Alternatives - Chapter 3
As always, the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and all of the
corporations that have licensed them from her.
**************
As they were leaving the Saotome home for Furinkan High School,
Ranma stopped Akane. "Hey, you want your first lesson?" He smiled at
her with mischief in his eyes.
"You want to spar with me on the way to school? Ranma, are you
nuts?" Akane was aghast at the suggestion. Pointing to her outfit, she
said, "My clothes would be ruined!"
"I didn't say nothing about sparring," he calmly answered in his
best sensei voice. "I asked if you wanted your first lesson." He
crossed his arms and stood awaiting her response. The seriousness of
his stance, betrayed only through the beaming smile Ranma was unable to
erase, unconsciously mimicked one of his father's favorite teaching
poses.
"Oh, sorry." Akane looked at him with chagrin. She continued in a
begrudgingly sweet tone as she formally bowed to the pig-tailed boy,
"Yes, I would like my first lesson, Ranma. What do I need to do?"
'What do you know, she actually listened to me,' he thought. He
jumped onto the nearby fence and motioned for her to join him. "Okay,
Akane, jump onto this fence. When you get your balance, walk along it
ahead of me. Don't worry about falling or nothing, I'll catch you."
"What if some pervert looks up my skirt?" She patted her skirt down
self-consciously.
Ranma rolled his eyes in disgust. "Well, if anyone looks up your
skirt, if you don't bash them first, I will. Anyways, what's the
problem? Don't your panties cover more that your bathing suit does?"
"It's just not the same, Ranma. Bathing suits are meant to be seen
and panties just aren't." She blushed with embarrassment. "It's got to
do with something you don't have, feminine modesty."
"Ya got that right, I ain't got a feminine bone in my body!" He
proudly preened on the fence.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked timidly, as she took a step
back and ignored his posturing.
"Yes, I am sure about this. You do want to get better don't you?"
He squatted down on the fence and held his right hand out towards her.
"This will teach you better balance and coordination. If you know that
you can walk along a fence, you can trust your balance when you need
to."
"Okay, if you say so," Akane moved forward, doubt etched in every
hesitant movement. Brightening, she nodded her head in agreement and
said with a twinkle in her eye, "You know, every time I've knocked you
off the fence and into the canal, you've fallen quite gracefully. I
guess your balance must be very good to be able to fall so gracefully."
She smiled at his glare.
Akane jumped onto the fence. Overbalanced and about to fall, the
shorthaired girl felt strong hands straighten her up. "I can do this,"
Akane muttered to herself grimly. She began walking along the fence. "I
can do this!" Akane whispered with excitement.
"You're doing great, Akane. Walking is the most difficult skill."
He paused to let the praise sink in. "OK, now start running. You'll
find it's easier to run than to walk on the fence," Ranma encouraged.
"If that baka can do this, I should be able to," Akane encouraged
herself as she began to jog. After a block, her sensei prodded her to
speed up. Finally, they were sprinting. When they arrived at Furinkan
High, they both jumped off of the fence.
"Akane, that was spectacular! It took me months to be able to do
that. I am proud of you," Ranma said with a huge smile directed
plastered on his face. He neglected to add that he had been seven when
his father taught him to run on fences.
"Thank you, Ranma," Akane beamed. She excitedly thought, 'He
actually praised me!' She impulsively reached over and pulled him into
a hug. As she broke the hug, they continued on, walking in unison.
As they entered the gates of the school, they noticed that many of
the students were looking in their direction.
"Akane was running on the fence?"
"They're not arguing?"
"She hugged him?"
"No way!"
"Darn, I bet that they would never hug in public this year. I
should learn never to bet against Nabiki."
"He gave her a compliment?"
"Who are these people and where are the real Ranma and Akane?"
Kuno had been awaiting Akane's arrival. As he saw Akane and Ranma
enter the gate, he moved away from the tree he stood under and met them.
He immediately began a soliloquy, "Oh, How I sorrow that the bud that is
Akane Tendo is being starved in the light of Ranma Saotome. I see you
strive each day to bloom for him. What does he do? Does he shine any
warmth or light onto you? No. The dog dishonors both himself and you
with his treatment of you. Oh, Akane, come bask in the warmth that is
my sunlight. Come and grow strong in the fertilizer of my love. Drink
in the kisses that I will shower upon you. Oh ... URK"
Calmly, Akane quieted him. She had performed this by applying a
right uppercut to the upperclassman's jaw. "Kuno, for your information,
Ranma and I are in love. Right, Ranma?"
"Uh... Right, Akane." Ranma stammered uncomfortably. "I l-l-love
you. You l-l-love me..." 'Oh man, I don't like saying this stuff in
front of people.'
Kuno stood, frozen by these announcements. In the deepest recesses
of his soul, he knew that Akane could not in truth mean that she
actually loved Saotome. It was obvious to all that she truly loved him.
For what woman could ever resist his charms, especially after he chose
her as his?
"Ranma, you don't have a hard time saying that you love me, do
you?" Akane teased Ranma as she hugged him again. She knew she could
get used to hugging him like this.
'I could get used to being hugged like this,' Ranma thought.
They heard a slow clapping and they turned to see Nabiki walking
toward them. She was applauding their show of affection.
