"Jeremy Mullin" <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Quick note from the author: this is a rewritten, revised, and retitled
version of a fanfic I released quite some time ago entitled "Twin Fists
of Fury". Further details as to why I gave it a make-over at the end of
the story. In the meantime, read on...
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi, all rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 1: Jusenkyo Water and Electricity... Don't Mix
Several months after the attempted wedding of Ranma Saotome and
Akane Tendo...
"I still can't believe that idiot!!" Akane cried out again for the
umpteenth time that evening. She sat fuming at the low table in the
living room, listening to the rain as it beat down almost mercilessly,
the storm almost seeming to reflect her mood.
"Still mad at Ranma, Akane?" Nabiki asked with her usual
disinterest, not even bothering to look up from the magazine she was
reading.
Akane did her best to keep her cool as she replied, "Of course I'm
still mad at him! I mean, what is he thinking?! Bad enough the jerk
goes out with Shampoo the second the little bimbo comes back from
China, but on a night like this?! And because of that stupid powder!
How can *anyone* be so stupid?!"
Nabiki shrugged. "Well, you know Ranma. Why do you have to
ask?"
Akane didn't bother to reply, but instead just angrily sipped some
of her tea that Kasumi offered her. She hated it when Nabiki was right.
She hated it more that it happened more often than she preferred.
Nodoka looked up from where she was mending one of her son's
shirts and sighed. "Akane, I wish that you wouldn't think so harshly of
Ranma about this," she scolded as much as she could with her usual
calm demeanor. "I don't like what he did, either, but getting mad at him
isn't going to solve anything or make things better."
Akane sighed as she began to calm down a little. Ever since Nodoka
had begun living with them, Akane had begun to lose her temper less
and less. Even around Ranma. The older woman just seemed to have
that effect on her.
"I know, Auntie," she replied sheepishly. "It's just that... he gets me
so mad sometimes at how stupid and gullible he can be. Shampoo
comes back from China after we finally had her and her grandmother
deported, and she suckers him into another date that Instant
Nanniichuan junk, saying it was a 'longer lasting' kind. I mean,
honestly, don't you think that makes him just a little bit stupid?"
"More like desperate, if you ask me, Akane," Nabiki replied, turning
her head to throw Akane a grin, "what with the Jusenkyo springs all
gone and everything."
Akane tensed and grit her teeth trying to keep her cool, clutching
her tea cup almost to the point of cracking it. She could hear Nodoka
chastely say to Nabiki, "Nabiki, dear, you're not helping."
"Akane, please try to calm down a little," Soun said from where he
was playing yet another game of shogi with Genma, who was in human
form at his wife's... insistence. The Tendo patriarch looked up to give
his youngest a lopsided attempt at a reassuring grin. "After all, it's
only one date, and besides, it's for a good cause."
Akane didn't even bother to turn around as she bitterly replied,
"And what 'good cause', may I ask, is that? I doubt that it's any cure.
We all know that that junk only works once until the next time you get
wet."
"Of course, we know, Akane," Genma replied in his usual boastful
manner. "But once that ingrate son of mine realizes that Shampoo is
stringing him along, again, he'll dump her like a sack of old potatoes
and then you two can marry without any--"
*SPLASH!* A confused, wet panda now took the place of the
gluttonous old man. "Growf?!"
"Get it into your thick head!" Akane yelled, slamming the water
glass down on the table. "I am *not* marrying that perverted, two-
timing, self-centered jerk!!! Especially not after he chickened out at our
so-called 'wedding'!!! He can run off to China with Shampoo for all I
care! Which I don't!"
"Uh, you sure about that, sis?" Nabiki asked hesitantly, pointing
behind Akane towards the door. Nodoka and Kasumi stared in that
direction with worried expressions on their faces, while her father and
the panda appeared to be shocked. Curiously, Akane turned around to
see what the commotion was about, and gasped with shock.
A soaking wet Ranma-chan stood in the doorway, looking like
something the cat dragged in. She was leaning against the doorframe
for support, barely managing to keep herself upright, her breathing
coming out short and ragged. Her red hair hung loose about her
shoulders, as her pigtail had somehow come undone. The only thing
she appeared to have on was her red Chinese shirt, which was held
closed only by her hand and a couple of its ties, leaving much of it
opened and giving her little modesty. Akane felt a tightening in her
throat as Ranma's gaze met her's, a weak, sarcastic smile creeping
across her face.
"N-nice t-to... kn-know... you... ugh... c-c-ca-care..." she weakly
muttered, trailing off as she finally lost her support and collapsed to
the floor. Before she lost consciousness, she added in a whisper, "U-
Unc-c-cute... t-to-tom... boy..."
Akane just stared for a long while at the prone form of her fiance,
unable to move no matter how much she tried to bring herself to do so.
She could feel tears streaming down her face, guilt and regret filling
her like it never had before.
"Oh, no... Ranma!" With that cry, she was able to finally move to
the boy/girl's side, the rest of her family and Ranma's parents close
behind her.
Some time later found everyone still in the family room. Ranma
now lay on a futon provided by Kasumi, who tended to the boy/girl and
had dressed her in a dry tank top and boxers. Presently, the injured
party was covered up to her chin with a comforter, her head in Akane's
lap with a wet cloth on her brow. For the moment, it was all they could
do until the arrival of Dr. Tofu, who had been called, just to be safe.
"Oh, this is terrible!" Soun cried from where he sat with the panda
and Nodoka. "Poor Ranma! Cut down in the prime of his youth! Now
he'll never marry my daughter!" He continued to sob as the panda
reassuringly patted on the back with a paw.
"Oh, good grief, Daddy. It's not that bad. Ranma's going to be
fine," Nabiki said with disgust. Her father could make such a big deal
out of everything. Secretly, though, she was wondering whether or not
she ought to call Kuno and inform him as to the current state of his
"pigtailed goddess".
Sitting next to her husband-now-panda, Nodoka fidgeted nervously.
"Um, shouldn't we at least change Ranma back?" she asked. Her
discomfort in seeing her son in his cursed form, no matter how much
she had accepted him, was quite known.
Kasumi turned to the older woman and shook her head. "I don't
think that would be a good idea, Auntie," she replied. "We still don't
really know what's wrong with Ranma, and we shouldn't take any
chances until Dr. Tofu arrives. Okay?" She smiled gently as Nodoka
sighed and reluctantly nodded, though it was clear that she didn't like
the idea.
"K-Kasumi..." Akane asked, still holding Ranma's head in her lap.
"Will... will Ranma be okay?" The poor girl's face was wrought with
worry.
Kasumi smiled tenderly at her younger sister, then moved over to
Akane and hugged her. "It's all right, Akane," she whispered. "Ranma
is going to be okay. I'm sure that it's nothing too serious, and I've
made him as comfortable as I can until Dr. Tofu can arrive to look him
over." Kasumi smiled as Akane began to calm down a little and nod
into her shoulder.
"Besides," Nabiki added somewhat cheerfully, "we all know that
Ranma's too tough to let a little something like this finish him off."
She suddenly turned thoughtful for a minute. "Hey, that reminds me.
What did happen to him, anyway? He doesn't even look like he's been
hurt."
"Hmmm, good question, Nabiki," Kasumi replied thoughtfully. "I
guess we won't really know for sure until Dr. Tofu arrives."
"Just where *is* that doctor, anyway?" Nodoka frowned, crossing
her arms. "My poor son is on his back hurt, and he's taking forever
to get here!" She ignored the sign the panda held up that had
something about her "coddling the boy" written on it.
"It's only been about twenty minutes, Auntie. I don't think that
that counts as 'forever,'" Nabiki said dryly.
"You do have a point, though," Kasumi added with a frown. "It
isn't like Dr. Tofu to be this late in an emergency, and his clinic's
not that far from here. Usually when we call, he's here faster than
you can say--"
She was interrupted as the front door was suddenly slammed open
and a gasping voice called out, "Could someone give me a hand here,
please?!"
Soun began to cry with relieving happiness, and he began to dance
about the room with a Rising Sun fan in each hand. "Oh, thank my
ancestors! Dr. Tofu is here! Ranma will be alright! He will live to
marry Akane!" Everyone else just shook their heads and sighed.
Kasumi finally stood up and said, "I'll go help the doctor." Worried
looks passed on the faces of the others out of habit, but they held back
their protests. When Dr. Tofu had returned from his trip to study new
medicinal techniques, he had demonstrated that he had also learned
some control of himself while in Kasumi's presence. As it was, he now
just acted somewhat like a nervous schoolboy around her, all jittery and
such, but his glasses no longer fogged up and he stopped dancing
around town with his skeleton, Betty, on his back. He could really hold
himself in an emergency situation, or if he wasn't looking directly at
Kasumi. He still hadn't worked up the courage to ask her out, but such
things took time.
A few moments later, Kasumi returned with a soaking wet Dr. Tofu
behind her, and to everyone's surprise, he hadn't come alone. He was
carrying someone in his arms, wrapped up in the doctor's coat for
protection from the rain. Because of that, no one could see as to who it
was. All they could see of this other person was the top of a black-
haired head and the feet, which wore slipper-like shoes. It was pretty
obvious that, whoever it was, he or she was unconscious.
"Sorry I took so long," Tofu said apologetically as Kasumi went to
get another futon and some dry clothes. "But while I was on my way
over, I passed by the old lot and this fellow and I literally ran into each
other. He was pretty banged up, and I had to-- Oh, my..." He trailed
off as he saw Ranma-chan lying on the futon with her head in Akane's
lap.
"It's all right, Doctor," Nodoka said as she stood and gave him a bow
in greeting that he didn't return. Understandable, considering his arms
were full. "Though things were getting a little tense around here as we
wondered where you were. But I am a bit curious as to why you
brought your patient with you. Couldn't you have just left him at your
clinic?" She frowned with concern as he wasn't paying attention to her.
"Um, Doctor?"
Dr. Tofu didn't reply, as his attention seemed to be focus on the
unconscious Ranma-chan. "Well I'll be..." he whispered, mainly to
himself. "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it..." He then
finally noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely, but he was
saved from embarrassment as Kasumi returned.
"Oh, t-thank you, K-Kasumi," he said as she began laying out a new
futon next to Ranma's. Turning his attention to the panda, he asked,
"Mr. Saotome, could you come give me a hand with your son? He's...
well... rather heavy..." He grinned sheepishly.
The panda blinked in confusion along with everyone else. Soun had
even stopped his little celebration at the doctor's request. Finally, after
his wife poured some hot water on him to return him to his normal
form, he stood up and walked over to Dr. Tofu.
"Um, Dr. Tofu, what're you talking about?" he asked as he took the
person from the doctor. As he laid the bundled up individual down on
the futon and began to remove the coat, he added, "My son is lying
down right th-- What the--?!"
The rest of the room went over to see what had Genma so shocked,
then all gasped themselves as they saw who was lying there in Dr.
Tofu's coat. Soaking wet and covered with numerous slight burns,
Ranma laid unconscious next to Ranma-chan.
"There. That ought to do it," Dr. Tofu declared as he began to wash
up, now dressed in a dry yakuta while his usual black gi dried out. Near
by, Kasumi covered up Ranma, who now sported various bandages
about his body where his burns were the most severe. The Tendos and
the Saotomes all sat about the low table, as to stay out of the way but
watching with silence.
"They should be okay after a bit of rest," the doctor concluded.
"And... what about...?" Nodoka began to ask, nervously glancing
towards the female version of her son, lying next to him on the other
futon, still unconscious herself.
Taking the hint, Dr. Tofu replied, "Well... she seems to be in good
health, other than suffering from severe exhaustion and possible
exposure. Then, of course, there's..." He shrugged, not having to state
the obvious.
Soun, no longer crying and sitting at his place at the head of the
table, nodded in a serious manner. "Indeed. It would seem we have
something of a dilemma on our hands, eh?"
Akane gave her father a look out of the corner of her eye. "A
'dilemma?'" she echoed dryly. "We have two Ranmas, a boy and a girl,
laying right next to each other, and you call it a 'dilemma'?! I'd say it's
more of a full-blown catastrophe!"
"Definitely interesting, though," Nabiki mused, already trying to
think of some way she could make a profit out this. "Hmmm, I wonder
if I should give Kuno-baby a call..."
"Nabiki, please..." Nodoka sighed while Akane glared at her older
sister.
"*Ahem!*" Dr. Tofu cleared his throat to calm people down and get
their attention at the same time. "If you don't mind, I have two patients
who are trying to rest," he added in a scolding manner.
Nodoka and Akane said nothing in reply, but just lowered their
heads sheepishly.
"Um, Doctor, how is my son?" Genma asked from where he was
sitting next to Soun.
"Which one? The male, or the female?" Tofu replied with a grin.
Seeing the humorless looks everyone was giving him, he let out a weak
chuckle. "Relax, folks, I'm kidding. Seriously though, like I said, they'll
be fine with a little rest. I'm most surprised by the male Ranma. He's
seems to be in pretty good shape for someone who was struck by
lightning."
Everyone, except for Kasumi, cried out at once, "WHAT?!" Kasumi
herself just let out a traditional "Oh, my!"
Dr. Tofu nodded as calmly as possible. "That's right. I'm not a full-
fledged doctor, but I can tell electrical burns when I see them, especially
those caused by-- OOOF!"
"My baby!" Nodoka cried as she rushed to Ranma's side, knocking
Dr. Tofu over in the process. She picked his head up to cradle it in her
lap, ignoring her husband's usual grumbling.
"Oh, Dr. Tofu, are you okay?" Kasumi asked with evident worry in
her voice. She helped him sit back up, brushing off his clothes.
"N-No problem, K-K-Kasumi," Tofu stuttered. "L-Living in this n-
neighborhood, I'm k-kind of u-used to it."
"Okay, so now we know what happened to Ranma," Soun said.
"But how does that explain why there's suddenly two of him?"
"Hey, wait a minute," Akane said before Tofu could answer. "How
do we know that either of these two is really Ranma? For all we know,
they could be those two copies of Ranma's two forms that were created
by that magic mirror. They could've come back and beaten Ranma up,
then stashed him somewhere while they go and try to take his place and
cause trouble again."
"We never did manage to get them back into the mirror..." Soun
added thoughtfully, recalling how the pair had run off sometime in the
night and hadn't been seen since.
"Good theory, Akane, except for one thing," Dr. Tofu replied. He
gestured to the unconscious pair on the floor. "If these two were
magical copies of Ranma, then their ki levels and shiatsu structures
would be totally different from those of the real Ranma, male or female,
that would identify them as such. I never got to examine either one of
those two, but from what you told me about them when I came back,
that would be the case. However, there are no abnormalities of any
kind that would mark them as copies. They're the same as those of
Ranma, both male and female."
"But... But then," Akane gasped in shock as she realized what the
doctor was saying, "that would mean..."
Dr. Tofu nodded. "That these two are really the male and female
Ranma, only somehow, they've somehow been separated into two
individual beings."
"Oh my..." Kasumi gasped.
"My son... cured?" Nodoka whispered, looking down at the young
man in her lap before sparing a glance to the girl next to him.
"Whoa..." Nabiki whispered, her eyes widening as she pondered the
possibilities in her head.
"Hooray! The boy's found a cure at last!" Genma cried with joy.
"He actually did something useful for a change!" His joy was quickly
short-lived, though, as a glare from his wife caused him to sheepishly
look away.
"Doctor, how could this have happened?" Akane asked Tofu as
things quieted down. "How could a bolt of lightning do something like
this?"
"Good question, Akane," the doctor replied, rubbing his chin as a
thoughtful expression began to form on his face. "It *does* seem like
too much of a coincidence, doesn't it? But we'll only know for sure
whenever either Ranma wakes up."
As if on cue, a soft groan came from Nodoka's lap as Ranma began
to stir.
"Wow, speak of the devil," Nabiki muttered dryly. "Hey Doc, how'd
you do that, anyway?"
"Do what?" a confused Dr. Tofu replied.
"Aw, man," Ranma groaned as his hand went to his head. "I ache all
over. Anybody get the number of that panda who hit me?"
Everybody began to chuckle or giggle, save for Genma, who
scowled at his son. Dr. Tofu didn't share the humor, either, as he stared
thoughtfully at Ranma.
Becoming serious again, Nodoka returned her attention back to her
son, who was trying to sit up. "Ranma, lie still, now," she said gently,
trying to keep him down. "Don't try to move, son. You need to rest."
She again ignored her husband's grumbling.
Ranma turned his head a little to face Nodoka, slowly opening his
eyes. "Huh...? Wha--?"
Nodoka smiled tenderly. "It's okay, Ranma. Mother's here, now.
You just lie down and rest while--"
She never got to finish, as Ranma suddenly sat straight up from
where he'd been laying down. He turned to stare at Nodoka in what
appeared to be total shock. "Who... who are you?" he asked hesitantly.
Now it was Nodoka's turn to be shocked, along with the rest of the
occupants of the room. "Ranma, it's me. Your mother."
Ranma's eyes widened with surprise as he looked at the woman
before him. "M-my... mother...?" he gasped. "Y-you're my... m-
mother...?"
Nodoka's only reply was a confused, slow nod at her son's odd
behavior. But as she saw the look on his face, it seemed as though he
didn't even recognize her.
Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, and he began to stammer again.
"B-but how... wha--" He was stopped short as he got a look at his
surroundings.
"Hey! Where am I?! This don't look like China! And where's that
damn guide?!"
Several large sweat beads appeared on the backs of heads at the
proclamation. Genma, however, had another way of dealing with the
situation.
"Quit playing games, boy!" he shouted as he whapped his son on the
head. "We're in the dojo, in Japan! We haven't been back to China
since--"
*POW!* *CRASH!* Genma became one with the wall where his
son punched him, positioned face-first upside-down. After a moment
or two, he slid down to the floor in a heap.
"Lay off, old man!" Ranma shouted back at Genma's prone form. "I
don't need any of your crap at the--" He was cut off again as he stared
at his father's prone form.
And so focused was everyone on the situation, that no one had
noticed the movement on the other futon.
Ranma, meanwhile, continued to stare at his father in shock. "Pop?!
You're you again?! But how did--" He stopped suddenly to look
himself over.
"*Whew!*" he breathed after finishing his inspection. "I'm still me.
But, ah, where are my clothes?" he added as he noticed his current
attire, a tank top and shorts provided by Kasumi.
"Are you *sure* you're feeling all right, Ranma?" Nabiki asked,
looking at Akane out of the corner of her eye and twirling her finger
around her ear while pointing at Ranma.
Ranma turned his head to the middle Tendo girl at the sound of her
voice, and then just stared at her like he would a stranger. He then
looked about the room at the rest of the occupants with the same look
on his face.
"Hey... who are you people?" he asked hesitantly as he began to
back away. "And where am I?"
No one had a chance to give any answers or confused questions
about Ranma's behavior, because Ranma-chan sat up, groaning as she
rubbed her forehead. Several surprised heads turned to her direction.
"Uh-oh," Nabiki winced. "I knew we forgot about something."
Akane nodded in agreement. She had a bad feeling about as to what
was going to happen.
"Ugh, what the hell hit me?" Ranma-chan moaned. "Feels like I had
some of Akane's cooking again..." There were some nods of sympathy
while Akane just fumed at the comment.
Ranma-chan then noticed herself. "Hey, couldn't you guys at least
have given me some hot water to change me back?" she asked in
annoyance. She began to get up. "Never mind. I'll go do it myse--
Wha--?"
She was cut off as she finally noticed Ranma sitting down on the
other futon next to her. The two just stared at each other, he with
confusion and she with confusion as well but also with growing shock.
Several long moments passed before Ranma-chan had a pretty natural
reaction.
"*YAAAAAHHHHHH!*" she screamed and fell backwards onto
her futon, her body shaking tremendously as she pointed at Ranma.
Surprisingly, he hadn't reacted in the same manner, but instead just
stared at her with wide eyes in a sort of calm surprise.
"W-w-what the h-hell's going, here?" Ranma-chan stammered. "W-
who or w-what the hell is that?! And why does it look like *me*?!"
Now Ranma just frowned at the girl before him. "Whaddya mean,
'who am I?' I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-
Goes Martial Arts." He then looked Ranma-chan over with an apparent
leer. "And I don't *exactly* look like you."
Now Ranma-chan was angry, not just at his response but at the way
he had looked at her. "Why you... Hey, pal, there's only one Ranma
Saotome around here, and that's me! So enough with the disguise!
And quit starin' at me, you pervert!"
"Um, Ranma?" Akane said sheepishly. "There's something that you
ought to know..."
"Hey, I ain't no impostor!" Ranma shot back to Ranma-chan, both of
them ignoring Akane. "*I'm* Ranma Saotome, so don't go around
sayin' that's who you are! Especially since you ain't even a guy!"
"Oh, really?" Ranma-chan sneered. "We'll just have to see about
that, won't we?" She got up and bolted into the kitchen. She returned a
few minutes later with a steaming kettle in her hand.
"Now we'll see who's the real Ranma Saotome!" she declared, then
dumped the contents of the kettle onto her head.
"Ha! Now whaddya gotta say?!" she boasted proudly.
"Um, just what was that supposed to do?" Ranma confusingly
asked. "Aside from get you wet, I mean?"
Ranma-chan looked at him like he was stupid. "Just what're you--"
She was stopped short when she finally heard her own voice. She then
looked down at herself and saw her still-female body.
"AAAAHHHH!" she screamed again as she grabbed herself and felt
her breasts, discovering that she wasn't hallucinating. "What the hell--?!
Why didn't it work?! Why didn't I change back?!"
"That's just it, Ranma," Dr. Tofu sighed. "It seems that you won't be
changing forms anymore, as the two of you have somehow been
separated."
"Huh?" Ranma asked in confusion.
"*WHAT?!?!?!?!?!* Ranma-chan screamed. Her body started to
shake with anger, her breath going in and out in short, ragged gasps.
With a growl, she turned and glared at Ranma.
"You!" she cried. "You got something to do with this! Tell me what
you've done to me and why you took my body! Right now!!"
"Hey, I ain't done nothing to you!" Ranma shouted back. He rose to
his feet to glare at Ranma-chan in a face-off. "I ain't never even met
you until today! And this is *my* body!"
Ranma-chan, however, didn't seem to be buying that. "Oh, so that's
how you wanna play, huh?" she said seething. She poised herself into
an attack position. A rather sloppy-looking one, too, at careful notice.
"Hey! No fighting in the house!" Soun shouted.
"Sorry, Mr. Tendo, but this can't wait!" Ranma-chan replied, then
turned to her male counterpart. "As for you... TAKE THIS!!!" She
leapt up into the air to do a flying kick that she figured would take her
opponent out rather quickly. Ranma got ready to dodge or defend...
But found he didn't need to as Ranma-chan crashed to the floor right
in front of him, missing by just a little bit. Everybody blinked in
surprise at this.
"Well," Nabiki finally said after a moment. "That was pointless."
"You *sure* you're me?" Ranma asked with a smirk as he looked
down at the fallen girl. "I coulda done better than that, even when I first
started out."
Ranma-chan didn't reply immediately, as she was trying to figure out
what went wrong. A simple, basic flying kick, and she couldn't even do
it. Why? She decided to figure it out later and first tend to the task at
hand.
"You wanna be impressed, pal?" she growled, getting back up on her
feet. "Then try *this!* *Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!!!*" Though the
technique was originally developed by the Amazons as a training
method to increase one's speed, Ranma had long since made an attack
out of it. Which had really come in handy against a super-dense Ryoga
and had become one of his trademark techniques.
Unfortunately, it wasn't living up to itself as all Ranma-chan could
do was a bunch of super-fast sloppy punches that had little effect on
Ranma. It wasn't even as fast as it usually was, especially considering
that Ranma's female form was much faster than his male one.
Again, Ranma was not impressed, but was quite confused. "Um,
just what was that supposed to do?"
Ranma-chan just stared at her male self for several moments, then at
her hands, apparently in deep thought. She then suddenly took in a
sudden gasp of air after a bit.
"Ranma?" Akane asked as she got up and approached the other girl.
"Ranma, what is it?"
"Can't... remember..." Ranma-chan replied slowly.
"What? What can't you remember?" Nabiki replied with much
interest.
"Training... Can't... remember... my training..." Ranma-chan
responded back, almost as if in a trance. Her eyes then widened with
shock. "I can't... remember... anything... before..."
"What? Before what?" Akane asked as Ranma-chan trailed off.
"Ju-jusenkyo..." Ranma-chan said finally. "I can't remember
anything before Jusenkyo. My training, my *life*... Nothing! It's like
my whole life started when I came out of that damn spring!"
Her cry seemed to shake the entire room. Everyone backed away
from her, afraid of what she might do in her distress. She just stood
where she was, breathing deeply in and out as tears began to streak
down her face. Only Nodoka dared to approach her, guided by her
maternal instincts as she took the girl into her arms. Ranma-chan made
no response, only allowed herself to be taken into the embrace.
"Two Ranmas, both with apparent memory problems," Nabiki
mused. "This is getting more interesting by the minute."
"Doctor, what's wrong with them?" Nodoka asked Dr. Tofu as she
continued to hug Ranma-chan.
"I'm not sure, but I think I have an idea," the doctor replied,
continuing to watch the scene before him with fascination. "Just a
second. Ranma?" He reached over and tapped the boy's shoulder.
Ranma flinched at the doctor's touch. "What?" he said defensively,
his body language showing he was preparing for a fight.
Dr. Tofu smiled and gave a slight chuckle. "Relax, Ranma. I'm a
doctor, and your friend. I just want to ask you a couple of questions so
we can figure out what's wrong with you."
Ranma relaxed a little, feeling that he could trust the doctor, but
remained a bit on the defensive. "O... kay... Whaddya wanna know?"
Dr. Tofu smiled, glad to see the younger man relax. "Can you tell
me what it is that's the last thing you remember doing?"
Ranma frowned for a moment before replying. "Well... we were in
China, me and the old man. Pop wanted to find this trainin' ground,
some place called... Jusenkyo, I think it was. When we get there, we go
right into trainin' despite warnings from the guide, and I kicked the old
guy into one of the springs there, but instead of him comin' out--"
"A panda wearing your father's clothes jumped out at you, threw
you into another spring, where you came out as a girl. You found out
that you could turn back to your natural forms with hot water, but that
cold water would change into your curse forms again. Right?" Nabiki
interrupted knowingly.
Ranma blinked in surprise at her. "Hey, yeah, that's right. Well,
except the part about me turnin' into a girl. After I landed in that spring,
I blacked out. I guess I musta lost consciousness or something. And
then I woke up... here." He gave Nabiki a suspicious look. "Just how
the heck did you know about all that, anyway?"
"Because that's what you told us when you arrived here," Soun
replied. "About one year ago."
Ranma's lower jaw seemed to drop down to about a foot shy of the
floor as his eyes bugged out of his head. "WHAT?! Y-You mean I've
been out of it for a whole *year*?!"
"Not exactly," Dr. Tofu replied as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"So... you can't remember a thing after you fell into the spring?"
"Ain't that what I've been saying?" Ranma replied, staring at the
doctor like he was an idiot.
"Interesting..." Dr. Tofu murmured. He then turned to Nodoka and
Ranma-chan. "Um, Ranma?"
The girl looked up at the doctor from her mother's embrace. "Y-
yeah...?"
"Ranma, I know you've been through a lot tonight," Dr. Tofu began
with much sympathy, "but I need to know what happened while you
were with Shampoo. It may help us figure out what happened to you."
"Shampoo? What's this got to do with washing hair?" Ranma asked
in confusion. He blinked in surprise at the giggles that came in
response. "What? Did I say something funny?"
"We'll... tell you later..." Akane said between giggles.
Ranma-chan let out a deep sigh, then nodded despondently. "Okay,
I guess it can't hurt." She paused to clear her throat. "Well, you know
how Shampoo offered some more Instant Nanniichuan in exchange for
a date, right?"
Everyone save for Ranma nodded in response. Akane's nod was
accompanied by a fuming growl and a slight glow of angry ki. Ranma
was *very* surprised by the sight of that.
Ranma-chan continued, "Anyway, we go on the date, going to
dinner and a movie. You know, the usual? So later, we're out walking
in the Ginza..."
* * *
"Aiyah... Shampoo so happy to be on date with Airen," Shampoo
sighed dreamily, hanging onto Ranma's arm as they walked through the
Nerima Ginza. "Is great way to celebrate return to Japan, yes?"
"Yeah, whatever..." Ranma replied with disinterest. He could care
less that Shampoo and the Old Ghoul had come back from China. He
just wanted the longer-lasting Instant Nanniichuan he was promised.
Sure, it would still be temporary, but at least it wouldn't be a one-shot
deal. At least that's what Shampoo told him, anyway.
So, all he had to do was get through this one little date. Too bad
Shampoo had to drag all him all over Nerima with her hanging all over
him so everyone could see that they were together. He could already
feel the rumors starting to spread...
"Ranma," Shampoo said simply in an unhappy tone. Ranma turned
his head to see she had stopped and let go of him, and had an upset
look on her face. "You no sound happy to be with Shampoo. Maybe
you really no want Instant Nanniichuan as much as Shampoo think?"
Now Ranma was worried. "N-No! It ain't that!" he replied with mild
panic, his typical reaction in dealing with upset females. He began to
wrack his brain for a good excuse. "I-It just... uh... I'm a little worried
about the time! Yeah! That's it! I promised my mom I wouldn't stay
out too late, so I was trying to think of what time it was!" He hoped
that Shampoo would buy that, lame as it was.
"Hmmm... Okay. Shampoo understand," she replied after a bit of
thought. He let out a sigh of relief. "Ranma no see mother for long
time, so it make sense she worry." She then glanced towards the
darkening sky. "Beside, it look like it rain soon. It no fun if Shampoo
turn to cat and Ranma run away."
Ranma nodded vigorously, trying not to add that his mother did not
like the Amazon one bit. "Yeah, so how about I go and take you home,
you give me the powder, and everyone's happy. Okay?" He gave her
his best positive grin.
Shampoo, however, seemed to have other ideas. "But Airen, we no
do everything Shampoo plan for date. Is still one more thing to do
before Shampoo give Airen Instant Nanniichuan."
Ranma ground his teeth a little bit, trying to keep from exploding
outright. It probably wouldn't be much. Most likely a good-bye kiss,
like the last time. Putting on his best false-happy face, he asked, "Okay,
what do you wanna do?"
Rather than answer him with words, Shampoo simply smiled that
smile that said she was up to something that he wouldn't like. Ranma
tensed as she reached into her purse, and with a little dramatic flare,
pulled out... A key, a plain, simple, ordinary key, dangling from the
heart-shaped key-chain that Shampoo was holding it from. This had
Ranma more that a little worried.
"Uh, Shampoo...? That's... not what I think it is? Is it?"
Shampoo's grin widened to the point of 'evil'. "That right, Ranma. Is
key to hotel room Shampoo reserve for tonight, for big finish of date."
She stepped up close to Ranma, who was too shocked to back away,
and trailed a finger seductively down his chest. "Then... then Shampoo
give you Instant Nanniichuan."
Ranma mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. He should've
known that Shampoo would've planned something like this. After all,
she'd tried to seduce him so many other times before, and now she had
a real leverage that Ranma couldn't get out of. He needed that powder,
and he *was* willing to go to any lengths to get it. But this? Sure, he'd
be "cured", but he'd also be a dead man after a few certain individuals
finished beating the tar out of him. Not to mention there was how
disappointed his mother would be at his actions. Ranma needed to get
out of this situation, and fast. But he also needed that powder. This
was definitely a problem.
* * *
*WHAM!* "You pervert! You were going to sleep with her?!"
Ranma picked himself up from the floor, rubbing the spot on his
head where Akane had malleted him. "Ow! Jeez, what the hell did you
do that for?!"
Akane glared back at him. "You have the nerve to ask me that?
*You* were the one who was going to sleep with Shampoo so you
could get your precious powder!"
"Raaaannnnnmmmmmaaaaa!!! How could you?!?!" a now demon-
headed Soun screamed.
Ranma temporarily panicked at the sight, but did his best to keep his
cool. "Hey, I didn't do nothin'!" Ranma replied angrily. "I don't even
know who this 'Shampoo' person is! In case you forgot, I don't
remember nothing that happened after I fell in that damn spring!!"
Akane was about to make an angry retort back at him, but stopped
short as his words sank in and she remembered the evening's earlier
events. "Sorry," she said sheepishly as her face furiously flushed with
embarrassment. Soun meekly returned to normal and said nothing.
"Moron..." Ranma-chan muttered under her breath, shaking her
head. More loudly, she added, "And for your information, I did not
sleep with Shampoo. Mousse showed up and tried to attack me, but
Shampoo started to beat him up, instead. That's when I was able to get
away with the powder. She must've feelin' over confidant, 'cause she
only had one packet with her."
"What? You're surprised?" Nabiki asked in feigned shock. "This
*is* Shampoo we're talking about."
"So what happened then?" Dr. Tofu asked.
"Simple. I grabbed the powder and ran as fast as I could.
Fortunately for me, Shampoo was too busy beatin' up on Mousse to
notice. I figured I'd better use the stuff before Pop got any ideas to steal
it for himself--"
"Hey! Would I do a--" Genma started to interrupt, but was silenced
by glares from all over the room. He sheepishly decided to be quiet.
Clearing her throat, Ranma-chan continued. "Anyway, I stopped by
the old lot on the way home and made myself a makeshift bath in an
old steel drum I found there. I filled it with some water from a spigot,
mixed in the powder, and just jumped in. Naturally, I was pretty happy
to come out a guy.
"Unfortunately, that's when the storm hit and I was struck by
lightning. Trust me, that *hurt*."
"Oh my," Kasumi gasped. "Are you all right, Ranma?"
"Hey, I'm fine. Takes more than a bolt of lightning to keep me
down," Ranma-chan replied as she waved her hand. "Anyway, I got
knocked out cold after that jolt hit me, and when I woke up it was
raining, and I was naked and female. I didn't know what happened to
the rest of my clothes, but lucky for me, I took my shirt off before
dunking myself, so I put it back on and made my way back here."
She paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "So now," she
continued, "would somebody please tell me what's going on around
here?! Why can't I change back, why can't I remember anything before
coming out of that spring, and why is there another me, a male me,
sitting there next to me?!"
"That's what I wanna know!" her male counterpart replied. He
quickly added sheepishly, "Um, except without the changing part and in
reverse."
"What I want to know is how the heck could being struck by
lightning while using the Instant Nanniichuan split Ranma's male and
female forms apart with different memories?" Akane wondered. Her
father and sisters nodded, along with the elder Saotomes.
"I think I have an idea," Dr. Tofu replied thoughtfully. "I think that
when the lightning struck Ranma, the electricity somehow must have
affected the particles of Instant Nanniichuan in the water and on him.
They literally must have acted like a magnet and somehow pulled
Ranma's curse right out of him. And, maybe because the curse didn't
want to 'die', I guess you could say, the effect somehow gave her a form
and life of her own, separate from Ranma."
"Wow, I guess water and electricity really don't mix, huh?" Nabiki
smirked. She got groans in response to her pun.
"As for their memories," Dr. Tofu continued as he ignored Nabiki,
"I'm guessing that when Ranma's curse was pulled from him, his
memories of everything that happened after he fell into the
Nyanniichuan must have been linked to the curse, and thus were...
removed from his mind, as well, and given to the female Ranma as she
was given form. It's sort of a 'before and after' effect, I guess you could
call it. The male Ranma only has memories of what happened before
he fell into the spring..."
"And the female Ranma only has memories of what happened
after!" Akane finished ecstatically.
"Ah, so that would explain why she can't do any martial arts..."
Nabiki added thoughtfully.
Dr. Tofu nodded. "Right. She doesn't have any memory of the
basic training that Ranma went through growing up, only what she's
done and learned for the past year. She can still fight, just... not very
well without what was originally learned."
"Gee, thanks for the encouragement, Doc," Ranma-chan said
sarcastically. "Isn't there any way you can undo this, Doc? I don't
wanna be stuck like this!"
"Hey, what about me? Don't I get a say in this?" Ranma asked. "If
what you're sayin' is true, I used to turn into a girl everytime I got
splashed with cold water. No way! I'm a guy and I plan to stay that
way!"
"So do I, buddy! And the sooner, the better!" Ranma-chan shot
back. "C'mon, Doc, can't you do something?"
Dr. Tofu just sighed and shrugged. "I don't know if I can, Ranma.
I've studied everything there is to know about Jusenkyo ever since you
first told me about it, in hopes of finding a cure for you. But I've never
read anything like this happening. I could go look through all my texts
and notes, but I doubt I'll find anything. This could very well be
permanent."
"Oh, wonderful..." Ranma-chan sighed depressingly. She barely
noticed her mother patting her on the shoulder sympathetically, a
tender smile on her face.
"Hooray!" Genma suddenly shouted happily, dancing about the
room with Soun. "I'm finally going to be cured! No more panda for
me! Haha!"
"Yes! And now Ranma can marry Akane with no problems at all!"
Soun added, also happy as a loon.
"W-what?!" Ranma shouted in shock. "M-m-married?!"
"I am *not* marrying that pervert!" Akane declared, turning her
head with a "hmph!"
An angry Ranma-chan shot up to her feet and gave her father a kick
that sent him flying into the pond. She glared at the angry panda that
emerged moments later.
"Shut up, old man!" she cried. "Why should you be happy while I'm
miserable!?"
