A Kiss To The Victor


A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Hound & Cabbit Productions--
David "Fido"
Lindquist (bgcrisis@lynxconnect.com) and June "KaraOhki"
Geraci (karaohki@snet.net)

Revised October 11, 2004

Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi.  We're
just borrowing her characters for a little while.

Earlier chapters can be read at
http://karaohki.anifics.com

Authors' notes: It's been almost two years but this chapter is done.
It's been a particularly hard road both of us have traveled to get
it here. Real Life has been throwing obstacles in our way since
we started. Due to our troubles, we have decided to shorten our
original outline and break it into 'books'. We make no promises
the other 'books' will ever be written by us but this one will be
concluded in the next chapter. We only hope that chapter 8
doesn't take as long to write...:)

Enjoy!.. Or not. We don't care cause it's done! DONE YOU HEAR!
DONE! DONE! DONE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

(Kara pulls the keyboard away from Fido and swats him with it)

There's something to be said about being in the same room with
 your writing partner.  Too bad we live so far apart - this is a
first.

-----------------------

Chapter Seven

"See you tomorrow, Akane!" called the girls on the
team as they left.  Akane waved goodbye, then she
closed the gate.

"Let's hurry up and get the mats put away, Ranma,"
she said, as the two of them returned to the dojo.
"I need a bath!"

"I think you got some time to kill," he replied.
"Pop just went in there."

"Oh?  In that case I'll sweep.  Would you please
pick up the gymnastics tools and put them away for
me?"

When Ranma was finished, he sat down on the floor by
the dojo doors and watched his fiancee sweep.  She
was rather disheveled after her practice, and
appeared totally focused on what she was doing.
Ranma didn't mind her absorption in her task, since
this gave him the chance to enjoy watching her.  The
peaceful scene was shattered by a scream from the
house.  "What the--?" Ranma was cut off when Akane
ran over him and out the door.

---------------

Kodachi gazed vacantly at the panda-turned-man
sitting in the bath.  *How--how could this--* the
rest of her thought vanished as her grip slipped.
Before Kodachi could catch herself, she fell into
the bath, on top of him.  She flailed around wildly
in an attempt to get out, but was hampered by his
efforts to also leave the bath.

Suddenly, the sound of the door sliding open stopped
them cold.  Kodachi turned to see the entire Tendo
family plus a tiny, wrinkled old man staring at the
scene.

"Hotcha!" said the old man.  "I never thought you
had it in you!"

The others just stared, their mouths wide open.

"Hey!"  She heard Ranma-sama's voice call out,
"what's going--" She was devastated at the shocked
expression on his face when he peeked in to see what
was going on.

"NOOOOOOO!" Kodachi screamed as she burst out of the
bath and raced through the witnesses of her ultimate
humiliation.  As Kodachi fled, she looked down to
see that the little old man was firmly attached  to
her bosom.

"How about taking a bath with me, sweetcakes?"

"AAAH!!!  A DEMON!"  She grabbed the creature, drove
him through a nearby wall, and fled out of the house
and into the night.

The Tendo family was still in shock at the scene
they had just witnessed.  They looked at the door
Kodachi had just exited through and then at Genma,
who had wrapped a towel around himself in an effort
to preserve what little dignity he had left.

"Ummmm," he said.  "This isn't my fault."

"I don't even want to know," replied Ranma as he
walked out.

---------------

Kodachi tried to hold back the tears as she ran
home.  How could her plan have gone so awry?  What
was causing all these humiliating setbacks?  Once
home, she quickly grabbed her bathing things and
locked herself in the bathroom.  After making sure
no one or nothing was hiding in the room waiting to
pounce, she stripped off her wet leotard and began
to scrub herself thoroughly, trying to make certain
that the creature that had grabbed her had left no
traces behind.

After she used up the third bottle of her homemade
rose-scented bath gel, she rinsed off, placed her
towel on the edge of the tub, and sank into the
steaming water.  "I must think logically," she said
aloud.  "I am a Kuno, and we are intelligent and
logical.  There has to be an explanation for this."
She thought for a moment, and then began counting on
her fingers, speaking aloud as she listed each
instance.

