apparently my file never made it (stupid email
account)
so I'm trying again.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2. I wish I did but I don't. I'm did
not write this to makle a profit. Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko
Takahashi.
Warning: I find myself without a spellchecker (don't ask) so there may
be a couple of mistakes. Help with grammar and stuff would be
appreciated.
Here Comes an Old Challenger- Chapter 2
Cologne shifted from her position on top of the roof to get a
better look at her future son-in-law as he ran to school. It has been
four days since she started following Ranma around. In that time, she
discovered that his life followed a strange routine.
In the morning, he would have an argument with his father,
Akane, or both. The run to school would follow. Depending on how the
morning's activities went, he would be running from, with, or after
Akane. The journey would always be interrupted by a fiance, a splash
of water, a rival, or any combination of them. The battles would then
continue for most of the day, subsiding rarely and briefly when they
did. That particular day, he was running _after_ Akane.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she got up and jumped to the
next roof.
'Hmmm, halfway to school and still no sign of trouble. A new
record' Cologne thought to herself.
'I wouldn't count on his luck holding out though.'
Sure enough, Tatewaki Kuno appeared from around a corner.
Brandishing his bokken, he issued a challenge that could be heard for
miles around.
"Saotome you foul sorcerer, the time has come for you to pay
for your philandering ways! I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of
Furinkan High, will bring you to justice."
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled in the distance behind him.
Once again Ranma wondered how he was able to do that. The young martial
artist was not impressed by the show, however. Yawning, he dropped into
a loose stance.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with."
Ranma's attitude drove Kuno over the edge. Raising his bokken
over his head, he charged.
"Your overconfidence will be your undoing, Saotome."
As the battle began, Cologne quickly leapt onto the street. She
was about to put her plan into action. It was quite simple really, she
would pretend to try getting the two to calm down. Then, she would take
a blow from Kuno. Using her skills, it should be easy to convince Ranma
that she needed help and that Ranma was at fault for it. However, as
she soon found out, _should_ was the key word here.
It started out perfectly. Ranma began the battle by leaping to
the air and stepping on Kuno's head. This sent the already angry
fighter into a rage. Kuno started flailing his bokken wildly, not
caring who or what he hit. Ranma liked this.
A lot of people thought Ranma was cocky and arrogant, insulting
his opponents even as they fought. The truth was this was all part of
Ranma's plan. Using his enemies rage against them, it would be a simple
matter to win. Over the years, Ranma had become a master of this art.
"Hey Kuno, I don't suppose you could actually _hit_ me with
that little stick of yours?" Ranma taunted.
"Foul sorcerer! I shall vanquish you from this world and free
the pig-tailed goddess as well as the fair Akane Tendo from your
clutches!" Kuno shouted.
Raising his bokken once more, Kuno began attacking Ranma again,
making quick thrusts that threatened to put a hole clean through Ranma
should one actually connect. However, it was clear that Ranma was
avoiding them with practiced ease, almost making it look routine.
"Stop!" A distinctly feminine voice pulled Ranma's concentration
from the match. He turned to find a beautiful girl with purple hair
running towards him. This made him wonder. Was the girl insane? Surely
she could see the damage Kuno was doing to the surroundings. Most of
the people were trying to get away from the battle, not towards it.
She looked to be Chinese, judging from the clothes she wore.
She was wearing a tight fitting dress like Shampoo. In fact, he could
almost swear she was wearing one of Shampoo's dresses. Her hair, like
Shampoo's, was purple. However, unlike his fiance, hers was a much
darker shade. She let it fall all the way down her back, gracefully
swaying in the wind. On her left wrist, she was wearing a small
bracelet. It did not stand out, just a small strip of silver wrapped
around her wrist. All in all, she looked great. This was not what
caught Ranma's attention though. He has had more than his fair share
of time with beautiful women. There was something about this girl,
something that made her seem different from the others.
There was also something vaguely familiar about her. Something
that he could not place. A feeling of deja vu, like he had already met
her when he was sure this was their first meeting.
'What the hell is she trying to do? Get herself killed?' Ranma
thought to himself.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a blow to the stomach.
Unprepared for the hit, it knocked the air out of him and sent him
flying towards a wall.
'Perfect.' Cologne thought as she stepped between the two.
She looked at Kuno. The swordsman would never be able to stop
in time due to his momentum. Preparing herself for the hit, Cologne
waited for Kuno to get to her.
"Ranma, now you die!!!"
The voice was familiar to Cologne. She knew whom it belonged to
and what the owner was planning to do. Cursing under her breath, she
turned to see what Hibiki was doing there.
