[FFML] Fourth Tendo 5

Nabiki and Akane, having missed the show the first
time, stood in stunned awe as Genma and Ranma sparred.
For one thing, it looked more like a duel to the
death than a spar. For another thing it was taking
place, on average, about twelve feet off the ground.
They continued to stare in outright shock as Tarre
came out of the kitchen to put breakfast on the table.
She glanced nervously at the sparring herself, but
they had explained that to her yesterday, so she
wasn't so nervous as she could have been. In any
case, she did know what to do to end the disturbing
display.
"Breakfast is ready," she called out.
Instantly the two martial artists turned their
attention toward her...and dropped into the koi pound.
Tarre winced at the impact, but was relieved to see
Ranma and her father walk out seemingly unharmed.
"Stupid old man," the redhead was muttering.
"Couldn't you just let us land dry for once?"
#We must never let ourselves become soft.# The
panda's sign read.
"What...was that?" Nabiki asked awakened without
heavy amounts of caffeine for once.
"That was Ranma-san and Saotome-san sparring,"
Tarre said. "They did the same thing yesterday."
"You mean...I'm going to learn how to do that?"
Akane asked, eyes widening. Ranma looked at her in
surprise for a moment before remembering there was
food to protect.
"You can't do that?" Ranma asked indicating the
area he had been sparring his father. He knew he was
losing food to this, but he had to know what he'd be
training.
"I can hit the roof from the wall," Akane said.
"If I try hard, but I can't leap like that on the spur
like you were."
"Huh," Ranma said.

*****

"I don't want you getting my sister into danger
like that again," Akane snapped as they were walking
toward school fifteen minutes later.
"Excuse me," Ranma said. "One minute it's friends,
the next I'm a pervert, then yer looking at me like
I'm the coolest thing since winter, an' now I'm trying
to get your sister killed? What is with you?"
"Are you lecturing me about how I should behave?"
Akane asked. "You don't even talk properly. Listen
just let's get through this day without you
embarrassing me or getting my family members hurt,
okay?"
"Yeah, whatever," Ranma said.
"Look," Akane said after a few more minutes. "You
scared me, you really scared me when you came to
school with her. She may be stronger and tougher than
me, but she's the most defenseless person I've ever
met. And I don't want to see her hurt because
of...anything ever again. Okay?"
"Sheesh, if you're so worried about her," Ranma
said in answer. "Whydidja yell at her like that?"
"Well..." Akane paused, trying to find a reasonable
answer. She couldn't really find a good one, but said
something anyway. "She's like a little kid sometimes,
you have to yell to get her to pay attention."
"You act like she's stupid or something," Ranma
said.
"She's my sister," Akane snapped. "Not yours, so
don't try to say you know more about her than I do."
"All right, all right," Ranma said, though his
opinion of Akane had gone up a couple of notches once
she admitted that she had been worried about the
dark-skinned girl.

