Folks--
I've been working on this one for awhile. It just keeps growing...
it's now up to about 100K with no end in sight. So I thought I'd post
it here and get some C&C on what I've got so far before I write more.
To everyone who's sent me C&C in the past: I really do appreciate it.
Thank you. *This* one, though, I want to be my magnum opus. Don't hold
back. If there's something you don't like about it, speak up! No kid
gloves.
A few things that I already know about:
1) Principal Kuno is somewhat out of character, and also doesn't have
his distinctive speech patterns.
2) I got the geography of the Dojo wrong. The bathroom is downstairs.
3) Parts of it are a little *too* sugary sweet. I'll tone it down a
bit in the final version.
And now, without further ado...
=====
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Jonathan S. Haas
=====
Soun Tendo was overjoyed. Life had been going *so* well these past few
months. First, he had managed to engage his youngest daughter to a
true
martial artist, one who would carry on the tradition of the Anything
Goes school. And now, he was about to engage another daughter in an
even
better match. This marriage would unite his family with one of the
oldest, most respected houses in Nerima. One of the oldest, most
respected, and *richest* houses, that is. His smile, already wide,
increased another notch. It was all he could do to keep from crying.
He
sat in a room in a huge mansion, across from his daughter's soon-to-be
father-in-law. True, the family was a little on the strange side...
but
then, what Nerima family wasn't? He was sure that his daughter would
learn to find happiness here. And if he and the house of Tendo should
profit from it... hey, why not? His gaze wandered over the almost
ostentatious opulence which surrounded him... rare paintings, Ming
vases, a display case full of glittering jewels...
He looked at his future son-in-law's father and allowed his smile to
widen still farther. The man held a respected position of authority in
the community. What an *honor* it was to join with his family! He wore
a
smile to match Soun's own. And then he spoke.
"What a perfect match this will be, Tendo! Your daughter's financial
wizardry will help our house greatly. And the resources of our house
will of course always be available to help run the Tendo dojo. Truly,
this is a great day!" He nodded his head vigorously at this point,
causing the miniature palm tree he wore atop his head to shake.
"So be it! Ten days from now, your daughter Nabiki will marry my son,
Tatewaki!"
---
Tatewaki Kuno was not in a very good mood. At school, he had once
again
challenged his hated rival, Ranma Saotome. He had been secretly
working
for months on perfecting a new technique, and he was sure that he
could
finally vanquish Ranma. But Ranma had dodged right around the
whirlwinds
generated by his bokken as thought they weren't even there. And then,
after closing ridiculously fast, Ranma had contemptuously knocked him
out with a slap to the chin. Ranma hadn't even taken him seriously
enough to treat him like a real opponent.
And then, after he'd regained consciousness and started the long walk
home, thinking about his latest failure, he'd heard a cry that was all
too familiar to his heart. It was the voice of his beloved pigtailed
girl, yelling, "What did you do that for?" For some reason, she seemed
to say that a lot. Why she said it, Kuno could not fathom, but he
always
reacted the same way: he ran as fast as he could towards the voice.
Leaping a fence, he beheld his vision of beauty standing before him.
Dripping wet (as she often seemed to be), she stood in a battle stance
against a giant panda. As Kuno stood transfixed with delight at the
loveliness of the scene, she expertly kicked the panda high into the
air, to come crashing down on the other side of the fence. Kuno felt
his
heart leap almost painfully at this display of the pigtailed girl's
strength. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he charged her,
crying,
"Pigtailed girl! I would date with theeeeeeeee...", the last word
being
drawn out, as he found himself flying through the air on much the same
trajectory as the panda. "She kicked me..." was the only thought he
had
time for before he landed on his head on a hard concrete sidewalk, and
lost consciousness for the second time that day.
It was late afternoon by the time he awoke and walked home,
considering
his failure. "Why does she reject me?" he thought ruefully to himself.
He touched his chin, right where she had kicked him. "Am I not a
striking young warrior? Have I not the manners of an 18th century
samurai? Do I not exhibit the grace of a true nobleman?" He considered
the problem, and came to the same conclusion he always did: Ranma. It
was Ranma's fault that the pigtailed girl spurned him. Ranma had used
some sort of black magic to ensorcell her, and that was why she
treated
him so. He remembered the horror he felt when Nabiki first told him
that
the pigtailed girl's soul and *body* both belonged to Ranma. He
imagined
once more Saotome placing his filthy hands on her pure flesh, and
shuddered violently.
