Categories > Anime/Manga > Ranma 1/2 > Half a Knight
Dark Orgins: First Knight: Demonic Encounters
2 reviewsHow did Ranma get enough training to be the Batman? It starts here.
1Original
It wasn't supposed to be this way. His son, thinking he was a cat until he was knocked out, driven insane and with a heavy amount of scars and not able to master a dreaded technique? No, for Genma Saotomae, this was NOT what he wanted. Sure, one can argue that the back of the pamphlet said that it would cause madness, and that the technique itself was imperfect, but he's a Saotomae damn it! By heritage alone, his son should have over come this unfortunate side effect of what was to be the perfect art! If he can overcome Haposai, surly his boy can overcome some starving cats!
Unfortunately, it wasn't that way. The only solace Genma currently has is that the scars would heal and some of them would not show. He dares not show any emotions, for showing such concern would distract both him and Ranma from the art. However, after taking one look at the mass of scars that is his son, he is beginning to wonder if maybe he can train Ranma at home in the art and still have him be the best. At least he'll be alive to carry out the Tendo/Saotomae pledge.
"You tried the technique, didn't you?"
Genma turned around to see who was interrupting his thoughts, when he saw a man with dark hair that had a white, yet dignified streak, with a black goatee. A body that matches most dojo masters, a stance of one who has been around this great world several times in his life time, and piercing eyes that were as if he was looking into one's own soul. And if you were to look closure, you would notice that he was seeing if you had the potential that he was looking for. His outfit however was something one would not expect for somebody this far in the woods, a buttoned orange vest, a white button shirt under it, a black tie, green cape, business style pants, and black shoes.
"What business is that of yours?" Genma said to this obvious gajin. Who the hell was this man interrupting him and his son? What business was it of his of what he put his boy through for the art? All safety and concern for his son was put aside, for his pride as a father, a teacher, and a man were on the line to him. To the stranger however, he seems his son might be worthy of something. An honor that only a few hundred people he encountered were picked for.
"Easy sir, easy." The man said never loosing his cool, or showing any fear. This was not gone unnoticed by Genma. "I am not here to judge, I understand it was a mistake. If I had an American dollar for every time somebody did that technique, thinking their student or they would overcome it, or not noticing the danger they're putting others or themselves in... well, let's just say I'll have more money than I'll ever need a second time."
Again, this peaks Genma's interest. "You mean others didn't notice the warning before?"
"They ether don't or choose to ignore it. Most young masters I've encountered have done the former and they wound up in a padded cell or killing themselves out of permanent madness." The man then looked at Ranma and smiled. "Your boy however seems to have survived somewhat in tact."
"I'll find out when he wakes up."
"Sir, you'll be happy to know that your boy isn't in complete madness. For if he was, he would be purring right now." Sure enough, Ranma was snoring as if he were a normal human being. Genma was amazed at how much this man knew.
"Who are you?"
"I am Ra's Al Ghul." The man said, causing Genma's mouth to completely drop in shock.
"Th-the Demon's Head?!" Genma said in sheer amazement. "How?! What?! But..."
"Short answer, I happened upon the village whose cats you stole." Ra's replied. "I assumed you were doing the cat fist and I was unfortunately right." Ra's then looked at Ranma again and made his choice. Fate had showed him who to pick next. "However, I will not turn you in. Instead, I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Give me 10 years with this young man, and he will be amongst the few I've selected to be my apprentices." Ra's said. This caused Genma to think for a moment.
'My own son trained by Ra's and his disciples to be one of them! But what about... wait... he said 10 years? Perfect!'
"There's one condition to this agreement I have. I would like to train my boy in Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"You've trained under the dreaded Haposai?"
"You know of the master?" Genma asked in shock.
"I've met him a few times. Even though he is twisted and perverted, he has my utmost respect." Ra's then looked to be in deep thought, but then took a look at Ranma and saw potential in him unlike the which he's never seen, save for one more, the one with fangs.
"I accept your proposal. On the days I or my disciples don't teach him in ether class or martial arts, you shall teach him Anything Goes."
