PART 3: THE MERCENARY, HER SISTER; THE PANTY THIEF,
HIS PAWN; THE AMAZON, HER AI REN; THE LOST BOY,
HOME AGAIN.
FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOLYARD
1:15 P.M.
The clouds had begun to grow dark over the district of
Nerima. To the average person this would have seemed extremely
odd since most of today had been bright and sunny. However
sudden and random outbreaks of rain were not uncommon in this
town. Indeed, it seemed to rain there at least once a day, every
day, 365 days a year. The storms could last from a few minutes to
a few weeks. It was unusual yes, but to the citizens of Nerima, it
was a simple fact of life, never meant to be solved or questioned.
On this cold gray early afternoon, two combatants squared
off against one another. Both of them warriors, both of them trying
to see through the other's eyes for weakness or fear. Then one of the
warriors stepped forward....
"DEFEND YOURSELF!"
The voice was high pitched and full of cold malice. Then
another voice responded in kind, full of pride and determination,
belonging to a purple haired girl with the blood of the amazons
and 300 years of tradition flowing through her veins.
"Shampoo defeat you now!"
A loud rumble made itself heard, it was only the sky,
thunder, threatening rain....
Meanwhile, the battle had already begun....
Kodachi unleashed a flurry of clubs at Shampoo who expertly
dodged them and rushed at Kodachi with both of her Maces. Kodachi
backflipped away to avoid Shampoo's attack while using her ribbon to
wrap around and wretch one of Shampoo's maces out of her hand.
Kodachi, then attacked, using Shampoo's own mace against her but
Shampoo ducked underneath and screamed....
"RESSHOKYAKU!!!"
Shampoo leapt forward onto her hands and then used her
body to leap upwards, lashing out with her right foot, smashing it
into Kodachi's jaw. Kodachi fell backwards and hit the ground hard
while Shampoo landed on her feet like a cat and smirked down at
Kodachi.
"Was that too much for Psycho girl?" Shampoo said,
contempt evident in her voice.
Kodachi spat out a gob of blood and smiled. Then, without
warning, she tossed a bouquet of black roses directly into Shampoo's
face. An instant later, the roses emitted paralysis gas. Shampoo
quickly threw the roses away but was unable to prevent a small
amount of the gas from seeping into her lungs. Then Kodachi leapt
to her feet and thrust a spike covered club at Shampoo repeatedly.
Normally, Shampoo could have blocked it with time to spare
but the gas had already begun to slow her down, dulling her reflexes
and decreasing her response time. As a result, the spikes tore into
Shampoo's body, ripping through her clothes, and causing her to
gasp in pain. She retreated, holding her left side, which now had
several puncture marks dribbling slightly with blood.
"The battle is not finished until the quarry's heart has been
ripped from its chest and eaten." Kodachi sneered at the injured
amazon.
Kodachi leapt high into the air and threw a razor hoop at
Shampoo who caught it with her free hand and tossed it back at her
in one smooth movement. Kodachi also caught the hoop effortlessly
with one hand while tossing a medicine ball at Shampoo with her
other. Shampoo caught the ball only to have it explode in her hand.
Shampoo cried out involuntarily and held her burnt hand under her
armpit to stop the pain. Kodachi laughed as she admired the injuries
she had inflicted. Then she walks over to her, idly twirling her
ribbon, satisfied that she had made her point."
"You fight well....for a shrew....but the ultimate victory is
mine." The smile faded. "Now you will leave my sight and
remember....Ranma-Sama is MINE."
Kodachi laughed again, unaware of the blue aura
beginning to surround Shampoo. She had made a fatal mistake. She
had underestimated her opponent a great deal. Although Shampoo
was not thought by many to be the brightest person in the world, she
WAS one of the best fighters in the world, even Ranma knew that,
and soon Kodachi would know as well.
"NOW....YOU....MAKE....SHAMPOO....MAD!!!
Kodachi's laughter abruptly ceased and she blinked in surprise
as a glowing Shampoo assumed her combat stance, ignoring the burning
pain in her hand, ignoring the sharp pain in her side, ignoring all as she
leapt at Kodachi, her eyes blazing.
Kodachi recovered quickly, tossing a storm of clubs in
front of her to act as a shield only to have them bounce off Shampoo's
arms as Shampoo spin-kicked Kodachi right across the face. Kodachi
stumbled back, stunned and off-balance now as Shampoo followed up
by smashing her remaining mace deep into Kodachi's stomach.
