[Ranma/Xover][FanFic] When Bakas Learn - Chapter 1
Hefni
Rated PG-13 for the occasional swearing.
Disclaimer : The characters used in this fanfiction do not belong to
me, and are used without permission for non-profit purposes.
NOTE: To avoid confusion, I have decided to use a certain fanfic
convention, where 'chi' is used to refer to a person's own life
energy, while 'ki' refers to ambient life energy. Thus, your chi would
be my ki, and vice versa. Hope that clears it up.
Comments? Suggestions? Love it? Hate it? Why do you love it? Why do
you hate it? Email me at bluefurball(at)yahoo.com Flames
will be ignored.
When Bakas Learn
by bluefurball
Chapter 1
==========
For the fourteenth time in ten minutes, Saotome Ranma gave a silent
"thank you" to Kami-sama for the fact that his new-found skills
required conscious effort.
He quietly accepted the bowl of rice offered to him by Kasumi, all the
while keeping his eyes on the on the table, not daring to look
up. More specifically, not daring to look to his right, where Akane
sat.
As it was, he was very conscious of Akane sitting next to him. His chi
was reigned in tightly, but he was acutely aware of the centimeter
separating his knee from Akane's. He could feel her warmth, radiating
from her, seeping slightly into his right leg. Ironically, the warmth
sent chills down his spine, alternating with warmth that so
confusingly came from his own heart. Akane, who now had her own bowl
of rice cupped in her left hand, leaned to her left to reach for the
stewed beef. She was wearing a half-thigh skirt, and her bare knee
touched Ranma's.
His chopsticks fell onto the table with a clatter.
All eyes turned to Ranma. His expression was that of a deer that
realized it was in the path of a train, while his right hand twitched
quite noticeably every two seconds or so.
"Ranma, dear. Are you alright?" Saotome Nodoka had earlier noticed how
close Akane and her son sat, and her heart had warmed at the sight of
Akane taking surreptitious glances at Ranma. Her beloved son, much to
her surprise, had acted _quite_ bashful.
(Better than being wishy-washy, I suppose,) she thought.
"Ranma? Are you okay?" Akane asked. Concern was quite visible on her
face.
The pigtailed boy nodded his head vigorously. It was strangely
reminiscent of how Soun shook his head when a panda had stepped into
his house more than a year ago.
"You sure?" she continued, not satisfied with his reaction.
Again, tight-lipped, he nodded his head vigorously. Grabbing his
chopsticks, he raised his bowl to his face and gave everyone at the
table a front-row seat of his impromptu revision of the Saotome Secret
Technique: Rice Bowl of Invisibility.
It was as effective as an ostrich burying its head in the ground.
Seeing that no answer was coming from Ranma, everyone turned to their
own food and started eating.
"So, son. What technique have you learned?" Genma said after a few
minutes of silence. He sat beside Nodoka, and was eating ONLY his
food; the presence of his wife did wonders for the peace of the dinner
table.
"Eh?" said the rice bowl.
"You spent a week in the dojo alone boy! And I heard you yell out
earlier! You've learned a new technique! What is it?"
"Uh.. it's-" Ranma tried to find the exact words to best describe his
new skills, when thoughts from a week ago came back to him.
(People are unwilling to share such knowledge or information because
it would expose their weakness.)
His face twisted slightly into a thoughtful frown as his mind took
over.
(Can't let them know about this! Once it gets out every old bat, freak
and moron will stay out of my sight!) thought the young Saotome, who
obviously had adopted endearing nicknames for some people.
(Shit! Here goes nothing... please Kami-sama let them believe this.)
"It's not a technique pop."
"What?! Don't lie to your father boy!"
"I ain't lyin'! It's not a technique! I just have a new view on life!"
*Snap* went Genma's chopsticks.
(Please buy it please buy it please buy it please let pop buy it
Nabiki too please please please)
"You... what?" said Genma, shock evident on his face.
"I spent the last week thinking of how to improve myself," said the
pigtailed boy, brain working in overdrive to come up with a plausible
twist to the truth.
"You... were... thinking?" Genma fumbled, obviously having trouble
associating his son with such an act.
Mostly because the concept of thinking had of late become quite alien
to him.
"Yeah! You got a problem with that?"
The elder Saotome took a deep breath, and with obvious restraint, said
"And what exactly is your... new view on life?"
"I wanna learn as much as possible."
*Twitch* went Genma's left eyebrow. He was obviously on the verge
of... something.
"Why Ranma, that's absolutely wonderful!" piped in Nodoka. At last,
her son had realised the importance of education and wanted to improve
his grades!
"I've brought you up to be the best martial artist ever, and you want
to be a NERD?!"
"Now, now, Genma dear. Our son wants to better himself. Not in the
Art, true, but education is so very important nowdays. You should be
proud of him," Nodoka patted her husband gently on his back.
"I will-"
"You will give him your full support, won't you _dear_?" Nodoka
interjected smoothly, deftly insinuating her iron will into the last
word. The last time Genma had his way, she had lost her son for ten
years. Ten years to temper her will, and she would die before she
failed her beloved son again.
"But... but..." Genma sputtered. He had planned on putting down his
foot to overrule his misguided son and wife, as he had done more than
ten years ago. Nodoka had all but decapitated his plan.
"Oh my, father. Is Uncle Saotome starting to cry?"
"Calm down dear. Here, have some more chicken. And some pickles.
Kasumi, some more rice for my dear husband, if you please."
"Here you go, Uncle Saotome," said Kasumi, with her eternal angelic
smile.
Genma nodded dumbly, burying himself (metaphorically, of course) in
his dinner. A father could take only so much after all. Thank
Kami-sama he had a wonderful wife who knew just how to comfort him in
his hour of grief.
Not that he was too hard to understand, being as predictable as a
jukebox.
(Oh Kami, thank you.) Ranma was being quite religious that evening.
(Now for Nabiki... this is going to be harder than Pops.)
Ranma braced himself for the impending onslaught.
Only sounds of chewing and Genma's sniffling graced his ears.
(Any moment now...)
More chewing.
(Huh? She missed her cue?) he thought, looking up to Nabiki's place.
Which was occupied by a few cubic feet of air.
"Err... where's Nabiki?"
"Goodness, son. You were really lost in thought in the dojo, weren't
you?"
"Err... I guess so. What does that have to do with Nabiki?"
"Only that she's gone for the a class trip to Yokohama for the
weekend."
"She is?" said Ranma, with a puzzled look, which slowly turned into a
goofy, relieved grin. (Oh thank you Kami-sama. Thank you thank you
thank you! I'll never do anything bad ev- emm.. I'll never tell a lie
ev- emm... I'll say some very nice things to the next priest I meet.
Yeah! That's it! Thank you, Kami-sama!)
Elated and relieved at the good news, he resumed to eat at his normal
pace, a rate that could shame industrial-strength vacuum pumps.
Finishing the last of his food, he patted his tummy, a huge grin on
his face. "Ahh... that hit the spot. Great cooking Mom, Kasumi."
"Auntie cooked most of the food Ranma, I just helped a bit," Kasumi
stated modestly. A slight blush adorned her cheeks; that Ranma could
be _such_ a tease!
"Ranma, where are you going?" said the youngest Tendo as Ranma walked
out of the dining room.
Akane's voice stopped Ranma in his tracks.
"I... uh... umm... going to... umm... wh- why do you ask?"
"Well, there's a movie on the tv in three hours... I was wondering if
you'd like to- to watch it with me," she managed to say. Her voice
was barely audible by the end of her sentence, as she was very
conscious of the collective gazes her and Ranma's families gave her.
Genma started to say something, but somehow Nodoka's gentle hand on
his shoulder cut off his words.
"I... uh... anoo... that is... I..." Ranma managed, quite eloquently.
He had planned on practicing his new skills in the dojo right after
dinner. A great battle (or act of great thievery, take your pick) was
going to take place tomorrow, and he had to make sure that he was
prepared. There was no time to waste, especially not with the tomboy!
All that was left was to convince himself that he really didn't want
to take up Akane's invitation.
Soun decided to take the baton from his friend and speak for the boy.
There was only one thing to say, after all. He opened his mouth, but
shut it quite promptly when Nodoka gave him a curious-looking smile.
(Argghh! What's happening here?) Ranma screamed inwardly. It was
supposed to be a simple affair; get up from the dinner table while
ignoring all feelings for a certain somebody because that would make
him think of things that was NOT prepared for, and go into the dojo
and practice. Not to hide. Definitely not. Seriously.
