[Ranma][FanFic] Lesbian 1/2: Chapter 3
Donny Cheng
Rumiko Takahashi and co.
This story is a part of The Butt 2: The Other Cheek. Matt Lewis
provided the Oscir portion as is also credited with "The Other Cheek"
concept. Gary Kleppe is credited with the prequel, "The Butt".
This story, while NOT a lemon and NO real crass words are used, is
gratuitous. If you find the title offensive, you will not be able to
last through the rest of the story. You have been warned.
C & C welcomed.
Lesbian 1/2
A BLB production
By
Donny Cheng
Chapter 3
"Another bowl, Nabiki? You're certainly hungry today," Kasumi
said as she took Nabiki's empty bowl. Her sister was eating almost as
fast as Ranma and her father.
"Yeah. I'll need my energy for tonight," Nabiki said, giving
Ranma a wink at the same time as if it was some kind of joke between
the two of them. She made good on her point by finishing her third
helping in record time.
"Tonight? Oh, yes. It's your turn to help Ranma settle in
tonight. Well it isn't a school night, so I guess it will be okay if
you two decide to stay up all night."
Akane gave Nabiki a sharp look. That headache her sister had
complained to her about in secret the other day was now starting to
sound fishy. Akane had of course helped her sister out by switching
turns and took care of Ranma the previous night. Now, she didn't know
if that had been such a smart move.
Ranma edged closer to her Pop as soon as she saw Nabiki look her
way. She had the sudden urge to take a shower. Dirty thoughts filled
her mind as Nabiki's pink little tongue darted out and licked the now
empty bowl in a slow and very thorough manner. "I... ah, I think I can
manage tonight. Kasumi and Akane have helped a lot and I'm not exactly
alone anymore. I mean, I now have P-Chan to keep me company." While
she was kind of excited and looked forward to the night, her
conflicting emotions stopped her short. It wouldn't be fair. This
won't be like the time she had gotten between Usagi and Rei.
"Oh," Nabiki whispered and shrank back as if struck by a blow.
"I guess a pig would make a better companion than me."
Ranma winced and quickly mollified Nabiki, "I didn't mean it that
way. I just thought that maybe you wouldn't like sleeping in the same
room with a pig. If you don't mind, I'll be glad to have you stay with
me if you want to."
"Okay!" Nabiki exclaimed cheerfully and attacked her fourth bowl
of breakfast.
Ranma blinked at the sudden change. She gulped as the other
girl's cunning eyes remained on her. Tonight was going to be
interesting.
<Snap>
Kasumi sighed as she watched Akane's twitching eyes and looked at
the broken chopsticks in her hands. It was becoming clear to her that
her sisters were not at all adverse to Ranma as she might have thought.
It was really too bad, but Kasumi had never been the type that fought
over anything with her dearest family.
* * * * *
Ranma looked across the street before she took a step. It was an
open area and no place for any fiancée to hide. She breathed a sigh of
relief as she walked across it.
The whole day had been marked with Nabiki's frequent but
unexpected appearances. Whether she was in gym, home ec., or even the
hallway, the Tendo sister seemed to be there. Akane, of course, would
happen by right after and catch them in them in a shared moment. She
flinched inwardly as she remembered the worst of it all.
* * * * *
"Nabiki!" Ranma gasped as the door to her stall was opened.
"Ranma! I didn't see you there. You should have really locked
this door," Nabiki exclaimed. She had figured that Ranma wasn't the
type to lock doors given her upbringing. Heck, the girl didn't even
lock the bathroom at home with two grown men running about. When she
had seen Ranma go into the school lavatory she just couldn't resist.
Ranma sat uncomfortably on the toilet as it appeared Nabiki had
no intention of leaving. Her legs shuffled in nervousness, causing her
panties that had already been hanging precariously over her knees to
fall the ground along with her silk, black pants. To get them she
would have to get up, exposing herself in the mean time. Somehow this
type of exposure felt very different to when they had showered together
the previous day. *I knew I should have stayed with those boxers with
the elastic band on the waist,* she thought as she sighed with defeat.
"Um, can you close the door," Ranma whispered.
*Yes!* Nabiki thought enthusiastically and quickly shut the door
behind the both of them.
* * * * *
"Ranma, you in there?" Akane asked as she tried opening the door
to the lady's room. The door was stuck. She tried giving it another
shove. Did something happen to Ranma? Another shove later and the
door literally burst open. *Oops.*
She stepped over the remains of the wooden door and into the
bathroom. She smiled as she saw Ranma standing near the sink washing
her face. "Ranma, I was worried when you didn't answer and the door
wouldn't open."