And Saotome was the cause of his difficulties winning the ferociously
beautiful Akane Tendo, as well. Ranma had become engaged to her
against
her will. How often he saw Ranma taunting Akane and treating her like
some rude peasant. How often he heard Akane curse Ranma, and even
resort
to physical violence against him. He was obviously making her life
miserable, and the poor girl was trapped in a loveless engagement with
him. Kuno clenched his fists and saw red briefly.
It was all Ranma's fault. And, Kuno admitted to himself in a rare
moment
of personal honesty, he could not defeat him. He'd just spent hours
every day for the last several months training to beat Ranma, and
Ranma
hadn't even treated him like a serious threat. No matter how hard he
fought, he was no match for Ranma.
It was thus with a bleak mood on his shoulders that Kuno arrived at
the
front door of his mansion, his jaw aching from the two solid blows.
Wearily, he turned the knob of the front door, and shuffled inside,
his
ever-present bokken slung listlessly over his right shoulder. He
slowly
turned to close the door... and leaped back in shock when he saw his
father standing not three inches away from him. "Father! Don't startle
me like that!" he yelped.
"Tatewaki", said his father, wearing a broad grin along with his
trademark Hawaiian shirt. "I have some wonderful news for you!"
At this, Kuno brightened slightly. Good news was what he needed to
hear
now.
"I've secured a bride for you from the House of Tendo!"
Kuno gasped in shock... then again in joy, when the impact of his
father's words sank in. He was going to get to marry the beauteous
Akane! His head swam with visions of Akane... her flashing eyes as she
broke cinder blocks with her fists... the way her gi tightened around
her chest as she lifted heavy dumbbells... the sheer power of her foot
as it connected with his face. Truly, any man would be blessed with a
bride such as that. But wait... what about his pigtailed girl? She
would
surely be stricken with overwhelming grief were he to marry Akane over
her. But how could he pass up the opportunity to join forever with
Akane
Tendo? But the pigtailed girl would be then be trapped with that
lecher
Saotome. But this could be his opportunity to free poor Akane from the
clutches of that same Saotome! But once his attentions could focus
solely on the pigtailed girl, Ranma would surely make her life
miserable. But Akane would shower him with grateful affection for
rescuing her from Ranma! But the poor pigtailed girl would live out
the
rest of her life in Saotome's bed. Just as the internal conflict was
about to make Kuno scream with indecision, his father spoke again.
"A week from next Friday, you marry Nabiki Tendo!"
"NANI?!?!!!"
---
"NANI?!?!!!"
Nabiki's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she'd
just
been told.
"That's right, Nabiki!" cried a cheerful Soun, oblivious to his
daughter's shock. "A week from Friday, you're getting married to
Tatewaki Kuno! Isn't it wonderful?"
Nabiki blinked once, then twice. This had to be some kind of joke. Her
father would never do that to her. He was just kidding around, trying
to
get a reaction. But as she looked at his cheerfully goofy face,
smiling
from ear to ear, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, she realized
with
a sinking feeling that this was no joke. She had just been engaged to
the biggest laughingstock in Furinkan High School. And apparently, the
wedding was to take place in just ten days. She was going to marry a
man
who spouted nonsensical poetry, who strutted as though he were God's
gift to the world, and who was too stupid to realize that Ranma was
his
'osage no onna', no matter how many hints he got.
Shrugging her father's hand off her shoulder, Nabiki trudged upstairs
to
her room. She was going to need some time to think about this one.
---
"Tadaima!" Ranma called, as he walked in the front door. It had been a
fun afternoon, but he was glad to be home.
"Welcome back!" Akane cheerfully greeted him from the dojo. "How was
your day?"
"Great!" replied Ranma. He'd been getting a lot more cheerful
greetings
from Akane recently. Certain events had happened which had made Ranma
and Akane appreciate each other more, and they didn't get into fights
quite so often as they once did. And besides, it really had been a
pretty good day. Ranma'd gone down to the park to practice some of his
martial arts moves. After awhile, a crowd had gathered around him, and
it ooh'd and ahh'd his every move. That sort of thing did wonders for
Ranma's ego.
Ranma looked over at Akane. She looked pretty good. She was wearing
her
gi, and had obviously been practicing. Her cheeks were flushed and her
breath came in pants. Her hair was mussed and her face glistened with
sweat. She was, Ranma thought, very appealing. Everything about her
looked good... everything, that is, except what she held in her arms.
