This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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All characters copyright of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Inc. and Viz Communications. The character of Suteko Saotome is mine.
SINS OF THE FATHER
CHAPTER ONE
REVENGE FROM THE PAST
OR
GENMA GETS HIS!
by Lisa Williamson
Copyright 2013 Lisa Williamson
Behind the Tendo Dojo lay a clear and small pool, surrounded by small rocks and boulders. Sitting quietly on one was a young woman. She was dressed like an American in jeans, a loose shirt and a leather jacket. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight pigtail. On closer examination there was something familiar about her features.
The sun’s first rays had touched the Tendo’s home and the first stirrings of the people within could be heard. Kasumi appeared at the kitchen window. She mixed various ingredients for the family’s breakfast. As usual, a wonderfully rich smell rose into the early morning air. Next to stir was Akane Tendo. She left her room and headed to the bath for her morning clean up. Sounds could be heard from the other rooms as Nabiki, Mr. Tendo and the Saotomes awoke. As usual, Ranma and Genma started their morning exercises. Today they managed not to damage anything and to stay dry. A very untypical day for them -- they did not yet know just how untypical.
Kasumi called for everyone to come to the table. With a bit of bustle they got seated and the food was passed out and quickly consumed, faster by some than others. Before a battle could break out over the last of the biscuits Mr. Tendo spoke. “Well children, what do you have planned on this lovely spring day?”
“Business,” smiled Nabiki at Ranma who smiled back weakly.
“I thought I’d go shopping with friends today.” Akane answered with a happy smile. She was holding P-chan in her lap, feeding him bits of veggies from the table.
“Whatcha ya goina do, buy a new collar for P-chan?’ Ranma teased while poking at the little black pig. He pulled back a finger with P-chan attached. He started to shake him off as Akane prepared to hit him with her mallet. Their argument escalated and ended as usual with Ranma landing in the pool. As she got out, Ranma-chan noticed the girl who had been sitting patiently at the side of the pool. “Hello there. Who are . .?”
Before she could finish the girl stood up and spoke in a quiet voice. “I am looking for Genma Saotome. Can you tell me if he is here?” She bowed slightly. Her Japanese was good but contained a faint accent. Ranma bowed back and called over his shoulder.
“Hey Pop! There’s a girl back here who wants to see you!”
Genma and Kasumi came out the door into the backyard. Genma looked curious for a moment, then a bit sick. Kasumi walked over to Ranma with a pot of hot water. Ranma took the pot, and poured it over his head, thanking Kasumi. Ranma returned to his normal shape. The strange girl did not react to the transformation, her eyes glued to the older Saotome.
Genma swallowed and with a strong feeling of foreboding, spoke. “Hello, I am Genma Saotome. Can I help you?”
The girl took a few steps forward. Out of nowhere she pulled a carved staff and took a guard stance. “I challenge you in the name of Atsuko Fukushuu for the dishonor done to her seventeen years ago.” Genma’s eyes widened as he took in what the girl had just said. Everyone in the household looked first at Genma, then at the young woman. After a few seconds every head turned from the young woman toward Ranma and back again. Nabiki was the first to speak.
“Ranma,” she paused for a moment.
Ranma tore his eyes from the girl and turned to Nabiki. “What?”
“Does she remind you of anyone?”
“What,” he repeated, a bit confused. He turned back to the girl for a longer look, still puzzled. Nabiki snorted and splashed him. After Ranma-chan changed, everyone else caught on. The girl was a dead ringer for Ranma in girl form. The only difference was, the girl had black hair and green eyes. Ranma now turned to her father. “Pop, what’s going on here?”
Genma started to answer. “Ranma, I...”
“Answer my challenge, you philanderer!” Without waiting the girl moved in with lightning speed and landed a dozen or so blows with her staff before Genma could move. She stepped back and Genma looked dazed. After a moment he slowly sunk to his knees and fell face down on the ground.
“Pop!” Ranma rushed over to check her father. Genma was bruised and dazed but that was all. Ranma looked up at the young woman. “Why?”
“Ask your father,” she said, making the word sound like an insult. She looked down at Genma with contempt and started to turn away. Ranma jumped up, reaching out to stop her. Before she could, the girl spun about, blocking Ranma’s hand with the staff.
“DO NOT TOUCH ME!” She began to glow a deep gold. Ranma stepped back at the contained anger in those four words. Even Akane could not have sounded that deadly.
Akane stepped toward the girl and asked the question on every mind in the yard. “Who are you?”
Green eyes met hers for a moment and the girl spoke her name. “Suteko Saotome.” She then leapt to the top of the wall and said one last thing before she leapt away. “Tell my father, I will return tomorrow at dawn to finish this.” Then she was gone. Ranma and Akane tried to follow but the girl had disappeared before they could get to the top of the wall. They continued over and searched for a few blocks. After several minutes they gave up and headed back to the Dojo. As they walked back, the began to talk.
“Ranma, what did she mean by ‘my father’? I thought you were an only child.”
“I am,” answered Ranma, puzzled. She remembered no sister. She kind of remembered the name the girl had challenged her father with. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. There was something from when her dad had been young.