Ranma scratched the back of her head nervously. "I think I might
have accidentally knocked the broom beside the door down and it somehow
barred the door."
Akane nodded absently as she something about Ranma's appearance
struck her as being odd. "Ranma, you forgot the tuck in your shirt and
there's a button missing...," Akane stopped as the sound of the toilet
flushing caught her attention. There was someone else in the room.
"Akane and Ranma. What a coincidence meeting you two in here?
You two weren't planning anything 'naughty' were you?" Nabiki asked
lazily as she stretched as if feeling relieved. She headed to the
sinks where the two of them stood.
"Nothing. Just telling Ranma to hurry or she'll miss the next
class," Akane answered, her eyes not leaving Nabiki. There was
something strange going on. The way Ranma flinched and blushed as the
word 'naughty' sent warning signals off in Akane's head. This was not
the only such strange occurrence. At least three times today, she had
caught Nabiki standing somewhere close to Ranma and each time they had
been standing _very_ close together.
* * * * *
Ranma's knees turned to jelly as she remembered the incident in
that stall. Nabiki's hands, hot breath, and tongue had been sooo nice.
If Akane had not come into the room at that time...
"Hey! Quit it!"
Ranma was brought out of her reverie by a sudden cry. It sounded
like a cry from a girl. The yell had come from a back lot on the other
side of the street. She quickly bounded across the street and over an
adjoining fence into the small area. Her eyes scanned the area for
trouble with practiced ease. There were three masked men and one girl
who seemed to only have a thin ribbon for defending herself. Ranma
cracked her knuckles and quickly joined in the melee. "Hold it right
there! What do you three think you're doing, picking on a helpless,
nice, cute girl?"
The girl looked at the newcomer in surprise. It actually made
her pause in the use of her ribbon.
"Picking on her? She's the one that beat us up! We're just
getting revenge"
"What?" Ranma asked before quickly turning around. It couldn't
be. From the glimpse of the girl that she had managed to steal, the
girl looked nice enough.
"Just a friendly match of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics that I
had with them before our real one in a week's time. I'm sorry if you
were injured but there are no eyes on weapons," she answered back
loftily. She was so disturbed by the newcomer's words she forgot
attack while their attentions were diverted. No girl, even her
classmates, had ever openly defended her before. She focused her anger
at the concerned words for they could easily have meant that she was
weak.
"She's right, these things happen. Besides, it's three against
one and if you still lose you can't blame anyone," Ranma agreed as she
chided the three bawling men. Jeez, these guys were wimps. With a
smile she turned back to the other girl and gave her a more normal
greeting. "I'm Saotome Ranma, nice to meet you."
"I am called the black rose, Kuno Kodachi. Anyway, I must be
off. You seem like a reasonable girl. It is nice to see one of the
peasant folk so well mannered. We'll meet again," Kodachi said before
quickly leaving the scene in a hurry. She glanced over her shoulder at
the girl in the lot. Ranma was still looking back at her.
Kodachi quickly turned around again to avoid those friendly eyes.
The girl was messing with her mind. So much so that her usual
magnificent introduction was cut short to just a few words that was
hardly worthy of her. So much so that she actually hesitated before
calling the girl a peasant even though her state of attire suggested it
quite clearly. So much so that Kuno Kodachi actually found herself
smile in reply to Ranma's own. Making friends with a peasant. The
most insane of ideas.
"Stop crying!" Ranma yelled as she finally turned back to the
blubbering trio. "You're men!"
It was then that the three removed some of the bandages that
covered their face, revealing their actual genders to be female.
"We're girls!"
*Uh, oh!* Ranma thought. "You're girls from my class. I'm
sorry, I didn't notice. I'm sorry, Akemi, Kyoko, and Yagami."
Akemi clenched her fist and started to give Ranma a sharp reply
before her hand was caught by her other two teammates.
"Oh, Ranma! That's alright. You couldn't see our faces," Kyoko
bubbly quickly shook off Ranma's apology. The poor girl looked as if
she were about to cry at the mistake.
"Right, you were only looking out for someone you thought was in
trouble. I'm sure I was surrounded by a gang you would have jumped in
to help," Yagami said, hope in her voice. She felt deliriously happy
as Ranma's expression made her look foolish to even suggest otherwise.
She was even more happy as it occurred to her that Ranma remembered her
name.
"Oh, it doesn't look too bad. Why don't I take you to Dr. Tofu's
to get patched up," Ranma asked as she ran her hand across Akemi's
cheek.
"Um... ah, okay. Whatever you say, Ranma," Akemi blushed. That
caress was so soft. It made her wonder how she could have gotten so
angry in the first place.
* * * * *
"You want me to take your place?" Akane asked as she looked at
her three classmates.
