THE BET: A STUDY IN SCARLET (PART TWO)
Original Bet entry "A Study in Scarlet" by Gregg Sharp
(used with permission)
Continued by Dave Menard (catthouse@lweb.net)
C+C welcome, flames will be placed in the round, flushing file.
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: C'mon. You and I BOTH know Takahashi owns
the Ranma characters. Who's fooling anybody? Gregg created the
Bet, TSR owns Lloth. Fujimi Publishing owns Hiroe Ogawa. (and a
big no-prize to anyone who knows what series she's from.) I don't
own nothin'.
WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR: Lloth, Demon-Queen of Spiders and
Goddess of the Drow has entered into a side-bet with Toltiir,
everyone's favorite Elder god of Mischief. The goal: To outdo
Titania, Queen of the Elves. The changes made: Something Awful
happened to Ukyou Kuonjii shortly after Ranma and Akane's aborted
wedding, with the end result being that Akane was catapulted
forwards in time to the Seventh Age of Man, where magic and
monsters have resurfaced. Ranma, believing her dead, eventually
married Ukyou, settled down and lived happily ever after.
Akane spent many, many years in the distant future,
gaining incredible skill and making powerful friends and foes
before eventually uncovering the means to travel backwards in
time to be reunited with her One True Love. Unfortunately, she
arrived too soon, and is now inhabiting the body of her
sixteen year-old self on the day Ranma is introduced to the
Tendous for the first time.
Her memories of her past blurry at best, she
miscalculated the effect her skill would have on the youthful
Ranma and he instead chose Kasumi to be his iinazuke,
terrified by Akane's viciousness.
Akane, never one to give up easily, has resolved to prove
her desirability to the object of her now-unrequited love.
Whew! Now that everyone's up to speed, on with the show!
*********************
'Sides, Ranma added with a shudder, she's really creepy!
As he finished his 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! Her hair was no longer bound back by her white ribbon;
instead, it hung loose over her shoulders, providing tantalizing
glimpses of her petite, shapely chest. His eyes, unbidden drifted
lower, only to shoot up to her eyes as soon as they'd ascertained
that Akane was not, in fact, wearing panties.She raised a finger
to her lips and whispered "Shhhh!"
With a choked gasp, Ranma complied, swallowing hard. He
didn't know what terrified him more; the fact that a naked
g-g-girl was presenting herself in front of him, or that the girl
in question was Akane Tendou! His brain, running on full code red
panic alert, sent signals to the rest of his body. "Flee, you
fool, flee!" it screamed, while Lil' Ranma, presented with the
undeniable fact of a naked girl present in his general vicinity,
shot to attention, much to the dismay of his nominal master.
Akane smiled as she saw his body's undeniable reaction. It
was working! Unlike her younger self, with the perspective of age
behind her she knew she was in excellent shape, tautly muscled,
yet soft enough to retain sumptuous femininity. Moving with
catlike stealth, she slid the door silently closed and sprang
nimbly across the room to Genma's tatami, tapping a point on his
exposed back. The panda's snores instantly became deeper and more
sonorous.
"There," Akane breathed huskily as she looked across the
darkened room at Ranma. "He won't be waking up for a good
eight hours... More than enough time." She leered meaningfully
at the quailing boy. Endorphins rocketed through his bloodstream,
causing his leg to twitch and sharpening his senses. He was
acutely aware of the smooth planes of her well-toned body, the
scent of her shampoo, the sound of his own ragged breathing.
"W-what are you doin'? Ranma whispered weakly. "You crazy or
somethin'?! Go away!"
"But why..?" Akane purred, slinking over to Ranma's side.
"I only want to make you happy..." She breathed that last into
his ear, causing his pigtail to straighten and a drop of blood
to fall from his nose.
"I-if you wanna make me happy, get out!" He protested,
trying not to think about what those wonderfully soft and warm
objects pressing against his chest were, yet still unable to
escape the memory of the agony she'd given him this afternoon. "I
don't know what k- kinda game you're playin' but it ain't funny!"
"No, but it could be fun, if you'd let me..." Her hand
crept under the covers, gliding down his chest to slide beneath
the elastic waistband of his boxers. That was too much for
Ranma's overstimulated, confused nerves to take. With a strangled
sound, he pushed her away and crabcrawled back into the corner of
the room.
"Get away! Stay back, you crazy bitch! HE-EELLLPP!"
"Damn it!" Akane swore as she heard the sound of running
feet coming down the hall. She KNEW she should have tagged her
family's Shiatsu sleepy-spots! She turned to stare Ranma in
the eye, longing warring with her knowledge of her family's
probable reaction to discovering their "baby sister" in
flagrante delicto.
"Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow night, my love..."
With a final kiss blown over her shoulder, she slid the window
open and leapt nimbly out, her skin pale white in the
moonlight.
