CRACKOOOM!
"Geez...beautiful weather." Megumi muttered sarcastically.
She wished now that she had not gone to the mall with Miki after school. Meg had seen on the news that morning that a storm was coming in the late afternoon, but she hadn't expected anything like THIS. The rain was coming down in torrents, lightning was flashing across the dark sky, and she could tell that the thunder was rattling the windows on the houses. The only good news was that Meg had remembered to bring her umbrella with her.
As she walked down the sidewalk, she looked left and right, half-wondering if Genzo would pop out of an alley with his general "HEY, MEG!".
"Ha ha ha! Wouldn't put it past him, that goon!" she laughed to herself. Just then, she felt something hairy brush against her ankle. "ACK!" She jumped backward in fright.
"What was that? A rat?" she thought.
Calming herself, Meg took a closer look. She saw right away that it wasn't a rat (Meg: "Whew..."), but was was it? At first glance it looked like a piece of red rope sticking out of the dark alley, but it upon closer inspection, it looked a little like a braid... Taking courage, she gave the braid a tug, bringing what it was connected to out into the light.
"Oh my gosh! It's a girl!" Meg gasped. "What is she doing here?"
Meg quickly looked the unconscious girl over. She was fairly petite, and had bright red hair braided into a single pigtail. Her clothes were unusual: Chinese silk, and honestly a design worn mostly by boys. She was very pretty, and had fairly substantial... well, she was a well-endowed girl. Meg was relieved to see that she was still breathing (not a murder case), and her clothes were undamaged (not a rape); her only noticeable wound was a really nasty bump on her head.
"I'd better bring her home," Meg remarked as she picked her up. "If she was attacked or something, we'll make the police report AFTER she's feeling better..."
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"Uuuuugggghhh...What hit me?" Ranma thought as she opened her eyes. She slowly sat up, feeling a cold compress fall off of her head. She was shocked to find herself in a nearly-palatial bedroom! The room was literally two stories tall, with stairs leading upwards to the doors, and almost everything in the room, while not extravagant, looked fairly pricey.
"Whoah! I wonder how I got here?" she asked herself. Then, all of the memories of that afternoon came flooding back.
"Rrrrrrr... that stupid Akane!" she growled.
5:30 that day, Nerima district of Tokyo
(Ranma's Memory)
AKANE: "Ranma, tell me the truth: do these jeans make me look fat?"
RANMA: "Not really..."
AKANE: "RANMA, YOU JERK!" (mallets him into the stratosphere)
5:30 that day, Nerima district of Tokyo
(How it really went down)
AKANE: "Ranma, tell me the truth: do these jeans make me look fat?"
RANMA: "Not really... Actually, they just might restrain your thighs enough for you to fit through doors!"
AKANE: "RANMA, YOU JERK!" (mallets him into the stratosphere)
"Always smackin' me around with that mallet for no reason...Oh, my head!" Ranma groaned.
Just then the door to the room opened, and in walked perhaps the prettiest girl Ranma had ever seen. Her face was flawless, with ruby lips, piercing eyes, and a cute nose. She was of medium height (about as tall as Nabiki), and had long, chocolate-brown hair that reached down to her hips.
"Oh! So you're finally awake!" she smiled as she walked over to the bed. "I was about to get worried. I'm Megumi Amatsuka." Meg extended her hand.
Ranma snapped out of the daze she had been in since Meg walked in. "Get a hold of yourself, man! You already have two fiancees; this is NOT the time to go looking for #3!" she mentally chided herself.
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma introduced herself as she shook Meg's hand.
"Glad to meet you, Ranma," Meg replied. "Um...if you don't mind, would you tell me what you were doing in that alley? I found you lying in the rain with an awful bump on your head; were you attacked?"
"Yeah," mumbled Ranma, "a dopey girl hit me with a hammer; happens all of the time. That time, she just swung it a bit harder than usual!" She tried to laugh, but the throbbing in her head quickly turned the chuckle into a cringe.
