I read this fic again and realized I forgot to save the corrections
before I pasted it onto my E-mail server. So they didn't get transfered.
It should be fixed now sorry about the extra posts.
Liquid Fighter Gold
Part 2
Ranma's secret.
The girls sat around at the table staring at the newcomer, Ranko sat
beside him looking just as embarrassed as he was. Genma smiled as he
realized everyone was present and started his speech. Nabiki was staring
at the boy with the suspicion that she knew him from somewhere and could
not quite place her finger on it.
"I am Genma Saotome, and this is my son..." he stopped to allow the boy
to introduce himself.
"Ranma," finished the boy.
"If you're Ranma, then who is this girl?" said Nabiki as she indicated
the red head.
"Huh? Oh that's just Ranko," replied the boy.
"I could have sworn she called herself Ranma Saotome, what a relief,"
said Soun with a laugh. "You never told me you had a daughter Saotome."
"I don't," replied the man simply.
The Tendos looked at the pair in confusion, but remained silent. Soun
finally spoke up, "So tell me Saotome, have you been well?"
Genma looked at the man and laughed. "I'm fine Tendo, the girl is Ranko,
my son's liquid fighter unit."
A sudden understanding seemed to come over the girls as they looked at
the girl. Nabiki definitely had an interest in the pair now; she could
make a lot of money off of this if she played it right.
"I knew it, he's a pervert!" snorted Akane in disgust.
Ranma turned towards her with a look that told her he didn't quite
understand what she was talking about.
"Just what do you think you where doing in our bathroom with that thing
huh? I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that here!" snarled the girl as
she turned away from him.
"What the hell are you talkin..." the boy was cut off as Genma smacked
him on the back of the head.
"Watch your mouth boy! We're guests here!" chided the elder Saotome.
"Ouch! You stupid old man! She was callin me a pervert for no good
reason!" screamed the boy in retort as he threw his father into the air
and smiled as he landed in the small Koi pond in the back yard.
"No good reason?!" snapped Akane angrily, she stopped cold when a large
panda emerged from the water and growled at the boy angrily.
Ranma charged forward attacking the animal full force. "We have to tell
them boy!" said the animal with a large sign.
"They don't gotta know nothin!" retorted Ranma as he kicked the beast
back.
Genma snorted and gave the boy a low sweep that was narrowly dodged.
Ranma flipped back and landed on his feet a few yards away.
Soun stood up and looked at the scene in shock. "Saotome?"
Genma stopped and turned around sheepishly as he held a sign up. "Hello
Tendo."
"What don't we need to know about?" asked Nabiki warily.
"Nothin," replied Ranma simply as he sat down at the table while Genma
produced the electric thermos again pouring its contents over his head.
"If that's the way you want it boy, I'll have no part in it," snorted
the man as he changed back.
"Stupid old man," grumbled Ranma as he sat down and crossed his arms
showing disinterest in the whole affair.
Nabiki had a revelation and stared at the boy in shock. "I know him!"
Akane looked at her and frowned before dismissing the matter.
Soun looked at Genma as the man started his story. "It all started in
China a fateful two months ago..."
Genma finished his tale giving all the particulars of Jusenkyo and how
he became a panda, cutting off just short of his son falling into the
spring of drowned girl after the boy gave him a warning glare that no one
else seemed to notice.
"Ah, that explains it," said the Tendo patriarch as he moved beside
Ranma and grabbed him by the shoulder. "These are my daughters, Kasumi
nineteen, Nabiki seventeen, and my youngest daughter Akane, she's
sixteen! Pick anyone you like and she'll be your new fianc�e."
Ranma turned to stare at him in disbelief and was about to protest when
Kasumi spoke up. "Oh, he want's Akane."
"What? Why would I?" started the girl in protest.
"No! I'll take him!" cried Nabiki as she felt her opportunity falling
through her fingers.
Everyone in the room stared at her in shock. "Are you sure Nabiki?"
asked her elder sister.
"Positive," replied the girl as she eyed the expensive clothing Ranma's
father was wearing.
"Hey! I ain't got time for no girls!" snapped the boy angrily as he
started for the door. "The Liquid Gold Tournament is only a year away and
I got some training to do, I'm going back to China!" He started for the
door and was stopped by his father's arm.
"Have you forgotten what's waiting for you in China boy? Are you out of
your mind?" he snapped bitterly.
"If I can last this long I think I can go another year without any
problem, she was an idiot anyway," retorted the boy as he pushed past
him.
Akane almost seemed relieved as the boy walked towards the door. "I
don't need to be around no stupid peeping tomboys anyway," commented the
boy as he walked just within her reach. Almost as a reflex she found
herself crushing him under the weight of the table.
