Subject: [FFML] [fanfic][R1/2] Ranma's Secret Admirer 4/4 and epilogue
From: The Sebastians
Date: 7/5/1998, 12:05 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

Before we get to the show, let me just say that I'm having
a ball writing my stories and having you folks read them.
Also, just to explain, this is the second mini-series in
a whole story arc that will conclude in "SoulMate"
my only post-vol. 38 story that deals with issues I brought
up in the first mini-series, "Ukyou's Other Woman."
So, again, thanks for listening.



Trisha L. Sebastian



Ranma's Secret Admirer 4/4 and epilogue
by Trisha L. Sebastian



[Once again, and for the last time in this mini-series, Ranma and his 
friends belong to Rumiko Takahashi and whomever else she let use the 
copyright.  Though if she had a little foresight, she might have retained
it, and just let the others borrow it.  Can you imagine the kind of bucks 
she makes from royalties and subsidaries?  It staggers the mind.]



	Akane dumped an unconscious Ranma on the floor in the foyer,
not caring if he cracked his skull in the process.  She stomped off 
towards the kitchen were Kasumi was busy preparing dinner.  Growling, she
yanked open the refrigerator door and glared at the contents.

	"Akane, how was school today?" Kasumi asked, chopping a carrot.

	"That idiot Ranma!  How dare he say such a thing!  And wearing
those ridiculous clothes!"  Akane grabbed an apple from the crisper and 
savagely tore into it.  "Thinks he's sexier than me, hah!"

	"Oh my, sounds like you had some problems at school."

	"Hah!  I don't care if that idiot goes around making a complete
fool of himself!" Akane muttered.  "But when he decides to drag me into
it!  He's gonng regret ever waking up this morning!"  She ravaged the
apple, bits of pulp flying in the air.  "Well, I don't care about that
stupid, idiotic, lame-brained, moronic..."  She stalked towards the
living room.

	Nabiki was sitting at the table frowning at a ledger book when 
Akane swung into the room, vibrating with angry energy.  She flopped down
on the couch, and grumbled at the world in general and Ranma in particular.
Nabiki looked up to see her sister grab the remote control and jab at
it, flipping through the channels on the TV.  Time to start Phase Two.

	"Oh, Akane, one of your friends called earlier," she said, still
looking at the ledger book.  "She wanted to know if you wanted to see a 
movie tonight."

	Akane looked up with interest.  "Really?  That sounds great!  I
need to get away from *a certain person* for a while."

	Nabiki smiled.  "She said for you to meet her at the movie theater
around seven."

	"Okay, I'll go and get changed!"  With a smile on her face, she 
ran up the stairs.

	Nabiki smiled again.  One down, three more to go.


**************************


	I couldn't figure out what to wear.  Should I be casual and relaxed?
In that case, I'd wear my new jeans and a short sleeved sweater.  Or should
I be more formal?  A dress in that case, in a soft blue.  Or maybe I could
go the more sexy route.  A short skirt, and an off the shoulder blouse.

	Decisions, decisions.  I was finally going on a date with my one
true love, Ranma Saotome.  I danced around my room with joy.  A date that 
was arranged by Nabiki Tendo, the most conniving and manipulative person in
the entire world.  I sat down glumly on the edge of my bed.  Why would she 
do such a thing?  What would she gain from my date with Ranma?

	When I started writing my love notes to Ranma, I had no idea what
kind of response I'd get.  Would he look for me?  Would he reciprocate?
Two weeks full of notes, and no acknowlegement, other than a wariness
in his eyes whenever he went to his desk.  It was like he was afraid to get
another one.  Then came the incident in the locker rooms, and the little
transvestite charade in the schoolyard, probably both engineered by Nabiki.
And now I have a date with Ranma.

	I narrowed my eyes.  Nabiki was up to something, something I had
a feeling I wouldn't like.  I'd have to be on my guard tonight.


***********************


	Across Nerima,  other people were making similar preparations.

	At a Chinese restaurant, a solemn faced young woman was mixing up
a potion on the stove.  Absent-mindedly, she raised a fist and the duck
that was arrowing towards her met it head first and collapsed to the floor.
She poured it into a bottle, and tucked it into her shirt.  She picked up her
maces from the counter and examining them for wear and tear, she slipped out
the back door and onto her bike, pedaling like crazy to the movie theater.  
Moments later, a man with wet hair and a white robe leapt out after her, 
taking to the rooftops, keeping a watchful eye on her.

	A woman with long brown hair hung up the phone hurriedly and grabbing
a gigantic spatula, she leaped over the counter of her restaurant, causing
the other woman behind the counter to look up in surprise.  Muttering an
explanation, the first woman tore out the door, pausing only to clonk a 
trashcan over the head.  The second woman looked out the door with wry
amusement, as the trashcan got to its feet and waddled down the street after
the first.