"Class?"
"Yes. One's mind must be as tuned as the body." Ra's said.
"Very well. As long as the art gets taught with the same or greater priority."
"Done. May I ask who I am taking under my wing?"
"Ranma Saotomae!" Genma said with great pride and proud in his voice. "And I'm his father, Genma Saotomae."
"Excellent. I thank you for this opportunity. Follow me to just outside the village." Ra's said as he started walking. "My car will take us to the airport, and my jet will take us to my dojo."
************************
Moments later, the Saotomae's, with an awake Ranma, and Ra's reached his plane and were greeted by two women, one of whom appeared to be 16 years old and the other appeared to be in her late 20's early 30's. The youngest one has short pinkish-purple hair and a body of somebody who's been through as intense training as any martial artist and is wearing what appears to be a white Chinese gown with a dragon on it. And although 16, her stance is that of somebody FAR mature beyond her years. The elder looks like she went through the same training, but has long dark hair, but is wearing a conservative style outfit, which was a green business suit, matching pants, and heels.
"Mr. Saotomae, this is my daughter," Ra's said pointing to the older woman, "Taila Al Ghul," he then introduced the younger woman. "And this is my bodyguard, whom both you and your son shall address as Lady Shiva."
"A woman? A bodyguard?" Genma said with some attitude. "What a ridiculous i-AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
WHAM
Genma never got to finish that statement due to Shiva tossing him hard onto the concrete runway.
"Papa!" Ranma said as he ran to his father's side. "You... you got beat by a girl?! How is this possible?!" The members of Ra's group, including The Demon's Head himself, had a look that would have killed Genma right on the spot.
"Ranma, when your father comes to, tell him that I have a story to tell about Lady Shiva, provided it's alright with her." Ra's said.
"It is master." Shiva said. "I also give permission to tell this Ranma, so that he won't end up in the same path I was."
"Thank you. Also, one of the things we are going to teach you is that women and men can fight on equal ground. One must not underestimate an opponent based on features, be it gender or other wise."
"Y-yes sense." Ranma replied, thankful that his father was out cold, so he wouldn't see him scared, due to not knowing exactly what he was getting into.
************************
Several hours later, nearly dawn where they have landed somewhere in an undisclosed mountain location, the travelers arrived at Ra's lair and were amazed as it's bigger than any dojo they thought. It was big enough to start ether an army or a city. Once they got inside, they saw what appeared to be areas for martial arts training, areas for weapons training, meditation, and even standard exorcising. Various parts of the dojo area itself is connected to the other parts of the compound via a network of bridges, some above them, some below them, or some actually forked into the current bridge they're walking. The Ghuls and Shiva couldn't help but notice how in aw Ranma Saotomae and Genma were.
"So I take it you two are pleased with the training facilities?" Ra's said with a smile.
"I-I've never seen anything like it sense." Ranma said. "Am I really going to train here papa?"
"Yes son, we are." Genma said with pride. "And with the deal I made with him, I'm going to train you at the same time."
"Yay!" Ranma said with the biggest smile any 6 year old can generate. "When do we start?"
"Immediately." Ra's said as he pointed to the first dojo space. "You are to go down there Ranma and train with Li Sen and we will establish from there the level you start off with your overall training."
"Hai Sense." Ranma said as he was about to walk off.
"No Ranma." Ra's said in a neutral tone. He turned around and saw a smile on Ra's face. "Jump."
"Jump?" Ranma said. "I don't know if..."
"Ranma! Do you want to be a weak g..." Genma was again interrupted when Shiva dashed right in front of him.
"Go ahead Mr. Saotomae, finish." Shiva said with a 'Try it' type grin.
"Uh... that is to say, I trained you how to take a fall Ranma, so this should be no problem. Heh, heh." The Saotomae patriarch said while sweating.
"Uh... ok papa." Ranma said as he jumped down and did a martial arts tumble to the mat and landed with no problems.
"Excellent." Ra's said pleased. "Begin the trail now."