Ryoga was charging at Ranma, his fist preparing to drive the
dazed Ranma into the ground. Ranma was vaguely aware of what was taking
place, but was unable to think properly.
Cologne saw that Ranma would not be able to avoid the attack.
Turning her back on Kuno, she ran to Ranma's aid, all thoughts of her
plan gone from her. This proved to be a mistake, however, as a sharp
stab of pain registered itself in her head, and she felt her ankle
give way as she fell to the ground.
Ranma saw the mysterious girl fall. The sight jolted him awake.
Quickly rising to his feet, he caught Ryoga's fist mid-strike.
"Wha... what?" Ryoga stuttered as his blow was stopped with
one hand. Struggling to free himself, he found that he could not.
'This isn't right' Ryoga thought, 'Ranma was never this strong!'
"I don't have time to play with you, P-chan!"
With those words, Ranma punted Ryoga into low orbit. Turning to
Kuno, his hands balled into fists.
"Now look what you made me do. This is all your fault Saotome."
Ranma couldn't believe his ears. Kuno just hurt a _girl_ a
defenseless _girl_ who was only trying to help. And now he was trying
to pin the blame on him. With renewed speed, he leapt at the startled
swordsman. Kuno's attempts to fight Ranma were easily overcome as he
felt blow after powerful blow hit his body.
'You... pay...' These were Kuno's last thoughts before falling
into unconsciousness, his whole body racked with pain.
Once Kuno had been dealt with, Ranma turned his attention to
the strange girl who tried to help him.
Cologne opened her eyes to see Ranma holding out his hand to
her.
"Are you okay miss?" He asked.
Cologne tried to get up, but fell back down as her ankle gave
under the weight.
'Damn' Cologne thought, 'It must be twisted or something.'
Ranma carefully took the girl's injured foot in his hands.
using knowledge gleaned from a lifetime of training, he found the
problem.
'You twisted your ankle trying to avoid the hit miss. It'll
be okay, but you won't be able to walk straight for a few days."
Cologne cursed herself for being so careless. Why had she been
in such a hurry to help Ranma anyway? She had seen him fight under
worse conditions and he always came out safe. She herself subjected him
to a lot more pain without worry. Why was she suddenly so concerned for
him?
"What's your name, miss" Ranma asked.
"My... my name?"
"Yeah. I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome." Ranma held out his hand to
help the girl up.
Taking Ranma's hand, Cologne quickly thought of a name to give.
She couldn't very well tell him the truth; it would probably scare him
away. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking about this sooner.
"I'm Co... Co..."
"Coco? That's a nice name." Ranma said.
"What? I mean... yes, Coco, that's my name." Cologne thanked
her lucky stars. It wasn't the best name in the world, but it would
have to do. Taking a step towards him, she tried to put a little weight
on her injured foot and quickly raised it again. She hasn't been in
pain for hundreds of years, and she was having trouble getting to know
it again.
"Man, I'd better get you to Doctor Tofu." Ranma said as he
watched her futile efforts to walk.
"Doctor Tofu?" Cologne feigned ignorance.
"Yeah, he's this Doctor who lives near here. He'll fix you up
in no time."
"Oh... Okay." Cologne put her arm around Ranma for support.
Feeling Ranma's well-muscled arm underneath his red Chinese shirt,
Cologne briefly wondered how it would feel to have his arms around
her.
'No, I must stick to the plan. I must stick to the plan.'
Cologne repeated this to herself like a mantra. Suddenly, she felt
Ranma pull her closer.
"You look like you're having trouble walking. Would you like me to
carry you?" Ranma asked, concern etched on his face.
"No, I'll be fine" Cologne answered. She tightened her hold
on him.
"Where were you going anyway, Coco?" Ranma asked, his curiosity
getting the better of him.
"Oh" Cologne remembered her backup story "I was heading for
Furinkan High School, I'm supposed to enroll there."
"Really?" Ranma blurted out, surprising himself with how happy
he felt that she would be going to the same school as him.
"Yes, why do you ask?" Cologne answered softly.
"Well, I go to school there too! I could take you if you want."
Just then Cologne remembered something, "Oh my! School! I've
made you late!" Ranma chuckled at her remark.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
"Nothing. It's just that no one's ever been concerned about my
school work before, myself included. Hey, were here!"
Cologne found herself entering the clinic and allowing Doctor
Tofu to have a look at her foot. She didn't really need it, as she was
already his equal in the medicinal arts, but she went through with it
anyway, to keep up her act.
"Well," Doctor Tofu finally said. "Like Ranma said, it's
twisted. It'll heal in a few days, but until then, I don't want you
to put too much pressure on it, okay."
"Yes, Doctor." Cologne replied. "Thank you."
