Title: A Legend reborn
Author name: Trugeta

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ as well as Akira Toriyama and many others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Note further that I don't own any of the trademarks mentioned in this story. So suing is senseless.

This story takes place after Movie 10 of Dragonball Z and at the beginning of the Ranma series. It's an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Chapter 6: Genma's follies

To say that chaos reigned supreme after the 'demonstration' would have been a safe bet. The Tendos were looking at the tall, bald man, who had been a panda moments before, in utter confusion. Then recognition settled in, and Soun stepped forward cautiously. "Is... is that really you, Genma?" A nod from said panda-turned-human.

"And were you really a... a panda a few seconds ago?" Another nod.

"What in Kami-samas name did happen to you, Saotome?" he asked, as he handed Genma the towel which Kasumi had placed on the table earlier.

Genma rubbed himself off, sighed sadly and sat down in a vacant spot. "The horrors of Jusenkyo happened to me, Soun, old friend, oh the horrors!"

Tears began streaming down Soun's face. "Oh Kami-sama, the tales of the cursed training grounds of Jusenkyo, they are much too horrible to imagine. Err, Akane, what are you doing?"

Said Akane was glowing red and slowly advanced on Genma. "You! You're a human! And you touched me… you… you pervert!"

Genma looked surprised, and at seeing the expression on Akane's face he sweated. "I assure you, it was not my fault. I'd never do something like that voluntarily."

Ranma grinned at seeing his father in trouble, but sadly it did not last long. "Daughter, my old friend Genma is telling the truth. He'd never do something like that." Soun said, helping his old friend out; he was conveniently leaving out all the times they had been on raids with the master…

That stopped Akane in her tracks, but she scowled at the fat man. "If you ever do anything perverted around here it'll be kapowie to the moon. Got me?" she growled.

The Saotome patriarch nodded involuntarily. Man, that girl had real spunk! Now that would be the perfect match for his son!

Nabiki, who had sufficiently recovered after seeing the scientifically impossible just stared, and then asked "If those training grounds you visited are so dangerous, why on Earth did you visit them in the first place? Sounds quite stupid to me."

Ranma nodded and smirked. "Right to the point, Nabiki. You know, Pops, err, 'found' this guide book, which was written in Chinese. It held all those training grounds we visited, and some of them were actually okay. Then we visited Jusenkyo, and as the guide book was written in Chinese we could not read the warnings about Jusenkyo. Before it had always worked out and we had been able to get by, but Jusenkyo was different. Very different."

The middle Tendo daughter nodded. "Let me guess, Mr. Saotome, you can't read or speak one word Chinese, can you?"

Genma shook his head, then dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "No, but that is beside the point. We always managed to get by despite that, and had that guide warned us nothing would have happened."

His son shook his head. "Nope, pop, the guide tried to warn us, but we didn't want to listen."

Now Akane spoke up. "So it was your own fault! I knew it; boys are always doing something stupid!"

Ranma glared at her. That girl was really pushing his buttons, and all the wrong ones. "What would you know about it? Do you have the all-seeing eye? Where you there or what? I don't think so, so let me finish the explanation. As pop obviously has some problems with his memory that job is now mine."

Akane glared right back and was about to say something when Nabiki held her hand up. "Akane, I know you had a bad day, but give it a rest. I really want to hear how that happened. This is the first proof for magic I have ever seen and I want to know more. Besides, it's not polite to take out your bad mood on our guest."

The youngest Tendo girl suppressed a sigh and nodded, for her sister was right. Yet she could not help it; she just could not deal with this Ranma today; any other day would have been way better, and she was sure that she could have been objective about him then, maybe even nice, but today, thanks to Kuno and his idiots she just hated all boys more than ever.

It cost her quite some effort, but finally she looked at Ranma. "Sorry, but I had a day from hell."

Seeing Ranma nod in acceptance she then looked at her father, rubbing her temples. "Dad, I need to lie down for a bit. I had a Very bad day and have a really bad headache." she said and got up from her seat.

As expected, her father just nodded. He would never dare to reprimand her, for she was his baby daughter; as such she had long since learned how to wrap him around her little finger. And her eldest sister might look disapprovingly, but she was sure that Kasumi would understand. She'd help her later on in the kitchen and everything would be fine again. At the moment she needed to get upstairs to get the relaxation the music and some Midol would offer her. That and a good soak in the furo later to drive away all the worries; if only it could ban the visage of Kuno from her mind.

Ranma raised a brow at that, but anything that would help that girl to curb her temper was welcome. Akane had just left when Genma tried to bring the conversation back on track. After all, his retirement was at stake here. "Soun, has the boy already picked his fiancée? With so many pretty young women to choose from that shouldn't be a problem, eh?" he said and elbowed his friend into the side.

Soun for his part shook his head. "No, Genma, he has not. Actually, he has made some suggestions regarding the agreement, and I must say that they're quite reasonable."

