."

   A-Ko let off a quiet chuckle in which Ranma joined in while scratching
   the back of his head. "Yeah, well I'd appreciate it if you'd keep
   quiet about all this."

   A-Ko nodded. "No problem. I know what it's like to be... different.
   You can trust me. You helped me. So I get to help a really cute boy."
   She extended her hand out. "Friends?"

   "Friends." Ranma smiled as he grasped her hand and shook it. It was
   then that she let off a yelp in pain.

   "Ouch!"

   Ranma quickly retracted his hand and said, "Sorry! Sometimes I don't
   know my own strength!"

   A-Ko waved it off as she rubbed her slightly sore hand. "It's okay. My
   hands are just sore from fighting those robots, that's all."

   However, from that one handshake alone, A-Ko knew that Ranma's
   strength rivaled her own and was just reeking of magic. Like all
   things that were mortal, she had a vulnerability to things of a
   mystical nature.

   A-Ko continued to gaze at the handsome boy before her. Finally, a boy
   who was good-looking, strong, could defend himself and was fun to be
   with. She began wondering what she ever saw in K.

   ----------

   The Dragon Realm...

   "Oooh! She'd better not get any funny ideas with Ranma!" Karisu
   gritted her teeth as she saw the dreamy look in A-Ko's eyes.

   "Riiiight!" Rike teased. "You're the only one who's supposed to have
   the funny ideas."

   "SHUT UP, RIKE!"

   Sojan and Karrida chuckled. ["Ah, to be young and foolish in love
   again!"]

   ----------

   Earth...

   Hoping to change the subject, Ranma looked back toward Tokyo and
   gestured to it. "It's getting late and I promised my Mom to be back
   soon. Can I give you a lift to your place?"

   "You don't know where I live."

   Ranma shrugged. "No problem. Just point me in the right direction."

   "I appreciate the offer, but don't you think that a giant dragon
   giving me a ride home is going to turn a few heads?"

   "I don't need to transform to fly." With that he wrapped an arm around
   her waist and refocused his ki. In an instant, the two of them shot
   off into the sky.

   "Whoa!"

   Meanwhile at the Saotome residence...

   Nodoka watched the evening news with great interest as her husband
   Genma had already turned in for the night. While the fat martial
   artist was snoring away, his wife saw grainy photos on the television
   of a dragon that was sighted over the skies of Tokyo. Many of the
   stations were dubbing it a flying version of Godzilla. A second after
   seeing the pictures, she knew that it had to be her newly returned
   son.

   It was at that moment that she began to feel the presence of
   someone... or something nearby. Though her dragon powers were far
   weaker than her son's was, Ranma's mother retained a form of empathic
   sense toward things of a magical nature. She began seeking out the
   source of the disturbance and saw that it was coming from Ranma's
   room. Taking care not to disturb her daughter who was sleeping in the
   room next to Ranma's, she quietly entered his bedroom.

   As she was about to turn on the lights, she then got a sudden urge to
   approach the closet where Ranma had stowed away his heavy backpack.
   When she opened the closet, she felt compelled to open one of the side
   pockets. She reached in and hauled out a shiny, round, silver, flat
   disk that was about the size of an Olympic medal. She looked over its
   polished surface which had an image of a western dragon engraved on
   one side. She wondered what it was for when the medallion suddenly
   flared with a white light and projected an image like a hologram of a
   red-scaled dragon.

   ["Hello Nodoka Saotome."]

   "What the...?!" The medallion nearly slipped from the woman's startled
   hands, but Ranma's mother managed to catch it before it landed on the
   floor.

   ["Whoops! Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you."]

   Nodoka held up the medallion as her awestruck eyes took in the
   detailed image of Sojan. It was if she was looking into a television
   camera as Ranma's mentor smirked at her.

   ["I suppose that I should have introduced myself. I am Sojan."]

   The name immediately got her attention. "Sojan? Ranma told me all
   about you. You were the one..."

   ["Yes, I was the one who saved him from the pit of cats and raised him
   for the last ten years away from that idiot Genma."]

   Nodoka could feel the warmth from Sojan and smiled. "For that, I am
   eternally grateful for the return of my child. When I heard about my
   son's death, I cursed myself every day for allowing Genma to have
   taken him from me. When Kisara was born, I did everything that I could
   to make certain that the same mistakes would not be repeated."
   Nodoka's expression darkened as she thought about what Genma had
   planned to do with her daughter. "It seems that it was not enough."

