THE BET: A STUDY IN SCARLET
"The Bet" Original idea by Gregg Sharp
Original Bet Entry: "A Study In Scarlet" by Gregg Sharp (used
with permission)
Continued by Dave Menard (catthouse@lweb.net)
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for
entertainment purposes only. No monetary compensation has been
received for this work, and no copyright infringement is
intended. All characters copyright their original owners,
including, but not limited to: Rumiko Takahashi and Wizards of
the Coast.
****************************
Toltiir was bored.
The Bet was over. Titania had taken the honours, everybody
was just pleased as punch with the way the faerie queen's
timeline was playing out, and all was right in the multiverse-
Except for the rather salient fact that Toltiir was still
bored.
The God (who sometimes, but not always, happened to look
like a member of that most noble of species, felis domesticus,)
stretched and yawned. For one brief, sweet moment in the eternity
of his existence, the other Gods had paid attention to his little
corner of the multiverse. Oh, sure, he still got invited to all
the best parties, but... He sat up, paused a moment to scratch
fitfully behind a pointed ear, and padded over to the Well.
To his surprise, a small black spider was perched at the
lip, peering into the waters with all the intensity eight eyes
could muster. The swirling waters of the Well displayed a rather
late period of Toltiir's favorite timeline, the one with that
always-entertaining Ranma kid.
Toltiir ahemed politely, and nodded as the small arachnid
turned to look.
"Fun mortal, hmm? That Ranma kid's a hoot..."
With a small flash, the spider disappeared, to be replaced
with a ravishing vision of feminine pulchritude; curves in all
the right places, (If you happened to be of the humanoid
persuasion, that is.) blue-black skin, long flowing silver hair
and delicately pointed ears. She smiled pleasantly at him and
scratched that little spot just above the tail he could never
reach.
"Hey-ya, Lloth-baby..." Toltiir purred. "What brings you to
my neck of the woods? That Do'Urden guy getting boring?"
"Tsk... Now, now, little tricky-kitty. No need to mention
that particular nuisance..." Her eyes flashed menacingly once
before returning to their pleasant gaze. "I've been busy, and I
only just heard about your amusing little wager. Is there still
time for me to play?"
Toltiir's ears perked up at the thought of his boredom being
relieved, if only temporarily.
"Actually, the Bet's over. Titania won..."
"TITANIA?!! That jumped-up little pixie?! I can do a better
job than her!!!" Toltiir gave a feline smirk as his words had the
desired effect on the Sidhe-hating goddess.
"We-ll, the OFFICIAL contest is over, but... You up for a
little side bet?"
"Interesting... " Lloth said pensively. "What're the
stakes?"
"Same as always. You game?"
"All right, but I think I deserve a handicap. Happy-sappy
endings aren't my forte..."
"Well, I guess since this is a side-bet, I can bend the
rules a little... What did you have in mind?"
The Demon-Queen of Spiders leaned over the well and stirred
the waters with one tapered finger.
"Observe..."
******************
"Oh, man... Ucchan... " Ranma breathed sadly as he looked
down at his sleeping friend. She lay on the hospital bed,
machines beeping and sighing as they laboured at the difficult
job of keeping Ukyou Kuonjii alive. Unnoticed, a tear trickled
down Ranma's cheek. Akane reached out to gently squeeze her
iinazuke's hand, but he pulled away, gently touching Ukyou's
face.
"Why'dja hafta listen to the old freak, anyhow? You shoulda
known he'd slip you a mickey..." A tiny voice inside his head
whispered to him: Yeah, Ranma, and if you'd just made a damn
decision about this whole fiancee mess, she'd never have gone to
the old creep for help in the first place...
"Ranma..." Akane said softly. He turned to face her, a
questioning frown on his lips.
"Akane, not now, okay? Ucchan needs me."
"She needs her rest, Ranma. The rape crisis counsellor said
that he'd be in to talk to her soon... We should go... " Ranma's
eyes flashed angrily.
"Like you care, Akane! I know you've always hated Ucchan,
but she's one of my _oldest friends_! I can't just leave her!"
"She's my friend too, Ranma!"
"Yeah, right," he said scornfully. "You're always callin'
her Spatula-bimbo 'n stuff! You 'n your stoopid jealousy..."
Akane stood, restraining her impulse to mallet him out of
respect for Ukyou's state.
"Fine! BE that way! I'm going home!"
"Go ahead. Y'don't see me stoppin' ya."
Akane flinched at the dismissive, cold tone Ranma addressed
her with. He hadn't even looked at her! Hurt, she stormed out.
