Minna-san,
Fresh off the presses! Part 7 should be started
tomorrow (I hope ^_-).
Enjoy!
Fred
=====
Fred Herriotfherriot@yahoo.com**** **** ****"Fanfiction IS Real Life!"**** **** ****
______________________________________________________________________
Post your ad for free now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: LoneS-06.txt
-- Desc: LoneS-06.txt
"So you know now, do you?"
Kasumi gazes at the tea cup, not bothering to return Nabiki's
knowing look. Souun is busy with Akane in the dojo, they now engaged
in a more sedate version of what Genma and Ranma did almost every
morning they had lived at the Tendou dojo. "Yes," she picks the cup
up, then sips.
Nabiki notices the slight tremor in her sister's hand. "Why are
you so bugged about it, Onee-chan? This is the perfect defence
against anyone trying to railroad Ranma-chan into an engagement
she doesn't want."
Kasumi gazes sharply at her, then sets the tea cup aside.
Nabiki waits for her sister to reply. Seeing that she wasn't going
to oblige her, Nabiki peers intently at her sister's face. Her eyes
soon widen as a stark realization sinks in. "Wait! You WANT them
to marry...?!"
Kasumi starts, then shakes her head. "No, no, no! Nabiki,
you don't understand!" she waves her sister's potential retort down,
then takes a breath. "I didn't want Ranma-kun and Akane-chan
to marry in response to any obligation Father, Uncle or Auntie
demanded of them. That was the one lesson we ALL had to learn from
that farce Father and Uncle forced on them after Ranma-kun killed
that monster Saffron. If it was going to happen to them, I wanted
it to happen because THEY wanted it. But..."
"Well, it's not going to happen now," Nabiki shrugs. "Two girls
can't marry in this country, much less most other countries on the
planet. And I think Ranma-chan's as hetero as they come. And..."
she pauses, "...she may be on the fast track towards getting herself
a boyfriend."
"Who?!" Kasumi demands, then her eyes widen. "Ataru-kun?!"
"Hai," Nabiki nods. "Ironic, ne?"
The eldest Tendou daughter considers that, then nods. "Indeed."
Nabiki cocks an eyebrow. "So what else is bugging you about
this? Other than we having to be careful about revealing this to
Akane."
"I think we should tell her right away."
"Why?"
"She deserves to know, Nabiki," Kasumi insists. "Even if she's
been taking many liberties with Ranma-kun, even after he made it
clear that he wasn't going to tolerate that, her feelings for him are
plain."
"What happens if we do tell her? Say before she goes off to
school today?" Nabiki asks. "What'll she do? She'll probably
try to knock Ranma-chan back to 'his' senses, most likely in front
of everyone in class. You want to know what might result from that?
Akane beaten into a coma, that ALSO happening to Ukyou and Shampoo
if they get wind of this, Ranma-chan losing what friends she's got
left..." she shrugs. "In the end, Onee-chan, all it'll do is speed
Ranma-chan's departure for Promised Island. And in that case, she
won't care a BIT about what happens to the rest of us."
Kasumi frowns. "Could this island of theirs or Ataru-kun
or one of his sisters have something to do with this, Nabiki?"
Nabiki tries not to moan. "You've just GOT to be kidding me!"
"Nabiki, I'm serious!"
"And so am I! Look, there's something else you have to know,
Onee-chan. It's got a lot to do with Ranma-chan's delightful
'neko' personality and that guyver-thing Ataru-kun turns into..."
She explains. Kasumi pales more as she learns of the psychic
bond linking Ataru with Ranma, then she demands, "How do you know
this?"
"Partially from what Ranma-chan and Ataru-kun said on Sunday
night before they dealt with the panda once and for all," Nabiki
sighs. "I confirmed it yesterday afternoon when I trained with
Negako-san."
"And if that bond's severed...?"
"They die. Which'll break not only Akane's heart, but the
hearts of Ranma-chan's other fiancees, not to mention Ataru-kun's
sisters."
Silence falls as Kasumi considers that, then she shakes her
head. "It's still disappointing to me," she admits. "I mean, all
that effort, all the things he did to reinforce his self-image
as a man..." her hands rise in an "I give up" gesture, "...then
he learns about THIS and..."
"She didn't want to change back?"
"Yes! That's not the Ranma Saotome I know of."
Nabiki ponders that, then shrugs. "Maybe she decided it wasn't
worth all the pain and trouble without any real guarantee of success.
Besides, that's what Ranma-chan was fighting for, Onee-chan.
To decide her own life for herself. If we don't respect that, we're
no better than the panda."
Kasumi grimaces, then perks on hearing Souun's and Akane's
voices echo from outside. "Don't say anything, Onee-chan,"
Nabiki hisses to her as the other members of the Tendou family step
in for breakfast.
Kasumi barely nods, though her sister quickly notes that it is a
choice she personally would not have made...
* * *
"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
The story text Ranma and Eri read is from "Anne of Green Gables"
by Lucy M. Montgomery, found at the start of Chapter XVII. The
edition I used is the Bantam Special Collector's Edition paperback,
published in 1998.
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko
Takahashi; and "Sister Princess," created by Naoto Tenhiro and
Sakurako Kimino. This story is set after the end of the "UY" and
"Ranma" manga series.
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are at the end of the Prologue.
**** **** ****
THE SIXTH PART - GRASPING STRAWS
"Oh, Shirayuki-chan, that was great!!" Ranma rubs her stomach.
"Hime hopes she didn't fill Nee-sama up too much," Shirayuki
moves to clean up the plates. She prepared American-style
pancakes for her family and their soon-to-be in-law this morning.
"Do Nee-sama or Nii-sama think they might get into a fight with those
silly boys at school?"
"With the Umisen-ken available for me to use, plus all the
tricks Ataru can use to remain unnoticed?" Ranma smirks, shaking
her head. "Don't worry about that, Shirayuki-chan! The dorks and
Kunou'll be too far bent around the pole because of what Akane's
got in mind now."
"Do you think she'll get around them today, Onee-chan?"
Karen asks.
"Most likely, especially with the Doogi helping her," Ranma
nods.
"I think it's time we get going," Ataru glances at his watch,
then perks on hearing the door to one of the guest rooms open. A
minute later, Chigaiko Inu steps into the living room. "Hey, you
okay?" he wonders, frowning on seeing the drawn look on his
houseguest's face.
"Haven't slept well," Chigaiko stifles a yawn, then shudders.
"And I've been putting up to cramps and night sweats for the last
week."
"Shouldn't you see a doctor, Chigaiko-san?" Sakuya asks.
"I'll see one tonight after school, but I'll have to go all the
way to Shinjuku for that," Chigaiko replies, then quickly munches
down the two pancakes Shirayuki immediately produces for her.
"Need some company?" Mamoru offers.
"No, that's okay," Chigaiko shakes her head.
"Hime'll bring some bentos for Nii-sama, Nee-sama and
Chigaiko-san just before lunchtime," Shirayuki promises.
"How're you going to get past the Principal?" Ranma tenses.
"He doesn't like the idea of people having take-out sent to the
school."
"Oh, Hime has an idea or two," the chef winks...
* * *
In Tomobiki, at the house Ataru Moroboshi once called his own,
the synthezoid presently answering to "Kaeru Moroboshi" stares at the
shopping list his brother Kitaro just made. "Are you sure you need
ALL this?!"
"Hai, all of it," Kitaro turns back to cleaning the sauce pans
he used to prepare breakfast. "If we're going to be preparing
bentos for Shinobu-sama, plus the new girls in class and whoever
might be their guides for the day, I'll need a lot of food. All you
have to do is go to the international food market in Shinjuku and get
it. No problem at all."
"Oh, okay. I'll be back as soon as I can," Kaeru nods, then
smirks. "You know, it'd freak everyone out at school if they learned
how much Grandma's forces were spying on them, even after she passed
away."
"Well, we don't need to tell them anything that'll hurt them,"
Kitaro muses. "Besides, if Onsen-sensei's going to be a total idiot
about us bringing in bentos, we DO need something to bribe him off."
"True..."
* * *
Later...
"'Morning, Akane."
Akane looks back, then tries to smile. "'Morning, Ukyou."
She soon notices the downcast look on the okonomiyaki chef's face.
"What's wrong?"
"It's my dad," Ukyou falls in beside her.
"Did you tell him about what happened on Sunday night?"
"Yeah, I did."
Staring at Ukyou's face, Akane quickly realizes that particular
conversation hadn't gone the way the chef expected. "What happened?"
"Told him about the panda dying. He was pleased to hear that,
then he asked me about how far I was getting with Ran-chan."
Silence falls as Ukyou stares absently at the roadway. "And?"
Akane prompts when it seems the chef doesn't want to say anything
more.
"I told him about what Ran-chan arranged with the courts. About
him declaring himself an orphan, saying he was going to move to
Promised Island and all that," Ukyou shakes her head. "Dad didn't
like hearing that."
"Why?" Akane wonders. "Your family's in the clear now. There's
no stain on your honour whatsoever. With Genma dead, all of Ranma's
debt to you repaid and your dowry returned, that should..."
"NO, IT DOESN'T!!!" Ukyou spins on her, then taking a deep
breath to calm herself, shakes her head. "Look, Akane, it's like I
said sometime ago. You're not to blame for this. Neither's
Ran-chan. But..."
"But?"
Ukyou stares at her. "Who pays me back for the ten years I had
to spend as a boy? Who pays me back for all the things I put myself
through so I could get my family's revenge on the panda and
Ran-chan?"
Akane's eyebrow arches. "You still care about that?"
The chef tenses, looking as if she wants to say "yes," then
looks away. "My dad does." A pause, then, "Look, I know Ran-chan
wants out of anything with me. I..." she shudders. "I can try to
understand why he wants me just as a friend. I don't like that. I
love him, just as much as you. But..." she pauses, "...if that's
what Ran-chan wants, I'll go along with it. But Dad won't accept
that!" she throws up her arms. "Even with Genma dead, my dowry
returned, all that money Ran-chan gave me to pay for all the free
meals I gave him, I still have to marry the guy or else..."
Akane is aghast. "Your family name, your Art, your career...?!"
she shakes her head in disgust. "Who does he think he is?!"
"He's my dad. The last living part of my family, Akane," Ukyou
gazes heavenward. "I lost my mom some years back. Once she was
gone..."
Akane winces. "Oh, Ukyou, I'm so sorry..."
"Nah, it's okay," Ukyou waves her off, then turns towards
Furinkan High. "Right now, I've got to tell this to Ran-chan.
You can lay bets he won't like hearing this. And after what happened
Sunday night..."
Akane immediately shudders as the image of a cat-like Ranma
shredding Genma with a soulsword runs through her mind. "Yeah,"
she nods as they make the turn to lead them down the street right
to Furinkan High's front gates. "Oh, shit! I forgot!!" she then
snaps her fingers.
"What?" Ukyou stares at her.
"I don't know if Ranma ever told you about what the guys did to
me before he came here, but Kunou's got the Hentai Horde active
again..."
"Oh, that!" the chef nods, then peers at the school gates. Sure
enough, there is a larger-than-average crowd massing behind the
gates. Due to the distance -- about 150 metres -- none of them have
noticed the target of their "passions" now on the approach run.
"What're you gonna do?"
"Do something they won't expect," Akane smirks, then reaches
over to squeeze the taller girl's shoulder. "Ukyou, things'll
be alright."
"Will they?" Ukyou asks, then clicks her tongue. "Better get
goin' there, sugar," she thumbs the school. "Your fan club's
waiting."
"Pity those perverts won't get what they want," Akane winks,
then ducks into a side alley, calling out, "Dou-chan!!!"
In a flash of energy, Akane is enveloped in the Densetsu no
Doogi. She picks up her pace as she runs a roundabout route to the
fence on the opposite side of Furinkan High from the Horde.
Immediately sensing what she has in mind, Ukyou grins. "Yeah, they
won't be expecting this!" she chuckles, then perks on hearing a
familiar bicycle bell. "Shampoo!!"
"Ni hao, Ukyou!" the Nyu-che-zuu warrior-maiden lands on the
ground beside the chef. "Why Akane run off?! School about to
start!"
"Yeah, she knows," Ukyou waves the other woman with her. "But
she just doesn't want to deal with that crowd yonder."
Shampoo looks, then nods. "Oh, Shampoo know about this. Stupid
Stick Boy make school boys try to fight Akane to date her. Ranma
stop this when he come to Nerima. Now it all start up again?"
"Yeah, it...!" Ukyou suddenly stops, her eyes turning on
Shampoo. "You just called Ran-chan by his name!! What happened,
Shampoo?!"
The warrior-maiden sighs. "Remember cat-monster Ranma turn
into?"
A chill warps through the chef. "Can't forget that."
"Yesterday, Hibaa-chan tell Shampoo something..." Shampoo
pauses, her skin paling. "Something Shampoo no believe Ranma would
EVER do. It happen when we caught in strange white fog Sunday night.
It..." she looks down. "It make Hibaa-chan decide to petition
Council to have marriage between Shampoo and Ranma ended, then have
Shampoo adopt Ranma as blood-sibling. Hibaa-chan no want to risk
bringing Ranma to Joketsuzoku."
Ukyou shudders as the chill warping through her worsens. Seeing
Shampoo, someone who's sense of valour and bravery was something
Ukyou would NEVER question, looking downright TERRIFIED was something
the chef never expected from her rival fiancee. "What the hell
happened, Shampoo? I've been totally clueless about that since the
panda got killed."
"Shampoo come by Ukyou's restaurant to explain after school,"
Shampoo slips back on her bicycle. "She tell Ukyou then, okay?"
Ukyou nods as Shampoo races away to make her morning deliveries,
then picks up her pace. *Ran-chan, what the hell did you do...?!*
* * *
"Welcome to Furinkan High School! Like it so far?!"
Ranma and Ataru presently brush their clothes off after making
a stunning leap from a pair of telephone poles lining the road beyond
the back fence to the roof by the clock tower. Nearby, a wide-eyed
Chigaiko is trying not to throw up her breakfast after her first-ever
experience being carried by Ataru from telephone pole to telephone
pole at a dead run from Kasugachou. "Gods, is that how you NORMALLY
go to school, Ranma-san?" she pants, staggering back to her feet as
she brushes her skirt.
"Nah! Normally, I run atop the fences. Never tried the
telephone poles until all the delightful fun we had last week at
Tomobiki High," Ranma then tenses on sensing someone coming down
towards them. "Oh..."
Ataru and Chigaiko watch as a Doogi-clad Akane lands nearby,
then in a flash of light, she is back in her normal school uniform,
the bodiless Doogi floating nearby. "Oh!!" she stops herself on
seeing Ataru and Ranma standing there, then her eyes nearly shoot
out of her skull on seeing the latter in a girl's uniform. "Ranma,
what on Earth...?!!"
In a burst of speed which makes Chigaiko's jaw hit the roof,
Ranma's hand slams Akane's mouth closed. "Baka! If you want to
avoid those morons on the front lawn, you'd keep that trap of yours
shut!!" she hisses.
