A Kiss To The Victor


A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Hound & Cabbit Productions
(David "Fido" Lindquist (fido@rmaonline.net) and June "KaraOhki" Geraci
(karaohki@snet.net)

March 25, 2002

Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi.  We're
just borrowing her characters for a little while.

Earlier chapters can be read at
http://karaohki.anifics.com

-----------------------

Chapter Six

"Ranma!  Will you cut that out?  You said you were
going to train me, so stop ducking!"

Ranma just stared at Akane.  The way she had her
hands on her hips and the half glaring, half
pleading look in her eyes made the martial artist
fidget.

"I...ahh..." she stammered.

"You WHAT?  You don't want to hit me?  You don't
hit girls?  Well you're a girl yourself right now!
What's the problem?  Don't you want me to win?"

"But--but!!"

Ranma couldn't seem to get her mouth working, and
she knew she was in trouble when Akane started
crying.

"Forget it!  You're not helping me at all!"

Akane ran out of the dojo, leaving Ranma standing
there.  The smaller girl sat down on the floor.

Ranma slapped her palm onto the floor.  "Damn it,
Akane!  Don't you get it?  I can't hit you!" she
muttered.  "You're my fiancee, it ain't right to
hit your fiancee."  A sigh escaped her lips, and
she asked herself why these things always seemed
to happen to her.  After a few moments of despair,
Ranma turned her attention to how she could train
Akane.  "There's gotta be a way." the rest of her
sentence was cut off as the solution came to her.
"That's it!"



---------------

Akane stretched out in the bath, allowing the hot
water to ease the tension from her body.  Her eyes
hurt from crying, and she was still angry.

*Damn, why won't he take me seriously!  I need to
train for this!  It's like...* Akane sniffled
again as a lump formed in her throat..."he doesn't
want me to win.*

*I don't understand.  Ranma TOLD me I could win.
He told Ms. Kitami that I would win.  So why isn't
he helping me train?*

She brought her fist down into the water, causing
a huge splash.

*OOH!  There are times I want to strangle him!*

---------------


SNAP!  The ribbon struck the practice dummy hard,
tearing a deep gash in the white blouse it wore.
The blue jumper was already in shreds.

*Take that, harlot!* Kodachi thought as she
retrieved her ribbon.  Beads of sweat dotted her
face and she was breathing heavily.  A few more
strikes of her weapon of choice quickly tore
pieces out of her target's body.  Suddenly,
Kodachi slashed at the dummy's head.  "Soon you
will know who truly deserves Ranma!" she cried.
The blow tore the head from the dummy and it
rolled across the floor, stopping near Kodachi's
feet.

However, instead of making the gymnast happy, it
made her feel uneasy.

*Will it be this easy?* Kodachi wondered as she
straightened up.  A slight flash of pain from her
stomach immediately reminded her of their last
encounter and the ease at which she had been
'dispatched'.  Then she dismissed her doubts.

*No!  I am Kodachi Kuno!  I will not be beaten by
that--that peasant!*  She grabbed a towel and
wiped her face.  *It was a fluke,* she thought.
*A mere accident allowed Akane to win last time.
It won't happen twice.*  She put the towel on the
bench and laughed softly.  "No, I will most
definitely not let that happen again."

---------------

Morning in the Tendo house was greeted by an
unusual sight:  Ranma, fully dressed and ready to
leave before anyone else.  He practically flew
down the stairs and continued on around the corner
where he found Akane right in front of him.
"Wha?" was all Ranma could say before he slammed
into his fiancee, causing her to bounce off the
wall.  Ranma immediately grabbed her to keep her
from ending up on the floor.

"Akane!  Are you all right?"

Akane removed Ranma's hands from her waist and
glared at him.  "I'm perfectly fine!  Why don't
you watch where you're going?"

The anger in her voice surprised him.

*She can't still be mad, can she?*

"A-Akane?  What...?"  Ranma trailed off, unable to
continue his thought.  Akane stepped right into
the gap.