(Gotta get outta here! Saotome Final Attack Revised! Insult Fiancee
and Get Punted out of Town!)
"Ranma would love to join you, Akane," said Nodoka.
(Huh? Mom?)
Nodoka turned to her son and gave him a smile. "You have been hard at
work all week, dear. You should get some rest, and I don't mean
sleeping."
"Really?"
Nodoka's gentle smile calmed him somewhat. "Of course, Ranma. Sleeping
might freshen your body, but your mind needs a different kind of
rest."
"Uhh... if you say so Mom. Emm... in three hours right? I- I'll be in
the dojo till then," he said, quickly stepping out of the room before
anyone else could vocalize any more ideas.
Turning back towards the table to help Kasumi with the dishes, Nodoka
found Akane smiling at her with a look of relief and gratitude.
"Thank you, auntie," she said quietly.
Nodoka merely returned her smile, and patted Akane's hand on the table
gently.
"You're more than welcome, dear."
==========
"Saotome."
"Yes, Tendo?"
They were sitting across the shogi board again, Soun smoking a
cigarrette.
"She's astounding."
"Who is, Tendo? Look Tendo! A shooting star!"
They were playing their version of shogi.
"Where? Eh? But we're indoors, Saotome... huh? Now that's odd," said
Soun. He scratched his head, and continued, "Your wife, Nodoka. She
was amazing, Saotome."
"That she is, Soun," Genma paused. "By the look in the boy's eyes, I
thought that he would say something unkind to Akane." Placing a piece
on the board, he said "We were lucky she was there, old friend."
"I agree. Her skills are formidable, Saotome."
"Very, Tendo."
"We should've roped her in from the start."
"Live and learn, Tendo. Live and learn."
==========
Akane looked at the clock on the living room wall.
(Where is that baka?)
A bowl of mixed nuts and two covered mugs of hot cocoa sat on the
table, courtesy of Kasumi.
(It's five minutes till the show!)
She was dressed in her yellow pyjamas, two pillows by her side.
(He'd better not forget...)
The room was dark, save for the television, which was showing an
advertisement for an isotonic drink.
She looked at the clock.
(Four minutes... )
Two more commercials, and she glanced at the wall clock again.
(That's it! I'm going to drag him in here by his pigtail if I have
to!)
Just as she was about to get up, the shoji slid open, and Ranma
stepped in.
Her back facing the sliding door, Akane put on her best expression of
disapproval. He had always looked cute as he floundered trying to come
up with explanations, and the sight of that was just what she needed
to ease the irritation she felt earlier. It was a small matter,
really, but one had to stick to principals, after all. "It's about
time you got in here. The movie's about to start," she said, turning
around.
Ranma did not so much as walk into the room as he did stagger. Looking
extremely drained from his workout, he sat by the table opposite
Akane. Wordlessly, he grabbed one of the mugs, and downed its contents
in a few loud gulps.
"Ahhh..."
Putting the mug back on the low table, he sat facing the television,
hands on his knees.
(What's wrong with him? He's not saying anything!)
She turned to look at the television, then back at Ranma.
Who was still in the same position.
"Ranma?"
No response came.
"Ranma?" she said, a bit louder.
Still no response. A sliver of worry formed in her chest; a sliver,
but cold nonetheless.
"Ranma? What's wrong?" said Akane, tentatively reaching out for her
fiance.
The only sound came from the television. She touched his shoulder.
"Zzzz....."
Akane promptly rediscovered the taste of tatami as she face faulted.
Leave it to a male Saotome to fall asleep with his eyes open.
She got up with a sigh, and stared at her sleeping fiance.
"Baka." she said softly, shaking her head.
Grabbing one of the pillows, she slowly pushed Ranma onto his back,
resting his head on the pillow. She straightened his legs and put his
arms by his side.
She took her own pillow, and lay by his side, facing the television.
Akane looked at her sleeping fiance.
(Baka) she thought, without any real malice or anger.
(So much for resting the mind.) she sighed.
(At least he didn't forget.)
With that, she turned her attention to the movie, a smile on her face.
==========
-The Next Day-
It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun shone unhindered, the sky
was fantastically blue, the clouds mere wisps, giving one the perfect
opportunity to gaze into the sky and lose oneself in its vastness. The
air was so fresh and crisp, that one could not help but feel alive,
and the slight breeze carried with it the simple yet contagious
excitement of a new day. Even those who usually did not welcome
mornings felt that everything was right, and that they could take on
the world that day.
(Man, I feel I can take on the world!) See?
(Heck! Make that the world AND the old ghoul!)
Yes, even the very embodiment of disorder -- though not by choice -
was not immune to the wonderful morning.
(Better watch out old ghoul, here I come!)
A smirk crept into his face without his realizing it. He was walking
towards the Neko-hanten, with a secret mission: to steal Cologne's
secrets, from right under her wrinkled, ancient, shrunken nose.
His purposeful stride, as well as the smirk was broken as a thought
crossed his mind: what if Cologne caught him? She'd been around before
Nerima got its name, and undoubtedly had a lot of tricks up her
voluminous (though rather short) sleeves. There was no telling what
she would do to him, what with the unyielding martial laws of her
village and the tenacity with which she upheld said laws.
(Heh. Let her try.)
He continued forward, though his heartbeat had risen a bit. The risk
of being caught fueled his anticipation and gave rise to his
excitement. The familiar smirk crept into his face again; THIS was
what he lived for! The Art. Unadulterated, dangerous, pure and deadly.
For this he would sacrifice his life. For the Art he would walk into
the lion's *shudder* den; there was no other way he would live his
life.
Not to mention that he wouldn't have time to think about Akane.
(Damnit! Why do I hafta think about that tomboy now?)
Yes, Saotome Ranma was at a loss of what to do or think. Yesterday,
during that brief glance in the early evening, he saw and felt
something that he thought he'd never see from the short-haired girl.
He felt lo-
"But that can't be fucking right!" he exclaimed as he killed that line
of thought, oblivious to the looks of passers-by. (She hates being
engaged to me! She's said that so many times! There's no way she'd lo-
lo- err.. like me if she hates the damn engagement!)
He came across a pebble and kicked it absent-mindedly. The poor piece
of stone skittered down the cement road, for two hundred and eight
meters before it finally lost momentum and came to a stop.
(And what the hell was that thing with the knee about?!) he grumbled.
The smoothness of Akane's skin had penetrated the fabric of his
drawstring pants. An electric shock couldn't have made him drop his
chopsticks any faster.
(Maybe I should start wearin' jeans,) he thought, and subconciously
reached down to scratch his knee. He could still feel it tingling, and
a mental picture of Akane smiling came to his mind.
Which he banished by smashing his forehead into a nearby concrete
wall.
(Focus! Gotta focus! Soul of ice... soul of ice...)
Having taken a few deep breaths to achieve the desired state of mind,
he slowly stepped away from the wall and resumed his walk.
"Ano... young man," said an elderly gentleman, standing next to the
wall.
"Excuse me, son!" he called out again, louder this time. Ranma still
showed no sign of hearing him.
"Someone has to pay for this!" said the elderly man. He looked at
Ranma, then to his wall, which had gained a roughly circular
depression. Spider-web cracks radiated from the depression, courtesy
of the pigtailed boy's forehead.
"Ah, who am I kidding?" he sighed. Turning around to enter his house,
he muttered "At least he only gave it a small crack. That boy with the
fangs would've given me a new gate."
==========
(Well, this is it.)
Ranma was a few meters away from the corner that stood between him and
the Neko-hanten. He could not imagine how much he'd be fidgeting at
the moment if he had not immersed himself in the Soul of Ice.
He channeled the minimum amount of chi required into his cornea, skin
and on his eardrums, as well as his cochlea. His traning session the
night before had been extremely draining, but it had been worth it.
Thinking of the general direction of the Neko-hanten, he filtered out
the irrelevant input from the surrounding areas. Immediately he heard
Shampoo singing to herself as she went about her duties. Pumping more
chi, Mousse could be heard wiping the tables with a slightly abrasive
piece of cloth. Then came the sound of broth bubbling on a stove,
and the tap-tapping sound of Cologne's pogoing on her cane as his
hearing reached the kitchen.
"Great grandmother! Shampoo go make delivery now!" he heard the bubbly
Amazon call out in her cute, sing-song voice.
(All right! Perfect!) he thought, jumping over the wall and hiding
behind it.
Shampoo's passage rang like sweet bells to his ears. A major problem
had taken care of itself. He jumped over the wall and proceeded
towards the Neko-hanten.