"Yes, you, and Ranma if that is possible," Akemi replied. "There
isn't anyone else more suitable. The honor of the school is at stake."
Akemi kept herself from asking Akane to get revenge on Kodachi. Ranma
would feel bad and that, Akemi did not think she could bear to see
after the way the ponytailed girl had helped their team out after their
initial encounter.
"It might be fun," Ranma said. Kodachi's face came back to her
and Ranma knew she definitely wouldn't mind being at the match next
week.
"Oh, alright," Akane answered, more for getting them out of her
house than anything else. She did not like the looks they were giving
her fiancée.
* * * * *
"This is hopeless. I'm a klutz," Akane cried.
"No, you're doing quite well for a beginner," Ranma quickly said
as she noticed Akane's hopes dropping.
"You really think so?" Akane asked hopefully.
"Of course not. She's lying," Ryoga said as he walked in from
where he was standing.
"Ryoga-chan!" Ranma laughed and ran up to hug her friend. "You
came back."
Ryoga was ready for his over exuberant best friend this time.
Carefully keeping his eyes away from Ranma's heaving chest he whipped
out a hot water kettle and splashed Ranma. "If I'm going to be
training you I might as well train your male body. That would make it
easier on Akane to adapt as we're both roughly the same height. She
might not be able to take to well to practicing with me and then you in
female form," Ryoga quickly explained as he took in Ranma's confused
expression.
"Training us?" Ranma asked. "You know Martial Arts Rythmic
Gymnastics?"
"A little," Ryoga smiled as he picked up a ribbon laying on the
ground and demonstrated by snapping the ground near Akane's feet.
Akane glared at Ryoga and nearly told his secret before her gaze
found the happiness on the now male Ranma's face. "Well, let's begin
then," she snapped.
* * * * *
"Oh, Ranma! Time for bed!" Nabiki called out as she stepped into
the dojo.
Ranma immediately went red in the face as he caught Nabiki's
wink. "Um, we're still training here."
Ranma was not the only one to catch Nabiki's brazenness. Ryoga
and Akane glared at the second Tendo daughter with hostility.
"Oh, please. You have a week before the match and from what I've
seen. Akane is really the only one that needs help. No reason to give
up your sleep also," Nabiki said and proceeded to tug Ranma's arm and
bring him out of the dojo. It surprised her at how _solid_ Ranma was
in male form in contrast to his softer more yielding female side.
"Cold!" Ranma yelled out as Nabiki brought out a glass of ice
water and splashed him. Where she carried the glass, Ranma could never
tell.
"Oh, good. I didn't dump all of the ice out yet. I know
something we can do later with it... in bed," Nabiki whispered to
Ranma. Instant pudding. Nabiki grinned and easily led the girl to
their room.
"What are you looking at?" Akane asked irritably. Her sister was
starting to wear thin on her nerves.
"Nothing. Let's work on the pins next," Ryoga replied all the
while his mind focused on Nabiki and Ranma. *If that pervert girl
tries to do anything to you, Ranma...*
* * * * *
"Not there... please no..."
"A little to the side... oh!"
"Ah!"
"Stop... stop it... argh! Don't stop, don't you dare ever stop!"
"More... please more."
* * * * *
"Did you hear something?" Ranma asked as, her ears perking up.
"It sounded like a crash in Akane's room!"
"W-what is it?" Nabiki asked dazedly.
Ranma quickly turned her head away from Nabiki's glistening
chest, wet with exertion. She needed to focus. "It was a crash, I'm
sure. I... should go see what it was. I'll be back," Ranma quickly
added at the sight of Nabiki's skeptical look.
"It's not that. You're going to go out in just your bra and
panties?"
"Oh."
* * * * *
Akane dodged another blow. Her concentration divided between the
hammer wielding maniac and the piglet that was scrabbling around the
room looking for the exit. When she had caught sight of Ryoga trying
to sleep with Ranma again as a piglet after their training session, she
had cornered him in her room. That had been when the girl, claiming to
be her opponent in the upcoming match surprised her. She finally
knocked the hammer away with a well-aimed kick.
"You are good." Kodachi gave Akane a better look. The girl had
just worked out by the look of the sweat on her face. Kodachi knew she
should have warmed up before coming here, but hadn't expected the girl
to be any competition. All reports indicated that Akane did not know
anything about rhythmic gymnastics. Kodachi should have known that
that did not mean lack of hand-to-hand skill. "I will return at
another time!"
Akane blinked as the gymnast disappeared out through the window,
leaving a swirling cloud of black rose petals in her wake. She was
about to follow when she caught sight of Ryoga trying to sneak out when
her back was turned. "Oh, no you don't. You're staying right here
where I can watch you."