"If you can't help me just stay out of my way!"

Ranma started to follow her, then stopped.  It
wouldn't do any good to apologize to her now.  She
was too upset to listen.

*I hope she likes my idea.*

---------------

Akane was only halfway through her breakfast when
Ranma left the table, grabbed his books, and ran
out of the house.

*Where is he going in such a hurry?* she thought.
*Is he avoiding me?*

Akane finished breakfast and started off for
school, still thinking about Ranma and his refusal
to train her.  *This makes no sense at all.  He
wants me to win, but he won't help me.  I can't
practice without a partner!  Why is he so
stubborn?*

The answer to the question made her stop short.
*Ranma won't train with me because he thinks he'll
hurt me!  All he did was bump into me this morning
and he got upset!*

For a moment, this made her get angry.  *I'm not
THAT fragile!  So now what do I do?*

Then she arrived at school, and had something else
to wonder about.  Ranma was already there and he
was standing with Mayuri, the captain of the
gymnastics team.  They were smiling and laughing.

*That--that JERK!  He's flirting with her!  Is
that why he left early?*

Akane suppressed the urge to run up to Ranma and
pound him into jelly.  Instead, she stalked past
him and Mayuri, refusing to look at either of
them.

---------------

"Thanks Mayuri."  Ranma said and smiled. "I'll see
you later."

"Hey, no problem!  It'll be fun!  Bye, Ranma!"
Mayuri grabbed her bag off the ground and ran into
the school.

Ranma watched her go inside and realized that
Akane had entered the school just before Mayuri
did.

*Why didn't she stop and say hello?* he wondered.
*How long is she gonna stay mad?*

He entered the school and began following Akane to
their classroom.  *Well, if this works out, it
should cheer her up!*

---------------

Akane stormed past Ranma.  She pretended not to
notice him at all, but her anger at him was almost
palpable.  She never even noticed that the rest of
the students were giving her a wide berth.

*I can't believe him!* she thought.  *He was
coming on to her right in front of me!*

"Akane!"  The voice of her source of aggravation
barely registered in her head.  She didn't notice
it until he called out again.

"Hey, Akane!  Wait up!"

She debated ignoring him but decided to see what
he wanted.  After all, dead men did deserve a last
request.

"Jeez"  Why didn't you wait for me?" he asked.

"Why should I?  I didn't look like you were going
to be done with your new girlfriend any time
soon!"

"Ya know something, Akane?  That has to be one of
the dumbest things you've ever said to me."  With
that remark, Ranma walked past Akane and into the
classroom, leaving her standing there with her
mouth open.

---------------

The morning didn't get any better, and Ranma was
relieved when it was over.  He was too angry to
talk to Akane, and she ignored him.

At lunchtime, Ranma walked out into the schoolyard
alone.

*I really can't believe her!  Things were going
decent and now it's back to the same old crap
again!*  He was about to sit down when he heard
someone call his name.  The martial artist turned
to see Mayuri running up to him.

"Ranma!  I'm glad I got hold of you!" she said.

"What's up?"  Ranma's reply lacked some of its
usual enthusiasm.

"I talked to the girls and they said it would be
okay, but we'll need an hour to get there."

"An hour?!" he gasped.  "Oh, great!  She's barely
talking to me and I have to keep her busy for an
hour?"

"Sorry, Saotome," she replied.  "But that's the
best we can do."

"Okay...okay.  I gotta think."  Ranma stood there
and tried to figure out what to do.

"I've got an idea," Mayuri said.  The rumor is
that she is ticked off at you, right?"

"Yeah."  There was little confidence in Ranma's
voice.

"Then take her for ice cream after school!  Just
make sure she doesn't eat too much."

"Ya gotta be kidding!  If I ask her to go with me
she'll probably pound me!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

The pigtailed martial artist slowly hung his head,
then looked back up and smiled.  "Yeah, I think I
do!"

"Great!  You take care of Akane, and I'll get
everyone over to the dojo."