Ranma spared the doorway a glance, before returning his attention
to Ukyou.
Stoopid kawaiikune tomboy... He thought angrily. Why can't
she stop bein' so damn selfish? Ukyou's gonna need all the help
she can get to make it through this. I owe her. It's my damn
fault she's in this mess...
A soft curse escaped his lips as he thought of Happosai.
Killing him once hadn't been enough; the old freak deserved a
thousand times worse for what he'd done...
******************
"Whoa, hold on a minute! Lloth, that's nuts! No WAY would
the kid take out Happi! The kid doesn't kill-"
"Now, now, Toltiir. He brought down Saffron, didn't he?"
"Well, yeah... in most timelines, anyway... But that's
because he though Saffron- Wait. What did you have Happi do?"
Lloth leaned over and whispered in the Cat-God's ear. A
shocked and appalled expression grew on his feline features. Were
it possible, he would have blanched. As it was, his hackles stood
on end and he hissed reflexively.
"THAT'S your handicap? Lloth, you ARE evil..."
"Well, duh..."
******************
Akane walked slowly back towards the Tendou-ke, her eyes on
the ground. Anger at Ranma's harsh words warred with sadness over
what had happened to poor Ukyou. She hadn't forgiven the
okonomiyaki chef for the role she'd played in disrupting her
wedding to Ranma last month, but she wouldn't wish THIS on
anyone... She shuddered.
I suppose I can't fault Ranma for wanting to stay by her
side, she thought. Things were going so well up until the botched
wedding, and now... Now, it seemed they were back to where they'd
begun last year; Ranma insulted her, she whacked him with
whatever was handy. Ukyou's always made a point of wanting to be
there for him. I guess it's his turn to be there for her...
Did he have to be so damn cold to her, though? The look on
his face... Tears rose in her eyes as she thought about it. It
was like he hated her...
These grim thoughts and others accompanied her down the path
and back to the house. Instead of going out to the dojo to break
some cinderblocks, she resolved to do something constructive with
her anger for a change.
She responded to her sisters' hellos with a nod, and headed
upstairs to the attic, to the room once occupied by Happosai. The
room was a shambles, boxes and sacks filled every corner. Slowly,
methodically, she began to sort through the detritus accumulated
over three hundred years of perversion.
Women's undergarments she sorted into a pile for burning,
even those she recognized as belonging to herself or her sisters.
She didn't want ANYthing the old bastard had touched anywhere
NEAR her from this point on.
Everything else she found, including scrolls, jewellery or
assorted other items she didn't even WANT to identify, she
sorted into a second pile for later disposal. She'd take them
down to Cologne at the Nekohanten in the morning. She'd know what
to do to destroy them safely.
Several hours later, she was halfway through the second
pile when she heard Ranma's familiar "Tadaima!" as he came
home. She stood, brushed off her skirt, and went downstairs to
meet him. Placing a foot on the staircase, she heard him speak to
Kasumi. She froze as she heard her name mentioned.
"... Akane's not helpin', Kasumi. It's like she don't even
care about what happened to Ucchan."
"Now, Ranma-kun, that's not fair."
"Ain't it? I dunno... All's I'm sayin' is that she got all
uncute and jealous again. I'm just tryin' to look after my friend
an' she gets all possessive 'n stuff. D'ya believe she almost
went all 'Ranma No Baka' on me? In a hospital no less! I swear,
that tomboy's unstable or somethin'..."
"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't anything like that..." Kasumi said
in a worried tone. "She wouldn't have..."
"You didn't see the look in her eyes, Kasumi. Trust me, I
know what her 'whack Ranma' face looks like after all this time.
She's drivin' me crazy!"
At the top of the stairs, Akane snarled. He thinks I'm
unstable? I'm making HIM crazy? Her knuckles went white as she
clenched her hand on the banister. The wood broke off in her grip
with a loud crunch.
The sound brought Kasumi and Ranma running.
"Akane?" Kasumi said worriedly as she took in the sight.
Ranma desperately tried to extract his foot from his mouth.
"A-akane! I didn't mean-"
"So... That's how you really feel about me?"
"No! I-"
"FINE!" Akane screamed, whipping the chunk of banister at
her iinazuke and rapping him soundly off the head. She stomped
off back upstairs to the attic, Ranma quick on her heels.
"Akane! Wait a minute!"
"SHUT UP RANMA!!!! YOU CAN GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE!!!"
"Akane..."
"NO! YOU JERK!!" She reached around for something, anything
to throw at him. Her hand found a black rod about a foot long
covered in strange runic script. Hefting it, she wound up to
pitch. "I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!!!!!!!"