(Hmm... the ghoul's in the kitchen. Hafta get past that idiot Mous-)
A smile slowly crept into his face.
(Mousse! Perfect! I've always wanted to know how he stuffs all those
things up his sleeves!) Ranma was nearly rubbing his hands in glee.
(Not to mention I get some real life practice before I move on to
uglier fish!)
Cologne definitely had a point whenever she called him impertinent.
(Now... how to go about this...) he quizzed himself. A thought struck
home; Nabiki would have been extremely jealous of the accompanying sly
expression on his face had she seen it.
Ranma stepped into the restaurant.
"Welcome to Ne- Saotome! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I've come for Shampoo, bird brain."
The cloth he had been using to wipe the tables fell from limp hands.
Mousse's jaw hang slack, his face twitching erratically.
Mousse had never heard Ranma utter those words. Now the unspoken had
been made heard.
"You look really dumb Mousse, standing there with yer mouth open. No
wonder she wants nothing to do with you."
Limp fingers curled, and knuckles under teenaged Chinese skin popped.
"Where is she anyway? I'm getting hungry..."
Smouldering eyes narrowed dangerously behind thick lenses.
"... and she's just right for eating."
"DIE!!"
==========
Ranma grinned to himself. It couldn't have been more predictable if he
had thrown a lit match onto gasoline.
As Mousse yelled out the battle cry, Ranma made a standing leap
backwards, onto the wall in front of the restaurant. With another
leap, he bounded off onto the rooftops, with Mousse in hot pursuit.
(Hmm... the ol' ghoul's cheking the dining area. Musta heard Mousse
shout. Bet she didn't hear me egg him on though. Good. The last thing
I need is her putting words in my mouth later.)
Ranma leapt off another roof, the power behind the leap good to clear
exactly three roofs and onto the fourth.
"You're doing good speed today Mousse," he said quietly, more to
himself.
Mousse was eight roofs behind him. His heartbeat was two hundred and
forty-one per minute, and his left hand twitched slightly as he ran.
The veins in Mousse's head were throbbing, and he was grinding his
teeth very hard.
Ranma didn't need to look to find out. Looking was no longer
necessary.
(Let's fan the fire a little bit before we start.)
The pigtailed boy turned around in mid-leap.
"Yo Mousse!"
The other boy only continued to charge forward with a snarl on his
face.
"Really nice of ya to come and help me look for Shampoo like this!"
shouted Ranma.
The young Saotome was rapidly approaching his next rooftop. He made no
move to turn around, but extended his leg backwards. His foot found
purchase on a tile, and his knee bent to absorb the impact. The leg
straightened, and again Ranma was airborne for a four-roof leap.
Mousse was too immersed in rage to notice that Ranma was running
backwards across rooftops.
"Finding her will be faster with both of us looking, right Mousse?"
That his face twitched into a fiercer snarl and his closing the gap by
a roof was the only indication that Mousse had heard Ranma.
(Damn! I can feel him mad! Talk about a burning rage, he's hot enough
to cook something!) Running backwards, Ranma was getting a full view
of Mousse's anger. Deep hatred radiated from Mousse, accompanied with
a constant strobe of dark, harmful intentions. Visible even to the
naked eye, Mousse's rage shot flaming daggers to Ranma's hyper senses.
(Need a good place to fight him. Hmm... let's see...)
Ranma channeled more chi into his senses. A dull reaction with a tinge
of solidity to the west brought a smile to his face. He corrected his
course with another backward leap.
"And when we find her you can go back home feather breath, 'cuz I'm
gonna have some SERIOUS fun with Shampoo!"
"ARRRGGHHH!!! I'll kill you! I'll kill you Saotome!"
The young Saotome flipped in mid-air and landed at the edge of a
construction site, deserted at the moment, as he knew it would be.
"Sure, but wait after I get a few mouthfuls of her, will ya?"
"DIE!!!"
Ranma put on his best smirk, and said, "I don't think so."
Mousse descended upon Ranma, arms raised above his head.
"DIEEEE!!!"
Mousse lashed his hands forward, and forty three weighted chains shot
out of his robes.
His opponent didn't move. Ranma was too startled to move.
(I saw it!)
Ranma stood there, gaping. One would think that he was paralysed in
fear, but Ranma was in fact astounded by the sight and feel of energy,
not to mention that odd rippling sensation he felt when the chains
shot out.
The chains were about to ensnare Ranma when the traces of Mousse's chi
on the weights pricked sharply at his senses, breaking his trance.
Instinctively he cartwheeled to the side, just in time as the chains
passed through where he had been a split second ago.
(Shit!!)
With that, he took a giant leap and headed for the rooftops again.
Mousse snarled in anger. His prey was running away during battle!
"Coward! Come back here you womanising bastard!"
Ranma merely shook his rear at Mousse in mid-leap.
"Arrgghh!!"
An enraged Mousse leapt after Ranma for another bout of aerial
pursuit.
==========
Ranma's face held a frown. He was in deep thought, trying to decipher
what it was he had witnessed during that brief moment the chains had
shot out of Mousse's sleeves.
(That burst of chi from him... it was intense! Intense? Fuck! It was
like a hundred people in a drop of water! It's not possible!)
No wonder the young Saotome bolted. Startling discoveries were best
contemplated in motion. Especially if the source of the revelation was
trying to inflict massive bodily harm, and even death onto the
discoverer.
(He shouldn't have that much chi! If he did he could crumple Ryouga
like a soda can! And I kick his ass all the time! Is he playing with
me or what?)
Ranma was running across rooftops on autopilot, his hyper senses
guiding him towards areas that were obstacle-free. He was making
five-roof leaps, trying to buy more time as he thought.
(With that much chi he should be dribblin' the ol' ghoul like a soccer
ball! Not wiping tables! He could tear that moron Taro apart in any
form!)
He looked over his shoulder, more out of habit. Mousse was still there
in hot pursuit.
(Why would anyone that strong endure all the humiliation of being
beaten by me? It's an honour to have yer ass kicked by the best
martial artist around, not to mention the best looking, but...)
He landed atop a stone wall and ran along the top, and leapt off at a
corner.
(He has the strength, but it's like he doesn't. It's li- Wait a
minute! Does he convert all his chi to store all those weapons? But
that's stupid! Trading off that much chi for a skill that gets you yer
ass handed over on a platter each damn time is too fucking stupid!)
A crow squaked as Ranma shot across its flight path. The boy had moved
too fast for it to notice sooner; the poor bird died instantly from
shock and fell to the ground.
(Maybe he only knows how to use the chi to store the weapons. But
that's lame! If you play with that much stuff you're bound to learn
something new! Even those stupid toy robots those kids play with at
the playground could be taught to do stuff! And they run on batteries
for Kami-sama's sake!)
Ranma's eyes suddenly shot to the size of saucers, a look of shock on
his face. The expression was slowly replaced with a smile and a glint
of glee in his eyes. 'I have a plan' might as well had been painted
across his forehead in neon colours.
(Now where should I...)
He pumped some chi into his senses, and again received a dull
reaction, this time a kilometer due north. On the next leap he
corrected his course.
He turned around in mid leap to face the chinese boy. "Mousse! I see
her man! You can go home now! Me and her are gonna have a meal!
Actually, I'm going to be the one eating!"
Not surprisingly, Mousse didn't turn around and go home.
==========
Ranma stood in front of an abandoned warehouse, hands in his pockets,
wearing his patented Oh-I-Am-Gonna-Kick-Yer-Ass-Like-Yer-A-Tellytubby
smirk.
Naturally Mousse blew his top when he saw the smirk. Who wouldn't?
Then Ranma turned his back to Mousse, looked at the sky and started
whistling.
"Arrgghh!! Die you bastard!!"
Eighteen shuriken, four spears, seventeen chains, five plumed darts
and three yo-yos shot out of Mousse's sleeves in random order. Ranma
dodged, ducked, bobbed and wove out of their way, all the while with
his back towards Mousse.
You didn't need to look when you had super senses, after all.
The Chinese boy threw more and more weapons, including a few shower
nozzles and roll of toilet paper. Ranma found it surprisingly easy
pinpointing the location and type of each weapon. He had covered his
exposed skin with an ultra-fine layer of chi. Considering the fact
that he could differentiate colour by chi reaction alone, Ranma could
practically 'see' the weapons as they reflected sunlight towards him.
(I've got eyes on the back of my head! Wait till the ghoul sees this!)