Akane's eyes widen, then sensing she was calm, Ranma pulls her
hand back. "Right..." she nods, then points. "What's this about,
anyway?!"
"Hinako-sensei learned from Toofuu-sensei about Negako keeping
me frozen as a girl, then she told the principal," Ranma waves the
others to follow her through the access door leading into the main
stairwell, then they descend to the second floor, where Class 2-F
would reside. "So he decided I'd have to go through a girl's
curriculum while I'm stuck this way. Home economics, girls' physical
education and all that..."
Her hand suddenly snaps up to bat Akane's away. "Do you
MIND?!!"
Akane stops, stunned by Ranma's actions, then she glares at the
other girl. "You're NOT going to go into the girls' change room,
Ranma..."
"Hey, no problem with me, but what if the phys-ed teacher
decides otherwise?" Ranma retorts. "Believe me, Akane, after getting
this curse, I KNOW more than I'd ever want to know about a girl's
body." She turns away, proceeding on to class. "Or does trying
to accept something like THAT go contrary to your 'Ranma's always
a pervert' attitude?!"
Akane remains still as Ranma heads off. Ataru and Chigaiko
exchange a look, then follow their friend to Class 2-F. Silence
falls as Akane's mind rolls through what Ranma just said, then she
carries on to class. Soon arriving, she perks on hearing an
increased amount of chatter from inside the classroom, then she
slides the door to look in. "Here's your uwabaki, Akane-chan,"
Sayuri comes up to her, Akane's personal set of indoor shoes in hand.
Once Akane takes them and slips them on, Sayuri then thumbs the
redhead now sitting at her desk. "What's with this?"
Akane sighs. "The Principal found out that Ranma has to stay
frozen as a girl for the next while, so he forced him into girls'
classes."
Sayuri gapes, then moans. "Oh, it would have to be him! Did he
get Hinako-sensei to force Saotome to wear the uniform, too?!"
"Probably," Akane steps inside to take her seat. Glancing
around, she quickly notes that everyone in class, save the two newest
members, were huddled in groups, most standing as far from Ranma as
possible. They whisper amongst themselves, glancing every once in a
while to the redhead. Shaking her head, she heads to her seat beside
Ranma's. Much to her relief, the Doogi keeps itself hidden. She
hadn't ordered the Doogi to make itself scarce while she attended
classes. Further, she didn't want to deal with people whispering
about that being back in her life.
Right now, though...
Ukyou steps in at that time. Quickly noting that Akane had made
it to class without going hog-wild on the Horde, she then balks on
seeing the person seated next to her. "Ran-chan!!!" she blurts out.
Ranma gazes absently at Ukyou for a moment, then turns back to
her math textbook. "Oh, good morning, Ukyou-san. How are you
today?"
Silence falls as the students of Class 2-F stare wide-eyed
at Ranma. They knew that in the immediate period after the wedding
attempt, Ranma had become VERY formal when she addressed all her
would-be suitors. But to hear something like THAT towards Ranma's
oldest friend...?
Ukyou shudders as Ranma's words rebound in her mind, then sighs.
"I'm okay, Ran-chan," she tries not to choke. "Um, could we get
together at lunchtime? There's something I've got to tell you..."
Ranma blinks. "I take it this has got to do with Sunday's
events?"
Ukyou jolts, then absently nods. Ranma takes a deep breath,
then nods in return. "Alright. But don't bother making lunch for
me."
"Oh, it's alright...!"
"No, it's not alright!" Ranma cuts her off. "First of all, you
have no obligation to do that for me. Secondly, Ataru's sister will
be bringing lunch for himself, myself and Chigaiko-san..."
she indicates the other new member of Class 2-F, "...during morning
study hall. You needn't bother."
Another shroud of silence falls over the room as the chef takes
that message in. She shakily nods, heading to her seat. The others
in the class watch her, then turn to Ranma. None move to say
anything. Many of them are unsure as to WHAT to say in a case like
this. Ranma herself is trying not to scream out at all the attention
being lavished on her. Much that it would probably be a relief to
tell everyone the truth about what just happened to her, Ranma
strongly suspected that even if they were told, few would believe
it. *Akane's got them brainwashed a little TOO good!* she sneers,
glaring at her ex-fiancee, then turns back to her book.
Akane shudders on feeling Ranma's cold stare fall on her, then
tries not to cringe as the latter turns away. *He's upset about
something!* she muses as some of the other students make their way to
their seats. *But what could it be? Does he hate the idea of being
forced to wear a girl's uniform because he's stuck as a girl? Does
he...* a lump builds up in her throat. *Oh, gods! Does he blame
ME for all this?!* she wonders.
For once, her usual response to a situation like this -- to
flatly declare this was all Ranma's fault in the end -- doesn't
seem to wash.
Why...?
The door opens, revealing a child-like Hinako Ninomiya, her
teaching papers in hand. "Good morning, class!" she calls out.
"Good morning, Sensei!" the students reply, those seated
standing and bowing to her as she moves to stand behind her desk.
Hinako soon notices Ranma. "Ah, Saotome-kun, nice to see you in
a uniform for a change," she smiles, that eliciting a light smile
from the student in question. "For those of you wondering why
Saotome-kun is being forced to wear a girl's uniform, it's because
the principal has decided that since he'll be frozen as a woman due
to medical treatments he is receiving courtesy of the sister of one
of our newest classmates to join us..." she pauses, "...Saotome-kun
therefore will be forced to attend girls' classes, including home
economics and physical education."
A groan emits from various parts of the class. "That's enough!"
Hinako snaps, instantly drawing out a five-yen piece and holding
it out in the open. Seeing that, students pale -- the instant that
coin came out, people knew Hinako meant business -- then clam up.
"I'm not comfortable with this as well. I'm sure Saotome-kun
himself is not comfortable with this at all, despite what words
Tendou-kun might've said to the contrary," a disapproving stare is
cast at Akane. "But the principal is adamant. Further, since
Saotome-kun will only be attending classes for another week before
leaving, there's no need to start a fight over this. I think we've
all had our fill of useless fights." A pause, then, "The principal
also stated that if any of you have a problem with this, you may take
it up with him." She grins. "I expect that you all know what that
means."
Students exchange looks with each other. They knew they'd never
stand a real chance in a one-on-one encounter with Principal Kunou.
At the very least, they'd come out of it with their pride hurt and
most likely with a buzz cut or bowl cut. The only ones who seemed
capable of dealing with the man are Ranma, Akane, Ukyou and Hinako.
And with the teacher on the principal's side and with Ranma pretty
much going along with it...!
Hinako smiles. "Now that that's out of the way, let's meet the
two newest members of our class!" she waves Ataru and Chigaiko
to the front of the room, picking up chalk to write their names on
the blackboard...
* * *
Another scene like this is playing out now in a third-floor
room at another high school. "My dear friends, let's give our four
newest friends a rousing welcome to Tomobiki High School!" Mitsu
Hanawa declares.
Four girls stand beside his desk. "My name's Minako Sawada.
I just moved here from Maizuru in Kyoto-tou. Yoroshiku!" Minako
bows.
"I'm Tomomi Yoshino, from Kitahiroshima, near Sapporo. It's a
pleasure to meet you all," Tomomi bows next.
"I'm Kyooko Ikusawa, from Mito in Ibaraki-ken. Pleased to meet
you all," Kyooko gracefully curtseys to her new classmates.
The last girl is a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl who looks very
much like an older Hotaru Tomoe. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she
bows. "My name's Mie Seikou. I'm from Yama in Fukuoka-ken,
Kyushu."
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," the students chant in return.
"Alright, then," Hanawa claps his hands. "First of all, let's
pick school guides for our newest friends...! Yes, Miyaki-kun?"
"Sensei, I'll be happy to be Minako-san's guide," Shinobu
stands.
"That's wonderful of you, Miyaki-kun!!" Hanawa beams.
"I've no problem with that," Minako smiles.
Another hand goes up. "Yes, Marubeya-kun?" Hanawa asks.
"I'll be happy to show Kyooko-san around, Sensei," Momoe stands.
"Wonderful! And who do you want to be with, Gekasawa-kun?"
"I'll show Tomomi-san around, Sensei," Kumiko rises, giggling.
"Fair enough! Would anyone like to...? Yes, Shinryaku-kun?!"
"I'll be happy to show Seikou-san around, Sensei," Natsuko
Shinryaku, the captain of the school girl's volleyball team, rises.
"Wonderful! Ladies, would you take your seats please?"
"Hai!" the four newcomers take their places...
...just as a short melody echoes from Shinobu's pocket.
"Whoops!!" she blushes, standing as she reaches in to draw her
cell-phone out.
"Miyaki-kun, you know you shouldn't bring those to class!"
Hanawa gently scolds, wagging a knowing finger at her.
"Gomen nasai, Sensei," Shinobu bows. "May I...?"
"Go right on ahead."
"Hai!" Shinobu runs out, then ducks into an alcove before
drawing the phone to her ear. "Kaeru-kun, what are you doing calling
me now?" she hisses, though she couldn't hope to remove the smile
from her face.
"Isn't it break time?" a warm man's voice replies.
"Not yet. What's wrong?"
"How many newcomers are there today?"
"Four, including Minako-chan and her friends. Last girl's
someone from Kyushu named Mie Seikou. Momoe Marubeya, Kumiko
Gekasawa, Natsuko Shinryaku and I're their guides for the day." She
pauses, then asks, "Are you really serious about bringing us our
lunches...?"
"Yes, Shinobu, we are," Kaeru calmly replies, the determination
in his voice sending a wonderful warmth surging through Shinobu.
"I'll have Kitaro make up a nice bowl of Hakata ramen to go with
Mie-san's bento. We'll bring it around the start of lunch, okay?
Plus we'll have something ready for Onsen-sensei to keep him out of
our way. Fair enough?"
"Can't wait to see you, Kae-kun," Shinobu nods.
"Ditto, Shi-chan. Until later."
"Hai."
The link is cut, then Shinobu turns to see Cherry standing
there, a pleased look on the monk's face. "Oh, Cherry, you scared
me!" she gasps.
"I'm sorry, my dear," he bows, then gives her a knowing look.
"It's a good thing you're doing this for those lads, Shinobu."
"Why do you say that?" she slips her cell-phone away.
"The signs ahead are very confusing," he admits as they walk
towards her classroom. "And that disturbs me very much. Keeping
those lads on our side may be the one thing that determines salvation
for us. But..." he stops, shrugging. "Predicting the future is a
hard enough task at times, Shinobu. Right now, it's especially
difficult for me to make sense of anything." He stares at her. "You
best get to class, my dear."
"Ah...! H-hai!" Shinobu nods, then steps back into her
classroom. Apologizing to Hanawa-sensei, she takes her seat, then
moves to draw out her books for science class. As she prepares
for the first day's lessons, her mind rolls through what Cherry just
told her. Like many in Tomobiki, Shinobu often found it difficult
to accept the monk's eerie predictions. Granted, he was dead-on
most of the time, but the way he presented them -- often scaring
the wits out of people by appearing out of nowhere before them! --
turned off most folks to what he was actually saying.
But right now, Cherry had given her a warning in a plain,
rational tone of voice, something Shinobu had NEVER heard from him.
What did it mean? Was it something that was TRULY dangerous?
If so, why? How?
Shaking her head, she turns to her books...
* * *
For Class 2-F at Furinkan, morning classes redefine "bizarre."
Case in point:
"'...afternoon Anne, bending over her patchwork at the kitchen
window, happened to glance out and beheld Diana down by the Dryad's
Bubble beckoning mysteriously. In a trice Anne was out of the house
and flying down to the hollow, astonishment and hope struggling
in her expressive eyes. But the hope faded when she saw Diana's
dejected countenance.'"
Stopping, Ranma places her copy of "Anne of Green Gables" on the
desk, then sits down before noticing that everyone was gazing
wide-eyed at her (save for Ataru and Chigaiko, both who had been
following along in their own copies of Lucy M. Montgomery's
classic novel). Blinking, she looks around, then turns to Hinako.
"Um, was that okay, Sensei?"
Hinako blinks, blinks again, then catches herself. "Um, y-yes,
that was letter-perfect, Saotome-kun," she flusters. "At first,
I found what Toofuu-sensei and Negako-san told me about what your
father did to you when you were a child difficult to believe. I
believe it now!"
Ranma chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, it's
almost all fixed up," she shrugs. "Do you want me to go on, Sensei?"
"No, that's alright. Matsumoto-kun, would you carry on,
please?"
"Hai!" a girl rises from the right side of the room, then
turning to the right page, begins. "'"Your mother hasn't relented?"
she gasped...'"
Ranma relaxes, dividing her attention between the text and the
young woman now reading. Noting the physical similarity between
Eri Matsumoto and Akane, Ranma tries not to stare too much. There
were many differences between them, of course. While slender like
her ex-fiancee, Eri was much better developed in areas guys
appreciated in a girl. Thinking on that, Ranma fights down a sudden
blush with a quick application of the Soul of Ice, then turns back
fully to the text as Eri finishes off her reading.
As Hinako calls out another student, Ranma spares the other girl
a quick glance, then nods before turning back to her work. Eri's
eyes were a lighter shade than Akane's, almost a golden-brown.
And she wore reading glasses. She wasn't a martial artist by any
stretch of the imagination; Eri's life-aura was the same as most of
the people in Class 2-F.
Still, she seems really nice...
* * *
Eri shudders as an odd feeling surges through her, then she
quickly glances around the room. Presently, her best friend Miku
Asaka was reading from "Anne of Green Gables." Pausing to note that
Ranma is now intently staring at her text, Eri turns away to hide a
sudden blush, then she blinks as a note lands on her desk from her
next-door neighbour, Kyoomi Morishita. Glancing at Hinako to ensure
the teacher was raptly paying attention to Miku's reading, she slips
the note into her open book, then unfolds it:
"Eri-chan,
"Ranma-kun was staring at you! And he BLUSHED, too!
"Looks like Tendou's on the permanent outs with him!
"Just to let you know.
"Kyoomi"
Eri blinks, blinks again, then quickly folds the note and turns
back to her book. Hinako stops Miku from reading the text, then
turns things over to Ukyou. As she tries to pay attention to the
reading, Eri feels her cheeks heat up slightly. Ranma had stared
at HER? He actually BLUSHED when he looked at her?! Did that mean
what Kyoomi said it meant?
Was it over between Ranma and Akane?
Taking a deep breath, she sits back in her chair, glancing
briefly at the clock to see how much time there was left in English
class. Only a few more minutes. Good. Maybe she could finally
DO something...
* * *
The bell soon rings, heralding the ten-minute break between
English and history classes. Ranma groans, stretching herself as
Hinako steps out of the room, then senses Ataru gazing on her. "Glad
to be back in class?"
"Well, this is quite better that what I dealt with in Tomobiki,"
he admits, then stares at Chigaiko. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, it is! Even if the teacher's almost as young as your
youngest sister at times, Ataru-kun," she coughs. "I wonder what
Miyaki, Mendou and the rest of those fools are doing now back in
Tomobiki!"