Kodachi barely had time to gasp as she doubled over, the wind
painfully taken from her lungs only to have her head yanked back up
by her ponytail. As Kodachi noticed the fury in Shampoo's eyes, a chill
of fear ran down her spine, the first she had experienced in a long time.
Then Shampoo finished her with a brutal uppercut that sent Kodachi
spinning head over heels to crash chinfirst onto the ground.
Kodachi didn't move after that, except to breathe. Shampoo was
also breathing heavily while clenching her injured hand and pressing her
arm against her side. Shampoo's face was flushed with the exhilaration
of combat and before she knew it an amazon cry of victory escaped from
her lips. Then she looked down at Ranma, her prize, the man she had
protected, her Ai Ren....
"Ranma all Shampoo's now."
Shaking with excitement and adrenaline, Shampoo knelt
before Ranma, who had remained unconscious throughout the fight,
and ripped his shirt open, running her fingers over his chest, and
draping her hot, sweaty body on top of his as she leaned forward to
enjoy her prize to the fullest....
Then Shampoo felt it. A single drop. Shampoo's eyes
widened with horror as she looked up and felt another drop splash
on her face....and then another....
"NO! NOT NOW!!!" Shampoo screamed upward to the
heavens.
The dark and unforgiving sky answered her cry by releasing
its tears upon the town. Shampoo quickly morphed into her cat form
while Ranma changed into a female, leaving Shampoo-Neko sitting
on Ranma-Chan's chest. Then Ranma-Chan began to wake up as her
body reacted to the cold rain and glanced down to see Shampoo-Neko
sitting on her chest and staring at her with wide eyes.
"Meow?"
"ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!! GETITOFF! GETITOFF!
GETITOFF!!!"
Ranma-Chan took off like a rocket towards the school,
determined to put as much distance as she could between her and
Shampoo-Neko. Shampoo-Neko meowed with alarm as she
followed the fleeing Ranma-Chan, unwilling to lose her chance
yet again....
Meanwhile the rain continued to fall, soaking the prone
body of Kodachi as a small figure approached her. He tapped her
body a few times, making sure she was out cold and then laughed
as he effortlessly picked her up and carried her away from the
school, his intentions unknown to all but him....
* * *
NABIKI TENDO'S CLASSROOM
1:30 P.M.
The rain continued to pour outside as Nabiki tried in vain to
hold in yet another yawn. It wasn't that she was lazy, she was an
early riser, but today she was bored, bored enough to play a practical
joke on Akane to keep herself going, a practical joke that failed since
Akane failed to rise to the challenge.
Sometimes she wished she was a junior again so she could be
in Akane's classes. Things were rarely boring when Akane and Ranma
were around. The only person in this class that was even remotely fun
was Kunou but even he was concentrating intently on the lecture, either
that or thinking up some new poetry to recite to Akane and Ranma-Chan,
probably the latter. Yep, it looked like it was going to be a long....
"Hold on a second, Is that Ranma I see?" Nabiki thought to
herself as she spotted a redheaded girl, running towards the school at
top speed. "Hmmm...." Nabiki quickly but quietly started to write on
a piece of paper. Then when she was finished , she waited until the
teacher's attention was elsewhere and then she threw the note at
Kunou. It bounced off his head, causing him to look up in surprise
and see Nabiki gesturing at his desk. Kunou looked down to see a
message to him. Kunou quickly began to read it, knowing Nabiki only
sent him news of the utmost importance. Then Kunou promptly raised
his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Kunou?"
"Sensei, I request a leave of absence to deal with a personal
matter that needs attending to immediately."
The teacher sighed, normally he wouldn't have allowed it
but since this was the principal's kid....
"Very well Mr. Kunou. But don't forget to hand in your
homework this time, Monday!"
Kunou's tone became indignant. "Are you suggesting that I,
Tatewaki Kunou, the rising young star of the Kendo fencing world,
would not perform all of the duties required of a high school student
of the highest moral fiber?!"
The teacher sighed again.
"No, Mr. Kunou. You may go."
Kunou quickly departed the classroom as the teacher was
about to return to the lesson when another hand went up.
"What is it, Ms. Tendo?"
"My stomach hurts. May I go to the nurse's office?"
The teacher raised an eyebrow in surprise. Usually Nabiki
was one of the only students he could keep in his class for any long
period of time. For her to request leave, she must have truly been ill.
"You may."
Nabiki held her stomach as she left the classroom, closing
the door behind her. She then smiled to herself as she released her
stomach to reveal her mini camera. She quickly checked it to
make sure nothing was amiss and then she walked down the hall, her
sharp mind judging where and when Kunou was likely to meet up
with Ranma-Chan and wondering what kind of juicy shots she could
get....