Akane disappeared in a flash as an explosion rocked the
attic, blowing Ranma off his feet.
"AKANE!!!" He found his footing and staggered forward,
waving his arms to clear the smoke. "Akane...? Where are you?!!
ANSWER ME!!!"
No answer came.
"OhNoOhNoOhNoOhNoOhNoOhNo....." He searched frantically
through the clearing cloud, finding nothing in the attic but a
pile of smouldering underwear, and a scorched silhouette of Akane
on the wall.
"AAAKAAAAANEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
*******************
"Hmm." Toltiir said, putting the Well on fast-forward to
watch the subsequent events. "So Ranma's devastated, blames
himself, and goes into mourning. Eventually, with Ukyou's help,
he comes to terms with his loss. The Tendous adopt Ukyou into
their family registry and Ranma marries her three years later,
thus uniting the schools. They have lots of kids and live
happily-ever-after, more or less. I don't know, Lloth-baby. Ranma
and Ukyou... It's been done before. Akane gettin' blown up like
that's new, but I still think you lose. You owe me a Coke."
"Tsk. I'm not through yet."
"Well, the timeline plays out on a pretty average track
thereafter, so I fail to see the big change. Game, set and match
to me."
"For an omniscient being, you don't pay much attention to
details, do you? Here..." She stirred the waters, rewinding the
scene and focusing in on the rune-carved rod Akane picked up.
"Doesn't that look familiar to you?"
"Hey... isn't that a Wand of Wishes? Wait a sec, shouldn't
Ranma have died, then?"
"Well, it's more like a Wand of Monkey's Paw Wishes,
actually. Fast forward... oh, about seven thousand years give or
take, to Aramar, in the Seventh Age."
"Hey! I didn't say you could play in MY pool. I stay out of
Oerth and Toril..."
"I promise I won't break anything..."
"Oh, all right... You MIGHT let me know what you've got in
mind, though..." Toltiir fretted. Maybe letting Lloth play WAS a
bad idea...
"Wait and see, kitty-cat, wait and see. I'm not done weaving
my web..."
*******************
__/Cliffs Of Athaq, Aramar, 543 7th Age\______
She was old, older even than Cologne had been
back in the unimaginably distant Furinkan days. Bent but
not broken by her years, she had given up on finding what
she had sought for her first century of life here. Until just
under a week ago, when Baron had brought her a bit of
news.
A deep rumble brought her attention to her
travelling companions. The dragon was moving back,
giving her time to be alone now that her quest was finally
at an end.
"You needn't do that, Baron," Akane addressed
the dragon. "I might as well say goodbye now. I've been
formulating the wording for this for weeks."
*Careful, child,* the dragon's mental voice was
surprisingly gentle for a creature of his size. *Wishes from
the djinni are difficult to fix, this is a thousand times a
thousand more so.*
"Well, if it didn't have that sort of power output,
it wouldn't be able to accomplish what it needs to, ne?"
Akane looked back at one of the few still-living friends she'd
made in this world. A misfit, much like herself, and a dragon-
one whose life span was normally measured in centuries instead of
decades. "I shall miss you, old friend."
*And I, you, child. Don't you go and forget your
friends now.* The dragon turned to face the entry to the
cave, the red-gold of his scales catching the flickering light
of the guardian beast's pyre. *Best to get this over with,
and try not to end up back here. This particular method will
only work once, you know.*
"Ah yes," Akane reached out and laid her palm
on the crystalline shape before her. Wishes were a tricky
thing in the best of circumstances, as she well knew.
After all, it had been a casually expressed wish that had
gotten her into this mess.
"I invoke the sacred contract, and in the name
of the nine gods of this world do make my wish be known."
This part was required, a sort of magical access code. "I
wish to travel back along the paths of time and space, to
my plane of origin, to the time when I was still enrolled in
Furinkan Senior High School, knowing then what I know
now, but to be the age I was when I was there originally,
with minimal disruption to the timestream from my entry."
*Nicely worded,* came the dragon's thought.
*I think you forgot something though. Oh well, too late,
maybe it'll work out anyway.* Baron's tail lashed in
irritation. He had to get moving soon anyway, Akane had
developed many enemies over her long life, and no doubt
one or two would show up before long.
***********************************
Akane briefly saw an image of herself, though
much older and with a sad air about her. Then came a
feeling as if she were shoved aside by an irresistible
force.
Akane looked about herself, smiling a little as
she took in the old dojo.
She could barely remember it, so many years
and so many events had passed. A pile of bricks were
stacked nearby. With a quick grin she picked the top
one up and crushed it in her grip.
