Will You be my Fiance?
(A Ranma 1/2 Alt History)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://Ammadeau.tripod.com/fanfiction.htm
Once again thanking pre-readers who helped me with this (who
deserve much more than just to be thanked twice): Donny Cheng,
Ronny Hedlin, LarryF, Angus McSpon, and Thomas Hackwood.
***
Ranma's luck, despite his opinion, wasn't always bad.
Sometimes it could be quite good, for he and Akane made it to
class just before the teacher did. But often there was a catch. This
time they had both been anxious to get to class before the teacher
that they happened to forget that they were holding hands the entire
time; something that wasn't missed by their fellow students. The
rumors about the two of them grew.
Chapter 5: Five Very Large Men (And One Large Woman)
Ranma himself was deaf to these rumors, and blind to the
stares he was currently receiving because of them. Class had
begun and he was giving the lesson only marginal concentration.
This time it wasn't because he was too tired or bored to pay
attention, but because his thoughts were far too occupied at the
moment to pay it any mind.
Girls occupied his thoughts at the moment, something
which his mother would have been proud of had she known.
Ranma always had trouble with girls. He had troubles with boys
too, but to a somewhat lesser degree. Boys, at least, were easier to
understand for him. They fell into three categories: boys that
wanted to beat him up, boys that wanted to befriend him, and boys
that just ignored him. Ranma thought that there were far too many
of the first and not nearly enough of the second. He only had one
real male friend, and he hadn't seen him since they were kids. But
that was okay for Ranma, at least they were easy to deal with.
Girls were a whole other matter entirely. The way they
acted around him usually left him confused or afraid, sometimes
both. That girl Kyoko had helped him out in the fight earlier today,
but when he caught her glancing in his direction, she was frowning.
So why did she help him if she disliked him?
There was Nabiki, who he had intended to try and talk to
before school to find some way of understanding her, but then
those boys had attacked. In his view, their entire date had been a
disaster, and even the explanation she had given him about being
in his protection didn't make sense to him. How did that equal
having fun? Especially enough to make her kiss him on the cheek?
Ranma wouldn't be forgetting about that for a long time to come.
At the end of their date, Nabiki had acted in a way that had made
him instinctively want to escape in the past, but for some reason he
didn't feel the need to flee from her. Why was that? And why did
he sort of look forward to seeing her again?
Then there was Akane, perhaps the most confusing of all.
He had absolutely no idea how she would act when they next met.
Would she be angry, happy, or indifferent? Judging from past
instances, there was no way to tell. He was confused, but at the
same time looked forward to finding out.
*Why couldn't all girls be like Kasumi?* Ranma lamented
his utter bafflement. *I can understand her, at least.*
Genma noticed that one of the other sensei that he worked
with seemed nervous today. It was a man he had known for years
and years -- they had even trained under the same master -- but
they hardly could be called best buddies or anything. So Genma
ignored it, it wasn't his problem.
He had finished his first class of the day when Sakamoto
finally approached him. "Ah, Saotome-san, do you have a
minute?" he asked a bit nervously.
Genma nodded slowly as he got things ready for his next
class. Normally, that would be the responsibility of the students,
but since the next class was composed of preschoolers they weren't
allowed to do any heavy work. Genma scoffed at the idea; his own
son had been able to do the whole thing himself at their age.
"Do you remember about twelve years ago when my family
stayed at your home? It was when the master reappeared to train
us again."
Genma shuddered. "Don't tell me he's come back?" he
asked fearfully.
"No, no, no!" Sakamoto replied quickly, at the same time
sending a silent prayer that his grandmother-in-law would catch
him before that could happen again. "It's just that my daughter and
your son were playmates until she had to move to China. She just
returned recently, so I was wondering if it would be possible to
have a little family get-together one day, to talk over old times?"
Genma rubbed his chin in thought. A drinking buddy /
sparring partner and the man's wife to keep his own busy. Nodoka
would be likely to make one of her deluxe meals for such an
occasion. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a weekend,
except there was something about the idea that nagged at him.
Something he just couldn't place...
Genma shrugged. If he couldn't think of it, it couldn't be
that important. "I don't see why not--"
His words were suddenly cut off by a rumbling like thunder
very close by. Both he and Sakamoto turned in surprise to see five
huge men enter the dojo. Each had to duck his head to get through
the door, and turn sideways so their wide shoulders could fit.
Genma had never seen anyone quite so large as them, their
bodies bulged with muscle, which was easy to tell since none of
them were wearing shirts. They wore thick jeans, smeared with
dirt and grease, and heavy work boots. Each carried some large
implement -- one carried a metal ball on a chain, another held what
looked to be a metal support beam.
"Where is Genma Saotome!?" the one in front bellowed.
He was the only one who didn't carry anything, though his fists
were larger than most people's heads.
Most people present were master martial artists with years
of experience against hardened foes. They all turned and pointed
out Genma immediately. They might be skilled, but they weren't
going to get into any fights if they could avoid them either.
Genma was a little disappointed by the betrayal of his
coworkers, even though he would have done the same thing in their
place, but he still faced down the leader with a proud sneer. "Who
wants to know?"
The man grinned. His teeth were large like the rest of him,
and pearly white. "The Wrecking Crew," he said as he quickly
picked up Genma by the neck with a meaty fist, "would like to
know where your son is."
Kuno proudly strolled out onto the school yard in search of
his new... rival? student? friend? No word seemed appropriate for
the deep and complex relationship that he and Ranma now shared.
A friendship born from combat, matured through understanding, to
shine under the summer sun as a true rivalry between men of more
or less equal ability.
People backed away from Kuno as he began to rant to
himself once again. He'd been acting even nuttier than usual lately.
Many were of the opinion that his final defeat against Ranma had
snapped his already tentative hold on sanity.
"Um, hi," Akane nervously greeted Ranma, meeting him
under the shade of a tree which he had made his lunch time spot.
"Hi," Ranma said back, just as nervous. She was still a
complete mystery to him, he hadn't a clue how to act around her
yet, and every one of their meetings usually left him even more
confused.
A few tense moments of silence passed before Akane
asked, "Do you mind if I have lunch with you?"
Ranma looked up at her. He'd been expecting this question
since, for some reason he had yet to figure out, she had had lunch
with him for the past two days. He noticed that she didn't seem
quite as nervous as last time though. He smiled tentatively as her
and replied, "I'd like that."
Akane smiled back gratefully, and took a seat next to him
quickly to cover the sudden increase in nervousness she felt. They
both started on their meals and ate in silence for a time.
"That was a really rotten thing the boys did to you today,"
Akane said after swallowing a mouthful of rice. "I mean, they've
done some pretty low things in the past, but this has got to be the
worst. I'm sorry I didn't help you sooner."
Ranma felt a bit embarrassed to having been helped out in a
fight, by a girl, not once but twice. He remembered Akane's
previous explosion and decided that he shouldn't mention that no
matter how he felt about it. He had learned to keep his mouth
sometimes, despite his sister's opinion.
He was somewhat worried to how his parents would react if
they found out. His father would certainly accuse him of slacking
off in his training and think up some even more exhausting and
ridiculous exercises. His mother would make sure he started
dating Akane to thank her for her help, and probably insist to meet
the girl herself. Thankfully, his parents had no real way of
knowing what happened to him at school.
"That wasn't that big a deal. I've been in unfair fights
before. Heck, my old man cheats all the time in our sparring
matches. And... thanks for the help. You're a pretty good martial
artist."
Akane beamed with the praise at first, but then shook her
head, remembering her thoughts of earlier that morning. "Nope,
I'm not. I'm way too slow."
Ranma had to admit that she had a point. He had noticed
that immediately in their fight together. "Well, speed isn't
everything. You have some good techniques against multiple
opponents that makes up for some of that, and you don't have to
punch someone as much because you're as strong as a gorilla."
"Excuse me?" Akane asked in a colder tone than before, her
eyes flat as she looked at him.
Ranma wondered if Akane had learned that look from his
sister somehow, or it was something that any girl could do. Either
way, it made him feel like a bug just before it gets squished.
"I meant that as a compliment, really," Ranma said quickly,
waving his hands to ward off any sudden attacks. "You're probably
stronger than I am and could take a punch as well as you give one."
Akane nodded, seeming appeased, and though her tone
wasn't as cold as before, it still lacked some of its previous warmth.
"The emphasis of the Stone Fist School of martial arts is strength
and endurance verses many opponents. It's what I've been training
in my whole life."
Ranma nodded. "Anything Goes School is pretty much as
the name says. My father likes to concentrate on speed and agility
though, and pretty much ignores all armed techniques. I think my
father thinks that weapons are inherently weaker forms, but I had a
friend who was just about as good as I was with weapons. Or at
least he was, long time since I've seen him last."
"Watching you fight, I thought it was something like that,"
Akane said finally, though she seemed to be struggling with the
words. "In fact, I was wondering if you..."
Akane's words trailed off when they were both suddenly
cast in darkness. Both she and Ranma looked up and up into the
faces of five very large men who had gathered around them. The
men were all smiling, though they seemed far from friendly.
"So we've found you at last, Ranma Saotome," the one in
the middle said, his deep voice rumbling.