	A ninja knelt before his mistress and looked up fearfully at her
anger-infused face.  Snatching up a gymnastics ribbon and a cloak, she 
bounded out of the room laughing hysterically, cursing the woman who
dared to stand between herself and her lover.  A man in a kendo gi sat near
by, meditating to himself about the proper course of action to take.  Finally,
he, too, leapt to his feet and cursing the man who dared to stand between
himself and his loves, he bounded out of the room, laughing robustly as 
lightning crackled outside.  The ninja just bowed his head in resignation.


*************************


	I looked at my watch for the third time in five minutes.  Where was
he?  If Nabiki welshed on our deal...  No, she wouldn't do that.  If there
was anything that Nabiki would never do, it would be to welsh out on a deal.
She gave me her word that I would have a date with Ranma, and I would have
my date with Ranma.  I tried to relax, shifting my weight to my other foot.
The lines for the movies were pretty long, and everyone seemed to be in
pairs, all couples out on dates.  And it seemed to me like they were all
staring at me, pitying the girl who got stood up.  I sighed.  Where could
he be?

	Just then, I saw him walking up to the movie theater, Akane right
beside him, and both of them were arguing, gesturing wildly.  When Akane
saw me, she burst out into a smile and ran up to me.  "Sorry I'm late,
Satomi-chan," she apologized, "but my dad insisted that this baka come 
with me to the movie theater.  Honestly, you'd think Dad's afraid I'll get 
snatched off the streets by some *other* pervert."

	"Late?"  What was this?  I was supposed to meet Ranma, not Akane.
I gritted my teeth.  "I don't understand."

	"Nabiki told me that you wanted to go see a movie tonight," Akane
said.  "I would have come alone, but like I said, Dad wanted Ranma to go
with me.  It's the only way I would have been able to come."

	A light dawned on me.  Since her dad and Ranma's dad really wanted
them to be married, they'd use every opportunity to try and get them to-
gether.  Even to the point of having Ranma tag along with her on an outing
with a friend.  And there's no way that they'd let Ranma go alone on
a date with another girl.  Not bad, Nabiki, not bad at all...  Half
a loaf was better than no loaf at all.

	"Well, no harm done," I shrugged.  "Why don't you get the tickets,
Akane, and Ranma and I will wait for you here."  Akane looked a bit surprised
at that, but shrugged and went to the end of the line.

	I turned towards Ranma, who had a sullen look on his face.  I 
cleared my throat and attempted to start a conversation.  "So, Ranma,
how are you today?"  A subvocal grunt was his answer.  He had his arms 
crossed, like a barrier in front of him, and his lips were turned down
in a scowl.  Um, perhaps another icebreaker.  "Boy, that English test was
hard today, wasn't it?"  He grunted again, and scowled at the line of 
couples on dates.  He was like one of those stone guardian statues, not
budging an inch.  Finally, I decided on the direct approach.  "What the hell
is wrong with you?"

	Ranma exploded.  "What's wrong with me?  I'll tell you what's wrong
with me!  You start in on me with all those silly letters, and then *Nabiki*
finds out and concocts that stupid scheme and now here I am, stuck with
Akane, when I'd rather be watching TV, or fighting with the old man."  He
turned towards me.  "If it hadn't been for you, Satomi, I wouldn't be in 
such a mess!"

	"Me?  What do you mean by that?"

	"Well, you started it, by sending all those stupid love notes."
He crossed his arms again, daring me to deny that fact.

	"Well, yes, I did," I started, "but I only did it because I really,
really like you."

	"Well, I don't care.  I didn't ask for any of this."  He glared
at me, an intense look in his eyes.  "I want you to stop all this love 
nonsense, and stop sending me notes!"  He paused, watching Akane walk towards
us with the tickets.  "I'll bet she got tickets for some sappy romantic 
film," he muttered.  Stunned, I watched him snatch one of the tickets out 
of her hand, and stalk off towards the concession stand.

	"What's wrong with him?" Akane asked, passing me a ticket.

	"I don't know."  I couldn't believe it.  I had never seen Ranma that
angry before.  He looked at me as if he hated me.  I passed through the 
theater doors in a daze.  He was angry at me.  He didn't want me, he just
wanted to be left alone.

	I watched him more closely, snapping at Akane, scowling at the floor,
inhaling his bucket of popcorn as we waited for the movie to start.  He was
on the other side of Akane, glaring at the movie screen, glaring at Akane 
when the credits rolled.  Sure enough, the movie was a romantic one, with
the male lead falling head over heels for not one, but two women.  Somehow,
this managed to put not only Ranma, but Akane in a foul mood, and they
were sniping at each other all throughout the movie, causing the patrons
around us to hiss and try to shush us.  Finally, at the moment where
the man was about to be confronted by both women, Ranma got up.