* * * * *
Ranma scrambled out of the window was she heard the noise from
Akane's room dissipate and heard footsteps on top of house. She saw a
blur of motion. She quickly ripped a shingle off of the roof and threw
it at the figure.
"Ahh!"
That was a female cry, Ranma suddenly realized. She raced up and
over the top of the room, only to see the figure falling to the ground.
She jumped down, catching the girl's body just in time. Cradling the
girl's head in her arms, she landed safely and jumped back on to the
roof. "You okay?" she asked, while she sat down, still holding the
girl in her arms and then noticed who she was asking. It was that
Kodachi girl.
Kodachi was not prepared to see who it was that saved her from
that fall. It was that nice girl from earlier. Again, the girl looked
at her with concern. She tried to raise up indignation at being
treated as a weakling but found she could not. The girl really was
quite nice and she found it hard to get angry at her especially after
this rescue. "Yes, I think I am fine."
"That's good. Um, what were you doing on the roof? I heard a
crash in Akane's room. Was that you? You weren't trying to have
another 'fair' match before the real one again were you?"
Kodachi found herself at a loss at how she could feel pain at
seeing the accusation in the girl's voice. It was all for the better,
then. She had lived without another girl's friendship before and would
continue to do so.
"Wait, you shouldn't move so fast, you could still be dizzy,"
Ranma said as the girl tried to move out of her hands. Somehow this
movement caused something to fall out of Kodachi's leotard. How this
could happen, Ranma really didn't know as the clothing the girl wore
left no room for anything to be carried.
"Quick, cover your no...," Kodachi said belatedly as soon as she
saw her bouquet of flowers filled with paralysis gas fall out into the
open. Though she was nearly immune to the gas due to frequent
exposure, it still left her a little weak in the limbs.
Ranma blinked. She found her muscles suddenly stiffen up and her
joints lock into place. "What?"
Kodachi struggled but found that despite Ranma's size, the girl
was quite strong and in her weakened state she could not break free of
the rigid lock they were in. "There as something in the flowers. It
should wear off in a few hours," Kodachi sighed resignedly to her fate.
"Hours?" Ranma asked hoarsely, her mouth having gone dry.
Nabiki!
Kodachi weakly nodded, and shivered. Inactivity made the cold
wind more noticeable than from before. She suddenly felt body grow
warm and found Ranma had somehow managed to bring their bodies closer
together.
Ranma groaned in pain as she made her body flip over to the side
using every ounce of energy she had left. This caused Kodachi to be
semi-sandwiched between her and the hard roof. "Better?"
Kodachi was surprised to hear the same gentleness in Ranma's
voice without any hint of the accusatory tone from before. "But won't
you get cold? You back is totally exposed to the wind now."
"Actually, I'm feeling a bit warm now," Ranma croaked out feeling
her voice beginning to face. Her jaw muscles were beginning to clamp
shut.
"Oh?" Kodachi asked as she caught the crimson color Ranma's face
was turning. Their faces were only inches apart from their new
position. One of her arms cushioned Kodachi's back on the roof, while
the girl's other arm was still under the crook of the legs. Ranma's
body was half leaning over Kodachi's own so that one of their breasts
was touching each other. The coldness of the night, making their
nipples stand out, did not help matter any. "Oh!" Kodachi said again,
finally getting Ranma's meaning.
The wind rustled Ranma's loose silk shirt causing the fabric to
slap itself over one of the jutting points on Kodachi's chest. She
involuntarily moaned as another shiver ran through her for a totally
different reason this time. Her weak body gave a groan, twisting in
Ranma's arms and somehow managing to draw even more of the girl's body
over her own. Kodachi blushed as she tried regaining some control over
herself. *The gas has made my body more sensitive,* she noticed. *Is
the same happening to Ranma?*
"C-can... you... not... move?" Ranma gasped through her clenched
teeth, her mouth still not working quite properly. It was pure torture
not being able to move as her body was teased, not on purpose she was
sure, by the other girl's wriggling.
A moment of silence passed before, Kodachi decided to break the
silence. "Why did you just do that? Helping me to keep warm, I mean,
when you knew I had a 'match' with the Tendo girl."
"..."
Kodachi giggled suddenly as she looked at the pained look Ranma
gave her. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. She hadn't
laughed like that in an a long time. "Oh, that's right, the paralysis
gas still has its effect on you. So do you live here with them? You
don't look much like her," Kodachi continued to talk, more to take her
mind away from the way she was feeling that in keeping a non-existent
conversation alive.
* * * * *
Ranma moved her jaw around and found it to be moveable again.
