This choice: Ranma and Genma arrive at the Tendos • Go Back...Chapter #5Ranma and Genma arrive at the Tendos by: Chaos Magnet   The citizens of Nerima were going about their daily lives, going jogging, taking care of chores, and all was as it should be. The last thing they had expected to encounter that day was a giant panda walking down the road, with what sounded like a pissed off chipmunk chattering somewhere in the large beast's paws. Each person lost focus on whatever they were doing as the panda passed them, causing many to run into street signs or trip over nothing.
The giant panda, however, paid little attention to those around it. It had somewhere to be, and nothing would dissuade it from getting their today, even the struggling annoyance in its front claw. It was only when a small crowd had gathered to follow the bear that it reacted, with several annoyed roars. The gathering people quickly dispersed.
And so, the giant panda continued on its way, giving the other people no more attention. After all, it had an appointment to keep with an old friend.
*****
Soun Tendo once again reread the letter with tears in his eyes. It was finally time for he and his most dear friend to fulfill their promise from many years ago. In his excitement, he called out for his precious daughters to join him.
"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane! Please join me in the living room!"
The mustachioed man dashed through the house, in search of his daughters, calling their names after he entered each room. Eventually finding two of his three beautiful daughters, only needing to find his youngest to have the full set.
"Now where is Akane?" the middle-aged martial artist asked.
"I think she's out for a run, father." Kasumi said politely.
All three of them were seated around a small table in the living room, a cup of hot tea prepared lovingly by his eldest daughter was placed before each of them, with a fourth cup placed at a vacancy, waiting for the last person to arrive.
*****
Like every day around this time, Akane Tendo was making her return trip back to her home, sweat glistening on her face, and her breath slightly labored from the long run. She was greeted by her neighbors as she passed, each of them giving her a friendly smile and sending the girl on her way. She had just entered the final stretch of her jog, having turned onto her street a block away from the Tendo house.
Entering the yard, Akane made her way to the entrance, intending on getting a couple hours practice in the dojo. After entering the household, the girl quickly removed her sneakers, and moved to change in her room, but she was stopped from doing so by her elder sister's voice.
"Oh, Akane, your home," Kasumi said as she caught sight of her youngest sibling, "Father wishes to speak to us in here." The motherly sister said, her hand gesturing towards the room where their father waited for them. Curious, but seeing nothing that was overly strange with the request, Akane followed her sister in, and saw her father sitting formally at the head of the table, with a piece of paper clutched in his hand.
"Now that Akane's here, we can begin," Soun said and began to explain to his dutiful daughters. He went over the agreement he had made with his friend, getting varied reactions from his daughters, such as Kasumi speaking about how she hoped the boy wasn't too young, and Akane's almost violent refusal to partake in such a thing. Either way, by the time the explanations were over, there was a silent tension in the house, one that would certainly break the moment Genma and his son arrived, or so Soun hoped.
*****
Thirty minutes after Soun gave his very controversial announcement, there was a knock at the front door, and the father of three almost cheered with joy, for this was almost certainly his dear friend and training partner, Genma. Like the proper young woman that she was, Kasumi went to answer the door and let the father/son duo inside.
"Oh my!"
Whatever Soun had been expecting his daughter to say in greeting, that certainly wasn't it. Wanting to see what had elicited such a response, the Tendo patriarch stood from his spot at the table, and headed for the door to investigate.
"Kasumi, have our honored guests arri..." Soun began, but his mind froze at the sight before him. Just outside his front door was a giant panda with a pair of camping bags slung over a shoulder, and what was even more strange was that it held up a sign which said 'Hot water please.'
The absolute absurdity of the situation caused a mental crash in Soun's brain, and the father fainted dead away.
*****
When he came to, Soun could hear the voice of his wonderful daughter, Kasumi.
"Here you are, Mr Panda, some hot water," she said with her typical gentleness. By now, Soun's vision had cleared, and just in thime to see the young woman hand a steaming teapot over to the paws of the strange bear. Next to the bear were the two backpacks that it had arrived with.
"I don''t understand what a panda needs our hot water for," Nabiki said with an almost bored tone.
"Why is it even in our house?!" Akane said loudly.
"Growf," the panda said in thanks, before upending the pot and dumping the water over its head. Where once an endangered, and cuddly bear stood, a pot-bellied, bandana wearing, bald man with glasses had taken its place. His was a face that Soun recognized immediately.
"GENMA!!! My old friend!" he said with tears in his eyes as he bolted up from the floor.
"SOUN!!!" the Saotome said with equal enthusiasm.
Kasumi just sat there in a mild state of surprise, having just seen a panda becoming a man with a splash of water. Nabiki had a look of mild amusement, and Akane couldn't stop herself from quietly babbling.
"It has been far too long my friend," Soun said in welcome, "but tell me, where is your son?"
After that, Genma's face became troubled, as if he was in deep thought over a grave matter.
"Well, Soun...that's a bit of a problem."
Reaching into one of the bags, Genma seemed to fight to grab something, before removing his now full hand. Bringing it before him, he opened his lightly clenched fingers to reveal a tiny form.
"This is my son, Ranma," Genma introduced, everyone now seeing that the tiny thing was a young man, and he looked rather mad. With a little prodding by his father, the shrunkin martial artist bowed in greeting.
"I'm Ranma, sorry about this..." he said, scratching the back of his pigtail.
*****
It took a great deal of explaining on the Saotome men's part, but by the end of it, Soun was once again laughing at his friend and his son's arrival at his home.
"Well, that's not such a big deal is it," he said happily, "So why don't we leave these four to get better acquainted, and afterwards you can take a well deserved bath."   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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