I'm definitely getting close to the end now. Thanks to my prereaders
David Johnston and Hiroyuki Yoshiro. Anyone who wants to comment feel
free.
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or any of the ideas associated with
it. Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan, Inc do. Rights in North America
belong to Viz Communications
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Chapter 13:
"Akane, I need you to help me with something." Ranma shifted
uneasily, as she closed the door to Akane's room behind her. This
wasn't something she was comfortable dealing with. "I sort of talked
Kuno into buying some pictures of Nabiki. The only problem is I don't
have any."
"And you want me to take some," Akane bluntly stated.
"Well yes." Ranma chuckled faintly and shifted from foot to foot.
"Nabiki isn't going to be happy about this." Akane paused for a
moment and then grinned broadly. "It serves her right though."
"I guess it does."
"We probably shouldn't use Nabiki's camera for this. We can borrow
my Dad's though."
"That sounds good. Uh, you know, I'm not planning on anything too
embarrassing," Ranma added. Akane was being a bit more enthusiastic
than she'd expected.
"Don't worry. Nabiki is my sister." Akane frowned momentarily.
Somehow that hadn't sounded as reassuring as she'd meant it to.
"Anyway, have you decided what to do about those pictures of Ukyo?"
Deep inside, Ranma knew that there was something wrong. Akane and
nude photos of another fiancee just didn't add up to a reasonable
discussion. "I, uh, burned most of them. There were a few that weren't
too bad."
"That's good. Wait here and I'll go get the camera."
"Don't take too long. I've got to go help Ukyo train soon.
There are only a couple of days left before the duel."
=================
Soun Tendo was a deeply disturbed man. Some might say that this
has always been true, but lately he had found new cause. It seemed that
he'd never have the secure future he'd dreamed of. That was why he was
sneaking up towards Kasumi's room, hoping to talk things over with the
one person he could trust. Unfortunately, the idea that he didn't need
to sneak never crossed his mind.
"Okay. Now let's try it with a little more off the shoulder."
Soun stopped in front of Akane's door. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop,
but couldn't resist.
"How's that."
Soun blinked. That was Nabiki's voice, so Ranma must be in there
with Akane.
"Perfect." The sound of a camera clicking followed. "Hmm. Maybe
we should try some shots in a swimsuit."
Soun abruptly turned and headed back down the stairs. Ignoring
things and hoping they went away was starting to sound pretty good.
=================
Cologne clucked her tongue softly as she pogoed over to another
stack of books. She'd found the ritual she wanted with far less effort
than expected. There were problems though.
"Son-in-law won't like this." Cologne conceded that talking to
herself was probably a sign of senility. She had more important things
to worry about though. A week to get the ingredients, and another three
days to prepare was far too long. "And I still don't know if it will
work."
Abruptly, Cologne laughed. Ranma wouldn't trust her, so she'd turn
that suspicion to her advantage.
=================
Elsewhere in Nerima, Nabiki was suppressing a strangely similar
laugh. Someone had gone through his desk. Ranma was the leading
suspect, of course, and Nabiki would enjoy getting his revenge when the
time came.
"Are you all right, Nabiki? I though I heard coughing."
With a start, Nabiki looked up to see the concerned face of her
older sister regarding her through the newly opened door.
"I'm fine. I was cleaning and there was a bit of dust." With an
imperceptible sigh, Nabiki relaxed as Kasumi closed the door. Sometimes
it was a bit spooky how unobtrusive Kasumi could be.
That wasn't important though. Neither were the missing photos of
Ukyo. There was really no way she could stop someone from finding
anything she hid. Even a safe wouldn't stop a determined martial
artist. The trick was making sure they didn't look very hard.
=================
Ryoga hesitated for a moment, as he watched Ranma wave to Ukyo
through the window and then spoke. "I've got a question, Ranma. How
come you're taking thing so calmly? I mean, being a girl full time and
all."
"It's no big deal. I've been stuck before and this time I know
it's not permanent." Stretching her arms above her head to work the
kinks out, Ranma fell in step beside Ryoga.
Ryoga reflexively looked away and then forced himself to look back.
Ranma was still a guy, no matter who he looked like. "That's not what I
mean. You almost seem to be enjoying it this time."
"I am. Not being a girl, but the rest of it is almost a vacation.
I don't have school, I'm spending time with Pop and Mom and just about
every one is getting along." Ranma shrugged expansively. "I know it
won't last, so I might as well enjoy it."
"I guess you're right. You know, I think I'd like to go swimming.
I used to enjoy it."
"Maybe after the duel on Saturday."
"If Ukyo wins. Otherwise it would sort of spoil the mood," Ryoga
said, turning towards the Tendos' gate.
"Don't worry about that. She may not want anyone substituting, but
I've got some ideas." Grinning slightly, Ranma produced a small cloth
bag and tossed it into the air, producing a muffled clink when he caught
it. "You're going to have to do some training as well."
