Private Bet #8: Love and other dirty four letter words.
by Shade

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Ranma are the copyrights 
of someone else, I'm just using them here. 

I plead the fifth to everything else.
~~~~~~~~~~~

�What are you doing?� A small grey kitten padded her
 way toward the pool, most noticable on her forehead 
was a small shining crescent moon.

�Huh?? Diana how�d you get here?� Rowan, Shadow, and 
the Guardian looked like kids who�s hands had been caught
in the cookie jar. They had good reason to be nervous too, 
if their wives found out about this there would be a good deal
more then Hell to pay.....

 �Mom and Dad are busy and so is Chibi-Usa. 
I got bored so I went looking for you.� Several of 
the rougher entities backed away, unable to cope with 
the sucrose overload. Shadow could already feel 
cavities forming.

�Um...now�s not a good time.�

�Oooh....what�s that? Isn�t that Endymion?!�

Busted. That particular Bet would have to be
the one being watched at the moment.

�Ah..well...you see...�  Not being able to lie 
really sucked sometimes in Rowan�s opinion.

�You�re being naughty again aren�t you!�

They tried to look innocent and failed miserably.

�I�m going telll....� Diana singsonged.

�You wouldn�t dare.�

�Who�s turn is it this week? Hmm?�
A definitely mischievous expression was on
 the Moonkitten�s face.

�Alright!!You win!!!�  They cried.

�What can be so bad about that?� The Bard 
wondered what threat was so horrible as to 
scare those three.

�Four words. Setsuna, Black Leather, Bullwhip.�

The Guardian looked like he could use a drink, 
or better yet a whole bottle.

The Bard�s eyes widened.

�I....see.�

�I wanna make a change here!�

�Wait a minute!�

Too late.

All they could do now was watch.
~~~~~~

[.....�She�s really a very sweet girl� Doctor Tofu had said.]

�Like hell she is.� Ranma retorted weakly as 
he remembered that conversation. 
 
Right after his legs had locked up Akane had stopped 
and LAUGHED at his predicament. But only AFTER 
she had bashed him on the head with her schoolbag.
Of course his mouth had shot off, he�d been raised to fight 
back against any kind of attack and with Genma as a father 
you learned to act first and think later. 

It usually worked......

Just not this time. After several agonizing minutes had 
passed Akane had left his much battered and aching 
body on the street as she went home.

�Find your own way back you Sexchanging Perverted Jerk!!� 
Her last words as Akane walked away without looking back
had been as cold as finely tempered steel and cut as deeply 
as the finest masamune blade.

Ranma Saotome�s life at this point in time had for all intents and
purposes hit rock bottom. In the last six months he�d picked up
a Jusenkyo curse that turned him into a girl at the worst possible
times, a bloodthirsty amazon was after his head,  he was 
engaged without his consent to someone he�d thought might 
have become a friend but had instead only insulted him and 
attacked him once she found out he was really a guy, and to
add insult to injury the local idiot had developed a fixation 
on him as girl while trying to kill him when he was a guy. 

When he�d arrived at the Tendo Dojo Ranma had
emotionally latched onto the first person to show 
him any kindess there, Akane Tendo. But after being constantly 
confronted with open hostility the chances of any sort of attachment
forming between him and her had been squashed like a particularly 
annoying bug. Except that you usually stopped hitting 
the bug after it was dead.

Things couldn�t get any worse.
~~~~~

�Ca...ca..ca.cacacacacacacCAT!!!!!!�

If he�d been coherent at the time Ranma would 
have sworn to never make such a foolish statement ever again.

However he was too busy trying to stop his fragile hold 
on his sanity from snapping entirely.

Ranma started to panic even more as the white feline approached him.
So caught up in his efforts to get away from it that he didn�t
 notice the cresent moon on its forehead.	

Artemis smirked, if cats could be said to smirk.

This was just so much fun!
~~~~~

Just when it looked like all hope was lost.....

