Disclaimer: The characters in the story, the general plot, the
background... in other words, basically everything about this fic is NOT
my idea. I just combined them into one, ridiculous, stupid idea. Don't
blame me, and DON'T sue me.
Ranma Papa!
Chapter 3 < Changes >
Saotome Ranma's life always had been something of a chaos. Multiple
fiancees, numerous enemies, countless battles, his idiotic father, his
scary mother... and his curse. Ever since he could remember, nothing in
his life had been normal.
However, the last thing Ranma thought that would have happened to him
was having a daughter, especially when he wasn't even married yet!
Oh well, life goes on.
Indeed it did.
The story continues... after 10 years later.
********************
In the district of Juuban, Tokyo.
Inside a dojo, a girl with long brown hair was standing in front of a
lit candle. She intently watched its flame wavering back and forth,
matching her breathing to its rhythm. Slowly, she gathered her hands
and closed her eyes. She started to frown lightly, as if she was
focusing all her power into her hands. For the next few seconds, she
stood silently, all her mind concentrated on her hands. Suddenly, the
candle wobbled rather noticeably. Not a moment later, her eyes snapped
open. Then she put out her hands towards the candle with a loud yell.
"Moko Takabisha!"
Her aim was perfect. Her form was perfect. Her timing was perfect.
She was sure she had done everything right.
But the flame didn't even flicker.
A vein appeared on the girl's head. She frowned even more deeply and
put her face close to the candle. She glared at it for a while, as if
she wanted to scold the lifeless object. Then her frown suddenly turned
into a smile, and she gently blew off the candle. She then turned her
head to her back and chimed cheerfully.
"Look, Papa! I put it out!"
_BONK!_
"Ouch!" The girl clutched her head in pain. "What was that for?"
The man, who had been watching the whole thing from behind her, scowled
slightly. "I said put it out with your ki, not with your breath."
"Geez... easier said than done! A normal person'd usually blow out a
candlelight, not shoot it with a ki attack!"
But the man didn't even flinch as he calmly replied, "This is a dojo,
not a pre-school. I'm teaching you martial arts, not how to blow out a
candle."
"But still..."
"No buts! Mako-chan, you were the one who asked for this ki training,
not me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't gonna teach you any ki
technique this early in your training. But since we started it anyway,
we're gonna finish it right. Understand?"
"I know, I know." The girl, Saotome Makoto, sighed as she stood upright
again. "But can we do this later? Today's the first day in my new
school, and I don't wanna be late."
The man, Saotome Ranma, looked at the clock hung on the wall. "Hmm...
you're right. I gotta meet Nabiki later too, so let's wrap it up here."
"Oh, you're gonna see Nabiki-baachan? Say hi for me!"
(* -baachan : friendly way to address an aunt. Also can refer to an
older lady.)
Ranma smirked at his daughter. "Okay, although I'd skip on that
'-bachan' bit. You know how much she hates that word."
Almost instinctively, Makoto covered her mouth. "Eeeek! Don't tell her
I said that."
"Of course not. If I was to call her that, even for relaying a message,
she'd empty out my pocket in a sec."
It was then when the dojo door opened, revealing Nodoka wearing an
apron. "Ranma, Mako-chan. Breakfast is ready."
"Thank you, Grandma!"
"Thanks, Mom."
--------------------
Moments later, all three Saotomes sat around the table. In front of
them were the steaming bowls and dishes full of food. After a brief
prayer of gratitude, they started to dig in. For the sevaral minutes,
all of them ate in silence as they savored the delicious flavor of their
breakfast. Then Makoto quietly eyed her father as she finally broke the
silence.
"Um... Papa? When are you gonna let Grandpa back in the house?"
Nodoka raised her eyebrow briefly at the question. But Ranma didn't
even slow down his pace of eating as he answered. "Never."
"Never?"
"Never ever."
"Come on! It's been almost a month already!" Makoto pouted slightly as
she protested. "Let it go already. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm."
"Doesn't matter." Ranma replied after he took a sip of his tea. "He
tried to take you away from me. I'm not letting him take ONE step into
this house, ever again."