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT TIME: As soon as the trail ends, Ranma meets the boy with fangs Ra's was thinking about. The two hit it off, but will an important event years later drive them apart? Find out as Dark Origins continues.
For more on the origin of Lady Shiva, keep an eye out for the series of side stories known as "Secret Files and Origins," made exclusively to tell about some of the characters without cutting in to the overall story.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that way. The only solace Genma currently has is that the scars would heal and some of them would not show. He dares not show any emotions, for showing such concern would distract both him and Ranma from the art. However, after taking one look at the mass of scars that is his son, he is beginning to wonder if maybe he can train Ranma at home in the art and still have him be the best. At least he'll be alive to carry out the Tendo/Saotomae pledge.
"You tried the technique, didn't you?"
Genma turned around to see who was interrupting his thoughts, when he saw a man with dark hair that had a white, yet dignified streak, with a black goatee. A body that matches most dojo masters, a stance of one who has been around this great world several times in his life time, and piercing eyes that were as if he was looking into one's own soul. And if you were to look closure, you would notice that he was seeing if you had the potential that he was looking for. His outfit however was something one would not expect for somebody this far in the woods, a buttoned orange vest, a white button shirt under it, a black tie, green cape, business style pants, and black shoes.
"What business is that of yours?" Genma said to this obvious gajin. Who the hell was this man interrupting him and his son? What business was it of his of what he put his boy through for the art? All safety and concern for his son was put aside, for his pride as a father, a teacher, and a man were on the line to him. To the stranger however, he seems his son might be worthy of something. An honor that only a few hundred people he encountered were picked for.
"Easy sir, easy." The man said never loosing his cool, or showing any fear. This was not gone unnoticed by Genma. "I am not here to judge, I understand it was a mistake. If I had an American dollar for every time somebody did that technique, thinking their student or they would overcome it, or not noticing the danger they're putting others or themselves in... well, let's just say I'll have more money than I'll ever need a second time."
Again, this peaks Genma's interest. "You mean others didn't notice the warning before?"
"They ether don't or choose to ignore it. Most young masters I've encountered have done the former and they wound up in a padded cell or killing themselves out of permanent madness." The man then looked at Ranma and smiled. "Your boy however seems to have survived somewhat in tact."
"I'll find out when he wakes up."
"Sir, you'll be happy to know that your boy isn't in complete madness. For if he was, he would be purring right now." Sure enough, Ranma was snoring as if he were a normal human being. Genma was amazed at how much this man knew.
"Who are you?"
"I am Ra's Al Ghul." The man said, causing Genma's mouth to completely drop in shock.
"Th-the Demon's Head?!" Genma said in sheer amazement. "How?! What?! But..."
"Short answer, I happened upon the village whose cats you stole." Ra's replied. "I assumed you were doing the cat fist and I was unfortunately right." Ra's then looked at Ranma again and made his choice. Fate had showed him who to pick next. "However, I will not turn you in. Instead, I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Give me 10 years with this young man, and he will be amongst the few I've selected to be my apprentices." Ra's said. This caused Genma to think for a moment.
'My own son trained by Ra's and his disciples to be one of them! But what about... wait... he said 10 years? Perfect!'
"There's one condition to this agreement I have. I would like to train my boy in Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"You've trained under the dreaded Haposai?"
"You know of the master?" Genma asked in shock.
"I've met him a few times. Even though he is twisted and perverted, he has my utmost respect." Ra's then looked to be in deep thought, but then took a look at Ranma and saw potential in him unlike the which he's never seen, save for one more, the one with fangs.
"I accept your proposal. On the days I or my disciples don't teach him in ether class or martial arts, you shall teach him Anything Goes."
"Class?"
"Yes. One's mind must be as tuned as the body." Ra's said.
"Very well. As long as the art gets taught with the same or greater priority."
"Done. May I ask who I am taking under my wing?"
"Ranma Saotomae!" Genma said with great pride and proud in his voice. "And I'm his father, Genma Saotomae."
