The Three Fiances Arc
2
らんま½
"School?" Ranma blinked in confusion, "I'm going back to school?"
Genma nodded, "Well, of course," the man nodded, crossing his arms, "We're going to be here for quite a while, so we might as well enroll you in Akane's school so that you can spend more time with her."
Roshi slid the door open, chuckling, "Take it easy on the boy, Genma, after all, you've home schooled him for the largest part of his life save for a year of high school." He said, and took a seat next to his student, "And I think it'll be good for you, sonny. Aside from the Tendo family, you could use more friends, right?"
[Friends,] Ranma thought, his mind going to a young, brunette boy and his father while they worked an okonomiyaki cart. His favorite food. A small smile curved his lips, "I think I'd like to try it."
Roshi noticed the boy's smile, and gave one of his own, "Good, good, I believe you'll enjoy it," he said, rising, "Ah, would you go find Akane and meet me in the training hall?" He asked, "She seemed so taken with the Dancing Sky Art that I thought we might teach her the basics of Ki manipulation."
Ranma popped right up from the floor, "Sure!" He pipped up, and trotted to the door.
Genma turned to the old man, "Are you sure it's wise to encourage the girl to continue her training?" He asked, making the elder frown, "Certainly she's strong for a woman, but she - "
"That's enough of that," Roshi said, and moved toward the door himself, "Genma, the sooner you learn that women are more dangerous than men, the longer you'll live." He paused a moment, "That reminds me, Ranma often had nightmares while he was training with me. Any idea what the cause might be?"
Genma scowled, "The boy still has those damned dreams?" He shook his head, "Disgraceful. It's been ten years since that particular training exercise."
Roshi frowned, "What training exercise?"
"I trained him in the art of Nekoken."
らんま½
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Ranma and Akane paused just outside the dojo when they heard the enraged shout that could be none other than Master Roshi. The two teens looked at each other in confusion. "What do you think that's all about?" Ranma asked.
Akane shrugged, "Not a clue." She said as they entered the dojo, "Whatever it is, though, he must be pretty mad to shout like that."
"Yeah," the boy sighed, tightening the belt around his dogi.
They then heard a loud racket from up stairs. Amidst shouting, yelps and indiscriminate sounds of pain the angered voice of their shared instructor could be heard over the din. A loud crash shook the dojo, followed closely by a strangled cry of pain before things finally quieted down.
"Uh," Akane frowned as a bead of sweat dropped down her head, "I guess he was really, really mad?"
"Understatement," Ranma mumbled, shaking his head, "Uh, how about I show you the basics until he gets here?"
Akane nodded eagerly, "Sure, how do I learn how to fly?"
Ranma nearly laughed, "Ya know, that's almost exactly what I said when Master Roshi offered to teach me this?" He said, scratching his cheek, "First I need to show you how to use your Ki."
"What exactly is Ki?" Akane asked, "I mean I've heard about it, but I've always thought that it was some sort of made up mystic nonsense?"
"Well," Ranma crossed his legs and sat on the floor, Akane following suit, "The way Master explained it to me, all living creatures have Ki inside them. It's our lives' energy, meaning that if we use too much of it before we're ready, it could easily kill us." Ranma said, remembering Roshi's words to him when he was being taught.
"Life energy," Akane nodded, somewhat understanding, "So I'd be using my own life force to achieve this?"
"Basically." Ranma said, nodding, "But you have to focus on it to draw it out." He sighed, sitting back, "I meditated a lot when I was starting to learn how to control it."
Akane giggled, "You don't sound very patient."
"You've met my dad, right?" The boy asked, frowning, "It's a wonder I haven't snapped, yet."
"Good point."
Ranma chuckled, "Anyway, the way I finally figured out how to draw it out was my own way." He said, raising his hand and pointing to the spot over her heart, "I always thought that, like the old stories of chakra and chi, that it was located in the center of the body, but I had that wrong." He said, "It's right here, where your life is tied to your body. Focus everything you have in that one spot, and try to draw it out."
