Chapter 7 and 8 to follow later today...
Muyami Academy
What if they ALL went to the same school?
Previous chapters at: http://members.xoom.com/bellchan/
After half a year I finally present a new chapter! My
apologies for taking so long.
Ideally, my chapters fall between 30 and 50 k. Chapter 1
was 41 k, Chapter 2, 35 k, Chapter 3, 44 k, and Chapter 4 a
whopping 59 k. Chapter 5 was only about 27 k.
What I originally intended to be Chapter 6 grew to 150 k.
I decided to break it into three chapters, but when you read
them, be aware that only Chapter 8 has what I consider a nice,
dramatic ending. Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 end wherever it
seemed most convenient to break that section of the tale off.
Thus I have Chapter 6 at 54k, Chapter 7 at 46k, and Chapter 8
at 56k, all complete and ready to go. ^_^ And don't ask me
why I didn't just make it Chapter 6 part 1, 2, and 3... I guess I
like chapters to be within a certain length, that's all. ^_^
Thanks to my longsuffering prereaders, T.H. Tiger,
Bombadil Goh, and my friends Jeffrey Cornish and William
Morse. Thanks to Jed Hagen for prereading even without
being a prereader, and for feeding me two good lines, and to
those who have not given up on me and my story. ^_^
DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 characters and stuff, and Inu-
Yasha characters and stuff, not to mention Ursei Yatsura
characters and stuff, copyright 1999 Rumiko Takehashi.
Tenchi Muyou characters and stuff, copyright 1999 Pioneer &
AIC. Mamono Hunter Yohko characters and stuff copyright
1999 AD Vision, NCS, Toho Company, LTD, Mad House, and
I don't know who else. Koko wa Greenwood characters
copyright Yuki Nasu. Mint na Bokura characters copyright
Wataru Yoshizume. Other characters and stuff also copyright
the creators and owners. Leaves Of Grass written by Walt
Whitman and copyright nobody in particular, which means I
can rip it off all I want. Despite that, it only appears in this
disclaimer. And we won't be doing any more silly songfics to
begin each chapter; they're too much trouble and I don't really
feel like coming up with any more of them.
Chapter Six
Tentacles of Fate
Akane spent the night in Ranma's room. It wasn't
something she would normally consider doing, even if they had
separate bunks, and even if the boy was engaged to her, and
even if he were injured and unconscious, and even if the boy
was really a girl. But, for some reason, she'd been unable to
refuse Belldandy.
She stared down at the sleeping form of her iinuzake and
sighed. The redhead looked so sweet and innocent, so very
different from the boy she was engaged to. They almost
seemed like different people to her.
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, her mind in a
whirl.
Ranma had made it very clear that he would be attending
school as a boy. He'd made such a big deal of wanting to get
his registration straightened out, and yet... if he really felt that
way, why had he only brought girl's clothing? Could he have
made a mistake, or was it deliberate?
Clearly, his parents wanted a male Ranma. Her father,
too, for that matter -- this whole stupid engagement idea of
theirs absolutely required it. She'd already learned how
important family honor was to Ranma, and yet... Ranma had
seemed more relaxed as a girl. He'd been so uptight the last
week, more abrasive and prone to insults, as a boy. It might
just be the engagement between the two of them, but what if it
wasn't? What if, deep down, Ranma preferred being a girl?
Hadn't Ranma admitted she was a girl, in the furo at the
Masaki Shrine? It was a reluctant admission, true, but having
been raised a boy, Ranma would naturally have a hard time
admitting something like that, even to herself.
Akane frowned. Nobody should be forced to become
something they weren't. If Ranma really wanted to be a girl,
then Akane would do everything to help her. What their
parents wanted, and the silly engagement, was not as important
as what Ranma wanted.
She sighed, closing her eyes. Ranma might not admit her
true feelings again. Akane would have to watch carefully to
determine what Ranma's true desires were, and act accordingly
***
Something stood over her, as black as the night. It had
many limbs, like the living shadow of an octopus or kraken,
and it reeked of evil. She tried to squirm, to get away, but her
body didn't respond. She knew she had to flee, but she could
feel herself drifting off to sleep. She fought it, but, as the
tentacles reached out to wrap around her, the darkness engulfed
her.
When she opened her eyes, she was standing on a rock
that floated in space, many miles above a rocky ground. Water
was falling from the sky like hail, splashing all around her,
soaking her, chilling her to the bone. It roared in her ears,
nearly drowning out all other sound, and she feared that, at any
moment, she might slip from the rock and fall.
Her right arm ached. She glanced down, and saw that it
hung limp, and at an odd angle.
She glanced back up, and saw a girl floating through the
sky towards her. As the figure drew closer, she could see that
it was more demon than girl, with withered red skin, huge,
curled horns, cloven hooves, and bright green hair. The demon
girl floated to within a few feet of her then hung in the air,
studying her.
"Are you a woman or a man?" the demon girl asked. She
tried to reply, but found that she couldn't speak. The demon
girl floated in a circle about her, until it came around to hover
again in front of her.
It grinned, and held up its hand, adorned with a golden
ring with a tiny dragon's head. The dragon's eyes flashed red.
She was certain she'd seen it before. Then, the dragon opened
its mouth, and asked, "Do you want to be a Devil Hunter?"
She nodded in assent, still unable to speak.
"Well then," it asked, "have you ever been penetrated by a
man?"
She felt something in her abdomen, then. She could see it
as it writhed and moved beneath the skin. Then, there was a
rending, piercing feeling in her side, just below her right breast,
and inky black tentacles erupted from her flesh, spraying blood
in all directions. They grew and flailed about, coiling about
her body, wrapping about her neck....
She screamed. The demon girl laughed, and then punched
her hard in the stomach. Bile rose in her throat, and she
stumbled backwards and fell from the rock.
She plummeted through the night sky. The tentacles
wrapped about her and blood oozed from her wound. Slowly
she rolled over, so that she could see the ground as it rushed up
to meet her, and she wondered if she would die from the
impact, or from loss of blood, or if the tentacles coiling about
her neck would strangle her first....
Ranma awoke.