Makoto sighed deeply. "He was just trying to take me on a training
trip, you know? It's not like he was trying to kidnap me or
anything..."
"Been there, done that." Ranma scowled mildly, remembering back at the
time when he was on the road with Genma. "I've been to his so-called
'training trip.' Trust me, it ain't like what he told you."
Makoto chewed on her chopsticks as she protested. "But you became
stronger after the trip, didn't you? Then it can't be that bad, can
it?"
"Hah! The only reason I got stronger during that trip was because I SO
wanted to beat the crap out of that jerk!"
"Ranma, watch your language." Ranma flinched slightly as Nodoka
chasited him. The Saotome matriarch then turned to her granddaughter.
"Mako-chan. I know you are worried about your grandfather, but your
father is right. He should not have tempted you to go on a training
trip with him, especially without telling us about it. Your father is
only trying to look out for your safety." Nodoka quietly added more in
her thoughts. 'Not to mention your sanity...'
Makoto pouted again. "But still..."
Nodoka calmly added. "Besides, your grandfather is staying with his
close friend. I am sure Mr. Tendo will look after him. Kasumi and
Doctor Tofu are also there, so there is absolutely nothing to be worried
about."
"Really?"
"Yes. There is nothing to be worried about." Nodoka gently smiled at
Makoto. "Now, finish your breakfast first. You don't want to be late
for your first class in Juuban, do you?"
"Um... okay!"
Makoto resumed eating in full earnest. Ranma and Nodoka smiled warmly
at the girl. Then they also returned to their breakfast, only to find
some portions of their shares now gone. "Huh?"
********************
In Nerima, at the Tendo Dojo.
The two masters of the Anything Goes were currently ironing some
garments. They were in a rather bad shape, however, as they had bruises
all over their bodies and scorch marks all over their clothes. But the
real humiliation did not come from their injury. No, the true
humiliation was from the fact that they were ironing a large pile of
women's underwears right now.
"Don't stop, you lazy slobs! You're not getting off that easy!"
Happousai's pipe bonnked on the heads of his students. "You dared try
to throw out all my darlings? You're lucky I didn't blow up you two!"
"But Master! People all over town are looking for the underwear thief
right now! If we keep these out in the open, they will suspect us!"
Soun protested, before earning another hit on his head.
"Quiet! You dare question your master? Get back to work!"
Genma stopped briefly to whisper to his friend. "Just do what he says,
Tendo. Beside, he IS the underwear thief, and everyone already knows
that. Don't worry. When they come, we can just hand him over to them."
_BONK!_
"No talking while you work! I don't want your dirty saliva on my silky
treasures! Understand?"
"Yes, Master..." Soun and Genma hung their head in both defeat and
pain, as they went back to the ironing.
Tofu, who had watched the whole thing with his wife, sweatdropped.
Turning to Kasumi, he spoke. "Um, maybe we should do something? If our
neighbours find out, we might get into some trouble..."
But Kasumi no longer stood beside her husband. Instead, as she was now
standing in front of her father and Genma with a bundle of laundry in
her arms. "When you are done, can you iron these too? I am a little
busy with cleaning, so it will be a big help."
Tofu blinked in confusion for a moment, then walked away while
scratching his head. "Oh, well. It's not like it hasn't happened
before."
********************
Back in the Saotome residence, Makoto was hurriedly putting on her new
school jacket. "Latelatelate! I'm gonna be late!"
"Relax, Mako-chan. You've still got some time." Ranma munched on
another piece of tempura as he addressed his daughter. "If you're that
late I can give you the 'RIDE.'"
"No way!" Makoto paused to scowl briefly at her father. "I'm fourteen
now! I can't be seen being carried by my papa! It's so embarrassing!"
"But it's the fastest way to get to school, you know."
"I said no! Besides, I'm wearing a skirt in case you haven't noticed.
If you jump over the rooftops while carrying me, someone might look
under it! Haven't you thought about that?"
"Um... I guess you're right..." Ranma scratched his chin. "We can't
have that now, can we?"
"Of course not!" As she put on her rose earrings, she sent another
warning glare at her father.
At that moment, Nodoka came out of the kitchen with a bento in her
hands. "Mako-chan, here is your lunch. I made my special onigiris
today."