Ataru smirks. "Well, if what Onee-chan told me this morning
about Sword-for-brains is anywhere CLOSE to being true, all the girls
in our old class are going to be in for a VERY rude surprise come
lunchtime."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember Asuka Mizunokoji?"
Chigaiko looks nonplussed, then her eyes widen. "Oh..."
"She's the androphobe, right? The girl who normally dresses
in thick steel armour and can bench-press a tank?" Ranma wonders.
"Same. Though she's actually gotten better over the last while
when it comes to men," Ataru nods. "Well, I hope it'll be for the
best."
"You'd wish that for Mendou?!" Chigaiko's eyebrow arches.
"Ataru-kun, with the way you two went at it at times, I'd think you
wish to put a live grenade under his pillow to make sure he'd leave
you alone!"
He chuckles. "Oh, there's no need for that, Chigaiko-chan.
Think about it. On Sunday, Onee-chan and Chikage tore apart nearly
a regiment's worth of tanks, not to mention a squadron's worth of
attack choppers. All that costs a LOT of money. I think the going
price for a Leopard II runs to about two billion yen. Don't ask me
what an Apache or Huey Cobra might cost." He winks. "Something
tells me Mendou's parents, not to mention Asuka's, aren't going to
let him play as much as he did before. That's NOT to mention what
Reigi-kun could do if the Mendous demand more money then they
normally ask for in a month to replace all that gear!"
"Gee, that's just TOO bad!" Chigaiko yodels.
All three laugh. Hiroshi Chanpatsu and Daisuke Bosabosa make
their appearance. "Hey, Ranma-kun, bummer about the uniform, huh?"
the former muses as they crouch to both sides of Ranma's desk.
"Ah, it's cool!" Ranma makes a dismissive wave. "It's only for
four days, then I can finally bid this ramen stand a not-so-fond
farewell."
"Really hell-bent on going, huh?" Daisuke wonders.
"Yep! With Oyaji gone, I've got nothing keeping me here."
"Not even Akane?" Hiroshi whispers, glancing near the front of
the room, where Akane is now chatting with Sayuri and Yuka.
"Especially not her," Ranma nods. "It's for the best."
"She'll miss you," Daisuke warns.
"I know," she lowers her voice.
Sensing that their transformed friend didn't want to speak
further about that subject, Hiroshi turns to Ataru. "So how long are
you going to be staying around here, Ataru-kun? The whole year?"
"No, just a week. When Ranma goes, I go too," Ataru shrugs.
"Why?!" both boys ask.
Ataru gazes on Ranma. "My older sister Negako was asked to
consult on Ranma's problems. I came with her. Onee-chan and I've
been together since I left Tomobiki a couple months ago. When Ranma
moves to Promised Island, we're going with her. Besides, that's
my real home now."
"I've never even heard of Promised Island. Where is that,
anyway?" Daisuke scratches the side of his head.
"It's actually called Oomure-jima. It's in the Sagami Sea..."
The door crashes open. "AKANE TENDOU!!!!"
A quiet groan drifts through the room as people stare on
Tatewaki Kunou, the kendo club captain having just burst into the
room. In a flash, he is at Akane's side, grasping her hands. "Akane
Tendou, why did you not meet us on the front lawn this morning?!"
he demands. "Did you know that we waited until well after the first
bell for you to come?!"
"Oh?" Akane tries not to punch this idiot into orbit as she
falls on her drama club training. "And where were you and your
friends yesterday morning, Kunou-sempai? I waited for you by the
front gate!"
Kunou jolts. "But there were no classes yesterday..."
"So?! I was prepared to deal with you then!" Akane yanks her
hands out of his grasp, then turns away. "And since you and your
friends did NOT show up yesterday, I declared your decree about who
could date me and under what circumstances they could date me
NULL-AND-VOID! Almost all the girls in class were witnesses to that.
Right, girls?!" she picks up her voice.
"Hai!!!" the girls chime.
"WHAT?!?!" Kunou explodes. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO THAT!!!!"
"Oh?! Says who?! I don't recall you becoming the principal
of the school? Isn't that supposed to be your father's job?!"
Kunou quakes. Around him, students begin to laugh.
"SILENCE!!!!" he spins on them, then turns back to Akane. "Akane
Tendou, do you actually DOUBT my sincerity?! Do you not realize
that I act solely on your behalf?! How can you so easily deny the
justness of my cause?!"
"Well, it is and has NEVER been *my* cause, Sempai!" Akane
glares at him, stabbing a finger into his chest to force him out of
the classroom. "And know this well, Kunou! Yesterday, I swore an
oath on the memory of my late mother that I will NEVER acknowledge
anything you say about me!! Do you seek to ignore that?! If you do,
then you have NO honour at all!"
A fist explodes in his face, sending him flying out of the room
just a second before the history teacher walks in. Noting the dazed
kendoist sprawled on the floor by the windows, he turns to Akane.
"Trying to take out the trash a little too early, Tendou-kun?"
he wonders.
Akane flusters. "Sorry about that, Sensei!"
"Well, clean up your mess, young lady. We have class now!"
"Hai!!"
She jogs out of the room. Picking up Kunou, she opens a window,
then tosses him outside, ignoring the basic fact that they were two
stories up. Looking down to see the kendoist splash-land in the pool
-- it was still filled with water though also filled with leaves
from last autumn, it having not been covered up for the winter months
-- Akane nods, then heads back into class. Most of the girls and
some of the boys in the room give her a round of applause as she
takes her seat. "Alright, settle down, people!!" the teacher calls
out. "Let's get on with class!"
"Hai!!" people chant as they take their seats.
Akane sits down, then senses Ranma staring at her for a moment.
"You okay?" the former whispers as she draws out her textbook.
Ranma sighs. "It's nothing," she turns to her own text...
* * *
The nurse's office, minutes later...
"WHAT?!?!?! SAY THIS IS NOT SO, NABIKI TENDOU!!!!"
"It is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
Kunou-baby!!" Nabiki smirks. For her usual fee, she dragged the
kendoist out of the pool to get him some treatment. "Akane's oath
was made in the memory of our late mother. To force her to break
THAT oath means you've no honour to speak of. She's fully within
her rights to refuse you now."
"But...!" Kunou flusters, then his eyes widen as a lightbulb
seems to explode over his head. "Of COURSE!! I should've seen it!!
Please excuse me, Nabiki Tendou!! The Blue Thunder has someone
to deal with!"
He storms out. Nabiki exchanges a look with the nurse, Michiko
Ooda. "Doesn't he know when to quit finally?" Michiko shakes her
head.
"Not really," Nabiki rolls her eyes...
* * *
"So you do not agree to what the textbook says about our
occupation of Korea, Moroboshi-kun?" the history teacher hums.
"No, sir, I don't agree with it at all," Ataru smiles, having
just answered a question about the beginning of that horrible chapter
in Korea's history with an answer that Mr. Kimihara personally
agreed to even if it didn't chime with the "facts" in the
Ministry-issued textbook. "Let's take, for example, the
assassination of Hirobumi Itou by Chung-geun An back in 1909. Now,
when most Koreans speak of Mr. An, they normally attach the word
'Patriot' to his name. Why is that? It's quite simple, really..."
The door crashes open. "***MOROBOSHI!!!!***"
"***SEISHIN KUSARIGAMA!!!!***"
Before Kunou could lunge in to attack, a glowing chi-energy
chain bursts from Ataru's palm to loop around the kendoist's
neck. "Ever since the start of old Chosoun's opening to the west
around 1880 or so, all the 'greater' powers around the peninsula
were caught in a vicious contest over who'd have what was then called
'suzerainty' over Korea..."
Drawing the Psychic Kusarigama tight, Ataru cuts off Kunou's
voice as he yanks the kendoist over everyone's heads to slam
face-first into his desk. "Of course, in a battle of that nature,
the leaders of the competing powers -- China, Japan and Russia --
didn't give a single whit over what the Korean people, much less
their leaders, wanted," he continues, his hand grabbing Kunou by the
back of his neck, then employing a variation of the Typhoon Wind
Fist, he smashes the kendoist's face five hundred times into the
desk. "Pretty damned typical if you ask me," he shrugs, then glances
over to where Ukyou now sits by a window. "Could you open that,
please?"
"Sure thing, sugar," Ukyou throws open the window.
Ataru grabs a dazed-and-bloody Kunou, then sends him flying
out the window into a nearby sakura tree. "And further more," he
turns back to the teacher, Mr. Kimihara now open-mouthed at Ataru
having continued with his explanation while pounding the snot out of
the school's most arrogant student at the same time, "...when you
take a deep look at the attitudes most Japanese leaders had about
Korea at the time, it's understandable that when the Occupation
began, so many Koreans were up in arms."
Outside, Kunou flops head-over-heels to slam into the ground.
Seeing that, Ukyou closes the window. Many of the students now gaze
in awestruck disbelief at Ataru. He ignores them as he adds, "Matter
of fact, when he was teaching the Shoowa Emperor, a guy named
Kurakichi Shiratori said Korea was the 'the root of all problems
in the Orient,' or something pathetic like that. And this guy even
wrote *textbooks*..." he holds up the class text, "...on Asian and
Western history. Now, I don't know about you, Sensei, but you have
to admit, that attitude's been predominant in our relations with
Korea ever since! And I've long learned that if you keep treating
someone as a pariah for no real reason whatsoever, they're gonna
sooner or later start acting like it. Who's fault is it then?"
"You seem very passionate about this topic, Moroboshi-kun,"
Mr. Kimihara then collects himself, clearing his throat.
"Sir, my grandfather was a kamikaze pilot in the Special Attack
Corps who died in the fighting in Okinawa. Quite USELESSLY,
I might add," Ataru sighs. "My grandmother never recovered from his
death. And because of that, she, like many in Japan, have asked hard
questions about that war. Or, to paraphrase the late Lieutenant
Saburo Sakai, 'Who the hell gave the orders to start that stupid
war in the first place?!' I'm sure all of us here have relatives
who either died on the battlefield or were killed when the Americans
sent the B-29s to bomb every city in the country. If they sit back
and think about it, I'm sure people would agree with me."
"Many would, if they only were given the chance to hear the
truth," the history teacher nods. "Anyhow, let's go on..."
"Sensei?!"
"Yes, Matsumoto-kun?!"
Eri stands up. "I just want to say this, sir!" she then turns
to face Ataru, waving her arms. "For his very UNIQUE way of dealing
with that pompous jerk Kunou, I call for three cheers for Ataru
Moroboshi!!"
Laughter fills the room as Eri's best friends, Ranma, Chigaiko,
Hiroshi, Daisuke and Ukyou chime off. "BANZAI!!!"
Next come almost all the other boys. "BANZAI!!!!"
Now almost everyone. "BANZAI!!!!!"
"Everyone...!" Ataru laughs, then points to a widely-grinning
history teacher. "I think Kimihara-sensei wants to keep teaching!"
Hearing that, many laugh as Eri sits down. As the teacher
turns back to his textbook, Ataru spares Ranma a glance. A neutral
look is on her face. "Hey, you okay, Ranma?" he whispers, leaning
closer to her.
She perks, then waves him down. "I'm cool."
Ataru gazes intently at her, then turns back to his textbook...
* * *
Downstairs, near the end of class...
"***WHAT?!?!?!***"
"It's true, Sempai!!" Nagao Koriko nods, he standing beside
Kunou as Michiko Ooda helps bandage his face. "Soon after you fell
to the ground, I heard someone from Akane-san's class call for three
cheers for Moroboshi!! It sounded like the whole class responded
to that, Sempai!"
Kunou shudders, his battle aura burning as his mind rolls
through what Nagao just told him, then he slides off the diagnostic
table. "Kunou-kun, would you MIND getting back on the table...!"
Michiko flusters.
"I am well, Ooda-sensei!" Kunou dismisses her as he walks out of
the nurse's station, Nagao in his wake. "Thank you for informing
me of this, Nagao-kun. I will deal with the matter at another time."
"What are you going to do, Sempai?" Nagao asks.
"To deal with someone as devilish as Moroboshi requires a
special touch, I believe. I have learned my lesson from dealing
with Saotome. Right now, the Blue Thunder must contemplate
on this matter..."
"Maybe fight the pig-tailed girl?"
Kunou spins on the younger kendoist. "What did you just say?"
Nagao gulps, then shrugs. "Well, I was thinking about what
happened last week, about her saying she was Moroboshi's friend and
all..."
Kunou's eyes widen, then he snaps his fingers in an "ah-ha"
gesture. "Yes, of COURSE!!! A wise suggestion indeed, Nagao-kun!!"
He races off. Nagao remains rooted in place, blinking
confusedly as he tries to comprehend what just happened.
"Sempai...?"
* * *
The bell rings, heralding the start of a twenty-minute
morning recess. "Thank you for a most interesting class, everyone,"
Mr. Kimihara packs up his books, then stares at Ataru. "It's a pity
you're only here for a week, Moroboshi-kun! Your viewpoint on
history is quite unique!"
"It's the way my family's always been, Kimihara-sensei,"
Ataru shrugs. "I'm sure Tamamura-sensei'll appreciate it, too."
The teacher stops, his eyes widening with instant recognition.
"Tamamura-sensei?" he spins on Ataru. "You mean Tamao Tamamura?!
The history teacher at Promised Island Stargazer West College?"
"The very same, sir. He's the homeroom teacher of three of my
half-sisters," Ataru nods. "He won't be mine when I move to Promised
Island myself. I didn't know you were acquainted with him, Sensei."
"Oh, we went to university and teacher's college together.
When he got the job at Stargazer West, I felt he was the luckiest
man on the planet to work there. Well, until tomorrow, everyone!"
he waves.
"Hai!!" the students chime back.
Mr. Kimihara steps out, the door closing behind him -- then it
opens again. "***PIG-TAILED GIRL!!!!***" Kunou screams, lunging
for Ranma...
...who vanishes in the Umisen-ken cloak. Kunou yelps as he
smashes face-first into the back of her desk, then sinks to the
floor. Some of the people glance their way, but do nothing to
intervene, much less comment on what is happening. Ataru watches
as Ranma drops the cloak, then delivers several shiatsu strikes
to Kunou's head and back. Grabbing him by the scruff of his jersey,
she drags him out of the room. A few seconds later, he hears the
*splash!* of a body hitting the swimming pool.
Ranma walks in, stopping past the doorway to gaze on her
classmates. Ataru notices that no one seems to care for what
happened. He stares again at Ranma. There is a neutral look to her
face, then she turns and marches out. Sensing sorrow overcome
her, Ataru rises to follow. Before he gets to the door, a girl rises
to hand him a letter. He notes the pink envelope and small red
bowtie holding the flap down, then stares quizzically at her.
"Please give this to Ranma-kun," Eri Matsumoto whispers.
Noticing her glancing warily towards Akane -- she once again
chatting with Sayuri and Yuka -- Ataru nods, then walks out of the
room. Narrowing his eyes as he seeks out Ranma's chi aura, he turns
to the stairwell. A minute later, he steps onto the roof. Ranma
sits at the corner, balancing herself on the safety rail as she gazes
south. Towards Promised Island, Ataru quickly realizes as he walks
up to her. "Hey, you okay?"