"I have to hand it to you, Sis. When you and Ranma admit you love
each other, you really know how to announce it romantically," Nabiki
said sarcastically, but with a smile. "I didn't think you could say it,
Ranma."
Internally, Nabiki was angry. Akane had done a stupid thing.
Ranma had yet to resolve any of his entanglements. Yet, she forced a
public confession of love from him. Now, his other three fiancees would
be breathing down both of your necks. The only good thing she could
think of was that their two fathers hadn't heard. Otherwise, the priest
would be waiting for them when they returned to the Saotome home today.
"Uh, well, I didn't either. Heh Heh," Ranma put his hand behind his
head.
"Oh, by the way, here are the clothes for your week together. Have
fun you two," Nabiki laughed as she went to her class. Unable to stop
herself, she turned back to the couple when she was three paces away and
added in a loud voice, "I didn't know that you even had a French Maid's
outfit Akane. And Ranma, whatever will you need the bunny outfit for?"
She laughed, racing away before either could grab her. The smile
dropped off of her face as soon as she was out of their sight. She
meant to be the first to contact Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi about this.
If she controlled what they knew about this morning, then Akane wouldn't
become a bigger target than she already was.
As the student body stared at the two in complete astonishment,
Akane and Ranma blushed red.
"Let's get to class, before this gets worse. OK, Ranma?" Akane
whispered to Ranma, as she looked at the dumbstruck looks on the faces
of her classmates.
"Yeah." Ranma's face was redder than a Red Delicious apple.
As they left together, Kuno stood statue-like, trying to understand
what he had heard while at the same time visions of Akane Tendo in a
French Maid's outfit pranced through his thoughts.
**************
At his desk, Ranma soon lost himself in his thoughts.
'Man, I wish this could be solved with a fight. That would be
easy. How to start? I sure don't know. Pop, he'd just go on another
training trip and never come back. I can't do that. Mr. Tendo would
have an emotional breakdown. I won't do that and besides nothing would
be solved. Akane would want to bash the problems. She and I are the
same that way. Heh. Nabiki, how would she look at my problems? She'd
probably create a list of positives and negatives for each decision and
choose the one with the most positives and least negatives. She's
always working on some list or another. Hmm, that wouldn't be a bad
idea. OK, here goes.'
At this point, Ranma pulled out a notebook and began writing in it.
The teacher was very surprised. Ranma had never shown much interest in
geography. Ranma taking notes, who would believe it?
Ranma began writing:
-----Option 1 --- Live With The Curse
Positive - There would be only one of me.
Positive - I would still search for a non-Jusenkyo based cure.
Negative - I would have to marry a man AND have a baby to have a
chance of getting rid of it.
Positive - Akane said she'd jump in the Nannichuan, if it came to
that.
Negative - Mom said that everyone who has gotten married and had a
baby, then decided to stay that way.
Negative - My fiancee's would probably want to kill me if I married
a man. Ugh! I think I'd let them.
Negative - Doesn't solve my fiancee problems. When I marry Akane,
the others might still try to attack her.
-----Option 2 --- Jump into the Nannichuan anyway
Positive - I wouldn't be a girl in cursed form
Negative - I don't know what I'd end up. I might end up with a body
with no sex or I might end up with a body with both sexes.
Negative - No cure after second plunge, according to guide.
Negative - Doesn't solve my fiancee problems. If I marry Akane, the
others might still try to attack her.
-----Option 3 --- Jump into the Spring of Drowned Twins
Positive - There would be two of me.
Positive - I'd always have a good sparring partner.
Positive - One of me would be a man, forever.
Positive - Never have to worry about water again.
Negative - One of me would be a girl, forever.
Negative - Happosai
Negative - Shampoo might decide to kill the new girl.
Negative - Kuno would go after the pigtailed girl. On second
thought, he does that now!
Negative - Doesn't solve my fiancee problems. When I marry Akane,
the others might still try to attack her.
-----Option 4 --- Jump into the Spring of Drowned Twins Multiple
Times
Positive - There would be one of me for each fiancee
Positive - I'd always have a good sparring partner.
Positive - All but one of the others would be men, forever.
Positive - Never have to worry about water again.
Positive - Solves my fiancee problems.
Positive - I could create a clone that doesn't have a fiancee.
That one could be normal.
Positive - The girl me would have a lot of overprotective big
brothers.
Negative - One of me would be a girl, forever.
Negative - Happosai
Negative - Shampoo might decide to kill the new girl Ranma.
Negative - Mousse would try to kill me. Like he has a shot. Hah!
Negative - Could I handle seeing Akane married to another me?
Negative - Could I handle being married to Ukyo, Shampoo or dating
Kodachi while still loving Akane. I would have to for honor's sake.
Negative - Dating Kodachi, How would I make sure that there are no
potions or poisons in the food?
Positive - I'll be able to tap into Akane's cooking. A few of those
a week
and Kodachi woun't be able to touch me with any poison.
Negative - Would I be a second-class citizen of the Amazon tribe
married to Shampoo?
**************
"Since you've been taking such good notes this morning, would you
care to answer the question, Mr. Saotome?" His teacher happily asked.