"This could be interesting...." she smiled to herself.
* * *
GIRL'S GYM
1:35 P.M.
Ranma-Chan walked towards the girl's changing room. She
hated to have to use it, but she knew the guys would just annoy her if
she changed on the boy's side. Besides that there was no one in the
girl's gym at the moment so this would be her best chance to change
back into a guy without anyone seeing her.
Ranma-Chan peeked inside the change room to confirm it
was indeed empty and then she quickly made her way inside. Once
there, she proceeded to strip off her soaked shirt and wring it out.
Then she grabbed a nearby towel and started to towel off her
chest when she noticed the shower nearby.
"Hmmm....a hot shower would be nice about now....I could
change back to a guy and get warmed up at the same time. No
one's around to see me....why not?"
Decision made, Ranma-Chan slid her pants down her legs
and then her boxers. Then she strolled into the shower completely
naked and smiled as she reached for the hot water spray....
* * *
Nabiki couldn't believe her luck! Not only had she
managed to get some great topless and nude shots of a wet and
shivering Ranma-Chan to sell to Kunou, she could now sell Kodachi
and Shampoo some totally nude shots of Ranma-male. All in all, a
VERY profitable day. From her place of concealment, nearby the
entrance of the shower, she could see everything and he could see
nothing. Nabiki marveled a moment at what she saw, Akane was
luckier than she had originally thought, though not by much....
Then Nabiki heard a soft meow and turned around to see a
wet cat wander into the locker room. Her eye's widened when she
recognized it as the cursed form of Shampoo. She was heading
right for the shower with the unsuspecting Ranma....
Nabiki felt herself go light headed with the financial
possibilities as she aimed the camera and waited....
* * *
Ranma felt his tense muscles relaxing under the hot spray.
He sighed in contentment as he felt his body grow warm and giddy
with the sudden release of pressure. Then Ranma remembered that
he was alone in the shower and could aim the other shower heads to
spray him as well. Grinning, Ranma reached over to his right,
adjusted the head to spray towards him and turned it on.
"Ahhhhhh....That feels great."
Ranma then reached over to his left and adjusted that
shower head as well. "This is going to feel fantastic!" Ranma
thought as he felt for the hot water faucet....
* * *
Nabiki had to keep herself from jumping as she rapidly
began snapping photos....
* * *
Ranma frowned as he groped something that didn't feel
anything like a faucet. It almost felt like....Ranma suddenly felt
a chill run through him even though he was being sprayed by two
hot showers. Then Ranma slowly turned to see he had grasped
Shampoo's right breast with his left hand. A completely naked and
very excited Shampoo who gave him a look that reminded him of a
contented cat about to eat a very large fish....
"Ai Rennnnn...." Shampoo purred.
"Sh..Sh...Sh....." Ranma tried to say something. Needless
to say, he was NOT trying to pronounce Shampoo's name.
"Shampoo knew Ranma loved best."
That snapped Ranma out of his fear. "It's....It's not like
that....You walked in on me....!
"What about hand?" Shampoo gestured at his hand, still
squeezing her breast. Ranma eye's bulged out and he tried to remove
it only to have Shampoo gently but firmly hold it in place.
"No be shy Ranma. Shampoo wife after all."
"It's not like that! Let go of my hand! Let go of...."
Ranma's voice trailed off when he saw the burns on her
hand that held his own to her breast.
"Your hand....It's burned!" Ranma said with surprise.
Shampoo nodded. "Shampoo fight psycho girl for you."
"Psycho......you mean Kodachi?" Ranma asked.
Shampoo nodded "Shampoo protect husband while
unconscious. Kodachi would have stolen Ranma otherwise."
"Pro...Protect?" Shampoo released Ranma's hand and
gestured at her injured side. Ranma takes a closer look and see the
puncture wounds from the spikes.
"Kodachi did that to you?!" Ranma was stunned.
Shampoo nodded. "Psycho girl fight good but Shampoo
better!" she said firmly.
"You didn't....I mean....you should have woken me up...."
Ranma quietly muttered, embarrassed that a girl had fought his
battle for him.
"Shampoo try but you no respond!" Shampoo replied with
wide frightened eyes. "Shampoo protect you. Wife protect husband,
Husband protect wife." Shampoo smiled again and moved closer to
Ranma. "Wife and husband also do other things...."