*****

Nabiki looked at the stuffed panda in front of her.
"What," she asked. "Is this?"
"It's a stuffed panda," Kuno said.
"I know that," Nabiki said. "What's it doing on my
desk?"
"It's a gift," Kuno said. Nabiki rolled her eyes.
"Sorry Kuno, I'm secretly Sailor Pluto's lover,"
Nabiki said turning away from Kuno.
"Did I say it was for you, Tendo Nabiki?" Kuno
asked fervantly. "This is for the pig-tailed girl."
Nabiki's soda went spraying.
"Now look what you made me do," Nabiki growled.
"My apologies," Kuno growled. Then he blinked.
"Wait, did you say Sailor Pluto's lover?"
"It was meant to get you off my..."
"Certainly one of the Sailor Senshi would be lucky
to have one such as myself as their paramour," Kuno
said as Nabiki slammed her face into her desk in
surprise. "But alas...I have sworn my heart to your
sisters and the pig-tailed girl. I cannot betray them
in such a way."
"Yeah, right Kuno," Nabiki said. "So now your
three-timing my sister then?"
"You would give me this speech again, Tendo?" Kuno
asked harshly.
"Nope," Nabiki said. "I'll offer these instead."
She laid down a collection of pictures on the table.
"Ahh," Kuno gasped as he saw pictures of his three
loves spread on the table. "She is so...unashamed
before the camera."
"Yes, almost like a boy one might say," Nabiki
said.
"Perish the thought!" Kuno gasped as he continued
to look upon the pictures.
"I'll let you have them for," Nabiki paused. "Say,
five thousand yen?"
"Why the very heavens themselves would weep at such
a price, I won't pay," Kuno said.
"I suppose you wouldn't be interested in these
then?" An array of pictures of Akane and Tarre were
spread out on the table.
The pictures of Akane practicing her Art in the
dojo were as expected. Those of Tarre, on the other
hand, were less than expected.
About three months ago, the Tendos had gone to the
beach, giving Tarre the chance to try out the swimsuit
Nabiki had given her for what they celebrated as her
birthday, the anniversary of her arrival.
She had worn it for about ten minutes before
becoming overwhelmed by a sense of self-consciousness
and fled to the changing rooms to try something more
modest. She had felt obligated to at least try it on
once receiving it as a gift, but she would have
reconsidered had she been aware of just what she
looked like in it.
The swimsuit was obstensibly a one piece, but the
majority of it was a tightly woven mesh that was
mostly transparent. It made Tarre's nervous
expression seem rather fetching overall.
Those few male Furinkan students that had seen her
in the outfit and quickly spread the word, and now the
mesh-swimsuit of Tarre Tendo had been firmly bestowed
the status of one of Furinkan's hallway legends.
"These are..." Kuno started.
"That's right Kuno-Baby," Nabiki said. "The
mythical mesh bathing suit. Now, you realize that I
can't just let these rare images pass through my hands
for anything less than...twenty thousand for all three
sets." Nabiki smirked as she saw interest piqued in
another male nearby. Word would soon spread.
Nabiki couldn't believe that the swim-suit company
had decided not to pursue the matter when she had
shown them the photos. The model companies may have
not wanted to pursue the matter, Nabiki's bad luck
that Kasumi had answered the return phone call, but
she knew of other people that would.
"Sold!" Kuno declared loudly.
"And I think I know how you can get that toy of
yours to the pig-tailed girl," Nabiki offered.

*****

Tarre was still in a little shock as she walked to
the market. She'd barely had the groceries necessary
to make breakfast. It was like some ravenous beast
had descended upon her kitchen while she was asleep.
Nabiki had grumbled something about houseguests when
told and then had left.
Tarre knew she'd get the money somehow. She did
wish she knew where Nabiki worked, however. If there
was a job that offered so much money for so little
time it would be nice.
She had little idea of Nabiki's source of income.
All she knew was that Nabiki went to school and came
back about an hour or two later and dispensed the
funds necessary for Tarre to attend her duties.