	"I can't take anymore of this sentimental crap," he scowled, throwing
his empty cup to the floor.  "I'm outta here."  Akane muttered something
like, "Fine, good riddance," and just as he was about to leave, a loud 
explosion rocked the movie theater.

	Light streamed in from the hole in the wall and clearly silouhetted
against the light was a woman, holding a pair of maces.  As the rest of the 
audience booed at the intrusion, I heard Ranma mutter under his breath, 
"Oh, no, not her."

	In two leaps, she crossed the distance between the wall and Ranma
and fiercely latching on to him, she cried out, "Ranma no go on date with
Akane!  Ranma date Shampoo!"

	"Will you quit making out with her, Ranma?" Akane glowered angrily.

	"What?  I ain't doing nothing like that!"  With a savage push, he
managed to pry himself free from Shampoo, making her land on her butt.
Shampoo narrowed her eyes, and leaped up again, this time confronting Akane.

	"You make Ranma not like Shampoo," she declared through clenched 
teeth.  "You pay for this."  She pulled out a bottle from her blouse and was
about to pour the contents into Akane's mouth when Ranma pushed her hand out
of the way, spilling it on the couple in the row in front of us, who instantly
started bickering and calling each other names.  Ranma grabbed Akane's hand
and yanked her backwards, arrowing for the exit doors, me trailing inef-
fectively behind him.  He threw the doors open and we barreled through 
them into the alleyway behind the theater.  As we ran through, I heard a 
crack of lightning and a woman's voice laughing in the darkness.  At the end
of the alley, two figures stood tall facing us.  Akane yanked her hand out 
of Ranma's and they got into their ready positions.

	The two figures strolled down the alley way, overlapping each other
in their speeches.  "For the crime of taking me away from my love..."
"...and depriving me from the embraces of the pig-tailed one..."  "I, the
Black Rose..."  "I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High..."  "...SHALL
SMITE THEE!"  Kodachi and Kunou emerged from the darkness, she with her
gymnastics ribbon and he with his bokken.  Kunou attacked first, rushing
headlong to meet Ranma, but Ranma was faster and leaped high, twisting in
mid-air to deliver a kick to the back of Kunou's head.  Akane and Kodachi 
rushed at each other, and delivered blows with mallet and ribbon.  They 
danced around each other, occasionally scraping the walls, while I stood
pressed up against the wall, watching their artistry.  For a while, it looked
like Akane was holding her own against Kodachi, her strong parries getting
through Kodachi's weaker evasions, but just as Akane was about to deliver
a bruising blow to Kodachi's torso, the doors burst open again, and Shampoo
entered the fray, shouting, "Akane is dead!" before wading through Ranma and
Kunou's fight to get to Akane.

	"Look out, tomboy!" Ranma yelled, delivering a punishing blow
to Kunou that sent him spinning into the wall.

	"I can take care of myself, idiot!" Akane shouted, punching Kodachi
twice in the stomach, and trying to sweep kick Shampoo.  The Chinese Amazon
merely leaped over the Akane's outstretched leg and started in on her
with the maces, delivering combination strikes to her head and torso.
She reeled back from the strikes and up against the alleyway wall.

	I saw Shampoo's eyes glitter with the smell of victory, as she
brought both of her maces to bore on Akane's head and shouted, "Akane!"

	Ranma's head whipped around and he leaped for Akane, snatching
her out from against the wall.  Shampoo's maces smashed against the brick
wall, leaving a sizable crater.  He picked her up and leaping to the roof 
of the store behind the theater, they took off across the rooftops.  

	Kodachi, Kunou and Shampoo snarled and leaped up after them, and the
battle resumed over the rooftops.  I ran along side, trying to catch a 
glimpse of Ranma as he parried a blow from Kunou, a kiss from Shampoo, a 
ribbon wrap from Kodachi.  Suddenly, someone crashed into me from behind 
and as I dropped to the pavement, I saw Ukyou leap up to the roof, coming 
to Ranma's aid, followed by Mousse and a trashcan that I can only assume 
was Tsubasa.

	Someone helped me up and I found myself face to face with Nabiki,
a camera in her hand.  "What's going on?" I asked.

	Nabiki grinned.  "This is normal for Ranma.  Where ever he goes,
he always finds trouble, or trouble finds him."  She looked at her watch.
"We'd better hurry if we're going to catch the end of this fight."

	"You know where they're going to be?"

	"Trust me.  Group fights always end up at the park."

	Nabiki was right.  When we reached the park, the inevitable happened.
Ranma fell into one of the fountains, and after transforming, Kunou leaped 
to be at her side, shouting, "Pig-tailed girl!  You've come back to me!"
while Kodachi leaped to bludgeon her into pulp.  Ranma kicked Kunou away 
into orbit while Akane parried Kodachi into a tree.  Ranma gave Akane
a profound look of gratitude, while she shrugged and ducked a blow from
Shampoo.