�Shoo Artemis!  Stop teasing him!�

As Ranma looked up into Minako�s big blue eyes 
he could have sworn he heard a little *twing* as if 
someone had just fired a bow. But that was silly,
there wasn�t anyone else here except him and this 
beautiful, caring, wonderful girl.......
~~~~~~~~~

Cupid started worrying, this was not going according to plan.
What had gone wrong? All he had to do was to shoot Ranma as
soon as the girl helped him up. But this wasn�t the right girl!

{Damn it!!!}(1) 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He�d just about lost faith in the 
fairer sex and was going to say 
to heck with it all and become a 
monk when this angel had rescued him.

Now here she was trying 
to help him and make him feel better.
They were sitting in a booth at a nearby 
burger joint, waiting for Ranma�s legs to recover.

It was the first truly nice deed anyone had ever done for him without demanding
something in return.

Much to Ranma�s continued relief the white cc..a...ca...feline had not made 
another appearence, although he still a little stunned that 
Minako had been able to carry him this far. There was a hidden 
strength in that seemingly delicate body he realized, not as strong as 
Akane�s, but somehow more appealing in that way. 

To pass the time they�d talked, and much to Ranma�s surprise 
once it started he found himself spilling out his entire life story 
to this girl�s sympathetic ear. And he�d found himself listening 
to parts of her life too, though he sensed that there was much 
she left unsaid. Misery loved company.

But old wounds mend slowly.

Ranma was more cautious this time after 
having been burned once already.
So far his experiences with girls had 
been zero for two, he wasn�t 
exactly anxious for a third strikeout.

But maybe.....

~~~~~~

�So that explains why he always eats Akane�s cooking.....�

�Besides the fact she shoves it down his throat anyway?�

�Well, that too.� 
~~~~~~~

Minako Aino had just gone through a very rough time in her life.
She had lost her first love to one of her best friends back in
 England. Because of her secret identity as Sailor V she had 
become a loner, her duty coming first over friendship and the
normal things girls her age usually did. Now here she was, 
starting over in a new country, even more alone then before......

Despite her outward attempt to keep up a cheerful 
demeanor Minako was hurting badly. 

Finding someone in a similar situation to hers was 
a surprise to say the least. Looking at the handsome 
pigtailed boy in front of her she still couldn�t believe
that this wasn�t just another one of her romantic daydreams.
He wasn�t an idol, a minus. But on the other hand he was rather 
cute and really nice, both major pluses in her book.
 
Maybe......
~~~~~~~~

�Uh oh....� 

Rowan was getting a bad feeling about this.

(To be continued)

*$*$*$*$*

(1) This is not the cute cherub that you�re thinking of. 
While reading up on Rifts for Bet #10 I found an entry 
for an EVIL Cupid. This demon only LOOKS cute and innocent.
He gets his thrills from ruining people�s lives by causing them to 
fall in love (or lust) with the worst possible person for them.
And if by some miracle the love starts to work out......
Cupid uses his arrows to create rivals and make other 
obstacles leading toward broken hearts and shattered dreams. 
Hmmm.....Sound familar?

Author�s note: Where does this go?

Cupid trying to fix his first goof-up, of course you know 
that things like that never go according to plan. A Murphy�s 
Curse placed on his bow makes sure of that. This is a fic 
where love DOES conquer all......^_^

The other Sailor Senshi-Trouble just waiting to happen.
Tux Boy- About to get some serious competition.......
(No, Ranma is not going to wear a fuku!! No turbans 
and no formal dining wear!!!) Something more his style....
Ranma cast- Hmmm.....Nah...no hints.

Blame the CCC for this idea. Minako & Ranma, a 
fanfic that had to happen sooner or later.

The Ranger of the Crossover Fiancees strikes again!
-Shade

"Hope springs eternal in the Human breast: 
Man never is, but always to be blest."

-Alexander Pope

Readers and listeners praise my books;
You swear they're worse then beginner's.
Who cares? I always plan my dinners
To please the diners, not the cooks.

-Martial

In Difficult Ground, Keep moving. 
In Pressed Ground, Make stratagems.
In Death Ground, Fight.

-Sun Tzu "The Art of War"

The Private Bets now have an archive!

Rowan's Sanctuary http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/Ranma_Tenchi/main.html
(It's rough but it's up!)


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