"Forget it!" Ranma backs away out of the shower spray and
away from the naked temptress, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Look, I appreciate you helping me out and all but I'm not interested!"
Shampoo frowned and walked towards Ranma, making
sure to keep herself in front of the entrance so Ranma couldn't
escape on her. "Ranma owe Shampoo. Is take pleasure from
Shampoo so bad?!"
Shampoo continued to advance on Ranma who kept
retreating until he was against the wall. Shampoo quickly closed
the gap and rubbed her body up against his, trying to entice him.
"Shampoo! C....Cut it out! I said no!" Ranma yelped as
his eyes looked for another way out, any other way out.
Shampoo suddenly turned away from Ranma. Ranma
breathed a sigh of relief until he saw Shampoo was shaking with
her head bowed. It was obvious she was crying. Ranma felt a
pang of guilt and frustration as he tried to think of something to
say.
"Great. This is all I need." Ranma sighed in frustration
as he placed his hands on Shampoo's shoulders to stop them from
shaking. "Come on! Stop crying already will ya!" Ranma
pleaded.
"Ranma....Ranma hate Shampoo." Shampoo sobbed.
"What?" Ranma was momentarily disarmed. "No, I...."
"Ranma never want see Shampoo again."
"Look, I...."
Shampoo shrugged off Ranma's hands and walked over to
the exit. She paused by the door and turned to look at Ranma with
tears in her eyes.
"Ranma want Shampoo gone forever? Is that what Ranma
want?" Her voice was flat, an accusation.
"No! Of course not!" Ranma replied, upset that Shampoo
would think such a thing about him.
Shampoo's eyes softened and she took a step towards
Ranma, new hope in her eyes.
"Then....Ranma really care for Shampoo?"
"Well....yeah....but not the way....I mean....I...."
Shampoo rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly
around him, cutting off his air supply. "Oh Ranma, Shampoo
SO happy!"
"No! Wait! Get off me! That's not what I meant!" Ranma
said, his rush of words betraying his fear as he desperately tried
to think of a way out of this situation. The words "Saotome
Secret Technique......Saotome Secret Technique...." repeated over
and over in his mind but Shampoo had a death grip on him and
was still blocking the entrance. Ranma began to pray that
Ryouga would come through the wall and try to kill him again so
Ranma would have an alternate route of escape. No such luck.
"Shampoo! Let go of me! I need air!"
"Shampoo no let go! Ranma is Shampoo's wife! Make
love to Shampoo now!"
"WHAT?!? N.....No way!!"
Shampoo eyes flashed with an idea. She suddenly lifted one
of her legs and, in a move of incredible flexability that would put Ken
Lo to shame, she got a firm grip on the cold water faucet with her foot,
her other leg bearing the full brunt of her weight and remaining still
dispite the slippery surface of the shower.
"Ranma make love Shampoo or Shampoo change form!"
Ranma freezes solid. He stared at Shampoo's foot on
the faucet and then at the shower head aimed right over her leg. He
silently judged if he could knock Shampoo off balance and run
before she turned the faucet but although Ranma was brave, his
intense unnatural fear of cats prevented him from taking even the
slightest risk of being in the presence of one. Ranma tried to look
stern as he issued a warning to Shampoo....
"You wouldn't dare....!"
Shampoo began to turn the faucet, a few drops of warm water
falling from the shower head.
"OKAY, OKAY, YOU WOULD DARE!" Ranma tried to
keep his tone reasonable. "I'm sorry but I can't make love to you
Shampoo. C....Can't we just be good friends or something?"
Shampoo was silent for a long moment, causing Ranma to
sweat it out until another idea came to her mind.
"Okay. Shampoo let Ranma go...."
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"If Ranma takes Shampoo to date. REAL date." Shampoo
added, remembering certain tricks played by Ranma to end their
past dates before it even began. "Swear on honor that you take
Shampoo on real date and Shampoo let go."
"That's not fair! That's blackmail! You're as bad as
Nabiki!" Ranma whined to her.
In the locker room, someone sneezed. If either of them
heard it they gave no sign.
"Is fair! Shampoo save Ranma remember?"
Ranma opens his mouth to retort but soon shut it again
as he is forced to admit she has a point.
"Okay. You win. I swear on my honor I'll take you on a
real date. BUT...." Ranma said in a no-nonsense tone of voice.
"No tricks from you either Shampoo! No magic potions, No hexes
or chants or any kind of witchcraft to get me to love you. And no
trying to kiss me, hug me, rub me or any other weird stuff!
Understand?"