She sharply gazes at him, revealing tear-filled eyes, then she
calms herself. "I just discovered another reason I'm looking forward
to leaving this place finally," she looks south again. "Strange
that it would take a small...!" she shakes her head. "Something
so trivial as THIS!!"
"No one cheering you?" his eyebrow arches as he does his best
to not grin. Clearly, to Ranma, this was no laughing matter.
She sighs. "More than that. Lot more than that," she shakes
her head, then stares at him. "Remember when I told you about how
annoyed I got at times when people never thanked me for dealing
with some of the crap that hit this place from time to time?" Seeing
him nod, she turns to look south. "It's the same thing, I think.
If I wasn't here to deal with that fool, who WOULD deal with him?
Akane? Nabiki, maybe...?" she shrugs.
"You mad at me?"
Ranma jolts, then shakes her head. "No, no, of course not!!"
she then stares at him before lowering her eyes. "I'm kinda envious
of you now, though. I mean, you got really creative when you dealt
with him! And when Akane..." a chuckle escapes her. "That was
class, I'll admit."
Ataru holds out the envelope. "If you think that all the
students here take you for granted, this might change your mind."
Ranma looks at it, then takes it. "Who...?"
"The girl who came after you reading 'Anne of Green Gables.'"
She blinks. "Eri?" she opens the envelope, then reads:
"Dear Ranma-kun,
"We heard through the grapevine that you finally decided to end
that whole farce with Tendou, Kuonji and Shampoo. You don't realize
how much that fills us with joy. Much that we've never spoke about
this before, we admire you a lot. We hope you can understand
why we never spoke out before today. I think that with all the
fights those other girls've had over you, you'd never want to worry
about things like that ever again.
"Please, will you come meet us in the storage locker beside
the gym when study hall comes around before lunch? We'd like to talk
to you.
"Yours sincerely,
"Eri Matsumoto, Miku Asaka, Kyoomi Morishita and Ai Sasaki"
Ranma blinks, then shakes her head. "I don't need this at
ALL...!"
She stuffs it into her pocket. Ataru gazes sympathetically
at her. "Don't want to make your life even more complicated?"
he chuckles.
"What the hell do you think, Ataru?!" she glares intently
at him, then slips off the guard rail, she storming back inside.
He watches her go, then sighs, shaking his head as he follows
her back to class. Arriving there, he notices Ranma standing beside
her desk. A small pile of folded notes now sits there. Ranma is
reading one. A very faint battle aura seems to boil from her. No
one in class takes time to notice, they chatting with everyone
else or preparing for the next class. Peering intently at the notes
as he moves to head back to his seat, Ataru detects a touch of anger,
indignation and several other choice emotions emanating from them.
Sitting down, he takes a metered glance at the other students in the
room. Sure enough, all the notes had come from many of the girls
presently in the room. And all of them, Ataru quickly notices,
have an overlying aura that could only emerge from one person.
Ranma sighs, then notices him gazing at her. Ataru flips open
his notebook, then scribbles a note: THEY ALL CAME THROUGH AKANE.
Reading that, Ranma nods, giving him a quick wink, then she
heads over to where Eri and her friends are now clustered together.
As soon as they sense her presence, they gaze on her, flashes of hope
in their eyes. Ranma draws out the crumpled letter, then hands it
back to Eri.
"The answer is 'no.'"
She walks away. Eri, Miku, Kyoomi and Ai watch her walk out of
the class, then exchange a chorus of shocked looks. Staring at the
quartet, Ataru winces on seeing Eri's eyes brim with tears. A hand
then taps his shoulder. He looks up to see Chigaiko leaning toward
him. "What's going on?" she whispers, nodding to the girls Ranma
just confronted.
He sighs. "It appears, my dear Chigaiko-chan, that some of the
people in this place are going to learn the hard way that Ranma is
VERY tired of being treated like an emotionless icon," he whispers.
She considers that, then smirks. "Glad it never happened
to you?"
"Now? Hell, yes! Back when we were still in Tomobiki...?"
he pauses, then shrugs. "I really dunno, Chigaiko-chan."
"Well, let me tell you this, Ataru-kun," she winks at him. "You
at least had ONE person in town who appreciated what you did for all
of us." She turns away, holding up a finger. "AND who didn't buy
into the bullcrap everyone else always kept saying about you, either!
'S funny that Oni bitch who said she loved you never tried to shield
you from that!!"
She heads back to her seat just as a foppish-looking
man walks up to place a note on the pile on Ranma's desk. Seeing
Nobisuke Enzou for the first time in a long while, Ataru tries not to
grimace. To believe that most people back in Tomobiki once viewed
him as something like THIS?!
"Hey, Ataru-kun, nice to see you here instead of that den of
alien lovers!" Enzou pats his shoulder. "The girls're a LOT nicer
here."
"So I've noticed, Nobisuke-san," he nods.
Enzou laughs as he heads back to his seat. Soon enough, Ranma
comes back. Sitting at her desk, she perks on seeing the new note
atop the pile. Picking it up, she reads it, then glances at Ataru.
He nods, winking at her. Ranma smiles, slipping Enzou's note into
her pocket. With that, she picks up one of the other notes. Her
smile fades as she summons a tiny chi ball to burn up the note. It
vaporizes with a sharp *crack!* as Ranma picks up the next note, then
burns that up the same way.
People's voices quickly fade as eyes turn to Ranma. She ignores
them as she burns up note after note. Watching this, many of the
girls wince, several shuddering fearfully as Ranma absently carries
on destroying their notes without reading them. "Ranma!!" Akane
storms over to stand beside her, then yelps as a burning note nearly
ignites her dress. "Hey!!! What are you doing, you idiot?!" she
moves to grab her arm...
...then screams out as Ranma taps shiatsu points on her
shoulders to lock up her arms. A tap locks her larynx before she
could cry out. With that, Ranma finishes destroying the last of the
notes, then tenses on sensing something coming at her from behind.
"***KONTOU!!!!***"
People scream out as a chi-blade morphs into her arm, then she
spins around to point the burning tip at the Densetsu no Doogi's
belt-buckle! Silence falls as the bodiless battle suit freezes
in place, as if it is unsure whether to press on or retreat, then it
raises a sign. [DON'T HURT ME!] appears on the front, then it
twirls. [JUST LET HER GO!]
Ranma sighs, then taps Akane's throat clear. "Make sure it
never gets in my way again, Tendou-san," she points the soulsword
tip to the ceiling. "Or else I WILL destroy it," she glares at
Akane. "And this time, Kasumi won't be able to stitch it back
together again!"
Akane quakes as Ranma's icy stare lances through her, then she
glances at the Doogi. "Dou-chan, do as he says!" she orders.
The Doogi quickly vanishes. Ranma nods, dispersing the
soulsword. "You fuckin' brainwashed all these people a little TOO
well, Tendou-san," she growls, turning to sit down, then she stops.
"Oh, one other thing!" she calls out. "If any of you want to pass
notes to me, do NOT pass them through Tendou-san! I WILL accept
them if they come through Ataru or Chigaiko-san here!" she indicates
the people in question. "If they come through Tendou-san, I will
destroy them without reading them, just as I destroyed the ones that
were on my desk earlier in the break!!"
Silence falls as the people in class take that in. Fortunately,
the ethics teacher, Ms. Tokutomi, steps in at that time, teaching
notes in hand. Seeing her, one of the more sterner members of the
Furinkan High teaching faculty -- and one who was not the least bit
adverse of letting Hinako Ninomiya do her "dirty" work when it came
to delinquents in her class -- the students quickly take their seats.
Akane slowly sinks into her chair, a shudder running through her as
she tries to gaze on Ranma. The latter does nothing in response
as she pulls out her textbook.
"Now, class, let's...!" Ms. Tokutomi stops, her nose twitching,
then she looks around. "Did someone burn something here?"
"Hai, Sensei, I did."
A frown turns her lips as the culprit rises. "What did you
burn, Saotome-kun? Since you have access to many odd martial arts
techniques, I know you wouldn't have need of a match or a lighter."
"No, ma'am. As for what I burned, they were notes left on my
desk by a lot of the girls in the class. Quite offensive notes,
I might add."
Ms. Tokutomi nods, then waves to Ranma's uniform. "I assume
those notes were a result of the decision the principal made
concerning what classes you would be attending while you were
undergoing treatment for brain trauma unleashed by your late father
and your fiancee..." she pauses, then glares knowingly at Akane.
"Excuse me, your *ex*-fiancee?"
Akane jolts, then looks away. "Hai, Sensei," Ranma nods.
"I see, then," Ms. Tokutomi shakes her head. "Well, since your
classmates don't seem to BEGIN to appreciate the trials and
tribulations you must endure because of that curse of yours, not to
mention the other things your father's foolishness forced on you,
maybe we should FORCE the girls to ensure your presence in the change
rooms." Seeing many of the girls pale, the ethics teacher taps the
lectern with her pointer. "And if they choose to attempt to follow
Tendou-kun's atrocious example, I believe a week's suspension
would make them see the error of their ways."
Gasps escape many of the girls present. Akane looks as if she
wants to sink into the floor and forget this damned day ever
happened. "Sensei, in all fairness, before you decide to unleash
something like that on these people, I highly suggest you read *this*
first," Ranma fishes the note out of her pocket, then walks up to
place it in the teacher's hand.
Ms. Tokutomi opens the note, then scans it. "'Dear Ranma-chan.
Seeing that you're gonna be taking girls' classes for the next week,
could you do me a favour and knock a hole in the wall between the
girls' and boys' change rooms so we can peek in and check them out.
Thanks.'"
All the girls cry out, then spin as one to Ranma. "Who the hell
sent you something like THAT, Ranma-san?!" Chigaiko shrills.
Ranma chuckles, then her eyes fall on Nobisuke Enzou. "Gee,
Enzou-*kun*," her voice drips loads of scorn. "It doesn't take a
damned rocket scientist to figure out that you'd be staring at ME as
well as all the other girls if I did something like that, even if the
phys-ed teacher would allow me INTO the girls' change room! What's
the matter?! Can't stand the fact that if you or one of the other
guys ever tried to splash me with cold water in the boys' change
room just to get your thrills, I'd nail you with a Mouko Takabisha
at point-blank range?! Thanks, but no thanks!"
Silence falls. Enzou suddenly finds himself the recipient
of a chorus of angry looks from the girls closest to him. Akane and
Ukyou are speechless. Eri and her friends, plus Chigaiko and several
others, gaze sympathetically at Ranma. Ataru keeps his peace. The
other boys look everywhere else but Ranma. Ms. Tokutomi crosses
her arms. "Saotome-kun, why on Earth have you never told anyone
about this?!" she wonders.
"That, Sensei, you'd have to pin on my father and his 'Stop
whining like a girl!' philosophy when it comes to complaints
of that particular nature." A pause, then Ranma sighs, "Granted,
I should have reported it after the first incident -- this was a
couple weeks after I arrived -- but I never considered asking for any
assistance on that matter. After all, it wouldn't be 'manly.'
And I..." she sighs, "...well, I figured that trying to make friends
after so long on the road was more important."
Many of the boys wince as that admission sinks in. The girls
turn on their male classmates, disgust and anger clouding their
faces. "So, Ranma, in other words, knowing that you are a man in
spirit despite the change in your body, your 'friends' went and tried
their damnedest to have loads of fun invading your private space,
touching you in places you didn't want to be touched..." Ataru's
voice trails, then he shakes his head, gazing at Ms. Tokutomi.
"I must truly confess, Tokutomi-sensei, I didn't realize they were
running unofficial 'chikan' courses at this school."
"Nor did I, Moroboshi-kun," the teacher sternly nods. "I take
it, Saotome-kun, that these particular incidents didn't last for too
long?"
"No, it lasted up to the point where I learned the Mouko
Takabisha attack," Ranma nods. "After I gave them a nice scare or
three with some exploding chi balls, they pretty much decided to
leave me be." Her voice then turns to Arctic ice. "Though I
STRONGLY believe that if they got the chance, they'd probably do a
LOT worse to me than just feel me up!"
"I see," Ms. Tokutomi nods. "Tell me, Saotome-kun, didn't you
feel comfortable telling ANYONE about this before in spite of what
your father foolishly taught you? Say Tendou-kun or Kuonji-kun,
perhaps?"
"No, ma'am," Ranma shakes her head. "Personally, I never
thought to tell Ukyou-san about that sort of thing. I really didn't
want to burden her with those sorts of problems. And I was afraid
to tell Akane-san about this because I feared it would've given her
yet another excuse to think of me as a pervert, much less brain me
with that stupid mallet of hers. And I couldn't tell her older
sister Kasumi about it because I feared her other sister Nabiki
might've overheard me -- you know how she likes to spy on people
-- then did all she could to exploit that to her benefit."
Akane looks away from her ex-fiancee, shamed tears streaming
down her face. At her desk, Ukyou looks absently at her opened
textbook. "I see," Ms. Tokutomi sighs. "Well, now I can understand
why you wish to leave this place. I can't say that I blame you,
Saotome-kun. Much that peer pressure does have its benefits for
society as a whole, that this sort of hazing and harassment goes on
will lead to nothing but evil for many, I fear." She then gazes at
Nobisuke Enzou. "I suppose, ladies, I can depend on you to properly
reprimand Enzou-kun for what he tried to do?" she wonders.
"HAI!!!" the girls chant as one, making Enzou duck.
Glancing at him, Ranma tries not to smirk as she takes her
seat...
* * *
"Why'd we come back here, Karen-chan? You know Onii-tama's
gonna be really, really upset if he finds out we came back to this
place!"
"Oh, relax, Hinako-chan," Karen pats her sister's shoulder
as they window-shop. "If we don't draw attention to ourselves,
we'll be fine. Besides..." she nods to some nearby trees. "We
aren't totally alone."
Hinako giggles. "Oh, Jinseiko-san and her friends," she covers
her mouth amusedly. "Okay!! Let's go get some parfait!"
"Hai!!"
"Just a minute, young lady."
Both stop, turning to see a stern-looking man walk up to them.
An arm-band is wrapped around one sleeve, marking him as a member
of the Tomobiki town board of education. A truant officer, Karen
concludes. "Yes, Sensei, can I help you?" she smiles cheerily
at him.
"Why aren't you in school?" he wonders.
In response, Karen draws out her wallet, then pulls out her
student ID card. Hinako does the same. The officer examines the
offered cards, then his eyes widen. "Promised Island Stargazer
West College?!" his jaw drops surprisedly, then an eyebrow arches.
"What on Earth are you girls doing all the way up here? Don't you
have school on now?"
"No, sir, classes for us don't commence until next week," Karen
shakes her head. "Our brother used to go to Tomobiki High School.
He's attending school at Furinkan in Nerima until Friday, then he'll
come back to the Island with us. After Onii-chan told us about all
the odd things that happened here, we wanted to see it for
ourselves."
"At least all the baka-baka aliens who caused all the trouble
here are gone so they won't bother Onii-tama ever again!" Hinako
adds.