   Sojan waved it off with a paw. ["Now, now, that's all history. At
   least you were fortunate enough to learn of it when you did and corner
   him with that seppuku contract. In any case, the reason why we are
   communicating now, is that I would like to get to know you and discuss
   a few things about Ranma as well as you and your daughter's own
   heritage. This medallion allows for anyone with dragon's blood to
   communicate with me. I made it for Ranma so that he could contact me
   and it will allow him to enter the Dragon World."]

   "So, why are you speaking with me? Not that I don't want to speak with
   the one who raised my son and taught him to be a man among men."

   ["Well, I suppose you saw the news about a dragon in Tokyo? In answer
   to your question, yes that was Ranma. I'm afraid that he's still has a
   bit of trouble of keeping his powers under control and I'll need your
   help in guiding him. By our standards, he is still just a hatchling,
   though he is close to being an adult by your standards. Oh and by the
   way, would you mind telling him to keep this medallion with him from
   now on? He hasn't contacted me since he left China."]

   Nodoka smiled at the reference of 'hatchling' as she nodded. "I would
   be honored to aid you Sojan. Tell me all about my son."

   At that moment, a pretty face pushed her way into the image and
   greeted Nodoka. "I'll be glad to tell you all about him, Mrs.
   Saotome!"

   "Oh? And who are you, young lady?"

   "Oh, I'm Karisu, and I'm going to be your son's life-ma..."

   ["Now, now! Karisu! There will be none of that!"] Sojan interjected
   while gently pushing her aside. He then spoke to Ranma's mother.
   "Please forgive my godchild's momentary lack of manners. She's...
   grown rather fond of your son during the time they grew up together."]

   Nodoka could only smile. If she had any doubts that her son was
   lacking in manliness, they were now gone.

   ----------

   Somewhere high in the sky...

   "WOW! THIS IS SO COOL!"

   A-Ko loved the feel of the wind in her face, as she and Ranma streaked
   across the night sky. Ranma was now just holding her at arm's length
   as his right hand gripped her left. He smiled as they looked down at
   the twinkling lights of the city below.

   "Ranma, can you teach me how to fly?"

   Ranma looked at A-Ko and gave her a bit of a whimsical smile.
   "Well..."

   "Please?" A-Ko gave her cutest pout.

   "Well... maybe." Ranma allowed. The technique that allowed him to ride
   the natural lines of ki that radiated from nature was relatively
   straightforward. However, it took large applications of his own
   personal ki to propel him and keep aloft. A-Ko was strong, but she did
   not have very much control over her ki. Ranma had tremendous stores of
   ki as well as mana energy from his stay in the Dragon World. Of
   course, there were other ways for Ranma to fly, but he preferred this
   method, as it did not draw as much attention as a huge dragon.

   The flight was relatively short and A-Ko was a bit disappointed when
   they arrived at her house. Ranma hover a few feet off the ground and
   gently lowered A-Ko.

   He then rose to about a few meters off the ground and waved goodbye to
   his friend. "Well A-Ko, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school."

   "Right. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

   Ranma smiled as his dragon senses told him that A-Ko would keep their
   little secret. "Thanks." With that, he flew off.

   A-Ko was still watching the skies when her mother and father appeared
   from the house and saw her.

   "There you are. Where have you been? We were getting worried."

   "I'm sorry Mom. I got... sidetracked on my way home from school
   today."

   "Well, you can tell us all about it later. It's time for you to come
   in and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is a school day."

   "I'll be right there Mom!"

   A-Ko's parents watched their daughter as she continued to look up at
   the sky.

   "Look at her Clark. It looks like she wants to follow in your
   footsteps and soar through the skies."

   "Yes, but she's going to have to borrow your jet, Diana. She didn't
   inherit that ability from me."

   "By the way Clark, did you sense it?"

   A-Ko's father nodded. Though his wife did have a far greater affinity
   to detecting magic, he was also experienced in sensing such things.

   At the Saotome residence, Ranma was surprised to find his mother in
   his room and speaking to Sojan through his medallion.

   Nodoka smiled as she noted her son's arrival. "Oh hello son. Did you
   enjoy your flight?"

   "Mom? Sojan?"

   The red dragon smiled. ["Hello my student. Your mother and I wish to
   discuss a few things with you, including your transformation."]

   Ranma became very sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "Er,
   yeah I guess you saw that."

   ["Yes I suppose that a huge dragon in downtown Tokyo is bound to turn
   a few heads."]

   ----------

   A couple of days later...

   At a small port city, a group of Amazon women was disembarking from
   their boat and was now heading toward Tokyo, being led by an elderly
   woman hopping on a staff. One of the girls, a shapely and very well
   proportioned warrior with purple hair, gestured to a nearby
   electronics store and saw the reports of a dragon that was sighted in
   Tokyo.

