The Teacher.
Part 7
Three fiancee's and a piglet.
The window to Ranma Saotome's room opened slowly as the shadowy figure
appeared from outside and glanced around. He stood over Ranma's head and
glared down at the sleeping boy angrily. "Ranma, wake up; It's me Ryoga!
Fight me; Hey, Ranma!" The lost boy became frustrated and punched down at
Ranma's head missing as he rolled in his sleep. "Would you wake up?!"
several times he tried to attack, and each time Ranma moved in his sleep.
Finally Ryoga sucked in a deep breath. "WAKE UP DAMN IT!!" the sleeping
panda sat upright and tossed both Ryoga and the still sleeping Ranma out
the window into the rain.
Ryoga landed lightly using his umbrella as a parachute while Ranma
splashed into the Koi; waking her up instantly.
After a moment of confusion on Ranma's part the pair stood facing each
other in the yard. �Ryoga, it's the middle of the night! What are you
doing?! Did you get lost again? Torako lives down the street."
"Silence! I came here for you! Hey wait a minute?! Where is Ranma? Who
the hell are... Torako?!! What the hell are you doing over here?!!" Ryoga
stammered and backed away somehow keeping his balance as he stared at the
girl in front of him in terror. "I wasn't running away I swear! I just
came to fight Ranma that's all!"
"Ryoga, I'm not Torako." said the girl looking annoyed.
"R-Ranma?" stammered Ryoga in shock as he leaned forward and stared at
her.
"Yea, what the hell do you want Ryoga? It's late and I'm tired."
"How dare you?!! You ran out on our fight and caused this big mess I'm
in you jerk!!" Ryoga stomped his feet on the ground and shook his fist at
Ranma.
"Wait a minute, I thought I knew you from somewhere...You went to my old
junior high! Ryoga Hibiki! Long time no see!" Ranma looked pleased with
herself and actually glad to see him now.
"Shut up! Why did you run out on our fight Saotome?!" Ryoga did not look
happy and Ranma's smile faded.
"I waited three days for you to show up!" she snapped.
"And when I showed up on the fourth day you had already run away to
China!" spat the lost boy as he shifted again preparing to lunge at his
opponent.
"Ryoga! The fight was five hundred yards from your house! How did it
take you four days to get there?!"
"Silence! I'll say one thing before I send you to hell; When you ran out
on our duel, I followed you...all the way to China!" Ryoga snarled and
waited for a response.
"Ryoga, you didn't...you didn't go to Jusenkyo did you?"
Ryoga finally had enough, "Silence!" he called as he jumped for Ranma
and started the fight. "The time for words is passed!"
"What's all that racket in the garden?" muttered Akane as she sat up in
bed groggily.
Kasumi poked her head through the door. "Akane, are you awake?"
"You too Kasumi?"
The two girls creeped down the stairs cautiously with Akane holding a
bamboo bokuten in her hands. "Do you think it's a burglar?" said Kasumi
timidly.
"It had better not be." said Akane calmly.
Lightening crashed and an umbrella clad figure was silhouetted in the
flash with a large back pack on. "It...it is a burglar! With a pack for
stolen goods!" cried Kasumi nervously.
"I'll beat his brains out!" growled Akane as she started forward; Kasumi
restrained her sister.
"No it's too dangerous! Here!" she placed a dumbbell in her hand and
stepped back.
Outside Ranma and Ryoga continued their battle oblivious to the world
around them. "Damn! He's good! And fighting me one handed too!" The fight
came to an abrupt halt when a dumbbell crashed into the back of Ryoga's
head; the boy dropped his umbrella and dashed away over the walls of the
dojo.
"Ryoga!" called Ranma as she jumped up and saw he had vanished.
"Ryoga?" muttered Akane.
"Oh! It was only Torako's fianc�e!" said Kasumi with a relieved look.
Ranma turned down an alley way and found Ryoga's clothes sitting in a
pile. She heard a low growling noise and turned to see a dog was staring
her down.
Inside the Tendo home a few moments later Ranma sat across from the dog.
"Listen Ryoga, I'm sorry about what happened to you; but you gotta cut
out these late night attacks! I'm a guest here; I gotta be careful!"
The dog sat there with a stupid look on his face and made a few
whimpers. Akane turned the corner and stopped in surprise. "Ranma, what's
that dog doing here?"
"Akane? What about you? What's with the pig?" in Akane's arms was a
small black miniature pig who snorted angrily at Ranma.
"What are you mad about? Hush now, I'll put some medicine on that bump."
she pulled the animal into her bussom and it struggled a little and
turned it's head away from her. Akane sat down and pulled out a first aid
kit from a drawer in the living room.
