All Ranma characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, first published
by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by Viz
Communications. Variable Geo is produced by KSS, and brought over to
the states by ADV films.
A Ranma/Variable Geo Crossover fic: "Variable Half"
or: "We have to do WHAT!?!"
Chapter 3
Jun Kubota watched in surprise as the small red haired girl that had
just defeated her in their VG match bounded away over the rooftops and
disappeared out of sight moments later. "So that was Ranma Saotome."
She mused to herself. "I get the feeling I'm going to be seeing lots
more of that girl." Jun frowned to herself and headed toward her
motorcycle. "I'd better go see if I can find out where this Akane is
fighting. If Ranma is right, she really should know what she's getting
herself into."
********************
Ranma arrived at the coffeehouse and restaurant that Akane was
supposed to be working for, only to find it practically deserted. She
looked around frantically and spotted a crowd down the street at a
nearby Bar and Grill. Following a hunch, Ranma sprinted over to the
crowd and started pushing her way through. The various murmurs running
through the crowd confirmed her suspicion.
"It's a fight?" Someone asked quietly.
"A VG match." Another said authoritatively. "I've seen this girl
fight before... she puts on a great show."
Ranma growled and shoved her way through the crowd even faster,
ignoring the angry protests of those she displaced.
The bouncer at the door tried to stop the determined red head.
"Hey, wait a minute...." The large, over-muscled goon in jeans and a
white tee shirt that was stretched to its limits reached for Ranma's
arm.
Ranma evaded his grasp and was about to deck him when she abruptly
changed tactics. "Hey mister...." The petite red head blinked
winsomely at the large man with her best puppy impression. "My friend
is fighting in there. Can't I go in and cheer her on?"
The large man hesitated, then his eyes went wide as he got a better
look at her. "Oh! You won the match across town, right? Sure, go
ahead." His statement drew a gasp of surprise from the crowd and Ranma
slipped quickly inside to avoid the sudden tumult. Ranma came into the
bar just in time to see Akane stalking firmly unto the dance floor,
which was apparently set up as a VG ring.
An attractive woman sat casually on a piano near the ring, fanning
herself casually as she watched Akane approach the ring. "Is this my
opponent?" She murmured, pouting. "I hope you'll provide me with an
interesting match."
The woman was tall with long pinkish/purple hair. She wore a
daringly cut pink and red, plaid, shoulderless shirt that left her
midriff bare up to the point where you could almost see the bottoms of
her breasts, and a black leather mini skirt held up by a pair of black
suspenders. A pair of dangling earrings and a gold bracelet on her
right wrist, along with her half lidded, almost asleep expression gave
Ranma the impression of someone not very serious about fighting... an
impression Ranma figured to be ninety percent pretense... at the least.
Akane was much more conservatively dressed, in a puffy sleeved white
blouse, a small pink vest, and a long pink skirt, which was apparently
the waitress outfit of the coffee shop she worked for. In contrast to
her prospective opponent, Akane was anything but relaxed, tense with
anticipation. Obviously having felt a bit hampered by the length of the
skirt, which would have otherwise have hung around her ankles, Akane had
tucked part of the hem in her waist band, revealing a long expanse of
leg in the process.
Ranma blushed upon realizing that she could almost see her fiancee's
panties from her current vantage point. "Akane!" She hissed from the
side of the dance floor. "Akane!"
The youngest Tendo glanced over to see the red head waving her
over. "What is it, Ranma? Can't you see I'm busy now?" Akane glanced
from side to side, trying to keep her voice down.
Ranma shook her head. "You gotta listen, Akane! You don't know
what you're getting into!"
Akane looked angry. "So you don't think I can handle myself in a
fight, do you? I'll show you, Ranma." The short haired girl marched
over to the pillar in one corner of the dance floor and shoved her card
in. "Akane Tendo of the Tendo Dojo."
Ranma started to panic. "No! Akane don't!!!"
