Mina-san, Ohayou!
Well, It's beeen quite some time since I posted the the last parts
- especially, if you consider that this part and large stretches
of the following one were already written back then.
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Ranko 1/2 (_____)
Part 30
"Expect the unexpected"
Under the blue sky of Nerima, Tokyo, lies a large, oval building -
The public skating rink. Inside, on the ice, many young and a few
older people are enjoying themselves on their blades. The building
contains not only the rink itself, but also a small restaurant,
where the skaters can rest and eat. Ranko is sitting there,
eating a bowl of Ramen, watching the people on the ice. Suddenly
she hears someone call her name.
Akane: Ranko!
Ranko almost jumps up at the frantic, horrified tone in Akane's
voice. Her head snaps over to the entrance where Akane's call came
from. Akane is already running towards her, tears streaking down
her face. *Now* Ranko jumps up.
Ranko: [worried] Akane, what happened?
Akane: [points back to the rink] I-It's P-chan. He's gone.
Ranko takes Akane in her arms and pats her back soothingly, so she
doesn't have to see Ranko's annoyed frown.
Ranko: [thinks] Damn you, Ryouga, you directionless fool.
Getting lost and upsetting Akane like this...
Akane backs out of Ranko's arms and looks at her pleadingly.
Akane: Please, Ranko, you must help me find him. The rink is too
dangerous for a little piggie. I looked and looked, but I
could not find him.
Ranko is about to answer, when she sees something that lets her
remain silent. She just turns Akane around and points. Akane
wonders for a moment until she notices what Ranko has seen. There
is a short, energetic red-haired girl striding into the
restaurant, carrying a small, unmoving piglet wearing a yellow and
black bandanna.
[Or is she meant to be brown-haired? I mean, it's not as if the
hair colours in the Anime have anything to say, but I'd like to
keep confusion as low as possible.]
With a cry of rage Akane storms towards the girl.
Akane: P-chan! What are you doing with P-chan?
The girl turns to keep the pig from Akane, and looks at her
indignantly.
Girl: Charlotte belongs to Azusa-chan.
Akane: [angry] This is *my* pet P-chan. What have you done to
him? Why isn't he moving?
Azusa: You're wrong. This is Charlotte.
In that moment, the piglet begins to stir. As soon as it can see
clear, it begins to "bwee" loudly and struggle towards Akane.
Ranko, seeing this, gets an idea. Swiftly she steps between the
two girls, who seem to be about to go into full fledged fighting
mode.
Ranko: [outstretched arms] Hey! How about if we let the pig
decide? I take the pig, you two sit down opposite of each
other, I set the pig free and then we'll see whom it wants
to belong to. [thinks] This *might* work... provided
that Ryouga *for once in his life* gets the directions
right.
The pig "bwee"s and nods furiously, but Azusa glomps on to him
tightly, making his eyes bug out.
Azusa: No! Charlotte belongs to Azusa and she will not let you
take her away.
Akane: [derisively] P-chan is a *him*. You don't even know
which sex he is, but claim that he's yours?
Azusa looks at Akane defiantly, when suddenly a hand reaches over
her shoulder and plucks the pig from her grasp. A young man
stands behind Azusa and is holding the pig just out of her reach.
At his entrance, a collective sigh goes through the female
population of the room.
Girl 1: [clasps her heart] Ohh, my dream comes true.
Girl 2: [affects swooning] What a man.
Ranko is the only girl not to react, apart from Akane and Azusa,
who are otherwise engaged. She walks back to her seat and sits
down, watching. Azusa is jumping and grabbing for the pig.
Azusa: Give Azusa back her little Charlotte!
Boy: [to Akane] I gather this is yours?
Akane: [nods relieved] Yes. It's my pet P-chan.
He hands the happy pig to Akane, who graciously accepts it. Azusa
is furious.
Boy: I must apologize for my partner. She has the aberrant habit
of collecting thing that she finds cute. She names them and
takes them home, paying no attention to whom they belong.
Ranko: [quietly] But it's nothing that a few weeks of Electric
Shock Therapy couldn't cure.