"Now that he had coming," replied Genma sagely.
No one even noticed Ranko blink out of existence as her master was
knocked out cold.
Ranma woke up with Kasumi and Nabiki kneeling over him, "Don't mind
Akane, she's really a very sweet girl; it's just that she's a violent
maniac," said the elder girl to the boy.
"I noticed," replied the boy as he sat up, Ranko appeared beside the two
girls with a neutral expression on her face.
"Oh good Kasumi, that makes a lot of sense," said Nabiki as she put a
towel across his head; she turned her attention towards Ranma and smiled.
"How are you feeling fianc�e?"
"Don't call me that!" he replied curtly before laying back down. "I feel
like someone hit me over the head with a table."
"You'll get over it," said the girl with a knowing smile. Behind her
back was a sports magazine, a local rag that had Ranma on the cover, his
picture was inside a small box on the corner of the page. If the article
on him was even remotely close to the truth he'd be on the covers of
magazines across the world someday.
"So tell me Saotome, how advanced is this thing anyway?" asked Nabiki as
she looked the red head up and down.
Ranma sat up and looked at her quizzically, it was not an unusual
question; but hardly one he was expecting given his current situation.
"She's a lower mid-level power unit right now, but her skills are far
above any other know unit of her experience and age."
Nabiki nodded and pushed him back down on the floor. "Lay down, you need
your rest."
Ranma didn't like what was going on around him much, Ranko had a
distressed expression on her face as she watched the situation as well.
"I don't like this Ranma," she whispered.
He looked at her and decided that maybe he could use another nap.
Akane sat fuming in the living room as the two men laughed and recalled
old memories nearby. A sudden thought hit her. "That jerk was testing me!
He sent that stupid robot to fight me!" It explained why she had been
reluctant to hit her and also why she had been so hard pressed to connect
any of her attacks. The unit wasn't even human, she never stood a chance
against it. Still a surge of pride welled up inside of her as she
realized she had done well against such an opponent. "I showed that jerk,
he'll know better than to mess with me!" she exclaimed proudly.
Soun and Genma turned to look at her with horrified stares, they thought
she was talking about the earlier incident involving the table.
"Tendo, is she all right?" whispered Genma.
"To be honest, I'm not sure Saotome," replied his friend as the turned
away from the girl as she laughed maniacally while flexing her arm in
pride.
The next day Genma called him down to the living room after their
morning practice, it was held a good distance away from the koi pond
almost in the front yard.
He sat in front of his father with a confused look on his face.
"School?"
"Yes, we are going to be staying a while," replied the man as pleasantly
as he could.
"You'll be going to the same school as Akane and me, I think you'll like
it there," said Nabiki as she poked her head around the corner and smiled
at him. There was something he didn't like about it, but he kept quiet.
"Hurry up and get ready so we can walk to school together." She almost
giggled at him and it ran chills down his spine as she tried her best to
look cute. Not that she failed or anything, it just looked a little faked
to him.
"Nabiki, are we going or not?" snapped Akane as she ran down the stairs
and past her sister.
"No, you go on ahead, I'm going to take him with me," replied the girl
indicating Ranma.
Akane scowled at him and turned away on her heels in disgust.
"Now what did you do?" wondered Ranko from beside her counterpart.
"I haven't seen her since last night, you tell me," replied the boy a
little sharply.
"I guess we should go get ready then," replied the red haired girl as
she stood and a school uniform appeared on her body. "All done."
"You know that I hate you," muttered Ranma as pulled his favorite shirt
off the floor where he had discarded it before the morning practice.
Nabiki blinked at this, and turned away. "That's strange," she muttered
to herself as she waited patiently.
A few moments later the three of them where strolling towards the
school, Ranma walked along the top of the fence with Ranko walking
cheerfully behind him. Nabiki walked just below them and looked up in
surprise, she noted that Ranko was wearing boxers under her skirt for
some strange reason.
The trip was relatively silent, occasionally Nabiki would ask a question
and receive either a nod or a shake from the boy's head. He seemed
strangely reserved and closed to her.
When they almost reached the school he stopped and stared in disbelief.
"What's going on?" There appeared to be some sort of battle going on at
the school.
"Oh that, don't worry about it, this happens every morning," it was too
late though as Ranma dashed forward for a better view. Nabiki sighed as
she rushed forward and tried to keep up with his pace.
The pair came to a stop as Akane was finishing up the last of her
morning attackers. He jumped down beside her and surveyed the damage.
"Boy, you sure are popular."
