The sweat ran down young Ranma’s forehead to be soaked into his blindfold. Already, it was moist with sweat. His little feet danced lightly on the small log under him as he and his father practiced eagle claw chin na under the hot summer sun. The challenge was not just that both were blindfolded, nor was it that they were working out on a log. The challenge was that they did both while the log floated down stream.
It was hard work, but Ranma loved it. He knew the river would empty out into a small lake, where his mother camped by the shore, cooking lunch. He looked forward to eating as much as he enjoyed the training. Ranma was a happy boy.
Ranma’s balance bobbled; chin na was not something meant to be done on a narrow, floating log. Ranma’s bobble led to Genma wavering on his feet; feet that were at a disadvantage for being larger. Both regained there footing as the exercise continued. Even with the sun blazing down, both had a strong motivation to not fall into the cool river water; the first one to fall in had to clean the dishes after lunch.
A hand clap caught the attention of the two. “OK boys, lunch is ready. So you better come eat it while it is warm.” Nodoka called out to the two male Saotomes.
Each stopped to raise there blindfold, but that was when Genma noticed the pot of water flying towards his head. “Think fast,” Nodoka called out belatedly. Genma tried to duck and catch, but only managed to get himself knocked off of the log.
Ranma managed to keep his footing. “Yay! Daddy does the dishes, Daddy does the dishes,” he sang while dancing on the log.
Genma surfaced, spluttering but smiling. “Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
“Yeah!” Ranma cried out in agreement as he jumped in place.
Genma pushed the log as he swam towards shore, Ranma sitting cross legged on it and giving directions.
Once they all gathered by the tent, lunch commenced. The food was of a simple, yet hearty, affair. Genma found his plate to be over spiced and lacking salt.
“At least she didn’t pee in my food, again,” Genma thought silently to himself.
While he was busy washing up the dirty pots and plates from lunch, Genma noticed his wife taking their son on a hike. Smiling to himself, Genma pondered how good it was that he and Hild got a brief vacation from the pressures of their offices by living as Genma and Nodoka Saotome.
Ranma and Nodoka walked about the lake’s shore after lunch. She smiled down at her son.
“Certainly, I can find some ways to show Ranma the joys of chaos and disorder, and keep him from becoming too much of a boy scout.” Nodoka mused upon her options; she didn’t want to risk Ranma getting hurt, but she did want the conflict and mayhem his original life was endowed with.
Nodoka grinned as a thought came to her. “How’s the martial arts coming along?”
Ranma smiled up at his mom. “Great! Daddy says I’ll likely be the best when I am all grown up.”
“And challengers? Win any fights?”
Ranma looked puzzled to his mom. “Fights? Daddy said The Art wasn’t about fighting, but living.”
Nodoka rolled her eyes. “But, what if there’s a challenger? You don’t want others picking on you for being weak, do you?”
“Daddy says nothing solves a disagreement like some hot tea and laughter.” Ranma beamed proudly at remembering his lessons.
Nodoka sighed as she shook her head, thinking, “Figures!”
“Well, some people won’t want to talk and listen. A quick beat down is all they’ll respect. Gloating helps too. And don’t forget to remind them often that they’re too weak to defeat you. It keeps them in their place. OK?”
Ranma nodded his head, “Okie-dokie Mommy!”
Nodoka smiled. “Hey, did I ever tell you the story of Elidor and the Golden Ball?”
“No, Momma.”
“Well, then, once upon a time in a place called Wales lived a young boy named Elidor. He was twelve, or so, in age, and tired of learning his letters.” And so Nodoka gave the story, as she did with all the stories she told Ranma, her personal slant and spin.
That afternoon, Genma and Ranma continued there training. This time they stood in the waters of the lake, Genma further out as he was taller and Ranma closer to the shore, so that each were waist deep. Facing each other, Ranma mirrored Genma’s movements as they performed aerobics in the water.
“And one and two and one and two,” Genma counted out. “Are you getting tired yet, Ranma?”
“Nope, I bet I do more than you, Daddy.”
Genma laughed. “Alright then, bring it on!” Ranma’s enthusiasm for training was an endearing quality.
Meanwhile, Nodoka was out of sight, among a copse of trees, holding a meeting of her own.
“Well, Hakkai, were you careful to not be detected coming here?”
The demon bowed its head. “Yes, Lady Hild-sama. I myself was very careful, I myself was.”
“Good, good. The fool is getting complacent. How can I win this bet if he enjoys being a mortal? We’ll be coming into the next town in a couple days. Try to arrange something.”
“Yes, Lady Hild-sama. Kami he, himself will not be expecting Hakkai me, no he himself won’t. This one I have a wonderful surprise in store, yes I myself do.”
“I was thinking, maybe a bit of a run in with the local law. Try to get some notice to fall upon any old reports back when Happosai and his two students were in town. Especially any descriptions of Genma.”