The door to Ranma's room was thrown open, and Soun and
Kasumi stood there, Soun with a bokken in hand and Kasumi with
a cast iron skillet, worried expressions on their faces.
"What is it, son? What's wrong?" Soun glanced around the
room, seeing only a sleeping panda and Ranma huddled in the
corner, looking as pale as his sheet. "We heard you cry
out..."
"Err..." Think fast, Saotome. You tell the truth, and
they'll more'n likely blame YOU... "I er, had a nightmare,
folks. Gomen. I didn't mean to wake you..." Soun looked puzzled,
then a little dismayed. Was THIS the heir to the Anything-Goes
School? A little boy who jumps at shadows?
"That's... er, quite all right, son. Very well then,
goodnight..."
"Goodnight, sir." Soun left, grumbling about overactive
imaginations. Kasumi stayed a moment longer, looking at Ranma
questioningly. Had Akane's cruel attack this afternoon
frightened him that deeply? The poor boy... A surge of protective
instinct washed over her.
"Ranma-kun?"
"Uh, yeah, Kasumi?"
"If you need anything, anything at all, you just let me
know, all right?"
"Err, yeah, thanks." Ranma's body, still reeling from the
Attack of the Naked Tomboy, couldn't help but react. He noticed,
despite himself, that Kasumi's nightgown was backlit by the
hallway lights, and he could easily make out some attractive
curves... He turned his head away, blushing, thankful fro the
sheet piled loosely in his lap. "Well, uh, G'night, Kasumi..."
"Pleasant dreams, Ranma-kun." She gave him a soft
reassuring smile and closed the door. Ranma dragged himself
back over to his tatami and drew the covers up over his head.
"Oh, man... " Just what he needed. Was Kasumi coming on to
him? He had absolutely NO practical experience with the opposite
sex, unless you counted one kiss from Shampoo. Well, he had a
fairly good idea what exactly they wanted, but... He sighed,
shifting his body around in a vain attempt to get comfortable.
And what kind of game was Akane playing? Was she torturing him?
Trying to give herself another excuse to use that... "Technique"
of hers? He shivered a little, closing his eyes. Just try and
sleep Saotome. Don't wanna wake the Tendous up again...
He shuddered briefly as he remembered Akane's last
words to him.
"Tomorrow night?" he squeaked. "Oh, no..."
***************************************
The following morning dawned bright and clear, and Ranma
awoke to the delicious smell of miso soup wafting up from the
kitchen. He groaned, stretched and looked around, blinking to
clear the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at the LED
display on the clock radio, shrugged, froze, and looked again.
Eight a.m.?! What the... The old man never let him sleep so
late! "A true Martial Artist doesn't lollygag around in bed! A
true Martial Artist is up at the crack of dawn to hone his
skills!!" He glanced over, and sure enough, the old panda was
still snoring merrily away.
"Then it wasn't a dream..." he whispered. There really
was some kind of sleep-touch, and Akane HAD been in his room
last night. The little conscienceless hentai that lurks in the
back of every teenage boy's mind chimed in: And she wuz nekkid!
Nekkid I tells ya! Hotcha!
"Yeah, right. Like I want anything to do with a psycho
tomboy like that!" The little hentai pulled a face and went
back to sulking in the corner.
Ranma dressed in his black drawstring pants and pulled on
his red chinese top. With a hop, he sprung out the door and
descended the stairs to the dining area, where his iinazuke-
(er, well, let's just keep thinking of her as Kasumi for now,
shall we? his brain suggested. Safer that way.) Where _Kasumi_
was serving breakfast.
He barely managed an "Ohaiyo" before he began stuffing
his face. No telling when the old man's gonna wake up- better
eat up while I can. He was halfway through his fifth helping
of eggs when he noticed the silence around him. Hesitantly, he
looked up.
Soun, Nabiki and Kasumi sat there with varying degrees of
shocked awe on their faces.
"What? Somethin' wrong?" Ranma asked. Or rather, that's what
he meant to ask. What came out was a small spray of egg and the
words "Mmmrphl? Mumphmmm hfflm?"
"That's, er..." Soun breathed, "That's quite a healthy
appetite you've got there, son."
Kasumi and Nabiki nodded, awestruck.
"Mmorfl-" Ranma swallowed, blushing. "Sorry 'bout that."
"Well, never mind." Kasumi said cheerily. "You just help
yourself." Internally, she made a note; triple the portions
from now on. Nabiki rapidly recalculated the food budget, and
came up with a balance in the red. The boy'd eat them out of
house and home within two months unless they somehow increased
their income. Maybe it was time to talk to Daddy about taking
on students again...
Ranma continued to stuff his face with his hosts'
blessings, oblivious to anything but the fact that here was
good food, and he didn't have to fight Pop for his share.
******************************************
Akane woke with a start, alarmed to find herself in
unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she now?! Hob's Gate
Keep? Baron's cave? No, wait, since when does Baron's cave
have Hello Kitty merchandise all over the walls?