She let out a loud groan as she carefully got up, making sure that
Kodachi was safe from falling. Her entire body ached from lying in
that awkward position.
Kodachi blinked as she woke up, still being held by Ranma. She
blushed as she pushed herself reluctantly away. She couldn't remember
when she had fallen asleep exactly. All she could remember was the
concern in the other girl's eyes as she was being watched over. Those
_open_ eyes. "You didn't sleep, did you?"
"Well, I had to make sure I didn't accidentally fall, carrying
you with me, when I could move again," Ranma said blushing. The truth
was it had been kind of nice watching Kodachi's face while she slept.
The leotard covering Kodachi's body had also provided a nice
distraction.
"Thank you, Ranma," Kodachi said after a moment of deciding what
to say. She had already decided the previous night, but had wanted to
wait until they stood on equal grounds. "I am in your debt."
"Oh, it was not much of a problem. It wasn't like I had anywhere
to go anyway," Ranma said truthfully. She glanced at Kodachi
nervously, not sure how to ask this. "Um, I wanted to ask you a favor.
Could you give Akane a fair match? I don't mean that you cheat or
anything. Just overly enthusiastic in sparring before the real one
starts."
Kodachi looked at Ranma as she mulled over what Ranma had said.
She could easily ignore the girl and go on with what she had been doing
before and keep her undefeated record intact. She could go on with
being respected and feared by her peers. Could she go back to life
without this girl named Ranma, who seemingly saw her, if that could be
imagined, to be a friend? Kodachi found to her surprise that she did
not want to find out the answer. "I always give them a fair match.
Perhaps, this girl is not as enthusiastic as I am. I can't say that I
blame her as I hear she is a beginner in this area and to face me as
the first opponent would make anyone feel some apprehension."
Ranma smiled gratefully. Though the girl's words were filled
with disdain, she felt that she could trust them. "Thank you."
"Well, I must be off. My brother and servants will be wondering
where I have been for the past few hours," Kodachi lied. She made her
way as slowly as possible to the other side. Neither her brother, nor
anyone in the Kuno mansion would be waiting for her with a cup of warm
milk and her bath drawn unless she asked it herself. She waited a few
seconds for Ranma to say something before sighing and making her way
home.
"Wait, Kodachi!" Ranma called and winced as she saw the gymnast
nearly fall over the roof at as Kodachi stopped in mid-jump. "Today's
the weekend. I thought maybe, you would like to do something today
with me and my friends. I mean if you're not doing anything."
"I don't know," Kodachi said exaggeratedly, "I might have time on
my schedule. Yes, I believe I do. I'll come by in the morning."
Ranma watched with appreciation as the girl bounded home across
the rooftops. The sun was just coming up, illuminating the girl in a
yellow glow. She stayed there watching before the realized what the
dawn meant. She had left Nabiki all alone for the whole night!
* * * * *
Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the room through
the window. Nabiki had fallen asleep. Ranma hoped it hadn't been from
waiting up all night for her. She quickly shrugged her clothes off
before lifting the blanket and getting into bed with Nabiki. She had a
few hours before breakfast would start and she was determined to get as
much sleep as she could.
Sometime later, Nabiki awoke to find her fiancée asleep beside
her. *I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much. All the food made me
sleepy. That massage you gave me just before you left just took the
rest of my strength. Sorry, Ranma. I'll make it up to you. Must have
been awful finding me asleep when you got back,* Nabiki thought. She
threw the blanket that covered the both of them off. A lusty smirk
crossed her face as she discovered Ranma in her underwear. Now that
was a sight to wake up to.
Ranma sighed lazily in her sleep. She had a sudden dream of four
scantily clad girls appearing and forcing her to their whim. One of
them approached her on hands and knees. All she could make out of the
figure's face where very sharp teeth and a dainty tongue flickering in
and out of the dark shadow of a mouth.
* * * * *
"Ryoga, come back here!" Akane yelled as she chased the piglet
over the roof. She didn't think Ryoga could have been strong enough to
break free of that rope.
"Bwee!" Ryoga ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.
The roof wasn't big enough and he was soon running out of places to
escape. He ran over the edge and bent over to see where he could land
safely. He thanked the gods as he caught sight of an open window.
Akane cursed as Ryoga somehow managed to find Nabiki's room.
There was no telling what might happen. She raced over and grabbed the
edge of the roof. She flipped herself over while still hanging on to
the ledge and then managed to swing herself into the open window.
Perfect. Or it would have been if the piglet wasn't directly beneath
her foot and caused her to trip.
"What in the hell?" Nabiki yelled out as she quickly got off of
Ranma.
"Akane?" Ranma asked as the sound awoke her from her beautiful
dream. "What are you doing in here?"