"Okay," Ranma replied.  "Now, when you get to the
dojo, tell Kasumi  that you are supposed to meet
us there, but don't tell anyone where we went."

"How could I?  I don't know where you're going!"

"Then you don't have to lie to her.  Trust me."

Mayuri just stared at Ranma.  "Ooookay," she said
uncertainly.

"Perfect!  See ya later!"  Ranma ran off.  *Now,*
he thought.  *How do I do this without getting
pounded?*


---------------

Ranma worried about that all afternoon, and never
did come up with anything resembling a battle
plan.  *Aw well,* he thought.  *I'll just wing it.
How hard can it be?*  The pigtailed martial artist
chanced a quick glance at Akane.  She looked a
little haggard from their earlier confrontation,
but the anger of the morning seemed to be gone.

*No problem at all.*

The last bell rang, and Akane had her things
gathered together and was out the door before
Ranma could blink.

*I can't let her run home!* he thought, and
hurried after her.

"Akane!"

Akane turned around and looked at him in a tired
sort of way.  "Ranma, please go away.  I have a
bad enough headache as it is."

"You're in training, Akane.  You can't let a
little thing like a headache stop you.  Let's go!"

"Why?" demanded Akane.  "So you can hop around and
not help me train?"

The words hit Ranma hard.  *So, she's still
upset,* he thought.  Then Ranma and Akane stared
at each other for a moment before Ranma broke the
silence.  "Look, I give you my word that you will
have a proper training session tonight."

Akane's mouth dropped open.  "You really mean it?"
she asked breathlessly.

"I gave you my word, didn't I?"  Ranma suddenly
found himself on the receiving end of a glomp that
would have put Shampoo to shame.

"Thank you Ranma!" Akane cried, as he felt her
tears soak his shirt.  He suddenly became aware of
the fact that a sea of curious faces surrounded
him and Akane. "C'mon, Akane.  Let's get out of
here."  As he spoke, Ranma grabbed Akane's hand
and took off.

---------------

*Where are we going?* wondered Akane.  She had
assumed that Ranma would take her home to
practice, but instead he was heading toward the
shopping district.  When he finally slowed down to
a walk she was slightly out of breath.

"Where are we going, Ranma?"

"There's somethin' I want to get you.  In here."

Ranma pulled Akane into a small shop.  Numerous
knick-knacks lined the shelves.  Some of them
appeared to be very old while others were the
usual sorts of cheap souvenir seen in shops all
over Japan.

"Ranma - "

"There it is!"  Ranma pointed at a group of
strange, round, red dolls that sat on one of the
shelves.

"Daruma?  You brought me here to see these?"

"Nope!  We're going to buy one," Ranma replied.

Akane's annoyance was plain on her face.  "What
for?"

"To help you succeed in your training, of course!"

Akane held in the urge to laugh at him.  "Don't
tell me you believe in that stuff!  It's a myth!"

Ranma just looked at her.  "Yeah.  And so are
water-based curses."

"I'll take that one," Akane replied.

---------------

After Ranma paid for the daruma, they left the
store.  *Akane's sure in a better mood than she
was before,* Ranma thought as he watched Akane
protectively cradle the package in her arms.  He
glanced at a clock that sat in another store
window.  *Oh man,* he thought.  *I still have a
half hour to go!*  He frantically tried to come up
with an idea to stall for time, then spied the
entrance to a small park.

"Hey, Akane.  Let's cut through that park."

"Isn't that going in the wrong direction?"

"It's okay.  We still have plenty of time to get
back to the dojo and get in a few hours of
practice before bed."

Ranma walked in the direction of the park as he
spoke, and Akane automatically fell into step
beside him.  He almost jumped when she slipped her
hand into his and gave it a squeeze.  They
continued on in silence.  Ranma enjoyed the warmth
of Akane's hand in his, and for a while he stopped
worrying about their problems.  At that moment,
nothing else mattered.  It lasted until he caught
sight of the park exit, then reality reasserted
itself and Ranma reluctantly let go of his
fiancee's hand.  Akane's puzzled, slightly hurt
expression almost made him grasp her hand again
but he resisted the urge.  Ranma sighed.  "We
gotta get going," he said softly.

