Here we go with chapter three! It's a little shorter than the first couple, but it covers a lot of ground. C+C is always appreciated, public or private!
THE BET: A STUDY IN SCARLET (PART THREE)
Original Bet Entry: "A Study in Scarlet" by Gregg Sharp
(used with permission)
Continued by Dave Menard (catthouse@lweb.net)
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER:I own squat. All hail Takahashi!
WHAT'S HAPPENED: Toltiir has entered into a side-bet with a
certain Spider-goddess. The rules? The usual. The goal? The
usual. Here's what's goin' on.
Akane Tendou's sixteen-year-old body is currently being
inhabited by a much older version of herself, due to a
mis-spoken magical wish. This older Akane spent several years
in a distant future where monsters and magic have re-emerged,
and man no longer rules the earth. As a result, she has gained
deadly fighting abilities and the mindset of a warrior woman
of that time.
Once in her sixteen-year-old counterpart's body, she set
out to win Ranma Saotome, whom she lost in her original
timeline due to the screwed up spell that landed her in the
far future in the first place. Unfortunately, she made a
serious miscalculation, and instead of impressing Ranma with
her skill, she scared the bejeezus out of him by using the
Black Rose Torture Fist, a move she learned in the future
which causes excruciating, mind-searing pain but does no
physical damage. As a result, this time around, Ranma opted
for the gentle Kasumi as his iinazuke, making the best of a
bad situation.
Akane resolved to win him back, this time with affection,
and attempted to seduce him that night in his bedroom. Before
she could get very far, however, they were interrupted, but
Akane promised (threatened?) to return the following night to
finish the job. Ranma, needless to say, was more than a little
freaked.
Accompanying Nabiki on the walk to Furinkan for his first
day of school, he met Hiroe Ogawa, one of Nabiki's friends,
and the two found that they get along famously. Hiroe isn't
even freaked by his aquatranssexualism. He also met Dr. Tofu
for the first time, and the two came to an understanding vis-
a-vis Kasumi. If Kasumi agrees to date Tofu, Ranma will
cheerfully step aside.
Warrior-Akane, anxious to remove Kasumi as an obstacle to
her destined union with Ranma, has tagged Tofu with the
Dwarven-Courage-Under-Fire touch, allowing him to deal with
Kasumi without falling victim to the sillies.
While disposing of the Horde 'o Hentai at school that
morning, Akane found herself face-to-face with Ranma, who had
stepped in to ensure no one was seriously hurt. Mistaking his
efforts for an attempt to rescue her, Akane glomps him in front
of the entire school, thus drawing Kunou's wrath down upon
Ranma's head.
Meanwhile, in the distant future, the mind of the
sixteen-year-old Akane has come to rest in the body of
Warrior-Akane, and is currently face-to-face with a dragon.
And now, here we go again.....
*****************************************
"So, Saotome, you wouldst do battle with the Blue
Thunder?! Very well, then. Have at thee!!!"
Kunou charged Ranma, his bokken high. Ranma maintained
his position right up until the last second, stepping aside as
Kunou fell victim to the Unicorn Trap, embedding his blade in
the stone wall. Ranma rebounded off a nearby tree and hung
nearly horizontal for a moment, as Kunou freed his bokken.
Neither combatant noticed the storm clouds gathering overhead.
Akane, however, noted them with a groan.
"Ranma! Look up!!"
Ranma glanced upwards for a second, almost absently
leaping over Kunou's slice as he noted the clouds. He looked
back at Akane with a scowl.
"Don't do me no favours! You oughta know to stay outta a
man-to-man fight!!!"
"But, the curse..."
"Screw the curse!" He yelled to her as he sprung off
Kunou's head and onto the ground. "I'll finish this jerk off
before the rain hits!"
"Damn you! Abusing the fair Akane! Oh, lecherous dog, you
shall pay for your perfidy!!!" Kunou raged, lashing out with
his blade. Ranma leapt high into the air as lightning crashed
behind him. Hurtling back down towards his opponent, he felt
the first few drops of cool water strike his back.
Kunou stared up into the rain, bokken at the ready, his
eyes still seeing spots from the flash of lightning.