Akane glared at her fiancee again before turning toward her opponent
firmly. "I challenge you."
The woman smiled slowly and stretched, standing up in a purposefully
sensual manner. "Yuki Ayako." She stated, casually slipping her own
card into its slot. "I accept.... You will try your hardest to be
entertaining, won't you?"
Akane dropped into a guard stance and started moving forward when
Ayako leaped, literally, into motion. The tall woman's leap carried her
clear over Akane in a flash, her long, bare legs nearing the roof for a
moment before landing down just behind the younger girl. Akane reacted
too slowly to the move, losing sight of her opponent in the flashing
lighting coming from the ceiling.
Ayako roughly pulled Akane's left arm back, pinning her and grabbing
her from behind, holding her close. The seductive beauty slid her right
hand down over Akane's shoulder and cupped the younger girl's left
breast. "Why should we fight? I can think of much more... fun things
to do." She squeezed Akane's breast lightly for emphasis.
"Why you!!!" With a growl, Akane broke loose, lashing out at Ayako
with a series of punches, followed by a kick, all of which Ayako
effortlessly dodged, appearing to be slightly bored. It was so
reminiscent of her first fight with Ranma that Akane's fury redoubled,
as did her self-doubt. < I can't touch her!> Akane thought
frantically. < I won't lose. I can't!>
Ayako brought a fan out from its resting-place in her cleavage and
waved it in front of her face calmly. "You have such beautiful skin, my
dear. Such a shame to cover it all up...." A whoop went up from the
crowd as several of the regular patrons realized what was up. The
purple haired waitress winked to the crowd and promptly swiped her fan
across Akane's body, tearing her outfit, first up, then down, jumping
back as Akane counter-attacked.
The fan had torn Akane's blouse open across her stomach, ripped the
puffy left shoulder completely away, and torn her skirt down the right
side from the waist down, all in just under a second. Without pausing
Ayako stepped back in, slashing between Akane's breasts, tearing off her
right sleeve and slashing away half of the front of Akane's skirt before
dancing away once more. On the sidelines, Ranma visibly winced at each
cut, as Akane's already poor defenses became nearly nonexistent as she
lost her concentration.
Akane fought back sloppily, her face turning bright red from anger
and embarrassment. < Everyone can see my bra...> *Rip!* <and my
panties....> *Rip, Rip, Rip* < Oh Kami, there goes the rest of my
blouse!> Akane stepped quickly back, retreating from Ayako in a near
panic. < Is she planning on stripping me naked in front of all these
people?>
Ranma's voice suddenly came to her through the din of the hooting,
cheering crowd. "Don't let her get to you, Akane! Don't lose your
focus! Don't get mad!"
Akane kicked out to keep Ayako at bay for a second longer as she
tried to think. < Don't get mad.... That's it! She's got me rattled,
I'm doing exactly what she wants me to.> A moment later Akane flipped
away, even as Ayako finished removing Akane's shoes and socks with her
fan. < Ouch.> Akane winced as she landed. < She cut my foot... a
little.> Her eyes widened for an instant. < That's it!> She stumbled
on her hurt foot, falling forward and presenting her chest to Ayako as
she forced herself to calm down and focus. < She's using my emotions
against me... I only have one shot at this.>
Ayako took the proffered bait, darting forward and aiming for the
hollow between Akane's breasts with her fan. Akane stopped her fall at
the last second and hit the other woman with a right hook in the chin
even as Ayako's fan swept up. Focusing past all outside distractions,
Akane hit the stunned girl again, knocking her back and down with every
ounce of energy she had, slamming the taller woman into the disco floor
hard enough to crack it.
Akane stood there panting for several long moments as Ayako lay
senseless and the crowd held its breath, the majority of them staring at
Akane's unfettered breasts. A bell suddenly rang and a now familiar
looking L.E.D. screen lit up, with the side facing Akane lighting up,
and the middle of the five squares at the bottom lighting up.
