[Ranma][FanFic] The Pursuit of Happiness - Parts 9-12
RPM - acct 3/5
[Ucchan's, 6:30am]
o/" Where it's at... o/"
The last strings of a melody echoed softly in her ears. Ukyou
yawned and woke up, stretching, and hummed the tune. It was catchy...
and if she modified it just right...
"Mmm, mus'be crazy," she muttered. Ucchans never did a commercial
before, and she didn't think they were going to do one now...
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT 1
Part 9
Where It's At
=============
[Furinkan High, after school...]
"Well, you recovered fast," observed Akane, walking up on the fence
behind Ranma and holding his hand. The two walked home at a leisurely
pace, with Akane occasionally wobbling, but getting her balance back
quickly.
"Yeah, didn't wanna miss too much class, y'know?" Ranma's grip on
Akane's hand tightened. He'd heard about what Ryouga was up to, and
there'd be hell to pay. Ryouga was, he felt, lucky to have been
absent from school again. Otherwise, he'd have been beaten into a
pulp.
*
Ryouga wandered, it felt like he'd been wandering endlessly for the
past couple of days. He managed to stay in urban surroundings, so he
hoped that meant that he was still in Nerima. Tired, impatient, and
wanting to find how where the hell he was, he grabbed a passing
student by the shirt.
"Where is Furinkan High?!" he growled.
Daisuke blinked. This was apparently Ryouga. Again. There was a
definite sense of deja vu as Daisuke patiently pointed out the sign to
their left.
Ryouga looked to where the boy was pointing. It was a sign. A
rather large sign. One that read "Furinkan High School."
That's one problem down.
"Hey, you look familiar," said Ryouga.
"It's me, Daisuke. Your classmate?"
"Oh! Sorry about that."
"Well, it's too late for class, the school day is over," said
Daisuke. "Where've ya been?"
"Lost."
"Figures."
Suddenly, Ryouga's hunting instincts told him something he'd want
to hit was nearby. He looked around, scanning with narrowed eyes,
until he spotted two figures walking slowly upon the fence.
One of which he had a problem with.
Ryouga grabbed his umbrella charged, his quarry targeted and
locked.
"RANMA!"
*
The sound of Okonomiyaki frying.
That was the sound that soothed Ukyou's soul. As of late, she
noticed that she was becoming far too easily stressed. What was the
cause of it all? She'd never been as aggrivated before. No time to
dwell on that too much, the okonomiyaki needed grilling.
Scoop.
Turn.
*sizzle*
Inhale the aroma. The grill, the oil, the spatula, the
okonomiyaki.
All are one in the universe.
Add some sauce.
Scoop.
Sliiiiide to the plate.
All done.
She reached over to begin creating another okonomiyaki when
something disturbed the one-ness of her okonomiyaki universe. She
didn't recall having a vending machine in her store....
Tsubasa.
Get spatula.
"Um, Ukyou-sama! Hi!"
Adjust.
Scoop.
"No! Wait! Waitwaitwait! I just came here to talk!"
Heave.
No, wait... something was wrong. Ukyou looked down to where her
spatula was wedged under Tsubasa's costume. It was bent. She cursed
silently as she had forgotten that Tsubasa'd been putting durable (and
sometimes heavy) mecha underneath his disguises lately. Quickly
loosing her zen-like state, she growled and pulled back an arm,
getting ready to slug the face that had just popped out of the vending
machine.
"Waitwaitwait! Please!"
"This better be good, Tsubasa," growled Ukyou. "You bent my
spatula."
"It is! It is! Please! Just listen!"
*
Tanya Noori was upset.
She had -finally- tracked down Hibiki, and was ready to pay him
back for the humiliation he had caused her. But somehow, somewhere
along the line, things went wrong.
First, her undergarments were revealed to the public via an attack
from HIM. Then, some strange girl with a titanic spatula interrupted
the fight and started bickering with him. And finally, as the strange
girl and Tanya were arguing, HE escaped.
Tanya was not amused.
She had, in her haste to find him, rushed out into the city to
track him down. That was a mistake. Being a newcomer to the city
herself, she was fairly lost in a matter of hours as well. Cursing
her luck, she found a nice, clean rooftop to rest in and began her
search once more... which brought her to now.
She had been standing where she had managed to spot her former
significant other several days ago, hoping to see a familiar face once
more. The waiting was killing her.
Suddenly, a face stood out amongst the crowd. Somewhat pale, a
little on the lean side, with unmistakable eyes.
*'allo, Ryo* said Tanya in her native English, watching him from
her rooftop perch, *'ow very nice t'see you 'gain. You'll lead me
t'Ryouga, won't ye? Oi knew ye would.*
Tanya strolled the rooftops, watching Ryo carefully. She knew he
hated Ryouga possibly as much as she did, so he had to lead her to him
eventually. Besides, she figured, all this strolling around would
help her learn where everything was.
Ryo blinked. He had the distinct feeling that someone was
shadowing him. He looked up around the rooftops, suspiciously, but
saw nothing.
"Ryo-sama, what's wrong?" asked Akari, tugging at his arm.
"Hm? Nothing, nothing. Let's go, yes?" Ryo offered his arm and
Akari took it as they walked through the commercial district of town,
taking in the sights and sounds of a fine spring day. She was
thrilled that Ryo had turned out to be such a gentleman, unlike the
mean person they made him out to be. She felt lucky that he was
willing to date her. And he was strong, too! He'd managed to knock
out her sumo pig! No doubt, grandfather would be happy to have such a
polite, strong heir to the sumo pig farm which had been theirs for
generations.
Ryo grinned. Akari was remarkably gullable. Unbelievably,
uniquely, gullable. And so very trusting, as well. He hoped that
neither of his sisters were ever this foolish.
*
"RANMA!"
The boy in question turned around, just in time to dodge an
umbrella swipe to the skull. He saw the attacker, and his battle aura
began to glow. "Well... if it ain't Ryouga... DIE!" He lept from the
fence, towards Ryouga and hammered him with a series of blows. Ryouga
took the hits, but wasn't fazed by them much, and plowed into Ranma,
knocking them both through the fence and into the waterway beyond it.
A pig tailed girl and a fang-toothed girl emerged from the water,
looking furious. They clashed once more, with water spraying
everywhere and the occasional breaking point technique rattling the
earth.
"Ranma! Ryouga! Stop it!" yelled Akane. "Why are you two
fighting?!"
"Stay outta this, Akane!" yelled Ranma-chan.
"This is a man to man fight!" yelled Ryouga-chan.
Nobody appreciated the irony.
With a battle cry, both combatants charged each other once more and
cut a path of destruction through the neighborhood. Akane, frustrated
that she hadn't been able to slow down the situation any, sighed and
followed.
*
"Well.... wow," said Ukyou, unsure of what else to say.
"I... I want you to know," said Tsubasa, his eyes almost ready to
go into tears, "I'll be back some day."
"Hey, if you end up tangled with obligations and all that, I
understand perfectly," replied Ukyou. <No, really, Tsubasa, you don't
have to come back at all.>
"I... I'll never forget you," said Tsubasa, letting a few tears
fall.
"Okay..." As much as Tsubasa irritated her, Ukyou just didn't like
seeing anyone in tears like that.
"Hey, tell ya what," she said, pulling out two small spatulas and
bringing out the ingredients, "I'll make ya an okonomiyaki on the
house, for old time's sakes, okay?"
Tsubasa smiled through his tears. Ukyou had a feeling it was a
mistake already, but grilled the transvestite an okonomiyaki
anyways...
*
"Thanks for being with me today," said Akari, in a timid, shy
voice.
Ryo grinned. "It was my pleasure."
They watched a few trains go by, Akari looking happy and Ryo
looking calm. Finally, her train arrived, and Ryo walked her to the
door.
"See you later," he said with a smile.
They hugged briefly, then she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Reluctantly, she let go and entered the train, and soon was on her way
back to her grandfather's farm.
Ryo stood there.
The breeze blew by, trains passed, people surged back and forth to
and from the trains.
Ryo stood there.
Two figures, one carrying a bench, the other a shovel, both in
suits, walked quietly behind him.
"Heya, Ryo!"
Ryo narrowed his eyes and spun around, snarling. His umbrella was
raised and spinning madly in his hand. "WHAAAAAT?!?!"
The pair stumbled back, panic-stricken.
"Oh... you two."
"So, that's the girl you're going to hold ransom?" asked one of
them.
"A cute one, too," observed the other.
Ryo's face was locked in a scowl, but he did nothing else.
"Hey, Ryo, are you sure we oughta be doing this?" asked one of
them.
Ryo's eyes narrowed. He grabbed them both by their lapels and
hissed, "Shut up! Both of you SHUT UP!" Ryo pushed them back some
distance away, then strode into the street, saying as he left, "we
proceed as usual, do not question me!"
Above, in the cover of the shadows of the rooftop, Tanya
followed...
*
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY ONCE AND FOR ALL RANMA!!!" screamed
Ryouga-chan as she lunged around wildly with her umbrella, leaving
shattered telephone poles and deep dents in concrete.
Ranma dodged and threw a few kicks of her own in retaliation,
yelling, "ME?! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S GONNA PAY!"
"FOR ALL ALL THE HELL YOU PUT ME THROUGH!" boomed Ryouga-chan,
flinging a barrage of bandannas.
"WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE TIMES YA SLEPT WITH AKANE, HUH?" Ranma-chan
shot back.
Some distance away, Akane turned red, a little with embarrassment,
and alot with anger. <I did NOT sleep with Ryouga! HOW DARE HE YELL
THAT!> "Ranma, GET BACK HERE!!!"
"FOR RUNNING AWAY FROM OUR DUEL!" Ryouga-chan plowed into
Ranma-chan with a shoulder rush, sending them both into a wall.
"FOR ALL THE TIMES YA MADE ME LOOK BAD IN FRONT'A AKANE!"
Ranma-chan pummeled Ryouga-chan's side with a chestnut-fist attack.
"ALL THOSE LUNCHES YOU STOLE!" Ryouga-chan ignored the punches, and
flung Ranma-chan away.
"YOU STILL CRYIN' OVER THAT, YA BIG BABY?! I DIDN'T STEAL FROM YA
*THAT* MUCH!" said Ranma-chan as she landed, rolled away, and sprang
forward with both feet extended.
"EIGHTY-SEVEN TIMES!" yelled Ryouga-chan, ducking.
Ranma-chan blinked. "You actually kept count?"
"DIE RANMA!" Ryouga-chan caught Ranma-chan by surprise, grabbing
her by the shirt and flung her through the air.
*
Ryo inhaled the cool evening air, idly observing the various
constellations that were revealing themselves as darkness took hold of
the land. He was standing atop a five floor building, enjoying the
scenic view of the night.
He turned, his expression becoming calm yet deadly, and said, "show
yourself."
He was greeted with silence. Ryo sighed, idly twirling his
umbrella, then suddenly swung it hard towards a cluster of shadows by
the rooftop corner, yelling "Ryugeki-ken!" A boomerang-shaped energy
blazed from it and slammed into the shadows, smashing into brick and
metal. As the ki flashed briefly, Ryo saw a shadowy shape jump high
and safely away, landing several feet away from him and in plain view.
"Who...." muttered Ryo, as he examined his visitor. The clothes...
western, British, victorian era, he'd guess, and all covered with a
fine layer of soot. As he stared at this person, realization dawned
on him. "You! Gaijin!" It was the gaijin girl that attended the
reunion lunch! Twirling his umbrella at a blurring speed, Ryo
approached. "Explain and identify yourself," he hissed, halting his
umbrella with it's blade pointed in her direction.
The girl looked defiantly at him, not intimidated at all, and
revealed her own weapon, a broom of sorts, seemingly normal, until he
noticed the brushes shone of metal in the dim light. She held it in a
ready position, watching him warily. "Where is Ryouga?" she asked, in
a somewhat stiff, accented voice.
"You didn't answer my.... Ryouga?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, much
like a Vulcan scientist would when discovering a fascinating new
killer virus. "What about Ryouga?"
The girl drew a line across her throat with her finger.
Ryo smirked. "You? You think you can defeat, no, kill Ryouga?"
He was somewhat annoyed at this new interloper. Ryouga was HIS to
observe, HIS to make suffer, HIS to hurt, and HIS to kill, once all
the amusement of making his life hell was gone. Who was this gaijin
girl to think otherwise?
"I am Tanya Noori. Ryouga..." she struggled for a moment, looking
for the appropriate word, "... dishonored me. He will be punished."
Ryo sneered, "it wouldn't take much to shame _you_, I would think."
"SHUT UP!" She swiped at him with her broom. He blocked with his
umbrella calmly.
Ryo was feeling the surge in him now. One he hadn't felt in a
while. The surge that came with crushing someone's very soul with
harsh words and equally harsh actions.
"Wait," he said, "Ryouga... dishonored you? Perhaps you are his
ex-fiancee?"
Noori tensed for a moment, pulling her broom as if to strike again,
then calmed down. With a withering glare, she said, "I see you did
not beat him."
His features went decidedly hostile.
"Perhaps I do better than you, yes?" she mocked. "I hear he always
beat you, so who are you to tell me?"
Ryo swiped forward with his umbrella, growling in anger. It was
easily blocked. Noori smirked.
"Ryouga is MINE," hissed Ryo. "You stay OUT of my way, and you
leave Ryouga to ME." He pulled his umbrella back and sprang down to
the streets below, clearly angered. Tanya glared from the rooftops.
{'ey's a bloody arse, the wanker...} She thought for a moment,
thinking of all she'd heard and seen this night. Ryo might prove to
be a costly distraction, especially when he might steal her primary
target from under her nose. No, that would not happen. Arrogant
bastard be damned, she was here to grind Ryouga into the ground. And
God help whoever got in the way.
*
"So, when..." wondered Ukyou.
"It starts next week," said Tsubasa, happily finishing off his
okonomiyaki. He was enjoying the moment dearly, knowing that they
didn't make okonomiyaki this good in corporate caffeterias. As he
ate, a few sensors in his mech/costume beeped. Tsubasa stopped eating
and listened, carefully.
"Tsubasa? What is it?" wondered Ukyou.
"Something's...."
Before he could finish, something crashed through the storefront
window, slammed into Tsubasa (and his costume), and sent them both
barreling through tables and eventually, into the wall. Bits of table
were everywhere, and the dent in the wall was severe.
Ukyou stared. Her restaurant had experienced a little damage
before, maybe a broken door chair or two, but this....
"Ow! Gedoffame!" Ranma-chan shoved the dazed Tsubasa aside. The
vending machine costume toppled over and slammed into the grill,
bending a section of it badly.
Ukyou's eyebrow began to twitch.
"RANMA! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!" Ryouga-chan plowed in soon
afterwards, shattering even more of the storefront window. She landed
on a table (that was shattered immediately) and took another swing at
Ranma-chan with her umbrella. Ranma-chan caught Ryouga-chan's
umbrella hand and forced the umbrella to miss, where it smashed into
another part of Ukyou's grill, crumpling it to the ground.
In the distance, Akane could be heard yelling "Stop fighting, you
two!"
Ranma-chan kept a grip on the umbrella, trying to pull it away from
Ryouga-chan. It swung wildly, left and right, smashing tables,
chairs, and more sections of Ukyou's long grill.
"WHY YOU!" Tsubasa uprighted himself and set a target lock on the
two fighting figures. "DIE!" Suddenly, a barrage of soda cans flew
out of Tsubasa's vending machine costume, battering them both and
exploding on contact, spraying the entire area with cola.
Finally, Akane stomped in, muttering something about stupid boys.
The trio of boys-looking-like-girls froze suddenly, sensing a
supreme amount of female anger nearby. They turned around slowly.
Ranma spoke, very... cautiously.
"Um... Ucchan... why are ya lookin' at us like that?
*
"So, how's things nowadays?" asked Ukyou, sipping on some tea.
"Things are well," replied Akane, drinking hers, "very well."
"Refill?"
"Yes, please."
Ukyou poured the tea calmly, then set it on the table. The breeze
lifted her hair up briefly, and she sighed while enjoying the
sensation.
"Ukyou, what was Tsubasa doing here? We haven't seen him since he
was in the hospital," wondered Akane.
"Him? Oh, he's got himself an internship with Mishima Heavy
Industries. Mech design and all that. Just might end up part of the
permanent staff, he tells me."
"Oh... wow." Akane calmly drank some more tea. "You know... I
never thought of him as the type of guy..... that... well..." started
Akane, looking for the appropriate phrase.
"Hm?"
"The type that was into mecha," answered Akane.
Ukyou nodded in agreement. "True, very true."
The sound of people walking by filtered in. Another cool night
breeze drifted through their table.
"How's your sisters?" Ukyou wondered. "Nabiki?"
Akane smiled. "Well, there's this guy that's trying to get a date
with her... his name's Isamu."
"You think anything will work out?" wondered Ukyou.
"Sure, right, maybe in another reality," mused Akane. Both girls
giggled for a brief moment. "I don't think she ever really wants to
be tied down with somebody."
"Hey, how about Kasumi?" wondered Ukyou.
"What about her?"
"Any progress between her and Doctor Tofu?"
Akane sighed. "No, not really. He's too much of a nervous wreck
when she's around, and she doesn't try anything either."
Ukyou shook her head sadly. "That's a shame. They'd make a great
couple, I think."
Akane nodded in agreement. "I feel the same." A grin slowly crept
across her face. "Speaking of couples that might go well together..."
She looked at Ukyou briefly, then tilted her head towards Ryouga.
"What, Ryouga?" spat Ukyou.
Akane poked her teasingly. "Why not?"
"Out of the question," replied Ukyou with a smirk. "Besides, it
seems he's got a new admirer."
"Really?" Akane leaned forward, smiling. "Who is she?"
"I dunno, some crazy girl with a broom. Noori was her name. Must
be a fiancee or something."
From across the room, Ryouga shouted, "I do *NOT* know that
girl!!!"
"GET BACK T'WORK!" bellowed Ukyou, flinging a throwing spatula in
his general direction.
"Hey! Careful with those things!" he yelled back. As Ryouga
kneeled back on the ground and picked up some nails and lumber, Ranma
muttered, "told ya to just keep quiet and get this done."
"Shut up, Ranma," growled Ryouga.
"Shh! She's gonna hear!" hissed Tsubasa.
*WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP**WHAP*
"I said GET BACK T'WORK! NOBODY'S LEAVING UNTIL EVERYTHING'S
FIXED!" Ukyou swung her spatula menacingly one more time, scowling,
and made sure all three boys went back to work with repairs.
"Sorry about this, Ukyou. I just don't know what got into those
two today," apologized Akane. "For some reason, Ranma thought Ryouga
was hitting on me."
From the front where the boys worked, there was a brief scuffle and
some hissed whispering between Ryouga and Ranma, but a spatula
shuriken from Ukyou quickly silenced them. "Quit fooling around!" she
yelled. "GET BACK TO WORK I SAID!" She sighed once more as she sat
next to Akane again. "Boys, can't live with'em, can't live
without'em."
"Yeah, tell me about it," said Akane, smiling.
Ukyou paused, her mouth half-open in mid-thought. "Ah... say,
Akane, I got this idea, tell me what ya think..."
"I'll be glad when this is over," muttered Ranma.
"Shut up, or she'll think of something worse!" hissed Ryouga.
Just then, Akane started giggling. Ukyou's grin became dangerously
mirthful, much like a shark smiles before dinner.
"I think," said Tsubasa, "we're in trouble."
*
TWO DAYS LATER...
The Tendos and Saotomes sat in front of the television, with the
exception of Ranma, who was sulking in the back.
"Don't believe she made us do this..." he muttered.
"Oh, come on Ranma, it isn't THAT bad," teased Akane, while Nabiki
got the VCR set to record, and Soun and Genma smiled proudly at their
son's pending 15 minutes of fame.
"Here it comes!"
"Aw man, this sucks!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(camera fade in to TSUBASA in girl's uniform, standing at a typical
Nerima streetcorner. Cue somewhat hip-hop-ish beat)
TSUBASA
There's a destination a little up the road, Where the Saotomes and the
Tendos go, A place that's run by Miss Ukyou, The music wails and the
batter flows! Passin' out sake and okonamiyaki, Two hot griddles and
a spatula, Leave a tip and just lick your lips, a-just lick your lips!