"There you go again, Akane, no wonder
the boys think you're so weird."
Akane stared, tears coming to her eyes.
"Na-Nabiki?!"
Nabiki took a step away. "Akane, what?"
Akane moved so quickly that Nabiki only saw
a blur before she was swept up and swung around in
her sister's embrace.
"NABIKI! By the Seal, it's been so long!"
"Uhm, right, Akane. It's been at least a
couple of hours." Nabiki wondered exactly what
Akane was going on about, when she noticed how
odd Akane's embrace felt. There was no give, as
if she were being hugged by a statue.
"Is everyone here? Is Ranma here?
Oh, kami, I've missed you!"
"Who's Ranma?"
Akane blinked at that. Her face
went blank as she worked out the possible
ramifications of that question. Funny, she
had been working out how to get here for
so long that she'd never considered what
to do when she actually did get back.
"Anyway, Akane, Father's got
some sort of announcement he wants to
hit us with, so he's called a family meeting."
"It's THAT day?" Akane slowly
grinned. "Oh, kami, there are things I've
wanted to change about that day..."
Nabiki began to look worriedly
at her sister. "Sis, you okay?"
"Let's go have that family
meeting, Nabiki. I haven't felt _this_
good in ages."
*********************************
It HAD been a long time,
and Akane didn't remember a lot of the
things that had happened way back
when. *Or should that be, way back
now,* Akane pondered.
Nabiki's constant poking of
the little girl's breasts, with her being
quite upset about the fiance not being
a boy after all. It would be enough that
the two would never get along thereafter.
Kasumi was mainly polite, but
would never consider Ranma due to the
incredible gulf of three years difference on
their ages. Akane inwardly chuckled at
THAT. If Kasumi knew how much older
her younger sister was now, she'd flip.
"Nabiki," Akane gently chided,
"Ranma is our guest whether he's a boy
or a girl. Ranma, would you care to join me
in the dojo? I'm Akane, do you want to be
friends?"
Ranma seemed a little intimidated,
that smile wasn't a cute little girl grin, but the
sort of smile that usually accompanied phrases
like "paybacks are a bitch." Still, what harm
could it be? She nodded.
***********************************
Akane was aware of Nabiki following
them. She was pretty sure that hadn't happened
the first time, so she must have done something
to throw Nabiki's natural curiosity into high gear.
It had been so long, so very, very,
long, since she'd made that first wish. An odd
item from Happosai's "treasure trove" in her
hands during one of the usual arguments, and
she'd wished Ranma was dead.
The rod was of the djinni, and it
worked by altering the wielder. So it merely
moved her forward in time, to a time where not
only Ranma but any of Ranma's lineage were
long gone in their graves. The Seventh Age
Of Man, where she'd done things that made
even Ranma's life look tame.
"Uhm, you okay, Akane?" Ranma
was looking at her curiously. "You seemed to
go asleep there for a minute."
Akane blinked and shook her head.
"I'm fine, Ranma. You've studied kempo, right?"
"A little," was Ranma's response as
she turned her attention to the dojo.
"Well, then, let's have a little match."
Akane noted Ranma looked a little uncertain.
"Just for fun. Don't worry, I won't go all out on
you."
"Uhm, yeah, sure." Ranma stopped
and her eyes widened.
Akane realized that Ranma was reading
her stance, like any martial artist would, and was
revising her opinion of Akane's skill level accordingly.
Ranma shifted into a defensive stance immediately.
Akane's grin was like a wolf that had just
found fresh prey.
Akane sent a couple of quick jabs towards
Ranma, nothing fancy. Ranma blocked them and
jumped over the legsweep. Each getting the feel for
the other's skill level.
Akane cranked the speed up a notch.
"You can fight back now, or don't you take me
seriously?"
Ranma was still dodging. "I don't hit
girls..." Well, there WAS that fight with Shampoo.
"Oh, really? You know when I said I
wouldn't go all out?" Akane spoke in a calm
voice that didn't match the double circle kick
she had just executed. "I lied."
Nabiki's eyes widened as the already
fast battle turned into something she'd never
expected. Akane launched one attack after another,
moving more fluidly than she had ever done in her
life, and this Ranma was just barely dodging them.
As it was there were rips appearing in Ranma's
clothing from the near misses.
"Think that's bad, Ranma, check this
out," Akane thought this would give Ranma
reason to stay on her good side. "Black Rose
Torture Fist!"
Ranma flew across the room, slamming
into and through the dojo wall, going down and
twisting in agony as she did.
