Introductions part 2

By Kyokukou

Disclaimer : I don't own the characters from Ranma 1/2 only the characters that 
I write myself . So please don't sue me ! But if you try to use my characters 
.....there will be ...unpleasant consequences if I find out . Do not repost or 
reprint this without my permission , however if you do ASK there is a good 
chance I will let you .


" A man cannot free himself from the past more easily than he can from his own 
body ."
                                            -Andre Maurois 


Chapter 3
I'm not into scars ...


    " Good...good...better...hmmm needs work .....good...and so so ." She closed 
her ledger after rechecking the figures . So far she was managing to not only 
keep the household afloat , but she was developing a sizeable bank account 
balance of her own .
    A knock in her father's pattern on the door prompted her to slap the ledger 
shut and toss it onto her bed before calling out for her father to enter .
" Ah , Nabiki my darling middle daughter ." Soun began sweetly .
" What do you want me to do Daddy ?" She snorted .
    Instantly Soun sobered into a serious expression . " I never could deceive 
you Nabiki ."
" Or anyone else ."
" As a middle daughter I realize that you must feel left out of some activities 
. So when I decided that the three of you must spend time with Ranma in order to 
hasten his decision . I immediately thought you should be the one to go first ."
" Because Kasumi's out on a errand and Akane's at a friend's house ." She didn't 
bother to look at her father when she retrieved her ledger to lock it up in her 
desk drawer .
" Never could deceive you ."
" So why keep trying ?" 
" Some day I shall succeed , a true marital artist never gives up ."
" Whatever Daddy , alright where's Ranma I'll give him a few minuets ." She 
sighed .
" No , I insist on a few hours not minuets . It's quality time Nabiki ." Her 
father stood firm .
" Whatever ," She repeated . " But I'm not sparring with him ."
    Her father conceded that point and showed her to the guest room . After all 
but shoving her in he scampered off quickly . She knew he would be back , 
listening from a hiding place very soon . Then she noticed that she was alone in 
the all but empty room .
" Nan ? Whaddya mean quality time ? If they don't wanna spend time with me I'm 
not gonna make 'em !" She heard Ranma's voice coming down the hall . Soon he was 
shoved into the room himself . 
" Nan ?" He repeated after the door was thrusted shut behind him . " Stupid son-
of-a" He noticed her suddenly . "ah Nabiki-san ." 
" Great cover up ." She smirked . " So what are we supposed to do ?" 
" Tendo-san said something about you helpin' me unpack ." He shrugged and walked 
over to the smaller of the huge travel backpacks that they had brought with them 
on the day of their arrival .
    She sighed once again . " So what do you want me to do ?" 
" I dunno ... How 'bout I hand you stuff and you set it up ?" 
" I guess ."
    Without further word he sat down by the pack and opened the main compartment 
. Reaching in he removed a rolled up and beat up futon . She unrolled it and set 
it out next to Genma's . The next item was a camp cooking kit , she sat that off 
to the side . Along with the canteen and other hiking paraphernalia that Ranma 
removed from the depths of the pack . Then Ranma paused before reaching in with 
both hands . To retrieve a katana in his right and a wakizashi in his left . He 
held the sheathed weapons with reverence but a astounding familiarity . Without 
looking to her he stood and placed them by his futon himself .
" Need ta get a stand for those I guess ." He muttered before returning to the 
pack .
    He handed her a bundle of silk Chinese clothing but she didn't move to take 
it from his hand . He looked up in puzzlement . She pointed to the swords and 
said one word .
" Explain ." 
" Their my daisho ." He said as if he was referring to his hand or his name .
    She blinked once , feigning more amazement than she felt . " You weren't 
kidding about that rounin stuff were you ?"
    He looked at her as if she had asked about what color the sky was . " Of 
course I wasn't kidding ." Getting up he walked back to the swords and sat 
beside them , gesturing for her to do so as well . 
" I've had these for a few months now ." He looked at them intently as if they 
were speaking . " They weren't made by a master , and they aren't the best , but 
they've served me just as good as my hand or my foot ." He reached down and took 
he the katana by the sheath . Slowly he grasped the handle and drew the blade . 