Ranma scratched his head in confusion. "Do I know you?"
"No, but we know you," he replied. "The Wrecking Crew
is here to make you pay for what you did to our little brother."
Ranma suddenly remembered the reason he'd been
transferred to Furinkan in the first place, all because of that master
of Demolition Martial Arts. He'd been shouting about the
Wrecking Crew or something.
"I didn't think that I hurt him that badly," Ranma said.
Actually, he was pretty sure that he hadn't hurt him at all. The guy
had lost the fight because he'd knocked the gym down on himself.
"Hurt him?" their leader said with anger. "You did worse
than hurt him. You annihilated his soul! Crushed his will!
Smashed his spirit! Because of you, he's now a pathetic shell of
the person he once was, to whom death would be a mercy!"
"Aren't you exaggerating just a little?" Akane asked. From
what she'd seen of his fights, Ranma held himself back quite a bit,
even when that risked getting himself injured. She really couldn't
see him ruining someone's life like that.
Tears now streamed down the eyes of each member of the
Wrecking Crew as their leader spoke again. "Toshi was destined
for greatness. Out of all of us, he had the greatest potential and
learned faster than anyone. Not only was he a great martial artist,
but he was also intelligent, wise, and artistic. The greatest human
being the world has ever known!"
Ranma really had to wonder if they were talking about the
same guy. His Japanese had been crude by even Ranma's
standards, and he smelled like bathing was a foreign concept to
him. Not to mention he had knocked a building down on top of
himself. He had hardly been a paragon of virtue.
"He was the pinnacle of perfection, until this loathsome
demon named Ranma Saotome came around and with pure malice
single-handedly ruined his life!"
"But what exactly did Ranma do?" Akane pressed.
"What did he do?! What did he do?!" the leader shouted,
whipping himself up into a frenzy. "Not only did Ranma wreck a
building Toshi was supposed to destroy, but he tricked him into
wrecking a building he wasn't supposed to!"
Akane frowned. "I don't see how that's such a big deal."
"Not a big deal?! Not a big deal?!" the leader yelled as his
eyes practically bulged from his sockets. The others had to hold
him back, for which Akane was glad. She could see the spit flying
from his large mouth when he spoke. She definitely didn't want to
get any closer to him. "The abilities of the Wrecking Crew were
meant to serve good, but this... creature Ranma has turned Toshi's
ability, which was surely a gift from the gods, to serve evil! Toshi
will never be able to lift his mighty crowbar again!"
The leader turned to Ranma, calming somewhat. "And that
is why we have come, Ranma Saotome. To avenge the injustice
done to our brother. Prepare to be destroyed."
Ranma stood up. He knew that he was in big trouble
fighting five against one like this, but he really didn't have any
choice. He wouldn't be able to face anyone if he ever backed down
from a challenge. It would shame the name Saotome.
It took Akane about three seconds to make her mind. She
had never faced opponents as big and tough as this Wrecking Crew
before, but she would not, could not, let Ranma fight them alone.
It would go against everything she believed in as a martial artist.
Besides, she still felt indebted to him for ending her morning
fights, even after helping him out that morning.
Before she could do or say anything however, a familiar
voice rang out, "Hold, fiends!"
Nabiki was also sitting outside having lunch, surrounded by
her various factors, and at a good vantage point to observe Ranma
and Akane. She said she was just watching out for her little sister,
but her real reason, which she didn't even want to admit to even
herself, was that she wanted to make sure that they weren't too
close.
Friends was fine -- Nabiki had to admit that Kasumi had a
point this morning about Akane needing a male friend -- but she
didn't want it to go any further than that. She knew the rumor
about them holding hands was just an exaggeration, but it stirred
up her emotions nonetheless. If it turned out to be true that they'd
gone beyond friendship, Nabiki might have to take steps, showing
where Ranma's interest should lie, and that could jeopardize her
entire business.
Nabiki was the undisputed queen of Furinkan high because
nothing could get to her. She didn't get angry, she only got even.
A confrontation with her was a contest of wills, and one which she
always won because of her iron control. If she lost that, the whole
structure could collapse on her, even her own factors turning
against her.
Nabiki was snapped back into the present when five very
large men approached Ranma and Akane, and they didn't look too
friendly either. That suspicion was confirmed as one of them
began to shout angrily, even to the point where he had to be held
back by his allies.
"It seems that this afternoon's entertainment is about to
begin," Nabiki told her friends and assistants. "Looks like Ranma
is going to have yet another fight. Naoko-chan, get the AV club's
video camera and get ready to tape the action. We can sell copies
to people tomorrow. Myuki-chan, find Gosunkugi and tell him that
I want photos of all the participants, especially Ranma. We can
use the equipment of the journalism club to print some nice
booklets to go with the video. Kyoko-chan, you're in charge of the
betting pool, with odds of four to one against the newcomers. The
rest of you start taking bets."
Her factors nodded and set about their given tasks, most
fanning out into the gathering crowd, taking bets from the usual
people. They went right to the regular gamblers, and managed to
attract a few others besides. Nabiki had done her best to convince
her fellow students that betting was a fun game, that the fights at
school became more interesting when one had a stake in them.
Nabiki herself kept her eyes on Ranma. Unnoticed next to
her, Kyoko frowned slightly. She didn't like that Nabiki still
seemed interested in Ranma after their disastrous date.
"Sempai," Kyoko said gently, "How can you be so sure
Ranma will win? It's five against one, and all of those men look
tough."
"First of all, it's three against one, Kyoko-chan," Nabiki
replied in a lecturing tone, her eyes never leaving Ranma. "My
little sister has a habit of sticking up for the underdog, she's already
talking back to the guy. No way will she let Ranma fight alone.
And if Akane is involved, Kuno won't be far behind.
"And... I have faith in Ranma. I know he'll win somehow."
Kyoko tried to ignore the hollow feeling in her gut as she
began to tally the bets the other assistants had started to bring in.
The Wrecking Crew turned their heads to stare at this new
intruder, who arrogantly strode up to them, bokken held limply in
one hand. His expression was a mix of anger and disdain as he
casually sized each one of them up, not seeming at all impressed.
"What do you want?" the leader of Wrecking Crew asked
him.
"If you wish the hand of the beauteous Akane Tendo,"
Kuno said as he readied his bokken, "then you will have to defeat
me first!"
"Who?" the leader asked in confusion. "The only person
we care about here is Ranma Saotome."
"Ha! The likes of Tatewaki Kuno shall never be fooled
with such an obvious ruse! I can see clearly that your plan is that
in defeating Saotome, you will be able to claim Akane for your
own. This I will not allow!"
"They're not lying, Kuno," Ranma told the kendoist.
"They're here to fight me and that's it. You don't need to get
yourself involved in this."
Kuno shook his head sadly. While it might be true that
Ranma was an excellent martial artist, he was much too naive
when it came to dealing with villains the likes of which he was
currently confronting. Trickery and deceit were their watchwords,
and one could be sure that they would conceal their true motives to
the end. Yet he could not bring himself to shatter Ranma's delicate
illusions of a simpler, kinder world.
"Regardless of their motives," Kuno said finally. "I will see
them defeated by my hand."
A hush fell over the school yard as room was made for the
fight. The crowd of students were curious to watch, but thought it
safer to keep their distance. Those with the most common sense
decided to watch from inside the school, preferably several floors
up from the action. Kuno had the habit of cutting right through
trees and stone in the midst of battle, and this Wrecking Crew
looking even more dangerous.
Gosunkugi worked his camera from his perch high up in a
tree. Nabiki had hired his services to get photos of the participants
in action to sell afterwards. He sighed as he reluctantly focused
away from Akane and on to the pig-tailed boy who stood waiting
for the fight to begin. Nabiki had been quite insistent that the
majority of photos be of Ranma.
Nabiki had moved to the safer location of the second floor
of the school with the added advantage of gaining a bird's eye view
over the fight. Kyoko stood beside her, more focused on her boss
than the action below.
Ranma smirked at Kuno, who stood next to him with his
bokken drawn. his feet firmly planted, waiting for anything. He
just couldn't believe that in a few days they had gone from enemies
to allies. Somehow for once he hadn't made an lifelong enemy.
"So what do you say, Kuno? I'll take the three on the right,
you take the two on the left."
Kuno shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving the
five opponents that stood before them. "Nay, tis more fitting that I
defeat the three on the left while you challenge the two on the
right."
"I'll just sit this fight out and watch you two get
pulverized," the leader of the Wrecking Crew spoke up, setting
himself down under the shade of a tree. "That way it's a fair fight."
"Fair fight!?" Akane shouted back at him, "How is two
against one fair?"
"A hundred of these vile dogs would not be enough to
defeat the great Tatewaki Kuno," the kendoist announced, bokken
raised to the heavens. "I accept your pathetic challenge."
Ranma grinned. His opponents looked bulky and slow.
With his speed, even two of them working together wouldn't be
able to touch him. "Let's just get this fight over with, I want to
finish my lunch before the bell rings."
None of the Wrecking Crew seemed intimidated by their
words. They grinned as the exchanged nods with their leader, then
turned to face their opponents, implements of destruction ready in
their meaty hands.
