Back from Vacation, and boy, was it busy on the list. Glad I stepped out
when I did and avoid the messy work.

         The girl scrunched up her face, even in her sleep, and
pressed her face against Ranma's side, mumbling, "Aniki...."

Ranma: So you have a big brother too?

Suu: No. It's a friend whose name is Aniki.

         The small amount of annoyance left at having to sleep as a
woman to satisfy Motoko's temper faded, and Ranma sighed, ruffling
Suu's hair gently.

Suu's hair is silver? Looked more gold to me.


 "Come on, time to wake up."

         "Too early," the girl mumbled. "Motoko-chan sleeps longer."

Ranma; That's because she's fat and lazy.

Motoko: (Bursting into the room) You'll die for that one!

         Sighing, Suu nodded, climbing up off the bedroll, and
stretching. "Morning, Ranma!" she exclaimed, suddenly much more
cheerful.

Secretly took her morning amphetimine, didn't she? :

         The redhead tensed uncomfortably at that. "What about?" she
asked cautiously.

         "Eight treasures," Suu said, frowning. "What's that? Is it
delicious?"

Heh. Very nice teaser.

Cut it all.


^_^

         "It's about the most distasteful thing I've ever heard of,"
Ranma assured the girl, shuddering.

Suu: It's about a Dog Soldier/Silent Service crossover.

Ranma: Well, it's not that bad,

         "Eight treasures? Happosai?" she asked.

         Ranma shuddered again, and insisted, "Yes, now, never speak
that name again. It's _bad_ luck."

Not for Happi. :)

         Motoko growled, "I had to make sure you wouldn't do anything
untoward with Suu."

         "Just because I turn into a girl doesn't mean I act like
you,"

Heh. Nice comeback.

Ranma assured her. "Now go and get some sleep, or something.

I'm going to take a bath."

         "That's not fair!" Motoko wailed suddenly. "I'm not _like_
that!"

         "Neither am I," Ranma said seriously. "But there's this girl
I know, see, and she runs around with a sword, chasing me all the
time, and she doesn't believe me. So I feel your pain."

Heh

         Ranma nodded, yawning slightly, and putting some toothpaste
on his toothbrush. "Pretty good," he said after a moment. "I fell
asleep the moment I lay

laid or layed (I think)

         "Nothing like that," Ranma said insistently. "Me and Suu
just slept, and I was a girl at the time. I'm not like that."

         Shinobu looked up at Ranma hesitantly, as he began brushing
his teeth. "Really?" she asked quietly.

         "Yeph, reawy," Ranma replied seriously.

         The girl couldn't help but giggle at the stern looking

stern-looking ( I think)


man

with his toothbrush still in his mouth.

         He raised an eyebrow, then pointed at her and proclaimed,
"Rabid schoolgirl!"

         Laughing harder, Shinobu put her hand over her mouth to
avoid spitting at Ranma,

and then she was overcome with the desire to bite him.

         Shinobu blinked, wondering why she was lying on the floor
again. Something about being near Ranma seemed to prompt that. "I
think so," she said cautiously. "What happened?"

         "You choked on your toothbrush," Ranma explained, chuckling.
"Ah... that was my fault, I'm afraid."

But he was still laughing.

         Right," the man mumbled, producing his notebook and pen.
"'Do not laugh and brush teeth at the same time. It can be
dangerous.'"

         "Oe-san?" Shinobu asked, unable to resist giggling again
despite the embarrassment. "You need to write that down?"

         "It helps," Ranma said in an offhanded manner,

I hope he has 'breathe regularly' in there, :)

 rinsing his

mouth out and spitting into the sink. "Aniki used to write down
notes like that, too. One of them was, 'The human head is not meant
to turn one hundred and eighty degrees. I tried it today. It hurt.'"

Yes. That I can see.

         He scribbled in his notebook again, and Shinobu laughed,
carefully pushing her toothbrush away from her. "Well, I'll just
remember, 'Be careful about brushing your teeth near Oe-san," she
giggled.

         "Could be good advice," Ranma reasoned,

He wrote that down too.

         ***

         Ranma threw himself into the task of cooking, glancing up
from the stove only as Keitaro and Naru wandered into the dining
room, quizzing one another on various topics in the upcoming test.

Naru: 5+5 equals?

Keitaro: Ten

Naru: Capital of Mexico?

Keitaro: Mexico City

Naru: Color of my panties this morning?

