Cat Fist Fury

Ranma ? is Rumiko Takahashi's. Blah, blah, yakety smackety. 
    <>: Thoughts 

                                  Chapter 3
                             Following a New Path

     It had taken Ranma three days to get to Jusenkyo on foot. He 
had decided not to travel in his tiger form, as it would have 
attracted too much attention. When he finally arrived at the cursed 
training grounds, it was already sunset. When he approached the 
entrance, he was greeted by a thin man that was dressed in the 
same brown uniform as the other guide had wore.
     "Greetings! Welcome to famous Training Grounds of Cursed 
Springs! Jusenkyo!"
     Ranma immediately noticed that this wasn't the same guide he 
had met three months earlier. "Hello. I don't recognize you. What 
happened to the other guide? You know, the fat one?" 
     "Oh! He is out helping a customer find his lost son. Been gone 
for three months now. I am temporary replacement." 
     Ranma nodded. <Guess that means that Pop is out there 
looking for me. Then again, since he doesn't know that I can 
change back into a human, he's probably looking for a black, 
saber- toothed tiger.> He then asked, "Tell me. Did this customer 
fall into the Spring of Drowned Panda? Was his name Genma 
Saotome?" 
     "Oh yes sir! Him very popular lately!" 
     "What do you mean?"
     "Many, many people come here to Jusenkyo asking for him! 
They very angry with him!"
     "You don't say." The young martial artist's expression took on a 
frown. <Knowing Pop, it's probably some people that he's stolen 
food from! Or a bill collector!> Turning his attention back to the 
skinny guide he asked, "So what exactly did these people want with 
Genma?"
     "Oh it is very confusing! They said that this man cheated them! 
Say he promised his son to marry their daughters!" 
     Ranma's expression turned from disgust to shock as his face 
paled. <Marry their daughters?! What's he talking about?!> 
"Excuse me? Exactly what did they mean that his son was 
supposed to marry their daughters?" 
     "Oh I no understand it either! Many parents and their daughters 
had been searching for this man for years! Say that Genma 
engaged his son to their daughters in exchange for food and 
money! If true, then this man has promised son to ten fianc?es!" 
     "Say what?! Exactly who are these people?!" 
     "Well," The guide began. "First people who come to Jusenkyo 
two weeks ago, was father with funny-looking ears and beautiful 
daughter with brown hair. They come from Japan. Say name was 
Daijkoku. Tell me they search for Genma for more than fifteen 
years because he sold his son for a fish, a bowl of rice and two 
pickles! If you ask me, he make very poor trade! He no keep 
promise though! He stole baby son back! If you ask me, Genma is 
very stupid to sell son like that!" 
     "Kami-sama?" Ranma said with barely a whisper. <I don't 
believe it! I was sold for a fish?> "Who was the next person to 
claim his son?" 
     "Oh this one I no believe either! Very big man came with son! 
Strange-looking too! Also come from Japan. Both had big spatulas 
on their backs! Say they met Genma when son was six! Genma 
promise to engage son to his child in exchange for okonomiyaki 
cart! But Genma stole cart and left child on road! Very bad man! 
Though I no understand why he engage boy to boy!" 
     Ranma felt as if he was having a stroke. <It can't be! That 
almost sounds like?> "Tell me! Was their name? Kuonji?" The 
Guide nodded. <No! That would mean that we? stole Ucchan's 
cart! But Pop told me that it was a gift! And why would Ucchan's 
dad engage me to him? Unless?> Ranma became weak in the 
knees and he braced himself on one of the pillars that were at the 
entrance. He began to recall all of his early memories with his 
playmate. Ucchan had always seemed somewhat? softer. He 
always refused to go swimming with him in the nearby streams. 
His voice was higher than usual. And most of all, he always 
seemed to be more friendly toward him than what he considered 
normal between two boys. As the realization dawn on him, Ranma 
mentally kicked himself for not knowing sooner. No wonder 
Ucchan was so angry when he and Genma left him! The guide's 
revelation now made the final memory all clear! The reason why 
his childhood friend had screamed, "You promised to take me with 
you!" 
     "Sir?" 
     Without turning to face the guide, Ranma quietly asked, "Tell 
me. The boy you saw with that man. Was his name? Ukyo 
Kuonji?" 
     "Oh yes sir! How you know?" 
     "I think I figured out why that man engaged his son to Genma's 
son."
     "What you mean?" 
     "Ukyo isn't a boy. He's? a girl." 
     "Really?! Oh now that make sense! I thought he was boy. If he is 
really girl, then it clear! Still not right for Genma to steal cart 
though!" The Guide then noticed that Ranma's expression had 
darkened and that he was having a hard time keeping his temper in 
check. "Sir?" 
     Ranma was hunched over and his body was trembling as he tried 
to hold back the tears. He failed. As the slick drops began running 
down his cheeks, he recalled a conversation that he had with his 
father a short time before they left Ukyo and his? no, her father. 