Akane heard Ranma's hushed whisper over the crowd's sudden cheers
and whistles. "Psss! Akane... Akane!"
The short-haired girl turned to face the petite redhead, looking
cross. "What is it? I won, didn't I? Ha, I bet you didn't think I
could do it!"
Ranma blushed furiously, glancing away while pointing towards
Akane's middle. "Akane! Your chest!" Akane glanced down and then
around at the gaping crowd, then blushed bright red and immediately
covered her breasts with her arms.
Back at the Tendo home, Kasumi was peeking out between her fingers
while Nabiki just sighed, not looking away from the television.
"Sheesh, Akane, you didn't have to give the whole world a free look, did
you?" She shook her head. "I could have gotten you a much better
deal."
Kasumi blinked at her younger sister. "Oh my! Nabiki, when did you
start selling pornography?"
Nabiki winced. < Oops.> "Um, Kasumi... Sis... it's not what you
think."
Kasumi didn't seem to notice her protest and rambled on. "I mean,
if Akane-chan is going to be a stripper, at least she should do it more
professionally!"
Nabiki blinked. "Um, Sis, I don't think you're quite getting the
concept here...."
Back in the bar, Akane had broken into tears and run off the stage,
shoving her way through the crowd toward the front door, desperate to
get away from all the eyes on her.
Ranma caught her just as she got outside, grabbing Akane by the
shoulders. "Wait, Akane... you can't run off like that!" Akane was
about to turn and slug her red haired fiancee when someone dropped a
leather jacket over Akane's shoulders. Both she and Ranma turned to
look.
Jun Kubota adjusted the jacket to better cover the shorter girl up.
"I guess I got here a bit late, eh?" She patted Akane on the shoulder
comfortingly. "You lost, huh? Don't be too upset. Everyone loses
eventually."
Ranma eyed Jun, who had apparently changed into a form fitting
leather bikers outfit, a powerful looking motorcycle complete with
sidecar idling on the street behind her. "Nope, Akane won that one."
The red head explained.
"Won?" Jun looked confused, glancing at Akane, who had lost what
scraps remained of her skirt on the way through the crowd and had run
out of the club in just her panties.
Ranma nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, she won. You should see the other
girl." Jun blinked, nonplused, and glanced inside the club. Ayako had
staggered unsteadily to her feet and was slowly undressing, getting more
and more into it as she went on. The music changed to a burlesque beat
and the crowd was starting to clap and hoot even as Ayako's pink top was
tossed off stage playfully as the disco queen displayed herself
enticingly.
Jun sniffed, shrugged, and let the front door close. "I see. Ayako
does like to play a little bit too much...."
Ranma nodded. "I could tell. She ended up underestimating Akane
and let her guard down at the end."
Akane looked angry and confused. "What in the world is going on?
Why is she... um...." She blushed. "I can't believe she's... doing
that! And during the fight...." Akane gestured vaguely at herself,
blushing even brighter.
Jun coughed. "Apparently you weren't told what you were really
getting into. In the VG tournament, the loser of a match has to
humiliate herself for the crowd. Those are the rules. There are still
plenty of fighters who enter, because of the prize."
Ranma broke in loudly. "One billion yen, Akane! Plus some property
in Tokyo or somethin. That's what the winner gets. Of course, our dads
didn't bother to mention any of this."
Akane growled, clutching the leather jacket around her. "Father!?!
I can't believe he'd do that!"
Jun snorted. "Believe it, sister. It looks like you two got
conned, big time."
Akane turned back to Jun and bowed slightly, trying to put on a calm
outward appearance. "I'm afraid I've forgotten my manners. I'm Akane
Tendo, thanks for the loan of your jacket." She looked curious. "How
do you know so much about all this? Are you in the tournament too?
Jun put her hand behind her head and chuckled slightly
self-consciously. "Not anymore, I'm afraid. Ranma here beat me not
fifteen minutes ago."