(camera switches to Ranma and Ryouga standing in front of Ucchan's
with sunglasses and swaying to the beat.)
RANMA & RYOUGA
WHERE IT'S AT! She got two hot griddles and a spatula! WHERE IT'S
AT! She got two hot griddles and a spatula! WHERE IT'S AT! She got
two hot griddles and a spatula! WHERE IT'S AT! Two hot griddles and
a spatula!
(camera switches to Ryouga, walking through the inside of Ucchan's)
RANMA
It's a hot little spot at the side of the road, Where's the music's
hot and the drinks are cold, Members only, we emphasize it, Don't
break the rules or Ukyou fries ya!
(camera switches to Ryouga, also walking through the restaurant)
RYOUGA
Stay out late, Feel the groove, Ukyou, With her martial-arts moves!
Get all artistic with the sauce, Just remember one thing -- UKYOU'S
THE BOSS!
(camera switch to RANMA, TSUBASA, and RYOUGA standing in front of
Ucchan's restaurant)
RANMA, TSUBASA, and RYOUGA
WHERE IT'S AT! She got two hot griddles and a spatula! WHERE IT'S
AT! She got two hot griddles and a spatula...
(scene and music fade)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh god, I don't wanna go to school tomorrow," muttered Ranma,
dying from embarrassment. "This ain't fair."
-end pt 9-
- part 9 epilogue -
"Hey, Ranma, nice commercial, man!"
"SHADDUP, HIROSHI!"
----------- LEGAL STUFF -----------
"Two Okonomiyaki and a spatula" done by Ryan Mathews (thanks =)
modified from "Where it's at" by Beck
-end part 9-
"Ah! I LOVE the smell of coconuts in the morning!"
The principal of Furinkan high was in a good mood this morning. He
rested in the yard of his school, reclining on a beach chair under a
sun umbrella. He adjusted his sunglasses, watching several workers
pull hard on ropes, and drank from a halved coconut.
He'd grown to miss Hawaii... and the palm trees in his office just
weren't cutting it any more as relief for it. Neither was the sand,
or the beach murals on the walls, or the sounds-of-the-ocean CDs that
sometimes blared on the school PA system. He needed something...
grand.
And he found it.
His grin widened even more.
As he picked up his ukulele and strummed whimsically, a gigantic,
behemoth, bronze pineapple was slowly ascending the school, lifted to
its lofty perch by numerous ropes.
That, he felt, would do.
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT 1
Part 10
Hit and Miss
============
Ryouga wasn't in a good mood.
For starters, Ukyou had insisted on on him being a her today, and
in full waitress outfit too. So there SHE was, and in the 'cute
waitress outfit' to add insult to injury. After days like this, she
had the urge to find Ranma and have a nice MANLY fight with much
bickering and boasting. It helped affirm her... ah... his...
Ryouga's gender.
However, on this day, one other thing was bothering her. Earlier,
a smug looking man, about his age, strode through the doors,
accompanied by several bodyguards. He was dressed all in white, with
a confident air about him, and a shining sword at his side.
"Pardon me, madam," he said to Ryouga in a most polite manner (not
noticing her scowl at the word 'madam'), "could you tell me where a
Miss Ukyou Kuonji is?" He smiled. His teeth shone. She hated him
immediately.
"And who're you?" she asked angrily.
*WHAP*
Ukyou removed the spatula from Ryouga's head and shoved her aside.
"Aheh, sorry about her behaviour. I hope finding this place wasn't
too hard, Mendo-san?"
"No, no, it wasn't any trouble at all," said Mendo. He looked
questioningly at the still-dazed Ryouga-chan. "Will your waitress be
alright?"
"Who, her?" replied Ukyou. "She'll be just fine."
"Hey," hissed Ryouga, pulling Ukyou aside. "Where are you going?"
"Last minute thing, I'll explain later," said Ukyou. "Um... I
guess you might as well close up the restaurant."
"What time'll you be back?" asked Ryouga.
"What are you, my dad? Don't worry about it," replied Ukyou. She
turned to Mendo, holding out an arm, and said, "Shall we?"
"After you," said Mendo.
Mendo strode out after Ukyou, leaving Ryouga standing there,
looking somewhat confused. After another five minutes of standing
there, with a strange, somewhat sad look on her face, she finally
started thinking.
<Hey, why am I upset anyways? It isn't MY business...>
Thinking of Ukyou quickly sunk her mood back to neutral. Ryouga
blamed it on being in a girl's body [they get over-emotional, right?]
and went off to boil some water. Maybe take a trip later... she was
in the mood to get lost.
*
Some hot water and a few minutes later...
He stood there, getting more frustrated by the second. "WHERE THE
HELL IS THE EXIT?!?!" He'd been wandering Ucchans for several minutes
now, and he'd been through closet after closet after closet... and
discovered that they had a cellar.
It was getting embarrassing. Normally, in situations like this,
he'd just start punching through walls. In this case, however, he
didn't dare, especially considering how she reacted the last time he
wrecked the place.
*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK* "ANYBODY HERE?! HEY!"
"Dammit, not now," he muttered, "I can't find the door... WHO IS
IT?"
"IT'S ME, RYOKO!"
Whoops.
Ryouga froze for a second. The last time he saw her, he said a few
things that might've... hurt her feelings. "Um... I'LL BE RIGHT
THERE!"
"ARE YOU OKAY?"
"I CAN'T FIND THE DOOR!!" he yelled in frustration.
He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard laughter.
"I'LL HELP YOU OUT!" she said.
"HOW?"
"I'LL SING A SONG, FOLLOW THE MUSIC!"
"Oh... well... OKAY!" Ryouga stood still for a moment, listening
carefully. Then he heard it, a light humming, that soon went into a
light song. He didn't understand the lyrics well, only bits and
pieces of it since it was in English, but it was loud enough for him
to follow and a nice song as well.
o/" Hey Jude, don't make it bad o/"
o/" Take a sad song and make it better o/"
o/" Remember to let her into your heart o/"
o/" then you can start to make it better o/"
To the left.... no, the right....
o/" Hey Jude, don't be afraid o/"
o/" You were made to go out and get her o/"
Getting louder... closer... good.... oops. Knocked something over.
Oh well, Ukyou won't notice, right?
o/" Remember to let her into your heart o/"
o/" then you can start to make it better o/"
Okay, to the left.... *CRACK* Oops! Didn't notice that door. He
winced, knowing Ukyou'd be upset about that.
o/" and anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain o/"
o/" don't carry the world upon your shoulders o/"
o/" for well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool o/"
o/" by making his world a little colder o/"
Ah... the door at last.
Opening the door with relief, he said, "Ah, sorry for making you
wait so long." They stood there, both looking nervous. She was
nervous from the moment he opened the door. He was nervous from the
moment he saw her being nervous when he opened the door. The two
were, for lack of a better term, nervous.
"Um..." Ryouga said. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to
say, but he felt it couldn't be as bad as the silence.
"I, ah," said Ryoko unsteadily, "came to warn you about something."
"Warn?" wondered Ryouga.
"Yeah... it's about my brother."
"Ryo? He hasn't bothered me in a while."
"Ever heard of 'the calm before the storm'?" asked Ryoko.
"Oh."
"Can I... step inside?" asked Ryoko nervously.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to be rude. Come on in!"
Ryoko walked in slowly, followed by Ryouga. They took a seat
nearby.
"Well, it's like this. He's been acting kinda weird lately, not
like he normally acts, and it might not be good."
"How?"
"He's... restless. Pacing around, in a downcast mood, he's on the
edge of going off on another wild mood swing, I think."
"Oh. And this is a bad thing?"
"The last time he was like this... a lot of people got hurt."
Ryoko's look became more somber. "And... I think he might hurt one of
my friends."
"What? Who?"
"You've met Akari, right?"
"Briefly. Why? He's not..."
"He's dating her."
Ryouga blinked. "Huh?"
"He's dating her."
"And he's being mean to her? Abusing her? Or... molesting her?
How dare he!" Ryouga stood up, fist clenched. "I won't let this go
unpunished!"
"Acutally... he's being really nice to her."
"He'll pay for being nice to her!!!" Ryouga thought about it.
No, that didn't sound quite right. "Ah, what?"
"whenever anyone asks him about it... when she's not around...
he becomes, well, almost violent. Angry. Defensive. I'm afraid
something bad might happen."
"Oh..."
"So, I was just wondering, I mean... if anything happened, I was
wondering if you could help out?"
"Of course! It's a martial artist's duty to help out in these
situations, after all!" Ryouga blinked briefly, wondering where he
heard that before, then shrugged the nagging feeling away.
"Thanks," she said, smiling nervously. "I, ah, also wanted to talk
about something else..."
"Oh?"
Ryoko looked away, appearing somewhat depressed. "About the, um...
the last time we met..."
"What about..." wondered Ryouga. Then he remembered. Yelling in
anger that he didn't care to have any relationships at all wasn't a
good way to make an impression. And he'd been trying to tell her
earlier, in a more polite way. "Oh. I... I'm sorry about that."
"No! No no, I'm sorry," she said, traces of sadness in her voice.
"You don't...?"
"I, ah, I'm kinda recovering from a broken heart, I guess," said
Ryouga, looking away. "I just... just don't want to date anybody.
I, ah, hope you understand..."
"Oh. Is it something I-"
"No!" replied Ryouga, hoping to keep her from crying. He hated it
when women went emotional. He hadn't the faintest idea what to do.
"It's not anything you did, it's just me."
"Oh," she said. That, she supposed, was good news. Somewhat.
"I hope you're not too upset abou-" started Ryouga
"Me? Oh, no, don't worry about me," she said, trying to put on a
smile. "I just... wasn't thinking much. Did I ever tell you why the
sensei wanted me to marry you?"
"They wanted you to marry me?" asked a startled Ryouga.
"Oh... you didn't know that either, hm?"
"I was kinda... distracted... every time I meant to ask."
"Well," said Ryoko, "it was just a way to save face for them...
they had doubts about my brother's ability to beat you."
"Wait, they also sent him after me?!"
"Well, you did leave abruptly, and some of the sensei are easily
offended," replied Ryoko. "Where was I... oh yeah. If they couldn't
defeat you, they figured they'd bring you back into the fold... by
being engaged to me."
"Oh," said Ryouga, blushing slightly. "But... what about you?"
"What about me?"
"How did you feel about it?"
"I... well... you remember all the times we used to walk around the
dojos... talk a little... all those things?"
Ryouga nodded.
"I... well... you're the first boy that I ever did all that with."
Ryouga was surprised. "What? Why? I mean, you seem like a nice
girl to me, smart, cute, it's hard to imagine you... well... alone."
Ryoko smiled and turned a shade pink at the compliments.
"It was because of Ryo," she explained. "When our parents went
away, he... he was kinda overprotective. He told all the boys that if
anyone messed with me in the wrong way, there would be hell to pay.
And with his reputation there, well, no boys tried."
"But I was your friend, right?" asked Ryouga.
"You were also the first person he couldn't beat up badly."
"Oh, I see."
At that moment, Ryouga felt it coming, like some animals
instinctively can tell when a rainstorm is about to hit. He knew a
moment of awkward silence was approaching, and he sighed, knowing that
he had no idea how to stop it.
*
"Alas, where is Ryouga? I wish to abuse him further," muttered
Ryo, leaping around the rooftops of Nerima, "but my prey is not in
sight today." His face was locked into a disapproving scowl as he
stopped atop one rooftop, pacing back and forth like a panther.
Trying to focus his energy into a useful exercise, Ryo closed his
eyes and stood still, lifting his arms upwards until they were
stretched outwards to either side in a 'T' formation. Slowly, his
gloved fists began to glow an odd sort of purple until his fists were
obscured by the brightness. Then, just as slowly, his fists dimmed.
He repeated this several times, 'flexing his ki' as he thought of
it. The purpose was to master control of his energies, and perhaps be
able to generate more of it.
With mild curiosity he opened his eyes and lifted one dimly glowing
fist to his face. His ki was once of a yellow nature... bright
yellow... but now it was this odd shade of purple.
He hadn't given it much thought until now.
Ryo quickly shuffled the thought aside, a mystery for another day.
He was still bothered by something else.
"I am restless today, and do not know why. I had hoped that the
idiot would be wandering about, but I am denied. There is no school,
the restaurant where he is known to inhabit was closed and locked,
and... I... AM... BORED!!!"
*
Tanya squeezed through the small air duct slowly, making sure her
filter mask was in place. Slowly and methodically, she scrubbed away
at the walls, ridding the duct of mold, mildew, and other
miscellaneous foreign objects that were tainting the air supply.
Noori had moved to Nerima shortly after the crash of the UWSMA,
intending to exact her vengence and also start up her own small
business. This, the cleaning of ventilation systems, was that
business. It was work that was dirty, but she felt at home doing it.
It was the closest thing to chimneysweeping that Japan had to offer,
and the price she was offering was very competitive with what the
other 'professional' cleaners were charging. Business, for her, was
very well indeed.
This was all well and good, but what she was looking forward to was
the after-hours entertainment: hunting Ryouga.
*
The moment of awkward silence passed, as Ryoko stared out the
window with a blank stare and Ryouga nervously adjusted his bandanna.
"So..." he muttered.
"Can I... can I ask you a question?" wondered Ryoko.
"Um... sure."
"I can still call you my friend, right?" she said with a smile,
holding her hand out in offer of a handshake.
Ryouga was surprised by this turn of events. It was never this
easy with Ranma and his situation. He blinked, confused, then shook
out of his daze, saying, "Oh! Sure! I'd be glad to!" He shook her
hand and smiled. {Hey! That wasn't so bad.}
"So," she said, showing him a small smile, "who was this girl that
caught your heart before me?" She poked his arm teasingly.
"Well, it's a long story," began Ryouga.
"Ukyou told me about it," said Ryoko.
"She WHAT?"
"About how your girl fell for her guy, although she didn't give me
any names."
"Oh," said Ryouga, relieved that Ukyou hadn't told too much.
"So... what's she look like, this girl?" asked Ryoko.
Lost in memory, Ryouga described her, "well... short hair, kinda
like yours, I guess. About your height... kinda like you I guess, but
not really."
Ryoko blinked. That, she thought, was a rather interesting
description. Curiosity prodded her onward with more questions,
although she wasn't certain she should ask them.
"And... what about Ukyou?"
Ryouga snapped out of his slight haze. "Huh?"
"Why're you staying with Ukyou?" she asked. Of course, she'd
already heard this part from Ukyou as well, but a part of her that was
unfortunately influenced by her brother's paranoia demanded to hear
Ryouga's side of things.
"I... ah... I was in bad shape when Ak... when I found out that the
girl I was in love with loved someone else. Ukyou, she helped me out
back then. A friend, you know?"
Trying to hide any signs of envy in her face, she asked, "so you
two...?"
Ryouga looked at her with a distinct lack of comprehension. "Us
two...?"
"You two, you and Ukyou I mean, you two weren't... ever... well...
attracted to each other?"
Ryouga's face went from blank to annoyed as comprehension finally
settled in. "What, with that... that... violent, short-tempered,
cross-dressing, unfeminine excuse for a girl!" Reflexively, he winced
as he said those words and looked around to make sure a certain
spatula-armed girl wasn't around to clobber him into the ground.
Ryoko couldn't help but smile a little. "So, just friends, huh?"
"Yeah, just friends."
"Where is she anyways?"
"She's... out on a date or something," grumbled Ryouga.
Not noticing the distinct look of jealousy on his face, Ryoko
asked, "Heey! A date! With who?"
"Some guy named Mendo," he grumbled.
Ryoko hmmed for a moment, tapping her chin. "Wait a minute, was he
wearing all white?"
Ryouga nodded.
"Expensive car? Lots of servants?"
Ryouga nodded.
"Carried a sword?"
Ryouga nodded.
"THAT LUCKY GIRL!" she shouted, grinning.
Ryouga's mouth was locked in a small frown. "Lucky?"
"That's Shutaro Mendo! The richest bachelor in Japan! I've seen
pictures of him. The guy is CUTE!"
Ryouga winced with each word, feeling smaller by the second. "Oh,
I see."
"But," said Ryoko, patting Ryouga's shoulder, "I still think you're
cuter." Ryouga blushed furiously.
As she was about to say something more, Ryoko's wrist watch started
beeping. "Well, that's my little reminder that I'm on duty at the bar
tonight," sighed Ryoko. She stood up, then hesitated. "Ryouga... you
shouldn't be afraid of love just because something bad happened. I...
I'm not pressuring you to date me or anything... just... saying, as a
friend, don't dwell on the past too much. Okay?"
Ryouga blinked at the advice, not sure what to say in return.
"Um... okay."
"Good." She patted him on the shoulder once more. "Say, you
really like my singing voice?"
Ryouga nodded. "Definitely. Sounds great."
Ryoko smiled. "Thanks. See ya!" As she strolled out the door,
she began singing that gaijin song that he didn't recognize. It
didn't matter though. Somehow, the song sounded good anyways.
o/" Hey Jude, don't let me down o/"
o/" You have found her, now go and get her o/"
o/" Remember to let her into your heart o/"
o/" then you can start o/"
o/" to make it better o/"
Ryouga watched as she strolled down the street, singing her song,
fading from view. She was, he thought, a really nice girl. Cute too.
He looked around the store.
Well, he thought, we're alone. Again.
A dark mood was settling down once more on Ryouga's soul, a mood he
was all too familiar with. Determined not to sink into depression on
this day, he did what he always used to do when his mind was like
this.
Ryouga traveled.
*
Tanya looked out at the city from her rooftop perch, taking in the
beautiful sights of the city from high above. She had felt, in her
experience, that there was nothing quite like a rooftop view. It
somehow put everything into perspective.
Like that boy walking by with the bandanna.
Bandanna?
Tanya grinned. "Ryouga." She had found him, at last. Now to leap
down and crush the idiot to a pulp. She adjusted her grip on her
steel-wire broom and prepared to jump down. {Heheh, Ryouga you bloody
fool, you're mine.}
***WHAM***
Ryo grinned, watching Tanya soar across the skyline. Nothing like
the universal Martial Artist Low Earth Orbit Kick to clear out the
competition, really. He laughed quietly to himself, dusting off his
shoe.
"Idiot. Ryouga is mine."
Ryo spun his umbrella idly, looking down at the streets. "Back to
business..." He glanced down, scanning for Ryouga.
Who wasn't there.
"DAMNATION!" He cursed violently for a brief moment, then sprinted
away across the rooftops, hunting once more.
Several blocks away, Tanya extracted herself from a garbage can
angrily. She had him in her sights, she HAD him! And SOMEONE punted
her away at the crucial moment! *BLOODY HELL!* she swore in her
native tongue, then sprang up to the rooftops, hoping to find the
forever lost Hibiki once more.
*
Ryouga stood at the center of a long bridge over a river, feeling
the night breeze. The sound of the rushing water below was soothing.
Definitely soothing.
He found himself wondering about Ryoko's advice. Certainly, he
couldn't be afraid of dating in the future. It'd be... well...
unhealthy. The problem, though, was the whole dynamics of the dating
game. He'd never had to mess with it. It was always just... Akane.
There she was, and there he'd go, fighting to get those three vital
words out.
Would it have mattered, he wondered, if he did tell her earlier?
Would he be in the situation he was in now if he hadn't? If he had
the chance right now...
Ryouga shook his head. This was dwelling on the past, and Ryoko
was right, it wasn't a good thing to do.
Absentmindedly, he wondered what Ukyou was up to.
As he leaned against a lamp post, a white, open-top Rolls Royce
drove by slowly. Inside, a figure dressed in a white suit looked up
at the stars, casually putting his arm around a girl with a white
ribbon in her hair. They didn't seem to notice anyone else there but
themselves...
"Is everything alright, Miss Kuonji?"
"Ah, well, yes Mendo-san, everything's fine. It's been a lovely
night so far."
The car drove off into the night.
Ryouga scowled. "Why that... that... WHY SHOULD I CARE ANYWAYS?!"
Ukyou blinked, feeling a twinge of guilt for some reason. "Hey,
did you hear something?" she asked, looking around.
"No... I don't think so," said Mendo.
*
Ryo leapt from lamp top to lamp top, lightly, barely making the
lights shake. The idiot was a few lamps down, and not suspecting a
thing. He grinned. "Tonight, Hibiki, you are mine."
