The Amazon and the Moneylender: Episode 7, Part 1: The
Black Eye Blues
-------------------------------------------------------
Ukyou blinked awake and groaned. She had obviously
not quite figured out the technique. Otherwise she
wouldn't be waking up from daze.
"Well that was a stupid idea," she muttered,
gripping her head. She struggled out of the rope
contraption and stood wearily to her feet. "Face it
girl, there are some techniques you just don't
practice alone. Especially not just because you want
to kill a couple of hours." Looking around, she
noticed it was daylight. That meant she'd been
unconscious for quite awhile.
"Well, I'm lucky that's all that happened," Ukyou
said. "I guess it's on to the Tendo dojo." She pulled
out a hand mirror so she could make sure she at least
looked clean after lying in the dirt for a while. She
regarded her reflection only a moment before blinking
and screaming.
"He's going to kill me," she sighed. "I can already
hear the 'I told you so.' This is just perfect."
Ukyou sucked in her breath outside the door. This
was going to be very embarrassing.
"Oh, hello Ukyou," Dr. Tofu said as the chef
entered his room. "What happened to your face."
"Well, you see," Ukyou started.
"It looks like you smashed your face into a large
boulder."
"Uhh�It's just a black eye."
"Yes, but it has a very distinctive shape," Ukyou
swallowed as he said it, just what she needed. "I'd
almost say you were practicing the bakusai tenketsu
technique without supervision, but even Ryouga didn't
do that." Ukyou growled.
"Can you make it go away or not?"
"Go away? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, is there a chance that this will be gone by
say," she thought about it for a moment. If Ryouga
were on his own, she'd have plenty of time, but Nabiki
would be there. "Tomorrow?"
"No, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for it to
heal," Dr. Tofu shrugged, he stood up and took a
moment to circle her and probe her head. "Fortunately
you don't seem to have any other injuries really."
"Thank goodness for small favors," she grumbled.
"Oh, hello Ukyou," Kasumi said as she opened the
door to the nervously pacing chef. "Where's Ryouga?
And what happened to your eye?"
"That's�embarrassing, hey where is everybody?"
"We're all here," the woman answered. "Do you want
to speak to Ranma and Akane."
"As many of you at the same time as possible,"
Ukyou said.
"Well then, perhaps you should," Ukyou brushed past
her quickly. "come in, oh dear." Ukyou came to the
living room and saw that everybody was there. Akane
and Ranma were sort of playfully insulting each other
near the television while Genma and Soun were playing
shogi. Aside from the obvious lack of Nabiki's
presence everything was normal.
"Hey, Ucchan," Ranma called out as he saw Ukyou
enter the room. "Is that a black eye?"
"Huh, yes," Ukyou admitted. "But anyway�"
"How did you get a black eye?"
"Uh, I was going to tell you�"
"Is it Kuno?" Akane asked, eyes narrowed.
"No, I have not seen Kuno," Ukyou affirmed.
"Anyway�"
"So how did you get the black eye then?" Ukyou sort
of mumbled something.
"What did you say?"
"Bakusai Tenketsu," she mumbled. Then she continued
in louder clear voice. "But I was coming to say�"
"You're taking the Breaking Point training?" Ranma
blinked. "Wait a minute, you didn't have injuries
before Ryouga got lost this last time."
"Okay, so I was trying to do it on my own," Ukyou
admitted. "But�"
"You could have asked me to help," Akane suggested.
"Or Kasumi, somebody to make sure you didn't get too
hurt. Even Ranma could do that."
"Huh? What's that supposed to�"
"Ryouga found Nabiki!" Ukyou shouted, tired
irritably.
"Oh, this is wonderful, " Kasumi said.
"How did that boy find anyone?"
"Well, she apparently tried to fight Co�"
"Copycat Ken!?!"
"Mousse should have let me finish him,
"Oh my, is she hurt?"
"She sounded fine when I talked to her," Ukyou
said. "And she's on her way back."
"Why didn't you say that in the first place."
"I've been TRYING," Ukyou growled.
"No offense, Ukyou," Genma noted. "But you don't
seem very concerned about Ryouga traveling alone with
Nabiki." Ukyou sighed exasperatedly, only Genma would
consider bringing up a subject like that.
"I know there is no way Nabiki is going to try and
seduce Ryouga," she said confidently.
"Actually I was talking about the financial
danger." Ukyou looked at him for a moment and
swallowed.
"I�hadn't thought of that."
"Ryouga, just what do you think you are doing?"
"I'm looking for my Chinese money," he said. "We're
going to have to pay for the plane ticket after all."
"Ryouga I can�" Nabiki's eyes popped wide as the
first bundles of money started appearing.
"Ahh, here they are," he said. "What were you
saying?"
"Oh, nothing, though I hope you don't mind that I
made a few calls with your phone on our way here," she
said, eyeing the bundles he was replacing. Ryouga
regarded her suspiciously. At least she was acting
normal again, that meant he had to watch himself of
course. Of course, this was Nabiki, keeping an eye
open wouldn't be very much help. "The counter is the
other way."
"Oh, heh," he sweatdropped and then stepped into
line. Looking back Nabiki was still eyeing him
speculatively, scratching at the edges of the bandage
on her face. He grinned nervously and sweatdropped.
"Sir," the counter attendant said in Chinese. "May
I help you?"
"Two tickets to Tokyo, please," he answered. The
attendant's mouth dropped as Ryouga started laying
down the cost of the tickets in large bills.
"Where do you get your money?" Nabiki asked him
politely.
"Inheritance."
"Stop," Ryouga halted in mid step. "Maybe it would
be better if I took the lead perhaps?"
"Errr�heh."
"Now, on to more important matters," Nabiki pulled
a calculator out of somewhere, probably related to the
same dimensional pocket where mallets and bandannas
resided.
