The Amazon and the Moneylender: Episode 4, Part 1:
Home Again!
------------------------------------------------------
"Hey, Dr. Tofu," Ukyou called out as she and Ryouga
entered the clinic. She was finally back, and with any
luck it would stay that way. "Sorry I'm late."
"Gromph?" Ukyou and Ryouga turned to face the giant
panda sweeping the clinic lobby.
"Oh, hi Mr. Saotome," Ryouga said calmly. "Are we
very late?"
"Gromph, grom grom," the panda held up a sign that
read. "You're only ten minutes late, how is that
possible?" A large drop of sweat rolled down Ryouga's
forehead.
"Err," Ryouga sounded embarrassed. "We took taxis."
The sign flipped around and read "Oh, that explains
it."
"Miss Kuonji," Dr. Tofu said as he walked into the
room. "This is the first time you've ever been late
for an appointment. Usually you're punctual to the
point of obsession."
"What do you mean?" Ukyou asked.
"You noticed that too?" Ryouga blurted out.
*CLANG*
"Have you been taking lessons from Akane?"
Genma-Panda's sign asked. Ukyou narrowed her eyes.
*CLANG*CLANG*CLANG*
"Why'd you do that?" Ryouga asked, rubbing his head
as he stood up.
"I need an excuse to hit Genma?" Ukyou asked. "Does
anybody?" Ryouga thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah, I guess not," he finally agreed.
"Traitor," the battered panda's sign read.
"You know, now that I think about it," Ryouga said
after seeing the sign. "Ranma kicked me towards the
cliff, I think it was My. Panda here that originally
forced me into that leap."
"I have to go, work to do," Genma's new sign read.
"Bye." The panda wasted no time in leaving the room.
"I see you're using that arm despite what I said,"
Dr. Tofu noted as he circled Ukyou critically.
"Well....it felt alright," Ukyou said tentatively.
"That's okay, you're actually right on schedule."
"What!!? But you said-*"
"Yes, well, I knew you'd ignore that, so I added to
my estimate."
"You what?"
"Roughly doubled all my the estimates of how long
you'd be in the sling and cast."
"But I've already been in the cast the entire
month!!"
"Yes, very surprising."
"You mean I could have been out of this contraption
all this time!?!"
Kodachi silently marveled at the Tendo dojo. As
always she wondered how they could rest so easy at
night without even the most basic of booby traps. Of
course they did seem to be quite nervous, except for
that nice Kasumi woman that had prepared the second
guest room for her. The two fathers, on the other
hand, seemed to clear the room whenever Kodachi
appeared. The gymnast hadn't yet figured out why they
should be so jumpy around her.
At the moment Kodachi was enjoying a nice quiet
meal after school. She had taken a gamble and was
surprised when it paid off. Apparently there were no
drugs in this soup Kasumi had made. Then she heard the
door open and soon there was whispering coming from
the kitchen. Finally, her Ranma-Darling was home.
Kodachi then narrowed her eyes and wondered where
Mousse was. She had yet to thank him properly for
saving her life. So it was now a matter of duty and
honor to make sure that he won the heart of that
blue-haired bimbo. The gymnast paused in her thinking
to complain about Shampoo flirting around with all the
men. Then she went back to plotting. Mousse deserved
to be happy, and if saddling him with Shampoo was what
it was going to take then so be it.
At this point she realized that she had forgotten
all about her "Ranma-Darling." The gymnast gasped and
rose from the table immediately.
"Kasumi, what's Kodachi doing in the dining room,"
Akane asked nervously. She and Ranma looked beat,
having spent most of the night searching for the Ukyou
look alike. Then they had to go to school. So it had
roughly been thirty-six hours since either of them had
really slept. Not that martial artists of their
caliber lost much capability until somewhere around a
week without sleep, but like anybody, they preferred
to get it regularly.
"Oh, Mousse brought her by last night while you
were out," Kasumi explained.
"Okay, but that still doesn't explain what she's
doing here now," Akane pressed a little. Ranma was a
little ways down the hall keeping an eye on the dining
room entrance way.
"Well, apparently she needed a place to stay,"
Kasumi told them calmly.
"And you let her stay here," Ranma protested as
quietly as he could.