She sat up and blinked in confusion. She was covered in
sweat. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was
being attacked by the demon girl with the sea green hair, at the
restaurant. She remembered being hurt, badly, her clothing
soaked with her own blood, her arm broken, a hole in her chest,
and black tentacles....
She stretched her arms out, staring at them. Her right arm
was sore, but not broken. She was dressed in blue silk pajamas
-- girl's pajamas that her mother had bought for her. But she
wasn't at home; she was in a dorm room at school.
Ranma slipped out of bed and stood. She slipped a hand
beneath her top, but found no wound. Had it all been a dream?
But no, there was dried blood on her skin. Clearly, someone
had brought her here afterwards, and dressed her and put her to
bed.
In pajamas that she'd left at home.
Ranma frowned.
The room seemed bare. She turned, and saw someone in
the upper bunk, face to the wall. So, she had a roommate after
all. Didn't he own anything? The only thing in the room, aside
from Ranma's stuff, was a vase of red roses on the table.
What had he thought, entering the room last night? Had
he even realized that a redheaded girl was asleep in the lower
bunk? Or had he helped dress her?
Ranma considered it a moment and shuddered. Then she
shrugged it off and began some quick katas to work out the
morning kinks.
It was very early, which was good. Ranma liked to get up
long before dawn, in order to practice. It also meant she could
use the restroom and take a hot bath while everyone still slept.
She glanced to the empty teakettle sitting on the dresser,
then back to the door. If she made a quick dash, and got
changed before anyone else got up, then she'd be fine. She
didn't relish running into any half-naked boys at 5:00 am while
she was still a girl.
Ranma slipped out the door and padded down the hall to
the toilet. She was in luck - nobody seemed to be up.
There were no urinals. She looked about, then shrugged,
and selected a stall. It seemed odd to her, but this was an old
building, and anyway, she could hardly use one at the moment.
A few minutes later, she slipped across the hall to the
washroom.
***
The sun was just rising in the east. A thick, black shadow
flowed down the street, like spilled ink moving across a desk or
dirty water running down a windowpane during a rain shower.
The shadow moved across a lawn, slithered around the corner
of a house, and then slipped beneath a row of bushes.
As it crossed the next lawn, moving like a wide, flat snake
over the freshly cut grass, it encountered a small black cat
stalking something across the lawn. The cat yowled at the
sight of the shadow and fled down the street.
The shadow flowed across another street and around a
house. It slithered across the back yard and disappeared
beneath a thick outgrowth of ivy.
Behind the ivy, in the mouth of a cave that extended back
into the hillside, the shadow pooled around a collection of
toppled stones. It seemed to move as if breathing, as if it had a
pulse. It almost seemed to be nursing its wounds.
If the shadow could speak, it might have said this:
"Well, that sucked. Back to the drawing board, I guess."
***
Feet landed in grass still wet from the slowly vanishing
fog. They planted, and then leapt high into the air. One foot
shot out and spun about, connecting solidly with an arm.
Two sets of feet landed again, sending up a shower of
dewdrops.
"Too slow," Madoka Mano rasped. "Don't expect me to
go easy on you, just because you fought a demon last night.
You must always be prepared -- another demon can attack at
any moment!"
Holding her arm, Yohko gasped for breath. She glanced
up at the windows of the girl's dorm, glad nobody else seemed
to be awake or aware of the fight occurring on the front lawn.
The less she had to explain to her fellow students, the better.
"I let Ranma and Akane off the hook this morning, given
last night's events," Madoka Mano said.
"But not me huh?"
"You're different, Yohko. You're...."
"Yes, I know. I'm the 108th generation Mamono Hunter.
You don't have to remind me."
"Then you know why I'm so hard on you! Better me, than
the next demon you face!"
Grandmother Mano launched into another flurry of flying
kicks and punches, and Yohko did her best to avoid them.
After several more minutes they both paused again, facing each
other.
"Grandma," Yohko said, "are you really going to train
Ranma as a devil hunter?"
"I'll certainly try," Madoka Mano replied. "I think she has
the potential too."
"But how?" Yohko asked. "Won't she need a devil
hunter's amulet?" She held up the yoma ring that covered the
back of her left hand.
Madoka Mano nodded. "Yes, that's true. She'll need an
amulet like yours. I don't have one yet, but I have some ideas
of where I can get one....
***
Ranma entered the shower stall not a moment too soon.
As she turned the handle, emitting a stream of hot water, she
heard someone else enter the room. The transformation came,
and she became a he. Meanwhile, the new person entered the
stall next door.
A few minutes later, Ranma stepped out and toweled
himself off. He glanced to the bath in the corner, thinking that
a hot bath would have felt better, if he'd had the time. Perhaps
he'd find the time this evening, and relax for once.
He felt his arm and prodded his side once again. He
couldn't figure it out -- he was certain the arm had been broken
last night, and there had been a bloody wound in his side. The
skin was still red there, and he'd washed away dried blood, and
his right arm was tender and weak. He knew it hadn't just been
a dream. So what had happened?
He'd have to ask Akane or Yohko, the next time that he
saw them. He seemed to recall Tenchi being there, last night,
as well. Maybe he'd know something.
For a moment the image from his dream returned, of black
tentacles, reaching out to him, to encircle him, to strangle him,
to bury him in a sea of inky black shadow. The vision was
very vivid, and Ranma gasped and placed a hand against the
bathroom wall.
The vision faded, only to be replaced by a deep
foreboding. Something bad was going to happen today.
Ranma could sense it, could feel it in every fiber of his being.
Ranma shook his head, and laughed at himself, but deep
down, the feeling remained.
He reached for his clothing, then frowned. The girl's silk
pajamas were not going to fit his male frame very well, and
would look silly besides. He should have thought to grab some
clothing before leaving his room.
He shrugged, and started to wrap the towel around his
waist. At the same time, the person in the second shower stall
stepped out, took one look at him, and screamed.
***
The black cat ran. It didn't know why it was running, it
only knew that it's instinct was yelling, "Get Away Now!"
Hanging around shadows that moved on their own had been
instantly catapulted to the top of it's "Things I Don't Ever Want
To Do" list, and so it ran.
The cat tore down the hillside and through someone's
backyard. It dashed through a thick hedge, across the street,
and up a wide stone pathway. When it reached a water
fountain, it went left.