"Hang on, Ranma, I'll be right there,"
Akane smiled. This ought to knock some sense
into him early on in their relationship. He'd take
her skills seriously if nothing else.
"What did you do?!" Nabiki stared at
the figure out in the yard. She'd heard the phrase
writhing in pain before, but had never seen it. This
certainly fit.
Akane walked over to the nearly
unconscious figure and struck three times in
very precise locations. "Black Rose Torture Fist,
a nerve strike technique that causes excruciating
pain to the target, often stops a fight without
actually causing permanent damage."
Ranma shuddered and gradually
uncurled, looking at her hands as if surprised
that they were still intact.
"I'm getting a bath, Ranma, don't
you dare walk in on me," Akane called out as
she walked back to the house. Things were
getting better already. She'd have Ranma's
respect from the very beginning this time.
Nabiki watched her sister go back
into the house, then turned back to Ranma.
She didn't think there was ANY chance of
Ranma walking in on Akane. The look of
fear on the younger girl's face was just too
clear an indication of that.
Noting how pale Ranma was,
and the sweat and shaking muscles, Nabiki
felt a sudden wave of a foreign emotion to
her. Pity. Ranma had not only been beaten,
but thoroughly humiliated in seconds.
Nabiki didn't exactly know how
to comfort, TLC wasn't one of her strengths,
but she knew whose it was. Nabiki went to
the kitchen. She needed Kasumi.
*********************************
"I'm Genma Saotome," Genma
gestured at the boy next to him. "This is
my son, Ranma."
"Are you really her, the girl
we saw earlier?" Kasumi watched carefully.
Nabiki was right. Ranma wouldn't even
look in Akane's direction and seemed
very nervous.
"I am," Ranma's voice was soft
in reply.
"It's such a long story," Genma
said after a moment. "I don't know where
to begin. Well, then," he threw Ranma into
the pond.
Ranma, now a girl, spluttered up
and began to run back and confront her
father when she caught sight of Akane's
smirk. She froze.
"Father, you certainly have some
unusual friends," Kasumi said in the silence
that followed. She saw fear briefly in the young
girl's face. A quick glance confirmed that she
was looking directly at Akane.
"Told you," came a whisper from
Nabiki managing to look as if she had just
accidently brushed Kasumi as she got up.
Kasumi absent-mindedly nodded.
She wasn't sure about Nabiki's story about
how Akane had acted in the dojo, but her
initial reaction of sibling rivalry was beginning
to look a little less likely.
Soun continued on with his explanation
of Jusenkyo and its curses, oblivious to what was
going on around him. Even Genma had realized
something was up at this point, just seeing his son
fail to react as he normally would, had given him pause.
"Well, your problem isn't so bad, is it?"
Soun went out into the yard and guided girl-type
Ranma into the house, not noticing that Ranma
was trying deliberately not to look in a particular
direction again.
Akane frowned briefly. What was wrong
with him, anyway? He had never acted like this
before. Ranma didn't even seem to want to look in
her general direction.
"This is my oldest daughter, Kasumi,
she's 19. This is my middle daughter, Nabiki, she's
17. This is my youngest daughter, Akane, she's 16.
Pick anyone you like, she'll be your new fiancee."
"I'll marry him," Akane jerked her thumb
at herself. "Hell, maybe we can even give your old
man a rest and you can spar with me every morning.
Wouldn't that be great?"
Genma felt a flash of anger and concern
as he saw Ranma cringe at that.
"Uhm, no, I'm sorry, I really don't think
that would...I mean I've got to go back and find a
cure for my curse."
Nabiki exchanged a glance with Kasumi.
The way the boy's father was looking at him was
sufficient indication that Ranma normally didn't act
like this.
"I'm sorry, Akane, but I have priority in
this instance."
"Kasumi?!"
Kasumi shrugged. The look of pain and
anguish on the young girl's face called out to her
maternal instincts. Besides, she could always step
out of the way later when she knew more about
what was going on.
Nabiki caught the glance that Kasumi
discreetly shot her and wiped a smirk from her
face. She didn't know if she could survive Akane
giving her a lesson, but Kasumi would be safe.
Akane closed her mouth. What were
they doing? Why was Ranma acting like this?
What had prompted Kasumi to step in? This
wasn't how she had thought it would go.
"Well, I don't really care which of
you marries him," Soun said with a smile. This
was going even better than he had planned.
"Well, Ranma, which will it be, Akane or Kasumi?"
Ranma glanced at Akane and restrained
himself. He was still feeling muscle cramps from the
spasming, and nausea from the amount of pain he'd
endured less than an hour ago. "Uhm, Kasumi, I
guess. Nothing personal, Akane."