"Huh?" Ranma said brightly. 'What are we studying? Geography?'
"Hiroshima, sensei?"
The room erupted in laughter. Akane looked at him and shook her
head.
The teacher looked at Ranma as he dryly said, "Interesting answer,
Mr. Saotome. However, I don't believe Hiroshima is Vietnam's largest
seaport. I doubt you could name its capital, though I mentioned it not
two minutes ago."
"Uh, I meant to say," Ranma thought furiously. He looked at Akane
for help. She looked annoyed to him. He thought, 'That's it!' "Hanoi,
sensei."
"That's much better, Mr. Saotome." The teacher sighed as he
realized that Saotome was not working on his schoolwork.
**************
'All right, where was I? Oh, yeah. I can't think of any other
positives or negatives. I think I'll go over each option and think
about each of its drawbacks and advantages.'
Ranma turned back to the page in his notebook with Option 1 and
began thinking.
**************
Option 1. Live with it.
If I live with it, there will be only one Ranma Saotome. I
wouldn't have to worry about anyone getting me mixed up with another me.
Though, with only one of me, there's not always enough of me to go
around. I could still search for cures not based on Jusenkyo waters.
I'm sure that I will find it, eventually.
If I continue to live with my curse, the curse will continue acting
on me. I might start to find men attractive all of the time. I might
see girls only as friends. The only known cure is to get married to a
man and then have a baby.
He stopped here. He pondered getting married to a man. His mind
came up with a picture of Kuno in a western style tuxedo and himself in
a wedding kimono. He gagged. 'NO WAY! I WILL NOT EVER GET MARRIED TO A
MAN.'
There would be no easy resolution to my fiancee problem. At the
least, my honor would be destroyed.
Option one is out. I will not live with this curse. He crossed it
out in his notebook.
**************
Ranma stopped. He leaned back in his seat and stretched.
'Whew. This isn't very easy. I'm thinking as hard as I do during
a fight. Well, nothing big is ever easy.'
He then flipped to the next page and began again.
**************
Option 2. Jump into the Nannichuan anyway
If I do this, I would no longer be a girl when splashed with cold
water. Why didn't the Jusenkyo Guide ever tell us that it would not be
a cure? I wonder why he sent it to us for saving his daughter.
It might make changing to my cursed form a little less
embarrassing. I would still have fiancee problems to resolve.
I don't want to use this option either. It's too risky. If all
else fails, I could use it as a last resort.
**************
Ranma paused as he saw it was time for lunch. He looked towards
Akane. Her friends had immediately set upon her. They seemed to be
discussing something. He guessed it was what happened that morning. He
looked towards Ukyo. She was angrily marching toward him.
'I really don't want to tell her anything right now. She'd be
really hurt that I've told Akane that I love her. I'm not sure enough
about my choices to talk to her about them yet either. She'd tell me to
use either the third or fourth options. She'd probably allow the third
option as long as I married her and not Akane.'
"Hi, Ukyo!" He nervously grinned. "I'm sorry but I can't talk
right now. I'm a little busy." Having said that, he grabbed his stuff
and jumped out the window onto the schoolyard.
"RANCHAN!" Ukyo yelled after him. "You'd better have a good
explanation for this!"
He jumped onto the roof from the yard.
"Maybe she won't find me here," he hopefully muttered. Sitting
down, the young martial artist opened his notebook to the third option.
**************
Option 3. Jump into the Spring of Drowned Twins Once.
The really cool thing about this would be that there would be two
of me. I'd never have to worry about finding a sparring partner at my
level. Also, I'd have a sister!
Wait a minute.
I'd be my own sister.
But, both of us wouldn't be cursed. The male Ranma would always be
male and the girl Ranma would always be a girl. It would be a challenge
to be a girl, but I've beaten every challenge I've ever had! Mom,
Akane, Kasumi and all of my other friends would help me to adjust. I'm
sure of that. Though I really don't think I would like all of the rules
a girl has to live with. Don't walk with a long stride. Always eat
after the men have taken their portions. Always be aware of your
feminine modesty. I can get a lot of free stuff by being cute, though.
I wonder if Shampoo would try to kill my girl side? How would I break
out of the Neko-ken? What name would I use? Ranko has too many bad
memories, but that is the name everyone knows me by. I think I want a
name that's not associated with all of the hiding and lying from my
mother. I wonder what I would've been called had I been born a girl?
Kuno would pursue my girl side. At least, he would probably not bother
my male half as much.
I could still only marry one fiancee. I would end up hurting three
others. Two others, if Ukyo or Kodachi jumped into the Nannichuan. I
don't even want to think about Shampoo as a half-cat guy.
Overall this option isn't too bad. I could handle it. The
challenge of being a girl full-time would be difficult one, but not an
impossible one. I have lived through being stuck as a girl. I have
seen that there are benefits to being a girl as well as problems.
**************
He stopped. Looking around, he saw that the lunch period was over.
He thought, 'I'll just stay up here and finish. If I go back to
class, Sensei will send me to the hall with buckets.'
He stood up and went through a basic kata to stretch and relax.
Finished, he sat back down and started thinking about his last option.
**************
Option 4. Jump into the Spring of Drowned Twins Multiple Times.