It came to a sudden halt before a large, three-story
building of stone and brick. It was breathing heavily, it's eyes
still wide with fright, but the morning air was still. Slowly, the
cat began to calm down.
Wide steps led from the stone pathway up to a set of
double doors in the side of the building. Rose bushes lined the
walls. The cat's eyes narrowed slightly.
This building, the little cat thought, was familiar.
Dark hands reached down and lifted the cat before it even
knew someone was there.
"Oh, how cute!" a girl exclaimed. The cat found itself
pressed tight against a teenage girl's bosom.
"Eep!" the little cat squeaked, and promptly passed out.
***
A girl's scream echoed throughout the second floor of
Matsukata Hall.
Nabiki rolled out of bed and hit the floor -- five feet down.
She cursed and groaned, thankful that at least it was carpeted,
rather than tiled, then got to her feet.
The scream continued. It sounded suspiciously like
Ayeka, her roommate. What had the snooty Princess riled up
now?
A door slammed. More screams ensued. Curious, despite
being still half-asleep, Nabiki yanked her door open and stuck
her head out into the hall.
Across the hallway, another door was flung open, and
Akane's roommate, Nanami Jinnai, stuck her head out. The
girl was wearing a rather revealing nighty, Nabiki noticed.
A naked and very male Ranma ran between the two,
moving like a bat out of hell. His face was bright red, and
looked very confused.
Nanami shrieked and slammed her door shut. Ranma, of
course, was long gone, and certainly hadn't stopped along the
way to get a good look at anyone. Still, it wasn't every day that
you had naked men running through the girl's dorm at 6:00 am.
Or at any time of the day, for that matter.
Girls, in various states of dress, were running down the
hallway after Ranma. Nabiki raised an eyebrow, then,
grabbing a robe, decided to follow, at a more sedate pace.
After all, it wouldn't do to miss the action, would it?
"My, my," Nabiki said, as she strolled down the hallway.
"There's never a dull moment with Ranma around...."
***
Someone ran into the room and slammed the door shut.
"Ranma?" Akane leaned over the edge of the bunk, got
one look at the still naked and still male Ranma, flushed bright
red, and disappeared beneath her comforter.
"Akane?" Ranma asked, confused.
"What are you doing?" she yelled out. "You're naked!"
"This is my room, right?" Ranma replied. "This is my
room, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course it is! Why are you a guy?"
"I was born that way," Ranma said, blinking in confusion.
"Baka! Why are you a guy right now?"
There was a knock at the door. Several female voices
could be heard on the other side. "Ranma? Akane?" a voice
called out. "Is there a boy in there?"
Akane lowered the comforter and looked at Ranma.
"Cover yourself, you idiot," she hissed. Ranma grabbed a
blanket off of his bed and wrapped it around himself.
"Let me guess," Akane said. "You ran down the hall like
that, naked."
"Hey!" Ranma said, "there was a girl in the bathing room!
I panicked! And there were more girls in the hall... why are all
these girls here? This is the boy's dorm, isn't it? Why are you
in my room?"
"This is the girl's dorm," Akane said. She climbed down
from the top bunk. "You've been assigned to the girl's dorm,
Ranma. And since you were hurt, I spent the night in here, just
in case you needed anything."
There was a more forceful pounding at the door. "Open
up! There's a naked man in there, and we're not going to leave
until you turn him over to us!"
Akane sighed. She opened a window, then carefully
removed the flowers from the pot she'd placed them in last
night -- roses that Belldandy and Keichi had brought up, after
everyone else had gone to bed.
She turned to Ranma.
"What are you doing?" Ranma asked suspiciously.
"Saving you," Akane replied, "although I really don't
know why I bother." She upended the pot of water on his head,
then opened the closet and pulled out a nightgown. "Here, put
this on. I'm opening the door."
"I'm not going to...."
"Ranma," she said, "I'm not going to watch you get beat
up twice in twelve hours. Put it on. Now."
Ranma quickly slipped the nightgown over her head.
Akane opened the door, and a half-dozen girls poured in.
"Where is he?" one growled. "Where's the pervert?"
"He jumped out the window," Akane said. "We were too
scared to try and stop him."
The girls filed over to the window and looked down. Two
stories below were the rose bushes, and beyond them, soft
grass.
"Hope he hit the rose bushes," one of the girls snarled.
"Of all the nerve!"
A couple of girls glanced in the closets and searched the
room, just to be certain. After several moments, they began to
file out. As the last of them left, Akane shut the door and
turned back to Ranma.
"So why am I in the girl's dorm?" Ranma asked, opening
her closet. "I thought you said this was my room."
"It is," Akane said. "You were registered as a girl,
remember?"
Unseen by either of them, beneath one of the desks, a
head arose like a ghost through the floor itself. It had spiky,
sea green hair, and rose just enough to get a clear view of the
room.
"Yeah, but I thought I got all of that straightened out at
registration," Ranma said. "Why didn't Nabiki do something
about this? She was in charge of getting our rooms squared
away."
Akane rolled her eyes. "Ranma, you were probably
assigned to the girl's dorm weeks ago. Nabiki can't fix
something like that -- you'll have to go through registration."
She paused, then added, thoughtfully, "But you already knew
that, didn't you?"
But Ranma wasn't listening to her. Instead, she was
staring into the closet.
"Dresses?" Ranma squeaked. "Skirts? Blouses? These
are all of my girl's clothes! What is this?"
Akane smiled. "It's okay, Ranma," she said. "You don't
have to pretend with me."
Still ignoring her, Ranma began yanking dresser drawers
open. "Bras? Panties?"
"I understand why you're doing this," Akane continued.
"It must be hard on you, having to hide the truth from your
parents, and from everyone around you. But you don't have to
hide anything from me, Ranma. I understand."
Ranma paused, looking confused. "Excuse me?"
"There's nothing wrong with being a girl, Ranma."
Ranma's confusion deepened. "Akane, what the heck are
you blabbering about?"
"Ranma," Akane said, "you admitted the truth to me in the
bath at the Masaki shrine. You really are a girl, aren't you?"
"No way!" Ranma growled. "I'm a guy!"