"Now, now, Ranko. That's no way to treat your father, even if he is
selfish," Nodoka said chastely. She then turned to glare at her
husband-now-panda. "And you... How can you think of yourself
when our son and daughter are having a crisis? And haven't you
forgotten something?"
The panda lowered its head in shame.
Ranma-chan turned to her mother and blinked several times,
surprised and a little annoyed. "Ranko...?"
"Son *and* daughter...?" Nabiki added curiously, her eyebrow
arched.
Nodoka grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. I guess it's just a
force of habit. I still sometimes think of you as 'Ranko' whenever I saw
you in female form."
"Well, when you think about it," Nabiki said before Ranma-chan
could be reply, "we have to call her something. It'd be too confusing to
call them both 'Ranma'."
"Hey! Now wait just a damn minute--" Ranma-chan began to reply
angrily before her mother interrupted.
"No. They're right. It would be confusing. And what if someone
were to come by and see you?" She placed a hand on the girl's
shoulder. "Look, at least until Dr. Tofu can find any possible way to
undo this, we'll have to call you 'Ranko'. Can you at least do that for
me?"
Ranma-chan cursed under her breath. She *hated* it when her
mother pulled that on her. But, as much as she didn't want to admit it,
they had a point.
"Alright," she sighed with reluctance. "But only until the doc can
find a way to fix this!" she quickly added.
Nodoka nodded with satisfaction. "Very well, then. Welcome to the
family, Ranko. We'll say you're Ranma's younger twin sister, who
stayed with me while your father and brother were away training and
just recently came to live with us. That should satisfy anyone who
asks, hmm?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. No need to tell the actual story
without all the facts.
"And of course, when you think about it, that's not too far off from
the truth," Dr. Tofu said with a grin.
"Hey, that's right!" Akane realized. "When you think about it,
Ranm-- I mean, Ranko would be Mr. and Auntie Saotome's daughter,
and Ranma's sister!"
"Haha! Congratulations, Saotome!" Soun barked, patting the
surprised panda on the back. Everyone else started to laugh and talk
with good cheer, as well.
The festivities were quickly stopped, however, by a cough from
Ranma. "I hate to break this up," he said, "but in case you forgot, I
don't know anybody, here. And what's this about me gettin' married?!"
"Oh, yes. That's right," Nodoka replied sheepishly. She waved a
hand over to Soun. "Ranma, this is Soun Tendo, an old friend of your
father's. This is his home, the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial
Arts."
"Your father and I grew up together and trained under the same
master at your age, Ranma," Soun added, the panda nodding in
agreement. Akane, Ranko, and Nodoka all rolled their eyes, muttering
comments about the "master" in question.
Continuing with the introductions, Soun went on, "These are my
daughters, Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane." He waved a hand to each girl
as he introduced them.
"Uh... hi," Ranma said in greeting. "Now what's this about--"
"Ah, yes," Soun said proudly. "Ranma, you are engaged to marry
Akane, and carry on the school so--"
"Oh, no!" Akane interrupted rudely. "I am still not going to marry
that perverted jerk! He may forget the last year, but I don't! So forget
it!"
"Hey! Where do you get off callin' me names?!" Ranma shouted
back with a glare. "You don't even know me!"
Before Akane could give him back an angry reply, Nabiki pulled her
to the side. Ranma, meanwhile, started to argue with his parents and
Soun.
"Hey! What's the--" Akane began, but was interrupted.
"Look, sis, this is some free advice I know you'll be interested in,"
Nabiki began. Before Akane could reply, her sister continued, "Ranma
has no knowledge of the last year. Especially the other fiancees." She
put emphasis on the last word. She grinned as Akane got a thoughtful
look on her face.
"Also," she continued, "this is a different Ranma, one who was never
cursed. Ever wonder what he was like without a constant sex change?"
Akane had, but figured that Ranma was still pretty much the same
jerk that she knew. Of course, Nabiki had a point. As far as she could
tell, at the moment, Ranma didn't seem to have the super-snide attitude
that she had become familiar with. Could have becoming cursed to
turn into a girl been the real cause of that macho-attitude, Ranma's way
of holding on to his manhood? Maybe...
Her thoughts were interrupted by Ranma's sudden shout. "No way!
Where do you guys get off pickin' my fiancee for me without even
askin'?! And what about Akane? Don't *she* get a say in this?"
Akane gasped with surprise. "Ranma..." she whispered tenderly, her
eyes becoming a little misty.
"Besides," he suddenly added, "for all I know she's some crazy
tomboy chick who's a complete clutz at everything!"
*WHAM!!!* Akane had slammed the table right down on Ranma's
head, knocking him out cold, then got up and stomped out of the room.
Everyone else had wisely backed away in time to avoid the onslaught.
"Now that he had coming," Nodoka said, echoing her husband's
original words.
The others in the room nodded solemnly in response.
End of part one...
Author's Endnotes:
Here it is, folks. At long last, the revised and shortened version of
"Twin Fists of Fury", part 1, now known as "Double or Nothing". I
released the original version, about with the second part, about a couple
years ago, but before anyone asks me where part 3 is, let me explain
why I revised it.
First off, the 'fic was too long and too complicated. I was explaining
too much with too much detail when it wasn't necessary. Also, some of
the plans I had for the story didn't seem to fit with the premise, which is
probably why I had so much trouble trying to get part 3 done (along
with writer's block and real life toying at me). It also didn't seem too
"Ranma-esque", which is what I wanted for the story. So, I revised and
rewrote the story to make it shorter, changed, removed, or added some
scenes to make the story flow better or seem more "Ranma", and
improved on characterizations to make everyone more "in-character". I
even gave it a better title that seems to fit better. Also, I have a new 'net
moniker, and a new e-mail address (as seen at the top in the title area),
so those who read the original story don't bother to mail me at my old
address, as it no longer exists. So I redid the story, almost practically
redoing it from scratch, and so far, the responses I've been getting from
my pre-readers has been good.
Now, about the story itself. I know you were probably thinking,
"Oh, not another double-Ranma story!" I know you've probably seen
and had your fill of this type of story. But this idea had been in my
head for awhile and wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to go with it.
Besides, response from the original versions were very good and
encouraging to make me go on with it. I almost decided to give up on
it, considering how much trouble it was giving me, but this was my first
fanfic I released on the net and I didn't want to abandon it.
For those who are curious, the "magic mirror Ranmas" that Akane
mentions are from volume 35 of the manga, in which Ranma-chan
touches this magic mirror that creates a unchanging duplicate of herself
that falls for his male self. After a few mishaps, they finally manage to
get her to go back, but something goes wrong and a male dupe is made,
and he and the female fall for each other. The story ended with
everyone waiting for the mirror's cover to be repaired again. Since we
don't know what really happened afterwards, I went with my idea that
Soun brought up.
To wrap things up, I'd like to thank some people: Rumiko Takahashi,
obviously, for creating such a cool series, one of the first I got interested
in, and who I hope doesn't come after me for "borrowing" her creations;
my pal, Derrick Chen, who got me introduced to manga and anime,
particularly, of course, "Ranma 1/2", among other things; and my pre-
readers, Dave Eddy, author of "Nekophobia", Darren Demaine, author
of "Ranma .05", and Lord Archive, author of such stories as "The
Insanity Continues", "The Nekoken Is Out of the Bag", and "Rejected",
all of whom helped me make this story more in tune with the original
series. Thanks, you guys!
Stay tuned for the revised version of part 2, in which Ukyo appears
and "meets" Ranma and Ranko, and things only get interesting from
there. I don't know when it'll be out, as I still have school and a new job
to deal with taking up my time. I'll try to get it out as quick as I can, so
please be patient. Until then, see ya next time!
Here's the reworked version of part 2 of "Twin Fists of Fury" under
the new title, for the same reasons as part 1. Enjoy.
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi, all rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 2: With Friends Like These...
Ukyo Kuonji was a woman with a mission as she walked to the
Tendo Dojo. She was worried about Ranma. He hadn't been seen for
the last few days, not since he went on that date with Shampoo she'd
heard about. She hoped that nothing had happened, like Ran-chan
opening his big mouth and earning a beating from the Amazon. Or
worse, from Akane, for just going out with Shampoo.
She really hoped that it had nothing to do with her. She had worked
hard to win back Ranma's trust and friendship after her part in the
wedding fiasco. He'd been quite angry that she had stooped to
Shampoo or Kodachi's level with the exploding okonomiyaki. She
hadn't planned on hurting anyone, just scaring Akane, but it had got out
of hand. Ranma didn't speak to her for several weeks before finally
excepting her apology, and her new "reputation" had hurt her business
as people were scared to come near her. And she was now working
alone, as Konatsu was gone after she got mad and threw him out for
suggesting that Ranma would never love her the way she wanted. He
never came back, and last she heard, he was working for some rich
family somewhere in Hokkaido.
Finally approaching the dojo, Ukyo stopped in front of the gate
before entering and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the
ordinary; no new damages or repairs to the house that she could see.
And she could hear shouting coming from the back, like someone
practicing martial arts. And if she guessed correctly, it sounded like
Ranma-chan and Akane. She smirked, wondering if Ranma was really
taking Akane seriously in training or if she was just jumping around
and dodging again.
Getting back on track to why she was there, Ukyo walked through
the gate and up to the house. She slid the door open and entered,
slipping on a pair of house slippers as she called out, "Hello? Anybody
home?"
A familiar voice answered, "Hmm, I wonder who that could b--
Oh." Nodoka Saotome stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands
on her cooking shawl. She frowned slightly when she saw Ukyo, but
nonetheless bowed in proper greeting. "Hello, Ukyo."
Ukyo winced at the tone of Nodoka's voice as she returned the bow.
She wasn't exactly one of the older woman's favorite people, not after
she had helped in destroying the Saotome home and then the incident
at the wedding. She had even declared that her engagement to Ranma
was never valid to begin with, since Ranma was already betrothed to
one of the Tendo girls and that Genma was probably only after her
father's cart, anyway. At least Nodoka tolerated Ranma's friendship
with her, but only just barely.
"Um, hello, Mrs. Saotome," she finally responded, returning the
greeting. "I was just wondering--"
"Akane and Ranko are training in the backyard," Nodoka said
simply, then returned to the kitchen without another word.
Ukyo frowned at the other woman's attitude. She hated being
treated like dirt, especially by the mother of her Ran-chan. She was,
however, confused by Nodoka's reference of "Ranko". She knew that
she was talking about Ranma, as that was the disguise Ranma used in
Nodoka's presence before she knew about the curse. Then she recalled
Ranma telling her how Nodoka still called him Ranko while in female
form out of habit, so she shrugged it off.
Ukyo stepped up into the house, then headed down the hall straight-
on to the living room. There, she found Mr. Tendo sitting at the table
reading the paper and a bored-looking Nabiki reading a magazine. Mr.
Tendo didn't look up at her as she walked by, but Nabiki raised a
curious eyebrow before shrugging in that disinterested way of hers.
Ukyo just went on ahead to the backyard and soon found who she was
looking for, doing something that surprised her and caused her quietly
giggle.
Ranma, in female form, was indeed sparring with Akane, Ranma in
her usual Chinese garb and Akane in her yellow gi. What surprised
Ukyo was that the two actually were sparring, Ranma actually trying to
attack Akane instead of just dodging. It seemed to be simple basic
training that they were doing, leaving Ukyo to wonder if Akane had
finally gotten Ranma to take her seriously. For some reason, though,
she couldn't shake the feeling that the one being trained was... Ranma?
"Come on! That's it!" Akane said with a grin as she and Ranma-
chan traded blows, dodging or blocking if whenever possible. "Maybe
soon, you'll be able to take me on, again."
Ukyo blinked in confusion at that. What was going on, here?
Ranma-chan growled through gritted teeth. "You're enjoying this,
aren't you?! I happen to already know all this! And I could still take
you on any day of the week, if I wanted to!"
Akane smirked again. "Not really, you don't. And until then, you're
the one learning here. So there!"
Ranma-chan growled again in response. "Yeah?! Well, just wait 'til
I'm put back together and a guy again! Then I'll show you, Akane!"
Ukyo gasped when she heard this, though she mainly only heard the
"guy again" part. Her Ran-chan, trapped as a girl again? Had
Shampoo done something to do so? And why did it seem that he was
retraining in martial arts. She needed answers, and she wasn't going to
get them standing around watching.
"You wanna explain what you mean by that, Ran-chan?" she asked,
making her presence known.
Akane and Ranma-chan's sparring session was brought to a halt
when they heard Ukyo's voice. They turned to face her, blinking in
surprise and a scowl quickly appearing on Akane's face.
"Uh, hey, Ucchan," Ranma said with a weak grin.
"What do *you* want?" Akane asked with contempt in her voice.
Unlike Ranma, she hadn't completely forgiven the okonomiyaki chef.
"Hey, lay off, Akane," Ukyo shot back as she tried to keep her cool.
"I said I was sorry for what happened at the wedding, so stay off my
back."
Akane didn't reply, just continued to fume at her. Ranma-chan just
shrugged, obviously not wanting to be included in the conversation and
be forced to take sides.
Satisfied, Ukyo continued, "Now, I came by because I haven't seen
or heard from you guys for a few days and I was a little worried."
"Worried about Ranma, you mean," Akane muttered under her
breath.
"Nothing's wrong, Ucchan," Ranma-chan quickly replied nervously.
In a way that said that there *was* something wrong.
"So how come Akane's training you in martial arts? And what's this
about you being stuck as a girl?" Ukyo asked suspiciously.
Akane and Ranma looked at each other nervously, adding to Ukyo's
suspicions. But before either of them could give something of a reply,
there was a rather unexpected interruption.
"C'mon, boy! Work harder!" the booming voice of Genma Saotome
roared as he leapt over the wall of the dojo and landed in the yard.
"You've got to push it harder than that if you want to make up for
losing a whole year's worth of training!"
If Genma's entrance didn't surprise Ukyo, what happened afterwards
did.
"Aw, shut up, old man!" a familiar male voice yelled back as
another figure followed Genma into the yard. "I can still kick your lazy
butt any day of the week, even if I lost ten years of training! And with
these stupid weights on my arms and legs!"
Ukyo gasped as she recognized the voice, and the person it belonged
to. Though it was impossible since he should have been right there in
front of her in a female body.
Ranma, in male form wearing a white gi and with his hair in his old
ponytail, went toe-to-toe with his father by the pond. He lashed out
with punches and kicks the best he could wearing weighted bands on
his arms and legs. Genma, in all his cockiness, grinned as he dodged
and weaved in front of Ranma. Rarely did he throw any attacks of his
own in the match, but he suddenly threw a kick to an opening to
Ranma's mid-section that sent him into the pond.
"See what I mean, boy?" Genma boasted in that smug way of his.
"You've gotten sloppy by losing that one year of training, while I've
been able to stay in proper form!" He started to laugh that stupid laugh
of his, right before he was knocked into the pond by a kick from
behind. In his boasting, he hadn't seen Ranma come out of the pond
and get around behind him.
"Who you calling sloppy, Pop?!" the soaking wet and *still male*
martial artist shot back as he smirked at the scowling panda who
emerged from the water.
"Wha... w-what's going on here...?" Ukyo gasped as she repeatedly
shifted her shocked gaze from Ranma to Ranma-chan. She couldn't
believe what she was seeing. Her question, however, drew a curious
Ranma's attention over to her and the other girls.
"Oh, hey, guys," he said with that lopsided grin that was probably
the reason that Ranma had his "luck" with women. Nodding his head
towards Ukyo, he asked, "Say, who's your friend? I dunno why, but
she reminds me of somebody."
A still-shocked Ukyo almost jumped when a hand came down on
her shoulder, and she spun around to see Ranma-chan giving her a
sympathetic look. "C'mon, Ucchan," she said with a sigh as she began
to lead the other girl towards the house. "We gotta talk."
Ranma blinked in surprise. "Ucchan?"
Some time later, after Ranma, Akane, and Ranko, as Ukyo soon
discovered, had cleaned up and changed their clothes, the events of
what happened on Ranma's date with Shampoo were laid out. There
was no other choice but to tell Ukyo the truth, since she had seen the
"twins" together after thinking Ranko was Ranma and she and Akane
went along with it.
"...and that's pretty much how it happened, Ucchan," Ranko
concluded as she and Akane told the story while the four of them sat
around the low table in the living room. She frowned in irritation when
she noticed that Ukyo wasn't paying attention to her, but was staring at
her "brother."
"Aw, poor baby," the okonomiyaki chef said with a pout as she
stared tenderly at a shocked-appearing Ranma. "You really seem to
have it rough all the time, don't you?" While she had paid attention to
what she had been told about Ranma and Ranko's separation, there
were two particular facts that she was most interested in: Ranma being,
at long last, cured and a hundred percent male again, and his memory
loss of the last year. That meant he didn't remember any of the other
"engagements", but still did remember their childhood friendship.
A little something that Ranma, dressed in a white T-shirt and
sweatpants as he'd never worn the Chinese outfits before and was not
used to them, had to be brought up to date about.
"This... this is my old buddy Ucchan?" he said as he continued to
stare in shock at the goo-goo eyed Ukyo. "But... she's a girl..."
Ranko nodded. "Yeah, turned out she really was the whole time.
You, and I, just thought she was a boy 'cause of how she looked and
acted."
"Well, I was six..." Ranma replied in agreement, but that didn't
really make him feel better about the whole thing.
"Oh, don't worry about, Ran-chan," Ukyo said as she suddenly
leaned over and took hold of Ranma's arm, surprising everybody with
her sudden forwardness, especially Ranma. "I'm sure you'll have
plenty of time to get used to it before we get married."
Ranma shot out of Ukyo's hold and to his feet like he had his seat set
on fire. "What?! M-married?!"
Ranko nodded again, a smirk on her face. "There's one advantage to
being stuck like this: no more fiancees," she muttered. Raising her
voice, she explained, "Remember when you and Pop left Ucchan's to
go train some more and she was chasing after you? While you were
tugging along their okonomiyaki cart?"
"Yeah..." Ranma said warily, not taking his eyes off Ukyo.
"Seems our idiot father went an engaged you to Ucchan, here, when
you were kids. The cart was the dowry, and probably the only reason
he made the deal in the first place."
"That's Pop. Always thinking of his stomach," Ranma growled. In
a louder voice, he added, "But I can't marry her. I'm supposed to marry
Akane, aren't I?"
This drew a collective gasp from the gathered females present, who
all stared in shock at Ranma's statement and how casually he said it.
Akane, in particular, suddenly got a tender look on her face.
"Ranma..."
Ukyo, however, was a bit upset. "Hey, that's not true! I'm your real
fiancee! You're supposed to marry me!"
Akane quickly turned to glare at her rival. "You are not!"
"Our dads engaged us when we were six!"
"It still doesn't count! My dad and Mr. Saotome agreed to have
Ranma marry a Tendo to inherit the dojo around when he was born!
And like Ranko said, the only real reason Mr. Saotome agreed to
engage Ranma to you was so he could get your cart!"
As the two girls argued back and forth, the Saotome "twins" stared
on in shock. "Is it... always like this?" Ranma asked.
"Ucchan and Shampoo, yeah," Ranko replied. "But Akane's never
made any defense in her case. She's always said the other girl could
have ya. And let's not even discuss Kodachi."
"How do you put up with it?" he asked her. *How'm *I* gonna put
up with it?* he thought to himself.
Ranko just shrugged in response before replying, "Well, if it's worth
becomin' a guy again, I'm gonna have to."
"I'm afraid that's the least of your worries, Ranko." The four teens,
including Akane and Ukyo whose argument was brought to a halt,
turned their heads to see Dr. Tofu enter the room, the other members of
the Tendo Dojo household following. Kasumi, ever thoughtful as
usual, was carrying a tray of snacks, with Genma following closely
behind her like a faithful puppy. Nodoka, carrying a tray with a
steaming tea kettle and some cups, frowned disapprovingly at him.
As the others sat down, Ranko suddenly felt very worried at the
doctor's statement. "What are you talking about, Doc?" she asked as
she grabbed a cookie off the tray and began to munch on it. Ranma
and Genma were already fighting over the other snacks.
Dr. Tofu almost started to reply, but stopped when he noticed Ukyo.
He, of course, didn't want anything to slip, but at Akane's nod realized
that it was okay.
"Well," he finally began as he grabbed a cookie for himself, "I've
been doing some research in regards to Ranko and Ranma's separation
over the last few days, and..." He paused to let out a brief sigh.
It was an action that Ranko didn't like. "Well? C'mon, Doc, tell
me! Can I become a guy again, or what?"
With another sigh, the doctor answered, "What. I'm afraid that it
seems that whatever caused you and your brother to separate is
permanent. It can't be reversed."
"WHAT?!" Ranko shot to her feet and grabbed Dr. Tofu by the
front of his gi top, pulling him nose-to-nose with her. "What the hell
do you mean?! I'm stuck like this?!"
Before Ranko could get anymore violent with the doctor, Nodoka
stepped in, taking a firm yet gentle grip on her daughter's wrist and
making her release the doctor. "That's enough, young lady," she said
in chastising motherly tone. "Overreacting like that isn't going to help
anything."
Ranko, while taking some offense at being called a "lady", gave her
mother a sheepish look. "Sorry."
Dr. Tofu regained his composure, then continued now that he had
everyone's attention. Genma and Ranma had even stopped their
fighting over the food.
"I'm sorry, Ranko. I've looked through every piece of text I have
regarding Jusenkyo and its workings, and there isn't any record of a
victim's forms being separated after being struck by lightning. And
since we don't really know what caused you and Ranma to separate
anyway, other than my theory, I don't think we can take a chance as to
trying a cure without causing harm to the two of you."
Ranko took a moment to digest the information. "So," she slowly
began to reply. "I'm stuck like this. For life."
Dr. Tofu didn't reply, but instead just nodded. Ranko sighed and
slumped into her seat and began to mope, radiating an aura of
depression that would've made Ryoga proud.
"Oh, my," Kasumi finally said, finally breaking the long moment of
silence that had fallen. "Dr. Tofu, are you sure there isn't anything you
can do?"
He shook his head. "Like I said, not without possible risk to Ranma
or Ranko. I don't even think we can risk an attempt to repeat what
happened, either."
Genma suddenly spit out the tea he had been drinking. "WHAT?!"
Dr. Tofu shrugged. "Sorry, Mr. Saotome. But since we don't really
know what caused Ranma and Ranko to separate, I'm afraid there's too
great a risk in repeating what happened. For all we know, there were
certain elements involved in either the water, the powder, the lightning,
or even Ranma himself or his curse. In any event, it's all too possible
that repeating the event would result in serious harm to the person
trying it. Maybe even fatal."
"Besides, where would we get the powder?" Nabiki added with a
smirk.
"But... what about *my* cure?" Genma whined.
"What about it?" Nodoka said in a stern voice. "In case you forgot,
husband, you are forbidden from attempting any possible cure for your
curse. Your punishment for taking my son to Jusenkyo in the first
place, and for trying to steal the Nanniichuan water at the wedding."
She ran her finger along the hilt of her ever-present katana. "Have you
forgotten, Genma?"
The Saotome patriarch gulped loudly and shook his head, then fell
into his own state of depression.
"Ah, don't feel too bad, Saotome," Soun said with a grin as he
slapped his long-time friend on the back, trying to comfort him. "You
spend more time as a panda, anyway, so it shouldn't be that much of a
problem, eh?"
A grumpy Genma glared at Soun. "Tendo, quit trying to cheer me
up."
"Okay, so now what do we do?" Nabiki asked. "We're now stuck
with two Ranmas, with no way to put them back together."
"Well, we obviously can't go around saying *how* Ranma got
'cured'," Akane pointed out. "We can't risk anyone else trying to
attempt what happened. And then there's Shampoo..."
"What? You mean that girl with the goofy name?" Ranma asked.
"What about her?"
Nabiki rolled her eyes back. "Ranma, you can be so dense. If
Shampoo found out about this, she'd use it as some kind of leverage to
get you to marry her according to her Amazon law. Which, as we
explained to you, says that since you beat her in combat, you have to
marry her."
"But I don't remember doin' it!" Ranma protested.
"Try telling her that," Akane snorted. She then gasped as she
realized something. "But then that would also mean that..."
Everyone turned their heads to look at Ranko.
"What?" the red-head snapped, still in a rather foul mood. "What's
everyone lookin' at me for?"
"Somebody wasn't paying attention," Nabiki dryly commented.
"Ranko-baby, have you forgotten that other little part of the Amazon
law that says your brother has to marry Shampoo? And why she came
to Japan looking for you in the first place?"
Ranko continued to glare at Nabiki for a moment before realizing
what the other girl was talking about. Her eyes widened and she let out
a loud gasp.
"Uh, doesn't that part of the law say that if a girl beats an Amazon,
she gets killed?" Ranma asked.
In response, Ranko screamed. "AAAAAHHHHH! Dammit! I'm
dead! And this time there's no stoppin' her from killin' me!"
Her ranting was stopped by her mother's hand being placed on her
shoulder. "Calm down, young lady," Nodoka said sternly. "And watch
your language. You're not going to die, especially not at the hands of
that... girl. Not so long as we stick to our cover story."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Dr. Tofu added, "It'll take some
work. We'll need the proper documents to prove Ranko's existence,
especially if she'd been living with her mother her whole life. I can
handle that, if Nabiki could help me."
The middle Tendo girl nodded with a sly grin.
"We'll also have to change her appearance some to make her look a
daughter I may have raised," Nodoka continued. She was beaming
inside with the thought of having someone to pamper. "And, of course,
she'll have to learn to behave more like a girl."
"If you think I'm gettin' into a dress, you're nuts," Ranko muttered,
glaring at her mother out of the corner of her eye.
Before any new argument could start, Ukyo asked, "So where does
that leave Ran-chan? I mean, people are gonna notice he's not
changing anymore and that he can't remember anything."
"Simple. We just don't tell the entire truth," Dr. Tofu replied.
"We'll just say that Ranma was somehow cured, but we don't exactly
know how because he lost his memory of everything that happened
after he was cursed in the process."
Nodoka nodded. "Good idea. Same story, only Ranko is left out of
it. And no one will try to attempt the cure themselves."
"Just beat it out of him," Nabiki said with a smirk.
"Now all we have to do is keep certain people off Ranma's back,"
Akane said sarcastically. "I know a few who just might take advantage
of his memory loss."
All eyes went over to Ukyo.
"What?" she asked with a shocked frown. "Is it my fault I wanna
help my Ranma honey get certain facts straight?" With that, she started
to cuddle up closer to him, much to the shock and dismay of certain
people.
Ranma, however, quickly shot up to his feet. "Um, I'm, ah, gonna
be in the dojo if, er, anyone needs me," he said quickly, and dashed out
the door.
Everyone stared in surprise at Ranma's abrupt departure, most
noticeably Ukyo. Finally, a frowning Ranko got up and followed her
brother. She found him hurriedly doing old katas that she hadn't used
in a long time, not since... She decided not to dwell on that and instead
focus on the task at hand.
"Alright, just what the hell is your problem?" she growled with
irritation.
Ranma halted his kata in surprise and turned to Ranko with a
confused look on his face. "Huh? What're talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" she nearly shouted,
stomping right up to him and grabbing his shirt to pull him up-close to
her. "You've been acting like Ucchan's got the plague the whole time
she's been here!"
Squirming his way out of his sister's grip, Ranma gave her his own
irritated look. "I couldn't help it! She gives me the creeps, alright! I
just found out one of my best friends isn't who I thought he... she...
*whoever* was, and it turns out we're engaged, too! I mean, how
would you feel?"
"That's not the point!" she shouted back. After taking a moment to
calm herself, she continued, "Okay, maybe it did take me awhile to get
used to it, but you don't have to just treat her like crap. Ever try
listening to her side of the story?" *Where have I heard that before?*
she thought in surprise.
Ranma just snorted. "Yeah, right. Next you'll be telling me it'll be
almost like it used to be when we were kids. Not if one of us was
really some tomboy who couldn't figure out if she was a girl or not.
I mean, who knows what she does when no one else is around?"
Before Ranko could say anything back in Ukyo's defense, a new
voice said in a quiet tone, "Is that so?"
Ranma and Ranko both froze, then slowly turned to see Ukyo
standing in the doorway to the dojo. She had one hand on the
doorframe, seeming to grip it with almost crushing intensity while she
kept her head low, her bangs obscuring her eyes. She seemed totally
emotionless, almost cold.
"Is that how you feel, 'Ran-chan'?" she continued. She finally raised
her head to look at them, and they could now see the angry look
accompanied by the tears streaking down her face.
Ranko noticed a familiar expression on Ranma's face, one that she
had used herself quite often. The one that came whenever she had put
her foot in her mouth. "Ah... um, Ukyo... Ucchan..." he began
stammering. "That isn't... I don't... what I mean is..."
*Yikes, am I really like that?* Ranko thought with surprise and
disgust.
Ranma didn't get to say anything further, as Ukyo suddenly stomped
her way over to him and gave him a slap that seemed to echo in the
dojo. Both Ranko and Ranma looked shocked at this sudden action.
"Fine, then!" Ukyo cried. "If that's the way you feel, then the
engagement's off! In fact, you can forget about the whole friendship!"
With that, she turned and ran out of the dojo, sobbing the whole
way out.
"Hey, wait! Ucchan!" Ranko called after her. Taking a moment to
glare at Ranma, she ran off after the okonomiyaki chef. She ran past
Akane, who had caught the tail end of what had happened.
Turning to look at the still-surprised Ranma, she shook her head and
tsked. "You just can't stop from opening your big mouth, can you?"
Ranma turned to look at Akane in surprise at seeing her and a little
disturbance at her comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you have to think before you act. People do have feelings,
you know. And you can't just go around saying things that hurt them
whenever you want," Akane replied, hoping that Ranma would get the
idea. With luck, this could be her opportunity to try and change some
of his bad habits, no longer fueled by the over-machoness he got from
getting his curse.
Unfortunately, what she got was that same snide look on his face as
he came back with, "Some fiancee you are. I thought that of all people,
you'd be the one most on my side about this whole thing."
"Excuse me?! Are you saying that just because I'm your fiancee I
have to agree with everything stupid thing you say?!" she asked
angrily.
"Well, isn't that how it works?" he asked.
That did it. Akane began to glow with her usual blue battle aura,
surprising Ranma as she growled, "Why you..." She pulled out her
mallet and lunged forward to give him a well-deserved bash on the
head.
However, she never got that far. As soon as she was in range,
Ranma quickly dodged the attack and grabbed her wrist, throwing her
across the room. She landed face-first with her chin hitting the floor
and her sliding across a bit.
Akane took a moment to recompose herself as she turned to stare at
Ranma in shock. He had fought back, something he had never done
before because he never fought girls. Was this another thing that was
different about Ranma before he was cursed?
"Well?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You still
wanna go at it?"
Akane scowled darkly and picked herself up. If he wanted a fight,
then she was more than willing to give it to him. She still owed him a
good sense-knocking-into, and there was no way she was going to back
down from a chance at an actual fight with Ranma. Taking a moment
to focus her energies, she lunged into the attack.
The fight was more than Akane expected. It was mostly her
attacking, as usual, with Ranma dodging like she remembered but also
using throws and submission holds on her. Occasionally, he would
give an attack, but mostly a sweep or a light push to the back, not even
going completely all out. At least he was fighting back, but Akane
wasn't satisfied and she kept at it.
Ranma, on the other hand, felt a struggle within him. He had hoped
that a little tussle with Akane would help him work out some of the
frustration he had been feeling. He didn't like to fight girls, but if he
had to he would defend himself and try not to hurt them too seriously.
Akane, however, was different than anyone else he'd faced and her
continued attacking only seemed to fuel his frustration rather than
release it. He could feel something build within him, something he'd
felt before over the last few days during sparring sessions with his old
man, only this time it was much worse.
Focusing himself, Ranma made a move to deliver another shove to a
rushing Akane's shoulders. A big flash erupted from his hands, and his
vision was obscured by an intense ball of light.
* * *
It didn't take long for Ranko to catch up to Ukyo. Even though she
had all but lost her martial arts training, she was still in pretty good
shape and still had her speed. Still, Ukyo gave her quite the run for her
money, and they were about a couple blocks away before Ranko finally
caught up with her.
"Whoa! Hold it, there!" Ranko called as she grabbed the other girl's
shoulder to bring her to a halt. As she began to catch her breath, she
began to add, "Just wait a--"
She was cut off by Ukyo spinning around and smacking Ranko's
hand off her shoulder. The angry glare she gave was almost enough to
put Akane to shame. "What do you want, Ran*ma*?" she sneered,
putting emphasis on the name and obviously trying hard not to say
"Ran-chan".
"Hey, it's Ran*ko* right now. Remember?" the red-head reminded
her with a bit of annoyance. At herself as well as Ukyo. She couldn't
believe she was going along with the whole thing, but it wasn't like she
had much of a choice. "As much as I hate to admit it, Ranma's the guy,
my idiot brother who treated you like crap."
Ukyo's glare was quickly replaced by a confused, quizzical look.
"You actually think of him as your brother? Aren't you two the same
person pulled apart? Or something?"
Ranko shrugged with a deep sigh. "Yeah, we are. But to tell ya the
truth, it's actually easier to think of him as my brother than as my 'male
self.' And he kinda is my brother, too, when ya think about it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ukyo sighed back, then scowled again.
"Too bad your brother's such a jerk!" She suddenly flared with anger.
"I can't believe he said those things about me! I'm his friend!"
"And he also thought you were a guy, remember?" Ranko pointed
out. "We didn't know you were a girl until you showed up on your
revenge kick. *After* the curse."
Ukyo's eyes widened with realization, then she slapped her forehead
as she let out a groan of despair. "Aw, jeez! I'm such an idiot! How
could I have been so stupid?!"
"You saw a shot at getting Ranma but forgot one little detail?"
Ranko suggested with a grin.
"You're not helping, you know that?" Ukyo growled. She then
became somewhat depressed. "Man, I really screwed up, didn't I?"
She sniffled back a tear.
Ranko patted Ukyo on the shoulder. "Hey, don't be like that. Just
give him some time to get used to the idea that you're a girl. I know I
needed it. Just don't mention the fiancee part."
Ukyo sniffled again as she smile at the red-head, then grabbed her in
a hug. "Thanks, Ranko."
Ranko stiffened for a moment, then awkwardly returned the hug.
"Hey, no problem. Now c'mon. Let's go see if we can knock some
sense into my idiot brother."
Ukyo nodded with a giggle, and the two began to head back to the
dojo. They didn't get very far when a sudden explosion boomed into
the air, and they saw a flash of light. Like a ki-blast.
And it had come from the Tendo Dojo.
* * *
When the girls got back to the dojo, running in record speed, they
were shocked by the sight of a hole blasted into the wall of the dojo.
Running inside, they found everyone inside gathered around a dazed-
looking Akane. Soun was crying as usual while Nodoka and Kasumi
consoled Akane as Dr. Tofu examined her, with Genma and Nabiki
standing about looking serious. Thankfully, no one else had shown up
to see what had happened.
"What the hell happened?!" Ranko demanded as she ran up to
Akane. Looking around, she noticed that there was someone missing.
"Where's Ranma?!"
"Gone," Nabiki replied in a bitter tone. "Took off after he nearly
took my sister's head off with a ki-blast."
"WHAT?!?!" Ranko's eyes flashed with anger at this bit of news.
"Calm down, Ranko. I don't think it was intentional," Dr. Tofu said
in a rational voice. "From what I can guess, he must become so worked
up and frustrated that his ki built up and he fired."
"So what happened?" Ukyo asked as Ranko did her best to calm
down.
"After you and Ranko left, Ranma and Akane got into another
fight," Kasumi explained, and everyone had a "Figures" look on their
faces. "But was really strange was that Ranma actually fought back
instead of just dodging Akane's attacks."
Genma nodded. "Yes, before Jusenkyo, Ranma didn't have much
problem fighting girls. He just went a little easier on them. Of course,
it was after that and the visit to the Amazon village that he changed his
attitude."
"I suppose that the curse and meeting Shampoo was good for
something," Nodoka sighed. "At least Ranma learned somewhat how
to better behave around women."
Kasumi continued. "Anyway, Akane just kept at it, attacking
Ranma, he snapped and... Well, I think you can guess the rest."
"Whoa. Wait a minute," Ukyo cut in. "Ranma fired off a ki-blast?
How could he if he doesn't remember how to do it?"
"Apparently, though Ranma's mind has forgotten what he's learned
the past year, his body hasn't," Dr. Tofu explained. "The more the fight
went on, the more ki he involuntarily built and when he tried to attack
normally, he let off a blast."
"So where is he, now?" Ranko asked slowly. She hadn't felt this
mad since Mount Phoenix when she thought Akane had died during the
battle with Saffron. When she got her hands on that idiot brother of
hers...
Nabiki shrugged. "Who knows? He took off so fast we couldn't see
which way he went. He could be anywhere by now."
"I think that we had better leave him be," Nodoka suggested as she
and Kasumi began to escort Akane out of the dojo, heading for the
house. "In his state, confronting him might not be such a good idea.
Maybe some cooling off time will do him some good."
Not everyone was happy with the suggestion, but they nodded with
agreement, anyway.
