Subject: (no subject)
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 01:17:57 -0600
From: "Donny" 
To: chengdo@shaw.wave.ca

Disclaimer:  All characters portrayed in this story are the property of
Rumiko Takahashi and co.

This story takes place after volume 38 of the manga and draws ideas from
the anime also.

Another Time, Same Place

by

Donny Cheng

Chapter 4:  What's in a Name?

        Ranma frowned as he looked at the four smiling girls.  Ever since he
awoke from Meiko's chi blast, they had all been abnormally nice to him.
Well, Perfume and Ryoko for the most part.  Meiko and Eiko were always
nice to him.  From his past experience with women, they were up to no
good.  "Really, I can fold my tent myself."

        Ryoko waved Ranma's protests off.  "Don't be silly.  You helped us set
everything up when we got here.  It's only fair that we help out now.
Right, Perfume?"

        Perfume's obviously fake smile dropped from her face for a moment
before it instantly reappeared on her face.  She nodded sweetly at Ranma
and promptly left him there gaping at her wake.  Her thoughts on the boy
were not at all sweet.  He was the one that wanted to join her and
great-great-grandmother on this trip.  He also agreed to do these menial
jobs.  Why should she help him out?  She could just hear those in Nerima
now.  Yeah, she lost to Ranma alright and now she's his wife.  Look at
what a helpful wife she is.  She wanted to gag.  Strangely, her stomach
felt slightly less queasy than she would have thought.

        Ranma was sweating nervously.  Girls being nice to him for no reason
other than to be nice was not a normal occurrence for him.  Also he
didn't like the teeth showing from Perfume's smile.  He got the distinct
impression of a cat with her tail being stepped on.

        Cologne motioned for the group to leave for home the moment everything
was packed.

                        * * * * *

        Ranma tilted his head as the group reached the outer limits of the
city.  Did he just see what he thought he saw?  "Hey, you guys head back
home without me.  I got something to take care of."

        Cologne nodded as she too caught sight of a most disturbing scene.
"Remember Ranma, twenty years have passed.  I don't suppose he is the
same person you knew him to be."

        Ranma shrugged.  The person in question was a jerk before.  How much
more of a jerk could he have gotten?  Without another word he leaped
towards the last place he had seen them before they disappeared.

        "Where's Ranma off to?" Meiko asked as she ran up to Cologne.  The rest
of the girls were not far behind.

        "To meet an old acquaintance," Cologne said mysteriously.  Her voice
showed hints of worry.

                        * * * * *

        "For the last time, will you change my name?"  Taro asked menacingly.
He held up the little bundle in his hands up and punched it again.

        "How about I split it up.  Panty Taro?  Hose Taro?"  Happosai asked
helpfully.  He dangled uselessly in Taro's hands.

        "Arggh!  How many times do I have to say it?  No underwear!"  Taro was
growing frustrated.  Twenty years he waited for this moment!  He was far
superior to the old master and still the lecher refused to give in.
Growling, he punched again and again.

        Happosai grunted softly, "My, you've gotten pretty strong, Pantyhose."

        Taro raged at the name.  Before, although he had been bothered by the
name, he could usually contain his anger long enough to get the job
done.  However, today was a much different story.  Twenty years he lived
with it.  A entire life wasted due to that god-forsaken name.  Angrily,
he stared in to the lech's eyes.  "If you do not change it, I will kill
you."

        Happosai flinched at the gaze.  "I've come up with dozens of names
already for you.  You didn't like any of them."

        Taro's shoulders sagged.  He had counted on his strength to cow
Happosai into giving him what he wanted.  Even in the face of death, the
lech stubbornly refused him.  So that was it.  His last chance at a life
gone.  Well, if he would not be able to enjoy the life he wanted,
neither would Happosai!

        "Let him go, Taro," Ranma said as he came up behind the two bickering
men.

        Taro whirled around and frowned as he looked upon the face of one Ranma
Saotome.

        Happosai used Taro's momentarily distraction to slip out of his clothes
and ran for it.  "Sweeto!"

        Taro frowned at the inconvenience.  It wouldn't be too hard to track
Happosai down again.  Thanks to some buffoon, Nerima had a school filled
with very healthy young girls.  It was one of the reasons Happosai
withstood his onslaught of attacks for so long.  The aura Happosai was
feeding off from these young martial artists must have been
overwhelming.  He turned to the new problem at hand.  "I didn't know
Fem-Boy had a son.  Wouldn't even think it was possible.  He couldn't
have gotten cured, since the flood caused the magic of Jusenkyo to
scramble for a hundred years at least."

