I've worked on my verb tenses (oopsie! -- I still switch back and forth,
perhaps even more in this version, but it's much more consistent now),
added a bit, and reworded a couple of things.


                           "Genma's Problem"
                             by Josh Green

Disclaimer: The characters of Ranma 1/2 are owned by Takahashi Rumiko,
Sogakukan, Inc. Tokyo, and VIZ, Inc.

C&C very much appreciated.  Flames will be extracted and fed to my
firedrake.  Good Smog!

                                 *****

   My name is Saotome Genma.  And I have a problem.

   Many people would agree with me on this.  Some of them think I'm a
cruel, vicious man who doesn't care for anyone but himself.  I'm certain
that is how Ukyou sees me.  Others think I'm simply an idiot who can't
see past the end of his nose.

   How wrong they are.

   It began when I was seventeen.  Puberty was ending for me and my
hormones were becoming more stable.  I believe that was the trigger.

   I began seeing things.  Things other people couldn't.  Or wouldn't.

   About a week after the visions started, I realized what was
happening.

   I could see into the future.

   Being able to see into the future, like many of the super-human
abilities that I have witnessed, isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

   The first difficulty with seeing into the future is that you can
learn just how insignificant you are.

   I would never save the world from some alien menace.  I would never
develop a cure for cancer.  I would never be rich.  I would never lead
our nation to greatness.

   But one thing did call to me from the futures I saw.  Beckoning me,
welcoming me.

   The Art.

                                 vvvvv

   I'm sitting with my best friend, Tendou Souun.

   We're sharing a bottle of sake when I broach the subject.

   "Souun, my friend.  What do you think of going on a training trip?"

   We have both studied martial arts since we were young.  We're good,
but we haven't dedicated our lives to the Art.  Not yet.

   Souun strokes his newly grown mustache while he thinks about my
suggestion.

   "What did you have in mind, Genma?"

   "I've heard of a martial arts master who's in Kyoto right now.  He
teaches a unique style.  It's supposed to be the most powerful martial
arts in the world."

   I can see the gears turning in my friends mind.  Neither of us has
the money to go to college, but if we can become famous and open a
dojo...

   "What's the name of the style?"

   I have him now.

   "Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu."

   I'm sorry, my friend.

                                 ^^^^^

   We trained under Happosai, learning much about the Art.  Including
some things that we never wanted to know.

   I, especially, put much effort into learning all that Happosai could
teach me.  Souun, while as enthusiastic as I was, had more to
concentrate on than just the Art.  He would often leave me alone with
the master for several days to visit his girlfriend.

   After a few years, Souun wanted to end our association with Happosai,
but I pressed him into continuing.

   Then everything changed.

   I met Nodoka.

   And I fell in love.

   Seeing into the future is one thing, but the glimpses I had had of the
possible women in my life gave me no indication of how I might feel.  I
was giddy.  The master noticed and made some lewd suggestions, but
nothing could pull me off my high.

   As my relationship with Nodoka grew, thoughts of marriage entered my
mind more frequently.  From this, I learned of what is perhaps the most
debilitating limit of seeing the future.

   A person only sees the paths that he chooses to look down.  It would
be impossible to see everything that could possibly happen to a person,
so the ability focuses according to what the person wants to see.

   As I looked down the paths of my marriage to Nodoka, I caught
glimpses of _him_ for the first time.

   My son.

   Ranma.

   He became a beacon for me.  A goal that only I could achieve.  A
purpose for my life.

   I began focusing my energies on Ranma rather than the Art.  I could
see that in many paths of the future he would be a great martial artist.
I could see him gaining the glory about which I had once dreamed.

   Souun and I plotted a way to get out from Happosai's control.

   Though there would be times later in life when I cursed my ability,
there have also been times that I have blessed it.

                                 vvvvv

   Once again, I'm having a drink with my friend.  This time, we're
celebrating our soon-to-be freedom from the master.

   I'm in a contemplative mood tonight as our plan plays itself out in
my head over and over.  I have to watch how much I drink tonight, so I
distract myself by looking into other parts of the future as well.

   My future looks the same as it has for the past few months.  Ranma is
there, all is well.  I decide to look into Souun's future in a similar
vein, something I haven't done before.

   What I find first surprises me.

   Souun will have several daughters, but I don't see any sons in his
future.

   What I see next worries me.

   Souun's wife will die.

   I can't find any paths where it won't happen.  It must be some
disease then, not an accident.  Not something changeable.

   Souun will start to withdraw from his children.  He will become
emotionally unbalanced and unable to teach classes.  Concern for the
future of his daughters and his dojo will eventually lead to a nervous
breakdown.  That will put his girls in a very bad position.

   But how can I do anything about all that?  He's my best friend.  My
only friend.  There has to be some way...

   Ah!  Inspiration strikes me.  Souun may be a bit more progressive
about some ideas than I am, but he's enough like me that I know how to
reassure him about his dojo and his daughters -- one of them, at least.

   "Tendou, my friend.  I have a proposal..."