Simultaneously, both fighters attacked, Ranma with one
outstretched arm, Kuno with his blade. The rain hit with the
full fury of a spring downpour, washing across the quad like a
curtain. Ranma felt his body transforming, becoming smaller,
more compact. Damn! He thought. Not now...!
Kunou squinted his eyes against the rain as he thrust his
bokken upwards, intending to deliver a vicious strike to
Saotome's windpipe. Was it just his imagination, or did Saotome
seem... Smaller? Confused, his strike went wide, grazing Ranma's
neck instead of separating his head from his neck. He only had a
moment to consider the mystery before he was knocked off his feet
by Ranma's blow.
He slid a good six feet backward on the rain-slicked
pavement, coming to rest at the foot of the concrete wall. Before
he passed out from the pain, he got a good long look at his
opponent. Saotome... Was a girl?
*******************************
"Oh my! I knew we should have brought an umbrella,
Father..." Kasumi said as she and Soun dashed under the
protection of the small awning of the market. A thought occurred
to her as she looked out at the sudden downpour. "Goodness! I
certainly hope Ranma made it to school before the storm hit..."
"Now, now dear," Soun said soothingly. "I'm sure he's class
by now, it's already after nine-thirty." He smiled indulgently at
his oldest daughter. Excellent, he thought. She seemed quite
taken with the young man. And even if this was nothing more than
Kasumi's usual solicitude, there was always Akane. She'd
expressed a considerable interest in young Saotome. Soun's heart
swelled with pride as he considered his good fortune. It looked
like the schools would be united at last!!!
With more than a little difficulty, he restrained his urge
to break out in tears of joy. How he'd waited for this day!
Kasumi didn't miss the all too obvious emotions crossing her
father's face, and sighed softly.
"Father..?"
"Yes my dear?"
"Has... Has Nabiki talked to you yet about the engagement?"
"Hmm? No, she hasn't mentioned it to me..." Soun's mind
raced. Could he possibly be THIS blessed? "You mean, Nabiki is
interested in the boy as well? Oh, happy day!!"
"Oh! No, Father, that's not what I meant..." Soun looked a
little crestfallen, but recovered quickly. Oh well, he thought.
Two out of three's not so bad... Kasumi continued, while she
could still screw up her courage.
"What I meant was... Father, I don't think this engagement
is a very good idea..."
"Nonsense, my dear. Saotome-kun and I have agreed. The two
schools MUST be united." He nodded resolutely. "On this, we are
immovable."
"But Father, I..."
"No buts, Kasumi." Soun looked at her sternly for a moment.
"If it's simply the fact that you aren't fond of the boy, Akane
is more than willing to shoulder the burden."
"No!" Kasumi said, a little too quickly. Soun cocked an
eyebrow consideringly. "Er, that is, Father, isn't there some
other way the schools could be united? Maybe... Maybe you could
teach Ranma the Tendou Ryu? Wouldn't that make him the heir to
BOTH schools?" Soun tut-tutted indulgently.
"I'm afraid that's impossible. For one thing, Akane is
already my designated heir. To take that away from her would
break her heart... But first and foremost, the true secrets of
the Tendou School of Indiscriminate Grappling must only be taught
to those of the Tendou clan. To give them to Ranma would
dishonour our ancestors terribly. The children of this marriage,
however, will inherit BOTH schools. Such is my fondest wish..."
He looked off into the distance wistfully, striking a
melodramatic pose.
"Couldn't you simply adopt Ranma into the family registry?"
Soun shook his head.
"Saotome-kun would never stand for it. He has but one son to
carry on the Saotome clan name, after all. Besides, why go
through all that paperwork when a marriage would solve the
problem simply? No, my dear, the marriage must take place. Just
leave it all up to your father, and don't let it trouble your
pretty little head."
Kasumi hung her head sadly. Father always patronized her
like this. Sometimes, Kasumi wished she had the courage to stand
up to the man, like her sisters did. Unlike Akane and Nabiki
however, Kasumi was too vulnerable to her Father's secret weapon:
guilt.
Soun, she knew from long experience, wielded guilt like a
samurai wields a katana; skilfully, precisely, and effectively.