"Excellent. I thank you for this opportunity. Follow me to just outside the village." Ra's said as he started walking. "My car will take us to the airport, and my jet will take us to my dojo."
************************
Moments later, the Saotomae's, with an awake Ranma, and Ra's reached his plane and were greeted by two women, one of whom appeared to be 16 years old and the other appeared to be in her late 20's early 30's. The youngest one has short pinkish-purple hair and a body of somebody who's been through as intense training as any martial artist and is wearing what appears to be a white Chinese gown with a dragon on it. And although 16, her stance is that of somebody FAR mature beyond her years. The elder looks like she went through the same training, but has long dark hair, but is wearing a conservative style outfit, which was a green business suit, matching pants, and heels.
"Mr. Saotomae, this is my daughter," Ra's said pointing to the older woman, "Taila Al Ghul," he then introduced the younger woman. "And this is my bodyguard, whom both you and your son shall address as Lady Shiva."
"A woman? A bodyguard?" Genma said with some attitude. "What a ridiculous i-AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
WHAM
Genma never got to finish that statement due to Shiva tossing him hard onto the concrete runway.
"Papa!" Ranma said as he ran to his father's side. "You... you got beat by a girl?! How is this possible?!" The members of Ra's group, including The Demon's Head himself, had a look that would have killed Genma right on the spot.
"Ranma, when your father comes to, tell him that I have a story to tell about Lady Shiva, provided it's alright with her." Ra's said.
"It is master." Shiva said. "I also give permission to tell this Ranma, so that he won't end up in the same path I was."
"Thank you. Also, one of the things we are going to teach you is that women and men can fight on equal ground. One must not underestimate an opponent based on features, be it gender or other wise."
"Y-yes sense." Ranma replied, thankful that his father was out cold, so he wouldn't see him scared, due to not knowing exactly what he was getting into.
************************
Several hours later, nearly dawn where they have landed somewhere in an undisclosed mountain location, the travelers arrived at Ra's lair and were amazed as it's bigger than any dojo they thought. It was big enough to start ether an army or a city. Once they got inside, they saw what appeared to be areas for martial arts training, areas for weapons training, meditation, and even standard exorcising. Various parts of the dojo area itself is connected to the other parts of the compound via a network of bridges, some above them, some below them, or some actually forked into the current bridge they're walking. The Ghuls and Shiva couldn't help but notice how in aw Ranma Saotomae and Genma were.
"So I take it you two are pleased with the training facilities?" Ra's said with a smile.
"I-I've never seen anything like it sense." Ranma said. "Am I really going to train here papa?"
"Yes son, we are." Genma said with pride. "And with the deal I made with him, I'm going to train you at the same time."
"Yay!" Ranma said with the biggest smile any 6 year old can generate. "When do we start?"
"Immediately." Ra's said as he pointed to the first dojo space. "You are to go down there Ranma and train with Li Sen and we will establish from there the level you start off with your overall training."
"Hai Sense." Ranma said as he was about to walk off.
"No Ranma." Ra's said in a neutral tone. He turned around and saw a smile on Ra's face. "Jump."
"Jump?" Ranma said. "I don't know if..."
"Ranma! Do you want to be a weak g..." Genma was again interrupted when Shiva dashed right in front of him.
"Go ahead Mr. Saotomae, finish." Shiva said with a 'Try it' type grin.
"Uh... that is to say, I trained you how to take a fall Ranma, so this should be no problem. Heh, heh." The Saotomae patriarch said while sweating.
"Uh... ok papa." Ranma said as he jumped down and did a martial arts tumble to the mat and landed with no problems.
"Excellent." Ra's said pleased. "Begin the trail now."
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT TIME: As soon as the trail ends, Ranma meets the boy with fangs Ra's was thinking about. The two hit it off, but will an important event years later drive them apart? Find out as Dark Origins continues.
For more on the origin of Lady Shiva, keep an eye out for the series of side stories known as "Secret Files and Origins," made exclusively to tell about some of the characters without cutting in to the overall story.
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