He held his umbrella ready, concentrating his ki so that the hook
end was blazing with energy, then leapt down.
"HIBIKI!!!"
*POOF*POOF*POOF*
"AAAAaaack..."
-splash-
Ryouga turned around. He thought he'd heard someone calling him...
"Weird."
For a moment, he listened carefully to his surroundings. Cars, the
waves, the sound of laugher... nothing unusual. Shrugging off the odd
feeling, Ryouga wandered off into the night.
Tanya Noori struggled to stay balanced on her light pole,
snickering badly. The look on Ryo's face as three soot bomb bags
nailed him and knocked him into the river was, simply put, a classic
moment.
*That'll teach yew, ye bloody jackass!* she declared while
laughing. It took her a few moments to calm down from the hysteria,
having a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something.
*Aw hell! Ryouga! Where'd he go?!* She looked around angrily, but
failed to see her prey anywhere.
Several minutes later, a dirty, wet, and furious Ryo Muhoshin
emerged on the shore of the river, coughing, wheezing, and lamenting
the loss of another set of good clothes to the river. They'd never
recover from the soaking they got, even in a dry cleaner. Ryo made a
mental note to look into more water-resistent clothing.
He wiped off the black material from his face and examined it.
Soot.
"THAT BITCH!"
*
Ryouga's stomach growled briefly, causing him to stop from his
wanderings. "Guess it is dinner time," he mumbled. Normally, he
didn't have to worry about it, mainly because there was always free
okonomiyaki.
"Hmph. Sick of okonomiyaki anyways," he grumbled. He took a
moment to examine where he'd wandered off to. Seemed to be the
restaurant district, and fortunately for him, he brought his wallet.
Something caught Ryouga's eye, a shadow of yesterday still standing a
block away.
"The Nekohanten," he muttered. "Wonder how Mousse and Shampoo
are." If she was still as violent and short-tempered with Mousse as
she'd always been, he thought, then Mousse must be having a rough time
of it. Funny what people put up with for love.
{Now why'd I think about that?} he wondered. Any further thoughts
on human nature were pushed aside as the smell of fresh grilled food
assaulted his senses and demanded his attention.
Tanya came to a stop atop a fairly tall building in the restaurant
district of town. It was a relatively quiet night, all things
considered, so she hoped that it'd be easier to spot Ryouga amongst
the crowds.
*Where are you, y'bloody half-arsed...*
The breeze blew by, raising the aromas of the various restaurants
into the rooftops, tempting her with the scents. *Cor, I'm a bit
hungry, I am. Izzat yakitori I smell?* She sighed and sat down at the
rooftop's edge, eyeing the various eateries.
And a bandanna-clad boy standing in front of a cart, buying several
sticks of yakitori.
*Alright then, let's get this bloody show on the road, eh?* She
grinned, pulling a few soot bombs from her jacket. She landed on the
sidewalk softly, sticking to the shadows at all times.
Her plan was set: she'd blind him with a soot-bomb, then bludgeon
him to the ground.
She waited until the feeling was right, then heaved a soot bomb at
his head.
The wind was still.
Her aim was true.
He never saw it coming.
Ryouga sat at the counter of an open-air eatery, munching on his
yakitori. As he ate, he thought he saw something on the floor. {Hey!
Some yen! Lucky me.} He bent down to pick up the bills. He heard two
distinct whooshing noises, flying behind him. Ryouga quickly sat up,
looking left, then right. Seeing nothing, he shrugged. {Must be the
wind.}
Ryo stumbled through the dark alley, coughing violently and wiping
his face with his sleeves. {A soot bomb! AGAIN with the soot bomb!}
He _had_ Ryouga dead in his sights, ki blast right at his
bandanna-clad skull, and of all the stupid things he bends down! And
then the damned soot bomb! He tripped over debris and bumped into
walls, occasionally accompanied by cursing and swearing, and faded
into the night.
Tanya stood up shakily, surprised she was still alive. The last
thing thing she expected was a ki-blast, and that's what she got just
as she flung her soot bomb. The bright yellow wave of energy nailed
her in the chest, slamming into her harder than the hardest punch
she'd ever taken. It sent her flying across a street, over the
traffic... and... {AGAIN into a garbage bin! AGAIN!}
Ryouga smiled as he looked at the several yen he'd found on the
ground. {Hm. Might be my lucky day.} He left a tip to the cook, then
resumed his stroll to nowhere.
*
an hour later....
Noori sighed, happily. She'd missed Ryouga with a trap she'd set,
a rather elaborate trap with ropes and a really heavy tanuki statue,
but in the process, she'd accidentally eliminated that interfering
Muhoshin. She was back to hunting him, searching the streets quickly,
and....
Tanya had him dead in his sights.
Ryouga.
Standing in a street corner, looking very much unalert. She
charged across the street, yelling and spinning her broom madly.
Ryo trod through the sewers, unsure of the exact details of the
hows and whys of his current situation, but knowing the following
facts:
1) something shiny and metal flew through the air
2) something really heavy hit him, most likely from above him.
3) he woke up in a pile of debris, in the sewers, and wasn't
in any shape to leap out of the hole far overhead.
And at the rate things were going, he thought, he might be safer in
the sewers anyways.
It was at one point where he finally saw a ladder leading up to a
manhole. Feeling too lazy to make the effort of pushing the manhole
out of the way, he prepared to shatter it with a quick breaking point
touch.
Tanya Noori suddenly found herself flying through the air with
fragments of metal slamming into her. Just before one large chunk hit
her in the head, sending her into unconsciousness, she noticed with a
tired sort of resignation that she was flying towards a garbage
dumpster.
Again.
Ryo emerged from the manhole slowly, and immediately saw Ryouga.
It didn't help his mood. As he sprang out of the hole, a truck
slammed into him, sending him up, up, and away into (he saw with much
anger) the river.
Again.
Ryouga blinked and turned around. There seemed to be a pothole in
the road, cars swerved everywhere, and the honking was growing to
annoying sound levels. He shook his head sadly, lamenting the effect
of cars on modern life. How could you enjoy the city with those
things blazing by and making all that noise?
*
yet another hour later...
Ryouga spent the rest of the night wandering aimlessly across town.
Much to his surprise, he didn't leave the city of Tokyo. In fact, he
saw parts of it he hadn't seen before. The tower thing seemed rather
familiar... like something he'd seen seen in France. All through the
night, he had a nagging feeling something was behind him. Sometimes
he heard screams, and the people nearby seemed disturbed at something
but he didn't see what. Whatever it was, it was gone by the time he
looked.
Maybe he was getting paranoid?
Naah.
Minutes had turned into hours, and Ryouga found himself standing
before good old Furinkan High. He sighed, surrendering to the fact
that he was locked in a semi-sentimental mood.
Furinkan High.
Yeah, lots of memories here.
Ryouga sat down underneath the dark shade of a tree in the
courtyard, watching the moon rise. So much happened here, in
Furinkan. He found Ranma here and had several fierce battles with
him. Almost had him, almost. On so many occasions, too. Ryouga
shook his head sadly. Just a little bit more effort, and maybe...
Then there was the first time he met Akane. She was just another
girl at the time. Somebody that seemed to be sticking around with his
rival for some reason. And then her hair was cut. Whose fault was
that? His? Ranma's?
Of course it was Ranma's fault.
What else, what else...
Oh yeah. The first time he met Ukyou. Ryouga grinned, not
noticing it, though. She looked every bit the hansome young man, she
did.
Amazing, that. Especially when he looked at her now, so cute...
"Feh, who cares about her?" he asked, but his voice lacked any
strong emotion. She was cute. Angry, short tempered, and with an
okonomiyaki fixation, but... cute.
Ryouga blinked, realizing that this particular line of thought was
leading to some place he wasn't comfortable at all in going to. He
sighed, leaned against the tree, and drank a can of soda.
He blinked again. Something was odd.
There seemed to be a giant, bronze pineapple sitting atop the roof
of Furinkan. He grunted in disbelief. Looks like the principal was
going tropically insane again.
Ryo stood next to the Furinkan High building, feeling the aches and
pains of the day. He'd spotted Ryouga, repeatedly, and was poised to
strike his enemy the final blow, but... every single time SOMETHING
went wrong! And worse yet, somehow he ended up battered and injured,
either by soot bomb or some other almost absurd sort of accident. He
stretched, his sore body complaining with every movement. This night
was one to forget. Damn that Hibiki luck, and DAMN that gaijin Noori
for interfering in HIS affairs!
And those soot bomb stains weren't coming out of his shirt either.
Tanya sagged, leaning against the cool stone of the building's
surface. Tonight wasn't a good night at all for her. Not at all.
She *HAD* Ryouga dead in her sights, SEVERAL times, a guaranteed
kill... except that SOMETHING always went wrong, somehow. Worse yet,
she'd been trying to kill him all night, and it was her that was badly
beaten up, via many, numerous, ridiculous accidents of one sort or
another. That Ryouga was the luckiest bastard alive... and damn that
Muhoshin for interfering in HER business!!!
Ryo heard breathing nearby. He blinked, listening carefully, and
ignoring the aching bruise that was his body, stalked closer to the
unexpected presence.
Tanya froze, sensing a presence nearby and approaching her. She
ignored the soreness that the day had inflicted on her and readied her
broom once more, waiting for combat. She slashed out where she
suspected the person was, and her weapon connected solidly with
something metal. In the dimness of the shadows, she could see the
person's form. A sudden passing car illuminated the area.
"YOU!" growled Ryo.
"YOU!" yelled Tanya.
They both began slashing wildly, sending sparks flying whenever
they hit the concrete walls of the school. In their tired, mad battle
lust, they didn't notice the various ropes around them....
Ryouga settled down, looking at the rising moon. It reminded him
of the days when he wandered across Japan with no place to call home.
Just him, the stars, and a campfire at night. A brief moment later he
was snoring restfully.
Ryo slashed again, wildly, adrenaline powering him on despite his
fatigue. He advanced on Tanya with a wild and reckless series of
slashes, pushing her towards the wall. Suddenly, a loud, shuddering,
metal sort of noise groaned.
He suddenly had a bad feeling about things.
Ryouga woke with a start, feeling the ground shake under his body.
Was it an earthquake? An explosion? He jumped to his feet, startled
and alert. There was the sound of something heavy, something big,
rolling away in the distance, but at the moment, in the darkness, he
couldn't see clearly. Ryouga's gaze stopped at the top of Furinkan
High.
"Hey, where'd that giant pineapple go?"
*
Doctor Tofu stopped reading his book and raised his head with a
puzzled expression. Something just went *thud*, accompanied by a
brief rattling that shook through his clinic. He rose from his desk
and went to see what caused the disturbance.
several minutes later...
Tanya Noori sensed nothing. Total oblivion. No sight, no sound,
no taste...
Actually, there was a feel. She finally felt gravity and it's
constant pull, keeping her pressed to something fairly soft.
Probably a bed of some sort. She took a deep breath, feeling the dry,
cool air fill her lungs.
Then there was a motion. Something blurry, fleshtone in color, was
slowly waving in front of him. She squinted to focus. There was some
sort of sound accompanying that waving...
"How're you feeling?"
Tanya blinked.
"Are you okay, miss?"
Tanya sat up suddenly, which was a mistake. Her various bruises
and cuts reminded her that rest was a good thing.
"Don't sit up miss, you need your rest."
"Who... are you?" she asked in her slightly rigid Japanese.
"I'm Doctor Tofu. I found you outside my clinic," he said, with
some concern. "How are you feeling?"
She thought about this for a moment. "Hurt."
"Badly?"
"Mm... no."
"Well, you're in a little rough shape. I cleaned up your cuts and
wounds, and did the best I could on all your bruises."
"Thank you." She looked around slowly, then saw a certain someone
else on a medical bed nearby, eyes closed, resting with a scowl on his
face.
"Should not help him," she told Tofu with a frown, pointing to Ryo.
"Shut up, Noori," mumbled Muhoshin.
"Hey, both of you, stop fighting," chided Tofu.
There was a knock at the front door.
"You two just stay put for a while, okay? I'll be right back." He
went to the front door and opened it, revealing a puzzled looking
group of Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi.
Tofu's glasses flashed from clear to cloudy in a heartbeat as
Kasumi looked into his eyes and spoke.
"Hello Doctor Tofu, we were passing by and I decided to return some
things I borrowed. Why is there a giant bronze pineapple in front of
your clinic?"
"K-Kasumi! Why hello!"
*
The neighbors looked at the clinic, shaking their heads sadly as
they heard agonizing screams and the sound of joints being bent out of
the position where nature had intended them to be. Despite the doors
being closed, they heard the screams of terror coming from within.
The Tofu Clinic had thin walls.
"Wonder when the poor boy will ever overcome it," said one of the
neighbors.
"Do you think she knows how he feels?" wondered another.
"AAAAAGH! MY NECK! MY NECK!!!"
"What's that, Miss Noori, you need painkillers?"
"I'M RYO! SHE'S *MFFF*"
"Oh, Doctor Tofu, you're so silly."
"Hmm... maybe, maybe not," said a neighbor, shrugging.
"Tsk, it's a shame about that. The doctor and her would make a
rather nice couple... if it weren't for... you know."
"True, true."
*clap* "Such is fate."
*
It was, according to a nearby clock, about ten at night. He
wondered if he should head back to Ucchan's, then tossed that idea
aside quickly. What would she care if he was out? Besides, it was
just a little walk.
He found himself in front of a grey building of French design. The
sign on it's roof read, 'King's Cafe'. Wasn't that where Ukyou hung
out now and then? Curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped
forward to enter.
*SPLASH*
Ryouga sighed as the car drove away. Of course, there had to be a
puddle nearby. And of course, the car had to hit it at just the right
speed. Maybe, he (now a she) hoped, there'd be some hot water inside.
She entered and found herself in a very... European setting. The
floor and all the furniture were made of unpainted lumber, and the
walls were covered with grey cut stone, giving it the feel of a tavern
of sorts. At one end was a small stage, where a few musicians were
tuning up their instruments. One, in glasses, looked at Ryouga,
blinked, then turned away. At the other end of the cafe was a bar,
attended to by a gaijin lady, probably in her 30's, wearing a feminine
burgandy tuxedo.
Two figures, their backs turned to him, were slumped on the bar,
several barstools apart, and it seemed she was talking to them. Not
knowing what else to do, he took a seat at the bar between the two.
"Hi there, miss," said the blond woman, "what'll it be?"
"Can I have a glass of hot water?" she asked.
The lady looked puzzled. "Hot... water?"
Ryouga nodded.
"Anything else? Pretzels? Peanuts? Snacks?"
"No... that's all for now. Thanks."
As she waited for the hot water, Ryouga noticed that the bartender
was looking at her strangely. It was making her nervous.
"You wouldn't happen t'be named Hibiki, would you?" asked the lady.
The girl and boy to Ryouga's left and right stirred.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, s'the lossssssssstboooooy? Wherrre?" said
the boy. He was in a navy blue suit, but it was ragged and stained
badly everywhere with some sort of black dirt. His face also had
traces of the black stains.
"Aaaaah, Hibiki-san? Heeeeeere? Surp-p-prising," said the girl.
She was dressed in a British outfit from the Victorian era.
There was something dangerously familiar about the pair. The fact
that they both seemed to be drunk, or high on some chemical, didn't
ease Ryouga's nervousness.
Wait... skinny, wears a suit, and there was a distinctive black
umbrella next to him. Ryo Muhoshin. Not good.
The other... odd accent, covered with black stained clothing...
Noori. Getting worse. Both of them, and in the same building, no
less. Not good.
Ryouga tried to back away, but with crooked grins, they both
dragged him and sat him firmly into a bar stool. To make sure he
didn't get away, they both sat at either side of him.
"Aaaah. You, madame," he said, squinting at her, "are... not
Ryouga."
*Abso-bloody-lutely* said Noory.
Ryo poked Tanya. "Oy! Noori! Ya'talkin in gaiiiiijin'gain."
*Who gives a rat's ar... arse*
Ryo contemplated her worlds. "Hm. Qui... quite right."
King smiled as she watched the pair banter with the very nervous
looking girl in the middle. The whole scene just looked too funny.
"By the way you look," she said, "and from what I've heard, you look
like you're maybe... his sister?"
"Um... yeah, that's it," she answered nervously. "I really should
go..." said Ryouga nervously.
"Come now, m'laaady, stay'n wax philosophic with us, eh?" urged
Ryo. "Evennnnnif you arra Hibiki."
"Stay, stay, need more people fo... fooooooor this," said Noori.
Ryouga looked at King with worried eyes. "Um... why are they like
this?" he asked her. "Did they..."
"They came in this way," said King. "Before they were totally gone
like this, Muhoshin said something about someone named Tofu, a bottle
full of very strong medication, and some girl named Kasumi. Make any
sense to you?" she asked.
"I took th'whooooooooooooooole bottle!" yelled Ryo.
"Naaaaaaaaaasty medicine, I tell you. But I'm feelin' so
hiiiiiiigh right now."
*Abso-bloody-lutely* added Noori.
"Japaaaaaaaanese, Noori. Speak'n Japanese. How'll the preeetty
laaady," said Ryo, poking Ryouga in the head," understand what you're
sayin'?"
"Up yoooooooours, skinny," replied Noori with a grin.
"Much better. Now," said Ryo, blinking and shaking his head.
"Me'n... miss SOOT BOMB here... we was havin' a discussion...
meanin'o life and all that, hm?"
"Right-o," added Noori.
"Ssssso...." slurred Ryo.
"Hmmmmm...." mumbled Tanya.
They both slumped back to the bar.
Ryouga sat there, unsure of what to do, exactly. They never saw
her in this form before. Actually, only Ukyou, Ranma, and Akane knew
about it. She would have gone out more as a girl, thought Ryouga, if
she had known it'd help in avoiding those two.
"Seems these two are your friends?" asked King.
"Actually, they're out to kill me," said Ryouga.
"Youu?" wondered Ryo.
"Hm?" added Noori.
"Er, um, I mean, my brother," fumbled Ryouga.
"DARN RIGHT!" yelled Ryo.
"BINGO!" cheered Tanya.
"Tried aaaaaaaaall night, too," said Ryo. He poked at Ryouga
somewhat harshly. "HE... hassss the damnedest luck."
*No bloody kiddin'* mumbled Tanya. Ryo looked at her for a moment,
thought about reminding her to stay in the Japanese tongue, then just
rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"E'r since sundown, been tryin't kill'em, missed by THAT much,"
said Ryo, putting his finger and thumb almost together.
*Me tooooo* blurted Noori.
"What'd she say?" asked Ryouga.
"S'not important," replied Muhoshin.
*Bugger off, umbrella-booooooy* sneered Tanya drunkenly.
*Bite-u meh* shot back Ryo. Focusing back on Ryouga, Ryo said,
"where were weeeeeeee...."
*Waxin' the bloody philosophic* said Tanya.
"Yeah, that," nodded Ryo.
"What'd she say?" asked Ryouga.
*Waxin' the philosophic* repeated Tanya.
"Exactly," said Ryo.
"They were just talking about life. I think they're really
wasted," added in King. "You two guys want any coffee to sober
yourselves up?"
"Tha's if we're drunk, an'we're not," said Ryo.
"We're stoned," added Noori.
"Quite right," said Ryo. "Stoooooned silly. Now wha're'we
talkin'about?" he asked Noori.
"Life?" wondered Noori.
"Nah, too general."
"Meaning of life?"
"Did that already."
"The ex... ex... there bein' a benevolant higher being?" wondered
Tanya.
"I think we agreeeeeeed that it was a being of a naaaasty sense'o
humor, ne?"
"Oh yeah. Oh... what is happiness?"
"A warm gun," said Ryo, matter-of-factly.
"Oh, oh. Ah! Llllllllove!" said Tanya, pounding the bar with her
fist.
"L'Amour!" exclaimed Ryo.
"Hey," said Tanya, reaching over to whap Ryo in the head. "Speak
th'native tongue, eh? No French"
"Oh. Sorry."
King sat back and watched. "This oughta be good," she mumbled.
"AND WHAT.... iz love?" asked Ryo.
"A warm gun?" wondered Noori.
"No, thaaaaaaaaaat's HAPPINESS!" replied Ryo irritably.
"Ah, love. Tis that which beats in every heart, what makes slaves
of men and women, and drives madness into the most stoic of hearts.