Akane's eyes widened a bit. "Oh. Does that mean you had to...
er...."
Jun wrinkled her nose, but nodded. "Well, it was only a level four
match, but yeah, I stripped after the match. It's VG. Victory, or
humiliation, you know? Without the chance of real loss, the victory
doesn't really mean as much, do you understand?"
Akane's eyebrows twitched and she glanced at Ranma threateningly,
but when Jun finished speaking she slowly nodded. "I think so...." She
glared at Ranma again. "I bet you're enjoying this, Ranma. You've
always been such a pervert."
Ranma shook her head wildly. "No way! I didn't even look!
Honest! I had no idea what was going on, but there's no way I would
have gotten involved if I had known!"
Akane looked skeptical. "Oh right. You're trying to tell me that
you'd pass up the chance to get a bunch of girls to take off their
clothes after you beat them up? Riiiight."
Jun's eyebrow went up at the implications she was getting from their
conversation and she regarded Ranma and Akane interestedly. "So... are
you two a couple or something?"
Akane went pale, glanced down at Ranma's breasts just to make sure,
then quickly turned to Jun, violently shaking her head. "Oh no! No,
no, no.... You've got it all wrong! I'm not... I mean we're not... I
mean we're both girls and I'm not like that, I swear!"
Ranma was equally vigorous in her denials. "No way! Me and that
tomboy? You've got to be kidding me!"
Jun smirked slightly. "Sure... whatever you say." She gave Ranma a
good once over with her eyes, and smiled to herself, then composed her
expression into one of concern. "So... can I give you two a lift
anywhere?" She pointedly looked at Akane. "I doubt you want to walk
home looking like that."
Akane swallowed then nodded gratefully. "I would appreciate it,
really! I didn't bring a change of clothes with me. I don't know what
I'd have done if you didn't offer."
Ranma glanced at the motorcycle and it's compact sidecar. "Looks
like it's a bit too small for two. I'll walk, thanks."
Jun mused out loud. "There's room for two in the sidecar if they're
friendly. You two are small enough to fit, I think."
Ranma glanced at the sidecar again, then at her practically naked
fiancee. "Er... no, that's OK, maybe next time." Akane breathed a
quiet sigh of relief. She wasn't really sure how she felt about having
Ranma sit in her lap, or the other way around, especially given how
little clothing she currently had on.
Akane went over to the motorcycle and got into the sidecar quickly
so she could cover up a bit more. "I'll give you directions as we go,
OK?"
Jun walked over and straddled the hog. "Right." She turned to
Ranma. "Will I be seeing you later, Ranma?"
Ranma nodded. "I'll meet you at the Tendo's. I want to hear more
about VG, OK?"
Jun nodded seriously. "I'll give you the complete lowdown. See you
there." The muscular wrestler put on her helmet then revved the engine
before driving quickly off. Ranma took to the rooftops and headed for
the dojo herself.
Minutes later, at the Tendo Dojo, Kasumi opened the door to find
Akane standing there wearing a leather jacket... and apparently little
else. Behind her was a tall muscular woman that looked familiar.
Kasumi blinked twice. "Oh my! You're that wrestler that fought
with Ranma-kun, right?"
Akane slipped inside and past her older sister as Jun regarded the
oldest of the Tendo sisters. "That's Jun Kubota, Kasumi. She gave me a
ride back from my match." She clutched the jacket around her tighter.
"I'm going to go change clothes now, OK?"
Kasumi stepped back, smiling at the wrestler. "Please come in! I'm
sure Akane will be just a minute. In the meantime, would you care for
some tea?"
A minute later, when Ranma landed in the Tendo backyard, the
pigtailed girl found Jun sitting at the Tendo living room table with
Nabiki and Kasumi, sipping out of a small ceramic cup. Kasumi was
serene as always, but Nabiki had a definite twinge in her right eyebrow,
a sure sign that she was full of questions.