"How do I do that, exactly?" Akane asked, narrowing her eyes as she batted his hand away from her breast. "And watch the hands."
"Sorry," Ranma said, having a small blush on his cheeks when he realized how close he'd come to touching her. "Think of it like this. Your life force is like a little flame, and to make it stronger, you have to fan the flames, and force it throughout your whole body." He said, "And being a martial artist, you probably already have a powerful life force of your own, so you should be able to spread it out a lot more easily than a total newbie."
Akane nodded, smiling in excitement once more, "I'd like to try it."
"Go ahead," Ranma smirked. "Just don't push yourself too far."
Akane nodded, and closed her eyes, slowly beginning to meditate.
らんま½
"Honestly, putting the poor boy through something so idiotic," Roshi grumbled as he pawed through his possessions. "He's lucky the boy didn't lose his mind after going through training meant for sentient feline demons." He frowned and pulled out a small jade crystal. "Ah, this will be perfect."
He went over to his desk, and started threading the crystal with a braided cord. "Purified jade, bound by dragon whiskers soaked in sacred Kasumi Sennin. Perfect for fending off demonic possessions."
He smiled, admiring his work, "Now, I'll give this to Ranma, and we won't have to worry about him losing control." He said, "Now to see what those two youngsters have gotten up to."
He knew that he had made them wait, but finding out that young Ranma had put subjected to something as dangerous as Nekoken training was not something he had counted on. From what Genma had told him, he hadn't stopped at one try, either. No wonder the poor boy had nightmares.
As he made his way toward the dojo, he wondered fleetingly if he actually had lost control at one point in time. Genma seemed to be holding something back when he explained the boy's training. And that made the old master uneasy.
[Nekoken training is dangerous to those it was meant for, but to think that a human, a child no less, was put through such an ordeal, and managed to survive.] The hermit frowned as he neared the dojo, [I must have really lucked out when this kid washed up on my island. I doubt even I could've gone through that hellish training and come out of it the way he did.]
"Careful, you don't wanna fall!" Ranma's voice cut in through his musings.
"Hm?" Roshi mumbled as he neared the door, cracking it open just a hair as he peeked inside. What he saw made him smile.
Akane, and Ranma, probably having grown impatient about his tardiness, had taken it upon themselves to advance the lesson. The result was Ranma now holding Akane's hands lightly in his own as the girl floated around the dojo just a few inches from the floor.
"I can go higher, I think," Akance giggled, proving herself right a moment later as she lifted from hovering just above the floor, to floating a few feet above it. "This is amazing! I can't wait to show this Yuka and Sayuri!"
Ranma chuckled to himself, [She's cute when she smiles like that.]
"Well, now, what have we here?" Roshi said loudly, making his presence known to the pair. He laughed loudly when Akane yelped, losing control over her technique, and fell atop Ranma, both of them landing in a heap on the floor. "Sneaky little devils, using this time to get cozy instead of training."
Akane and Ranma, the latter beneath the former, took one look at each other, seeing their close proximity, and yelped, scuttling away from each other. Roshi laughed even louder when the two of them turned as red as Ranma dogi. But the joke was over as soon as it began when he looked down at the young Tendo heiress, "Akane, I'm quite impressed." He told her, "You started using the Dancing Sky Art quicker than Ranma did. Well done, deary."
Akane blushed under his praise, offering Ranma a small smile of thanks, "I-I couldn't have done if Ranma hadn't shown me how."
"She picked it up pretty quick," Ranma muttered, also blushing.
Roshi chuckled one last time before he sat himself down in front of the two. "Ranma," he said, becoming serious, "I heard from your father that he put you through the Nekoken training," he saw the boy stiffen, and his skin became deathly pale, "I see that he was speaking the truth."
"What's the Nekoken?" Akane asked, looking at the young Saotome, seeing him frightened beyond reason at the mere mention of the technique.
