---------Next Part----------
Part 5: End of the First challenge, the reading of a book
What has gone before:
Part 1: Akane meets Ranma at age 12. They spar. Akane walks in on
Ranma
Part 2: Ryoga first appears. Ranma shows off in Gym class. Ranma is
challenged to teach the class gymnastics. Ranma walks in on Akane.
Part 3: Akane teaches the uneven bars. Sensei Ogawa has an agenda.
Nabiki takes a picture. Ranma walks in on Akane.
Part 4: Akane finds the picture. Akane and Ranma eat with Kasumi.
Ranma and Akane pull a joke on Nabiki that gets Akane a kiss. Ranma and
Akane talk in the bath.
It was the last day in the Gymnastics section, so Ranma was writing
up notes on everyone as they did their final run though the stations. Sensei
Ogawa was making her own notes from her office. Ranma was finding that his
notes were revealing a depressing story. There was no way he could
consider even a fourth of the class as good as Kodachi, overall. Most
students were
good on at least one section, though.
Sakura was up on the vault. She was one of the students he believed
had real talent. Kodachi had been singing her praises on the floor
exercise, and on the vault... well, no one else was attempting a flip with
a half twist. In order to provide some fun for the last day, Ranma had
gotten judges from other gym classes that period. Five judges for each
event. So far, no one
had gotten straight tens on any event. If Sakura didn't change that, he'd
be surprised.
Flip, half twist, perfect landing with no hop. And the judges say,
10, 10, 10, 10, 10.
Sakura graciously accepted the applause of her classmates.
The bell for the end of class and beginning of lunch ran, but before
they could leave the gym, the Sensei called for attention. "Very good
everyone," Ogawa said. "I need to see Saotome Ranma, Kuno Kodachi, Tendo
Akane, and Mori Rintaro in my office."
That was the lead members of Ranma's core of assistants, all the ones that
had helped on multiple stations. Ranma expected the worst. His
evaluations didn't indicate that he'd done as he boasted.
The four followed the Sensei to her office. The Sensei took her seat
behind her desk and the students stood in a lose semi circle on the other
side. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to thank you all for teaching my
class the past three weeks," Ogawa said. "Mr. Mori and Miss. Kuno, I'd
like to
extend a invitation to join the school gymnastic team. Your performance
has been most impressive. Miss Tendo, I'd like you to serve as one of my
assistants for as long as you are in one of my classes. Mr. Saotome, while
you did not meet your boast of getting most of the class to Miss. Kuno's
level, the whole class, with the lone exception of Mr. Ishibashi, who refused
to participate, did improve. I did not expect you to succeed with your
boast, and I didn't expect you to do so well. I'd also like you to serve
as my other assistant. I expect you and Miss Tendo to meet me before class
Monday. Dismissed."
As Ranma exited the office, he released a breath he hadn't been aware that
he had been holding.
"Were you worried Ranma?" Akane asked as they walked to the cafeteria
together.
"Nah, if I was doing something really wrong, Sensei would have let me know
earlier," Ranma said. "Are will still sitting with Kasumi, or have you
made up with Nabiki?"
"Both of them are getting on my nerves," Akane replied. "Let's sit
away from both of them."
"Still bothering you about the kiss?" Ranma asked.
"They keep asking for details," Akane said, as they took a seat in a quiet
corner of the cafeteria.
"I thought you liked being ahead of them for a change," Ranma said.
He handed over the usual pudding, and Akane gave him her cherry pie.
"I know, but you can only describe it so many times," Akane said.
"It was only two minutes long."
"If you want a longer one, you only have to ask," Ranma replied.
"Pervert," Akane said.
"Hey, you were the one to suggest it," Ranma said. "And don't tell
me that you didn't like it."
"I did," Akane replied. "And it was easy to tell that you did to."
"Of course," Ranma said. "Have you found the dojo registry yet?"
"I asked Dad for it," Akane said. "He said he would have it in my
room when we got home."