"I...see," Megumi said, puzzled. "What a strange girl," she thought. "So, uh, where do you live, Ranma?" Megumi asked.
"In Nerima. I go to Furinkan High School there," Ranma replied.
"Nerima, eh?" Megumi said, quite surprised. "That's in Tokyo...how did you get all the way here to Yokohama?"
Ranma's eyes went wide. "Yokohama?! Akane has never hit me THIS far before!" she thought. Ranma decided to play dumb with Meg; after all, who would believe that she'd been malleted across an entire city?
"Beats me," she lied.
"Well, in any case, it looks like you'll have to spend the night here," Meg stated. "I hope you don't mind; we could talk, or..."
"Oh, I don't mind; not at all!" Ranma replied. "So, is this your house?"
"Yep," Meg said matter-of-factly. "My family is pretty rich; I guess I'm lucky in that respect. We're in my room right now."
"REALLY?" Ranma asked, a little surprised. She never would have guessed it. On the one hand, the room was neat and tidy, and had several flower vases; all typical girl's-room stuff. However, it was missing any trace of the band posters and stuffed animals she would have expected. Also, the room's white walls and plain wooden furniture gave it a simplicity more often found in a guy's room than in a girl's.
"Oh, well. It's not like I'm an expert on girls' bedrooms or anything. It's kinda different from the Tendo girls' rooms, but it's probably just a matter of taste..." Ranma thought to herself.
Megumi was getting a little frustrated. This girl, while friendly enough, was very difficult to carry on a conversation with; her answers seemed to never be over one sentence long, and she kept "zoning out". It was almost as if she was being careful to not say too much about herself...
"I'm probably just imagining things; I'd probably act the same way if Miki were to pummel me with a hammer!" Meg had to try very hard to keep from laughing at that thought. "I'll go get some tea; she'll probably be more talkative once she gets nice and warm."
Getting up, Megumi asked, "Ranma, would you like some tea?"
"Sure! Thanks!" Ranma replied.
Megumi walked up the stairs and out the door; after a few seconds she returned with a tray of hot tea in hand.
"I hope you like it hot!" she said as she made her way back to Ranma's bed. "Around here, nothing short of scalding will do--WOO!" Megumi tripped on the umbrella she had left lying on the floor, causing her to fall! The tea tray kept going, however, flying through the air and landing squarely on top of Ranma!
"YYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!" she (then he) screamed in pain.
"Oh my gosh!!! I am SO sorry, Ranma!" Meg yelled as she ran over to the bed. "Are you alr--"
Meg stared in stunned silence at the BOY sitting on her bed, wet with tea and as red as a boiled lobster.
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!"
And for the first time that night, something drowned out the thunder...
END OF CHAPTER 2
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Hey, there! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter; there's more to come! I'd like to thank my reviewers for their compliments, critiques, and suggestions. This is the most reviews I've EVER received for a story, hands down, and I'm truly bowled over by it! (P.S. Please keep it up!!!)
I've received a few emails and comments that have made me realize that I need to explain a few things. First off, PLEASE quit pummeling me with spoilers! I've been informed several times now of how Cheeky Angel ends, but as mentioned earlier, I'm basing this fanfic off of the first three graphic novels only. That means I'm only working with the characters as they think, act, and appear up to that point; no more, no less. Although I've received no comments about the Ranma cast, the same goes with them: this takes place right after Shampoo first appeared, but before she erased Akane's memory.
Also of note, I want to make it very clear that this story will NOT contain a Ranma-Megumi pairing. I've made up my mind on this, so don't ask, okay? For that matter, I might as well tell you that this story is going to take place over a very short time period, and pairings aren't really its point. The true focus here, besides the general Ranma 1/2-style antics, is the conflict between what Ranma and Meg are what they desperately want to be (AT--THIS--POINT! Huff, huff, huff...).
However, I hope that, regardless of your pairing opinions, you'll all keep comin' back for the ever-deepening plot and anything-goes shenanigans still to come. This story is definitely NOT over, so please keep reading! Thanks again!