"Shampoo understand. But Shampoo have right to kiss at
end of date."
"No way!"
Shampoo began to turn the faucet again.
"OKAY, OKAY!!! But ONE kiss at the end and that's it!
Got it?!"
Shampoo nodded.
"Swear on your honor!" Ranma insisted.
"Shampoo swear no tricks on date with Ranma."
"Okay then, Now let me go."
Shampoo lowered her leg to the ground and released Ranma as
he quickly left the shower room and began to dry himself off. Shampoo
coyly covered herself up and walked out after him. She grabbed a nearby
towel and held it out to Ranma.
"Ai Ren want Shampoo to dry?"
"No, thank you."
Shampoo shrugged and dried herself as Ranma did the
same. Then Ranma groaned as he realizes he had no dry clothes.
"Damn!"
"Ai Ren?"
"My clothes are still soaked from the rain...."
"Shampoo have no clothes either...." Shampoo gave
Ranma a come-hither look that went unnoticed. Ranma started
looking through the lockers for some clothes when he heard a
familiar voice just outside the locker room door.
"I'll be right there, I just need to get my swimsuit!"
Ranma swallowed hard as he recognized the voice
belonging to Ukyou. Ranma quickly opened one of the lockers and
gestured Shampoo to hide inside it.
"Quick! Get inside here!"
Shampoo frowned. "Shampoo no want to."
"This is no time for games! Ukyou will be here any
second! If she sees you naked with me...."
"Shampoo only hide if let Shampoo kiss Ranma more than
once on date."
"What?!? No way in....!"
The door began to open.
"Okayyouwingetinthere!!!" Ranma frantically babbled as
Shampoo leapt into the locker and Ranma shut the door just in time
for Ukyou to walk in. Ranma leans against the locker door with his
arms folded and a nervous smile on his face.
"Oh h..hi Ucchan! Long time no see! Heh...."
"Ranchan....!"
Ukyou's face turned bright pink and quickly turned her head
away. Ranma wondered what was wrong before he remembered he was
still naked....
"Oh man! I'm sorry! I forgot I was a guy now....!" Ranma
frantically wrapped his towel around his torso. "I'm descent now."
a blushing Ranma assured Ukyou as she turned around slowly to
face him.
"Ranchan, what are you doing in the girl's change room?" Ukyou
asked.
"Oh....well....After I regained consciousness from Akane's
uppercut, I ran in here to dry off. But I don't have any spare
clothes...."
"I noticed." Ukyou replied as Ranma turned bright red
with embarrassment. "Okay, wait here while I go get you some gym
shorts...."
"Okay. Thanks a lot Ucchan. You're a real lifesaver!"
"No, Ranchan....Thank you."
Ranma frowned at her comment as Ukyou giggled to herself
before leaving. Then Shampoo emerged from the locker and embraced
Ranma from behind.
"Meow." Shampoo playfully whispered in his ear.
"YAHHH!!! Ranma nearly jumped out of his skin. Then he
whirled around to scream at Shampoo. "Don't do that! You want me
to have a heart attack or something?!"
"Why Ranma scared of not-nice girl? Ranma beat her easily!"
"The same reason I didn't knock you out when you grabbed
me in the shower....I don't hit girls." Ranma replied sourly.
"Shampoo not so easy to discourage." Shampoo replied
with a smile.
"I know....I know...." Ranma wearily replied. "Just please
get back in the locker before Ucchan catches you and kills me!"
"Okay." Shampoo returns to the locker while Ranma
impatiently waited for Ucchan to return, not aware that his every
movement was being documented and captured on film by a certain
mercenary girl....
* * *
A ROOM SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN
2:30 P.M.
The first thing Kodachi was aware of was her jaw. It was
sore as hell. It had a tightness to it that was most uncomfortable.
She tried to move her head when she felt a jolt of pain travel
through her neck and shoulders. She decided to keep still for a few
moments until it subsided.
As she waited, she could hear the gentle soothing sound
of rainfall nearby. She didn't feel any drops splash on her yet she
was cold and shivering, feeling like a new born babe just brought
into the world. She could hear something else, a low humming
sound that was unfamiliar to her ears yet somehow comforting,
relaxing her shivering form.
She could taste something on her tongue, it was blood.
She tried to open her mouth only to have her jaw throb painfully
in response. Then a warm feeling passed over her body and she
felt more secure. She decided it was time to find out where she was
and she opened her eyes. Things were blurry at first but she could
make out a figure kneeling by her side.