***
Back at the Dojo Genma was still lying on the ground. Soun walked over and was trying to get his friend to answer some questions. “Who is that child? I don’t remember any Atsuko. When did you meet one of the Fukushuu clan?’
Genma lay staring up at the sky. After a few minutes, he started to mumble. Soun bent down to listen. “Atsuko Fukushuu. It can’t be. It was only once. Wasn’t it? She said nothing happened. What will I tell Nodoka?” Still mumbling he got up and wandered off toward the house. Soun stepped quickly to his side and guided his old friend into the Dojo.
“Kasumi, I think we’ll need something stronger than tea here. Bring out the blue bottle please.” Soun called over his shoulder to his eldest daughter. For once he was acting like a man of his age. The state his friend was in had surprised him. This girl seemed to be no threat to his family. Definitely no rival for Akane, like the other girls who had shown up out of the past. After he settled Genma down on the couch, he thanked Kasumi for the small bottle and cup she had handed him. He poured a small amount into the cup and placed it into Genma’s hands. Genma stopped mumbling for a moment and lifted the cup to his lips. Taking a quick swal
low he closed his eyes. The drink burned its way past the confusion and cleared his mind. He took a deep breath. “Thank you, Tendo. I needed that.”
“Genma, what was that all about?”
“I’m not sure Tendo. I have to think for a few minutes.” Genma stood up and started toward the house. “Can you send Ranma to me when he gets back?” He wandered off, less dazed but with nothing forthcoming. Soun looked after his friend with his confusion clear in his face.
CHAPTER TWO
Genma explains
or
How did you get in trouble this time?
Akane and Ranma returned to the Dojo to find a puzzled Soun sitting outside waiting for them. “Ahh, Ranma. Your father wishes to speak to you. He said to go upstairs when you got back.” Akane and Ranma exchanged glances and both headed for the stairs, with a quick stop in the kitchen for hot water. They found Genma sitting on the neatly rolled up futon. He was still in his human form. He looked up when he heard the door open.
“Ranma, good.” He waved for the teenagers to enter. “You too, Akane.”
They sat on the floor facing Genma. “So what’s up, Pop. Who is that girl?”
Genma nervously cleared his throat and started. “Ranma, my boy, I’m not exactly sure who she is but I’ll tell you who I think she is.” He looked up at the ceiling and took the traditional storyteller’s stance. “When I was a young man, I was popular. Not quite as popular as Ranma here, but I had my share of dates.” Ranma snorted. Akane jabbed him in the ribs and Genma ignored the two and continued. “Six months before I married your mother, I was dating a young woman by the name of Atsuko Fukushuu.” His face took on a slightly glazed look. “She was lovely and sweet and a good martial artist.” The glazed looked changed into a wince as the picture of the beautiful girl smiling at him changed into an enraged woman bashing him the head with a bokken. He shook his head and continued. “We were inseparable up until my parents reminded me of my engagement to Nodoka.” Genma looked at his hands. “One evening we attended a party held by some friends of her family from America. It was a fun party with lots of games and one of those was a American drinking game. We used Sake instead of the traditional beer. After one too many cups of sake, I lost my wits. Atsuko and I went off alone, and.. well... we...” Genma trailed off.
“‘We’ what? Come on Pop, whatch ‘a do?”
“Umm, we let nature take it’s course.” Genma face turned a bright red.
Ranma snorted. “You let nature take it’s course! Ha!” Akane shushed Ranma with a shove.
Genma coughed and continued. “The next morning we awoke with serious headaches and no clear memory of what happened. We parted, ashamed, and went to our separate homes. That very morning I met your mother face to face.” Genma eyes glazed over once more as he remembered that meeting. “A few days later I broke the news of my engagement to her gently. She took the news rather well, I think.” Flash back to Genma being hit over the head.
“Did you ever hear from her again, Mr. Saotome?”
“No. She and her family moved to America not long after the break up. I heard her father had inherited some land from a distant relative in the northeastern part of the country.” He paused a moment. “I haven’t thought about her in the past seventeen years.”
“So there’s a good chance that this girl is really my sister then, Pop,” asked Ranma in a low, quiet voice.
Genma squirmed a bit before answering. “Yes, Ramna, there’s a chance that she’s your sister.”
Ranma thought for a moment. “Why does she look so much like me?”
“She looks a bit like her mother,” answered Genma.
“Really?” Ranma asked. “Was her mother related to Mom?”
Genma looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I believe they were fifth cousins or something like that.”
The room was quiet for a moment as the news settled into the minds of those sitting there. “So your telling me that you were dating one girl and you were engaged to another?” Ranma was starting to glow just a little. Genma responded without thinking.
“Yes, that’s true. I didn’t know at first that they had family in common.”
“But still you were dating one girl and ‘knew’ that you were engaged to mom, right.”
Genma looked a bit ashamed at that. He knew where Ranma was going with this. He tried to stall. “I didn’t remember......”
Ranma leapt up and loomed over his father, his head sprouting horns like Soun’s would when he was mad. “YOU FORGOT!!!! YOU JERK!” BAP!!! Genma went soaring out of the house through the roof. Akane looked at Ranma in surprise. He sounded just like her when he said that.
