Cat Fist Fury

Ranma 1/2 belongs to you-know-who and you know the rest.

<>: Thoughts
<"">: Chinese language

                                 Chapter Two
                               A New Beginning

     Ranma, the saber toothed tiger, ran through the forest that was 
near the mountain cave where he had been living for the last two 
weeks since his transformation. As he raced through the foliage, 
his mind went back to the day in which he had become cursed. It 
was not a day that he would not likely forget.

Two weeks ago?
     After bolting from Jusenkyo in a fit of blind rage, Ranma ran 
toward the mountains, not caring where he was going. All that 
mattered was that his life as a human was over. He was now cursed 
to spend the rest of his days as a savage beast.
     It was already well past midnight when Ranma finally became 
exhausted and took refuge in one of the many mountain caves that 
were scattered about the area. As he laid himself down for the 
night, his thoughts about Genma were dark ones. <Stupid, stupid, 
stupid old man! It's his fault I'm like this! Damn him! He just had 
to find that training ground, even though he couldn't speak a word 
of Chinese! It was bad enough that he put me through that Cat Fist! 
But?> Ranma's thoughts trailed off as he began to think about it. 
<Wait a second! If I'm a cat, then how come I'm not scared of 
myself right now?>
     Ranma began to think about it for a while. After a long period 
of thought, he came to a conclusion. <Well I'll be damned! I 
guess? when I became a cat, then my fear of cats must have been 
totally erased! Now there's a twist! I guess I don't have to worry 
about being afraid anymore. Then again?as a cat, that means I'll 
never be able to go near humans again. I'll never see Mom again. 
I'll?>
     Not caring that it was unmanly for him to shed tears (though he 
wasn't a man at present) Ranma cried himself to sleep.

The present?
     It had taken Ranma two weeks to finally accept that his life had 
been irrevocably altered. During this period of adjustment, he had 
decided to test the limits and abilities of his new form. Naturally, 
Ranma had to hunt in order to survive. His feline form was 
powerful enough to rip a tank open like a can of soda. His 
strength, endurance, speed and reflexes were far greater than 
before and his stamina was phenomenal. He found out he could 
run at a top speed of 70 mph and unlike a cheetah, could maintain 
it for hours. His senses were incredibly sensitive, especially 
smell and hearing. He had also discovered that he had sharp night 
vision and could detect heat emanations, no matter how faint. He 
had also found out he had a kind of sixth sense. He wasn't sure 
how it worked, but he could always feel when someone was 
watching him or when danger was near.
     The past two weeks had been exhilarating, to say the least. 
Hunting for food helped take his mind off his present condition. 
After a couple of days of squeamishness, Ranma soon developed a 
taste for raw meat. Catching fish in the mountain streams was 
easy, and he had already had eaten sushi before. And during this 
time, Ranma had discovered something else. Freedom from his 
father Genma. He could do what he wanted, and not have to worry 
about that idiot trying to mess up his life anymore. No more 
stupid training sessions. No more dragging him off to another 
place and destroying any chance of making friends. Ranma was 
eating better than he ever had living with him. Even though he 
could no longer associate with people anymore, the thought of not 
having to be with his father was something he could live with.