"What's it to you?" snapped the girl as she turned towards a large tree
in the courtyard.
"Oh what fools these mortals be, each seeks the honor of your company in
the unlikely event that he defeats you," said a new voice as Akane caught
a rose that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ranko leaned forward and
inspected it curiously.
"Hey, what's this?" she asked.
"It's a rose!" snapped the girl in disgust.
"I know that, but why?" replied Ranko in annoyance.
An seventeen year old boy dressed in a kendo uniform stepped from behind
the tree and smirked, it died down as he noticed the two new faces beside
Akane. Nabiki Tendo stood nearby watching cautiously.
"Get back or you'll get hurt," warned Akane with a scowl appearing on
her face as she got into a defensive stance.
"I'm not worried," replied Ranma with a shrug.
The boy turned his attention towards Ranma. "Tell me, who are you bore?"
Ranma blinked and pointed at himself. "Huh? I'm..." he was cut off as
the kendoist continued his speech.
"Ah, but is the custom to give one's own name first! Fine then! Mine I
shall give!" cried the boy in what seemed like over dramatic anger.
"If you want," replied Ranma still uncertain about what to do.
"I am the rising new star of the high school fencing world, the sound of
my voice sends fear into the hearts of my peers. They call me The Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High! Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen." The statement
was punctuated by a crash of lightening from above as Ranma tried to
understand exactly what was happening to him.
"Ok, Um, I'm staying at the Tendo Dojo..." he started, but the boy would
hear no more.
"Under the same roof as Akane? I will not allow it!" he screamed as he
charged forward raising his bokuten. His heart stopped as the strange red
haired girl rushed in front of his target as he slashed downward. He
sucked in a quick breath and tried to stop the strike as it cut into her
body without any resistance. He froze with a look of complete terror on
his face as the blade remained inside her chest taunting him.
Ranko smiled and laughed at him. "Fool."
Kuno looked up just in time to see a fist come through her face and slam
into his face sending him sprawling across the ground in shock. "A liquid
fighter?"
Ranma stood over him dusting his hands off with a snort of disgust,
Nabiki Tendo walked up to the boy and kicked Kuno in his ribs.
"You leave my fianc�e alone!" she said angrily.
"Fianc�e?" whispered Kuno as the words sunk in. "You mean, he does not
hound Akane?"
The remaining students of Furinkan gasped in shock as the girl's words
struck home. "Nabiki looked around and cursed herself, she could have
charged money for that information. She still had a lot of ways to do
that yet today, the most important of which involved the boy lying on the
ground in front of her.
"Kuno baby, you are such an idiot," she grabbed Ranma by his arm and
drug him into the building.
Tatewaki sat up and frowned deeply at the thought of this new
development. "No doubt he seeks to take Akane's heart through her sister.
I must put a stop to this evil plot, such a cowardly defense cannot be
forgiven either. Using a woman's body to shield himself cannot be
forgiven, it matters not if she is real." As he stood up and turned
towards the school building a light shower began to fall from the sky.
"Vile knave, we shall see who is worthy of Akane Tendo's heart!"
"That we shall master," said a feminine voice from behind him. It was
emotionless, yet somehow produced a sort of pride.
"Sakura, I shall need you soon. We shall show this upstart who is worthy
of my love's heart," said the boy as he turned towards the woman behind
him.
She looked to be in her twenties, her long brown hair done up into a
pony tail at the top of her head blew in the breeze and yet remained dry
despite the falling rain. She was dressed in a delicate silk kimono with
a katana hanging at her side. Two deep green eyes stared forward with an
almost militaristic stare as she awaited her master's commands. "It shall
be as you say."
Kuno ignored her words and started towards the building with her
following closely behind him.
Nabiki smiled in her seat as she looked towards the boy standing over
her desk. "Set up a match Kuno baby? Why I thought you'd never ask!"
Everything was going according to plan, she had suspected that Ranma and
Kuno would not get along. The Saotome boy's gruff nature and Kuno's
idiotic formality were sure to clash, she wasn't expecting this quite so
soon though. "Oh well, more money for me!"
That night Ranma sat at the table reading the note Kuno had given Nabiki
that morning. "He's challenging me?"
Akane smiled, it would be good to see him get a lesson, something about
him just made her angry. The perverted things she knew he was doing at
night with that thing probably had something to do with it. She seemed to
be with him almost everywhere he went. He certainly kept her out more
than anyone else she knew of with a liquid unit. It was a short list
though so she didn't have much to go on as far as that was concerned.