"So what about the dog Ranma?" Akane noticed the girl was being a little
silent.
"Don't worry Ryoga, I'll keep your secret; it's the warriors code!"
thought Ranma as she looked at the dog sadly.
Akane turned her head and smiled. "Isn't that Bess? The Yamane's dog?
Sure it is! Hello Bess!" Ranma frowned when the dog reacted and barked
happily. She left and returned with a tea kettle in her hands and turned
Akane's head away confusing the girl. After a moment of pouring she
realized that it was not Ryoga. She started to walk away muttering to
herself. "Well don't I feel stupid."
"Where are you going?" asked Akane.
"Take a hot bath! I'm freezing after running around the rain after
Ryoga!" Akane smiled as the pig sneezed.
"Here warm the piglet up too." said the girl as she shoved the animal
into Ranma's arms.
Ranma stood undressing in the bathroom holding the pig under her foot.
"So if the dog's just a dog, where is that idiot Ryoga?"
Moments later, just inside the furo she pulled the struggling pig over
her head. "In you go!" She dunked the creature under the water and came
up with a very angry looking Ryoga. They stared at each other for a long
moment and Ranma finally broke the silence.
"Ryoga!! You...you're a...pig?"
"Ranma...you are dead!" Ryoga grabbed for her and Ranma blocked with a
near by bucket.
"So you did go to Jusenkyo?" said Ranma in a dazed sort of shock.
"Chasing you I wandered throughout the vastness of China! For days I
wandered until that fateful day! While I was walking one day I jumped
into the air to avoid a charging panda, then, she came! It was Torako,
she had followed me to China! She threw me off the edge of the cliff and
I fell into the springs below!" Ryoga hung his head in shame and Ranma
just looked confused. "Then I changed! I discovered I had been cast into
hell! A panda pulled me from the springs and took me home to his master!
They tried to cook me; they where gonna make sweet and sour pork from me!
If they hadn't tried to boil me first I would have been killed! The
hideous body that curses me, the devouring that nearly befell me; they're
your fault Ranma! Because you ran out on our duel!"
"Hold it you! You where knocked into that spring by Torako right?"
"Yes so?" Ryoga looked at Ranma with bitterness in his eyes.
"So why should you be mad at me? It was Torako and that Panda!" at that
moment Genma Saotome in his panda form stepped into the furo.
The three of them looked at each other for a long time. "P-pardon me!"
said the panda's sign as he exited the furo.
"A-a panda..." said Ryoga softly, he turned to face Ranma.
"Sooooo...that girl; It wasn't Torako at all! It was you!! RANMA!!!!" The
pigtailed girl turned and shuffled away on her hands and knees in a
desperate attempt to escape. Ryoga grabbed her hair and prepared to
strike, "Now you...wait a minute!" he stopped cold and Ranma glanced over
her shoulder at him nervously with her hands on the shower faucet. "If it
wasn't Torako who knocked me off the spring...then I have no reason to be
angry at her...that means." Ryoga looked at his hands in horror. "M-my
childhood sweetheart! I told the girl who loves me that I hate her! What
have I done?! I even tried to kill her!! Ranma! Prepare to die!" He was
stopped by a blast of cold water and the piglet stood shivering in anger
on Ranma's back.
"Just cool down Ryoga; Let's talk this out, shall we?" the pig answered
Ranma by biting her on the shoulder.
Akane turned towards the clatter in the bathroom. �What�s this racket
about?" She turned around and saw Ranma chasing the pig down the hall.
"Pig! I try to be nice and what do I get?!" the angry girl bounced a
bowl off the top of the pigs head and sent him skidding into Akane's
arms.
"Ranma stop! What are you doing!" gasped Akane in shock.
"Pig! Hiding behind a girl!" the piglet jumped from Akane's grip and
snorted before jumping at Ranma.
The pigtailed girl's strike was stopped cold as she found her self
planted in the wall by a well placed kick, the pig was snatched from the
air easily and cradled in Torako's arms.
"You leave my fianc�e alone Ranma!"
Akane just stared at her in shock. "Fianc�e? Torako what are you doing
here?"
"I came to get my boyfriend back, he wandered off tonight after I worked
so hard to make him dinner too." Ranma pulled himself off the wall and
noticed the pig had turned slightly green.
"Was it that bad?" she asked him in a sort of whisper.
Ryoga nodded vigorously and failed to notice the dark look Torako was
giving the both of them. The pair found themselves on the ground with
large lumps on their heads seconds later.