Akane's face seemed to mirror the sadness he felt
inside, but then she smiled.

"Okay," she said, and they left the park.

---------------

"He's going to spar with me for real.  He's going
to spar with me for real!"  The words repeated
themselves in Akane's mind over and over as they
neared home. She wondered if Ranma would change to
girl form and wear a leotard, or if he would fight
her as he was. Whichever way, it didn't really
matter.  She was too happy to care.

Akane practically flew into the house, calling
"I'll be right back!" over her shoulder as she ran
upstairs to change.  She barely heard Ranma shout
back "I'll be in the dojo getting things ready."
The speed at which she changed clothes was
astonishing, and then she raced downstairs to the
dojo.  She was surprised to see Ranma waiting at
the door in his usual clothes.

"Aren't you going to get changed?" she asked.

"Huh?  What for?"

Akane grew suspicious.  "You're going to help me
spar in your usual clothes?"  As Ranma's eyes
widened, Akane's spirits sank.

"Where did you get the idea that I was going to
spar with you?"

"You said you would!" she replied, trying to hold
back the tears forming in her eyes.

"No I didn't!  I said you would have a real
sparring session."  As he spoke, Ranma slid the
door open and Akane was treated to a view of the
entire gymnastics team.

Akane stared at the group in shock.  Was this what
Ranma meant?  She watched as some of the leotard-
clad girls warmed up.  *How could I have ever
thought he would...*  Akane pushed the thought
aside, ignored Ranma, and joined the group inside
the dojo.  She started to slide the door shut when
Ranma grabbed the frame.

"Hey!  What about me?"

"Ranma," Akane said sweetly.  "Why don't you go
and get some refreshments for us?"

"What?"

"After all," she continued, picking up a bucket of
water sitting by the door and dumping it on him.
"If you aren't going to spar with me, WHAT GOOD
ARE YOU?"  Then she closed the door in his face.

---------------

Ranma stared at the closed door.  *What happened?*
she thought.  *Why is she mad?*  After a few
moments Ranma decided that it would be best to
leave Akane alone for now.  *I'll talk to her
after the girls go home.  Maybe then she'll tell
me why she's mad.*  She took off to find hot water
and refreshments.

Kasumi was in the kitchen when Ranma got there.
Apparently the eldest Tendo daughter had been
thinking ahead, because there was a tray with a
variety of snacks sitting on the counter.  As
Ranma came closer, Kasumi turned around, looked at
her and then reached for the teakettle.

"I didn't think it was raining, Ranma."

"It's not."

"Oh, dear.  Did Akane get angry again?"

Ranma nodded as he set down the kettle and grabbed
a dish towel to dry off.

"What was she angry about?"

Ranma's frustration got the better of him.  "Beats
me!" he said angrily.  "She was okay until she saw
the girls, and then she went nuts!"

"I thought I heard her say something about getting
ready to practice when the two of you got home."

"Yeah, that's right," said Ranma.

"But she didn't know the girls were here, did
she?"  Kasumi paused, and looked at Ranma.  "So,
who was she planning to practice with?"

"Well, I did tell her that we were going to have a
proper training session..."  The rest of Ranma's
words trailed off as he replayed what he had told
Akane earlier.  "She must have thought I was going
to spar with her--but why would she get upset
over that?"

Kasumi smiled and shook her head.  "I don't know,
Ranma.  Why don't you ask her after the practice?"

"I plan to," Ranma replied.  He turned and picked
up the tray.  "I just hope I survive."

---------------

Outside the dojo a female figure stood in the
shadows, listening to the sound of voices inside.

*She's not alone,* Kodachi thought, *and worse,
she's training!  I'll have to take her out when
she's by herself.*

The leotard-clad girl sat down behind a large
bush, biding her time.

