Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma] The Taming of the Horse: Epilogue

The Taming of the Horse

a Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Vince Seifert (seifertv@csus.edu)

YAY!!

TotH webpage: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/toth/

    ~~~~~ Epilogue ~~~~~

    Ranma spoke her secret fear:  "Maybe nobody wants to learn
the Art from us."

Of all the silly thing I've ever heard....

    Akane's blush deepened.  "No!  You have it all wrong!"  She
made a desperate lunge for the embarrassing items.
    
    "I wish I had a hundred yen for every time I said that to
you," Ranma chuckled, evading her.

Nice comeback!

    Akane exerted control and calmed.  She straightened and
smiled seductively at her husband.  "What's it worth to you?" she
said softly, walking up to him and putting her arms around him.
She closed her eyes as he kissed her, but her fingers were
sliding down his arms to his hands--
    
    Ranma's hands were empty.  She felt him smile through the
kiss, and her eyes flew open.  "You--!"  She looked up and saw
the book and the crop balanced atop his head, too late.  Ranma
stepped back, still smiling, and tossed his head before she could
snatch them.  The book and the crop fell neatly into his hands
again.

Snicker.  After all bits in the story where she controlled the flow of 
things, this provided some nice balance.

    Ranma's brow furrowed for a moment, and then he gave her an
incredulous look.  "Taming....  You think you tamed me, do you?"
He closed the book and gently put it down on the dresser, but
kept the crop.  "You think I'm tame?  Come see how tame I am."

Oh... my.

    "'On the other hand, some horses are so amenable to
domestication that they very nearly tame themselves....'"  Akane
looked up into Ranma's teasing smile.  "I-- you-- oooh!"

Another point!  I guess Ranma really does always win.... ^_^

    Ranma swished the crop through the air.  "So how come you
never hit me with it?  You've hit me with everything else...."
    
    Akane blushed some more.  "Like you said.  That's kinky."
She eyed him.  "Do you want me to?  Is that it?"

Must... suppress... hentai... imagry.

    Ranma put his hand back down after she'd stopped.  He smiled
a little.  "I dunno.  I don't wanna think about it too much,
because some things ya just shouldn't think about, not if you
like them.  But maybe... maybe part of it's 'cause you hit me."
    
    The silence stretched again.
    
    "Eeew."

Not that he doesn't occasionally take a few hits himself....

    "How many?" Ranma muttered to Akane.
    
    "Twenty-three, so far.  Isn't it wonderful?"

Must... suppress... hentai... imagry.

         "Well, Pops and Tendo-san are gonna be there too, and I
    just know they'll do somethin' ta mess us up.  They've
    messed us up about everythin' else, why would they stop now?
    Anyways, you're the only one I can trust to keep them under
    control."
         
         Nodoka touched her wrapped katana.  "I would be glad
    to.  I am honored by your confidence, Ranma."

Hee hee.  That's known as "using the tools at hand", class.

    Ranma nodded.  "Let's do it."  He walked out in front of the
crowd.  "Students!  Welcome to the school of Musabetsu Kakuto at
the Tendo Dojo!"  The students hastily sorted themselves out to
stand in well-spaced rows.  They bowed.  Ranma and Akane bowed
back.  Ranma examined them carefully: a dozen children, seven
youths of high-school age, a couple a little older than Ranma and
Akane, and an older man with weary eyes.

I'm looking at this, and portion of my brain is screaming "Sequel!  Why 
would he describe the class so carefully unless there was gonna be a 
sequel!?"

    The activity stopped.  Everyone stared at the dusty figure
that had appeared in the sudden hole in the wall.  "Excuse me,
does anyone know where the Unryu farm is?" it asked.  It noticed
Ranma.  "You!"
    
    Ranma flung his arms wide.  "RYOGA!!" he bellowed joyfully.

The more things change....

    On the shelf, on a stand of the type usually used to hold a
katana horizontally, the riding crop rested proudly, beginning a
new tradition at the Tendo Dojo.
    
    ~~~~~  end of Epilogue  ~~~~~

Not much else to say, save to agree with Gary that this did an excellent 
job of reforming the cycle.  And as I said earlier, it also did a nice 
job of restoring some balance, showing the couple as equals.  Congrats, 
and I look forward both to your promised "plug" betwixt 6&7, and to 
future works.

--Freemage

Vince Seifert    Network Analyst     seifertv@csus.edu
http://webpages.csus.edu/~seifertv/  updated 1998Jun04
CSUS hired me to build their network, not to speak for the university.

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