=================
"Ryoga we need to talk." Akane was dimly aware that she'd been
avoiding Ryoga. It was silly because they were living in the same house
and he was her friend. This was one conversation she couldn't put off
any longer though.
"W-we do?" Possibilities flashed through Ryoga's mind. It didn't
sound like Akane was about to declare her love. Maybe Nabiki had told
her about the curse.
"It's about Nabiki."
It was the curse. Ryoga tried to stammer out an apology, but
couldn't do more than twitch.
"She's been acting really strange since she wound up in your body.
I mean, dating another girl?"
Oh. It was about Nabiki. "I, um, I'm not really happy about
that. Even if she says she's doing me a favor."
"Nabiki said that?"
"While she was talking me into paying for everything." Ryoga saw
Akane start to ask another question, so he elaborated, "Something about
Kiyomi liking me."
Understanding flooded Akane. Suddenly the world seemed a much
better place than it had moments before. "Really? That's very nice of
her."
"I guess so. I'm still going to have to break up with Kiyomi."
"Wha-? She seems like a nice girl. Don't you think you should
give her a chance?"
"Er...No I don't think so. I will...I just don't think it would
work out." Telling Akane that it looked like he was going to have to
borrow money from Nabiki to pay for the second date didn't seem like a
good idea.
"I think I understand."
The note of sorrow in Akane's voice tugged at Ryoga's heart, but he
didn't know what to say. Instead he watched as Akane walked off and
wondered why he couldn't tell her how he felt.
=================
"I think you've done all the training we have time for Ukyo," Ranma
said. "What we need to do now is come up with some sort of strategy for
you."
"What do you mean?" Ryoga frowned slightly. "This is a duel.
Isn't Ukyo just going to hit him until the fights over?"
"That kind of thinking gets you into a lot of trouble, Ryoga."
Ranma grinned as Ryoga clenched his fists. Teasing him was almost as
much fun as their sparing matches. "Besides, if Ukyo doesn't have a
plan, she'll probably lose."
"Is true. Mousse very strong fighter."
Ukyo smiled confidently and absentmindedly ran a finger along the
edge of her spatula. "Don't worry. Cologne's been helping me come up
with a plan."
"Yeah, but I've got a few ideas too."
"Are they anything like your last idea?" Ukyo inquired sweetly. "I
didn't spend all this time training so someone else could fight for me."
"I told you, that was Ryoga's idea." Ranma wilted slightly under
Ukyo's glare. "Um, never mind."
"I know you mean well, but you don't plan for your fights either.
You just make it up as you go along and I can't do that. Besides, you
and Shampoo have already told me everything you know about Mousse's
fighting style."
"Well, if you're sure." As Ranma rose to go, she considered the
situation. She could understand Ukyo's desire to fight Mousse without
any outside interference, but she wasn't about to stand by and let
Mousse win.
=================
It was an unusual group of spectators that gathered to watch the
duel between Ukyo and Mousse. There was the traditional crowd of the
curious, perhaps a bit more sparse than usual. The fact that Ranma
wasn't involved might be blamed for this, or perhaps the lack of
Nabiki's customary promotion.
Nabiki, Ranma, Akane, Shampoo and Ryoga standing together in one
group wasn't something that happened every day. Especially not without
some kind of fight breaking out. Not knowing the true circumstances,
most people just shrugged it off.
"There's something I haven't seen in a while," Ranma commented.
The combination of ring and a giant hot plate had certainly been one the
more unusual fighting surfaces she'd experienced.
"Maybe she's taking this okonomiyaki martial arts idea a bit far."
Akane's cooking notwithstanding, Ryoga felt that food shouldn't be
actively dangerous.
"Whatever works."
=================
A hint of unease began to trouble Mousse. The day of his duel with
Ukyo had arrived, but he realized that he'd omitted a few details when
he set the terms. The boxing ring that Ukyo was standing in was one of
the more troubling. Something like that would force him to remain
fairly close to Ukyo. He hadn't really expected her to get that worked
up about the duel. She wouldn't want to lose, but no one would expect
her to follow amazon laws if she lost.
After a moment, Mousse shrugged off his concern and leapt into the
ring. Ukyo wasn't the only person who'd prepared for this fight. As he
landed, Mousse noticed a row of large containers behind Ukyo. "Are you
ready?"
"You bet."
That was good enough for Mousse; he charged forward and launched
his attack. Beginning an abortive kick just outside Ukyo's range,
Mousse ducked under her counter strike and connected with a brief flurry
of punches to her midsection.
"Wha..?" Caught off guard, Ukyo let Mousse's blows force her
back. Bringing her spatula around in an abrupt arc, she managed to
clear a space between Mousse and herself. Narrowing her eyes, she
caught sight of the glint of metal on Mousse's hands and cursed
silently. Brass knuckles were the least of the surprises she could
expect.