One week later?
     Ranma had just caught himself a fat and juicy wild boar. The 
chase had been short but intense as the pig had tried to fight when 
he cornered it. Although it had very wicked looking tusks, 
Ranma's teeth and claws made short work of it. As Ranma sat 
down to dine, his ears perked up and his danger sense went off. 
Something or someone was coming. As he sniffed the air around 
him, he caught the distinctive scent of rare Chinese herbs. He also 
picked up the unmistakable scent of humans. Not wanting to be 
seen he abandoned his meal and hid himself among the rocks that 
were on a ledge overlooking the spot where he had killed the boar. 
He hunched down and peered from around a huge boulder.
     Shampoo and her three friends were stealthily moving toward 
the spot where they had heard the commotion. Their group had 
picked up the sounds of some huge animal fighting a wild boar, 
and they came to investigate. When they came to the site, they 
found the remains of the boar and began looking around for what 
had killed it. As they searched, Ranma observed them from his 
hiding spot.
     The girls appeared to around fifteen or so and were dressed in 
elaborate clothes. Each girl carried a weapon and moved with 
subtle grace. Obviously martial artists. He became especially 
interested in the cute girl with purple hair, who seemed to radiate 
confidence and power. She carried a pair of steel maces.
     Ranma considered leaving the scene, but decided against it. He 
was far too close to them, and they would likely detect any move 
he made. He also noted that one of the Amazons carried a bow and 
arrow. Although he had a very thick hide, he wasn't willing to find 
out if he was arrow proof. He became extremely nervous as one 
of the girls drew near to where he was hiding.
     It was at that time that something crashed into the clearing. The 
four girls turned their heads and saw something enter and let off a 
roar. The Amazons backed off as they saw what it was.
     The sight of a huge grizzly bear in China was a rare one. 
Grizzlies were not native to this part of the world. This one 
however, had just escaped from a traveling circus near Cloudgate 
Pass. After weeks of being cooped up in a cage and forced to do 
inane tricks, the bear had decided that enough was enough. After 
crushing the skulls of a couple of the handlers during a 
performance, the animal bolted from the circus and had made its 
way to the Bayankala Mountains. Once it established its territory, 
the bear was used this neck of the woods as its personal hunting 
ground. 
     The female warriors readied their weapons to fend off the 
beast. The bear lunged at the nearest one, just as she prepared her 
sword for a slash. Unfortunately, as she stepped back, she tripped 
over a rock that jutted out from the ground. She fell down on her 
back and let out a yelp of pain. She had twisted her ankle. The girl 
who had a bow and arrows was just about to loose her projectile at 
the bear when a huge black blur streaked over their heads and 
plowed into the grizzly, knocking him back against a tree. As the 
Amazons stared in amazement, Ranma faced off against the bear.
     The grizzly was estimated to be about 1000 pounds, compared 
to Ranma's 1300. It charged at him with uncanny speed. Ranma 
dogged the attack by sidestepping, then swiped at it with a paw. 
The blow connected, sending the beast back another ten feet. As 
the grizzly shook its head to clear it, Ranma crouched down low, 
readying himself for the next attack. At this time, he did not 
notice that his body was beginning to glow with a red light. The 
Amazons noticed it though and their eyes widened even further.
     The bear finally managed to compose itself and tried to lunge 
at the saber tooth again. The transformed martial artist also 
charged forward, while keeping low. He got below the bear's paws 
and head-butted it back toward the same tree, this time toppling it. 
As the tree feel backward, Ranma's aura began to glow even 
brighter. 
     The bear got up and roared at its opponent. Ranma returned the 
challenge with his own. He couldn't believe that the animal still 
wanted to fight! His aura became crimson as he eyes lit up with 
fury. Then they began glowing a solid red. With a sudden flare, his 
eyes released twin beams of searing heat that struck to bear. The 
grizzly howled in pain as a searing heat ripped through its body. In 
less than nanosecond, the bear had been reduced to smoking 
carcass.
     Ranma stared in shock over what he had done. He couldn't have 
believe what he had accomplished was even possible. The 
expressions of the Amazons also mirrored his. Realizing that now 
was not a good time to hang around, Ranma quickly swept up his 
kill and bolted out of sight. He left the bear behind, as he was not 
in the mood for barbecued meat.
     Shampoo and her friends were still stunned as they watched the 
giant tiger disappear from sight. The rumors had been true. For 
weeks, there had been reports of a giant tiger that had been 
roaming the forests. The purple-haired Amazon and her friends 
had been out hunting this beast, hoping to bring back a trophy. 
They were a bit skeptical to actually finding such a creature, but 
now that they had laid eyes on it, all doubts had been cast aside. 
The cat was not only real, but it had just saved Aloe's life and had 
displayed an unusual power. <Wait until Great-grandmother hears 
about this!> Shampoo thought as she went to join the others in 
tending to Aloe's injuries.
     Ranma sat in the cave and was deep in thought as he devoured 
his meal. <Just how did I do that?> As he ate, Ranma began 
replaying the events ever since he had been transformed. <Okay. 
Fact: I'm not afraid of cats anymore.> Ranma had encountered 
some tigers a couple of days ago and had not even felt the 
slightest bit of fear. He then recalled what Genma had told him 
about the Cat Fist.