"One.  Akane Tendo hit me when I confronted her in
the home economics room.  She should not have been
able to lay a finger on me.

"Two.  I was hit with that ball while I was waiting
for the girl to come out of that pathetic little
dojo of hers.

"Three.  I was hit with a broom and pushed out of
Akane's classroom window."

"Then," she shuddered, "tonight."

Kodachi forced herself to calm down, and once again
tried to think.  *There must be something that
connects all of these incidents.  Something that I
don't see.*

The gymnast closed her eyes and let the information
tumble around in her mind, until she was interrupted
by the sounds of her brother returning home.

"Curse you, foul sorcerer!" she heard him shout. " I
will free my dear Akane and the pigtailed girl from
your evil clutches yet!"  The rest of Tatewaki's
raving went unheard as Kodachi sat up, her eyes
widening in response to the words.  All of the
pieces had finally fallen into place.

"Oh brother," she whispered.  "You are so wrong.  I
fear that you have fallen under her influence as
well.  Slowly, Kodachi sank back into the tub, her
expression grim and serious.  The upcoming battle
had just taken on new proportions.  This was no
longer a fight for a kiss, but for Ranma's soul.
And her opponent was not some ordinary peasant
schoolgirl.  No, not at all.

*I must be careful.  I can't afford any more feeble
attempts at victory now.  I must wail 'til the match
and prepare for her evil magicks, then I will expose
her and free my precious Ranma from her clutches
once and for all!*   Her dark laughter echoed
throughout the house.

---------------

As night fell in Nerima, Soun and Genma began
another game of go.  The only manmade sound was the
clatter of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, a
sign that Kasumi was still up and around.  Ranma,
Akane, and Nabiki were already in bed, somewhat worn
out by the day's events, and Master Happosai had
gone on his raids, so a relative calm had settled
over the house.

"Old friend?" Soun said, as he moved his first
piece.  "You realize that the Kuno woman wasn't
there to see you, don't you?"

Genma's eyes widened, then quickly changed to an
inscrutable expression.  "Of course, Tendo!  I'm not
stupid," he replied, trying to hide the sweat drop
behind his head.

"So what do you think she was here for?"

Genma puffed out his chest.  "To see my son!  He is
a man amongst men, after all!"

"Yes, he is," Soun said, in a voice that left no
doubt he wasn't thrilled with the response.
"However, I don't think that was the reason for her
visit.  I believe she meant harm to Akane."

"It is possible, but not a problem!  As a matter of
fact, it could be a blessing in disguise!"

"What do you mean?" Soun asked, as he raised an
eyebrow.

"We can get the boy to watch her night and day!  It
will bring them much closer!"

Soun's somber mood brightened considerably.  "Of
course!  Brilliant, Saotome!  You go tell him right
now!"  As Genma left, Soun quickly changed some of
the pieces to ones in his favor.

---------------

As Genma climbed the stairs, he congratulated
himself on the brilliance of his plan.  *The more
time the boy spends with his fiancee, the closer the
two will become.  After the match, they should be so
attached to each other that they will practically
BEG us to let them get married.*

"Boy," he said, as he opened the door to their room,
"you need to get...up?"  The room was empty.  Genma
ran back downstairs and rushed up to Soun.

"Tendo, Ranma's gone!"

Soun jumped to his feet.  "Where?"

"I don't know, but we've got to find him.  If he's
not here, he's not protecting Akane."

Soun straightened up and looked Genma right in the
eye.  "Go on without me, Saotome.  I must remain
here to protect my little girl!"  As if to reinforce
his words, Soun tightened the belt on his gi, and
began to roll up his sleeves.

Genma gave him a short nod, then ran out of the
house, cursing his son all the way.

---------------

Ranma shifted slightly on the branch in an effort to
get comfortable.  He could have chosen the roof for
his vigil, but decided against it. Kodachi knew he
liked to sit up there, and while the martial artist
had no doubts that he could beat Kodachi in a fair
fight, or not so fair one, he'd been tricked before
and this was way too important to mess up now.
Taking a quick look around and realizing that
everything was okay, Ranma turned his attention to
Akane's window.  He wondered what or even if she was
holding anything as she slept.  *Maybe I should get
her something*, he mused, *now that P-chan's not
around*.