The dance continued. Still facing away from Mousse, Ranma was grinning
like an idiot. With the release of each weapon he learned more and
more.
Just before a weapon was released, Mousse's level of chi would spike
tremendously, although extremely muted and not readily recognizeable
as chi. Ranma however, had flared his battle aura, although thinly and
not readily visible. Mousse was well within his aura field, and each
chi spike from Mousse pushed foreign ki, including Ranma's, away a
millimeter or two.
(Too easy!) He smirked.
The muted chi also excited air molecules around Mousse in a very
distinctive manner. The air around Mousse would change density very
minutely, but it was enough to affect the speed and path of the
surrounding light. Ranma - with his back to Mousse - saw it like it
was the shimmering of air above burning desert sands; he seriously
doubted that anyone else, including Cologne, could see it.
Saotome Ranma was getting a multi-dimensional view of Mousse's prized
technique.
The chi would then rapidly drop; the weapon had been released from
storage. The exit however, would cause a rippling effect in Mousse's
natural unmuted chi, particularly around his arms.
"Just below the elbows," Ranma muttered softly to himself. "Must be
the exit points."
Ranma suddenly backpedalled rapidly towards Mousse, avoiding all
incoming projectiles as he did. Startled, Mousse quickly regained his
composure and changed his stance, dropping his arms to his sides.
Ranma sensed the spike of muted chi, and felt two medium sized objects
materialize.
(Chinese broadsword, shortened spear.)
Indeed they were. Mousse caught the falling weapons by hilt and shaft;
the spear stabbed upwards and missed as Ranma weaved behind the
upraised arm. The Chinese boy jumped and twisted, slashing visciously.
Unfortunately for him, Ranma had also jumped in the same direction,
staying close and under attack range. Ranma lashed out and hit the
base of his opponent's flexors; the sword dropped from numb fingers.
He grabbed the limp wrist, and twisted the arm until it was pressed
against Mousse's back. Now facing Mousse's back, Ranma could see his
opponent bite back a shout of pain, drop the spear he was still
holding, and rapidly cock his free arm, as if to elbow Ranma.
(Let me have it duck boy!)
Again the muted chi spike came, but this time Ranma was in physical
contact with Mousse, and felt something he had not detected earlier.
Ranma made a quick front kick, hitting Mousse just above a kidney,
sending the Chinese boy sprawling into the dirt five meters away just
as a wicked spear ripped through the sleeve, grazing empty air.
Mousse quickly got to his feet and whirled around to face his
opponent. A condescending smirk greeted him. He could only snarl in
rage, and stood there assessing his foe, trying to strategise.
(Mousse, Mousse, Mousse. I thought you were a real martial artist, but
you're just as bad as that Copycat Ken faker.)
Ranma had discovered another facet of Mousse's Hidden Weapons
Technique. Eight very thin strips of wood, four on each side, running
down the spine, just under the skin. Two strips more on each tricep
just before the elbow. Each strip was heavily saturated with ki, but
the ki - which definitely wasn't Mousse's - was dormant; the ones on
his back kept the weapons away in folded space. The ones near the
elbows acted as entry/exit points. Ranma suspected there were similar
strips in Mousse's feet or legs.
To release a weapon, Mousse would charge a combination of the strips
with his own chi. The strips would react, and unfold the space storing
the desired weapon. Also reacting to the chi, the exit points would
synchronize with the unfolding space and disgorge the weapon.
(Still, very impressive, Mousse. That's one hell of a way to use chi.
Hmm...)
Ranma however, still could not see how the chi was manipulated to
achieve such a feat. Another experiment was due. He grinned.
Mousse suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. That grin. That
accursed grin made him shiver. It was a bad omen if there ever was
one.
Unfortunately, his rage overshadowed his fear. Saotome was going to
die. He lunged forward for a quick kill.
Ranma was in a ready stance, waiting for just the right moment. Just
as he sensed that Mousse was going to charge the strips, he shot out
with all his speed and disappeared from view.
To appear behind Mousse, and slammed the boy with an open palm strike
right above a strip as it unfolded a weapon. Ranma sent a single
Amaguriken-speed jab to the strips at an elbow just before it
disgorged the weapon.
The weapon finally materialized: it was a jagged broadsword. Grabbing
it by the hilt, Mousse swung around, hoping to cleave and rent Ranma's
flesh.
Only to see a ball of ki right before his face.
The last things Mousse remembered was a painful impact on his body,
flying backwards through the air, and then, blackness.
==========
Ranma stood erect, tall and proud, a few meters away from the
unconscious Mousse. He was smiling in triumph. Not over defeating
Mousse; that was a given.
He had finally completely uncovered the secret to Mousse's Hidden
Weapons Technique.
Whomever had designed the wooden strips embedded under Mousse's skin
had Ranma's respect. To have designed such wonders was no mean feat.
The wooden strips were self-recharging batteries, constantly drawing
in ki from the surroundings. They functioned discreetly, and not only
stored the ki, but also forced it to fold and weave in intricate and
complex patterns. The patterns of the ki practically resonated with a
volume of space, and slight alterations to the patterns - by means of
the user's chi - literally bent said volume of space to the whims of
the controller. Being simple devices, the strips in Mousse contained
only two functions: bend space to store objects, and serve as entry
points. Applying a certain amount of chi in the correct manner would
result in temporary and selective halt in pattern effect; respective
volumes of spaces would stop folding, and the object stored will be
disgorged through the chosen exit point.
Simply ingenious.
(You're not as pathetic as I thought, Mousse. That takes a lot of
skill.)
Ranma now knew the concept. He knew what to do, and what the effect
would be. Even the pattern that resonated with volumes of space was
known to him. But he still had two problems.
The first problem: he just didn't have the batteries.
(Geez. Like I'm some kinda rabbit, needin' batteries and all,) he
thought, a picture of a pink fluffy rabbit continuously beating a drum
forming in his head. He looked at Mousse. (Hah! Some rabbit, feathered
too!)
The second problem was much harder than it sounded. How to actually
fold chi into the patterns he wanted. He'd never done that before. The
Mouko Takabisha used confidence as a proxy to create chi patterns. The
same goes for the Soul of Ice, using calm of mind as a proxy to
generate cold chi. Manipulating chi directly was just something he'd
never done before, and the patterns for the Mouka Takabisha and Soul
of Ice were nowhere near the space-folding pattern. He had no idea on
how to start. He couldn't pull the details out of the strips within
Mousse; they held only the final pattern, which he knew. What he
needed was HOW to start and arrive at the final pattern.
Ranma sighed. (This ain't over just yet.) He looked at Mousse. (Duck
boy's gonna have questions when he wakes up. Might as well use the
time to think of something to say to him.)
With that, he sat on the ground, leaning on the wall opposite Mousse,
and thought.
==========
Mousse awoke to acute pain. His head throbbed, and his chest, chin and
cheeks felt battered. Which they were. He groaned, and tried to
massage his temples, but found he couldn't. Something heavy was
holding both his arms down. He opened his eyes and looked downwards,
and found himself bound in chains.
"Heyya Mousse. I thought you'd never wake up."
"Saotome! Let me go so I can kill you!"
"Aww c'mon Mousse. Chill out man, you'll burst an artery if you don't"
"The only blood that will be spilled today will be yours, you
womaniser! Now let me go!"
"Why are you so pissed off Mousse?"
The Chinese boy would've facefaulted if he could. "For even thinking
of dishonoring Shampoo, I will give you untold pain! Let me go and let
me kill you!"
"You're still mad about that?"
Mousse's eyes bugged out behind his thick lenses. "What the hell do
you think you coward?! Let -"
"you go so you can kill me and uphold Shampoo's honour. Geez, Mousse,
I'm not like that Eyen-stain guy, scientific genius and all, but I'm
not that dumb either. If you want me to let you go you're gonna calm
down first."
"Calm down? Calm down?! You want to desecrate Shampoo and you want me
to calm down?"
"Fer cryin' out loud, if I wanted to do that do you think I'd be here
talking to you? Shampoo would be all over me before I finished asking
he-"
"Arrrgghh! You sick bastard! Let me go! I'll kill you! I'll kill you
dead! Let me go now!!"
(Whoops. Wrong thing to say. Heh.)
The pigtailed boy did something he never did before: took a moment to
choose his words. "Look Mousse, I didn't really mean it when I said
that I wanted to have a go at Shampoo. I was just kiddin' man."
"You're lying! Nobody can resist the beauty and grace of Shampoo!"
"Oh fer Kami's sake..."