"You mean, this pig...is Ryoga?" said Akane as she knelt down next to
it. "What where you doing in my room?"
"Probably trying to get away from Attila the Fianc�e here." snorted
Ranma as she sat up. "Ow quit it!" she snapped as the girl in question
bopped her again.
Ryoga blushed and backed away towards Torako's legs. She picked him up
and smiled before she kissed him on the nose; "He's so cute this way! I
could just eat him up!"
Ryoga squealed and struggled in her arms desperately. "I don't think she
meant it piggy." said Ranma and the piglet's demeanor changed instantly
to an angry snarl.
"Well, I'm going to bed, we have school tomorrow." muttered Akane lazily
as she stood and gave up on the nights events completely.
Ranma shrugged her shoulders and walked towards her own room. Torako
looked at the pig in her arms and smiled, "Looks like it's just you and
me pig."
Ryoga started to sweat a little, "Let's go back to my place, I promise I
won't bite darling...hard."
Ryoga gave a whimpering squeal and allowed himself to be carried off.
Two weeks pass...
Torako entered the Tendo home and stopped as she heard the sounds of
crying girls from Akane's room. Kasumi smiled as she led the girl into
the living room.
"Akane is up in her room with some friends from school right now; but
I'm sure she won't mind if you just go on up."
"Sure, thanks Kasumi."
When she arrived she was more than a little surprised to see several
bandaged girls sitting around Akane's bed; Ranma was also in the room
doing stretches on the bed next to his fianc�e in his girl body.
"Oh, Torako! You're here!" said the Tendo girl as she pulled her friend
down next to her.
"What's going on here?" asked the tiger girl as she eyed the three beat
up looking girls suspiciously. "Aren't you the gymnastics team?"
"They want me to take their place, in rhythmic gymnastic wrestling."
explained Akane.
"You? But you aren't familiar with the techniques or anything! The match
is next week and Nabiki told me the betting is in favor of the opposing
team." Torako frowned at the girls. "They always win by default somehow."
"We where ambushed! Their team leader attacked us in the night!" cried
one of the three girls with tears in her eyes.
"That sounds like a matter for the police; besides wouldn't that
disqualify them?" Torako looked completely uninterested in them now and
turned towards Akane.
"We don't have any proof!" cried one of the girls distraughtly.
"What do you mean? Look at yourselves; what other proof do you need!
That coupled with their record of mysterious victories would be more than
enough!" Torako looked at the sulking girls angrily and frowned at them
as they glanced away.
"But...this is a matter of school pride! We must avenge ourselves!" said
another one of the girls with an ashamed face.
"How? All you have to do is get them booted from competition and their
reputation will suffer far more."
Akane burned with a passion for competition though. "I'm still not sure
I get it, but all right! I will avenge you!" the girls huddled close to
her and took her hand with tears of determination burning in their eyes.
"Leave me out of this; you guys would be dumb enough to do this the hard
way." Torako walked out of the room with the others watching her in
surprise.
Ranma sat with Akane in the dojo twirling a rope in his fingers easily.
"You shouldn't have agreed to this so quick. Do you even know how to use
these things?"
Akane merely examined the tools and smiled. "Just you watch!"
Akane stood with the two clubs held over her head for a moment and
tossed them spinning into the air; she jumped and rolled across the
ground catching them barely in time and almost losing her balance. "See!
I can get this with a little practice."
"You won't have a prayer with just a week." Ranma lay across the floor
lazily and continued to watch as she pulled the ribbon off the floor.
"This is a little easier." she muttered as she twirled it easily through
the air in a few simple patterns.
"But can you use it like a weapon?" asked Ranma with a small snort.
Akane blushed slightly and hung her head. "I didn't think so." muttered
the boy as he looked away.
"Stop being so negative Ranma! I've got a week so there is still hope!"
She put the ribbon down and lifted the hoop from the ground.
"Akane, the people your gonna face will have years of experience. Your a
good martial artist but..."
"I get the point Ranma! There is no way I'm gonna let those girls down!"
She jumped into the air and rolled through the hoop spinning it over her
head and around her arm a little less than gracefully. "But...I'm not
good enough am I?" she said as she slumped onto the ground. "No one I
know has any idea how to use these things in a fight!"
"What about the team?" asked Ranma looking confused.
"They are all injured!" muttered Akane half heartedly.
"I can instruct you." said a voice from the door softly.
Akane and Ranma turned to see Ryoga standing in the door with Torako at
his side. the boy stepped forward. "I'm familiar with the techniques they
use in Rhythmic Gymnastics wrestling."