It hissed from it's sheath so softly that she swore a falling leaf made more 
noise . But a falling leaf's sound didn't send the hair on the back of your neck 
standing on end . As samurai custom he only drew three quarters of the blade .*
    The mirror edge of the blade shimmered in the dim room's light , it's edge 
marring the mirror luster of the sword . She had knowledge of antique weapons , 
and in fact had some experience in dealing in antiques . So she could not 
mistake the quality of the blade .
" How many folds ?" She asked in a involuntary hushed voice . " Ten thousand ?"
" More like one hundred thousand ." Ranma said , the pride unmistakable and 
resonating in his words .
    He turned the blade slowly letting her look at all of it . Slowly small , 
almost invisible signs made something apparent . This blade was well used . 
Signs of parrying , cutting through hard armor , and such were revealed under 
her trained scrutiny . But to any layman it would appear new and pristine .
" Ranma , who owned this before you ?" She asked .
" It was made for me " He responded almost swelling with pride . " I've worn 
them and used them well ." He sheathed the blade in a swift but silk smooth 
motion . Setting the Katana down he half drew the wakizashi , this one made a 
almost bell like resonating note instead of a hiss dangerous as it was drawn .
    Inspecting the blade as he showed it to her something dawned on her after he 
sheathed the short sword .
" That's not the wakizashi that goes with your katana is it ?" She asked .
    He looked at her , almost startled . " Yeah , how'd you tell ?" 
" Well ," She flashed her patented cocky smile . " the wakizashisi obviously of 
higher quality than the katana and it's seen more use too . The marks here , 
here , and here make it obvious . Your katana was perfect , mint condition , 
that had a few nicks . But the real clincher was the fact that the hilt of the 
wakizashi is dark green and your katana is a deep purple ."
    He stared at her , mouth agape , and gray eyes wide . " Nan ?" 
" I do more weapons training than my sisters do , and some antique dealing every 
now and then ." 
" Nan ." He repeated .
" So what happened to your wakizashi ?" 
    That snapped him out of his stupor . But to her dismay his eyes caught a 
haunted look . " I had to break it in a fight ." He said tonelessly .
" Then who's is this ?" She pointed to the short sword before him feeling that 
she was close to a vein of information .
    His eyes darkened . Both in emotion and in color to her surprise . She had 
known other people whose eyes changed color with state of mind , but this was 
the most dramatic change she had seen personally . His eyes went from storm gray 
to a dark blue that almost matched the violet of his katana . He didn't look at 
her , the dark eyes remained fixed upon the short sword in question .
" It was Midori-san's . Now it's mine ." He said in a voice she didn't recognize 
as Ranma's . This voice was deeper , sharper , and clearer . Lacking the 
lackluster pronunciation and elocution of his normal one .
" Who is Midori ?" She pressed , keeping her voice carefully neutral . 
" Was ." Ranma corrected in that same alien voice .
" Who was Midori ?" She corrected .
" Midori-san ." Ranma corrected , stressing the san . " If you don't mind I'd 
rather not talk about it ." His tone left no room for argument .
    She made room . " That's usually when you need to talk about it most ."
" Then get me Ryouga , Masaru , or a psychiatrist . You don't need to hear it ." 
" Why not ?" She denied information to people not visa versa .
" Do you really want to know ?" For the first time he looked directly into her 
eyes with his new ones . She felt a variety of emotions surge through her as his 
eyes locked and held hers . None of which she let show , she would log them and 
sort them out in private .
" Hai , if I'm going to marry you or you're going to be my brother-in-law then I 
want to know more than a little about you and your past ." She said evenly .
" No you don't . " He told her flatly . " Once you hear some of it you won't ."
" Then let me hear some of it ." If he was going to pick her he would have to 
get used to letting her get her way , she always did somehow .