"What you doing here?" Shampoo asked irritably.
Ukyou arched an eyebrow as she cast her eye about the
competition. "What happen to face?"
"Not this again."
"Kuonji-san, you look like you lost a fight."
"Either that or that's the biggest hickie I've ever
seen," Kodachi laughed.
"None of those are in view," Ukyou retorted, then
turned beet red.
"What?"
"Never mind, what I was�"
"You seem to have acquired Ranma's foot in mouth
disease," Mousse noted.
"Can we just forg�"
"So what DID happen?"
"Ukyou," the chef rounded on the short, ancient
Amazon. "Has Ryouga been teaching you the Bakusai
Tenketsu?"
"How did�.?"
"I've been training Amazons for nearly my entire
three hundred years," the old-ghoul cackled. "You
learn to recognize the signs."
"She should no know breaking point."
"Ryouga has mastered the technique beyond anything
I have heard of," Cologne noted. "It is his to teach
as he sees fit, but perhaps she shouldn't be trying to
practice without someone to watch her."
"Alright, alright, so I was stupid!"
"And what were you here for anyway, girl," Cologne
asked. "It most certainly wasn't to embarrass
yourself. This could have something to do with Nabiki
returning?"
"How did you�?"
"You can feel it," Cologne said, nebulously. In
truth she could tell by the hidden flurry of activity
in Nabiki's network, but Cologne liked to give
everything a mystical appearance.
"Why you bother telling us," Shampoo hmphed.
"Yes, she is coming back," Ukyou confirmed, eyeing
Shampoo. "Ryouga found her in China�fighting with
Ken." Shampoo dropped her platter. ~Yeah, she really
doesn't care.~ Ukyou thought sarcastically.
"Oh, stupid money-girl," Shampoo snapped.
"Nabiki Tendo�fighting?" Kodachi blinked.
"That would be like one us trying to take over
Sony."
"Was she seriously hurt?" Cologne inquired.
"She sounded fine," Ukyou said. "Ken's dead."
"Good, the little-imitator deserves that," Kodachi
hmphed.
"Well, this will make our task a little more
difficult," Cologne sighed. "But it is good news
nonetheless."
"Yeah, just thought you should know," Ukyou waved,
about to leave and then paused and turned around.
"Wait a minute, he works here, they live here, and why
are you always here now?"
"Just what are you talking about," Kodachi
demanded.
"We double-check food while she here."
"Yes, it is getting moderately nerve-racking."
"You've never found anything," Mousse noted.
"Never mind, I don't have the time right now,"
Ukyou said walking out waving her hands dismissing the
situation.
"Well, I never," soon after the chef left, a school
girl walked in. Yuka smiled as she walked up to
Cologne.
"You don't seem to be here for the food, girl,"
Cologne said.
"Actually, I'd like a ramen special, to go please,"
the girl directed an envelope towards Cologne. "The
chief gave me a message for you."
"I see," Cologne took it and opened the envelope,
reading the contents. "Thank you, Shampoo see to her
ramen please."
"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo grumbled. "Stupid
money-girl not send me letter." Kodachi and Mousse
eyed the envelope curiously, wondering just what
correspondence Nabiki could have with the old ghoul.
Any cooperation between those two was likely to be
incredibly dangerous.
"Intriguing," Cologne said, "I'll agree to meet
with her."
"Sugoi," Yuka smiled wider as she smelled her ramen
on its way. "Arigatou." She waved upon leaving the
restaurant.
"You're busy today," Kodachi noted. A bowl of ramen
appeared in front of her. "What's this?"
"As long as you are here you should at least look
like a customer," Cologne noted.
"Thank you, I think," Kodachi and Mousse glanced at
each other and then the bowl of ramen. As Cologne
walked off she muttered. "What goes around comes
around?"
"I wouldn't put it past her," Mousse said. They
both glanced at the bowl of ramen suspiciously.
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"Well, it works better before the bruise develops,"
Akane admitted. "But it couldn't hurt."
"So you've done this before?" Ukyou asked.
"Actually, no," Ukyou lifted the steak off her face
to stare at Akane. "I've seen Ranma do it though."
"You're telling me that this is a RANMA plan?"
"Hey," Akane snorted. "Considering how many fights
he gets in you'd think he'd know something about
this."
"Okay, that's a good point," Ukyou admitted.
"And why are you so concerned anyway," Akane asked.
"I do have my pride."
"Well, just put the meat back over your face and
let that bruise soak."
"Yeah, yeah," Ukyou grumbled.
"So why aren't you worried about Nabiki and Ryouga
traveling together?" Akane asked.
"Uh�" Ukyou tried to come up with a good answer
that didn't involve telling Akane that her sister had
a thing for Shampoo.
"I mean none the girls around her a very good when
it comes to jealousy," Akane thought about that for a
moment. "Well except for Kasumi."
"When has Nabiki ever shown the slightest amount of
interest in any of the guys around here?" Ukyou asked.
"And as for Ryouga, he's way too�."
"Na�ve?"
"Well close enough."
"Hey, Ucchan," Ukyou waved cheerfully as she saw
Ranma and Akane walking outside the Tendo dojo. Akane
had been right, the bruise had come down a little, it
was still there, maybe he wouldn't recognize the
source. Then she could make a less embarrassing story.
"Hey guys," she looked around. "Anybody seen
Shampoo."
"Why would she want to come?"
"Oh, no reason."
"Hmm, something smells like beef." Ukyou blinked
and sniffed the air. Then she glared at the
sweatdropping Akane.
"Thanks for the advice, by the way."
"Uh�.no problem," Akane said nervously.
"Okay, what'd I say now?"
"Let's just get to the airport," Ukyou snapped. "Okay?"
=====
"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
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