Subject: [FFML] Martial Artists and Mayhem: 3rd Edition [6]
From: Thryth
Date: 1/5/2001, 5:50 AM
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Assorted Filler Episodes  ^_^



   "Master Tofu," the old woman called out.  "A

patient for you!"  Then the woman returned to her

errands as a healer's servant, leaving Akane to regard

the...lump, that was her fiancee.  She colored

guiltily as she considered how he had got that way.



*******



   "How dare HE call me hideous!!!" Akane demanded

angrily at the barely conscious young man before her.

   "Akane," Nabiki said nervously.

   "WHAT!" The younger Tendo demanded.

   "The other illusion wasn't of you," Nabiki

admitted.

   "Huh?  Then who..." she glanced at the groaning

figure she had just hammered into the ground.  "Uh..."

   "That's right," Nabiki said.  "You just beat

somebody up for objecting to suggestive pictures of

themselves."

   "Nabiki!!" Akane growled and stepped toward her.

   "I think I'll take Little Kuno out of here before

that ring of his wakes him up," Nabiki said quickly,

backing away from her sister and grabbing the still

unconscious Kuno.  "I'll be right back."  Then her

sister was gone.

   "Honestly," Akane said, angry.  Then she looked at

Ranma and considered.  "How does that spell go again?"

   Nabiki was quite a ways around the corner when the

screaming started again.

   "Sounds like Akane still hasn't figured out healing

magics yet," Nabiki sighed.



*******



   "Hmmmmm," Tofu looked over the mangled and charred

boy on his cot.  "This is astounding."

   "This slice here is nothing," Tofu pointed to where

Kuno had managed to hit Ranma.  "Comapared to these

other burns and bruises!  This is brutal!"

   "Uh," Akane stared down at the floor, her face

crimson.

   "What kind of monster did this?" Tofu asked turning

to the the embarrassed priestess.  The sound of a

clearing throat brought the attention to Ranma.

   "The girl did it," Ranma said weakly.  "She belongs

in an orc tribe."

   "RANMA!"  Akane grabbed the cot and dumped the

bed-ridden martial artist painfully to the ground. 

"Just try and say that again!"  Then she noticed Tofu

staring at her and dropped the cot.  "Oh." 

   "Did you do this Akane?" he asked.

   "Um...well..." Akane poked her fingers together. 

"...that is..."

   ~Now she does the sweet, innocent bit,~ Ranma

thought irritably.  Tofu whapped the now empty cot and

suddenly laughed.

   "Well, it figures!" Tofu said.  "I had a feeling." 

Akane and Ranma were nonpulsed and then Tofu had the

young man on the cot again and started to work on his

injuries.  "The way this joint is out of place, and

these burn marks here, that's Akane's touch all

right!"

   ~I wonder if he knows if its where I tried to heal

him,~ Akane wondered as Tofu proceeded to snap Ranma

back into proper shape, complete with Ranma's

surprised and pained yelps.

   "You're Ranma, aren't you," Tofu said.  "I hear

your Akane's fiancee."

   "It's an arranged marriage," Akane said angrily. 

She didn't really have much of a position to argue

from.  Arranged marriages were hardly rare any longer,

it didn't make her happy however.

   "Well..." Tofu said and then glanced at the

somewhat struggling Ranma.  "...It is early yet,

neither of you probably know much about each other."

   "I don't WANT to know him," Akane snapped.

   "That HURTS you know!" Ranma shouted before any

other conversation could go on.

   "Oh?" Tofu said.  "Someplace still hurts, show me."

   "Uh..." Ranma paused and took stock of his

condition.  "I'm okay?  I'm all better now!" 

   "Isn't he a great healer?" Akane asked.

   "Not even a mark on me!" Ranma said.  Akane

twitched as Ranma's odd fixation on a perfect

appearance reared its head again.  "Cool!"  Neither

noticed Tofu paying close attention to Ranma.

   ~He looks similar to that girl,~ Tofu noted. 

"Ranma you don't feel ill at all do you, no lingering

nausea, headaches?"