The rest of the day went by, but there was still no sign or word from
Ranma. Night fell and still nothing, and no one was able to stay up to
continue the vigil. When morning finally came, it was Kasumi who
woke everyone up with the announcement of a note she had found in
Ranma's room, along with some of his things missing.
It read, "Gone to do some training to clear my head. Hope to be
back soon. Don't worry. Ranma."
"Stupid ingrate," Genma grumbled as Soun cried about how his
dojo would now collapse. They were all gathered around the table in
the living room, the note laying in the center. "Running away from his
problems rather than facing them like a man. Ranma, you break your
father's heart with--"
*Splash!* Ranko set the glass of water down as the panda let out a
growl of confusion at the loss of its voice. "Shut up, old man. You're
in no place to talk." She ignored the panda's glare as she sat and
scowled.
"Well, I for one am not surprised one bit that he took off," Nabiki
declared, doing her best to hide her anger. She was still quite upset
about what had happened yesterday, and now she was even more so in
that he did the apparent Saotome trait of running in the face of danger.
She stole a glance at her sister out of the corner of her eye to see any
reaction, but Akane just sat staring at a spot on the table with a blank
expression on her face, not saying anything.
Nodoka nodded with Nabiki in agreement. "Nor am I. With what's
happened to Ranma and having so much of his life forced on him in
such little time, I wouldn't blame him for wanting some time alone.
Though I wish he had told us he was going rather than run off in the
middle of the night."
"But... but shouldn't we go look for him?" Soun blubbered. "What
if he doesn't come back? What'll happen to my p-p-poor Akane?"
Nodoka took a deep breath before replying, a stern look on her face
that was directed at everyone. "If we force Ranma to return, we aren't
helping him. For once, I think that we should just let him work things
out on his own rather than force a decision for him. That's probably
what has caused much of his troubles to begin with. When he's ready
to return, he will. Until then, all we can do is sit and wait."
Reluctantly, everyone nodded in agreement. With the family
meeting closed, everyone left the table to go do their different things
before breakfast. Soun and the panda went to play yet another game of
shogi, Nabiki headed upstairs to her room, and Ranko headed for the
dojo to train.
Nodoka and Kasumi headed for the kitchen to begin making
breakfast, but Nodoka stopped when she noticed Akane had not yet left
the table. The youngest Tendo continued to sit with the same blank
expression, not moving an inch. Allowing Kasumi to go on ahead, the
Saotome matriarch returned to the table and knelt down by Akane.
"Akane?" Nodoka placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, startling her
back into reality. As Akane looked up at her in surprise, she asked, "Is
there something wrong?"
Akane shook her head. "N-no, Auntie... I'm alright." A frown, just
a little one, appeared then. "And in case you're asking, no, I'm not
worried about that jerk, Ranma."
Nodoka, however, was not convinced. Looking the youngest Tendo
in the eye, she simply said, "Akane."
She didn't need to say anything further, as Akane began to lose her
control, tears welling up in her eyes and her body trembling slightly
before she finally lost it and threw herself at Nodoka, crying into her
shoulder.
Not all that surprised by such an action, Nodoka simply held Akane
in a tender, motherly way and stroked her hair. Taking notice of Soun
and the panda looking over with interest�and quickly looking away
when they were caught�she brought the girl to her feet and began to
take her upstairs. Once in Akane's bedroom, they sat down on the bed,
Nodoka continuing to comfort Akane.
"Now, then," she began in a soothing voice, "tell Auntie what's
wrong."
Akane sniffled as she continued to bawl slightly, calming down a
little. "Oh, Auntie... It... it's all my fault! I should've been more
patient with him about Ukyo, but instead I get mad again and pick a
fight with him, making him run away!" She began to sob harder again.
"Now he hates me and he's never going to come back!"
Gently but firmly, Nodoka took Akane by the shoulders and brought
them face-to-face with each other. "Akane, that's not true and you
know it. You can't blame yourself for this, no matter what happened.
Maybe you didn't give Ranma much of a chance when you should
have, considering his memory loss. But then remember that he didn't
exactly handle things any better, either."
Akane sniffled as she stared at Nodoka with surprise and
amazement. "R-really?"
Nodoka nodded. "He could have tried to calm you down to talk
things out, but instead he fought back and nearly hurt you. That's what
made him leave, Akane, not anything that you did. If anything, I would
have to say that this has taught my son that he needs to gain some
control of himself as well as his skills. Maybe some time away from
here, especially his father's influence, will help him. Don't you think
so?"
Feeling a little relieved, Akane gave a small smile and nodded. It
amazed her how Nodoka could bring a silver lining to a bad situation
and make everyone feel better about themselves. Hard to believe that
she was Ranma's mother.
Smiling back in satisfaction, Nodoka gave the girl a hug before
getting up to leave. "You look tired, dear. Why don't you get some
rest and I'll call you when breakfast is ready?" At Akane's nod, she
then left the room, closing the door behind her.
Akane lay down on her bed on her side, cuddled up against her
pillow. She began to think about what Nodoka had said. While she
had been right about Ranma, Akane knew that she was no better and
that part of what happened was still her fault. After all, how many
times had she jumped to conclusions and let her anger cloud her
judgement? She seemed to add to the wedge that would drive her and
Ranma apart on many an occasion. She was just as bad as his other
suitors. And how many times had they used her anger and jealousy to
their own advantage to get Ranma for themselves? Too many to count.
She sat up in her bed, a determined look on her face. "That settles
it, then," she said to the empty room, thinking aloud. "I have to learn to
control my temper, how to listen and think before I act. And I have to
learn to be the proper fiancee and wife for Ranma when he comes back.
I'll show everyone! Ranma loves me, even if he doesn't remember,
and he *will* be mine!"
Her new determination giving her an energy boost, Akane got up
and dashed over to her closet, getting out her gi to begin the first step of
her training.
End of Part Two...
Okay, some of you might think that Akane caves in to Nodoka a
little too easily (as quoted by one of my pre-readers). However, let me
point out to you the first half of the "Like Water for Ranma" OAV,
more precisely the end after the dinner is ruined and Nodoka consoles
an upset Akane. I think I proved my point. Besides, given the
situation, Akane might just react that way and make such a decision.
As Owen Hart might say, enough is enough, and it's time for a change.
Besides, it was the best I could come up with.
This is getting out a little later than I had planned, but response from
my pre-readers was a bit slow. I only got word back from two of them,
and since school's going to be closing for the semester and I won't
have access to the labs, I couldn't wait and had to go with what I got.
To James Lee and Lord Archive, sorry guys. Maybe next time. To
Darren Demaine and Andy Wennersten, thanks for the help, guys!
In revising this one, I had to practically redo the whole thing from
scratch. The original version was totally screwed up in my mind and
needed more help than the first part. Some of you may think I was a
little harsh on Ukyo in this chapter, but before anyone flames me,
gimme a chance to explain myself. I like Ukyo, too, and she's a good
second in my choice for Ranma's bride-to-be. However, she strikes me
as the type who might just try to get her own elbow in concerning
Ranma's memory loss, and Ranma's reactions, I think, are rather
justified and in-character for him. Luckily, I managed to bring a happy
ending for Ukyo in her new friendship with Ranko. And no, nothing
hentai is going to happen with them, so don't bother asking. As for
how Ranma and Nodoka act around Akane and Ukyo, respectively, in
the obvious situations, I think that they're about right considering the
circumstances.
See you next chapter, in which Ranma returns, and there's a lot of
changes going around. I'll work on it during the break and get it out
when school gets back in. I promise this won't be like last time and not
put everyone in suspense for two years. Until then, see ya!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: "Jeremy Mullin" <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Ranma][Fanfic] Double or Nothing Part 3 (revised)
Here's a revised version of part 3 that I'm posting to the RAAC, since
they seem to have lost the original cut. Explanations as to why I did so
will be given at the end. In the meantime, enjoy the new version.
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
Part 3: Welcome Home! (I Think...)
"Awright, twerp, you know the drill! Hand over all yer money or
we pound ya!"
Hikaru Gosunkugi figured that he had to be cursed by the gods.
Otherwise he wouldn't be in such an all-too-familiar situation again:
backed into an alley by a bunch of thugs who wanted his money. And
it was his 'favorite' bunch, too, the ones in the animal masks. And he
without his voodoo hammer and nail, since that was the only way he
could be allowed back into the library.
"C'mon, Ghost-boy!" the apparent leader in the cat mask sneered.
"Fork it over, or else!"
"Or else what?" a new voice replied from the opening at the alley.
Gosunkugi and his assailants all turned to see someone standing there,
leaning against the wall in a rather relaxed pose. He was mostly hidden
by the shadows, almost totally obscuring his features, but they could
tell that he was fairly lean and muscular.
Maybe it was the guy's voice, but for some reason, Gosunkugi
thought he seemed... familiar.
"I don't mean to butt in," the guy continued, "but five jerks in masks
picking on one little guy? That just doesn't seem fair, you know?"
"Hey, pal!" the leader in the dog mask yelled in annoyance. "This
here's a private matter! So take a hike!"
The newcomer seemed amused. He was probably even smirking.
"And if I say no?"
"Then we'll make ya sorry!" the horse-masked one replied. "We're
the toughest gang around in this neighborhood! Nobody messes with
us!"
"A bunch of idiots wearing stupid masks and picking on skinny little
guys who have little-to-no chance of defending themselves..." The
newcomer shook his head and snickered. "Oh, yeah. You guys are real
tough."
"That's it!" the leader snarled. Fed up, he turned to his dog-faced
companion. "Get rid of this guy, will ya? He's gettin' on my nerves!"
"You got it!" the other replied, and went charging to the entrance of
the alley, his arm pulled back to throw a punch...
Only to be sent flying back to his friends by a well-placed kick. He
crashed into a bunch of garbage cans and stopped moving. The rest of
the gang was shocked by what happened, turning their gazes back and
forth between their fallen comrade and the guy who took him down.
"Did you see that?!"
"He can't do that to us!"
"This guy's askin' for it!"
"C'mon, let's get 'im!"
Gosunkugi watched as the remaining punks went charging to the
head of the alley. Fifteen seconds later, they all laid strewn about the
alley, groaning in various states of pain. Their would-be 'victim' was
dusting himself off, not even having broken a sweat. Martial artists
were usually like that.
"Seesh, that was pointless," he snorted. He then turned to
Gosunkugi, stepping forward out of the shadows. "Hey, buddy, you
okay?"
The zombie-palored boy shook out of his surprised state to nod in
reply. "Y-yeah, I'm alri--" His eyes suddenly widened with shock as
he finally saw his rescuer. "YOU?!"
The other young man was startled by the outburst. "Me? Do I know
you?" Before Gosunkugi could reply, his rescuer just shook his head
and waved his hand. "Ah, never mind. I gotta get going. There's some
place I gotta be. See you around, okay?"
With that, he dashed out of the alley, not even stopping as he
grabbed the bag he had left lying at the entrance. He then turned a
corner and vanished from sight.
Gosunkugi continued to stand where he was in shock, not even
hearing the moans from his would-be attackers. He couldn't believe it.
It couldn't, no, it *shouldn't* have been him. It was impossible. He
was gone, run off without a word, finally driven out of Nerima, never
to return. Yet, a face, a voice like that was never easily forgotten.
Different kind of clothes, hair worn differently, yet the *person* was
still the same.
There was no denying it. After three months, *he* was back.
And that meant one thing...
"I have to warn Akane!" Gosunkugi cried, and ran out of the alley to
go find a phone.
* * *
"*Ah... a*choo!*" The sudden sneeze brought Akane to a halt as
she was beginning to perform an offensive combo.
"Hey, Akane, you all right?" Ranko asked with some concern. The
two girls were in the backyard sparring, Akane in her usual yellow gi
and Ranko in her new usual outfit, one of her old Chinese-style shirts
tied at the waist with a white sash (the closest she'd ever get to wearing
an actual dress(1)), worn with black leggings, leg warmers the same
blue as her shirt, and her old black arm bracers. "Cause if you're
catching a cold, I don't want it," she added with a grin, backing away a
little.
Akane turned to glare at the red-haired girl. "I'm fine, Ranko!" she
snapped. "I just sneezed, okay?! We *are* outside, you know?!"
"Okay! Okay!" Ranko grinned as she held up her hands in a gesture
of peace. "Chill out, Akane, I was just messing with you! Sheesh!"
Akane just snorted in response, adjusting her gi top. In truth, she
didn't know why she had sneezed, as it wasn't that windy outside to
pick up dust or flower pollen. She wondered if someone had been
thinking about her. There was definitely a long list of suspects for that
position, though one face in particular come to mind...
And he looked a lot like the girl who nearly took her head off with a
sudden roundhouse kick that Akane just barely ducked in time.
"Hey! I wasn't ready!" she cried out in protest, glaring at her
partner.
Ranko just shrugged, brushing the waist-length braid that she had
grown her pig-tail into back over her shoulder. Inside the house, the
phone had begun to ring. "Well, you should know by now that an
enemy like Shampoo or Kodachi isn't going to wait for you to be ready.
Being distracted like that'll cost you. Big time."
Akane just fumed as she glared at the red-head. What made
Ranko's point worse was that she was right. Before she could reply or
make an attempt for some kind of payback, Kasumi appeared on the
verandah. "Akane! You have a phone call!"
"Take a message! I'm busy!" the younger Tendo called back as she
and Ranko got ready to resume sparring.
Kasumi, however, replied, "It's that Gosunkugi boy, Akane. He said
he has to talk to you right away. He sounds very worried, Akane."
There was a slight hint in the older girl's voice that said that Akane
would take the call, no argument.
Akane let out a sigh of despair at the news, obviously not very
happy. "I'll be right back," she said to Ranko, then turned and walked
into the house. A moment later, she could be heard yelling out,
"*QUIT CALLING ME, YOU LITTLE CREEP!!!*" The sound of the
phone being slammed back down on its cradle followed, causing Ranko
to smirk and wince.
"Akane! That wasn't very nice!" Kasumi cried scoldingly as she
followed her little sister back into the house. Inside, they began to have
a little 'discussion' about Akane's phone etiquette.
Ranko chuckled as she stood in the yard, beginning a kata while
waiting for Akane to return so they could continue their sparring
session, the latest of many that they had had over the summer. After
Ranma had left, Akane began training harder to try and learn some self-
control, and wound up becoming Ranko's regular sparring partner, and
was able to improve her own abilities while helping Ranko regain her's.
It took awhile for Ranko to actually spar with Akane, as she had still
been in her old attitude about not fighting with girls, but time and a few
smacks on the head caused the red-head to change her attitude.
Surprisingly, it didn't really take long for Ranko to relearn the
basics, since they were kind of still there but with only a year's worth of
experience behind them. Plus, Ranko was a fast learner, when it came
to martial arts, anyway. The only real problem they'd had, aside from
Kuno bothering them constantly, was Nodoka. She had been totally
against the idea of her daughter having any martial arts ability and
interfered whenever she could. She wanted Ranko to act like the
daughter that she had always envisioned, a demure and polite young
lady who didn't have her father's influence to "corrupt her" and no
martial arts training at all. This led to several heated discussions
between Nodoka and Ranko, who wanted to live her own life and not
forget who she was in case she managed to regain her manhood.
Eventually, Nodoka relented, convinced that it was Ranko's life and
not even she could raise a daughter to be a perfect lady, especially not
one named Ranko(2), and had to settle with having a daughter who was
something of a tomboy. She allowed Ranko to continue training, but
only if she'd be allowed to give some training of her own to teach her
daughter how to at least act *somewhat* feminine so that it would look
like she was raised by her mother. They even went as far as to go back
to the Saotomes' old neighborhood, where they stayed with a friend of
Nodoka's who happened to be a martial artist and helped train Ranko in
regaining her fighting abilities, which made sense since she would have
learned a different style. The only real difference was that the training
was rather light compared to what she used to do, as Ranko probably
wouldn't have trained as hard as Ranma had due to Nodoka's influence.
Still, she was able to do enough so that she was on equal footing with
some of the others. They came back after about about a month when
Ranko was able to act and look feminine enough for Nodoka's
satisfaction. She was basically almost the same, but was now a girl
who fit the story that they had come up with.
All that was left to do now was to successfully pull the whole thing
off and fool certain parties. Easier said than done, as far as Ranko was
concerned.
Ranko continued to go through her kata while Akane was still
'talking' with Kasumi inside when her danger sense suddenly flared up.
Someone was sneaking around the dojo, a strong someone with a
strong aura and possibly some not-so-good intentions, as well. As she
fell into a battle-ready stance, she tried to figure out who it could be. It
couldn't be Cologne; she had gone with Shampoo when the Amazon
left to go look for Ranma, and Mousse, naturally, tagged along with
them. Ryoga was probably lost, as usual, though she'd heard he had
come by the dojo looking for Ranma while she was gone and then took
off in a hurry without even bothering to see Akane when he learned his
rival wasn't around. And Happosai was supposed to be following some
foreign singing group around on their tour through Japan(3). While it
wasn't impossible that they had suddenly come back, Ranko doubted it
was any of them, but still couldn't figure out who it might be.
She didn't get much chance to think on it further as she had to
suddenly back away from a rapid-moving figure coming down at her
from out of nowhere in a dive kick. He impacted with the ground, and
then immediately continued into his attack, furiously throwing out a
barrage of punches and kicks that Ranko had trouble defending against.
While her skills were pretty good after only a few months training, and
she was pretty much on-level with Ukyo and Shampoo, her opponent
was better. He just kept moving so fast that she had trouble keeping
up. Plus, she had trouble getting a good look at him due to the
continuous attacks and movements.
*So he likes speed, huh? Well... let's see him try this...* she
thought, and completed that thought with the aloud cry of "*KACHU
TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!*" With the cry, she began throwing out
the rapid-fast punches, several dozen a second, out at her attacker. The
technique, one of her more simpler ones, had been easy to regain, as it
was mainly a physical attack, as opposed to her ki-based attacks which
she was still having trouble with. Still, she had managed to get by with
just it alone when she first learned it, and she could do so again.
Besides, it alone was usually enough to take out an opponent if she
managed to get them by surprise.
But not this fellow, who managed to block the attack with what
appeared to be the same one. It wasn't as fast as Ranko's, but still fast
enough to keep her punches from connecting with him. This both
surprised and annoyed Ranko, who barely managed to regain her
senses as the fight continued, both combatants trading blows with
seemingly no end in sight.
Finally, she got a break by feigning a jump to the air, and when her
attacker shifted to continue his assault, she ducked down and shot a
kick to his mid-section. When he doubled over from literally having
the wind kicked out of him, she grabbed him by the head and threw him
over her shoulder in a grappling-style suplex. He didn't stay down for
long, though, and after a brief moment's hesitation on Ranko's part, he
managed to roll away from her as she tried to bring her foot down on
him in a vicious stomp. She began to stalk her way over to him as he
was trying to get himself back on his feet, but stopped when she saw
that he was shaking slightly and... laughing?
"Not bad, sis," he gasped between both his laughter and the catching
of his breath. "Nice to see you've been training while I've been gone,
but your reaction time could use some work."
Normally, Ranko would have taken serious offense to such a
remark, but she had been thrown off by the laughter and being called
"sis." Only one person might call her that, but he wasn't... She found
her thoughts cut off as her attacker turned around and stood up, and she
and the other members of the house, who had gathered on the verandah
by the sounds of combat, gasped when they saw who it was. "You!"
"Boy, I seem to be getting that reaction a lot, lately," the young man
before her said with a smirk. He was Ranko's age, and was an almost-
exact mirror image of her save for his gender and his black hair that
was tied back into a ponytail. His clothing were more of a Japanese
style, a red vest-like gi-top worn over a white muscle T-shirt and a pair
of dark blue pants that were tied off at the lower shins with black
wrappings. A black sash was tied around his waist, and he wore ninja-
style gloves and split-toe shoes. Despite the new look, however, he
was still easily recognizable.
"Ranma!?!" was the collective cry, both surprised and joyous.
"Hey, guys," he said with a grin. "Miss me?" He didn't get a chance
to say much else as he was suddenly mobbed over the two families.
* * *
"Aw, c'mon, Pop," Ranma said with a smirk as he watched Genma
try to pick himself up off the floor. "You can do better than that, can't
you? I thought that you wanted to see if I'd been slacking off instead of
training?"
The two stood in the dojo, where Genma had practically dragged his
son into almost immediately following Ranma's sudden return,
interrupting the happy reunion. He hadn't been so sure that Ranma had
stuck to his training while he was away, and wanted to see if that was
the case. So far, he was being proven wrong and then some.
Sitting over along one side of the dojo were Soun, Nabiki, and
Ranko, who decided to tag along and watch, not really having anything
else better to do. Kasumi and Nodoka had shooed them out, and were
busy in the house preparing a 'Welcome Home' dinner for Ranma. A
big one, apparently, from the sounds that could be heard coming from
the kitchen. Surprisingly, Akane wasn't among the group of spectators,
and no one knew where she was. As long as they figured she wasn't in
the kitchen, they didn't worry too much.
The three observers watched as Genma finally got back up to his
feet, a growl escaping his lips as he growled at Ranma. "I'm not done,
yet, boy," he replied back. "I've haven't spent the last few months just
sitting around doing nothing, you know."
"He's right," Ranko quipped. "He's been sitting around playing
shogi, watching TV, and stuffing his face when Mom wasn't looking."
"Sounds just like Pop," Ranma chuckled while Nabiki and Soun
giggled and snickered, respectively, next to a grinning Ranko.
"Why you little ingrate!" Genma roared as he finally got to his feet.
"I'll teach you to show some respect to your father!" He positioned
himself in an attack-stance, getting ready to charge at his son.
Ranma fell into his own stance, smirking as he did so. "Any time
you're ready, Pop."
Genma waited a short moment, then charged at Ranma with a flurry
of punches and kicks. Ranma, however, easily dodged or blocked them
all with little effort, occasionally throwing an attack of his own that
sent his father to floor. This cycle went on repeatedly for several
minutes, with Genma becoming more and more frustrated while Ranma
was able to keep his cool.
Ranko, Soun, and Nabiki watched on in fascination, impressed by
Ranma's skill. They couldn't help but notice, though, that there seemed
to be something different about him. He still seemed to have the same
cocky attitude everyone was familiar with, but it appeared toned down
a bit, even for a pre-Jusenkyo Ranma. He seemed somewhat more
level-headed, focusing more on the match and less on any need to show
off.
In any case, though, it was obvious that Ranma had kept up on his
training while he had been away, and was probably almost back up to
speed before his memory loss. Maybe even better...
"Had enough, yet, Pop?" Ranma asked after a bit, smirking again as
he watched Genma try to pick himself off the floor again after being
sent there via a judo toss over his son's shoulder while trying to punch
him.
Genma's only response was to growl as he got ready to attack again,
but was stopped by Soun's hand on his shoulder. "All right, Saotome,"
he said almost humorously. "I think that Ranma's proven that he's been
busy and keeping up with his training."
"Unlike some people," Ranko snickered, Nabiki giggling beside her
again.
Genma let out a deep sigh crossed with a growl of frustration. "Oh,
why am I cursed with such ungrateful children?!" he cried, mainly to
himself it seemed.
"I'm sure they often ask that about you," Nabiki answered with a
grin.
"Nabiki..." her father said in a warning, stern tone as Genma turned
to glare at her. Nabiki just grinned back in that unconcerned way of
hers. Turning back to his friend as he heard Kasumi call from the
house, he continued, "Besides, it's time for dinner, anyway. Time to
clean up, eh?" He gave Genma a towel to wipe himself off, and after
Ranma finished doing the same, the group walked back to the house.
The sight that greeted them when they entered into the family room
totally surprised them. The entire place was totally decorated for a
party. Balloons and streamers of various bright colors hung on the
walls and from the ceiling, as well as along the huge banner posted
across the doorframe that said in large, brightly-colored kanji,
"WELCOME HOME, RANMA!" Kasumi and Nodoka stood about the
table, big smiles across their faces and dressed in decorative kimonos.
On the table itself lay a feast with a huge variety of foods.
"Whoa! You guys went all out!" Ranko said in astonishment. She
then took a moment to look around the room, wondering where Akane
was. The youngest Tendo was, for some reason, still absent.
"You guys knew about this?" Ranma asked with a chuckle.
"Why do you think your father was so anxious to drag you away to
the dojo?" Nodoka replied. "We needed some way to get ready and
still somewhat surprise you. Though I'm sure he had his own
reasons..." A sly grin spread across her face as she looked at her
sheepish-looking husband.
"We even managed to convince Kasumi to not invite all of Nerima
here like she always does for these things," Nabiki added with her own
smirk directed towards her sister, who blushed slightly.
"At least we managed to get invited," Dr. Tofu said as he entered the
room, his usual friendly grin on his face.
"Hiya, Doc," Ranma said with a wave of his hand. "Nice to see you
again."
"Likewise, Ranma," the doctor replied back absently as he bowed in
greeting, mainly to Kasumi, who blushed slightly as she did so. And
even though she tried to hide it, everyone managed to catch her taking
hold of Tofu's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"The doc finally asked Kasumi out awhile back," Ranko whispered
to Ranma, answering the obvious question. "They've become quite a
popular item over the last few weeks." Ranma simply nodded in
response, grinning at the pair at the other side of the room.
"So, Doctor... Planning on proposing to my daughter any time
soon?" Soun suddenly asked in that non-calant way of his.
"Father! We've only gone out a few times!" Kasumi protested in
embarrassment, while Dr. Tofu began to laugh nervously. Everyone
else had a good laugh at their expense.
"Well, it's still nice to see you again, Doc," Ranma said again as the
laughter died down. Dr. Tofu simply smiled and nodded in response.
"Does that go for me, too?" a new voice asked, and everyone looked
to see Ukyo enter the room, carrying, of course, a box of okonomiyaki.
Naturally, Ranma began to panic slightly. He hadn't forgotten the
last time they had met, and was sure Ukyo hadn't, either. "Uh, Ukyo...
It's, uh... I mean, what're--"
"I invited her," Ranko said bitterly, interrupting her brother's
stammering. "I figured it'd be a good idea for you two to try and patch
things up. Especially since she's my boss."
Ranma looked at Ranko in surprise as his mother answered, "It was
my idea. I figured that since Mr. Tendo was kind enough to let us stay
here, it would be best if we did something to contribute. I even got
your father back his old job with Dr. Tofu, and your sister works part-
time with Ukyo at her restaurant." With a slight frown, she added,
"Though I'm not too fond about her choice of employment, I suppose it
is better than working with that Shampoo girl."
"Um, thanks, Mrs. Saotome. I think..." Ukyo said a bit uneasily.
"Guess that means I'll have to get a job, too," Ranma muttered.
Turning back to Ukyo, he continued, "Uh, listen, Ukyo... About what
happened--"
However, the okonomiyaki chef held up a hand to interrupt him.
"Hang on, Ranma. What happened was mostly my fault. I acted like
Shampoo and tried to take advantage of a situation without realizing all
the facts. So I can't really blame you for reacting like you did. Maybe
we can't be the same friends we used to be, but we can at least try and
start over. What do you say?"
For the first time since three months ago, Ranma began to relax
around Ukyo. With a nod, he replied, "Sure. No problem... Ucchan."
Ukyo shook her head. "Just Ukyo, okay, Ranma? We're starting
over, remember?" She smiled as Ranma nodded again in response.
"Oh, how wonderful. You're all friends again," Kasumi said
cheerfully as she gave a small clap with her hands. Everyone sweat-
dropped as they stared at her.
"Man, is she always like that?" Ranma muttered his sister as they
began to sit down.
Ranko shook her head. "Nah. Usually, she's a bit more perky." She
then turned her attention to the table, or rather, the food on it. "Now
let's eat!"
"Spoken like a true Saotome!" Genma agreed heartily, and he and
Ranko immediately began to make for the food, ready to begin the
ritual fight for it. Two quick slaps to their hands, however, just as
immediately halted them.
"Now, now," Nodoka said sternly. "Mind your manners, you two.
This is Ranma's party. He gets to begin the meal. And besides, we
still have to wait for Akane."
"Right here, Auntie! I just finished freshening up!" Akane's voice
came from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Akane enter the room,
dressed in a kimono just like Nodoka and Kasumi, as well as flowers in
her hair. She even wore a little make-up, enhancing her already pretty
features. A few pairs of eyes widened as they saw the covered dish that
she carried with her in her hands as she walked over and sat down in
between Ranma and Ranko. She gave a beaming smile to Ranma,
which made him rather uneasy and caused Ranko to frown.
"Um, hi... Akane..." Ranma began stammering again. This time,
however, he seemed really worried. And for good reason, as everyone
remembered. "Um, how are you--?"
Akane just continued to smile at him. "I'm doing great, Ranma.
And... I'm happy that you're home."
*She IS?!* Ranko thought bitterly. She couldn't help but wonder
just why Akane was being so nice to Ranma all of a sudden, getting all
dressed up and such for him when she never used to do so before. An
old, familiar feeling was running through her, one that usually reared its
ugly head at times like this.
"Here, Ranma," Akane continued as she placed the dish she had
brought in with her before Ranma. "I made a little something for you
to welcome you home."
Those words immediately caused Ranko, Genma, Soun, and Ukyo
to panic, knowing full-well what that usually meant. Kasumi and
Nodoka just smiled at each other knowingly, while Dr. Tofu raised a
curious eyebrow and Nabiki just looked on with an interested smile on
her face. "Are you nuts?!" Ranko shouted. "My brother just got home
for crying out loud! He doesn't need to be sick in bed before he has a
chance to relax!" She tried to make a grab for the dish, but was stopped
by a wooden spoon banging her on the head.
"Hey! I have been practicing, you know!" Akane retorted angrily,
returning the spoon to the table as the red-head rubbed her sore noggin.
"So you claim," Genma said while Soun cried about his daughter
"poisoning her fiancee, again." "But I won't have you feeding this stuff
to my son! As his father, it's my duty to--"
"Genma..." Nodoka said in 'the Tone'(4). It was all that was needed
to make him immediately become silent.
Ranma, meanwhile, looked at all of them with a bit of skepticism.
"What's with you guys? You're all acting like she's gonna poison me or
something." He then took a moment to remove the cover from the
dish, revealing a steaming helping of what appeared to be some kind of
stir-fry. He shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Doesn't look so bad to me."
"Looks can be deceiving, bro," Ranko said as if in warning. Which
she was. "Trust me, you've never had her cooking. Or, at least you
don't remember having it. In either case, though, you're still better off
not taking any chances with your health." She failed to notice the
others save Ranma slowly inch away from the table as Akane glared at
her.
Ranma, however, refused to be convinced. "Oh, come on. It can't
be that bad." With that, he grabbed his chopsticks and took a decent
helping that he placed in his mouth before anyone could stop him.
For a long while, there was silence as everyone looked on as Ranma
slowly chewed the food. No one was sure if he was pacing himself, or
if he was savoring it as it had obviously been awhile since he'd had
home cooking. For her part, Akane stared at him with concern and
worry, praying that she had done right with the meal. She had worked
hard to make something for Ranma. If she screwed up now...
Finally, Ranma stopped chewing and swallowed with a rather
audible gulp. Which immediately followed with him quickly grabbing
his water and taking a long sip.
"I knew it!" Ranko cried as Akane looked dejected. "I told you you
shouldn't've eaten that, Ranma! I told you that Akane couldn't cook
worth a damn!"
"Ranko, you're not helping," Nodoka said, noticing that Akane was
about to cry. "And watch your language."
"Hey, I'm fine!" Ranma gasped as he finished his drink and set the
now-nearly-empty glass back down. "It's just a little spicy, that's all!
Other than that, though, it's pretty good."
Everyone save for Nodoka, Kasumi, Dr. Tofu, and Akane all face-
faulted in shock. The two women smiled at each other knowingly, as if
giving silent congratulations to each other, and Dr. Tofu grinned with
surprise while Akane beamed with joy. "You... you mean it?! You
really like it?!" she gasped.
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. It's really very good. Thanks, Akane," he
replied as he took another bite. He gave a satisfied smile to Akane,
who continued to smile back at him with tears of joy welling up at her
eyes.
"No way! It can't be!" Ranko cried in shock as she picked herself
up. "Akane actually made something good besides curry?!" With her
own chopsticks, she took a helping of her own from the plate and ate it,
much to the protest of Akane. After a moment, she opened her eyes in
surprise.
"Hey. It is good," she said in astonishment. "And you're right. It is
a little spicy..."
"Let me try..." Genma offered, greedily eyeing his son's food as he
reached for it with his chopsticks, his body slightly tense as if preparing
for combat. What stopped him, though, was his wife slapping his hand
again and setting a rather good-sized salad before him.
"I thought we had gotten you out of that nasty habit of stealing your
children's food, Genma Saotome," Nodoka said in 'the Tone'. "And
don't even think you can use this party as an excuse to cheat on your
diet."
"Aw, but Nodoka..." Genma whined, staring at what his dinner was,
the same as it had been for the last several weeks.
"Mom got the old man on a diet," Ranko whispered to a confused
Ranma. "Said something about how a martial artist should be in better
shape. About time, if you ask me."
Ranma nodded in quick agreement as he watched his mother relent
and let Genma have a little treat with his dinner, since it was a special
occasion. "Just this once..." she said as she dished up a small plate of
curried beef.
"I still can't believe it," Nabiki said in astonishment. "My little
sister actually managed to cook a decent meal?"
Kasumi nodded in agreement as she passed a dish of food to Dr.
Tofu. "She came to me and Auntie for help, saying that she would
really pay attention this time. We decided to keep it secret so there
wouldn't be any interruptions or distractions for her."
"And it seemed to have worked," Nodoka added. "Akane can now
fix a few decent dishes that are quite satisfactory. She's still having a
little bit of trouble putting in too much of something or add-libbing to a
meal, but we're working on it."
"Way to go, Akane," Ukyo congratulated with a grin that made the
other girl blush slightly.
"Yeah. Good job," Ranko added in a rather sub-dued tone. She
kept wondering why Akane chose *now* to seriously try and improve
her cooking skills when she had so many opportunities to do so before.
She looked over at Akane and Ranma, sitting together closely but not
really saying anything. Ranma still seemed rather uncomfortable and a
bit nervous around Akane, while she seem actually glad to be around
him and kept trying to make him feel welcome.
Ranko's eyes narrowed in further suspicion. It couldn't be... Could
it?
For awhile, dinner continued, everyone just chatting idly with each
other and getting reacquainted with Ranma as they ate. Eventually, it
was Nabiki who broke the ice with the question that was just waiting to
be asked.
"So, Ranma. Where have you been and what have you been doing
over the summer after you ran off?" She put a bit of emphasis on the
last few words, sounding a little bitter as she did so.
No one really noticed, though, as yet another long moment of
silence fell across the room after the words left Nabiki's mouth. Ranma
seemed to have forgotten how to speak as he considered how to
answer.
"Well?" Akane prompted in her old annoyed tone.
That startled Ranma back into reality. "Huh? Oh. Sorry." He
coughed a bit to clear his throat before beginning.
"Well, you all know what... happened before I left, right?" After
everyone nodded, he continued with a sigh, "Well, you can probably
guess how I was feeling at the time. I didn't know what had happened
to me or what was happening in general. All I knew was that I nearly
took someone's head off, and that someone was my fiancee!"
The guilt and anger he felt towards himself was thick enough to
require a diamond-edged blade to cut it. It was all the others could do
to keep from edging themselves away from him in fear.
After taking a moment to take a deep breath and collect himself,
Ranma went on. "Anyway, I obviously had to get control of myself
before someone did get hurt, so I left to go train on my own. No way
was I gonna stick around here, not with everything going on like it was
and I wasn't going to wait for any other surprises to drop in on me.
And I had to go about it alone, 'cause I didn't want to go through Pop's
crazy training ideas."
"Good idea. Half the time that's usually what got us in trouble in the
first place," Ranko said in agreement. The twins ignored the glare that
Genma gave them.
"So you just went and trained on your own, Ranma?" Kasumi
asked.
Ranma nodded in response. "At first, yeah. But it was mostly
physical stuff, since I was stronger and faster than I last remembered.
It was my ki that was my main problem, since I didn't know how to
control it and every time I tried to learn on my own, I just kept blowing
up more stuff. Luckily for me, this guy I ran into told me about this
monk who seemed to specialize in this sort of thing..."
* * *
"So... you wish to train with me, eh?" The monk sat and stared at
the dirty and ragged-looking Ranma with a bit of amused interest. He
looked like an average, run-of-the-mill Zen monk, right down to the
bald head with mustache and pointy beard to go with his blue and white
robes. He also probably knew more ways to kick the younger boy's
butt with little effort.
Ranma nodded before replying, "Um, yeah. I heard you were an
expert in controlling ki, and I've been having trouble controlling mine
since I lost my memory." He had told the monk an edited version of
what had happened to him, leaving out the part about Jusenkyo and the
split. He did include his out-of-control ki-generating skills, and how
he'd almost hurt Akane.
The monk stared at Ranma, seeming to study him for a moment
before nodding once. "Yes, I can sense that your ki is very powerful,
indeed. And for one so young, too. And despite your ego--which we'll
also take care of--I can also sense that you have a good heart. I shall
indeed train you."
Ranma was ecstatic. "Awright! Thanks!"
"However," the monk continued, a sly grin spreading across his
face, "I'll only be handling the spiritual part of your training. There
will also be some physical work involved. That will be handled by my
assistant and groundskeeper."
