[FFML] The Fourth Tendo 4

"Sayonara, Oneesama," Tarre said cheerfully. "I
hope the dinner was okay." Kasumi was shoulder her
bags and getting ready to return to her apartment.
"You were fine, Tarre," Kasumi said. "Just keep up
the hard work and you'll be as good as me someday."
"Oh, I never could," Tarre protested.
"Perhaps you'll be visiting more often, now?" Soun
asked expectantly. Kasumi considered the request.
She was already seeing them, briefly at times, three
or four times a week.
"I shall try," Kasumi answered vaguely. She turned
to Akane and Nabiki. "Now I expect you two to behave
at school with Ranma-kun."
~School!?!~ Akane and Ranma thought, their
expressions plain to see.
"What do you mean school?" Ranma protested.
"Well, we will be staying here a long time," Genma
said.
~Oh damn! They'll expect me to lead him there!~
Akane gasped. ~Training me is one thing, but being
seen together?~ Kasumi leveled a look at her sister,
that half-motherly look that Akane didn't like to
disappoint.
"I'll be civil," Nabiki said. "I don't know about
Akane."
"Nabiki!?" Akane gasped as the Saotome "bickering"
threatened to drown them out.
"Is bicker all you two can do?" Kasumi asked
tiredly, shaking her head. "I'll see you all later.
Tarre, don't let them run you ragged."
"Hai, oneesama," Tarre said, bowing and smiling
cheerfully.

*****

Akane passed through the near empty courtyard of
Furinkan next to her sister. She felt odd not having
to wade through the hentai hordes for once. Maybe she
ought to come to school early for a little while, she
could use a break.
"Isn't this early even for you?" Akane asked.
"I don't want to be seen walking in with him any
more than you do," Nabiki answered back.

*****

Ranma glanced around in the wake of the morning
spar. He was holding a book bag with a sort of lost
expression. He scratched his head and walked into
another room.
"Good morning, Ranma," Soun said cheerfully. "I'm
off to buy cigarettes."
"Hey Mr. Tendo do you know where..." Ranma tried to
ask directions to the school, but Soun was already
gone before he could say much. "A lot of help he
was."
"Well boy," Genma said irritably. "Why aren't you
off to school yet?"
"How do I get there, Pop?" Ranma asked irritably,
the old man shrugged. He sighed, it looked as if he
would have to ask on his way there.
"Oh, I can lead you," Tarre said cheerfully. "Just
let me set this to the side here." She set aside the
breakfast dishes neatly on the counter and untied her
apron.
"Uh, okay," Ranma said. "Just curious, why ain't
you going to school?"
"I have to work here," Tarre said, as if it wasn't
a question. Then there was that test she had taken a
few years ago that said she didn't have to. There was
a reason that she wasn't supposed to go to school now,
but it had slipped her mind in her urge to help the
new guest.
"Just get to school, boy," Genma said. "You're
late enough as it is. No time to ask questions."
"Right, right," Ranma said. "So, I guess you can
lead me." Tarre nodded and walked past him to the
genkan.
"This way Ranma-san," Tarre said.

*****

"So how'd you get that name?" Ranma asked.
"It is English," Tarre said. "It is their word for
tar."
"You mean that black gooey stuff they make the
roads with," Ranma asked, perplexed.
"Hai," Tarre nodded. "Mother named me."
~Who names their kids like that?~ Ranma wondered to
himself, just barely missing getting splashed by an
old woman. "Whoa, that was close."
"Ohayoo gozaimasu, Kanada-san," Tarre waved
cheerfully to the old woman who nodded in response.
"I thought you went shopping yesterday,
Tarre-chan," the woman said, still washing her walk.
"Yeah, she's just showing me to the school," Ranma
said, before noticing that Tarre had been going to
answer. "Oh, sorry."
"No problem, Ranma-san," Tarre said cheerfully,
waving the old woman as they continued along the walk.
"So you and Akane are planning to train each other in
fighting?"
"In the Art, yeah," Ranma said. "So how about you,
how good are you?"
"Oh, I don't fight, Ranma-san," Tarre said.
"Uhh, how did you get me away from my Pop then?"
Ranma asked. She pointed at the lamp post that was
still rammed into the ground.
"I'm afraid that I used that," Tarre explained,
embarrassed. Ranma twitched as he realized what that
said about Tarre's strength.
"Yeah," Ranma said nervously.

*****

"Tarre," Soun shouted as he came home. He started
to light a cigarette. "Tarre! The dishes. This is
really unlike her."
"Oh, she just had to show Ranma to the school,"
Genma said. "She'll be back soon." He looked to his
old friend and noted the cigarette falling out of
Soun's mouth.
"She went to the school!!?" Soun shouted.
"Yeah, so what's the problem?" Genma asked. "You
don't think they'll fall in love over a walk to
school?" Genma began to pale as he began to consider
that.
"Worse than that Genma," Soun gasped. "If we do
not hurry, we may have to face a fate worse than death
while Tarre recovers."
"Ehh?" Genma blinked.
"Akane's cooking," Soun whispered in dread tones.