"Ra...Ranma-Sama?" Kodachi voice croaked out.
The figure was hard to make out at first, then as he came into
focus, Kodachi's eyes grew wide. It was not her Ranma-Sama at all but
a small old man. He knelt three feet away from her face and was no
more than two feet tall. He had a lecherous look in his eyes and
smiled upon seeing her awaken.
"Are you feeling better my dear?" Happosai said in a
sing-song voice.
"AAAAAAH!!!!" was Kodachi's only response as she
smacked Happosai off the bed to land on the floor.
"HEY! Is that any way to treat someone who just saved
your life?" Happosai angrily retorted as he rose to his feet.
"My....My life?" Kodachi gave him a confused look as she
looked around and saw it was still raining outside and she was in a
bedroom, lying on a bed with a large blanket covering her. There
was a heater nearby a window which was the source of the earlier
humming. A black leotard, soaking wet, lay on top of the heater to
dry out. Kodachi then realized with horror that the clothes were her
own and she lifted the covers slightly and looked underneath....
"AAAAAAAH!!!! I'M NAKED!!!!" Kodachi shrieked.
Happosai merely smiled. "Of course you are. I had to
examine your body to check for other injuries didn't I?"
Kodachi desperately tried to sit up in order to throttle him but
then the room began to spin and she quickly lay back down, trying to
regain her sense of balance.
"When I gain the strength to rise, I will rip you to
shreds!!!" Kodachi promised in the coldest voice she could produce.
Happosai looked hurt. "This is the thanks I get? And just
when I was gonna tell you about your precious Ranma....Oh well."
Happosai walks towards the door but pauses when he hears Kodachi cry
out. "WAIT! WHAT ABOUT MY RANMA-SAMA! DON'T GO!!!!"
Happosai slowly turned around to face her. "I want an
apology first."
"Agreed!" Kodachi quickly replied. "Now tell me...."
"I didn't hear you say it...." Happosai sang in a sing-song
voice.
Kodachi clenched her teeth and whispered. "I'M SORRY."
Then she screamed at the top of her lungs. "NOW TELL ME
WHERE RANMA-SAMA IS, YOU IMPUDENT DEGENERATE!!!!"
"He left with Shampoo after she left you unconscious in the rain."
Kodachi turned chalk white. "WHAT!?!? NOOOO!!!!" Kodachi
tried to rise again to no avail.
"Why are you surprised? Wouldn't you have done the same
thing?" Happosai remarked with curiosity.
"NEVER!!! I WON'T ALLOW IT! IT'S UNFORGIVABLE!!!
I will certainly rip that chinese hussy in twain before I will allow her to
lay claim to my Ranma-Sama!!!" Kodachi roared with fury, her jaw was
throbbing in pain once again from all her screaming.
"Well now, I may be able to help you with that." Happosai
said in a knowing tone.
"Oh? And why praytell could a little freak such as yourself
aid the Black Rose in her noble quest?" Kodachi suspiciously replied.
"Why....Out of the goodness of my heart of course!"
Happosai beamed. "Besides...." he added. "Ranma cannot be
allowed to marry Shampoo and move to China....Why....I'd never
see my cute little Ranma-Chan's body ever again!" Happosai
finished in a sad tone of voice.
Kodachi eyes grew huge with shock. "You......You admire
my Ranma-Sama's....BODY?!?!"
"Indeed I do!" Happosai happily replied.
Kodachi was horrified. "Y....You lust after men's bodies as well
as womens?!?!"
Happosai spun around. "W..W...WHAT!" he sputtered in
disbelief. "Where you'd get THAT idea?" he demanded.
"You just said you admired my Ranma-Sama's chest!"
Kodachi reminded him with disgust in her tone.
"The red haired one, you moron! Not the boy Ranma!"
Happosai admonished her.
Kodachi frowned at the mention of her old rival. "Oh,
HER." Kodachi spat. "Yes, she's another wicked girl who tries to
steal my darling's affections. The fact she took his name only
showed how truly pathetic she is, clinging to him any way she
can...." She clears her throat and continues in a serious tone.
"But we're removing ourselves from the issue at hand, mainly why
I should trust a disgusting hentai such as yourself to help me in my
endeavors?"
"You're very vocal, aren't you" Happosai noted.
"Don't change the issue!" Kodachi snapped back.
"Hey! I brought you inside from the rain and healed up your
wounds when I could have taken advantage of you while you were
passed out and left you out there to freeze! I may be a lech but I have
my priorities!"