Oh, what fools us mortals be when gripped by the fiery hand of love!
The passion and the tempest which is stirred indeed, when that
strongest of emotions possesses our souls!"
Ryo blinked.
Tanya blinked.
Ryouga blinked.
King stepped up. "Anything to drink, mister...."
"Tatewaki Kuno, oh fair mistress of the bar," said Kuno, taking a
seat next to Noori. "I shall partake of some tea, good woman." He
noticed the bandanna-clad girl staring at him oddly. "Ah, hello,
young lady. Allow me to introduce myself." Ryouga tried to escape,
but he was blocked at the sides by Noori and Muhoshin, behind by Kuno,
and front by the bar. Kuno ranted on... "I am the one known amongst
notable circles as Tatewaki Kuno, blazing star of the kendo world, and
the legendary blue thunder of Furinkan High!"
In the distance, thunder rumbled as Kuno struck a dramatic pose.
"And what is the name of the young lady standing before me?" he
asked Ryouga.
"Sheeeee's sittin'," pointed out Ryo.
"Sitting before me," corrected Kuno.
*Much better* mumbled Noori.
"What was that which this street urchin hath spoken? Methinks she
speaks in the gaijin tongue?"
"S'not important," mumbled Ryo.
*Screw you* mumbled Noori.
"See what I mean?" said Ryo.
"Again I ask," Kuno said to Ryouga with a bit of a grin, "what
might thy name be?"
"I'm Ry....er... Rei." Ryouga tried to think of a way for the
bothersome trio to focus on something else so that she could sneak
away. Unfortunately, noting great came to mind. "Um, what were you
two talking about?" she asked Noori and Muhoshin.
"Love!" declared Ryo.
"Natures of the heart?" asked Kuno. "The Blue Thunder is, I dare
say, thoroughly knowledgeable in the affairs of the heart. But what
hast this company to say on the topic?"
*Love?* replied Noori, *S'when y'see someone, roight? An'every
moment you're with'em, y'don'wanna leave'em.* She sniffled a bit, then
said *A li'l more water, miss?*
Ryouga tried to make sense of it all. He couldn't. English wasn't
a language he was familiar with, except for the words 'where am I?'
'where is Japan?' and 'Where is the restroom?'.
"Hah, and this was why you dated my brother?" snickered Ryo.
*Tha'wassa bloody mistake, now don'bringiitup'gain.*
"Hrmph. Any thoughts on th'sub... sub... topic, Bluuuuuue
Thundah?" wondered Ryo.
"When cupid's arrow doth strike," said Kuno, standing up
dramatically, "the very thought of the one which you love clouds...
nay, BEFUDDLES thy mind! The tongue is turned to rubber and the heart
beats with a fierceness unmatched. When one is in love, neither
stick, nor stone, or mighty kick, which my pig-tailed goddess doth
have alongst with a mighty punch, shall deter one from one's object of
desire." Kuno sat down once more, taking a sip from his glass.
*Tha'was beuuuuutiful, man* said Noori. Ryo nodded solemly.
*Wha'bout you, stick-boy?* Noori asked Ryo.
"Hm? Love... what is love... love is..." Ryo fell silent.
"Is...?" wondered Ryouga.
"Is...?" prodded King.
*'urry up'n answer, ya bloody git* mumbled Noori.
Ryo looked up, solemly. "I've no idea."
"Are you not dating Unryuu?" asked Noori. *Hah, rhymed, that did!*
"Oh, so you're him?" said King. "Akari's one of my employees. She
talks about you a lot, you know."
"S-she does?" said Ryo, looking surprised. Suddenly, it felt a bit
warm in the room to him. He adjusted the ragged remains of his tie
nervously.
"Ah..." Ryo found the situation entirely too uncomfortable. So he
did the only thing he thought was left to do. "What ab.... what've
you t'say on this love business, miss? Eh?"
"Ahhhh... I don't know." She looked down at the bar, sadly.
"Come nnnnnnnow, Miss Rei. Don't you have any experiences to draw
upon?" wondered Ryo.
"Tis sad indeed," said Kuno.
"I..." said Ryouga, trying to find something to say. "I... know a
couple. They're in love. I... don't understand why. He insults her
all the time, she hits him all the time because he's a jerk... but
they love each other. Makes no sense."
"There is no mystery in it, Rei-chan," replied Kuno. "For when one
is in love, one ignores the minor slights and offenses, and in the end
follows thy heart. The angry tongue or violent fist may crack the
heart, but when one is truely chained by love, wounds to thy pride are
nothing. Come, let me show you the way of love! *OOF*" Kuno was
knocked back in mid-glomp by 'Rei' and her punch. This seemed to set
him back to a non-aggressive mode, at least for the moment. "Ah, The
lady doth have a strong punch, not unlike my pigtailed goddess and the
fair Akane Tendo." The others stared at Kuno briefly, shrugged, then
stared back into their drinks. King was snickering badly, she was
definitely liking this part of town already.
Ryo rubbed his chin, contemplating Kuno's words of wisdom. "So...
in oth... in oth... so, a person enam... enema... in love puts up
with a lotta crap, hm?"
"I would not phrase it in such a vulgar way," said Kuno, frowning.
The four fell into a contemplative silence.
"Annnnybody got any cards?" wondered Ryo.
*
"Well, where to next?"
Ukyou blushed, smiling at the regal treatment she'd been receiving
all night from Mendo. It'd been a while since anyone had paid
attention to her in this manner.
"Hm..." She tapped her chin, wondering where indeed to go next.
They'd had a good drive, through a rather scenic part of town, topped
off by dinner at a four star restaurant that just happened to have a
jazz band and a dance floor as well. Mendo had turned out to be a
very good dancer indeed. And now they were driving around with no
particular place to go.
"Oh, wait, stop over here," said Ukyou. "Let's stop in here for a
little coffee?"
Mendo smiled. "As you wish."
*
The drink wasn't what she wished for. She would've rather ordered
a cola, but Tanya had shoved the drink in her hands before she could
protest, and King was away tending to other customers.
Ryouga frowned. She wasn't sure at all what on earth he was doing
with this pack of lunatics. It just didn't make sense. There was
Kuno, who was out to smite him, no thanks to Ranma and a practical
joke of his that made Kuno think his pig-tailed goddess was now
Ryouga's. There was Tanya, who had some grudge against him but never
explained it just yet. Then there was Ryo, who simply had developed
quite a mean streak when all things Hibiki were concerned.
However, the current conditions of these people made it easier and
harder to deal with them. It was easier, because it looked like no
fight would break out, and harder because they were acting far far
more strange than he was used to. Apparently, Kuno had been feeling a
tad melancholy, and so this night, for Blue Thunder, was not one for
conflict, but contemplation. Add to that the excessively caffeinated
drinks and odd effects of mass dosages of sugar additives in said
drinks and it left Kuno feeling... odd. Tanya and Ryo were apparently
stoned, possibly due to Dr. Tofu, Kasumi, and Bad Timing.
It was, definitely, under normal circumstances, extremely
undesirable company. But the mood he was in that night, something
bordering on sad, but not quite, held on to him. It is said misery
loves company. Melancholy doesn't mind a few houseguests either.
She wondered if it was possible to leave yet, sighing and looking
down at her glass.
"Ryouga? Is that you?"
A blast of ice ran it's way through her spine. A definite bad
feeling. Tanya, Ryo, and Kuno looked around, expecting to see their
nemesis nearby.
Ukyou walked into King's cafe, hoping for some pleasant after
dinner conversation, but instead saw Ryouga, in his cursed form,
sitting with a group of people that should have been trying to kill
him, and with a drink in her hand.
She remembered how Ryouga was the last time he was drunk. Ukyou
was determined not to put up with it again.
"HEY! YOU!"
Ryouga nearly dropped his glass, as he stared at Ukyou like a deer
before a car's headlights. "Um... Ukyou..."
"And you're drinking again, too!" yelled Ukyou.
"It's not-! I mean-! It isn't! I wasn't!" Ryouga stumbled for
words, but just couldn't focus with all the panic hitting him.
"Ooooh, someone's in troooouble," hissed Ryo.
*Oy, s'the weird gel wit'th'spaaatchula* mumbled Tanya.
"Tsk. Ah, fair miss Kuonji, tis sad to see such a young lady
steeped in the chains of alchoholism, is it not?" said Kuno solemly,
shaking his head.
"I'M NOT DRUNK!" insisted Ryouga. However, her tired expression
from what she'd had to endure at the bar previously, added to the
effort of walking around all day didn't help her appearances. "But
maybe YOU are, after you and the rich kid have been running around all
night!"
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"
"What do you THINK it means?!"
*CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG*
Meanwhile...
Kuno's head rose, and he peered at Mendo curiously. "Mendo?"
Mendo stared at Kuno, recognition seeping into his mind. "Kuno?"
Ryo turned to Tanya. "Good security, those Mendo buildinnnngs
have."
Tanya nodded in agreement. She'd tripped their alarms every time
she hopped across one of their rooftops.
"Ah! Mendo!" Kuno grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down to a
nearby barstool. "It has been long since we had last met! Come, have
a seat with us on this good night!"
"Ah, I would love to, Kuno-kun, but I really must see this young
lady... ah..." He looked around. Miss Kuonji was gone. "Where did
Miss Kuonji go?"
"Worry not about the weaker sex tonight, Mendo! Come, share with
us a drink and good conversation," urged Kuno, slapping him on the
back cheerfully. Full of mirth, Kuno and the others dragged Mendo to
the table, while Kuno mentioned to one of Mendo's aides, "the
veritable Shutaro Mendo shall be enthralling us with his presence,
perhaps it would be best to return those two fair maidens," he
gestured at Ukyou and a now unconscious Ryouga (wearing a gigantic
spatula), "back to their place of residence?"
"Yessir, right away!"
*
Ryouga woke up with a nagging headache. He was also still a she,
and also apparently back at Ucchan's. She had a ringing headache, and
it definitely wasn't due to a hangover. How, she wondered, did Ukyou
manage to do that? Knock him out with one blow? She'd taken MUCH
worse from far stronger adversaries, and yet she comes along, and with
one hit of her spatula, *WHAMMO* lights out. He wondered if it had
any link to why Akane always beat Ranma up so easily all the time.
She wandered aimlessly around, looking for a kitchen. It seemed
her mouth was incredibly dry. It was while doing this that she
overheard a voice somewhere else in the house, definitely Ukyou's.
Maybe she was talking on the phone?
"I'm sorry about tonight, Mendo, but I had a great time anyways."
Mendo? Ryouga narrowed her eyes. What was she doing talking to
Mendo?
"Your proposal?"
PROPOSAL?! Ryouga felt her heart sink and she slumped to the
floor, feeling suddenly cold.
"Well..."
_Say no!_ Ryouga screamed in her mind, _please say no! Don't leave
m.._
"Well, I'm not sure yet...."
_THANK_YOU._
"But I'm gonna havta talk to my dad about it too. I'll need his
approval, of course."
That... didn't sound good. Sounded like she was going to say yes.
Father's approval?! It couldn't be...
"Good night, Mendo-san." Ukyou hung up the phone and sighed. It
was a pretty fun night, all things considered. If only that dummy
Ryouga didn't get lost and smashed. She checked to make sure the
doors were locked, then went to the back area of the restaurant where
she immediately stumbled over Ryouga, who was sitting on the floor and
looking a little despondant. A little too sad for her not to notice.
"Hey, Ryouga, you okay?" She waved a hand in front of his face.
He seemed not to notice it. "Ryouga? Hey, you're worrying me.
C'mon, sugar, snap out of it."
"Huh?"
Ukyou sat down across from Ryouga on the floor and gave him a
worried look. "What's on your mind? You look... well... depressed."
"It's.... nothing." He hung his head down, feeling the old
depression settle into him like fog.
Ukyou poked Ryouga's arm teasingly. "C'mon, tell me about it."
"I... I'd rather not. Can you just guide me to my room?"
Ukyou became very worried at this. Since when did Ryouga hide
anything from her lately? "Well, okay, if you say so. C'mon."
Withouth thinking about it, she stood up, then grabbed him by the
hand. As he shuffled into his room with some odd expression on his
face, she felt frustrated that she wasn't able to cheer him up.
"Well... g'night, Ryouga."
"Good night."
Ukyou took a moment to give him a light hug. She didn't think of
why, really, except that someone she cared about was in one of his
deep depressions again. She gave him a light, harmless slap on the
cheek and then poked him on the nose with a mock-frown on face.
"Hey, don't be afraid to tell me what's bothering you, okay? I
worry about you sometimes."
"Y-you do?"
"Of course I do, stupid. Now get some sleep." And with that said,
Ukyou left.
*
Merry humming came from Ukyou's bedroom as she got ready for bed.
It was a good day, with a fair bit of fun and some future potential
too.
Then she froze.
A sinking feeling hit her fast as she realized what she'd have to
do if she wanted to get any further on the matters she discussed with
Shutaro Mendo.
She'd have to talk to her father.
And she hadn't done that in a long time. She wasn't planning on
talking to him just yet either.
Oh my.
What to do? She grit her teeth in aggrivation as no solution
seemed to present itself in her mind. There was only one thing to do.
Procrastinate like she never procrastinated before in her life.
*
Ryouga's mind was spinning in odd directions. He'd felt this way
before, but for the first time he was realizing what it was and was
afraid of what the consequences might be if he was right. A confusing
end to a confusing day.
On one hand, nothing ventured nothing gained.
And yet... sometimes there are things best left unsaid.
He took in a deep breath, closed his lights, and after five
minutes, found his bed and slept in it.
-end part 10-
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT I
Part 11
Konatsu's Arrival
=================
[Nerima District, Morning]
"Ryouga Hibiki, I challange you!"
The lost boy sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this. He
was following Ukyou to school, and somewhere along the way he lost
track of her. And now, as was his nature, he was hopelessly lost and
definitely late for school.
Not good.
And now this.
A block away, in her usual sooty atire, the mysterious gaijin Tanya
Noori stood in a combat stance with a really mean looking steel-brush
broom in one hand, and a meaner looking metal sharp thing in the other
hand.
"Can you just tell me," he said tiredly, "WHAT did I do to you?"
For a brief moment, she ranted VERY angrily. But she ranted in
English and so he had no idea what she was saying.
"Um... excuse me..."
Noori snapped at him in English once more, and seemed to be waiting
for something.
"Can you talk in Japanese? You're talking really fast and my
English isn't that good."
Tanya scowled. She kept on slipping back into English every now
and then when she was mad, and was feeling embarrased that her five
minute tirade went right over his head.
No, that wasn't right.
It was his fault for not knowing his English better.
Yes, that's it.
"LEARN ENGLISH!" she yelled at him. "I sai- a... ACK!"
"Ack?" wondered Ryouga. Before he could ask further, she suddenly
ran off and quickly disappeared from sight. "Now where'd she go?" he
wondered.
"Um, excuse me?"
Ryouga blinked. Seconds after a battle was supposed to have
started, one doesn't expect a genteel feminine voice to be asking for
attention. He turned around to see who was asking, and his eyes were
greeted by one of the more... beautiful, he guessed (any other word
wouldn't be quite appropriate), girls he'd ever seen. She was
covered, except for her face, entirely in black ninja garb. It was
obvious she was in fine shape indeed. Not curvy or busty, but a
normal sort of form. And her face was certainly beautiful, in a vague
sort of way, as well, topped by long, soft ebony locks bound in a
ponytail. If she wasn't in ninja garb, he'd imagine she'd probably
look like a good candidate for a nice normal wife.
"Um, excuse me? Hello?" she asked.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. Were you talking to me?" he wondered.
"Yes," she said, looking concerned. "I'm wondering... have you
seen a young girl here... a gaijin... with blond hair, probably
covered with soot?"
"Yes, she was just here a moment ago, but..."
"She was?" asked the girl, her voice rising slightly with hope.
"Do you know where she went?"
"Um... sorry, no."
She sighed. "Thank you for your help. Goodbye." Suddenly, she
was engulfed in smoke, then disappeared as a breeze blew the smoke
away.
Ryouga frowned.
It was going to be one of _those_ days.
*
Tanya peered from the shadows nervously. _How_ did Konatsu find
her? How? Damn, this was quite an unpleasant pickle to be in indeed.
It was ridiculous how much of a pain in the rear one simple act of
kindness could escalate into something so ridiculously annoying.
Konatsu was a sweet girl, really, but what she wanted, Tanya really
was not willing to give.
Right now, what Tanya really needed was a drink and a quiet place
to hide. Now where, around here, was like that? Hm...
*
King looked at her latest patron with some curiosity. It seemed to
be a very young, sooty, agitated, and nervous chimneysweep thumbing
through a copy of the London Times, muttering occasionally in English,
and nursing some darjeling tea.
If she was back in England, this wouldn't be so surprising.
<Hey, weren't you here a couple of nights ago?> asked King.
Tanya blinked. <Ah... oy dunna recall...>
<You seemed kind of drunk that night.>
<Oh, THAT night. Wasn't drunk, oy was stoned. Big diff'rence,
y'see?>
This wasn't much better in King's view.
<Hey, hope you don't mind me asking...> started King tenatively.
<Hm? Wot's at?> said the girl in a tired (and very heavily British
accented) voice.
<Is there really a chimneysweep market in Tokyo?>
<Hm? Yea, surprisin'but true, innit?>
King nodded in agreement. <How'd a chimneysweep like you end up
way over here?>
<Heh, long story.> The girl took a long sip of her tea and sighed.
<Ah, good tea, like'n ol'Englund, it is. A bloody relief to foind
somebody wot speaks English too!>
<Name's King. Nice t'meet you,> said King, extending a hand.
The girl shook it, saying <Name's Tanya.>
<If you don't mind me saying, Tanya,> said King, <seems like
something's bothering you.>
<Yeah, s'a bit ova... tricky thing, this is.> She briefly wondered
why she was about to tell the bartender what she was dealing with,
although she shouldn't have worried. Everyone tells the bartender
everything eventually. It's a rule of the universe. <Started some
months back...>
[SOME MONTHS BACK...]
Tanya was tired. Very tired. Wandering through Japan on foot (as
most martial artists tended to do) was very draining on her, and she'd
been doing it for an entire month so far. She needed some rest. She
needed relief. And in this remote mountain area, she wasn't expecting
anything but another night under the stars on the hard forest floor.
Just when she was ready to give up, there was suddenly hope.
Lit in the darkness, like a ray of hope, was a modest wooden
building, with a sign that displayed 'Sexy Tea Shop Kunoichi'. Sexy
Tea Shop? Sounded bloody perverted to her, but Tanya was incredibly
sick of nature and had a burning desire for some modern civilization
settings.
And what she saw next was...
*
<Bloody 'orrifyin! Three'o the most bloody ugly witches oi evah
seen!> said Tanya. <The missus wus this UGLY ol'biddie, words CANNOT
begin tew descroibe haw absolutely WRETCHED she looked! An'er
daughters, oh, wot a blight they be on the eath, ev'ry bit as UGLY as
their mam!>
<Sounds like you stumbled into a witches' coven, kid.> said King.
<S'wot it looked like!> swore Tanya. <They wos circle'in 'round a
bubblin' tea pot an'cacklin most hag-like! T'was a den'o evil, I tell
ye, a bloody teahouse o'the damned! An'that wasn't the worst part.
They had'em a prisoner, they did...>
*
Tanya stared with major apprehension at the cup of tea that was
placed before her. In any other setting, it would probably look like
a quite normal beverage, of no threatening nature, and possibly quite
refreshing.
Within the abode of those three hags, however, it looked like it
was possibly brewed by questionable persons, using dubious liquids,
and with the distinct possibility of sanitary violations occurring
during the creation of said drink.
She eyed it much like someone eyes something really distasteful.
Actually, that's exactly what she was doing. Meanwhile, the three
witches were watching her carefully, waiting for her to actually drink
the liquid.
"Er..." she said nervously, "Do you... have... um... sugar?" That
seemed to be a good idea at the time. Sugar. Surely it couldn't make
the drink any worse than she was afraid it was. She looked around the
table as an afterthought, and noted that there wasn't any sugar to be
seen. The three hags seemed to notice this too.
"KONATSU!" bellowed one of the hags suddenly, startling Tanya
enough to make her twitch. "KONATSU YOU LAZY USELESS DAUGHTER OF
MINE! GET OUT HERE!"