   The ancient crone nodded as she saw the pictures then had a knowing
   smile.

   Their goal was indeed in Japan and it would only be a matter of time
   before they would catch up to him.

   In another region, another person dressed in concealing robes traveled
   through the throngs of busy people, heading in the direction of
   Japan's capital. The person also stopped near a television when the
   images displayed Ranma's dragon form. A glint came to the person's
   eyes as the images were committed to memory and were admired. The
   person then nodded and ducked into an alleyway. A moment later, the
   stranger had vanished.

   During this time, Ranma had kept his extraordinary powers under wraps
   as he continued to attend school and daily life. He had especially
   grown very fond of his relationship with A-Ko as they became very good
   friends.

   However, there was one person who disapproved of the two of them:
   B-Ko.

   After that disastrous encounter a couple of nights ago, the spoiled
   rich girl had kept a close eye on the two when they reappeared the
   following day. She was quite surprised to see that Ranma had not only
   survived the encounter, but was now on very friendly terms with her
   hated rival. Ranma's display of power and skill had intrigued her that
   day and she was even more determined to find out about him. He was
   certainly more interesting than K was. There was also the matter of
   that magnificent beast she had seen and she suspected that Ranma had
   something to do with it.

   Deciding that they had perhaps gotten off on the wrong foot, B-Ko had
   tried to get on more friendly terms with the new student and saw this
   as a chance to steal him away from A-Ko. After all, he was
   good-looking and seemed to radiate a kind of sensuality that she found
   irresistible.

   Unfortunately for her, whenever B-Ko approached him, Ranma would try
   his best to avoid her like the plague. She couldn't understand why.
   She was beautiful, intelligent and rich. What boy wouldn't be
   interested in her? He wasn't holding a little thing like wanton
   destruction and obsession against her was he?

   After a few days and no luck, B-Ko had decided to change her tactics.
   Ranma was certainly not going to notice her with that hussy A-Ko
   always around him. Furthermore, he had gotten C-Ko's attention as well
   and this wouldn't do. The spoiled girl had to find a way to get closer
   to him and learn more about the mysterious boy. She had decided to
   look into his family on her computer and when she started reading the
   dossier on Genma Saotome, she smiled evilly. She had just found a way
   to get him.

   Ranma waved goodbye to his friends as he headed home. Things had been
   going smoothly and Ranma felt good now. He, C-Ko and A-Ko had become
   good friends and school was going well. The excitement over his
   appearance as a dragon was dying down and as long as Ranma kept a low
   profile, he had nothing to worry about. It was just as he began
   approaching his house that his mood began to change. Something was up
   and he could almost sense it. He then opened the door and saw several
   people were in a heated discussion in the living room with his family.
   It was at that moment that they all turned their heads to see who had
   just entered the house.

   Ranma felt their eyes lock onto him and he began to get a sudden chill
   down his spine. He timidly waved his hand to them and said, "Er,
   hello. I didn't know we were having guests and..."

   Ranma never got to finish as a girl with long brown hair took one look
   at him and cried out happily. "Ran-Chan! It's you!" In less than a
   second, the girl rushed over and had her arms around him in an
   embrace.

   "Huh?"

   A large man with a giant spatula on his back smiled. "Hello Ranma.
   It's been some time. I am glad to finally see my future son-in-law
   again."

   "Son-in-law?"

   At that moment, another man, this one was short with large ears stood
   up from the couch and said to the first man. "Now just hold on a
   moment! Ranma is engaged to marry MY daughter, Kaori!" He then
   gestured to the girl who was dressed in a ceremonial wedding kimono.
   The girl then stood up, walked over to where Ranma was still standing
   and knelt before him.

   "Greetings future husband."

   "What the...?!" Ranma looked up to where his mother and sister were
   sitting. He also saw that his idiot father was cowering behind the
   group and sweating bullets. He was currently trying to inch his way
   toward the nearest exit but a glare from his wife and the way she was
   fingering the katana in her hands stopped him.

   "Mother? What's going on?" Ranma asked.

   Nodoka sighed with sadness as she gestured to the two girls. "Ranma,
   may I introduce you to Ukyo Kuonji and Kaori Daijkoku, your...
   fiances."

   The mention of his old friend Ucchan almost made Ranma's heart skip a
   beat as he looked at the girl with a spatula strapped to her back.
   This was Ucchan? She certainly didn't look like the boy he once
   thought of her as ten years ago. He had to admit, he... er, she had
   grown up to be really... well, cute. The blue dress she wore and her
   long flowing hair accentuated her looks and he couldn't help but
   notice the additional fullness in her chest. He quickly averted his
   gaze as he turned his attention to the girl who was kneeling before
   him. He couldn't tell much from the wedding kimono, that is until he
   got a good look under the hood. He saw a girl of about his age with
   large almond eyes and straight nut-brown hair. Giving her a polite
   wave, his expression then turned serious as he gazed back at his
   mother.