When things didn't go his way, or one of his daughters grew angry
with his sometimes-unreasonable demands, he turned on the
waterworks. Even her late mother had succumbed to it, Kasumi
remembered.
When tears failed to motivate others to see things his way,
Soun would simply become angry, using his fearsome Demon-Head
Technique to cow the victim into submission. To his credit, he'd
never used that kind of intimidation with his daughters, but
Kasumi, at least, lived in fear of upsetting the man.
She'd been startled to discover that she had wanted to cheer
when Akane had told him off that morning. He'd wept and wailed,
but Akane had simply told him to grow up and act like a man. The
comment had been surprisingly out of character for the girl, but
it needed to be said by someone. Soun had been so taken aback
he'd merely continued wailing, but Kasumi could tell he was
startled. Akane, she knew, was his favorite, his baby, just as
Kasumi had been their mother's. She was usually so accommodating
to him, and the recent engagement fiasco had been no different.
Akane had leapt at the chance to marry the boy, whether he was
willing or not...
Perhaps it might be all for the best, she thought, to simply
let Akane have him. She WAS the heir to the school, as Father had
pointed out... No, that wouldn't be fair to Ranma. He was
terrified of the youngest Tendou.
Kasumi, for the life of her, couldn't figure out what had
possessed Akane to attack Ranma like that. It certainly wasn't
like her to be that cruel. Then again, she'd mentioned that she'd
recently been having trouble with the boys at school. Maybe...
No, Ranma had been a girl at the time, so misplaced rage wasn't
the answer...
It was time, she thought, that she, Ranma and Akane sat down
for a talk. Perhaps if they could understand Akane's actions,
Kasumi might be willing to step aside, secure in the knowledge
that Ranma would be safe. She wondered for a moment why she felt
so protective towards him. They were no more than strangers,
really. Something about the boy, though, made her want to take
care of him. Some kind of motherly impulse, perhaps? Yes, she
assured herself. That was the case. He was simply too young to
consider as a romantic prospect...
*******************************
The assembled students stood in stunned surprise. Before
their very eyes, that new kid, the one who'd taken out everyone's
least favorite kendoist, had transformed into a girl!
Hiroe, heedless of the driving rain, ran out the door to her
new friend, Nabiki quick on her heels. Akane merely stood there
stunned. This wasn't happening at all the way she remembered.
Dammit! She'd very clearly specified MINIMAL disruption to the
time-stream when formulating her wish!! Ranma grew pale as she
realized that her secret had been revealed, in front of the whole
school! What a way to start the first semester...
Both Akane and Hiroe rushed forward to comfort her, but
Hiroe got there first, earning a withering glare from Akane.
Nabiki and Ranma took note of it with alarm.
"Ranma? Oh, no..." Hiroe breathed, stepping forward to hug
her in sympathy. Ranma stepped aside apologetically, pointing out
Akane's flaring battle-aura with a gesture of his head. Hiroe
gasped, stepping back. Nabiki stepped between the two girls,
swallowing hard. Akane wouldn't hurt her own sister,she fervently
prayed.
Akane made to lunge forward at Hiroe, Nabiki be damned, when
she saw her sister cringe in fearful anticipation of the blow.
She froze, her eyes growing wide. In that split second of
hesitation, Ranma shot between the two Tendous.
"Akane, don't you even goddamn DARE!"
"Ranma..?" Akane said, stunned. Ranma was looking at her
with an expression of hatred, mixed with a healthy dose of fear.
Ranma HATED her?
"I can't believe you!! You'd hit your own SISTER?! What kind
of a monster ARE you?!"
"Ranma, I-"
"Shut the hell up! I ain't gonna say this again! You lay one
finger on my friends, and I'll kill you!! It's that simple..."
Ranma knew her words were empty threats. Akane was so much better
than her it was terrifying, but she swore she wouldn't sell her
life cheaply. At the very least, she hoped Hiroe and Nabiki would
be able to get away...
Akane didn't move a muscle, her fist still poised to strike
as she stared Ranma in the eye. Her instinct was to simply throw
her punch, deal with the fool who dared stand between her and her
target; With difficulty, she tried to suppress years of ingrained
survival instincts,forcing herself to calm down, see things as
they truly were. She gazed deep into the eyes of the person she
loved more than anything in all creation, and all she saw looking
back was loathing...