The events of the past twenty-four subjective hours came
rushing back in a wash of memories. Blessed kami, she was
home! She leapt out of bed with an energy she hadn't felt in
decades. Restraining herself from dancing an impromptu jig,
she walked over to her vanity mirror and inspected herself.
She was so... young! And her hair was really, really long!
Well, that's going to change, and right quickly. That'll never
fit under a helmet...
She reached for the pair of scissors and was about to
start chopping wildly, when the realization fully set in.
She was HOME!!!! She didn't NEED to worry about how her armour
would fit! No Goblin slavers or Orcish mercenaries were going to
jump out of the cupboards and make attempts on her life! She
was home, and reunited with her Ranma!
That put an immediate pall over her good mood. No, she
WASN'T with Ranma. Ranma, for some reason she couldn't fathom,
was with Kasumi, of all people. That was something else that
was going to change quickly. She smiled crookedly at herself
in the mirror, the sly expression somehow out of place on her
deceptively innocent features. He hadn't given in to her last
night, but then again, they'd been interrupted. She'd try
again tonight, and THIS time, she'd make sure that didn't happen.
Another point came to mind. It's been so very long since
those (these) days... I mustn't give away too much, she
thought, or else Nabiki, if no one else, will start to suspect
that all is not normal with her "kid" sister. If only her
memories were clearer... Didn't I use to keep a diary? Yes,
that's right, I did! Where did I hide it...
After a little searching, she found the slim leatherbound
volume underneath three shoeboxes in the closet. A brief
perusal of the contents brought a smile to her face. "Hard to
believe I was ever this childish..." Yesterday's entry caught
her eye. Her eyes widened, and she began to giggle.
The Horde o' Hentai! She hadn't thought about those
dimwits in ages! Wait- H.O.H. meant school. School meant
classes. Classes meant studying. "Oh no! Did I have homework
due?! No, wait, I was always a good little schoolgirl, I did
my homework BEFORE my workout... At least, I HOPE I did..."
With the revelation of the existence of homework, another
realization hit.
"Oh, drakeshit! There's no WAY I can fake my way through
school for the next two years! I'm doomed!" She cursed her
lack of foresight in formulating her wish. She should have
made sure to specify that she would not only still know what
she knew now, but that she'd know what she knew THEN, too. Or
was that the other way around? Time travel made her head hurt,
it was far too esoteric for her. "Give me an opponent I can
wrap my hands around and choke, anyday..."
Muttering imprecations in dwarven, she dressed herself in
one of her school uniforms, cursing the impracticality of the
outfit. Still, it was a relief to put on clothing that wasn't
rough-spun cotton or linen for a change. Of all the things
other than Ranma she'd missed in the Seventh Age, well-fitted
clothes had been in the top ten...
************************************
Genma had finally risen and had made his way downstairs,
only to find that his worthless ingrate of a son had eaten all
the breakfast. Kasumi had apologized, and produced a plateful
of bamboo shoots out of thin air, but he'd been looking
forward to a home-cooked meal...
After returning to human form, he happened to mention
school to his son.
"School?! Aw, man!"
"Well, we ARE going to be staying for a while..."
Nabiki poked her head around the corner, already dressed
in her uniform.
"Yeah, Daddy's made all the arrangements! (With my help,
of course, she added silently) You'll be going to the same
school as me and Akane! You'd better get a move on if you
don't want to be late on your first day..."
"First day?! But... I don't have any school supplies!"
Genma produced a bookbag out of nowhere.
"Now you do. Remember, m'boy, a strong mind in a strong
body is what the Anything Goes School is all about!"
"Like you're one to talk old man!"
"Ranma..." Nabiki said chidingly. "No uneducated bum's
gonna marry MY sister. Get a move on, or you'll end up having
to walk to school with Akane!"
"Yipes!" Ranma scooped up the bookbag and dashed to the
door; Nabiki stopped him with a gesture.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huh? What?"
"Say good-bye to your iinazuke, dummy."
"Oh..." Ranma's face turned redder than his shirt.
"Right..." He walked hesitantly over to the kitchen, poking
his head inside. "Uh, Kasumi..? I'm uh... I guess I'm goin' to
school, now, so... Bye?" Despite himself, he couldn't help
remembering what she'd looked like last night, backlit in her
thin shift... He sniffled, sensing an impending nosebleed.
Kasumi turned to face him and smiled pleasantly.
"Have a good day, Ranma-kun! Here, I made you lunch..."
"Oh... Hey, great!" He brightened, one appetite overwhelming
another. "Thanks a lot!" Wow. Maybe there IS a plus side to this
iinazuke thing. Kasumi sure is a great cook...
******************************
"Whaddya mean, he left with Nabiki?!" Akane yelled.
"My little girl's shouting at me!! Waaahhhh!!!!" Soun
collapsed into a puddle of goo before Akane's annoyed glare.