A
small black piglet wrapped in a yellow bandana.
Ranma suppressed a familiar stab of jealousy as she snuggled the pig
close to her chest and kissed its snout. Then, to his horror, the
piglet
began to *lick* her all over her lips and face. Akane only giggled.
"P-
Chan! That tickles!"
Inwardly, Ranma seethed. This time, Ryoga was going too far! He was
taking advantage of his cursed body to *lick* Akane! Enough was
enough,
Ranma silently vowed. He would put an end to this. He glared at Ryoga
with a hatred that was almost tangible. Ryoga glared back, then gave
Akane a big lick on the cheek, causing her to giggle again. Ranma
swore
silent oaths against Ryoga until his reverie was broken by Akane.
"Ranma," she said, "I'm going upstairs to study. When Kasumi-oneechan
comes home from the market, could you come and get me please?"
"Huh? Oh... sure thing, Akane," Ranma replied. His mind was on other
things... like how to stop Ryoga from using his pig-form to get close
to
Akane. Akane looked at him quizzically, then headed upstairs and
closed
her door. Ranma sat on the floor in the lotus position, and meditated
on
the problem of Ryoga. How to get him away from Akane without getting
himself beaten to a pulp was the main difficulty. It was early evening
before he came up with a solution... and implemented it.
Quietly, he crept up the stairs to Akane's room. He silently opened
her
door a crack. Akane was inside sitting at her desk, deeply buried in a
book. It wouldn't be hard not to disturb her.
Ryoga was sitting on Akane's bed, watching her. The dreamy look in his
eyes showed that he was totally distracted. Quick as lightning, Ranma
reached through the doorway, snatched Ryoga by his bandana, and pulled
him back into the hall before he had time to protest. Ranma wrapped
his
fist around Ryoga's snout to avoid any outbreaks of squealing, then
went
down the stairs as quietly as he came up.
Once downstairs, he slammed Ryoga as hard as he could against the
dojo's
wooden floor. Before he could run away, Ranma grabbed him again, held
him up to his face, and began speaking, in a cold, ruthless voice.
"Listen good, Ryoga. This time you've gone too far. I've put up with
your garbage from Day One, and I'm not putting up with it anymore.
Akane
is my fiancee, not yours, and I'm not going to let you keep doing what
you've been doing."
Ryoga answered with a low growl. Ranma silenced him with an icy gaze,
and continued. "No more P-Chan. You're not crawling into Akane's bed
ever again. You're not pretending to be Akane's pet anymore. You'll
never *lick* her again. You got that? P-Chan is dead."
At this, Ryoga bared his teeth, but Ranma had more to say. "I mean it,
Ryoga. Get out of this house. And never come back. I'll give you until
tomorrow at noon. If I see you here after then, I'm telling Akane who
you really are."
Ryoga's eyes widened, then he squealed and grunted and did his best to
convey general consternation. Ranma said, "I know I promised not to
tell. And so far, I've kept that promise. I have honor. But *you*,
Ryoga, have *no* honor. You're taking advantage of a girl's trust in
her
pet to *sleep* with her. You are a dishonorable man, and I have no
obligation to keep any secret of yours. I'm giving you a chance to get
out with your secret intact. I suggest you take it. If you don't,
you'll
be exposed. Now shut up." And with that, Ranma once again wrapped his
fist around Ryoga's snout, muzzling him. He set him down at the top of
the stairs, outside Akane's room. In a whisper, he hissed, "Say your
goodbyes. Then get out and don't come back." He walked downstairs
feeling much better. One way or another, the problem would be solved.
Ryoga trembled upstairs. I've never seen Ranma so angry, he thought.
Not
even when I was trying to kill him. What am I going to do? Then he
gathered up his nerve, and waddled through Akane's door, still
slightly
ajar. The sight he saw in her room nearly made him faint.
Akane was standing in front of her bed, and she'd removed her shirt.
Seeing him, she smiled. "Oh, P-Chan! There you are! I was wondering
where you'd wandered off to." And before Ryoga could utter a word, or
a
squeal, she'd scooped him up in her arms and was cuddling him against
her chest.
Ryoga's head swam, and he shook it to clear his dizziness. His cheek
was
pressed up against her bra, and his snout was pillowed in her
cleavage.