Kasumi greeted Ranma cheerfully. "Hello, Ranma-kun. Your friend
Jun-san was about to tell us about the tournament you and Akane are in.
Isn't that nice?"
Ranma swallowed nervously. "Er... yeah, that's great, Kasumi." He
glanced at Jun warningly. "Um, maybe you had better just tell Akane and
me...."
Nabiki cleared her throat. "We already know about VG, Ranma. You
and Akane's matches were shown on Pay-Per-View. Kasumi and I caught the
whole thing, so there's no reason to try and keep anything from us."
Ranma's eyes went slightly wide at that, and she glanced at Kasumi
in embarrassment. "Did you see... everything?"
Nabiki snorted. "You could say that. In fact, you could say quite
a few people got to see everything. Everything of Kubota here, not to
mention nearly everything of Akane, and that woman she was fighting."
Nabiki laughed wryly. "Oh yes, we saw "everything" all right."
Jun flushed slightly red but said nothing, and Kasumi spoke up
reprovingly. "Nabiki, it isn't nice to talk badly of other people. I
thought more of you than that." She looked at Jun apologetically. "I'm
sorry if Nabiki offended you, Jun-san. She shouldn't judge people based
on their career choices."
Jun shrugged, calming down. "No big deal. I know VG ain't
something to write your mother about, but I don't have anything to be
ashamed about. It's the biggest tournament in the world for women, both
the prize and the quality of the competition is the best in the world.
The price for losing is just that, the price we have to pay. Myself,
I'm willing to pay that price."
Kasumi blinked several times. "Oh... I'm not quite sure I
understand, Jun-san, but I'm glad that you're doing what you want with
your life."
Nabiki looked thoughtful. "I think I see your point. That one
billion yen is worth almost any humiliation, not to mention the property
in Tokyo. If I hadn't stopped training when I was little, I'd be
tempted to enter myself."
Akane came into the living room as Nabiki finished speaking, wearing
her yellow blouse and a red skirt and looking determined. "I agree with
you, Nabiki. I've decided. I'm going to keep fighting in the
tournament." Everyone looked up at Akane in surprise.
Ranma protested immediately. "Are you crazy, Akane? You don't have
a chance of winning, and you'll have to strip on TV with a couple
thousand people watching."
Nabiki broke in helpfully. "Several hundred thousand, actually. At
the least."
Akane glared at Ranma. "Who says I'm going to lose? I won the
fight today, didn't I?"
Ranma shook her head. "By how much? You walked out of there with
barely a stitch on, and only that much because she underestimated you
and dropped her guard at the last second. She was playing with you,
Akane!"
Akane started to shout. "I'll have you know that I...!"
Nabiki interrupted, shaking her head. "Ranma's right, Akane. I
watched the whole thing. That woman had you beat easily. If she had
decided to attack right off instead of giving all those horny guys a
free show, you would have lost, guaranteed."
Akane's face fell and she dropped down to sit next to Ranma. "I...
you're probably right, Nabiki... but how am I going to get better if I
don't fight people that are better than me? I've already entered this
tournament for the Tendo School, can I really afford to back out now?"
Kasumi smiled warmly at her youngest sister. "I believe in you,
Akane." Her smile faded just a bit, then came back full force. "I
won't think any less of you just because you're going to be taking off
your clothes in front of strangers."
Akane's eyebrow jerked, but she tried to smile back. "Er... thanks,
Kasumi, I think." She turned to Ranma. "Well, what about you? If you
want me to back out, are you planning on quitting the tournament too?"
Ranma swallowed and changed the subject. "Um... what I want to know
is how our fathers thought they could get away with this! I mean, my
pops I can understand, but I wouldn't have thought Mr. Tendo would have
gone for something like this."
Akane frowned. "Don't dodge the question, Ranma. Are you planning
on staying in the VG tournament or not?"