Akane: As long as I've got back my P-chan.
The pig squeals happily and nestles in Akane's arms, when suddenly
Azusa yells and lunges forward. Before Akane can react she has
clamped something around P-chan's neck and laughs triumphantly.
Akane shoves her away and examines her pet: around his neck there
is a small necklace with a heart. Akane tries to pull it off, but
it won't move. Angrily she looks at Azusa.
Akane: What are you doing? Get this off.
Azusa: [smugly] I won't. I challenge you over the right to be
Charlotte's mommy. Until the match is over, I'll keep the
key to the lock.
Akane: So you want to fight about him?
Azusa: Fight? How primitive. [sneers] I challenge you to a
skating match.
Akane: [hotly] Oh yeah? I accept! We'll see who gets to be
P-chan's mommy.
The onlookers are surprised at Akane accepting the outrageous
challenge. One girl questions her.
Girl: What are you doing? You could have refused her - after
all, *she* was the thief. There *are* such things as wire
cutters, you know?
Akane: And back down from a ditz like that?
Girl: Don't you know who they are?
Boy: Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. I am Sanzenin
Mikado.
Azusa: And I am Shiratori Azusa.
Mikado: We are Koru Hosei Academy's champions of freestyle pair
skating, also called "The Golden Pair".
Mikado finishes with a bow. Although she is thrown off a little
by this revelation, Akane sets her jaw.
Akane: So what? P-chan is still mine and I will prove it.
Mikado: I am so sorry that my partner has caused you such
problems. Please let me give some restitution.
Akane freezes, as he suddenly lays a hand to her cheek, but
unfreezes again, frowning, as he leans forward to her with pointed
lips. P-chan "bwee"s furiously and Akane clenches her fist, but
Mikado never makes it. Before his lips connect, something lands
on his face with a <splat>. He stops and reaches up to remove a
sticky, star-shaped fish cake with a decorative swirl. He looks
to where the projectile came from, and his eyes light up in
recognition, as he spies Ranko sitting at her table, looking into
the air as if not in the least concerned with what is going on.
Mikado: Why, Saotome Ranko.
Ranko: [turns to him] Hiya, sex-obsessed neurotic.
Mikado walks over to her and holds up the sticky cake.
Mikado: What a fortunate coincidence this is. This way we can
settle our little... matter satisfactorily.
Ranko: We settled it to *my* satisfaction, back then, but if you
*want* a beating - be my guest.
Mikado sets one hand of the table and leans forwards, towering
over Ranko, who is completely unimpressed by his theatrics.
Mikado: So you agree to a double match? Me and my partner
against you and the lovely owner of that pig?
Ranko: Sure. Whatever you want.
Mikado: [straightens up] The date is one week from now, and the
site at the rink of our school, Koru Hosei Academy. I
will expect you.
Ranko: We'll be there. [leaves her seat] Come Akane, there is
nothing more for us to be here.
She grabs the astonished Akane and leaves Mikado behind to fight
off Azusa, who has declared the fish cake to be cute and therefore
rightfully hers.
~*~
Ranko and Akane are on their way home; Ranko walking on the
fence, as usual, still frowning; Akane walking on the ground,
absently petting P-chan. After a while, Akane speaks up.
Akane: What the hell did you do that for?
Ranko: [hotly] Hey! I was just trying to protect you.
Akane: Next time, how about *asking* me if I want your
protection?
Ranko jerks, as she hears this.
Ranko: [thinks] Oh no! What have I done? She didn't want me to
stop him, and I...
She jumps down from the fence to walk next to Akane. In a very
small, apologetic voice she speaks.
Ranko: Um, did.. did you want him to kiss you?
Akane: [stops in her tracks] Nani?! I wanted to break his jaw!
But you interfered. [starts walking again] Oh well, it
doesn't matter anyway; What I want to know is: From
where do you know that Sanzenin guy?
Ranko: [reluctantly] That's a long story.
~*~
At home, Akane and Ranko are sitting in the guest room. Ranko
looks to the ground, embarrassed, but finally begins to speak.