Before his thoughts could turn to the whereabouts of
his rival, he heard his father leaving the house.
"That ungrateful, lazy boy!"

The words irritated the martial artist.  *What does
that fool want now?* he thought.

"How dare he run out on his fiancee!"

For a moment, Ranma considered calling out to his
father.  Then he changed his mind.  *Let the old man
go looking for me.  If I'm not sleeping tonight,
neither should he.*

---------------

The next few days seemed to fly by for Akane.  She
went running early, attended school, practiced with
the girls, did her homework, and collapsed.
Literally.  Kodachi seemed to be laying low.  No one
had even seen her.  The only things that disturbed
her were Ranma's irritability and tiredness, and
the intensity of his and Genma's morning battles.
They seemed to have increased in seriousness and, in
Akane's opinion, viciousness.  Every time Genma
would dump Ranma in the pond he'd return the favor
in spades.  It had finally gotten to the point where
after Ranma would toss his father in, he would
repeatedly jump up and down on him for good measure.
His behavior was beginning to worry her.  She looked
over at Ranma's desk, where the martial artist was
now sleeping, and frowned.  *He must be really
worried if he's losing sleep at night over this*,
she thought.  She would have liked to put his fears
to rest, but she couldn't, because her own thoughts
were the same.  She had yet to beat Mayuri in a
match, and while everyone was saying that she was
getting better, the looks on their faces said it
wouldn't be enough.

---------------

The day before the match, as Akane left her
classroom, Ms. Kitami confronted her.  She was
carrying a glass containing an evil-looking green
liquid.  "I made this nutritional drink for you!  It
contains all of your daily vitamin requirements,
plus antioxidants, protein, and calcium!"  She held
out the glass with both hands, smiling.  "Come, now.
Drink up!"  For one brief moment, Akane had an
inkling of how Ranma felt when she approached him
with her cooking.  Unfortunately, there was no way
for her to refuse the drink.

"Thank you," she murmured, as she took the glass and
raised it to her lips.  To her surprise, despite the
drink's appearance, it didn't taste as awful as
she'd anticipated.  It was a little bit on the spicy
side, with a touch of citrus.

Ms. Kitami smiled happily, retrieved the glass, and
walked away.  Just before she turned the corner she
looked back at Akane.  "I'll make you another just
before the match tomorrow!"

The full effect of the drink hit Akane just as her
teacher vanished.  "HOT!" she shouted, amazed that
flames were not shooting from her open mouth.  Akane
ran to the water fountain, running over Ranma, who
was between her and it.

"Somethin' wrong?" asked her fiance as he picked
himself off the floor.

It took another minute for Akane to be able to take
her face out of the water fountain and speak.  "Ask
Ms. Kitami to take it easy on the wasabi next time."

---------------

Nabiki observed as Akane and the rest of the team
practiced in the dojo.  Her searches so far had
proved totally useless.  Ranma's room, Akane's and
Ranma's lockers--she'd even tried to search Kasumi's
room, but the negatives never turned up.  Her sister
had to be hiding them somewhere, but short of Akane
telling her where they were, she hadn't a clue where
to find them.

Growing bored with watching Akane jump around,
Nabiki turned her attention to the other girls and
Ranma.   The looks they gave Akane when she wasn't
watching spoke volumes.

*They don't think she can win.*  Nabiki's fingers
gripped the window frame tightly.  *I think I can
use this.*

---------------

Ranma watched Akane go through her routine again.
She had improved--her moves were crisper and more
precise, and she had much more control over the
weapons.  As he glanced at the other girls, he could
see the support they had for her, but the slight
frown on Mayuri's face confirmed what he had already
figured out.