"Wow, thanks, Grandma!" Makoto happily accepted the bento, then looked
at her watch. "Eeek! I'm really gonna be late! See you, Grandma. See
you, Papa!"
Nodoka answered the girl only with a warm smile, but Ranma quickly ran
to Makoto's side. "Wait, Mako-chan!"
"Huh? What?"
Ranma leaned toward his daughter with a sheepish grin. "Aren't you
forgetting something?"
"Huh?" Makoto blinked in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"
Ranma looked a bit disappointed at first, but he grinned again. "Aren't
you forgetting... you know... a good-bye kiss?"
Makoto blushed as she steped back a little. "Papa! I'm a junior high
student! I can't do that any more!"
Ranma pouted slightly. "Why not? What's so bad about giving your Papa
a small kiss, huh? You used to kiss me on the cheek everyday! What's
so different now?"
Makoto blushed even more as she sharply replied. "I've grown up, that's
why! I'm not a kid any more. I'm a teenager now! That's just not what
a teenager does!"
"But..."
"No but! Oh, no! I'm really gonna be late! See you later, Papa!"
Makoto waved her hands before departing quickly, leaving behind a
disappointed and pouting Ranma.
"Geez... she's just not the same as she used to be..." Ranma muttered
when he turned away, but froze when he realized that Nodoka now stood
face-to-face with him.
"Ranma." With her cool face, Nodoka addressed her son.
"Ye-yes, mom? What is it?" Ranma asked nervously.
"What you just did wasn't very... manly." Nodoka scowled a little at
her son, who tensed up. But she then smiled rather teasingly
afterward. "But it was very... fatherly. So I'll let this one go."
"Um... thanks..." Ranma stood frozen as Nodoka walked away. When she
disappeared into the kitchen, he sighed in relief. 'My daughter, AND my
mother. I've been living with them for more than 10 years now, but I
still can't understand them...'
"I'll never understand women. Ever." Ranma shook his head in defeat as
he walked toward the bathroom.
********************
Makoto was on a hurry as she approached her school. 'Good, I'm gonna
make it!'
When she was about to turn a corner, however, she heard a commotion.
"Hey, girl. How are you gonna apologize to us, huh?"
Shortly, the panicked voice of a young girl followed. "So-sorry!
Really! I was gonna be late and all, so I ran, not watching my
front... I didn't know you were there, really! I'm so sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it, little girl." Another voice caught Makoto's
attention. "My friend is rather... fragile. Isn't that right, buddy?"
"Yeah, I'm really fragile." Another man's voice answered, although
there was a hint of a smirk in it. "Ouch! I think I broke my leg!
This is really bad! I might need a doctor!"
Makoto peeked around the corner to see a blonde girl with a weird hairdo
surrounded by three mean-looking punks. It was then Makoto noticed that
the girl wore the same uniform as she did. 'She must be from my new
school!'
The blonde girl spoke in a very nervous tone. "Um... but I only bumped
into him... I didn't hit him on the leg or anything..."
But the punks didn't back down. In fact, they glared at the girl even
more.
"Hey, are you calling us liars? Nobody calls us liars!"
"We were gonna let you go after a small compensation, but I guess you
wanna do more than that, huh?"
"Heh. It's been a while since I had a girlfriend. You're a bit too
young, but I guess we can live with it. Isn't that right, guys?"
The other punks nodded with a dark smile. The blonde girl backed into
the wall, scared. Having nowhere to go, she could only watch the punks
advancing on her in fear.
"Hold it right there, you jerks! You oughta be ashamed of yourselves,
picking on a girl. Are you guys really men, or just dressed like ones?"
"Eh?" The punks stopped in their steps and looked back. There stood
Makoto, with a deep frown on her face. The three men blinked for a
while, before each hissed at the brown-hair girl in a nasty tone.
"What are you, kid? Some kind of super hero?"
"There are way too many Sailor V wannabes these days."
"Hey, but I think this one looks good too! So, you are gonna play with
us instead, huh?"
"Play with you? Hah! Don't make me laugh!" Makoto snorted. "My
papa's toes look more handsome than you three! And I'd rather go out
with the dirt between them than go out with you!"