The demon bowed its head, once more. “Yes, Lady Hild-sama. Your wish is mine command. This one I will not fail you yourself master. It’ll be done as you yourself have commanded.”
Nodoka rolled her eyes at the demon, who was in the form of a little old lady. Hakkai’s strange speech patterns was an annoyance to her. “What are you waiting around her for, then? To be caught? Get going, you have your orders.”
The demon bowed from the waist and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Adjusting her kimono, Nodoka made sure nothing looked out of place before returning to the camp to cook dinner.
The boys were doing jumping jacks in the water when she returned.
“Getting tired yet, Ranma?”
“No way, old man.”
Nodoka chuckled. Setting about the task of cooking, she began with throwing some wood on the low fire from lunch. When she was confident the added sticks would ignite, she began to rummage through her pack. She made Genma carry most of the supplies and the heaviest pack, but she liked to keep some stuff on her person and out of his prying eyes.
Collecting the pots from where Genma hung them to dry, Nodoka began to imagine what kind of troubles awaited Genma at the next city.
The family hadn't been in the new town long, but Nodoka was getting impatient. Nothing troublesome had yet to happen. So while Genma tried to arrange a motel room for the family, she tried to see if she couldn't hurry things along.
Inside the motel, Genma passed by a man in a cheap suit, his fedora pulled down over his eyes, sleeping in a chair in the lounge. A bearded old man was perusing through the small stack of pamphlets for local attractions and call girls. Genma walked up to the desk and rung the bell. A man, dressed in gi and hakama, stoically stood in the corner and eyed Genma’s gi. A very beautiful and busty brunette was also at the counter, waiting for service. Her top was low cut with a plunging neckline that left little of her cleavage to the imagination.
“I’ll be with you in one second, sir,” a young woman mentioned to Genma as she exited the back room behind the counter. She then turned to the brunette and handed over an envelope.
Genma whistled while he waited.
Meanwhile, in the local police precinct, an officer was hanging up a phone. ‘Sheesh. Some woman thinks she recognizes some associate of a panty thief. Like we’re not too busy that we can go after such a small thing.’ Officer Yokomoto shook his head. ‘I better get cracking on that Tsunoko case for the chief.’
Looking at his inbox, he found a pile of folders waiting for him. Grabbing the one that looked like the one he wanted, he opened it up only to find another file misfiled inside of it. ‘Oh man, it’s some cold case. Wait a minute!’ The paperwork detailed how serious a threat Happosai is, how he had embarrassed the force, and how much of a priority he should be given. It also showed that besides a national level of interest in his many far flung crimes, there was also an international interest. Information was to go to the top, and law enforcement at every level was expected to cooperate. The file also referenced two of his accomplices. ‘What dumb luck, I just got a lead! I better go tell the chief right away.’
Shortly thereafter, yet another officer of the peace was hanging up the phone. But this one was a captain at an Interpol branch.
“Mia,” Captain Kenshiro buzzed his secretary, “you can send in my Two O’Clock appointment now.”
Soon, a hard boiled cop in a London Fog trench coat walked into the Captain’s Office. “Thank you for seeing me, Kenshiro old pal. I have reason to believe that-”
The captain waved him off. “Forget it. I’m reactivating one of your old cases. We just got a lead.”
“Old cases?” The cop interrupted to ask.
The captain nodded grimy. “Yes, the panty thief one. The greatest panty thief in history, the one that manages to always slip away, the one every officer was itching to arrest; until he disappeared several years ago.”
“Has he turned up somewhere then?”
“No,” the captain sat back in his chair before continuing, “but we believe one of his partners was sighted.”
“Partners? Those two crazy clowns? They’re not worth my time. I have reason to believe-”
The captain cut him off. “Enough Zenigata. I do not want to hear about Lupin. The Panty Raider is your priority. Do you understand?”
Inspector Zenigata nodded, but reluctantly. “But why all the-”
“Koichi,” Captain Kenshiro warned in a dangerous voice, “our lead places one of his accomplices in Tōkamachi, Niigata Prefecture. A local constabulary received a tip only a short while ago. I want you to go there as soon as possible and look into it. He was sighted going into the Mahabashi Motel. Who knows what he’s up to. Perhaps planning a crime or heist, maybe he can lead us to Happosai. You are to apprehend him, at all costs. Do I make myself clear?”
Koichi Zenigata nodded while thinking to himself. ‘Tōkamachi, that is where Lupin will be. Maybe I could play them off of each other. If Lupin were to get word that there was a thief more successful and more feared than him, he’d stop at nothing to prove himself by causing the other to be captured. Though Lupin wouldn’t consider lingerie to be successes, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I play my cards right, I could catch both. Hahaha, Lupin I have you now!’
The captain raised his eyebrow at the sight of Inspector Zenigata laughing while rubbing his hands together and with a crafty smile to his face.
“Do not worry, Captain, for Inspector Zenigata is on the case!”
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Errol Peregrinus
(Posted Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:35)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.