Tanya was horrified. There were _more_ of these hags? Looking at
what was apparently the mother, and what the two daughters looked
like, genetic odds were that this other daughter would kill her
appetite entirely.
She was entirely surprised when a young girl rushed out, a
perfectly normal young girl, beautiful actually, rushed out in a
panic.
"Yes mother?" said Konatsu timidly.
MOTHER?!?! Bloody hell, talk about defying the odds. Those
must've been some seriously dormant genes that made it through to this
girl, thought Tanya.
"Konatsu you IDIOT! You forgot to leave sugar on the tables!"
"S-sorry, mother! I'll go get it now!"
The two sisters cackled while the mother bellowed again. "For your
mistake, you get no dinner tonight!"
"But... but I haven't eaten in a week!"
"ARE YOU TALKING BACK TO ME?!" shrieked the mother ghoul.
"N-no... no, mother." said Konatsu meekly. "I'm not."
"And you'll have to scrub the floor before you go to sleep
tonight!"
"But... but I scrubbed the floor an hour ago..." said Konatsu
sadly.
"Don't you dare talk back to me you UNGRATEFUL GIRL!"
To Tanya's horror, the trio of hags started beating and kicking on
Konatsu, clearly enjoying it. She didn't like this, not one bloody
bit. But... it was a family matter, none of her business. But...
dammit, the way they were treating her... it REALLY was making Tanya
MAD.
<'At's bloody well ENOUGH!> she yelled.
In English.
Everyone in thee room stared at her curiously.
Tanya winced, realizing her mistake. She thought about saying it
again in Japanese, but decided it again and just started hitting
people.
*
<I mean, wos I not justified in defendin'the poor gel?> said Tanya.
<I jus' couldn't stan'by an watch'em do that to'er!>
<Seems like you did the right thing,> agreed King.
<Yeah, but ye know wot the sayin' says, 'The Road To Hell'
an'wotnot. Aaaynyways, after oi royally whipped'er bums good, the gel
was all actin' sad!>
*
<TAKE THAT! *WHAM* AND THAT! *WHAM* AND THATANDTHATANDTHAT!
*WHAM*WHAM*WHAM*WHAM*> Tanya was feeling GOOD. Nothing helped her
unwind than a savage beating to people that deserved it. Checking to
make sure the three hags from hell were unconscious, she sat down and
surveyed her work.
The tea shop would never be the same, definitely. Utterly
destroying the walls tends to do that to a place.
Oh well.
All seemed to be well, with the just defended and the unjust
whapped silly, when Tanya noticed that the girl, Konatsu, seemed to be
depressed and alarmed.
"Um... why did you do that?" asked Konatsu.
<Well, Oi jus'can't stand back an'let em hags abuse you an'whatnot!
S'not right!>
Konatsu blinked.
Tanya blinked. Oh, wait. Oops. Slipped into English again.
"They shouldn't treat you so bad. I cannot stand by and let them
abuse you like that! It isn't right!"
"Oh..."
"Why are you sad?" asked Noori in her uneven Japanese.
"Where... where do I go from here?" asked Konatsu fearfully. "I've
no place to stay now and... and they'll surely blame me for all this."
"WHAT?!" Tanya was fired up once more. "You not rely on... on...
THEM! What they give you? They beat you up and work you like dog!
You are better off alone!"
"But... but I don't know how!"
Tanya sighed, exasperated at the girl's lack of self-confidence and
apparent helplessness. She wanted to _liberate_ the girl, not strand
her helpless out here. Something had to be done, although she really
didn't want to be the one to do it.
"Come on, let's go."
Konatsu blinked. "Go? Where?"
"To the city. Find jobs over there, maybe?"
"But... but who will want to hire me? I mean..."
"Who will...? You are hard-working and beautiful, sure there will
be a job for you," said Tanya confidently.
Konatsu seemed to brighten slightly. "You really think I'm
beautiful?"
Tanya took a moment to look at Konatsu thoughtfully. "Very much,
more than your mother or sisters definitely." She then turned
southward. "Come on, let's travel."
She didn't notice Konatsu's slight blush. "By the way, you didn't
tell me your name."
"Hm? Noori Tanya."
"Kenzan Konatsu."
<Pleased t'meet ya.>
"What?"
"Nice to meet you."
"Oh."
*
<So anyways, as it turns out, the next town we hits was Hokkaido.
Loverly spot to tour, it is. Ever been there?> wondered Tanya.
<No, not yet> said King.
<Truely oughta visit there some time, yew should. Anyways, while
we was travelin', she tol'me why it was that she happened t'be quite
beau-ti-ful, while her mum an'sisters were bloody hags. Turns out she
was their stepdaughter, an'er parents died quite a long time ago. So
they been takin'advantage of her, those hags have. Oh yeah, she's
also supposed t'be some kinda super-genius ninja... some weird
one-inna generation thing. Seems stepmum was a bit envious, oi
thinks. Bit offa bizzare Cinderella-ish story, innit?>
<You're not making this up, are you?> wondered King.
<Wot? Naw, s'too bizzare to be a lie, an'I ain't that good a
storyteller. Anyways, we was a bit strapped for cash, so I gets us a
job at a restaurant, with me doin'the dishwork an'such, and Konatsu
gettin'the waitress bit. Things was going nice, they were, but 'er
bloody mum an'sisters followed us...>
*
Tanya wheezed for breath.
Around her, the restaurant was thoroughly, definitely, and totally
trashed. Damn, but those old biddies were a lot tougher than before.
She ached all over from the blows that the three hag Kunoichi had
inflicted on her. Konatsu was beside her, also looking severely
beaten. The hags, Tanya noted, didn't look so great either, but
considering how they looked normally, it was hard to judge their
condition properly.
They would have never, ever, gotten so many hits in if they hadn't
have snuck up in ambush. Or so Tanya firmly believed.
"Konatsu," said the eldest hag, "stop this nonsense and come back
with us NOW!"
"No... I-" said Konatsu before she was interrupted.
"SHE IS NOT GOING BACK WITH _YOU_," stated Tanya firmly.
"Oh-ho, being stubborn, are you?" said the eldest. She gave a
glance to one of her daughters, who suddenly whipped out a blowgun and
shot at Tanya.
She easily blocked it with her broom handle.
The other one, shot by the other sister, however, wasn't blocked.
Tanya felt the sudden sting on her neck, then felt the world slowly
fade into black, Konatsu's screaming voice only a distant sound...
*
It was darkness. She was not able to hear, see, taste, or smell
anything. It wasn't a state she was familiar with, and she sure as
hell didn't like it. Now... how did things end up like this? Oh yes,
darts. Must've been poisoned or something. That was rather
underhanded, wasn't it? Why those bloody hags. She'd have to give'em
a royal medievel thrashing... once she got out of this darkness.
She tested one more time.
Heard nothing, saw nothing, tasted nothing, smelled nothing.
Oh, wait, she felt something. Something soft... her head was
resting on something soft. Ah, she was lying down apparently. Good,
that starts to establish things, that does.
With slight apprehension, she blinked, then opened her eyes.
Apparently, her head was on Konatsu's lap. Not pillows. Hrm. It
seemed Konatsu had fallen asleep watching over her, and they were now
on some odd rooftop. Might as well get up, she thought, and silently
rose, sitting up and bending her sore back.
The sound of movement awoke Konatsu, who rubbed her eyes and
yawned. She looked drowsily at Tanya. "Noori-sama?"
<Yea, at's me> she grumbled.
"NOORI-SAMA! You're okay!" Suddenly, Konatsu wrapped Tanya in a
warm, caring, intense, and almost lung-crushing hug. "I was so
worried!" said Konatsu tearfully. "Mother hit you with poison darts
and I was afraid that... that..."
Tanya's brain was still in that odd sort of wake-up fog, and was
trying to figure out exactly what was going on. There seemed to be
quite a bit of crying going on. Yes, lots of that. Was she crying?
No, seemed to be this other girl. Seems to be rather hard to breath
too. Wonder why? Oh, we seem to be getting... what's the word...
hugged? Yes, we're getting hugged. Rather tightly too. Who's
hugging us? Oh, the girl.
THE GIRL?
Hugging was something alien to Tanya. Something left for the more
genteel folk. A handshake or a pat in the back was just fine for her.
None of this hugging nonsense. Her first reflex was th beat the hell
out of Konatsu. But... no... that would feel as dirty as kicking a
puppy, somehow.
"Er... Konatsu... hey..." said Tanya. She slowly and nervously
pried herself out of the girl's arms. "Konatsu... you can... ah...
let go now... I'm fine. Heyheyhey, let go now!"
After a hard tug or two later, Konatsu finally let go, and Tanya
was looking at her as if she was bloody insane.
"Why are you so concerned? I'm not that weak," she said irritably.
"I'm sorry," said Konatsu timidly. "It's just that I... I wouldn't
know how to survive on my own, and..."
Tanya took the moment to get up and stretch a bit.
"... and you just wouldn't wake up..."
Konatsu was saying something a bit quietly, but Tanya wasn't paying
particular attention. She tended to let people talk if they were
going to to be long-winded. The quicker they said what they had to
say, the quicker they'd get to being quiet again, in her experience.
"... I... I know that this is wrong, this feeling I have..."
Not until she heard two peculiar words.
"... love you."
No, she thought, must've misheard that. She turned and looked down
at Konatsu, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"What did you say?" asked Tanya.
"I... I ah," said Konatsu nervously, "I'm in love with you."
*
<The gel was in LOVE with me! Oi mean, how's oi supposed to react
to THAT, oi asks yew?> hissed Tanya.
<Oh my> said King. <That... must've been awkward.>
<Awkward? Sister, oi was totally besides meself!> exclaimed Noori.
<So, how'd you handle it?> asked King.
*
"I... I... I but I'm.... you're... aaaagh!" <Aw bloody hell, oi
REALLY don't need this!"
"Noori-sama?" asked Konatsu timidly.
<L-look, you're a nice gel, I'm sure you'll find ye'self some
opportunities out there, roight?> She was trying to be nice about it,
she really was. Until Konatsu bowed at her feet and started crying.
And then...
*
<Okay, so oi ran away. Yew got any better ideas?> said Tanya
impatiently.
<If you don't mind me saying so, I think you could've handled that
better> said King.
<Look, s'not like oi WANTED t'be a meanie, right? S'just...
well... oi can't handle stuff like that! Just can't!> Tanya sighed
and finished off her tea, then stared at the bottom of her glass for a
while. <Refill, miss?>
<Coming right up.> As King handed Tanya another glass, she asked,
<so that's what's bothering you now?>
<Partially... that. And she followed me trail all the way to this
city. Oi just haven't an idear what to do, really.>
<Sit down with her and talk it over, maybe?> asked King.
<An'when was the last time ANYTHING was as simple as that?> replied
Tanya.
<Good point.>
<Exactly.>
<Couldn't hurt to try, though.>
<Yeah, pull me other leg, s'got bells on it.>
Nearby, concealed by the entertainment section of the Tokyo Press,
Ryo grinned. It was funny what one could overhear just by lounging
around. This Konatsu... she sounded like a rather fun new addition to
the chess pieces of Nerima.
*
"Why are these things always wrong?" wondered Ryouga, looking at a
map of Tokyo. He looked at the street, then the map, then the street
again.
Nothing.
Had he known he wasn't in Tokyo, things would have made much more
sense. The large forest bit should have been a hint to him that Tokyo
was no longer a likely location, as well as the occasional [TOKYO
100KM] signs, but as was the Hibiki tradition, he failed to notice
them. He did, however, notice that Tokyo seemed to be a bit smaller
around here.
Across the street he spotted a bus stop and what seemed to be a
trio of people waiting within its shade. Might as well ask, he
reasoned, which way to Tokyo.
"Excuse me," he asked, "but do you know how to get to Tokyo?"
In a most hag-like, cackling voice, one of them replied. "There's
always the bus, young man."
"Huh?"
"The bus. The one we are waiting for. It is bound for Tokyo."
"Oh, is it?" He quickly checked his pockets for bus fare, and to
his relief, had some to spare.
*
Night.
Nice, unrevealing, shadow-filled night. What better time to go
hunting for Hibiki? That was Tanya's line of thought as she once
again patrolled the rooftops of Nerima. After a week of prowling
around here, she'd finally started getting used to the place.
Furinkan was a very important landmark, although the giant bronze
pineapple resting at its top was an irritating reminder of a night
she'd rather forget. After that was the Ono clinic. Unfortunately,
also a reminder of things gone wrong. The third landmark she used to
get her bearings was King's Cafe, with probably the only naturally
speaking English speaking barkeep in town.
She had been lucky early in the day, managing to catch Ryouga and
confront him, but Konatsu got in the way. Damn her! _Why_ did she
have to show up, wondered Tanya, just when she'd finally tracked
Ryouga down? The odds of her finding that directionally disabled fool
again were not good. She descended down from a rooftop, sitting on a
bench by the street, and watched the traffic flow by. *Sigh*.
As she stood up again, someone bumped in to her, knocking her off
balance slightly. <Jerk!> she yelled.
"Oh," said the person, sounding distracted, "sorry about that." He
went on his way, occasionally looking at a compass hung around his
neck.
Tanya turned away, fuming. Then she froze.
Details of that stranger suddenly clicked.
Distracted. Lost. Compass. Headband. Fangs. Stupid look on his
face.
HIBIKI.
"HIBIKI!!!" she roared, pulling out two rather wicked looking
metallic things (technically, chimney soot scrapers, but 99 out of 100
people wouldn't have been able to guess that) and advanced upon him
menacingly.
Ryouga turned around and sighed. It was that Noori girl, again.
He still didn't _why_ she was mad at him, and it was getting on his
nerves.
"What do you want?" he demanded. "Will you just tell me?"
<Oi wanna kick yer bottom t'the bottom o'the Thames river, at's
wot!> ranted Tanya, lapsing into English.
"What? I don't understand," said Ryouga, getting into a defensive
stance as she advanced menacingly.
<Ask me of oi care, boyo.>
"Noori-sama!"
Ryouga looked around, confused. Tanya stopped her menacing
advance, and was now looking more irritated than angry.
<Aw, bloody hell, not now> Noori mumbled.
"Noori-sama! Please wait!" cried out Konatsu, approaching from the
shadows. "Please don't leave me again!"
With a resigned sigh, Tanya faced Konatsu. "Look, Konatsu... I do
not... we can't... NOT NOW!"
Meanwhile, Ryouga was beginning to wonder exactly what he was
caught in the middle of. Seemed like one of those dramas Ukyou always
watched on TV. He briefly contemplated sneaking away, but a
determination to settle things once and for all kept him on the spot.
"I just don't know what to do," sobbed Konatsu. "I've... I've been
strong so far, but... I need you. I don't have anywhere else to
turn!"
Tanya seemed distinctly horrified. "But... but..." <Oh bloody
hell, we're both girls! Doesn't that bother ya a bit?!?!>
Konatsu blinked. "Ano... was that English?"
Damn, she thought. Did it again. "I'M A GIRL! YOU'RE A GIRL!
WE'RE BOTH GIRLS!"
Konatsu sighed, then looked down at her feet. "I... I know."
<YOU KNOW?!?!> yelled Tanya, lapsing into English again.
Damndamndamndamn, damn this situation. Why couldn't Konatsu be a guy?
Or meaner? Tanya'd feel much better about beating the hell out of a
mean guy. But noooo, this was poor trampled-on Konatsu. Damn.
Bloody hell. Panic was settling in, and Noori desperately looked for
a way to end the situation without totally crushing Konatsu.
"I... ah... I..." said she, struggling not to lapse into English
and looking around nervously. "I'm not THAT way... not..." Konatsu
still seemed to be waiting on something. Drat. "Not that way and...
and..." Gads, how to get rid of this girl?!
It should be said at this point that Ryouga really should have
taken that previous moment to sneak off.
"I'm... ah... engaged to him!" said Tanya, grabbing Ryouga by the
hand.
"YOU'RE WHAT?!?!" yelled Ryouga. He recieved a swift elbow and a
mean glare from the chimneysweep in response.
"Shut up," grumbled Tanya.
"How did we-"
"Shutupshutupshutup."
"I..." said Konatsu sadly, "I see. Goodbye!" She turned away,
tears flowing, and disappeared into the night. Tanya released
Ryouga's arm and watched her bound into the distance.
Finally she was gone. Tanya breathed a sigh of relief, but a part
of her felt rather guilty at the sight of Konatsu in such a sorry
state. Damn. She hated feeling guilty.
There seemed to be something she was forgetting, but she wasn't
sure... oh! Ryouga! The duel! Aha! She turned, weapons once again
at the ready, and said, "Ryouga Hibiki, prepare to... to..."
<AAAAAAGH! WHERE'D HE GO?!?!>
*
It was a lonely, lonely night.
For Konatsu, it was a bitterly lonely night.
For her entire life, she'd relied on other people. Stronger
people. People with a _purpose_.
Her? She'd never really had a purpose in life. Father told her
what to do, she did it. Mother told her what to do, she did it.
Stepmother and her stepsisters told her what to do, she obeyed. But
at least Father and Mother had loved her. Her stepmother... she
didn't care at all. It was more like mere tolerance, as if Konatsu
was an inconvenience. And that's how she saw herself. An
inconvenience.
And then Noori-sama came along, and took her away from the
pointless and empty life she had. Tanya thought she _was_ somebody.
Noori _cared_ about her.
And then Konatsu ruined it all by opening her heart.
Noori-sama... rejected her.
She dabbled away the tears as they came, and tried to keep warm on
the rooftop. The thin bed sheet draped over her was a makeshift
blanket, but she might as well have been covered by paper.
"My my my," said a smooth, smug voice. "What have we here?"
Konatsu remained curled up on the roof. She didn't care who this
intruder was, she'd lost her Noori-sama.
"Oh, do lighten up, Miss Konatsu. I do believe I can be of
assistance."
<How?> she wondered.
"I can see you're upset... your dearest Noori-sama rejected you,
yes?" asked the voice. Konatsu nodded sadly, covering her hands with
her eyes. "Well, let me help you out," said the figure comfortingly
as he casually twirled his umbrella. "Trust me."
*
Maybe it was cowardice. Maybe it wasn't. Whatever. Ryouga just
wasn't in the mood to stick around for duels and such. He was also
having a hard time with the concept that he was ENGAGED. How on earth
did THAT happen? It wasn't a situation he wasn't used to, since he
saw Ranma get himself engaged three times... but that was because
Ranma was an idiot or his father was.
Father?
Ryouga briefly wondered about his own father. Would he do
something as stupid as Genma Saotome would? No... no way. At least,
he hoped not. He hadn't seen the man in twelve years, but hoped he
was a good person.
Frowning, he brushed those thoughts aside and decided that getting
home right how was all he needed to worry about.
He blinked.
Home. He was starting to think of Ucchans as home. Somehow, that
seemed right. After all, he hadn't been home in a long while. He
briefly wondered how his family was, hoping that they'd have a reunion
someday. Maybe he could bring Ukyou. That'd be nice...
As he passed another street, he noticed a familiar landmark, the
Seiko General Cinema. If he recalled correctly, Ucchan's was directly
south of here... south... south... hm. He pulled out his compass
necklace and checked, then headed (miraculously) south.
Hey, everyone gets lucky sometimes.
*
"I'm back!" called out Ryouga as he entered the now empty
restaurant. He slowed to a halt as soon as Ukyou's glare hit him.
"Er.... aheh... sorry I'm late."
Ukyou looked a bit upset, but a part of her was quite happy. Not
entirely because Ryouga finally came back, no. Part of this happiness
was rather mischievous, and wanted to have some fun _now_.
"Oh, he's sorry he's late," she said quietly, and in a somewhat
irritated mood. "Mm-hmm."
"So... ah..." he said, feeling he was on really shakey ground here.
"Good timing too," she added.
"Huh?"
"After all the crowds are gone, after the big rush, after all the
hard work is done, you're back," she said, smirking.
"Hey, I _tried_ to get back as soon as I could!"
Suddenly, she smiled. It was a happy smile. It really threw him
off balance. "That's okay, sugar," she said, "'cause you've got
dishwashing duty tonite."