	I blinked as Ranma seemed to return the favor, absorbing the heavier
strikes from Shampoo before deflecting her into the fountain.  As Shampoo
crawled out from the water, Akane picked her up and tossed her into Ranma's
face.

	"What the--?"  I turned to Nabiki.  "But he's afraid of cats!"

	Nabiki put her hand on my shoulder.  "Just watch."

	Ranma ran screaming around the park for a while, Shampoo latched
on to her face.  Then, after a full minute of screaming, Ranma... changed.
She became more feline and threw Shampoo back into the fountain.  She 
crouched on all fours, yowling like a cat and suddenly, she sprang, tackling
Mousse to the ground and shredding his clothing, sending him scurrying away
like a mouse.  Tsubasa backed away, but Ranma caught him, too, and batted 
him around a tree before heaving him into Ukyou, knocking the both of them 
unconscious.  All threats eliminated, she calmly strutted back to Akane, 
where she lay at Akane's feet, lapping at her ankles.

	My eyes widened as Akane knelt down and placed a hand on Ranma's 
head, stroking her hair, murmuring, "Good, good kitty."  The look in her 
eyes was tender, full of warmth.  Ranma rewarded Akane's petting by licking
her on the cheek.

	Nabiki cleared her throat and Akane looked up, startled.  She blushed.
"Do you have a kettle, Nabiki?"

	Nabiki pulled one out from behind her back, and Akane poured it over
Ranma, making him change back into his male form.  It seemed to snap Ranma
out of his feline trance, for he jumped to his feet and glared at Akane.

	"You know, you didn't have to do that, Akane.  I was taking care
of everything myself," he growled, wringing out his shirt.

	Akane cuffed him on the back of the head.  "Baka."  She walked
away.  "Fine then, see if I care about you."

	Ranma ran after her, sticking his tongue out at her.  "Well, 
I don't care about you, either."  They walked out of the park, insulting
each other, leaving me and Nabiki alone.

	I turned to her and sighed.  "So that's why you let me have this 
'date'.  So I could see how things really are between Ranma and Akane."  
I stared out after them.  "I never stood a chance, did I?

	Nabiki shook her head, a flicker of sympathy on her face.  "No,
none of them do.  And they're so blinded by obsession that they don't see
it."  I flincked slightly and she grinned at me.  "But, I'll give you credit
for figuring it out, Miramoto-chan."

	"Gee, thanks Nabiki."  I stared at the camera in her hand.  "Uh,
about how many pictures did you take?"

	"Mmm?"  She peered at the film counter.  "Just enough."

	"Did you get one of Ranma licking Akane's cheek?"

	Nabiki grinned ferally.  "Of course."

	I smiled at her.  "Can I have a copy?  For a souvenir of this night?"

	She clapped her hand on my shoulder again.  "For you, I'm willing
to give you a discount."  We walked out of the park, leaving behind the
unconscious martial artists and my love for Ranma Saotome.


******************************


EPILOGUE


	It was a beautiful day at Furinkan High.  The sun was shining, the
birds were chirping, and Ranma was booting Kunou high into the air.
The girls watching in the corner of the schoolyard applauded and he took
his bows.  Then Akane cuffed him in the back of the head, and he stuck
his tongue out at her.

	As the bell rang, they walked up the steps together.  If Ranma
gave me a scrutinizing glance, like he was checking to see if I was still
bonkers over him, I didn't let it slip.  I just waved to them, and was
about to go in myself, when I heard it.

	"Just what does Kunou-sempai see in Akane Tendo?" one of the girls
asked rhetorically.  "I mean, she's polite to him, but she's never
shown him that she cares about him."

	Uh-oh, I thought.  Here's another one.  I could see the signs already:
the glassy stare, the unkempt clothes, the loss of appetite.  It could
mean only one thing: infatuation.  I smiled as Kunou-sempai was dragged off 
to the infirmary by Nabiki.  Linking my arm in hers, I said, "Listen, let me
tell you a little story.  It's about a girl who was head over heels in 
love with someone she knew....."


THE END



AUTHOR'S NOTES:

7-1-98:  Well, I've made my self-imposed deadline, and I'm rather pleased
by the effort.  This last part was the hardest to write, but I hope it
pleases your guys' curiousity about Nabiki's motives and the secret
admirer.  What?  Her name?  At this point in time, does it really matter?

7-2-98:  Well, I guess it does.  So, after some chewing out from Mike Loader,
I gave the mystery girl a name.  But I still think it's not important
what her name is.....  I also added that epilogue, just because it needed
some additional closure.  Next on the agenda:  Kunou's Best Friend.




Trisha L. Sebastian