Now Genma was confused. What had the boy done while he had been unconscious? Well, only one way to find out. "What kind of suggestions?" he asked carefully, while Ranma smirked. Was his pops ever in for a surprise.

The Tendo patriarch ticked his fingers off. "Firstly, your son asked me to change the agreement somewhat."

Genma narrowed his eyes. 'Change' was not good. "Ranma asked to get to know all three of my daughters first before he would decide upon a fiancée. He wanted somewhat more than one year, and I agreed."

A twitching eye on Genma's part. "Then he said that if no feelings of love had sprung up between him and any of the girls, they were not to marry. And I tell you what, Genma, we both married out of love and I don't want for my one daughter who has to fulfil the agreement to only marry because of honour. My dear departed Kimiko would not have wanted that for one of her daughters."

Twitching increased. "But your son had a brilliant idea. Actually, we never said which generation had to fulfil the agreement; so if nothing happens between Ranma and either of my daughters we could just transfer the agreement to the next generation with the family honour of both our families intact." Soun finished his explanation.

It was all that Genma could do to keep himself from screaming and ranting. Ranma noticed this and smirked, and he also noticed that the father of the girls had not mentioned his threat to just walk away should he not comply with his demands. He barely suppressed a smirk at this proof of his analysis. Soun Tendo seemed to be something of a coward indeed, a man who walked the path of the least resistance. Good to know that.

The girls were on their parts were impressed. Had Ranma not made his demands and had the fathers gotten their way one of them would have been forced into an engagement; it didn't take a rocket scientist to comprehend that people thrown together like this seldom had a happy and fulfilled relationship.

Genma however was barely able to restrain himself from throwing a fit. One year? He should wait one more year to live off of the sweat and hard work of his son? One year until the marriage? Then a thought crept up on the Saotome patriarch. 'If the marriage comes to be…' he realised.

Now that was the hardest blow. He could not believe how much he had underestimated his son. Apparently he had not only improved in the physical department. But maybe he could remedy what Soun had so foolishly agreed to. "Tendo, old friend, this agreement was made long ago and it said specifically that the schools would be joined. And of course we meant our children! Don't you remember? The schools must be joined, and Ranma must pick a fiancée, now!"

The Tendo sisters were taken aback by the fact that Ranma's father made such demands. Said young man glared at his father and cracked his knuckles as Soun seemed to sway. But then…"Actually… no, Genma. I gave my word of honour to your son, and I can't go back on it. I promised him one year to get to know my daughters, and he will get it. And if the engagement does not come to be, well, there'll always be the next generation."

The Saotome patriarch was shocked for a moment, then he smirked. "But it is only a word, Tendo. Words can't be proven. Has the boy any prove that you agreed to the changes to the agreement?"

Both Kasumi and Nabiki reeled back at hearing that, and Ranma looked ready to kill, seeing as honour meant everything to him; the pigtailed martial artists' temper had already been on a short fuse the whole day as he hadn't had time to meditate, and the audacity of his father demanded punishment. How dare he try to screw him over in such a way! Hadn't his father understood that he, Ranma, was the one in charge of his life? A low, threatening growl escaped his throat.

All of a sudden Ranma just seemed to wink out of existence, and moments later Genma was shot trough the roof by a strong upper-cut. Growling, his massive chest heaving, Ranma tried to calm himself. "Sorry 'bout that, but he was begging for it. I'll repair the roof later." he said and sat down again.

Two Tendo sisters and their father could just nod in surprise, and they were only mildly surprised when a fat panda came waddling in through the door a minute later; good that they had remained seated, or they would have been in dire need of a seat by now. However, a good, stiff drink would be welcome about now.

The Tendos then watched in fascination as a growfing and growling pandafied Genma helped himself to some hot water, and a quick trans-species change later Genma was rounding in on his son. "That won't help you any, boy. To hit your poor, defenceless father won't do you any good if you don't have any proof for your claims. You will choose one of the girls as your bride, boy, and you will do it now!"

Ranma ignored Genma's ramblings safe for one instance. "So you say that it would help me to hit you if I had some proof to back up my claim? Good to know that. Mr. Tendo, if you would explain it to my father? I rather keep my copy of the contract safe and out of his reach." said a smirking Ranma, much to his fathers' surprise. Next he looked sternly at Soun. "A contract which was sealed on both our honour, in case I need to remind you, Mr. Tendo."

"C… c… contract? Sealed on honour? What contract?" Genma asked incredulous, staring at Soun.

Kasumi and Nabiki were amused by the reaction of the balding man, at least for a fraction of a second. Then anger settled in, even in the elder Tendo sister; honour was something very important for her, and even Nabiki realised that seemingly even she had a less questionable honour than this man.

It really seemed as if this man wanted to force Ranma to marry one of them at all costs, regardless if they wanted to or not; and that despite the reasonable conditions Ranma had laid down to their father. One shared look told the other sister that they both didn't like this Genma Saotome.

The same could however not be said about Ranma; he had apparently done everything to ensure that none of them would be forced into anything, and they were thankful for it. What kind of relationship could form if two people were thrown together against their will, not knowing one iota of the other?