"What?! Why you!"
The three didn't waste any time as they lunged at Makoto, much to the
blonde girl's horror. But Makoto didn't even flinch. She just smirked
playfully as she watched her opponents closing on her. When the first
one tried to punch her, she simply took a side step. Then she punched
him hard right on the stomach. As soon as her first victim fell, she
quickly did a spin kick, sending the second one flying into the wall.
The last one stopped in shock when he saw his two friends being taken
out so casually, but it was a mistake. Makoto, not giving him a chance
to recover, grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him over her
shoulder, before smashing him into the pavement. When she stood up,
dusting off her uniform, all that were left at the scene were three
unconscious bodies and a surprised blonde girl.
Makoto turned to the still speechless girl. "Hey, you okay?"
The girl startled. "Eh? Um, me? Yeah, yeah... I'm fine."
"You better be careful. There are more like them jerks out there."
Then Makoto looked at her watch again. "Damn. I'm gonna be late!
Well, I'm off! Take care!"
"Eh?" The blonde girl blinked more quietly as she watched the tall girl
brush by her. It was then when she noticed the rose earrings of the
girl. She just stood in silence, staring at the retreating back of her
savior.
Suddenly, a black cat appeared behind her with a bento in her mouth.
Surprisingly, the cat spoke when it saw the blonde girl blankly staring
off at the empty space. "Usagi! What are you doing? You are going to
be late again! Also, you forgot your lunch! When are you going to stop
acting so dumb?"
Not noticing the cat, however, the blonde girl slowly opened her mouth.
"She's cool..."
"Huh?" The cat blinked in confusion. "Who is?"
The cat then noticed the three unconscious men lying on the street.
"Huh? What happened to them?"
********************
"The Nijizuishous (Rainbow Crystals)?" Zoisite raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, the Nijizuishous. They are the fragments of the Ginzuishou.
There are seven of them, and in each of them one of our seven strongest
youmas are trapped inside. Find me those crystals, and free those
youmas. Do you understand?" Beryl then took out a small crystal.
"Nijizuishous are being held in seven humans. Use this Kurozuishou. It
will react only to a Nijizuishou, so it won't be that hard to find those
humans."
Zoisite bowed as he accepted the crystal. "As you wish, my queen."
"One other thing," Beryl added with her eyebrow raised. "I don't care
what you do with those Sailor brats, but make sure you bring back the
Nijizuishous. If you have to, just come back with those crystals, even
if those pests are still there. Do you understand?"
Zoisite abruptly raised his head and protested. "But, my queen!"
"No buts! I didn't say you couldn't fight them. However, collecting
those crystals is far more important than getting rid of those brats, at
least for now. I will tolerate no failure in this matter. Do you
understand, or not?" Beryl's tone got darker as she started to glare at
her general.
Zoisite bit his lip, and hung his head. "...I understand."
"Good. Now go! If you fail me any more, you'll end up like Nephrite.
Remember that!"
"I will, my queen." Leaving those words in the air, Zoisite teleported
away. Now the only one left in the room was Beryl.
Beryl then leaned back on her throne with a dark grin on her face. "The
Ginzuishou... soon, it will be mine..."
********************
"Ranma, what are you going to do about your lunch?" Nodoka asked her
son as she handed him a pair of socks. Ranma was currently in his room,
getting ready to go out.
"I'm gonna eat something with Nabiki, so don't worry about it." Ranma
answered while putting on the socks. "She sounded like she wanted to
discuss some stuff with me, so I might be a little late. But I won't be
late for my afternoon classes."
"Okay. I will tell your students to get ready when they come. Be sure
to call me if you get detained, all right?"
"Yes, mom." Ranma answered to Nodoka, who left the room with a smile.
When the door closed, Ranma walked up to the mirror and began combing
his hair. After he made sure everything was fine, he opened the door.
Before he closed it, he turned his head to the room and smiled at the
picture on his desk.
"I'll be back soon, Akane."
When the door closed, wind swayed the curtains, creating a small gap
between them. A ray of sunlight lanced through the gap, and shone on
the picture. In the picture, a short-haired girl in a yellow sunflower
dress stood smiling...