I would have a lot of brothers and one sister. That would be
different. We'd have to come up with names for all of us. Only one of
us could be called Ranma. That would be a fight. Winner gets to be
called Ranma. I really would be a man among men. Ha. I would be men
among men. Just like with Option 3, I'd never have to hunt for sparring
partners. I would have to remember to always spar all out with my
sister. Man, I would hate it if I was the girl and found out that my
'brother' had been holding back.
All of my finacee problems would be solved. That would allow
family honor to be maintained. It would also mean that I don't have to
hurt any of them. Akane will have me. Shampoo could have one of me.
That would release her pledge to either kill or marry me. Ukyo could
have one of me. I like her a lot. I think I may even love her, just
not as much as I do Akane. Even Kodachi could have one of me to prove
herself with. I could even have a male version of me that could just be
free. My girl side would get to find her own path. Maybe even live
with Mom.
It wouldn't all be roses. I would have to at least date Kodachi.
Could I survive her potions and drugs? I've survived everything Shampoo
and the old ghoul have thrown against me. Mousse would be unhappy with
this arrangement. Yeah, I really care about him. Ryoga won't like it
either. If their cures rested on dealing with it, could they? Would I
be able to be Shampoo's or Ukyo's husband and see myself with Akane? I
would satisfy honor. Could I be happy? Would they? Will Shampoo, Ukyo
and Kodachi be okay with this? Will they all want the "Real" Ranma and
want the others to have one of the copies?
I don't like this option as much as I do the third option.
However, family honor and obligations would be totally satisfied. If I
am to be a man of honor, this is the path I must take.
Kami forgive me.
**************
Ranma slowly closed his notebook. He leaned back and stretched.
"Humph, that was easier than I thought it would be." Naming his
other selves would be a problem. Akane and Nodoka would help him with
it, he was sure. Looking out over the school grounds, he saw school was
still in session. He decided to wait on the roof and run through some
of his katas until it was over. When school let out, he would find
Akane and go home to his Mom's house. The pigtailed martial artist
would tell his Mother and Akane what he'd decided then. Together, they
could figure out how to tell Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi.
**************
Alternatives - Chapter 4
As always, the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and all of the
corporations that have licensed them from her.
**************
From the outside, Furinkan High School seemed a typical Japanese
High School. In the morning before school, students milled around in
the courtyard, not wanting to go to class before absolutely necessary.
However on second glance, one noticed a regal looking student standing
beneath a tree. He didn't wear the school uniform. Such a plebian
outfit was far beneath him. Rather he wore an outfit befitting his
heritage. This boy, no, man attired himself in the robes of a kendoist,
showing his samurai ancestry to all. Tall, he had brown eyes and
sported long, naturally wavy, black hair. His build was athletically
slender. Many called the student handsome. However, there was an air
of obsessiveness about him that negated his genetic gifts. He called
himself, Tatewaki Kuno, the oft heralded and undefeated Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High School.
Kuno stood under the tree and waited. He searched for the
beauteous and strong Akane Tendo and the man who had ensorcelled her
with his spells, the cur, Ranma Saotome. As he maintained his watch,
Tatewaki fantasized about the coming day. <Today! Yes, today will be the
day that I free Akane and the Pig-Tailed Girl from their enslavement
from that honorless dog, Ranma. Akane suffers him only because of her
father's evil desires. She will see that I am the better man.
Understanding that, she will come to my side freely and willingly!>
<She will say to me, "Oh, thank you, Upper-classman Kuno! My father
was going to force me into a marriage with that," her innocence and
virgin purity too great to allow her to say the words she meant, as they
were too base and evil, she floundered until finally saying, "that
person. I could never love him. I only love you. I have always loved
you.">
<Yes, that is what she will say. I will respond, "Akane Tendo, I
love you. I would marry you. Yet, I must first free the Pig-Tailed Girl
from the fiend Saotome. Once I have nobly freed her, I will choose one
of you to be my wife." >
<Akane will then say, "Oh, Kuno, you don't have to choose. I love
you. She loves you. You love both of us. Why choose? Take us both.">
<Oh, the happiness and joy I will bestow upon my loves. Hark, I
hear Akane's voice! Though I fight a thousand times and lose, I will
forever fight for your freedom, my loves!>
**************
The kendoist was rewarded for his patience when he spied Akane and
Ranma entering the school's gate. He moved quickly and met them in the
center of the courtyard.
As soon as he was within proper speaking distance, the bokken
wielding boy stopped and posed regally before saying, "Oh, How I sorrow
that the bud that is Akane Tendo is being starved in the light of Ranma
Saotome. I see you strive each day to bloom for him. What does he do?
Does he shine any warmth or light onto you? No. The dog dishonors both
himself and you with his treatment of you. Oh, Akane, come bask in the
warmth that is my sunlight. Come and grow strong in the fertilizer of
my love. Drink in the kisses that I will shower upon you. Oh... URK"
<How strong a woman!> He thought to himself. <She was able to stop
my speech with but a single strike.>
Akane said "Kuno, for your information, Ranma and I are in love.
Right, Ranma?"
"Uh... Right, Akane." Ranma stammered embarrassedly. "I l-l-love
you. You l-l-love me."