   "I'm a little lightheaded, but that's because I

didn't sleep well," Ranma scratched his head.  "Why

would I..." He looked around and rethought that

statement in his head.  ~Why would someone else THINK

I should be sick?  Oh shit, the protection spells, he

suspects.~  "NO! Not sick!  Not sick at all, perfectly

fine.  Nothing to bother me around here!"  He shouted

waving his hands desperately.  Tofu arched an eyebrow

and considered the young man's behavior.

   "Hey, stop it!" Akane snapped, whacking him on the

back of his head.  "You're embarrassing me."  Neither

noticed Tofu quietly making subtle gestures.  Ranma

should have noted a little magic gathering, but he was

momentarily concentrated on Akane.

   "Uh...heh, sorry" Ranma scratched the back of his

head, as the fight died down and he turned toward Tofu

again.  "Well, excuse me, we should be going."  Ranma

edged his way to the door watching Tofu cautiously,

the healer waved as Ranma exited.  It was an odd wave,

but Ranma didn't know why.  Akane watched him angrily

as he left, then she turned to Tofu.

   "My apologies, Master Tofu," she said.  "The idiot

can't seem to remember what manners are."

   "I did say something to excite him a little," Tofu

admitted.

   "Like what?" Akane asked curiously.  She hadn't

heard him say anything distressing.

   "Watch yourself around him," Tofu said.

   "You don't think he'd try anything," Akane asked

nervously.  "Do you?"

   "Maybe not him," Tofu said, the entire "not sick"

display and how it took Ranma a moment to figure out

what Tofu was asking struck him as somewhat naive.  It

could all be an act, of course, but Tofu didn't think

so.  "But he strikes me as someone bound for an

interesting life."

   "I'll keep an eye out," Akane promised him.  "At

least until I can get out of this marriage and he

leaves."  Akane bowed deeply and began to go after her

fiancee.  "Thank you again, Master."



*******



   "HEY!! GET BACK HERE!!"

   Ranma glanced back towards the clinic and cringed

as Akane rushed towards him.

   "I guess that means that its time to leave," Ranma

whispered sadly.  He paused to face what he thought

was going to be an attack.  When Akane stopped short

of him he almost fell to the ground in surprise.

   "What do you have to say for yourself?" Akane

demanded.

   "Huh?" Ranma blinked in confusion.  Didn't the

healer tell her what he was.  Or at least what he

seemed to think Ranma was.

   "Just why were you so rude to him!?" Akane

repeated.

   "I wasn't rude," Ranma insisted.  "I just...needed

to...umm...get home."

   "Nevermind," Akane said, anger deflating somewhat. 

She usually felt a little depressed after seeing Dr.

Tofu.  This time, however, he had actually talked to

her like an equal.  "Just try not to embarrass me

again."  Some part of Ranma noted the missing phrase

"in front of him," and he bridled.

   "Uh huh," Ranma shrugged.  "As if it ain't

embarrassing enough just being you."  Akane stopped

and twitched.  "Were you adopted?  Your sisters don't

seem to have any orc blood."

   "THAT'S!  IT!!!"  Akane shouted.



*******



   "Well, if I'm right about him, it should be any

time now," Tofu said drinking his tea.  "I'll have to

ask if anything happened later."



*******



   Akane swung outward with her new warhammer towards

Ranma.  The martial artist effortlessly dodged,

casually sticking out his tongue, and then collapsed

to the ground.  Akane blinked as he hit the ground.

   "Wha?" Ranma asked, confused.  

   "What happened?" Akane asked, obvious concern on

her face.

   "My legs!" Ranma explained.  Then he narrowed his

eyes.  ~That lousy jerk!  He cast some sort of spell

on me while I was distracted.~  Ranma's musings ceased

as he noticed Akane kneeling in front of him and

grabbing his arm over her shoulder.

   "Ryoko's Gems," Akane swore.

   "What are you doing?" Ranma demanded.

   "Piggyback," Akane explained over her shoulder. 

"You can't walk, can you?"

   "You can't expect ME to let YOU carry me around!"

Ranma shouted.  Akane scowled and considered the

reason.