*It's not going to be enough*, he said to himself.
*It would take her at least another month before she
could match Kodachi in skill, and that doesn't
include dealing with Kodachi's view of "fair play".*
He watched her do a flip, then lash out with her
ribbon.  *Kodachi's had a streak of bad luck, but
she's still more than capable of winning.  Unless
Kodachi underestimates her or messes up again,
Akane's gonna lose.  She's gonna lose, and then I'm
gonna have to kiss...ugh...Kodachi.*  The thought of
having to fulfill the wager made him sick.  *There
has to be a way to give her an edge*, the thought.
Ranma scratched his head, then smiled.  *Yeah!  It
would work!  If she can pull it off, the fight will
be over in no time!*

Ranma heard the applause as Akane finished her
routine.  *I'll talk to her after she takes her
bath.*

---------------

Akane found Ranma waiting for her when she left the
bathroom.

"You got a minute, Akane?"

"It's late, Ranma.  I want to go to bed."

"This won't take long.  I need to teach you a
special technique for tomorrow."

"A special technique?"  Before Ranma could say
another word, Akane grabbed him and dragged him to
the dojo.

As the door slid closed, Ranma stammered out "I--I
guess you want to learn it?"

---------------

Soun smiled as he watched the koi pond.  It was a
symbol of tranquility, something his household had
lacked since the arrival of his best friend and
Ranma.  From that moment on, his life had been
turned upside-down.  There was always something
going on, whether it was from an outside source or
between Ranma and his little girl.  It was always
strange, dangerous, or both.

The outer threats were easy to handle.  Find the
problem.  Figure out how to beat it.  Beat it in a
duel.  End of problem.

What disturbed him the most were the battles between
Ranma and his baby.  Every insult by Ranma directed
towards her hurt him.  However, the insults and
angry blows by Akane made him feel as though someone
had driven hot knives into his heart.

It was at those times that Akane reminded him of her
mother before they married.  Akane's mother was
always quick to anger, especially when it came to
him, but she was also the first to help out if
things got bad.  They couldn't even admit to
themselves that they cared for each other.  It took
a major earthquake to make them realize it.  Soun
bit back a sob as he remembered holding what he
thought was her lifeless body in his arms.  Telling
her that he loved her, and to his surprise, her
telling him the same thing.

He sighed softly, then turned to the dojo.  Despite
the "difficulties" between then, Ranma and his
daughter had seemed to form strong bonds.  Lately,
it seemed that those bonds were forming into
something more.  The sight of Ranma up in the tree
outside Akane's window, guarding her, reinforced
that belief.  This was a delicate situation.  Soun
knew that, from personal experience.  That was why
he hadn't told his closest friend where his son had
been for the past few nights.  Ranma didn't need any
more pressure put upon him.

At least not now.  Akane needed Ranma to train and
protect her until the match was over.  Then he and
Genma could concentrate on getting the two of them
together.  Once they were married, the arguments
would stop, and everything would be fine.

"You sex-changing, arrogant, perverted blowhard!"

The shout shook Soun from his reminiscing, and he
sighed again at the sound of Akane's voice.  "It
won't be a moment too soon."

---------------

Some time in the middle of the night, Ranma tried to
find another position in the tree for his tired
body.  He couldn't understand it.  No one had seen
Kodachi since she ran out of the Tendo bathroom.
Ranma hoped that she was okay.

"I guess seeing Pop in the buff scared her off," he
mused aloud.

---------------

"Miss, the library is about to close.  You'll have
to return those books to the reference department."

"Just a moment!  I need to make a few more notes!"

The librarian looked at Kodachi and attempted to be
patient.  "I'll give you five minutes."

For the next five minutes, the only sound in the
room was the scratching of Kodachi's pen as she
furiously took notes.  She closed the book and
gathered her notes together just as the librarian
returned to her table.  "Thank you, I believe this
is what I've been looking for.  You may return these
books to their proper place."

The librarian glanced at the titles of the books as
she carried them back to the reference department.
"What on earth is that girl up to?" she wondered
aloud, as she returned them to the
occult/supernatural section.

---------------

Kodachi ran as fast as she could.  The market she
needed would be closing soon, and it was imperative
that she pick up the items she needed before it did.
"With these in my arsenal, nothing Akane Tendo can
do will affect me!  I will be invincible!"  Her
laughter scared the few shoppers in the store onto
the street.



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