"Groundskeeper...?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow. He didn't
show it, but he was starting to get worried.
The still-grinning monk nodded. "That's right. Meet Kuma." He
gestured behind Ranma, who turned and looked up... And up, to see a
huge bear of a man, heavily muscled and staring down at Ranma with a
wicked-looking smirk on his face and his massive arms folded across
his chest.
Ranma gulped. *Now* he was worried.
* * *
"Ouch. Sounds like it got kinda rough sometimes, huh bro?" Ranko
smirked as Ranma took a break in his story to eat some more of his
dinner.
"You're not kidding," he replied. "Those two ran me ragged. When
I wasn't eating or sleeping, I was either training with Kuma or doing all
sorts of meditation stuff with the monk, learning to get my ki under
control. Or I was doing chores around the temple. That was to help me
learn humility, they said."
"It seems to have worked. You seem less arrogant and prideful than
you used to be, and more mature," Nodoka said with observance. She
then got a thoughtful look and added, "I wonder if that would work
with your father...?"
"Feh. Doubt it," Ranma smirked, and everybody snickered at a
scowling Genma's expense. "Anyway, all that training paid off. I got
all my skills under control, and the monk taught me how to control and
focus my ki. Mostly, though, I was just training myself or learning
about what I'd been doing for the last year."
"How were you able to do that if you weren't here?" Akane asked.
In response, Ranma reached into his gi-top, pulling out and holding
up what appeared to be a small notebook, slightly worn and ragged
around the edges.
"Hey! That's my journal!" Ranko cried out with wide eyes. She
glared at her brother. "You jerk! You stole it!"
"You keep a diary?" Nabiki asked curiously. There was a smirk on
her face as she tried not to laugh.
"Journal. Girls keep diaries, guys keep journals," Ranko corrected,
still glaring at her brother. Before anyone could point out that she
*was* a girl, she continued, "And yeah, I kept one. I like to write
down what I do and what I learn in terms of my martial arts."
Soun nodded with satisfaction and admiration. "Good idea. And a
rather interesting way of putting together an instruction scroll for future
generations of martial artists, I might add."
Ranko took a moment to grin with pride. "Hey, thanks, Mr. Tendo."
She then turned back to Ranma to glare at him again. "Or at least I did
before someone went and stole my journal!"
"Hope you wrote down nice things about me, Ran-chan," Ukyo said
with a grin. Ranko just looked away sheepishly, trying to figure out
how to reply.
"Well, anyway, technically, this is *my* journal, so I didn't steal it,"
Ranma retorted. "Besides, I needed something to tell me about my life
for the past year, and who better to tell me than... well, me?"
"Good idea, especially considering who we know and how *they*
would tell that story," Akane said with a nod. She threw a knowing
grin at Ukyo, who sheepishly smiled back. Everyone else nodded in
agreement.
"So you pretty much know about everything and everyone,
Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked.
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, it's all pretty much down here in my
journal. Events, people, fighting techniques, the works. And the way
the monk had me training, I was able to learn pretty much all my old
moves pretty quickly. As well as learn about what to expect from
certain people I'll wind up meeting."
"But all you know is what you wrote, right? Not because of any
real, on-hand experience?" Nabiki asked curiously.
Ranma looked at her with a confused frown on his face. "Yeah...
Why?"
Nabiki shrugged and returned to eating. "No reason. Just asking."
With that, she let the discussion drop, but not without receiving a few
suspicious looks from the rest of the group.
"Uh, exactly how much did you learn from my-- I mean, *your*
journal?" Ranko suddenly asked to change the subject, correcting
herself at a look from her mother. There seemed to be a nervous hint in
her voice.
"Enough to get by. Especially with the people," Ranma answered,
giving his sister a look. There seemed to be a hint of tension between
the two, though no one could figure out about what.
It was Soun who broke the moment of heavy silence with, "Well,
now that Ranma's back, we can concentrate on more important things.
Like Ranma and Akane's marriage and the joining of our schools!"
"That's right, Tendo! And the sooner, the better!" Genma agreed
boastfully.
"Dad! Cut it out!" Akane griped, mostly out of habit. She quickly
got herself out of control, looking at Ranma with worry out of the
corner of her eye.
"Yeah, gimme a break! I just got back!" he added. "I mean, I'm all
for it, whether I have to or not, but can't we worry about it some other
time?!"
Everyone looked at him like he had grown an extra head at his
declaration. Especially Akane, who looked at him with surprise and a
bit of adoration. "Ranma..."
"Excuse me, but wasn't the plan to first take care of certain problems
before we worry about weddings?" Nodoka asked, deciding to step in
before things got worse like usual. "Let's worry about them and certain
other things like school first, shall we?"
Reluctantly, Soun and Genma nodded. The celebration then
continued, with normal conversation going on and just generally
welcoming Ranma back home.
* * *
Akane laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and unable to sleep. She
kept thinking about what had happened earlier that evening, Ranma's
coming home and the party. Part of her was glad that he was back, that
he enjoyed her cooking and was much nicer to her than before. Of
course, she knew that that was only really because he had no memory
of their relationship. Technically, that was a good thing, because they
could start over fresh without all those problems, and without the
macho pride Ranma had following his curse.
But then she remembered Ranko. She was Ranma in another body,
the Ranma she had known for the past year, macho pride and all.
Despite the bad points, there were still some good ones that Akane
remembered fondly. She remembered all the times Ranma had come to
rescue her whenever she had been kidnapped, even though it was
usually Ranma who had caused the trouble that got her kidnapped in
the first place. And then there was Mount Phoenix, an event that she
would for sure never forget.
Simply put, Ranko was the Ranma she had fallen in love with, but
now trapped in a girl's body. Akane had always told herself that the
curse didn't matter to her, that she could love the jerk despite it and
whatver body he was in. Not that she would ever get *too* intimate
with his girl-half. She didn't feel *that* way about Ranma-chan, but
that never changed how she felt. But ever since the split, her feelings
seemed to alter somewhat, leaning more towards friendship or even a
sisterly love for Ranko. It didn't help that Ranko had begun acting
more and more like the jerk she had first met a year ago, as if in some
bizarre attempt to hold on to her manhood. At first Akane tried to tell
herself that it was all just coping on the part of Ranma's 'sister', but
after a while, it started to get on her nerves.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Akane turned her head to look over at
her roommate, sleeping peacefully all spread out over her bed with the
covers kicked off, snoring softly. It had been decided that the two girls
share a room, and after a bit of arguing they somehow managed to pull
it off. They still tended to argue whenever it came time to get dressed,
old arguments about boys and girls dressing in front of each other,
which usually ended with Akane bashing Ranko for making some old
quip. Along with that, the fact that they were sharing a room in a
platonic manner further enhanced Akane's changing feelings towards
the boy-now-girl.
Turning back to the ceiling, Akane sighed again. She didn't know
what she was going to do.
A dim flash of light from outside suddenly caught Akane's attention,
as she quickly but quietly sat up in bed and looked out the window.
The lights were on in the dojo, and from the shadow cast onto the
ground, there was someone in it, going through some quick and
seemingly intense movements. She briefly wondered who it could be,
but then realized that there might only be one person who would be up
in the dojo.
Carefully and quietly, Akane got out of bed and walked out of the
room, tip-toeing so as not to wake Ranko or anyone else up. Going as
quietly as possible, Akane managed to get outside and over to the dojo
without trouble. Looking inside, she smiled as she saw Ranma, bare to
the waist and wearing a pair of shorts that were his 'pajamas'. He was
performing a kata, sweat dripping from his body as he moved. He had
obviously been at it for awhile.
Unable to stay silent and just watch him forever (much as she
would've liked to), she made her presence known and asked with a
smile, "Couldn't sleep?"
A startled Ranma abruptly stopped his kata, turning to look at the
smiling girl watching him. He smiled back with a chuckle, surprised
and glad to see her. "Not really," he replied. "After a few months of
sleeping on the ground in a temple, it's kinda hard to sleep in a house in
an actual bed, y'know?"
Akane nodded, recalling how Nodoka had gone out to remodel her
son's room, making it into an actual permanent one rather than
something that looked like he was a guest. Not only was there a bed,
but also a desk, a dresser with mirror, and a cabinet for his clothes and
other belongings. "This is his home, now." Nodoka had said. "His
room should look like it."
"How about you?" Ranma suddenly asked, bringing Akane out of
her reverie. She simply shook her head in reply.
However, it seemed as though Ranma still had something on his
mind, as his face was twisted in deep thought.
"Ranma?" Akane asked curiously. "What is it?"
He was quiet for a long moment before he asked, "Are... are you...
really okay, Akane? I mean... after..."
Akane smiled. She had a feeling that he was still worried about
what had happened several months ago, as it had been so obvious at
dinner. "It's okay, Ranma," she said assuringly. "I'm okay. I was just
a little surprised, that's all. Really. I'm fine."
"Yeah... but..." He took a deep breath as a determined look fell on
his face. "I still shouldn't have done it. If I'd've hit you--"
"But you didn't, Ranma," Akane said, interrupting him. She walked
over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You at least had some
common sense enough to miss, though I'm putting my money on
inexperience. And besides, I didn't exactly help any by fighting with
you when we should have tried to talk it out like mature adults." *Not
that THAT would've worked,* she added to herself in thought.
"Yeah, maybe. But it still shouldn't have happened like that,"
Ranma said with probably a little too much force than he intended. He
took a moment to take a deep breath to calm himself, then continued.
"Akane, I wanna start over. From scratch, as friends. None of this
'arranged marriage' stuff. Maybe if we'd tried doing that from the very
beginning, we wouldn't have so many problems."
Akane looked at him with surprise at his sudden maturity. Nodoka
was right; being away from home, away from his father and everyone
else, *had* do him some good. Finally, a smile crossed her face and
she nodded. "I'd like that, Ranma."
Ranma smiled back, looking a little better about himself. However,
he seemed to still have one more thing on his mind.
"Akane, about these other fiancees..." he began, pausing as he
noticed her scowl at the mention of them. "I know things are square
between me and Ukyo, but from what I figure, the other two are the
real problem."
Akane nodded with a frown, knowing indeed how true it was.
Ranma continued, "So, anyway, I was wondering... Do you think
you could help me get them off my back? This crap can't go on
forever, and I can't be engaged to so many girls at once."
Surprised again for a moment, Akane eventually nodded with a look
of determination. "Okay, Ranma. I'll help, and we can get Ranko and
Ukyo to help us, as well. Knowing Kodachi and Shampoo, there's
going to be a fight since they won't just give up so easily. Fortunately,
I've been training, so they're in for a surprise." A rather wicked grin
crossed her face, and she had to fight back the urge to let out an evil
laugh.
"Well, let's just hope it doesn't come to that, okay?" Ranma said
with a chuckle. "At any rate, thanks, Akane."
Akane nodded with a smile, a normal one this time, and then
surprised Ranma, and herself, by grabbing him in a hug. She didn't
know why she did it, but for some reason, it seemed like the right thing
to do. And it made her feel good, too. After a moment, he returned it,
and the two just stood in the dojo, enjoying an actual peaceful time
alone.
However, they were not alone. Ranko stood hidden in the shadows
by the door, wearing the small T-shirt and simple panties she wore to
bed. It had taken some convincing to get her to wear them, since it
wouldn't do for her to wear boxers or other men's undergarments, as
her mother had so 'delicately' put it. Of course, she had refused at first,
but eventually wound up giving in, but only on the condition that she
wear nothing frilly or fancy. As for a bra, which Nodoka had *very*
much insisted that she wear, she opted for a simple sports bra on
Ukyo's suggestion. She soon found that she actually rather liked them,
since they were kind of like the tank tops she used to wear as a guy.
She even got used to the panties after awhile. They gave her more
room to kick her legs out in a fight than the boxers did.
She shook that thought out of her head, trying to remember that it
was only temporary until she was a guy again. And after what she had
just saw and heard, she had good reason to try and hurry up on
fulfilling that resolution.
Having woken up suddenly for no reason, Ranko had noticed Akane
was missing and gone searching for her, only to find her in the dojo
with her brother, talking. Listening in on their conversation, she
became a little upset as she didn't like what she was hearing. It seemed
as though Ranma and Akane were on the verge of starting some kind of
a relationship, and even planning to deal with Kodachi and Shampoo.
The latter she didn't mind; she figured it was something that she would
have had to do eventually, anyway. The former, however, was another
story.
Akane was *her* fiancee. *She* was the one who had risked her
neck time and time again rescuing her when she was in trouble, not this
upstart who hardly even knew her. She had even told Akane she loved
her, even though she did deny it later. But over the last few months, it
seemed as though Akane had been treating her more like a friend or
sister and think more about Ranma. And then Ranma came home, and
now this.
"No way," she whispered quietly to herself. "Akane was mine, first.
I was engaged to her, I'm the one she knows. Not you, bro. Just you
wait. I'll get my manhood back, and when I do, I'll get Akane back as
well. One way, or another."
With that, she snuck away back to her room, already beginning to
make plans.
End of Part Three...
Glossary of terms:
(1) Take a look at any picture of Ranma-chan wearing one of her
short-sleeved shirts and you'll see what I mean. It does look like a
dress, when you think about it.
(2) Ranko's name translates into English as 'wild child'. So
naturally, if Ranma really did have a sister and this was her name, she
might be as rebellious as he is, even without Genma around to 'corrupt
her', since anime characters usually have names that reflect certain
aspects of them.
(3) Bonus points if you can guess what group Happosai could be
following. Though I don't think that they were touring Japan at the
time of this writing, let's ignore that and just enjoy the story. ^_^
(4) "The Tone" is something I've made up (I think, if anyone else
knows where its used or who named it, let me know). Simply put, its
used by anime wives to get their husbands back in line. Characters like
Nodoka might be masters of this technique. This could also be used by
unmarried girls on their boyfriends.
A bunch of you are probably wondering why I went to the trouble of
revising this. As I mentioned earlier, the RAAC seems to have lost the
original version I first posted to them, and I figured I'd have to repost it
to them. I figured since I had to, anyway, I may as well do a few
revisions on it. Aside from correcting some sentences and/or adding
to/altering them a bit, I also changed a few scenes, like how Ranma
learned to get his ki under control. Originally, I had him using the
"Soul of Ice" from the Hiryu Shoten Ha as a focus, but then I began to
think and realized that it probably wouldn't work for some of his other
techniques. And if Ranma was fighting an angry opponent, he'd
pulling off a whole bunch of Hiryu Shoten Has when he didn't want to.
I also added a little introspection on Akane's part towards the end
focusing on her feelings towards Ranma and Ranko (a thanks to one of
my pre-readers, Darren Demaine, who pointed me in this direction). In
addition, I shortened Ranko's recollection scene, changed her and
Ranma's original looks, and lengthened their fight scene a bit. If
anyone wants to read the original version to see what else is different,
e-mail me and I'll send you a copy.
For you new readers, you'll notice there's a whole bunch of stuff
happening. Ranma's back and planning to take charge and make
changes to his life (A little "Thy Inward Love" happening here), and
Akane's making some improvements to herself to improve her
relationship with Ranma. And what about Ranko? You didn't really
think that she was just going to step aside and let Ranma have Akane,
did you? Remember, she is the Ranma from the original series (though
her speech is a bit altered due to her mother's influence), so she's not
going to give up without a fight. And whenever someone comes
between him and Akane, Ranma always tends to make an ass of
himself.
Much of Ranma's new character and dialogue comes from Terry
Bogard in the "Fatal Fury" anime series. Terry's a lot like Ranma, in
that he also tends to be rather cocky and arrogant at times, but to a
lesser degree. So I based Ranma's character in this chapter (and for the
rest of the series) on Terry, with a few twists of my own. As for
Ranko, her personality's pretty much the same as the Ranma from the
original series, only a little different to reflect the changes in her life.
To close things off, I'd like to thank my pre-readers, Mr. Demaine,
Andy Wennersten, and Lord Archive for the original C&C on this part.
I'd also like to thank (and welcome) Alain Gravel, author of the way
cool "Evangelion" fanfic series, "The One I Love Is...", to my gang of
pre-readers, who has also put up my fanfic in its individual parts on his
homepage (www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/2236/). I'd also like
to thank the great Rumiko Takahashi, as usual, for creating the original
great manga that inspired this fanfic. Last, but not least, I'd like to
thank the fans for putting up with me while waiting for part 4 to come
out. It will be out soon; its done and in the revising stage. Keep an eye
out for it, when Ranma and Ranko are forced to face their next
challenge: their "first day" at Furinkan High School! 'Nuff said there, I
think.
Until next time...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: Jeremy Mullin <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Double or Nothing Part 4
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 4: School of Hard Knocks... And Punches, and Kicks...
"So tell me what this Furinkan High place is like," Ranma said as
they walked to the school, the girls on the sidewalk, he walking up atop
the fence.
Akane looked up at him and sighed. Some things, apparently, never
changed. Finally, she shrugged and replied, "Not much to say, really.
It's, well... school."
"Yeah, if you don't count the principal with the head-shave fetish
who thinks he's from Hawaii or his love-crazed, samurai wanna-be
son," Ukyo added with a chuckle.
"Oh, yeah. I'm really gonna love this place," Ranma replied
sarcastically. "I never liked going to school, before. Why would I
now?"
"I wouldn't mind it if I didn't have to wear this stupid thing," Ranko
complained as she tugged at the collar of her uniform dress, a sailor-
type one as opposed to the Furinkan ones, which was the style used at
the school in the Saotomes' old neighborhood.
"Hey, if I gotta wear one, so do you," Ranma said, pulling on the
shirt of his own uniform. Their mother had been quite adamant in
making both of them wear proper school attire.
"At least you get to wear the right uniform!" Ranko yelled back.
"I'm a guy! Why do I have to wear this stupid dress?!"
"Maybe you haven't noticed, but you *are* a girl," Akane grinned.
"And we are trying to make people think that, you know."
"Yeah, so quit griping, Ran-chan," Ukyo chastised with a grin of her
own. "Besides, you heard your mom. If you'd lived with her, you
would've worn a proper uniform. You wanna blow your cover?"
Ranko snorted. "Yeah, right. Like we're really going to fool
anybody."
"Nice to know you're so optimistic, sis," Ranma smirked. Ukyo and
Akane giggled.
"Bite me, 'bro,'" the red-head snapped back, glaring at Ranma and
shaking a clenched fist at him.
"Alright, you two. Break it up," Akane intervened. "We're almost
there."
Sure enough, the group was approaching the front gates of Furinkan
High School. Ranma jumped down from the fence to join the girls, and
gave the building a once-over. "Not too bad looking," he commented
as they crossed the street. They entered the gate, ready to just head on
into the building, only to be greeted by a surprising and, to Akane and
Ranko, familiar sight.
A horde of boys, all dressed in various sports gear and equipment,
were charging right at them. They all had looks of determination on
their faces, and they were all yelling Akane's name.
Akane's surprise was soon replaced by anger. "I don't believe this! I
thought they gave this up a long time ago!"
"Give you three guesses who put them up to it who didn't hear a
certain someone was back in town, and the first two don't count,"
Ranko supplied, glancing at Ranma out of the corner of her eye.
"What the...?" Ranma said with his eyes bugged out. He was about
to ask Akane what was going on, but she was no longer with the group.
She was charging the horde, attacking the boys upon collision.
"Get out of my way!" she yelled as she dodged around them,
punching and kicking them out of commission as they rushed in to
attack her. The boys had never had much of a chance of defeating
Akane, even before her regular training with Ranko over the summer.
Still, they had the advantage in sheer numbers, and the fact that it had
been some time since Akane had last fought a force of such size with
such determination.
One boy in fencing gear almost got lucky, attempting to strike at
Akane from behind when she wasn't looking. She had just taken out a
boxer, and was so flushed with rage and adrenaline that she didn't sense
him until it was almost too late. The fencer never got the shot, though,
as he received a swift flying kick to the head from a new party. Akane
was surprised to see Ranma land next to her as her would-be attacker
fell to the ground unconscious.
This, of course, did not make her happy. "Hey, I can take care of
myself, you know!" she snarled, getting ready to bash him out.
Ranma turned to her and smiled. "I'm sure you can. But I just hate
the idea of a friend of mine being out-numbered. Besides, it never hurts
to have someone watch your back."
Akane blinked a few times in surprise. "Um, thanks..." she said,
seeing more evidence of just how much Ranma had changed over the
summer, and how different he was before Jusenkyo. The old Ranma
would've just stayed out of it completely, not wanting to face an angry
Akane afterwards, which was what Ranko was doing. But ever since
the split, things just kept changing all the time with both Ranma and
Ranko.
Akane's introspective didn't last too long, as she quickly had to back
on the defensive to take out a sumo wrestler who didn't have the sense
to stay unconscious and decided to try for another shot. A swift kick to
the head made him change his mind. Ranma stuck close to her,
watching her back and taking out anyone who decided to attack him,
either to clear the road to Akane or to impress her.
Over on the sidelines, Ranko and Ukyo looked on for a couple
minutes before looking at each other and shrugged, then jumped in and
joined the "party". It wasn't too long before it was all over, the
attacking boys laying about in unconscious heaps.
"Well," Ranma said between puffs of breath, "that was interesting."
He turned to Akane with a curious grin. "I take it this is what you used
to do with your mornings?"
She nodded bitterly. "I thought that these idiots had given this up,
though!" She would've said more, but was interrupted by an all-too-
familiar, and unwelcome, voice.
"The fools had abandoned the battle for your hand only because of
the presence of the foul sorcerer. But now that the evil one has fled,
driven away by the might of mine blade, that battle has now resumed.
A battle that I, of course, shall win."
The group stared as Tatewaki Kuno stepped out from around behind
a tree, his bokken in hand. The girls looked disgusted, while Ranma
just looked surprised.
"Kuno," Ranko snorted, shaking her head. "Told you so." She
began to wish that she had bet money, but then realized that it was
probably a sucker-bet, except against Ranma.
"Ah, the Pig-tailed Girl," Kuno sighed tenderly. "How lovely to hear
your voice again. Even more lovely that both you and the fair Akane
both be here so that I bless thee both with my love. But first," he
brought his bokken to ready position, "Akane and I must do battle, after
which she will be mine upon victory for the mighty Blue Thunder!"
After a moment of staring in shock at the other young man, Ranma
turned to his sister and asked, "Man, is he always like this?"
"Nah, he's just getting started," Ranko smirked. "Unfortunately."
It was then that Kuno at last noticed Ranma. His eyes snapped open
and his face flared with anger. "You?! So, it is true! You have dared to
show your face here again after I had banished you?!"
Ranma stared at Kuno like he had grown an extra pair of heads.
"What the heck is he talking about?"
"Kuno here thinks the reason you really left is because he did his
'samurai duty' and kicked you out of town," Ranko explained dryly.
"You have no idea how many times he kept showing up at the Dojo
and me and Akane had to beat him up."
"I think I have an idea," Ranma replied, recalling what he had read in
his journal about Kuno. So far, the description seemed quite accurate.
Something kept nagging at him, though, as well as Akane and
Ranko. How the heck did Kuno know that Ranma had come back?
They hadn't exactly broadcasted it to all of Nerima. In fact, the only
who might've told would be...
*No, it couldn't be. Could it?* the three of them each thought.
"'Tis true!" Kuno shouted in anguish. He turned his gaze skyward,
raising his hands high above his head to the heavens as if calling out to
the gods. "Why is it that none believe me?! That I was at last
victorious over that fiend, Saotome?! And yet he dares to return to
mock mine authority and continue weaving his dark spells to bind the
virtuous Akane Tendo and the beauteous Pig-tailed Girl to his will!
Keeping them from my love, forcing them to perform unspeakable acts
to fulfill his own sick satisfac--"
*BAM!* Kuno's little monologue was halted by the foot that was
now imbedded in his face, courtesy of Ranma's kick. There was much
joy and relief among the students.
"You pervert!" he shouted angrily. "That's my sister you're talking
about!"
Kuno removed Ranma's foot from his face and stared at the other
boy in shock. "What?! The fair huntress Akane is your sister?! You
are more fiendish and perverted than I thought!" he cried. Everyone
who was present--and conscious--face-faulted in shock.
Ranko, however, quickly recovered and buried her fist where
Ranma's foot had been. "Not Akane, you moron! Me!" she shouted as
she removed her fist and stood by her brother's side. "Ranko Saotome,
sister of Ranma, at your service."
Kuno shook the cobwebs out of his head, and began to switch his
gaze back and forth between the two, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Sister?" he questioned.
"Catches on quick, doesn't he?" Ranma muttered to Ranko, who
nodded.
"C'mon, Kuno. Use your head, for once," Akane interjected. "Don't
tell me you never noticed the resemblance? They are twins, after all."
At that moment, Ranma and Ranko both smiled big, toothy grins
that complimented their resemblance to each other.
For several moments, Kuno remained dumbfounded at the new
information he had just been given. Some were wondering if smoke
would suddenly coming out of his ears. Finally, though, he simply
grinned and began to chuckle in that superior way of his.
"Uh oh," Ranko said worriedly.
"'Uh oh' what?" Ranma asked as he stared at the samurai-wannabe in
confusion.
Ranko simply replied, "Whenever he does that, there's usually
trouble."
Kuno, meanwhile, was now laughing like a nut. Not like his sister,
just like a nut. "You think the great Tatewaki Kuno, the rising star of
high school fencing, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, and the true
love of Akane Tendo and the Pig-tailed Girl, a fool?!" he shouted.
"Does he really want an honest answer to that question?" Ukyo
asked. No one answered, though.
Kuno continued, "Does the foolish Saotome think to sway me from
my love for my fire-haired Venus by placing her under a spell that
makes her believe she is of his flesh and blood?!" He angrily then
swung his bokken in a vicious attack that the Saotome twins barely
avoided.
"Hey, it's true, you jerk!" Ranma shouted. Ranko nodded in
agreement.
Kuno merely snickered again, almost in pity. "Protest all ye want,
knave, but the Blue Thunder is wise to thy tricks. I have received word
from the Heavens themselves warning me that you would try such a
ruse to keep me from my beloved. Besides, any fool can see that such a
vision of loveliness that is the Pig-tailed Girl could *never* possibly be
related to the likes of you! It is unheard of, to say the least!" He held
up his bokken high in his way of signaling somebody, perhaps the
gods. "I see now that my divine mission in life has only truly begun!
Nevertheless, I shall fulfill my destiny, and finish what I began at the
beginning of summer... and smite the evil that is Ranma Saotome!!!"
With that declaration, Kuno lunged towards Ranma in attack. And
was quickly sent flying by a combined attack of Ranma's foot and
Ranko's fist. The 'Blue Thunder' crashed face-first and upside down
into a tree, then fell down onto his back unconscious.
Ranko turned and glared at Ranma. "Hey! I don't need your help to
beat up that jerk!"
"I didn't do it for you, sis!" Ranma yelled back. "Besides, he was
aiming for me!"
"Boy, this looks familiar," Akane muttered before she walked up to
the arguing siblings and broke them up. "Knock it off, you two. You
got him. Just be happy with it." Before the two Saotomes could say
anything in response, she grabbed them both by the arm. "Now, come
on, we're going to be late."
With that, she dragged the two into the building, with Ukyo
following behind. The group then hurried inside, just making it in time
for the first bell.
Up in the classrooms on the upper floors, the kids who had gathered
to watch began to talk amongst themselves at what had happened.
"Did you see that?"
"Yeah, Saotome's back!"
"Thought he took off?"
"He looks kinda different, don't you think?"
"Guess that means Akane's off-limits again."
"What's with that new girl with him?"
"Another fiancee, you think?"
"Is it just me, or does she look like his girl-form?"
"Nah, it's just you."
"I could've sworn he called her 'sis...'"
"You're hearing things, man."
"Hey, Nabiki. Looks like we're back in business, huh? Nabiki?"
The middle Tendo sister didn't reply for a moment before she gave a
quiet, "Whatever..." Then she turned and walked away, a deep frown
on her face.
"What's with her?" someone asked as they watched her off.
"I dunno. She didn't bet any money, but then again, who can tell
with Nabiki."
* * *
"You're kidding me. Kuno actually thinks it's my fault he got held
back?" Ranma asked as he, Akane, and Ukyo walked down the hall,
approaching their class. Ranko was downstairs in the office, going over
her registration papers and such before beginning her 'first day' at
Furinkan.
"Yeah. He thinks you bewitched the teachers into giving him bad
grades or something," Ukyo grinned.
"That's what he gets for spending more time getting the crap kicked
out of him than doing his homework," Akane agreed. "Doesn't help
that his dad's the principle and enjoys making his life miserable, either."
"I think we should consider ourselves real lucky that Kuno didn't
wind up with us in our class," Ukyo added. "We'd never get any work
done because we'd have to keep beating him up."
Ranma just shook his head as they arrived at their class and entered.
Entered right into another crazy situation, that is.
"Hey, it's Saotome!"
"Ranma, where'd you go, man?"
"Why'd you have to come back?"
"Since when did you start wearing the uniform, man?"
"You're not selling out on us, are you?"
"Where's that new chick that was with you?"
"Yeah! You pick up another fiancee or something?"
"Um, you won't hold that letter I sent to Akane against me, will
you?"
"Weren't you sent off to reform school or something?"
"You follow that Hibiki guy around this summer, or what?"
The questions just poured on, and all a surprised and overwhelmed
Ranma could say back was, "Uh..."
"Hey, you guys! Knock it off!" Akane cried in an attempt to bring
about order. "Ranma just got back! And he also had an accident over
the summer and lost his memory! So leave him alone!"
"You actually think that's going to work?" Ukyo asked skeptically.
Akane didn't have to answer, as the students continued to bombard
Ranma with questions, either not hearing Akane or just ignoring her.
Fortunately, help of a sorts came shortly. Literally.
"Alright, class! Settle down!" Ms. Hinako Ninomiya shouted as she
suddenly appeared before the crowd. She pulled out a five-yen coin.
"Or do I have to get nasty?"
The class immediately became quiet, the students in their desks and
behaving themselves. They had thought things would get easier upon
becoming second-year students, with Hinako teaching the first-year
students. Unfortunately, Hinako transferred to teach the second-year
students. Probably to keep an eye on Ranma, many figured.
"That's better," the child-teacher said, nodding with satisfaction. She
then turned to Ranma, who still stood where he was flabbergasted.
"Welcome back, Mr. Saotome. Your mother contacted the school and
told us of your accident last summer, and your memory loss. As you
may have guessed, I'm your teacher, Ms. Hinako Ninomiya. We aren't
going to have any problems from you this semester, are we?"
Ranma could only shake his dumbly. Behind him, there were
whispers and murmurs going around among the students about the
mention of Ranma's memory loss, which worried Akane and Ukyo.
Ms. Hinako nodded in satisfaction. "Good." She then walked over
to stand behind her desk, facing the students in a professional manner.
All while standing on the small step-stool she used to remain visible.
"First off, class, I'd like to welcome you back to a new semester and
hope you enjoyed your summer vacations. But before we begin class,
I'd like to announce that we have a new student joining our class. And
you'd better be nice to her, or else!"
Murmurs and whispers began to spread among the students,
particularly among the boys. Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo just exchanged
knowing glances to each other.
Turning to the door, Hinako pulled a card out from her pocket. "So,
class, let me introduce you to..." She looked to the card, and her eyes
bugged out in shock. "Ranko Saotome?!"
The rest of the class, save for Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo, all gasped
or cried out in shock at the announcement. The shock increased as
Ranko herself entered the room, wrote her name on the board, then
turned and gave the class a beaming smile.
"Hi! I'm Ranko Saotome! Pleased to meet you!" She silently
winced to herself at her tone of voice and enthuiasm. *Yeesh, talk
about laying it on thick! I knew I never should've read Akane's "Magic
Knight Rayearth" comics!*
Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo all winced in their desks. *Yeesh, talk
about laying it on thick!* Akane fumed as she wondered if Ranko had
been reading her "Magic Knight Rayearth" comics.
Ms. Hinako was the first to somewhat recover. "Um, well, uh,
welcome to our class, Ms... Saotome." She hesitated on the next
question. "You... wouldn't happen to be..."
"Ranma's my twin brother," Ranko replied, a bit more calmer than
before. "My mom raised me at home while Ranma went on the training
trip with our dad. I just moved here with Mom over the summer."
Hinako continued to frown for a moment before she gave a small
nod. "I see..." She peered intently at the girl for a long moment, taking
in the resemblance she had to Ranma. And she wasn't the only one
who noticed.
"Hey, did you hear that? She's Ranma's sister."
"Didn't know he had one."
"Man, you can tell they're related. She really looks like him."
"She looks like his girl form, anyway."
"She does not. You're just imagining things."
"She does too! She looks exactly like Ranma's girl form!" With
that, the student grabbed a bucket of water and dumped its contents
over a surprised Ranma's head. "See? They look exactly alike! Right
down to the big hooters!"
"Um, was there any real point to that?" a soaking wet Ranma asked.
The rest of the class went into shock when they saw that, despite the
cold water, Ranma was still male.
"WHAT THE HELL--?!" was the collective cry.
"Surprise, guys," Akane said calmly. "Ranma found a cure for his
curse over the summer. Unfortunately, it also caused him to lose his
memory of everything that happened after Jusenkyo in the process."
Upon hearing the news, the rest of the class began to immediately
whisper amongst themselves. A lot of guys began to groan at the loss
of Ranma-chan. After all, even 'she' had really been a guy, she hadn't
been bad to look at (1). But then one guy pointed out that they now
had Ranko, which immediately perked them all up. Much to the
dismay of some of the girls.
A lot of the talk, of course, was focused on Ranma's memory loss.
Nobody was sure how to react to that, but one guy had the courage to
go over to Ranma and whisper to him, "Say, Ranma? Did you know
that Akane's really my--"
"I'm your what?" Akane asked in a dark tone, her body glowing with
battle aura. That, along with the "Yeah, right" glare Ranma gave him,
caused the student to shut his mouth and retreat back to his seat. And
get a nasty look from the girl who really *was* his girlfriend.
The students began to try and question Ranma, again, but soon
stopped when Hinako simply said "Class..." and pulled out her coin.
After the room became quiet again, she took a quick glance through the
transfer papers given to her, then turned back to Ranko. "Well,
everything seems to be in order. Welcome to our class, Ms. Saotome. I
will expect you to behave yourself, young lady, as I do not tolerate
delinquency of any kind."
Ranko nodded nervously. She knew exactly what Hinako was
talking about. She had to restrain herself from lashing out at the "young
lady" bit.
Satisfied, Hinako turned back to face the class. "Now then, you can
take a seat next to..."
A bunch of hands immediately went up. All of them belonging to
just about every boy in the room.
"She can sit next to me!"
"No! Me!"
"I don't have an empty seat next to me, but she can sit on my lap!"
That guy was immediately hit on the head by his girlfriend.
A full-blown argument began over where Ranko would sit--or rather,
who she would sit next to--until Hinako yelled out, "QUIET!!!" Her
coin appeared in her hand again, and the class immediately did so.
"She can sit next to me, Ms. Hinako," Ukyo offered with a raised
hand. Her other one gestured to an empty seat next hers.
The child-teacher smiled and nodded. "You may take your seat,
young lady," she said to Ranko. A collective groan was let out by the
boys as Ranko walked to the seat, giving her friend and boss a silent
"Thanks..." as she sat down.
With that business settled, Hinako went on. "Alright, class, please
pass up your homework assignments from last summer. After that,
open your textbooks to..."
Unfortunately, no one was really listening to her. As just about
every boy in the class had gathered around Ranko's desk, with just
about every girl scowling at the scene. Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo just
shook their heads with pity.
"So, uh, what kinda movies you like?"
"You like sushi? I know this great place..."
"I got a couple of tickets to see DoCo next Saturday! You wanna
go?!"
"Uh..." While Ranko was used to the attention her female body
tended to attract, it had never been this intense before. Usually, she
would just ignore or punch out any guy who came onto her, but she
couldn't now that she had to act like someone else. Plus, she was a bit
overwhelmed as the boys continued to bombard her with questions.
She started to come out of her stupor when someone asked her
measurements, and was about to give the guy what-for. After all, it was
normal for a girl to get violent over such a personal question. Her
mother would surely agree at least to that.
However, she never got the chance to as a high-pitched voice
shouted out, "HAPPO GO-EN SATSU!!!"
Immediately, everyone save a few surprised boys dived to the floor
and became motionless, Akane pulling Ranma down with her. And
just in time, as tendrils of energy snaked out and drained the standing
boys of their ki. It was over in seconds, with the boys floating to the
floor as too-thin, whithered husks.
"If there are no more problems," the now-adult Hinako said in her
deep, husky voice, "everyone may return to their seats and we can
begin class."
Everyone immediately nodded and obediantly did as she asked.
Save for the drained boys, who continued to lay groaning on the floor.
As he sat down in his seat, Ranma continued to stare at Hinako in
amazement. Ranko noticed this and, with a grin on her face, nudged
her brother in the ribs.
"Guess you can see how she got to be a teacher, huh, bro?" Akane
heard this and saw what was going on, and began clenching her fist as
the old anger began to swell in her.
Ranma nodded almost dumbly. "You got that right. With a
technique like that, she could be a drill sergeant or something."
Ranko face-faulted in amazement, while Akane nearly did the same
but managed to catch herself in time. Instead she simply nodded in
agreement, sighing with relief that she didn't have to bash Ranma over
the head in jealousy. Ukyo giggled as Ranko picked herself up and got
back into her seat, a frown on her face.