--------------------
About an hour later, Ranma walked into a restaurant in downtown. He
searched inside, until he found the familar face. With a broad smile,
he approached the table where a short-haired woman sat. "Yo, Nabiki!"
"You are late as always, Saotome." Nabiki creased her eyebrows as she
took a sip from her coffee. "Didn't I warn you about the cost of making
me wait?"
Ranma coughed out loud, before taking a seat himself. "So, how's your
business?"
"Don't change the subject."
"Ah, come on! I wasn't that late, was I? It's what, five minutes
past? What's the big deal?"
Nabiki's cool face didn't even change as she calmly replied. "In the
world of the business, five minutes can make or break someone. In this
case, it could make or break YOU."
Ranma laughed nervously. "Ehehe... let's not dwell on our mistakes, and
look to the future! After all, we can't turn back the clock, can we?"
Nabiki put on an amused look on her face. "You've gotten better,
Ranma."
Ranma beamed a smile at her. "Well, I had a good teacher."
"Good, but not good enough." Nabiki cooly answered as she took another
sip. "Flattery will get you nowhere, especially one as sloppy as
yours."
"Hey, it wasn't sloppy! It's just your standard that's too high."
Ranma protested mildly before smiling again. "So, what's that you wanna
talk to me about? Another job for me?"
Nabiki raised her eyebrow briefly, before putting on a little smile
herself. "I guess I haven't got time for more nagging... Well, back to
business. I want you to stand as a bodyguard for one of my kids."
Ranma's face slumped down when he heard Nabiki. "Again? Who's this
time? Another so-called idol?"
"Hey, hey. Watch your mouth. Those 'so-called' idols are my best
products."
"I know, I know." Ranma waved his hands. "But I gotta say, most of
them got some ego problems. They all think they're some kind of a big
shot."
Nabiki smirked at his words. "Oh? This coming from you? The almighty
can-beat'em-all Mr. the master of Anything Goes Saotome Ranma? My, my.
This is really serious. I guess I have to keep my kids in check, huh?"
"Hey! I wasn't all that bad when I was their age! Beside, I WAS that
good."
"Oooh, did I touch a nerve?"
"Hmph!" Ranma crossed his arms. "So, who is it this time, huh?"
"She's one of my newbies. She's been getting a good review from the
stations, so I'm thinking of debuting her on TV. After all, it's been a
while since my Tendo Productions has had a new future star lined up."
"Geez. What's wrong with your other kids? Last time I heard, you were
raking in the dough thanks to them, weren't you?"
Nabiki smiled rather dubiously. "I was, and still am. However, in this
market, the continuous search of a new idol is an absolute necessity.
If people get used to their faces, their market value drops. I need to
supply a fresh face to satisfy the public's thirst for a star, or I'll
be left behind the competition."
Ranma smirked a little. "Hmm... Tendo Nabiki left out of the profit...
it's hard to imagine, acutally. Is that even possible?"
Much to his surprise, Nabiki's face turned serious at hearing this.
"Don't be mistaken, Saotome. I'm successful only because I WORKED for
it. True, I have a knack at these things, but it can only help me
achieve something, not do it FOR me. Without my hard works and efforts,
my company wouldn't even last a day in this world. Got it?"
Ranma held up his hands defensively. "Hey, hey. No need to take
offense. I know how much you work for your success. You don't have to
convince me."
"Good. Now, back to the matter in hands... There has been... some
problem with this girl."
"Problem? What sort?"
Instead of a reply, Nabiki produced a picture from her purse, and handed
it out to Ranma. He took the picture and stared at it for a while. It
was a picture of a pretty girl, beautiful even. After he examined the
picture, he lifted his face, expecting some sort of words from Nabiki.
When none came, Ranma blinked, and asked in a confused tone.
"What about it?"
Nabiki put on a smug grin, amused. "Your eyes are as bad as ever,
Ranma."
"Hey! I'll have you know, my eyesight is perfect!"
"I'm not talking about your eyesight. I'm talking about how dense you
are at these things."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ranma blinked some more, apparently not being
able to understand.