Nine years ago?
     "What is the Cat Fist?" A young Ranma asked.
     "The Cat Fist is a powerful chi technique that allows a martial 
artist to focus his inner energies to become as fast and as agile as 
a cat!" Genma explained as he wrapped his son in fish sausage.
     "Chi?"
     "Yes. Chi is the energy that is generated by all living things. A 
trained martial artist can focus his chi and use it to increase his 
speed, strength, and even strike from a distance without touching 
them! The Cat Fist is reputed to be one of the most powerful 
techniques that utilizes chi!"
     "So how does it work?"
     "Like this!" With these words, Genma shoved Ranma into the 
pit.

Present day?
     Ranma shuddered at the memory. Although he hated his father 
for forcing him to undergo the training, he then realized that what 
he had done to the bear must have been some form of chi attack. 
<If that was the case, then I should be able to do it again. Let's 
see?>
     Looking back at the remains of his dinner, Ranma stared at it 
for a long time, trying to cause it to catch fire. For a long time, he 
simply stared intensely at it. However, he couldn't even cause a 
single spark. Finally giving up, he lay himself down for a nap. 
Perhaps he could try again in the morning.
     The next day, Ranma had decided to forgo his usual morning 
run and sat in the cave meditating. He had often heard that 
meditation helped a martial artist gain focus over his inner 
energies. As he sat in silence, he began to feel a slight tingle that 
went through his body. Opening his eyes, he saw a slight red aura 
being emitted. He grinned. It was his battle aura. He had never 
been able to generate any of it as a human, but in his feline form, 
added to the Cat Fist training, must have been enough for him to 
harness some of his chi.
     <If that's the case, then?> Ranma looked back at the bones of 
the boar he had eaten the previous night. He stared intently at the 
remains, imagining it as the bear he had fought. He concentrated. 
Harder and harder. But still nothing happened. He increased his 
concentration, and noticed that his battle aura began to increase its 
brightness. He then let off a roar as twin beams of hot chi energy 
blasted forth and charred the bones to ashes.
     Ranma looked in awe at what he had done. He had harnessed his 
chi.

One month later?
     The saber-toothed tiger that was once Ranma Saotome was 
busy practicing stealth techniques as he moved deeper into the 
forest. Despite his size, he had learned how to move with nary a 
sound. This skill was especially useful in avoiding detection 
during his hunting excursions. Ever since his encounter with the 
Amazons, there had been many more hunting parties lurking about. 
Despite his mastery over his new chi technique, Ranma had 
decided not to fight these Amazons since they outnumbered him a 
hundred to one, and he had no intention of becoming a trophy. It 
seemed that longtooth necklaces, saber-toothed tiger rugs and 
tigerskin clothes had become all the rage. He had eavesdropped on 
several of the hunting groups and had become nauseous whenever 
he heard the women talk about using his innards for stew and 
various body parts for magic potions and talismans. On several 
occasions, he had been chased up and down the mountains and 
through the forests with hordes of fierce Amazons on his tail. 
Most of the hunting groups would return with various bruises and 
other injuries after failing to catch their elusive prey.