" Fine then ." He said before launching into the tale , his eyes never wavering 
from probing into her . He kept his voice even and emotionless . " During a 
fight she was being used as a hostage by a crazed hitokiri . The bastard knew 
how to suck ki from someone through a open wound in order to heal his own . I 
broke my wakizashi shoving it into his heart , but he took enough of my ki to 
survive removing the broken blade . While I was stunned he killed four who tried 
for him and took Midori-san hostage . The motherless bastard used her as a 
shield while he drained her ki . I attacked hand to hand but I couldn't get any 
deathblows around her . So I drew her wakizashi from her sheath and tried to use 
it . I got through twice , that should have killed him , but he wouldn't die so 
easy . I guess even hell didn't want him . My third strike was too slow and he 
maneuvered Midori to block . I stopped the blade before it could go in more than 
a centimeter in but she ......" She watched hidden emotions flow behind those 
eyes , but they ran too deep for her to pick out . After they calmed a bit he 
continued . "...she grabbed my hand and finished the thrust . It went through 
her and into him . A piece of my wakizashi's blade was still in him , I felt her 
sword strike and drive it into his heart . He died almost instantly , Midori 
hung on for almost ten minuets before she died in my arms ." He took a slow 
breath . " Well , Nabiki-san would you like to hear more ?"
    Even reeling from what she had just been told her instincts wouldn't let her 
turn down such a challenge .
" If you can tell it I can listen ." She heard herself say .
" Alright ." He was clearly surprised but far from shocked . Still she heard 
reluctance in his voice , or was that just her imagination .
" We need to finish unpacking ." She said . " But , Ranma if you ever need to 
talk to someone about it I'm here ." 
    He smiled ever so slightly at her , his eyes still that near violet hue . 
Deep , and full of many more years than his body had seen . Still pride and 
determined energy she had seen in the gray eyes before remained unchanged .
" There , that's my good deed quota for this year ." She thought somberly .
    He looked down at his swords . Closing his eyes he carefully placed them on 
his futon .
" So you practice weapons more than your sisters ?" His head came up abruptly , 
eyes now gray and youthful again . He wore a cocky smile similar to the one she 
often used . " Ever wanna learn some real sword techniques ? I'd be happy to 
show you a few things in the Dojo sometime ."
" Do you always shift mood so fast ?" She asked bluntly .
" Yeah , I love the looks one peoples faces ." He smirked . " 'Sides what's the 
reason to stay in a mood like that longer than ya have to ?"
" Good point ." She conceded . " But , if it's just an act then why bother ?" 
She probed .
    He gave her a smile that she couldn't read . Something that didn't happen 
often . " It's not an act . Shit happens and ya deal with it and move on ." He 
grasped the handle of the wakizashi without looking away from her . " I've had 
this for a few years now , it's in the past . The only thing I can do is wait 
until I die to chew her out for pulling that stunt on me ." 
    Even as she made a show of closing her dropped jaw she made a note of how 
his speech patterns changed like his eyes did .
" Put this over there ." He handed her a bundle of Chinese clothing . " And this 
one too ." He gave her another bundle , this one a white vest with black pants .
" And this one ." Still another set .
" You sure like Chinese silk ." She muttered placing the latest addition .
" Pop kinda sold alla our clothes a while back , those are the replacements ." 
He dug deeply into the cavernious pack . " Put these under the rest will ya ?" 
He handed her a large bundle wrapped up in a worn silk cloth bag .
" What's in here ?" She hefted the bag , and cocked a questioning eyebrow at him 
for good measure .
" Just s'more clothes ." He looked at her blankly .
" The wrapping ?" She prompted . This cat and mouse type of conversation was 
actually turning out to be kind of fun for her . He offered enough resistance 
not to bore her , but he was quite far from seriously testing her skills .
" There my old stuff , I only put the good stuff on for fancy stuff ." He 
shrugged in dismissal . " The other pair I hardly get to use anymore ." He said 
without any trace of regret .
" 'Use' and not 'wear' ?" She pondered his word choice . " He opened up to me 
earlier , but will I be just pushing my luck trying to get him to do it again ?" 
" I guess you can put this by the clothes or somethin' ." He handed her a stack 
of books tied together .
" I would have never pegged you as the reading type ." She snorted , scanning 
the titles . " Sun Tzu's Art Of War , Tsung's A Treatise on Swordsmanship , 
Mandarin for the Japanese traveler , Dragonball , The Slayers ...quite a mixed 
collection here ." 
" I like reading ." He shrugged . " The stuff like Tsung and Tzu puts me ta 
sleep easier , and manga kinda relaxes me ." 
" This relaxes you ?" She flipped to a scene depicting Lina Inverse blowing the 
head off of a grotesque creature with a fireball , in the background Gaoury 
chopped a identical beast in two with his light sword .