"But..." He hated dishwashing duty. Really hated it. Mostly
because his curse and the occasional switch in water temperature due
to the odd plumbing made for a really irritating time. Usually,
dishwashing duty was determined by a game of poker.
Usually.
"No ifs ands or buts, Ryouga," said Ukyou. "Go ahead and get a
little rest first, if ya want, but you _are_ washing dishes tonite."
"Ever thought of just switching to disposable dishes?" wondered
Ryouga.
"Idiot!" she chastised. "I'd end up looking cheap! Anyways, if ya
need anything, I'll be upstairs watching tv. Seeya!" With a smirk
and a laugh, she went upstairs, leaving him to stare at the large pile
of dishes.
"No way..."
*
Ryouga looked at his watch.
One in the morning.
Not bad. Not bad at all. It'd taken only an hour to get to his
room. He shuffled to his bed, noticing that it seemed to have been
tidied up a little. Hm. Ukyou must have done that... gotta thank her
some time for doing that. Without further adieu, he collapsed into
his bed, and was soon sound asleep.
And a moment later, the window opened silently. A figure in black
crept into the room with the stealth of the legendary ninjas and stood
above Ryouga with the intent to Hurt.
Konatsu looked down upon her nemesis, frowning as indecision
assaulted her mind. He said her that Tanya didn't really love this
Ryouga Hibiki, but he was forcing her instead. If that was true, then
Konatsu would be helping her, wouldn't she? But... what if she really
did love him? It would break Noori-sama's heart surely, and she'd
never forgive Konatsu.
Ever.
A cold breeze swept through the room, causing Konatsu to shiver and
Ryouga to pull the covers over himself a bit more. She moved quickly
to close the window and sighed as she stared out at the moon. Things
were never easy.
<Is that a futon? A real futon? Wow, I've never been so close to
one before...>
*
This, he knew was impossible.
Or highly unlikely anyways.
Therefore, it was probably a dream. Might as well enjoy it, then.
"Oh, Ryouga..." sighed Ukyou, laying next to him in his bed.
"U-Ukyou?"
"Hold me," she whispered, sliding into bed next to him.
Well, reasoned a part of his mind, why not? He held her in his
arms and his mind was reeling with the sensation of the scent of her
hair, the softness of her skin, her breath on his chest as she cuddled
next to him.
"Wake u... AAAH!"
Ryouga's eyes fluttered open, awakened by the scream. He wondered
briefly who could have screamed. Maybe Ukyou? No, she was still in
his arms. Couldn't be. Oh well, back to sleep.
But if Ukyou was in his arms, then why was she standing at his
door? Ryouga's brain mulled this one over. It was quite a puzzler,
really. Then his mind reminded him that no, Ukyou shouldn't be in his
arms. THAT was just a dream. The hopeful part of his mind pointed
out that Ukyou had long, dark hair in a ponytail, and the girl in his
arms had one too. Therefore Ukyou WAS in his arms.
Okay, said the rational (and underused) part of his mind, then
explain the (now definitely irate) Ukyou standing in our doorway.
Right then. Not good. It'd be best to fully wake up.
He never got the chance.
"YOU PERVERT!" bellowed Ukyou, whipping out her battle spatula and
knocking him through the roof in one swift motion. The nerve of that
man! Bringing in his girlfriends and doing who-knows-what under HER
roof! "Oooh, that jerk!"
She turned away from the new Ryouga-shaped skylight in the roof and
was about to stomp back downstairs, when a rather feminine voice said
nervously, "Ah, did I cause trouble by being here? I'm very sorry."
Ukyou turned her attention to the girl in Ryouga's bed, frowning.
"And you are...?"
"Kenzan Konatsu," said the ninjaette, bowing politely.
"Ah. Hope you don't mind me asking, but..."
*
"Man, you look bad today, Ryouga," said Ranma as he, Ryouga, and
several others sat down in the schoolyard for lunch.
"Shut up," grumbled Ryouga.
"Hey, Ryouga," said Hiroshi, "we heard a rumor about you."
"What?"
"Yeah," said Daisuke, "heard you got a fiancee. Is that true?"
"No way!" denied Ryouga vehemently.
"Why Ryouga, you sly pig you," teased Ranma, elbowing him slightly.
"SHUT UP RANMA! It's not like that!" While Ranma smirked and the
other boys talked amongst themselves, Ryouga looked around nervously
for Ukyou. He _really_ hoped that she hadn't heard yet.
Then he spotted her, with Akane and several other girls. Talking.
Uh oh. Too late.
*
"He WHAT?" yelled Ukyou.
"Yeah, heard about it yesterday," said Sayuri.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" said Yuka.
"I'm sure it's a misunderstanding," said Akane, "right, Ukyou?"
"Hrmph. I don't care what that pervert playboy does," she said,
frowning. For a moment, she glanced at Ryouga sadly, then scowled and
looked away when he met her gaze. So, that Noori girl WAS his
fiancee. The jerk, why'd he go and get himself engaged?! She felt
bitterly alone at that moment. After all, she was the last of the
'old gang' to be left single. Mousse won Shampoo, literally, and
Ranchan had Akane. "That jerk," she muttered under her breath.
Okay, a part of her reasoned, maybe it was a big misunderstanding.
After all, this morning turned out to be a misunderstanding too. As
it turned out, Konatsu was there to confront Ryouga. Something about
honor, freedom, and that Noori girl. Ukyou was still fuming mad at
Ryouga, so only part of her words got through, but at least Konatsu
clearly stated she wasn't interested in Ryouga. Of course, it still
didn't explain what she was doing in his bed, but at the moment Ukyou
didn't insist on an answer to that question.
But that still doesn't explain the fiancee business.
Ukyou gave Ryouga one more venomous glare, then resumed eating her
lunch.
*
"Oh man," said Ranma, "she's definitely mad at you."
"Shutupshutupshutup," growled Ryouga.
"Jeez, Ryouga, how'd you get yourself into this mess?" wondered
Ranma. "I mean, most of my problems was caused by the old man, but
you? I don't remember your dad being as stupid as mine."
"Whatever's going on, I swear, it isn't my fault!" insisted Ryouga.
"HIBIKI!!!"
Ryouga paled. Ukyou scowled. The rest of Furinkan High swarmed to
the action. After all, they could smell a good fight a mile away.
In the middle of the schoolyard, a sooty chimneysweep armed with a
steel-wire brooom advanced menacingly towards.
"Hey, it's your fiancee," said Ranma smugly. He was enjoying this
possibly too much. It was nice to see someone else get this sort of
mess, especially Ryouga.
*WHAM* "SHUT UP!" Ryouga scowled and reached for his umbrella,
while Ranma slid down to the ground, wincing from the elbow Ryouga
nailed him with.
Ryouga didn't like fighting women. Sparring? Sure. Fighting?
No. He would if he had to, but it just didn't strike him as an
honorable thing to do. But at the rate this irate gaijin was going,
never explaining herself and spreading lies, he was reaching his
limit.
Off in the distance, unnoticed by the crowd, a large mass of women,
dangerously armed, sped towards the courtyard, in pursuit of their
personal belongings. Unfortunately for them, their target had a
sizeable lead. Ranma sensed him a few seconds before he arrived, but
Ryouga, Tanya, and the large crowd watching them failed to notice
until they heard the old master's victory cry of...
"Sweeto!"
The miniscule pervert plowed over Ryouga effortlessly, then
suddenly came to a halt next to Tanya and looked her over with
curiosity. Noori, also puzzled, looked over the miniscule menace, not
sure what to make of it.
"Who are you?" she asked, leaning down at him.
"Don't mind me, just passing through," said the little letcher.
"By the way, my compliments on your taste. Very silky, these," he
said, while holding up a bra.
Noori blinked. It _did_ seem kind of breezy all of the sudden, and
that bra looked kind of familiar...
<No... he couldn't av...> A quick self-check proved otherwise, and
Noori suddenly turned red with rage and fixated her fury on one small
pervert. "YOU DIE!!!" She swung her broom around furiously, swiping
at the old man. His speed and dexterity baffled her, as he managed to
dodge all of her strikes effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Ryouga was wondering what he ought to do. Interrupting
might be a good idea. After all, everyone took their turn beating up
Happosai, or at least trying to. Ryouga's mind was quickly made up
when Happy used his face as a springboard while dodging Tanya's
attacks.
"Whoa, look out there, sonny!" called out Happosai as he bounced
away.
"HEY YOU!" bellowed Ryouga. He quickly flung a bandanna at the old
master, which was dodged easily. However, the soot bomb aimed at his
face caught him perfectly and he was quickly gagging on ebony smoke.
"Oww... *kaff* gettin' a bit crowded around here," croaked the
letch.
From Furinkan's rooftop, a shadowy figure watched with concern.
"Noori-sama," she whispered.
*
"What's going on out there?" asked Nabiki. She approached her
henchwomen, who were looking out the window at the moment and down at
the courtyard.
"Martial arts fight," said one.
"And I missed the start?" sighed Nabiki. "Oh well, a missed
opportunity, but not a loss. It isn't all bad. "So, who's involved?"
"That old letch Happosai, Ryouga, and his fiancee."
Nabiki's eyebrow raised. "Ryouga's fiancee?"
"According to the grapevine, yeah. Some gaijin girl from London
waving around a broom."
Nabiki's mind flipped through the known martial artists of the
district, and pulled out one recent entry into her database.
"Tanya Noori?" she wondered.
"Something like that."
"Strange days," said Nabiki, shaking her head. "So how's the fight
going?"
"Can't be sure," said one of the girls. "Noori keeps on bombing
the place with soot bombs. The only thing we've seen is a few
bandannas flying out."
"Say, how's public opinion on this fiancee business?" asked Nabiki.
"80% of Furinkan doesn't buy it. They figure there's no way Ryouga
could possibly ever get a fiancee. Not like her, anyways."
"And our other little Ryouga betting pool?" wondered Nabiki.
"Everyone's spread out on that one, chief. Personally, I'm putting
my money on eight months."
"That'd be a good guess," reasoned Nabiki. "After all, him and
Ukyou are acting like Ranma and Akane already. It's only a matter of
time..."
"What's your guess, boss?"
Nabiki looked down at the soot cloud with amusement. "Knowing how
volatile Ukyou and Ryouga are... eight months does sound good."
"Whoa," said one of the girls looking out from the window, "new
entry into the fray. Just jumped into the big soot cloud from one of
the rooftops."
"Oh? One of the locals or someone new?" asked Nabiki.
"This one... definitely new."
*
Everyone murmered in surprise, as a female ninja joined in the
fray, diving in from the top of Furinkan and into the cloud of soot.
Mutterings and whispers of 'wow, did you see that girl?', 'You think
Ryouga's got himself a harem?' and 'I can't see a thing in that cloud,
this sucks' rippled through the crowd. They were wondering just who
this new and late entry into the day's festivities was and how she was
connected to things.
"Say... that's the girl that was in Ryouga's bed this morning,"
Ukyou muttered. She wondered what, exactly, was going on now.
Unfortunately, people around her overheard her comment and the rumor
mill spread the news like a wildfire.
"Ryouga got caught in bed with..."
"What's that? Ryouga's mistress?"
"Ryouga has a mistress?"
"Hey, didja hear? Ryouga's got these two girls..."
"Wow, I can't believe Ryouga got someone pregnant."
Meanwhile, within the walls of Furinkan, the whispers spread. One
girl ran up to Nabiki and whispered the news in her ear.
"You have _got_ to be kidding," she said.
The girl shook her head.
"Let me get this straight... Ryouga is in a love triangle with the
ninja girl and the gaijin, and now they're both after him because he's
trying to run off and he got them both pregnant?"
"That's what's on the grapevine."
"I haven't heard anything so ridiculous since... well... since
Ranma was in that reversal jewel mess. Oh my."
*
Old masters of The Art should not, felt Happosai, end up in this
sort of situation. He was getting beaten, kicked, shoved, and whapped
all over the place in general, and that was not to his liking at all.
Of course, there was a real quick way to de-fuse the situation that
he knew of, and that involved lighting lots of fuses.
No pun intended, of course.
Ryouga, still wading through the thick cloud of soot, felt
something hit his foot. Then, as he waded further, he stumbled on a
few other things lying around on the ground. Something was nagging at
him that this was a Bad Thing, but he wasn't sure entirely why until
he finally heard the distinct sound of fuses burning.
And with Happosai in the fight, that could only mean...
"Oh no."
*
The students of Furinkan were familiar with Happosai. After all,
he'd been regularly raiding the girl's locker rooms for several months
now. They knew when he'd probably strike, where he'd probably strike,
and when things were ready to get ugly.
At the moment, the big hint of the day as far as impending danger
was concerned was a few small bomb-like objects that rolled out from
the soot cloud.
Hiroshi was the first to notice, and sounded off the alert.
"BOMB! DUCK AND COVER!!!"
Students everywhere scattered, diving for cover. The ones watching
from within the building quickly moved away from the windows.
-----BOOM-----
The earth rattled, a few windows cracked, and the sound of thunder
rattled through the neighborhood. When the debris settled, everyone
peered carefully at the scene of the fight.
Happosai, apparently, didn't manage to get away in time. He was
amongst the victims at the blast center, rattled witless by the blast
and looking like a smudge on the ground. Ryouga had become one with
the trees, in a painful sort of way.
In a nearby wall, Tanya Noori was firmly planted, with Konatsu on
top of her, flung by the force of the bombs. She was hurt mostly by
the impact with the wall, spared from the force of the blast by
Konatsu, who had apparently shielded Tanya with her own body. Being
the least injured by the blast, Tanya rose slowly, lowering Konatsu
down carefully.
*Aw, ye stupid gel, y'din't havta dew that... naw look at ye,* she
said, with some irritation but also some worry. *Oy, yew alroight?
Konatsu, c'mon, gel, wakey wak.... ah... wot the bloody hell is this?*
She stared at Konatsu's shirt, which was now torn open due to the
blast, and reached a conclusion. Either Konatsu was really really
really flat-chested, or Konatsu was a man.
... or Konatsu was a man?
Tanya frowned. Then she examined Konatsu's throat _carefully_.
Yup. Adam's apple.
*KONATSU Y'BLOODY PERVERT!* If she hadn't been feeling so sore from
the explosions, she would have killed him. Instead, she passed out.
*
A lean figure emerged from the shadows of Furinkan High's rooftop,
idly spinning an umbrella. He looked down at the mess below and
sighed.
"Not bad... but Konatsu didn't go far enough with Tanya."
Ryo sighed. People these days... you just can't count on them to
be manipulated properly.
Oh well, at least it was all entertaining.
*
Furinkan High Infirmiry, two hours later.
"Hey, sugar, looks like you're still alive after all."
Ryouga groaned. This was the third time he got caught up in that
little freak's bombs, and it was an incredibly unpleasant experience
every time.
"Hi... Ukyou... how long've I..."
"About two hours. How ya feeling?"
"Been... worse."
"Heh. Nurses say all you guys just got mild bruises. Surprising,
when you think about the size of that crater Happosai made."
"Where... is...."
"The pervert? Ranma came by and picked'em up."
"Oh... good."
"You'd better get well soon, sugar, 'cause I don't think you're
gonna like your roommates."
"Roommates?" Ryouga struggled to lift his ringing head, and
strained to look around. There, in the next bed, was Tanya Noori.
Fortunately unconscious. Beyond her was Konatsu, also unconscious.
"I wanna go home. Now."
*
Much to her irritation, by the time she'd been revived, Ryouga had
managed to run from her once more. The jerk. What's worse, she was
now stuck in the infirmiry with that... that... that crossdressing
pervert! She felt she ought to give Konatsu a solid whap on the
noggin for THAT little secret. Then she wondered why she was holding
back.
She whapped him.
"Ooow...." The cross-dressing ninja sleepily blinked his eyes,
looking alarmingly (when you consider Konatsu is a HE) beautiful as he
awoke. "Noori-sama... are you okay?"
"I am fine," replied Tanya with a menacing tone, "now explain
yourself."
Konatsu sat up slowly, still looking disoriented. "Explain...
what?"
"YOU'RE A MAN!!!" bellowed Tanya.
Konatsu frowned. "No I'm not. I'm a girl."
"You are a MAN! Look at your body!"
"Well... stepmother said I was just unusual. I'm still a girl,
though."
*Ya bloody cross-dressing pervert! You are, without a
bleedin'doubt, a MAAAAN!*
"Ano... Noori-sama..."
*WHAAAT?!*
"Could you say that again, in Japanese? My English isn't too
good."
"AAAAAAAGH!"
*
Meanwhile, at Ucchan's...
"They were saying WHAT?!?!"
"That's the rumor that WAS flying around, sugar. Although, now
that everyone knows Konatsu's a guy, it's kinda changed."
"Changed? I... ah... do I really want to know?"
Ukyou smiled. Ryouga paled.
"You're now not only the father of Noori's child, but apparently
you've been having a bi-sexual love triangle with Noori's
cross-dressing boyfriend."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"
-end part 11-
http://www.uh.edu/~rpm/fanfic.htm
He was lost.
To those familiar with Nerima, that phrase was usually associated
with one man.
That man would argue that it wasn't entirely true and that the
reputation was a little unfairly blown out of proportion.
As he stared at the Arc de Triomphe, he admitted to himself that
there were some days that he was every bit as bad as his reputation
claimed he was.
Oh well. Time to dig out the foreign language guidebooks.
"Excusez me, er, moi, kell... er, quel chemise... er... quel chemin
to, er, a Tokyo?
========================
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
ACT 1
Part 12
Friends and Lovers
============================
"So, he's lost again, huh?" asked Yuka.
"Are you really that surprised?" responded Ukyou, sighing.
"You guys, you're a little to harsh on Ryouga sometimes," said
Akane.
"You don't know him like I know him," muttered Ukyou. She realized
too late that the word choice was incredibly bad.
"So, what's THAT sup-" started Nabiki, grinning.
"Don't even start," growled Ukyou.
"Say," said Yuka, "where's Akari? I haven't seen her today."
"Said she was visiting her ailing grandfather, I think," said
Nabiki. "Won't be back for a day or two."
*
Akari was happy.
Somewhat.
It was always a joy to come home to the sumo pig farm. This, all
of it, was the life she felt was meant for her, being the 108th
generation of Unryuu Sumo Pig ranchers. She was, in her own words,
happy as a pig about it.
Well, she tried to tell herself that anyways.
"So, granddaughter, things go well, I presusume?" asked her
grandfather, lying down in his futon as he always did.
"Yes, grandfather."
"And... this boy of yours... where is he now?"
Akari sighed. She did so wish her grandfather would approve, but
so far he seemed skeptical. "Grandfather, I told you, he said he
couldn't come because he had some things to take care of."
"I don't know about that boy," said her grandfather. "He doesn't
look very strong."
"Please, grandfather, give him a chance?"
"Very well, Akari-chan... but I still think you could do better."
For the rest of the day, Akari went through the motions of tending
to the sumo pig farm as best as she could. Normally, this brought a
smile to her face, but today it managed only to numb her troubled
mind.
She'd hoped to make her grandfather happy. Akari loved him dearly
and would do almost anything he asked. Unfortunately, he wasn't happy
and she didn't know how to resolve the situation. After she was done
with all her chores, she sat upon the fence of the pig pens, watching
the sun go down, and thought her situation over.
Ryo wasn't helping. She was surprised that he refused to go with
her repeatedly. Akari was also beginning to wonder about him, and the
talk from everyone at school wasn't easing her fears either. And it
was more than that. Sometimes, he seemed... distracted by something.
Whatever it was, he refused to tell her. And he'd never discuss his
personal life either, quickly changing the topic.
<No... he really does care for me, I think.>
Besides, he knocked out her pig (although in an incredibly odd
manner), and that was a sign from above that he was the one, right?
"BWEEE!!!" -WHAM-
Akari was jolted out of her thoughts as she heard the distinct
'bwee' of Katsunishiki. Was he fighting again? Sometimes she thought
that pig was a little too violent for its own good. She really hoped
he didn't rampage and tear down the local village again.
*
"Stupid pig, CUT THAT OUT!"
*WHAM*WHAM*WHAM*
The day wasn't getting better for Ryouga. The French were bad
enough. This stupidly huge pig that was picking a fight was almost as
annoying. Fortunately, he could deal with the pig in a way that
suited him well, which happened to be repeated blows to the head until
source of aggrivation was rendered unconscious.