"Do you have something to say, Mr. Saotome?" Hinako asked as she
turned around, her hand going for her coin.
Ranma immediately straightened himself out and sat at attention.
"No, ma'am!" Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo all giggled along with the rest
of the class. The boys continued to groan.
Hinako relaxed and nodded, then turned back to the blackboard to
resume class.
* * *
After what many considered a long morning, noon finally came, and
with it, lunchtime. Many of the students quickly grabbed their meals
and left the building to gather about outside, pairing up and/or grouping
off in various spots of the school grounds to eat and hang out, away
from classes and teachers.
Among them were Ranma and Akane, who were sitting at the base
of 'their' tree where they always had lunch when outdoors. They were
by themselves, as Ranko took off on her own after getting sick of
everyone telling her to relax from griping and complaining about all the
attention she was getting from the boys and the way she was being
treated by her teachers and classmates. Ukyo went after her, figuring
Ranko needed a friend who was kind of in the same boat, leaving the
other two alone.
"So... what do you think of Furinkan High, so far?" Akane asked as
they ate their lunches. She would've liked to have made them, herself,
except that Kasumi had already beaten her to it. Not that she didn't
enjoy her sister's cooking, but she would've liked to have had the
chance to practice her own skills some more.
Ranma took a moment to reply before he finally shrugged and said,
"Eh, alright, I guess. Like you said, it's school."
"Bad day?"
He didn't reply at first, but after a moment he shook his head in
exasperation. "You don't know the half of it. I never thought that there
were so many guys who seem to think that they have to know about
our love life. All day long, some jerk would pop up and ask me about
'how far we got over the summer.' I would've decked one of 'em, but I
figured it'd been a wasted effort."
Akane nodded, knowing that some things rarely changed, no matter
how much others did. They continued to eat in silence, just enjoying
each other's company. Naturally, though, it didn't last. They hardly got
past a couple more bites when a familiar voice called out, "Saotome, I
shall smite you!!!"
Though surprised by the sudden outburst, Ranma managed to roll
away in time just as a bokken came slicing down and tore up the
ground that he had been sitting on. He got to his feet next to Akane,
who didn't even so much as bat an eyelash at the interruption. They
just stared at Kuno as he got up and faced them, while some of the
other students gathered around them to see what the commotion was
about. Many others just stayed where they were and continued to eat,
not even interested. Having been at Furinkan since the previous year,
they were all too used to it.
Ranma gave the kendoist an annoyed look. "What do you want
now, Kuno? Can't you see I'm eating?" At that, he shoveled another
bite of his food into his mouth.
"You will address me as 'Upperclassman,'" the older boy replied.
Before Ranma could correct him that they were in the same grade,
Kuno continued, "And spare me your feigned ignorance, fiendish one.
Have you not done enough to the Blue Thunder as it is without this
latest travestry?!"
"Oh, gee. What did I do again?" Ranma asked sarcastically. "It's so
hard to keep track, you know?" Akane frowned at him, at the same
time trying hard not to laugh.
Kuno didn't think it was funny, as he became even angrier. "You
dare to mock me?! Bad enough you steal my loves and cause me to be
held back, but now you use your sorcerery to get me forced out of my
own Kendo Club?!"
"What?! You were kicked off the Kendo Club?!" Akane asked in
half-shock, though not really surprised. What surprised her was that it
hadn't happened sooner.
"Hey, can you blame us?!" Everyone turned to see several boys in
kendo garb standing near the crowd, staring angrily at Kuno. "This
guy's making us look bad by constantly getting his butt kicked by
Saotome, day after day, unless he's got some gimmick or someone
backing him up! We don't even compete in school competitions
anymore because he's too busy having us help him train to defeat
Ranma! We used to be Number One, and now we're a joke! Well,
we've had it with Kuno! We're getting a new captain to lead us!" The
other boys cried out in cheers at the declaration.
"How come you guys didn't just kick him out sooner if you felt this
way?" Akane asked suspiciously.
The boys looked a bit flustered for a moment before their leader
answered, "We were, ah, trying to give Kuno some time to act on his
word. A guy can only take so much, y'know?"
"Right..." Akane nodded, noticing one club member counting some
money he had in his hand out of the corner of her eye.
"You see?! It is without a doubt that is the black magic of Saotome
influencing the members of my Kendo Club to turn against me! I am
too honored and respected for them to do such a thing of their own
freewill!" Kuno raved, the top of his head erupting like a volcano(2).
"Gimme a break, Kuno," Ranma snorted. "You can't honestly
believe that, can you?"
"And what other reason could there be, may I ask?" Kuno sneered.
"Before your arrival, Ranma Saotome, I was respected and feared by
my fellow classmates. None could defeat me in battle! But ever since
you set foot in my domain, I have been treated as a joke, laughed at and
ridiculed! What other reason could there be for that other than black
magic?! My troubles began when you arrived, Saotome, and they shall
end when I send you back to the depths where you belong!"
With that, Kuno lunged at Ranma in attack with such surprising
speed that the other barely managed to dodge out of the way. They
started to dash across the school grounds, a familiar picture of Ranma
dodging Kuno's ferocious attacks while trying to get one of his own in.
Akane stared and blinked a few after the two as they scurried off,
before she finally shrugged and let out a long sigh. "Some things never
change..." she muttered before she ran off after them, with the rest of
the gathered students following.
* * *
"This day could not get any worse!" Ranko griped as she and Ukyo
walked away from the unconscious form of a boy who had gotten a
little... aggressive in trying to ask Ranko out.
"C'mon, Ran-chan. It hasn't been that bad," Ukyo chuckled as she
looked back at the poor boy. "I mean, you should've expected this.
What with that body of yours and all."
"It doesn't mean I have to like it!" the red-head cried with a glare at
her best friend. She lowered her voice a little as she continued, "It was
bad enough when they just leered at me even though they knew I was
really a guy, but now there's no stopping them now that they think I'm a
girl."
"You *are* a girl, now. Remember?"
Ranko didn't say anything in reply, deciding instead just to fume a
little bit as the two girls walked.
Ukyo noticed the look on her friend's face and let a frown of her own
fall. "Something's bothering you, Ran-chan, and it isn't the boys." She
stopped them and turned Ranko by the shoulder to face her. "Come
on, out with it."
Ranko didn't reply at first, hoping instead to shrug it off with "It's
nothing." Unfortunately for her, she knew that Ukyo tended to be
persistent at times like these, and wouldn't just give up. Finally, with a
bit of reluctance, Ranko turned her gaze back the way they had come
and muttered, "Them."
Ukyo blinked with confusion at first, but then followed the red-
head's gaze where she finally got it after a moment's pondering. She
swore that she could hear the sounds of fighting and students cheering,
but she shrugged it off. She had more important things to worry about.
"Them? You mean Ranma and Akane?"
Ranko nodded bitterly. "Notice how Akane seems to always want to
hang around Ranma? And vice-versa? How they're always talking
about this and that?"
Ukyo nodded and shrugged. "So? They're just trying to get to know
each other again. What's wrong with that?"
Ranko turned and glared. "Well, they don't have to do it right in
front of my face!"
Ukyo reeled back for a moment, startled and rather confused by the
outburst. She knew that look and tone of voice; she'd used them herself
on occasion. If she didn't know better, she could swear that Ranko
sounded...
"Why, Ran-chan!" Ukyo said with a playful grin usually found on
Nabiki. "Are you jealous?"
On instinct, Ranko whipped her head away from Ukyo and started to
cry out, "Jealous?! Of that--" However, she caught herself and let out a
sigh.
"It isn't fair, Ucchan," she almost whined. "Akane all but goes and
puts almost all her attention on an uncursed, all-guy me who has no
memory of her without almost so much as a second thought. And she
treats me like a buddy just because I'm a girl. How do you expect me
to deal with that?"
Ukyo could only stand there for a moment in surprise. She had
figured that Ranko still had feelings for Akane. It was hard to give up
that kind of love; she would know. But she never expected her to be so
emotional about it. She began to worry about Ranko might do if
Ranma and Akane's new relationship progressed any further. And if
she knew Ranko, it would probably be something stupid.
But before either girl could say anything further, a familiar, haunting
laugh filled the air, accompanied by a swirling stream of rose petals.
Black rose petals.
"Oh, no," Ranko groaned. "Why her? Why now?"
"Ohhh-hohohohohohohoho!" came the laugh from above. Ranko
and Ukyo looked up to see a feminine-shaped form leap down from
above and land gracefully before them. The stream of rose petals
ceased, though the ribbon in her hand continued to twirl about above
her head.
"Greetings, peasants," Kodachi said as she looked down her nose at
the other two girls. "Such a lovely day, isn't it?"
"What are you doing here, Kodachi?" Ranko growled as she fell into
a defensive stance. Beside her, Ukyo put her hand on her large combat
spatula in preperation to draw it out. "I'm having a bad enough day as it
is without having to deal with you right now."
"My, how rude," the Black Rose said in a miffed tone. "Of course,
what should I expect? I come to see my darling Ranma after I hear of
his return and instead I find you and the cooking wench who also dares
to claim the hand of my beloved." She stopped twirling her ribbon and
grabbed it between her fingers, pulling it tight over her head. "Where is
he?! Tell me what you've done with him before I am forced to use
more... persuasive measures." A wicked grin spread across her face,
one that said "Please force me."
Growling again under her breath, Ranko replied, "Look, Kodachi.
I'm giving you to--"
A sudden rustling of the bushes interrupted her, and before anyone
knew it, a boy suddenly leapt out towards Ranko and cried out, "Ranko
Saotome! Please go out with me! I know someone who's throwing this
kick-ass party and--"
*POW!* An uppercut to the chin sent him skyward before he could
finish. "I've said it before, I'll say it again!" Ranko shouted. "*BUZZ
OFF!!!*"
Ranko stood there panting heavily as the would-be suitor went
flying, Ukyo staring at her and shaking her head. All the unwanted
attention that the red-head was getting from the boys was really starting
to get to her, it seemed. No one said anything for a while, but the
words "Excuse me, but did I hear that boy just call you 'Saotome'?"
soon broke the silence.
The two girls turned to Koddachi, who stared at them, or rather
Ranko, with curious intensity. Not once did she relax her ribbon from
its attack position. "Answer the question," she demanded. "Did that
boy call you 'Saotome'?"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ranko replied in a bitter tone, "Yeah, he
did. My name's Ranko Saotome. Ranma's my brother."
Kodachi actually looked surprised at this bit of news, but she soon
recovered and stared intently at Ranko. "Your brother, you say?"
Ranko nodded nervously, but prepared herself in case Kodachi had a
reaction similar to her brother's. "Yeah. We're twins. Mom raised me
at home while my dad took Ranma on that training trip. We just
moved here permanently over the summer into the Tendo Dojo."
Kodachi frowned for a moment, considering the explanation. "You
just moved here? But I have seen you here many times before. Usually
in places that darling Ranma is."
Ranko shrugged, relieved that they had prepared for that. "What?
Can't I just come over and visit my brother once in awhile?"
"And what about the times you've used his name whenever we've
met, hmm? As well as wear his clothes?"
Ranko panicked for a moment. *That* one they hadn't thought.
Thinking quickly, she replied, "Well, um, I'm his sister. I was trying to
bug him. Besides, our names our so similar, even I get them mixed up
sometimes. And I thought the clothes he wore were kinda cool, so I, er,
borrowed them sometimes."
Ukyo rolled her eyes up in disgust. "Yeah, right. Like Kodachi's
gonna buy that," she grumbled.
Kodachi seemed to think for a moment, then began laughing again.
Taking it the wrong way, Ranko and Ukyo got ready to defend
themselves from the upcoming attack.
Surprisingly, it didn't come. "Of course!" Kodachi cried. "It was so
obvious! The resemblance between the two of you is so close, I'm
surprised I never realized it before! And the way you keep fighting me
over him, you're simply looking out for him as a sister should. Am I
right?"
Ranko and Ukyo blinked in surprise before letting out a deep breath
of relief. "Um, yeah," Ranko replied. "Gotta look out for my brother.
Heh, heh..."
Kodachi nodded. "Well, then. I would say that there is no longer
any need for us for feud for Ranma-darling's affections, is there? After
all, as his sister, dear Ranko, surely you're not interested in him in... that
way. Correct?"
A feeling of disgust ran through Ranko's body and she shivered
visibly. "No. Way." She kept trying to shake an image of her and
Ranma in an intimate position together out of her head(3).
"Well, then. That's settled," Kodachi said. She then lashed out with
her ribbon at Ranko with lightning-quick speed and suddenness.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Ranko cried as she just barely
managed to leap out of the way of the ribbon, while Ukyo dodged to
the right.
"I may have settled things with you over my beloved Ranma,"
Kodachi replied acidly as she twirled her ribbon around and prepared
for another attack, "but I still have a score to settle with you over a
certain gymnastics tournament! No one defeats and humiliates the
Black Rose and gets away with it! DIE!!!"
The ribbon lashed out again, but once again, Ranko was able to leap
away and dodge it. This continued on, Kodachi advancing and
attacking while Ranko leapt and dodged out of the way, the two going
across the school yard. Ukyo began to follow them, sighing and
shaking her head as she twirled her combat spatula in her hands.
It seemed like it was going to be one of those days.
* * *
Ranma leapt into the air again to avoid another slash from Kuno's
bokken that was aimed at his mid-section, then lashed out with a kick to
the head that would knock a normal person out cold. Unfortunately,
Kuno was far from normal, and thanks to his hard head, the kick only
left him dazed for a moment before he shook it off. With yet another
cry of "I fight on!", he resumed his fierce attack.
Ranma let out a growl of frustration as he continued to dodge and
counter Kuno's attacks. Even though he had no real prior experience in
fighting the "Blue Thunder", other than what he had read about him in
his journal and what Akane and Ranko had told him, he had figured
that the fight would have been short and easy. Kuno just kept using the
same attack patterns again and again, sometimes even using an attack
where he would thrust his bokken out at a rapid speed that was as fast
as the Amaguriken, which Ranma used to counter it. There was no real
style involved, nothing that would throw Ranma off his guard and get
the better of him. The fight should have been over in only a minute or
two.
But there was a difference, however. Kuno seemed to be fighting in
a more fierce and aggressive manner than what had been described.
Almost as though he were possessed or had been greater inspired to
fight. He just kept going, shrugging off Ranma's attacks and throwing
back his own, leaving barely any room for Ranma to take a breather.
"What's the matter, knave?" Kuno said tauntingly as he made several
slashes that Ranma dodged easily. "Is the mighty Blue Thunder too
much for you? Mayhaps you should give up now and free Akane
Tendo and the Pig-tailed Girl from your dark magic?"
"Yeah, right," Ranma snorted as he ducked under a stab and shot a
punch to Kuno's gut. This bought him some breathing time as Kuno
staggered back a little to catch his breath, but not enough as it only took
a brief moment for the kendoist to catch his breath and resume
attacking.
"Admit it, foul one!" Kuno ranted on. "You are no match for me
when you have no chance of using your dark magics! When it comes
right down to it, it is I who is the stronger, the faster, the most purest of
hearts! The greatest warrior of all time!!!"
He then made a rather surprising move. He made another
downward slash with his bokken, only this time, the wooden blade
glowed with a whitish-blue energy that shot out as a small, curved bolt
when the motion was complete. It didn't seem very powerful, but was
probably enough to hurt quite a bit if it made contact. Ranma barely
had a chance to dodge the energy bolt, and only managed it just in time
as it went past him and hit a nearby tree, slicing it in two.
While many of the students who had gathered to watch the fight
almost all gasped with awe, Akane frowned and let out a growl of
frustration. It seemed that, apparently, due to all his fights with Ranma,
Kuno had somehow figured out to channel his delusions into a ki-based
attack of his own. That was definitely not good.
The only plus side to it was that even Kuno seemed surprised by
what he had just done. "Amazing!" he cried in awe as he held his
bokken before him in both hands. "I now at last have the power to
finally defeat my nemesis! The gods have smiled down upon me once
again!"
Unfortunately for Kuno, in his ranting, he didn't see Ranma leaping
towards him. "Kuno... SHUT UP!!!" he yelled as his foot lashed out in
a fierce spin kick, connecting with Kuno's head and sending him down
in the usual manner, face-first unceremoniously to the ground.
Ranma flipped through the air away from the fallen kendoist, then
landed on his feet with a smirk on his face. "Hmmph! That takes care
of that," he snorted. But he soon lost his smirk when he felt a shock of
pain shoot through his leg. "Ergh!!!"
"Ranma!" Akane cried as she and the other students ran towards
them. "Are you okay?!"
Ranma nodded, trying to smirk through his clenched-eye-and-teeth
look. The truth, though, was that his leg hurt like hell. He looked down
and saw that Kuno's attack hadn't missed him like he had thought.
Through a tear in his pant leg, he could see a nasty, bruising welt where
the ki-bolt had just grazed him. It was a pretty minor injury, but it still
hurt like hell and made it hard to stand.
He was about to walk, or rather limp, over to Kuno when he heard a
voice cry out "HERE! CATCH!" Startled, he held out his hands and
caught a rather heavy, rounded object that fell from seemingly out of
nowhere. He blinked when he saw what it was.
"Huh? What the--? A watermelon?"
"Ranma! Look out!" Akane suddenly cried out.
That was all the warning he got before he turned his head and saw a
now up and moving Kuno rushing towards him, slashing his bokken
like mad with almost whirlwind speed. Within seconds, it was Ranma's
turn to lay on the ground in pain, his uniform slashed up all over and
his body covered in bruises. Around him were the neatly cut pieces of
watermelon, some in slices, some in little-to-big chunks.
Kuno walked over to the fallen Ranma, standing tall and proud over
him as a smirk spread across his face. "Hmph! Does the knave admit
defeat, now?" he asked in a snort.
Ranma's response was to glare at the kendoist as he started to try
and get back to his feet. "How the--?"
"Here!" Akane suddenly cried. She had rushed over to the bushes,
where she slammed her fist down on a shape that was trying, rather
unsuccessfully, to sneak away unnoticed. A dumpy little man in need
of a shave and dressed in ninja garb fell out onto the ground, a dazed
grin on his face.
"Ah, dear Sasuke," Kuno said with fondness. "Once again, you have
served your master well. I shall see that you are well rewarded for your
efforts."
"Translation, the poor guy'll get a full-course meal for a change,"
someone muttered from the crowd.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" a somewhat-recovered Ranma cried as
he finally got to his feet. "This fight was between you and me, you
jerk! Where's your so-called 'honor' in having your flunky help you
out?"
Kuno snorted in the way that rich people do and smirked arrogantly.
"Unlike you, knave, I, being of higher class and nobility, answer to a
somewhat different code of honor than someone of your stature. So
*your* pitiful rules of combat mean little to me." He then began to
laugh haughtingly as the rest of the students present either glared at him
or simply rolled their eyes, in disgust.
Ranma began to feel his anger rise up as he glared at the self-
proclaimed samurai and his pompous words. He had a lot of gall,
cheating and then trying to write it off as a difference in honor. He
almost started to lash out, but managed to catch himself and bite his
anger down. He took several deep breaths to calm himself, then closed
his eyes and began to concentrate, searching for his focus. He felt his
energy begin to rise as he found it.
"So, I ask again: does thou admit defeat?" Kuno asked with his
arrogant smirk still on his face. Which promptly fell when he saw a
concentrating Ranma beginning to glow slightly, holding his hands out
in front of him with bits of energy cackling between his palms and
fingers with a small ball starting to form.
"R-Ranma?" Akane asked in a gasp, her eyes wide with shock. He
couldn't be doing a ki-blast. Could he?
"Sorry, but my name's not 'thou'," Ranma said. His eyes shot open
and he glared again at the kendoist. He then brought his hands closer
together and pulled back to his side, a full sphere of energy formed
between them. "Besides, I don't give up that easily. Especially not to
cheating losers like you!"
Kuno growled with anger, then brought his bokken before him in
ready position. "Foolish boy! You dare try to stand up and defy your
superior, even in the midst of your defeat? I see I must teach your
lesson further! I shall smite thee!" With that, Kuno charged forward,
his bokken raised above him to bring down on Ranma.
"KOKORO HIKEN!" Ranma cried as he shot his hands forward,
releasing the ki he had built up in a powerful blast of energy. It hit
Kuno dead on, knocking him off his feet and through the air, past the
students who had the sense to duck, and then crashing into the wall of a
nearby equipment shed, causing it to impact and crack beneath him.
His body was bruised and slightly burned, his clothes torn and
scorched.
"The Blue Thunder... shall... prevail..." he managed to mutter, before
he finally fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Satisfied, Ranma finally relaxed and smirked. "Finally... I thought
he'd never shut up," he muttered.
"Ranma!" Akane cried as she rushed towards him. "How... how did
you--?"
Ranma turned to her and smiled. "Soon as I managed to control my
ki, the monk taught me this old ki-blast technique, the Kokoro Hiken or
Spirit Fire Punch, that works by gathering up the energy I build up
during a fight, focusing it, and firing it off. Took me awhile to get it
right without blowing myself up, but I got it." He felt a proud smirk
crawl onto his face as he heard the applause from the other students.
The celebration quickly ended, however, as the sound of an insane
laugh suddenly filled the air. Everyone turned to see two female forms
bouncing about, one whipping a long ribbon about at the other red-
haired one who jumped about to avoid it.
"Admit it, wench!" Kodachi cried as she continued to whip at her
opponent faster and faster. "You cannot avoid me, forever! So why
not give up now?!"
Her ribbon lashed out again, this time straight at Ranko, who
surprisingly didn't jump away to avoid it. Instead, she caught and let it
wrap around her fist and forearm. Landing on the ground, she pulled
tight on it, beginning an impromtu game of tug-of-war with the Black
Rose.
"Do me a favor, will you?" Ranko snarled as she relaxed her arm,
then suddenly pulled real fast before Kodachi could act on the opening.
"SHUT UP!"
The Black Rose went flying through the air, and Ranko let go of the
ribbon to allow her to continue her flight. However, being a trained
gymnast, Kodachi was able to twist her way back into a more correct
position and thus land effortlessly on the ground. Right in front of a
surprised Ranma.
"Ranma darling!" she cried as she wrapped him in a tight, fierce hug.
"At last I found you again! You have no idea how my heart cried when
you left so suddenly! Please don't ever leave me again!"
"Erk..." was all Ranma was able to really say. He was too surprised
by Kodachi's sudden appearance, let alone her hug, and to try and find
the strength to pull away from her. He was also trying to breathe, as the
hug was rather constricting. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a
fuming Akane flexing her fist over and over.
It was then that Ranko ran up to them and grinned at the scene
before her. "Hey, bro. You make a new friend? When's the
ceremony?"
Ranma glared at his sister. "Funny..." he replied in a strained voice,
then turned his gaze to the girl who was all but crushing him. "I take it
this is Kodachi?"
"Yes, my love. It is I," Kodachi said as she finally pulled away from
him, much to Ranma's relief. "Kodachi the Black Rose of the esteemed
Kuno clan... Your one true love and future bride-to-be..."
Ranko frowned as she heard familiar lines, feeling a bit miffed as
well as relieved that someone else was the recipient of them rather than
her. Still, they had been in the middle of something before this
happened.
"Hey, you loon! We still have a fight to finish!" She fell into a
fighting stance, ready and eager to pick things up where they had left
off.
Kodachi merely turned and looked down at her like she usually did.
"Even if you are the sister of my darling Ranma, and we do have our
differences to settle, I have more important things to worry about than a
silly squabble with some shameless harlot. So I suggest you begone
whilst I reassociate myself with--"
*BAM!* That was as far as she got before Akane's punch finally
sent her flying. Everyone watched as she sailed off into the distance,
calling out Ranma's name as she went.
Ranko fumed as she watched the other girl fly off. "Who's she
calling shameless?" she grumbled.
"You know something?" Ranma said after a moment. "She wasn't
as bad as I thought she was."
"Oh, really?" Akane slightly growled, clenching her fist again.
He shook his head. "Nope. She's *worse*!"
Akane nearly face-faulted at his response again, but was once again
able to catch herself in time. She found herself giggling at Ranma's
response, knowing full well that he was pretty much right on the
money.
"You don't know the half of it, Ranma," Ukyo said with a grin. "So,
what do you two think of Furinkan High, so far?" she then asked the
Saotome twins.
Ranma and Ranko looked at each other, frowned, and let out a long
sigh. "It sucks," they both said at the same time.
The rest of the day pretty went without incident, with Kuno in the
infirmary and Kodachi having probably landed a good distance from
the school. The only real problems were the boys still bothering Ranko,
resulting in her getting into trouble for her way of dealing with them.
Otherwise, it hadn't been that bad a day. Until they got home and
Nodoka chastised Ranko about the calls she had received from the
school about her daughter's behavior.
The next day, as they all went to school again, Akane turned to
Ranko and said, "Now remember, Ranko. Don't let the boys get to you.
Just try and ignore them."
Ranko frowned darkly at the other girl. "This from the girl who used
to beat all the guys who wanted to go out with her every morning?"
Akane didn't reply, and kept quiet throughout the rest of the trip
while trying to ignore Ranma and Ukyo's giggling at her expense.
When they finally walked through the front gates, they found the boys
charging them again.
"What the--?! Not again!" Akane yelled, and got ready to charge
them again. She was stopped, though, by a hand on her shoulder. She
blinked in surprise when she turned and found that it was Ranma's.
She didn't notice that she also involuntarily shuddered a little at the
simple touch.
"Call me crazy, but I don't think they're here for you, Akane," he said
as he pulled her out of the way, and they watched as the boys went
right past them. And straight towards Ranko.
"Ranko Saotome! I'll defeat you so you'll go out with me!"
"No, I will!"
"Says you!"
"You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, didn't your little sister beat you up last week?"
"Hey, Ranko! How about we just skip the fight and go out?!"
Ranko just stared in shock for a moment at the change of events,
before she finally exploded with anger and charged at the boys, beating
them up left and right until they fell to the ground unconscious.
Ranma, Akane, and Ukyo, who knew better than to get in her way, just
watched on until she finished with a mummy-wrapped Kuno, who
naturally showed up after everyone else was done, and stomped off into
the school.
The remaining trio turned to look at each other and sighed. It was
going to be a long semester.
End of Part Four...
(1) Most of the male population at Furinkan High are a bunch of
perverts, so they may react the way they do. After all, in the original
"Instant Nanniichuan" manga story, they didn't want Ranma to be
cured because they "liked him just the way he is."
(2) A couple times in the manga, Kuno does this visual trick of the
top of his head turning into a volcano and erupting when he got so mad,
it didn't even show on his face. First time I can recall is way back in the
beginning when Nabiki tried to explain Ranma's curse to him. I figured
it'd be funny to use here.
(3) You know those "double-Ranma" fanfics that seem to have
Ranma's male and female sides having sex? This is my way of saying
that such a thing will not, I repeat *NOT*, happen in my story.
Hopefully, some of you have figured that out, already.
Man! I thought I never going to get this one done! I have no
excuses, other than I've been busy, been in a rut, and couldn't bring
myself to write. Have to cure myself of this bad habit quick if I want to
write for a living. Also, a lot of scenes were harder to write than I first
pictured them, and I even had to completely redo some things
completely. But I managed to get it done and get it out. Look on the
bright side: at least I didn't do things like the last chapter and wait two
years before getting it out. ^_^
One thing that was giving me trouble was Ranma's new ki-blast
technique. Given how I had him train to relearn control of his ki in the
last chapter, I had to give him a new one. Easier said than done, as I
had to think of how he'd do it and a good name. None of my pre-
readers were much help (no offense, guys, at least you tried), so that
made it harder. I even went to Jim Lazar for help, but he never got back
to me. Fortunately, I think I came up with a good one for him, but if
anyone has a better idea or two, pass me a line and I'll make a revision.
You're probably all wondering why I gave Kuno a ki-based attack.
So am I, but when I wrote the scene, things got away from me and it
found its way in there. Afterwards, it just turned out so cool that I kept
it. At least I provided a good explanation for it (hey, it could happen!).
The attack's sort of based of an attack Kuno has in the "Ranma" video
game "Super Battle" (the one they didn't release in America), called the
Kokuu Zan or Sky Arc Decapitation. Of course, I'll wind up giving it a
different name that sounds more Kuno later on.
Before I sign off, I'm offering a little challenge to anyone who wants
to write up a short sidestory or two to fit into the "DoN" continuity.
Each story has to be self-contained, without much connection to the
main series (but if someone comes up with something good that I can
fit into the storyline, I'll try to work it in). Naturally, you have to send it
to me at my e-mail address above for approval. Just two rules: nothing
dark (meaning nobody gets killed or dies), and no lemons, either (that
sort of thing won't be happening in this series). Other than that,
anything goes. No pun intended. ^_^
Like to give thanks to all my pre-readers who helped out: Darren
Demaine, Andy Wennersten, Alain Gravel, and Lord Archive. Sorry to
Jim Lee, who didn't get a response to me in time (better luck next time,
buddy). Also like to thank all the Ranma fanfic readers out there who
put up with me while I tried to get this out. As usual, send all C&C and
such to my address (no flames). Stay tuned for the next chapter, in
which someone Ranma ran into during his training shows up for a little
payback (wouldn't be "Ranma 1/2" without that happening). Should
be out soon, seeing as it's already almost done. See you then!
From: "Jeremy Mullin" <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Double or Nothing Part 5
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi, all rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 5: Enter the Black Dragon
The master looked about the dojo in shock. His finest students had
been defeated, strewn about the floor in moaning and/or unconscious
heaps. All by the person who stood in the center of the dojo, a Muay
Thai fighter who had shown up suddenly and immediately made the
challenge. He hadn't even broken a sweat during the fight.
The young man was at least in his teens, but was tall and quite
muscled. His clothes were all black, his shorts, the tank top he wore,
and even the wrappings around his hands and feet. In addition, he wore
a black mod-rag-style bandanna wrapped around his head, completely
covering the top. There was no mistaking that the lad was a well-trained
fighter, but the master had thought that he was kidding when he said he
would take on *all* of the students at once.
He now saw how wrong he was.
The Thai fighter snorted as he looked about the dojo, sneering at the
fallen students. "Hmph. That was too easy. And here I was hoping for
something more of a challenge," he said in that cocky attitude that the
master had come to hate. What made it worse was that the kid could
back it up.
The master knew when to recognize a situation he couldn't win, and
this was one of those times. He let out a reluctant sigh. "Very well," he
said. "You have proven your point. Just take the sign outside and go."
The Thai fighter let out another snort, this one humorous. "I could
care less about some crappy sign. Keep it. I have better things to do."
With that, he walked out of the dojo and left, leaving behind a now
even more shocked master with his injured students.
Some time later, the black-clad muay thai fighter stood atop a cliff in
a forest, staring solemnly into the horizon. He kept clenching and
unclenching his fists repeatedly, causing the wrappings on his hands to
stretch and almost tear from the strain.
*Just a little bit more,* he thought. *A bit more training and I'll be
ready. Then... I'll find you. And then crush you. You'll pay for what
you did to me.*
"DO YOU HEAR ME!!!" he now shouted into the open sky, as if his
voice would carry all the way to the recipient of his wrath. "YOU'LL
PAY, RANMA SAOTOME!!!"
* * *
A week later, at Furinkan High...
"I still think we oughta take care of Kodachi first," Ranma suggested
as he took a bite of his lunch. "The sooner we get rid of her, the better."
It was lunchtime at Furinkan High, and he, Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo
were together in their usual place under the tree. Kuno had tried to
bother them, spouting something about "freeing such lovely examples
of femininity from the clutches of the evil one." Unfortunately for him,
he was only talking about Akane and Ranko, saying Ranma could have
a "lowly restaurant wench like Kuonji," and immediately got sent flying
via one battle spatula, leaving the group to continue with their "war
council."
Akane shook her head. "Are you kidding? We should take care of
Shampoo first. All we have to do is find some loophole in that crazy
law of hers and she's gone."
"If it were that simple, Akane, we woulda gotten rid of Shampoo a
long time ago," Ukyo countered as she took a bite of her okonomiyaki.
"Still, it's gonna be tough either way considering both of 'em are pretty
persistent."
"And from what I've learned, they won't take 'no' for an answer,"
Ranma nodded. He let out a growl of frustration. "Man! Why'd I have
to get girls like that chasin' me, anyway?!"
"Well, it's not like you did anything to discourage them..." Akane
muttered under her breath.
"Probably why he wants to put off dealing with them, so he won't
have to say 'No'," Ranko suggested with a smirk.
"WHAT?!" Akane cried, glaring at Ranma. Her eyes were wide with
anger and, if one looked closely, fear.
"Hey! That's not what I meant and you know it!" Ranma yelled at
his smirking sister.
"Oh, I dunno, bro. I can testify that Shampoo and Kodachi are
pretty hot. Among other things a lady can't say..."
Ranma glared further at his sister, at the same time wincing under
the piercing gaze of Akane.
"Knock it off, Ran-chan," Ukyo quickly said, coming to Ranma's
defense. "You and I both know Ranma ain't like that."
"So says the ex-fiancee, who also would never take 'No' for an
answer," Ranko quipped without thinking. She immediately regretted it
when Ukyo now started to glare at her.
"And just what's that supposed to mean, Ran-chan?!" the
okonomiyaki chef growled, reaching for her combat spatula. Within
seconds, an argument between all three girls began.
Realizing that he was being ignored, Ranma shook his head, then got
up and went to throw out the trash from his now-finished lunch. Along
the way, he tried on his own to think of ways that could get his two
remaining suitors off his back. But even with his new training, it was
still a difficult task for him, especially considering the two girls in
question.
And he was concentrating so hard that he almost missed the flash of
danger that suddenly hit him in warning.
"Get ready to die, Saotome!" an angry voice cried from above.
Ranma didn't bother to look to see who it was, instead just leaping out
of the way just in time to miss something crash into the spot where he
had been standing. On reflex, he got into a defensive stance, but that
faltered slightly when the dust cleared and the attacker stepped forward.
A frown crossed Ranma's face when he saw the smirking, well-muscled
teen dressed in black Muay Thai garb, with a matching doo-rag-style
bandanna wrapped around his head. The air seemed to become heavy
as the two stared at each other, the rest of the students now gathered
around them with Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko at the front.
"It's been awhile, Saotome," the other boy said, flexing his wrapped
hands.
Ranma just continued to glare at him. "Akira Kuroryu," he said
simply in response, almost like an accusation.
"Gee, this looks familiar," Ranko muttered, rolling her eyes. Behind
her, she could hear other students whispering "Here we go, again...",
among other things.
"Ranma, you know this guy?" Akane asked, though, from past
experience, already knowing the answer. As well the outcome of it.
She was surprised he knew the guy's name, though. In situations like
this, Ranma either didn't know or couldn't remember the name of the
people who came looking for him.
All Ranma said in reply was, "We've met."
Akira Kuroryu, however, had a different response as his smirk
turned into a bitter scowl. "Is that all you have to say about how you
ruined me, Saotome? Made me look like a loser?" He ignored the
groans from the other students who had heard it all before.
"Ranma, what did you do to him?" Akane asked in angry accusation.
"Betcha it was either stolen food or a stolen love," Ranko joked,
Ukyo snickering behind her.
"You mean aside from teaching this jerk a lesson? Nothing," Ranma
replied, still glaring back at Kuroryu and ignoring his sister. "It all
started a few months ago when I first got to the village where the
monk's temple was at..."
* * *
Ranma frowned as he walked through the village, wondering what
was going on. Ever since he had arrived, everywhere he went, people
either looked down on him like he was pond scum or just plain ignored
him. Some even went out of their way to avoid him, hussling their
children along in what appeared to be fear. It left him confused and
curious as to why, seeing as he had never been to the village before.
Yet everyone was afraid of him. He had to find out why.
A growling in his stomach, however, told him that first he had better
get something to eat. Locating an open ramen stand, he walked over
and sat down on a stool.
"Hello? Hey, can I get some service, here?" he called out.
He got a reply in the form of the owner bringing down a meat
cleaver right in front of him. "Hey!?!"
"Listen, you!" the owner cried out angrily. "I've had it with you
going around and bossing everyone like you're some kind of big shot!
Well, I've had it! Get the hell outta here before I--"
"Whoa!" Ranma said as he raised his hands. "What the heck are you
talking about? All I want is some ramen, alright? I even got enough to
pay for it!" He pulled a handful of bills, what few he had, anyway, and
placed them on the table.
The owner looked at the money in surprise, then back at Ranma.
"What? You mean you're actually paying? You're not with that other
guy?"
Ranma frowned curiously. "What other guy?"
"That other martial artist who showed up about a couple of weeks
ago. Some boxer or something with an attitude. Ever since he's been
here, he's been making life miserable for everybody."
As if on cue, a loud voice shouted out, "What the hell is this?! You
call this teriyaki?! I've had foreign food that tasted better than this
garbage!" Ranma turned to see a guy his age, a little taller than him and
heavily muscled, dressed up like a Muay Thai fighter all in black. At
present, he was manhandling another food vendor across the road who
seemed as though he was begging for his life.
"I-I am sorry Mr. Kuroryu! I'll make you another!"
The Thai fighter--Kuroryu, Ranma guessed--snorted in disgust.