"Oh, in that regard, you're right!" he chuckles, moving to carry
on with his rounds. "Keep your ID cards with you, girls. You never
know if you might get stopped again. Have a good day and do be
careful."
"Hai!" Karen and Hinako bow as he heads off, then exchange
a look. "Gee, Onii-tama said lots of people here were meanies,"
Hinako notes.
"Well, they always liked to blame a lot of stuff on Onii-chan,"
Karen whispers back, then points across the street. "Ah, there's
a bistro!"
"Wai!! Fruit parfait! Fruit parfait!!" Hinako chants.
They head across...
* * *
After ethics class comes home economics for the girls; the boys
would be taking industrial arts in the school's workshop across the
hallway on the first floor. This was one of three periods members
of Class 2-F would spend away from their homeroom; the others were
physical education (done in the school gym) and art (done in the art
studio on the first floor next to the home economics lab). While
having not attended this class on a full-time basis before this term,
Ranma knew most of what was taught here.
The teacher, Mrs. Yasuda, quickly moves to divide the class into
working pairs for cooking lessons. Ranma stays in the back of the
crowd as other girls are paired off. She quickly senses Akane and
Ukyou also trying to separate themselves from the main mass of
students, they drifting in her direction. It doesn't take her more
than a second to realize what's going through their minds. *No, I do
NOT need this!* she grumbles, reflexively cloaking herself in the
Umisen-ken. *Note to self: when you get to Stargazer West, you
become home-ec partners with Karen-chan!*
"Ranma!!"
"Ran-chan, where'd you go?!!"
Ranma perks, then realizes what she just did to herself. Seeing
Ukyou and Akane vainly look for her, Ranma smirks as she slips past
the former, then poises herself beside Chigaiko. Also looking around
the room, Mrs. Yasuda whistles. "My, I've heard of this cloaking
technique Ranma-kun can use, but I never thought I'd ever see it
demonstrated live!"
Ranma laughs as she drops the cloak. "I'm right here, Sensei!"
Chigaiko perks, then gazing on Ranma for a second, turns back
to the teacher. "I'll be Ranma-san's partner, Sensei!" she offers.
Ukyou jolts. "SAY WHAT?!?! I'LL be Ran-chan's partner!!"
"Ranma's going to be MY partner!!" Akane cuts in.
"Says who?!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!"
Akane and Ukyou jolt as the teacher seems to tower over them.
"If it hasn't sunk into your heads by now, girls, a lot of people
in this school have become VERY tired of your endless sniping over
who gets to progress her relationship with Ranma-kun!!" Mrs. Yasuda
snarls. "And I will not, for an INSTANT, tolerate any of that
nonsense in this classroom!! If you don't agree to that, I'm sure
Ninomiya-sensei would be more than happy to explain it to you in
detail!!! DO YOU BOTH UNDERSTAND ME?!?!?!"
"H-h-hai!" Akane and Ukyou stammer.
The teacher relaxes. "Now, since Ranma-kun will only be here
for a week, I think Chigaiko-chan's offer to be partners will do
fine."
"Hai, Sensei!" Chigaiko and Ranma bow.
"Good. In the meantime, to teach you both how to respect each
other better, you two will be partners!" Mrs. Yasuda indicates
Akane and Ukyou.
Ranma's ex-fiancees gargle, then realizing they weren't going
to get out of this, slump in defeat. Several of the girls laugh,
including Eri and her friends, Ranma notes. "Well, now that's
settled, what say we start our first cooking class!" Mrs. Yasuda
waves the class to their work tables, then takes her place at the
front of the room.
The girls take their places. Ranma and Chigaiko put themselves
in a corner desk. Right ahead of them are Eri Matsumoto and Ai
Sasaki. Gazing on the two, Ranma winces as she feels a pang of guilt
over the curt way she treated them just before ethics class. As the
teacher begins her lecture, she draws out some note paper to jot
something down. Folding it up, she hands it to Chigaiko, indicating
Eri. The ex-Tomobikian nods, then when Mrs. Yasuda is distracted
by a question from Yuka, passes the note up.
Eri takes it, then blinks on seeing her name on the note.
Relaxing as the teacher continues her work, she opens it to read:
"Dear Eri,
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, but I wasn't in a really
good mood when I got your note. I guess you can understand why.
"If you and the others are still interested, I'll meet you at
study hall in the equipment room. Remember to dodge Akane and Ukyou.
If what they tried to do now is any indication, they still think of
me as their personal 'property' and won't like others 'poaching'
on their territory.
"Gods, I hate that SO much!
"So please, be VERY careful.
"I don't want to see a group of nice girls get hurt because
of them.
"Until later,
"Ranma"
Interpreting the note, Eri slips it into her book, then looks
back to give Ranma a reassuring wink before turning back to the
lecture. Ranma nods, then draws out her notebook to jot down the
day's lesson...
* * *
"Man, what's Saotome's problem today?!"
"You don't think he's been stuck as a girl so long, he's going
through his own time of the month, do you?!"
"Knowing that freak, it'd be likely!"
In shop class, Ataru shakes his head as he picks up the hushed
words of several of his classmates, then turns back to the
questionnaire before him. *Baka k'uk'e, you fools don't even know
the HALF of it!* he scowls, using a two-language curse Reiko taught
him, which mixed the Japanese and Noukiite versions of the word
"idiot" as a single phrase.
"Hey, Ataru-kun, can we talk to you for a moment?"
He looks up as Hiroshi and Daisuke walk up. "What's up?"
"What's with Ranma?" Hiroshi asks. "He's been with you for over
a week now. What's got him so bent, anyway? It can't be just his
dad!"
Ataru considers what to say, then sighs. "Lots of things,
I guess," he shrugs. "Finding out that a lot of your core beliefs
are either lies or half-truths can shake anyone up bad, even someone
like Ranma. Believe me, I know what she's going through. I went
through it myself the night I left my so-called 'parents.'"
Checking off some boxes on the questionnaire, he purses his lips,
then stares sympathetically at them. "I guess while he was busy with
Onee-chan training, Ranma decided to spend some time and take a LONG
look at all the things she's gone through since she came here to
Nerima. If she wants to keep people as friends, she'll do it. If
she doesn't want their friendships, she'll drop them like hot
potatoes."
"What does that mean for us?" Daisuke wonders.
"Don't know. It's her business, her decision in the end," Ataru
shrugs. "I've no right to interfere in her choices either which way.
I WILL help her if she needs help. That's what a friend does, after
all."
The other boys exchange looks, then Hiroshi asks, "Does she...?"
"I can't say, guys. Sorry."
They exchange looks, then head back to their seats. Ataru
watches them, then shakes his head. As they take their seats,
Hiroshi and Daisuke look at the questionaries before them, then the
latter whispers, "Do you really think he doesn't want us as his
friends, 'Roshi?"
"Can't say, man. Can't say," Hiroshi shakes his head.
"What if he doesn't?"
Hiroshi considers that, then breathes out. "I dunno, Dai..."
* * *
An hour later...
"You sure you wanted it done this way?"
"It looks perfect," Seiko Izumo nods as the stylist finishes
dyeing her hair a dirty blonde shade. After an early-morning
shopping trip to several boutiques to get some new clothes, she had
decided to give herself a complete makeover. With the button shirt,
leather vest and form-fitting slacks over low heel pumps, she looks
worlds different than the alien sex-kitten Lum was often seen as.
"How soon does it have to be redone?"
"Give it a couple weeks before worrying about it," the stylist
instructs as she holds up a bottle of hair colour. "This'll do it."
"Perfect!" Seiko nods.
She departs the salon sometime afterward, shopping bags in hand
as she turns towards the private apartment block she and Sakiko would
be using as their permanent residence. Sakiko was busy with the Men
in Black at this time, securing her spaceship on Ryuunosuke-jima.
While hesitant on the idea of having anything further to do with that
dot of land in the Sagami Sea, Ryuunosuke was willing to allow Sakiko
to keep her scoutship there. "Better safe than sorry, 'specially
when it comes to dorks like that Alhamzi creep," the tomboy mused
about it early this morning.
Seiko's route to her new home soon takes her past the old
Moroboshi house. As she stands across the corner from the two-floor
townhouse she had once considered her own home, Seiko tries not to
cry. An empathic scan inside reveals three of the four synthetic
android replicas of Ataru she first sensed yesterday afternoon.
Expanding her range, she detects the fourth one on a train heading
back to Tomobiki from Tokyo. Given the amount of activity inside
the house, Seiko realizes that the synthezoids are busy preparing
some sort of lunch. For Shinobu and her new friends, the expat
Urusian-turned-Nendo-kata/Terran quickly realizes.
"Is that it, Karen-chan?"
Seiko jolts on hearing that question, then looks right to see
two girls walk up towards the Moroboshi home. The younger of the
two, in the middle years of elementary school, now points to the
house in question. "Yes, that's it, Hinako-chan," the elder of the
pair nods...
Oh, Blessed Mother!
HER?!
Seiko remains silent, ducking behind a telephone pole to obscure
herself from the girls across the street as Karen and Hinako stop by
the side fence, gazing curiously at the place their birth-father
and half-brother called home for a decade. "Doesn't really look like
much," Hinako laments. "Hina really, really likes Welcome House a
lot better."
"So do I," Karen slowly nods.
"Does Karen-chan ever think about Onii-tama's dad?"
Silence as the older girl thinks about it, then she shakes her
head. "No, not really, Hinako-chan. Not even after Onee-chan
came to tell me the truth about Onii-chan. But..." she shrugs.
"What could it've been like?"
"What do you mean?"
"If we were living with our real father, his wife and Onii-chan
here in Tomobiki. Or even better, down on the Island at the House?"
Hinako considers that, then sighs. "Hina thinks Onii-tama's
mom wouldn't've liked that. After all, Sakuya-chan took Grandmama's
place as head of the family. Sakuya-chan could've stopped
Onii-tama's mom from really, really hurting Onii-tama by making him
marry Lum-san."
"True. Then again, I have to wonder..."
"About what, Karen-chan?"
"What Lum-san might've thought of us?" Karen sighs. "Would
she have accepted us as her sisters-in-law? Would she've respected
Sakuya-chan's decision if she decided that Lum-san and Onii-chan
weren't going to marry until they were really ready to get married?
Or would she've seen us as obstacles in her way of taking Onii-chan
for herself?"
"But Onii-tama said Lum-san was an okay girl!" Hinako notes.
"True," Karen nods. "And I believe Onii-chan thinks that, too.
But remember what Onee-chan told us. Lum-san was pretty
single-minded when it came to Onii-chan. And with everyone taking
Lum-san's side and no one around to show any sort of love or support
for Onii-chan..."
"It's no wonder he hated these people at times."
"Hai."
"Ne, Karen-chan?"
"What is it, Hinako-chan?"
"What could've happened if Lum-san met Ranma-oneetama?"
Karen shudders. "I don't want to think about that...!"
"Onee-chan!! Onee-tama!!"
"EH?!!" both girls balk on seeing three VERY familiar-looking
men staring wide-eyed at them from inside the fence line.
"Three...? Onii-tamas...?!" Hinako gapes.
"You're not Onii-chan!" Karen quickly notes the profound
difference of facial hair style between these three and the real
Ataru.
The synthezoids exchange a look, then the one with just a
moustache gazes intently at Karen. "Onee-chan, didn't Ane-kun tell
you anything?"
"'Ane-kun?!'" Karen and Hinako chant, then exchange a look
before nodding understandingly. "Chikage-chan!" Hinako confirms.
"Ah, I see you've just met our new brothers."
Both scream as Chikage walks up behind them, then breath out.
"Chikage-chan no baka!! Quit DOING that to Hina!!" Hinako rails.
Chikage chuckles as her youngest sister waves her clenched
hands around in a snit. "'New brothers?'" Karen gapes, then looks
at Kokeru, Kitaro and Kenshiro. "What does THAT mean?! What are
they?! Clones?!"
"Very close," Chikage waves the synthezoids over the fence so
they can join her and her siblings. "Allow me to demonstrate.
Kokeru?"
"Hai," Kokeru holds out his hand to Karen.
Karen takes it. Kokeru's body locks up. "*DNA genetic scan
confirmed,*" his voice goes monotone. "*Karen Moroboshi, nee
Tanenobu, Clan Lore Mistress. How may I serve you, Onee-chan?*"
"'Lore Mistress?!'" Karen pulls her hand away from Kokeru.
Kokeru jolts, then gazes concernedly on Karen. "Are you
alright, Onee-chan?" he asks. "Didn't you want me to do something
for you?"
"Chikage-chan, why did funny Onii-tama sound like a robot?"
Hinako ducks behind Karen, she gazing fearfully at the synthezoids.
"It is because they are robots, though far more sophisticated
than anything even Rinrin can conceive," Chikage chuckles, reaching
down to hold Hinako's hand as she guides her to Kenshiro. "Here,
touch his hand."
Hinako blinks, then reaches out with her free hand. Kenshiro
gives her a disarming smile as he grasps her hand. As soon as
contact is made, his body tenses. "*DNA genetic scan confirmed,*"
his voice goes monotone. "*Hinako Moroboshi, nee Saeru. How may I
serve you, Onee-tama?*"
Hinako shudders. "Why's he calling Hina 'Onee-tama?!'
Hina's Onii-tama's LITTLE sister!!" she waves her free hand in a
panic.
"Because he was created only two years ago, Hinako. To him, you
ARE his big sister!" Chikage calmly crosses her arms.
Hinako blinks several times, then she looks at Chikage. "You
mean he's like Mecha-Rinrin-chan?!" she pulls her hand away from
Kenshiro's.
He slips back into normal mode. "Yes, they all are. Although
I see that Kaeru is nowhere around right now," Chikage looks around.
"Kaeru's gone to do some shopping so we can prepare some bentos
for Shinobu-sama and her friends at school, Ane-kun," Kitaro
announces.
"Why would you want to prepare bentos for THAT woman?!" Karen
puts fists to hips. "After all she's done to Onii-chan...!"
"The memories copied from Ani-kun to create them stopped at the
last day of the First Tag Race, just when Lum zapped Ani-kun for the
first time," Chikage explains. "To them, Lum, much less any other
woman, is of no consequence since they had no 'chance' to become
acquainted with them through Ani-kun's memories. Shinobu is.
Besides..." she gazes snidely at Karen. "If they keep Shinobu and
the others in Tomobiki distracted, that's less for Ani-kun to worry
about as he consummates his relationship with Ane-kun. Wouldn't
THAT be a more agreeable outcome, Karen?"
Karen returns the sorceress' look, then thoughtfully hums for a
moment before staring at the synthezoids. "You don't mind this?"
"Of course not, Onee-chan," Kokeru feels his cheeks redden.
"Besides, Kaeru has the more intensive interest in Shinobu-sama.
I..."
"He is eyeing his own potential girlfriend, as is Kenshiro,"
Chikage cuts in to explain. "Though Kitaro has yet to seek his own
girlfriend."
"Well, that doesn't really matter now, Ane-kun," Kitaro
flusters.
Hinako stares at him, then perks. "Ah! Hina knows what to
do!!" she turns to Chikage. "Why don't we let him meet
Chigaiko-san?!"