"Ranma, you don't have a hard time saying that you love me, do
you?" Akane teased Ranma then she hugged him.
Kuno stood frozen in shock. <SHE HUGGED HIM! Oh, Kami, I pray that
you set this sham as it should be! Akane Tendo should be mine by right
of breeding and honor. Have I not defended her honor daily by allowing
myself to be defeated by her? Have I not let her prove herself against
the men of this school? Have I ever let pass a chance of telling her of
my love and showing her my devotion? Could it be... could it be that...
could it be that she actually chose that scum over me? It can't be.
Who could resist my charms? I will find out by what foul means of
ensorcellement Saotome has used to get her to say and do these things.>
**************
Clap... Clap... Clap
Kuno stayed motionless throughout Nabiki's discussion with Ranma
and Akane.
As he overheard their conversation, other thoughts emerged. <So,
they are spending the week together. I am glad that I had Sasuke follow
them last night. I will find out if they are staying at Saotome's
mother's for the rest of the week and what went on last night. I must
find out what Nabiki knows!>
As he stood and thought, the wind blew over his noble brow and
through his hair. His hair resisted the wind but wasn't strong enough.
It began to move with the wind. This only enhanced his looks. It wasn't
until the tolling of the morning bells that he bestirred himself and
moved towards his class.
**************
During the lunch period, Nabiki sought out Akane. Upon entering
her sister's classroom, she overhead Ukyo yelling at an escaping Ranma.
With one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips, she remarked, "You do
have a habit of chasing off men, don't you?"
Smiling even more at Ukyo's scowl, she made her way through the
crowd of girls at Akane's desk. "Little sister, we need to talk." She
grabbed the youngest Tendo by her arm and strode out of the room.
"I was having lunch, Nabiki!" Akane protested as she tried to pull
her arm out of her sibling's grip.
"I know, Akane. I also know that you need to tell me a few
things." Nabiki shifted her grip to a two-handed grip on Akane's left
arm. She kept quiet until they were in a utility closet near the gym.
She turned to her sister, "What's going on with you and Ranma?"
Rubbing her reddened arm, her sister glared at her, "If I didn't
mind hurting you, I could've broken out of your grip."
"I know that sis," Nabiki smiled at her. "In fact, I was counting
on it. I just wanted the chance to find out from you what's really
going on. You can guess what Father and Mr. Saotome are already up to,
can't you?"
Akane's eyes widened. "Another wedding?"
Nabiki nodded her head. "This Saturday. When Aunt Nodoka called,
saying that you and Ranma would be staying there for the week, the two
of them decided that the both of you were ready for marriage." She
smirked. "They figured that if they had everything set up for when the
two of you come home, you would be married before either of you could
sit down."
She watched as her sister's face first blushed at the thought of
being married to the man she loved and then to being enraged at her and
Ranma's fathers' presumption. "How dare they! When Ranma and I get
married, we will be the ones to plan and arrange it, not two old men."
"Calm down, Akane," Nabiki laconically said, taking note that her
sister said when and not if. "If you let me know what's really going
on, I'm sure that Kasumi and I can handle the two of them."
Akane quickly agreed and told her all that had occurred. <A cure
for Ranma?> <Resolving his fiancee problems?> <More than one Ranma?>
<A full-time girl Ranma?> She was astounded by what Nodoka had found
out. Knowing her sister's happiness now rode upon the pig-tailed boy's
shoulders, she determined to help the two however she could.
After lunch Kuno approached Nabiki, sitting at her desk as usual.
"Nabiki Tendo, I, Tatewaki Kuno, desire to speak with you. I wish
to know what Saotome has done to your poor sister to so derange her
thinking. Imagine, Akane actually believing that she is in love with
such a lowly born, base individual, such as Saotome. So," he watched
her closely. "What is your price, Nabiki?"
Nabiki listened to him with obvious and growing irritation. "Kuno,
I am going to give you this much for free. Ranma has done nothing to
derange my sister's thinking. All he has done since meeting my family
is to help her whenever she has needed it. He has rescued her more
times than I care to remember. He never used potions, like Shampoo,
poisons, like your own very dear sister, or caused her to be attacked by
hordes of unwanted suitors, like you. As for his being a peasant, no
one acts with less thought and nobility in this school than you or your
father. If you would like to know any more, it will cost you, 1,000 yen
per question, to be precise."
"That is outrageous!" The kendoist exploded. Disbelief etched
across his features, he asked, "Do you actually expect me to believe
that the Sorceror Saotome has never used any magical powers on Akane?
Has he put a spell on you, too?"
"2,000 yen. The answer to both of your questions is no," Nabiki
calmly replied. "Any more questions?"
"I would like to know where they will be staying for the week." He
held the grip of his bokken with a slowly tightening grip.
"3,000 yen. They are staying with Ranma's mother." Nabiki replied
tersely. Tiring of him, she opened her notebook and started working
some of her homework.
"So, I wonder why they are staying with Saotome's mother?" Kuno
thought aloud.
"4,000 yen. He went there yesterday to ask his mother some
questions. As you already knew. He brought Akane along because..."
Nabiki was interrupted by Kuno.