---------------

Akane rubbed a sore spot on her leg.  She had been
so busy watching the clubs that her opponent's
ribbon had caught her.

"Akane, don't let yourself get distracted!  Keep
your eyes on your opponent all the time.  Once
you've avoided the clubs, don't keep looking at
them!"

Akane stopped rubbing her leg and got into a ready
position.  "Okay."

After her initial anger at Ranma had faded, Akane
had welcomed the girls and eagerly accepted their
help.  She would deal with her fiance later.
After she started training, Akane found that she
didn't have time to think about her feelings about
him.  The girls were giving her no breaks at all,
instead going after her with everything they knew.

"Kodachi's not going to go easy on you," said
Mayuri, "so we can't either.  You're strong, and
you're fast.  You just don't know the tools as
well as you need to.  We have four days to fix
that."

*Four days,* thought Akane.  *I HAVE to be ready.*
Then she jumped as a ribbon spun toward her, at
the same time attacking with her hoop.  Seconds
later she was down on the mat, entangled in the
ribbon.

"I thought I jumped over it!"

"Don't 'think,' Akane!  "DO!"

Nodding grimly, the heir to the Tendo Dojo got to
her feet and prepared to try again.  She was about
to continue when she heard the door slide open,
and Ranma entered the dojo.  He had changed back
and was carrying a tray of snacks.

Akane tried to ignore him and concentrate on her
opponents, but his words kept popping up.  "I give
you my word that you will have a proper training
session tonight."  The hurt surged up in her
again.  She was almost able to get control of it
when she heard a swishing sound in front of her.
Akane was barely able to dodge the thrown hoop,
and wasn't able to avoid the follow up ribbon
attack.  As she fell to the mat, Akane let out a
curse.

"Akane, that was awful!" she heard Mayuri say.
"What happened?"

"Sorry, I got distracted."

"Well, don't!  If you do that in the match,
Kodachi will tear you to pieces!"

The words hit Akane hard.  She noted that it must
have shown on her face because Mayuri's anger
faded.

"Look," her coach said.  "I know Ranma is good
looking, but you still can't let yourself do
that."

Akane blushed, then stood back up.  "I'm ready."

---------------

Ranma winced as Akane hit the mat again.  He knew
that fall had to hurt, yet he couldn't help but
feel a small bit of pride when she immediately got
back up and readied herself to try again.  *She's
tough,* he thought.  *Good.  She's gonna need to
be.*  He continued to watch as they trained,
turning his attention to gauging their skill and
how it would stack up against Kodachi.  After a
while, Ranma had pretty much figured out how each
of them would fare against the insane gymnast.  It
didn't look too good.  Only Mayuri looked like she
could beat Kodachi in a fair fight.
Unfortunately, Kodachi didn't fight fair.

Then he turned his attention to Akane.  Up until
then, Ranma had never really judged his fiancee's
martial arts abilities.  He let his eyes linger on
every move she made.  There were rough spots that
he could have taken advantage of easily, and while
Kodachi was nuts, she also was very good at her
sport.  She too would have no difficulty seeing or
taking advantage of the openings.  He was about to
say something about it when Mayuri's voice cut
through the dojo.

"Akane!  You're leaving yourself too open!
Tighten up your defense!"

"Okay."

Ranma bit back a smile as he watched them resume
practice.

---------------

"Akane!  You're leaving yourself too open!"

Kodachi grinned at the sounds coming from the
dojo, as she crouched in the bushes by the door.
*Perfect.  Taking Tendo out will be easy.  How
considerate of the other ladies to tire her out
for me.*  Her grin widened.  *It will be an added
bonus to teach the Furinkan team once and for all
not to oppose their betters.*

She shifted position, and wondered how long it
would be before the practice session ended.  It
was an hour before the gymnast heard her answer.

"That's enough for tonight."

The sounds of laughter and conversation as
everyone gathered their equipment together drifted
through the doors.