Assuredly not a stable and lasting one. For a stable relationship, aside from love at first sight one had to have a friendship first, an understanding of the other and shared interests. From there trust and respect could evolve, and ultimately love. But who could say that that would be the case for one of them and Ranma, despite his appealing outer package and apparent wit? Only Kami-sama, and he wouldn't spill his secrets.

-.-

The two elder Tendo sisters watched as their father bowed his head; then he looked up again and nodded somewhat chagrined towards Genma. Nabiki apprehended that her father had obviously realised that he might have given his word of honour a bit too fast, which was good for Ranma and them. Had it only been the word he really might have been able to go back on it, as dishonourable as that would have been; which might have meant instant joining of the schools. But no such 'luck'.

"Actually… your son demanded what we agreed upon verbally in writing. And I… I signed it. With hanko and everything." Soun said, and Ranma smirked at his father.

Soun showed Genma a sheet of paper, and Ranma's smirk grew. "Go ahead and rip it to pieces, you'll never get my copy. If you so much as try I'll rip you a new one, and that as painfully as possible. This," he pointed at the sheet of paper, "was agreed upon on my honour, and in contrast to you I take my honour seriously. Very." he stated with a death-glare at his father.

Nabiki and Kasumi breathed a silent sigh of relief and sent a quick prayer of thanks to a smirking Ranma; by doing what he had done he had practically assured their right to have a say; both sisters were quite sure that they could come to like Ranma, but in their opinion it was far better to get to know him first than to be thrown together just like that. Yes, this young man was looking ever more like a very good catch; not only did he possess looks to kill, but it seemed that he also possessed a quick mind.

Genma on his part looked at his old friend in shock. "You… Did… What? You not only gave your word of honour, you actually formalised it? Soun, haven't you learned anything from the master?"

Soun ducked his head, and his daughters noticed that with surprise. Which master? Their father had never mentioned a master. Now that was very interesting and warranted some looking into.

Nabiki barely suppressed a smirk in face of a new challenge to her information collecting abilities; she'd have to find out everything about Genma and by proxy Ranma, and she'd have to find info on that ominous master her father had mentioned. Hmm, maybe she could find a way to have this Genma pay for the expenses that were bound to ensue; on second thought, she was quite sure that she would find a way. She always did.

Meanwhile Genma had turned to his son. "Boy, what have you done? I told you about the joining of the schools and what it means to Soun and me. How could you do that to your poor father, boy?"

Ranma glared at his father. "How, you ask? Easily. I know how you are, pop. You're always using me to get an easier life and you never stop to think what you're doing to me and the others it affects. But this won't happen here, I have ensured that. If this agreement will be honoured, then on these terms. And if it won't work out, it won't. Live with it." he stated with steel in his voice.

Genma was not ready to give up. "Now see here, boy…"

The pigtailed boy glared, the glare promising massive pain; after he had lost his temper on his father once already he had sworn to himself to remain calm, but his father was pushing his luck. "No, you see here, pop. You have screwed up my life more than enough; I won't allow that you do that to the Tendos. And now accept it or I'm gonna kick yer sorry ass straight ta the moon. Right after I've pounded ya so bad that ya won't be able to move for a week."

At that moment Akane returned from her room and joined her sisters; she was looking a bit better, courtesy of the Midol she had taken. "Can't one get some peace and quiet in this house?" she asked to no one in particular.

Kasumi smiled at her. "They're quiet lively, aren't they?"

Nabiki chuckled. "You can say that again, sis. But my instincts tell me that it'll get really interesting soon. This Genma does not seem to be someone who gives up easily."

"What is going on here anyway? What did I miss?" asked Akane.

While Kasumi and Nabiki filled their still tired sister in Ranma and Genma were going at it harder than ever; insults were traded, and father and son were getting creative.

"You idiot, haven't I told you that meddling in my life will be punished? I ain't your damn ticket to a better life, so sod off! Stupid flea bitten panda, stop causing me trouble or I´ll do it for you!" Ranma yelled, his aura flaring around him.

But Genma, true to form, did not realise when to better back down. "Boy, as your father I order you to pick a fiancée! You will do it, or I will do it for you!"

Now Ranma was getting angry, and the air started to charge with more and more energy, which also enlarged his battle-aura further. Genma gulped, but tried to stand his ground anyway. 'Show no weakness, Genma', was the mantra that his mind kept repeating at the sight of his angry son. And he knew firsthand what an angry Ranma was capable of.

Said Ranma drilled holes trough his father with his glare, and Genma involuntarily shrunk back from the heat of said glare. "Pops, I will not do that. Our family has now a written agreement with the Tendo family, sealed on my honour, and I will abide by it. If yer gonna force me ta act against it I will have to get angry. Really angry. You won't like me if I get really angry. And you know that."