"He wants to marry her! I know that." He released his bokken to
wave a hand at her dismissively. "I have not given my permission for
anyone to marry Akane. Especially, that cur, Saotome." His features
hardened into righteous fury until clearing when a new thought crossed
his mind. "Still, it would free the pig-tailed girl from his evil
grasp." Kuno turned to leave the classroom. "I must think upon this!"
Nabiki watched as he turned. <Kuno, you are a complete and utter
idiot,> she thought. "I haven't finished," she said, stopping him.
Looking over his shoulder at Nabiki, Kuno began, "What more
elucidation does one such as I require? I know where he is staying and
what he wants to do. What more do I need of you?"
"For starters, the reason he asked Akane along yesterday. It was
NOT to finalize marriage plans." Nabiki stopped.
"You have my attention." Kuno slowly turned back to Nabiki.
She merely waited upon his next question with an enigmatic smile.
"Very well then, why did he ask her to his mother's house?" Kuno
grated out between clenched teeth. How he hated these silly games with
Nabiki Tendo.
"5,000 yen. He needed a friend that he could trust." Nabiki
smirked at his obvious irritation.
"Must I play 20 questions with you?" Kuno lamented. Reaching into
his outfit, he pulled a large wad of notes out. "Here, take what is
necessary, tell me what I wish to know."
Nabiki accepted his money, counted it, and put it away. After a
sufficient amount of time had elapsed, she began, "That will just about
cover it. Thank you. Now I don't expect you to believe this, but here
is the truth. A little over a year ago, Ranma was cursed in China.
When he is hit with cold water, he becomes your so-called pig-tailed
girl. When hot water is poured upon her, she becomes the boy, Ranma
again. According to Akane, he went to his mother to ask for help in
honorably solving his fiancee problems. He doesn't want to hurt anyone,
including your sister, and he wants to maintain his family's honor. His
mother told him of a way that he could solve all of his problems. There
is a pool of cursed water in China that will allow him to separate from
his girl side. In other words, there would be two Ranmas, a boy and a
girl. In fact, he was told that he could jump into the pool and create
a Ranma for each of his fiancees. I don't know what he will choose to
do. I do know that Akane said that they wanted to be together." Nabiki
stopped and looked at Kuno. <He's listening, maybe it will sink in this
time,> she thought.
She then continued on, "You've seen the result this morning. Kuno,
give up on my sister. She loves Ranma and Ranma loves her. If Ranma
splits himself from his curse, you might want to try and pursue his girl
side. However, his mother is very old-fashioned. Also, I think the
pig-tailed girl's brother or brothers will be watching you closely."
Kuno listened closely to Nabiki. When she finished, he asked, "Is
that all?"
"No," she answered, "you must not bother either Akane, Ranma or the
Pig-Tailed girl until Ranma makes his decision. If you do, you will
probably lose any chance at ever dating the Pig-Tailed girl, as you have
lost any chance at my sister's heart."
"Very well, you have given me much to think upon. If what you say
is true, and Saotome is willing to free the pig-tailed girl, then I may
help him. If I find that you have lied to me Nabiki, I will be very
upset," Kuno left.
"Oh, I am very afraid, Kuno," she answered sarcastically. Nabiki
looked at his back as he walked away. A smile crossed her face. She
now had one problem child down and three to go. The brown haired girl
decided to tackle Ukyo next. <She knows about Akane and Ranma's
statement of love. Let's see, how shall I approach her?> She began
planning her next encounter with the okonomiyaki chef.
"Kuno, what are you doing out of your classroom?" a teacher asked
in the hallway.
"I have many things to think upon. I am going to the Kendo Club
room for some solitude." Tatewaki answered absently.
"You may leave your classes when the day is over, not any sooner,"
the instructor returned, "Get some buckets and stand in the hallway for
a period. Then, go back to your own room."
"Yes, sensei."
**************
Nabiki made sure that she was outside Ranma and Akane's classroom
as day ended. As she entered the room, she found that Ranma still gone
and his two fiancees angrily staring at each other.
"Akane Tendo! " Ukyo hissed the name. "You'd better have a good
explanation for this morning!"
As Ukyo moved to physically confront her rival, Nabiki ran over,
grabbed her by the arm, and said, "Before doing anything you might
regret, Ukyo, let's talk."
To say that this surprised Akane and her friends is like saying a
Great Dane is just a dog. Nabiki had sought out Ukyo. Nabiki was
always the one being sought for. Additionally, Nabiki stopped Ukyo
before she could fight with Akane. That was dangerous. Nabiki knew
very well that laying hands onto an angry martial artist could easily
lead to injury. Akane stood up, so that she could come to her sister's
aid.
"This had better be very good, Nabiki. I want to talk with Akane
and find out what happened last night. I also want to know, if Ranchan
has made his choice," Ukyo said with deadly calm. Ukyo was angry. She
had been this angry only once before in her life. That was when a
certain boy had left her behind while riding upon her dowry.
"Oh, it is Ukyo. If you ever want to have a chance of getting what
you want, come with me right now," Nabiki said with a smile and a firm
tug.
"Nabiki, is everything OK?" Akane asked worriedly as she started
over towards them.