   Nodoka nodded sadly as she replied to Ranma's unspoken question. "Yes
   Ranma. Apparently when news of your return spread, it seems that
   Genma's thoughtless actions to feed his stomach has now come back to
   haunt us."

   Ranma glared at his worthless father with a look that promised immense
   pain later on.

   ----------

   The Dragon Realm...

   ["Just HOW many fiances does Ranma have?!] Surek asked as he, Karrida
   and Sojan watched their pupil in the mystic viewing portal.

   ["Enough to put Karisu into a fit."] Sojan chuckled.

   ["Speaking of which, do you know that she's been asking for permission
   to go to the human world?"] Karrida commented.

   ["Oh yes. The Dragon Council thought that having someone over there to
   observe Ranma might be a good idea. Karisu would be an ideal choice,
   since she does know him."]

   ["If she does get chosen, then it might be best to send Rike as well
   to keep her in check."] Sojan added as they continued to watch the
   images.

   ----------

   Much later...

   Genma groaned in pain as he lay on the futon. He felt as if he had
   been fed through a trash compactor six times.

   After the heated debate between the Daijkoku, Kuonji and Saotome
   families, it was decided that all the previous engagements that he had
   made would have equal standing. Ranma would be given an opportunity to
   get to know girls and if he decided not to marry any of them, then the
   engagements would be void. Furthermore, if any of the other fiances
   were to appear, they too would have to same opportunity.

   Of course, this got Genma to protesting, saying that the engagement to
   one of the Tendo sisters was the only one that was valid, but Ranma
   showed him what he thought about it and pounded him flat. Genma now
   had bruises and sores in places he never knew he had.

   Though he was now feeling pain like the dickens, his mind was still
   set on having his disobedient son wed to one of Soun's daughters. The
   question was how to go about doing it. He began using that rarely used
   part of his body; his brain. Then he had an inspiration. He remembered
   back to when Soun had told him about the recent problems that his
   youngest daughter Akane had been getting from an unwanted suitor.
   Genma smiled as he began formulating a plan. He then went to the
   phone, but it took him quite a while to get to it as his joints were
   aching from the beating that Ranma had given to him.

   Behind the Saotome family dojo, Kisara clapped her hands as she
   watched her brother spar against their mother. Both combatants were
   wielding bokkens and the sounds of wood surfaces smacking against each
   other, echoed in the backyard like a pair of angry woodpeckers.

   "Excellent, my son!" Nodoka proclaimed as she used a fast swipe,
   followed by a counterthrust to Ranma's parry. She had wanted to test
   Ranma's sword skill and she saw that Sojan had not wasted his time
   over the last ten years. Though she was no slouch when it came to
   swordplay (she was after all trained in the School of the Fierce
   Dragon Blade), Ranma's skills with even a wooden sword was far beyond
   many masters of kendo.

   Ranma used an intricate pattern of swipes and slashes to defend
   against his mother's attacks, which came at him at blinding speeds.
   Every one of Nodoka's attacks were easily blocked, evaded or
   countered. Many of those moves were enough to shred a normal fighter
   in milliseconds.

   The two began to increase the intensity and speed of the match,
   whipping their weapons around at near-supersonic velocities. Their
   blades were threatening to crack and splinter under such pressure when
   Nodoka suddenly leapt back and focused her ki into her bokken.

   "HOWLING WIND CUTTER!" Nodoka made an upward slice with her weapon and
   produced a blast of high-pressure air that streaked toward her son.
   The ground below the air current suddenly had a huge gash forming in
   the direction toward Ranma.

   The dragon warrior smiled as he remembered back to his training with
   the Wind Dragon King of the West. His mother's technique was very
   similar to what Surek had taught him and he countered with his own
   wind attack.

   "WIND SCREAM ATTACK!"

   Making a spiraling motion at superfast speed with his own blade, Ranma
   sent a high-pressure blast of air, causing a small sonic boom to be
   emitted. The two air attacks slammed into each other, but Ranma's was
   the more powerful one and shattered through Nodoka's. However, Ranma
   had purposely held back and the remainder of the attack only jolted
   his mother a bit and caused her to lose her equilibrium momentarily.
   Her bokken however, cracked under the pressure and half the blade
   snapped off. Nodoka saw that the match was his.

   She backed off a bit and lowered her damaged weapon as a sign of
   yielding.

   "Well done my son."