"Knock it off, Dad. You're acting like an imbecile."
"Ohhh, my baby girl thinks her father is an imbecile!!
Waaahhhhh!!!!"
"Oh, hel's bells. Well, I've got to go catch up. At least
TRY to act like a MAN, Dad."
"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
****************************
Ranma strolled along the canal fence, easily keeping pace
with Nabiki and her friend, a pretty, short-haired girl with
light blue hair who'd been introduced to him as Hiroe Ogawa.
Right now she was fielding questions about adjusting the odds on
some fight that took place every morning, and HE was fielding
curious glances.
"Um, excuse me, Saotome-san?" Hiroe asked shyly.
"Hmm? Oh, you mean ME? Geez. Just call me Ranma, okay?
People say Saotome-san and I look around for my Pop."
"Okay..." She smiled, pleased. "But only if you call me
Hiroe..."
"Sure, I guess..." He hopped down to walk alongside her. So,
what did you want to ask, Hiroe?"
She tore her eyes away from the lines of his legs and looked
up. "Oh, well, I just wanted to know... Well, uh... are you
Nabiki's boyfriend?"
Ranma turned bright red.
"Uh, Nabiki? A little help here?" Nabiki looked over at the
pair and smirked. Who to charge? Saotome didn't have five yen
to his name, so...
"Well, Hiroe-chan, I can let you in on the full story for
only 500 yen. That's half what I'm charging the rest of the
class. You won't find a better deal..."
Hiroe sighed and reached into her bag. Being friends with
Nabiki Tendou was an expensive proposition. She produced the
money and handed it over grudgingly.
"Thank YOU... Now, here's the scoop. Saotome there is
engaged to marry my sister Kasumi."
"What?"
Ranma turned several fetching shades of red, from a pleasant
rose to a nice black cherry. All this attention was really...
Unnerving, actually. He looked apologetically at Hiroe and
shrugged.
"S'not really our idea... Our Pops' arranged the whole
thing... Uh, but... I don't really KNOW anybody here in town- Do
you, uh... wanna be friends?"
"Sure, Ranma... That'd be nice..." Hiroe said shyly.
"Cool... Hey, Nabiki! What's the big idea of charging my
friend Hiroe here for info on MY personal life?"
"Please, Saotome. If you weren't too craven to tell her
yourself... Besides, the way you and your glutton of a father
eat, we're gonna need the extra cash."
"Oh." Ranma thought about that for a minute. He hadn't
really considered what kind of effect his visit was having on the
Tendous. "Well, maybe I can get a part-time job or somethin'.
Y'know, to help out a bit?"
Nabiki's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't thought... Well,
well... The boy has some sense of responsibility after all...
"Hmm, thanks for offering but... Furinkan has some pretty
strict rules about students having after-school jobs. I don't
think the administration'd go for it. You could maybe get work on
the weekends, though. Unless you plan on taking a juku on
Saturdays with me and Akane..." Ranma made a face. "Didn't think
so. No offense, Saotome, but you just don't strike me as the
scholarly type."
"Well, maybe if school wasn't so damn boring, I'd be a
little more interested. I'd rather be workin' or trainin', if you
ask me..."
"I didn't. If you're going to marry into the Tendou clan,
you've got to get an education."
"So who said I wanted to-?!" He sighed. "Look, Nabiki, I'm
only goin' along with this until I can figger a way out, okay?
Kasumi's nice an' all, but I ain't ready to get married."
Unseen by her companions, Hiroe's eyes brightened
momentarily, a smile crossing her lips.
"Saotome, I'm hurt! You don't like my family?" Nabiki said
sarcastically.
"It ain't like that!! You'n Kasumi are all right, an' your
Pop' an okay guy, but... Look, can we just drop it? You were
sayin' somethin' about workin' weekends?"
Nabiki nodded, but she wasn't about to let the matter go.
"Until I can talk some sense into Daddy, you and Kasumi are
stuck with one another... Unless you'd like to switch the
engagement to Akane?"
Ranma blanched, then blushed fiercely. Nabiki noted the
latter reaction with interest and a little bit of surprise. Did I
read him wrong? He couldn't be interested in Akane, not after
what happened yesterday... Impossible. His next words confirmed
that thought.
"No way! Like I'd wanna go NEAR a psycho tomboy like her!!!
Ranma realized with a start that he'd been baited. An idea
occurred to him. "I'd much rather switch the engagement to YOU,
Nabiki..." He said, in overly-suave tones.
Nabiki's famous reserve cracked for a second, her eyes going
wide. A twinkle lit Ranma's eye as he leaned in close, and
whispered: "Gotcha!"
Hiroe laughed aloud as she saw Nabiki's face redden.
"Saotome, you jerk! Don't frighten me like that!" Nabiki
snarled. "And you!" She pointed at Hiroe. "Zip it!"