        Ranma gave Taro a look of annoyance at his former enemy's choice of
words.  Before he could say anything Taro spoke up again.

        "The curses are strong enough to bestow certain traits on the heirs.
Meaning Pig-boy gave Akane some short, but impressive children.  Fem-Boy
on the other hand would probably provide too many chromosomes of the
wrong kind."  Taro snorted as he came to his conclusion, "That means,
you are Fem-Boy.  I had heard you disappeared a while back.  You haven't
aged a bit.  I always thought you preferred being female.  Must have
spent years in that form.  I doubt that your youth comes from a lifetime
of training like I have done.

        Ranma bristled at that last comment.  But he did have to admit that
Taro had appeared to have aged only about ten years since he last saw
him.  Now that he thought about it some more, his friends didn't look
their full thirty-six years either.  It just reminded him of just how
much they had improved over the years.  "If you're so smart, what would
trying to catch to Happosai gain?  You know he'll never change your name
if you try to force him.  It never worked before."

        "None of your damn business.  You let him get away and wasted my time.
I think it's time I taught you a lesson."

        Ranma braced himself as Taro suddenly rushed at him.  Ranma only had to
note Taro's blurring form to know that he had no chance of winning.
Instead, he held his arms up in an attempt to lesson some amount of the
damage.

        Taro was relentless as he pounded into Ranma's body.  He frowned as
noticed how easy it was.  It was as if Ranma almost hadn't improved in
the last twenty years.  He whipped his hands out and grabbed Ranma by
the shirt.  He stared into dead eyes.  He looked away as he saw his own
eyes mirrored in them.  Exactly the same.  "Man, what happened to you?
You've slipped a lot since I last saw you."

        "Nothing happened," Ranma said bitterly.  He weakly pushed himself away
from Taro's grasp and found the other none to eager to hold on.  Ranma
smiled, but there was no joy in it. "Literally, nothing.  Yeah, I've
been gone for twenty years alright.  Twenty years ago, I made a wish for
everyone to be happy.  Well guess what?  I was granted the wish.  It
sent me to the future when everyone would be happy."

        Taro was slightly put off by the tone in Ranma's voice.  Gone was the
brashness and arrogance.  A voice that seemed to mock and irritate him
whenever he thought of it.  In it's place was the voice of a bitter and
tired man.  Again he was surprised to find that it resembled his own.
"So you've come back to a happy home.  A home that no longer needs you
and your fiancée is married to a rival.  Good.  It's nice to know that
someone out there has a life at least as miserable as mine.  It's only
fitting that it would be the second person I most hate."

        Somehow, Ranma didn't believe Taro.  He knew that he wouldn't wish this
life on anyone, even someone as snide as Taro.  From Taro's words he
figured the years hadn't been kind.  "Whatever.  Look we can sit here
and make fun of each other all day, but wouldn't you rather have
Happosai change your name?"

        "As you've already said, force just won't work on the old pervert.  I
should have known better than to try.  But when I heard that he had
resurfaced I thought maybe, just maybe this time would be different.
And anyway, why should you care if he changes my name or not?"  Taro
eyed Ranma suspiciously.  The last time Ranma 'helped' him, he ended up
with more trouble than he bargained for in that useless fight with
Rouge.

        "Because I can't stand to look of you.  Pitiful.  Makes your already
ugly face even more unbearable."  Taro didn't budge and kept his eyes
focused on Ranma.  Ranma frowned, "If you really want to know, it's
because I feel it's partially my fault you're in this mess.  If I hadn't
disappeared, Happosai wouldn't have been missing in action.  You would
have either gotten a new name or given up much earlier instead of
waiting twenty years to find out.  Also, I figure anyone 'honorable'
enough to keep a stupid name like Pantyhose for so many years isn't all
that bad.  Personally, I would have said to hell with Happosai and
changed my name much earlier."

        Taro finally let his guard down.  Ranma's value of other people's lives
would always get him into it deep.  Once a sap, always a sap.  He had
sworn to himself never to trust the sex changing boy ever again since
the last time they teamed up.  However, he could not bring himself to
see this boy, seemingly with a life as bad as his own, tricking him.
Taro sighed.  For a lack of better idea, he agreed, "Come on.  We've got
a pervert to catch.  So what's this plan of yours?"

        "Actually I haven't got one yet."  Ranma winced as Taro started to
glare at him.  "Hey, I'll think of something.  I always do."

                        * * * * *

        Happosai stopped for a moment to catch his breath.  He scanned the area
and found a nice resting spot by the edge of the park.  He slowly
stretched out his small and battered body.  Taro's punches had hurt!
Damn, the boy had improved.