"Yet you packed your suitcase with only girl's clothes."
"No I didn't! Why would I do that?" Ranma exclaimed.
"Anyway, mom and pop would freak out."
She turned again to dig through the dressers some more.
"Don't I have any guy clothing?"
"No-oo," Akane said, as she sat on the bed watching.
"Oh, and your Chinese outfit got torn to shreds last night. We
threw it out."
"You did? What about the boxers?"
"Ranma, they were soaked in blood!"
Ranma groaned. "Great. This is just great."
Akane frowned. "Are you sure you didn't do this on
purpose?"
"Of course I'm sure! What kind of a guy do you think I
am?"
"One who's sometimes a girl?"
Ranma grimaced.
"Well, I suppose at the moment I don't have a choice,"
Ranma said, "but what am I supposed to do once I get the dorm
assignment straightened out? I guess I could get Tenchi to lend
me something...."
"Well," Akane said, "I'm glad you're feeling better. Our
first class in an hour, so I'm going back to my room and get
ready. From what I hear, the first day is a short one; just one
morning class, then we'll have the rest of the day to settle in.
There's Opening Ceremonies, and then a fair in the afternoon
where you can sign up for the school clubs. Do you want to
join the martial arts club? I heard it's good."
"Are you kidding? School martial arts clubs are a joke.
Although," she added, "Yohko's grandmother says this
teacher's really good...."
Akane frowned. "Well, we could try it at least. I'll see
you in class then, I guess. Oh -- Yohko still wants to help us
get fitted for our uniforms. We're supposed to meet her at noon
for lunch, and then she'll take us there."
Ranma groaned. "I'll have to straighten that out, too.
Does Yohko have to be there?"
"She's the one who knows where it is."
"Yeah, but if I'm trying to get things straightened out, and
she still thinks I'm a girl...."
"So? Tell her the truth. Tell her you're really a guy.
You're going to have to, sooner or later. I don't know why you
keep putting it off." Unless you really want to be a girl, Akane
added silently.
"Because," Ranma said, "she's my friend. And I've been
lying to her...."
"More lies will not make things better," Akane said.
"Anyway, see you back here at noon, okay?"
As she stepped into the hall and closed the door behind
her, Akane sighed.
Oh, Ranma, she thought, why can't you be honest with
me? And if you're telling me the truth, then you're not being
honest with Yohko.
You'll have to decide who you really are at some point,
Ranma. You can't hide the truth forever....
***
As the door closed, Ranma got dressed, selecting a white silk
blouse and a pale pink dress that her mother had liked. She
checked herself in the floor-length mirror on the back of the
door, then her eyes drifted to the reflection of the floor behind
her... to where a green-haired girl's head was sticking out of the
floor.
Ranma spun about and raised her arms. Slowly, the
strange girl rose out of the floor, until she was floating a foot
above it.
For a moment, Ranma saw a sea of alien tentacles, black
as night, reaching out for her....
She shook her head, and focused on the girl, who was
watching her curiously.
"Well, well, well," the green-haired girl said. "Look who
I've found, just across the hall from me."
"You!" Ranma exclaimed. "You're the one from last
night... the demon from the cave!"
The girl laughed. "Demon?" she repeated. "I suppose I
am something of a demon... I'm the one in the legends,
anyway. But I'm nothing like that creature we fought last
night."
Images flashed through Ranma's mind, of something as
black as ink, with many tentacles, standing over her. She gave
an involuntary shudder.
"Okay," Ranma said, "So you're not a demon. You're a...
an alien, I suppose."
The girl inclined her head. "The name's Ryoko," she said.
"And you're Ranma, Tenchi's little red-haired girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Ranma said. "Don't be stupid. Why would
I...."
Ryoko smiled mischievously.
"Oh, come now, little girl," she said, "don't think I haven't
seen the way you two look at each other, all dreamy-eyed."
"What? What are you...."
"Don't you dream of Tenchi holding you tight, of his
strong arms about your waist, and his lips against yours...?"
Ranma's face flushed red. "Of course not!" she
exclaimed. "That's... that's sick!"
Ryoko vanished. A moment later, arms encircled Ranma
from behind, and a voice whispered huskily in her ear.
"Tell me the truth," Ryoko said. "Don't you want him in
your bed? Doesn't just thinking about him make you all warm
and wet?"
Her fingers massaged Ranma's nipples, and one hand
slipped down between her legs....
"Aaargh! Pervert!" Ranma yelled. She grabbed Ryoko
and threw her across the room, into the wall. "I'm a guy!" she
growled.
It would have been gratifying to see plaster and concrete
shatter, to see pain on the demon-girl's face, but Ryoko merely
phased through the wall and vanished. Moments later, she
appeared back by the desk.
Ryoko broke out into gales of laughter.
"Well," she said, "you've certainly got all the right parts to
be a girl. But I think I believe you... you really are a guy, who
just happens to turn into a girl...."
"What's this about?" Ranma asked. "If this is about me
kicking you back in the cave... look, I'm sorry, but I thought
you were trying to hurt Tenchi. But after last night, I think
we're even."
"Scared to try me again?" Ryoko said with a smirk.
"Any time, any where!"
"You haven't learned your lesson, have you, little girl?"
Ryoko laughed again and then bowed low. "Never mind. I
like your attitude, and we are even. If you were a girl, I would
hurt you again... but since you aren't, I have nothing to fear
from you."
"Fear from me?"
"This is not about the cave," Ryoko said, "this is about
Tenchi. I had to know."
She began to sink back through the floor.
"Oh, by the way," she said, before vanishing completely,
"I'm sorry about last night. I only meant to beat you up a little
bit...."
After Ryoko left, Ranma slowly turned back to the door.
"What next?" she wondered. She caught her reflection in
the mirror again, and smiled weakly at the beautiful redheaded
staring back at her.
"Well," she said, "maybe it won't be so bad. Once I
explain that I'm a guy, they'll check my records, and the rest
should be easy...."
Doubt nibbled at the corners of Ranma's mind, and the
earlier sense of impending doom welled up within her. She
quickly stepped into the hallway and slammed the door on her
room, and on her doubts and fears.