    He shrugged at the page . " I've done worse than that . 'Sides it's just 
manga , it's all made up ." Then he quirked an eyebrow at her . " What do you 
read ?"
" Oh , just 'business weekly' , 'moneypower'-"
" Manga ." He clarified .
    She eyed him levelly for a moment before deciding that he actually expected 
an answer . " The Slayers , Orange Road , and some more like that ." The look 
she followed up with dared him to laugh .
"< Could Nabiki help Ranma with Mandarin sometime ?>" He suddenly asked in 
broken Mandarin .
"< How did you know I spoke Mandarin ?>" She asked , genuinely thrown offguard .
"< Nabiki spoke Chinese names perfectly .>" Ranma gave her a warm , laughing 
smile . "< Too perfectly , rest just guess .>" 
"< I guess I could do that for about five thousand yen an hour .>" She returned 
the smile , anticipating the bargaining that was soon to come .
"< What about sword lessons . Trade Mandarin lessons for sword lessons .>"
    Ah , a unexpected move but not unprepared . "< I'm not that interested in 
swordplay .>" She gave him another smile , already plotting how to maneuver the 
terms where she wanted them without giving unnecessary information .
    Ranma peered into her amber eyes with his gray ones . Searching hers for 
something , after a moment he found what he was looking for .
"< Fine , will give you stealth lessons . Nabiki want be good enough to sneak 
around Kasumi , yes ?>"
    It took a fair measure of her skill to keep from showing the surprise she 
felt . She had planned on maneuvering the bargain there over the course of 
several exchanges . How had he known ?
"< Alright .>" She agreed .
" Good , well I guess I'm done here so I'd better let you leave before our 
fathers try ta get us to do somethin' else ."
" Yeah , I have things to do ." She stood and walked to the door . " I'll see 
you later Ranma ."
" Later Nabiki-san ." She felt his eyes on her even after she had shut the door 
and was on her way back to her room .

                         *           *          *

    She looked back out the window again . Nabiki was usually late to these 
sisterly meetings . As usual they were called by Kasumi and held in Kasumi's 
room . Looking back at the door she almost failed to notice that Nabiki was now 
sitting right in front of her .
" Cat's make more noise than you ." She muttered .
" Helps in my line of work ." Nabiki dismissed before turning to Kasumi who was 
seated on the edge of her bed . " What's this meeting about this time ?" 
" Yeah ," She seconded . " I've kept up my chores Kasumi ."
    The eldest Tendo daughter held up a hand for silence . " This is a serious 
meeting ." 
" Oh ?" Instantly Nabiki had flipped her business mask on .
" It's about Ranma ."
" I thought that it was his choice , so everything's settled ?" She asked 
uncertainly .
    Nabiki broke her mask long enough to roll her eyes . Kasumi turned her 
serene smile up a notch . " Akane , do you really feel that way about this ?"
" We all know how much you hate boys , Akane ." Nabiki added .
" Well I don't have to worry ." She began , having already prepared the argument 
. " I hate boys not men , and Ranma isn't a jerk like those -" She squealed in 
frustration to omit the foul language for Kasumi's sake . "-anyway I'm not gonna 
be chosen ." 
" Oh ?" Nabiki cocked an eyebrow at her . " Why ever not ?" 
" He's eighteen , I'm sixteen ." She smirked confidently . " Guys may like 
younger women but not too young . The way I see it you're gonna be the one ."
" What if I don't want him ?" Nabiki said , not betraying any emotion one way or 
the other . " Or what if He likes older women or much younger ? Just how much do 
you know about Ranma ?" 
" How much do you ?" She shot back .
" More than you two ." With a motion long practiced she suddenly produced a tape 
player in her right hand and pressed 'play' .
' Akane ?' Ranma's voice emanated from the speaker . ' Well , she's a little 
young . Kinda immature too , but she is cute and means well ...I guess I'll 
think about her too .'
" Not as safe as you thought ." Nabiki smirked after hitting 'stop' .
" But , what else did he say I wonder ?" Kasumi asked , now suddenly having the 
tape player in her hands .
" Nani ?" Nabiki blinked once at her empty hand before regaining her composure .
' And Nabiki ?' Genma's voice rumbled .