"Ryoga?" said Akane in shock. "Why would you help me?"
"As an apology for hiding in your room; and a favor to Torako." the boy
blushed slightly and looked away from them shyly.
"Ryoga you hound." said Ranma with a sly smile as he elbowed the boy in
the ribs playfully. "I didn't know you had it in ya."
"You shut up! This is all your fault ya know! I ought to..." he was
silenced by a gymnastics club in his face; thrown by Torako.
"Ryoga, you promised to behave yourself." she said with a small amount
of sugar laced into her tone.
"Another day Saotome, our fight is far from over." Ryoga looked at him
darkly and turned his attention back towards Akane. "You have skill, but
you need to practice; and with only a week until your match I'm afraid
the only way to do it is a complete crash course."
"You really think she has a chance?" said Ranma reluctantly.
"If she's willing to give everything she has, including skipping school
for these lessons...yes. A slim one, but it's better than none." Ryoga
glared at him and turned away from the boy's smile.
"If there's any chance at all, I know Akane will do it." he said as he
sat along the wall of the dojo. Akane stared at him for a second and
turned towards her instructor.
"Lets begin shall we?" Ryoga had a strange smile on his face.
Outside of the dojo a figure stood cloaked in the shadows, she was
dangerous looking and beautiful with a single black rose resting between
her teeth. "So, they have asked for help? These Furinkan gymnast are bad
losers." The girl flipped away the cloak revealing a slender form clad
only in a black leotard; in her hand was a large wooden mallet. "Akane
Tendo, Kodachi the black rose, shall cripple you!"
Ryoga stood over an exhausted and aching form with a smug grin on his
face. "That's enough for tonight; get some rest Tendo, you've got a hard
day tomorrow."
"Thank you." managed Akane in appreciation before she staggered to her
feet and walked slowly from the dojo.
Several minutes later she sat in the furo with a large Tiger sitting
across from her in the water. "I've only got one week, it's gonna be
close...I know I can do this."
The animal yawned looking completely uninterested and looked away.
"Tora-chan! Your so mean!" cried Akane.
"I told you I wouldn't have anything to do with this!" said the sign the
tiger seemed to materialize out of thin air; it flipped it around to
reveal more text. "Besides, you know your limits Akane-chan."
"I don't care about that, If I do have limits...I'll break them. If I
don't break my body first, I ache all over." she rubbed at her shoulder
and winced from the pain her whole body was experiencing.
"So you really think she can do it?" muttered Ranma lazily as he
balanced a ball on his finger next to the Koi pond just outside the dojo.
Ryoga stared into the water and frowned. "I told you already, if she's
willing to work hard, yes."
"I hope your right, I'd hate to see what happens if she loses." Ranma
flipped the ball to his other hand absently.
"Show some confidence in her, or would you rather handle this yourself?"
Ryoga smirked at him. "I think that must be it. Can't stand having a girl
who can take care of herself?"
"She is a bit macho, but I'm trying not to screw this up too bad. That
dean is a nice guy, he can make some real sense, I've never really known
many people. That's part of the reason we never got along well I guess,
no one ever told me how to act; always it was pop telling me to be a man
or train harder."
"I don't care why you did what you did Ranma, it doesn't excuse you! As
soon as this is over I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to me!"
Ryoga turned away and started walking.
"Where are you goin?" asked Ranma half heartedly.
"Away from here before, Torako tries to make me stay at her house
again." Ryoga gave a small wave and jumped onto the roof of the home.
Akane staggered into her room and fell onto her bed. "I'm exhausted."
she rolled over to see a strange leotard clad girl clinging to her
ceiling. "HNN?!"
Kodachi let the rose fall from her lips and fell towards her opponent
shattering the flower before it landed with a huge mallet. Akane rolled
away staying close to the bed and spun around in a side kick that caught
Kodachi in the stomach and bounced her off the wall and onto the floor.
Akane was forced back by the mallet as Kodachi spun it in front of her
defensively.
"So it seems you do have some skill!" snorted the leotard clad girl.
"Who are you?" snarled Akane angrily.
"I'm from St. Hebereke school for girls! Kodachi the black rose!" the
gymnast charged forward and swung the weapon at Akane. "I shall be your
opponent next week! So let's both do our best to fight in all fairness!"
the girl slammed the mallet into the ground and Akane reacted before she
could recover from the strike by snap kicking her in her forehead sending
her into the door with a loud thud. Kodachi glared at her with a burning
hatred in her eyes. "This girl is no push over!"
"I'll show you how fairly I can fight!" said the angry Tendo. "Your the
one who ambushed the gymnastics team!"