***
Fresh from a shower, Akane returned to her room to find
it occupied by a slender girl with short, reddish-brown hair,
brown eyes, and a cute face.
In all the confusion of the prior evening, she'd completely
failed to meet her new roommate. Akane flashed a friendly
smile and stuck out her hand. "Hello!" she exclaimed. "You
must be my roommate! My name's Akane! I hope we can be
friends! Oh, I'm sorry that I wasn't here last night, but my
friend was hurt so I spent the night with her."
"That's okay," the other girl said, "it gave me a chance to
unpack and set everything up." She took Akane's hand. "I'm
Nanami Jinnai, and I'm studying journalism and, well, small
business as well, I guess. As long as it helps me make money!"
Akane laughed. "Make money? That sounds just like my
sister."
"Really?" Nanami said. "Anyway, that's what all this
equipment is for... I hope you don't mind...."
For the first time, Akane noticed all of the equipment
packed into Nanami's side of the room. There was a
refrigerator, a stove, a large griddle, a deep fryer, a microwave
oven, a rice cooker, a coffee pot, a teakettle, and knives, pots,
pans, and just about anything else a restaurant kitchen might
require.
"Wow," Akane said. "I'm impressed. Is all this cooking
equipment yours?"
"You bet! A girl's got to make a living you know!
Money doesn't grow on trees; you have to work hard for it"
Akane laughed. "My sister wouldn't agree," she said.
"Maybe you're not like her after all."
"I'll be using this stuff during lunch and dinner," Nanami
said, "so if you or your friends want a good meal, just let me
know! My prices are very reasonable! And if you want to use
any of my equipment when I'm not using it, I'll only charge a
very small fee!"
"A small fee, huh?"
"Very reasonable, trust me!" Nanami said. "You're my
roommate after all!"
Akane frowned for a moment, then a smile spread across
her face. She slammed her fist into her palm.
"Okay!" she said. "I know just exactly what I'm going to
do, too! I'll make a chicken curry and invite Ranma, Tenchi,
and their friends over for dinner! What a perfect way to
celebrate our first day at school!"
Nanami smiled sweetly, having no idea of the terror of an
Akane Tendo meal.
"Why, that's a wonderful idea, Akane...."
***
"Ryoko, Ifurita, class is starting in a few minutes! You
two better hurry!"
As Ranma stepped out of her room she nearly collided
with a tall, willowy foreign girl. The stranger had light brown
hair that fell past her waist and the face of an angel, full of
innocence and empathy, and she wore a beautiful dress that
swirled about her and made Ranma, despite her white blouse
and pink dress, feel somehow coarse and not nearly as
feminine.
Which, on reflection, was an odd way to feel, considering
Ranma didn't want to be feminine.
The foreign girl was talking to two girls, one with bright
blue hair and another, with sea-green hair, who had been in
Ranma's room not two minutes ago.
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Class?" she replied with a
sneer. "No thanks! I'm only here to watch over Tenchi...."
The foreign girl paused, looking startled.
"Well," she said, "I suppose skipping the first day won't
hurt too much. Of course, your friend Tenchi will be in class....
"What about you, Ifurita? You're not going to skip too,
are you?"
The blue-haired girl glanced up, and shrugged her
shoulders.
"I don't really care," she said. "I wasn't supposed to
awaken this early... I'd rather sleep, and dream, until the time
comes to wake...."
The two disappeared down the hallway.
"What a strange pair of girls!" the other said. She turned
and spied Ranma.
"Oh, Ranma, good morning!" she exclaimed with a smile
so full of joy that all of Ranma's doubt and fear instantly
vanished. "You look so much better this morning! Are you
feeling okay?"
"Um," Ranma said, somewhat confused. "Sure, I guess.
Um... forgive me, but do I know you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl placed a hand to her lips in a
move that instantly reminded Ranma of Kasumi Tendo. "My
name is Belldandy, and I'm President of the dorm."
Ranma's eyes grew wide. "What? But you're a girl!"
"Well, of course. It's a girl's dorm, after all."
"Oh, yeah," Ranma said, laughing nervously. "I keep
forgetting."
"Really?" Belldandy asked. "Well, I suppose we did have
a naked man running around her this morning. I'll have to
complain to the president of the boy's dorm -- I hope that didn't
disturb you."
"No, no," Ranma replied. It occurred to her that now
might not be the best time to try and explain her curse.
Belldandy laughed, and added, "Being in charge of so
many girls is kind of a new thing to me, but if you need
anything, I'm on the first floor in room 101! Oh," she added,
"if you don't mind, there is something that I need to ask you.
When I was inspecting you last night, I noticed that you bore a
curse...."
"Y-y-you d-d-did?" Ranma gulped.
"Yes. Akane said that it would be best if you explained it
to me."
A light slowly dawned in Ranma's eyes. "Y-you mean...
you don't know what my curse is? Then how did you...."
"Ranma!" another voice called out. Ranma turned to see
Yohko heading down the hallway towards her.
"Yohko," Ranma replied with a weak smile. Now was
definitely the wrong time to try and explain her curse.
Yohko caught Ranma's hands up in hers. "Are you
okay?" she asked, concern in her face. "You were hurt really
badly last night!"
"I was?" Ranma replied. "I feel okay...."
"That's wonderful!" Belldandy said, clapping her hands
together. "Yohko did such a good job of healing you!"
"Healing me?"
"Devil Hunter mind trick," Yohko said with a wink.
"Something I learned from Haruka, an ancestor of mine."
Ranma nodded, and the paused.
"What actually happened last night?" she asked. "I
remember the fight with Ryoko, and then... I thought I saw...
something. It was black, with tentacles, but... I can't tell if it
was just part of my nightmare, or...."
Belldandy's eyes went wide. "Did you dream about the
demon? How awful!"
"Don't worry," Yohko said. "You won't see that demon
again. We killed it."
"Then there really was a demon?" Ranma asked. She
could almost see the tentacles again, reaching out....
Warm arms encircled her. She was embraced in a fierce
hug.
"Don't worry, Ranma," Belldandy whispered into her ear.
"The demon's gone. Everything will turn out fine."