"The Nekoken was martial arts technique developed by the Western Panther tribe, a tribe of humanoid feline demons that long ago sought to rule Japan over the other demons of the era." He said, shocking the pair, "The technique was devastating on its own, and the training was used on the very young to make their feline reflexes develop to the extreme, making them near invincible. Somehow, humans got a hold of the training methods about two hundred years ago, but the training never worked in the way it was meant to. It left the human mentally scarred, and often crazed, or feral from the trauma."
"I can't stand even seeing a cat," Ranma admitted quietly, "They terrify me."
"I would imagine," Roshi said, seeing the look of confusion still on Akane's face, "The training process calls for the subject to be wrapped in things cats enjoy eating, and then to be thrown into a pit full of starving cats."
Akane blanched, "You're kidding!"
"'Fraid not, Akane," the elder said, "As it is, Genma told me that Ranma suffers from ailurophobia to the extreme, and still has nightmares about the training."
Ranma shook his head, "That's not all," he said, looking down at his lap, "Sometimes, when I'm pushed too far, or when I can't calm down from seeing a cat, I black out." He looked up at the old hermit, who was eerily quiet. "When I come to, everyone around me is down, and there's claw marks all over the place. I once asked Pop what happened, but he just told me that a demon had passed by."
"Cat's are extremely spiritual creatures, my boy," Roshi said, "And they're one of the few remaining creatures in the world today capable of becoming a feral demon beast. Such as the old legends of cats living long lives and gaining a second tail, they gain other abilities. One such ability that normal cats have is to channel their energy, and, sometimes, inflict someone with a curse if they brought harm to them."
"Another curse?" Ranma moaned.
"One that could cause much more trouble than your changing into a girl," the man nodded, "You see, depending on how many times your father put you through that ordeal, and how many of those cats possessed demonic energy, they may have passed some of it on to you, causing you to, at times, go berserk when your fears are taken to their utter limits."
Akane looked from the boy to their teacher, lost, "I'm still not following," she said, "Are you trying to say that those cats may have turned him into some sort of demon?"
Roshi sputtered, "Far from it!" He said, "In Ranma's case, I believe, the energy passed into him by the cats builds up the more he's backed into a corner." Akane understood now, "Now, as to what the black outs you've experienced were, I'd say that was the demonic energy of the cats possessing your body, and defending you. You know the old saying about chasing the wild cat? As soon as you catch and corner it, it'll turn and fight, and what a fight it'll be."
"Can it be cured?" Ranma asked, sounding panicked, "I've seen the damage I can do in that state, and I'm not sure I want it hanging over my head!"
Roshi shrugged, "I'll be sure to look into it," he said, handing him the jade pendant, "In the mean time, wear that. It'll suppress any demonic energies that might come off of you if you do happen to hit your limit."
Ranma took the pendant gratefully, and placed it around his neck. Akane looked at the small jewel, and smiled, "It suits you really good, Ranma."
"That it does," Roshi chuckled, rising, "Now, Ranma and Akane, why don't you two go explore the city with your newfound freedom, eh?" He said, pointing his finger into the open air, "It'll be good practice, and will help build up your Ki to higher levels."
"I'd love to!" Akane said at once.
"Are you coming, too?" Ranma asked.
Roshi shook his head, "Nah, I think it best if you have this time to yourselves," he chuckled, "Besides, Genma just provided me with a stack of my favorite magazines!" He laughed and moved out of the dojo, Ranma scowling after him.
"Dirty old fart."
"Ranma!" Akane chided, "That's no way to talk about - "
"He likes swim suit magazines, and has a collection of Nudist Weekly."
Akane frowned, "Never mind...can we go flying now?"
Ranma stood up, reaching out to help her, "You don't feel tired, do you?"
"Nope," the girl smiled, accepting his hand. "I actually feel pretty energized."
Ranma grinned and stepped out into the yard, "Let's fly, then." He said, and lifted off the ground with a small Ki burst. Akane followed at a slower pace, unable to control her Ki all that well, yet, but was soon floating beside him.
"Where should we go?" Akane asked.
Ranma grinned, "You lead, and I'll follow," he said, jerking his thumb toward the city, "Show me all those places you like to visit."