From there, he had a pretty good view of the curve of her breast. Her
skin was smooth and creamy white, and lightly dotted with freckles.
She
was beautiful.
The moment was all too brief, as Akane lifted him from her chest and
held him up to your face. "P-Chan, you're *so* huggable. And such a
good
listener too." Ryoga squealed and did his best to look as cute as a
piglet can possibly look. Akane smiled, kissed his snout, and said, "I
love you, P-Chan."
Ryoga gave her his cutest smile. Akane giggled again, then set him
down
on her bed. "I'm going to take a bath now, P-Chan. You'll wait for me,
won't you?"
Ryoga's eyes widened as Akane reached for the clasp of her skirt.
Almost
automatically, he turned and faced the wall. He felt his heart thump
as
he heard the rustle of Akane's skirt falling to the ground. A bead of
sweat formed and rolled down his face. His blood roared in his ears,
and
he thought, "Tonight might be the last night I see Akane. After
tomorrow, I may never see her again. All this time, I've loved her
from
afar. Tonight, I want to see my goddess in all of her glory. Just
once,
before I leave her life forever." And with that thought, he turned
away
from the wall and faced Akane.
She was standing clad only in bra and panties, and Ryoga wept at her
loveliness. Her upper body was tight from years of martial arts
training, and it narrowed down before flaring out into slim, soft
hips.
Her thighs were strong, yes, but also somehow very feminine. Hers was
the body of a young woman just coming into her full adult beauty. As
she
shrugged out of her bra, Ryoga's eyes bulged, and his vision went
blurry. When it cleared, Akane had removed her panties and was walking
away from him, towards the door. "Bye, P-Chan! I'll be back in a
little
while!" She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, then headed
out to the bath.
Ryoga's breath came in pants, and his heart was pounding wildly. His
piglet body was sheened with sweat. He stood, dazed, for several
seconds, then leaped off the bed and made a mad dash for the bathroom.
Fortunately, the door was ajar, and he could squeeze through. Akane
was
sitting in the bath, surrounded by clouds of steam. She looked like
Aphrodite rising from the waters. Ryoga, heart still pumping like mad,
took one step towards her, then another.
Akane looked up and saw him. "P-Chan," she laughed. "You couldn't bear
to be away from me, eh?"
Ryoga took another step closer, then batted his eyes at her.
Demeaning,
he thought, but effective.
Akane giggled. "You're so silly, P-Chan", she said. And then she did
what Ryoga never thought she'd do.
She playfully splashed him with water from the bath.
What followed then was not at all pretty.
---
Few people realize the way Ryoga's curse works. As it turns out, his
pig
body is at about the same location in space as his head. And so, when
he
becomes doused with cold water, he feels his legs, torso, and arms all
contract towards his neck. His eyes move up a little bit on his skull,
sliding under his bandana, and his hair retracts. He grows fur. His
nose
moves up to form a snout. His mouth shrinks and curves around that
snout. His ears become pointed and leaf-shaped. And once they have
contracted far enough, his legs and arms swivel around to become four
little feet.
When his pig body contacts warm water, as for example when Akane
splashes him from the bath, the same process occurs, only in reverse.
The hotter the water, the less time it takes. Akane's bath water
wasn't
very hot. When Ryoga's pig body touches bath water, it takes a few
seconds for the transformation to be complete.
And during those few seconds, Ryoga had much to think about. "Oh my
God", was something he thought several times. "What am I going to do?"
was also up there. "She's going to kill me," occupied some space in
Ryoga's brain, and was probably fairly accurate.
Akane's thoughts similarly shifted during those few seconds. At the
beginning of them, she was quite happy. Her day had been peaceful, she
hadn't gotten into any fights with Ranma, and now she was enjoying a
nice relaxing warm bath, and playing with her beloved pig P-Chan.
Perhaps a half-second after the bath water hit Ryoga, she realized
something was wrong. And then she realized that P-Chan was
transforming.
And then, it struck her with horror that P-Chan was really a man, a
Jusenkyo-cursed man, who had only been *pretending* to be a pig. And
then she remembered that she had told P-Chan all her secrets, that she
had cuddled him in her bosom, that she had *undressed* in front of
him.
And finally, she looked down, and she recognized the person that
P-Chan
had turned into.
No, it's safe to say that Akane wasn't nearly as happy at the end of
those few seconds as she was at their start.
"RYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Akane's voice bellowed, reverberating
off the walls of the bathroom and shaking the foundation of the house.
Downstairs, Ranma heard it. Uh oh, he thought. That didn't sound too
good.
Back in the bathroom, Akane was standing, dripping wet and naked, over
a
terrified Ryoga. Her eyes fairly glowed with hatred, and her teeth
protruded under her lips in a snarl. She was breathing very heavily.
It
might have been just a trick of the light, but Ryoga could've sworn he
saw her surrounded by a blue aura. That was all his mind had time to
register before a foot connected with his gut with superhuman force.
He
grunted as the breath was knocked from his lungs, and then he went
soaring into the air. He crashed through the ceiling, snapping rafters
with his head and body. And then he flew through the sky, to come
crashing down into the center of the street.
An old woman, walking down the street working late, splashed his
bruised, battered, naked, and unconscious form with water.
---
Akane wiped her forehead, put on a robe, and shivered. P-Chan was
Ryoga.
She couldn't believe it. All this time, she'd thought Ryoga was so
nice... a perfect gentleman. And P-Chan... P-Chan was her loving pet.
She felt betrayed. All the things she had shared with P-Chan, she had
shared with Ryoga. P-Chan had heard all her darkest secrets, all the
things she could never tell anybody else, not even Kasumi. She hugged
her arms around herself and wanted to cry. I trusted him, she thought.
I
trusted them *both*... and they both betrayed me. I never knew Ryoga
was
such an honorless person. No wonder Ranma doesn't like him.
Wait a minute.
Ranma doesn't like Ryoga.
Ranma doesn't like P-Chan, either, for some unknown reason.
Ranma calls Ryoga "P-Chan" and "Charlotte".
Ranma acts like he *knows* P-Chan, and says that P-Chan has a lousy
sense of direction.
Ranma tried to sneak into my room while P-Chan was there. He was
carrying hot water.
Akane's eyes widened and she clutched at her chest, when she saw where
this was leading.
Ranma *knew*.
Ranma knew all along that Ryoga was P-Chan. Ranma could have told her
at
any time, but he didn't. Whenever she was cuddling P-Chan, or playing
with him, all Ranma would have had to say was, "Yo, Akane, did you
know
that Ryoga turns into P-Chan if you get him wet?" He hadn't said it.
He
had known that Ryoga was using her, was tricking her, was *betraying*
her, and he didn't do a thing about it. He'd let him get away with it.
He probably got a good laugh out of it. Akane felt her rage growing
again.
"RANMA!" she shouted, as she leapt down the stairs. She found him
sitting cross-legged in the practice room. Without pausing, she
charged
at him, then jumped in the air and aimed a kick at his face.
Only his face wasn't there. Sensing it coming, Ranma dodged to his
feet.
Akane punched at first the left, then the right side of his head,
forcing him to swerve one way, then the other. He kept dodging,
marveling at how Akane's speed had improved, and managed to shout,
"What
is it, Akane? What did I do this time?
Akane, still pressing her attack furiously, shouted back, "I'll *tell*
you what it is, hentai!" *kick* "This is because you *knew*" *punch*
"about Ryoga" *punch* "and you never told me!" *kick* *kick* "You
*knew*
Ryoga was P-Chan, you bastard!" *punch* *punch* *kick*
"Oh," said Ranma, and stopped dodging. Akane's next kick caught him
squarely in the side of his head, and down he went. Akane stood in
shocked surprise for a moment, then knelt down next to him.
"Ranma. Hey, Ranma. You okay?" she asked. The meaty thump his head had
made when it struck the wooden floor didn't sound too good. His body
was
sprawled out in an unnatural position. His eyes were closed.
"Ranma?" Akane slapped him lightly across the face. "Are you okay?
Hey,
wake up!"
Ranma still showed no signs of motion. Akane felt a sudden
constriction
in her chest. She grabbed Ranma's hands and screamed, "Ranma! Wake up,
God damn you!"
Ranma groaned, and his eyelids fluttered. Then they opened to the
sight
of Akane kneeling over him, clutching his hands in hers, her eyes
filled
with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked.
He slowly propped himself up on one elbow, and lifted the other to his
throbbing head. Ouch, he thought, as he probed the spot where she had
kicked him. I'll be feeling that one for awhile. "Yeah... yeah, I
guess
so," he said.
Akane's features showed relief, then anger. "Damn it, Ranma! Why
didn't
you dodge that?"