"Um, I thought I saw Ryoga," Akane said before quickly biting
down on her lip. She had promised the lost boy that she would not tell
Ranma and she had nearly blown it.
"I don't see Ryoga here, do you Ranma? Really, Akane if you
wanted to peek, you could have been quieter about it. You can stop
staring now," Nabiki said she watched where Akane's eyes were focussed
on.
"Both of you are barely wearing anything!" Akane suddenly
noticed. They had been sleeping in the same bed without any clothes
on. A series of sordid images of what had happened the previous night
passed through her mind. It was made worse by the sight of Nabiki's
body over Ranma when she had fallen in.
Nabiki rolled her eyes at Akane's prudishness. "What's the big
deal?"
"Um, Nabiki, your tank top is nearly falling off," Ranma said
helpfully and pointed at the shirt. It must have been three sizes too
big as the shoulder straps could barely stay on the shoulders. In fact
the left strap had fallen off and gave a very tantalizing view of
Nabiki's pert left breast.
"So? So's your panties by the way," Nabiki muttered. She was in
a bad mood. Things had been progressing so well.
"Eep!" Ranma looked down and indeed, somehow her panties dropped
lower, but still covering her parts barely. She blinked at the sudden
cold wet feeling as she pulled them up higher over her hips. *These
dreams have to go,* Ranma thought.
Akane gave Nabiki a withering stare. "You're not taking
advantage of Ranma are you?"
"Akane, do you know what you're saying? Two girls, remember,"
Nabiki smoothly countered. "I don't know how these thoughts cross your
mind. With this peeping thing I think I might know now."
Akane faltered for a moment, not sure how to answer that, since
she had been thinking of 'taking advantage' of Ranma in her dreams
lately. Not that she would ever admit it. "Hmph!"
Nabiki grinned as her sister finally left in a huff. "Finally.
Now where were we Ranma. I think I as going down...," she stopped when
Ranma suddenly dropped to the floor by the window.
"P-Chan!"
Ryoga lay in a small pool of blood.
* * * * *
"Good job, Akane. You do your father proud!" Soun cried.
"Can someone pass me the rice?" Genma asked.
"Akane, it isn't right. Sneaking around and peeping in the
middle of the night is wrong," Kasumi admonished more forcibly than she
normally did. *There I go again. They want Ranma, so I shouldn't
stand in the way,* she berated herself.
"I personally don't mind. But it's my duty to protect my fiancée
from perverts," Nabiki added, enjoying the situation. It made up for a
bit of Akane's barging in.
Akane buried her head in her hands at how everybody was getting
if all wrong. If there were perverts in the house it was that damn pig
and her sister.
"Open wide, P-Chan!" Ranma said to her piglet, not paying any
attention to the conversation. "Honestly, I don't know how you keep
having nose bleeds."
"Is anyone home?"
Ranma turned her head at the sound of the voice. "Oh, it's
Kodachi. Come in. We're in the dining room!" she called out.
"Who?" Nabiki asked, her mind knowing already that she would not
like the answer. Ranma has been here too little a time to have made a
friend that she didn't know about.
"Kuno Kodachi? That psycho from last night?" Akane asked
suddenly.
"Uh, yeah. I caught up to her last night when I heard a crash in
your room. Turns out it was just her overzealous nature to get the
fight on the way. You know how some of these athletes can get. I
invited her over so she can make nice with you and spend the day with
us," Ranma replied.
"Kuno-chan's sister?" Nabiki blinked as Akane and Ranma
facefaulted. "You mean you didn't know?"
"She's the sister of that guy who has been giving me flowers
right before the start of school for the past two days? There's a
resemblance, but she looks and acts much nicer than him," Ranma said as
an afterthought.
Three stares with differing degrees of anger immediately swerved
to look at the hallway opening, expecting a succubus to suddenly
appear. So dangerous were their auras, Genma and Soun thought a nice
game of shogi at this time would be good and hastily retreated to a
safer part of the house. Three pairs of eyes widened and then narrowed
as a girl appeared and was not all that ugly.
"Oh, there you are Ranma. Quite a 'quaint' place you have here,"
Kodachi sniffed as she entered the room, ignoring the smoldering looks
that were directed at her.
Akane took a better look at Kodachi under the morning light.
Gone was the seeming constant haughty visage from the last night. In
its place was a confused smile meant only for Ranma, which made her
slightly more pleasant to look at than the witch from before. The
obvious disdainful words Kodachi just uttered appeared to be more from
habit than actual feeling.