For several moments the six combatants only stood, staring
at each other in silence, waiting for someone to make the first
move. Then a leaf fell from a nearby tree, fluttering on its slow
path to the ground. Not making a sound, the crowd watched it fall,
and when it finally landed, the battle had begun.
Kuno's two opponents quickly closed the gap between
them, while Kuno himself stood ready, letting them come. One
wielded a large support beam like a club while the other swatted
the air with an steel shovel.
Kuno had never been so focused on his life. It could have
been mental preparation for his now aborted training with Ranma
or the fact that for once he was fighting for Akane rather than
against her, but whatever the reason, his mind was no longer dulled
with flowery language or the thoughts of his ancient samurai
heritage. He was a fighter trying to win this match, nothing more.
As such he could see the moves of his opponents before
they made them, in the tensing of their shoulders, the movement of
their arms, the placing of their feet, and the slight bending of their
wrists. Signs that had been all but non-existent in his matches with
Ranma. It reminded him of his matches with Akane, but with
these two there was no worries about doing them harm. In fact,
that was exactly his intent.
Kuno's bokken blurred as it blocked the support beam
aimed for his head, at the same time swiveling his body to avoid
the shovel aimed for his stomach. He sidestepped his first
opponent and added to his forward momentum by smacking him in
the back with the flat of his 'blade', causing the two members of the
Wrecking Crew to fall on top of each other.
He was only mildly surprised by the sudden cheer that rose
up from the crowd. Kuno struck a dramatic pose and declared to
his fallen foes, "Now that you have witnessed the great skill of the
Blue Thunder, yield and spare yourselves the pain and humiliation
of total defeat!"
The Wrecking Crew only responded by standing up and
readying their weapons once again. Both faces were twisted in
anger as they glared at Kuno.
Tatewaki wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Very well. If
you refuse to yield, I have no choice but to teach you the error of
your ways!"
With an animal snarl, the two members of the Wrecking
Crew charged.
Ranma rushed his opponents, trying to do his best to get
this over with as soon as possible. He was still hungry and he
knew lunch period wouldn't last much longer.
He had to duck a flying wrench aimed for his head, the next
moment doing a flip over a ball and chain aimed to ensnare his
legs. This Wrecking Crew wasn't kidding around, he realized
suddenly, they were out to seriously hurt him.
The ball and chain tried to snag him again as he was only
inches away from the man wielding it. Ranma jumped up and did
a flip on the man's shoulders, forcing him to the ground with his
momentum, while the ball of the chain went sailing right into the
other man's gut, bringing him to his knees.
Ranma knocked the other wrench out of the other
opponent's hand, and wound up for a punch to the face, but stopped
suddenly when he saw the man's smile. After that ball to the
stomach, the last thing he should have been doing was smiling.
Slight whistling of the air behind him was Ranma's only
warning as he ducked quickly, only to watch the thrown wrench
come back to smack its thrower right in the face, knocking him to
the ground.
Ranma was barely aware of the crowd's cheers as he
breathed heavily, not from exertion, but from a little fear. If that
wrench had actually connected with the back of his head, this
match would have been over already, not to mention leaving
Ranma in a lot of pain.
Despite that, his two opponents were already getting back
up. They were grinning toothily, though their eyes were flat and
hard. With a final deep breath, Ranma dropped into a stance and
waiting for them to come again.
"Looks like your Wrecking Crew are all show and no
ability," Akane told their leader smugly, hiding the relief she felt.
The man opposite her grinned. "This fight has only
started."
The man with the shovel slowly approached Kuno, holding
his weapon like a bokken, while the other opponent armed with a
large support beam now resting on his shoulder hung back and
watched. Kuno met his shovel-wielding opponent, circling him
slowly, his bokken held ready for a strike while he kept on eye on
the man holding back.
Kuno was normally one to charge and attack first, but in
this case two semi-skilled opponents dictated a defensive posture.
If he attacked one, he would leave himself vulnerable to an attack
from the other. But if he held back and waited for an attack from
one, he could counter and still be ready to confront his other foe. It
was of course the perfect strategy.
And then the waiting was over. The shovel-wielding foe
charged, still telegraphing his movement enough for Kuno to guess
where it would end, though he was concealing it much better than
before. Kuno moved to block and countered, only to suddenly lose
his footing as the ground shook under him. He was just barely able
to block the shovel aimed for his right shoulder, but the force of it
sent him tumbling to the ground.
Kuno stood back up immediately and eyed his grinning
opponents warily, edging away from them a bit. His form had been
perfect, only to have the very ground turn traitor on him.
Obviously, there was some trickery afoot. He guessed it to be the
work of the man with the support beam, but could not figure out
what he had done.
Once again the man armed with the shovel closed in on
him, though he seemed much more confident than before. They
began to circle, but this time Kuno was ready for whatever trick
they had played on him before. Once he perceived the attack
launched, he had to merely make doubly sure that his footing was
firm. That way not even an earthquake could disrupt his most
perfect form.
Then the attack came. Kuno saw it coming towards his
lower left and readied his stance as well as his 'blade.' Only at the
last moment, the man's whole movement changed, as with a grin
his shovel changed direction and scooped up the ground right
under Kuno's feet, concrete and all, sending the kendoist flying
right into the path of his second opponent. The support beam came
around with a powerful swing, striking Kuno in the back and
sending him right into the pavement.
"That hurt, you know," Kuno remarked as he crawling out
of the small crater his impact had made and shakily got back on his
feet. His kendo outfit was now tattered and dirty, though he had
the look of proud disdain on his face as he made his bokken ready
for the next assault.
Ranma knew that his opponents would be easily to beat if
he could just close the distance between them and use one of the
special moves he'd learned in over a decade of training. The
problem was his opponents weren't giving him that chance,
keeping him at bay with boomeranging wrenches and chains out to
trip him up. Ranma was quick enough to keep from getting hit
with these, but with his own inability to strike they were stuck in a
stalemate.
Again the wrench flew, Ranma dodging to the right to
avoid it hitting him in the elbow. Little odd since the man had
normally been aiming for his stomach or head, much easier targets.
He didn't have much time to think as the chain followed right after,
aiming to ensnare his waist this time, but it was so far off that he
didn't even really need to dodge. Were his opponents getting tired
and that was effecting their aim? To Ranma, they didn't even look
winded.
Ranma dodged left when he heard the tell-tale whistle of
the returning wrench, only to blink in surprise when something
cold began to wrap around his waist. He looked down to see that
the chain had somehow snagged on the wrench and used its
momentum to snare him. Ranma tried to slip out of its grip, but
the man wielding the chain suddenly pulled it painfully tight,
cutting off his escape and dragging the pig-tailed boy closer to him.
Ranma dug his feet in and pulled back with all his might; it was
just barely enough to halt his forward progress.
The second wrench went flying, aimed for Ranma's head.
Ranma managed to duck, but that change in footing was enough
for the man with the chain to pull him to the ground. With barks of
laughter, the two members of the Wrecking Crew closed in on him.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, moving forward to help, only to
be stopped by the heavy hand of the leader of the Wrecking Crew
on her shoulder.
"Don't get involved in a fight between men, little girl.
You'll only wind up hurt."
Akane glared at him, shaking off his grip, but didn't go and
assist Ranma. He was right about one thing. This wasn't like the
fight earlier that morning. Ranma had agreed to this, she had no
real right to interfere.
Kuno seethed in anger, so much so that if anyone had been
close to him at the moment they would have noticed a faint blue
glow all around his body, the marks of his battle aura flickering
with the faint breeze.
Not once, but twice these inferior foes had gotten the better
of the great Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. He
had been far too careless before to allow this to happen, relying on
defense like some base coward. Well, no more. Kuno silently
vowed that it would end here and now.
With a low, guttural shout, Kuno charged his shovel-
wielding opponent. The man was so surprised by the sudden,
powerful assault that he was barely able to bring his shovel up in
time to block the blow, only to watch it be cut in half by a wooden
sword right before his eyes. That is, until the second blow that
caught him in his mid-section and sent him flying though the wall
of the school. Literally, as the impact was enough to knock him
right through a wall.
The man armed with the support beam was a little
intimidated when Kuno's flat stare turned to him, especially after
seeing what had just happened to his comrade, but that was quickly
replaced with a confident grin. Kuno slowly approached him, only
to be nearly knocked off his feet when the man struck the ground
with his heavy support beam, causing a minor earthquake.
"Can't use that trick on me if you can't get close," the man
pointed out smugly.
"True," Kuno replied, firmly planting his feet while holding
his bokken out before him. "Kuno School of Kendo Final Attack!"
The man, expecting Kuno to try and rush him, readied his
support beam to strike the ground with all the force he could
muster.
"Strike! Strike! Strike!" Kuno began to shout over and over
as his bokken became a blur before him as if battling an unseen
opponent. His feet remained planted, however, making no move to
close in on his opponent.