A fortnight after the first encounter in the Amazon village?
     <"So Shampoo, did you get the tiger this time?"> Aloe 
snickered as she greeted her fellow warrior. Shampoo's hunting 
party was a sorry sight. They were badly bruised and their weapons 
were either bent out of shape or broken. Their clothes were 
tattered and nearly half of the Amazons were unable to stand on 
their own. Those who could stand were being used to lean against 
by those who couldn't. The most striking feature was that 
everyone was soaking wet.
     <"Shut up Aloe! We almost had it!">
     <"Sure you did."> Aloe said in a smug and sarcastic tone. 
<"Admit it! You came no closer to catching the beast than you did 
the last time!">
     <"That cat is not natural I tell you!"> Shampoo protested. <"I 
swear it doesn't act like a wild animal!">
     <"What makes you think so?">
     Shampoo and Aloe turned to see the elder Cologne approach 
them.
     <"Hello great-grandmother.">
     <"So tell me Shampoo, why do you think this tiger is different? 
I'll admit that long toothed cats are a rarity. Aside from what you 
told me about it that first time, it shouldn't be any different than a 
regular tiger.">
     <"Great-grandmother, that tiger is just too cunning by half! It 
keeps on avoiding Conditioner's best traps! It seems to know that 
our livestock is off-limits! Today was a really bad day! We 
thought we had it cornered near the mountainside near the 
waterfall, but it somehow outsmarted us! I don't know how, but it 
got away and?">
     <"You and your party ended up taking a trip down the 
waterfall?"> Cologne finished.
     Shampoo's expression was dark as she nodded. <"I'm not sure, 
but I think that tiger was laughing at us!">

The present?
     During this time, Ranma had also developed some new fighting 
moves, based on what he had remembered from reading from the 
Cat Fist manual. As a result, he had become even stronger and 
faster than before. He had also become tougher. On one encounter 
with the Amazons, he had been shot three times in the right flank 
at a distance of fifty yards. However, the arrows simply bounced 
off his hide with no damage whatsoever. 
     One night, as he was tearing into a deer, Ranma began to think 
back over what he had accomplished since his transformation. He 
had conquered his fear of cats, albeit by a drastic method. He had 
learned to control his chi. He was faster, stronger and possessed 
more power than he ever possibly dreamed of. He was free of 
Genma and had complete control over his life. He should be 
happy.
     He wasn't though. With the Amazons continually hunting him, 
he was reminded that they saw him as beast, and not as a human. 
He could never even think to get close to anyone again. That 
meant that he would never have a chance to see his mother. With a 
tired sigh, he decided to put those thoughts away as he finished 
eating his meal. After cleaning himself off, he decided to practice 
focusing his inner energies some more.
     On a whim, he decided to try something new. Focusing his chi 
inward instead outward, Ranma began to build up power within 
him, then redirect it into his body, rather than let it be emitted into 
his surroundings. This effect caused him to feel a slight dizziness. 
Shaking his head, he continued to build up power. The strain began 
to build. After another five minutes, the process became 
unbearable. His forehead was covered in sweat beads and he could 
feel his body temperature rise. After ten more minutes, he 
decided to end the experiment and tried to relax. That was when he 
discovered that he couldn't.
     The buildup of power continued, even though Ranma tried to 
consciously will the process to stop. The power within him began 
to swell and his body began to flare in pain. He let off a startled 
roar as his power level suddenly jumped dramatically. He 
desperately tried to regain his focus, but his body wouldn't listen. 
Finally, it was too much for him to handle and he passed out.
     Sometime later, Ranma came to with a splitting headache. 
Letting out a tired moan, he used his hands to prop himself up to a 
sitting position.
     <Hands?!> The martial artist looked down at himself and his 
eyes widened as he discovered that he had been returned to human 
form. Instead of black fur, claws and fangs, he had skin, fingers 
and normal teeth!
     "ALL RIGHT!!! I'M BACK!!!" Ranma cried out as he stood up. 
He promptly fell back down on his rear as his legs buckled under 
his weight. "Oof!"
     Ranma looked in confusion at his legs as he felt very little 
strength in them. <What's wrong with my legs? They don't feel 
right!> As he stared at his lower limbs, he noted that he was also 
wearing the same gi that he had on at Jusenkyo. He then tried 
another attempt to stand, but this too failed. After landing on his 
backside again, he let off a tired sigh and lay down on his back. As 
he stared at the cave's ceiling, he started to ponder his situation. 
After a moment, he came to a conclusion. <That must be it! I've 
spent almost two months as a cat. My legs aren't used to standing 
like a human again! I've running around on all fours for weeks! I'm 
also not used to having my center of gravity being so high! Guess 
I'm going to have to retrain myself to walk again! It's a small price, 
but the main thing is, I'm human again! Speaking of which, HOW 
did I change back?>
     <Hmmm? let's see. I was focusing my chi and building it 
inside of me. Could that be the answer? With the chi growing in 
me, could it have somehow forced my transformation? Have I just 
stumbled on a way to control my changes? Do I have the power to 
change from tiger to human and back again? Is that the reason why 
hot and cold water doesn't affect me? Is my curse different from 
Pop's? Is that the reason why the spring I fell into exploded? 
Damn! I have so many questions and no answers!>
     Feeling too exhausted to ponder the new development any 
further, Ranma fell asleep.