"Hey, thanks for the help Doc, but we've gotta get going."
Ranma waved to the Doctor as he led Cologne outside to the school.
As they left, they didn't notice a white duck fly away from the
window towards the direction of the Nekohanten.
'There's something strange about that girl' Doctor Tofu thought
to himself as he watched Ranma's new friend leave. 'Even for a martial
artist, she has an awful lot of chi. And I could tell she was trying
to hide it. Oh well, she seemed nice enough.' The doctor then went
inside to tend to his other patients.
"So," Ranma asked "How'd you like him?"
"He was very nice, and this stuff he put on my foot really
works. The swelling subsided and I can hardly feel any pain."
She wasn't kidding. She really was impressed with the Doctor.
For one so young, he knew a lot. The techniques he used were highly
advanced and took years to learn. Cologne thought he must be a very
determined man to have reached the level he was at today.
They continued with idle chitchat until they reached the
school. Ignoring the stares they got from the students, they proceeded
to enroll Cologne.
"Hey!" One student shouted "Wasn't that Ranma? And isn't he
engaged to Akane? I don't believe it! He's added yet another woman to
his list of conquests!"
The story quickly spread throughout the campus, gathering in
detail as it passed from one mouth to the next. Soon, it reached the
ears of one Nabiki Tendo. Dismissing her informant with a wave of her
hand, she began to think of this new piece of news, and how it might
be of profit to her.
Ranma, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the rumors
circulating about him. He was giving Cologne a tour of the school, and
found her to be good company.
'It's nice to be able to spend time with a girl like this,'He
thought. 'No pressure involved, just hanging out.'
He was beginning to feel at ease with her. This fact was not
lost upon Cologne, as she planned her next step.
'Yes Ranma.' She thought 'Soon you will be mine... er... that
is... Shampoo's, and our honor shall be restored.'
Unknown to the two, at that very moment, Mousse was having a
very interesting conversation with Shampoo. He had thought that news
of Ranma's two-timing ways would enrage the amazon, but she seemed
strangely calm, almost as if she actually expected it.
(in chinese)
"I already know about Ranma's activities. Stop giving me such
useless information!"
"But Shampoo, by staying with that girl Ranma has betrayed your
love for him!"
"Don't be silly Mousse. I don't have the time to play your
little games. Now go deliver these bowls of ramen."
Mousse groaned as he saw the address. It was at the other side
of town. With Cologne away, he was hoping for a few days of rest.
Shampoo, however, proved to be just as much of a slave driver as her
great grandmother. His thoughts reverted to their last conversation.
Shampoo didn't even check to see if he was telling the truth. Something
was up, and he intended to find out exactly what it was.
Meanwhile, Ranma was at school waiting for Cologne to finish
enrolling. The woman at the office was giving them a hard time.
"May I know your full name please, miss?" the woman asked again.
"I've told you, it's Coco!" Cologne said, irritated.
"I meant your _full_ name. What's your last name?"
"That's it. All of it. Coco is my name and that's that!"
Cologne briefly wondered if she would have to use martial arts
to get her point across, but decided not to try anything since Ranma
was so close.
The woman sighed in defeat. "Very well, miss. If you say so.
Now, please fill out these forms in triplicate."
Cologne took one look at the stack of papers in front of her
and groaned.
'It's a good thing I know the Amaguriken.' She thought to
herself.
Stepping out of the room, she found Ranma fast asleep on the
waiting desk.
'At least he waited.' she thought as she shook him awake.
"Hey, wake up!" she yelled in his ear.
Ranma awoke with a start. He was disoriented for a second, but
seeing Cologne in front of him reminded him of where he was.
"Thanks for waking me" he mouthed groggily. Then, his eyes
suddenly opened fully as he remembered something.
"Oh yeah, to show how much I'm sorry for what happened, I'm
taking you out for a bite to eat" Ranma announced.
"You really don't have to do that you know. I understand it was
an accident." Cologne replied.
"Don't be silly, it's my fault that you got hurt so I have to
do anything I can to help you. It's a matter of honor." Ranma stated
matter-of-factly.
"Oh, alright. If you insist." Cologne found herself in front of
the Ucchan's. The place was not unknown to her. She spent a lot of time
spying on the owner before. Trying to sound convincing, she asked Ranma
about it.
"Ranma, is this the place?"
"This is the Ucchan's. It's owned by a friend of mine so don't
worry about paying. I get everything for free here." Ranma informed her.
"But I don't know your friend." Cologne reasoned.
"Don't worry, I'll introduce you to her as soon as we come in."
The moment they came in, Ukyo's face brightened.