The man facing him grinned wider, thinking that the
kendoist had finally snapped; that was until he felt something slice
at his arm, his right leg, his waist. He blinked and stared. Kuno
was still some distance away from him, but it felt as if he were
right there, hitting him all over. He brought his support beam out
before him, only to watch as the air pressure Kuno was generating
shredded it down to filings. His surprise only lasted for a moment
as Kuno himself finally charged in, putting all of his momentum
behind a blow aimed for the man's stomach, sending this opponent
through the school fence and onto the sidewalk on the other side of
the street.
Kuno stood proud, raising his bokken to the heavens as a
cheer rippled through the crowd. He looked noble and invincible,
but in reality it was taking everything he had left just to stand.
Lying on the ground, Ranma was doing his best to look
helpless and defeated. The chain dug painfully into his wrists, but
he ignored it, focusing instead on his opponents as they inched
closer and closer. It was an effort not to grin, but thankfully his
opponents were too focused on harming his prone form to notice.
As the man with the wrench brought his weapon down
aimed for Ranma's stomach, Ranma suddenly turned, wrapping his
legs around the man's arm and flipping him over and onto his back.
With a snarl, the man still holding the chain tugged Ranma closer,
only to watch in surprise as the pig-tailed boy leapt back onto his
feet and head-butted him hard in the chest, loosening his hold on
the chain and knocking the wind out of him.
Ranma stood confidently surveying his opponents. One
was totally disarmed and looked like he was having a hard time
breathing; the other was flat on his back with only one wrench
remaining. The two opponents Kuno had faced had just
reappeared, but neither of them looked capable of fighting at the
moment.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Akane shouted at the
leader of the Wrecking Crew as he stood and took a step towards
Ranma.
He turned back to her with a grin and said, "I think it's my
turn to teach this Ranma a lesson."
"You said you were going to sit this one out," Akane
pointed out.
"I lied," he replied with a shrug.
Face contorted in anger, Akane jumped out in front of him,
blocking his path. "You'll have to get through me first!"
She wasn't sure which made her madder at the moment; this
'Wrecking Crew' with their lame excuses and dirty tactics or
finding out just how much Kuno had been holding back in their
matches together, having never really treated her as a serious
martial artist. Either way, she was eager to take her frustrations out
on someone.
"Akane, don't get yourself involved in this," Ranma told
her, seeing what was happening between her in the leader.
"They're here for me. This isn't your fight."
"I concur," Kuno added as he approached her after the
completion of his own duel. "Allow us to be the hand of your
vengeance upon these scoundrels for daring to think that they
might gain the right to date you."
Akane thought the real reason that they didn't want her to
fight with them was because she wasn't as good as they were, and
she had to admit that they were right. Ranma had just bent out of
the way of her every blow, and after seeing Kuno go all out against
those Wrecking Crew guys, she now knew that he'd been better
than her all along. *I'd probably just get in their way,* she thought
as she began to sit back down, suddenly feeling depressed.
"That's right, little girl," the leader of the Wrecking Crew
told her as she backed down. "Girls like you shouldn't be fighting.
You should be learning to cook and sew and other girly stuff like
that. Leave the fighting to the men."
"What did you say?" Akane asked in a cold tone, standing
back up again.
"Oh, the little girl is mad at me!" the leader said in mock
horror, glancing around at his men who had now gathered around
him. "I'm soo scared!"
Ranma blinked when he felt a sudden intense heat. He
gulped to see Akane, her head down, her hands balled into fists.
But what was really impressive, and in some ways frightening, was
the bright blue glow that surrounded her, a larger battle aura than
he had ever seen before.
Ranma tried to say something to her, but Kuno's hand
stayed him. The kendoist now stood next to him, leaning a bit on
him for support. "It would be best not to interfere with Akane
Tendo as she is now," he told him, his voice solemn. "Lest she
direct her wrath upon you as well."
Ranma took another glance at Akane and nodded. His fine-
tuned sense of danger was currently screaming loud enough to
make him deaf. Besides, anything that frightened the supremely
arrogant kendoist had to be bad.
The leader of the Wrecking Crew was not a cautious person
by nature, which was probably why he said what he did. "What's
the matter, little girl? Gonna cry?"
Akane's head snapped up. Fire smoldered in her eyes. It
was a glare that promised a long and painful death to anyone who
so much as glanced in her direction. The other members of the
Wrecking Crew involuntarily took a step back, but the leader still
held his ground.
"Tendo Stone Fist School of Martial Arts Ultimate
Technique!" Akane roared as her right arm shot out, targeted for
the leader's mid section. "Stone Fist!"
The leader was roughly four times the size of Akane and a
mountain of muscle, but his body bowed easily with the impact
from her punch, his mouth spitting out a small wad of blood.
Akane bent her arm slightly and sent him flying off into the
stratosphere. Everyone else could only watch in awe until he was
no more than a speck in the sky.
Akane eyed the remaining members of the Wrecking Crew,
her battle aura still burning brightly, blue flame flickering madly,
reflected in her eyes. "All right," she growled. "Who's next?"
The four giants took one look at her and fled.
The rest of the school day flew by for Ranma, and before he
knew it, it was already over. He wanted to talk to Akane after the
fight at lunch, especially after seeing her pull that technique. His
interest in learning a move like that actually overcame his shame
and embarrassment of having to be saved by a girl in a fight not
once but twice. He was a little surprised that people hadn't teased
him about it though.
He tried to talk to her right after the bell rang, but she
packed up her things and practically flew out of class. Ranma
found this a bit odd, but just figured that she had some after school
activity that she didn't want to be late for, and he really didn't want
to keep her. After seeing her getting really angry, the last thing he
wanted to do was piss her off.
Ranma was of two minds about seeking out Nabiki. On
one hand, he really wanted to talk to her about the date last night to
hopefully alleviate some of his confusion. But on the other hand,
he was extremely nervous about speaking to her again. What if she
had changed her mind about the date and hated him now? Or what
if she felt the same, or even stronger, than she had last night? He
couldn't decide which was worse.
Before he knew it, his feet had taken him to the exit.
Ranma sighed and muttered to himself, "I really am a coward."
"No, you're not," a voice whispered next to him.
Ranma nearly jumped and spun around in surprise when he
heard Nabiki's voice. There was no one else in the hall, but then he
spotted her face peeking out of a partly opened door.
He opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn't
even sure what he should say, when she held her finger to her lips
for silence, then gestured for him to come closer. Nodding, Ranma
reluctantly went to the door. When she let him inside and closed it
behind him, careful not to make a sound.
They were in the currently empty nurse's office. Nabiki
was grinning widely, as if she had just played a big practical joke
on someone. Ranma couldn't help recalling his words to his sister
last night. Nabiki was very pretty, especially when she was
smiling.
"Bet you want to know why I'm being secretive all of the
sudden, right Ranma-chan?"
Ranma blinked at being called '-chan', but then slowly
nodded. It seemed the more time he spent with Nabiki, the
stranger she acted.
"I just wanted to explain to you something that I should
have told you last night. You see, my situation at school is rather...
delicate. I have a certain reputation to uphold, and if it was known
that I'd been out on a date, well, that might tarnish that reputation.
It isn't anything personal, Ranma, this would be true for any boy.
So I want to keep our relationship secret, at least for now. We
shouldn't even act like we've even met. Is that all right with you?"
Ranma was silent for a moment, mostly because he was
now even more confused than before. He'd been hoping for a
moment there that she'd explain some of the things that happened
on their date last night, especially how she had reacted to them, but
instead she'd added the additional confusion of concealing their
'relationship', whatever she meant by that, at school for reasons he
couldn't even begin to fathom.
"Sure," he said finally. Ranma didn't understand, but if that
was what she wanted he didn't really have a problem with it. His
school situation was complicated enough as it is.
"Great," Nabiki replied with a smile. "We can correspond
over e-mail, since I bet you don't have your own phone line. You
do have an e-mail addy, don't you?"
Ranma could only stare back at her. "What's e-mail?"
Nabiki chuckled. "I'm sure Hitomi will be willing to
explain it all to you, Ranma. I'll send mail to you at her address in
the meantime, marking them for you. I should be able to get an
account for you in a few days on the Furinkan server. I could do it
quicker, but I don't want anyone else to know I'm doing something
for you."
"Thanks," Ranma replied, not entirely sure what he was
thanking her for.
And then Nabiki's whole posture suddenly changed as she
walked over to him, her eyes twinkling with mirth, a small smile
on her lips. Ranma wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt very
nervous. He was nearly shaking when she wrapped her arms
around his neck, nearly jumping away when she laid her head
against his chest.
"I'm sorry I have to put you through all this, Ranma. Not
mad, are you?"
"N..no," he told her, his voice nearly cracking. The instinct
to bolt was strong, but he seemed paralyzed. Not like it had been
that morning, he could move if he had to, but for some reason he
had lost the will to.
"I'm glad," she said softly as she began to trace circles on
his chest with one outstretched finger. "I know you have a long
way to go to get home, so I won't keep you much longer. I just
want to know what's the deal with you and that girl Akane. There's
rumors all over the school that you two are dating, but you aren't,
are you?"
Ranma wasn't so bewildered to not noticed the edge in her
voice as she had asked that question. "No, it's not anything like
that. I don't even think we're friends, it's just... I don't even know
what. Akane just confuses me."
"Akane confuses everyone. I hardly understand her."