Another month later?
     Ranma walked down the forest trail in his human form. He 
paused to look back at the cave which had been his home for three 
months. Over the last four weeks, the son of Genma Saotome had 
discovered that he did indeed had the ability to control his 
transformations. During that time, he had practiced the technique 
until he could trigger the change almost instantaneously and with 
very little strain. It had almost become second nature to him.
     While he was learning this skill, he had also continued with his 
martial arts training. It was at that time he discovered his sudden 
increase in skill level and ability as a human. He noticed that he 
was at least six inches taller than before and had a lot more 
muscle. His strength was about twenty-five times higher than 
normal. His speed, agility and reflexes were also greater than 
before and he moved with amazing ease and grace, despite his 
increase in height and mass. His human senses of hearing, smell, 
touch and taste were about three to four times better than normal 
and he still possessed night vision and the ability to sense faint 
heat emanations. His sixth sense was also intact. Best of all, he 
now had full, conscious control of the Cat-Fist! He could now use 
his hands like claws to effortlessly slice through wood, stone and 
even metal! Best of all, the madness of the Neko Ken and his fear 
of cats was history! He could even fire off his chi blasts from his 
eyes as a human!
     It took a while, but the martial artist realized that somehow, the 
powers of his feline form were partially transferring over into his 
human body. As a result, he had taken on catlike traits. Although 
he only had about 40% of his overall feline ability in human form, 
he was still far more powerful than he ever dreamed possible.
     During the last two weeks, Ranma had set about developing new 
moves, based on what he had read in the Cat Fist manual and his 
experiences as a tiger. By the time he was ready to set out to 
rejoin the world, he had improved on the original Cat Fist and 
created several new techniques. In short, Ranma had become a 
true student of Neko Ken. He was no longer limited to the 
Anything Goes Martial Arts. The new Ultimate Neko Ken had 
more appeal.
     As Ranma traveled deeper into the woods, he pondered on what 
to do next. He had no money or supplies. His backpack had been 
left at Jusenkyo three months ago. Although he had decided to 
learn to speak Chinese, he was still lost in China and had nothing 
but the gi on his back.
     <I guess the most logical thing to do is to go find Pop! 
Question is?do I want to find him? He's an idiot and he'd 
probably put me through some more stupid training! Being able to 
use the Cat Fist is great, but I could have done without the stupid 
training! It was through sheer coincidence that I found a way to 
control it! Another thing is that I'd have to give up my freedom! 
He's too cheap to buy plane or boat tickets, so we'd probably have 
to swim back to Japan!> After a while, the fifteen-year old martial 
artist tried to think of any good points about his father. However 
for the life of him, he couldn't come up with anything that could 
even remotely be considered as a redeeming quality. 
     Genma had been a scheming, conniving, greedy, and 
opportunistic person. Sure he raised Ranma, but under his 
parenting, Ranma had become egotistical, arrogant and had very 
poor social skills. He had been isolated and alone for almost all 
his life with no one but Genma to talk to. His father had made him 
steal, lie and cheat, while maintaining that it was for the sake of 
the Art! Ranma had always questioned his mode of thinking. He 
knew it wasn't honorable to do these things. Then again, Genma 
had very little in the way of honor, other than he used it as an 
excuse to make him train.
     With a tired sigh, Ranma decided that despite all of his failings, 
Genma was still his father. As a dutiful son, he had to go find him. 
With that in mind, he set off to the place where it all began; 
Jusenkyo.

To be continued?

Author's Notes.
     This rewrite is mostly just to clear up mistakes and gaps. 
People were wondering where the grizzly bear had come from, so 
I gave an explanation. I also expanded the encounters with the 
Amazons a little more.