And, strangely enough, Ranma could actually feel
Belldandy's warmth and kindness driving back the darkness
within her. For the first time since she'd awoken, her sense of
dark foreboding melted away.
"Well," Belldandy said, as she released Ranma. "You two
had better hurry. You don't want to be late for class on your
first day!"
"Come on, Ranma!" Yohko said, dragging her friend
down the hallway. "Walk with me to class! We can check out
all the boys!"
***
"Cousin! Ayeka!"
Early morning sunlight scattered across the still-wet grass,
promising a warm day ahead. Tenchi Masaki, walking to class
with Lady Ayeka and a dorm mate of his named Shun Kisaragi,
paused to look over his shoulder. His cousin Akane Tendo was
running up the path behind them. He felt Lady Ayeka's grip on
his arm tighten.
"Good morning," Akane said, coming to a halt. "Can I
walk to class with you three?"
"Sure," Tenchi said. "You met Lady Ayeka last night, and
this is Shun Kisigari. He lives in the room next door to mine."
Lady Ayeka, dressed in her usual Juraian robes, looked
picture-perfect. Tenchi was dressed in the same casual clothes
he wore at his grandfather's shrine. The person next to him,
dressed in a loose sweatshirt and loose pants, looked for all the
world like a young girl with long, pink hair.
Akane's eyes widened. "Shun?" she asked. "You...
you're... I mean, nice to meet you," she said, bowing.
Shun laughed, and even his voice sounded feminine. "I
know, I know," he said, "you can go ahead and say it: I look
like a girl. I don't mind. It's kind of fun, actually."
"It is?"
"Sometimes," Shun said. "For example, since my
roommate isn't arriving until today, our dorm President has
decided to play a joke on him. They're going to tell him that
I'm really a girl, and see how long it takes him to realize the
truth."
"Really?" Akane said. "That seems kind of cruel...."
"I suppose it is," Shun said, "but the President and his
roommate aren't cruel, they just like practical jokes. Anyway,
what can I do? If I don't play along, they'll only make it harder
for me... but I think it'll be fun! I like a good joke too!"
Akane frowned. And what if that new person was
Ranma? she thought. Then she wondered why she was feeling
so protective of her fiancee, who'd been cruel and thoughtless
to her on several occasions.
When she glanced back at her companions, she noticed,
for the first time, the dark circles under her cousin's eyes.
"You look tired, Tenchi," she said. "Did you not get
enough sleep?"
"It's that green-haired demon," Ayeka spat. "She kept
Lord Tenchi awake all night!"
"Who? You mean Ryoko?" Akane's face grew angry. "If
that green-haired demon is still bothering you, Tenchi, I'll...."
"No, not her!" Ayeka replied. "I mean the other green-
haired demon -- the oni, Lum. She and that lecherous boy,
Lord Tenchi's roommate, were fighting each other all night!"
"Oh," Akane said. She had seen the strange girl in the
tiger-stripped bikini flying through the halls yesterday.
Tenchi scratched his head. "Ah, Miss Ayeka, it wasn't
really that bad...."
"Don't try and defend them, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka replied
haughtily. "Azaka and Kamidake witnessed everything, so I
know all about it. Something needs to be done about that girl;
she's almost as bad as Ryoko!"
"It was pretty noisy last night," Shun admitted, "and it
didn't help having that idiot Jinnai laughing hysterically half
the night. If it keeps up, Mitsuru sempai is sure to do
something. That's our dorm President, Mitsuru Ikeda."
"Jinnai?" Akane replied. "That's my roommate's name --
Nanami Jinnai."
Shun nodded. "Katsuhito Jinnai is her brother. He says
he's running for student body President, but Shinobu sempai --
that's Mitsuru sempai's roommate -- will beat him. But Jinnai
was in his room cackling all night, like some madman plotting
to take over the world. Between him, and Lum and Ataru, and
that guy with the motorcycle, and those other guys who were
installing arcade games in their dorm room... well, I don't think
anyone got a lot of sleep last night."
"Well, give it time," Akane said. "It's only the first day,
after all. Anyway, that's what I wanted to talk to you two
about. I'm making dinner in my room tonight, and I'm inviting
both of you, and Ranma and her friends. Can you come?
Shun, you're invited too, if you like."
Aware of his cousin's many famous cooking disasters,
Tenchi managed to not stiffen up. "S-sure," he said. "That
sounds... just g-great."
"That's very kind of you to offer, Akane," Ayeka said.
"I'd be honored to come. Unless...."
"Unless?"
"Is that fossil woman coming as well?"
Akane blinked. "You mean Ryoko?" She frowned. "I
hadn't thought of her. After last night, I'd rather not see her
again... but isn't she your friend or something, Tenchi?"
"She's not Lord Tenchi's friend!" Ayeka exclaimed.
"She's a bloodthirsty mad woman! You saw what she did last
night; if you invite her, she'll ruin everything!"
"Ayeka..." Tenchi began.
"Well," Akane said, "I won't invite her, then. I don't like
her anyway; she hurt Ranma bad."
"It's not that easy," Tenchi said. "Not including her will
just make her angry. She's not really a bad person at heart, but
she can be really violent and unpredictable when angry...."
"Don't worry, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said. "She won't dare
cause a scene with me there. I'll see to it personally that she
doesn't interfere."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Tenchi said forlornly. "I've
got a bad feeling about this."
***
Despite Belldandy's warnings of being late, Ranma,
Yohko, and the others arrived early for class. Yohko, in her
quest to find the perfect boyfriend, took the opportunity to drill
her friends about every boy they saw.
"That one?" she asked.
"His name is Mitsuru Ikeda," Chigako Ogawa stated
authoritatively. "He's a senior and President of the boy's
dormitory. His roommate, Shinobu Tezuka, is expected to
become the Student Council President. Together they are the
most sought-after boys in the entire school."
The clock clicked closer to eight o'clock. The girls --
Yohko, Chigako, Akane, Nabiki, and Ranma -- milled near the
window, watching the students still headed into the building
and those inside the classroom.
"That means I probably have no chance," Yohko said with
a sigh.
Nabiki watched with half-lidded eyes from a spot near the
window. "Impressive," she said. "You've got a lot of
information for someone who's only been on campus a few
hours."