Nabiki slowly, almost reluctantly, released Ranma and
stood a foot or so away from him, looking into his confused eyes.
"Talk to you again soon, Ranma. Don't forget to ask your sister
about e-mail. You probably don't want her reading my mail for
you."
"Um, I won't," Ranma replied, wondering just what Nabiki
planned to put in those e-mails.
They stood staring at each other in silence before Nabiki
finally said, "You can go now, Ranma."
Ranma laughed nervously. "Right. Thanks, Nabiki."
Nabiki blinked. "For what?"
Ranma shrugged. "I don't know, for the date, and not being
mad about how it went. I had a good time... being with you."
Nabiki grinned and threw her arms around his neck again,
giving him a peck on the cheek. "You're a big sweetie, Ranma-
chan."
Ranma could only blush in response.
Ranma wasn't entirely surprised to find that his mother had
guests over when he returned from school. Her friends were fellow
housewives who seemed to only get together to brag about their
children and complain about their husbands.
Ranma tried to tip-toe the way to his room, clinging to the
walls to avoid being seen, but his mother had always had sharp
ears.
"Oh, Ranma?" Nodoka called out to him. "Could you come
in here for a moment?"
Resigned to the inevitable, Ranma slumped his shoulders
and obeyed. He was met by the grins of four middle-aged women
with whom he was all too familiar, since they seemed to share his
mother's views on the ideal son and daughter. He was thankful that
two of them didn't visit that often. He was sure that it was only his
bad luck that they were all there now.
"Your mother has just been telling about your manly
exploits last night," the one who he was the least familiar with said.
She carried a backpack with her and looked ready to travel at a
moment's notice, so he had always figured she was part of a family
of explorers or something. "How I wish my own son could be as
manly as that, but just the mention of a woman and he goes all to
pieces. Aika, I don't know how I'm going to bring up his arranged
marriage to your daughter."
Aika was the most familiar out of the women to Ranma.
She lived somewhere nearby and was Nodoka's best friend. Ranma
was especially thankful for the arranged marriage that they spoke
of, because his mother had hinted heavily that if it wasn't for that,
he'd be the one engaged to her daughter. And trouble like that was
the last thing he needed.
Aika smiled over a cup of tea as she directed her eyes to the
pig-tailed boy. "You shouldn't worry about it so much, Kiba.
Perhaps Nodoka's son could give yours a few lessons. I know that
my daughter would be most appreciative. I have already informed
her about the engagement and she is looking forward to it."
"If I could find the boy, maybe I'd do just that. My husband
was supposed to be taking him to see an old friend of his, but I just
called there and they haven't arrived yet. Sometimes I wonder why
I married that fool, always getting himself lost." Kiba sighed as
she idly tugged at the yellow and black bandana she wore around
her neck.
"You think you have problems," the fourth woman said,
fiddling nervously with a small spatula. "My poor daughter. When
I think of what my husband has done to her, I'd--"
"There, there, Chiyo-chan," Nodoka told her friend, patting
her on the shoulder. "It's all right."
Ranma sometimes wondered what horrible thing the man
had done to his own daughter that his wife would mention it at
every one of their meetings that he had ever been there for.
"Maybe I should just accept it," Chiyoko finally said in her
usual Kansai accent. "She's been this way for too long for me to
change now. I should just find her a man that suits her the way she
is. Unless you think she's--"
"I have pondered the same about my own daughter," Aika
interrupted. "Sending her to an all-girl's school may have warped
her somewhat, though I only did it to keep her pure for her
arranged marriage. She has become a bit... eccentric, though that's
no surprise considering her father. How one man could change so
much after marriage I will never know. I've simply run out of
things to do with the pineapples he keeps sending me."
Ranma tried to sneak away during their conversation, but
his mother wouldn't allow it. "Perhaps my son can be of some
assistance," Nodoka offered, gently but firmly grabbing hold of his
sleeve before he could escape.
"What are you suggesting?" Aika asked, sounding curious.
"I propose that my son and your daughter go on a date. If
your daughter remains unaffected by my son's extreme manliness,
then we would know for certain if such a problem exists. I assure
you my son has enough self-control that your daughter would
remain unsoiled."
Ranma was blushing horribly. How could his own mother
talk about him like that, right in front of him?
"It is an excellent idea," Aika enthused. "I'm sure Dachi
would welcome a night out on the town. She must get so bored
around the house with only her garden and her little pet for
company. If not for school and her gymnastics, I doubt she'd leave
the house at all."
"Then we are agreed then," Nodoka said, leaning forward,
her eyes gleaming. "When should they go out?"
"Hey!" Ranma tried to butt in, "don't I get a--?"
Only to be ignored by everyone else there. "Why wait?"
Aika said with a smile. "I'm eager to discover the results of this
little experiment. With my family connections I can easily have
everything ready for tomorrow night."
"Then it's settled," Nodoka declared. "My son will go on a
date with Aika's daughter tomorrow night to decide once and for
all whether she is interested in men or not. And if she isn't,
perhaps an arrangement between two girls would be possible."
"Oh, that would solve everything," Chiyoko enthused,
unholstering her giant egg beater so she could lean back
comfortably. "In the end, all I want is my daughter's happiness."
The four mothers nodded in agreement to the plan while
Ranma groaned in desperation, knowing that there was no way he
could escape one of his mother's schemes.
Kasumi browsed the market, her ever-cheerful smile on her
lips, but for once it wasn't as genuine. Despite her efforts to shake
them off, her worries of the morning still hadn't left her. And she
doubted that she would be able to free herself from them until she
saw Ranma again.
In the weeks after she had first met him, they had become
rather good friends. It was quite a surprise to Kasumi, who had
never had much dealings with boys in the past, but Ranma was so
open and friendly, if a bit naive at times, that she couldn't help
liking him. 'Like' being the operative word. It developed into a
rather close friendship, but that was all it was for Kasumi for a
while. She could easily remember the day when that all changed;
thinking of it so many times had burned the incident into her
memory. It all happened a few months ago...
It had been more or less a typical day for them. She had
met up with Ranma and they had gone from shop to shop, Kasumi
using her knowledge of the area to better guide him to the superior
ingredients. Ranma was always looking for some way to repay her
for her help, but Kasumi was more than satisfied with his company
alone.
Ranma had seemed more nervous and agitated than usual
that day. He frequently looked around as if he expected someone
to jump out at him.
"Ranma, what's wrong?" Kasumi asked finally, concerned
for her new friend.
"Nothing," Ranma immediately replied, glancing around
again.
"Please tell me what's bothering you, Ranma. You can tell
me. I'm your friend, aren't I?" Kasumi asked with a touch of
worry. Not only did she dislike seeing someone suffer, but she was
also concerned that Ranma didn't see this as the friendship that
Kasumi held it as.
"Well, it's something really silly," Ranma finally said,
embarrassed. "You'll probably just think I'm worried over
nothing."
Kasumi shook her head. "If it's serious to you then it's
serious to me. Tell me what's bothering you."
Kasumi prided herself in her listening skills, having been a
shoulder to lean on, and sometimes cry on, for her sisters, and
occaisonally their father, for years now. And while she didn't think
that she could solve the problems of everyone, she was sure that at
least talking about them always made the person feel better.
"All right," Ranma gave in with a small sigh. "You
promise you won't laugh?"
"Promise," Kasumi replied with a smile. Ranma was acting
very strange today.
"Okay, what happened is I saw an orange and white cat on
the way here today, and every time I see one, something bad
always happens to me."
Kasumi frowned. "Isn't it supposed to be a black cat that
crosses your path?"
"Huh?" Ranma said, confused.
"It's a Western superstition that I read about once. If a
black cat crosses your path then it's a sign of bad luck."
"I don't know anything about that. It's just that for some
reason, ever since I was little, whenever I saw an orange and white
cat something really bad would happen to me. And the longer the
delay between me seeing the cat and the thing happening, the
worse it would be. It's been a while now, so I'm starting to get
really worried."
"Then perhaps you should--" Kasumi started to say, when
the fence they were walking next to suddenly exploded, startling
her. The force was enough to send both of them to the ground.
"Ranma!" a deep female voice bellowed from within the
cloud of smoke and dust that had been kicked up. As that began to
settle, Kasumi could make out the image of a very large woman
beyond. She was clearly overweight, covered by an enormous
white gi, and had her hair done up in the style of sumo wrestlers.
"Oh, no," Ranma lamented. "Anyone but her. Not Lady
Sumo."
"Come to me, my love!" the huge woman shouted in glee,
her arms out-stretched, as she slowly moved towards him, each
ponderous step shaking the ground.
Ranma turned green. "I've got to get away from her,
Kasumi. You better get clear."
Kasumi nodded and tried to stand, but immediately fell
back to the ground, crying out in pain.
"What's wrong?" Ranma asked her in concern.
"My ankle must have gotten twisted in the fall," Kasumi
explained. "I'll be fine. You must escape while you can, Ranma."
Ranma glanced at Lady Sumo, slowly making her way over
to him while blowing kisses. She didn't even seem to see Kasumi,
who was right in her path.
He nodded decisively, scooped up Kasumi in his arms, and
bolted.