   "This is some sort of man thing," Akane growled. 

"Isn't it?"

   "Yes!" Ranma decided after a moment's pause.  "You

think MAN would put up with this humiliation?"  The

next thing Ranma knew, he was a she.  Hot water may

have been relatively difficult to come by, but a

little colder water was only a spell away.  As Ranma

discovered.

   "So its okay if we're both girls then?" Akane asked

dryly.  Ranma tried to find an excuse he could fall

back on and found none that would be safe.

   "Yeah," Ranma said reluctantly.  "Okay."  Akane

rolled her eyes but picked up the redhead anyway. 

Ranma stared off into the sky as Akane carried her

home and pushed what to do about Tofu back in her

mind.

   It didn't take long for Ranma to decide that the

situation was nice.  Not so much the being carried, as

that somebody was actually concerned enough about her

to do it.  She leaned her head against Akane's back

and yawned.

   ~Why can't she be this nice all the time?~ Ranma

wondered wearily.

   "Hey, don't make me do all the work," Akane snapped

as Ranma went completely lax on her back.  She was

about to add more when her package started to snore. 

"Idiot."



*******



   "You're getting soft, boy!" Genma shouted from

across the the courtyard.  Ranma growled at the title.

   "What do you know about it, Old Man!" Ranma

demanded.  "It ain't like you've never come back from

'hunting' looking like a rag doll."

   "I've never had to be carried back," Genma pointed

out, leaping into the air with a loud shout.  Ranma

rolled his eyes and leapt to meet his father in the

air.  Ranma's extended leg was gripped between his

fathers as they met.

   "Master Saotome," Kasumi called out.  "Ranma! 

Breakfast?!"

   "Ah! Thank you.." Genma shouted out, neglecting to

pay attention as Ranma altered their trajectory and

arrangement.  "...dear Kas..."

   Genma's shout was cut off by a loud splash.  Then

Ranma-chan was walking out of the small koi pond

irritably shaking some of the water off.  The woman,

now that she was wet, was dragging her panda father

from the pond.  She looked down at herself, dumped the

panda and irritably walked back into the estate.

   "I've got to go change," she said irritably. 

Behind her the panda stood up cleared its head and

walked to the breakfast table, sparing a glare for his

progeny.  Ranma turned back to face him as the panda

produced a sign.

   #I have arranged some temporary employment.#

Genma's sign read.

   "Going to join another carnival, Pop?" Ranma asked.

   #That was only once!!# Genma signed back.  Ranma

shrugged as she turned a corner.  As soon as she was

certain she was out of sight she stripped her tunic

off.

   "So Ranma, morning workout, huh?" Soun asked as he

came down the hall the otherway, not yet noticing that

the person he was talking to couldn't see him for the

shirt in her face.  "Atta boy!  Atta-"  

   Soun opened his eyes as Ranma finally pulled the

shirt off and became aware of the other person in the

hallway.

   There was about one second of silence.

   "What are YOU staring at!!" Ranma's voice shouted,

Soun was non-responsive as an angry Ranma reared back

her hand, and was pelted with hot water.

   "Have you no feminine modesty!" Akane shouted.

   "There was no one here when I started taking the

shirt off!" Ranma-kun retorted.

   "And why are you taking off your clothes in the

middle of the building!" Akane demanded nearly shoving

Ranma's overtunic in his face.

   "Well excuse me for not being used to these

things," Ranma snapped back gesturing around at the

walls.  He wringed out the wet tunic and before

setting it on his knee and putting the dry shirt on,

he'd drop the wet shirt on his way back to breakfast.

   "By the way, Akane," Kasumi said as they entered

the room again.  "Could you stop by Master Tofu's." 

Akane immediately swallowed nervously while Ranma

narrowed his eyes.  "I borrowed this book from him,

and I'd like you to return it."

   "Could you...um...do it yourself Kasumi?" Akane

asked sweetly, drawing a confused glance from Ranma. 

"Today just....isn't good for me."

   "Really?" Kasumi asked.  "I guess I'll have to."