Genma managed to recover his wits faster than usual, seeing as his early retirement was at stake here. "Boy, you will do as I say! And as you obviously can't chose I will choose for you! Akane will be your fiancée."

Said Akane's head shot up at the mention of her name, and when the words Genma had said had registered she could barely stop herself from removing this idiot from their property; only the fact that he was an old friend of their father and a ´honoured guest´ saved him from that fate, and she limited herself to a death glare.

But that had nothing on Ranma's reaction. His aura was still growing in size in face of the utter idiocy his father was displaying. This now alarming visual display of his displeasure caused everyone to cringe. This aura was very impressive. The owner of said aura however did not care about any such opinions, he was much too angry to care.

Was his idiot father really that stupid or was it stubbornness? Anyway, in face of this attitude he had little choice. "Are ya totally incompetent, pops? Read from my lips: I Will Not Marry Akane. Or anyone else." he said with barely controlled anger, letting his ki seep into his voice.

The effect was startling, for Genma was now cowering in the corner and the others had nearly lost their bladder control. However, Genma recovered as soon as an unusual stroke of genius hit him. "Ungrateful boy, you will marry Akane. I, as your legal guardian, declare this foolish contract you made null and void! You will marry Akane! And that is final!" he said with a smirk, crossing the arms over his chest in a self-satisfied way.

"I won't marry anyone!" exclaimed Ranma and Akane at the same time, both glaring at Genma.

The fathers however ignored them completely and were ready to celebrate. Soun was nearly delirious; his old friend had found a way to remedy his foolishness. How could he have thought that anything could be more important than the joining of the schools? It was their dream, their one big goal to unite the two styles of the Anything Goes. If it was possible to join the schools here and now, through Akane and Ranma, well, the better! Soun was sure that the two hot-headed teens would get used to each other, over time. And surely his dear departed Kimiko would forgive him for fulfilling his life-dream.

However, Ranma was not defeated yet. Not by a long shot. For Ranma Saotome does not lose. "Pop, if you do that I'll go to court and file charges of child abuse, child neglect, kidnapping, theft and general ineptness as a parent. And I'm pretty sure I can come up with more. How long do you think will you remain my legal guardian then?"

Genma paled dramatically, before calming himself. "Where is your proof for your accusations, boy? I have never done any wrong."

Ranma smirked. "I'd just have to print an announcement in the local newspaper stating that Genma Saotome is residing at the Tendo Dojo in Nerima. How long do you think it'd take for your debtors to appear? One day? Two days?" he asked.

Genma started to sputter, and Ranma pressed on. "And don't even try to pull the 'I'm just a cute little panda' trick, for I'd just include the advice to splash a certain stupid panda with boiling hot water. Even if your debtors think it a joke, I'm sure they'll do it anyway. Especially if I include the info that the panda is your pet."

"You'd really do that to your father, Ranma?" asked Akane, unsure of what to think of him.

Ranma nodded. "In a heartbeat. And I'm sure I'd get all the proof I'd need in the process, aside from what I already have." was his answer, which obviously satisfied Akane.

Then Ranma looked at his father. "And may I remind you, oyaji, that the charges of child abuse and neglect are well documented? The cat-fist ring any bells? Selling me to kami-sama knows how many people for food and stealing me back? Engaging me to hundreds of girls at the drop of a hat, and that just for a lousy meal to feed your fat belly?"

Genma sputtered once more, but Nabiki had concentrated on Ranma; she'd seen something in his eyes when he'd said that, and she suspected a tale behind it. Knowing Genma Saotome it was probably a tale one would need a strong stomach for.

She watched Ranma's smirk grow triumphant as he apparently readied the decisive blow. "And I can prove it. I'd just have to make some visits. Believe me, I know the route of our trip like the back of my hand. And after I'd have set some things straight, like that the engagements for food were just misunderstood charity, I'd have more than enough angry people who'd testify against you; not to forget all the shrines and temples you stole from. Face it, pops, you've lost. Much that I still… respect you, if you force me to I will push this through. And I don't care what it takes, old man, I will remain in control of my life! Get that through your thick skull!" he stated, growling the last bit with force.

His father had once more paled dramatically as his son had laid down his plans, and Genma could tell that the boy meant business. However, there was one approach left he could try. "Boy, you'd really sell out your own, poor father? Just like that?" he asked in a fake-sad tone of voice.

Instantly the temperature seemed to drop several dozen degrees, and despite that Genma Saotome started to sweat. The look in his sons' icy eyes conveyed a cold rage, and Genma knew that he had asked the wrong question. "I'd only return the favour you did to me, pops." he spat. "Several hundred times, in fact. If you try anything I'll repay you with interest, for every single, bloody case." he promised.

"Boy, I'm saddened. What would your dear mother think of you if you'd do that to your honourable father?" he lamented, fake tears streaming down his face.

Ranma growled. "Dunno, pops. I can't ask her, cause she is dead, as far as I know."