"Ranma, what are you doing?" Kasumi asked in outrage
once she had gotten over the initial shock. They might be friends,
even close ones, but that didn't give him the right to hold her like
this. People might get the wrong idea about them.
"Escaping," Ranma replied quickly, glancing back. He'd
been running almost flat out for several minutes though, and there
was no sign of Lady Sumo anywhere.
"Put me down this minute!" Kasumi shouted, horribly
embarrassed. She could feel the eyes of every person on the street
on her.
"But your ankle..."
"I'll be fine, Ranma. Just set me down," Kasumi told him,
feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment. A proper woman
like herself just wasn't to be seen just wasn't seen carried down the
street in the arms of a man. What would her neighbors and the
people at the shops say?
Ranma shook his head. "It's my fault that you got yourself
hurt. Besides, Lady Sumo might still be around. She has a habit of
jumping out unexpectedly."
No sooner had they said that, then a white, blimp-like
figure leapt over the fence next to them and began to give chase
with a cry of, "Ranma, honey-pie!"
The boy in question shuddered as he glanced back, an ill
look on his face. "This might take a while. Is there any place I can
drop you off?" Ranma told Kasumi, still carrying her close to his
chest. She was surprised to find the warm feel of his arms around
her and the sound of his heart beat strangely soothing, so much so
that she stopped caring about how other people saw her at the
moment. She felt comfortable and safe.
"You could bring me to Dr. Tofu's so he can have a look at
my ankle."
Kasumi had to wonder why Ranma looked so nervous all of
the sudden, as if her were afraid of the good doctor, but she knew
that simply couldn't be. Dr. Tofu was a kind man, if somewhat
silly.
"Why don't I just drop you off at your house instead?" he
asked, taking another nervous glance backwards, though Lady
Sumo once again was gone from sight. "I'm sure it's nothing
serious."
"Well, all right," Kasumi agreed with some reluctance.
"But you're going to have to find a way of discouraging that...
woman from following you if we ever hope to get there safely."
Ranma nodded, his face creased in thought. A few
moments later, Lady Sumo barreled out of a restaurant, small food
stains now dotting her gi. This time instead of running away,
Ranma stood his ground and waiting for her to catch up.
"What are you going to do?" Kasumi asked a bit nervously.
The large woman seemed to be rather dangerous to her, even if she
was acting affectionate towards Ranma.
"Um, I'm going to try something I saw in a movie once," he
whispered to her, faint blush on his cheeks. "It might make you a
bit... uncomfortable, but it'll all be pretend. Besides, I can't think
of anything else. So just go along with it, okay?"
Kasumi nodded, feeling slightly bewildered. Ranma hadn't
worried about her being uncomfortable before when he picked her
up and ran. She had to admit that she had gotten rather
comfortable in his arms though.
Lady Sumo slowed her pace until she stopped just before
the two. Kasumi could see that despite her size, she was a rather
pretty girl. Her bright blue eyes sparkled, full blush on her cheeks,
when she said with girlish glee, "Oh, Ranma sweetheart, I've
finally caught you!"
She reached out to embrace him in her massive arms, still
apparently blind to Kasumi resting in his, when Ranma stopped her
with an outstretched hand. Not an easy thing to do when he still
held Kasumi to him.
"Forgive me, Lady Sumo," he told her in an overly dramatic
tone. Kasumi thought that the movie Ranma must have seen was
one of those samurai epics where everyone always speaks so
grandly. It was not a bad thing in her opinion, especially when
Ranma was the one doing it. "But I am in love with another."
"No!" Lady Sumo wailed, tears immediately streaming
down her cheeks. "How can this be true? Where is this woman
who has stolen your heart away from it's rightful owner, me!?"
"She stands before you," Ranma indicated Kasumi in the
same tone, though his voice nearly sounded as if it would break.
Kasumi knew that she was blushing horribly. A confession of love
wasn't something easy for her to take, even if it was just pretend.
"She has possessed my heart from the moment in which we first
met. I tried many times before to explain this to you, but, blind as
you were with love, you would not hear me out."
Lady Sumo was outraged. She stomped her foot in anger,
causing the ground underneath to tremble slightly. "How could
you choose this plain, rail-thin hussy over me? I, the most
beautiful woman on the female sumo circuit!"
Kasumi blinked at being called a 'hussy.' Was that how she
appeared to people at the moment? She did have her hands around
Ranma's neck, but that was only because she couldn't stand on her
own right now. She wouldn't have been doing it otherwise. Did it
make her look like a 'hussy'?
"The ways of love are strange and mysterious," Ranma
declared. "One rarely knows what makes one love another, yet that
bond is as strong as steel. I beseech thee to find another who can
return your love as fully as you may give yours, for only then can
you truly be happy."
Lady Sumo finally nodded in understanding, saying with
tears in her eyes, "Farewell, my first true love."
"Farewell, Lady Sumo."
Only after the rotund martial artist had left for good did
Kasumi finally speak. "Ranma, that was amazing! How were you
able to come up with all that?"
"Really?" Ranma asked in surprise. "I was just quoting
from the movie. She must have seen the same one. Hmm, now I
wonder how it ended. My pop dragged me off for some training so
I missed the last fifteen minutes. Pretty good flick, not enough
fights though."
Kasumi could only blink in surprise.
Ranma gently set Kasumi down on her bed. She sighed as
she undid the braid in her hair and leaned back. The little
adventure had completely worn her out, even though it hadn't
lasted for very long. It had certainly been exciting, once she had
gotten over her embarrassment that is. It had also been quite
strange, but Kasumi welcomed a bit of the bizarre into her
normally bland life. The monotony did sometimes strain her
normally cheerful outlook. She never felt bored around Ranma
though, even though the most adventure they normally had was
wandering around the market together.
She glanced up to see Ranma staring back at her with an
odd expression on her face, similar to the one when he first
confronted Lady Sumo. Kasumi wondered what it could mean.
She certainly wasn't a danger to him.
"Um, you just make yourself comfortable," he said quickly
when her gaze met his. "I'll go and make some tea." And with that
he was off like a shot, almost as if that sumo woman was still
pursuing him.
Only then did Kasumi notice that with all the jostling
around in their mad chase through the shopping district, the top
buttons on her dress had somehow become undone, exposing a bit
of cleavage. Kasumi immediately turned beet red and quickly
buttoned them back up again. She certainly hoped that no one had
seen her like that. They would think her a wanton woman. Maybe
that was the reason Lady Sumo had called her a hussy.
But could that be the reason for Ranma's strange behavior?
Kasumi thought about it for a bit before shaking her head. A
charming and handsome boy like Ranma would have no end of
girls pursuing him, though she hoped for his sake that not all of
them were as determined at the one they had just run into. Why
would he feel anything for a plain, older woman like herself?
To distract herself from such thoughts, Kasumi gently
removed both shoe and sock to uncover her swollen ankle.
Examining it carefully, even she could tell from her own small
store of medical knowledge that it was a sprain as she had first
suspected, and the only thing she really needed to do was stay off
her feet for a while.
Which was unfortunately something she could not do. The
laundry and house cleaning could be put off until tomorrow at
least, but she still had a dinner to prepare. In the past they would
just order out whenever she was sick, but father had gone off with
an old friend who had appeared suddenly and she didn't expect him
back for a few days at least. Things were particularly tight at the
moment and there just wasn't room in the budget for take-out,
especially after doing her shopping for the day. She was thankful
that Ranma's quick thinking had saved their groceries as well as
themselves so they hadn't been wasted. She knew that Nabiki had
money stored away, but she felt that if she asked to borrow some it
would make her a failure in some way. She should be able to
handle the situation herself.
Kasumi's thoughts were interrupted by Ranma carrying a
tray of tea and crackers, which he gently set down before her. "I
thought you'd want a little snack too," he explained somewhat
nervously.
Kasumi looked up at him, her eyes wide in puzzlement.
Just why was he acting so jumpy around her all of the sudden? He
probably still felt guilty over her sprain, even though it really
wasn't his fault.
Ranma poured the tea, his eyes focused on the steaming
liquid as it filled up two cups. Taking one of those cups for
himself, and a cracker besides, he made himself comfortable on the
chair at the foot of her bed, not moving to consume either.
Feeling mildly confused, Kasumi took a sip of her tea and
nibbled lightly on one of the crackers. She wasn't feeling at all
hungry, in fact there were still butterflies in her stomach from the
chase and the confrontation afterwards, but she was flattered that
Ranma was thoughtful enough to bring them and didn't want to
seem ungrateful.
"This tea is quite good, Ranma," she told him in an effort to
break the ice that had suddenly grown between them. It was oddly
like their first meeting all over again. The same nervous
uncertainty.
"My mother taught me," Ranma explained, taking a sip of
his own tea. "She used to say that..."
"What did she say?" Kasumi asked curiously, wondering
why he had trailed off like that.
Blushing faintly, Ranma told her quickly, "It was nothing,
really." He took a bite of his cracker, looking away from her.
Kasumi decided not to press. It would be rude after Ranma
had treated her so nicely. "Please forgive me for not being a better
hostess, Ranma. I should be the one serving you tea," she told him,
glancing down at the tray Ranma had set in her lap.