Ranma and Hiroe restrained their giggles... barely. Nabiki
calmed down and, regaining her composure, continued in an icy
tone.
"As for your potential employment, some of faculty owe me
favours, I'll see what I can do about getting an exception for
you based on... Oh, let's say... family poverty."
"Hey!"
"Do you and your Father have any assets you're not telling
me about?"
"Uh, no..."
"Then poverty it is. Bear with me, Saotome, it'll all work
out-"
Nabiki's voice trailed off as she noticed she was now
talking to a busty redheaded girl. Nabiki blinked. Hiroe gasped.
Ranma looked back down the street, where a little old lady with a
ladle and bucket was splashing water on the sidewalk to keep the
dust down.
"Terrific." Ranma said resignedly. "Well, there's nothing
for it. C'mon, let's go to school."
"Are you nuts, Saotome? Daddy registered you as a guy! I
know where we can get some hot water..."
Nabiki grabbed Ranma by the pigtail and began dragging her
around the corner. Hiroe just stared for a moment, blinking, then
hurried to catch up.
*****************************
"You wait here, Ranma. I'll go get the kettle, okay?" AND
take this opportunity to pay you back for that little scare...
Nobody does THAT to Nabiki Tendou!
"Uh, okay..." Ranma said absently, reading the signs. "Tofu
Clinic... Chiropractic medicine, Moxibustion and Acupuncture."
Good to know that there's a Doctor in this neighborhood, what
with livin' in the same house as that psycho tomboy...
"Um, Ranma...? You ARE Ranma, right?" Hiroe had caught up at
last, and was staring hard at the redhaired girl. Ranma blushed
again. This was becoming a habit...
"Yeah, I'm Ranma... Sorry 'bout this. I guess if we're gonna
be friends I should explain this..."
"That would probably be a good plan."
"My Pop and me, we're martial artists. A couple'a months
ago, we were in China, and I fell into a cursed spring." Hiroe
cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "I know how it sounds, but it's
true, okay?" Ranma said, a little defensively, her tone growing
bitter. "Anyway, I got cursed to change into a girl whenever I
get hit with cold water. I can change back, but I need hot water
to do it. There. Still want to be friends with a freakshow
exhibit?"
"Sure. Why not?" Hiroe answered easily. "I bet you're never
boring..."
"Huh?"
"I think it's kinda neat. Must be a real pain going to the
beach..."
Ranma blinked. She didn't mind...? A small smile broke over
her face.
"I dunno about the beach, but it's a pain going to a public
bath..."
Soon enough, the two girls were laughing like... well, like
friends sharing a joke. Ranma never realized how much he'd missed
having friends. Maybe this school thing wasn't so bad an idea,
after all... They shot the breeze for a few minutes, until Nabiki
re-emerged from the Clinic with a teakettle in hand, accompanied
by a stern looking man in spectacles and a black gi.
"Hey, Saotome! Here's the kettle you ordered. Oh, and this
is Tofu-Sensei, the family doctor. Tofu-Sensei, meet Ranma." This
should be good, Nabiki thought. Oh, Ranma, you're gonna get it
now...
"Hi! Nice ta meetcha, Doc!" Ranma bowed politely.
"It's... a pleasure meeting you too." Tofu said, a little
tersely. Ranma was briefly puzzled, but shrugged it off. She
reached out and took the kettle from Nabiki.
"So how much is this gonna cost me, huh?"
"You can owe me." Ranma nodded in thanks, not noticing
Hiroe's startled expression. She poured the steaming water over
her head and shivered as her body shifted into male form.
"Ta-Da! Instant guy."
"Remarkable..." Tofu breathed, interested despite himself.
"Neat!" Hiroe added, earning a grateful smile from Ranma.
"Well, thanks a lot, Doc, but we'd better get movin'. Gotta
get to school." Ranma said, gathering up his bookbag.
"Not so fast young man. I'd like to speak to you a moment,
if I may..."
"Uh, sure, I guess." He turned to the girls. "D'you guys
wanna wait, or should I catch up?"
Nabiki opened her mouth to answer, but Hiroe beat her to the
punch.
"We'll wait..." Hiroe said cheerfully, earning a dark look
from Nabiki. Unlike Hiroe, SHE had a spotless attendance record
to uphold... Besides, the probable carnage that would follow
might put her off her lunch.
"Thanks. We won't be long, will we Doc?"
"No, no... It'll only take a moment."
*********************************
Tofu sat the boy down in his examination room, and the two
exchanged basic pleasantries before getting down to business.
"Ranma, I feel I must ask... What are your intentions
regarding Ka-Ka-Kasumi Tendou?" His glasses almost fogged at the
mention of the girl's name.
"Nabiki told you, huh?" Tofu nodded grimly. "Uhm, If you're
askin' if I wanted this engagement, I'd hafta say no... Why d'you
ask?"
"Just bear with me, Ranma. Please, go on." Ranma noted with
a little alarm that Tofu's hands were clenched into white-
knuckled fists.