Akane giggled and flew off toward the city, "Catch me if you can!"
Ranma smiled at the challenge, "Oh, it is so on!"
らんま½
"Where are Ranma and Akane?" Soun found himself asking some time later, "It's near dinner time, and I haven't seen either of them all day?"
Across from him sat Genma, as a panda, "Master Roshi was training with them," the panda signed, "Perhaps they're still at it?"
Soun nodded, "That's my darling daughter," he declared proudly, "Always up for a lesson!"
It was then that Roshi himself walked out onto the porch where the duo was playing Go. "If you mean Akane, then I haven't taught her anything as of yet." He said, taking a seat next to the two parents. "Ranma actually managed to instruct her in the Sky Dance technique, and I advised them to take a little flight out over Nerima so that Ranma could see the city, and perhaps give them a little time together."
"Amazing!" Soun cried out in joy, startling the Turtle Hermit, "To think my daughter has already mastered the art of Ki to the point that she can fly!"
"OUTSTANDING!" Signed the panda.
Roshi wiped a bead of sweat from his face, and straightened his sunglasses, "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Soun." He said, trying to calm the overcome man down. "Mastering one's Ki is a long road, but I can assure you that she's a quick study, and quite strong, too."
"She's my pride and joy as a martial artist," Soun smiled.
"Why ever did you stop accepting students, though?" Roshi found himself asking. "Surely it wasn't because you only had daughters?"
Soun shook his head, "No, that wasn't it," he admitted shamefully, "You see, after the girls' mother passed away, I lost my will to teach, save for Akane." He sighed, "And she was more devastated than her sisters about her mother's passing. I had to give her something to keep her going. But alas, I have only been training her once a week since then."
"And yet she's a splendid fighter, from what I can tell." The elder said, "I haven't seen her fight yet, but I can tell that she does it often enough that her hands are covered in calluses on bother palms, and her knuckles are enlarged from being cracked far too often. Which means she's been in a lot of fights."
"Indeed," Soun said, nodding, "She's a frequent target at school because one of her upperclassmen said that in order to date her, one had to defeat her in battle first."
"Disgraceful," said the panda.
"For once I agree with the furry," Roshi huffed, "Bar this arranged marriage, the girl is more that capable of choosing her partner. She's not an Amazon, after all."
At the mention of Amazons, the panda felt a cold shiver run up his back. [Oh, I'd forgotten about her...]
らんま½
"It's so pretty up here," Akane commented as she and Ranma flew over Nerima. "I never imagined I could see the world like this outside of an airplane."
Ranma chuckled, "Never been in one," he admitted, "Me and Pop usually walked, or swam to get to where we wanted to go."
Akane twirled around and floated for a minute, "So you've really been traveling since you were three?"
"Sure have," he said, sighing, "We don't having anything like a permanent home. Hell, I don't even have a picture of my mom." He turned himself upside down, looking down at the streets below. "O'course, I really wish we could've settled down somewhere, but whenever we did, he'd get us into some kind'a trouble, and we'd have to high-tail it outta there."
Akane hummed in thought, "Does...does that mean you like living with my family?"
Ranma shrugged, "It's nice, gotta admit that." He said, "I just wish we weren't forcing you into something you don't want."
"I appreciate that," the girl said, and floated over to the edge of a building where she sat, resting her Ki for a moment, "I don't have to tell you that I was pretty mad when I heard what our dads were making us do." She admitted, kicking her feet against the building as Ranma kept floating above her, "I mean, we're close to a new century, and people still do stuff like belittle women, and arrange marriages between powerful families."
"Nothing powerful about my family." Ranma told her, "We lived off the land for so long that I feel like I'm getting fat just setting foot in the Tendo home because Kasumi gives us three squares a day." She giggled at the comment, sure that her sister would find it amusing. "And Dad's about as sexist as they come. He hates seeing me as a female, and has nothing good to say about women martial artists."
"And that's another thing," Akane blustered, "What's so wrong about a woman running a dojo?"