"Sorry ain't good enough, you little worm." He drew his fist back to
smash the vendor in the face.
Ranma couldn't take it any longer. "Hey! Leave him alone, you
jerk!" he shouted as he rushed across the street. He ignored the ramen
seller's warnings to stay out of it.
Kuroryu turned to see Ranma come to a stop before him. "Butt out,
loser. Mind your own business. I've gotta teach this piece of trash a
lesson in respecting his betters."
Ranma's frown deepened as he glared at the other teen. "Look, pal,
if you think I'm gonna let you bully the weak around like that, you're
nuts." He dropped into a fighting stance. "You want him? You're
gonna have to go through me, first." By now, a crowd had gathered to
see what was going on. Various whispers and murmurs went around
about the newcomer who was standing up to the Thai fighter. Some
thought he was brave. Others thought he was crazy.
Kuroryu, however, just snorted in amusement. "You think you can
take me on, punk? I'm Akira Kuroryu, one of the best Muay Thai
fighters in all Japan. No one's ever beaten me!"
Ranma just shrugged. "Never heard of you."
That seemed to make the Thai fighter a little angry. "Well, then...
perhaps I should give you a more proper introduction!" He charged at
Ranma, who sidestepped with ease and delivered a kick to the other
boy's back, sending him to the ground. After picking himself up,
Kuroryu turned and stared back at in surprise at Ranma, who just
smirked back.
"What was that you were saying about no one ever beating you?"
The Thai fighter didn't respond with words, but instead just snarled
and leapt to attack again. He threw a fast combination of punches and
kicks that Ranma could feel even through his blocks and counters. The
guy was fast *and* strong, which would be considered by some to be
good. But he was also angry, which was making him sloppy. It didn't
take long before Ranma found an opening that enabled him to take the
advantage with a swift uppercut, followed by his own combo that he
used on the dazed Kuroryu. He ended it with a roundhouse to the chin
that sent the Thai fighter to the ground.
"I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes
Martial Arts," Ranma declared after catching his breath. "Just lettin'
you know who beat you." Around him, the crowd started to cheer,
happy to see their tormentor getting his at last.
* * *
"You were going around making everyone's life miserable, pal. All
because you couldn't get your way," Ranma said as he took a break in
his story. He could hear murmurs from his gathered classmates, most
of which were of anger and disgust pointed towards the black-clad Thai
fighter.
"Hey, is it my fault that those idiots didn't know their proper place
before a superior? A guy has to exert his authority, after all," Kuroryu
replied with a sneer.
"Is it just me, or does that guy seem like he's related to that Taro guy
you told me about?" Ukyo whispered to Ranko.
"Seems more like Kuno if you ask me," Ranko replied with a shrug.
"Or maybe both." She shuddered as she tried to think of someone with
Kuno's superiority complex combined with Pantyhose Taro's smarts
and skill. Not a pretty image. And from what she could guess, that was
what this Akira Kuroryu seemed to be.
"Wait a minute, Ranma," a curious Akane interjected. "This guy
was after something, which was why he was bothering those villagers?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to train with the monk and learn
his techniques. But the old man refused him, doesn't take a genius to
guess why, so he decided to be a pain to someone else. I found that out
later, when the villagers were more than happy to tell me what I needed
to know and show me the way to the temple."
"After a big feast for you, right?" Ranko asked with a smirk, already
knowing the answer.
"Hey, I was hungry!"
* * *
Ranma followed the young boy who had agreed to guide him to the
temple where the monk was said to live. The villagers were more than
happy to show him the way there, a repayment of sorts for his "great
deed", as they put it. Ranma was glad to have helped, but was really
more interested in finding the monk and, hopefully, begin his training.
A short hike outside of the village and a *long* walk up the stairs to
the temple later, they finally arrived. At his guide's instruction, Ranma
stood back while the boy went up to the gate to knock on it.
"Sir! There's someone here to see you!" the boy cried out as he
pounded on he door. He then stood away from the gate, and they
waited for about an hour before it finally opened and an old man in
robes walked out, leaning on a wooden staff half his height.
"What is it, lad?" the monk asked, then noticed Ranma. A deep
frown crossed his face. "Ah, I see. Another one, then?"
Ranma rolled his eyes. He suddenly had a feeling why Kuroryu had
been hanging around the village.
The boy shook his head. "No, sir. He's not like the other one. He
came to our defense and defeated the bad one."
"Oh? Did he, now?" the monk asked, intrigued. He shifted his gaze
back to Ranma, who suddenly became nervous.
"Ah, yes sir!" he quickly replied, perhaps a little too anxiously for his
tastes. "My name's Ranma Saotome. I wish to train under you, to learn
how to control my ki."
The monk nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his bearded chin, still
observing Ranma. Before he could make any kind of reply, a familiar
voice shouted out, "Oh, no you don't!"
Everyone turned to see Kuroryu dash up the steps, a look of anger
on his face. Ranma groaned in annoyance. "Not you, again! I thought
the villagers kicked you out?"
The black-clad Thai fighter snorted in snide humor. "Like those
losers could get rid of me. They may have a sudden confidence boost,
but that's not stopping me from getting what I want."
"You can keep coming all you want, boy! I will not train you in my
techniques, just so you can use them for fighting!" the monk declared
angrily. He pointed his walking staff at Ranma. "This one would make
a better student than you!"
Kuroryu began to seeth with anger. "Oh, no you don't! I'm one of
the best fighters in the world! I deserve to learn those techniques! And
if I can't, I'll make sure no one else does!"
With that, he leapt to attack Ranma, who immediately fell back on
defense. They dashed back and forth before the gate, with Ranma
continuously blocking against the attacks of an angrier Kuroryu, who
gave his opponent/victim almost no chance to fight back.
"You realize, of course, that this doesn't change my mind," the
monk said with a sad frown.
"Shut up, old man!" Kuroryu snarled as he sent a savage kick to
Ranma's gut that he just managed to block. And he continued to attack
with his goal of beating Ranma to a pulp.
Ranma, meanwhile, began to feel his frustration building as the fight
went on. This guy, who he had never met before, a jerk who thought
he was better than everyone else, was trying to kill him all because of
one man's decision. And before that, he was making the lives of others
miserable. He could feel his anger rising, and with it, the strange feeling
in his gut. One that he hadn't felt since...
"Stop this, now! Both of you!" the monk cried.
"Oh, I'll stop, old man! Right after I break every bone in this punk's
body!" Kuroryu snarled back. "And after I'm done with him, I'll give
those stupid villagers a lesson in why it's not a good idea to piss me
off!"
That did it for Ranma. "No. You. WON'T!" he cried as he threw a
punch. And an explosive burst of ki that forced the monk and the boy
to shield their eyes followed with it. Moments later, when the light
finally died down and the smoke cleared, Kuroryu was lying on the
ground a short distance away, and the one still standing was a surprised
Ranma, who took deep calming breaths as he stared at his fallen foe.
The monk nodded with interest. "I see..."
* * *
Everyone stared at Ranma as he finished his tale. Most were
surprised, others stared at the fuming Kuroryu with disgust and
contempt, while others just shook their heads in a way that said that
they weren't all that surprised.
"So that's what happened?" Akane asked with a frown directed at
Kuroryu on her face.
Ranma nodded. "Yup. After I sent Kuroryu here packing, the monk
took me in and started training me. When I was finished, I came back
here."
"And here is where you're going to pay, Saotome!" Kuroryu snarled.
"You humiliated me in front of those who showed me the respect I
deserve, which in turn caused the monk to reject me for you! And that
was only the *start* of my humiliation!"
"What the heck are you talking about?" Ranma demanded.
"Never mind that! We're going to settle this, here and now! I will
have my retribution, Saotome, for the way you disgraced me!"
Ranma snorted. "Gimme a break! You were a jerk and a bully and
you got what you deserved. And the monk chose me as his student
because I wasn't gonna use his techniques to beat people up. But if you
wanna fight, you're on! We can use the ring in the gym."
Kuroryu nodded. "That's fine by me. Rather fitting, actually. I'll get
to kick your ass on your own territory like you did to me."
Ranma snorted again and shrugged. "Whatever. Just lemme change
my clothes first." Kuroryu shrugged back, smirking at Ranma.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Akane cried. "Ranma, you're not going to
fight this jerk over his petty reasons, are you?!"
"Wouldn't be the first time," someone muttered from the crowd as
everyone began to make their way over to the gym.
Sometime later, Ranma finished changing his clothes, out of his
school uniform and into his regular martial arts gear. He was just
putting on his gloves when Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo approached him.
Ranko and Ukyo kept their distance from an angry Akane, who
stomped her way over to Ranma.
"I cannot believe you!" she yelled as she glared at Ranma. "You're
not actually going to fight that guy, are you?"
"C'mon, Akane. You know me better than that," Ranko smirked.
Ranma finished putting on his other glove as he replied, "I never
back down from a challenge, Akane. Besides, if I don't fight him, he'll
just keep coming here again and again and making my life miserable
until I do."
Akane, however, knew this cycle rather well. "Yeah, but what
happens if you win? He'll just keep coming around, challenging you
again and again until he beats you. Is that what you want?"
"Yeah, well, a martial artist's life is filled with peril, Akane," Ranma
smirked, quoting probably the only piece of good advice his father ever
gave. Frowning, he quickly added, "And I'm not going to throw this
fight and let him win, either. I don't back out of challenges, and I don't
lose if I can help it, either."
Akane growled in frustration. "Alright! Fine, then! Be a stupid,
macho idiot! Just do it without me!" With that, she turned around and
stomped out of the room.
"Akane! Wait a minute!" Ranma started to go after her, but soon
came flying back, crashing into the lockers, courtesy of Akane's fist.
Ranko and Ukyo gathered on both sides of the fallen Ranma as he
picked himself up, rubbing his sore jaw. "Now that you had coming,"
Ukyo said with a grin.
"Well, what does she expect me to do? Be a chicken and back out?"
Ranma asked bitterly.
Ranko shrugged. "Who knows? Girls are strange that way when it
comes to us guys and our egos." Before anyone could correct her that
*she* was a girl, she grabbed Ranma by the arm and started to drag her
out to the gym. "C'mon. Let's not keep boxer-boy waiting."
The trio made their way to the gym, which was already filled up with
spectators sitting in the bleachers. Set up in the center of the gym was a
fighters' ring, in which Kuroryu was already in, pacing back and forth in
his corner. Looking around him, Ranma could see his fellow students
chatting amongst themselves while waiting for the fight to start, as well
as vendors selling snacks and drinks. Nabiki was even going around
and placing bets, with help from her two 'associates'. He couldn't help
but frown. What did they think this was, the WWF? (1)
He also noticed that it seemed rather dark in the gym. The overhead
lights, normally almost bright enough to pass for an indoor sun, were
considerably dimmed to almost near-darkness. Ranma paid it no mind
and continued to make his way to the ring.
"So you actually decided to show up, huh?" Kuroryu smirked as he
saw Ranma approach. "I kinda figured you'd chicken out the last
minute and save me the trouble of kicking your ass."
Any doubts Ranma had about the fight since Akane stormed out left
him as he glared at his opponent. "You wish, jerk." He then noticed a
beaten-up Kuno being taken out on a stretcher. "What happened to
him?"
Kuroryu snorted. "That idiot? He tried to take me on, ranting on
about how no one was going to defeat you except for him. I had to...
talk him out of it."
Ranma could only just shake his head. What was it about him that
seemed to attract guys wanting to fight him? Knowing he wasn't going
to be getting an answer anytime soon, he climbed the steps and got in
the ring.
"Simple rules, Saotome," Kuroryu said with a smirk as he and
Ranma began to warm up. "There aren't any. Last man standing wins.
Plain and simple."
"Fine by me." With that, the two combatants fell into combat
stances, the crowd cheering them on.
Before the bell could ring, however, a familiar, gaudily-dressed figure
suddenly appeared between the two fighters. "Alo-*HA*, boys!" the
Principal yelled, strumming his ukelele.
"What the hell do you want?" Ranma groaned. He didn't have time
for this bozo's nonsense. "We're trying to have a fight, here."
The Principal simply laughed. "Dat wat you tink, brudda! Ain't no
fightin' on school grounds! For dat, da Big Kahuna, he gonna have to
punish you bruddas!" He whipped out his shaving shears. "Line up for
da haircuts! You first, Saotome!"
Before Ranma or anyone else could 'tell' the wannabe-Hawaiian to
get lost, Kuroryu dashed across the ring and delivered a knee-strike to
the Principal's face. As the man sailed out of the ring and crashed into
the cart of a hot dog vendor, Kuroryu snarled, "Butt out, pal! And
watch the wisecracks about the hair!"
"My, aren't we touchy?" Ranma smirked. "Something happen to
your hair, pal? That what the doo-rag is for?"
"Shut up and fight!" was the Thai fighter's reply as he charged
Ranma. With that, the bell rung, signaling the beginning of the fight.
Kuroryu immediately went on the offensive, throwing out a savage
combination of punches and kicks. Like before, Ranma could feel them
through his blocks. It was obvious the other young man had been
doing some serious training since they had last met. Well, so had he,
and as soon as he got an opportunity to, he launched his own attack, a
kick to the stomach followed by a quick uppercut. Neither of which
had much effect on the Thai fighter, however.
"That the best you got?" Kuroryu taunted to a surprised Ranma. "I
was able to toughen myself up a little trying to learn this one technique.
Never did figure the technique out, but all those rocks flying at me still
made me a tough nut to crack."
Over in Ranma's corner, Ranko and Ukyo looked at each other. "He
tried to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu?" Ukyo asked.
"Guess so," Ranko nodded. "Not that it would've done him much
good, since it doesn't work on people. But it still makes you tough.
Just look at Ryoga."
Back in the ring, Ranma simply snorted in reply to Kuroryu's taunt.
"So what? Nothing's completely invulnerable. You probably have
some weakness."
Kuroryu simply smirked. "Maybe. But you won't get to find out."
He started to tense his body, preparing for an attack. "Here's a little
trick I've had for a while that I didn't get to use on you before.
KURORYU HA!"
With that, he rushed forward to charge at Ranma... And promptly
disappeared.
Ranma blinked in surprise. "What the--? Where'd he go?" Around
him, the ground echoed his questions, along with a few angry barbs
about Kuroryu chickening out. Before Ranma could try and look
around for his opponent, he suddenly felt a punch connect with his
chin. This was followed by an uppercut, a knee strike to his chest, and
then another uppercut that sent him flying off his feet and to the floor.
Dazed, Ranma looked up to see Kuroryu suddenly reappear with a
smirk on his face.
"Bet you didn't... see that coming, did you?" he snickered.
Ranma simply growled as he picked himself up, momentarily
thinking of the irony of the role-reversal he was in. "I don't know
what's worse, your cheap shots or your jokes."
"Told you there was no rules, kid. Why don't you go home to
Mommy if you don't want to play with the big boys?"
Ranma growled again and fell back into a fighting stance. "Shut up
and fight." With that, he charged his opponent and was able to take the
offensive for a moment, staying in close and throwing a couple of
punches that managed to connect. Unfortunately, he made the mistake
of letting Kuroryu get away from him and pull the same trick as before,
leaping up, disappearing suddenly, and sending Ranma to the ground
with several crosses to the face.
Kuroryu chuckled as he looked down at Ranma. "Now this is more
like it. You on the ground at my feet and recognizing my superiority."
He paused for a moment to think. "You know? I think after I'm
through with you, I'll go pay a visit to that girl who was with you. What
was her name? Akane? I just gotta get me a piece of that ass."
This caused Ranma to both snap out of his daze and just plain snap
as he suddenly shot up and gut-checked the Thai fighter in the stomach,
sending him into one of the ring posts. With an angry cry of "KACHU
TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!", he launched a series of rapid-fire
punches into his opponent's stomach, not letting up for a second. At
least until Kuroryu shot his leg up to Ranma's groin, causing him to
cease his attack and bend over in pain. The crowd winced in sympathy
as Kuroryu then simply punched Ranma ferociously in the face,
sending him flying back into his corner by Ranko and Ukyo.
"That'll teach you! Don't you *ever* touch me like that, again!"
Kuroryu snarled, the anger visible on his face.
"Touchy guy, isn't he?" Ukyo quipped as she tried to get Ranma to
stay down. "Sit down, Ranma. You're in no condition to fight
anymore."
"Ucchan's right, bro," Ranko agreed, and then started to climb the
steps herself. "Let me handle him. He's going to pay for that crack
about Akane."
Ranma, however, immediately shoved her back. "He's mine, sis.
You can have what's left after I'm through with him."
Ranko turned to glare at her brother. "Will you listen to reason for
once? Ucchan's right, you're in no shape to fight anymore. And if
laughing boy over there pulls that disappearing act of his again, he may
just finish you." She blinked as she finally took account of what she
was saying. *Boy, listen to me!*
Ranma simply continued to get up to continue the fight. Part of him,
though, knew that Ranko was right. He ached all over, his face was
bruised, and he could feel blood trickling down from his nose and the
corner of his mouth. And if Kuroryu did manage to catch him off
guard again, he was finished. He growled in frustration. If only it
wasn't so dark in the gym, maybe he could be able to see the stupid
jerk a little better.
He blinked in surprise and realization. "Dark in the gym..." he
muttered, and then took a look at Kuroryu, who was waiting for him.
His eyes widened and he grinned as he figured it out. "That's it!"
Ranko and Ukyo looked at him in surprise. "Huh? What's it?"
Ranko asked.
"You'll see," Ranma smirked, then ran back into the ring. Ranko and
Ukyo just looked at each other with concern as the crowd cheered.
Kuroryu seemed surprised to see Ranma come back. "Back for
more? I'd figured you would've given up by now."
Ranma just smirked. "Ha! We Saotomes don't know the meaning
of the word 'quit'." He paused for a moment to think. "Well, except for
my old man, but he's another story."
"Whatever." Kuroryu dropped in a stance, getting ready to attack.
"In a sense, I'm glad. I can kick your ass some more and go home
happy."
Ranma simply smirked. "In your dreams, jerk." He then launched
himself into attack, throwing a couple of punches and kicks that
Kuroryu easily blocked.
Ukyo frowned as she watched. "Something's wrong. He should've
known that wouldn't have done anything."
Ranko nodded, but didn't say anything. If she knew her male self
like she thought she did, he had something planned. She hoped that,
whatever it was, it would work.
Kuroryu looked bored as he and Ranma continued to trade blows.
"You know? This is getting old, real fast. It's time to finish you off."
He leapt away from Ranma, and with a grin yelled out, "Time for you to
feel my ultimate technique... SUPER KURORYU HA!!!"
Once more, he disappeared from sight, and the crowd tensed for yet
another beating from nowhere.
Ranma, however, simply grinned. "Gotcha!" he cried, and his hands
suddenly glowed with ki. Instead of throwing a ki-blast, however, he
quickly slammed his fists together, causing a huge burst of light that
filled the gym, illuminating it completely.
And showed a surprised Akira Kuroryu coming down from
hangtime to attack Ranma. "What the--?!" he cried out in shock.
And that was all he got to say before Ranma suddenly shouted out,
"YAKITORI GATAME!", launching himself up into a one arm, hand-
stand high kick that connected with the bottom of Kuroryu's jaw.
Ranma immediately followed up with a mid-air roundhouse kick to the
chest that sent the Thai fighter flying through the air and out the gym
window. A moment later, everyone heard a crash and a splash from
outside.
When Ranma finally landed to the ground, the crowd erupted with
cheers for the obvious winner. Ranko and Ukyo quickly climbed into
the ring to congratulate him.
"Way to go, bro!" Ranko cried. "Knew you wouldn't let me down!
Ranma Saotome never loses!"
"Yeah!" Ukyo agreed, but her grin faded as a questioning look
appeared on her face. "But how did you figure out--?"
Ranma simply smirked. "You notice how dark the gym was before I
lit it up, anyway" At the girls' nod, he continued, "I figured that
Kuroryu must've had something to do with it. With those black clothes
of his, he could easily become invisible in the shadows and strike while
I wasted time looking for him. That's why he couldn't use it when we
first met. We were outdoors and in broad daylight."
"So all you had to do was light up the gym!" Ranko concluded with
a Genma-like grin. "Yep, he's my brother, alright!"
Ranma nodded in agreement, but the celebration was quickly
brought to a halt when someone cried out, "Hey, that kickboxer guy is
gone!"
The trio in the ring turned to the boy's direction. "What?! Are you
sure?!" Ranma shouted. At the affirmitive nod, he and the girls leapt
out the ring and pushed their way outside. They then ran to the only
obvious place Kuroryu could've landed: the water fountain in the rear
grounds by the gym, which laid smashed up in pieces, water gushing up
everywhere.
Ranma looked around the remains and frowned. "What the--? He
*is* gone."
"Not all of him," Ranko replied, and held up a black shirt and shorts,
along with a still-tied-up doo rag and hand wrapping that was now
unraveled.
Ranma took a look at the clothing and frowned again. "Those're his
clothes, alright. Except he's not in them."
"Don't tell me he's running around naked," Ukyo wondered with a
wince. Sure, the guy was good looking, but his attitude was a turn-off.
But still, why would--?
Ranma suddenly realized something. "Hey, this water's ice-cold,
right?"
"Yeah, so?" Ranko replied with a frown. Then she quickly realized
what her brother was talking about. "You don't think--?"
The trio didn't say anything as they quickly left the school, looking
for two people. Kuroryu... and Akane.
* * *
Akane stalked through the streets, taking the long route home.
Which, for her, was just about all over the Furinkan area. This was so
she could work off her frustration and anger, and going on a long walk
was better than breaking bricks in the dojo. It was less painful for her
hand, anyway, and Auntie Saotome had been *very* persistent in
recommending this new type of therapy.
She just couldn't believe Ranma. Maybe it was a bit of a stretch
thinking that Ranma's life would change to the point of no new enemies
with a grudge showing up to settle the score. But that didn't mean that
Ranma had to accept the first challenge that came his way. It just made
her so mad at how much of the old Ranma was still there, buried under
the new one with just enough room to surface again. Akane just
grunted about the whole thing again and kept walking, but gave him a
wish of luck in the back of her head.
A few steps later, a sudden noise stopped Akane in both her
thoughts and her walking. If she didn't know better, she could swear
that it was barking mixed with a bit of growling. She looked about,
trying to locate the source, until finally she looked behind her and
down, and her face lit up with what she found.
It was a puppy, an adorable little terrier with black fur, save for an
odd bald spot on the top of its head that went down the back. It just
seemed to radiate cuteness, despite the bald spot and the fact that its
lips were pulled back in a growl that seemed to be directed towards
Akane. However, she couldn't help but think that even the growling
was cute, given the pup's size.
"Well, hello, there," she said in a voice that she usually reserved for
P-Chan, approaching the puppy who backed away slightly. "Where did
you come from? Are you lost? You don't look like a street dog."
Her soft spot for little animals overriding her common sense, Akane
reached out to pick up the little dog. It tried to evade her, but she
proved to be faster and was able to catch it. She grabbed it in a tight
hug against her bosom, totally oblivious to the fact that it was trying to
squirm out of her embrace.
"Well, you don't deserve to be on the streets. So why don't I take
you to a nice home?" Akane asked in her 'P-Chan' voice, already on her
way to the Dojo. "And maybe you can get a nice hot bath to clean you
up."
The dog suddenly began to panic, and increased its efforts to get
away from its captor. Akane held on, though, her strength keeping her
grip tight and preventing escape, still oblivious to the escape attempts.
* * *
Ranma ran into the house, followed by Ranko and Ukyo. Their
actions caused Nodoka to lean her head out of the kitchen. She
frowned disapprovingly when she saw the three teens.
"What are you three doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" she
asked as she walked towards them. "And Ranma, were you fighting?"
she added when she saw her son's bruised face.
"Sorry, Mom," Ranma gasped as he caught his breath. Behind him,
Ranko and Ukyo were also wheezing. "But we had a slight problem.
Have you seen Akane?"
It was then that Kasumi came out of the kitchen and joined them.
"She came in just a few minutes ago. She had this cute little puppy
with her, too."
Next to her, Nodoka shook her head and gave a disapproving click
of the tongue. It had been bad enough Akane had also skipped school,
but she had also brought a strange animal home with her, as well. She'd
had a talk with the girl about that after first meeting P-Chan, but Akane
had obviously not learned her lesson.
Ranma took a moment to look back at Ranko and Ukyo, then turned
back to the two other women. "Where is she now?"
"In the bath, I think," Kasumi replied thoughtfully. "She said she
was going to give the puppy a bath, and--"
The reply was brought to a halt by a loud, female shriek. "EEEEK!
PERVERT!!!" Following that was loud smashing sound, like heavy
wood impacting with a human skull.
"Never mind, Kasumi," Ranma sighed as they all rushed to the
bathroom. Getting ahead of the others, he went in first and found
Akane standing by the bathtub in nothing but her birthday suit over a
prone figure, mallet firmly in hand. Her body was tense as she seethed
with anger, her face red from both her anger and embarrassment.
Trying to avoid looking directly at her, Ranma shouted out, "Akane!
What happened?!"
"Duh! I think we can guess," Ranko snorted dryly from behind him.
Hearing Ranma's voice snapped Akane back to reality and she
turned to look at the new arrivals. Seeing him there, her embarrassment
and anger grew further faster than it took most people to blink. A
second later after that, it was Ranma who was laying unconscious on
the floor from an Akane-Mallet-Shot.
"Ranma!" she shouted. "Don't look at me, you pervert!"
"Ahhh! Don't hit me! Don't hit me!" Ranko yelled, reflexsively
falling on her butt with her arms raised in what many knew was a futile
attempt to protect herself. After a long moment of waiting for the
mallet to hit, Ranko suddenly realized something. It didn't come. She
looked from behind her arms to see a seething Akane instead being
comforted by Kasumi and Nodoka.
"Chill out, Ran-chan," Ukyo said. "Akane's not gonna hit another
girl for seeing her naked."
"I'm a--" Ranko started to reply back, but then realized something.
Ukyo was right.
"*YES!*" she shouted as she pumped her fist. "I ain't gonna get hit
no more!" She went into a dream-like state as relief and happiness
filled her at the prospect of no more clobbering and pain on her person.
So why did a part of her feel a bit disturbed at the idea, as well?
A sudden groan made everyone (who was still conscious, anyway)
turn their attention back to the bathtub. They all watched as Akira
Kuroryu, glaring at the gathered group, start to pick himself up from the
floor. He was wet, naked, incredibly angry...
And bald.
* * *
"Man, I can't believe you were actually dumb enough to go to
Jusenkyo," a now-conscious Ranma said a few minutes later as
everyone gathered in the living room. He shook his head at Kuroryu,
who glared back at him. All while ignoring the glare Akane gave him as
she sat next to Ranma, a little closer than usual, some noticed.
"Well if you had just lost back then like you were supposed to, I
wouldn't have had to. I'd also still have my hair, too."
"He had hair?" Ranko asked her brother.
"Um, yeah," Ranma replied sheepishly. "Full head of it, cut into this
really stupid style, too. Looked like some kind of cheesy video game
character. I kinda burned it away when I hit him with the burst of ki
back then." He let out a nervous chuckle at the Thai fighter glared at
him further.
"Okay, this is gonna sound like a dumb question, but shouldn't it
have grown back by now?" a confused Ukyo asked.
"I keep shaving it off," the Thai fighter replied. "Keeps me focused.
Reminds me that I have to kick Saotome's ass. As long as I'm bald, I'll
just keep getting stronger." (2)
"This guy needs some serious help," Ranko muttered to Ukyo, who
nodded in agreement.
"Why'd you even go to that place at all, young man?" Nodoka asked,
trying to break the tension.
"I was following his trail," Kuroryu replied, nodding his head
towards Ranma. "I did some checking around and figured out where he
had trained, and decided to do a little of my own in those places to see
if I could figure out how to beat him."
"Not a bad idea," Ranko admitted. That explained how Kuroryu
trained in the Bakusai Tenketsu, as he had been all the way to China.
Probably had observed some Chinese Amazons training in it, then tried
to teach himself, with minimal success.
There was one thing, however, that still puzzled her. "But how'd you
get cursed? I'd heard that all the springs were pretty much destroyed."
"A good deal of them were messed up, but a few have been restored.
I found that out when I was training, jumping around the poles when I
landed on a weak one and it broke. I fell in a spring, and the next thing
I know, I'm small and covered in fur with a flea problem. And all that
stupid guide can say is 'Oh, too bad. You fall in Spring of Drowned
Cute Puppy. Very tragic story...', blah, blah, blah."
"Um, what other springs were restored?" Ranko asked curiously. If
she was lucky...
Kuroryu snorted and shrugged. "Don't know. Soon as that idiot
explained to me that I could change back with hot water, I beat the crap
out of him and left. And ever since, this stupid curse has been a pain in
the butt."
"Tell me about it..." Ranko muttered, too silently for anyone to hear.
"Well, at least its not too bad," Kasumi said, trying to be helpful.
"You're so cute in your puppy form--"
The Thai fighter interrupted her by leaping to his feet in anger and
shouting, "CUTE!? I *hate* cute! I'm a fighter! I'm not supposed to
be cute! I'm supposed to be mean and tough! Not have stupid girls like
her picking me up and talking to me like I'm a baby!" He finished by
pointing to Akane.
"Excuse me?!" the youngest Tendo, who had been silent up until
then, cried.
"You heard me, you little tease! You enjoy going around taking
animals home to play with? You sure seem to enjoy taking off your
clothes in front of guys you don't know."
"I thought you were a dog, you pervert!"
Kuroryu simply snorted. "Yeah, I'll bet. What's wrong? You can't
get any so you have to--"
He didn't get to finish, as Akane sent him flying through the roof by
via one of her uppercuts. "Pervert!" she shouted, not caring if he heard
her or not as he sailed away.
Ranko looked up through the hole in the roof, watching the Thai
fighter fly away. She grinned. "Well, I guess we won't see him for
awhile, huh?"
"Yeah, but he'll probably be back," Ranma noted, trying to decide
whether or not to approach Akane, who stood and seethed with anger.
"I think he's the least of your worries," Nodoka said. "There's still a
matter of you children skipping school."
The four teens began to sweat nervously.
* * *
Kuroryu growled to himself as he remained still in his hiding place.
Saotome would pay, that was for sure. That Akane chick would pay,
too. He'd show her her place as soon as he was finished with Saotome.
Then she'd know better than to think that she could stand up to a man's
authority.
But at the moment, he had other worries.
"Jean-Pierre! Where are you, Jean-Pierre?! Mommy Azusa still has
to give you a bath!" The overly-cute girl in the frilly pink dress who had
found him ran by, cluelessly looking around without seeing him before
moving on, crying out the name she had given him.
The bald-headed puppy growled again as he watched the girl dash
off, and began to claw at the pink ribbon around his neck to try and get
it off again. Oh, yes. Saotome would pay.
Just as soon as he found some hot water.
End of Part 5
(1) I have nothing against the World Wrestling Federation. I am in
fact a fan and regular watcher (RIP, Owen Hart). It just seemed
appropriate for someone like Ranma to say or think. If I really wanted
to make fun of pro-wrestling, I'd do it to WCW.
(2) The line was inspired by a scene from "Fatal Fury: The Motion
Picture", where Geese Howard is training and unleashes a powerful
move. He then points to a scar on his chest, saying "So long as this
wound remains unhealed, my power will only continue to grow." It
seemed to work in explaining why Kuroryu's hair hadn't grown back,
so I adapted it for the story.
Well, I got this one done a lot faster than I thought I would. Guess I
was just in a writing mood. Probably also helped that I started work on
this in advance, and did some work on it when I was stuck on other
chapters. Let's just hope I have the same luck with the next part.
Yeah, I know that this doesn't really have much to do with the main
subject of the story. But keep in mind that Takahashi would always
shift the story from Ranma's curse and romantic problems to a new
enemy for him to fight. And given that he had been away from the
Dojo in-between parts 2 and 3, it'd be pretty obvious he'd run into
someone and piss them off enough that they'd come after him. What
else would you expect from Ranma? Don't worry, though. Ranko'll get
her fair share of new enemies, just not for awhile, yet.
The character of Akira Kuroryu had several evolutions, from a super-
strong character with Ranma's speed, Ryoga's strength, and Kuno's
attitude (had to drop it so he wouldn't be impossible to beat), to what he
is in the story. Yes, he comes off a little sexist, but that's part of his
"charm" and yet a good reason for people to hate him. The bald thing
came from another character I had created for this story but dropped, so
I used it with this jerk. Just another reason for him to hate Ranma, as
well as the Jusenkyo curse.
I'd like to thank all my pre-readers for helping me out with this fic,
Darren, Alain, Archive, and Andy. I'd also like to thank and welcome
my newest pre-reader, James Blackney, a regular reader and supporter
of this little project. Welcome aboard, James. And thanks. As for
those who didn't reply back to me, as usual, sorry and better luck next
time.
Next up in "Double or Nothing", Shampoo returns, and things just
get more interesting. How will Ranma deal with her? What about
Cologne and Mousse? And how will Akane fare against Shampoo in
their first real fight? Find out in part 6, available soon from Stoner 3:17
(I hope).
From: "Jeremy Mullin" <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Double or Nothing part 6
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 6: Washing the Shampoo Out of Our Hair
Ranko was already late for work at the Ucchan, having gotten into
yet another argument with her mother over how she was dressed, when
she was glomped by a familiar purple blur.
"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo cried as she and the red-head crashed to
the ground by the force of the Amazon's charging hug. "Happy to see
Shampoo, yes?!"
"Sh-Sh-Shamp-p-poo!" Ranko stuttered in a way she hadn't used
since the Amazon's first arrival in Japan. "Wh-what are you doing
here?"
Shampoo happily, totally oblivious to the fear in her 'airen's' face
and voice. "Just get back yesterday. Great-grandma say we have to, or
lose business. Oh, Ranma..." Shampoo squeezed Ranko harder,
pressing their bodies tighter together. "Shampoo so worried we no find
you, but you right here! Shampoo so happy!"
Ranko didn't say anything in reply. She couldn't, as she was trying
to free herself from the embrace, both to get away from Shampoo and
so that she could breathe.
"Here, Ranma," Shampoo continued, oblivious to the Ranko's
struggles as she reached behind her and pulled out a kettle. A hot,
steaming kettle. "You change back so you can take Shampoo to date.
We have to pick up where leave off..."
It wasn't the suggestion, or the obvious innuendo behind it, but the
very sight of the kettle that gave Ranko the strength to finally free
herself from the embrace. "I'dlovetohangoutwithyouShampoobutIgotta
gobye!" she blurted out before taking off in a cloud of dust. She
figured that she must have broke speed records before finally reaching
the Ucchan and entering inside.
"Where have you been?!" a rather impatient Ukyo asked from
behind the grill. As much as Ranko was her friend, she was still the
boss and had a business to run. She then noticed the other girl's state
and calmed down somewhat. "Hey, you okay?"
Ranko could only nod at first, as she was trying to catch her breath.
"I... I'm okay..." she eventually managed to gasp out. "Had a... had a..."
"Ranma!" Shampoo suddenly cried from behind her. She was
*very* angry, not yet glowing with blue battle aura, but getting there.
Ranko cried out in terror as she leapt away from the door and
towards Ukyo, who had leapt over the grill with her combat spatula in
hand. "What do you want, you hussy?!" the okonomiyaki chef shouted,
now having an idea why Ranko was late. Her anger was further fueled
by the now empty restaurant, the patrons fleeing to get out of the way
of the brewing fight.
Ignoring Ukyo, Shampoo instead focused her attention on Ranko,
who had put herself behind the okonomiyaki chef. "Ranma better have
good explanation for being with stupid Spatula Girl instead of with
Shampoo where belong."
"Ran-chan does not belong to you!" Ukyo shouted. "And for your
information, she happens to work here! Now beat it before I bash your
skull in!"
The Amazon let out a slight 'tsk' of regret. "Poor Ranma. Shampoo
be happy to let you have old job back at Nekohanten. Better food, for
one thing, and get to be with pretty Shampoo instead of ugly Spatula
Girl. You come now." She reached to take Ranko's hand, but was
halted by Ukyo's spatula blocking the way.
"I'm warning you..."
Now Shampoo glared at her rival. "Spatula Girl must be eager to be
beat up," she said, falling into a attack stance. With a smirk, she added,
"Shampoo more than happy to help."
The two girls were about ready to leap at other for one of their cat-
fights when...
"Hey, sis! Mom wanted me to tell you..."
The three girls turned to the door at the sound of the voice to see
Ranma, with Akane beside him, standing in the entranceway of
Ucchan's. Ukyo's and Ranko's faces both took on looks of relief and
worry, while Shampoo went completely into shock, her eyes bugged
out and her gaze shifting back and forth between and Ranma and
Ranko.
Ranma and Akane, meanwhile, looked on with surprise and interest.
"Oh, boy," Akane sighed. "Here we go."
A grin suddenly spread across Ranma's face. "Gee, are we
interrupting something here?"
Ranko glared at him, Ukyo matching it. "Funny, bro. Real funny,"
she growled.
"Huh?! Wha--?!" Shampoo gasped, her gaze still going back and
forth to Ranma and Ranko. "What going on?! Why there two
Ranmas?!" After a moment's pause to ponder on a sudden thought, she
added, "And which one Shampoo get?"