"It's no accident," Chigako replied. "I downloaded a list
of enrolled students a week ago, and went from there."
Nabiki nodded. "Very impressive," she said. "Although,
there must be a few holes in your database. I'd be happy to
help you fill them in...."
"What about that one?" Yohko asked.
"Makato Mizuhara," Chigako said. "Nice enough guy.
Good at track, also interested in science."
"Oh!" Akane said, "I know about him! My roommate
Nanami likes him!"
Yohko sighed. "Of course. Then what about the one next
to him? He's not bad looking. What do you think, Akane?"
"I'm not interested in boys, Yohko."
"The Chinese boy?" Chigako said. "That's Mousse. Blind
as a bat, and I think he's engaged to the purple-haired girl."
Yohko sighed again.
"And those two are Hiroshi and Daisuke," Chigako said.
"Hmm, pretty average," Yohko replied. "Anyway, I don't
like how they're staring at us."
"Well, we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel,
unfortunately," Chigako said. "Um... the one with the pink
hair...."
"That's not a boy, that's a girl dressed as a boy," Yohko
said.
"No, not her. Her name is Utena Tenjou. I mean the
other one with pink hair."
Yohko blinked.
"That's not a boy, that's a girl dressed as a boy."
"That's Shun Kisaragi," Akane said. "He's nice, for a
boy."
"Then he's far too girlish for me," Yohko said. "What
about...."
"Keichi Morosato," Chigako said. "Belldandy's boyfriend."
"Everyone's got a girlfriend already," Yohko sighed. "It's
hopeless for me."
"Wait," Chigako said, "that one over there. He must have
just registered. I don't have any data."
Yohko gave the boy a long, hard look.
"Hmmm. What do you think, Ranma?" she asked.
Ranma looked up. "Think?" he said. "About what?"
"Honestly, aren't you even paying attention? You'll never
find a boyfriend that way!"
"Boyfriend?" Ranma asked. "Is that all you can think of?
Boys?"
"Ranma, the boys do it too," Akane said. "In fact, several
of them are scoping you out right now."
"What? But that's...."
"Perfectly natural," Nabiki said smoothly. "After all,
they're boys, and you're a girl... a very pretty girl."
Ranma growled low in her throat.
"Anyway," Ranma said, "I thought you had a boyfriend."
"He hasn't been around," Yohko said. "I need someone I
can depend on." She stared at the unknown boy a moment
longer. "Well, he's handsome, if you ask me," she said.
Nabiki sighed. "I don't like to give out information for
free," she said, "but, in this case, I'll make an exception."
"Oh?"
"He's rich, but stupid, and prone to obsession. Stay
away."
Chigako was busy typing the information into her
computer. "Name?" she asked.
"Tatewaki Kuno."
"Kuno?" Akane shot up. "What's he doing here? I
transfered to Muyami Academy to get away from that jerk!"
"As I said, he's prone to obsession...."
"That idiot! If he even comes near me, I'll...."
"Ranchan!"
A boy that Ranma didn't recognize latched onto her arm.
"Ranchan! Your beauty surpasses the heavens! Say that you'll
go out with me!"
Ranma struggled to pull her arm free. "Do I know you?"
she growled.
"One of your admirers, apparently," Nabiki said. Ranma
attempted to pry the boy loose.
"Ataru Moroboshi," Chigako replied, checking her hand-
held computer. "You don't even want to think about him,
because...."
The strange boy finally let go, after repeated blows to the
head.
"DARLING!" a girl's voice rang out. Lum, the alien girl
with the green hair, horns, and tiger-striped bikini, dropped
from the ceiling to hover over Ataru. She reached out -- there
was a massive electrical discharge -- and Ataru collapsed into a
smoking heap on the floor.
"...Because," Nabiki said, "he's a lech and is engaged to an
electricity-throwing alien babe."
"Exactly," Chigako added.
Ranma shuddered, then pillowed her head in her arms.
"Wake me when class starts," she said.
"Say, Ranma," Yohko said, "I was going to ask you --
what were you talking to Belldandy about this morning?"
"Um... just general stuff," Ranma said.
"Was it about your curse?"
Ranma's head shot up. "M-m-my c-c-curse?"
"Yes," Yohko said. "Belldandy said you were under a
curse last night, and Akane said it was true, but only you could
explain it. Can you tell me what it is? Maybe Grandmother
and I could help!"
"I... uh, I'd rather not talk about it just now," Ranma said.
Yohko looked hurt, but then smiled. "Okay, Ranma, if
you don't want to talk about it, we won't."
"You're going to have to explain it eventually," Nabiki
said.
"You just shut up!"
Yohko glanced from Ranma to Nabiki, then Akane, and
then back to Ranma. The clock continued to click. There was
less than a minute to the start of class.
"Say," Nabiki said, "isn't that Ryoko, out there in the
trees? I wonder what she's up to?"
"Who cares about her?" Akane growled.
"Nabiki," Chigako said, "you were here last year. What's
our homeroom teacher like?"
"Hinako-sensei?" Nabiki said. "I've got no idea. She
wasn't here last year."
"Oh!" Yohko exclaimed. Another boy had entered the
classroom. He had long black hair, tied at the base of the neck,
and a very beautiful face.
"Who...?" Yohko began.
"I..." Chigako began. "I... don't know. He must have just
transfered in; I don't have any information yet."
"I do," Nabiki said. "His name is Ukyo."
The warning bell rang.
"Well, it's been fun," Nabiki said, "but I have my own
class to get to." She headed for the door, then called out over
her shoulder, "Meet me in the lunch room, after class. We
need to talk business, Chigako...."
Yohko took her seat, still staring across the room at the
long-haired boy.
"Ukyo?" she breathed. "Ooh, he's beautiful! I think I'm in
love!"
***
While Nabiki and Chigako compared notes in the
cafeteria, Akane and Yohko watched as Ranma, once again,
demonstrated an ability to consume food faster than a pack of
starving wolves.
"Ranma-chan," Akane finally growled, "didn't your
mother teach you any manners?"
"Huh?" Ranma asked, between shovelfulls of food.
"I mean, can't you eat in a somewhat ladylike fashion?"