Akane blinked and stared at her tea.
He'd chosen...Kasumi?! After hundreds of years
trying to get back here, Akane had lost her fiance.
He'd never even said that he'd chosen her, even up
to that failed wedding attempt. He'd only said that
he'd loved her when he thought she was dead.
Now he'd actually chosen a fiancee, and it wasn't
her?
Akane clenched her jaw. She was NOT
out of the running yet.
*************************************
"Hmmm... I think I see where you're going with this one,
Llothy! Should prove, er... interesting..."
Lloth smiled sweetly. Somehow, it made her look even more
dangerous. Toltiir sweatdropped.
"I'm glad you think so, kitty. I always thought that girl
had potential... What a Priestess she'd have made..."
*************************************
Later that evening, Genma and Ranma sat in the dojo,
balanced on their heads in an upside-down lotus position. Despite
the fact that he'd performed this exercise thousands of times
over the last ten years, Ranma couldn't find his center.
Oh, man... That Akane girl... His face contorted in a wince
of remembered pain. She's so much better'n me it's scary! And
that move she used- "Black Rose Torture Fist." What kind of sick,
twisted person uses an attack like THAT?! In a sparring match, no
less... A muscle spasm hit, and he toppled forward onto his face.
Genma growled something unintelligible at the sound, and
opened his eyes.
"Ranma! What on Earth is the matter with you, boy?!" He
reached out and cuffed his son across the back of the head. "How
do you expect to carry on the Saotome Ryu if you can't even
perform this simple an exercise?!" He rolled out of the upside-
down lotus and stood before his son. "Do I have to retrain you
from the beginning?!"
"Lay off, Pop. I'm not in the mood for one of your stoopid
lectures. I got stuff on my mind, okay?"
Genma opened his mouth to burst into a classic rant, (one of
his personal favourites, about how a true martial artist doesn't
let anything distract him from the task at hand,) when he thought
back to the day of his Omiai with Nodoka. A wistful smile crossed
his face and he sat down again, facing his son.
"Ranma m'boy, your old father knows exactly how you feel.
Why, I remember the day I met your mother for the first time... I
wore black, she wore white... Truly a beautiful creature; It was
love at first sight. Hey, that rhymed..." He shook his head to
clear it. "Never mind that now. What I mean to say is, you made a
fine choice m'boy. Tendou-kun tells me that Kasumi-chan is an
excellent cook and housekeeper. And an older woman to boot! Oh,
Ranma, you sly dog..." Genma smiled proudly. "What a chip off the
old Saotome block you are, m'boy. You do your father proud!!!" A
brief frown crossed his features before clearing. "Of course,
Tendou-kun informs me that Kasumi hasn't been seriously training
in the Tendou Ryu for some time, but that's no trouble. I'm sure
Akane-chan will be able to teach you all you need to know about
THAT..."
Genma didn't miss the brief look of anxiety that crossed
Ranma's face at the mention of Akane's name.
"What's the problem, boy? I noticed you looked odd this
afternoon after your match with Akane-chan. Is the Tendou Ryu
that impressive? Tendou-kun said that Akane-chan was his best
pupil..."
"Pop, I... Gomen, it's just hard to come out and say this...
She almost killed me! And the move she used..." He shivered and
whitened. "It was terrifyin'! You should'a told me the Tendous
were a ninja clan!"
Genma blinked. Ninja clan? What was the boy talking about?
Ranma continued.
"She had this LOOK on her face... I guess you could call it
a smile, but she looked like she wanted to eat me for lunch! I
ain't NEVER seen anybody fight like that, not Shampoo, not
nobody! She's a killer, Pop, and she enjoys doin' it..."
This didn't make sense, Genma thought. Tendou-kun had said
that Akane trained for an hour a day at MOST. Had Tendou's skill,
passed on to his daughters, surpassed his own by THAT much in the
last ten years? They'd been rough equals while they trained under
the Master (may he rest in peace, he fervently prayed)... This
bore further investigation.
Nevertheless, it was his duty as a father to upbraid his son
for cowardice.
"Ranma! Your whining makes me sick! She's only a girl! Show
a little backbone, boy!!"
Genma's goading words had the desired effect as Ranma
flipped to his feet and slid into an aggressive fighting stance.
"Backbone?! I'll show you backbone, you stoopid old man!"
Ranma lunged at his father with a rapid series of blows.
Genma parried most, but a few pierced his defenses. He returned
the favour with interest as the battle moved back and forth
across the dojo floor. With every blow struck, Genma taunted
Ranma further, driving the boy to greater heights of exertion.