The Saotome patriarch gulped and inwardly chided himself for being as foolish as to play the 'mother card', seeing as he had let his son in the belief that his mother might have passed away; a flash of something was visible in his eyes, and whatever it was, it made the observant Nabiki even more cautious. She'd have to look into the matter of Ranma's mother.

The Tendos, at least Nabiki, Kasumi and Akane, had by now drawn their conclusions. Nabiki would look into anything she could find about Genma Saotome; it was always handy to know your enemy, and as far as she was concerned, this man had to be classified as an enemy, based on the behaviour he had displayed. Aside from that, how dare he try to steal her hunky future husband from her!

Kasumi was thinking along the same lines; finally she had found someone she was interested in more than as a friend, and here did this fat, impolite man try to couple him with her youngest sister, who did not even deserve so much luck in her opinion.

Much that she loved her little sister and cared for her, due to her history she was just not able to be a wife to this wonderful young man. No, Genma Saotome would only get half of the helpings he'd else get. Maybe she'd even make sure that his laundry shrunk. With her practised innocence-act it shouldn't be a problem to pull it off.

Akane, who had listened in silence was still somewhat angry at the young man, but she began to realise that he did not seem to be the one at fault; it really seemed as if his father was the world-class jerk here, and if she thought about it logically, he had been the one who'd tried to push them together. Much that she did not want to marry Ranma, or anyone for that matter, she'd try to reign in her temper regarding him. From his prior behaviour she hadn't been able to detect anything perverted, and the fact that he'd tried to keep the fathers from forcing them into a marriage and had actually succeeded with logical arguments had impressed her. However, she'd watch him…

-.-

Soun on his part was getting angry at his old friend over the things he had heard Ranma say. "What was that, Genma? You engaged the boy to other girls? For food? HOW COULD YOU!" he yelled, demonheading his old friend.

The Saotome patriarch was backpedalling once more. "But Tendo, the boy does not know what he's talking about! I'd never sully our pact, Tendo, never! You know how much the joining of the schools means to me!"

That seemed to mollify the Tendo patriarch, but his daughters, especially Nabiki and Kasumi were very cross with this man. How could anyone sink so low as to sell his own child for food! That was more than just child neglect, that was treating his own child like a commodity!

Even Akane, who hadn't liked the boy at first, was asking herself the same question: what kind of man was this Genma Saotome, and why the hell was their father friends with such a person? And how in Kami-samas name could Ranma have turned out as well as he apparently had, with Genma Saotome as a role model?

The young man in question was cracking his knuckles and slowly walked up to his father; his thick arm muscles were visible each time he actually cracked his knuckles, and Genma was sweating bullets. His eyes darted from side to side, valiantly trying to find an escape route; but before he could move a single muscle his son had appeared right in front of him. With a steely look Ranma grabbed the front of his gi and hoisted him up into the air.

For good measure Ranma rammed his quivering father into the wall, hard. The whole building seemed to shake, and the battle-aura the pigtailed boy was producing was testament to his anger.

Looking directly into his fathers' eyes Ranma growled. "If you ever again say that I don't know what I'm talking about, if you ever again dare to dictate to me whom I should marry, or if you ever again try to run my life for me, then I'll demolish you, change you into a panda and take you to the vet. Do you know what will happen there?"

Genma was rapidly shaking his head, his eyes wide with worry (after all, real martial artists didn't fear nothing), and Ranma smirked. Tightening his grip the smirk turned evil. "I'll have the vet neuter you, baka oyaji. Pandas are an endangered species, and it wouldn't do for your genes to sully the gene pool."

Nabiki and also Akane smirked at that, and even Kasumi was hard pressed to hide her amusement. A man, who acted so callous and thoughtless towards his own son, deserved a good scare. At least Kasumi hoped that those were the reasons why Genma had done what he had done, else something would have to be done about it; no, she didn't want to have a monster for a father-in-law, that just wouldn't do.

Her middle sister liked the way Ranma was thinking. "I know just the doc for this, Ranma." she said with a smirk. "And afterwards we could sell him to a zoo. Hmm, on second thought, maybe you shouldn't have him neutered. He'd suffer, err, be much better off in a panda breeding program. They pay very well, I've heard. We'd just have to keep warm water away from him. Yes, a warm-water allergy as ways of explanation should do nicely."

Genma managed a weak glare at her from his uncomfortable position in his son's relentless grip, and Soun exclaimed "Nabiki!"

Said middle Tendo daughter just shrugged, and Ranma grinned at her. "I like your idea. After all, I don't think my mom would complain, even if she were still alive. Should she still live, she wouldn't have seen the idiot for over ten years. Can't like him much anyway. I mean, what's there to like about baka oyaji?" he concluded, and Nabiki grinned right back at him.

A sweating Genma had meanwhile reached the conclusion that he had no other choice but to give in. "You win, boy. But the last word is not spoken about this."

Ranma dropped him like a sack full of potatoes. "The last word has already been spoken, oyaji. I Will Not Marry Akane or anyone else as of now. The girls and me will decide after a year, not you, not Mr. Tendo. Any try to push us on your part will be dealt with accordingly." he said with his ki backing his voice.