   As he listens to my idea, I watch the time lines alter.  It won't
help him as much as I had hoped, but it will be enough.

   We make a promise to join the Saotome and Tendou lines, just as
Happosai bounces through the door.

                                 ^^^^^

   I knew the cave wouldn't hold Happosai forever.  It didn't need to.
By the time Happosai escaped from the cave, my son would be ready for
him.  Ready to learn more than I ever could.

   Shortly after trapping Happosai, while thinking about the promise
that Souun and I had made, I tried to look into Ranma's romantic future.

   It was like a cacophony of images, all fighting for a place of
dominance in my perspective.  The only thing I got out of the experience
was a headache worse than I've had from any hangover.

   I decided not to try that again.

   I wouldn't understand what had happened to me until much later, when
I began to learn of Ranma's ability to attract girls.  And the reason
behind that attraction.

   But I'm getting ahead of myself...

                                 vvvvv

   "Must you take him away?" my wife pleads with me.  Her eyes even more
so than her voice.

   "It is for the best.  Do not worry, I will make him a man among men!"

   I hand her the piece of paper with my signature and Ranma's
handprints.

   "Oh, Genma," she sighs after reading the paper.

                                 ^^^^^

   The Contract.  Ranma's dread.  My brilliance.

   I needed a way to keep Ranma and Nodoka away from each other.  I had
already seen Jusenkyou in some of the futures.  I knew what to expect
there, which would probably greatly surprise -- and anger -- Ranma.

   With the chaos that I saw around Ranma's future life, I knew that
Nodoka would not be ready for the danger that comes with being around
our son.  She would need the time between our return from the training
trip and the fight at Jusendo to learn how to use her katana for more
than just being a second.

   I'm not much of a conversationalist and I knew that I would not be
able to convince her to leave Ranma alone once they were reunited.  So,
I had to devise a scheme to ensure that Ranma would help me in keeping
the two of them apart.  Jusenkyou would help me with that, but then I
had already decided that we would go there.

   My worst fears concerning this were almost proven during Ranma's
fight with the Kumon boy.  She came very close to getting injured during
their final battle.  The paths I saw during those few moments convinced
me that I was right, no matter how much trouble I was putting Ranma
through.

   But the choices life gives you, even when you can see the future,
aren't always easy.

                                 vvvvv

   "Ranma and Ukyou certainly seem to get along well."

   I know something important is about to happen.  I can almost feel the
paths of time shifting about me.

   "Yes, they do."

   "We might consider engaging the two of them.  I know that Ukyou would
like that."

   I now see where this is heading.  The pathways are opening. And
closing.  The longer I wait, the fewer choices I have.

   "Well, I don't know.  Ranma is already engaged..."

   We can take Ukyou with us.  But she will slow our trip down.  My
training time will have to be split between the two of them.  Ranma's
skill will suffer.  That isn't acceptable.

   "And here I was, willing to give the yatai as dowry..."

   Now many of the doors are closed.  I see Ukyou growing up to lead a
normal life as an okonomiyaki seller.  I see Ukyou become an obsessed
killer, willing to do anything to get her revenge.  I see Ukyou grow up,
bitter and alone, rejecting the okonomiyaki trade, because her dowry was
refused and she believed that her first crush didn't return any of her
feelings.  I see Ukyou train in the martial arts, becoming very skilled,
in order to get revenge on the boy that she felt humiliated her.

   Most of the paths I see are similar to the last two, making them the
most likely.

   "I think it's a wonderful idea!"

                                 ^^^^^

   There are times when no amount of foresight can prepare you for what
happens.  There are times when the control of events is taken out of
your hands by fate.

   When this happens, everything becomes cloudy, uncertain.  It's like
trying to peer through a thick fog.  It can be a confusing and
frightening time for a person who is accustomed to seeing the outcome of
things.

   The Neko-ken was my first experience with this, as well as my worst
failure.  I had seen Ranma master the Neko-ken.  I had seen his skill
improve in leaps and bounds afterwards, nearly becoming a chi master in a
few short years.  I was obsessed with this vision and I couldn't let it
go.

                                 vvvvv

   "I-I'm sc-scared."

   Why is this happening?

   "You don't wanted to be scared of cats for the rest of your life, do
you?"

   I can't understand.  What is happening to my ability?

   "N-no."

   This isn't how I have seen it.  And now, I can't see anything!

   "A man would never be scared of a little cat.  You do want to be a
man, don't you, Ranma?"

   It will turn out the way I have seen it.  It has to.

   "Yes," Ranma squeaks.

   I open the pit and drop Ranma in again.

                                 ^^^^^

   I was disappointed in Ranma.  But I was more disappointed with
myself.  And my ability.

   Still, I relied on it.  It was as instinctual to me by now as
focusing my eyes or flexing my fingers.

   I thought I wouldn't have to worry unless I came to another time when
the outcome was fogged.  But when fate decides not to interfere, the
human will can cause problems.

                                 vvvvv

   "These techniques look difficult."