"Akane, you're going to need to soak tonight."

*Ranma?  What is my beloved doing in there?*

"What?" asked Akane.

"I--I mean you gotta be sore from missing all of
those blocks!"

"I didn't miss THAT many!"

"Sure you did!  That's why you need the practice!"

Kodachi was furious.  *Don't let that little tramp
talk to you that way!  My poor darling Ranma!
Never fear!  Soon you will be free of her, I swear
it!*  She watched as the dojo door slid open and
the girls from the team began to exit, calling out
cheerful goodbyes.

*Where is she?* Kodachi thought.  *Could she be--"
the voices from inside the dojo interrupted her
thought.

"You okay, Akane?"

"Yes.  Thank you for inviting the girls over."

---------------

Something in the tone of Akane's voice made Ranma
doubt her sincerity.

"You're still mad at me for not sparring with you.
It ain't that important."

"Dummy!  You made me think you were going to spar
with me, and then you pulled a switch!  How do you
think that made me feel!"  Akane pushed past him
and began to leave the dojo.  In her haste, she
failed to see the ball lying on the floor.

"Akane, look out!"

With a burst of speed, Ranma grabbed Akane around
the waist and pulled her back.

"What are you doing!" he heard Akane yell.

"Keeping you from tripping over that ball!"

Akane looked at the floor.  "Oh," she said in a
very small voice.

"Ya gotta be more careful!  I ain't gonna be
kissing Kodachi because you can't look where
you're going!"  As he spoke, Ranma turned around,
tripped on the ball, and fell flat on his face.
When he peeled his face off the floor Akane was
standing there laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing.  Nothing at all."

Ranma growled as Akane smiled and walked towards
the door.  He got up and kicked the ball as hard
as he could, and it bounced off the far wall and
ricocheted straight at Akane.  He only had time to
yell her name before the ball would have collided
with her head.  Suddenly, Akane dropped to the
floor, letting the ball pass above her and out the
open door.

---------------

As she saw Akane leave the dojo, Kodachi couldn't
help but smile.  *Just a few more steps...NOW!*
Silently, the gymnast leapt over the bush on a
perfect path towards her prey.  Much to her
surprise, Akane dropped to the floor.  "What?"
The rest of her words were cut off when a ball hit
her square in the face.

---------------

Ranma walked past Akane and out of the dojo.
"C'mon, lets go see if Kasumi left any more snacks
in the kitchen.  There's nothing left here."

"Okay."

Akane followed Ranma into the house.  Neither she
nor her fiance noticed Kodachi's unconscious form
lying in the bushes.  They passed Kasumi on their
way in.

"Are the trays still in the dojo?" she asked.

"Sorry, I forgot!" replied Akane.  "I'll go back."

"That's all right.  I'll take care of it," said
her sister.

Kasumi retrieved the trays and locked up the dojo.
Something that sounded like a light snore
attracted her attention, and she went over to the
bushes to look.  She was surprised at the sight of
the unconscious gymnast.

"Oh my."

A few minutes later she returned with a pillow and
a light blanket, and attempted to make Kodachi
more comfortable.  "Honestly," she said, "I wish
Ranma's friends would be more careful where they
sleep!"

---------------

*Now is the perfect time to apologize,* Ranma
thought as he watched Kasumi leave the room.
*What should I say?  Hmmm, what about "I can't
spar with you, Akane.  I'm not good at this."
Yeah, like she'd believe that!*

Ranma wrinkled his brow and thought some more.
*What about if I tell her I'm afraid she'll get
hurt?*  He snapped his fingers.  *Yeah!  That'll
work!*

"Hey, Akane." Ranma started to say.  Then he
realized she was gone.

*Maybe I'll apologize tomorrow,* he thought.

---------------

Upstairs, Akane was holding the daruma in her left
hand, and a paintbrush in her right.  *I have to
get these eyes just right, so the daruma will
work.*

Five minutes later, she smiled proudly.  "Wow, I
didn't think I could do it!" she said in a soft
voice.  For a minute, her mind went back to her
walk in the park, holding Ranma's hand.  Then she
pushed it aside.