Thunder rumbled overhead as the rain lessened somewhat. The
entire school held their breath in awful anticipation. Ranma had
shouted her challenge loud enough that it had echoed across the
quad. Akane's fist began to tremble, then fell to her side,
unclenching. The crowd released a collective sigh of breath, and
Ranma's heart began to beat once again. Akane hung her head and
spun on her heels, walking slowly out the gates and away. In the
rain, no one noticed the tears that ran down her cheeks...
Nabiki and Hiroe opened their eyes slowly, blinking. They...
Weren't dead? Ranma-chan turned to face them, letting out a long,
ragged breath. With a muffled sob, the Nabiki and Hiroe embraced
her tightly.
"My god, Ranma..." Nabiki choked out. "She was really going
to hit me!" Hiroe sniffled softly in assent.
"And you saved us... You were so brave..."
Not really, Ranma thought. I almost lost control of my
bladder... Aloud, she merely shhhhed them and made comforting
noises before answering raggedly.
"H-hey, defendin' the helpless is a martial artist's duty...
That's what Pop always told me... I'm just glad she's gone."
The crowd behind them broke up, wandering in to classes as
the bell rang. Some of the Hordesmen managed to pick themselves
up, groaning and limping, to stagger to their classes.
They broke their hug, Ranma pulling away first, a light
blush tinting her cheeks. Nabiki, with practiced ease, was the
first to regain her cool composure.
"Well Saotome, you've gotten yourself into a fine fix now.
Look at yourself."
"Huh?"
"She's right, Ranma. The whole school saw you turn girly
back there." Hiroe said, handing Ranma her schoolbag.
"Aw, MAN!" Ranma cursed. "What'm I gonna do?"
Nabiki placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's
shoulder. "Damage Control time. There's two ways we can go here.
The Big Lie technique, where we simply deny it happened, and
wait for the rumors to die down, or else you can just come clean
and let the chips fall where they may... It's all up to you,
Ranma-baby."
Ranma sighed and thought about the problem for a moment.
She'd had enough troubles already today... Not to mention the
fact that she was probably toast the moment she let her guard
down around Akane... It might be nice to be able to relax
SOMEtime, even if it was school...
"I'm gonna 'fess up. Heck, Hiroe here took things pretty
well, why shouldn't everybody else? At least I won't have to hide
alla time..."
Just then, the delayed reaction Shiatsu touch Tofu
had discreetly tagged Ranma with as he left the clinic took
effect. Ranma lost feeling from the waist down and collapsed to
the ground. "What the... Hey! My legs!" Hiroe and Nabiki rushed
over to help her regain her feet, but the lower half of her body
was jellified. "Tofu must've done somethin'... when he patted me
on the back... Guess he must be a little more p,o'd at me than he
let on..." Nabiki looked a little embarrassed and coughed into
her
hand.
"Sorry.."
"What? What for?"
"I kinda told Dr. Tofu about your engagement to Kasumi."
"Yeah, he mentioned that. No biggie. Why'r you apologizin'?"
"I kinda figured he might, well... kick your butt or
something." Ranma looked puzzled. "Well, you made me look a
little foolish, when you pulled your little prank about switching
the engagement to me..." Her cheeks colored a little. "Well, I'm
just... sorry, okay? Can we drop it now?"
"Hunh." Ranma scratched the back of her head. "Well, it
didn't happen during the fight, so I suppose there's no harm
done... Guess I should apologize for freakin' you out like that.
I didn't mean nothin' by it, y'understand..." she smiled
apologetically up at Nabiki. "So, uh... who's gonna gimme a
piggyback to class?"
**************************
Kunou slipped in and out of consciousness as he lay on the
bed in the nurse's office, the morning battle replaying itself
over and over in his head.
Saotome... had bested him. It was inconceivable, but it was
true. How was this possible? Was he not the rising young star of
the high school fencing world? Was he not the Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High? Was he not the invincible Tatewaki Kunou? Yes, he
was all of these things and more! Yet, this... this girl in boy's
clothing had defeated him!
And what a girl she was! Scarlet tresses, as red as the
freshest rose... Big, beautifully round... Eyes...