"Well, she's nice an' all, but... T'be honest, I'm only
goin' along with this engagement until I can figger a way to get
outta it, ya know? I ain't ready to get married, to ANYbody."
"I see. So you have no feelings for her, then?"
"Like I said, she's real nice, an' pretty, but she ain't my
type. Why, what, you like her or somethin'?" Ranma's eyes widened
as he put two and two together. "Aw, geez, you DO. Man, I'm
sorry, Doc. The engagement was my Pop an' Tendou-san's idea,
not ours. Does she know you like her?"
"No. No, I don't believe she does... I can't bring myself to
tell her."
"Well, shoot, Doc, ya gotta tell her... I won't stand in
your way. Convincing Tendou-san; THAT might be a challenge."
Tofu nodded sadly, then smiled genially at Ranma.
"Well, I'm glad we cleared that up... now, on to more
pleasant matters. Nabiki also mentioned that you were looking for
some work on weekends?" Ranma nodded. "Well, I could always use
an extra pair of hands around here... Sweeping up and answering
the phone. I'm afraid I can't pay very much, but the position is
yours if you want it..."
"Yeah..." Ranma said thoughtfully. "Yeah, that'd be great!"
"Well, then, it's settled. Come by after school and we'll
discuss it further." He stood and showed Ranma to the door.
"Hey, thanks again, Doc! And, uh... sorry 'bout the whole
mess."
"It's not your fault, Ranma. Be careful at school today!"
Tofu gave him a comradely pat on the back, and sent him on his
way.
Oh, Ono, that was beneath you, he thought to himself, but
jealousy can make a man do strange things...
************************************
Akane walked quickly along the canal path, tracking her
prey. He'd hopped off the fence here... Then he'd gotten soaked
by the ladle-lady... She smiled, waving at the old woman before
continuing on. He was travelling with two girls; doubtless Nabiki
and one of her friends...
Hmm... Looks like Ranma-chan got dragged off this way.
Dragged? Did somebody hurt him?! What's this way? Oh, ri-ight...
Dr. Tofu's clinic! Looks like events are playing out much the way
I remember them... If I hurry, I might just catch up with them...
She jogged the remaining blocks to Tofu's clinic and let
herself in.
"Hello? Doctor...?" She peered around the corner. The
waiting room was empty this early in the day, and the nice old
widow who'd worked for Tofu before she passed away... What was
her name? Mrs. Hira-something... Apparently hadn't started
working yet. "Hello...?"
Something white and bony touched her shoulder. With a small
start, she realized a skeleton had somehow snuck up behind her!
Whirling, she lashed out with a flurry of quick strikes,
powderizing the undead creature.
"Hah! Take THAT, hel-spawned monster!!"
"A-Akane...?" Akane looked up from the pile of bonedust on
the floor, into the wide eyes of Tofu-sensei. "Umm... What did
you do to Betty-chan?"
"Betty-chan? Who... Oh, drakeshit. I'm sorry, Tofu-
sensei..." Damn! I'm wound WAY too tightly. Gotta remember, I'm
home....
"That's... Quite all right, Akane. I suppose I shouldn't
have startled you..." He looked down at the powdered remains of
his medical skeleton and blinked once. He cleared his throat, and
regained his composure, putting on the old Tofu bedside manner.
"I haven't seen you in a while... No new injuries?"
"Er... No, no... Just looking for Ranma. Is he still here?"
"Ranma? I'm afraid you just missed him. Is there something I
can help you with?"
"I don't..." A scheme occurred to her. If Tofu could be
persuaded to seriously press his suit for Kasumi this time, then
surely she'd drop Ranma like a hot potato... Right into my
waiting arms! "Er, yes, actually. You like my sister, right?"
Tofu's glasses fogged over. "Ka-ka-kasumi?!" He fell off his
chair.
"Ri-ight..." Forgot about THAT... "Well, I think you should
go ask her out. Sweep her off her feet."
"On a d-d-d-date?" He stood up and walked into the wall.
"Akane, you're taller than I remember. Have you put on some
weight?"
"Over here, Sensei..."
Tofu spun and started talking to the coat rack. "Oh, THERE
you are...You've lost weight, haven't you? And done something
different with your hair?"
Akane sighed. This wasn't going to work, anymore than it had
in HER remembered past. Tofu never had the stones to speak to
Kasumi.... Waitaminute! If it's courage he lacks, then...
She walked up behind the babbling physician and tapped a
point on his back, slightly beneath his right shoulderblade. He
straightened immediately.
"Huh? Why am I talking to a coat rack?" He turned, his
lenses defogged, a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm sorry,
Akane-chan, I get these spells sometimes... What were we
discussing?"
"Oh, you were just saying how you'd love to ask my sister
Kasumi out for dinner..." Akane said cautiously, watching his
eyes. The lenses of his spectacles remained clear.