Ranma shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault, for you
getting your ankle sprained."
"Ranma, as you can see for yourself it's really nothing
serious," Kasumi said with a smile, wiggling her bare foot in his
direction.
Finishing off his cracker, Ranma stood to get a closer look
at her ankle. He hung close to it, but still keeping a small distance
away, as if he thought he'd somehow make the injury worse if he
got too near. "Shouldn't you have it wrapped up or something so
you don't make it worse?"
"I suppose I'll have to," Kasumi told him, thinking about
the dinner she still needed to start soon. "But the first aid kit is all
the way in the dojo."
"You have a dojo?" Ranma asked her, surprise and a touch
of awe in his voice.
Kasumi couldn't stop herself from laughing just a bit. How
could she forget his interest in martial arts? She knew from their
talks that it was probably the most important thing in the world to
him. "Yes, the Tendo dojo has been in the family for generations,
though it's been years since my father last taught a class there.
Didn't you see it on the way in?"
Ranma scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I
guess I was too focused on getting you here to notice. Where is it?
I can get the first aid kit for you."
Kasumi smiled at his sudden enthusiasm. She had to
wonder just which was more important to him at the moment,
getting the first aid kit for her, or checking out the family dojo. It
didn't really matter. She had had such a good day with him, even
with the sprained ankle, that she didn't really mind what reasons he
had for staying in her company for a little while longer.
Kasumi told him where the kit was located and, after first
setting down his tea, he was off like a shot again. It seemed that
Ranma only walked when he had to, choosing to run when he
could. She wondered if he often dreamt of flying. Kasumi
occasionally had dreams like that, but she had yet to even run. She
found herself just a bit envious the unconscious freedom Ranma
possessed.
She leaned back again and closed her eyes, the cooling cup
of tea a comforting warmth in her hands. She could feel the smile
that came so easily to her lips, and for some reason that only made
her smile even wider. The constant throb of the ankle fading from
her mind, she released a small sigh as a wave of tranquility washed
over her after the chaos of the day, carrying her to sleep.
Kasumi awoke to a feathery touch on her foot. She slowly
opened her eyes to see Ranma kneeling by the side of the bed,
opened first aid kid on the floor beside him. Very gently, as if he
feared her leg would shatter like glass from anything stronger, he
proceeded to wrap bandages around her ankle. From the
professional way he wrapped them, Kasumi guessed that Ranma
was no stranger to bruises and bandages.
She noticed his small smile of accomplishment as he
carefully set her foot back down and studied the job he had done.
Kasumi knew that smile well, it was one she herself wore after
completely a particularly difficult task around the house.
Kasumi had been assuming since the beginning of their
friendship that she and Ranma were different people from very
different worlds, throw together by chance and a common interest
in cooking, which was little more than a hobby in Ranma's case.
Their chase that day seemed to confirm that opinion, but after
seeing Ranma's smile she couldn't help but wonder if they were all
that different after all.
"Thank you, Ranma," she told him softly.
"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," Ranma said in a panicked
voice.
Kasumi tried to hold it back, she really tried, but with
Ranma's expression like a little boy caught with his hand in a
cookie jar, she couldn't help herself. Kasumi laughed loudly until
tears came to her eyes. Ranma could only stare back at her with a
stunned expression.
"Forgive me, Ranma," she told him, her voice still filled
with mirth as she wiped away half-formed tears. "I don't know
what came over me."
"Ah, that's okay," Ranma replied, looking utterly lost now.
"I just thought it would be easier for me to wrap your ankle for
you, especially since it's my responsibility. Maybe the bandage is a
bit ticklish."
"Perhaps that's it," Kasumi agreed with a smile and a warm
feeling in her chest. When was the last time she had laughed so
freely? She could not remember. Perhaps even before her mother
had died. Before the repsonabilty of maintaining the Tendo
household had fallen on her shoulders.
"I probably should be going now," Ranma told her, still
sounding confused. "I don't what to have to explain to my mother
what I've been doing."
Kasumi nearly blinked in surprise when she felt a sudden
reluctance to let him leave. It was deep and strong, like a basic
need that she had never experienced before. Ranma made her feel
good, so she wanted him to be around her always. Kasumi shook
her head slightly at her own foolishness. She hadn't the right to be
so selfish. She didn't even know why she felt this way.
"Yes, I've kept you much too long already," she told him,
trying to hide the reluctance in her voice. She sat herself up, which
was difficult to do with her body stiff from lying on her bed for a
while. Just long had she been sleeping anyway? It had felt like no
more than an eye blink, but she could see the sun hung much lower
in the sky now then when they had first come to her room. "Now if
you would help me into the kitchen on your way out, I'd be most
appreciative."
"I really don't think you should be even trying to walk on
that foot, Kasumi," he told her seriously. "Even my pop kept me in
bed when I had a sprain like that, and he doesn't like to cancel
training for anything."
She couldn't help but smiling at his concern. "I'll be fine,
Ranma. Besides, I can't afford to loaf around in bed all day. My
sisters will be coming home soon and I need to have dinner ready
for them."
"But I can do that for you," Ranma insisted as he guided
Kasumi to lay back down again. Somehow, she couldn't find the
words to protest against his gentle hands on her arms, or his soft
grey eyes filled with concern for her. "You just lay back down and
rest. I'll take care of everything."
Kasumi thought of a hundred arguments, but they all faded
from her mind from the force of his small smile. "All right,
Ranma," she said softly, leaning back, her long brown hair running
down her shoulders.
"Rest well, Kasumi," he told her and left.
Kasumi awoke to the sounds of commotion coming from
somewhere downstairs. She blinked in surprise as she glanced
around her darkened room. Something nearby smelled wonderful.
Switching on the table lamp beside her bed, she noticed a plate of
food and a small folded note beside it with her name written on the
top in kanji that was trying very hard to be neat, but didn't quite
make it. Unfolding the note, she read:
"This is your dinner. Made two for your sisters too. Left
them down on the kitchen counter. Didn't want to wake you.
Ranma."
Feeling a wide smile returning to her lips, Kasumi carefully
put the note aside and set the tray in her lap. Skillfully
manipulating her chopsticks, she quickly took the first morsel of
food to her lips and tasted.
She nearly dropped her chopsticks in surprise. It was
delicious! Perhaps with more spices than she normally used, but
they blended together quite nicely to create a flavor that was well
beyond pleasing. She had always assumed from the way that he
talked about food that Ranma was a decent cook, but she had no
idea that he was this good. Perhaps he should be the one giving
her cooking advice from now on.
"Kasumi, where's dad?" Nabiki asked as she came into the
room, only to trail off to stare are her sister's bandaged ankle.
"What happened to your foot?"
"Oh, this?" Kasumi asked with a smile, wiggling the
appendage in question a bit. Ranma must have used some salve to
numb the pain because she could hardly feel the throb any more at
all. "I had a bit of an accident on the way back from the market. A
friend helped me get home, and also made dinner tonight."
"She did?" Nabiki asked, blinking in surprise. "It tasted
just like one of your usual meals."
"It does?" Now it was Kasumi's turn to be confused. She
took another bite and really found Ranma's cooking to be much
different from her own.
"Little heavy on the spices, maybe, but otherwise up to your
usual high standards. Bet you've been giving your friend some
tips."
"Well, I have," Kasumi admitted, taking yet another bite.
Still couldn't taste any similarity. She didn't think her own cooking
was bad, in fact she thought it rather good, if not quite up to the
level of their departed mother's. Ranma's might have been as good,
but still radically different, to her at least. It had the same flair and
style of Ranma himself, she thought, as if his own energy had been
somehow transferred to the meal.
"Thought so," Nabiki said with a grin. "You just eat, rest,
and get better now. Akane and I can handle anything that needs to
be done around the house. And don't worry, I'll keep Akane away
from anything delicate."
"Thank you, Nabiki."
Her younger sister winked. "You can't keep doing
everything around here yourself forever, you know. Sometimes
even you could use a helping hand, big sister."
As Nabiki left, Kasumi couldn�t help but agree with her
words. As she began to eat again, she thought of the perfect person
to help her, sometime in the future.
There was a tap on Kasumi's shoulder, immediately
snapping her out of her daydream and back into the present. She
jumped back, startled, when she realized that it was Ranma staring
back at her.
"Is everything okay, Kasumi?" he asked her, clearly
surprised by her reaction. "I called out your name, but you just
kept staring into that shop window."
Kasumi couldn't help smiling whenever Ranma showed
concern for her. "I'm fine," she told him. "I was just thinking of
something when you startled me."
Kasumi resumed her journey among the market, this time
with Ranma at her side. She couldn't help but wonder at the
moment how the average passers-by perceived them. Did they see
Ranma and herself as simply friends, or perhaps siblings? Or did
they imagine a romantic link between the two, possibly even
assuming that Ranma and herself were man and wife?
"Oh? What were you thinking about?"
Blushing faintly, Kasumi brought her hand to her cheek.
"Just a memory, nothing important," she explained and then
changed the subject. "I'm surprised to see you again so soon,
Ranma. You mother doesn't normally let you cook more than once
a week."