The sorceress considers that, then nods. "An interesting
idea, Hinako. And given the ominous signs I've seen about Chigaiko,
it might be a wise idea as well. We'll concern ourselves with that
afterward..."
"Ane-kun, what are you...?! Eh?! Onee-chan?! Onee-tama?!"
Everyone turns as Kaeru walks up, a large box full of groceries
now perched on both his shoulders. "Four Onii-tamas...?!"
Hinako gapes.
"Did you get everything, Kaeru?" Kitaro asks.
"Hai. Some things have to be flown in from Shinjuku because
they were too bulky for me to carry them on the subway," Kaeru
crouches to allow Kenshiro and Kokeru to take the boxes in hand, then
they carry them into the house. "They'll be here in a few minutes.
More than..."
A helicopter is heard. Everyone looks up as a Blackhawk
cargo transport machine comes to a hover over the Moroboshi home.
Slung under the Sikorsky helicopter is a small crate, which is
lowered to the front lawn. Kenshiro and Kokeru move to unstrap
the crate from the helicopter, then wave the cargo line away. "I
believe I have to get back to the kitchen," Kitaro chuckles. "I've
some bento boxes to finish making."
He hops over the fence, then heads inside. Kaeru soon joins
him, as do the other synthezoids. Karen, Hinako and Chikage remain
on the street, the former pair clearly overwhelmed by THIS latest
little revelation. "So why did Grandmother make these androids
anyway, Chikage?" Karen asks.
"To kill Lum," the sorceress returns her look.
"Why?" Hinako blinks, her skin sallowing a bit.
"That, Hinako, I doubt I'll never be able to truly discover.
In the meantime, I suggest we get back to Nerima. Shirayuki might
need some help with the bentos she is preparing for Ani-kun and
Ane-kun."
"That's a good point," Karen nods...
* * *
Within a minute, the sisters have teleported away from Tomobiki.
Standing on the corner opposite from the Moroboshi home, Seiko Izumo
drifts between total shock and a growing nausea deep inside her. "I
thought Grandma would LIKE me!" she grips her hand over her heart,
then slowly makes her way back to her apartment. "I thought she'd
like me..."
* * *
"Well, that was an interesting class. Ne, Ranma-san?"
"If that's normal for Akane in home-ec, it's a wonder to me why
she never got expelled from this place," Ranma mutters as the girls
from Class 2-F make their way back to their homeroom for study hall,
the class just before lunch. Akane and Ukyou were busy cleaning
up their work area after the former had tried to create some squid
tempura. As to what went wrong this time, no one had any clear idea,
not even the home economics teacher.
"Maybe it was because of that Kunou fellow?" Chigaiko asks.
Ranma snorts. "Probably."
They step into the classroom. Most of the boys have already
arrived from shop class. A small pile of notes sit on Ranma's desk.
Walking up to stare intently at the notes, Ranma is quick to discover
that there was a rough gender balance among the writers. The auras
of anger that had tinged the first group of notes is there, but it is
more diffuse.
Picking up the first note, she scans it, then burns it. "You're
lucky I didn't decide to ensure you'd never have children after the
last time you tried that crap on me, Hamada!" she calls out.
At his desk, Osamu Hamada, a member of the track team and a
former member of the Horde o'Hentai, jerks, staring wide-eyed
at her. Seeing the feral smile on Ranma's face -- a smile that
warned all in Class 2-F that the Apocalypse was coming -- he gulps,
then turns back to his book, trying to duck her glare. Standing
by her desk, Yuka blinks, then looks at Ranma. "Was he one of the
ones who tried to grope you, Ranma-kun?"
"Yes, Tokoro-san, that he was. In fact, he was one of those
types who loved to douse me with hot and cold water just to see me
change." A hum escapes her. "I think he's developing some bisexual
tendances."
Osamu gargles at the unspoken implications, then scrambles
out of the room. "Oh, Ranma-san, that was CHOICE!" Chigaiko laughs.
Many in the class grin. Ranma takes up the second letter,
then reads through it. Her eyes soften, then she walks back to
Masahiro Inoue's desk. As people watch, she leans down to kiss the
side of his temple. He, a bookwormish student who spent a lot of
time in the library, freezes on that contact. The frightful look on
his face speaks volumes:
Was Ranma about to invoke the Kiss of Death?!
The rest of the class is speechless as Ranma straightens
herself. "Thank you, but no, I'm NOT interested in a date,
Inoue-san."
"Ah, ah, ha-ha...!" Masahiro stammers, trying not to faint.
"What's this?!"
Ranma ignores the indignant look from Akane as she returns
to her desk. She and Ukyou had just returned from the home economics
laboratory. "He asked me for a date. I told him I wasn't
interested."
Akane quakes. "So what was with the kiss?!"
"He also apologized to me for his past actions against me in the
change room. I accepted his apology," Ranma calmly replies.
"With a KISS?!!" Akane shrills.
Ranma's eyes narrow as she picks up the third letter. "What
business is it of yours what I do with other people, Tendou-san?"
her voice turns to brittle ice as she reads the third letter, this
from one of the girls.
Akane quakes as her mind tries to put together the various
parts of this insane puzzle together. Immediately realizing she
wasn't going to get a clean answer from this, she screams out in
frustration, then storms out of the room. The others watch her, then
Ataru clasps his fingers together behind his head. "Pride goeth
before the fall," he smirks.
"Got that right," Ranma smirks, then gazes on the girl who wrote
the letter, who sat near Hikaru Gosunkugi's desk. Giving her a
thankful smile and a wink, Ranma slips her note into her skirt
pocket. She then senses Eri Matsumoto standing up. Remembering
she has a prior engagement, Ranma scans the rest of the notes with
a quick application of the Amaguriken technique. One pile winds up
in her pocket, the other burned up in the flash of an eye. "Have
to go talk to some people. Excuse me."
"Where are you going, Ran-chan?" Ukyou moves to follow.
Ranma instantly glares her down. "Some place that doesn't
involve YOU, Kuonji-san. I'll see you at lunchtime. Just as you
asked."
She walks out of the room. Ukyou remains in place for a moment.
She ignores the departure of four girls from the class as her mind
roils over what Ranma just said to her, then she slowly returns
to her desk. Ataru watches her slump in her chair, then turns back
to his book...
* * *
Fifteen minutes before lunch...
Principal Kunou sighs, sitting in his private rooftop
patio/office. Ukelele music waifs from a nearby stereo unit as he
surveys his domain. As his eyes sweep to the front gate, they stop
on seeing a single figure walk onto the property. A girl wearing
a tan-and-red plaid seifuku. Certainly no student from the Big
Kahuna's school. In fact, that was a uniform pattern the principal
had never seen before. Where the heck...?
Wait!
His eyes narrow on seeing the large picnic basket in the girl's
hands. Shuddering, he grabs his barber shears as he prepares to deal
with this strange wahini. Jeez, how many times does the Big Kahuna
have to TELL people that no take-out was allowed at the Big Kahuna's
school?! Were they trying to sneak it in with delivery people
disguised as students now?
Cowabunga!!
It was enough to make one laugh...!
*Ugh! Note to Kahuna: spending TOO much time around Tacchi!*
Still, at LEAST they should've got the uniform right!
Racing down the clock tower stairwell to the front doors, he
makes a dramatic pose several paces from the front steps. "***HOLD
IT RIGHT THERE, WAHINI!!!!***" he bellows loud enough to make windows
on all the floors fly open as students and teachers lean out to see
what's happening...
* * *
"KUNOU-SEMPAI!!! YOUR DAD'S THREATENING SOME GIRL!!!!"
"***WHAT?!?!***" Kunou looks outside, then assessing the
situation, shudders. "Zounds, does my depraved parent's lust for
shearing hair know no bounds?!! Threatening an innocent maiden from
another school bringing in lunch, no doubt for a beloved relative?!!
I WILL NOT...!!!!"
"Oh, that's Shirayuki-chan!!"
Kunou stops, spinning on Nabiki. "Nabiki Tendou, you KNOW
yonder maiden with the lovely hair tie and the voluminous picnic
basket?!"
"Oh, sure!" Nabiki nods, shocking the rest of their class by not
demanding payment for this. "She's one of Ataru-kun's sisters!
No doubt, she's brought in lunch for Ataru-kun, Ranma-chan and
Chigaiko-san."
The kendo team captain jolts, his eyes widening. "WHAT?!?!
You mean yonder maiden named of purest snow is related by BLOOD to
MOROBOSHI?!! Oh, how the heaven's must WEEP at such a cruel fate to
one so beautiful...!!"
"OBAYUN!!!!"
Nabiki turns to see Chieko Fujii, one of Ranma's classmates
who also served as one of Nabiki's assistants, race in. "Chieko,
stop calling me 'Obayun!!'" she growls, turning back out the window.
"What is it?!"
"You better get down to 2-F, Obayun!!" Chieko points down.
"Ataru-kun's freaking out BIG time!!! That's his SISTER out
there...!!"
"I'm AWARE of that, Chieko...!"
"***...AND HE'S POINT SOME BIG* GUN *AT THE PRINCIPAL!!!!***"
"EH?!!" everyone in the room screams...
* * *
They stare at each other.
A scowl of disapproval versus a smile of sisterly devotion.
Palm tree versus big hair bow.
Barber shears versus the Lunch Boxes of Love.
Who would move first...?
* * *
"Ataru?"
"Yes, Ranma?"
"Isn't this overkill?"
"Ranma, that's my sister out there..."
"I KNOW that, Ataru!"
"...who knows NOTHING about martial arts..."
"Well, yeah! That's true..."
"...and she's facing a man who LOVES to cut hair into fashion
styles that haven't been IN style for DECADES, impose insane school
rules on our peers -- NOT TO MENTION our teachers as Ninomiya-sensei
can personally attest -- plus do who-knows-what just to make people's
lives hell?!"
"Yeah, you got a point, but still..."
"By the way, Ranma, our LUNCHES are in that picnic box!"
Silence.
"Well..."
"Um, Moroboshi-kun, much that we don't mind your concern for
your fellow students and teachers, not to mention your proper
devotion for your sister, blasting the principal with that...!
Um, what exactly IS that?!"
"This? Oh, it's my Peacemaker, Sensei."
"'Peacemaker,' Ani-kun?"
Screams fill the classroom.
Guess who just arrived?
"Ani-kun, only senior members of the Holy Inquisition on
Zephyrus or the Yehisrite Imperial Corps of Executioners have the
right to weld such a weapon in public. How exactly did YOU get hold
of one?"
"Chikage, it's called 'being the grandson of a Righteous
Gentile.'"
"Ah!"
"By the way, I've got them for all of you, too."
"Your generosity is most gratifying to behold, Ani-kun."
Massed sweat-drops. The classroom doors open. "Holy SHIT...!!"
"Tendou-kun, your language!"
"Zounds! Where did this scoundrel GET such a weapon...?!"
"Tatewaki."
"Yes, fair...?! URK!!!"
"Leave. Ani-kun. Alone."
"H-h-hai...!"
Body hits the floor. "How did you DO that, Chikage?!"
"It's an acquired talent, Ane-kun."
"Um, if your lunch gets ruined, I can cook some okonomiyaki...!"
"KUONJI, SHUT UP!!!!"
Sniffles. "R-ran-chan..."
"Ani-kun?"
"Hai, Chikage?"
"Please remember to keep that weapon at its lowest setting."
"Hai, hai! I know! I don't want to hurt Shirayuki-chan
either!"
"Um, Chikage-san, what does its highest setting do?!"
"It will destroy an area the size of Tokyo, Nabiki."
"URK!!!"
A titter. "Oh, don't worry. Ani-kun is a very good shot."
More sweat drops...
* * *
"Why you be bringing take-out into the Big Kahuna's school?"
Shirayuki smiles. "This isn't take-out, Kouchou-san."
"Huh?!"
"This is Hime's Ai no O-bento for Nii-sama, Nee-sama and
Nii-sama's friend Chigaiko-san. Nii-sama doesn't have to pay Hime
for her bento."
The Principal shakes. This sure as hell wasn't going the way it
normally went! "Then why didn't you make your brother's or sister's
bento before they came to school, wahini?! And why aren't you IN
school?!"
"Oh, Hime doesn't have to go to school until next Monday.
That's when school stares for Hime and her sisters." Shirayuki
tilts her head as an amused smile crosses her face. "Besides,
Hime doesn't want to throw together leftovers for Nii-sama or
Nee-sama even for school lunch. After all, YOU, Kouchou-san,
should appreciate good cooking!"
"Eh?!"
"Well, Hime's never gone to Hawaii, but Hime once heard that the
food in Hawaii is very delicious. Like Portuguese bean soup?"
He jolts, jaw hitting the ground. "P-p-portugese bean soup...?"
"Hai," Shirayuki lowers her picnic basket, then opens it.
Out comes an earthenware bowl filled with hot soup, it carried
in its own small furo. Seeing that, the Principal gasps as his nose
picks up the mouthwatering scent of boiled ham hocks, onions and
carrots. "Th-that..."
Shirayuki places it in his hands. Peeling the plastic cover
off the bowl, the Principal looks. "It...! Th-this...! This
is...!!"
"Hai!! Hime's special Kunou-kouchou Portugese bean soup!"
The Principal drops into a sitting position, staring tearily
at the bowl of soup in his hands. Oh, that SMELL! That LOOK!! To
believe that this wahini got it all right on the first try! Or
did...?
A spoon slips into the soup, then rises to his mouth, a steaming
broth of beans and boiled ham strips within. "Aaaah!" Shirayuki
yodels.
He quickly swallows it, then screams out, tears giving the front
lawn a quick shower. "***IT'S JUST LIKE HOME!!!!!!***" he screams...
* * *
Hearing that, Ataru nods, then slips the Peacemaker back into
its hyperspace pocket. "So soon?" Nabiki gazes warily at him.
"Shirayuki has him in the palm of her hand, Nabiki," Chikage
titters. "Now for the second course, then Ani-kun and Ane-kun can
eat."
"You seem confident about that," Akane stares at the sorceress.
Chikage draws out a tarot card, then shows it to Akane. The
Chariot, symbol of victory. "Let's just say I'm a believer in Fate,
Akane..."
* * *
"Ah!!" the Principal breathes out. "The Big Kahuna hasn't had
REAL Portugese bean soup since he came back to Japan!!"
"Oh, Hime is so happy Kouchou-san liked his soup!" Shirayuki
claps her hands, then reaches into the picnic basket. "Now..."
He watches her draw a box, one big enough to hold a very large
plate of food. Was this girl trying to start up her own luau or
what...?
His nostrils then flare. "This..." he tenses, his nose picking
up a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce and chili pepper, all that over
the delightful smell of raw tuna frozen, then seared. "This is...!!"
"Hai! Hime's special Kunou-kouchou Seared Poke!!"
Another wail of joyous tears creates a tidal wave as the
Principal takes the box in hand, then he surfs away. Shirayuki
watches him go, then slipping the empty soup bowl into her basket,
races inside. "Nii-sama, Nee-sama, Chigaiko-san, Hime brought lunch
for you!!" she yodels...