"Yup, Kuno baby had a liquid unit too, he want's to set up a match,"
replied Nabiki calmly. This was the perfect opportunity to check up on
her investment. Her expectations were high, the boy had easily paid her
delivery charge for the letter.
"I can take that idiot anytime!" cried Ranko confidently.
"That's good to here, but you haven't even met Sakura yet," snorted the
girl with a deadpan gaze.
Ranko sat down and smiled. "She's got to be at least as stupid as he
is."
"She's the regional champion in middle class units," replied the girl
curtly.
"Middle class?" said Ranma in shock. "That means..."
"Right you are Ranma, she's stronger than Ranko," replied Nabiki with a
smile.
"I've always wanted to see how I'd do against a higher class unit,"
replied the red head with a shrug. It was the truth, but her air of sure
win confidence was now gone. A hard, determined gaze replaced it as she
stared at the letter; no one else but Nabiki noticed that it mirrored
Ranma's face exactly.
Nabiki smiled, if her suspicions where true she could make a killing
tomorrow, regardless of who won.
In Tatewaki Kuno's bedroom Sakura stood before a chalkboard writing the
days lessons from school there flawlessly, it was even in the teacher's
handwriting. Kuno found he rarely had to pay much attention in school
since he could retrieve the lessons from her memory at his leisure.
Still, cheating was beneath him and he still aspired to learn the lessons
as best he could. It was invaluable that he keep his grades up as a roll
model and captain of the kendo club. It also didn't hurt that Sakura was
not wearing any clothing at the moment.
He relaxed and lowered his eyes to the book in his hands before placing
it aside and flicking off the light.
The liquid unit's voice floated down to him. "Do you wish to retire?
Should I continue the lesson?"
"You may stop," replied the boy as he lay on his mat and sighed.
"Shall you dream of the Tendo girl tonight master?" she asked as she
kneeled next to him once again clothed in the kimono.
"As always my dear Sakura, shall you assist me again?" the whole event
had a strange formality to it, and that was just the way he liked it.
The liquid unit seemed to change shape in an instant revealing a perfect
image of Akane Tendo sitting beside him on the bed. "Oh, my darling Kuno,
thank you for saving me from my savage ways and showing me the path of
true honor."
"It was as it should be my beloved," he replied looking away
dramatically.
"How should I ever repay you?" asked the girl as she removed the cloth
from her shoulders exposing her chest to him.
Kuno did not look at her, he merely stood meekly and honorably looking
away. "I cannot accept such a payment."
"My darling Kuno, we shall be wed on the morrow! Will you accept me this
night, even if it is premature?" she gasped passionately as she pulled at
his back gently and caressed his shoulders.
"It shall be as you say!" said Kuno as he turned slowly to meet her
lips. He broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes. "Tomorrow, I shall make
this a reality as I destroy that dishonorable cur and his deceitful
advance on Akane Tendo."
"Yes master, it shall be as you say!" replied Sakura with Akane's face
and voice as she kissed him again. They fell against the mat in passion
as the night drew on.
Ranma sat in the furo relaxing in the water as he thought about the
coming day. "Do you think we can handle it tomorrow? A medium class unit
is a big power difference."
Ranko looked at him from her place beside him and smiled. "That's all up
to you and you know it," was her answer.
"I wish you'd stop dumping all this stuff on me," he replied in
annoyance.
"Sorry Ranchan, that's the way things are," she said as she handed him a
towel as they emerged from the water.
Ranma sighed and walked towards the changing room. He stopped cold as he
saw Nabiki standing there in the nude smiling at him. "Oh, finished
already? I was just about to join you."
"Wha?" gasped the boy in shock as he backed away with a look of complete
shock and terror on his face.
"What are you so jumpy about? We are engaged Saotome," snorted the girl
as she walked by him and sat down on the stool. "Besides I would think
you had some experience before now." She eyed Ranko carefully and smiled
as the unit gave her an uncomprehending look.
Ranma quickly removed himself from the room with a completely red face
as he dressed himself and got out as fast as he could. "Man, I don't know
how long I can take this place."
Akane stared at the scene in shock as Ranma walked out of the bathroom
with an odd look on his face. Nabiki had gone in there not moments before
and she reasoned that her sister had thrown the boy out. "You'd better
not even think about it, cause if I find out I'll kill you myself."
Ranma looked at her and turned away wordlessly. Akane merely smiled to
herself thinking he understood what the score was.
"What the hell are these people talking about?" he asked Ranko as they
reached the top of the stairs.
"You got me," replied the girl with a shrug. "Maybe it's just that
they're all crazy?"
TBC...
Next time: Ranko vs. Sakura.
C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com
URL: Http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/fountain/3203