"I see it now, Saotome! You lured me out here so that you can dispose
of me! Then you plan to- to- NO!! Shampooo! Noo!! ..."
Ranma slapped his forehead and sighed as Mousse continued to rant the
products of his imagination. Looking up to the sky, Ranma thanked the
powers that be that Mousse's imagination wasn't as warped as Kuno's.
He closed the gap between them and bapped his fist on Mousse's head.
"Shut up you moron! If I wanted to off you do you think you'd really
be here talking to me right now?"
"Ha! You just want to kill me slowly so you can recount your dirty
deeds to Shampoo!"
"What? How the hell did you come up with that you overgrown feather
duster?"
"Don't play dumb Saotome. You don't fool me! I know you-"
"IF you know ME you'd know that if I WANTED you dead you'd be ALL over
Tokyo by now or have you forgotten Saffron you moron?!"
Silence. Mousse had indeed remembered Saffron. Much too clearly for
his liking.
A few minutes passed in silence, each boy with their own thoughts,
collecting their respective breaths.
Mousse turned to face Ranma. "Then why all this?"
"Huh? This? Oh, this. Ermm.. I was bored really."
Mousse could only gape. A few long moments passed. "What?"
"C'mon man! Look around you! It's a beautiful day! You really want to
spend it indoors doing what other people tell you to do?"
The Chinese boy paused a moment, and glanced upwards towards the sky.
His coke-bottle glasses were somehow still affixed to his face.
"Don't tell me that you can't feel it's a good day today, Mousse. You
might be nearly blind as a bat," Mousse grimaced at the Saotome's lack
of subtlety "But I know you can feel it man."
Mousse took a deep breath. There weren't any apparent alternative
reasons to Ranma's actions. None that he could see, anyway. "I guess I
can, Saotome."
Ranma grinned.
Mousse continued, "So you decided to drag me from my duties and beat
me up huh?"
"Err... now that you put it that way... what? Don't give me that look!
It's not like you couldn't take what I dished out to ya or anything!
You're a martial artist, remember? Anyway, what else was I supposed to
do? Go hang out with the girls? Yeah, right! I'd spend my time kicking
Ryouga's ass, but he was here a few days ago... he won't be back for
at least three more weeks. I'd hang out with Hiro and Dai, but your
place was closer."
"Oh, how pleased I am to know that I was your first choice for
companionship, Saotome."
The young Saotome had the decency to look apologetic. He scratched the
base of his pigtail, "Err.. heh heh."
"Frankly Saotome, I'm surprised that a womaniser like you isn't up and
about sinking your dirty claws into Shampoo when you have the time and
chance to do it."
Ranma gave Mousse a dirty look. "Me? Spend time with Shampoo?
Willingly?"
"And what the hell is wrong with my beautiful Shampoo you bastard?"
"Hello? Anyone home? Can ya say 'Bombed Wedding'? Can you?" Ranma was
looking right into the other boy's eyes, a frown creased into his
brow.
"Oh." He looked down, and back up at Ranma. "Does that mean you wanted
to get married back then?"
"Huh?" Ranma started to pale. That was a question he did not expect,
and in all honesty, had no intention of touching with a five mile
pole. "I... uh... I... that is... umm... what I mean to say... tsk..."
"I'm listening, Saotome."
Ranma threw his arms up in exasperation. "Argh! What I wanted has
nothing to do with it! It's the principle of the thing! It's my life
Mousse! How do you think I feel when the people I trust... err.. sorta
trust... come barging in and demand that I do as they want? How do you
feel when the ol' ghoul knocks you out so you can't go after Shampoo
when you want to? Huh? How do you feel about THAT, Mousse?"
Mousse started to say something, but halted, and closed his mouth. He
shifted and leaned against the warehouse wall. Ranma reached out and
undid the chains. The other boy slowly stood up, groaning as his
injuries made themselves felt. He shook the chains off his person, and
sat back down, leaning against the wall besides Ranma. Neither spoke.
"So I take it that you're not interested in Shampoo for the moment,
Saotome?"
Ranma gave a snort. "Finally," he sighed. "I never have, Mousse. I
wanted a friend, ya know. Not someone who latches onto me the moment
she sees me."
"Then why didn't you tell her that?"
"Huh? You deaf as well as blind Mousse? How many times have I told her
NOT to glomp me? That I ain't interested in her that way? How many
times? I've lost count, man."
Mousse turned to briefly look at Ranma. "So you say, Ranma. But you
love the attention. Don't say that's not so, Saotome."
"Huh? Whaddaya mean? I ain't like that!"
"Really? Remember the reversal jewel?"
"Reversal j-... Oh." Nabiki had filled him in on that little escapade.
For a price, of course.
A few minutes passed in silence.
"You know, the old mummy is going to kick my butt when I get back."
"Umm... sorry, man."
"Nahh. You're right. It's a beautiful day. It'd be a nice walk back, I
think."
"Yeah. Say, if it helps any, just tell the ol' ghoul I clipped you
clean with a Mouko Takabisha, and you were out of it a couple hours
and couldn't find your way back."
The Chinese boy looked at Ranma. "You been taking lessons from Nabiki,
Saotome?" he said, smirking.
"Actually Mousse, it _has_ been two hours. And we're about eight miles
from Nerima."
The other boy gaped. "Eight miles?"
"I think so, anyway. Don't look so surprised Mousse. You did good
speed today."
Mousse snorted. "Sure didn't feel like eight miles when I was
running."
"Yeah, well..."
"Yeah," said the Chinese boy. He got up and dusted his clothes. "I'd
better get moving."
Ranma also stood up. "Right. See ya Mousse."
"Hope not, Saotome."
"Whatever, Mousse."
With that, they walked off in opposite directions.
==========
Ranma stopped, and turned around, just in time to see Mousse round a
corner and disappear from sight.
"I like the attention that much?"
He paused, frowning for a few seconds, then started to walk again,
this time in deep thought.
==========
"Damn Casanova," muttered Mousse.
"He got me out of the Neko-hanten though. Haven't had time for myself
for quite awhile."
He continued walking, and encountered more and more people as he came
into a busier part of the town. The morning still held its vibrance,
and the simple act of walking among throngs of other people made
Mousse feel so... alive.
"Heh. The bastard may not be so bad after all."
==========
Kasumi put down the phone and returned to the living room, where
Nodoka sat at the table, reading a magazine, and Akane watched an
anime show.
"That was Ranma. He won't be back for lunch, but he'll be back for
dinner."
"What?" Akane nearly shouted. She was scowling. "That- that- baka!
He's off with his- his harem again! Ooohh! Wait till I get my hands on
him!" She balled her fists, knuckles popping audibly.
Nodoka passed a discreet look at Kasumi, her eyes glinting with...
mischief? "Oh dear. Are you sure about that, Akane-chan?"
"I'm positive aunty! He's either with th- that Chinese _floozy_, g-
gobbling her ramen, or with that- crossdresser at Ucchan's!"
"Which cross-"
"The _female_ crossdresser!"
"Ah."
"Oh my. Ranma-kun is very naughty, ne?"
"That doesn't even begin to describe him, oneechan, and you know it!"
"Dear me. My son is so naughty. Where have I gone wrong?"
"Don't blame yourself aunty. That baka just wants to be that way!"
Nodoka let out a melodramatic sigh. "And so my errant son goes to
flirt with other girls."
"Not just any girls! F- floozies and crossdressers!"
"Tsk. Remind me to have a few words with Ranma-kun later aunty. It's
not proper for him to flirt with other girls."
"You said it, oneechan!"
"He should be here, spending time with you, just like you want, right,
Akane-chan?"
"You're right aunty. He should be- be-..."
Akane found that she could not find any word to say. Her face was beet
red, her mind reeling. Had she just said what she thought she did?
Kasumi turned to Nodoka, who was smiling. She smiled in return; her
imouto-chan was just too adorable sometimes. Still...
She saw the smile on Nodoka's face lessen in favour of a concerned
look as the older woman looked at Akane.
(Aunty Saotome feels it too.)
Kasumi shifted on her seat a little, and caught Nodoka's attention.
The Saotome matriarch saw the look in the young girl's eyes, and
nodded in understanding.
She turned to Akane, who was studiously watching the tv, which was
rolling credits for the anime show. "Akane dear. I'm sorry to have
teased you like that."
The youngest Tendo simply nodded, not taking her eyes off the tv.
"I- we want you to know Akane, that you can come to either Kasumi or
I, or both of us, if you want to talk about anything."
Again, the nod.