Kodachi felt her jaw and noticed a bandage around it to
hold it in place and stop the bleeding. She also notices a wet
cloth, that fell from her forehead when she tried to choke Happosai
earlier, lying on the blanket, abandoned.
"That jaw will heal up in no time. You're lucky it didn't
shatter completely on you! Shampoo's attacks are nothing to take
lightly." Happosai admonished.
"All right." Kodachi said grudgingly. So you helped
me....I'm still naked!" She growled.
"Your clothes were completely soaked!" Happosai said
defensively. "Besides it's a small price to pay for your life."
Happosai said.
"My life was NOT in danger!" Kodachi hotly retorted.
"If you had been left outside, unconsious, in the rain you may
very well had froze to death!" Happosai pressed on. "Can't you just admit
that you needed my help?"
"ALL RIGHT!!!" Kodachi fumed. "Thank you for your help.
Now if you'll just give my clothes back to me, I'll be on my way!"
"Sure you will." Happosai sarcastically replied. "You can't even
sit up. How will you be on your way?"
Kodachi sighed with annoyance. "Fine. Can you ASSIST me to
my residence?"
"I'm afraid moving you now would be unwise. You are
suffering from mild shock and exhaustion on top of the injuries you
sustained. You need complete bed rest for a while." Happosai
said matter-of-factly.
"WHAT!!! HOW DARE YOU......" Kodachi tried to rise
only to be restrained by Happosai. "RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" she
screamed.
Happosai smiled wryly. "Why Kodachi, I thought you
would want to stay here, this being the current residence of your
darling."
"I DEMAND.....W....What?" Kodachi blinked as she looked
around the room again and then back to Happosai. "You mean I'm...."
"In the Tendo Dojo. Yes. You will be staying in my room
tonight until you recover."
"With you?" Kodachi tried to laugh only to clutch her jaw in
pain and stop immediately. "I would sooner turn my ribbon into GIFT
WRAPPING! I will stay in Ranma-Sama's room and no one will stop me!"
Kodachi proclaimed as she gathered all of her strength and forced herself
to sit up and then rise.
She wrapped the bedsheet around her naked body and took a step
towards her clothes on the heater but failed to take another as she passed
out from the effort. Happosai caught her before she hits the floor and gently
carried her back to the bed. Happosai smiled as he thought to himself.
"She will do JUST fine. With Kodachi's help I can stop
Shampoo's plans and collect panties galore! Her rage for Shampoo
and love for Ranma can easily be channeled to suit MY needs.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" A lecherous laugh worthy of
Ataru Moroboshi came from Happosai as he delighted in his plan.
"But for now......Time for bed!""
Happosai placed the blanket back over Kodachi's nude
form, stopping short at the bottom of her breasts, and then climbed
on top of her, fully clothed, and used Kodachi's exposed breasts for
pillows as he got comfortable, VERY comfortable.
"Ahhhhh! Breasts....The most comfortable pillows in the
world...." Happosai happily muttered as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
DR. TOFU'S CLINIC
3:30 P.M.
Dr. Tofu sat in his chair watching the rain as it continued
to fall. It had a pleasing soothing effect as he removed his glasses
and leaned back against the wall of his office, listening to the soft
rainfall and allowing his tired eyes a rest. Rainy days never
failed to make him fatigued and with no one, save Ryouga,
coming into the clinic, Dr. Tofu was completely bored out of his
mind.
The doctor opened his eyes again and glanced over at
his sole patient for the day. Ryouga was still unconscious, not
surprising at all considering how far he must have walked to
accumulate as much dirt and sweat as his clothes implied. They
had been removed, leaving him clad in boxer shorts as Dr. Tofu
needed to bring down Ryouga's temperature from 104 to a
manageable 100 degrees. He was going to be okay, heat stroke
and plain exhaustion being the main problem.
It was a good thing he spotted Ryouga when he did. With
Kasumi's and Mr. Tendo's help, they carried him here for treatment.
Then Kasumi had to leave. Dr. Tofu sighed to himself. One
day he'd tell her how he felt. One day....
Dr. Tofu was startled when he heard a low moan. He
looked up to see Ryouga beginning to stir. Quickly Dr. Tofu rose to
his feet, eager to be doing something at last and walked over to him.
"Hello there Ryouga. How are you feeling?" The doctor
asked in his best bedside manner tone of voice.
"Uhhhh....Where am I?"
"You're at my clinic. You were found passed out in front
of the Utchan and Kasumi, Mr. Tendo and I brought you here to
recover." Dr. Tofu said.