"I did? I was? Well, why not? It couldn't hurt to ask, could
it?" He said, driving a fist into his open palm. "I'll do it!"
Akane smiled. The ol' Dwarven Courage-Under-Fire point works
every time! "Well, I really have to be getting to school. Bye
now!"
"Yes... Goodbye, Akane-chan..." Tofu answered distractedly
as Akane let herself out. Visions of tripping the light fantastic
with the lovely Kasumi at his side danced through his head.
*************************************
Akane jogged up to the gates of Furinkan High, only to see
Ranma, Nabiki and some other girl walk through the front doors.
Before she had a chance to call out, a chorus of shouts echoed
across the quad as a mob of boys dressed for various sports
appeared as if out of nowhere.
"Akane's here!" Cried a Sumo wrestler.
"Akane Tendou, I love you!!" Called a hockey goalie on
rollerblades.
"Stay back Akane, they all want to beat you!!!" A guy
in a tennis outfit yelled. The mob stopped, and stared at him.
"Yeah, well, all right, I wanna beat her too. It was merely an
attempt at a clever ruse wherein I'd gain her confidence, and
attack when her guard was down. You guys happy now?" The mob
nodded as one, and continued their mad rush forward.
Akane smirked, and cracked her knuckles. She felt like a
morning workout...
***************************************
Just inside the front doors of the school, Ranma turned at
the chorus of shouts.
"Huh? Hey, Hiroe, what's goin' on?" Hiroe glanced over his
shoulder.
"Oh, that's just the Horde o' Hentai. This happens every
morning..."
"Horde o' Hentai?"
"Yeah, they're all trying to beat up Akane."
"Hunh? That's crazy! I'm no fan of that tomboy nutcase, but
fifty-to-one ain't fair odds!" Images of the pain he'd suffered
at Akane's hands yesterday flashed through his head, alongside
the image of her standing there, naked, in the moonlight. She can
take care of herself just fine, he decided... Then again, maybe
if I step in, she won't have a chance to put the whammy on those
dumb jerks; ain't nobody deserves THAT kinda pain... "Aw, hell. I
better go put a stop to this. Hold my bag, willya?" He tossed his
bag to Hiroe and bolted out the door.
"Ranma! Wait!"
"Too late, Hiroe..." Nabiki deadpanned. "I guess he'll have
to find out for himself..." I can't understand why Tofu didn't
pound on him... Oh well. Another round with Akane might be
chastisement enough...
*********************************
Akane charged forward into the mass of assailants, mowing
through the boys with disabling pressure point strikes. Every
once in a while, just for variety, she struck out with a high
kick or a jab, sending her opponent sprawling. She remembered
this being a lot harder in the old days, but what the hell, it
was fun to mix it up every once in a while...
A lot sooner than she'd figured, the attack was over. She
looked up from the supine form of her last opponent to see Ranma
facing her in a defensive stance, having fought through the crowd
from behind to get to her.
"Ranma...?"
"Don't be gettin' any weird ideas, Akane... I ain't here ta
fight you. I just wanted to make sure-"
"Ranma!" She shot through his defense like it was tissue
paper; Ranma winced anticipating agony, but instead found himself
looking down the barrel of a glomp!
"Thanks for coming to save me!" Akane said as she looked up
at him, a joyful smile on her face. "I can take care of myself,
but it's so sweet that you care!!!" She snuggled closer. This is
what she'd been wishing for, all those lonely years!
"Hey!! No, I... C'mon, you crazy tomboy, everybody's
lookin'!!" He wriggled, trying to escape her grip.
"I know you don't mean it when you call me names, Ranma! And
I don't care who knows I love you!!!"
"Hunh?!?! What?!?!" He succeeded, with difficulty, in
extracting himself from the glomp. Holding her at arm's length,
he looked her straight in the eye.
"Lissen Akane. The only reason I stepped in was to make sure
you didn't use that 'Torture Fist' thing on these stooges. These
ain't martial artists, y'know. A move like that'd more'n likely
give 'em all heart attacks or somethin'. It ain't 'cause I care
about you."
Akane blinked, her smile fading slightly. "You think I'd use
the Fist on losers like this? You baka, I know better than that!
I only use that move on fighters who are serious threats!"
She paused a moment to let that sink in. She hoped he'd
realize that she was trying to pay him a complement. He merely
looked confused.
"What about these guys? Were they 'serious threats'?" He
gestured around at the piles of groaning bodies. Akane was
growing frustrated. Why didn't Ranma understand?!
"What, you think I'm some kind of orc or something?! All I
used was a simple pressure point tactic that might finally
restore blood flow to their brains. Let's just get one thing
straight here, mister-"
A rooba-rooba passed through the gathered crowd. Who WAS
this guy? Akane didn't even TRY to pound him... A tall figure
dressed in a kendo uniform shouldered his way through the
assembled gawkers and gasped angrily.