"Remember Akane. We're here for you. Talk to us. I know just how
infuriating and dense male Saotomes can be. It would hurt to just keep
it inside."
Akane simply nodded again, now looking at her hands as she grabbed the
hems of her skirt.
"Please excuse us, Akane-chan. Kasumi and I would like to start on
lunch," said Nodoka, as she stood up and left for the kitchen. Kasumi
followed suit.
"Oh, by the way, Akane-chan," Kasumi paused at the doorway. "Ranma
isn't with Shampoo or Ukyou. He had a run-in with Mousse and somehow
ended up in the next town. It's quite a trip, and it will take him
some time to get home. Just so you know, imouto-chan," she said, and
left.
Akane found herself easing her grip on the hem of her skirt, and her
posture straightening from her slight slouch, and smiling a small
smile.
(I'm an idiot.)
Her deep blush remained though.
==========
Ranma walked aimlessly, questions hammering away in his mind.
(Who made the strips? How did they make those strips? What kinda wood
did they use?)
(Why make strips that act like movable wardrobes? Why not make strips
that can fire really powerful blasts?)
(Why not just use the strips as pure batteries, and really enhance
your own speed and strength? Even a short spurt of speed and strength
could make all the difference in a battle.)
(How did they even find that pattern?! It's amazing! How do _I_ make
that pattern?)
(What effects will other patterns have? Will it be easier once I know
how to start a pattern?)
(How the HELL do I start to make that pattern?)
He sighed, and glanced around him. He was standing outside a small
outdoor cafe.
(Eh? Why the heck are those girls lookin' at me?)
It was quite a sight, to see a boy with a chiselled physique get
suddenly nervous as he stood stock still, trying to look nonchalant,
and failing miserably.
(Uhh... some of 'em are older than Kasumi...)
He looked away from the young women sitting at a table, trying to be
casual about it. Didn't work. It only made him look cuter. The
attention grew, and he didn't need his hyper senses to feel the
collective gazes on the back of his head.
On his back. On his arms. On his-
(Soul of Ice! Ice cool! Uhmm... be casual. Yeah, that's it!)
He scratched the base of his pigtail.
It didn't work.
(Uhh... walk away, casually.)
He took a step, another step, another, and kept on. It didn't feel
natural to him though. To his audience, it seemed that he was giving
them a show, just for them.
They absolutely loved every second of it.
A brunette made the mistake of saying out too loud, "If he were a few
years older, there isn't anything on earth that could stop me from
grabbing that butt and ..."
Ranma didn't bother to hang around and hear anymore.
"Awww. Now look what you did, Ayami. You scared him away!"
Said girl could only pout, as did the others.
==========
Ranma finally slowed down his rapid walk.
"Man, what the hell is wrong with chicks nowdays?" he muttered. "If
they ain't violent, they have weird looks in their eyes. And if that
ain't the case, they're some money grabbing ... whatever."
He sighed.
"Why can't more girls be like Kasumi?"
No answer came, and he was glad that none did. It would really screw
up his weird-o-meter if he somehow had gotten an answer out ot
nowhere. He had had enough of that; Jusendo was still fresh in his
mind.
(Jusendo.) he thought, and his face grew sullen.
(Damn! This ain't no way to spend my time!)
He took a deep breath, then another, and his face visibly relaxed.
(Might as well start workin' on that chi pattern.)
Thus Ranma continued walking, oblivious to his surroundings.
==========
Chaos.
A popular misconception was that Chaos equalled destruction. That
particular equation was just that: a misconception. A supernova might
seem very chaotic, as might a collision of galaxies. However, neither
of these highly destructive phenomena could be attributed to Chaos.
Not directly, anyway.
Chaos affected sentient beings, mostly; if there were no such beings
around to be directly affected, then the seeds of Chaos would be
planted in a substance that most suited the seeds at that moment:
whether in matter, or in anti-matter, or in the very fabric of space,
or in that of time, or in the very core of existence itself. Thus
sown, Chaos would germinate, its fruits being the stuff of dreams. Or
nightmares.
Another facet of Chaos was its ignorance towards the concepts of
justice. Good and evil were not recognized; Chaos merely affected.
Beings with sufficient intelligence called it Uncertainty, or
Unpredictability, while some called it the Future. Others confused it
with Fate, which was merely an end, with Chaos being the occasional
means to that end.
It was Kami-sama's way of ensuring that life - in any form, all
throughout the universe - had a free hand. Through Chaos, no one
being, no matter how powerful, had a monopoly over Existance; monopoly
over Existance was the prerogative of the Creator, after all, and only
the Creator. All of His creations bow to Chaos, whether they be gods,
goddesses, angels, devils, demons, or humans. Even if His creations do
not remember Him as being the Ultimate Power, they would always
remember and know of Uncertainty, hanging somewhere, everywhere. Those
who forget - or choose to forget - would be reminded in the worst
possible manner.
Chaos could manifest itself as free-will, as non-conformance, as
courage in the face of everwhelming odds, as a single word from a
stranger that altered one's life forever, as anything it wanted. It
was the very epitome of versatility.
In its pure form however, Chaos was energy. Not just any energy, but
an Energy. An Energy was mostly sentient, though not completely; it
would be prejudiced if it were. Not even the gods knew Chaos for what
it truly was. Even to them, Chaos just was.
Once in a while, Chaos would choose an avatar. The candidate would be
chosen at random, not limited to its point of coming into existence.
Being an avatar could last either for an instant, or a lifetime. There
would be no ceremonies, no announcements; what would one expect an
Energy to say? In fact, the avatars of Chaos themselves were not aware
of being such. They always suspected something though, when their
surroundings or they themselves fell prey to excessive peculiar
circumstances. For example, an avatar might cause unreasonable
revulsion and hatred just by being somewhere, doing nothing. An avatar
of Chaos might bring the light of hope into those whom had given up
unconditionally, or turn the tide of a losing battle, or rain untold
destruction upon the guilty and innocent alike, without any warnings.
An avatar of Chaos might have an idiotic father, trained in the
Neko-ken, had at least three fiancees, hordes more of admirers (of
both genders), throngs of enemies and rivals (also of both genders),
knew in person at least two shrivelled trolls, was affected by a
curse, and had fought on levels some minor gods had not seen before,
among other things.
Chaos had an avatar named Saotome Ranma. A very good avatar. Had it
been able to, Chaos would have said that Saotome Ranma was its
favourite.
Poor Ranma.
==========
The young Saotome sighed. Life just wasn't fair. He had just cracked
one of the most mind-boggling martial arts techniques of all times -
the principles behind the technique were definitely awesome, even if
the technique itself wasn't much - only to discover that the problem
wasn't as cracked open as he had thought.
He had tried to find a pattern as he walked. It had proven too
difficult; there were too many distractions as he walked. Thus he
pushed the thought process out of his conscious thoughts. There would
be enough time later, he thought.
The thought process, pushed out of Ranma's conscious thoughts, ended
up in his subconscious. The subconscious is an amazing feature of
humans. It reflected who a person really is, it stored all of his or
her instinctive responses, as well as a person's strongest
characteristics.
Among Ranma's strongest characteristic was the inability to accept the
loss of a challenge, formal or otherwise. Thus, his subconscious mind
resumed the thought process, trying to find the elusive space-folding
pattern.
Ranma walked, taking in the scenery, oblivious to the fact that a
minute amount of his chi was being woven and folded.
His subconscious finally found a pattern that could sustain the
initial weaves and folds without immediately unravelling the moment
another weave or fold was introduced. Hence, his subconscious decision
to experiment further with said initial pattern, hoping to arrive at
the space-fold pattern.
The initial pattern however, did not resonate with a volume of space,
or anything pertaining directly to volumes of space.
The pattern resonated with a single strand of pure Chaos.
Poor, poor Ranma.
==========
"Emm, emm! This takoyaki is good!"
The pigtailed boy popped another squid ball into his mouth. He was
still walking aimlessly around, taking his sweet time. Ranma decided
that he quite liked walking around the city, observing people and what
people did.
"Shoulda done this ages ago."
He was walking down a slightly busy road that ran down a hill. The
hill had once been the home of oaks, cedars, pines, not to mention
various wild animals; now it was filled to the peak with houses,
shops, and people.
It was quite by accident that he looked off the hill into the
distance.
"Hey... isn't that..." he squinted his eyes. "Yes it is! Hmm.. might
as well..."
He quickly made his way off the hill, and made for the place he had
spotted. Very soon, he came to the gates of a temple.