"Ambush!? What a nasty way to put it!" Kodachi tried to look demure as
she said this and stood up again. "I simply believe in fighting in all
fairness...before the match!" With that she bounced out Akane's open
window leaving a flurry of black rose petals under the defensive cover of
her spinning gymnastics ribbon. "I shall return!"
"Who is going to clean up this mess?!" cried Akane angrily.
On the roof of the home Kodachi stood in the moonlight fuming. "Akane
Tendo! She is not to be dismissed easily, that nasty girl struck me! I
must crush her before the match." with that said she turned to jump away
towards her home; however, her escape was blocked by a figure silhouetted
in the moonlight. Her face slammed into the figure's knee and she toppled
over the side of the roof.
"I've got to get out of here! Torako will be looking for me soon!" said
Ryoga in a panic. He liked his forced girlfriend, but she was more than a
little pushy about certain things and almost acted as if they where
already married. It made him nervous and very wary of her. "I've got to
get away, or she might try to make me...did I just hit something?" Ryoga
spun around in mid air and saw the figure of a woman falling from the
roof. He reversed his momentum and pushed off of the bottom of the second
floor roof catching her in his arms just in time.
"Are you Ok?" he managed as she woke and clung to him. "Whoa! Hey!
uhhh..."
Kodachi blushed deeply as she looked into the boy's roughish features.
"Oh...I...I...I was so frightened!" she clutched him close to her body
and sighed. Her thoughts ran rampant as she clung onto him like a steel
trap. "Oh the gray dreary life of a girl's school! I'd given up hope of
finding a man to love! Ohh! To think such a wonderful encounter was
awaiting me!" finally she released him and he dropped her like a rock,
she landed lightly on her feet and smiled. "Please sir, tell me your
name?"
"Hibiki, Ryoga Hibiki..." stammered the boy anxiously as he backed away.
"For you, my Ryoga!" she dumped a dozen black roses into the boy's arms
and immediately he was sprayed in the face by a strange mist. "Oh, I'm
sorry, a bit of paralysis gas in the bouquet."
"Wha? Are you out of your..?" Ryoga staggered and managed to stand
despite the gas, but Kodachi smiled and pushed him back onto the ground
with a simple shove.
"Now my Ryoga, be brave and take these lips of mine!" Kodachi leaned in
and grabbed the back of Ryoga's head.
"Get your hands off my husband!" screamed a voice as Kodachi felt
another blow to her ribs and flipped away; Torako glared at her and
stayed hovering over Ryoga's fallen form watching Kodachi carefully.
"Such tragic timing!...wait did you say husband?" both girls gave Ryoga
an angry glare and Torako kicked him in the ribs; the boy only whimpered
unable to move or speak.
Kodachi put her arm over her forehead dramatically. "To tempt such a
flower as myself is unforgivable! I was prepared to give you my heart
darling! Alas, true love must wait!" she dashed across the roof tops away
from the Tendo home.
Torako spun around on her heels and jumped onto Ryoga's stomach landing
with her knees digging into his stomach. "What the hell are you doing!?
How dare you cheat on me! I'll kill you bastard!" she shook him for a
moment before sniffing the air around him. "Hey, what's that smell, is it
some sort of cologne? You know I hate that stuff..." her voice trailed
off as her nose started to go a little numb. "Wha? Darling? Are you
alright?"
Ryoga struggled to answer and his mouth failed to respond. "Mnnnfff!"
"You can't move can you?" said Torako as she moved off of him and poked
at his leg curiously. Ryoga managed a very tiny nod in reply, some how he
managed to look relieved. A sly smile crept across the girl's face as she
leaned into him. "Now my Ryoga, be brave and take these lips of mine!"
with that said she planted her lips firmly on his and rolled over onto
his body. All Ryoga could do in protest was move his fingers slightly;
she broke her kiss and snuggled up against his chest, somehow, despite
the chill in the air Ryoga felt very warm.
Akane turned off the vacume and looked over her head. "Did I just hear
something?" After a moment of silence she shrugged her shoulders and
turned on the appliance again.
TBC...
Next: for those of you who didn't read the manga...
Ranma meet's Kodachi, but what will she make of Akane's fianc�e since it
was Ryoga who met her on the roof? Plus, Akane's training
continues...she's more skillful, a little less clumsy; but will she avoid
injury? If she gets hurt who will take her place? Ranma or Torako?
Ranma starts his evil plan for revenge against Torako! Plus! The
Rhythmic gymnastics tournament itself! All this and more as the final
chapter of Kodachi's story is next.
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