Nabiki slowly waved the picture in front of him. "What's the first
thing that comes up in your mind when you look at the picture?"
Ranma scratched his head in bewilderment. "Um... the photographer was
really skilled?"
Nabiki slammed the table in frustration. "No, you idiot! She's really
pretty! That's why I'm promoting her! Honestly, do you have pinholes
for your eyes?"
"Oh, that too."
Nabiki quietly rubbed her temple. "Really, Saotome, you're
unbelievable... ANYWAY, she's pretty AND also very photogenic. So I've
managed to put her picture in one of the popular magazines. Because of
that picture, she already made some fans lined up even BEFORE her
debut. The problem is... one of her fans is somewhat... over-eager, if
you know what I mean?"
"Oh, geez. Not an another one?" Ranma frowned as he leaned back to his
seat. "You know how much I hate these stalker stuff, Nabiki. They are
crazy, unpredictable, and reckless. You can't expect what they're gonna
do. It's a real headache."
"You think it's a headache for YOU? I have to pay your sorry ass so I
can get these pests out of my business." Nabiki narrowed her eyebrows.
"Look, are you gonna do it, or not? I need someone competent ready by
tomorrow. We've already gotten a dozen of the threats from this creep.
Tomorrow night she'll make her fabulous debut on TV, provided nothing
happens to her. Do I make myself clear?"
Ranma cringed under Nabiki's usual upset scowl. "Okay, I'll do it..."
Upon hearing the confirmation, Nabiki leaned back and relaxed. "Good
then. It's taken care of. Wanna eat something?"
Ranma beamed with expectation when he heard the word 'eat.' "Sure.
Your pay?"
"*snicker* Order whatever you want. It's coming out of YOUR paycheck."
"Hey!"
"Ranma, I might be rich, but I'm not THAT rich. If I bought you a meal
everytime we meet, The Internal Revenue would BEG me to take THEIR
money."
"Yeah, yeah, smarty mouth." Ranma grumbled as he looked at the menu.
*********************
In Juuban Junior High.
It was the most awaited moment of the school day, especially in case of
one Tsukino Usagi. She liked, no LOVED the lunchtime. It was the only
time when she could be her true self, as she did her favorite activity:
eating!
However, she had a problem today. Well, Usagi often had the same
problem. She finished her lunch before the third class even began.
Normally this would fill anyone's stomach. Usagi's appetite was bigger
than anyone, of course. Simply put, she was still hungry.
"Geez... I'm so disappointed in my friends... What's wrong with sparing
one lousy bite?" Usagi muttered as she kicked a pebble. She was
wondering around the school yard for quite a while now, after her head
was almost chewed out by one of her friends for attempting to steal a
bite out of their lunches. It wasn't that her friends were cheap, but
Usagi's so-called 'one bite' was that of a boa snake. She could easily
devour someone's entire meal at once. Not that she would admit it
though. After all, she was still a normal girl who wanted a dreamy
boyfriend.
'If Naru-chan was here...' Usagi's mood fell even worse when she
thought about her friend.
Naru hadn't come to the school for almost a week, not ever since
Nephrite had died in front of her eyes. The dark general wasn't one of
Usagi's favorites, but his last words to Naru made the part-time Senshi
cry in tears. It was obvious that Naru's sincere heart changed him, but
a little too late, for both him and her...
When she turned a corner, her gaze fell on a girl under a tree. Her
eyes widened in surprise. 'Hey, she's the one from this morning!'
Indeed she was. The tall girl who took out three bullies in mere
seconds. She was currently sitting on the grass, and eagerly munching
on some onigiri. In fact, her speed of eating almost rivaled that of
Usagi herself. After busily chewing the content in her mouth, she
washed the entire thing down her throat with some tea from her thermo.
Then not wasting a second, she grabbed the another onigiri and began
to... work on it.
Usagi dumbly stared at her, not because of the surprise of seeing the
girl here, but because of the girl's lunch. A drool hung on the blonde
girl's mouth. 'Those onigiri look so yummy...'
Not being able to take it any more, Usagi took a step forward to
approach the girl with the brown hair. It was then when a voice caught
her from behind. "Usagi-san!"