Nine years ago?
     "Son? I have something very important to ask you. Which do 
you like better? Ukyo or okonomiyaki?"
     "Uh? okonomiyaki!" Replied the slightly confused boy.

The present?
     "Sir? Are you okay?"
     Ranma angrily wiped away the tears and calmed himself. When 
he faced the Guide again, his expression was devoid of all 
emotion. "Tell me, who else came looking for Genma? Who were 
they, and what did he sell his son for?"
     The guide took on a puzzled look then answered. "The Tanaka 
clan came because of five bags of rice. The Shiga family had made 
a deal over a full course meal at their restaurant. The Nanatomo 
clan for some sukiyaki! The Sentaro family for a month's supply 
of pork! The Yasmi family for some pork buns! The Wu family for 
some ramen. The Shintoro family for some gold. And a woman 
from a nearby Amazon tribe. She get him to promise his son for 
three pounds of silver!"
     By the time the guide had finished, Ranma had become a 
seething volcano of emotions. <How dare he! How DARE he sell 
me off to all those people like I was like some bargaining chip! 
He's always ragged on me about honor! He's nothing but a 
hypocrite! He's scum! He's worse than scum! He's nothing but 
trash! And I let him do this to me! He made me? abandon 
Ucchan! The best friend I ever had! That does it! He's history!>
     "Sir? Are you okay?"
     The teen came to a decision. He took a long and deep breath 
and replied. "No. I just realized that someone whom I had some 
respect for, has lied to me for over fifteen years. I came here in 
order to find him, but now I couldn't care less if I never see him 
again!" 
     "Oh sir! You look for Genma too? Are you Ranma, his son?" 
     Ranma was silent for a moment, then replied. "No. I'm not. My 
name isn't important. The way I heard it, Ranma Saotome's life 
ended when he came to this place. Anyway, why would I want to 
find a scumbag like Genma? I'll be leaving now. Sorry for 
troubling you." Ranma turned and walked away from Jusenkyo, not 
once looking back. 
     As he got more than a mile away from the training grounds, he 
let out a roar and triggered his transformation. His body instantly 
flared with a red light which briefly enveloped him. When the light 
faded, Ranma Saotome was no longer present. In his place was a 
snarling and ferocious-looking saber-toothed tiger. Taking a final 
look back in the direction of Jusenkyo, he then bounded off into 
the distance. As his feline form disappeared over the horizon, he 
let off a final roar of anguish.
     <Goodbye Genma Saotome! And good riddance! I swear that I 
shall never, EVER listen to you again! For nine long years I have 
followed your ways but no more! As of today, I am on own!>
     Then, he was gone. 

To be continued?

Author's Notes
     So far the changes I've made to these chapters are relatively 
minor, as I wanted to clear up any spelling and grammar mistakes. 
I have made a few errors in my continuity and I thank all my 
readers who were gracious enough to point these out.