Ranma sat up, rubbing his head. "Because I deserved it."
Akane couldn't quite believe she'd heard right. "What? What did you
say?"
"Because I deserved it," Ranma repeated. "You're right. I should have
told you about Ryoga long ago. I should have told you on that first
day.
I had made a promise not to, but that's no excuse. He was treating you
dishonorably, and it was my duty to tell you. I'm sorry I didn't. I
want
you to forgive me. Will you?"
Akane was surprised, to say the least. Ranma rarely apologized to her,
and when he did, it was never this abject. He must really mean it, she
realized. And with that, she got an idea.
She allowed her frown to relax just a bit. "Maybe," she said, in a
voice
filled with poutiness. "Maybe? What do you mean maybe?" replied a
confused Ranma. "I'll forgive you," she said, "if you'll let me cook
dinner tomorrow. And you have to *eat* it before you say it's bad."
Ranma stood up and shuddered. His head still throbbed. It was going to
be a long evening.
---
Nabiki leaned back, frowned, and tapped a pencil against her teeth. On
the desk before her was a piece of paper, on which she'd listed the
pros
and cons of marrying Kuno. One of the first things you learned in
business was that before entering any situation, you must take stock
of
it. If she was going to be forced into this marriage, at least she'd
be
entering it with her eyes open. This is what she had written.
PLUSSES AND MINUSES OF TATEWAKI KUNO:
Advantages:
o Rich
Disadvantages:
o Stupid
o Arrogant
o Spouts bad poetry all the time
o Obsessed with Akane
o Obsessed with Ranma
o Lives in a weird house
o Has weird ninja servant
o Has insane sister
o Sister is also obsessed with Ranma
o Wannabe martial artist
o Gets beaten up frequently
o Embarrassing to be around.
Nabiki frowned again. The disadvantages outweighed the advantages, but
just barely. It wasn't an easy call. In this case, though, she
supposed
it was somewhat academic. Her father and his father had already made
the
wedding plans. A Kuno family dressmaker was visiting tomorrow to
measure
her for her bridal gown. Her father, she might have been able to talk
out of it. But Principal Kuno was not the type to easily bend, once
his
mind was made up. She had no doubt that he would be able to talk her
father out of any postponement she asked for. She might as well get
used
to the idea.
Several blocks away, in the Kuno mansion, Tatewaki Kuno was also
having
misgivings, but for very different reasons. "Oh, Akane Tendo," he
moaned. "How unfortunate it is that I must marry another, and our love
must be forgotten. And osage no onna... to think that I shall never
again be able to touch your lovely red curls. Truly, this is a tragedy
of Shakespearean proportions." Tears streamed down his cheeks as he
soliloquized.
"And yet... how nobly does the dragonfly beat his wings in the wind.
The
glittering blue Pacific stirs restlessly, as a giant in its sleep.
Those
who flourish must be brought low." Kuno was very proud of his poetry,
and wished he'd remember to write it down more often. When the mood
truly struck him, he was magnificent. After savoring this new gem, his
thoughts turned, as was perhaps inevitable, to his prospective
fiancee.
Nabiki Tendo.
The cold-hearted wench who had been responsible for the massive drain
on
his cash reserves all his life. True, he was rich enough that Nabiki's
regular tithes didn't hurt him, but each time he was forced to crawl
to
her for favors or information, it humiliated him. It was a black mark
against the Kuno family honor, and she was responsible for it. Sister
to
the beauteous Akane Tendo, and yet she had never once picked up on his
hints for her to put in a good word for him. His teeth clenched. Why
must I be cursed with such a wife?
But of course he knew why. Money. Rumors had been whispered among the
mansion's staff for weeks that the Kuno fortune had been terribly
mishandled, and was now a fraction of its former magnificence. The
Kuno
family was losing status, and influence. If the drain continued, the
Kuno family might well become... broke. And so Kuno was being married
to
a fiscal genius, who could turn the slide around, and restore the Kuno
fortune to its former glory.
A marriage of convenience, he thought. The curse of the nobleman.
Forced
to cast aside the two I love, so that my family might prosper. He
cried
aloud, "Oh, how blessed are the lowborn, that they have the luxury of
marrying for love!"