   "Yes, they are.  But I've seen you fight.  I know that you're skilled
enough to learn them and teach them to others."

   "And you're willing to give these techniques to me?"

   "Of course!  The Yamasen-ken will make your dojo famous!"

                                 ^^^^^

   And it would have.  Should have.

   I've learned that even when certain events seem inevitable, the
course can be changed.  Kumon-san decided to test the techniques on his
own dojo and in the process destroyed it and killed himself.

   I decided to give up my foreknowledge, as much as I could.

   I fought it at every turn.  Deliberately ignored some warnings that I
received in order to separate myself from it.

   I finally won.  It seemed to die inside of me, either from neglect or
abuse.

   The timing was just perfect.

                                 vvvvv

   "We're going to leave in three days, Ranma."

   "But I have a duel with Ryouga!"

   So, the boy feels he's ready for a real fight, does he?

   "When?  Where?"

   "Later today.  Behind Ryouga's house.  In the empty lot."

   "No problem then."

   "But Ryouga's got an awful sense of direction.  Who knows if he'll
even find his way there today."

   Bad direction is one thing, but surely the boy can't be that bad.

   "Three days."

   "Sure, Pop."

                                 ^^^^^

   I didn't know that the Hibiki boy would follow us all the way to
Jusenkyou.

   Ranma was at the point where a regular sparring partner his own age
would have done him good.  I would have taken Ryouga with us if I had
understood how focused the boy was on becoming as good as Ranma.

   But, I wasn't using my ability, and I've never been very insightful.

   At Jusenkyou, things changed.  Appropriate, as Jusenkyou is a land of
changes.

                                 vvvvv

   "C'mon, boy!"

   I leap to the top of a pole and taunt Ranma, knowing that he won't
let my challenge pass.

   "Right behind you, Pop!"

   Ranma lands on top of one of the other poles, facing me.

   We jump at each other.

   The whole of reality seems to open before me.

   I see all the paths that can occur from this point.  Joy.  Sorrow.
Triumph.  Defeat.  All centering on this place, this time.

   The pinnacle of achievement.  Over there, the spring of the drowned
Phoenix, a bright voice seems to whisper to me.  You can make him
immortal, all-powerful.

   The depths of despair.  There, a cold wind says, the spring of the
drowned Ranma awaits.

   Ranma gets a good kick in while I am distracted and I feel myself
plunge underwater.

   Unexpected.  I feel my body change.  I see the possibilities closing,
but there is enough time.

   Roaring, I leap out of the water to the top of pole above the spring.
The guide is explaining the curse to Ranma.  Now is the time to move,
before he fully understands what is happening.

   "Pop?!" Ranma asks in a shocked voice.

   I respond by kicking him into Nyannichuan.

   One more piece of the future that I had seen so long ago is in place.

                                 ^^^^^

   There are many secrets to Jusenkyou.  And there is at least one
secret about the curses found there as well.

   I'm sure that Lukkosai knows the secret.  Though his form would be
far from the most useful.  Perhaps Taro and Rouge, as they seem to be
comfortable with their curses and the abilities those forms have.
Happosai and Cologne certainly know as well, but it makes me wonder why
they haven't taken advantage of it.  Perhaps they're afraid that they
would end up as I have, knowing that it's there but not being able to do
anything with it.

   Ranma doesn't know.  Not yet.

   Ever since Jusenkyou, I haven't been able to rely on my ability.  I
don't know whether it burned itself out or whether it was damaged from
my suppression or whether it has simply fulfilled its primary purpose
and is no longer needed.

   It comes to me again at times, mostly when Ranma is fighting a strong
opponent.  Some of the paths that I saw while Ranma fought Saffron, I
will remember for the rest of my life.

   I can feel it now, calling to me.

   I open my senses, but see nothing but fog.

   Looking out my window, I see Ranma sitting on a stone by the pond,
having a quiet discussion with Akane, who's laying on the grass.

   A rustle of cloth attracts my attention and I turn to see Nodoka
enter the room.

   "Gen-chan?"

   It has been so long since Nodoka called me that.  She sits down
beside me and takes my hand.

   "Yes, dear?"

   Now the fog thickens, and now it parts.

   "I'm pregnant."

   And for the first time in a long, long while... I faint.

                                 *****

Notes:

   This will lead into a serious MegaXover that I have been planning,
called "Heirs to Power."  That's way I brought up certain things and
then turned around and ignored them, not explaining.

   I've been plotting bits and pieces of my "Heirs to Power" for over a
year now, but I'm finally becoming happy with the plot, so I decided to
write this.  Also, I've starting writing down ideas for some sequels to
"Heirs to Power."  I'm taking that as a sign that my brain is getting
interested in writing the sucker out.

   Thanks for all the response to this 'fic.  A couple of you gave me
some good questions to mull over and helped me finalize some of what's
going to occur in "Heirs to Power."  Now to complete my timeline and
figure out how to add Samurai Pizza Cats -- just kidding!