Keitaro: Pink with a picture of a turtle on the bottom... Oops. Wasn't
supposed to admit I accidentily peeped on you. Is this the place where I get
hit?

Naru: Yep! (punches him into orbit)

         "Oooh, that smells good, Shinobu... Oe?" Mitsune asked

Shinobu: No! I'm not married to Oe-san. I just met him. Maybe in a few
years, when I get out of high school...

         "I worked a summer at a hot-spring resort with Akini,"

Aniki

         "I guess," Ranma mumbled. "Aniki's got pictures.

Ranma; But the coolest ones were of me in bondage gear.

         "Someone's stolen all my panties!" Shinobu wailed. "I can't
find any of them!"

         Ranma shuddered, making a face. "This _can't_ be happening,"

Of course it can. It always did before, and now its doing so again. You
can't stop a force of nature.

he murmured. "Suu, did you say that name I told you not to say?"

         "Which name?" Suu asked curiously, pulling up the hem of her
skirt to look. "I said it, but my panties are still here!"

Heh

         "What?" Motoko asked, one arm tightening about Shinobu, and
the other dropping to her sword.

         Shinobu, realizing where she was, began to whimper, "Help!
Save me, Oe-san! Motoko, I'm not like you!"

Heh

         Motoko released the girl, scowling. "It's not like that! I'm
trying to save you from the perversions of men!"

         "That only makes it sound worse!" Shinobu protested, running
to hide behind Mitsune.

True

         "You think I can help you?" Mitsune asked, surprised.

         "No, you're just less perverted than everyone else!"

This is true.

         Motoko crossed her arms over her chest, and narrowed her
eyes suspiciously. "I sense something," she murmured. "Something
ominous."

By the pricking of my thumb.

         "Him," Ranma stated flatly, as a form of shadow leapt from
the trees.

         A dark, rounded blur like a massive troll or ogre, gigantic
upper body supported on a set of tiny legs, moving so quickly that
Shinobu almost couldn't see it at all flashed towards her.

Awkward. I'd reword that.

         Ranma growled, reaching into his shirt, pulling out a frilly
black lace bra, and throwing it to the ground. "Saving you a lot of
trouble," he spat. "Now stay out of the way, little girl. This is
_my_ fight."

Heh.This could be cute.

         Straightening up, Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "What
difference would that make?" he asked. "I don't know why you're
here, Happosai, but I don't want you to stay."

         "Ranma!" the creature exclaimed, batting suddenly large,
innocent eyes at the man. "You wound your old master!"

Well, that's what he intends to do, yes. :)

         "Oe!" Motoko snapped. "You've trained beneath this beast?"

Boy that sounds kinky.

         "Beast?" Happosai asked. "How cruel! But you're a feisty
little thing, aren't you?" The old man -- if he was a man -- looked
at Ranma slyly.

I don't think you need the 'old man' part.

"Almost reminds you of Akane, doesn't she?"

Err, no. Kunou, yes.

         "I wonder what their relationship is," Suu mused quietly,
one finger placed between her lips as she studied the two. "Is a
Happosai stronger than a Ranma?"

Well

         Ranma glanced at Suu, his expression softening. Standing up
straight, he shifted his combat stance, turning to face the old man.
"Maybe I use Anything Goes, and maybe I don't," he said evasively.
"And even if I do, I'm not your heir. Never will be again, old man."

         "Sounds like a challenge, Ranma m'boy!" the man cackled.
"Your father Genma may

,Genma,

         The old man barked a short laugh, and said, "Your choice, my
heir! Happo-dai-karin!" Bouncing towards Ranma, the creature pulled
an object about the size and shape of a tennis ball from his pocket,
and flung it at Ranma.

That should be easy enough to evade.

         The man leapt backwards, his arms crossed before his face.
In slow motion, his braid seemed to leap across his shoulder,
trailing in front of him as he flew backwards, then, as Happosai's
projectile struck the earth and detonated, the braid flipped over
Ranma's shoulder and fluttered behind him. His hair only came to
rest when Ranma landed on the far side of the lawn on both knees and
one hand, wincing. Happosai landed on the lawn, and chuckled for a
moment, before producing three more of the spheres from his gi.

it does seem a bit wordy for the action that just happened. Could be just
me, though.

         "Yours?" Mitsune asked under her breath. "I think those are
_ours_!"

were hers, with the shape they're probably in. :)

         Happosai stared at Ranma disconsolately, with large, sad
eyes. "Ranma!" he sputtered. "You've destroyed my pretties! How
_could_ you?"