   "I could do it," Ranma suggested.  "And besides I

know Akane is dying to go." He added the last somewhat

under his breath, but Akane didn't miss it.  She

growled in his direction.

   "Father?" Kasumi asked, losing track of the other

conversation.  "Are you okay, you seem a little

dazed."

   "Come on, Ranma," Akane snapped.  "We'll be late." 

She grabbed his pigtail and strated running out the

door, Ranma managed to snag a leg of lamb as he was

pulled away.

   "What are you so heated up about?" Ranma asked

curiously.  Akane merely growled as they passed a

small house and some little old woman dumped out the

cleaning water in their path.

   "Ohhh,  YUCK!!" Ranma shouted.  "Akane!  Hold it! 

Hold on a moment!"

   "Oh, just shut up!" Akane snapped back.  She rushed

into Furinkan Hall's gate and then turned to slam

Ranma into the wall.  Ranma took the impact in stride,

she hadn't really been slammed hard after all, and

looked up at Akane in surprise.

   ~What's with her,~ Ranma thought.  The young woman,

again, watched Akane wondering what she was doing.

   "Listen you, why don't you keep your big mouth

shut!?" Akane shouted angrily.  ~Okay, why is he

staring at me like that.~

   "What do you mean 'big mouth?'" Ranma asked

sweetly.  Akane merely ignored the cuteness Ranma was

instinctively pouring out.

   "I mean about Master Tofu and --" Akane stopped as

she took in Ranma's altered appearance and the

somewhat greasy water covering her.  She stared at

Ranma's chest for a moment and then opened her tunic

to double check.  "When...when did?"

   "I told you to wait," Ranma said in response.  She

wasn't exactly certain what to do at this point. 

She'd had one or two dreams like this, though as many

ended like the Kuno dream as they did happily.  ~She's

confusing me again.~

   The succubus instincts fought a valiant but futile

battle against the bulk of Ranma's personality, and

took the felling blow when a large number of male

courtiers stared over Akane's shoulder and chorused.

   "Ooooooo!"

   "HEY!!  STOP STARING AT ME!!" Ranma shouted as

Akane whipped around in prepartion for battle. 

~Ohh....I am going HUNTING tonight!!"

   "So!" Akane declared, hefting her hammer.  "Who's

first today?"

   "Akane," a tearful noble started.  "We shall no

longer challenge you."

   "Instead," a guard next to him indicated.  "We

shall swallow our sobs..."

   "And give our approval..."

   "To your betrothal to Ranma!!"

   "What in the name of..." Ranma started to ask from

behind Akane.

   "Close your tunic and quit hiding behind me!" Akane

snapped.  "Now what in the name of..."

   "So then," a now familiar voice proclaimed.  "You

have all heard this rumor, this falsehood that Ranma

Saotome defeated me!"

   "Great, he looks better than I do," Ranma muttered

angrily, upset at her own currently grimy appearance

and Kuno's prestine one.  "Stupid ring, he should be a

mass of bruises still."

   "Sir Kuno does not admit defeat!" Kuno declared.

   "Kuno was this city's greatest fighter," someone

explained.

   "Yeah!  And the greatest freak!"

   "FREAK?!!" Kuno repeated angrily, seeking out the

offender.

   "If it is Ranma that you have chosen," someone

said.  "Then we shall give up."

   "They don't know a real freak when they see one,"

Akane whispered to Ranma with a small laugh.  She

paused a moment as Ranma winced and looked at her with

a hurt expression.  Akane thought seriously about

apologizing before Kuno spoke up again.

   "Kuno shall not give up!" Kuno declared.  "A

hundred kicks, two hundred, from a coward like

Ranma...do not even itch!"  Ranma-chan shook angrily

and stepped forward.

   "Freak, coward," she said quietly staring at the

ground, then whipping up to glare at Kuno.  "WHO DO

YOU THINK YOU ARE!!?!  You LOST, just admit it!"

   "Ranma, watch it," Akane warned him.

   "It is my pig-tailed demoness!" Kuno declared in

surprise.  Ranma winced and glanced about to see if

anybody had noticed the name Kuno had given her.