Nabiki had heard of Kodachi, but did not expect to see a rather
normal if stuck up girl. She half-expected a psychotic gymnast flying
into the room in only a leotard. She should have known better than to
believe the 'facts' from people that lost to the girl. Most of them
were most likely exaggerated claims. The girl was actually not bad to
look at and she somehow didn't trust the wandering gaze of her fiancée
not to notice this.
Kasumi sighed as she saw the eyes that Kodachi made at Ranma.
They were confused, but there was definitely a strong undercurrent of
attraction in them. "I'll get you a cup, so you can join us for tea,"
Kasumi spoke up as soon as she realized her sisters were not going to
offer this simple courtesy. Her heart warmed as Ranma gave her a
grateful glance.
Kodachi was surprised to see another person other than Ranma
treat her so well after what she had done to Akane the night before.
She was even more surprised at the very warm smile the eldest Tendo
sister gave her. "T-thank you," Kodachi stammered losing her cool for
a second. Being so near her new friend disarmed even the most
ingrained habits that she had. So much so that she actually didn't tip
the girl for her efforts.
"We're just having breakfast. Would you like to share some of
our meager helpings? I understand that you're used to better." Kasumi
had often heard of the fatted calf Kuno family that Nabiki mentioned,
but felt it would be impolite to refer this as her source of the
information.
"I'll get the bowl," Akane finally said, putting her differences
with Kodachi aside. There was nothing really that she could be mad
about other than the attack the previous night which Ranma had already
explained to her as mere enthusiasm. Besides that, Kyoko, Yagami, and
Akemi, would have asked for revenge if Kodachi were really bad.
Kodachi could only stare flabbergasted at the smiling family.
She had come prepared with her weapons underneath her shirt if things
turned ugly. Even going so far as to load up on anti-toxins into her
body, just in case. They were not acting like anything that she
expected.
"Kodachi? You okay? You seemed dazed. You're not still feeling
the effects of the paralysis gas are you?" Ranma asked this last
question quietly away from the ears of the others. Of course to do
this, she had to bend her mouth towards Kodachi's ear.
Nabiki's decision on what to do was made for her as she watched
Ranma about to neck Kodachi. How much time did they spend together
last night? She was really regretting falling asleep. "Maybe, she
should go home if she's feeling sick. Kasumi just washed the floors
yesterday."
Kodachi grinned as gave Ranma as slight shake of her head to
indicate she was alright. The middle sister's greeting had been just
what she had expected and her senses righted themselves and she forced
her jumbled emotions to concentrate on the new perceived threat. "Oh,
I'm feeling much better now... Nakiki, was it?"
"Why you arro..." Nabiki's eye twitched at the mauling of her
name, but before she could reply, she saw Ranma take Kodachi's
attention.
"No, this is Nabiki. I guess it's my fault of not introducing
you at first. That is Kasumi and you already know Akane. I'm really
sorry about this, Nabiki," Ranma apologized to her fiancée. She had
seen the anger in Nabiki's face and knew she had blown it again.
Two hearts nearly broke at seeing Ranma's head down, blaming
herself for their tension. "No, no, Ranma. I should have confirmed it
before I made such a horrible mistake," Kodachi said. Seeing Ranma's
face so down caused a guilty feeling to well up in Kodachi.
"Yeah, I shouldn't have expected too much. This is the first
time that we've met each other." Nabiki grudgingly extended her hand
out and Kodachi did the same.
Ranma's responding smile brought a tingling feeling to both girls
as they gazed into her beatific face. Nabiki felt her hand grow warm
suddenly as goose pimples raised on her arm. She had wanted to jerk
her hand back after it was over and done with, but suddenly found
herself reluctant to do so.
Kodachi found that all feeling in her body appeared to have
decided to congregate on her hand. Her entire body was numb to the
outside world. Her pleasure centers finding that they liked where they
were. Ranma's happiness at seeing her in friendship with Nabiki only
increased the strength of the feelings.
"Hey, what's going on?" Akane asked as she came out of the
kitchen with a bowl for Kodachi. She was surprised to see Nabiki and
the girl shake hands. Her sister didn't make friends easily. "So, you
all set for some shopping after this?"
"Yes. I think I need to buy a pair of panties," Nabiki answered
quite suddenly.
Kodachi was shocked at the openness of underwear being discussed
but realized that there were only girls in the room. It was nice that
Nabiki felt they were close enough to talk of such intimate apparel.
"Yeah, I need some too," Akane quickly agreed. "Ranma, do you
think we bought enough for you the last time?"
"They were a little tight, but I think I have enough," Ranma
answered meekly as Akane and Nabiki seemed to be staring her down.
"They were probably the wrong size. We should get you some new
ones. I think the store will take them back and exchange them," Nabiki
said, knowing full well that she had made sure Ranma bought pairs that
were a size too small. "Maybe we can get some 'other things' while
we're there?"