Ranma fidgeted. "Er... well it aint like I care if anyone sees me
in the nude. You've said a bunch of times that I don't got any feminine
modesty. I've gotten in fights in public baths so many times I figure
half the population of Nermia has seen me in the buff already." She
glanced at Nabiki. "Not to mention all the photos of me in next to
nothin that somehow end up at the school, right Nabiki?"
Akane sniffed. "Oh, I see. And getting to see a bunch of girls
naked doesn't have anything to do with it?"
Ranma rolled her eyes. "I don't plan on watching, Akane. I just
gotta win. I don't have to watch them undress or nothing. Besides, if
I want to see a naked girl, I just have to look in the mirror."
Jun listened to the conversation with interest, finally breaking in
as it started to get repetitive. "Well, if you're planning on staying
in VG, you really should know all the details."
Nabiki nodded. "Please tell. This promises to be fascinating."
Ranma looked over at Jun in surprise. "There's more? I thought you
already told us about it."
Jun shrugged. "Well, basically, but not all the details. For
starters, VG matches have five different levels. I don't really know
how it's determined, exactly, but at the end of each match it's
announced what level it was, as well as who one."
Ranma blinked. "You don't know? What do the levels mean, anyway?"
Jun wrinkled her nose. "Well, up to a certain extent, it's pretty
predictable. The later on in the competition you get, the higher the
stakes tend to be. The first few matches tend to be level five or
four... sometimes three, depending on the ratings or something like
that. The bigger the match is, the lower the level tends to be at, but
you don't really know for sure until someone wins."
Akane nodded slowly. "You said something about your match with
Ranma being a level four. What level was mine?"
Jun glanced over at her. "When I took a look in, the board read at
a level three. Pretty high for your first match, but that's probably
because it was just after Ranma and my match."
Ranma looked confused. "What do the levels mean, though? What's
the difference between a level one match and a level five?"
"The stakes." Jun repeated. "A level five match is the lowest
level. The loser of a level five match has to do something humiliating,
like moon the crowd, or take off their shirt. One person ended up
parading around in a cat costume, but nothing too serious."
Ranma shivered at the word cat. "Oh... that's not toooo bad." She
shook her head and waved for Jun to go on. "And a level four?"
Jun nodded. "Level four means you have to strip down to your
underwear. Level three means you have to go topless, and level two
means you have to go all the way."
Nabiki nodded. "I'm starting to understand the system. They don't
tell anyone the level to keep the suspense up for the viewers. What's
level one then, if you have to take everything off for level two?"
Jun hesitated. "Well... the loser has to... perform a sex act of
some kind. I've heard of some pretty outrageous stuff they make you do
if you don't come up with something sufficiently embarrassing on your
own."
Akane looked shocked. "You're kidding? Can they really do that?"
Jun nodded. "If you agree to fight in VG, you agree to the
conditions they set. Some girls try and back out when they lose... it's
not pretty."
Akane's eyes were wide. "What happens to them?"
Jun shook her head. "They're forced to go through with it. They
have a drug that lowers the inhibitions.... That's one way."
Ranma was in shock still going over what Jun had said. "The loser
has to do WHAT!?!"
Nabiki repeated helpfully. "They have to do a sex act, Ranma.
Hasn't your father ever taken you down to the red light district? I'd
have figured that the student of Happosai would know all the best
spots."
Kasumi shook her head, obviously dismayed. "Oh my... how... how...
not nice."
Ranma backed away from the table, looking panicked. "No way! No
way I'm doing anything like that as a girl! I'm not letting any guy
touch me like that. No way!"
Jun blinked. "As a girl?" She shook her head. "I'm not sure I
heard that right."
Akane looked at Jun hesitantly. "Did you...? Did you ever have
to...?"
Jun Kubota shook her head. "No, thankfully. I've never been in a
level one, not yet, anyway."