        "Oh, hello.  You seem to be in pain.  Are you hurt?"

        Happosai's heart immediately quickened as hundreds of years of training
told him that behind him a was a beautiful young woman in the full bloom
of her life.  He turned around, jumped, opened his arms, and missed.  He
found himself grabbing nothing but air and landed on the ground with a
flop.  What was the matter with him?  His ability to guess where a
girl's location was ninety-nine percent effective.  That one percent
being girls with personalities like Nabiki or Kasumi.  Oh.

        

        "You're so silly.  You seem to feel much better now.  Did you want to
join me on my picnic?" the young woman asked gently.

        Happosai nodded as he accepted the gracious offer of the beauty.  He
found himself staring as he drank in the sight before him.  She
resembled Akane somewhat with her close-cropped hair and round face.
However, in personality she resembled Kasumi much more.  He could never
refuse Kasumi's polite requests and found he could nor refuse this
woman's.  "I'd be glad to.  My, what a big lunch you have prepared.  I
doubt that you could have eaten it all, Ms..?"

        "Osaka.  Osaka Nanami, but please call me Nanami.  Well, the lunch
isn't only for me.  I'm waiting for a friend of mine."  Nanami blushed
slightly as she said this.

        Happosai nodded knowingly at the redness in the woman's cheeks.  "Well,
you can call me Happy.  I wouldn't stay here too long if I were you.
Once your gentleman friend gets here, it'd be wise for you to leave
immediately.  There's a maniac that turns into a monster on the loose."
Happosai was surprised to see the woman begin to laugh.  She didn't
believe him?

        "Oh, Mr. Happy, I wouldn't be too worried about him.  He's not really
of a bad sort."  Nanami blushed even more.

        Happosai stared.  "This friend you're waiting for, it's him!?"

        Nanami nodded meekly.  "Yes, Mister..," she sighed.  "I don't even know
his name.  I've only called him Mister the entire time that I've known
him.  However, you can be sure that he is a good person.  Why, the only
reason I met him was because one day a monster saved me from some
ruffians when I was walking home one day.  Later I found out that the
monster was actually a man."

        Happosai flinched.  He knew the reason Taro didn't give his name out.
"Um, you think he's a good guy because he saved you?  Doesn't that make
him out to be of the rough sort also?"

        "I guess, I've come to know him a lot better.  He isn't the most polite
person in the world, but he also isn't the worst.  I repeatedly asked
him for his name to thank him, but he would never give it to me.  I
think he was protecting me in some way by not letting me know him too
well.  So I suggested thanking him by sharing my meals with him.  He
didn't seem to have any place to stay so I was wondering about his
health.  Fortunately he agreed and I've been visiting him here in the
park ever since."

        "Ever since?  How long has this been going on?"  Happosai was afraid to
ask, but forced himself to.  He recalled vividly the hopelessness in
Taro's eyes.

        "Quite a while now," Nanami's voice faltered a moment, "almost a year.
But, I may have to stop seeing him soon.  My parents are starting to
worry about me turning into an old maid.  They've set up a few
matchmaking sessions for me."

        "There he is!" Ranma cried out and ran towards Happosai with Taro right
beside him.  Or so he thought.  Taro had raced up front and was already
there.

        Taro felt a deep sense of dread as he saw Happosai talking with a
woman.  He slowed to a walk as he approached them.  His eyes darted to
Nanami's face to see if there was any indication if she knew or not.

        Nanami smiled as she looked at her friend.  The fact that he had come
rushing in with fury in his expression didn't daunt her in the least
bit.  "Mr. Happy, this is my friend I was talking about."

        Happosai nodded.  "Hello, Taro."

        Taro saw his life flash before his eyes.  His last hope was gone.

        "Oh, you know him?  Taro is his name?  Taro..?" Nanami asked
hopefully.  She refused to look at Taro yet.  She would not let him see
the deep redness in her face.

        "Just Taro.  Plain old Taro.  He likes to be called Mr. Taro, but for
you I think Taro would do just fine," Happosai explained further.

        Ranma got to the small group just in time to hear Happosai's last
words.  He stared in shock.  The pervert changed the name just like
that.  No threats, no nothing?

        "Mr. Taro," Nanami said as she tested out the name for the first time,
"I'm sorry I forced your friend to tell me your name.  I hope you can
forgive me."  Nanami looked at Taro shyly.