   "You just can't remember can you?" Akane asked

dryly, thinking Ranma had forgotten he was a woman

again.

   "How I have pined to see you!" Kuno declared, a

decidely rosy scent drifting through the scene as he

grabbed Ranma-chan's hands.

   "Hold on here," Ranma snapped.  "Don't you like

Akane?"

   "Of course I do," Kuno said.

   "She's right here you know," Ranma noted angrily.

They both turned to see Akane turned away from them. 

"Hey!  Where're you going?"

   "Please, Upperclassman Kuno," Akane said seriously.

 "If you really love this woman, I won't stand in your

way."  Ranma stared at Akane wide-eyed in shock, and

then her eyes narrowed, enraged.

   "Oh! Akane, Akane..." Kuno sighed piteously.

   "AKANE!!  What are you DOING!!?" Ranma demanded

angrily.

   "'I won't stand in your way,' so noble. so

touching," Kuno said dramatically.  "So sweet!  Oh,

Akane!  How can I discard you?  I love you BOTH!" 

Kuno lunged forward, into a fist and a foot from two

enraged females.  This was immediately followed by a

pair of uppercuts that sent Kuno into the

stratosphere.

   "Well, we've said our peace," someone in the horde

said.

   "Give our congratulations to Ranma."

   "When I...uh...see him," Akane said.  She reached

out to direct Ranma toward the court.  "Su.."

   "Don't touch me!" Ranma snapped, shrugging off

Akane's hand and stalking off angrily.  Akane blinked

and then followed after her.

   "Look, I'm sorry about the freak comment," Akane

said catching up to her.  "It was supposed to be a

joke.  Though you don't have any place complaining to

me about that while you're calling me an orc."

   "Fine, you're not an orc," Ranma said without

stopping.  "Just a berserk."  Then the red head took a

leap to one of the battlements.  Akane watched her

land, trying not to admit she was impressed, and tried

to figure out what Ranma was mad about.

   "What's that jerk's problem," Akane asked.

   "I don't believe you just did that, Akane."  The

voice came from behind Akane and the battle-priestess

turned to see Sayuri and Yuka walking up behind her. 

The two lady's in waiting seemed mildly angry.

   "You of all people!" Yuka agreed with her friend. 

"Of course that girl is mad at you, I'd be too!"

   "What are you talking about?" Akane asked.  "What

did I do?"

   "You practically fed her to Kuno!" Sayuri snapped. 

"That's what!"

   "H..She can handle Kuno, no problem," Akane

replied, waving off the objection.  If Ranma were

female she might have considered it, but Ranma was a

guy.  Though she had to admit he acted otherwise

sometimes.

   "There's a principal involved here," Yuka said. 

"Didn't you see her face?"

   "You might as well have kicked her through a wall

or something," Sayuri nodded.

   "You aren't saying she took that seriously?" Akane

asked.

   "You should apologize," Yuka suggested seriously. 

Sayuri nodded silently behind her.

   "Fine, I'll apologize," Akane said, giving up. 

"Whatever."  ~The jerk is probably just trying to make

me feel guilty.~

   "By the way, where is Ranma?" Sayuri asked.

   "He's around," Akane said nervously.



*******



   Ranma glanced around nervously to see if anybody

was around the baths.  It would be a couple of hours

before anybody showed up to use the magically heated

baths, but it wouldn't do to have someone walk in on

her.  Satisfied that she was alone she temporarily

shut off the trigger spell as she slipped into the

warm water and sighed.

   Washing was so much easier when there was less area

to cover.  She sighed comfortably and curled up in the

hot water.  It also felt a lot better to vent while

she was female.  Crying over things when she was a guy

just tended to invite more problems.

   "Just like Pop," Ranma said quietly.  "Didn't even

stop to think about it."

   "This isn't a good way to keep a cover," an amused

voice said as the water started to shift.  Ranma

frowned as the speaker dropped the illusion and Nabiki

sat down across from her.

   "How did you.."

   "How did I know?" Nabiki asked.  "How much are you

willing to pay me?"  Ranma narrowed her eyes and

watched the Metallium cautiously.