         "I was aiming for your head!" Ranma snapped.

Happi: I would have preferred you hit my head too.

         "Why, you little..." Happosai muttered. "Take this! Happo-
dai-karin!" Barely giving Ranma enough time to react, the old man
lobbed a trio of his explosives,

can drop the 'his' We know who they belong to.

         Ranma raised his hands, the sparkling bolts of power that
preceded the Mouko Takabisha shining for a moment before he growled,
low in his throat, and released it. "Leave them out of this, old
man!"

         "It's 'Anything Goes', Ranma!" the old man mocked. "Are you
going to show me your higher art?"

Still, I don't recall Happi intentionally going after bystanders.

         "Sounds like a plan!" Happosai said cheerfully, moving far
too quickly for the other man to stop, and sending Ranma hurtling
through the air again. Ranma vanished over the fence, but this time,
there was no resounding thud from his impact against the ground.
Happosai blinked, frowning in surprise. "What's this?" he asked
quietly, glancing around in consternation.

He had a plan is what. :)

         "We'll fight again," Happosai advised, smiling softly. "At
sunset tomorrow, I'll return. Then we'll really fight. Until then,
my heir, that was a fair warm-up. But next time, I want you to show
me the true Oe Ronin-ryu." Done with his speech, and cackling
loudly, the old man bounced away, vanishing into the trees, though
his laughter echoed for far longer.

Hmm. Interesting.

         Haruka raised an eyebrow at that, taking a drag from her
cigarette. "If he trusts Oe, I suppose," she allowed. "If he can
hold his own against Happosai, he must have enough ability to at
least run an inn."

Hmm. So she knows him.

         "What are you talking about?" she asked, edging towards the
exit as the bus came to a stop.

         "You said I was stupid!" Keitaro protested, struggling out
the door after Naru. "What was that all about?"

Naru: I mean stupid in behavior, not stupid in intelligence.

         "Not so loud!" Naru protested, glancing around. Few people
were paying any attention to them. "It was... it wasn't you," she
mumbled, shaking her head.

         "So I'm not stupid?" Keitaro asked, brightening. "You think
I'm going to make it?"

Heh. He'll latch onto anything.

         ***

         The foreman for the construction seemed familiar to Ranma,
somehow, but she couldn't quite place her finger on _why_ he seemed
to familiar to her.

Hmm.

         "I imagine not," Ranma sighed, shaking her head. "I have
everything written down. I've got all the details for what needs to
be done -- are you going to start working today?"

         "It's early enough," the man reasoned. "We'll whip up a
quick plan and move in some equipment -- the real work won't begin
tomorrow,

begin until tomorrow (perhaps?)

         "Uh, my name is Oe," Ranma said, frowning. "Is it
important?"

         "Oe?" the man asked, surprised. "Oh! The new guy we hired is
named Oe, too! His name is Ranma -- are you related to him at all?"

Hehehe. He forgot where he was working?

         "Well, you seem nice, and I'm already working with your
brother -- why don't you let me take you to lunch so we can get to
know each other better?" The foreman stepped closer to her -- not
threatening, but protectively.

Hehehehe. Cute.

         Because Ranma was right next to the edge of the roof, she
realized. What she needed wasn't a protective and burly foreman, but
a way _out_. "Uh, I don't really think that would be a good idea. I
mean, I don't even know your name!"

         "I'm Suzuki Taiso," he said, bowing slightly. "So, how about
it?"

         "Um, well," Ranma hedged, looking around frantically, "I'd
love, but, um... you see...."

Ranma shouted, "I'm a lesbian!" And kissed Motoko.

         "Um... I promised, didn't I, Kitsune? I mean, we were going
to go shopping and then visit my brother," Ranma objected swiftly.

         "Yeah, that's right," Mitsune said, crossing her arms
beneath her chest and nodding. Leaning slightly closer to Taiso, as
though she were confiding in the man, she added, "Her brother's a
martial artist -- really strong, and very protective of his sister.
I also think there's something going on between her and the manager
of the inn, anyway, but she's really shy about it."

Hehehehe. That should work.

         "And if you don't get it right?"

         "Then you tell me, and I pay for lunch."

         "I have a better idea," Ranma posed. "See, I don't like to
talk about the past, because it's, well, in the past. But I do owe
you for helping me out with Taiso, so I'll buy you lunch someplace."

Heh. Couldn't outfox him that way.