“Ranma,” Akane started, “you didn’t let him finish.” Ranma just stood there breathing fast. Akane tried again, speaking softly. “Ranma.” She reached out a placed a calming hand on Ranma’s arm. “Are you OK?”
After a few moments Ranma took a deep breath and turned to Akane. “Do you believe that old fool. Coming down on me all this time about you and the others and he did the same thing, only worse! I never....”
“What do you mean only worse! He only had two fiancées, you’ve got the gods know only how many.” Akane started too pull back her arm to punch him.
“I have never, ever, had two girls from the same family or slept with one” Ranma reminded Akane.
“I know,” Akane dropped her fist. “Your right. Let’s go find him and get the rest of this out of him.” Akane pulled on Ramna’s arm to get him moving.
“When I find him he better explain everything or else. How could he do that to that poor girl? What’s her name? Atsuko? I thought he was better than that.”
“I don’t know. Maybe training with Happosai did it. You know how much of a pervert he is.”
“Yeah, well maybe.” Ranma replied as they set out to find out where Genma came down.
****
Genma came down from Ranma’s punch just outside of DR Tofu’s clinic. After he picked himself up he wandered inside. Dr. Tofu was just coming out of his examining room with a patient.
“Now just relax today. Your shoulder should be fine. Just try to stretch more before doing those pitches next time. Check back with me if it doesn’t feel better.” Dr. Tofu patted the baseball player on the back and turned to see who is next patient was. He smiled when he saw Genma standing, well leaning against the wall. “Good day Mr. Saotome. Having trouble with your neck today?” Genma just winced and followed him into the examination room.
***
Suteko stopped running after a few blocks. “Lost them, easily enough. Time to check in.” She walked around until she spotted a pay phone outside a small store. As she walked up she pulled a phone card out of her pocket and punched in a long series of numbers. After a few minutes she spoke. “Hi, mom. Found him.” She listened for a moment. “Nerima. Tomorrow morning. OK. See you then. Bye” She smiled and hung up the phone. Genma Satome was going to get more than he expected tomorrow morning.
CHAPTER THREE
LUNCH AT UKYO’S
OR
A LITTLE EXPLANATION
Later that morning at Ucchan’s.
Ukyo had been busy preparing for the lunch rush -- mixing up batter, preparing the grill, setting up spatulas, all the usual things. She quietly hummed a happy song as she knew that she would see Ranma sometime today. He had promised to stop by for dinner. She heard a customer enter the restaurant as she turned away from the door, and called over her shoulder, “Good morning and welcome to Ucchan’s.”
Suteko slid into a seat at the counter and looked over the menu board. “I’d like a number one please.”
“Coming right up.” Ukyo quickly prepared the okonomiyaki and slid it onto a plate. She gracefully placed it in front of the customer and smiled. “There you go, a number one fresh from the grill, that will be.....” Ukyo stopped in mid speech and stared. Who was this girl. She looked an awful lot like, “Ran-chan?”
The young woman
looked up, “What did you call me?”
The voice was different. It had just a hint of a English accent. Maybe Ranma was working on someway of hiding out from Akane. “Ran-chan, what I usually call you.” Ukyo smiled weakly at the person she thought was her fiancé. “That’s a different look of you. Trying out the American styles now?”
Suteko looked at the girl behind the counter with confusion. “Who’s Ran-chan? My name is Suteko.”
Ukyo took a closer look. There were differences. This girl had black hair and green eyes. Ranma-chan had red hair and blue eyes. Maybe this wasn’t Ranma. “I’m sorry. You look just like my fiancé.”
Suteko, if it was possible, looked even more confused. “Excuse me, did you just say your fiancé looks like me?”
“Um, it’s a long story. He had a few things happen and well...”
Suteko listened with half an ear. This girl was sure hooked on this Ran-chan. “Sounds interesting.” Suteko responded absently. From all this girl was saying Ran-chan was Romeo, Van Damme and a boy scout all wrapped up in one. She took a bite of the Okonomiyaki in front of her and smiled. “Hey, this is good!” She quickly but daintily ate the entire thing and pushed the plate away. “They don’t make anything like that where I come from.”
Ukyo came out of her daydream about being alone with Ranma at the compliment to her cooking. “Thank you.” Intrigued about this girl who looked so much like Ranma, Ukyo stayed and talked with her only customer. “Where’s that, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Boston, Mass in the US.”
Ukyo let out a low whistle. “You’re a long way from home. What brings you here? You a transfer student?”
Suteko grimaced for a moment and then answered. “No, I’m taking time off from school. I’m here to restore my mother’s honor and get revenge on the man who took it from her.”
“And...”
Suteko debated internally for a few moments about telling family secrets but she was a bit sad and lonely after all this time and the girl in front of her seemed truly to be interested, so she spoke. “I’ve spent the last year tracking all over Asia looking for him. I finally found him this morning, right here in Nerima, where I started. I offered him a challenge and by tomorrow my mother’s honor should be restored and my life can go back to normal.”
Sins of the Father Page 1