"Katsunishiki!"
<Uh oh. Hope that's not the owner.>
"I'm sorry! Your pig just attacked... me. Um, Akari Unryuu?"
Akari blinked. "Hibiki-san? What are you doing on my
grandfather's ranch?"
"Well, I'm... kinda lost," he admitted, scratching the back of his
head. "I'm... on your grandfather's ranch?"
Akari nodded.
"I could've sworn I was in France a minute ago," he muttered.
"Well, we're nowhere near France," said Akari. Was THIS the
rumored 'Ryouga Hibiki Utter Lack of Sense Of Direction' she was
witnessing? She heard rumors, but she never thought...
"Ryouga, are you lost?" she asked.
"Well, aheheh.... yeah."
"If you don't mind staying overnight, you can come with me back to
Tokyo tomorrow."
"I don't want to inconvenience you," said Ryouga.
"Oh, no, it's no problem. Don't worry, we've even got guest rooms
here," said Akari. "Come on, it's this way."
Akari took the lead and began the walk back to the ranch. After
only a few steps, she checked behind her and sure enough, Ryouga was
drifting a bit in the wrong direction.
She couldn't help but giggle. So, it was true after all. His
sense of direction was _really_ bad.
"Come on, Ryouga, this way," she said, taking him by the hand.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Grandfather Unryuu peeped out of the window with his telescope,
spying upon the scene in the distance. This, he thought, could be
interesting.
*
Oil the grill. Wait. Carefully, put on the ingredients.
Listen to the sizzle.
Aaah.
"You sure you're gonna be okay?" asked Ranma, snapping the peaceful
trance Ukyou had fallen into.
"Hey, I ran this place alone before, I can do it any time," said
Ukyou casually. "Besides, it isn't even that busy right now." She
was right, the rush hour was over and there were only a handful of
customers left.
Ranma eyed his friend suspiciously. "Y'know, you used to get so
annoyed when he got lost."
Ukyou shrugged. "Maybe I'm just used to it by now."
"Maybe you've gotten used to him?" suggested Ranma.
"Hmm. Accustomed to him?" said Ukyou, idly brushing sauce on an
okonomiyaki. "reminds me of a song I heard once."
"Why Ucchan, you gonna start singing?" teased Ranma. "Never heard
ya sing before."
"And you're crazy if you think I'm gonna sing now," said Ukyou,
sticking her tongue at him.
"Well... Akane's expecting me back," said Ranma. He sighed, stood
up, and began walking out the door like a man walking on death row.
She knew what that meant.
"Hey, come on, don't tell me she's still a bad cook!" said Ukyou.
Ranma paused. "Well... she's getting better with Japanese, and her
American isn't too bad..."
"And?" said Ukyou.
"Well... y'see... she's gonna try Mexican food tonight."
"Never tried it before?" asked Ukyou.
"Nope."
"Uh oh. Well, good luck, Ranchan." She patted her friend on the
back, as if saying 'oh well, that's life'.
As soon as she was sure he left, she very quietly sang to
herself...
o/" But I'm so used to hear him say o/"
o/" 'good morning' every day o/"
o/" His joys, his woes o/"
o/" his highs, his lows o/"
o/" are second nature to me now... o/"
o/" like breathing out and breathing in o/"
She paused, taking time to look at the finished okonomiyaki on her
grill. It surprised her to see that she'd subonsciously painted a
bandanna-clad face with fangs on it. She couldn't help but smile a
little and feel really embarrased.
o/" I've grown accustomed to the trace... o/"
o/" of something in the air o/"
She was really glad Ranma wasn't there to see that. Ukyou was
afraid he'd think she was on love or something, and that wasn't the
case, right?
Of course not, she told herself.
o/" Accustomed... to his... face. o/"
*
*ACHOO!*
"Are you okay, Ryouga?" asked Akari with genuine concern.
"I'm okay. Guess I just need a little rest."
They walked towards the house, Akari with Ryouga in tow. He had to
admit, she had a rather nice house here. Out in the country like
this, he guessed it must be a pleasant place to stay in during the
holidays.
"Nice house," he summarized.
"Thanks. It's been in the family for generations," she replied as
they made their way into the house.
All that was left was to guide Ryouga to the guest room.
However, they had happened to come across Akari's grandfather
first.
"Akari, you didn't introduce me to this young gentleman," he said,
walking slowly down the hall.
"Grandfather, you shouldn't be walking around too much," gently
chided Akari. "You should worry more about your health!"
"Oh, I'll be alright, Akari-chan, I just wish to meet the
interesting boy who had just beaten Katsunishiki... and is now holding
your hand," replied Grandfather with an amused tone.
They had been holding hands all this time.
And apparently, they'd forgotten about it.
Hands quickly disconnected as both blushed badly. Ryouga laughed
nervously, scratching the back of his head while Akari tried to
explain things.
"Grandfather, it's not what you think!"
"That's okay, granddaughter," said the smiling senior citizen,
"just as long as the both of you... get along well."
"Grandfather!"
"Just teasing, Akari-chan. I'll go back to bed now." With a wink
and a smile, Akari's grandfather retreated to his quarters, leaving a
pair of blushing and embarrased teens.
"Um... sorry about that," said Akari. "Grandfather likes to tease
sometimes. Come on, the guest room isn't too much futher."
"Aheh... okay." Ryouga gave a small, nervous little smile. For
some odd reason, the compass necklass he wore felt a little
uncomfortable.
*
Rest did not come easy to Ryouga.
Somehow, everything in the house became magnified by his senses.
The moonlight blazed through his window. The breeze hummed
constantly. Somewhere in the house, there was a really really really
loud clock.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock.
He tossed and turned in his futon, scowling now and then, and
finally gave up on sleep. He decided that a glass of water and some
fresh air would be just what he needed.
It took thirty minutes to get the water, and another 45 to find
that fresh air.
"Why'd they put the front door so far away from everywhere?"
muttered Ryouga as he opened the door.
"Front door? This is the porch."
"GAH!"
"Sorry, did I startle you?" asked Akari, trying to stifle some
giggles.
"Akari... what are you doing out here?" asked Ryouga.
"I couldn't sleep, so I just went here to look at the stars for a
little while. And you?" asked Akari.
"Same thing, I guess," said Ryouga. "The view of the stars in the
countryside is a lot better than in the city."
"The sky just seems so... so..." said Akari, searching for the
right words.
"Bright," said Ryouga.
"Beautiful," said Akari.
"Yeah, that too."
The two lapsed into silence for a few minutes, both seated on lawn
chairs and looking up into the skies.
"It's kind of strange..." said Akari, hesitating.
"What is?" asked Ryouga.
"Well... when we first met, I was single and you had someone. And
now, you're single and I have someone."
"Yeah, I guess," said Ryogua quietly.
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
Ryouga shrugged. He couldn't think of anything he'd be embarrased
about answering, but that was probably due to a lack of imagination.
"Why did you break up with Ryoko?"
Ryouga sighed. "That... was all one big misunderstanding."
"How so?" wondered Akari.
"Well... I meant to clear things up earlier, but I didn't want to
hurt her feelings." He sighed again. "I wasn't brave enough to end
things quickly."
"Oh, I see."
They allowed silence to take over the night once more as nature's
impressive display of the heavens glowed high above them. It couldn't
last long.
"Can I ask you another question?" wondered Akari. "If you don't
mind, I mean."
Ryouga shrugged again. He wasn't entirely sure what was causing
his restlessness that night, but he certainly felt like talking
wouldn't hurt.
"Ryoko told me you were... in love with someone before?"
Ryouga nodded.
"Who was she?"
"Hm..."
"If you don't want to answer, I'll understand."
He normally wouldn't answer this question. But... somehow he just
didn't feel like holding things in tonight. Too stressful, really.
"Promise to keep a secret?" he asked.
"I promise!" she said gleefully.
"It was... Akane."
Akari could only react with a moment of silence. Then another
moment.
Finally, she said, "wow."
"But," continued Ryouga, "I think... I'm getting over her now."
"Does Akane know?" Akari queried.
"No! Ah, no, and I'd rather keep it that way."
"Is that why you and Ranma fight all the time?"
Ryouga scowled. "No, we just fight because he's a jerk."
*
The Milky Way always was a soothing sight for Ukyou, even in the
city where the bright lights turned the normally dark skies and
brilliant stars into a bluish haze with a dim curtain of lights.
She'd been doing a lot more stargazing lately, and she wasn't sure
why.
Well, for one thing, the peace and tranquility were always nice.
Being alone with her thoughts up here was always something she liked.
"Excuse me..."
"GAAAAH!"
*CLAAAAAAANG*
After calming down, Ukyou finally saw who it was that she'd
spatulated.
There, on her roof, resembling a bug that had been swatted, was
Konatsu the Kunoichi.
"Hey, you alright?" she asked, gently prodding him.
"Oww... I'm okay... I think."
"Sorry about that," she said sheepishly, "but you kinda startled
me."
"I'll remember not to do that again," Konatsu said, rubbing his
head.
"What're you doing around here anyways?" Ukyou queried.
"I just finished a job for Noori-sama and was trying to find my way
back to her," said Konatsu.
"Job? What kind of job?" asked Ukyou. She suspected the gaijin
was up to no good.
"Oh, just cleaning air duct systems. I just finished the one in
the Toshiba Towers."
"Cleaning air duct systems?"
"Well, you see, air conditioning systems nowadays are really large
networks of tunnels. Often, these tunnels get dirty, or even clogged
with fungus or dust. That's where Noori-sama and I come in." Konatsu
smiled proudly at that point. The whole presentation was what Noori
would normally tell a potential customer, but she'd managed to
memorize it too.
"So, she's letting you hang around her? After the way she reacted
after she found out you were a guy-"
"I'm not a guy," said Konatsu matter-of-factly.
"Yes you are," said Ukyou, slightly irritated.
"No I'm not," calmly retorted Konatsu.
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you... oh, never mind," said Ukyou. Some people were strange
beyond help, and Ukyou decided Konatsu was one of them. "So... as I
was saying... Noori's your boss now? That's more than I expected of
her."
"Tanya is really kind and sweet," said Konatsu, putting on big
starry eyes. "You just have to look past the gruff, violent
exterior."
"Uh huh. So... you're lost?"
"Yes, well, somewhat."
"Somewhat?"
"I _think_ I know where Noori-sama is, so I'm not really sure if
that's the right direction, but I think I want to go to the Niyoma
towers."
"May I ask why, exactly, don't you know where your boss is?" asked
Ukyou.
"Well, it's part of my training, she said," explained Konatsu.
"Every night, she stays in a different rooftop and it's up to me to
find her. It's a fun game!"
"Game. Right. Whatever." Ukyou frowned. Definitely beyond help,
this one. "Lemme ask you, _why_ are you so devoted to Noori? I've
seen how she treats you."
"She doesn't treat me that bad at all, really," assured Konatsu.
"As I said, she just has a really violent and grouchy exterior."
"You sure?" asked Ukyou with much doubt.
"Absolutely!"
"Hrm. Well... whatever makes ya happy." Ukyou looked around the
skyline, thinking for a moment. "The Niyoma towers are... over there,
I think," she said, pointing in a northern direction."
"Ah, okay, thank you very much," said Konatsu. He prepared to
spring away, then hesitated. "Um... is something bothering you?" he
asked cautiously.
"Who, me?" she asked in a slightly irritated tone. "Why do you
ask?"
"It just seems that something's bothering you," said Konatsu
softly.
"I... well... it's..." Ukyou didn't know quite how to put it,
really.
"It's about a boy, isn't it?" guessed Konatsu.
Ukyou couldn't hide the blush. "H-how'd you know?"
"My older step-sister used to get that way sometimes."
"Oh. Well... it's about a boy... I guess." She took a deep breath
and leaned out towards a stretch of city lights. "He's out there,
somewhere, and I'm missing him a lot more than I think I should."
"Is there a reason why you shouldn't?" wondered Konatsu.
"Well, he's my friend."
Konatsu blinked.
"He's my friend," continued Ukyou, "but I think... I think I'm
feeling a little more than friendship for him."
Konatsu smiled. "My, that sounds sweet."
"Yeah, well, the last time I fell for a friend I had my heart
broken. I don't need that again. I don't WANT that again."
"Well, sometimes you just have to trust your heart," said Konatsu.
"You make it sound easy," said Ukyou.
"Sometimes it is, but it doesn't seem like it."
"I'll... keep that in mind," replied Ukyou.
"Oh my. I really have to be going now..."
"Wait! Wait!" yelled Ukyou, just before the ninja jumped away.
"Hm?"
"Do you know why Noori hates Ryouga so much?" asked Ukyou.
"Not really," said Konatsu. "I asked her once and she began to
explain something about a dojo, then she started ranting and raving in
English. I couldn't understand a thing."
"Strange. Did the same thing to me too."
"Oh well. Good night," said Konatsu. Then with a sly wink he
finished, "And good luck with your man!"
"He's not my man!" yelled Ukyou defiantly, but the kunoichi was
already gone. "Not my man..."
*
"So, is there someone you like now?" asked Akari. She then winced,
remembering her manners. "Oh, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's okay," said Ryouga. "Actually... there is a girl I
like... I think."
"Does she know how you feel?"
"Well... no... not yet," he said, closing his eyes. "I just
don't... I... I guess I'm scared she won't feel the same."
"But if you don't tell her, you'll never know," advised Akari.
"I know, I know!" replied Ryouga with much frustration. "It's just
that... if she breaks my heart... I... I... I JUST WON'T BE ABLE TO
TAKE IT!!!"
"Um... Ryouga... are you okay?"
"Hm? Yeah, why?"
"You just crushed your glass."
"Oh. Aheheh... sorry about that."
*
It was at an isolated pier by the bay where three rogues met. Two
were rogues by necessity, one by choice.
Ryo Muhoshin stood at the tip of the pier, thoroughly enjoying the
weather, while a fellow armed with a chair and one armed with a shovel
lounged nearby.
"It's been quite a while now," said one, "are you SURE you still
want to take this course of action?"
Ryo nodded. "Eventually, I will. For now... we wait."
"Actually, I was hoping you'd let us quit this operation," muttered
one.
"What was that?" asked Ryo icily.
"Well... I mean... it seems you've become fond of the girl and we
thought you wouldn't-"
"Fond?" wondered Ryo. His back was turned from them. His voice
and movements were entirely unreadable.
"Well, yeah, fond... y'know... we thought you liked the girl."
"You thought... I -liked- her?" asked Ryo. There was a definite
menace in his voice.
"W-well, yeah," stuttered one of them. "And maybe you'd just live
offa her for the rest of your-"
Ryo turned around suddenly, a look of angry insanity in his eyes.
"Oh YES I like her," he said sarcastically, "I LIKE her! I LIKE the
way she's ridiculously cute about things. I'm about to DIE FROM
DIABETES! I LIKE the way she has this annoying inclination for pink
and frilly things! It leaves me feeling SO pleasantly ILL! I LIKE
how she ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT and even COMPARES everything INCLUDING ME
to PIGS!"
"H-hey, calm down, we were only wondering-" said one of them. To
Ryo it didn't really matter at this point.
"In fact, let me SHOW YOU how much I like her!"
In the blink of an eye, he grabbed them both by their shirts and
heaved them into the bay.
He sighed, grumpily kicking a soda can away, and flopped down on
his portable lounging chair.
"I like her," he said quietly to himself, shaking his head slowly.
"Feh!"
A few minutes later he mutilated a passing seagull. It didn't help
his mood a bit.
*
[The next day...]
There was a really annoying amount of sunlight.
Most people would call this sunrise.
Noori called it Bloody Hell I Wish I Had A Roof To Block It Out.
For the next five minutes, she felt an absolute lack of desire to
move, and instinctively shuffled a bit to a more shadowy corner of the
roof.
Unfortunately, something was in the way.
*Eh? Wozzisss...* she grumbled in English, opening one bleary eye.
*Oh. S'natsu.* Drat, she thought, the crossdresser made it again.
She was HOPING he wouldn't, but... oh well. There were more effective
ways to get rid of the pest, she knew (blunt yelling, abuse, and
murder came to mind), but to her disgust she found she wasn't
heartless enough to do them.
Getting soft, she scolded herself.
It wasn't that she LIKED the pervert, not in THAT way anyways. He
was alright when he wasn't mooning over her, but his utter lack of
self-esteem was maddening, as well as his need to be a follower. If
Konatsu wasn't with her, she knew he'd end up back with her
step-parents getting treated like a dog again.
She couldn't let that be either.
All in all, it was too much to think about for waking thoughts, so
she decided to just pull the blanket over herself entirely and get a
few more hour's worth of sleep.
"Noori-sama, wake up." Ah. That was Konatsu's gentle, rather
femininine voice. It boggled her mind how much like a girl he was.
"No talk sleep," muttered Tanya.
"Noori-sama, we'll be late for the Capcom office job at nine."
"Konatsu, I sleep now. You bother again, I kill."
*
School came and went, much like a surrealistic play where
melodramatic students, energy-blasting teachers, and a lunatic
principal were the too-often-seen stars in an eternal re-run.
As one of the stars of the show, Ukyou was tired of it. She went
through the motions of the day, going to this class and that, watching
Ranma and Akane bicker a bit every now and then (which brought a bit
of melancholy into her mood, but not as much as it used to), watching
Kuno strutt and thunder like the prince that he was (in his own mind).
She didn't care to be there, really. However, if asked, Ukyou
wouldn't be able to say why.
As a few stray clouds slowly made their way over Furinkan, Ukyou
lounged around in the schoolyard and watched as Ranma and Akane
bickered a little, paused to boot Kuno into the swimming pool, and
went on their way.
She yawned as Miss Hinako blasted several rampaging members of the
Sumo club that had sworn vengence on the Judo club for a percieved
insult that had occurred a week ago.
She took a brief nap while Principal Kuno ran rampantly around with
a pair of shears, obviously in the mood for some cutting.
Ho-hum.
"Hey, Ukyou, what're you still doing around here?"
*blink*
"Mm?" she opened her eyes, yawned, then stretched, much to (Hiroshi
and Daisuke's delight as they eyed her chest). "Oh, guys I.... what
the heck happened to you two?!"
The duo winced. "Principal Kuno," they simply said, scratching
their now ridiculously short hair.
"Just... try to ignore the haircut, please?" asked Hiroshi.
"Ah... right."
"Hey, you gonna be at Ranma's tonite?" asked Daisuke.
"Why? Another study group?"
"Actually, we're renting a couple of movies and playing poker,"
said Hiroshi.
Ukyou frowned. "Why didn't Ranchan tell me this?"
"It was a last minute thing," said Daisuke. "He said he was gonna
look for ya but I guess we saw you first."
"Oh. Well... got nothing better to do, I guess."
*
Talking to him was never easy.
Talking to him about this topic would be absolutely dangerous, and
she didn't look forward to it. But she owed it to Akari, really.
Couldn't stand by while her friend got hurt, could she?
"Hey, Ryo."
The eldest Muhoshin froze, irritated that he'd been interrupted
from his kata. The whole point of practicing out in this park by the
harbor was that he was _away_ from everyone else.
And now someone found him.
"Oh, hello sister of mine," he said with a tone of mild irritation.
"We need to talk," said Ryoko, grim determination staying on her
face.
"Talk? Of what?"
"Akari."
"Oh. Her." Ryo looked out into the ocean, turning away from his
sister. "What about her?"
"I want you to tell me what your intentions are."
"And why," he asked, "does this concern you?"
"She's my friend, and I don't want to see her hurt."
Still turned away from her, he cocked his head to the side and
remained silent for a while. Then he responded.
"Too bad."
Ryoko growled, "Whaddayamean, too bad?!"
"Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? Was ever woman in this
humour won? I'll have her; but I will not keep her long."
"Don't you dare hur-"
"Hurt her? Use her? Bleed the house of Unryuu till it's dry? She
loves me, and loves me well, almost to a blind degree. Akari would
NEVER believe her beloved would intend to bring her harm. She is
devoted... to _me_."
Ryo suddenly turned around, cold menace in his eyes, and advanced
on his sister in a slow and deliberate pace. "So... what I wonder,
little sister, is WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT."
Ryoko's arms trembled as she took a step back. Her eyes burned
with anger but the rest of her showed fear. "She's MY friend. If...
if you hurt her..." Her brother scowled and turned his back to her.