         He wrestled internally for a long minute. He wanted nothing
more than to speak about it to someone, but... but why open up to a
woman he'd know for three months, at best?

Actually since she'll be out of your life quickly, that makes it relatively
safe. :)

         "Um, I met him... a while after something that changed my
life forever. In a bad way... I mean, it was what I think was the
worst day of my life, and he... stopped me from doing something
stupid."

Mitusne; Killing yourself?

Ranma: Nah. Becoming a monk. Did you know they have to be celebate?

         "Is your brother as cute as you are?"

Ranma; Yep. And he as a sweeter ass. Not that I would notice something like
that on a guy.

         Treading lightly, Shinobu was the slightest bit unsettled to
watch Suu leap off of

can drop 'of'

 the ground and dance merrily across the low

rooftops of the shops on the street leading to the Hinata-Sou.
"Going to catch a Ranma!" the girl sang happily, leaping across the
entire width of the road to caper back, passing in a wide circle
around Shinobu. "Going to catch a Ranma!"

Heh

         "Ahh! Kaora! Be careful!" Shinobu called out, hurrying to
keep up with the other girl's pace. "We'll be home soon, and that's
dangerous!"

         "I know what I'm doing," Suu assured, a heartbeat before she
slipped at the edge of one roof. An ancient shingle, coated on both
sides with a thick layer of moss, shot out from beneath the girl's
foot, caroming

think you need an 'h' in there somewhere

         "Why do you need to know about it?" Suu asked, leaning
forward far enough to peer into Keitaro's eyes. "I checked -- their
tea is not delicious."

Heh

         "I was just going to ask someone out to tea later," Keitaro
said dismissively. "But for now, I need to come up with a way to
give Narusegawa some important news."

         Shinobu blinked at that, drawing her hands together before
her chest reflexively. Whenever things started to turn strange, she
had a nearly uncontrollable desire to curl into a ball,

Probably the most well-adjusted person there.

         Female once more, Ranma was awarded the dubious honor of
watching Mitsune model her new clothing. Most of this entailed her
sitting on the floor of Mitsune's room, watching the door. "Ready?"
she asked, twirling the end of her braid around her finger idly.

         "Yep, I think that does it," Mitsune said, stepping around a
divider, and showing off a sleek black dress. "What do you think of
this one? And be honest."

Ranma: Makes your hips look wide enough to give birth to a yak.

Mitsune: You bastard! (hits Ranma)

Ranma: (flying) When am I ever going to learn women never want to hear the
truth about how they look from a guy?

         "The only thing around here that tries to eat him is Suu,
and I think she's given up on that," Mitsune assured Ranma. "And I
don't think she's back from school yet. You'll hear it when she is,
though."

True

         "Oh?" Mitsune asked skeptically.

Ranma; Her name was Handmaid May

Mistune: Why, you were in another crossover before this one, weren't you?

         In answer, Mitsune dropped the black dress into her lap.

         "You want me to return this for you?" Ranma asked hopefully.

         "I want to see how you look in it," Mitsune said cheerfully.

Heh

         Mitsune grabbed the bottom edge of her tanktop, and began to
pull it up, just as the door to Mitsune's room opened, and Naru
walked in, sighing. Mitsune froze, her hands atop Ranma's breasts,
as the dress slipped from Ranma's fingers, and the redhead began to
giggle nervously. "Mitsune?" Naru asked tiredly, staring at the
floor.

Hehehehehe.

         "Of course not!" Ranma said, smirking. "I agreed to this
yesterday, didn't I?"

         "Auuugh," Shinobu noised quietly, running towards the inn,
followed shortly by Suu.

Hehehehe

         "Yep! Papa-san teaches me martial arts -- he said he was
teaching the new person martial arts, too." The girl grinned.
"This'll be fun!"

Only if you disappear.

Why no, I don't find Sarah amusing. Why do you ask?

         The flow of Naru's words melded into a low distressed
mumble, of which Mitsune paid only partial attention to, most of her
thoughts instead centering around the outfit that had seemed to stun
Ranma. "... and I'm afraid to let anyone know how badly I did on the
practice tests," the woman concluded sadly. "What should I do?"

Mitsune: Drink excessively, like I do.

         "Keitaro is trying to do _what_ with Oe?" Naru asked, one
eyebrow ticking.

         "This calls for investigation," Mitsune announced,

Which will lead everyone to the wrong conclusions.

         Ranma sighed, sticking his hands into his pockets. "I know
the tea ceremony," he said offhandedly. "I mean... I had to learn
it, when I was a kid. I kind of figured everyone would know the
basics, though. Don't you?"