   "So what is this," Ranma asked.  "Are you going to

try to play the Game now?"

   "I'm not interested in magical bindings," Nabiki

said in response Ranma's reference to the Summoner's

Game.  "Much too unsubtle for my tastes.  By the way,

don't judge Akane too harshly, she thinks you're soul

is completely male, remember?"

   "And that makes selling me out okay?" Ranma

demanded.  "I ain't gonna do nothing to her if that's

what you're worried about."

   "No, I think its just time that you and I came to

an arrangement," Nabiki smiled.

   "Uhh," Ranma swallowed nervously.  "I don't

really....um...have...any..err.. experience,

with...that."

   "I'm not asking for sex, Ranma, just a favor now

and again," Nabiki interrupted him.  Ranma looked

visibly relieved.  "But did I understand properly that

you are a VIRGINAL succubus?"

   "I'm only half-succubus," Ranma insisted quietly as

Nabiki erupted into loud laughter.



*******



   "Are you mad about me getting out of Kuno's way?"

Akane asked, as she was walking home with Ranma later.

   "You think?" Ranma asked dryly.

   "It's not like you can't beat Kuno with both hands

tied behind your back," Akane said in response,

moderately angry that she wasn't that good.  "And its

not like you're really a woman."

   "I guess that makes it all right then," Ranma said

quietly.

   "I'm sorry, okay?" Akane said irritably.  "I didn't

think you'd take it so seriously."

   "Yeah, okay," Ranma said.  ~You're entitled to one

mistake at least, ain't like you dropped me in a pit

of...~ Ranma shivered as he remembered that event.

   "'Yeah, okay?'  Look, I'm really apologizing here!"

Akane insisted.

   "I accept already," Ranma snapped turning to face

her.

   "Yeah right, that was heartfelt," Akane hmphed and

rolled her eyes.  The conversation paused as Master

Tofu suddenly danced past them in the street along

with his skeleton.

   "Was that...?" Ranma started, then he turned to see

Akane slump and then rush away without saying

anything.  "Hey!  Akane!"  Ranma caught up to her

quickly and then found himself thrown into a wall,

when he looked up she was gone.



*******



   Akane smashed the rocks in front of her and kneeled

down quietly, not noticing the pig-tailed martial

artist watching from behind her and around the corner.

 She sobbed once and let out her breath.

   ~She's crying, over that mage acting silly?~ Ranma

thought.  As he watched Akane stood up and walked to

the estate wall and leaned against it.

   ~Can't let it hurt me,~ Akane sighed.  She opened

her eyes to see Ranma making a face at her.  "What do

you want?!" Akane demanded slamming him to the ground.

   "Okay, you don't seem to depressed," Ranma said

standing back up, and dusting himself off.

   "You want me to believe that you were trying to

cheer me up?" Akane demanded.

   "What's so surprising about that?" Ranma asked. 

"Besides, I thought you'd be happy to see him again. 

What was with that mage anyway?"

   "Master Tofu is already in love with someone,"

Akane said sadly.  "He gets that way when he sees

her."

   "Oh, sorry," Ranma said.  "Can't say I know what

that's like, but sorry anyway."

   ~Why's he being so nice if he's still mad at me?~

Akane wondered.  "Thanks for the sympathy anyway.  Now

are you still interested in cheering me up?"

   "Ummm...why?" Ranma asked.  Akane pointed toward

the training hall.



*******



   Ranma walked into the guestroom to find his father

studying a tome of some sort.  Ranma leaned his head

over as he approached the panda.

   "What happened to your neck, Pop?" Ranma asked.

   #The new job has unforeseen hazards,# the answering

sign read.

   "Whatever, I have to go out," Ranma said.  "I'll be

back later."  The panda waved as Ranma left the room

again.



*******



   Akane watched as Ranma left on another of his

nightly walks, one of these times she was going to

follow him and see what he did.  Right now she was

still to confused and annoyed by the day.  She thought

back to the cheap trick he had used to win their spar.

   ~Does he really think I'm cute when I smile?" Akane

asked herself.



=====

"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" - 

Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom

"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father

"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother



http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html



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