Usagi frowned, rather annoyed. There was only one person who called her
that way. "What do you want, Umino?"
She was surprised when the boy hurriedly grabbed her shouders and began
to shake them. "What do you think you're doing?! Are you out of
mind?!"
"Huh?" Usagi blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Her! Do you have any idea who she is!?" Umino whispered as he pointed
his finger at the girl sitting under the tree.
"Um... no... Who is she?"
Umino's glasses cleared up as he began to explain in a serious tone.
"She is the transfer student who came to our school this morning. But
that's not all. She was the undefeated champion of her previous
school! I heard that she has sent at least a dozen boys to the hospital
already. Apparently, her father is some kind of a super martial artist,
and he has taught her himself ever since she could walk. She hadn't
been in any official tournament yet, but almost every kid in any kind of
a martial arts club in the city knows her. Numerous of them have
challenged her, of course, but I've heard that not one of them was left
standing after the match. That's not all. It seems that every punk
group in the area wants her as their member. If any did succeed in
persuading her, they could rule the entire Juuban district! I also
heard that..."
"Wait a sec, Umino-kun."
"Huh? What is it, Usagi-san?"
Usagi frowned a little as she tapped her foot. "Apparently there are
lots of 'I heard this, I heard that' in your speech. Have you ever
actually SEEN her fight?"
"Um... no..."
"Or, have you ever met these so-called 'victims' of her?"
"Eh..."
Usagi's frown got even deeper. "It's not nice to talk behind someone's
back, you know, especially when you are not sure if it's true or not!"
"Um..." Umino hung his head in shame.
Usagi went on with her speech, not noticing the pained look on his
face. "I can't believe people talk like that about that girl. They
know nothing about her, do they? I mean, she doesn't look like a bad
person, and she saved me this morning from three bullies! I really..."
Suddenly, Umino's face was right in front of Usagi's. "What did you
just say?"
"Eh?" Usagi blinked. "I really...?"
"No, before that!"
"Um... she doesn't look like..."
"No, AFTER that!"
"Eh... she saved me from three bullies?"
"Yes, that's it!" Umino shook his fist in triumph. "I was right!
She's some kind of a martial arts goddess!"
"Hey, wait a minute..."
"I have to tell this to everyone! This's such a sensation!"
"Um..." A bead of sweat rolled down on Usagi's head. She dumbly
watched as Umino ran toward a random direction. "Did he even listen to
me?"
"I didn't hear what you guys talked about, but it sure doesn't look like
he was listening to you."
"Aaaah!" Usagi almost had a heart attack when she suddenly heard a
voice from behind. "Don't do that! What are you..."
Usagi's sentence was cut off when she realized that the mysterious voice
was from none other than the tall girl herself. While staring at
Usagi's widened eyes, the girl put another onigiri into her mouth. She
then grabbed another one and offered it to Usagi. "Want an onigiri?"
********************
"Now, THAT was a good meal." Ranma said as he chewed on a toothpick.
"It was quite delicious. They have a good cook."
"You eat ANYTHING, Ranma." Nabiki snickered before taking a sip from
her desert coffee. "Well, almost anything. You never liked Akane's
cooking."
Suddenly the table became very quiet. The silence was heavy and gloom.
After some awkward moment, Nabiki slowly opend her mouth again. "Sorry
about that. I was out of line."
Ranma smiled a bit sadly. "Nah, it's okay. After all, she are your
sister. If anyone has a reason to be sad, it's you and Kasumi. You two
had known her more than anyone. I had known her for, what, a year?
Really, it's okay."
Ranma leanded back on his seat. "Besides, it's been almost 10 years
already... I'm over her... I think. So is Makoto... and I'm sure she
had more trouble than I did, considering the circumstances..."
The atmosphere over the table became heavy again. Then Nabiki changed
the subject. "Speaking of whom, how's Makoto? Cheerful as ever?"
Ranma's face brightened at the mention of his daughter. "Oh yeah! She
got better at her martial art skills. She reminds me of my old self
sometimes." He remembered her candle exercise this morning, when she
used her breath instead her ki. "Well, almost."
Nabiki snickered outside, but inwardly she sighed in relief. 'Good.