Ukyo wasn't the only one rattled by the exchange. Mousse had hoped
to win quickly, but the ease with which Ukyo had weathered his blows
made this unlikely. Leaping backwards, Mousse hurled a series of chains
towards Ukyo. The ease with which Ukyo used her spatula to swat them out
of the air only confirmed his suspicions.
"Try some of my special batter!" Ukyo didn't really think that the
various surprises she'd prepared would defeat Mousse. They hadn't done
much good against Ranma when she'd first arrived in Nerima, after all.
She only intended to slow Mousse down until she could close the range
again. That was why she was surprised when Mousse barely landed before
leaping back into the air, passing over the batter and aiming a flying
kick at her head.
Mousse grimaced, as Ukyo blocked his kick with the haft of her
spatula. It had felt more like kicking a boulder than anything else.
Despite that he felt a rising sense of confidence.
Despite herself, Ukyo grinned as she swung her spatula. The grin
faded as Mousse stepped into her blow and accepted a glancing hit to the
shoulder. The punch and snap kick combination he retaliated with erased
it entirely.
=================
"This isn't good."
"What was your first clue?" Akane winced mentally as Mousse
connected with another punch. "
"That isn't what I mean. Mousse isn't fighting the way he's
supposed to. He's hardly using any weapons at all and he keeps mixing
it up in close." Ranma began to inch closer to Ryoga. It looked like
Ukyo would need help soon.
Seeing Ranma's actions, Akane directed an angry glare at Ryoga.
Unfortunately for her, no one noticed.
=================
Ukyo grunted as yet another punch landed on her midsection.
Lurching forward, she slammed her forehead into the middle of the
Chinese boy's face. The impact didn't hurt Mousse much, but it did
knock him off balance. At least enough to let Ukyo connect with a
punishing roundhouse swing of her spatula.
Mousse rolled with the second blow, letting the force propel him
farther away from Ukyo. A searing sensation across his shoulders as he
landed barely registered. On some level he realized that the outer
portion of the ring was a huge cooking grill. However the rest of his
mind was concentrating on his next move.
Eager to finish Mousse off, Ukyo charged forward, only to find
herself moving headlong into a cloud of dense white smoke. The next
thing she felt was something hard sweeping her legs out from under her,
while Mousse kicked her spatula loose.
Reflexively rolling backwards out of Mousse's reach, Ukyo stretched
out her arm towards where she'd heard her weapon land. Relief flooded
through her as she grabbed hold of its haft and she quickly stood. The
sound of cloth rustling prompted her to look up, only to see Mousse
plunging towards her.
Ukyo raised her spatula to block, but felt the sickening
realization that it was already to late. Ukyo braced herself for the
impact, but that never came. Mousse's descent suddenly wavered and his
foot went wide, brushing past Ukyo.
Before Mousse recovered, Ukyo brought her spatula around and
slammed it into the side of his head. As Mousse slumped to the floor of
the ring unconscious, Ukyo looked out to see a grinning Ranma giving her
a thumbs up sign. The next thing she saw was a grateful Shampoo vault
into the ring and hug her. It was perfectly understandable that she
missed the small metal sphere which rolled up against her foot.
=================
Ukyo smiled gingerly. Despite the beating she'd received from
Mousse during the fight, she was unharmed except for a persistent ache
along her ribs. "I guess you won't have to worry about Mousse for a
while, Shampoo."
"That right. We have bigger problem though."
"Do you mean Ryoga or Ranma being stuck as Nabiki?"
"Both is problem, but Great-grandmother get Ranma in right body."
"You mean Ryoga then. Maybe you haven't noticed, Sugar, but we
aren't exactly in a position to do anything about that."
"Shampoo know what to do." The amazon held up a small paper packet
for Ukyo to inspect.
"Instant nanniichuan? Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ukyo
asked dubiously.
"Shampoo have perfect plan."
=================
Delicately probing the side of his face, Mousse winced slightly.
Ukyo must have hit him with one of her throwing spatulas as he came
down. He didn't remember it, but the last few seconds of the fight
weren't very clear in his mind.
Ukyo might have beaten him, but he wasn't finished yet. In fact,
if Ranma was still in the wrong body he might have already won. If not,
something could be arranged. The sound of the window that illuminated
his attic room creaking open drew Mousse from his contemplation.
"Hand it over, boy." The diminutive figure grinned malevolently as
he saw Mousse cower before him.
The question sent a chill down Mousse's spine. Happosai was the
last person he wanted to learn the truth of what had happened. "I don't
know what you're talking about."
"I think you do. Don't worry Mousse, we both want the same thing.
Revenge on Ranma."
Mousse hesitated. Defeating Ranma had never been more than a means
to an end for him and he'd even developed a grudging respect for his
rival. Still, Happosai would be a formidable ally. "Perhaps we do."
End Chapter 13.