He thought back to the week before the "Voice of Youth"
Speech contest. He'd been labouring long and hard on an excellent
dissertation on the merits of maintaining the class system, when
he'd briefly paused in his efforts, distracted by a programme
showing on the television. A most excellent documentary programme
on the quaint customs of the noble savages who lived deep in the
heart of China's Bayankala Mountain Range. He'd glossed over the
segment on the painted tribesmen who called themselves The Musk
Dynasty. Phaugh! To think that such fur-clad barbarians thought
themselves worthy of such a grandiose title as "Dynasty". He
could only assume the name "Musk" was derived from their no-doubt
nonexistent bathing habits... The segment that followed the
commercial break, however, caught his eye.
The segment detailed the marriage customs of a matriarchal
warrior tribe called the Nyanichiczu, whom the Japanese
interviewer had dubbed "Chinese Amazons", due to their culture's
resemblance to that of the mythical Amazons of ancient Greece.
>From what he'd gathered, these Amazons, stout warriors all, would
only submit to being wooed by men who had defeated them in
personal combat. The idea struck a chord in him.
After all, was he not smitten of the fair, beauteous Akane
Tendou? Did she not deserve a man whose prowess exceeded her own,
much as these exotic warrior women did?
He'd torn up his speech on the virtues of the class system
that instant, and began work on new speech, one that would stir
the hearts and minds of his fellow men of Furinkan...
"If you wish to take Akane out...DEFEAT her! I will permit
no other terms!!"
It was short, and to the point, but effective. The noble men
of Furinkan had rallied to his battle cry. Of course, since none
amongst them was the equal of Tatewaki Kunou, he had made the
challenge in perfect safety. Surely none but he were skilled
enough to win the heart of his fair Japanese Amazon. He knew,
deep in his heart of hearts, that she approved of his actions. He
knew beyond the faintest shadow of a fragment of an atom of a
doubt, that Akane was cheering him on, exhorting him to greater
heights of prowess, so that she might know for certain that he
was worthy of her love. He had vowed, on the Kunou honour blade,
that she would not be disappointed.
And yet, this fair wildflower who called herself Ranma
Saotome had accepted his challenge. She had beaten him, and
fairly, for he had been fighting at the height of his prowess,
thinking that she had been a man.
He decided, upon reflection, that the fair Ranma Saotome
must herself be a Chinese Amazon. It explained so much; her
Chinese clothes, her fighting prowess, her exotic hair
coloration... (He had noticed that the Nyanichiczu women had hair
in all the colors of the rainbow.) She had heard of his skill and
fame and manly beauty, and had travelled to the Home Islands for
the sole purpose of challenging the Blue Thunder, so that he
might claim the fair flower of China as his rightful bride...
Tears came to his eyes as he realized how he must have
failed her... To travel so very far, to have shamed herself by
disguising her fair features beneath that disguise, only to see
her true love prove himself unworthy of matrimony... He MUST see
her again, if only to convince her of the rightness of her
belief! The Blue Thunder would not disappoint her again!!
And yet, what of the lovely Akane Tendou? Would she not be
crushed to see her beloved Tatewaki in the arms of another woman?
He could not bear to think of causing such heartache to his
warrior-maiden. And yet...
Did not the documentary, oh, that most excellent documentary
describe how the Nyanichiczu maidens would enter into polygamous
unions, so that those few great men (such as himself) that were
worthy of them might father as many children as possible to the
tribe? An image of his two loves, coming together to his bed,
entered his mind. Oh, such bliss! And surely they would
understand that his love for then both would never allow him to
forsake one for the other!
Kunou's heart soared at the revelation. Oh, his Amazon
Goddesses! He MUST have them both!!!
*******************************
"Well class, we have a new student in our class today..."
Yamanaka-sensei intoned stentoriously. "His-" He glanced over at
the girl in the front row desk whom he was supposed to be
introducing. Tsk. The idiots in admissions screwed up again, he
thought. "HER name is Ranma Saotome, and it says here that he-
er, she just got back from a trip to China, so let's give her a
nice warm 'Nihao' welcome, shall we?" He nodded over at the
redhead. "Tell us a little about yourself, young lady."