"Oh -- sure. Sorry," Ranma said. She swallowed and set
her chopsticks down. "But I'm done anyway."
"So, Akane said, "are you coming tonight?"
"Coming?" Ranma blinked, her face blank. "You mean
to get our uniforms? I thought that was at noon...."
"No, you idiot! Haven't you been listening? I'm inviting
you, and Tenchi, and all of our friends over to my room this
evening. Nanami has all the equipment you need to run a
restaurant, and she said I could use it. So I'm going to make
dinner for everyone!"
Ranma blanched. In just a week she'd had more than
enough experience with Akane's cooking to last a lifetime. A
sense of impending doom, which had nothing to do with
demonic black tentacles, enveloped her.
"Are you sure that's wise, Akane?" she asked. "I mean,
you don't want to kill off all of your friends on the first day of
school do you?"
Anger filled Akane's face. "Ranma, you idiot!" she
yelled. A heavy textbook bounced off of the redhead's
forehead.
"Ranma!" Yohko chimed in. "That was very rude!"
"Not as rude as Akane's cooking...."
This time, Akane did more than simply throw a book at
her friend and part-time fiancee. When she was done, Ranma
lay in a crumpled heap on the cafeteria floor.
"Are you done beating on me?" Ranma wheezed.
"Because I have to visit registration before noon...."
"That's okay, I have to buy groceries for dinner," Akane
said, "and do some laundry too, if I get the chance. Yohko,
want to come along?"
Yohko smiled. "Well, I was going to accompany Ranma,"
she said, "but since she's being so rude... sure!" She glanced
over at Ranma, still struggling to stand up. "Maybe that'll give
our friend time to learn some manners...."
***
The little black cat stirred. It felt warmth... warm hands
and arms holding it gently against a warm body.
"Ah!" a pleasant voice exclaimed. "Are you awake, Mr.
Cat?"
A very soft, rounded body. The little cat opened its eyes.
A beautiful girl's face looked down at it. She had brown skin
and hair of black tinged with a dark purple. Large glasses
made her eyes seem even bigger and more full of compassion,
and her smile was like bright sunshine. Contentment washed
over the little cat like an ocean wave, and it snuggled against
her breasts.
Against her....
The little cat's eyes grew even wider. Blood appeared at
its nose, and trickled down the side of its face.
The door opened, and a girl with pink hair entered the
room. It was a dorm room, the cat realized, a girl's dorm room
in fact. It sniffed the air, testing the various smells,
including the fragrant scent of flowers, roses in particular.
There was one scent, at least, that seemed really exciting, but
the cat couldn't quite identify it.
"Utena-sama!" the dark-skinned girl exclaimed. "Isn't it
adorable? Can I keep it?"
The pink-haired girl sighed. "What is it now Anthy?"
Suddenly the cat was dangling between two hands, with
nothing else to support it. Anthy held it out for Utena's
inspection, before again cradling it against her bosom.
Utena grinned. "Well, she's very cute!"
"Utena-sama," Anthy said, "Mr. Cat is not a girl."
"Ah," Utena said. "But, won't he try to hurt Chu? I mean,
he's a cat, and... Chu is a mouse, isn't he?"
The black cat sniffed the air again. So that was what it
smelled! A mouse! What fun!
"Oh," Anthy said. "I hadn't thought of that!" She held the
little cat up in front of her face. "Now, Mr. Cat, you are
definitely not supposed to hurt anyone, especially my friend
Chu. Is that understood?"
The little cat didn't respond. Deep down, it sensed that
chasing mice was, for any cat, a fundamental, inalienable, God-
given right.
"Now, where should I keep you?" Anthy said, looking
about. "In the desk drawer? No, that's where Mr. Mongoose
lives."
She walked across the room, giving the cat time to
consider what living in a desk drawer with a mongoose might
be like. The very thought brought a small shiver.
"In the closet, with Mr. Octopus?" she continued. "Yes,
perhaps that would be best...."
The black cat didn't need to think twice about that one.
Being stuck in a closet with an octopus was instantly number
two on it's "Things I Don't Ever Want To Do" list, right after
hanging around shadows that moved on their own. The little
black cat yowled, and bolted, right out the open window.
"Oh, Mr. Cat! No!"
Only then did the cat realize they were on the second
floor.
As it fell, twisting about, it noticed an open window,
directly below it, set at ground level, apparently leading to the
basement. This seemed like a good place to hide, providing
that it survived the fall.
It wondered, briefly, if there was some trick to landing on
your feet. Was it instinct, or was it something you needed to
practice first?
Aiming for the rose bushes seemed like a mixed blessing,
at best. The little cat closed its eyes, and prayed to whatever
cat gods might exist....
*to be continued*
Miko!
Ranma sighed. Her whole life she'd planned on becoming a martial arts
Sensei. It had seemed like such a noble calling. She just hadn't
realized how much it resembled babysitting.
"It's a joke," Ranma said, sitting up. "All I meant was, what hit me?"
"Um... I did, Sensei."
Ah, thought Ranma. It begins to make some sense...
"Hmm? Nice try, Tamakaji, but we both know you can't lay a finger on me.
I may not remember what happened, but for you to get through my
defenses...."
"But I did, Sensei. You were distracted."
"A martial artist is never distracted, Tamakaji. Remember that."
"As you say, Sensei."
"Good. Next question. Why am I a girl?"
"Your niece threw water on you," the student said.
"Ah. This would be just before you didn't hit me when I wasn't
distracted?"
"Hai!"
Ranma put her hand to her head. "It's all coming back to me now. We were
all celebrating the opening of the new dojo, and the dormitory on the
third floor. All my family was here -- mom, pop, Kasumi and Tofu-Sensei,
even Nabiki. We were giving a short demonstration in the dojo, after
showing off your award for first-place in the all-Tokyo competition..."
Ranma stopped, glancing up at her student. "I didn't just dream that
part, did I? You really won, didn't you?"
"Hai, Sensei! Just last Saturday!" Kazayuki produced the blue ribbon and
beamed with pride. "You said I was the luckiest S.O.B. you ever saw!"
(Seven Fianc�es)
Nausicaa@sprynet.com Belldandy@angelic.com
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