"Well I couldn't just refuse her," Kasumi explained
further. "Poor dear, seemed to be in a state of
shock."
"Rannma-Darling," the high-pitched voice elicited a
shiver from Ranma and Akane both. "I'm sooo happy to
see you." She didn't seem in shock at all, in fact she
seemed to be her normal clingy self.
"Uhh.....Kodachi!" Ranma screeched. "What are you
doing here?" Her familial problems aside, Ranma and
Akane still thought of Kodachi as a rather dangerous
lunatic.
"I hope you don't mind me staying here," Kodachi
leaned against the petrified Ranma and twirled his
ponytail around in her fingers.
"Hey!" Akane protested. The mallet appeared in her
hands.
"But you see, I had a little disagreement with my
brother," she got that out just as the mallet crushed
Ranma into the ground.
"In front of my sister no less!" Akane shouted.
"Excuse me, did you just say that you had a
disagreement with your brother."
"Why yes, though I don't see what business it is of
yours," Kodachi jabbed her face at Akane.
"Ummm," Akane started, sounding embarrassed. "Are
you okay?"
"He was a little more upset than usual, but Mousse
kept things from going too far," Kodachi answered.
"Why do you care?"
"Well," Akane said, mildly insulted. "I didn't..."
Ranma interrupted her.
"Oh, we're just interested in tracking him down,"
he said, changing the subject almost completely. Akane
glared at him.
"Well, I have no idea where he is right now,"
Kodachi said snobbishly. "I think that little toad of
his took him off somewhere."
"Well, if you'll excuse us now, we're very tired,"
Ranma said, doing his best to nudge Akane around and
away from Kodachi. "We can't find him now anyway."
"Hmm, yes." Kodachi answered. "And I have my own
affairs to attend to. Ta Ta!!
OO-hahahahahahahahahaha!!!" Kodachi started leaping
away in her normal fashion.
"What was that all about!?!" Akane demanded as she
malleted Ranma into the ground.
"Oww!!" Ranma said. "Sheesh, I was just trying to
keep the property damage to a minimum. She's still
calling them 'disagreements.' I doubt she'd admit that
Kuno beats her up and doubt even more that she'd like
it brought up."
"Like you're an expert on abuse," Akane snorted.
Ranma looked at her and then walked to his room.
"Yeah, the only thing I know about is fighting,"
Ranma replied, closing the door behind him.
"What's his problem?" Akane asked before yawning
and going to her own room.
"Oh beauteous Shampoo," Mousse began before he was
slammed into the Cat Cafe wall.
"Stupid Mousse get out of way," Shampoo said. She
was thinking. "Money-girl very smart, but wish she
hurry up and set up crazy-girl and Mousse."
"Why can't you get it through your thick head that
Shampoo doesn't want you," Cologne asked Mousse.
"That right, Shampoo love..." Cologne regarded her
great-granddaughter as she paused in brief confusion.
"...Ranma...yes...Shampoo love Ranma."
"Ah ha!" Mousse declared pointing. "You hesitated!
If you don't love Ranma, then who else could you
love?"
"Shampoo love Ranma," Shampoo insisted strongly
again. "Who else?"
"Ranma, eh," he smirked. "Not Airen?"
"Did you manage to find the Kuno girl yesterday,
Mousse?" Cologne asked half-bored, trying to change
the subject. It was more than decently successful.
"Crazy-girl, take your head off?"
"She's not crazy," Mousse protested. He paused and
considered the problem of pairing the undeserving
Saotome with Kodachi. Mousse had thought that he had
detected a hint of sympathy while the arrogant fool
was watching Kodachi's tapes. Perhaps he could use
that. Kodachi deserved to be happy and well if she
wanted Saotome, oh well. There was no accounting for
taste.
"Who you kidding?" Shampoo asked.
"You shouldn't judge someone so quickly," Mousse
countermanded, not noticing that he was arguing with
his "Lady Love."
"Could you get started working so Shampoo can get
in her training for the day?" Cologne asked irritably.
"Certainly," Mousse said, in an equally annoyed
tone. Shampoo just shrugged and started walking out
the door.
"Hey chief," Yuka called as she jogged up to join
the strolling Nabiki. "You were right, we've been
getting a lot of bet calls involving Copycat Ken since
yesterday."