Ranma twisted around in her seat as best she could to face
the rest of the class. Without exception, they were staring at
her with intense curiosity, especially two guys in the back, who
looked like they were posed to take notes.
"Heh... Well, first off I'd like to apologize for not
standin' to say hi, but I got this little... er, sports injury
right now... Anyway, like the sensei said, I'm Ranma Saotome. I'm
a martial artist, like my dad, and we're stayin' with Nabiki
Tendou's family at their Training Hall. Some of you might'a seen
or heard some funny stuff about me..."
The class nodded in unison. Ranma sweatdropped.
"Uh, yeah... Well, I guess the easiest thing to do would be
to show you... Yamanaka-Sensei, can you hand me that teakettle I
brought? I can't reach..." The teacher handed over the steaming
kettle with a nod. Furinkan's gossip grapevine reached into the
teacher's lounge as well, and he had his own questions about the
transfer student. "Thanks. Er, well, here goes..."
Ranma upended the kettle over her head, dousing herself in
the hot water. A gasp passed through the class as her body
reshaped itself, growing taller. Her hair darkened to black, and
her baggy clothes filled out in an unmistakably male fashion.
"Y'see, I'm really a guy..."
Homeroom 1-F performed a facefault en-masse.
Once everyone (including a startled Yamanaka-Sensei) had
regained their upright positions, Ranma continued, explaining the
curses of Jusenkyo. The class listened in rapt attention, all
except for the two goony-looking guys in the back.
"Hiroshi, we gotta get to know this guy," whispered the one
on the left, His friend nodded solemnly.
"You're right Daisuke. Imagine, being seen in public with
that incredible hot girl..."
Ranma concluded his story with an apologetic shrug.
Yamanaka-Sensei indulgently let them whisper amongst themselves
for a few moments as he digested the boy/girl's tale. Of course,
all that talk of magic pools was utter nonsense, he thought. and
yet, the child HAD transformed before his eyes... He shook his
head, determined to regain his equilibrium by focusing on the
mundane. He cleared his throat to restore order to the class.
"Well, Saotome, that's certainly an interesting story. It
does NOT, however, excuse your tardiness this morning. Since you
are presently incapable of standing in the hall, I'm afraid I
must ask you to go speak to Vice-Principal Masukaza about your
lateness. Now, I require two volunteers to assist Mr. Saotome to
the office. Anyone..?"
Hiroshi and Daisuke shot up their hands, earning a surprised
look from Yamanaka. Those two NEVER volunteered for anything...
Well, well...
"Very well. Tanaka, Sumisu, take Saotome to the office. As
for the rest of you, please turn to chapter three in your
textbook. We will begin with the establishment of the Tokugawa
Shogunate....
****************************
_/ Aramar, The 7th Age\_
Baron took to the air with a titanic downthrust of his
wings, his small charge held as gently as dragonly possible in
his right forepaw. Despite his care, she let out a small yelp of
terror as the great lizard launched himself off the cliffs and
into space.
*Now, now, Akane,* The dragon sent telepathically. *Don't
worry. I flew with your counterpart thousands of times, and I
never dropped her once...*
"Why can't we just walk? I don't mind the delay..."
*I'm afraid that's unadvisable, Akane. You, er, your
counterpart has many enemies. I can best protect you in the air,
where I am in my element.*
"Well, I don't suppose she has many friends! Honestly!
Stealing my LIFE!!"
*Er, well, she didn't really mean to, my dear. I think it
was more of an accident...*
"I don't CARE! I want my life back and I want my body back!
Who CARES about this stupid BOY she had the hots for! OOOooooh!"
*She IS you, you know. Surely you can empathize a little...*
"Hhmmph!"
*Well, maybe the Western Magus will be able to return both
of you to your rightful places. He IS quite powerful.*
"I sure hope so... "
*So do I, young lady. I only hope the price for his
assistance will not be too high..."
*********************************
END PART THREE
*********************************
Next time: More fun at Furinkan, Akane and Kasumi have a little
"talk", and more weirdness in the 7th Age!
C+C is always appreciated! Send questions and criticisms to
catthouse@lweb.net
Ja Ne!
Akane The Vampire Slayer's Homepage:
http://matrix.crosswinds.net/~ksna