His anguished cry brought Kodachi to his door. She was wearing her
leotard, and had evidently been working on some new moves. A black
rose
was tucked behind her ear. "Why, whatever is the matter, brother
dear?"
she smirked. "Feeling a little bit down that soon Akane and that
pigtailed wretch will be forever out of your reach?"
Long experience had taught Tatewaki to keep his cool when Kodachi
taunted him. As she was both female and his sister, Tatewaki could
never
strike her, and in a war of insults, Kodachi invariably won. He bit
back
his acerbic reply, and said evenly, "What concern is it of yours,
sister?"
"No concern at all, dear brother," Kodachi laughed. "Merely glad to
see
such a deserving person as yourself suffer. I certainly wish it had
worked out differently... a fitting punishment for either Akane or the
pigtailed girl would be the horror of marriage to you."
Once more, Tatewaki held his temper with difficulty. He said through
clenched teeth, "If you don't mind, sister, I'd like some time to
myself. I'm not feeling very well." And with that, he slammed the
door.
He could hear Kodachi's laughing giggle as she returned to the
gymnasium
for her workout.
Tatewaki flopped down on his bed. That flop was most unbecoming one of
my social stature, he rebuked himself. Must not do that in the future.
But that concern was far from his mind, as he contemplated the fate
which awaited him.
In his mind, two faces appeared. The face of Akane Tendo, with her
wide
eyes and cute mouth. In his vision, that cute mouth was set in a
grimace
of concentration, as her fists flew and shattered a wooden training
pole. Next to her, the pigtailed girl. In her distinctive Chinese
clothes, hair red as a sunset, her deep blue eyes boring into his
mind.
And then, next to them, a third visage appeared, that of Nabiki Tendo.
Her cold gaze, sharp as a katana. Her severe bowl haircut. Her face,
icy. She wore a look not unlike that of a cobra about to strike. Her
expression clearly said, "Keep away." This was the woman who was to be
his wife.
Kuno shuddered, and tried to fall asleep. He lay awake a long time.
And
when sleep finally took him, his dreams were not good.
---
Nabiki Tendo walked to school alone. Sometimes she would walk with
friends, or accompany Ranma and Akane, but today, she wanted some time
to herself. At school, she'd surely encounter Kuno, and she wasn't
quite
sure how to deal with him.
One thing she had decided for sure was that she was *not* going to
marry
him. This was the '90s, after all. Parents didn't *own* their
children,
and her father couldn't *force* her to marry anyone. Oh, he'd cry, she
was sure, but she could deal with that. Better her father be slightly
offended than she spend the rest of her life married to Kuno.
The subject of her thoughts was waiting for her at the school gate.
Usually, he waited for Akane or Ranma, but today he was waiting for
her.
When he sighted her, he immediately strode towards her. At least, she
supposed, he was willing to confront their situation, rather than hide
from it.
"Nabiki Tendo," he said. "I have something for you." He handed her a
small, cream-colored envelope, then added, "My father asked me to give
this to you."
Nabiki looked at him quizzically, then opened the envelope. She
groaned
when she saw what it contained. She should have known. A wedding
invitation.
YOU ARE INVITED
to witness the union of
NABIKI TENDO
and
TATEWAKI KUNO
at Noon on Saturday, June Eleventh, at the Kuno Mansion.
The lyre of Orestes trills through the air,
The raindrops twinkle in the mighty trees,
How the howl of the wolf mingles with the midnight breeze,
So is the joy we shall witness here.
Nabiki winced at the poetry. So that's where he gets it, she realized.
She handed the invitation back to him. "We're not getting married,
Kuno."
Kuno's face did not change at all at this pronouncement, and yet
somehow
still registered sadness. "No, Nabiki Tendo, I'm afraid you are wrong.
Though I wish with all my heart it were not so, there is no turning
back
my father from this course."
Nabiki felt her ire rising. "So? I simply *refuse* to marry you. What
will your father say about that?"
Kuno lowered his eyes. "I fear, Nabiki Tendo, that he will find some
way
to bend you towards his will. From whom do you suppose my sister
Kodachi
inherited her devious methods? He will stop at nothing to get his way,
and he will use means that will make you tremble."
Nabiki unsuccessfully stifled a laugh. "That old fool? I'd like to see
him try. You tell him from me, Kuno-chan, that I will not go through
with this farce, and if he doesn't like it, tough."
Kuno's face was a mask. "I will tell him, Nabiki Tendo. I fear for the
consequences, however." And without another word, he turned and strode
back into the school.
---