Ryoko spent another moment glaring at his back, then walked away.
*
[Ucchan's, nightfall]
"AAAAAAGH WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEE?!?!"
Of course, this was Ryouga.
What led his path here, to Ucchan's, as the sun disappeared in the
sky, all by himself, was a small bit of luck, both good and bad.
The bad luck was that immediately after taking a train ride with
Akari back to Nerima, he was seperated from her and immediately lost.
The good luck was that after six hours of wandering, he actually
managed to find Ucchan's.
The problem after that was... he couldn't get in.
Ill tempered and brutally strong martial artists that want to get
into a building usually do so in several manners:
1) a key.
2) an unlocked door.
3) an opened window.
4) knock till someone opens.
5) punch a hole in the place.
Going down the checklist for Ryouga sounded something like this:
1) Where'd that key go?! AAAAAAGH!
2) Stupid door!
3) Stupid window!
4) Ukyou! Hey! Open up! UKYOUUUUUUUU!!!
5) If I make a hole in the building again, she'll kill me.
And of course, by habit, there was this thought.
"RANMA, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"
For once, he was somewhat right.
*
[Some hours later...]
It was, she had to admit, a very entertaining night.
There was a fairly moderate crowd that Ukyou felt comfortable with,
the standard bunch of Ranma, the Tendo Three, Hiroshi, Daisuke,
Sayuri, Yuka and Manami.
The bit with the movies was segregated between the boys and girls,
as Jackie Chan and Audrey Hepburn didn't mix...
*
"Hey, what the heck is this?" Ranma.
"Shh! This is the bit where she wakes up to Gregory Peck!" snapped
Hiroshi.
"I _love_ this bit!" said Daisuke.
"Who is she?" asked Ranma. "What is this?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Daisuke. "It's Audrey Hepburn in 'Roman
Holiday'!"
"Why are we watching this?! Where's the Jackie Chan?!"
Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and glared at Ranma. "You got something
against Audrey Hepburn?"
"Yeah, you sayin' you DON'T like Audrey Hepburn?" added Daisuke.
"Ah, um, no, not at all," replied Ranma hastily. "But hey man,
where's all those Jackie Chan tapes?"
"Whaddaya think?" answered Hiroshi, "the girls got'em."
Ranma shook his head in disbelief.
<My friends have been replaced by aliens.>
He shook his head in disbelief and headed over to Akane's room,
where they were sure to be watching the Jackie Chan stuff. That was
put into doubt, however, when he heard the sounds of sniffling and
mild crying from right outside the door...
*sniffle* "And now his master's leaving him!"
*snort*sniffle* "It's so saaaad!"
"Gets me crying every *sniffle* time. Where's the tissue?"
Ranma turned around immediately and headed back to his room.
"Weirdos. They've all turned into weirdos. Ya don't cry watchin'
Jackie Chan movies!"
Out of options, he sat with Hiroshi and Daisuke to watch Gregory
Peck show Audrey Hepburn the best of Italy.
*
And so, after two more movies (both groups had gotten together to
watch 'Drunken Master II' and 'Sabrina') and dinner, the group settled
into a long session of poker and blackjack.
Everyone in general had an average game, except for a few people.
Ranma, as usual, was miserable at it. Nabiki had hot and cold
streaks.
In an attempt to get the ever-working Kasumi to relax, they
convinced her to stay for a bit...
"Oh my, I have an ace, a king, a queen, a jack, and a ten," Kasumi
whispered to Nabiki. "Is that good?"
Nabiki blinked. "What kind are they?"
"All hearts."
"Going to be one of _those_ nights, is it? How typical," muttered
Nabiki. "Guys," she announced, "I fold."
When Nabiki quits a game, there's usually a reason. Unfortunately,
nobody stopped to think about that.
*
[obscenely late at night...]
Out in the front gate of the Tendo grounds, two teens were
lamenting their great loss.
"I don't believe I'm broke," muttered Ukyou. She stretched,
yawned, and sighed. "And to Kasumi, of all people!"
"Who coulda guessed she was that good?" asked Ranma. "I got
cleaned out too."
"Well," said Ukyou, stifling another yawn, "I guess I oughta head
home."
"Hey, you okay?" asked Ranma. "Y'look really tired."
"Maybe I stayed here too long," replied Ukyou. "Still gotta open
up in the morning."
"Hey, if you're really tired just stay with us," said Ranma. "You
can take the guest room. Mr. Tendo won't mind."
"I'm *yawn* fine, just *yawn*..."
"C'mon, Ucchan, don't go out there at night half-asleep. It's
dangerous."
"You sayin' I can't protect myself?" She tried to sound grouchy,
but the only effect was a halfhearted protest.
"Not when you're half-asleep," argued Ranma.
Ukyou took a deep breath (partially to wake herself up more), tried
to look Ranma in the eye, and instead yawned again.
"Okay," she said, "alright, I'll stay over. Just stop badgering
me," she mock-griped.
"Who's badgering ya?" shot back Ranma teasingly. "C'mon, let's get
back in."
*
[Moments later...]
Manami, Sayuri and Yuka shambled to the back gate of the Tendo
grounds, escorted by Akane.
"We simply must do this again some time," said Yuka mischievously.
"Until then, I do believe we'd better go home," said Sayuri.
"Oh my, mother will be worried," said Manami.
"See you guys tomorrow!" Akane waved, standing at the gate while
her friends walked down the street. She smiled, happy that the day
had gone so well. It was almost... well... almost an ordinary life.
She paused for a moment, admiring the particular beauty of the
neighborhood that it had when it was dark, still, and empty on nights
like this.
Totally empty.
"Excuse me, wh-"
"EEEEEK!" *WHAM*
Well, almost empty.
"Oh, Ryouga!"
"Ow... A-Akane?"
Of course, in Nerima, there was always the occasional odds of
Hibiki strolling by.
"What are you doing out so late?" asked Akane.
"I was trying to get inside Ucchan's, but it was all locked and I
guess I got lost." He sighed and leaned against the wall wearily.
"Tired?" asked Akane.
"Yeah, I think I've been walking around all day."
"Well, you can sleep in our guest room," offered Akane.
He didn't want to. Even though, in a corner of his mind, it was
one of his fantasies to be invited to stay with the Tendos, by
_Akane_, he just didn't feel it was right anymore.
But still...
"Well, if you're sure it's okay..."
*
Akane lead Ryouga upstairs, to the guest room. He couldn't help
but feel nervous, since she was leading him up by the hand. He really
hoped Ranma wouldn't find them together. He'd hate for him to get the
wrong idea.
Upon further thought, he really hoped Ranma found them together.
It was about time the jerk was taught a lesson in humility.
"Well, here's the guest room. There oughta be a cot and some
pillows in there," said Akane quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up.
"G'nite, Ryouga."
"Thanks Akane," whispered Ryouga. "See you tomorrow."
Ryouga dropped his pack and stumbled, in the dark, towards the
futon.
<Oh, it's already laid out. That's nice.>
Not caring about neatness, Ryouga simply collapsed on the futon's
edge and quickly fell asleep.
*
Dreams are odd.
Especially after a large dinner, junk food, and several movies.
"Whoa, this is neat," said Ukyou. She looked over herself in the
grand mirror, astonished at how she looked in her white ball gown. It
was shoulderless, sleek, and flowing regally. It made her feel like
she was the most beautiful woman on earth.
It seemed awfully familiar.
"Oh, I get it," said Ukyou. "Audrey Hepburn's dress in 'Sabrina'.
If that's the case, that means..."
She turned around, expecting to see a grand, outdoor area complete
with couples in formal wear dancing and a big band orchestra, all lit
by candle and starlight. It was, after all, the right scene for this
particular dress.
And of course, it was all there.
Ukyou laughed. "Ha! I've got the role of Sabrina! This is neat."
Since she was dreaming, she shrugged and figured it'd be best to just
go with the flow. She might even have fun.
A hand tapped her bare shoulder. If this was 'Sabrina', that
oughta be Humphrey Bogart, here to sweep her off her feet. Ah, but
who else would take the part of Bogart but...
"Ranchan?"
"Um, aheh, no, sorry."
"Ryouga?!"
"Well, yeah. Sorry about that," he said, smiling nervously. "I
know you were expecting Ranma."
"Guess I have less control of this dream than I thought," muttered
Ukyou. "Oh well."
The band paused briefly, then began playing 'La Vie En Rose' as
couples filled the dance floor one more time. Ukyou couldn't help but
notice the singer was Nabiki. Odd, that.
"Can't wake up, so I might as well enjoy myself," she said
casually. "Hey, Ryouga, wanna dance?"
"I'd love to," he said, with a bit more confidence than she was
used to seeing in him. He took her gently by her arm, then led her as
they danced casually, arms entwined, swaying to the music.
"I'm no Ranma, but I hope I'll do," he said, smirking with a bit of
confidence.
Ukyou giggled. "Oh, you'll be enough, I guess."
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Ryouga, you jerk,
why can't you be like this in real life?"
"Hm? Like what?" he asked.
"More confident, more decisive, not such a wishy-washy moron with
the navigational sense of a... a... of something that doesn't have a
sense of direction."
"I dunno," said Ryouga. "But what would you say if I said I liked
you?"
"I... I might... I don't know if I'm ready for this again."
"Maybe I'm not either?"
"Hmm." Ukyou had to admit, that was a good point. "I see what you
mean, sugar."
"Shh, enough talk, let's just dance for a while, okay?"
Ukyou nodded slightly, then rested fully in Ryouga's arms as they
swayed to the music.
The mood, understandably, was very much romantic. Moonlight,
elegant clothing, a grand dance under the stars, and Nabiki's
surprisingly good rendition of 'La Vie En Rose' certainly helped. It
was eventual that Ukyou's mind turned towards things that lovers do.
"You know," she said, letting a smile creep unto her lips, "I've
been wondering if you can be a good kisser."
"Didn't I kiss you before?" asked Ryouga.
"Yeah, you did," said Ukyou, scowling, "but you were drunk and you
were thinking of Akane. Jerk."
"Oh, yeah, I guess I was," said Ryouga. "Was I any good?"
"It was like being kissed by a dog," said Ukyou. "Very sloppy."
"Oh. Sorry about that," replied Ryouga. "I'll try to do better
next time."
"Oh, so there's gonna be a next time?" asked Ukyou with an amused
smile.
"How about right now?" answered Ryouga.
"Ooh, you're being rather bold. This is a dream, right?" she
asked.
"Seems to be," said Ryouga.
"Just a dream," she said, pulling him closer. "In that case..."
*
Soft.
Warm.
Definitely... pleasant.
In Ryouga's half-asleep mind, a few minor alarm bells went off.
There was a cause for alarm. The last time he felt these sensations,
he was actually kissing Kodachi. He also was horrifically nervous
about _that_ sort of thing in general.
The edgy, neurotic, panicky part of his mind nagged the rest of him
awake, although not entirely awake.
His senses began their usual morning checkup.
Smell: Perfume, maybe, and smell of washed hair.
Taste: Mild case of morning breath.
Feel: Warm, soft... holding something, apparently.
Oh my. That was rather strange. The subconscious deemed that
sight was needed immediately, even if it wasn't ready.
Sight: dark brown, black, fleshtones... need focus. Close eyes.
Sound finally had something to report: a definite rustling of
sheets. That made sense, right? After all, he was under them.
Sight finally was ready for another try.
Open...
Long dark hair, slightly sharp face, who... who... ah. Ukyou.
The logic bits of his brain went to work, putting together the
pieces of information obtained thus far and came to one conclusion.
Ryouga was in bed with Ukyou.
Logic consulted with Common Sense, and Common Sense said that this
situation was ridiculous. Logic MUST be mistaken. Thus, Logic did
another check (and while checking Feel, accidentally turned on
Ryouga's Pleasure Center) and stated again that Ryouga was in fact
under a blanket with Ukyou in his arms.
Common Sense thought about it.
Must be a dream.
Must also re-inforce this idea, else the entire system may overload
from panic.
Say it out loud.
"Mffm..."
Hm. Speech isn't ready yet.
Okay... now.
"Mm... mus be a... dream... yeah?"
The Dream Ukyou (as Common Sense decided to label her) seemed to
respond to that.
"Jus... a dream."
'Ah, there, you see?' said Common Sense. The Dream Construct
confirmed it herself. Therefore, it HAD to be a dream. Nothing to
worry about, so a general call for calm was put out.
Just... relax. Enjoy it.
Feel had something new to report. There were lips on Ryouga's
face... and they weren't his.
The Pleasure Center managed to intercept this report before it got
to Logic and Common Sense. It liked the news. A lot. Why... this
must be a kiss! Oh yes, this was gooooood.
The Pleasure Center took over and suggested that Ryouga respond a
bit. Logic's library of actions were woefully lacking in knowledge of
how to properly respond, so the Mind in general used its backup
library: stuff Ryouga watched on television.
That would mean... hm... kissing back a bit... yeah... holding the
girl gently yet firmly as well... good, good... ah, yes, this was
going rather well.
*
[morning...]
Ranma and Akane were standing outside of the guest room, very
unsure of what to do.
"So lemme get this straight," said Ranma. "you told Ryouga to
sleep in there..."
"And you told Ukyou to stay there?" asked Akane.
"Yeah... I didn't think anyone else would be there."
"So, you didn't see Ryouga anywhere else around here?"
"He isn't in the dojo," said Ranma, "not in the bathroom, not in my
room. No way he'd be in Mr. Tendo's room, and I _really_ hope he
ain't in Nabiki or Kasumi's."
"I haven't seen Ukyou around either," said Akane, "and nobody's
answering the phone at Ucchan's."
"Hmm," said Ranma.
"Hmm," Akane.
They both looked at the guest room door.
"Would it be impolite to, say, check in there?" asked Ranma.
"It might be considered that, yes," answered Akane.
They continued to stare at the door.
"We really shouldn't, ya know," said Ranma.
"Absolutely," said Akane.
Words, however, were different than thoughts. Those thoughts were
being nagged by the powerful force of genetics. After all, Akane IS
the daughter of Soun Tendo, and Ranma IS the son of Genma Saotome.
And considering the way Soun and Genma behaved...
The door opened silently. The two crept in without a sound.
"Oh my," whispered Akane. She is also, after all, Kasumi's sister.
She was also blushing rather badly.
"Whoa!" yelled Ranma. He is, after all, Genma's son. This
generally meant a lack of tact.
This also woke up two certain people.
Ryouga's brain snapped into focus suddenly. There was a reason for
that, and the reason was currently draped over him, giving him a
fairly passionate kiss.
"Mmm?" Ryouga asked.
"Why'd you have to be so loud, you moron!" hissed Akane.
"Sorry! Sorry! Let's get outta here, yeah?" suggested Ranma.
Common sense and Logic screamed at the same time. This was NOT A
DREAM. Ukyou was in bed with him AND KISSING HIM. His eyes flailed
around wildly in panic, and that didn't help at all since he
immediately saw Ranma and Akane staring at them in bewilderment.
Ryouga's Common Sense and Logic, being as frail as they were,
immediately froze, along with his ability to move.
Ukyou, still with closed eyes, broke off the kiss with a sigh and
snuggled closer. She was woken up slightly, but still in that morning
haze that makes everything foggy.
She felt good, though, for a reason that escaped her mind at the
moment.
<Ugh... morning... gotta open the store. In a few minutes.>
She blinked her eyes. There was movement off to the corner. She
tried to focus and looked.
"Oh. Ranchan, Akane, howyadoin?"
"Ah, good morning Ucchan," said Ranma nervously, "we were just
leaving."
"Sorry about that," said Akane, "we'll be downstairs."
Before Ukyou could get another word in, they were out the door.
"Hm. Wha's their hurry?" she said groggily, closing her eyes.
Time to open the restaurant. Ugh. No, definitely not yet. Too
tired. She snuggled under the sheets and decided to get just a
_little_ more rest.
<Seem t'be leaning on something.>
She raised her head again and looked around.
Ah. Ryouga. So that's what she was snuggling up against.
"'Mornin, Ryouga."
"Um... good morning," said Ryouga.
A full minute passed.
Something finally occurred to Ukyou.
"Um... Ryouga... hey..."
"Y-yeah?"
"You seem to be in bed with me."
"Y-yeah."
"Hmm."
Neither moved. They were entirely unsure of what to do next.
Ryouga was surprised that Ukyou hadn't punted him through the roof
yet. Ukyou was surprised she hadn't punted him through the roof yet.
What to do next was entirely unclear to both sides.
Perhaps, Ukyou thought, talking things through would be good?
"Y'realize this is the second time you snuck into my bed," said
Ukyou, her eyes still closed.
"Y-yeah."
"An'this's the second time y'kissed me."
"Y-yeah."
"Y'got a good explanation for this, yeah?"
"Y-yeah."
"Good. Tell me later, I need 'nother hour of sleep." And without
another word, Ukyou fell asleep again. Not knowing what else to do,
Ryouga fell asleep too. After all, he didn't get much sleep either.
The reader may point out that Akane and Ranma seemed to be up and
awake, although they got as much sleep as Ryouga and Ukyou. What
Ranma and Akane were doing up so early was, they would say, nobody's
business but their own.
*
[Several long and uncomfortable hours later...]
The day went fast and silent after the morning's interesting start.
Ryouga had silently pounded Ranma after he joked about what Ryouga and
Ukyou might have been doing earlier that night, and Ukyou silently
grabbed Ryouga by the hand and left for Ucchan's.
Wordlessly, they prepared for the weekend crowd, cleaning tables,
arranging seats, cleaning the equipment, etc. etc...
They handled the crowd with hardly a conversation. Just shouts of
orders being made and orders to be brought.
Afternoon melted into sunset which faded into nightfall, and still
the two didn't converse with each other. Actually, they weren't sure
what to say to each other. They still had no idea what to make of the
rather interesting start to the day, and were very much afraid of
making even more of a mess of the situation than it already was.
And so there they were, at the end of the day, closing up shop and
watching television. Not saying anything of consequence to each
other.
Of course, this couldn't last forever.
And of course, it was Ryouga who cracked first.
"Um... about this morning," he said, sweating nervously.
"What about it?" she asked, not looking at him.
"I, uh, I mean... well... I'm sorry."
Without emotion, without eye contact, she said, "okay."
Ryouga was puzzled. 'Okay'? That was it? That was all? No
promises of violence or accusations of perverted behaviour? That
seemed all too easy.
This could mean only one thing.
She was waiting for her vengence. When he wouldn't expect it,
she'd make him pay, and pay dearly. Nooooo, not a good thing at all.
He was determined to avoid _that_, which meant a little groveling.
Unforunately, Hibikis don't grovel well. And considering this was
a girl he was groveling to, and over a Very embarrasing event, he, of
course babbled.
"I, ah, didn't mean to, well, I just, er, terrible, you know, never
gonna do it again, accident, really embarrased..."
This wasn't taken well by Ukyou, especially with the bad word
choice.
"What, you're saying kissing me was a BIG HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR
YOU?!" she yelled.
"YES! I MEAN NO! UM, WAITWAITWAIT!"
"Pick your words with care, moron," snarled Ukyou.
"ImeanImeanah, well, it was nice."
"I-it was?" asked Ukyou, her face slipping from anger to a slight
blushing sort of embarrasment.
"Y-yeah, I guess," said Ryouga, keeping his gaze down.
"Y'weren't so bad yourself," said Ukyou shyly.
"I... I wasn't?"
"But... but next time," said Ukyou, "wake me up first, okay?"
Before any more words could be said she left for her room, leaving
a dumbstruck Ryouga standing there in silience. Her mind was swimming
in a bit of confusion and worry.
<Did I just say that? Ohmygosh, I just said that!>
As she slipped under the covers thorougly, she constantly berated
herself. Might give Ryouga the wrong ideas after all, and she knew
how much Ryouga could become obsessed with a girl. She did NOT want
that. No, no, no, no. Absolutely not.
<But it was a nice kiss.>
She fell asleep a little later, looking just a bit happier than she
usually did.
*
Ryouga, meanwhile, was still sorting things out.
<Was she being sarcastic? Was she serious? Aaagh, I don't know
what to do!>
It was night, it was late, and so he decided to just forget about
it all. Whatever will be will be, but he wasn't up do dealing with it
now.
Yes, sleep would be the best option.
As soon as he found his room.
-end part 12-