"Yes, Akane, everything is OK. Ukyo and I just need to have a chat
about several things. Isn't that right?" Nabiki said coolly. She felt
Ukyo's muscles tense as Akane neared.
"Err, Yes. We are going to have a chat." Ukyo glared at Nabiki as
she allowed herself to be pulled from the room.
"Well," Akane bit her lip as she nervously watched the two girls
leave the classroom. "Let me know if you need me, Nabiki. OK?
Nabiki led Ukyo outside of the school to the athletic field. There
was a soccer game being played. She sat down on the embankment away
from everyone else and motioned Ukyo to sit down next to her.
Ukyo remained standing. "Well?" she finally asked having crossed
her arms.
Nabiki sighed. "Please sit down, Ukyo. It pains me enough as it
is that I will be giving you information for free. At the least, let's
be civil."
Ukyo was startled. Nabiki never gave anything away. She wondered
what she really wanted. She answered Nabiki, "I'll sit with you and
listen to what you have to say."
As Ukyo sat down, Nabiki smiled and said, "See, that wasn't so bad
was it?"
Ukyo said nothing, as she gave Nabiki a look that a mongoose might
give a cobra.
"Let me guess, you want to know several things." Nabiki ticked off
items on her fingers, "One: What happened last night at Ranma's mothers?
Two: Has he decided whom he will marry? Three: What happened this
morning between the two of them? Is that about it?"
"Um, yes, that is about it." Ukyo cautiously agreed.
"Well, I will gladly answer all of those questions." Nabiki then
paused before continuing, "That is, if you will promise to do me one
little favor."
"What's the favor?" Ukyo asked. Ukyo thought quickly. <I knew
she wanted something from me! OK, here it comes. It's probably going to
be big.>
"Outside of school, leave Ranma and Akane alone for the rest of the
week," Nabiki answered. "Ranma has some decisions to make. He wants
Akane to be with him. Promise that you will leave them alone."
"OK, I promise," Ukyo carefully agreed. <I wonder what the catch
is?>
"Good, that didn't hurt at all, did it?" Nabiki smiled as she
patted the girl next to her on the leg and continued, "You want to know
what happened last night. Ranma went to his mother's for help in
resolving his relationship problems. His mother gave him several
options. There are only two that I think he'll be considering. The
first is to choose one fiancee and hurt all of the rest of you. The
second is to use a pool at Jusenkyo and make a version of himself for
all of you. The downside to this second option is that he will create a
permanently female Ranma as a side effect. The upside is that all of
the other copies of him will be fully male. He also stated a reluctance
to choose just one of you. He is afraid that whomever is finally chosen
will become a target for the rest of the flock of fiancees. I agree
with this assessment."
Nabiki paused and watched Ukyo. Ukyo, for her part, struggled with
what she had just heard.
"So, he chose Akane didn't he? His mother just gave him another
option." She finally choked out. She barely held the tears in.
"I didn't say that. I said that he is afraid that whoever he
chooses will become a target for the rest of the fiancees. He is also
very worried about how to keep his family's honor upheld. That seems
important to him, also. Has he made a decision? No, at least not yet.
He asked his mother for some time to think upon it. He asked Akane to
stay because he wanted a friend with him at his mother's." Nabiki
stopped, paused and continued in a very serious tone, "I do know this,
if he was forced to choose one of you today, he would pick my sister.
He cares for all of you; he loves my sister. I really don't know what
exactly he feels for you. My guess is that he likes, maybe even loves,
you, just not as much as he does Akane. He is trying to decide whether
to create duplicates of himself to marry all of you. What do I think
he'll do? I think he's going to try and please everyone by creating
extra Ranmas. If he does do this, you all get what you want."
Ukyo sat quietly, trying to understand what Nabiki told her. It
hurt. She was confused, thoughts jumbled. 'Ranma loves Akane more than
me. How? I'm prettier. I'm a better cook. I'm even a better fighter.
She is always beating on him for some reason. I never beat on him. I'm
always helpful. I'm always nice. He must love me. Why else would he
be thinking about cloning himself? I can't believe that I'm not his
first choice.'
The tears began to slowly fall. The young chef looked at Nabiki
and sobbed out, "I, I will leave him, them alone until he decides."
'Heaven help me if he decides to choose a single fiancee and it's not
me.'
Nabiki hesitantly reached out and pulled Ukyo into a light embrace.
"I'm sorry, Ukyo. I know it hurts." Nabiki tried to comfort her. "Can
you imagine what Ranma is going through? He is trying to find a way to
make Akane, Shampoo, you and even Kodachi happy. No one has yet asked
him what he really wants. It doesn't seem to matter." <Now I have to
face Shampoo and Kodachi. I hope this gets easier. I'll go to the
Nekohanten next. Kodachi will probably be hearing a garbled version
from Tatewaki. I'll handle her later.> She patted Ukyo on the back as
she sat there thinking.
**************
Outside of the Nekohanten, Nabiki considered the upcoming
confrontation with Shampoo and Cologne. Of the two, she was much more
concerned with the Amazon Elder. Shampoo, she felt she could easily
manipulate. Cologne was another matter entirely. The amazon elder
would expect to barter or buy every piece of information. She will also
want to feel that she won the negotiations. Nodding her head in both
agreement and purpose, Nabiki decided to let the old woman win.