Nabiki stared across the room at Ranma and Akane. She wished she had
an friend like Akane had found in Ranma. Two interests had dominated her
life so far, money and mischief. She had taken over the family finances
when her mother had gotten really sick, and as for mischief, well, that had
been a constant. Her father had once said that she specialized in the
sneaky tricks branch of the Tendo School.
Now, she wanted something that money couldn't buy. Nabiki had no
idea where she would find a friend, or perhaps something more. She had
been the center of the rumor mill and the person to go to for a loan since
she had been in the third grade. Both of those were positions that made it
hard to make friends, but until now, she had never regretted it.
The heavy dojo registry sat on Akane's desk. The dusty volume listed
every master, student and visitor to study in the Tendo Dojo for over
eighty years, carefully recorded under the master of the dojo's hand.
"Why did you want to see this, Ranma?" Akane asked, as Ranma gingerly
opened the book.
"I want to find out who studied here and what schools they were from,"
Ranma said. "And perhaps who our father's master was. Dad won't tell me."
"Neither will mine," Akane said. "You know, that's a little strange."
Ranma turned the page, and found a document pressed between the pages.
"I wonder what this is?" he said, unfolding it.
"Contract of arranged marriage, dated 1976," Ranma read out. "This
can't be real."
"Let me see," Akane said. Ranma handed her the paper. "Saotome Gemna and
Tendo Soun hereby pledge in marriage their children, Ranma and Akane to
marry when they reach maturity.... Well that's Dad's signature."
"And it look's like my Dad's beside his," Ranma said. "I'm going to
kill Dad."
"What, you don't like me or something?" Akane said, showing her temper.
"No, it's just that he made this decision when we weren't even a year
old," Ranma said. "Nobody arranges marriages any more."
"Apparently, our fathers do," Akane replied. "I wonder when they
planned on telling us?"
"If your Dad is like my dad, just before the wedding," Ranma replied.
"We should let them know we know," Akane said.
"Wanna have some fun with it?" Ranma asked, with a mischievous grin.
"What do you have in mind?" Akane said. She knew the signs, and this
looked like Ranma had come up with an interesting idea.
"Nothing much, just a version of your trick with Nabiki," Ranma said.
"We'll need more kissing practice," Akane suggested.
"Schedule it in the furo," Ranma remarked. "Right now, we have some
sparring to do."
It was a rather high stack of towels that Kasumi was carrying. She
had been putting off washing them in order to finish a paper for her
History Class. The stack blocked her view as she entered the bath to hang
them up
on the towel rack. But when she began to place them on the rack, it no
longer blocked her view. And she noticed that the furo was occupied with
her sister and her friend. Her sister was getting a lot more romance than
Kasumi.
"Oh my," Kasumi stated.
This broke Ranma and Akane's passionate kiss. "Can't a girl have any
privacy around here?" Akane asked, as Ranma moved to a neutral corner of
the furo.
"You really shouldn't be so forward," Kasumi admonished, trying to fit
into a mother role, and doing quite well. "Taking baths with a boy isn't
appropriate."
"He's not �a boy,' he is my fiancee," Akane said. "Anyway, we're done
now. I'll be at Ranma's tonight."
"I'll meet you out front, Akane," Ranma said, exiting the bath.
"Questions, older sister?" Akane asked to Kasumi's blank stare.
"Fiancee?" Kasumi sputtered.
"Apparently Dad arranged it shortly after we were born," Akane said.
"Ranma and I found the document in the Dojo Registry."
"Oh my," Kasumi replied.
"I'm not sure I really want to go though with it all," Akane began.
"I'm only twelve, it's not time for me to make decisions like that. But I'm
not happy about Dad taking the choice from me. I mean, who arranges
marriages now days. Still, Ranma's not too bad, and I really want to get
to know him better. I better get going. Ranma hates to wait."
"Akane," Kasumi said softly.
"Yes."
"Try not to rush things," Kasumi advised. "Be careful."
"Yes... Mom," Akane said, touched by the sentiment, but rather tired
of the comment.
--
Stephen Ratliff
FAQ & Index Maintainer for Alt.StarTrek.Creative
http://www.runet.edu/~sratliff/FAQs
http://www.runet.edu/~sratliff/ascindex