*The big jerk won't spar with me.  I'm good enough
to hold hands with, but not to spar with?*  Her
conflicting thoughts were getting to be too much
to handle, so Akane put the daruma down, gathered
her bath things together, and headed back
downstairs.

---------------

The ringing of the final bell of the next school
day woke Ranma from his self-induced coma.  He had
chosen to dream away his last class rather than
deal with the fact that Akane wasn't pleased with
him.  There wasn't much he could do about it until
they got home.  He and Akane were assigned to
clean the classroom, but he doubted if he'd be
able to get her to talk to him while they did.

As the students began to file out, Ranma started
stacking chairs on the desks so that Sayuri, who
was also assigned to clean, could sweep under and
between them.  Akane picked up her broom, turned
her back on Ranma, and began at the front of the
room with the area near the teacher's desk.

Ranma had just finished the last chair when a
sudden premonition made him turn around.  One of
the ceiling tiles near the open window had
buckled.  Suddenly, it burst inward and onto the
floor.  Along with it, the familiar figure of
Kodachi landed lightly on the floor.  She was
ready for battle.

---------------

Sayuri continued to sweep as she watched her
friends.  She had noticed the tension between
them, but hadn't had the chance to grill Akane on
it.  She was pretty sure she could guess why they
were so tense.  It was the match with Kodachi.
Then she jumped back when the ceiling near her
caved in.  She also noticed who had caused it to
fall.

*Kodachi!  Why can't you leave our school alone!*
she thought angrily.  Almost by reflex, she swung
her broom and hit the gymnast in the face.  The
force of the blow caused Kodachi to stumble back.
Unfortunately, the only thing behind her was an
open window.  Sayuri watched in shock as the
invader fell out said window and down to the
ground, landing with a loud thump.

All she could say was "oops!"

The three friends rushed to the window and looked
down at the unconscious Black Rose.

"Should we get the nurse?" Akane asked.

The other two looked at her, then all three
answered at the same time.

"Nah!"

---------------

Kodachi swayed slightly as she walked towards the
Furinkan gate.  *That hurt,* the gymnast thought
as she leaned against the wall.  The sound of
laughter made her look at the window she had
fallen out of a few minutes before.

*Curse you, Akane Tendo!  No one laughs at a
Kuno!* she thought.

"Sister?"

Kodachi turned to look at her brother, who was
walking towards her dressed in his usual kendo
outfit.  "Hello, brother.  How nice to see you
again," she replied, in a tone of voice that
contradicted her words.

Tatewaki seemed to ignore her comment and looked
at her.  "Are you well?  You appear to be a little
worse for wear."

Kodachi bristled.  "If I seem less than my usual
perfect self, it is the fault of your precious
Akane Tendo!"  Kodachi couldn't help but smirk at
the sight of her brother's scowl and clenched jaw.

"Have a care, woman," he growled.  "How dare you
speak of Akane in such a way?  She is a ferocious
angelic goddess of battle!"

"You've been reading the thesaurus again, haven't
you, dear brother?"'

"No matter!  Even if I have it is of no
consequence.  Once I vanquish that foul sorcerer
Saotome it will prove to her the depth of my
feelings."

Kodachi's eyes widened.  "Ranma-sama a sorcerer?
It is more likely that your Akane is the true
practitioner of the dark arts.  Not him!"

"ENOUGH!"  Tatewaki moved into a combat stance.
"You were warned!  Now face the wrath of the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High!"

By that time, Kodachi had somewhat recovered from
her fall and evaded her brother's attack.  "I'm
sorry, brother dear, but I just don't have the
time for this."  She leaped over the wall and
vanished, her brother in hot pursuit.

---------------

*Where the heck did she put that negative?*
Nabiki was thoroughly frustrated.  She had hurried
home just to have time to search her sister's
room, and was having no success at all.  *I'll be
she stuffed it into her bra!*  She searched a
little more but soon realized it was hopeless.