' Her ? She's the crafty one . I'm gonna have to watch her for a while before I 
can decide if she's like someone I use ta know .'
' And if she is ?' 
' I doubt she is , but I can't be sure .'
' And if she is ?' Genma repeated with a touch of urgency .
' If she is then there's no chance in hell I'm marryin' her ....But I don't 
think she is .'
' What about Kasumi ?'
' I dunno 'bout her . She's older than me but ... she isn't maturity wise it 
looks like . She's real nice , and I know she doesn't wanna hurt anybody . I 
mean you know the kinda person that specializes in the flowing wind school ?'
' Oh , she's the passive one of the three . A passive wife isn't all that bad 
Ranma .'
' In my experience people like her are far from passive . They just do things 
really different from us .'
    After waiting a second or two for any continuation Kasumi hit 'stop' . With 
a thoughtful glint in her eyes she handed the player back to Nabiki .
" So we are all equally candidates ." Kasumi began . " But if either of you 
wishes to back down I'm sure Ranma will understand ." 
" Want him all to yourself Sis ?" Nabiki smirked .
" I will not protest if I am chosen ." The eldest daughter answered 
noncommittally .
" But I will !" She clenched her fist . " I'd like to back out ! I'm not 
marrying someone just because our parents thought it'd be a great idea !" She 
glared at the tape player . " We don't even know each other !"
" Try talking to him then ." Nabiki rolled her eyes again . " Seriously Akane , 
he's only been here a day and you've already made up your mind ."
" Haven't you ?!"
" I keep all my options open as long as I can ." 
" Nabiki ," Kasumi interjected . " I wouldn't have called a sister counsel if I 
wasn't prepared to honor both your decisions . If Akane wants to back out then 
she will ." 
" It's stu-a mistake to make a snap decision about this ." Nabiki fixed her with 
those masked eyes that betrayed nothing . " You have to admit he is cute . How 
many times have you wined about not finding a guy like him ." 
" A slashed up face isn't my definition of cute Nabiki ." She said sourly . " 
I'm not into scars ..."
" One thin scar does not 'slashed up' make . Besides it's not his fault ." 
" How do you know ?" She was beginning to feel as if Nabiki was pressing her 
into a corner .
" I asked him about it , duh ." Again the eye roll .
" Nani ! How can you just -"
" Like this Akane , 'How'd that happen Ranma ?' See it's easy ." 
" I-Wha-Nabiki-" She groped for words for a moment . " So how did he get it ?"
    Nabiki gave them a semi-evasive look . " All I can tell you is that a 
Hitokiri gave it to him ."
" Oh my ."
" Wow ." 
" Ouch is more like it ." Nabiki snorted .
" So he was involved in that kind of stuff ?" Akane asked after a moment .
" I don't really know . Why don't you ask ?"
" You just don't ask that kind of stuff ?!"
" Why not ?" 



    " AAAAAACHOOO!!!"
" That's the sixth time Ranma , don't tell me you're actually getting sick ?" 
Genma rumbled .
" Naw , it's Tendo-san's daughters having a meeting about me ." 
" How do you know ? Have you been spying on them !" Soun teleported in front of 
him suddenly .
" Nononono ! Nothing like that I just feel their ki's all in the same room ."
" How do you know their talking about you and not someone else hmmmm ?" Soun 
leaned threateningly closer .
" Half from the emotions there and the other half is from my sneezing ."
" Alright ." Soun returned to the shogi board to find none of the pieces where 
he remembered them . " That's odd ..."
    He watched the two cheat and counter cheat over and over again for a few 
minuets before changing his attention to the beginning of the sun set . With a 
relaxed sigh he leaned back against the wall and let his senses spread out as 
his body relaxed . Dimly he was aware of the three sisters descending the steps 
and taking places in the main room or out on the porch like himself .
" It is rather peaceful here ." He thought as the white sunlight lazily shifted 
to richer hues of red . " Is it like this always ? If Tendo-san and Kasumi-san's 
demeanor is any indication then I guess so ... I'd go crack up in a year if I 
couldn't at least take a few trips ...but if I could ...yeah I guess living here 
wouldn't be a bad deal after all ."
    With his extended senses he noticed all three sisters staring at him . None 
obviously except for little Akane , too naïve not to at least attempt to hide 
her scrutiny .