After everyone frowned at her, Akane replied, "Sit down, Shampoo.
This could take a while..."
"...and that's pretty much what happened, Shampoo."
Half an hour later, the group finished telling Shampoo what had
happened to Ranma the night of their date. Or part of it, anyway.
"Let see if Shampoo have this right," Shampoo said after taking all
the information in. "Ranma cured by Instant Nanniichuan and
lightning strike, but have no memory of what happen?"
"That's right, Shampoo," Akane replied as she took a bite of the
okonomiyaki Ukyo had whipped up as the story was told. "That's what
we think, anyway."
"And this Ranma sister?" Shampoo added, taking a close look at
Ranko, who tried her best not to shirk away nervously. That didn't stop
her from letting a nervous grin spread across her face, a nervous
chuckle escape her lips.
"Y-yeah, that's me," she stammered in reply. "I'm Ranko."
The Amazon's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You look awful lot like
girl-type Ranma."
Ranko's nervousness left as she felt anger rise up within her. "Well,
of course I do! I'm his sister! We're twins! Why shouldn't we look
alike?!"
"She has a good point, granddaughter," a familiar voice said from
Ranko's right. Everyone except for Shampoo turned in surprise to see
Cologne, staff and all, standing in the spot in-between Ranma and
Ranko.
"The old ghoul!" Ranko cried out in shock. She got a whap on the
head from Akane in response and would have glared back at her, but
sheepishly said nothing when she remembered her cover.
Ranma, however, had no such reservations. "YAAH!!! It's a dried-
up old mummy!!!"
He got a cane-shot to the head in response. "Who are you calling a
mummy?!"
"Nihao, Great-Grandma! When you get here?" Shampoo asked.
"Just a moment ago, child," the ancient Amazon replied. "Just in
time to hear the tail-end of your story." She turned to Ranma, who was
rubbing his head as he glared at her. "So, Son-in-law, you've finally
been cured of your curse, eh? And lost your memory of the past year in
the process?"
"Yeah, that's right," Ranma replied sorely. "So what?"
"So now Ranma can marry Shampoo!" the purple-haired Amazon
replied as she grabbed Ranma in a fierce hug.
"WHAT?!" Akane and Ranma yelled at the same time.
"No way!" Ranma quickly added.
"Aw, c'mon, bro," Ranko said in a sort of soothingness. She
gestured towards Shampoo. "Who wouldn't want to marry a girl like
that?"
"Whose side are you on?!" Akane asked testily, glaring at the red-
head. Ranko shirked away nervously in response.
"And just what makes you think I'm going to marry her, anyway?!"
Ranma asked, trying to keep Shampoo away from him.
The young Amazon suddenly took on her evil grin. "Because it
Shampoo who help cure Ranma. Ranma get Instant Nanniichuan from
Shampoo, so Ranma owe Shampoo." She smiled smugly as she
ignored the glares from the others, who knew she had a point. It was
one of the things they were afraid of.
"And besides, for all you know, Son-in-law, Shampoo is your true
fiancee and these three are simply stringing you along," Cologne added,
gesturing towards Akane, Ranko, and Ukyo. The three girls in question
glared at her in response.
Ranma simply smirked in response. "Yeah, right. I've read my
journal and know all about you two. And your little tricks to get me to
marry Shampoo. Nice try."
Shampoo let go of Ranma and frowned at him. "You going to regret
saying that, Ranma," she said. And before anyone could stop her, she
pulled out a glass of water and poured it over her head. Almost
instantaneously, the beautiful young Amazon disappeared and was
replaced by a small, pink-furred cat with purple highlights that began to
hiss and yowl at Ranma.
"YAAAAHHHH!!!" came a familiar cry, but not from Ranma.
Everyone turned to see Ranko cringing on her seat, trying to get away
from the feline.
"What are you worried about? You never went through that stupid
training," Ukyo whispered annoyingly, trying not to attract attention
from Cologne.
Ranko continued to squirm for a few more moments before
whispering back, "Sorry, old habit. Besides, there's still something
there, just not so bad."
Ukyo just sighed and shook her head. This whole split was getting
more and more confusing by the minute.
"Hey," Akane said suddenly. "Isn't it a little too quiet in here?"
The other two girls looked at her in confusion before realizing that
she was right. Under normal circumstances, Ranma should have been
running around screaming his head off with Shampoo right behind him.
However, it was amazingly silent. Noticing Cologne staring at
Ranma's seat in shock, they turned in that direction and were shocked
to see him still sitting there, just staring at Shampoo without moving or
saying anything.
"Ranma?" a concerned Akane asked. She waved her hand in front
of Ranma's face. "Ranma, are you okay?"
For a moment, there was no response. Then Ranma did something
that shocked them all. Moving like a hypnosis victim, he leaned
forward, reached out with his hand, and began to pet the little cat on the
head. "Nice kitty..." he said in a slow, almost droning voice. As
various eyes bugged out at him in shock, he turned and looked at
Cologne, a grin on his face.
"Nice try..." he said in that same droning voice. "But that doesn't
work anymore..."
A collective face-fault, even from Cologne on her staff, rang
throughout the restaurant. Akane was the first to recover with a cry of
"You mean you're cured of *that* too?!"
Ranma simply nodded in response, still petting Shampoo, who was
starting to enjoy the attention. He finally stopped when Akane grabbed
his hand away, allowing Cologne to pour a kettle of hot water on her
great-granddaughter to change her back. Ranma still continued to stare
off into space, even as a now-naked Shampoo stood before him. It
wasn't until Akane smacked on the back of his head that he finally
snapped out of it. By then, Shampoo was already behind a nearby
planter, putting her clothes back on.
"Um, sorry," he said sheepishly as he came to.
"Well, that was unexpected," Cologne said, almost a bit
disappointingly. There went one way to control Ranma... On the other
hand, at least she no longer had to worry about facing the Nekoken ever
again.
"Ranma, how did you..." Akane began, but was interrupted by
Ranma.
"While I was training with the monk, he found out about my fear
of... cats. After I explained about the Nekoken training, he decided to
help me overcome my fear. A little meditation therapy and hypnotism
later, what you saw was the best he could come up with."
"So I guess that means you can't use the Cat-fist anymore either,
huh?" Ranko asked. Ranma simply shook his head in reply, not at all
one bit regretful about it.
"I'm almost happy for you, Son-in-law," Cologne said. "But that
changes nothing. You still must marry Shampoo in accordance with
our Amazon law."
Ranma snorted. "Lady, your stupid law ain't even legal here in
Japan. And I don't even remember beating Shampoo, so how're you
going to force me to marry her? Not that I'd ever marry her in the first
place."
Everyone in the room gasped in shock at Ranma, for different
reasons. Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko were surprised that he had the guts
to actually stand up to the two Amazons, and so casually at that.
Shampoo and Cologne were also surprised at that, but also angry as
well. No male ever dared to defy the Amazons like that. And such
defiance was always... taken care of.
However, neither of them had the chance to do anything themselves,
as Ranma had to suddenly move out of the way of a hail of daggers that
imbedded themselves into the stool he had been sitting on. Everyone
turned to see a familiar robed figure standing in the doorway, the light
reflecting off of his glasses.
"Ranma Saotome..." Mousse growled under his breath. "It was bad
enough you tried to take my Shampoo away from me, and even lead
her on for a year. But to now just toss her aside like a pair of old
shoes...?! DIE!!!"
He launched forward in attack, this time on target as he charged at
Ranma without problem. He continued to attack, launching weapon
after weapon as Ranma dodged and wheeved out of the way.
"Hey, I thought you'd be happy!"
"Just shut up and die!" Mousse cried as he pressed on with his
attack, forcing Ranma back through the main dining area and into the
back. A crash was heard as they went through the back door and
outside.
Ukyo let out a long sigh. "There goes the peace and quiet." She
reached for the phone to call the repairmen as Ranko gave her a
sympathetic pat on the back.
"Honestly," Akane snorted in disgust. "Can't he go for one minute
without--" She never got a chance to finish as she suddenly had to
duck from a bonbori strike that would have taken her head off had it
connected.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" she cried as she glared at the
offending Amazon, who merely smirked in response.
"Tomboy pervert girl still obstacle in way of Shampoo's marriage to
Ranma. Time to get rid of once and for all."
Akane seethed with anger for a moment. She'd had enough. "All
right. You want a fight? You got it! But let's make things more
interesting! Loser has to give up Ranma for good!"
Shampoo didn't even think twice before nodding. "Fine by
Shampoo. Is no fault silly girl have death wish."
Akane glared at the Amazon before adding, "Oh, and no Kiss of
Death if I win. You give up Ranma and that's it."
"Still fine with Shampoo," the Amazon said with a shrug. "Akane
no win, anyway." Akane just let out another growl in reply.
"Wait a second, Akane," Ranko said cautiously. "You sure you
want to do this? I mean, I don't think you're ready to take on someone
like Shampoo."
Rather than glare at the red-head and rant about her martial arts
abilities, Akane instead replied, "I've had it with her, Ranko. I'm going
to take care of her once and for all." To herself, she grudgingly added,
"I'm going to try, anyway."
"Take it outside, you two," Ukyo quickly said, pointing to the door
while still on the phone.
"Shampoo, I'd be careful," Cologne whispered to her great-
granddaughter as they went outside. "I suspect that the Tendo girl has
been doing some training over the summer months. Her aura seems
stronger than before. And I haven't exactly seen you do any serious
training lately."
"No worry, great-grandmama," Shampoo replied confidently with a
wave of her hand. "Stupid pervert girl still no match for Shampoo."
With that, she fell into a ready position as Akane did the same, both
girls facing each other on the front walk outside of Ucchan's. A few
people walking by took a quick notice before shrugging and moving
on. Just another normal day in Nerima, they figured.
Shampoo and Akane continued to stare each other down for another
moment, until, finally, Akane made the first move and charged
forward. Shampoo did the same, but not as quickly or enthusiastically.
Still smirking, she lashed out a kick at Akane's head. The smirk fell
when Akane ducked the kick and threw a punch at Shampoo's mid-
section, followed by a kick of her own that sent the Amazon flying into
a nearby lamppost.
Shampoo sat there for a moment in surprise, until finally looking up
at Akane, who was now the one smirking. "Surprised, Shampoo? I've
been busy over the summer."
The Amazon continued to stare for a long moment before looking
over to her great-grandmother who had an "I-told-you-so" look on her
face. She then turned back to Akane and growled viciously. "Lucky
shot," she spat. "And stupid girl only get one."
With that, she charged forward again, and the battle continued.
* * *
Ranma did several backflips to avoid the daggers that Mousse
launched at him, one after another, just barely doing so as they
embedded themselves into the rooftop where he had just previously
been. After finally running out of rooftop, he then had to leap into the
air to the next one, and then continue leaping and dodging to avoid the
various chain-attached spears, swords, daggers, yo-yos, and other items
being thrown at him.
"Will you knock it off, already?!" he shouted as he moved his head
to avoid a shuriken thrown at his face. "I already told you I ain't got no
interest in Shampoo! Settle down and let's talk about this!"
Mousse simply snorted in response. "Don't think that I'll be tricked
by you, Saotome! I'll make you pay for all you've done to me! And to
my precious Shampoo!"
With that, he launched a whole bunch of weapons from his sleeves
at Ranma. Frowning, Ranma charged forward, dodging weapons all
the way, until he finally reached the Hidden-Weapons Master and
punched him in the gut. He followed with a high roundhouse kick that
sent Mousse flying and crashing into a nearby chimney.
"There," Ranma said with satisfaction. Taking a moment to notice
that, in the fight, he got a tear in his tunic, he began to walk towards his
fallen opponent, who was starting to get back up. "Now, maybe we can
talk this out."
Mousse, however, began to laugh. "No chance, Saotome. Talk is
cheap in these matters. Even if you don't want Shampoo, the only thing
that'll clear the path to her heart is your demise." He then got to his feet
fully and raised his head to face Ranma, pushing his glasses up on his
face. "Besides, you haven't seen my new finishing move, yet."
At those words, Ranma immediately fell back into a defensive
position, readying himself for whatever Mousse could throw at him.
And with someone like Mousse, that literally meant anything.
With a grin on his face, Mousse stood straight and tall, his arms
raised up into the air. "My newest, strongest technique in the art of
Hidden-Weapons fighting, one that I made especially for you!" He
leapt into the air. "Prepare for the dreaded... RAIN OF SWORDS!!!"
He swung his arms in front of him, and immediately launched a
large succession of swords down at Ranma. The attack lived up to its
name, as the blades came down like raindrops, one after the other,
striking the rooftop and not giving Ranma much room to dodge and
avoid. He found himself having to strike out at numerous blades to
keep them from hitting him, even though several did, but just grazing
along his arms, legs, and back. If he wasn't careful, though, he'd wind
up with worse.
Mousse grinned maliciously as he watched Ranma try to avoid his
attack, but knew it was futile. He'd come up with attack especially with
Ranma in mind. An attack that came at all sides, impossible to defend
or even counter against. It was only a matter of time before Saotome
was finished, and Shampoo was his.
His eyes widened and his heart soared as he saw several blades
finally hit home, striking Ranma in several places in his torso. With a
triumphant cry of "Yes!", he ceased his attack and came back down to
the ground. He ran over to inspect the body, the idea of taking it back
as proof of his victory running through his head...
Only to find a tunic laying on the ground with several swords pining
it to the roof. And no Ranma in it. He didn't have time to react as he
suddenly felt a kick impact into his back.
"Okay, trying to kill me is one thing," Ranma growled, "but that was
my favorite shirt!" He watched as Mousse fell face first to the roof and
skidded across several feet. "This means war!"
"Why you--!" Mousse growled, but wound up getting a mouth of
gravel as Ranma suddenly landed on his back, holding his head down
with one hand and grabbing his hands with the other. Try as he might,
Mousse couldn't get free.
"There," Ranma said with a grin. "Maybe now we can talk."
Mousse simply growled in response as he tried to wiggle his way
out of Ranma's firm grip.
"Now look... There ain't nothing between me and Shampoo. I don't
want nothing to do with her, and as far as I can tell, I never have.
Anything she may tell you is most likely bull. And I'm sure you know
that."
Mousse finally stopped struggling. He was too shocked to continue
after hearing Ranma's words. He was so... different. "Are... are you
serious?"
Ranma nodded, letting go of Mousse. "Dead serious. She's all
yours." Under his breath he added, "Though I don't know why..."
Unfortunately, he apparently wasn't quiet enough. "I heard that!"
Mousse cried as he began to launch another attack at Ranma, who
dodged and had to subdue the Chinese boy again.
"Didn't we just get over this?" he asked exasperatedly. "Look, if I
let go, will you just listen and not attack me?"
Mousse seemed to fume for a moment before he replied, "Alright.
But say one wrong thing about my Shampoo..."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Ranma let go of Mousse, and the two
boys faced each other, exchanging glares. After an intense silence,
Ranma finally spoke.
"Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but just what is it you see in her,
anyway? She treats you like dirt, plays with your emotions, and tries to
make time with some other guy, namely me. And she does all these
dirty tricks to get me to marry her. So just what is it about her that you
just find so appealing?"
Mousse continued to glare at Ranma, keeping down the urge to lash
out him for his words against Shampoo, before he finally responded. "I
don't expect you to understand, Saotome. I agree Shampoo is all that,
and maybe then some, but she does have some good points. She's loyal
to those she loves, as I'm sure you know..."
"Don't remind me," Ranma said with a scowl.
"And she's also one of the finest warriors in our village. Or, at least
she was until you showed up that day." Mousse quickly continued
under Ranma's now-deeper scowl. "Many may despise her, but many
more also admire her."
"And then there's you," Ranma pointed out.
Mousse nodded with a sigh. "I've been in love with her for as long
as I can remember, but she thinks that I'm too weak to make a worthy
husband for her. And nothing I do seems to please her."
"Call me a kook, but I doubt anything will." Ranma took a breath as
he leaned against a chimney, his arms folded across his chest. "Look,
Mousse, I'm not telling you to give up, but maybe you ought to think
this over a bit. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be
married to a woman like that."
For the first time since their meeting, Mousse actually smiled, more
like smirked, at Ranma. "What about Akane?"
"She's different," Ranma quickly replied with a snort and a glare.
"She may have her downpoints, but at least she doesn't use people to
get what she wants."
Mousse nodded sagely, recalling what he knew about the Tendo girl.
But before he could say anything in reply, something that sounded like
a body crashing to the ground caused them to turn their heads back
towards the way they had come. Their eyes widened when they saw a
cloud of dust rise up into the air.
"Isn't that the Nekohanten back there?" Ranma asked in concern.
Mousse nodded again, and watched as Ranma immediately took off
back in that direction. Mousse started to follow, but stopped after a
couple of steps. Ranma's words echoed in his head for a long moment,
and he pondered them.
Could Saotome be right? Was Shampoo really worth all that trouble
he had put himself through?
Unable to find an answer, he followed after Ranma back to the
Nekohanten, but still thinking about his conversation with Ranma.
* * *
Akane ducked under another bon-bori thrust aimed at her head.
Going down further, she swept Shampoo's legs, which almost worked
until the Amazon caught her bearings and did a backflip away from
Akane. Once back on her feet, she threw an amazed glare at the
smirking Tendo girl.
"Aiyah! When Akane get so good all of sudden?"
Akane's smirk spread further. "Well, while you were going off
chasing Ranma, I spent my summer training. And thanks to Ranma's
sister moving in, I had a regular sparring partner." Taking a moment to
think, she decided to add insult to injury. "Heck, I'll bet I did more
training over the summer than you did all year."
As Shampoo fumed at her opponent, Cologne shook her head in
dismay. "It's true, I'm afraid. Shampoo's spent more of her spare time
when not working at the cafe chasing after Son-in-law than on her own
training. Not exactly a good example of an Amazon, let me tell you."
Shampoo let out an angry growl as she continued to glare at her
rival. "Akane can train all she want. You still no beat Shampoo!"
With that, the Amazon lunged forward to resume attacking, rapidly
throwing out bon-bori strikes at Akane, who was no longer smiling in
any sort of way and was trying desperately to defend herself against
Shampoo's attacks. Part of her knew that Shampoo was right; she may
have done some training over the summer, but Shampoo had been
training almost all her life. While not close to Ranma's league, the
Amazon girl was still better, and it probably wouldn't be long before
she got the upper hand. And, even worse, maybe the victory.
But Akane pressed on, determined to win. She had to win. For
herself. And... for Ranma...
As if summoned by Akane's thoughts, the pony-tailed boy appeared,
with Mousse not too far behind. Leaping off the rooftops, he landed
down on the sidewalk next to Ranko, Ukyo, and Cologne. His eyes
widened as he saw the battle taking place.
"Akane!" he cried, then began to rush forward towards the two girls.
He didn't get far, however, as he suddenly fell flat on his face. He
turned and glared at the one who had tripped him, which turned out to
be Cologne, using her staff.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!"
"Sorry, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, almost apologetically as she
raised her staff back to it's upright position. "But this is a personal
battle between my granddaughter and the Tendo girl. I don't think they
would like it if you interfered." With a smirk, she added, "Besides, it's
against Amazon law for anyone to interfere in a battle of this personal
magnitude, especially the one who is the prize."
Ranma continued to glare at the old woman, and was about to say
something in reply when Ranko placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hate
to say it, bro, but she's right. And I know Akane wouldn't want you
butting in." It was then that Ranma noticed the bruise on his sister's
cheek. He quickly got an idea of what she was talking about.
Beside them, Ukyo nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Like it or not, we
got to let them finish it themselves." Mousse mirrored Ukyo's nod,
remaining silent as he watched the fight.
So the four teens and the old Amazon then turned back to watch the
fight, each with a concerned, and hopeful, look on their faces.
Akane and Shampoo, meanwhile, continued to trade blows with
each, neither girl willing to back down and submit to her opponent.
Shampoo tried another swipe with her bon-bori aimed at Akane's mid-
section that the Tendo girl just barely eased away from in time. In
response, she ducked down and did a sweep of the Amazon's legs that
sent her off her feet for a moment before she corrected herself and
flipped back upright. She let out a snort of frustration as she glared at
the smirking Tendo girl before lunging forward to attack again. This
gave Akane even more of an advantage, as Shampoo's anger now made
her sloppy and her attacks easy to counter and defend against.
Shampoo threw her bon-bori forward in an attempt to strike Akane
in the chest, but she evaded it and grabbed Shampoo's arm. With a spin
on her heel, Akane pulled the Amazon off her feet and threw her
through the air to crash into a group of garbage cans that stood on the
curb.
"Got you now, Shampoo!" Akane cried with high confidence as she
charged forward so that she could finish it. Slightly dazed, Shampoo
barely heard the battle-cry, and only just shook the cobwebs out in time
to see her opponent right on her.
Unfortunately for Akane, that was more than enough time for
Shampoo to grab some sludge from the garbage and throw it into her
face, right in the eyes. Akane was forced back away as she clenched
her eyes shut to try and block out the burning sensation in them.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Ranma cried from the sidelines. Ukyo and
Ranko growled in agreement, their bodies tensing as though they were
preparing to gang up on the Amazon.
"This from someone who practices a fighting style called 'Anything-
Goes Martial Arts'?" Cologne asked mockingly, a smirk spread across
her face. "Besides, all's fair in love and war, Son-in-law. Hope you've
brushed up on your Chinese."
Ranma could only growl in response, knowing that he could do
nothing without the old woman interfering in some way. All he could
do was stand-by and watch as Akane now appeared to lose.
Back on the battle field, Akane let out several grunts of pain with
each punch and kick that Shampoo threw at her. A strike to the chin
sent her flying back and into a lamp pole, where she slid to the ground
unceremoniously on her rear. Through her daze, she could hear
Shampoo's mocking words and the Amazon now slowly approached
her, confident in her stride to make the final blow.
Tears began to well up in Akane's eyes, and not from the sludge that
Shampoo had thrown at her. She was upset and angry with herself.
Being on the winning edge against Shampoo made her confident and
sure of herself, and she had let that go to her head and gotten sloppy
because of it. She forgot that Shampoo had more experience and
training than her, and that was used to full advantage against her.
And now, she would lose.
*NO!* she thought bitterly. *I can't lose! Not now! I've worked so
hard, come too far to lose now! I can't lose! I can't! Not in front of...
in front of...*
*Ranma...*
An image of his face came to her mind, a smile spread across his
face that seemed all smug and cocky, but at the same time, warm and
gentle as well. She remembered all the times they'd had, all their
adventures, all the times they had come to each other's aid. With each
memory came a warm feeling that was quite familiar, but now stronger
than before.
She could feel her confidence building again. She could do it. She
could win. As she felt her energy rise, one particular memory came to
mind. One where Ranma had explained to her how his old ki-blast
technique worked.
'You take a certain emotion, one you're really familiar with. You
focus on nothing but that, letting it build and build until it hits this peak
where you just have to force it out at your opponent through your
hands.'
Could she do it? She shook all doubt away and focused on the task.
She would do it. She would defeat Shampoo.
She would do it... For Ranma...
Shampoo, meanwhile, had now halted a few feet away from the
still-sitting Akane, smirking down at her. "Silly Akane think she can
take on Shampoo after only few months of training? Ha! You need
whole lifetime do that. And no have that, either." She raised one of her
bon-bori and pulled it back behind her in a position to strike.
"Shampoo wait long time for this. Akane is obstacle. And obstacle... is
for killing!"
With that, Shampoo leapt forward, her bon-bori lashing out to strike.
"NO!" Ranma and Ranko cried as one, and both ran out to save
Akane. They just barely evaded Cologne's attempt to paralyze them
with pressure points as they dashed forward.
Shampoo was just inches away from Akane, ready to make the final
blow that would forever clear the path to her beloved Ranma, when she
finally noticed Akane glowing with ki-energy. Her surprise went
straight to shock when she saw a ball of similar energy forming
between the Tendo girl's cupped hands. Like she was forming a--
"What the--?!"
"FUSHICHO KAGAYAKI HA!" Akane cried as she thrust her
hands forward at Shampoo. A bright burst of energy shot out, striking
the Amazon and sending her flying backward. She landed rather a bit
unceremoniously onto the ground, bouncing a few times before finally
coming to a stop.
The spectators on the side, after lowering their arms that they had
used to block out the brightness of the flash, gawked in surprise at what
they had just seen. "What the--?! Akane used a ki-blast?!" Ukyo cried.
"Guess I trained her better than I thought," Ranko muttered to
herself with pride. She didn't notice the frowning look that Cologne
was giving her.
"I wouldn't call it a blast," Ranma noted. "It was more like a small
burst of energy, all brightness and just a little force. Like a firecracker
or something." He took a look at the downed Shampoo, who was
struggling to get back up. "Still pretty affective, though."
Shampoo, meanwhile, was now back on her feet, a little worse for
wear. Worst of all, she had trouble seeing; that blast had been *bright*.
Akane would pay for sure, now. "Shampoo... not... finished... yet..."
she gasped out.
"Oh, yes you ARE!" Akane cried as she used her remaining strength
to dash forward and deliver a punch across Shampoo's jaw. The
Amazon swaggered a bit before falling to the ground, completely out
cold.
A long moment of silence passed while everyone took in what they
had seen. After a couple of eye-blinks, Akane was the first to break the
silence by whispering, "I... I did it..." A smile of pride swept across her
face and she jumped into the air. "I DID IT!!!"
Similar cries of joy rang out as Ranma, Ranko, and Ukyo ran out to
Akane, while Mousse and Cologne ran to Shampoo. Hugs and words
of joyful congratulations were the order as the teens celebrated.
"Way to go, Akane!" Ukyo cheered. "Never thought I'd ever see
you do that!"
"Me, neither!" Ranko agreed. "I figured it would take you years
before you even got close to doing that." She shirked sheepishly under
the glares from the others.
"Good work, Akane," Ranma said as he helped the girl stay steady
on her feet. She gladly accepted the help.
"Thanks!" Akane replied happily. "I couldn't have done it without
you." Not noticing the confused glances, she grabbed both Ranma and
Ranko into tight hugs and continued, "I was just so determined to win
the fight, and I just kept thinking about all we've been through... And
how you were always there for me..."
A blush was now spreading across her cheeks, as was Ranma's.
Ranko's face was also red, either also from embarrassment or from a bit
of anger she felt as she glared at her brother. Ukyo simply smirked at
the scene, trying to keep down a giggle.
"Shampoo! Please, wake up, Shampoo!" Everyone turned to the
group of Chinese to see Mousse with Shampoo in his arms, trying to
get her to wake up. Feeling the eyes of the others on him, he returned
to the gaze, and began to glare at Akane. "I swear, Akane Tendo, if
you've hurt my Shampoo..."
"Oh, calm down, idiot," Cologne said as she whacked him on the
head with her staff. "Shampoo is an Amazon. She's taken much
worse than this."
Shampoo then suddenly groaned, then slowly came to. Seeing that
she was in Mousse's arms, she quickly shoved him away as best she
could and struggled to get to her feet. It was her turn to glare at Akane
as she staggered over to the other group.
"Shampoo... no finished... yet..." she growled. "Fight... on..."
Ranma and Ranko immediately jumped in front of the tired Akane,
forming a shield between her and Shampoo. Fortunately for them, the
young Amazon suddenly slumped over unconscious into the arms of
her great-grandmother, the victim of a shiatsu technique.
"Sorry, granddaughter," Cologne sighed. "But you've been beaten
this time, and are in no condition to continue, I'm afraid. Time to go
lick our wounds and fight another day."
Shampoo gave no reply other than a few breaths of exhausted sleep.
"We'll be going now, too," Ranma said. He gave a careful look to
Cologne. "I can trust we can expect no more trouble from you?"
"Now where would the fun be in that?" Cologne replied. At the
scowls she received from the young ones, she added, "Well, no more
than usual, anyway. See you around, Ranma. Especially you, young
Ranko."
With that, the three Chinese began the trip back to their restaurant,
Shampoo refusing help from Mousse, and leaving a confused foursome
behind to stare after them.
"What was that all about?" Ranko asked.
"Who knows, who cares? They're finally out of our hair, so let's
just be happy with that," Ranma replied. He turned to Akane and
smiled. "C'mon, let's see if we can get Dr. Tofu to fix you up."
Akane nodded, returning the smile and accepting Ranma's offer of
support as they made their way towards the clinic.
"C'mon, Ran-chan. We got a restaurant to run," Ukyo said as she
started to walk back towards the Ucchan. As she reached the door, she
noticed that Ranko wasn't behind her. She turned to see the red-head
still standing in the street, watching Ranma and Akane walk off with a
scowl on her face.
"Hey! You coming or what?!" Ukyo called irritably.
Ranko's head turned to look at her boss with a start, then back to the
departees. "Yeah, sure," she grumbled, then walked back to join Ukyo
to begin the business day.
* * *
"Shampoo still no can believe she lose to Akane!" Shampoo
grumbled again as Cologne tended to her wounds. "Now Shampoo
never marry Ranma and return to China!"
"Cease your whining! You're an Amazon, so stop behaving like a
spoiled child!" Cologne snapped. "Besides, this solves nothing. We'll
find another way to win you your rightful husband. And there is also
another way to redeem your honor."
Shampoo turned to her great-grandmother in surprise. "What you
mean?"
"I'll explain later. Right now you need to recuperate. And after
that, you need to start training again. If you had not been so lax in it,
you would not have been defeated. And you may need it for the task
ahead. Now off to bed with you." Cologne watched as her great-
granddaughter slowly and carefully made her way upstairs to their
living quarters, then turned to the young man standing in the corner.
"Mousse! While Shampoo recuperates and trains, you will have to
pull double duty here in the restaurant. So get your good-for-nothing
butt to work!"
To her surprise, instead of griping and moaning like he usually did,
Mousse simply nodded and replied, "Yes, ma'am." With that, he
began his duties.
Cologne blinked in surprise. Mousse usually put up more of a fuss
than this. He didn't even gripe about how he should have to take care
of Shampoo. "Are you feeling alright, boy?" she asked with a
suspicious frown.
"I'm fine," was all Mousse replied. In his head, he added, *Not that
you care...* After the old ghoul shrugged and hopped away, he began
to think again on Ranma's words. And whether or not Shampoo really
worth it all.
End of Part 6...
This has definitely been my shortest chapter yet in the whole series.
Wonder if that's a good thing or a bad one? It also may the last one
you'll see for awhile. I'm now attending University this fall, and my
studies will have to come first. I'll still write and work on this series, as
well as maybe some other projects I've had in mind, just not as often as
I used to. So please be patient with. And wish me luck!
This chapter was needed, since of course, a confrontation with
Shampoo is a necessary evil in continuation fics. Fortunately, it all
seemed to turn out okay in the end. Or has it? Have to wait and see,
won't we?
Some may think Ranma's got too much of a backbone here. Keep
in mind, though, that this is the pre-Jusenkyo Ranma, plus he knows
from his journal what Shampoo is like. So he knows what to expect.
The talk with Mousse is a bit of a stretch, I know, but remember his
training with the monk and he could very well now have some common
sense.
Also, I can't really explain why I had Ranma get over his fear of
cats, other than it seemed to work and take away an edge Shampoo had
over him. The way he reacts, aside from suggestions from my pre-
readers, was inspired by Dave Eddy's "Nekophobia", where Shampoo
transfers her curse to Akane in order to win Ranma over (go read it!).
The way Ranma handled himself around the feline-Akane was so good
that I recalled it and borrowed it for my story. My hopes to Mr. Eddy
in that he doesn't mind.
Now to answer a question before it's asked: why give Akane a ki-
blast? Aside from the fact that it works in the surprise factor (yes, I did
plan it in advance), it shows how far she's progressed in her training.
She can already generate ki, so it was already a matter of time before
she learned how to project it. At least I made it just a burst of energy
and not a full-out blast, showing that she still has some steps to reach. I
also didn't make it based off her anger, like most fics do. The way it
came out is based off an issue of a "Street Fighter II" manga that came
out awhile back, in a scene where Chun-Li figures out how to throw a
fireball and uses it to defeat Vega. As for how it looks? Picture Chun-
Li's super-fireball move in "Street Fighter Alpha" (only a bit toned
down and more on the blast concept) and you'll get the idea.
No glossary this time. Couldn't find something that needed to be
explained. Maybe next time.
Thanks to all my pre-readers, Darren, Alain, Archive, Andy, and
newcomer Godsend777 for all your help. Even if you didn't get back to
me with a reply, your continued help is appreciated. Keep up the good
work, guys!
Keep an eye out for part 7. Ryoga finally makes his debut, but what
will happen when he runs into Ranma and Ranko? Be patient and I'll
try to get it out when I can. Until then...
From: "Jeremy Mullin" <stoner317@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Double or Nothing Part 7
Stoner 3:17 Presents
Double or Nothing
A "Ranma 1/2" Fanfiction Series
Written by Jeremy Mullin (stoner317@hotmail.com)
"Ranma 1/2" characters and situations created by Rumiko
Takahashi. All rights reserved, used without permission. Please don't
sue, I have no money.
PART 7: Enter the Eternal Lost... Pervert?!
Ranma turned and looked at Kasumi in surprise. "I got a letter in
the mail? From Ryoga Hibiki?!"
"That's right," Kasumi said with a smile as she handed him the
letter. "It's so nice that you two are such good friends, isn't it?"
"Yeah, all my friends want to fight me over bread," he grumbled in
reply as he tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out to read it.
"So... what does he say?" Akane asked cautiously. She had a good
idea of the answer, and was a little afraid of it. If Ryoga were to meet
Ranma now, he would most likely have the advantage and use every bit
of it.
Ranma didn't reply at first as he read the letter, then again before he
frowned in annoyance. "I don't believe this! He wants to challenge me
to a fight!"
"What's the matter, Ranma?" Nabiki asked with a smirk. "Afraid
he'll beat you?"
"No, I can't get what he needs to fight me for," Ranma replied.
"Like it's my fault his life isn't going good. Other than the bread, which
wasn't that good to begin with, anyway, I've never done anything to
him."
Ranko looked over at her brother with a smile. "Well, c'mon. I
mean, you should know about Ryoga, right?"
Ranma frowned and nodded. "Oh, yeah. I know all about him."
Ranko's smile fell as she heard this. She suddenly had a bad feeling
of what could happen should Ryoga show up for the fight.
Akane observed the interaction between the twins, trying to figure
out what was the cause of the sudden tension between them. Unable to
figure it out, she gave up and instead looked over Ranma's shoulder at
the letter. She frowned a little bit as she read it herself. "Um, Ranma?
This challenge was set for two days ago."
Ranma snorted. "That's probably when he found the mailbox to
mail this thing. That guy couldn't find a trashcan he was standing right
next to without getting lost. I'll bet you right now he's stopped by some
road somewhere and asking..."
"Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me where the Tendo Dojo or
Furinkan High School is?"
The farmer stared confusingly at the haggard-looking young man
with the bandanna and heavy backpack who had stopped him on his
way to the market, asking for directions. "Didn't I just see you five
minutes ago, boy?"
His cow let out a "moo" in response.
* * *
(One week later...)
Ryoga Hibiki trudged his way down the street, a scowl on his face.
He was quite a sight, slightly dirty from all of his back roads traveling
and bent over from the weight of his pack and the present he was
bringing for Akane. He ignored the people who quickly moved out of
the way to avoid him, some even hustling their children out of the way
a little more quickly than others. He had other things to worry about
than what other people thought of him.
A week. It had taken him a whole week to find his way back to
Tokyo. And the whole time, he kept going in the wrong direction, no
thanks to people who couldn't give good directions. Not that he was
any better at following them, but those people could have at least been
a bit more helpful.
But it would all pay off in the end. Oh, yes. As soon as he found
the Tendo Dojo, and Ranma, they would settle things once and for all.
He would have his revenge, and Ranma would be lying broken at his
feet.
And Akane... Akane... The very thought of the girl brought a warm
feeling to his heart. Her smiling image entered his mind, bringing him
a rare moment of peace...
One that was shattered when someone accidentally collided with
him, sending him flat on his back to the ground. To add insult to
injury, he was practically run over as a pair of running feet impacted on
his body, the final step sending his face into the sidewalk.
"Whoops! Sorry, buddy, but I'm in a hurry!"
Ryoga growled as he began to pick himself up. Stupid pedestrians.
Why couldn't they watch where they were going, instead of always
causing accidents because they were "in a hurry"? If that had been
Ranma, Ryoga would show that girl the meaning of the word "sorry".
Wait a minute... A sudden thought entered Ryoga's head. He had
only gotten a quick glimpse, but didn't that girl have red hair? He
quickly turned to where the girl was headed away from him, and, sure
enough, she had red hair.
Which was tied into a long pig-tail that went straight down her back.
A nasty grin spread across Ryoga's face. Perhaps this was his lucky
day after all...
Having a rare moment where his sense of direction *didn't* fail him,
he ran down the street, following his target. Once he got close enough,
he drew his umbrella from its place on the top of his pack, and leapt
into the air.
"RANMA! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"
The girl stopped in her tracks as she heard the battle, then turned
around and looked up. Unfortunately for Ryoga, this allowed her to
quickly leap out of the way as he came crashing down onto the
sidewalk, smashing a small crater into the spot where she had been
standing. After the dust settled down, he stood to his feet and faced off
against his long-time rival.
"So, Ranma, long time, no see." An evil grin was spread across
Ryoga's face as he noticed that Ranma-chan actually had a worried
look on her face. He was getting luckier and luckier by the minute.