        Taro raised his arm in a gesture of waving her request of forgiveness
off.  But he found his hand trembling violently and quickly lowered it
down again.  Without looking at Happosai, he turned and bowed slightly
towards the old master.  He then turned his attention back to Nanami.
"Don't be sorry, Ms. Osaka.  I guess my name would come out sooner of
later.  It was silly of me to think that you might not like it.  He was
right.  For you I would prefer if you called me just Taro."

        Nanami smiled.  She guessed that she could tell her parents to cancel
those sessions.  "Mr. Taro, I mean, Taro, would you care to join me for
lunch.  I have a big lunch ready.  I was about to share it with Mr.
Happy, oh where did he go?"

        Somehow Taro knew that Happosai would skip out on this meal.  "Don't
worry about him, he's always on the run.  I'll join you in a moment.  I
have something to say to my young companion."

        Nanami nodded and left the two men alone.

        Ranma smirked at as he watched Nanami leave.  "So this was the reason
you really wanted your name to change."

        Taro sighed.  "I had been lonely, but still quite happy with perfecting
my art.  It wasn't until after years of solitude that I began to miss
the company of someone, anyone.  The very thought of making my wife live
with a husband with 'pantyhose' for a name sickened me, so I never
married.  Never even thought of it seriously until I met Nanami."

        "Glad for you man," Ranma said and was surprised to find that he
actually meant it.

        "Even though I never needed you, I just wanted to say thanks for
offering."  Taro was surprised to find that he meant it also.

        "Well, I guess, you don't need me now.  I'd better get going," Ranma
said after a awkward moment of silence.

        Taro stopped Ranma one more time.  "You were wrong.  You would have
kept the name for twenty years also."

        Ranma stared at Taro briefly before turning to go.

                        * * * * *

        Happosai watched for a moment longer as the couple shared a special
moment.  He never regretted for one single moment his choice of the art
over love.  But once in awhile, he wondered what his life might have
been like if he had chosen differently.  Oh well, from the setting sun,
it was time for the various girl sports teams to change and shower.
"Sweeto!"

                        * * * * *

        Ranma managed to catch up with the group of girls before they headed
back home.  His fight with Taro illustrated to him just how far he
needed to go.

        "You want to join me and Perfume again?  I don't see why not, provided
you do your chores again," Cologne said as she hopped on the path
alongside Ranma.

        "Don't worry, I'll do it and... thanks," Ranma said hesitantly.

        Cologne turned her head to look at the young martial artist beside
her.  Has she heard right?  Ranma rarely ever thanked her for her help.
He asked for it often enough before.  She could see the pensive mood
that he was in and had to wonder if the strain was starting to get to
him.

        Ranma turned his head to see the amazon elder nod her head in
acknowledgement.  He really did feel grateful to her.  Not for teaching
him but for staying the same.  He felt strangely more comfortable around
Cologne's hidden agenda than around Akane or any of his former peers'
nicety.  Cologne, Happosai, Mr. Tendo, and his parents were the only
stable elements in his life in that they treated him no different from
before.  He would rather have had Ryoga, Mousse, and Kuno still angry
with him than pity him.  Anything, but that.  "Yeah, maybe next time we
can get to my training faster.  I mean I do learn at a faster rate after
all."

        

        "Perfume, you promised to be nice," Meiko admonished the black haired
beauty gently.

        "I was being nice.  Accidents happen," Perfume replied crossly.

        "Wow, Ranma must have bad luck.  He got right in the way of Meiko's chi
blast and now he got right in the way of that rock you kicked," Eiko
said wonderingly.

        Ryoko rolled her eyes and just continued walking.

        Ranma smiled as he reached around and softly touched the growing lump
on his head.  Much better.  It had felt weird when they were going out
of their way to be nice to him.  He had been wrong when he thought the
adults were his only hold on his sanity.  His friends' children were
fast filling that much needed gap in his life.  It just wouldn't do if
they started to pity him too.  The sounds of bickering girls drowned out
his thoughts.

                        * * * * *

        "...ninety six, ninety seven, ninety eight dojo signs.  Just one more
to go before I finish it off with the Saotome school.  The Tendo school,
the other half of the anything goes school will be a good choice."  Ken
then started placing all the signs back into the wagon.  When he
defeated two of the most famous schools in all of Japan, nobody will
doubt his skill.

                        * * * * *

        Lotion stared hard at the flyer in her hands.

Nekohanten Menu

Special

Egg Ramen...

        At the bottom of the flyer were the names of the owner.  Cologne and
Shampoo.  Lotion crumpled it up and continued walking.

                        * * * * *

        Spice ate his dinner as the peaceful night rolled to a close.

                        * * * * *

The End. (maybe)

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/ginza/4537

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