Genma was rendered speechless for a moment, until another inspiration struck him and he scrambled back to his feet. "Not so fast, boy. You owe me for all the effort I put in your training! Without me, you would be nothing!" he exclaimed.

The pigtailed young man growled. "So I owe you? And what exactly do I owe you aside from several hundred beatings to get even, old man? You think I owe you? Get real!"

His father was having none of it. "Oh yeah, you owe me, you ungrateful boy! I sacrificed year upon year to make you the best martial artist ever! I sacrificed the prime of my life because of you! I literally put my lifeblood into this, and this is how you repay me? You break your poor fathers' heart."

Ranma scoffed. "Quit the acting, pops, or I'll do it for you. As if you ever sacrificed anything. Prime of your life, your lifeblood… hah! Don't make me laugh!" exclaimed Ranma, getting into it. "Me on the other hand, that is a different story! I even sacrificed my sanity due to your incompetence! Thanks to you I lived a life of ten years hell!"

The Tendos were watching the verbal shouting match like one would watch a ping pong match; Soun was nearly crying after the flaring initial hope he had felt at his friends' sudden comeback, but it seemed as if his son was gaining the upper hand rapidly.

"Without me you wouldn't be where you are today, you ungrateful boy!" yelled Genma, trying to get the situation back under control; not that he ever had control over the situation in the first place.

Ranma glowered, then calmed a bit. "That's true." he conceded to the surprise of everyone present. "Without you and our spars and the ten year long training trip I wouldn't be what I am today." he said.

Genma looked smug for a moment, but Ranma was not finished. "However, it wasn't you from whom I learned the skills and techniques I employed in our matches; you barely taught me more than the basic Anything Goes moves. Didn't you ever realise what I did? I learned all what I know today on my own, all the moves and techniques from the monks and priests at the temples and shrines we visited, and I combined them on my own! So don't you dare claim it was you who mademe this good. You had but a miniscule role in that, oyaji. And it can be reduced to taking me on this trip and sparring with me." he finished with an icy growl.

"You wouldn't be what you are today without me, foolish boy! I taught…" yelled Genma.

"Don't you dare claim that you taught me!" interrupted Ranma. "I only ever really learned from the monks and priests at the temples and shrines we visited, the monks and priests of whom you stole anything of worth to boot! If I wanted to I could renounce the Saotome Anything Goes Style anytime I wanted to and form my own! The techniques I have are mine and mine alone! So don't you dare claim anything to the contrary!" he yelled right back.

Genma was red-faced. "Selfish boy, without me and what I did you would be a weakling!"

"And what exactly did you do, oyaji? Any other strokes of genius beside the neko-ken, that you have to confess? A technique that's even 'better' than throwing the trainee into a pit of starving cats, wrapped in fish products? Well, fess up." Ranma stated in a falsely calm voice.

Silence reigned supreme for several moments and it was apparent that Genma had no witty retort; there could be no doubt to as to which Saotome had won the confrontation of wits. Ranma was still glaring at his father, beyond angry at him for trying to run his life for him. How dare this idiot try force him into something of this magnitude against his will. That demanded punishment.

With a growl he then turned to Soun. "Mr. Tendo, do you mind if I use your Dojo? I have some things to… 'discuss' with my father. Seems, that some important facts have slipped his inept mind. Like for example, that I decide whom I marry. You won't dictate me the choice, oyaji, and so that you'll understand that I'm going to drive some truths home."

Kasumi and Soun actually pitied Genma. Well, Kasumi somewhat, and Soun a lot. He had seen that particular look on Ranma's face on another person before. If only he could remember where. Then it dawned on him. The master. He had always looked like that before punishing them but good. Oh his poor, old friend!

Nabiki for her part did not have one iota of pity for the fat man; in her book he deserved what was coming for him. Akane on the other hand was quite relieved that she would not have to marry Ranma; she had some really bad problems with the boys at school, and yet another encumbrance being placed on her shoulders might have proven to be the straw that would have broken her back. If she ever wanted to consider a serious relationship she'd have to deal with Tatewaki Kuno first. And that would be a chore in and on itself.

Nabiki was smiling at Ranma´s request. Hmm, this 'discussion' would probably involve a display of those gorgeous muscles that were hinted at under Ranma's shirt; the arm-muscles alone were something to drool over, but being a connoisseur and bon vivant she wanted to see the whole artwork. "Daddy won't mind if you use the dojo, Ranma. I'll lead the way.

The pigtailed boy nodded towards her, a smile gracing his face; however, his left hand never left the arm of his father and held it encased in a steel-grip. Dragging Genma behind, Ranma followed the middle Tendo daughter towards the dojo. The other Tendos followed, and Soun asked himself why Genma was so reluctant to face off against his son. Soon Soun would find out why.

-.-

The Tendo Dojo in the Nerima ward of Tokyo had always been a place of moderate quiet. Aside from the yells of a young woman, who occasionally practised breaking bricks, not much noise disturbed the neighbourhood.