"Ran-chan, what a pleasant surprise!" Then she saw who Ranma
was with. Looking her up from head to toe, she gave her a disdainful
look, then turned to Ranma.
"So who's your friend, Ran-CHAN?" she asked, glaring at
Cologne.
Ranma was completely oblivious to the glaring contest
between the two girls.
"Ukyo, I'd like you to meet Coco. She tried to stop a fight I
had this morning and sorta got hurt." Ranma turned to Cologne.
"Coco, this is Ukyo. She owns the Uchann's. She makes the best
Okunomiyaki in the world!" Ukyo blushed at the compliment. Taking a
step towards Cologne, she bowed.
"Hi, I'm Ukyo. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Cologne reluctantly bowed in return. She never really took the
time to get to know the girl very well. She took one look at her and
decided that she couldn't compete with Shampoo. Now, she was starting
to doubt that initial conclusion.
Ukyo looked carefully at the girl with Ranma. She was cute,
and must like Ranma a lot. A stab of jealousy overcame her.
But Ranma said she was just a friend, and he _did_ just
compliment her cooking, so she decided to hold her judgment until
later. Taking the Okunomiyaki she was cooking from the stove, she
offered it to Cologne. Taking extra time to write her customary
message of love for Ranma on his dish, she gave it to him.
"So Ukyo, how are you doing?" Ranma asked as he ate his meal.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, remember a few days ago..." Ranma started.
Ukyo's eyes brightened with recollection "Oh, forget about
that. I'm fine, see?" Ukyo did a little dance to illustrate her
point.
"Well, that's great!" Ranma said, relief evident in his voice.
He was concerned, after all. He didn't like to say it, but he cared for
all his fiances. He didn't want to see them hurt. That was partly why
it was taking him so long to make a decision.
"Ranma, I think it's time I went home."
The voice startled him. Ranma suddenly remembered that he
didn't come alone. Not knowing what to do, or how to act, he just took
her hand and lead her out.
"Bye Ukyo! And thanks for the meal!" Ranma waved at his
childhood friend. Ukyo waved back.
"Bye Ranchan! Bye Coco! You guys come again you hear!"
Later that evening, as he entered the Tendo Dojo, Ranma
noticed that something was amiss. He found Nabiki waiting for him
at the doorway.
"Home a little late aren't we?" She asked coldly. She turned
to him and smirked.
"I had something to do." Ranma answered weakly. He was tired
and had no time for another game of what-did-I-do-this-time with
Nabiki. Nabiki had no intentions of letting him go, however.
"Word has it that you've been spending a lot of time with the
new girl." Nabiki waited for him to answer.
Seeing no way out of it, Ranma just told the truth.
"She got hurt trying to stop one of my fights, so I tried to
help her." Ranma hoped he sounded convincing.
"That's all? Nothing else?" Nabiki glared at Ranma.
"Why would I even try to lie to you? You'd just find out
later." Ranma retorted.
Nabiki pondered Ranma's words for a few moments, taking note
that he didn't directly deny her accusations. Deciding that his mind
wasn't capable of such complex wordplay, she took it to be true.
Turning to him one last time, she started taking her leave.
"You better be telling the truth, Saotome." Nabiki went inside.
Seeing his way was now clear, Ranma also made his way in.
Once in her room, Nabiki again pondered this new piece to the
puzzle.
'Coco. Who is she really? My research turned up nothing. It's
highly unusual, almost as if she didn't even exist until a few days
ago.' Nabiki had no idea how close her words were to the truth.
Taking a little black notebook from her purse, she started
jotting down everything she knew about the new arrival.
'No matter what you're hiding, I'll find out.' she thought to
herself. 'It's only a matter of time."
End chapter 2
Author's notes:
Another chapter done. This is turning out to be longer
than I thought. If you have any comments, questions, or ideas do not
hesitate to email me at ex_fuk@yahoo.com or ex_fuk@edsamail.com.ph .
C&C should go there too. (I luv C&C)
Thanks to all my prereaders, especially Sonny 'Pu Tang Pie'
Taing, and Slyke. Sonny, what the hell is 'Pu Tang Pie' supposed to
mean anyway?
Work on chapter three is already starting, and it will arrive
soon.
I read a very helpful post that you should reply to all the
comments you get. Through circumstances beyond my control, I was not
able to do this before. Now, however, I can. If you want to be _sure_
that I'll reply, send C&C to ex_fuk@edsamail.com.ph . I'll read it
for sure there. (It would be better if you sent it during the night-
time time of the day) To all those who commented before that I wasn't
able to reply to, gomen nasai. I will (try to) reply in the future.
Please don't think I'm an ingrate, it's just that I _can't_ reply
sometimes. Please bear with me.