" Yeah , living here wouldn't be bad , but with who ?"



    " How can he do that ?" Akane whispered out of the corner of her mouth .
" Do what ?" She whispered back , pretending to busy herself with a magazine .
" Just space out at the sunset and be all peaceful ."
" Kasumi does it all the time ." 
" But she's queen of zen ."
" Maybe Ranma knows as much as she does ."
" I dunno , Kasumi's one of a kind ."
    Setting the magazine down she stood . " I'm going to the kitchen , anyone 
want anything ?" She offered .
" Nothing , thank you ." Kasumi smiled before returning to her dusting . 
" I'm fine ." Akane answered .
    Genma and Soun grunted a 'no thanks' without looking up . Inwardly smiling 
at the ease of the excuse she walked up to Ranma . 
" You want anything ?"
    She had expected him to jerk out of his trance , but not the way he did . It 
was if he had been shocked by something . His eyes snapped wide open before 
narrowing and he was on his feet before she could react .
" He's HERE !" Ranma bellowed before racing across the room and up the stairs .
" What did I say wrong ?" She asked lamely .
    Before any could answer a loud knocking at the front door resounded .
" Is anyone home ?" A deep voice called from the front door .
    Automatically Kasumi got up to answer the door . But now she was followed by 
everyone else except for Genma who was suddenly nowhere to be found . 
    The family held their breath as Kasumi slid the door open to greet the 
visitor that had provoked such a reaction out of Ranma .
" Good evening Miss , I am sorry to disturb you so late in the evening ." A well 
muscled boy bowed deeply to them . " But may I ask if you know whether the 
Saotome's are staying around here or not ?" The boy straightened to reveal a 
hansome face , but wild hair held in check only by a tiger striped bandana .
" Good evening sir ," Kasumi returned the bow . " and it is no trouble . But may 
I ask who you are first ?"
" Of course , so sorry ," He bowed once in apology . " I should have done that 
first . I am a friend of the Saotome's Hibiki Ryouga ."
" Well Hibiki-san , Saotome Genma-san and Saotome Ranma-san are staying here 
actually ."
" They are ?" The boy's face lit up . " I came to the right place ?"
" Why yes ." 
" Good ." Suddenly the boy's eyes narrowed and they were left looking at a faded 
afterimage a instant before Ranma landed where Ryouga had been . Her heart 
started racing when she noticed the glint of a drawn blade over his shoulder and 
the scabbards of Ranma's daisho in his belt .
" Getting slow ." Ranma grumbled .
" You've been slow Ranma , I've just gotten a little better ." Ryouga called 
from the front gate . " Once second ." The boy dropped the pack from his back , 
drawing the bamboo umbrella from it in one motion .
" Ready for it Ryouga ?" Ranma hissed in a icy voice .
" I'm always and so are you ." Ryouga returned with equal malice .
" Some things never change ." Ranma changed stance to a pre-charge .
" And they shouldn't ." Ryouga changed his stance .
    For a full minuet the two stood there stock still , their audience too 
shocked or fascinated to speak or intervene . Then to some signal known only to 
them each let out a savage roar as they exploded towards each other .
    Umbrella met sword with a resounding clash as the one opponent passed the 
other almost two stories above the ground . The instant Ranma's feet touched the 
ground he was sailing across it towards the Ryouga , who had just touched down . 
Ranma's sword flashed in the fading light hundreds of times in only a second . 
But none even came close to connecting . Either the impossibly tough bamboo 
umbrella parried or even more impossibly Ryouga bodily dodged the strike .
" Pathetic !" Ryouga snarled before a backhand umbrella strike sent Ranma 
sailing into the Tendo household's outer wall .
    But Ranma was charging again before the dust from the impact had finished 
rising . 
" Even worse !" Ryouga spat after batting Ranma into the other wall . " Get 
serious !"
    This time no charging Ranma came through the dust .
" Oh shit ." Ryouga's eyes grew wide and he staggered a step back .
" you-you-YOU KILLED HIM !!" Akane screamed .
    Ryouga snapped his head about , an annoyed look on his face . " BAKA ! I', 
the one about to get killed !"
" Nani ?" Akane spoke for all of them .