"Copycat Ken," Nabiki repeated. "Just what I need
right now." Sayuri joined them at a much more sedate
pace than Yuka.
"It seems that Tatewaki Kuno was released yesterday
as well," she said. "But I suspect that you already
knew that." Nabiki snorted, she hadn't, but she'd
assumed it. There was no reason other reason for a
duplicate Ukyou to be in that part of town.
They were walking around the small park, going no
particular place, and talking all the way.
"So what do you want to do about Kuno?" Yuka asked.
"Contact that ninja again?"
"Unfortunately, he might think I'm legitimate, but
I don't think he cares." Nabiki stomped her foot, she
couldn't imagine a ninja hiding the kind of
information that was on those tapes from his
superiors.
"Hey, isn't that Shampoo," Sayuri asked. Nabiki
looked up the trail towards a clearing where the
amazon was running katas. Nabiki paused in walking,
and watched for a moment. Nabiki had seen numerous
fights and refereed more than a few matches herself.
She decided in watching Shampoo train that it was a
great travesty that she had never been able to see
many of Shampoo's best matches.
"Her form is...very good," Nabiki noted. She
watched the smooth dance-like movements almost rapt by
the near perfection. Nabiki wished momentarily that
she could fight that well, and of course there was
that body. Nabiki sighed desolately.
"Chief?" Yuka asked tentatively. "Anything wrong?"
"Don't you ever wish you could have that?" Nabiki
asked.
"Have what?" Sayuri started, then an uncomfortable
thought struck her. "Shampoo?"
"What gave you that idea?" Nabiki snapped. "The
skill and the beauty, you know?"
"Right, of course, what was I thinking?"
"Hey, let's go to the diner and pool the info on
Sasuke, Ken, and Kuno."
"What about the Kodachi/Mousse project?" the
questioner was Yuka.
"Or the various betting pools?"
"And the watches on Cologne and Happosai?" Nabiki
sighed, she was too strung out, information was taking
too long to get to her. She was the mistress of
Nerima, but usually activity in the area was limited
to one or two plots centering on Ranma. She had to
admit that her network wasn't prepared for dealing
with so many projects at once. The yakuza had almost
slipped an operation past her last week. They had
already set up their equipment by the time Nabiki
could arrange for the police to receive an anonymous
tip.
Nabiki forced herself to turn away from the
spectacle of Shampoo and start walking out of the
park.
"Well we can't let anybody know we're stretched
out," Nabiki noted first. "The watches on Cologne and
Happosai stay, I want to know their plans before they
do. Leave the normal staff on the betting pools.
Everybody else keep an eye out for Kuno and friends."
"And Kodachi and Mousse?"
"Let's take care of Kuno first," Nabiki said. "The
other won't matter so much if Kuno kills his sister."
Nabiki didn't yet know that the would-be samurai had
already tried.
"Hey, money-girl!" they all stopped when they heard
Shampoo's voice calling out. The amazon leaped down to
them. "Shampoo want talk to you."
"Sure," Nabiki answered without hesitation. Sayuri
and Yuka sighed in frustration. "There's a good
place."
"That theatre," Shampoo noted flatly.
"Yeah, so?"
"I pick movie this time." Nabiki thought about for
a moment.
"Make it good."
"Aiya," Shampoo said happily and then she started
toward the theatre, Nabiki following soon after.
"What is with those two?" Yuka asked.
"Must be a lot of money involved somewhere."
*CLANG*
Ryouga was smacked into the ground. He noticed that
the hit wasn't as hard this time, he decided it might
have something to do with the fact that Ukyou had hit
him with a one handed smash. Her other hand was
occupied in holding her the foot of her formerly
broken leg off the ground. She was hopping around and
grimacing in a combination of pain and anger.
"What was that for?" Ryouga demanded.
"Watch where you're walking will you," Ukyou told
him. "My leg still hurts a little you know."
"Oh, sorry," Ryouga said sheepishly as he stood up
and scratched his head. "Do you need help?" Ukyou
rolled her eyes and then laughed in pleased surprise.
"Hey, its a new Jackie Chan movie!!"
"A what?" Ryouga asked.
"A Jackie Chan movie," Ukyou repeated, as if that
explained everything. "Don't you know who Jackie Chan
is?"