Quicker than Genma'd expected he would, Ranma gained the
upper hand, and the older man was now purely on the defensive.
"How's THIS for backbone, y'old fart? Take that! N' that!
Some'a this!"
Finally, a crescent kick sent Genma flying into the corner,
where he landed head first in the fire bucket. In moments, a
giant panda with a steel bucket jammed over his head staggered
aimlessly about the room. Muffled Growf-sounds came from under
the pail.
"Whassamatter, old man? Can't see where yer goin'? Aw,
that's too bad..." Ranma dusted off his hands and walked up
behind the blinded panda. A swift kick in the rear sent Genma
flying head-first back across the room into the doorframe,
crumpling the bucket and freeing him. "That enough backbone for
ya, old man?"
Genma-panda growfed affirmatively, and promptly lost
consciousness.
Ranma chuckled once before sighing. No, he hadn't lost it.
He could still beat the old panda. His thoughts turned back to
the youngest Tendou sister.
"Good thing old man Tendou gave me a choice... I'd hate to
be engaged to a psycho like that..." Not that I'm scared'a her or
nothin', he added mentally. Nope, not frightened in the least...
********************************
From her place of concealment, Akane watched Ranma pound the
tar out of his father, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Here
was the cocky young warrior she'd fallen in love with. Even after
all she'd seen and done in her centuries of life, the sight of
him in battle still took her breath away.
She'd taken men to her bed several times over the years,
more to ease the loneliness than anything else, but she'd never
given her love to anyone but this man. And now, she thought, he
hates me. Me, his One True Love...
Ranma's words echoed in her head. "She's a killer, Pop, and
she enjoys doin' it." A killer? Yes, she'd killed. More times
than she could count. But the 7th Age of Man was no place for
luxuries like civilized morals and ethics. You did what you had
to do to survive. She'd never enjoyed killing, but it was a
necessary evil.
"I'd hate to be engaged to a psycho like that..." That
brought back unpleasant memories; memories of their last
argument, of him calling her unstable... Well, after nigh on
three centuries, she was pretty certain she wasn't crazy. A
little obsessed, perhaps. But the object of her obsession was
right in front of her now. Mentally, she kicked herself for
overplaying her hand during the sparring bout. This Ranma wasn't
as tested and tempered as the one she remembered. He'd been
scared instead of challenged by her superior skill in the martial
arts. Despite her initial mistake, she was confident she could
make a comeback, show him that she wasn't some slavering maniac.
All she had to do was prove to him she was a desirable mate,and
she knew just how to do THAT...
She smiled, imagining the night to come. So many nights
she'd dreamed of him, of one night of passion with her Ranma. She
looked forward to making the dream a reality...
****************************
Kasumi hummed to herself as she did the dishes, doing her
small part to restore the "wa" of the household. She tried to
bring an untroubled mind to her domestic tasks, but concern for
her new iinazuke kept disrupting the ordered flow of her
thoughts.
He was so... Young. Both in age and spirit. He'd seemed so
small and quiet during dinner, she'd hardly known he was there.
Still, the food on his plate disappeared rapidly, so he must have
enjoyed her cooking. Hadn't he?
She sighed to herself. She certainly liked the boy, he
seemed very nice, but... Well, he didn't need a fiancee now, she
judged, he needed a Mother. She must remember to ask Saotome-san
about his wife. Was she still alive, she wondered? Perhaps she
should look into contacting her if that was the case. The poor
boy would benefit from a little motherly love.
Love. She'd always hoped she'd marry for love, that some
handsome stranger on a white horse would come, sweep her off her
feet and carry her off into the sunset, just like in the romance
mangas she'd read as a girl. Lately, she'd even begun to
contemplate asking Father to set up an Omiai for her, just so
that she might meet an eligible man. She didn't think that her
standards were terribly hard to meet; all she wanted was a
pleasant-looking man, who made a good living, and who would take
the time to engage her in intelligent conversation once in a
while. Talking with Nabiki was one thing, but she longed for more
companionship than her sister could provide.
She thought for a moment. Since graduating High School,
she'd been on, what? Two dates? That Kensuke lout, and that
gaijin martial artist who'd stayed at the dojo for a while, Terry
Bogart. Both had been unmitigated disasters. At least Terry had
tried to show her a good time, but all he'd managed to do was
talk about his ex non-stop. Kensuke had been far too forward for
her liking, and Father had given him a thorough pounding when
she'd complained about his behavior.
But, she supposed, that was all out the window now... No
more dates for Kasumi Tendou. No, her future was already planned
out by Father. She'd be cooking and cleaning in this house for
the rest of her life...