"What other things?" Kasumi asked simultaneously with Kodachi,
both curious at the grins Akane and Nabiki were sporting and the effect
it was having on Ranma. "Oh my!" they both replied at the same time
when they got their answer.
* * * * *
"Out of the way, hot stuff coming through!"
"Oof!" Kodachi cried out as she was suddenly pushed aside by an
oncoming bicycle carrying a delivery boy.
"Oh, sorry, miss... where are you going? Never seen anyone react
that badly to hot soup before," the boy said, scratching his head
confused.
"Kodachi, you alright?" Akane asked as she helped the girl to her
feet.
"I am, but Ranma isn't. I think this idiot spilled boiling soup
on her."
"She's um... hot water and her...," Akane tried thinking of a
plausible explanation.
"She's afraid of hot water. She has an aversion to it from a
childhood incident. Can only take luke warm baths, the poor girl,"
Nabiki interjected before Akane could bungle it.
"It's my fault. I saw her jump in front of me to stop the bike!
I better find her," Kodachi said and raced in the direction Ranma has
run off to.
"Ranma hasn't told Kodachi her secret yet?" Kasumi asked, not
liking the lie she was now caught up in.
"The more people know the worse it will be for Ranma. You don't
want her uncomfortable, do you?" Nabiki asked. "Right now, we've got
to find Ranma before Kodachi does."
* * * * *
"Oh, sir? Have you seen a girl fly past here? She was
wearing... what you're wearing actually. It didn't look very unisex on
her." Kodachi blushed as she realized she was staring. The boy in
question even shared some of the same features as Ranma. Long pony
tailed hair and clothing not withstanding. Later in the day, she would
wonder why she had asked instead of demanded help. Her concern over
Ranko was again making long habits of hers forgotten.
"Um, I think I saw someone like that across the street over
there," Ranma said after a moment of hesitation. Hesitation due to the
obvious concern in Kodachi's eyes. He could not help but feel good at
the flash of appreciation Kodachi passed her way before going towards
the place he indicated. Nothing could ruin his day.
He was wrong of course. A broken hot water tap in a bathroom and
a clumsy waiter in a restaurant would all prove to him false in his
conclusion.
* * * * *
"I think you have a secret admirer, Ranma," Kodachi said not too
happily to her friend as the two of them walked back to the Kuno
Mansion after what had to be the greatest day of her life. The other
three sisters having gone home, all suffering from cramps apparently as
they walked home funnily from the lingerie store. Kodachi's training
in gymnastics made her much more limber and it wasn't as noticeable.
At least she hoped it wasn't, blushing red at the thought. "Every
where we go, there's this guy that shows up dressed exactly like you.
If that's not obsession I don't know what is."
"Uh... ah, I know who your talking about. That's Ran... that's
it. That's Ran. He's an old friend of mine that drops in once in
awhile to look after me. He's really overprotective, but I think of
him as a brother," Ranma lied.
"That's really admirable of him. Why aren't you staying with him
instead of the Tendo's," Kodachi asked. Though after spending a day
with them, she could see how much fun a bunch of girls might be over an
overprotective brother.
"Oh, I'm engaged to be married to one of them..." *Oops!* Ranma
thought belatedly. She tried to explain the situation to Kodachi but
the girl had frozen solid into place.
* * * * *
Kodachi looked out the window, watching the limo take Ranma back
to the Tendo dojo. She supposed she couldn't blame the sisters for her
friend's situation. In fact they were probably helping Ranma by
prolonging a decision. How dumb could their fathers be? Engaging two
girls together just because neither had a boy.
Kodachi tried thinking of some way that she could help Ranma,
also. She convinced herself it was purely on Ranma's behalf and not on
the girl's ripe full body that was plump in all the right places that
would make any man or wom... Kodachi stopped the thought abruptly.
Friends weren't supposed to think that way about other friends. It was
shameful enough how she acted in that store. She looked down at the
flimsy nightie she had bought and had nearly tried on right then and
there for Ranma.
That boy, Ran! She recalled the uncomfortable look Ranma had
when she described Ran. It could be that it was Ranma copying Ran's
mode of dress, Kodachi figured. Placing two and two, she got her
answer. If she could put the two of them together fast enough, the
farce of an engagement could be stopped. She ignored the jealousy and
anger she felt at Ran. She had a friend to help. The very idea of
that brought contentment to Kodachi that she had never known before. A
friend.
That didn't mean she would let up on Akane though. She beat the
girl, _fairly_, in two hours the next week. The longest match ever
recorded in history.
* * * * *
to be continued... (maybe)