However, that was about to change, and firms specialised in selling and installing sound-proofing for houses would soon make big profits in the adjacent area of the Tendo Dojo.

At present the whole Tendo family was crowded in said dojo. The youngest Tendo was waiting in anticipation for what was to come, just like her sisters and father. Ranma for his part was completely fixated upon his father, and he was determined to 'set some things straight', as he had dubbed it.

And then, on an unseen and unheard signal, father and son leapt at each other. Genma knew that he had a snowballs' chance in hell to win against his son, but he would not give up without a fight. Never! Besides, running just wasn't an option, seeing as Ranma would find him anyway, even with his Umi-sen-ken techniques.

Ranma, on his part, seemed to disappear from sight as he moved too fast for the others to follow. The next thing they saw was a Genma, who was flying to the opposite corner of the dojo. Milliseconds later Ranma seemed to reappear, with his fist outstretched.

Soun whistled. He had only ever seen the master move this fast. Very impressive, he thought to himself, as his old friend collided with the far wall of the dojo. Ouch! That had to hurt!

Akane stared, and Nabiki and Kasumi both had stars in their eyes. It was undeniable that Ranma was not only a hunk and deathly handsome, but darn strong. Especially Nabiki was licking her lips at the view of his muscles moving under that shirt of his; she was glad that her little sister had apparently not entered the competition for Ranma. With her being the heiress to the Tendo style it would have been a safe bet that their father would have tried to push those two together. With the situation being as it was she had all the chances, and she meant to use them.

Her older sister on the other hand had quite obviously entered the competition for Ranma; that had been proven when she had turned up her considerable charm.

Many thought Kasumi to be the silent wallflower, and usually she did stay in the background; but if her big sister wanted something, she did go for it. Nabiki knew that Kasumi was interested in their local doctor and chiropractor, Tofu Ono, but said Dr. Tofu had the stupid habit to act silly in her sisters' presence.

Which indicated, that the young doctor was quite interested in Kasumi, too. But the inability of the doctor to express himself frustrated her sister verily. She could understand that, but it was just too darn funny how the doctor danced through his practise with his skeleton Betty just like a European gentleman whenever he caught sight of her big sister.

And normally her sister was the epitome of the traditional Japanese woman. Normally she would never have taken the initiative, but as it was highly improbable that the dear doctor would ever ask her out on his own accord, she had made plans. Plans that Nabiki knew of, for nothing happened in the Tendo household without her knowledge. Her never-wavering attention ensured that.

But now it seemed as if her big sister seemed to be interested in the newcomer, and honestly, Nabiki could understand where she was coming from. To not be smitten by the Saotome youth one had to either be gay or dead. Or one had to really hate boys without being gay, like her baby sis. Yes, she knew for a fact that Akane was not gay, as her huge crush on Dr. Tofu proved.

But that Akane had firstly included Ranma in her boy-hating-routine and was only now acting normally was advantageous for her, and by proxy for Kasumi, too. She only had to keep her father and that Genma from doing something stupid, like say, pushing Ranma and Akane together. Akane was the heir to the Tendo Ryu, and thus father's number one candidate for the joining of the schools. Hmm, maybe some more martial arts training was called for on her part. She was sure that she could convince Ranma to give her some private lessons…

These contemplations were going through Nabiki's head while Genma was being beaten to a pulp, and that rather mercilessly. It was quite a show, and the most impressive demonstration of martial arts skill and power she had ever seen. Or any Tendo had ever seen, for that matter. Nabiki marvelled how anyone could get that good.

There was no chance in hell that her baby sis or even her own father could ever get this good; especially with the way Akane had been trained. No one could climb new heights of martial arts only by breaking bricks, and the temper her sister possessed would prove to be problematic too.

Even Nabiki, with the little training she did to keep fit, knew that basics like breaking bricks and doing one kata or the other were just not enough to get this good. Though she doubted that anyone, even with being a master of the Tendo Ryu, could get this good. After all, Ranma's father was obviously a master, and he looked slow and clumsy in comparison to Ranma. And that despite the fact that Genma was moving insanely fast too.

Suddenly Ranma stopped moving and pointed to his chin. "Gimme your best shot, old man. Show the Tendos that ya hit harder than a weakling!" he said, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is he playing at?" Akane asked, and Nabiki and Kasumi were asking themselves pretty much the same thing. Who in their right mind would give his opponent a free shot? Doing something like that either meant that Ranma was very full of himself and would get folded or that he knew what he was doing. But what was the case here?

Soun on his part was watching with trepidation as Genma pulled his fist back. Then the bulky man let it fly and connected solidly with Ranma's chin at a place, where also a pressure-point was located. Ranma's face was turned to the side by the force of the blow and actually stayed turned, which worried the Tendos except Akane. From her martial arts experience she knew that he'd already have fallen over if he'd been knocked out. That he had not was impressive.