And her response made his day even more. "Er, I'm, uh, sorry,
mister," she stammered, "but I think you have me confused with
someone else."
Ryoga frowned and snorted. "Yeah, right. You think I'm stupid or
something, Ranma? If you think that disguise is going to fool me,
you're nuts. All that outfit and hairstyle does is make you look more
like a girl." He put emphasis on the last word, almost as though he
were sneering it out.
Now it was Ranma-chan's turn to frown as she *glared* at Ryoga
with a fury that was almost on par with Akane's. And Ryoga had seen
it enough times to know what that was like. "Listen, pal, I'm warning
you..."
"Ooooh, I'm scared," Ryoga sneered mockingly. He then got
serious. "But I'm tired of standing around and talking. Let's finish this.
NOW!"
With that, he lunged forward to attack, swinging his umbrella at
Ranma-chan, who dodged easily. Cursing himself for forgetting that
Ranma was faster in female form, he continued his pursuit as the girl
tried to get away. He wasn't about to let that happen, and he was able
to catch up and continue his attack. Or try to, anyway, since Ranma-
chan was able to dodge each swipe, thrust, and stab with ease.
"Hold still, damn you!" he snarled in frustration. What made it even
worse was that she wasn't fighting back, only dodging his attacks. Not
that he minded, but he at least was expecting something more of a fight.
"What? And let you hit me?" Ranma-chan gasped as she leaned
away from a jab aimed for her face. "No thanks!"
"That's the idea!" Ryoga shouted back and he continued. It went on
like that for awhile, Ryoga attacking and Ranma dodging, even as they
rushed through a crowd of people who ignored the combatants. They
finally stopped when they came to a wall that Ryoga cornered Ranma
at. His grin returned as he approached her with his umbrella pointing
straight at her, her back pressed against the wall.
"Here's where it ends, Ranma. After all this time, I'll finally have
my revenge. And I can say I did it without having you lay one hand on
me."
Through her gasping for breath, Ranma-chan had a slight grin on her
face. This, of course, made Ryoga a little miffed. His rival's cockiness
never seemed to end, even in defeat.
"This ain't over, yet, pal" she gasped out. "And you know what? I
can still win without even having to throw a single punch at you."
Ryoga just about had to hold his breath to keep from bursting out
laughing. "Oh, really? And just how do you plan to do that?"
Ranma-chan's grin spread further as she replied, "I didn't want to do
this, but you've left me no choice. Saotome Anything-Goes Attack,
Maken Dokoku Ha (1), revised..." She then took a deep breath, and...
"EEEEK!!! HELP! THIS GUY'S ATTACKING ME AND GOING
TO DO UNSPEAKABLE THINGS TO ME! HELLLP!!!"
This, of course, drew the attention of every bystander in the area,
who suddenly gathered around a surprised Ryoga in a typical mob-type
fashion. Martial artist battles were one thing. Attacks on innocent
young girls, however, where another. Especially when the girl was as
cute as Ranma-chan.
"You hear that? He attacked that girl!"
"The fiend!"
"I always knew those martial artists were trouble!"
"And he's cute, too! Why's it always the cute ones?!"
"GET 'IM!"
Ryoga suddenly became very worried. "No! Wait! I--" He didn't
get much further chance to explain as the crowd came down on him,
dispensing the proper justice upon him.
Unbeknownst to the mob, Ryoga's "victim" had snuck away during
all the commotion. Despite the disgust she felt with herself for doing
that, Ranko couldn't help but grin. She hated to throw a fight,
especially in the way that she had, but she grudgingly knew that there
was no real way that she could've taken on Ryoga. Besides, the
opportunity was just too good to pass up. Sometimes being a girl did
come in handy.
Too bad it didn't help her when she was late getting back to
Ucchan's from her lunch break.
* * *
Ryoga cursed Ranma again as he trudged his way down the street,
leaning on to the walking stick for support. He may have had
incredible endurance, thanks to both years of endless traveling and the
Bakusai Tenketsu training with Cologne, but even that wasn't enough
against a mob of angry people. At that moment, he was aching in pain
all over, which was only rivaled by the latest anger he felt for Ranma.
He didn't know what he hated the most, the fact that Ranma had
sunk so low to get out of a fight or that he could use his cursed form in
such ways that Ryoga couldn't. Best he could do was with girls who
were suckers for anything that was cute, and sometimes even that was
too much for him. Little black pigs weren't of much use for rallying
entire mobs of people against someone. And the fact that Ryoga had
*been* that someone made him hate Ranma even more.
*Just you wait, Ranma,* he thought to himself as he continued his
way. *Soon as I find you as a guy, you won't be so lucky. Then I'll--*
"Whoops! Sorry, buddy," he suddenly heard as he felt someone
bump into him, almost throwing him off balance and to the ground.
Ryoga was about to just tell the guy off and go on his way when he saw
who had bumped into him.
Ranma. In male form. And dressed in Japanese-style clothes with
his hair in a ponytail rather than a pig one. And looking at him with the
same surprise that Ryoga was suddenly feeling.
The feeling didn't last, though, as a mean pride swelled up in him.
He also suddenly felt his aches and pains go away.
"Found you again, Ranma," he sneered as he threw his walking stick
away.
"Ryoga Hibiki," Ranma replied, a frown replacing the surprised
look on his face. "It's been awhile."
Ryoga snorted as he reached for his umbrella again. "Some while.
It was just about an hour ago. You must have a short memory."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Last time I saw you was
junior high. I'd qualify that as a long time."
Ryoga blinked as he suddenly felt confused. Something wasn't
right. Why was Ranma acting like they hadn't seen each other since
their old school days? And then there was the way Ranma was dressed.
He shook his head. It was probably just some trick to throw him
off, just like before. But still...
"Look, Ryoga," Ranma began suddenly, startling Ryoga out of his
reverie. "I ain't got no beef with you. You were the one who was late
for the fight over bread that tasted lousy, anyway. Anything else you
*think* I did to you is probably your own stupid fault. So why don't
you just do me a favor and get lost." He grinned at the little pun he
made.
Now Ryoga was mad. Really mad. He now knew for sure that
Ranma was toying with him and making fun of him again like usual.
Bad enough he was acting like they hadn't seen each other in years, but
to treat their feud like something that could be brushed aside like dust
on a table? And to not take responsibility for his actions?
That would not do. That would not do, at all.
"I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play with me,
Ranma," he growled, "but it won't work this time. You've done plenty
to me over the years to make my life a living hell! And what you did to
me not too long ago..." He tightened the grip on his umbrella, almost to
the point of breaking it in his hand.
Ranma frowned questionably. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Ryoga simply glared at Ranma in reply. "Enough talk! I'm going to
settle this once and for all! DIE, RANMA!!!"
With that, Ryoga charged forward, his umbrella swinging to strike
down at Ranma. Unfortunately, he missed, as the ponytailed boy leapt
out of the way. Undaunted, Ryoga continued to rush Ranma, attacking
with his umbrella while his hated enemy continued to leap and dodge
about.
"Dammit, Ryoga! Cut it out!" Ranma yelled as they continued
down the streets. He crossed his arms to block an attempted kick to his
mid-section. "Somebody's gonna get hurt if we keep this up!"
"Yeah! You!" Ryoga snarled back. "That's the idea!"
A bitter growl escaped Ranma's lips as he just barely dodged an
umbrella-jab to his head. "What'd I ever do to you, anyway?!"
"Shut up! Don't play dumb with me, Ranma! It won't save you this
time! I'll have my revenge for everything you've ever done to me! And
to Akane, as well!" Ryoga brought his umbrella up to it down hammer-
style on Ranma, who shot a kick to Ryoga's chest right through the
opening.
"You leave her out of this, pal," Ranma snarled as Ryoga staggered
back. "Me and Akane have settled our differences. Which is more
than I can say you've ever done."
Ryoga took several moments to catch his breath, gasping from lack
of air due to Ranma's kick. The earlier attack from the mob didn't
exactly help him, any. "Akane's too forgiving a person to really stay
mad at anyone," he smirked. "Not even an uncaring jerk like you. One
of her faults, I hate to admit.
"But one day," he continued, a dreamy look crossing his face, "one
day she'll finally see you for what you truly are. And I'll be there, to
comfort her in her time of need..."
He sighed as he began to envision the scene: Akane, her eyes wet
from crying, staring up at Ryoga with love and affection as he held her
in his arms, returning her look as he bent down to kiss her...
"Yeah, right," Ranma snorted, snapping Ryoga out of his daydream.
"Like Akane'd ever go for a guy like you? You get lost so much, you'd
never find your way to the first date, let alone the altar. And she
definitely don't go for guys who go around looking for a fight. Besides,
don't you already have a girlfriend or something?"
Ryoga felt something snap. Literally, since he'd just broken his
umbrella handle in half, causing the heavy, top part to fall right on his
foot. He hardly felt the pain, though, thanks to his training. And the
fact that he was becoming very angry.
"How... dare you..." he said in a low voice, his whole body shaking.
"After what you did... you dare to bring Akari into this...? DIE!!!"
He lunged right at Ranma, catching him off-guard as he rammed his
head right into the other boy's stomach knocking him to the ground. He
then jumped up and landed on Ranma's stomach before he had a
chance to get up, and then proceeded to pummel Ranma with punches
into his face, gut, and chest repeatedly, never giving a chance to
counter or fight back.
"You! Won't! Ruin! My! Life! Ever! AGAIN!" he said between
punches. He drew back his fist for one final blow, but unfortunately,
that was all Ranma needed to get himself free by throwing an uppercut
to Ryoga's chin that knocked him off and on to the ground. Ryoga got
up just as Ranma launched his own attack, throwing of flurry of
Amaguriken punches to Ryoga's face and upper body, followed with an
over-the-shoulder throw by taking hold of his shirt. Ryoga felt himself
fly threw the air, then impact with a nearby tree before landing on his
face to the ground.
"Alright, Ryoga," Ranma gasped. "It's over. Go home and leave me
alone, already."
Ryoga, however, chuckled as he got back to his feet. With a bit of
difficulty, of course. "No chance, Ranma. I'm not through, yet. You
haven't seen my new finishing move." He grinned as he saw Ranma
fall into a defensive stance, trying to ready himself for whatever was
coming at him. Like it would do him any good.
At least, that was what Ryoga hoped, anyway.
Shaking all doubt from his mind, Ryoga began to focus his energy,
focusing his depression, his hate, his rage... He felt his body surge with
energy as it flared with battle aura. "It was a mistake to make me
upset, Ranma! Because now... I can unleash my newest, strongest
technique, yet! Take this! SHISHI HOKO-TENKETSU
FUNKASURU!!!"
He raised his fist high into the air, all of his ki focused into it, then
brought it down to strike the ground with all his might. A quick flash
of light flared up upon contact, followed by, a second later, a huge
explosion of bright blue-green ki that erupted from the ground, at the
same causing a small, but powerful tremor within the surrounding
radius. While straining against the explosion to keep himself in place,
Ryoga looked up to see Ranma struggle to keep his footing through the
force of the shockwave. His efforts were futile, though, as the strain,
coupled by the various chucks of debris that went flying at him, striking
him in several places. It was one final, huge chunk of rock that hit him
square in the face that sent him flying through, bouncing off the ground
a few times before landing in a nearby stream.
Though drained from the attack, Ryoga was able to summon enough
strength to run after his hated rival and finish him off with a final blow.
In his battle-crazed state of mind, he was even more enjoyed by the fact
that, thanks to the water from the stream, Ranma was now a girl, and
would be easier to finish off. At long last, he would have what was
his...
Able to find his way to the stream with no problems, thanks to the
rush of adrenaline and the knowledge that victory was in his grasp,
Ryoga leapt into the air just a few feet away to come down on Ranma,
who was picking him, or rather herself, up. "Get ready to meet your
end, Ran--HUH?!" He was cut off in total surprise as he got a good
look at Ranma and took notice of one simple fact.
Though standing soaking wet in the cold stream, Ranma was still a
guy.
"Wh-wha-WHAT?!?!" was all Ryoga was able to cry out in
surprise, not even noticing an angry Ranma leap past him and land a
kick to his back, sending him straight down to the water. He didn't
even take real notice of the fact that he was sinking thanks to the
weight of his pack, the only thought on his mind being, *How...?*
"Take that you jerk!" Ranma snarled as he watched Ryoga hit the
water from where he had landed on the shore. He held his aching ribs
as he glared down at the water where Ryoga had fallen in. Bad enough
the jerk had attacked him while he had been on his way home from
work, but now he was also soaking wet in addition to the bruises and
cuts he had received. How Akane wound up being friends with a guy
like Ryoga he couldn't figure out.
A few minutes later, though, Ranma's anger changed to concern
when Ryoga didn't come back up. Tough as he was, even the lost boy
couldn't stay down there for too long. "Hey, Ryoga! You comin' back
up or what?" When he got no reply of any sort, not even a bunch of
bubbles breaking the surface, he realized that something was seriously
wrong and jumped back into the stream after his old classmate.
A moment later, Ranma came back up with the results of his search:
Ryoga's clothes, as well as his backpack (which Ranma had to strain to
carry to shore, since it was so damn heavy). But no Ryoga. Not even a
bandanna or two.
"Where the heck did he go?" he wondered aloud. He took a glance
in the direction the stream was going. Rather quickly too, he noticed.
"Aw, man. I hope that idiot didn't get taken downstream," he
grumbled, not noticing a little black shape on the shore sneaking away
from him.
* * *
Akane smiled as she walked around the neighborhood, just enjoying
the early evening weather. The evenings had become so much more
enjoyable now that the weather was finally cooling off, the heat of
summer finally a thing of the past. Wanting some time to herself to
enjoy it, she decided to take a walk, just by herself. She had thought
about inviting Ranma or Ranko to join her, but Ranma hadn't come
home from work yet and Ranko was busy working out in the dojo.
Again. Just as well, she figured. This way, she could enjoy herself
without having to hear those two bicker constantly.
She was approaching the Dojo when she heard a familiar snort. One
she hadn't heard in quite awhile. Not since the wedding disaster, in
fact. She looked around for the source, and finally found it, a little
black pig with a yellow bandanna wrapped around his neck, trudging
around with what appeared to be a scowl on his face. Even so, Akane
couldn't help but feel joy at the sight of the little animal.
"P-chan!" she cried as she rushed over to her pet. The pig looked up
at the sound of his name, and immediately brightened up at the sight of
Akane. He bounded over to meet her, leaping into her arms and
squealing happily as he snuggled into her embrace.
"Oh, P-chan! Where have you been, you naughty pig?" Akane
cooed. "So much has been happened since you were gone." She then
took a closer look at the little animal, and her eyes widened as she
noticed that P-chan looked a little banged up. It didn't seem like
anything too serious, just a few bumps and little bruises, but Akane still
couldn't help but gasp.
"P-chan, what happened? Did someone beat you up?" At the pig's
nod, she continued, "Well, let's get you home and fix you right up?
Okay?" As P-chan replied by snuggled closer to her--right up against
her bosom, in fact--Akane dashed into the house to give aid to her pet.
Akane's first stop, after announcing her arrival to whoever was
home, was to the hall closet to get the first-aid kit so she could patch up
P-chan's wounds. On her way there, she passed by the family room,
where she noticed out of the corner of her eye someone was sitting at
the low table. Another quick look saw that he had beaten her to the kit,
and was using it himself. Akane's eyes widened when she saw who it
was.
"Ranma!" she cried as she dashed over to the low table to kneel
down next to him. The scowling boy, already sporting some bandages
on his arms and face, was applying some anti-septic to a cut on his
elbow. Or trying to, anyway. As she set P-chan down on the table, she
didn't notice the little pig scowling at Ranma. "What happened?!"
"I ran into an old friend," was all Ranma said in reply as he
continued to try and properly apply the anti-septic. He let out a growl
of frustration as he missed and the clear liquid dribbled down his skin.
Akane sighed and shook her head. "Here, let me," she said, taking
the bottle and brush from Ranma. As she began to apply the anti-
septic, she added in a bitter tone, "I don't suppose you were fighting
with Ryoga again, were you?" On the table, P-chan smirked and let out
a series of squeals that sounded like a sing-song "Now you're gonna get
it!".
"Hey, it wasn't my fault! He started it!" Ranma replied defensively.
"I was just minding my own business when he came outta no where
and attacked me. Stupid jerk didn't even seem to care that he was
destroying property and could've hurt someone while he was fighting
me. Like as long as I got beat up, so what?"
Akane sighed as she applied a bandage to the cut. "As much as I
hate to admit it, you have a point." Not noticing P-chan's squeal of
surprise, she added, "He does tend to be pretty straight forward and
focused about things. Sometimes I think he can be as stubborn and pig-
headed as you are."
A smirk spread across Ranma's face. "Gee, thanks." Out of the
corner of his eye, he noticed that P-chan had fallen over on his back, as
if he had fainted dead away.
"There. All done," Akane said as she applied a bandage across the
bridge of his nose. She then leaned back and smiled sheepishly. "So,
uh, are you sure you're okay?"
Ranma nodded, moving his arm around in a circular motion to work
any kinks out. "Yeah. Shoulder's still a little sore, but I think I'll live."
"Well, that's good." She gave him a warm smile that he returned,
both of them blushing slightly.
Unnoticed by either of them, a recovered P-chan watched the two
with wide eyes. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two,
shocked at what was going on. The way Ranma and Akane were
talking and looking at each they almost seemed like a... He couldn't
finish the thought. The little pig then began to tense with anger, a tinge
of red starting to show upon his black fur. He then dashed off of the
table and out of the room, still unnoticed by Ranma and Akane.
"So... how was your day?" Akane asked, trying to strike up some
kind of conversation.
Ranma shrugged, only slightly due to his sore shoulder. "Eh, about
the usual. Nothing real excitin' about working at the docks, but it pays
the bills." It was then that he noticed that something was missing. Or
rather, someone.
"Hey, where'd the pig go?"
Akane turned to the now-bare table. "I don't know. He was here a
second ago." She stood up and called out "P-chan! P-chan, where are
you, sweetie?"
Before Ranma could make a quip of some kind, a scream rang
throughout the house.
"EEEEEEK!!! PERVERT!!!" A series of loud banging and
crashing sounds followed.
"That came from the bathroom!" Akane cried.
"I think Ranko's in there..." Ranma said absent-mindedly before he
and Akane dashed to the bathroom, followed by the rest of their
families. Upon arrival, they threw the door open and found Ranko,
buck-naked and covered with soapsuds (conveniently in all the right
places), repeatedly smashing a stool over a prone male form.
"Take that! And that! And that! And that!" the red-head yelled
with each smash of the stool.
"Ranko! What happened?!" Akane cried out as she grabbed the
other girl's arms to stop her. "You can stop, now! I think you got
him!"
Struggling against Akane, Ranko replied throughout clenched teeth,
"I was sitting here taking a bath when this... this... PERVERT came up
out of the tub and tried to grab me!"
"Well, I'm not sure I approve of how you handled it, but at least you
did react as a girl should in such situations," Nodoka said sagely. In
reply, Ranko turned and gave her mother a scowling look.
"Oh, my... I wonder how the heck he managed to get in here?"
Kasumi asked curiously.
"Perverts have their way, Kasumi," Genma replied sagely, Soun
nodding in agreement.
Nabiki turned and smirked at the two older men. "And of course,
you would know, right?" Her smirk widened to an all-out wicked grin
as she watched the two men squirm sheepishly.
Ranma shook his head, then turned his gaze back to the prone form
on the floor. Taking a good look, he then noticed something unusual
about his sister's attacker. A bandanna wrapped around his head.
Kneeling down next to the boy, he turned him over. "Well, look who it
is," he said with a grin.
Everyone turned their gaze, and a collective gasp rang out.
"Ryoga?!"
* * *
His head hurt. That was very clear to him. It was also dark out, so
much so that he couldn't see anything. How did he get this way?
"So what should we do with him when he wakes up?"
"I'm up for tying him up in a barrel and then dumping him in the
nearest river."
"That's a little extreme, isn't it?"
He tried to recall. He had gone to the bathroom, looking for some
hot water to change back. He'd had some business to settle with
Ranma, not to mention he didn't like the way he and Akane were sitting
so close together.
"I'm sure there's a good reason behind all this. I mean, he's not that
kind of person."
"Get a clue, Akane. We're talking about a guy who picks fights over
bread. How well do you think you know him?"
Those voices he was hearing were starting to get annoying. He'd
found the bath, surprisingly without too much trouble, and jumped in
without hesitation. One quick change from pig to human later, he stood
up, ready to charge out and find Ranma.
Then he noticed a familiar redhead sitting there on a stool, covered
with soapsuds, staring at him in surprise. Ranma, in female form.
How had Ranma gone female and then get to the bath ahead of him?
Had it taken him longer than he'd thought to find the bath? He shook
his head clear of any further stupid questions. It didn't matter how
Ranma had gotten ahead of him. He was there, right in front of him, so
he wouldn't have to search.
So, he did the only natural thing to do.
"Ranma, prepare to die!"
And as he lunged forward, Ranma did something totally unexpected.
She screamed.
"EEEEEEK!!! PERVERT!!!"
And that's when the pain began.
Ryoga decided to open his eyes, to see what was going on.
And saw several angry, scowling faces staring right at him.
"YAAHHH!" he cried, scooting around on the futon he was lying on
as he sat up. He absent-mindedly took notice that he was dressed, but
that wasn't the main thing on his mind. What was was the group that
was assembled around him in the Tendo living room. The Tendos were
looking on with concern, while the Saotomes... The Saotomes were
glaring at him with extreme anger on their faces.
"Ah, the pervert awakes," Ranma-chan said venomously.
"I hope you have a good explanation for your earlier actions in the
bathroom, young man," Nodoka immediately declared, her hand
gripping her sheathed--at the moment, anyway--katana. To her right
was Mr. Saotome, in human form and glaring at Ryoga like he was
going to inflict severe bodily harm on him. The lost boy couldn't help
but gulp in slight fear.
"Gee, Auntie. I thought you didn't mind that kind of behavior,"
Nabiki quipped. "After all, doesn't that show how manly someone is?"
"Not with my daughter, it doesn't," the older woman replied with
clenched teeth.
Ryoga didn't really catch all of the reply, instead focusing on
Ranma-chan. "I don't have to explain myself to any of you," he
snapped. "My business with Ranma is with me and him."
"Then leave my sister out of it, pal," a familiar voice said from
behind him as he felt a hand grab the knot in his bandanna and pull his
head backwards. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm over here."
An at-first irritated Ryoga felt shock register through his body as he
just saw who it was that was bending his head back. Ranma, still
sporting some bandages, and glaring at him with a vengeance. And
sitting right next to a concerned Akane.
Ryoga quickly pulled himself free from Ranma's grip, backed away
in surprise, and began to twist his head back and forth between Ranma
and Ranma-chan, both on opposite sides of him. "Huh--? How--?
Wha--?"
"Real conversationalist, isn't he?" Ranma quipped dryly.
"Leave him alone, Ranma," Akane scolded before turning to Ryoga.
"Ryoga, I'd like you to meet Ranko, Ranma's twin sister. She moved in
with Auntie Saotome over the summer."
"S-sister?" Ryoga stammered, staring closely at the angry-looking
red-head.
"Yeah, that's right," she nodded. "The one you tried to grab, you
pervert!"
Ryoga immediately began to do his other best form of defense, other
than fight blindly: panic. "N-no! I-I mean, I didn't--! I thought--!"
"What? That I was Ranma?" Ranko finished for him in the same
dry tone that Ranma has used earlier. At Ryoga's nodded, she added,
"Well, get into your thick head that I'm... not, okay? Just be lucky that
all I did to you was beat you up. I could've done worse, if you get my
drift."
Ryoga nodded, gulping loudly. He got the idea all too well. A
sudden thought then entered into his mind. "Hey, what about--?"
"What? My curse?" Ranma asked.
Ryoga nodded. "Yeah. How will I know if I come across Ranko
that it'll really be her, and not you playing some kind of trick?"
"No need to worry about that. I ain't cursed anymore."
"W-what?!" Ryoga gasped. As Ranma demonstrated by pouring a
glass of water over his head and still remaining male, Ryoga absently
recalled their earlier fight, when Ranma had fallen into the river and not
changed. "But... but how--?"
"We don't know, Ryoga," Akane replied. If Ryoga had been paying
attention, he would've noticed the slight strain in Akane's voice. "All
we know is that Ranma was somehow cured over the summer, and that
he lost his memory of everything after Jusenkyo in the process."
"R-really?" Ryoga asked, his gaze focusing on Akane. If Ranma no
longer had any memory, then that meant...
"Don't get any funny ideas, pervert," Ranko's bitter voice said
suddenly as it cut into his thoughts. "Just because my bro's lost his
memory doesn't mean you get the right to move in."
"Ranko, stop it," Akane chastised angrily. "Ryoga's not a pervert.
What happened was a misunderstanding."
Ranko smirked at the other girl. "Oh, like the time he invited you
over to his house to see his dog's new puppies? While his folks weren't
even home, if I might add?"
This intensified the glaring in the room, as the Tendos, even
Kasumi, looked none-too-happy at a now-worried Ryoga. "Is this true,
young man?" Soun asked, in a calm manner that was almost scary.
"Er, well, sort of," Ryoga stammered in reply, starting to laugh
nervously. "You see, uh, my parents have the same problems getting
around that I do, and--"
"I see," the Tendo patriarch nodded. Next thing everyone knew, he
was suddenly a giant, demonic-looking head, eyes glowing intensely
and his serpentine-like tongue waving around menacingly. "AND
JUST WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH MY
DAUGHTER, BOY?!" he roared. Ryoga could only scream in reply,
and scramble to try and get away.
"Dad! Relax! Nothing happened! Ryoga's just a friend!" Akane
cried, trying to calm her father down. In the back of her mind,
however, she was starting to question Ryoga's sincerity.
"No! Of course not!" Ryoga quickly agreed. "I'd never do anything
like that to Akane!" He couldn't help but wince at her last statement.
Ranko snorted. "Funny way to say to someone that you're in love
with."
"Quiet you!" Ryoga snarled, lunging towards the red-head. He was
stopped, however, but one simple word said by one very important
voice.
"Ry-Ryoga...?" Akane gasped, along with the others in the room
except for Ranma and Ranko. "You... you're in love with me?"
Ryoga fell back to his seat, looking downcast as his face flushed red
with embarrassment. He gave a simple nod before reaching out to take
Akane's hands in his own. He took a deep breath to try and gather the
courage he needed to say what now had to be said. There was no
backing out.
"Akane Tendo, I-I've been in love with you for almost as long as I
known you. Just about everything I've done, I've done it for you, so
that I could win your heart. I've tried to tell you before, but either I
couldn't do it, or *someone* interfered." He threw a glare to Ranma,
who returned the gesture.
Trying to ignore his rival, Ryoga continued. "Akane, I can't offer
you much, but I know that I can be faithful and true to you if I try.
Please... please say you'll be mine."
"She most certainly will not!" Soun cried, answering for Akane.
"Akane is already pledged to marry Ranma and carry on the Anything-
Goes School of Martial Arts! You knew of this, and yet you still
persued her?! Why I have--!"
"Dad, I can handle this," Akane interrupted. Turning to face Ryoga,
she added, "Ryoga, I'm flattered that you feel this way about me, and
I'm sorry I never noticed before. But... aren't you going out with
Akari?"
"Yeah, I thought she was your girlfriend," Ranko sneered. "Or
were you planning on dating them both, 'Kuno'?" The question caused
everyone to begin frowning at Ryoga again.
Ryoga, however, let out a deep sigh. "I'm... I'm no longer involved
with Akari. We... we broke up."
"Gee, I wonder how that happened?" Ranko asked snidely. "Not
many women like the idea of their men two-timing them, y'know?"
"Shut up, you!" Ryoga growled.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Ryoga," Akane replied. "But, I'm also sorry
that I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me. When I
said you were a friend, I meant that. You're a friend, nothing more.
Besides... there's... already someone that I care about..." She lowered
her head at that last statement, her cheeks taking on a slight pinkish tint.
Everyone stared in surprise at Akane as she said that. Soun and
Genma would have begun dancing about the room, but a look from
Nodoka made them sheepishly remain seated. Kasumi and Nabiki
looked at each other curiously, though Nabiki had a rather unhappy
look on her face. Ranko took a moment to give a slight glare at Ranma,
who didn't notice it as he just stared at Akane and Ryoga.
Ryoga, in fact, was staring down at the floor, looking like the most
dejected person in the world. "I've lost Akane... And Akari..." he said
in a soft voice. Everyone began to back away from him nervously as
he began to start glowing with a blue-green aura. A look of absolute
anger and hatred then crossed his face, and he raised his head to glare at
Ranma. "I don't have anyone now! Ranma! This is all your fault!
Prepare to DIE!!!" With that he lunged towards his longtime enemy,
fist pulled back to attack...
Only to stop as the point of a katana blade that appeared suddenly
right in front of his face. Rather closely, too; another second and it
would have gone right through Ryoga's head. He let out an audible
gulp of relief that he had managed to stop himself in time.
Keeping her katana before Ryoga while kneeling beside her son
where she had leapt to, Nodoka said in a stern voice, "Young man, I
don't know all the details behind your history with my son, but
whatever grievances you have with him are apparently not his fault."
"It-it is, too!" Ryoga cried back as he regained some of his courage.
"He ran out on our man-to-man fight, just like a little coward!"
"I waited three days for you, you jerk!" Ranma shouted in his own
defense. "Not my fault you can't find your own backyard!" (2)
"My son is correct," Nodoka agreed with a nod. "If anyone is at
fault here, Mr. Hibiki, it is you, for failing to appear on time for the
challenge. A challenge that you issued, if I'm not mistaken?"
Ryoga turned away sheepishly, not wanting to admit that she was
right. And no way was he going to try and defy her with that katana
around.
Taking Ryoga's lack of response as an affirmative, Nodoka
continued, "And it is not Ranma's fault that Akane doesn't return your
feelings of affection the way you want her to. And whatever caused
you and her girlfriend to break up is your own fault, not Ranma's. So
unless you wish to dishonor yourself and your family further, I suggest
cease all grievances against my son and declare your feud null.
Otherwise, certain actions will have to be brought forth. Agreed?"
Ryoga hesitated for a long moment, letting out a bitter growl before
hesitantly replying, "I... hereby cease all actions of transgressions
against Ranma Saotome. On my honor as a Hibiki." He quickly turned
to give a fierce gaze at Ranma. "But that doesn't completely end our
rivalry, Ranma. I will defeat you one day, and prove who the better
fighter is."
With a grin, Ranma nodded in reply. "So long as it's just you and
me and everyone else stays out of it, that's fine with me."
"Good," Nodoka nodded in satisfaction. She put her katana away,
then reached behind her and pulled out a tray of cookies. "Now, then,
would anyone like some cookies?" she asked in a Kasumi-like manner.
Everyone promptly face-faulted.
"That's Mom for you," Ranko groaned with her eyes rolled up.
Ranma nodded in agreement with her.
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," Ryoga responded as he got up. "I've
got to go and take care of some... important business." He grinned as
he finished. He not be able to have Akane as himself, but there was
always P-chan...
"Hold on, Ryoga," Ranma said suddenly as he also got up. "I need
to talk to you before you go. Privately." He put emphasis on the last
word, glaring at everyone else in the room, who tried to look innocent.
Not waiting for a response, he grabbed Ryoga in a headlock and
dragged him outside, where he then jumped up to the roof.
Once they were up there, Ryoga freed himself from Ranma's grip,
pushing himself away from his rival. "Alright, Ranma, what is this a--
URK!" He was unable to finish, as Ranma's hand suddenly planted
itself around his throat in a tight grip. Normally, he'd be able to break
away easily, but Ranma's thumb had itself pressed against a certain
pressure point that made that impossible. Especially since it was hard
to breathe.
With a nasty grin, Ranma said, "Alright, now, let's talk... P-chan."
Ryoga let out a gulp. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he
had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.
Now glaring at the lost boy, Ranma continued, "Okay, listen up. I
may have lost my memory, but thanks to my journal, I know all about
how you followed me to China and got cursed. And don't go saying it
was my fault, because you were the one stupid enough to follow me
there in the first place. I also know about how you've been pretending
to be Akane's pet. Well, guess what? That stops here and now.
Otherwise, Akane's gonna find out just how much of a 'friend' you
really are. Got me?"
With that, Ranma let go of Ryoga, who fell to the roof gasping. He
looked up at his longtime enemy with a look of hatred. "You can't do
that. You made a vow not to tell anyone about my curse. A vow of
*honor*, remember?" He almost sneered the keyword, a grin of
satisfaction crossed his face.
Ranma, however, was undaunted, as he smirked back. "I did, huh?
Gee, too bad I don't remember making that vow."
"You... you wouldn't dare..." Ryoga tried to counter, but was quickly
interrupted.
"Besides, you're one to talk about honor," Ranma continued. "You
lied to Akane, pretty much took advantage of her, took advantage of
my promise, pretended to be something you're not..." He narrowed his
eyes as he continued to glare at the lost boy. "Who do you think's
going to be in bigger trouble if she finds out?"
Ryoga let out another gulp. He hated to admit it, but Ranma was
right.
"P-chan disappears tonight, Ryoga," Ranma declared. "I so much as
get a glimpse of a walking little piece of bacon, it all comes out. Now
let's go." He jumped off the roof back down onto the porch below,
with Ryoga right behind him.
"Oh, you're back," Kasumi said as she saw them come in, looking
up from where she and the others were enjoying Nodoka's cookies.
"Get everything straightened out?" Akane asked as Ranma sat down
next to her, while Ryoga walked over to grab his backpack.
Unconsciously, she scooted over a bit closer to him, not noticing the
glare on Ranko's face.
"I think so," Ranma nodded in response, grabbing himself a cookie
off the plate and taking a bite.
"Well, I'd better be going," Ryoga said as he hefted his pack into a
comfortable position on his back.
"Are you sure?" Akane asked. "Why don't you stay for awhile? I'm
sure Ranma wouldn't mind putting you up in his room." Ranma nearly
choked on his cookie at that.
Ryoga, however, shook his head. "Thanks, but no. I need to go
clear my head for awhile, if you don't mind. Good-bye... Akane."
With that, he walked out of the living room, away from the Tendos
and the Saotomes.
"I sure hope he'll be okay," Akane said in a worried tone.
"He will as soon he gets out of here," Ranko snorted. "Ryoga, that's
the closet."
(1) the "Demon Dog Wail" is a technique that Genma taught to
Ranma as a counter against Ryoga's Shishi Hokodan. Basically, it
involves getting some distance from your opponent and then shouting
insults. Ranko "revised" the move a little to get away from Ryoga, and
it seemed to work. And while I know that she wouldn't have used it
that way, if at all, but it was too funny to pass up.
(2) I'm going with the anime version of Ranma and Ryoga's
backstory, with the lot they were supposed to be fighting in being
behind Ryoga's house. It just seems funnier that way to me.
Sorry that this took so long in getting out, but ever since I started
attending University, it's just been harder and harder to write. Doesn't
mean I don't try when I can, though. I'm going to try and set myself up
a deadline for each of the remaining parts, maybe a new part every six
weeks. I'm not making promises, but I'll at least try. Might be good
practice for me.
Well, Ryoga's finally here to make life a little interesting. I'll
probably have Ryoga fans jumping on my back for how I treated him,
but the idea came to me and I couldn't help using it. Besides, with how
he jumped Ranko in the bath, you didn't really think Nodoka would let
him get away with it, did you? Sure, she may have encouraged Ranma
to peep to prove his manhood (at Nabiki's suggestion, I hear), but like
she said, her own daughter is another story.
The scene with Ryoga and Akane may seem a bit mushy, even by
my standards. However, I couldn't think of any other way to have
Akane let Rygoa down easy after the truth about his feelings for her
came out, no thanks to Ranko. The way I did it was the best I could do,
even borrowing from other fics where similar situations happen, so bear
with me.
Why didn't I have Akane find out about P-chan? Just about every
continuation fic I've read has had Akane finding out Ryoga's secret in
some form or another, and I wanted to do something different. Besides,
I think it's a lot more interesting with the way Ranma keeps him under
control. That scene may seem a little dark, and it may seem a bit OOC
for Ranma, but try and remember how much he's changed for this story.
I took Akari out of the picture because, basically, I don't really know
that much about her other than what I've read in other fanfics. Besides,
it gave Ryoga an excuse to hate Ranma and go after Akane again. As
for what caused them to break up, I'm keeping that a secret for now,
but I think you can figure out for yourself what happened.
Yeah, I know the new attack I gave Ryoga, the Shishi Hoko-
tenketsu Funkasuru or Roaring Lion Point Eruption, combining the
Shishi Hokodan with the Bakusai Tenketsu, has been done to death.
But it seemed a lot easier than coming up with a whole new one for
him. At least I did it a little differently than other fics have done it,
making it look like Terry Bogard's "Power Wave".
In the next part, it's time for the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition
between Furinkan and St. Bereke's, which means rematch time between
Ranko and Kodachi. Can Ranko train enough in a style she's only used
once? And what sort of dirty tricks does Kodachi have up her sleeve
this time? I'll try to get this one out as soon as I can, but I'm not
making promises. Just try and bear with me until then.
And that's the bottom line...