*I can't believe it.  First they outsmart me, and
now I can't find the negative.  I'm supposed to be
the one on top!*  Nabiki started to fume when she
heard the faint sounds of the girls on the
gymnastics team talking to Kasumi downstairs.  She
was about the straighten up the room when the
middle Tendo daughter stopped.  *Why bother?  If
anyone asks, I'll just blame it on Kodachi*
Grinning, Nabiki left the mess behind her and
closed the door.

---------------

"Whew.  I thought we'd never finish!" Akane said
after they left the school.

"Yeah!" Sayuri replied.  "Stupid Kodachi and her
flowers!"

Ranma laughed as he walked on top of the brick
wall.  "I think she wasn't expecting to make that
quick of an exit, though."

Akane and Sayuri joined him in laughter at the
memory for a few seconds, until Akane gasped.  "Oh
no!  We're going to be late!"

"Late?" Ranma asked.  Then he remembered.  "Shoot!
You can't miss any training time!"

"Training time?" Sayuri asked.

"Yeah, Ranma has the entire Furinkan gymnastics
team helping me get ready for Kodachi."  Akane
turned to Ranma as he jumped off the fence.  "Come
on!  If we run maybe I can get some practice in
today."

"Won't be fast enough.  You're gonna miss a lot,"
Ranma replied.  "Unless--"  The pigtailed martial
artist quickly swept Akane up in his arms.

"RANMA!!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Getting you home as fast as possible!  Now hang
on!  Bye Sayuri!"

Before Sayuri could reply, they were out of sight.

---------------

Kodachi cursed as she watched Ranma and Akane land
in front of the Tendo house.  *Damn you, brother,
why did your defeat have to take so long?  Now I
can't 'greet' her in her room!*  She almost
considered going to the girl's room anyway, but
dismissed it.  It hadn't worked the first time,
and a small part of her doubted it would now.
*What I need,* the gymnast thought as she watched
her nemesis rush over to the dojo, *is a place she
would never suspect.*

While she mulled over the problem, Kodachi heard
the faint sounds of training coming from the dojo.
*Yes, little girls.  Train until your peasant
bodies reek of sweat.  It will do you no good.*
Kodachi smiled as the location floated to the
forefront of her mind.

*The bathroom.  Perfect!*  The girl slipped
quietly into the house and made her way to the
bathroom.  Once inside, she made a quick
examination of the room.  It was rather small by
her standards but she would have to make do.  A
moment later she was hanging onto the ceiling.
*Hmm, this will do.  Soon, you little witch.
Soon.* she thought, as visions of retribution
against the Tendo girl danced in her head.

The sound of heavy footsteps from the hall
interrupted her daydream.  *Is it her?  No, the
sounds are too heavy.*  The bathroom door opened
and confirmed her thought when a large black and
white panda came in.  Before it shut the door, she
heard a female voice call out.  "Mr. Saotome!  You
forgot these!"  She watched as Kasumi Tendo
entered the room and handed the creature some
bathing suppplies.  Kodachi was amazed when the
panda held up a sign saying "Thank you Kasumi".

The gymnast wrinkled her nose.  *They let their
pet bathe in the same room as them?  Disgusting!*
She continued to watch the panda as it made its
way to the tub.  Her eyes bulged out and she
almost lost her grip on the ceiling when she saw
the panda enter the hot bath.  The moment it
touched the water, the panda transformed to a
large, balding man.  "H-how?" she stammered out.

Her voice made the man look up and lock eyes with
the gymnast.  Their screams shook the house.

-------------------------------------------------

please address your comments to both of us - fido@rmaonline.net and
karaohki@snet.net (and to the list if you like!)

Thanks!
Fido & Kara
--------------------------------------------------
http://karaohki.anifics.com
--------------------------------------------------
     You could turn this way,
I'm also lonely
     this autumn evening

Basho


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