Ranma paused momentarily. "Hey, I did say I'd say something nice to a
priest." With that, crossed the threshold into the temple compound.
Immediately he saw her. A breathtakingly beautiful woman, of
devastating physical proportions, sitting on a rock, wearing peculiar
robes that seemed to defy gravity. Her skin was wonderfully dark
toned, a beautiful background for her lovely platinum blonde hair,
which reflected the sunlight so. It was as if she had a halo, which
made even her bored expression seem... breathtaking.
The pigtailed boy was no stranger to beautiful females. Somehow
though, this particular woman in front of him caught his attention, in
a way he had never known. Her delicate features were relaxed, her age
- or rather, maturity - shining through her poise.
He approached her wordlessly, and at some point, lost to both of them,
she became aware of his presence, and turned her attention upon him.
The boy drew in a sharp, deep breath, as he took in the sight of her.
She had lovely eyes, almond shaped, and they hinted at exuberance and
mischief - though for the moment, both characteristic lay dormant. The
blue diamond-shaped birthmarks at the corner each eyes only
highlighted the green of her eyes, such that they shone like emeralds.
Against his will, his eyes roamed downwards, taking in the sight of
her exquisite mouth, her delightful neck, a beautiful, wonderfully
heaving ample bosom, her perfectly shaped hips - hidden as they were
under her robes, her lovely long legs, and even her perfect toes.
She also inhaled sharply, and her eyes widened. As her heartbeat
increased and her breathing deepened, her eyes roamed slowly over him,
as did his on her, and she took careful notice of his slightly mussed
hair, his smooth skin, the beautiful blue eyes, visibily soft, relaxed
lips, his chest, wrought steel under red silk, and his exposed arms
felt solid and strong even across the distance separating them. His
grace was not lost upon her, even if he only stood still, as she sat
unmoving.
A spark had obviously ignited, somewhere.
Was it a matter of physical reaction? Possibly, but both had been
jaded by mere beauty alone. Could it be chemistry then? Also possible,
but unlikely, since one was infused with Chi, while the other bathed
in Mana.
It was the strand of Chaos, pulsating from his subconscious, that
snaked between them, and gently stroked the base of her existance,
where Mana infused with her soul. The tendril of Energy writhed and
danced, strumming the Mana just as it entered her soul, and a
particular tug from the strand made her inhale even sharper, even
deeper, even when all he did was sit and stare at her.
He was also not spared, as the tendril snaked in and out of his chi;
it was, at the moment, anchored in his subconscious, but the effect of
the encouter would be felt, and remembered, by both his conscious and
subconscious awareness. The tendril gently lashed at his chi at the
same moment it tugged on her mana. She inhaled, and he visibly
shuddered. The sight of the other's reaction made their respective
hearts skip a few beats, and while she had the fortune of already
being seated, he did not. He fell to his knees, still entranced in the
very sight of her.
"I-"
Neither was sure who spoke.
"I came here, looking for a priest. It- it seems that I have found a
goddess."
No reply came, for to both of them, the words somehow - though
strangely - suited both of them.
Both had found a deity.
"I-"
But it was not meant to be. Chaos had other designs.
The tendril of Chaos elongated, and pushed the two apart. Not just
yet, it would have said, had it been able to. He barely remembered
standing up, and walking away, nor did she remember when he left. Each
only saw the image of the other, permanently etched into their minds.
==========
"Urd?"
Urd did not move, her eyes still fixed at the spot where the youth had
been.
"Oneechan?" Belldandy, goddess of the Present, waved a hand in front
of Urd's eyes. Her older sister didn't respond at all.
The youngest of the three sisters decided she had had enough. "Urd you
old hag! Wake up!"
The goddess of the past broke out of her trance with a visible
shudder. Her eyes gained focus as she took in her surroundings. "Huh?"
"Urd? Are you alright? You had us worried, oneesan."
Skuld 'hmmph'ed, crossed her arms and looked away. "I wasn't worried."
Urd didn't reply, but looked at Belldandy, and then at Skuld, mental
gears nearly audible in her mental overdrive. She turned to Belldandy
again, and opened her mouth to say something, when her eyes widened
suddenly and she looked at where the pigtailed boy had stood earlier.
"Where is he?!"
"Where is who, Urd?"
"The guy! The guy that was here! Where is he?"
"Oneechan, there was nobody here when we found you."
"What? Are you blind? He was just here! Belldandy you must have seen
him!"
"Urd..."
Urd nearly shouted, but managed to keep her calm; it was Belldandy,
after all. "He stood," Urd pointed to the spot "There! Right there!
Just a few moments ago! Where is he?!"
Belldandy could only look at Urd silently, not knowing how else to
tell her beloved sister that she had been found alone, staring out
into empty air.
"Don't tell me you've finally grown senile, _big_ sister," said Skuld,
poorly disguising her smirk and sarcastic tone.
Her sister whipped around to face her, scowling deeply. Urd's voice
dropped into a near-growl. "Now look here you- you- arghh! This is a
waste of time! I'm going!"
The eldest of the three Norns turned around and ran for the gate.
"Urd! Wait!"
A single foot already across the gate, Urd turned to look over her
shoulder at Belldandy. "What?" she snapped, and caught herself,
belatedly realizing the tone she had used on her guileless sister.
"Don't be so rude to oneechan, you old hag! And Father wants you and
me in his office!"
Urd's face fell. "Huh? But I have to find-"
"No buts! We were due five minutes ago!" Skuld was hopping mad.
They were supposed to appear before Him together, and her sister was
making her look tardy.
"But-" Urd managed, looking out the gate. She had to find him! He had
been there, and she _had_ seen him! She had HEARD him! He had somehow
disappeared, and she just had to find him! She needed to! She didn't
know why, but she knew she had to.
Both the other sisters looked at Urd, noting the internal conflict
dancing across Urd's features. Both were worried, but only one showed
it.
"Urd!" shouted Skuld, partly in anger, partly to snap her sister out
of whatever was bothering her.
The goddess in question hissed under her breath. She took a deep
breath, then tore away from the gate and sprinted into the temple
proper. The faster she faced her Father, the faster she could get back
to Midgard.
(And then I'm going to find him if it's the last thing I do!)
Skuld looked at Belldandy, a puzzled look in her eyes, and then raced
after her eldest sister.
==========
Saotome Ranma was in a very foul mood, and didn't particularly care
who knew it. All of his delight over learning a new technique had been
abandoned in favour of stewing quietly in anger as he walked.
"Damn it!"
Relatively quiet, anyway.
Very rarely in his life had he been angry. He had learned a long time
ago that anger served little purpose, that it spoke of lack of
control. At the moment however, he let himself have the dubious
pleasure of indulging in anger.
He had spent three hours trying to find the temple again. Three long,
frustrating hours. To find a temple amidst houses and shops. It should
have been the easiest thing. Instead it had been futile.
Ranma looked up into the sky; it would be dark soon. He continued
walking back to the Tendo dojo.
The boy was at a loss over what had happened at the temple. He sorely
needed to know who the woman was. No female had ever made him feel
that way. To make things worse, he wasn't exactly sure what "that way"
really was. Was it physical attraction? Was it something deeper? Who
was she?
All he had were questions, and no answers. The cluelessness grated on
his nerves, very much so. There had never been as great a mystery has
the one he contemplated at the moment.
He looked up, and saw that he was very near to the Tendo dojo. He
sighed.
Ranma started to resume walking, when he caught himself. He was going
home with a very sullen expression. People would be curious, questions
would be asked. He was not in the mood to answer questions, and most
definitely not in the mood to explain to people why he was so upset
over not being able to find a _girl_. Most probably he would be
accused of finding another fiancee. No need to guess what would follow
_that_ little exclamation.
He realized that he had to let go of his anger; it was not a luxury he
could indulge in beyond the moment. Thus, he took a deep breath, and
reached for his Soul of Ice.
==========
Ranma stepped out of the changing room, having bathed and changed into
fresh clothes. His run-about earlier had left him a little sore, and
the soak in the furo had been heavenly. He languidly walked into the
dining room, free from his ealier anger, not paying particular
attention to anyone.
He sat beside Akane at the table as Kasumi scooped the rice for
everyone.
(Mmm... that smells good! I wonder what mom and Kasumi cooked up
today.)
Being a male Saotome, Ranma let his nose do the pinpointing to the
dish that was giving off the wonderful aroma. It was found in a
second: a bowl of curry.
(Curry?)
He took the serving ladle, and scooped some of the gravy onto his
rice, and popped some of the rice into his mouth.