"Of course," Ryouga said. "He's one of the best
martial artists around, they made a movie about him?"
Ukyou rolled her eyes and then half limped, dragging
Ryouga along.
"Come on, let's go see it," Ukyou demanded. "We've
missed the day for opening Ucchan's anyway."
"I guess so, I don't much like documentaries
though."
"Would you prefer Titanic?"
"Jackie Chan it is!"
"Miss Kuno," Cologne addressed Kodachi as she
entered the Cat Cafe. "It is a pleasure to see you
again."
"Really?" Kodachi asked with a hint of disbelief.
She sat down at a table and waited for service.
"Kodachi?" Mousse asked with a little surprise.
"Oh, there you are," Kodachi declared, she was
wondering how he recognized her. "And where is
Shampoo?"
"She's out training somewhere," Mousse said
non-commitally, watching her carefully. She seemed
alright now.
"Well if that's all the enthusiasm your going to
show," Kodachi started in mock annoyance. "I see no
reason for you to have my help."
"And how was Saotome this morning?"
"Ranma didn't get in until after school," Kodachi
answered. "Hey and the Tendo girl were tired and went
to bed soon after that."
"That's not a good sign," Mousse said. Kodachi
scowled at him.
"Hey, blind boy!" they heard Cologne yell. "Take
her order and get to the other customers!"
"Alright, you old ghoul," Mousse grumbled, he
turned back to Kodachi. "So what do you want?"
"Hmm, I'll have the chicken-beef special," Kodachi
said. "And one of those American sodas, Dr. Pepper.
Always wanted to try those."
"Okay," Mousse wrote it down. "Be right back."
"I shall be here."
"Jackie Chan is an...actor?" Ryouga said again for
perhaps the tenth time.
"Shh," Ukyou ordered. "Yeah, just like Bruce Lee
and Chuck Norris."
"Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris made movies!?!!" Ryouga
shouted bolting to a standing position. He was
answered with a chorus of shushes and Ukyou jerking
him back down.
"Quiet, people are trying to enjoy the movie."
Ryouga continued to watch somewhat confused. He didn't
know whether to laugh or cry, as far as he was
concerned this was fairly close to blaspheme. It was a
hilarious movie however.
A little further down in the theatre, Shampoo and
Nabiki were among those shushing Ryouga.
"Really, I can't believe some people," Nabiki
complained.
"That sound familiar," Shampoo said. Nabiki agreed,
but she was trying to relax right now. On the screen
Jackie and two of the female sidekicks were running
every which way trying to escape a bunch of hit men of
some sort. There were a couple of really funny scenes
after they hit the car chase, and Shampoo and Nabiki
started laughing trying to keep it quiet.
Shampoo leaned over and tapped on Nabiki's
shoulder.
"Maybe Ranma take romance lessons from Jackie Chan
movies," she suggested. Both girls burst out in
hysterical laughter, leaning on each other for
support. They stood out from the rest of the audience
only a little, laughter being fairly prevalent in
scattered patches through the theatre.
"Um, Shampoo," Nabiki started as they both calmed
down.
"Nabiki?" Shampoo asked catching her breath.
"Where's your hand?" They both asked at nearly the
same time. Well, Shampoo's came out more like "Where
hand," but you get the picture.
They both looked down to where Shampoo was
apparently copping a feel on Nabiki's breast, and
Nabiki seemed to have a handful of Shampoo's thigh.
They turned beet red and virtually slammed back into
their seats, paying exaggerated attention to the
movie.
Ukyou noticed a couple, she couldn't tell anymore
than that, apparently making out a few rows down. At
least they had been until something embarrassed them,
Ukyou thought it was a good idea.
She looked over towards Ryouga and saw that he was
still sulky, but at least he was starting to relax a
little. The lost boy didn't notice at first when Ukyou
raised the arm between her seat and his. He noticed
however when Ukyou leaned back and snuggled against
his chest.
"Hey, we're in public," he protested quietly, more
out of habit than any real complaint. This was proved
by the fact that he shifted his position to allow her
easy access up to his lap.
"Be quiet and no one will notice," she whispered.
Circling her arms backward around his head and
shoulders. His arms circled her waist and he leaned
his head on her shoulder. They both just quietly
watched the movie and enjoyed each other's presence.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com