Ranko: It was a while ago, after I arrived here...
Flashback to a few weeks back.
Ranko(voiceover): I was at the rink, skating.
On the ice, among the many skaters, is Ranko. Her knees are bent;
She is hunched over and is flailing around with her arms to keep
her balance. She is obviously *very* bad at it.
Ranko: Waaaaaaah!
Ranko(voiceover): Well, *learning* to skate, anyway.
Ranko makes a wrong move and suddenly she is gathering speed -
sliding backwards. Her flailing becomes more frantic, but only
adds to her predicament.
Ranko: Helllp!
Suddenly a figure <swish>es by and snatches the helpless girl up.
It is Sanzenin Mikado. Thankfully Ranko relaxes.
Ranko: Phew. You saved me.
Mikado: It is a pleasure for me to help such a beautiful girl in
distress. Sanzenin Mikado is always ready to aid.
He shifts his grip on her, so that he now holds her like a dancer
holds his partner. Since he is larger than her, her feet do not
touch the ice.
Ranko: Well, thanks a lot, Sanzenin. My name Is Saotome Ranko.
You can let go of me now.
Mikado: Are you sure you want to go back onto the ice? I could
hold you for as long as you like.
Ranko: [getting annoyed] *Thank you*! Now let me down.
Mikado: Ah, if you must. But allow me - as a parting gift...
Ranko's eyes bug out, as he suddenly leans forward and kisses her
on the lips. A few seconds afterwards, he disconnects and smiles
at her, as if expecting thanks. Steam comes from Ranko's head and
her teeth are clenched in fury.
<Whap Bang Pound Wham Bapbapbap Scrrrrunch!>
~*~
Steaming with anger, Ranko stomps off, her blades leaving deep
gashes in the ice. Behind her a bludgeoned Mikado with his
clothes torn in many places feebly tries to extract his head from
the hole in the ice that it is lodged in.
Flashback ends.
Ranko is looking to the ground, still slightly embarrassed; Akane
snickers, making Ranko look up angrily.
Akane: I must say... That you would leave yourself open so much,
to be kissed so easily.
She shakes her head, smiling. Her smile vanishes with a yelp, as
Ranko suddenly reaches out and pushes her shoulder hard. caught
off-balance, Akane teeters over backwards, but before she hits the
ground, Ranko is sitting behind her and catches Akane in her arms.
Akane goes wide-eyed, as Ranko leans forward and... touches her
nose to Akane's.
Akane sweats nervously, as she looks into Ranko's eyes, smelling
her warm breath. Ranko sits up again and releases her, smiling;
Akane jumps back three feet. She clenches a fist over her
furiously thumping heart.
Akane: Wha- wha- What are you..?
Ranko: [grins] I just wanted to show you that you shouldn't
condemn me so lightly - seeing, how easily *you* could
have been kissed.
Akane: That- That's not fair! You only caught me off guard
because I never expected you to do something like that!
Ranko: That's my point. *I* never expected Sanzenin to do that.
The lesson in this is "always expect the unexpected".
Akane: Well. From now on I'll be ready, if you ever want to kiss
me.
Ranko: [sweats] Err, heh heh heh heh heh...
Akane: A-ha ha ha ha ha...
Ranko: Um. Well, we'd better train from now on; Practice some
fighting moves on skates.
Akane: What? You want to fight with them during the match?
Ranko: [surprised] Sure. Sanzenin and Shiratori are champions
of Martial Arts Skating; Didn't you know? If this was
just normal skating, I'd *never* have agreed - we would
have lost before we even began. But since it's *Martial
Arts* Skating, there's no problem.
Akane: [incredulous] You think we can beat them at it?
Ranko: [flatly] As long as it's got Martial Arts in the title,
we can win in everything. The Saotome and Tendou schools
of interdisciplinary fighting are *made* for this, after
all.
Akane: [sarcastically] Oh yeah, and we've got a *whole week* to
master this new fighting technique.
Ranko: [happily] There you go. *Now* you're beginning to see it
positively.
Akane sweats.
-- End of Part 30
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Continued in part 31.
Sebastian