"Mom always lets me cook when her friends drop by, but
their get-togethers aren't really planned in advance since two of
them have trouble coming to our house... Has so little time passed
since I last shopped like this with you?"
Kasumi's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. She collected
jars of various spices she was low on as she thought of a proper
response.
"We last met on Monday, three days ago. You told me
about your first day at your new school. Don't you remember?"
Ranma shook his head as he tossed the spice jars with an
almost careless ease into his bag. Kasumi wasn't surprised any
more by how much of those he brought, or the sheer variety that he
used. Ranma liked spices a lot and it showed in his cooking.
"It isn't that. It's just that so many things have happened in
just a few days that it seems like so much longer. I'm used to
strange things happening to me, but..." Ranma explained, trailing
off.
"Things have been a bit overwhelming lately, even for you,
Ranma," Kasumi guessed with a small grin.
Ranma shrugged his shoulders as they paid for their
purchases and moved on to the next shop. "You could put it that
way."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kasumi offered. "You
always have the most interesting stories. I'm envious."
"Don't be. Believe me, you wouldn't want to experience
half the problems I have. It's more trouble than it's worth."
Kasumi was currently wondering if she was going to stop
smiling anytime soon. She wouldn't mind at all getting into some
of the trouble Ranma did if he was there to share it with her. "So
what happened to you this time?"
"Hmm, let me think..." And Ranma began to explain to
Kasumi some edited highlights of all the things that had happened
to him since they had last met. He didn't leave out the date, but
thought it best not to call it such. He knew that Kasumi hadn't
approved of Nodoka forcing him to go on dates in the past, so he
didn't think she'd approve of his sister doing it either. Besides, he
didn't really want Kasumi to know the sort of pushover he could
sometimes be.
After he had finally finished, they were already done their
shopping for the day. "My, you have had a busy few days, haven't
you, Ranma?" Kasumi told him with a smile, feeling her earlier
worries completely fade away.
"Yeah," he replied, also smiling. Somehow talking out his
problems made him feel a lot better about them.
"Well, perhaps things won't be quite so hectic from now
on."
"I wish I could believe that, Kasumi."
Kasumi was happily preparing dinner, when Akane
wandered in, a perplexed look on her face.
"What's wrong, sister?" Kasumi asked her in concern.
"I think I'm coming down with something," Akane
explained. "Can you check if I have a fever?"
Kasumi put her hand to her sister's forehead, but then shook
her head. "No, your temperature seems normal. What are the
symptoms?"
Akane frowned. "Well, it's pretty weird. I couldn't speak
for short periods of time and I ran away three times today, before I
could even realize what I was doing. It was like I had no control
over my body."
"Hmm, this doesn't sound like a normal sort of illness.
What happened before this?"
"The first time my friends at school were asking me about
Ranma, the boy I told you about before. I apologized to him just
like you said to, which worked by the way, so they saw this and
wanted to know if they was anything between us. I wanted to tell
them no, to explain why I was talking to him, but I just couldn't get
the words out for some reason, and then I bolted."
Kasumi thought for some moments. Why couldn't it have
been someone else but Ranma? With him involved it was hard for
her to think objectively about this, though having met him only an
hour or so before at the market had more or less evaporated her
fears. Whatever Akane might feel for Ranma, she was certain from
the way that he talked about her that he had no romantic interest in
her.
"And the other times?"
"Then it was with Ranma after I had helped him out of a
crooked fight the boys had pulled on him. He asked me why I had
waited for him after the bell rang, and I just panicked. It was the
same after school, just the thought of talking to him made me
extremely nervous. Am I going crazy, Kasumi?"
Kasumi smiled to ease her sister's nervousness, pretty sure
of what the problem was now. "You're not going crazy, Akane.
You're just still unsure about how to act around boys who are nice
to you, that's all. You can't find a reason to beat him up, so you run
away instead. You couldn't speak and panicked with your friends
because you didn't want to admit that there could be a boy who was
actually nice. Don't worry, these feelings of panic will fade after a
while. You'll just have to try and resist them in the meantime."
Akane released a big breath and now wore a tentative
smile. "That's a relief. Thanks, Kasumi. You always know what
to say to make me feel better."
"My pleasure, Akane," Kasumi replied, feeling relieved as
well.
Ranma was not at all surprised to find his sister waiting for
him in his room after dinner. He knew that she still wanted him to
explain the date in detail, which he supposed was okay with him
now. He had explained to it her before when she had fallen asleep,
and besides his earlier meeting with Nabiki had made him feel
better about the whole thing. Which reminded him that he had to
ask about the e-mail thing. Maybe those messages would give him
that missing insight into Nabiki, and perhaps girls in general. He
didn't have high hopes though.
"So pick up from when you and my sensei arrived at the
restaurant and don't leave anything out," Hitomi told him.
Ranma nodded, took a seat next to her on his bed and
began. Having told her the story last night had made it much easier
for him to recite it now, not forgetting nearly as many things as
before.
"Are you sure you didn't leave anything out?" Hitomi said
with a wink and a nudge as he finally told her about the kiss on the
cheek and their good-byes.
"I might have forgotten a few minor details, but I'm pretty
sure I mentioned everything important."
"You just must be as smooth as mom thinks you are then,
because my sensei doesn't open up to people easily, and I've never
seen her or heard of her getting affectionate like that."
Hitomi studied her brother for a few moments while he
stared back at her in confusion. Ranma was bewildered. How
could his sister think that he was the manly man their mother made
him out to be? They both knew that was just due to a combination
of Ranma's bad luck and Nodoka's exaggeration.
"Then again, maybe it was a fluke, or temporary insanity,"
Hitomi finally said. "I'm pretty sure someone more intelligent is
her style, but I had to try for your sake."
"Hey!"
Hitomi laughed and patted her brother on the shoulder.
"Kidding. I'm kidding, brother dear. I know you're smart even
though you don't do well at school, but you have the sort of
intelligence that's not... readily noticeable."
"Yeah, that reminds me," Ranma said a bit uncomfortably,
not sure if what his sister had said was a compliment or not.
"Nabiki said that she wanted you to show me how to use this e-
mail thing because she's going to be writing to me with it."
Hitomi blinked, and then poked her brother in the stomach
playfully. "There's a major bit of info you left out of your story."
Ranma rubbed the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable.
"Well, it happened after the date, that's why."
"Oh, so there's more? Holding out on me, are you?" Hitomi
asked with a sly grin. "So what happened?"
"Well, I was about to leave school when she called me into
the nurse's office."
"Huh? Why there?"
"I think it was because there wasn't anyone else there at the
time. She didn't want anyone else knowing that we knew each
other."
"A secret rendezvous?" Hitomi asked, clasping her hands to
her breast as she fluttered her eyelashes. "How romantic."
Ranma was currently wishing that he had just lied and said
it had been part of the date after all. "I don't think so. She
basically told me that she didn't want me to act like I knew her in
school because it could damage her reputation or something,
though I didn't really understand that."
Hitomi nodded and explained, "My sensei runs a business
at school, and a lot of it is based on her reputation for basically
being cold and ruthless. If it was widely known that she was
cozying up to someone, it could hurt her business. It's the sort of
problem that I don't have to worry about going to an all-girl's
school."
"Ah, okay," Ranma replied, still not quite getting it, but not
being particularly concerned about it either. "Then she said that
she wanted to e-mail me, and she wanted you to teach me how to
do that. She also said she's going to be setting up an account for
me, but that she'd send them to yours in the meantime."
"Okay, that's no problem. I'll show you how after school
tomorrow. I'd show you now, but I still have your homework and
mine to do. So did anything else happen?"
Ranma blushed faintly and stammered, "Well, she sort of
put her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek again before
she finally left."
Hitomi impulsively hugged her brother with a big grin on
her face. Everything was going according to plan.
Gosunkugi sat on the floor, large magic tome resting on a
low table as he idly flipped through it, searching for the perfect
method of defeating Ranma Saotome once and for all. The golden
and white cat, no more than a kitten really, wandered around the
other end of the table, playing with a ball of yarn his mother had
provided the feline. He had expected problems from his parents
with harboring the kitten overnight, but they had been thrilled their
son finally had a 'pet.'
Gosunkugi knew that this magic tome, unlike the many
others he had purchased over the years, was actually authetic. It
was a heavy, leather-bound volume, its pages yellow and wrinkly
with age. Not to mention that the entire thing was in Latin, a
magical language if ever there was one. There was also the fact
that its instructions on making a voodoo doll had worked
flawlessly, even though it had failed to mention a few side effects.
There were all sorts of spells listed there, though most were
unsuited to the purpose of revenge. And those that were weren't
good enough for Gosunkugi. He wanted Ranma to suffer, really,
really suffer.
The kitten, Gosunkugi refused to give it a name even after
his mother had insisted, suddenly knocked the yarn onto his open
book. Before Gosunkugi could knock it off, the kitten had come to
retrieve it, walking all over the book and causing pages to flip at
random. By the time Gosunkugi was able to get the kitten on the
floor and out of his way, he had completely lost his place. He
opened his mouth to yell at the feline, but then closed it when he
saw the spell the book was now open to. Then he grinned, not
noticing the toothy smile on the face of the kitten.