"MMMPH!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What's the matter, Ranma dear?" asked Nodoka.
"This curry is great!" exclaimed the pigtailed boy. He quickly ladled
more of the curry into his bowl and ate with his usual gusto.
"You really think so, Ranma-kun?" asked Kasumi.
"Uh huh," came the muffled reply.
Nodoka paused from eating her own food. "Well then, it's official.
Akane-chan's cooking has definitely improved."
Ranma froze. He had been in the motion of shoving shoving more rice
into his mouth. Shifting the bowl slightly, he looked at his mother
with raised eyebrows.
"Eh?"
Nodoka merely smiled. "You heard me Ranma. Akane-chan cooked that
curry."
The boy shifted his eyes to look at Kasumi, eyebrows still raised.
Kasumi nodded happily.
The young Saotome finally lowered his bowl, and looked to his right
where Akane sat. He was nearly blinded by the beaming look his fiancee
gave him.
He tried to find something to say. "Umm..." he managed. Giving it up,
he just gave her a smile.
Akane beamed even more and looked down, blushing.
(Gawd! Akane cooked something this good? Gawd!)
Ranma resumed his shovelling of rice and beef curry into his mouth,
occasionally reaching for the stir-fried spinach.
"Errm... Ranma." came a voice from his right?
"Yeah, Akane?" he replied, not looking away from his rice.
"Aren't you going to try the squid?"
For the second time that evening Ranma froze.
"S- squid?" he squeaked behind the bowl.
"Uh huh. I made it too!"
"Errmm..." Again, he peeked from behind his bowl, and looked at his
mother. A claw of ice gripped his heart; his mother was intentionally
avoiding his gaze.
Ranma gulped, and eyed Kasumi. He nearly choked when he saw angelic
Kasumi eating at near Saotome-Speed. She didn't take her attention off
her bowl for a second. That was when Ranma realized that the dining
room was awfully quiet.
(Oh shit.)
"Uhh... emm... that's okay... really. Umm... I'm doin' just great with
the curry..."
"Oh c'mon, Ranma," said the youngest Tendo.
"Umm... err... I... I... hear squid doesn't go too well with beef!
Curry beef! Yeah! That's it! And I've got curry all over my rice!"
Ranma hurriedly ladled more curry into his bowl. "See? Wouldn't want
to ruin the taste of the delicious curry now, right?"
He proceeded to shovel more rice into his mouth when he heard a very
soft "But I made it just for you."
Ranma froze. Again. Hesitantly, he turned to look to his right, where
Akane's hopeful gaze made him feel like he was kicking a puppy. A
piggy he wouldn't mind, but a puppy...
(Oh man!)
"Heh." he offered her a weak smile. "Ermm... sure. Where is it?"
"It's right there, dummy," replied Akane happily, all smiles. Ranma
turned to look at the dish he had managed to miss earlier.
(Oh my screwed up gods!) His eyes were the size of saucers. The squid
did not look particularly inviting.
He turned to Akane, smiling his weak smile. "Uhh... that?"
"Uh huh!" she nodded cutely. He gulped. Why did she have to be cute
NOW?
(WHAT DO I DO???!!)
Ranma's brain instantly went into overdrive. Neurons and synapses that
had lain dormant since Jusendo were suddenly overworked. Not one grey
cell was left out. The heat from the computations were such that Ranma
started sweating.
Then again, Ranma had another reason for sweating.
Saotome Ranma found himself seriously in a quandary. On one hand,
there Akane sat, with an expectant look. She was beaming a smile, a
happy smile that Ranma had decided been worth the life of a phoenix
god.
On the other hand...
(I'm too young to die!)
His chopsticks moved forward, very very slowly. Ranma racked and
racked his brain every single millimeter his hand moved. Every trick
he
had, every deception from the very substantial Saotome Library was
pulled out of his memory. None proved sufficient.
Nodoka muttered a soft prayer for her beloved son. Tendo was on the
verge of tears; he was about to lose his future son-in-law. Genma was
just thankful it wasn't him. Kasumi ate and ate and ate.
Just as Ranma's expression resembled that of a prisoner on death
row, a glint entered his eyes, and his frown turned into a smile.
His slouching shoulders straightened, and he put both his chopsticks
and rice bowl on the table. Everybody was now looking at him.
Ranma gripped the serving dish with both hands, and lifted it towards
his face. He paused when the dish was at chest level, and he looked
around. Nobody was breathing.
In one smooth motion, he lifted the dish to his mouth and threw his
head back, and swallowed everything - minus the serving dish of course
- in one, big gulp.
Jaws could be heard dropping onto the table.
He returned the dish to the table, and wiped the corner of his mouth
with the back of his hand. Silence pervaded the dining room.
Ranma returned his attention to his curried rice.
Akane was the first to shake off the shock. She definitely didn't
expect for him to do THAT. "H- how was it, Ranma?"
"Umm? It... it was okay. Though next time, errm.. be... be careful
with... with the... salt! Yeah! That's it! It was okay, but just a
biiiiit too salty. Taste it for salt next time, kay? Keep it up."
With that, he continued eating, as the rest of the family slowly
gathered their wits, and Akane beamed.
Nobody noticed Ranma fighting to suppress a grimace.
==========
The evening air was crisp as Ranma made rushed away from the Tendo
dojo. He had offered "I'll be back soon, kay!" immediately after
dinner and left before anyone, namely Akane, could say anything.
Saying that Ranma was in a hurry was an understatement. Time spent or
saved made the difference between life and death. His life. His death.
He had used Mousse's Hidden Weapons Technique.
Ranma had cracked the pattern back at the dinner table. The famed
Saotome analysis skill had come through at the very last moment.
Ranma had used his raw chi, and folded Akane's squid away into a
volume of space, pretending that he had swallowed it. The chemically
imbalanced - horribly so - concoction was currently in direct contact
with his chi. Sickening hardly began to describe the feeling.
(Shit! Hafta hurry!)
Hurry he did. He ran past the neighbouring houses, and finally made it
to the road by the canal. There was no one else around at the moment.
(Not too f-) "Ackkhh!"
A sharp pain had shot throughout his entire body. He pitched forward,
and fought to stand up.
"Hsssssskkkkk!!" he hissed, biting back the shout of pain he had been
so tempted to release. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to
attract attention.
"Urrgg..." He couldn't stand it anymore, and fell to his knees. He
fought to gather his breath, and shuffled on his knees towards the
fence by the canal. Shakily, he lifted his hand and grabbed the
fence, and tried to get up.
Just as he pulled himself up, a great surge of pain coursed throughout
his body. The pain was so great that he couldn't even cry out, and
somehow, despite the fence, he toppled over and fell into the canal.
As he fell, Ranma thought of how he had gotten into this mess.
(Damn hyper senses...)
(Should be up there with Pop's Kijin Raishu Dan...)
(Sealed...)
(Should have a demonic name too...)
(Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling...)
(The Thousand Fist Sky...)
(Eyes of the Demon God...)
The last thing that crossed his mind was the image of the woman from
the temple.
Ranma lost consciousness, and disappeared under the water.
==========
To be continued...
Author's notes:
There! Finally finished it! It's not as good as I wanted it, but hey,
this is only the second chapter of my first ever fic. I'll do better
next time! I hope so, anyway... =)
So Ranma finally has his own school of martial arts. Just one
technique, sure, but it still counts. Genma has the Yama Sen Ken and
the Umi Sen Ken, so Ranma gets The Thousand Fist Sky. I don't have the
Japanese translation just yet for 'The Thousand Fist Sky' or 'Eyes of
the Demon God', but I claim dibs on them anyway. I'm gonna try and get
them translated ASAP. Still, you have to wonder... just what good
would it be now that Ranma is fish food? Hmm...
I wanted to make it longer, but the whole thing kinda gave me a
headache, ya know. (Read: I was lazy, so I ended the story at a gentle
spot.)
You guys aren't mad right? ^_^
To Kasumi lovers, sorry that I made her eat at Near Saotome Speed. I
couldn't resist it.. :Þ
A _HUGE_ Thank You to Nathan Shuker, Martin Siu, Ranma Saotome and
Magus aka Viper508. They're my pre-readers. You should thank them too.
Without them this fic would suck even worse.
Also a big big Thank You to all those who took the trouble to vote for
'When Bakas Learn - Prologue' at the 'Best of Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
Awards.' It won first place for the month of August 2001 for the
Mini-Series category! Thank you thank you thank you!
By the way, no hurries for the next chapter, right?
Copyright (C) October 2001 by bluefurball