He's as simple as always. Easy to cheer up...' Then Nabiki took
something out of her purse. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I saw this
displayed in a showroom window, and I thought it might look good on
her."
Ranma's eyes widened at seeing the thing in Nabiki's hand. It was a
very beautiful gold ring, decorated with a small green gem on top.
"Wow, that's some ring you got there. Must've cost you a fortune!"
Nabiki put on a sly smile as she retracted the ring. "Oh, it did. Of
course, I fully intend to get it back, if you know what I mean..."
"Eh?! You want me to pay you back?! What kind of a present is that!?"
"Who said this was a present? Makoto's birthday is still far away. I'm
just giving you a chance to make your daughter happy. If you don't want
it, too bad."
"Grrr... alright, I'll take it!" Ranma gritted his teeth as he snatched
the ring and its box from Nabiki's hand. "You know, you really haven't
changed at all!"
Nabiki smirked triumphantly. "Neither have you, Ranma. I'll just take
the payment out of your paycheck, AGAIN."
"Sheesh!" Ranma grudgingly mumbled as he put the ring inside his
pocket. He briefly smiled though, as he thought about the look on
Makoto's face at receiving this ring.
Of course, Nabiki didn't miss the smile. She snickered and said
jokingly. "Ever the so caring father, eh, Ranma?"
Ranma smirked as he stood up. "Anyone would care if Makoto was their
daughter."
Nabiki nodded her head nonchalantly. "You might be right. She has
grown up to be a fine young lady. With her height and looks, she could
be a real idol."
"Hey." Ranma frowned a little upon hearing her words.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of scouting her."
"Good... but why not? You think she's not pretty enough?" Ranma
frowned even deeper as he put his face close to Nabiki. "Because even
it's you, I won't forgive anyone who'd ridicule..."
_SLAP!_
"Get a hold of yourself, you idiot father. I didn't mean it that way."
Nabiki glared at him, while Ranma rubbed his sore cheek. "I've seen all
the beneficial sides of this business, but I have also seen the uglier
side of it up close and personal. It's not as bad as some people think,
mind you, but I have no desire of letting Makoto go anywhere near it.
She's just way too important to me."
"Nabiki..." Ranma trailed off as he quietly stared at her. Nabiki took
another glance at him, before standing up herself. She grabbed the
check, and walked off, but not before leaving some more words behind...
"...if I let anything happened to Makoto, Akane would never forgive me."
Nabiki walked toward the counter, and paid the bill. After she got the
receipt, she left the restaurant, leaving Ranma standing stunned and
silent at the table. Heedless to him, the speakers on the ceiling began
to play a soft piano song...
Chapter 3 ends...
Really, I'm truly mad... -,-;; My head is all fogged up...
To those of you who are Akane-haters... who cares what you think?! I
like Akane! Deal with it! I'm sick and tired of... Sorry about that.
_POW!_(Punched myself on the nose.)
...now I cleared up my head, I'll say it again. Yes, Akane's dead.
Yes, Ranma misses her. BUT! If I left a bachelor like him alone in my
fic, the female readers would throw bombs at me! But don't worry!
Shampoo's still around, and so is Ukyou! Also, like I revealed to some
people, a certain Senshi is also very attracted to him... *snicker*
However, Nabiki is not one of the Ranma's-bride-wannabes. She just
doesn't have those kinds of feelings toward him. Also, even is she did,
I don't think she'd act on it. She is just too loyal to Akane.
One more minor note. The idol mentioned up there is NOT Minako, or any
of the Sailor Moon casts! But there might be someono who's related to
one of Ranma casts... who knows? *sniker*
Also, the dialogue in this fic is not as same as the Sailor Moon
original episode. But I don't care, nor should you! If you keep
bugging me and... Sorry, I was out of the line again.
_SLAP!_(Slapped myself, HARD.)
What's going to happen in next chapter? Why, of course Makoto becoming
the Sailor Jupiter! But wait! What's with her all of sudden? Why is
she so angry with the Crane Arashi no Joe(Joe the Crane Guy)? Also,
what did she say?!?
- "He looks okay, but he's nothing compared to my Papa!"