*****

Nabiki watched the short exchange between Kuno and
Ranma with a smirk. Then stepped out with a kettle of
water while Ranma-chan was being hugged by the idiot
swordsman. She poured of a suddenly screaming Ranma.
"Oh...I'm sorry, Ranma," Nabiki said. "Was that
too hot?"
"Ranma?" Kuno repeated, confused and looked down to
see that he was apparently smothering the other boy.
"That's right, Ranma," the martial artist said
bitterly. "Have you figured it out now? My secret?"
"Oh dear," Nabiki said. "I guess we'll have to
spell it out for him..."
Ranma and Kuno were tearing at each other a minute
later. Akane strode up to watch her sensei to be
curiously, analyzing his style in a real fight. To
her irritation he was practically ignoring Kuno in the
"fight."
Nobody noticed Tarre walk by the park, groceries in
hand, and do a double take upon seeing what was going
on as she walked by.
That is nobody noticed until Ranma stopped cold in
the fight and glanced from something in his hand and
towards the grey-skinned girl watching the fight. How
he had known to look that was a question, perhaps he
had seen her out of the corner of his eye.
In any case, he was in the process of looking back
down in his hand when Kuno struck him in the side.
Ranma grunted with the impact and rolled away,
breaking off combat to regather his wits.
"You should pay more attention, Ranma," Akane said
coolly as he stopped in front of her. She was more
than a little upset that he was making a joke out of
her greatest opponent. "Kuno is much better when
fighting a male opponent."
"You know, Akane," Ranma said from his position
crouched on his head and hands and looking up. "If
I'm going to be training you, we gotta do something
about your wardrobe."
Akane blinked in confusion for a moment until she
realized what Ranma's position gave him a view of.
Predictably she kicked him back towards Kuno. Tarre
gasped in surprise and almost lost her grip on the
groceries.
The remainder of the fight was short but
spectacular, as Kuno shattered a statue through the
air pressure of his strikes. He was topped, however,
as Ranma made ten smoothly and surgically placed kicks
to vital points upon the swordsman's body, all in the
space of a blink.
"Oh dear," Tarre said setting down her groceries
and rushing over once the coast was clear.
"Ranma-san, are you hurt?"
"Now," Ranma said, hands behind his head. "It's
nothing."
"But he seemed to hit you so hard," Tarre said,
casually poking Ranma in the side. Ranma immediately
crumpled to Tarre's embarrasment.
"Serves you right," Akane said. "What had you
distracted anyway?"
"These," Ranma said, handing over a collection of
photos.
"What?!" Akane roared. "What are you doing with
pictures of me you pervert?!"
"What am I...?" Ranma said. "Kuno had them!!"
"Nabiki!" Akane gasped turning to her sister.
Tarre blinked in confusion looking at the photos over
Akane's shoulder.
"I've got to make a little money somehow," Nabiki
said, shrugging and smirking.
"My own sister," Akane snapped.
"I don't see why he'd want pictures of you like
that," Ranma said, meaning yelling, screaming,
destroying things, but sounding as if he meant Akane
in general. "Besides she's got us both beat."
He pointed to Tarre. He admitted her looks as
being superior reluctantly. It was as if some part of
his pride was determined that, if we was going to be a
girl he'd be the best damn-looking girl around.
"Ano?" Tarre said, not understanding until Ranma
handed over more of the photos he had collected.
"What's a raging tomboy compared to that?" Ranma
asked, not heeding his danger. He was including
himself as a tomboy, but of course, he did not make
that clear.
"RANMA!!!!" Akane roared. Tarre seemed to change a
whiter shade of gray for a moment as Akane proceeded
to pound on Ranma. Whether she was in shock from the
photos or the violence it was hard to say.

*****

Nabiki counted the photos up that she had recovered
and decided that she could make another two thousand
by selling them back to Kuno before beginning on mass
distribution.
Unfortunately, the best photo of Tarre was missing.
She still had the negative, but it would mean that
she'd have to wait a while before selling it to Kuno
again. Obviously he had managed to keep on to that
one, since she knew which ones Tarre, Ranma and Akane
had collectively disposed of.
It was highly unfortunate. That one was a true
work of art, and she was very proud of the result from
the point of view of someone that looked at
photography as almost a way of life.
Tarre had been sitting on a small boulder out in
the surf, facing out to sea and trying to ignore the
looks she was getting from people on the beach. The
wind had been whipping her hair, free for once, about
dramatically, and Nabiki had managed to catch the
image as an especially strong wave broke against the
rock she was sitting on.
The expression of Tarre dreading the fact she was
about to be drenched and probably tossed off her perch
had a different look in the photo. She was slightly
turned upward toward the wave and the little amount of
her emotion she'd let into her face seemed more or
less a serenly pensive look.
A couple seconds after the picture was taken,
Tarre's shock-born stoicism had broken into full scale
screaming. Then she was swamped. After she'd
recovered her feet she'd made the aforementioned break
for the changing rooms.
It was lucky that she had those negatives.

*****

A few days later Tarre blinked to discover the
picture framed and hung on her wall with a note.
"You're pretty, you know that?"
It wasn't signed, but she recognized the smell on
the framed photo and note. She blushed, though it was
hard to tell with her coloring, and glanced around
anxiously and wondering how to react.
It would be rude to turn down such a gift, but
Father obviously did not approve her matching with
this boy. Then again, only she could tell WHO had
sent it...she blinked. She was actually contemplating
not revealing something to her family.
Perhaps she should talk to Kasumi about it.

=====
"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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