   "Wow!" Kisara said with glee. She had seen her mother practice before,
   but this was the first time she had seen her use any special
   techniques. She also wanted to know how her big brother had countered
   it.

   Ranma nodded, then noticed a small wisp of smoke rising from his own
   blade.

   He smiled ruefully and realized that even with his ki enhancing it,
   the air friction from moving at supersonic speeds was causing the wood
   to burn. He quickly laid the sword on the ground and rolled it around
   to put out a potential fire. He made a mental note not to try that
   technique again unless it was with Crimson Fang.

   "How did you do that Rammie?" Kisara ran up to her brother with
   curious, bright eyes.

   Nodoka smiled as she replied, "Your brother and I both have practiced
   in various sword techniques Kisara. Though the attacks you saw were
   similar, it seems that Ranma has had far more training than I ever
   went through in the School of the Fierce Dragon Blade. Nodoka mentally
   added.

   "Can you teach me that Rammie?"

   Nodoka nodded as she said, "I think it is time that you began your
   training with the blade. Genma has already spent far too much time
   with you, so I think it is now my turn."

   Ranma agreed with his mother. He could sense the raw potential within
   his sibling, though not as great as his own. And it would make Kisara
   a better person if she were to learn from their mother, rather than
   their miserable excuse for a father, Genma.

   Speaking of Genma...

   The fat and balding fool in question smiled as he got off the phone.
   After a long discussion with Soun, Ranma's father was confident that
   their plan to unite the Anything Goes Schools would work. That first
   meeting between his son and the Tendo sisters had not gone well, as he
   reasoned, because they did not have enough time together. Well, they
   had a solution to that.

   Starting next week, Akane and Nabiki would be transferred to Ranma's
   school. Genma was sure that it would only be a matter of time before
   his son and either Akane or Nabiki would be walking down the aisle
   together. It was perfect!

   Genma secretly hoped that Akane would be the one. After all, she was
   the heir to the Tendo School. It would be fitting that the two heirs
   would unite and carry on their legacy. All of those other so-called
   fiances were of no consequence as far as Genma was concerned. All he
   had to do was make sure they didn't get close to Ranma, and how hard
   could that be? With

   Soun's help, his future for a long and luxurious retirement was
   assured!

   Somewhere in reality, several gods and goddesses were making wagers on
   how wrong Genma could be.

   The Patriarch of the Saotome Clan was feeling so proud of his plan
   that he decided to step outside for a drink. It didn't take him long
   to get to a bar, and within several minutes was drinking like there
   was no tomorrow. By the time it was sundown, he was abominably drunk.
   It was then that a dark stranger in a trenchcoat approached him.

   "Excuse me? Are you Genma Saotome?"

   "Yesh..." Genma slurred. "Sho who wants to know?"

   "I'm here on behalf of a certain girl who has taken an interest in
   your son. I would like to offer you a deal. My employer would like to
   get herself engaged to him and I'm told that you're the one to talk to
   about that."

   Genma shook his head and waved it off. "Naw, my shon already gots
   himself a finazee. He juhst don't know it yet. He's gunna be marrying
   Akane Tendo and carry on the Tendo dojo. I'm shoooo happy!"

   "Well, my employer is willing to pay you a lot of money."

   "It'sh a matter of honurr, and... er, what did you shay?"

   "My employer is willing to pay you a LOT of money."

   "Er, how much?"

   The stranger nodded as he took out a notepad and scribbled a figure.
   When Genma saw how many zeros were behind the first number, he blinked
   and shook his head. That couldn't be right. The alcohol must be giving
   him double vision because there couldn't be that many zeroes.

   The stranger smiled, as he knew that he had Genma. The greedy and
   stupid martial artist was so easy to con. After reading the dossier
   that B-Ko had given him on Ranma's father, he just couldn't believe
   anyone could be so foolhardy to sell out his son so easily. The amount
   he was offering was a considerable fortune, but was merely a drop in
   the bucket for B-Ko. However, both he and his employer had missed one
   important detail; Genma was no longer the head of the Saotome
   household.

   Genma blinked again at the amount. With that kind of money, he could
   easily pay off all of his debts and still have a lot left over. All he
   had to do was sell out his son again. It wasn't anything new, and
   besides, he had no intention of keeping this promise. With the alcohol
   already clouding his less than stellar sense of judgment, Genma found
   the temptation too great to resist.

   "Deal!"

   To be continued...

   Author's notes

   Well, the changes to this chapter were minor, but I promise that in
   the sixth chapter, things are going to get really hairy. Rike and
   Karisu will be making their appearance in the human world and they'll
   add to the chaos when the MUsk Dynasty appears. See you then!