And really, Ranma's head turned slowly to face his father again. A broad smirk was plastered on his face. Kasumi exclaimed a soft "Oh my!", while Nabiki smirked. Damn, that guy was not only handsome and strong, but also tough!

Again another Tendo, Soun, to be exact, was astounded. He knew from his own, painful experience how hard Genma could hit. And now, that his friend had, err, filled out around the middle, and had thusly raised his combat-weight, he suspected that Genma could nowadays hit even harder. Which made the fact that Ranma was still standing all the more surprising. And not only was the boy still standing, but he was apparently completely unfazed by the attack. With anticipation he awaited the boys' next move.

Ranma was still smirking when something unexpected happened. Genma switched into the Umi-sen-ken, and he heard Soun gasp.

The pigtailed boy on the other hand continued to smirk. "You think that's gonna save ya, old man? Remember the last times."

At present neither Ranma's nor Soun's opinion did matter to Genma, if only it gave him the chance to one up on the boy; and he would, seeing as he had improved the Umi-sen-ken since their last fight. He only needed the chance to surprise his son, for one blow to a certain part of the back of the head would end the match in his favour.

Stealthily he brought himself in position, and this time he was sure that Ranma would have no chance to defend himself. Pulling his fist back he suddenly dropped his invisibility and punched. What happened next was once more to fast to follow for untrained eyes. Ranma blurred and seemed to fly around somehow. Then he brought up his left arm to block the punch and counter-attacked with a hard uppercut to his fathers chin, making it a quick and hurtful knock-out.

The bulky man was sent flying through the roof, and Ranma looked sheepishly at Nabiki. He had heard her talking about repair costs before, and suspected her to run the finances here. From his evaluation of Soun he suspected, that the man seemed to have no interest in such things, and Nabiki's behaviour had been a pointer. "Sorry 'bout that. I will repair the holes in the roof later, for I dunno if I'll add some more to it. Gotta finish the 'talk' with stupid pop first."

Nabiki could only nod. Whoa, Ranma was really... adequate. Maybe a bit rough around the edges and somewhat uncivilised, but that could be expected after ten years on the road. One look at Kasumi told her that her big sister was feeling much the same way. Akane on her part was just standing there with her mouth hanging open, and Soun was not much better off. The middle Tendo daughter was tempted to say "Flies, you two, flies." but she was surprised as hell too. Ranma was more than good, and to be honest, the way he moved and fought reminded her of someone or something.

-.-

A hundred miles away from Nerima, Tokyo, a tall Namek was standing on Kami's lookout, his arms crossed over his chest. While Dende was meditating and Mr. Popo was busy watering the flowers the Namek by the name of Piccolo was engrossed in contemplations. At present he was going over the power-surge, trying to find out where it had been emitted lastly and who had been the source. Like the others he had felt the ki-spike too, and somehow it called to him; that was maybe the reason why he had been able to find out that their new player was a male Saiyan.

His father, Piccolo-daimao, had been a being of evil and chaos, and the polar opposite of Kami, of whom he'd been split off. Where Kami had been a being of order and goodness his father had been the exact opposite. Being his son he had inherited a lot of those traits; they had been dimmed, but had still been strong enough to cause him to seek out and attack those who fought for order and goodness; in most cases that had equalled Goku, the demise of his father.

Ironically the first son of Goku, Gohan, had been the factor that had influenced him away from evil and chaos, and after the merging with Kami the two sides of their beings had balanced each other out; the merging with Nail had furthered the process beforehand, but after the merger with Kami evil and good, chaos and order, had reached equilibrium.

Somehow the Saiyan responsible for the ki-spike virtually reeked of chaos, but he was completely lacking any evilness. Dende had been correct in his analysis, this new player possessed one of the purest hearts he had ever felt, Goku aside.

However, it was very odd that this Saiyan had appeared on earth so suddenly, and he had been hard pressed to stop the other Saiyans from investigating; admittedly, it was very mysterious that he had appeared on Earth seemingly out of thin air, without any warning or prior indication. Even Vegeta and Nappa had alerted them to their approach due to their ki-signals, and the same had been the case with Brolly.

Every Saiyan they had encountered they had been able to sense before he reached Earth; so why was it different here? And why did he have so much chaos in him that they couldn't even distinguish his powerlevel?

The Namek made a decision, and seeing as life had been pretty boring ever since the defeat of Brolly it came easy to him. He would look at the newcomer and evaluate him; and more important, he'd find out if the chaos in this Saiyan posed a threat, voluntarily or involuntarily, to the safety of Earth. The chaos-levels the Saiyan was emitting gave cause for worry, and it might very well be that something had to be done about it should the levels not reach equilibrium soon.

It would just not do to have a chaos magnet in the ranks of the Z-Fighters. With his cape billowing behind him he jumped off the lookout and suppressed his ki, his approximate destination being Tokyo.

to be continued…

Thanks to the ppl at Shinjis’ board for helping me out with suggestions, ideas and comments. You rock!