*****

"Just wait for it," a boy said to his neighbor.
"Any moment now she's going to come around that gate.
And this time I'll defeat her."
"You mean I'll defeat her," the boy he was talking
to said.
"You are both fools," a third said. "Today shall
be the day that I prove my love to Akane Tendo." Up
above them three pairs of eyes watched, shaking their
heads.
"Not a single one of them knows that Akane is
already in the school," Nabiki said.
"Pathetic," her lieutenant agreed.
"Hey, someone's coming!" a boy down below shouted.
"That's not Akane," someone said.
"It's....TARRE!!"
"Uhh, does the challenge extend to her?" someone
else asked.
"What's this?" Kuno said from his hiding place.
"Tis not the courageous Akane that comes to face my
challenge but her lovely younger sister? And who is
this cad that chats with her so freely."

*****

"Go tell Akane to get downstairs," Nabiki calmly
said to one of her lieutenants. "I we're going to
lose some funds."
"Right boss!" the girl responded quickly, running
out of the room.

*****

"Why do you smell familiar?" Tarre asked an
oblivious Ranma. He was apparently distracted by
something ahead of him.
"Hey, what's with the big group of boys in sports
gear in front of the school here?" Ranma asked. Tarre
blinked and looked forward in confusion.
"Big group of...boys?" Tarre repeated, suddenly
remembering why she wasn't supposed to go to the
school. For a moment her dark grey skin seemed to
turn a lighter shade as she looked at them all.
They were still deciding over whether the challenge
applied to her when she started to turn away from the
school and softly edge away from them all, trying not
to attract attention. Someone noticed it.
"TARRE TENDO I LOVE YOU!!!" they shouted, charging
forward. With the signal given the horde moved.
"AAHHHH!!!" Tarre cried out hiding behind Ranma and
covering her eyes.
"What the..." Ranma said, surprised as the mass of
uncoordinated and amateurish fighters came at them.
He was aware of one thing, however, they weren't
getting past him.
It was over almost before it began.
"Damn," Ranma said. "I hope this doesn't happen
everyday, that could hamper my skills." Tarre was
still huddled behind Ranma, just now peeking out to
look around.
"Is it over?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah..." Ranma said glancing around at the
semi-conscious bodies. He hadn't even had to take a
step to beat him, they just kept coming. What idiots.

He was about to ask what that was about when
someone interrupted him.
"Hold strange sir!" Kuno shouted. "Who are you to
presume to interfere in this righteous proof of our
love for the shadowy beauty of Tarre Tendo?"
Unfortunately for Kuno he failed to notice someone
coming out of the school behind him.
"I TOLD you!" Akane growled as she grabbed Kuno
from behind. "My sister stays out of your sick little
games!!" Ranma blinked as Akane proceeded to make
Kuno look like a twistee doll.
"Arigato gozaimasu, Oneechan!" Tarre shouted as
thankfully as Akane finished and rubbed her hands
together.
"What are YOU doing here!" Akane snapped angrily.
Tarre winced and looked down at her feet. "You could
have been hurt! Are you crazy?"
"Hey!" Ranma said. "She was showing me how to get
here okay! Lay off her! What was all that junk
anyway?"
Akane looked embarrassed for a moment. Tarre
opened her mouth to answer, which was when the roll of
thunder above invoked Akane to pull Ranma into the
school.
"Go home now, Tarre!" Akane shouted as she ran to
beat the coming rain.
"Uh...hai...oneechan," Tarre said to the dust
cloud.
She sighed and started on her way home, the rain
began just a few moments later. Though at least she
had the pleasure of seeing her father and a large
panda running down the street in a fit of panic. A
sight that would have been amusing to most people.
They passed her the first time. Then realized who
they had passed, turned around and grabbed the
confused girl from either side as they continued
running home.

*****

"I give you that information, it's going to cost
Kuno-Baby," Nabiki said simply.
"Whatever the cost may be," Kuno growled. "I must
know the identity of this cur that is hounding your
sister."
"Fork it over, Kuno-baby," Nabiki said in a blase
tone. After a moment she was handed a small wad of
bills, she counted them eagerly before answering the
question. "He's Ranma Saotome. There's some old
agreement to unite our school of martial arts with his
through a marriage. But since none of us want to
marry him, and he doesn't want to marry any of us,
we're just trading martial arts secrets instead."
"WHAT!!?" Kuno demanded, not having her heard much
past "marriage." "Forcing your helpless sister into a
marriage she cannot abide?! I shall smite the foul
cur!!"
"Whatever, Kuno-Baby," Nabiki said as Kuno ran off.
Well, first the teacher sent him to the hall, then he
ran off.

*****

"So, I understand that Akane was of some help to
you today," Genma said. Both he and Ranma were
meditating on their heads.
"Yeah," Ranma said. "Well it's her stupid fight
that got me into the mess in the first place."
"Ranma!" Genma roared flipping himself the right
way and then righting Ranma to sit and listen to his
lecture. "You must give your in...sensai to be more
respect than that!"
"It's the same respect I give you, you old fart,"
Ranma reminded his father.
"You will go back and say thank you to her right
now!" Genma demanded.
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma said, standing up.

*****

"Really, Tarre," Akane said. "You should know
better than that."
Tarre nodded.
"If I hadn't gotten down there, Kuno would have
seriously hurt you," she said to Tarre's frightened
nod. "I'll bet that jerk Ranma made you show him how
to get to school, right?"
"Actually I offered..." Tarre started.
"Well, don't listen to anything that pervert has to
say," Akane warned Tarre.
"Oneechan," Tarre said nervously, pointing at the
door.
"What?" Akane asked.
"He's right outside the door," Tarre said.
Akane flinched and listened as footsteps turned
away from the bedroom door along with a muttered "I'm
supposed to thank that?"
"Well who cares about that anyway?" Akane demanded.

=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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