"T.....Tendo?" Ryouga weakly replied.
"You're really lucky Ryouga. A normal person would be
dead after enduring what you have on the road. I found all sorts of
bruises and heat rashes, along with a severe case of heat stroke.
Where were you walking from anyway?" Tofu inquired.
"C..China...."
Dr. Tofu cocked an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me you
walked all the way from China to here?"
"Didn't...." Ryouga took a deep breath "Didn't have enough
money to pay for a boat ride...."
"But how? You would have had to cross the ocean to do
that! Are you saying you swam across?" Dr. Tofu asked.
"No....I walked." Ryouga replied simply.
"That's impossible. There's no route from China to Japan
that takes you around or past the ocean!" Dr. Tofu exclaimed.
"There is....I found it....Just hard to get to...." Ryouga
said matter-of-factly.
Dr. Tofu shook his head in amazement. "Well....However you
came here....You should really take better care of yourself. Kasumi said
Akane would be worried about you...."
With the mention of Akane's name, Ryouga sat up and
glanced around the room, searching for something.
"Where's my backpack?" Ryouga demanded.
"Take it easy Ryouga, it's right here." Dr. Tofu reassured him
and pointed to its resting place in the corner. Ryouga quickly
stood up, ignoring the doctor's protests and ruffled through it until he saw
what he was looking for. He then sighed in relief and sat back down on
the bed, resting his bag next to the bed.
"Sorry" Ryouga said sheepishly "I just needed to check on
something." Ryouga then looked down at himself and noticed his
state of undress.
"Hey! Where are my clothes?!" Ryouga yelped in
surprise, covering himself with a thin sheet from the bed.
"Kasumi took them with her to wash for you since you're
a friend of Akane's. Wasn't that nice of her?" Dr. Tofu's eyes
went slightly unfocused as Ryouga tried to get his attention.
"That's great....Um....Doc?"
"Yes?" Dr. Tofu replied, not looking at him directly.
"What am I supposed to wear in the meantime?"
"Oh, well I have a spare gi in my closet. Here let me get
it for you...." Dr. Tofu started to stumble around the office as
thoughts of Kasumi prevented him from focusing on his task.
Ryouga stood up and walked over to the closet, picking up a gray
training gi that was a little too big for him. Ryouga tried it on
anyway. The sleeves were a little too long and Ryouga caught a
glance of himself in the mirror and groaned. He was dressed just
like Mousse, long sleeves and all. He then turned to see Dr. Tofu
blindly searching the closet for the gi he just took.
"Doc? I already got it." Ryouga called out to him.
"Oh, okay then." Dr. Tofu closed the closet and made
his way back to the bed, frowning as he noticed Ryouga was on
his feet again. "You should really get some rest Ryouga. A three
hour nap is not enough time to...."
"I'll be okay. I'm used to it." Ryouga replied as he picked
up his bag. "Thanks for helping me out there. I don't have much
money I'm afraid but anytime you need a favor...."
Dr. Tofu cut him off. "Don't worry about it, Ryouga. But I still
think you need some rest though, at least wait until the storm is over."
"Storm?" Ryouga looked out the window and seemed to
notice the rain for the first time.
"'Yes, it's been raining shortly after you were brought here.
Going out there now in your condition...." Dr. Tofu's voice trailed
off as he noticed Ryouga wasn't paying attention.
Ryouga stared long and hard at the rain as it fell outside the
window. Then he gently dropped his bag to the floor and turned
around, moving towards the door.
"Ryouga?" Dr. Tofu voice was laced with concern. "Is
everything all right?"
Ryouga didn't answer as he slowly slipped off his gi, leaving him
in boxer shorts again, made his way through the waiting room and then
opened the front door. He stood there for a long moment, looking at the
rain, hearing it splash against the ground and then he stepped outside,
closing the door behind him...."
Meanwhile Dr. Tofu was wondering what was on Ryouga's
mind when suddenly he heard a loud cry. It was almost exactly like
the cry he had heard shortly before he found Ryouga, except it was
louder and if possible, even more full of joy than before. Dr. Tofu
rushed towards the front door as he heard the cry a second time and
opened the door.
Dr. Tofu stood there, a look of concern and confusion
on his face as he watched Ryouga Hibiki, a boy he had treated for
heat stroke and exhaustion, kneeling in the center of the street with
his arms outstretched and laughing as the cold rain drenched him,
drenching his still human body.
(Fade to Black)
CONTINUED IN PART 4....
C&C is very welcome. (fcasper@yesic.com) :)