         "Actually, I do," Keitaro admitted, chuckling ruefully. "My
parents made me learn it when I was younger. Erm.

I'd drop the 'erm'

         Creeping along carefully, Naru a step ahead, and Shinobu a
step behind, Mitsune peered around her newspaper cautiously. She was
dressed in an inconspicuous trenchcoat,

Unless you're in a Bogey film, there is no such thing as a 'inconcpicuous'
trenchcoat. :)

 >

         "It makes so much sense!" Shinobu sobbed quietly. "He told
me today that he had important news for you, Narusegawa-sempai, he
said: 'It's about Oe. But don't worry about that, now. Once I talk
to Narusegawa, then I think I can honestly say that you girls will
all be in good hands'."

Heh. She did remember.

         "... and that was pretty much how my first day at Hinata-Sou
went," Keitaro concluded.

         "Wow. Sounds like I got off lucky, just being attacked by
Motoko," Ranma noted.

Heh

         "Well, I wouldn't speak poorly of Narusegawa," Keitaro
protested.

         "Nah, I'm not saying anything bad, but she's just... eh, not
my type." There was a pause, then, Shinobu waving away a server as
Mitsune and Naru traded glances.

That seems way out of place. I mean the way you have them listening in while
the men's conversation continues.

 >

         Naru was obviously uncertain how to deal with the
revelation, so she decided she couldn't fault herself for being
unsure, as well. But... it was so unfair! She had never gotten a
chance to confess her own feelings to Keitaro!

Oh? She's admitting she likes him, or is she referring to something else?

         Her musing was interrupted by a sudden succession of noises.
The first was a loud, deep rumbling, one that made itself felt
throughout the evening air, and reverberated through the street. A
shrill squealing echo that bounced eagerly across the close
buildings lining the road to assault her ears followed it. The next
in the rapid procession of sounds was the deep, grating blat of an
air-horn, sending a chilled shiver of panic up her spine. As she
turned around to try and look at the source of the noise, a final
sound joined the ensuing cacophony; that of tires scraping for
desperate purchase on a too-slick road as several tons of truck
skidded towards her, faster than her reflexes would carry her away.

Oh dear.

         "I'm sorry, Motoko-sempai," she said without thinking. "Do I
have to sleep with you to thank you, now?"

Heheheh.

         The woman above her blinked, and leant closer, eyes widening
slightly, and peering deep into her own. "You know Motoko-han?" she
asked, one eyebrow rising. "Strange, I know she was never one to
associate too closely with males, but that, I would not have
expected of her."

Heh

sheathed sword at her hip. "Do you know, perhaps, where she dwells?"

         "She lives with us," Shinobu said, face flushing. "Only, um,
forget what I said earlier, I didn't mean it and she only sleeps
with one other girl and she only tried to--" she silenced herself by
the simple expedient of clapping her hands over her mouth.

Heh.

         Kintaro had shown him the basics, but Ranma had always felt
that Kintaro's martial arts simply weren't up to par with Anything
Goes.

Only because he didn't put his mind to it. He could come up with anything,
given time.

         "I spent a few months with the Department of Public Works in
Hokkaido," Ranma said, shrugging. "They'd get boulders and trees
falling all over the roads on the pass I was working at. Luckily, it
was mostly snow and hail, so the work wasn't bad," Ranma reasoned.
"Why?"

Heh. Such a casual answer.

         "Whee!" Suu exclaimed, latching onto his other leg. "My
turn!"

Heh

         Motoko, who he had missed, smiled at him triumphantly. "And
now the truth is revealed, Oe-san," she murmured.

         A woman eerily similar to Motoko stepped out from behind the
girl. "It's been so long!" she enthused, rushing him while he was
trapped, and hugging him tightly, his face pressed into her bosom.
"Ranma! How are you doing?"

Oh dear. And just how does she know him? And boy, this is going to tweak off
Motoko,

         "Much better!" the woman enthused. "Tell me, Ranma, where--
rather, how is your brother?"

         "You know my sister?" Motoko yelped. "How? Why? This is not
fair --

No, Moko. It isn't. :)

Very nice work. Lot of little things covered, as well as dealing with Happi
once again. Looking forward to more already. Don't know what else to say. It
was a bit slow over all, perhaps, but it needed to be with the slow
uncovering of thing as both the LH cast and Ranma learn more about each
other. Nice work

D.B. Sommer





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