Ranma shrugged, "I've met plenty of strong women," he said, thinking back to his time in China, "There's an entire village of Amazon warriors back in central China called the Jokestuzoku. All of them are devoted martial artists."
"I think I'd like it there." Akane sighed, tucking her knees up against her chest, "No offense, but I honestly really hate men." Ranma cocked his head at this and landed next to her, waiting for her to continue. "It's nothing personal toward you, 'cause you seem a little different than others, but most of the boys I know are huge perverts who challenge me to fights every day before school."
"Maybe they just want to fight a strong person?" Ranma hazarded a guess out.
Akane shook her head, "It's not that," the girl sighed, "First day of high school, and I caught the attention of one of my upperclassmen." She said, sounding rather disgusted, "I don't know what it was that he liked about me, but he waltzed right up and demanded, demanded that I date him. I refused, but he just kept up with his demands until I decked him. And it wasn't a gentle tap either. I full on knocked him clean over the fence with a hard right uppercut."
"Nice," Ranma grinned.
"Thanks," she smiled a little, "But it was the last thing I should've done, because after that, Kuno got it into his head that in order to date me, he had to defeat me in a fight." She hid her face in her knees, "And what's worse is that he announced the whole thing to the entire student body. So now I've got a bunch of horny perverts ganging up on me every morning when I come to school...some girls, too."
Ranma sat down next to her, "But no one's beaten you, yet, right?"
"No, not yet, anyway," she sighed, "But I think they aren't taking me seriously, especially Kuno since he uses a wooden Kendo sword."
Ranma frowned in thought, "Well," he said, mumbling, "If you want, you can tell them you're engaged to me," she looked at him sharply, "I-I mean, it's not like it was our idea, and...well, if you wanted to, you could tell'em that they'd have to go through me, first before fighting you."
Akane looked at him like he had gone crazy, then giggled, "You'd really do that?"
"I don't mind, provided they put up a good fight." Ranma said, "Besides, it'll provide a decent workout at least, right?"
"They sure do," the girl sighed, "But I got so tired of it after the first time that I just wanted them to stop it. I nearly begged them to stop, but I wasn't ready to sink that low." She said, "All my friends say that I should pick the best looking one out of the bunch, and throw the fight so it'll end."
"You're to proud to even think about something like that," Ranma observed, "I could never willingly give up on a fight, even if I knew I couldn't win. I'd keep fighting until I was put down."
Akane smiled at him, "Well, then, I might just take you up on that."
"There is a condition."
Akane frowned, "What?"
Ranma gave her a smile, "Can we be friends?"
The bluenette blinked, surprised, "That's it?" She asked, "Friends?"
"For now," Ranma nodded, sighing, "Look, I know we both don't like the idea of getting married, but if it's going to happen, I'd at least like for us to be friends when it happens."
Akane thought for a few moments before her smile returned, "You know what? I'll do it." She said, smiling at him, "Let's be friends."
らんま½
When Ranma and Akane returned home, it was to find their families waiting up for them, Kasumi chastising the pair for staying out passed dinner time, while Soun and Genma, in human form, demanded how things had progressed between the two of them.
"We're friends." Akane and Ranma had said together.
It was a start. In the eyes of Roshi, the two had indeed become friends. Of course, Genma declared that it wasn't enough to just be friends, but it was as far as he got before Ranma flung him into the koi pond again, and made a threat to call animal control if he didn't behave.
Thankfully, Kasumi had thought to save them some food before they went to bed. The next morning found the pair walking to school together.
"I'd rather be flying," Akane frowned, having enjoyed the feeling of being in the air.
"In a skirt?" Ranma gave her a look, "Come on, if some one spotted you, they'd be able to see right up it."
Akane blushed, "I didn't think about that."
"Tomboy."
"Excuse me?!" Akane growled at him, "I'm still getting used to the fact that I can fly now, so what's wrong with being eager?"
"Didn't say there was." Ranma grinned.
"Jerk."
He decided to lay off, and change the subject, "So, besides the crazies, what'd Furinkan like?"
"It's nice," she said, "The teachers are a little strict because of Kuno, but other than that, it's a nice school."