Nabiki spoke up. "Wait one second. You said you and Ranma had a
level four match. Why'd you strip all the way then?"
Jun straightened up a bit, proudly. "That's weak. I'm not in VG
just for the money. I'm here to improve my skills against the best in
the world. I decided early on that if I lost, I wouldn't hold back.
Even if it was just a level five, I wanted to remember it. Just going
half way wouldn't have been enough to mean anything, and I wanted that
fight to have meant something."
Akane looked at Jun strangely, then with growing respect. "I think
I understand. It wouldn't have really meant as much if you didn't go
through with it... all the way."
Jun nodded. "Victory means nothing if defeat has no sting. Ranma
truly earned her victory over me. If I do ever win the VG tournament, I
want it to mean just as much."
Ranma nodded slowly, controlling a shiver. "Yeah... I guess, but...
I mean... stripping is one thing... but...."
Akane nodded. "I don't know if I could go through with it either,
Ranma. Maybe you're right. We don't have to go through with this."
Ranma nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Akane, sure. It's not like we
really signed up or anything. It's our father's fault. I think you
should drop out before you have to fight again."
Akane's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean "I" should drop out? I
meant both of us should quit, not just me!"
Ranma hesitated. "Well... if I don't lose... I don't gotta... do
nothin, right?"
Jun grinned at Ranma. "That's the spirit! I knew the girl that
could beat me wasn't someone who'd just up and quit, just because the
price for losing is high." She nodded firmly. "I'm behind you, one
hundred percent, Ranma-chan. I know you can do it."
Ranma smiled hesitantly. "Thanks... just don't call me chan, OK?"
Akane grimaced. "No way, Ranma. If you're staying in, I'm staying
in. I'm not going to let you say I'm a quitter. I can be just as tough
as you, you'll see!"
Kasumi blinked. "Oh my! My sister and Ranma are going to be on
TV! I suppose we should buy more video tapes."
Nabiki chuckled. "Not to worry, Kasumi. I have plenty." She shook
her head at Akane. "Sis, I really think this is a bad idea. Let Ranma
do it. He might even be able to win. I don't think you really want to
deal with the possible consequences of what you're planning."
Akane glowered at her middle sister. "I know what I'm doing,
Nabiki! This is for the honor of the Anything Goes School! I can't
back out."
Nabiki sighed. "I'm not going to be able to change your mind, are
I?" She looked at her younger sister seriously. "If you're going to
uphold the School's honor, you've really got to train more, or your next
match will be your last one. Truthfully, I don't see how you expect to
win this."
Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, Akane, I mean, I'm in it. It's not like you
could even beat me...."
Akane started to glow bright blue. "Ranma you jerk!!!" With a
fierce uppercut, she knocked Ranma flying outside to land in the koi
pond. With an angry harumph, Akane stood and stomped towards the
stairs. "I'm going to go get ready to train. You'll see. I can do
this. You'll see!"
Ranma pulled herself out of the koi pond, dripping wet. "Ah man...
does she always got to hit me whenever I'm trying to keep her from
getting hurt?"
Nabiki shook her head. "If you want Akane to take it easy, you
shouldn't question her skills. Before you came along, she was the best
in Nermia, you know. She doesn't like being told she's not good
enough."
Ranma blinked. "Then why do you do it?"
Nabiki shrugged. "Because she isn't. I'm her sister, I owe her the
truth. I don't think Akane should be in this tournament, and I told her
so. You, on the other hand, are her fiancee. You should be a bit more
diplomatic."
Jun blinked. "Wait a minute. You and Akane are engaged? Exactly
how is that legal?"
Ranma winced. "Er... it's a long story....."
Jun shrugged. "I don't have anything important to do right now."
Nabiki held out a hand. "I'll explain... for only ten thousand
yen...."
Kasumi stood up. "I'll go get the hot water."
Ranma sighed theatrically. "Here we go again."
End Chapter 3
Please C&C, your feedback is why I write!