* * *
In Tomobiki, a half-hour later...
"Wow...!"
That was almost everyone of Shinobu's class, by the way.
"Shinobu-chan, here you go," Kaeru holds out a bento box for
Shinobu.
"K-kaeru-k-kun...!" Shinobu titters as she takes the box, then
opens it. "Oh, this is so good!" she takes up her chopsticks
and digs in.
"And for you, Minako-chan," Kaeru hands the other bento box from
his personal picnic basket to Minako Sawada.
"Thank you very much, Kaeru-kun!!" Minako blushes, then draws
out her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!!" she calls out, then digs in.
As the others watch in stunned fascination, the other replicas
busy themselves serving box lunches to the other new members of the
class and their guides. "You made sweet rice balls that look like
volleyballs?!" Natsuko wails on seeing the round treats in her bento,
then shudders as Kitaro forks one out with chopsticks, then holds
it before her.
"Hai! Now, say 'Aaah!'" the synthezoid croons.
"But, ah...!" she sputters, then finds her mouth full of rice
ball.
Beside the volleyball team captain, Mie giggles, then slurps
some of her Hakata ramen. "Ah!!" she smiles as the succulent
taste of the broth fills her mouth. "Tastes just like ramen from the
yatais back home!"
"Oh, for me, Kenshiro-kun?!" Tomomi claps her hands delightedly
as Kenshiro hands her a bento box with a covered bowl of Sapporo
ramen.
"Hai," Kenshiro nods, then hands his other bento to Kumiko.
"And one for the prettiest girl in all of Tomobiki High School!"
Kumiko turns deep cherry on hearing that. "B-but I'm n-not...!"
"On the contrary. As I recall from the memories copied from
Onii-sama to create me, you were voted the prettiest girl in the
class FIVE times before the First Tag Race," Kenshiro holds up a
hand. "And may I humbly say that you even look prettier now,
Kumiko-sama!"
Kumiko tries not to melt into the floor from the embarrassment
his compliments -- and this, from a replica of ATARU of all people!
-- cause her. Sitting next to her, Momoe is trying not to chuckle
as Komeru hands her a bento after giving one to Kyooko. "Geez, if
you guys are willing to do this all the time, why don't you open your
own restaurant?!"
"Do you really think we're that good, Momoe-san?" Komeru asks.
"Well..." she picks up some breaded shrimp, then nibbles into
it. "Yes, I definitely say you are!" she nods approvingly as she
digs in.
"I'd visit all the time," Kyooko beams.
Laughter fills the room. "Shinobu-chan, are you sure these guys
are safe?!" another girl whispers to Shinobu. "I mean, it's bad
enough that they're killer robots, but to have them made to look like
Ataru...!"
"They're *synthezoids!*" Shinobu snaps. "They're not robots!!
And yes, they're safe! Ataru-kun's sister made sure of it!!"
The other girl ducks that sharp retort. Standing near the head
of the room, Shutaro Mendou quivers as he watches these replicas
of his hated rival cavort with the hearts of four women he himself
considered very close to him, not to mention the four beautiful
newcomers to Tomobiki High. To believe that a relative of MOROBOSHI
could have such things constructed, then put to use. And to believe
said relative had these things built as a stop-gap against LUM of all
people?! No! No!! He could not ALLOW this!
"Do you have a problem, Shutaro?"
He auks, spinning around to see a hooded figure standing by the
blackboard, a humourless smile peeking out of the shadows.
"Who...?!"
"Ane-kun!!" the synthezoids smile.
"Ah, Chikage-san, there you are!" Shinobu waves.
"Huh?!" Shinjin Koi jolts, then points to the sorceress.
"You mean to say THIS is one of Ataru-kun's sisters?!!"
"Hai, that she is!" Tomomi grins.
The boys turn as one as Chikage slips off her hood, then they
shake their heads. "Man, she must feel SO ashamed," Shinjin
mutters...
...then nearly has a heart attack on seeing Chikage now standing
before him, glaring him down. "Did you say something, Shinjin?"
He gags on his bile as she seems to loom over him, then waves
his hands in a futile attempt to make her back off. "Nothing,
nothing!!"
"Ane-kun, is he bothering you?" Komeru asks.
"Yes," the warning tone in her voice is very obvious. "He is."
The synthezoids tense on hearing that one of their big sisters
is not happy. "Do you wish him dealt with, Ane-kun?" Komeru asks,
his voice icy.
Chikage hums as she seems to consider it, then reaches into her
cape to draw out a tarot card. Looking at it, she then smiles as the
card is restored. "No. Fate has already decided against this one,"
she turns away from Shinjin. "There's no need to hasten such
matters. Oh, Shutaro...?"
"H-hai!" Mendou stammers.
She gazes at him. "I believe congratulations are in order."
"A-a-about...?"
"Your pending wedding to Asuka Mizunokoji."
Silence falls. Then...
"***WHAT?!?!?!***"
That was almost all the girls in the class, by the way...
* * *
"Ah!! As wonderful as always, Shirayuki-chan!!"
"Arigatou desu no, Nii-sama!" Shirayuki beams at Ataru's
compliment, then turns to Ranma. "Did you enjoy lunch, Nee-sama?"
"Definitely!! Man, what was that soup, anyway?!" Ranma wipes
her lips with a handkerchief as she piles her empty bento box and
soup bowl together, then places that in the picnic basket. At
present, the three and Chigaiko sit on a blanket laid out under a
cherry tree on the front lawn.
"Portugese bean soup! Hime really liked the recipe, so she made
more than what was needed for Kunou-kouchou," the chef blushes.
"Hime hopes that all of Hime's sisters will like the soup, too!!"
"Where'd you get the recipe?" Ranma asks.
"Over the Internet," the chef smiles as she takes Ataru's plates
and puts them into the picnic basket. "Rinrin-chan helped Hime find
all sorts of websites with recipes in them. All Hime had to do was
search for Hawaii food, then once Hime got recipes, she called the
food bazaar Tampopo-san shops in all the time and Hime had the
ingredients sent to the house."
"Well, I'll definitely enjoy this tonight after I get back from
the doctor's office," Chigaiko pats her stomach as she hands her bowl
over.
Shirayuki beams. "Hime'll save some for Chigaiko-san!"
"Hey, Ran-chan!"
They look as Ukyou walks up. "Oh, right! You wanted to talk
to me," Ranma nods, rising. "I'll be back in a bit, guys."
"Right," Ataru nods as they walk off.
The pair head towards the front gate. "So what's the matter?"
Ranma gazes at Ukyou. "Did you tell your dad about what happened
Sunday?"
"Yeah," Ukyou slowly nods. "Hey, Ran-chan, are you okay?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was seein' you with Ataru-kun earlier on and you
weren't eating like you normally do. Did they do something to you?"
Ranma sighs. "Your father didn't accept it, did he?"
Ukyou balks, then sensing Ranma gaze knowingly at her, nods.
"Yeah."
"What did he say?"
The chef considers that for a moment, then shrugs. "Oh, you
know, the usual things. That you were trying to dodge your
responsibility for me and all that, who was goin' to pay me back for
the ten years I spent as a boy, that sort of stuff..." she shakes
her head. "It ain't your fault, Ran-chan. I know what you're tryin'
to do and all. And..." she gazes on the redhead. "Even though I
still love you, Ran-chan, that...! That you want for us just to be
friends and all...! Well..." she shrugs again.
Ranma gazes on her, seeing the fear and growing hopelessness
in Ukyou's eyes, then she looks away. "I see."
"I'm sorry, Ran-chan..."
"Please, Ukyou-san, don't call me that."
Ukyou jolts. "B-but..."
"Only my *friends* can address me in that matter," Ranma closes
her eyes. "You are NOT my friend, Ukyou Kuonji. Right now, you're
a would-be fiancee, no different than Akane-san, Xian-pu or
Kodachi-san. And that is something I do not want. Not now, perhaps
not ever. I've tried to help you get out of this mess, but if your
father is such a damned COWARD that he can't see what he's doing to
his own CHILD, my hands are tied!"
"But, Ran-chan...!!"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!"
Silence falls as people stare on Ranma and Ukyou. The
okonomiyaki chef looks as if Ranma just punched her heart out. The
redhead's eyes blaze. "You tell that coward this, Kuonji-san:
I've paid back ALL of what was owed to your family! As of now, I
have no business with your family!! As of now, I do not WANT to have
any business with your family!! And if your father can't swallow
that, then he has to get his lazy ass up here to deal with me
FACE-TO-FACE!!! I REFUSE to keep BOWING to what you -- No, what HE!!
-- keeps demanding of me because of that agreement he made with
Oyaji!! YOU'VE NO RIGHT TO DEMAND ANYTHING OF ME!!! UNDERSTAND?!!"
Ukyou shudders as she takes in the unrelenting glare Ranma now
sends her, then screaming, runs to the school. Ranma watches her go,
then shakes her head as she storms back to where Ataru, Shirayuki
and Chigaiko now sit. "Nee-sama, are you okay?" the chef wonders
as Ranma sits down.
"No!" a growl seeps into Ranma's voice, then she shakes her head
on seeing Shirayuki shy away. "Sorry, Shirayuki. It's not your
fault." She closes her eyes. "Hell, it's not even U-chan's fault."
"Her father won't bow to reason, I take it," Ataru sighs.
"Nope."
"What an idiot!" Chigaiko snorts. "I've heard of thick-skulled
and stubborn, but THIS is ridiculous! He's got the perfect excuse
to finally let go of what your dad did to his daughter and he
still..." she shrugs.
"I know," Ranma sighs. "Ataru?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you get someone on the Island to make sure U-chan can't
shift her business to the Island when I move there next week?"
He considers that, then nods. "That should be easy if Ukyou's
dad doesn't disown her. If he does throw her out, then things get a
little tricky. The Island's always been open to those who've been
exiled from their families. That dates all the way back to the Heian
era."
Ranma hums, then nods. "I can understand that. If he does
disown her, I'll offer her a chance to join my family as my sister.
And if that happens, I'll sic the police or the courts on the bastard
in case he proves to be no better than Mom's fool old man. I think
I could talk Tampopo-chan into taking her in as a potential student
so she won't have to totally let go of her Art. But..." she closes
her eyes. "Damn me..."
"You okay?" Ataru's eyebrow arches.
"No," she shakes her head. "This is what I get for stringing
them along for so long," she waves back at the school building.
"I sat there like an arrogant fool, uncaring of the fact that what
I was doing was just dragging all of them deeper and deeper into a
pit they'd..." she closes her eyes as her fists clench. "And I never
saw what I was doing as wrong, Ataru. I never sat back to think
about what I WAS doing until..."
He nods. "I know. It's the same thing I felt when I began to
really reflect on things that happened between everyone in Tomobiki
and myself."
Chigaiko shakes her head. "It wasn't all your fault,
Ataru-kun."
"Perhaps, but I DO have to take responsibility over what I did,
Chigaiko-chan," he admits, a rueful chuckle then escaping him.
"After all, would you've liked it if I kept trying to molest you all
the time?"
"You forget that since you were the only person who remembered
my name in that whole school, I wouldn't've minded it THAT much,"
she notes.
"Well, if that's what you choose to think, I won't say anything
more," he admits, then stares at the early afternoon sky. "But
still..."
"Did you ever consider apologizing to all of them for what you
did?" Ranma asks. "To Shinobu, Sakura and the rest of them?"
"I did," Ataru nods. "But by the time I really started to
consider doing that, I was on the Island, living with the girls,
forming a family with them..." he shrugs. "And then things started
to happen and I..."
"You felt that just keeping your distance from them was enough."
"Yeah," he nods. "If they want something more, I can give them
that. If they just want to forget I ever existed, I can accept that.
But I'm not going to grovel to them, Ranma. That's not because
I feel I don't have to apologize to them. I do. But they have to do
some apologizing, too."
"I can agree to that," Chigaiko grimaces. "Yeah, you did pull
some boneheaded stunts, Ataru-kun, but it's like I said: it wasn't
ALL your fault. Who the hell gave those people the right to blame
EVERYTHING that happened there on you? Was everything that oversized
pig Rei did *your* fault? Was everything that stupid little brat
Jariten did *your* fault? Was Lum's holding the whole planet HOSTAGE
just to make you say 'I love you!' *your* fault, Ataru-kun? Of
course not!!" she snaps, then coughs.
"Hime agrees with Chigaiko-san," Shirayuki lightly smiles.
"When Hime first heard of Nii-sama -- this was before Hime learned
Nii-sama was Hime's brother -- Hime felt a little disgusted,
too."
"How'd you find out about that?" Ranma asks.
"Through television and newspapers," Shirayuki shrugs, then
stares at the sky. "Then Negako-neesama came and told Hime and
Hime's sisters the *WHOLE* truth about what went on in Tomobiki.
And when Hime learned of how people treated Nii-sama even when he
wasn't doing his girl-hunts..." she shakes her head. "Hime never
felt so mad. What type of mother tells her son 'I wish I never had
you?' What type of parents try to sell their son off just so they
can steal an inheritance that was meant only for him? What type of
person was Lum-san to believe she had SOLE right to judge what
Nii-sama could or couldn't do? And she certainly had no right to say
that she and Nii-sama were married just because he said 'Now I can be
married!' at the end of the first Tag Race! What type of people
were Megane-san and his friends when they decided they had the
'right' to spy on Nii-sama, to bully him all the time, just because
they had a crush on Lum-san? What type of person was Mendou-san
to disrupt the lives of so many people just because he also had a
crush on Lum-san?" A pause, then she gazes on Ranma, "Blame for what
happened in Tomobiki lies everywhere, Nee-sama. Just like it does
here between you and everyone you've dealt with. And..."
"The chances are there that even if everyone was willing to
forge some type of reconciliation, it won't happen," Ataru finishes.
"I can see that," Ranma nods. "If I apologize for what I did,
some might not accept it because they feel it'll demean either them
or me."
"And some might not accept it because they'll think that if you
did admit fault," Ataru holds up a finger, "...they won't have any
power or influence on you afterward. Some people can be real funny
at times."
"So what should I do?" Ranma asks.
"I'd say play it by ear. Say something when it's appropriate,
hold you peace when it's not," he advises. "Take Ukyou. You've
just drawn a line in the sand and you've called out the man partially
responsible for the garbage she's gone through in her life. Wait
until you get a reaction from him, then move accordingly. Akane's
the same way, especially since your sisters warned you yesterday
of her father's refusal to accept what happened on Sunday night.
You might have to do the same thing to him to help clear the air
finally between yourself and Akane."
"Good point," she nods...
* * *
"So why are they forcing you to do this NOW, Mendou-san?!"
A group of women crowd around Mendou's desk in afternoon
study hall, the first period after lunch. The looks on the girls'
faces show their shock at the surprise Chikage dropped on them. "It
was a decision made by my parents and Asuka's parents on Monday,"
he admits, gazing blankly at his desk, he not wanting to look up into
the eyes of his admirers. "They felt that now, with Lum-san dead and
gone, it was time for me to face up to my obligations to the clan
and..." he closes his eyes. "I am truly sorry."