"Hey, sis! You washed that one already..." Nabiki had
entered the kitchen and leaned against the counter. Kasumi had
been so lost in thought she hadn't noticed the new arrival.
"Hmm? Oh, hello Nabiki. Would you mind lending me a hand?"
"Sorry, no can-do," She held up her hands and wiggled her
fingers. "Just did my nails... So, how're you holding up?"
"Oh, just fine, Imotochan, you know me..." She laughed
wanly.
"Yeah, right Kasumi. Not having second thoughts about
jumping on the grenade, are you?" When Kasumi didn't answer,
Nabiki sighed and smiled sadly. "Look, I'm sorry about this, sis.
I know I was the one who was all excited about the engagement,
and I go and stick you with the guy... It's just... Well, Akane
gave me the heebie-jeebies, the way she almost pounced on him. I
hate to say it, but I think little sister's finally gone off the
deep-end. It must be the Horde o' Hentai attacks every morning,
they've driven her bananas."
Kasumi sighed and hung her head.
"Imotochan, explain to me again why you didn't step in? He
seems to be more your type than mine..."
"My type? Ranma? Puh-leeze. A wandering martial artist? I
want a man with pros-pects."
"And don't I deserve one too?" Kasumi snapped, a rare
display of pique that caused Nabiki to step back a moment.
"Of course you do, Oneechan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
imply... Look, it's only for a little while, I promise, okay?
Just until I can talk Daddy out of this whole thing. There's no
way Akane's the girl for him. She scares the bejeezus out of the
guy, and believe me, he's got good reason to be freaked. That
move she used- Brrrrr! No WAY Daddy taught her THAT one..."
"I understand... I wonder where she might have learned it?
If it's as cruel as you say, I doubt they're teaching things like
that in her self-defense classes at Furinkan."
"Nope, not unless the teacher is a raving psychotic, and
last time I checked, Garuda-Sensei was steady as a rock. A little
intense, maybe, but what do you expect from a gym teacher?" She
gave a quick laugh. "Anyway, I promise. I'll talk to Daddy, you
know he can't say no to me." She leaned over and gave her big
sister a quick peck on the cheek. "I'd give you a nice hug, but
these nails of mine..."
"It's all right, Nabiki. Thank you."
"No prob. And I won't even charge you!" She added with a
wink.
************************************
Later that night, Ranma lay on his back on the tatami mat
that Kasumi had laid out for him, staring up at the ceiling.
Genma, still a panda, snored away beside him. The fact that the
old man had ended up in the Spring-of-Drowned-Panda-with-a-
Deviated-Septum somehow didn't surprise Ranma. It merely
demonstrated the truth of Ranma's Law, an ongoing theory he'd
been developing. There is no situation, no matter how dire or how
banal, that cannot be made worse by a Jusenkyo curse.
His father's earlier words came back to him. An older
woman... To be honest, he didn't know how he felt about that.
Kasumi seemed very nice, but... Three years. That's a BIG
difference. Pop said it wouldn't matter once we're both adults,
but it sure mattered NOW. He didn't know where to begin when it
came to striking up conversation with her. What did HE know about
housekeeping, or cooking, or any other girly-stuff... He'd never
even given a thought to what kind of woman he wanted to marry,
but it sure wasn't a shufu... not that he had anything against
Kasumi, he amended mentally. She sure is pretty, and a good cook.
The Kami KNEW he hadn't eaten this well since the old days
hangin' around Ucchan. I wonder what that guy's up to these days?
He'd probably get a kick out of THIS fix.
One thing he DID know is that he wanted nothing to do with
that crazy Akane chick. Uncute tomboys who'll torture you for
kicks are NOT my thing, he thought. It'd be different if she was
just better at the art than he was, but taking that kind of joy
in offhanded cruelty was too much. 'Sides, he added with a
shudder, she's damn creepy!
As he finished that thought and made to roll over, he heard
the door slide slowly open. He glanced over, and his jaw dropped.
There, standing silhouetted in the doorway, naked, was
Akane!
***********************************
END PART ONE. TO BE CONTINUED!!!!
AFTERWORD: No, this isn't turning into a lemon. Limey bits at
most, but not anytime soon. (All the Hentai in the house say:
Awwww....)
NEXT TIME: Akane and Kunou- together again! The Horde o' Hentai
see a whole new side of everyone's favorite Kawaiikune tomboy!
And what happened to the "original" Akane? All this and more,
comin' atcha soon!
Ja Ne!
Akane The Vampire Slayer's Homepage:
http://matrix.crosswinds.net/~ksna