"You there! How DARE you take such liberties with the
beauteous Akane Tendou!!!!"
"Shut UP, dolt! I'm talking to my fiance here!!!" Akane
barked without thinking. The crowd gasped as one. Kunou turned
white. Ranma's eyes bugged. As soon as she realized what she'd
said, she froze, paling. Idiot! He's NOT your fiance! Not yet...
Ranma, for his part, was equally stunned, both by Akane's
tirade and her statement that he was HER fiance... Fortunately,
he recovered quickly.
"Who're you callin' your fiance?! I ain't your damn fiance,
lady, I'm engaged to your sister! Leave me the hell alone!!"
This sent a new wave of rooba-roobas through the crowd. The
new guy's engaged to Nabiki?
"No, no! Not me!! It's not me!!!" Nabiki cried out the door,
panicking. "He's engaged to Kasumi!!"
The kendoist's brain exploded with an audible ka-boom. He
raised his bokken high, trembling in righteous wrath.
"DAMN YOU, WRETCH! Not only do you lecherously paw the
beauteous Akane Tendou, but you DARE to molest her sweet sisters
as well?!! Thou art truly an enemy of women!! I SHALL SMITE
THEE!!!" He rushed forward, swinging viciously.
Ranma and Akane dodged nimbly aside as the wooden blade
passed harmlessly through the air. Ranma kicked out, tripping the
kendoist and sending him sprawling.
"Just who the hell are you, buddy?"
The swordsman picked himself up off the ground with a groan.
He took a moment to compose himself, brushed some dirt of his
clothes, and spun, with all the dignity and bearing a man who's
just been sucker-tripped onto the pavement can muster.
"It's a bit after the fact now, but... Very Well!! I am the
rising young star of the High School fencing world! The
undefeated captain of this school's Kendo club!! My name is
spoken in whispers and cried out in fear!!! I am-"
Akane interrupted in a bored tone. "The Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High, blah, blah, blah..."
He continued as if he hadn't heard her, raising his bokken
overhead dramatically. "-THE BLUE THUNDER OF FURINKAN HIGH!!!!!"
Lightning crashed on cue overhead. "Tatewaki Kunou, age
seventeen." Ranma glanced over at Akane.
"It sounds better when HE says it..." Akane shrugged. Kunou
gave a little nod.
"Yes, well, good showmanship is everything, you know. And
who are YOU, cur? Let me know, so that I may have it engraved
upon your tombstone!"
"Er, well, okay, here goes... I'm stayin' at the Tendou
Dojo..." Kunou's eyes flashed.
"In the same house as Akane?!! DIE!!!!" He lunged at Ranma,
who simply backflipped out of the way.
"Hey! I let you finish YOUR stoopid speech... I'm heir to
the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling..." He nimbly
dogged a series of attacks by the kendoist as he formulated his
response, landing squarely in front of Akane as he slid into a
soft defensive stance. "I'm Ranma Saotome, and I accept your
challenge!!!"
Akane sighed happily. By the Gods, he was gorgeous like
this!
************************************
Back at the Tendou-ke, Genma was lurking. Soun had accompanied
Kasumi on a shopping trip, leaving him alone in the house. Genma
slunk up the stairs to Soun's room, looking for evidence to prove
or disprove his son's allegations that his old friend and his
daughters were secretly members of a Shinobi clan.
As such, he didn't notice the fact that it had started
raining outside...
************************************
_/ Cliffs of Athaq, Aramar, 543 7th Age\_
Baron watched expectantly as Akane finished making her wish,
waiting for the flash of magical light heralding his friend's
return to her own time. She'd been a valiant companion, and he'd
miss her. He resolved to wait until she had disappeared for good
before leaving; a sort of last goodbye...
Akane finished her incantation, and fainted. Baron rushed to
her side and picked her up gently in with his huge talons. In
moments, she stirred. She sat up with a start, blinked and looked
around.
*Oh, that's a disappointment*, Baron sent telepathically.
*You worked so hard to earn that wish, too... I wonder what went
wrong?*
Akane's eyes went wide and she stared up at the gigantic
red-gold beast.
"Oh my God!" She screamed in Japanese. "A dragon!!!!!"
*Oh dear... Please don't shout like that Akane, you know it
hurts my ears...*
Akane scrambled to her feet and leapt out of Baron's cupped
claws, looking around frantically.
"Where am I? What happened to the Dojo?" She said
hesitantly. Baron sent a hesitant telepathic probe, but all he
could pick up was panic, fear and the phrase
*Don'tEatMeDon'tEatMeDon'tEatMe* running on a loop through his
friend's thoughts.
*Oh my...*
************************************
NEXT TIME: Akane gets medieval, a certain redhead gets an
admirer, and Ranma gets some! (Well, maybe...)
Ja Ne!
Akane The Vampire Slayer's Homepage:
http://matrix.crosswinds.net/~ksna