"It's not your fault," Momoe squeezes his shoulder. "I guess
we all can't be like Ataru-kun and just walk away without looking
back."
Mendou jolts, then smirks, a touch of his old confidence
returning. "Yes, Momoe-san, that's true, isn't it? Then again,
who really wishes to be seen as a shameless roonin like Moroboshi?"
The other girls laugh. Sitting together at the back corner
of the room, Shinobu, Ryuunosuke, Minako, Tomomi, Kyooko and Mie
listen in. "What a fake!" the Kyushu native mutters under her
breath. "Don't any of those girls realize he's been taking them all
for a ride all this time?"
"He's not that bad, Mie-san," Shinobu objects, then shrugs.
"Then again, he really doesn't have any right to speak of Ataru-kun
that way."
"Guess the guy can't conceive of acknowledgin' anything that'd
make Moroboshi look better than him," Ryuunosuke snorts.
"Has he been this way all the time?" Minako asks.
"Pretty much so," Shinobu admits. "It doesn't mean to say that
Ataru-kun should be left off the hook. But..." she then shrugs.
"Moroboshi doesn't want anythin' to do with us, Shinobu,"
Ryuunosuke reminds her. "Besides, you got Kaeru now. Why are you
complaining?"
Shinobu blinks, then nods. "True."
"By the tone of your voices, you're making it seem as if
Ataru-san's changed into a whole new person," Kyooko notes.
"That he has!" Ryuunosuke nods...
* * *
"You..."
It's the start of gym class, the last class of the day. Ranma
now stands poised near the doorways to the change rooms. Chigaiko,
Eri and several other girls are ready to drag the redhead into the
girls' room. "You don't have time to race to the washrooms and get
changed there, Ranma-kun," Eri smiles. "Besides, you've probably
long got used to your girl's body by now and you'll be stuck this way
for the next while."
"Besides, we want to make sure none of those jerks get their
hands on you," Kyoomi Morishita, a girl with brown hair combed back
from her face and golden-brown eyes, adds, grabbing Ranma's arm and
dragging her in.
"Amen to that!" Chigaiko nods. "Let's go."
"But...! But...!" Ranma sputters as she's led inside.
Already there are about half the girls in the class. "Hey!!"
Sayuri is quick to notice who just came in. "What's HE doing here?!"
"SHE is supposed to be going to class, just like the rest of us,
Asano!" Eri snarls. "If you got a problem with that, too bad!!"
Ranma is dragged to a bench and made to sit down. The girl's
change room is configured is such a way that allowed girls to change
their clothes in relative privacy. A pathway leads from the doors
to a wall divider that separates the changing areas from the showers.
The lockers are arranged in rows perpendicular from the main pathway.
Side pathways lead from the changing area into the shower space.
Since this is the start of class, there's no need for any of the
girls to strip all the way down.
Ranma is ushered into the area closest to the door. "Relax,
Ranma-chan," Eri whispers as the girls start to undress. "We're
all women here."
Ranma considers that, then shrugs. "That's true."
They quickly don their gym uniforms, then secure their school
clothes in the lockers before departing. Ranma then draws what looks
like an ofuda ward from her skirt pocket, then after closing her
locker, posts that on the door. "There, that should be enough!"
she joins the others.
"What's that?" Eri asks.
"A little surprise for those who might want to play a prank or
two on my stuff," Ranma winks as they step into the gymnasium.
"Ah, Ranma-kun, nice of you to join us in more proper dress than
what's normal for you," the girls' physical education teacher,
Ms. Katou, smiles as the girls form a line. "You think you can keep
the martial arts tricks down to a minimum while we're playing
volleyball today?"
"No problem at all, Sensei..."
"***YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!***"
All the girls shriek on hearing that pained scream from the
change rooms. "What on Earth was THAT?!!" Ms. Katou wonders.
"Sounded like Sayuri-san," Chigaiko muses.
"RANMA!!!!"
They watch Akane storm in, she carrying a dazed, babbling
Sayuri over her shoulders. Several other girls follow her. "I take
it she wanted to throw my clothes out of the change room?" Ranma
crosses her arms.
"She did," Yuka nods. "We tried to stop her..."
"You'll forgive me, Tokoro-san, if I take that statement
with a BIG grain of salt," Ranma's face goes totally neutral.
Yuka winces. "What caused this, Ranma-kun?" Ms. Katou asks.
"A special magical charm prepared by the sister of a friend
of mine, Katou-sensei," Ranma stares at her. "This morning, she
figured someone might pull a stupid trick like this if they got the
chance, so I had the charm posted on my locker door just in case.
As you see..." she indicates Sayuri, "...my friend was quite correct
in her suspicions."
"No permanent damage, I hope," the teacher winces.
"Oh, no, Sensei," Ranma assures her. "All it does is probe the
target's mind to make her confront her deepest phobia for ten
seconds."
Ms. Katou nods. "Well, that seems harmless enough. Maybe that
will teach Sayuri-kun not to trifle with other people's belongings.
Akane-kun, put her on the bench. Let's get the nets set up people!"
The girls get to work. Akane lays Sayuri down on the bench by
the main doors, then storms over to Ranma. Ranma glares at her
ex-fiancee, making Akane suddenly wilt. "Is there a problem,
Tendou-san?"
"I..." Akane quakes as anger and sympathy fight for control
over her heart, then she sighs. "You should've warned us you did
that, Ranma."
Ranma blinks, then looks away. "Yes, you're right, Akane-san.
I apologize for not giving you people fair warning about Chikage's
charm. I won't apologize for what just happened to Asano-san,
though."
Akane considers that, then nods. "Alright. I..." she pauses,
then lowers her eyes. "You should've told me, Ranma."
"About what?"
"About what the guys were doing to you. I..." she pauses,
then shakes her head. "I wouldn't've thought badly of you because
of that. Believe me, I've always had a low opinion of the boys here,
but after hearing what you said in ethics class..." she quakes.
"Why can't I believe you, then?"
Akane looks up to see Ranma staring sadly at her. A gentle
shudder warps through the former as she absorbs what the latter just
told her, then she reluctantly nods. Glancing over to the corner
of the room, where Ukyou stands alone, Akane then asks, "Don't you
think you were too harsh on her?"
"Yes, I was."
Akane's eyes widen. "Ranma..."
"But it wasn't because I wanted to hurt her," Ranma adds. "If
there is anyone really at fault over this mess, it's U-chan's father.
If he can't accept what I did to help restore his family honour,
that's just too damned bad. I can't keep torquing my life just to
give him his jollies. Further, I WON'T do that. U-chan doesn't
deserve that. Neither do I."
Akane considers that, then nods. "I suppose I could accept
that. But you DO owe her an apology when this is all over with."
"True," Ranma nods, then stares at her. "That can also be
applied to your own father, Akane-san. Toshiko and Kumiko told me
about him still caterwauling about our getting married yesterday.
They also told me about your father thinking I intentionally
led Oyaji to his death. If he can't accept what happened on Sunday
night, I'm not going to waste my time over him anymore. You sure as
hell don't deserve it, I don't deserve it, and neither do Nabiki
or Kasumi." She turns to walk away. "Besides..." she looks away,
grinning. "He no longer has a teaching license. I do."
Akane's eyes widen. "You have a LICENSE?!"
"Hai, I do," Ranma nods. "I'm now considered Mizu-joonin
-- Elder Ninja of Water -- in Saikoo Jinseijitsu Ninjitsu-ryuu."
Akane considers that, then crosses her arms. "What about your
standing in Musabetsu Kakutou, Ranma? Doesn't that matter anymore?"
"No. Jijii released me from my obligations to the Art Sunday
night. It's part of an agreement he made with Negako," Ranma shakes
her head.
"I see..." Akane nods, then smiles. "Well, congratulations.
I..." she turns away as the teacher blows her whistle to mark the
start of class. "I hope it really does turn out for the best,
Ranma."
She heads off to join Yuka and a just-recovered Sayuri. Ranma
watches her. "Thanks, Akane," she whispers...
* * *
Gym class soon ends, then the final bell rings. To keep the
nerves of some of her classmates calm, Ranma waits for the others
to clear out of the change room before going in to shower and change
herself. By the time she emerges, most of the students have left.
Ataru, along with Chikage, waits for her by the front gate, as does
Nabiki. Chigaiko has already gone to Shinjuku to see her doctor,
Sakuya accompanying her. "Heard you had quite an interesting
day today, Ranma-chan," Nabiki smirks.
Ranma stares at her, then nods understandingly. "So you know
now. Figured I couldn't keep something like this away from you for
long."
Nabiki blushes at the unspoken compliment. "I saw you and
Ataru-kun here pucker up on Sunday night just before you dropped
the fire scythe on the panda," she notes as they walk away from the
school.
"You cannot deny your fates now, Ani-kun, Ane-kun," Chikage
smirks.
Ataru and Ranma blush. "Do you ALWAYS have to be so damned
blunt about it, Chikage?" the latter glares at the sorceress,
then smiles. "By the way, thanks for the locker ofuda. It worked
perfectly."
"You're welcome. I assume some of your classmates have asked
you for copies to use themselves against Happousai?"
"About ten. I'll give you the names tonight."
"Very well, then."
"When are you going to tell Akane?" Nabiki asks.
Ranma blinks as she considers it, then sighs. "Not yet. It's
not because I want to keep it from her, but I don't want your father
to try to twist it around into something it's not. I know what he
now thinks about me. If he can't accept what's happened, that's
just too damned bad."
"The mirror-twins told you? Gotcha!" Nabiki nods.
"Does Kasumi know about this, too?"
"Hai. She..." Nabiki stops.
"What's wrong?" Ataru asks.
"She's a little disappointed in you, Ranma-chan."
Ranma blinks. "Why?"
"Because she felt you should've done more to stay as a man,"
Nabiki chuckles. "Strange as this sounds, Onee-chan would've liked
it if you and Akane married. Not out of any obligation to the
families, of course. She pretty much came to understand that back
at the wedding. But if you really wanted it and if Akane really
wanted it, then it should've happened."
Ranma considers that, then nods. "I can accept that, I suppose.
You tell Kasumi this, Nabiki: While I strongly resent that she
doesn't fully respect my desire to live my life the way **I** choose
to live it, I do respect and admire her desire to protect Akane as
best as she can. And also tell her that despite what I might say to
people in public, I still care for Akane deep down and I do want the
best for her."
Nabiki gazes on the redhead, then sighs. "Man, you've really
grown up, Saotome. I never thought I'd EVER hear something like that
from you!" She reaches up to squeeze Ranma's shoulder. "You'll
make it, Ranma-chan."
"I...!" Ranma gazes wide-eyed at her, then smiles, reaching
up to give Nabiki's fingers a warm squeeze in return. "Thanks,
Nabiki."
They head on towards the Moroboshi home...
* * *
Okonomiyaki U-chan's, after dusk...
"C'mon in, sugar. Glad you could...!" Ukyou pauses on noting
that Akane is not alone. "What are you doing here, Nabiki?"
"When Akane told me Shampoo had called this meeting, I decided
I'd better be here," Nabiki explains, noting that Shampoo and Kodachi
are now sitting by the grill. "I heard Ranma wasn't too nice to you
today."
Ukyou stops, blinking as if she was fighting back tears, then
nods. "Yeah, you can say that, Nabiki. What do you guys want?"
Orders are made, then Ukyou gets the batter going. Within
minutes, plates filled with piping-hot okonomiyaki are in front of
everyone else. "It's delicious," Kodachi smiles as the visitors
dig in. "I rarely have something like this either at school or at
home. This may seem common fare for someone like yourself,
Ukyou-san, but to me, it's a treat."
"Well, I'm glad you like it," Ukyou grunts. "You should try to
get out more, Kodachi. You really aren't doing yourself any favours
staying cooped up in that mansion of yours. Neither's your brother,
by the way."
"Feh!" the gymnast snorts. "I really have no care for my
brother, so whatever happens to him is also of no concern of mine."
"Shampoo no blame Kodachi for that," Shampoo snorts.
"Let's move this to a booth," Nabiki proposes. "Where's
Konatsu?"
"Oh, he went off to meet up with some other kunoichi who're
operating in the area for some other group," Ukyou shrugs as the
girls shift to one of the larger booths by the windows. "Never
realized that ninjas were so damned sociable. You'd never think of
things like that with them, eh?"
"I believe Sasuke is the same way, but I've never asked him,"
Kodachi shrugs, then gazes on Shampoo. "Well, my dear, you brought
us all here to tell us something important. I believe you have all
our attention."
Eyes lock on Shampoo. "Yesterday, Hibaa-chan tell Shampoo
something about Ranma which make Hibaa-chan petition Joketsuzoku
Council to end Shampoo's marriage with Ranma and have Blood Sibling
Law invoked..."
She continues on for twenty minutes. Hearing what happened
the night they were all trapped in that odd white fog on the front
lawn of Furinkan High School -- was it only sixty hours ago?! -- the
others in the room pale. No one interrupts Shampoo. As she hears
the story of Sunday night's events, Nabiki's fists quake. She would
have some pretty harsh questions to ask Negako the next time she was
alone with the ninjitsu grandmistress.
But would Negako be forthcoming?
Silence falls as Shampoo finishes her explanation. The others
gaze on the table before them as the implications sink in, then Akane
finally asks, "How could Ranma...?" she gulps. "How could he DO that
to us?!"
"Is not Ranma, Akane!" Shampoo shakes her head. "Is part of
Ranma inside Ranma that hate Shampoo and everyone else. Is that part
of Ranma who make doubles of Shampoo and everyone else to kill in
front of panda."
"But are we the real people?" Ukyou quivers.
"You are."
Everyone spins to the door. "Negako-san!!" Nabiki gasps.
Negako steps inside, then places herself in a spare chair beside
the table. The others gaze at her impassive face, then Nabiki feels
a lump form in her throat. "Negako-san, Shampoo's story...?"
"Is correct in every detail. I explained everything to Kun-lon
yesterday. Kun-lon chose to reveal same to Xian-pu later that day."
The others take that in, then Kodachi asks, "Grandmistress..."
Negako's eyes roll. "Kodachi, address me by name. I despise
the title 'grandmistress' as much as I despise being called
'sensei.'"
The gymnast stops, then sighs. "Forgive me, Negako-sama,
I did not mean to cause you offense. But this thing inside
Ranma-sama...?" she pauses, then asks, "Can it be destroyed or
neutralized?"
"Destroyed: yes. The price, however, is Ranma's life, not to
mention Ataru's." Seeing the others pale, Negako lightly smiles.
"I knew you would not desire that sort of option. And you can be
VERY assured that Ataru's sisters will not tolerate ANY action which
brings him into mortal danger. That includes the severing of the
bond existing between Ranma and Ataru." A pause, then, "As for
Ranma's 'neko' self being neutralized, that is possible, but that
will take a considerable amount of time. Time that can be shortened
OR extended depending on the actions of all of you and all others
who wish to interact with Ranma. The choice is yours."
The others exchange looks...
* * *
To be continued...
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