As Nabiki entered the restaurant, Cologne greeted her, "Ah, it is
Nabiki Tendo. To what do we owe this auspicious visit?"
Nabiki moved to the counter and sat in front of Cologne. "I have
some information that you will find very, very interesting. It includes
the possibility of Ranma acknowledging Shampoo as his wife."
"Hmm, I would find that interesting indeed. Why not tell me and I
will give you some free ramen, eh?" Cologne chuckled. She placed a
bowl of ramen in front of Nabiki.
"As a matter of fact, I would like some of your regular ramen.
Please don't add any truth drugs or any other spice to it. However,
Cologne, since this information has direct impact upon my family, I
cannot sell it for just some ramen. This information is worth at least
50,000 yen. I also require that none of you attempt to contact Ranma or
Akane for the next 30 days. Finally, if Ranma needs help getting to or
from China in the near future, you will help him and any who wish to
travel with him." Nabiki countered with a smile.
"If your information is truly this good, child, I will gladly pay.
However, I will pay you 10,000 yen today. If this information leads to
Ranma and Shampoo being together, I'll pay you the rest." Cologne smiled
genially at Nabiki as she replaced the ramen.
Nabiki sat for a moment eating her ramen as she looked around the
restaurant. Mousse was being especially attentive to the hat rack close
by. Shampoo was not there. Nabiki assumed that she must be out on some
delivery and let her gaze wander back to her current adversary.
"Honored Elder, here is the deal. I'll take your 10,000 yen as
down payment and none of you will contact any member of my or Ranma's
family for the rest of the week. If you agree, I'll give you everything
I know." Nabiki knew she was agreeing too soon, but allowed herself to
be worn down anyway.
"I see." The older woman narrowed her eyes as she calculated what
exactly she would be buying. Gauging that it would be well worth it
based on Nabiki's posture, she assented. "I agree. Now girl, tell me
what you know."
"Actually, I'll let you listen. As you already know, Ranma and
Akane visited Nodoka Saotome yesterday. Evidently, Ranma wanted to ask
his mother for help in solving his relationship problems. Nodoka had
more to offer." As she finished speaking, Nabiki pulled a cassette tape
from her school bag and handed it to Cologne. "You'll find all of the
information you need to know on this tape." She had taped Akane as the
two talked earlier.
Nabiki turned back to her ramen. Then as an afterthought, she
looked at Cologne and bobbed her head. "It is always a pleasure doing
business with a woman as illustrious as you, Cologne, Honored Elder of
the Amazons."
Cologne laughed and replied, "Flattery works even less well on me,
child, than it does on you." Still chuckling, she briefly laid her hand
on Nabiki's shoulder before going back to work. "Enjoy your ramen."
In the corner, Mousse looked like he had just swallowed a horse
fly. Having overheard enough to know that Shampoo actually getting
Ranma was a possibility, he knew that somehow it must be stopped from
occurring. He came to a decision, muttering darkly to himself, "Ranma
Saotome, if I must kill you to win Shampoo, then kill you I shall."
**************
After she returned home, Nabiki sat in her room considering what to
do about the last girl on her list. She knew that with someone as wily
as Kodachi, you must meet guile with wiles.
She went downstairs to the phone and dialed the Kuno residence.
"Hello, Kuno residence, Sasuke speaking."
"Hello, Sasuke, you are just the man I need to talk to." Nabiki
said.
"Mistress Nabiki, what do you want with me?" The Kuno family
retainer timidly asked.
"Well, Sasuke, I assume you were at the Saotome home last night
listening in to what was being said. Am I right?" she asked.
"I don't even know where Mrs. Saotome lives, Mistress Nabiki," he
said. "How could I go there and listen to Akane, Ranma, and his
mother?"
"Of course, you were there. I just called to let you know that I
have a tape of Akane telling me of the conversation from last night.
Would you be interested?" Nabiki continued cheerfully.
"Yes, I would Mistress Nabiki. What do I need to do for you?"
Sasuke fearfully asked.
"I want you to keep Kodachi away from Ranma and Akane long enough
for him to make his decision. You know the one I mean. Keep her away
until the end of the school week, that's all I ask." Nabiki offered.
Sasuke was surprised. Nabiki always extracted a large sum from her
victims. All she wanted was for him to keep Mistress Kodachi busy for
the rest of the week? He could do that.
"Yes, I'll do that. When can I get the tape?" he asked.
"Come over right now and you can have it. I have a feeling that
your Master Kuno might want to listen to it, also," Nabiki answered.
"Bye Bye." She hung up.
A few minutes later there was a very hesitant knocking at her
window. She opened her window and handed a tape to Sasuke.
**************
Nabiki felt pretty good about her day. While she had given some
information away for free, overall, it was a very lucrative day. Even
better, she helped Akane and Ranma gain a very needed vacation from
fiancee troubles. The brown haired girl laughed as she imagined what
her fellow students would say if they knew of her good deeds.
She turned to her computer and started working on Akane and Ranma's
wedding present.
**************
As always, I enjoy getting your C&C. Next chapter, Ranma announces
his decision and a few rivals are not happy.
Ja ne,
Mike