"Speaking of," he said as they neared the school, seeing a large mob forming at the gates. "Are these guys...?"
"The Hentai Horde?" She supplied, "Yes, yes they are."
"Want me to take care of the like we planned?" He asked, popping his knuckles.
Akane shook her head, "It's Kuno you need to worry about," she told him as she passed him her book bag, "He's no push over."
"Neither am I." Ranma smirked.
"IT'S AKANE!"
Akane sighed, dropping into her stance, "Here we go again."
Ranma stepped back to give her some room. And it didn't take long to figure out that Akane was no push over either. The girl simply dropped thirty individuals in a matter of minutes, which made Ranma groan. None of them were much of a challenge for her, which left him with nothing to look forward to except maybe this Kuno person she kept nattering on about.
"Is everyone besides you at this school like this?" He asked, prodding a heavily built football player with his foot.
"No, just the normal ones," Akane said, dusting off her hands, "Really, though, they do this every day! You'd think they'd take the hint after the first time!"
"You would think." Commented Ranma.
"Truly a boorish lot."
Ranma and Akane turned, the latter frowning. "Upperclassmen Kuno," she said flatly, "Good morning."
[This is the guy?] Ranma frowned.
The young man was dressed in a keno uniform, and had fluffy hair, which he figured he washed frequently, given the sheen. He sported the trademark bokken that Akane had warned him about, and held a freshly bloomed rose in his hand.
"Evidently, each of them intends to ask you out, Akane," he said, ignoring Ranma's presence for the moment, "On the dawn that finally he defeats you." He tossed the rose to her, which she caught, and drew his wooden sword, "Now, Akane Tendo," he said over dramatically, "Might you fight with me?"
Ranma saw this as his cue to step in, "That's far enough." He said evenly, and stepped in front of the girl, setting their school bags on the ground, "Your fight with Akane ends right here."
"You there," as if he was just now noticing the pig-tailed martial artist, "You are being quite familiar with Akane!"
"I ought to be," the boy said, frowning, "We train together."
This only served to upset the kendoist more, "Who are you boor?!"
"The name's - "
"Ah! But it is custom to give one's own name first," Kuno interrupted, "Fine then! I - "
"I know who you are!" Ranma snapped loudly, upset at being interrupted, "You're Tatewaki Kuno, the jackass that's been harassing my friend ever since she gave you the brush-off."
"Why you - ?!"
"As for me," Ranma snapped, dropping into his own fighting form, "The name's Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling." He flared up his Ki so that a small aura built up around him. "And from this point on, anyone that wants to fight with Akane, goes through me first!"
Kuno blinked, and so did the rest of the school having been drawn to the show down, "And how is it that you can make this claim?"
"He's my fiance," Akane declared loud enough for him to hear.
"What?!" Kuno howled, and charged the young man, "You foul beast! I challenge you on behalf of Akane!"
Ranma jumped back from the first strike of the sword, and grinned, "I accept."
Kuno charged again, driving Ranma toward the stone fence surround the school. As soon as his back was against it, he struck only to drive his sword through the brick as Ranma lifted into the air. "What?!"
Ranm flipped around and landed behind him, dropping into a low stance, "Get ready." He taunted, "You call me a beast? Then I'll fight like one!"
Akane watched as he clawed his hands and raised his Ki to visible levels. He then launched himself at Kuno in a blur of motion. "Fist of the Wolf Fang!"
"Have at thee!" Kuno called out as he brought the sword down. Ranma's clawed hands battered it aside with his right, and drove a left straight into his face, bringing back the clawed right across his chest, and finished by a double palm strike that sent Kuno hurtling against the wall where he left a crater.
Ranma straightened up, looking disappointed, "That's all?" He frowned, looking over at Akane, "I thought you said he was strong?"
"Compared to the others," she said, stunned by the ferocious display, "He is."
Shrugging he picked up their bags, and handed Akane's back to her, "Well, let's go," he said, smiling, "Wouldn't wanna be late on my first day, right?"
らんま½
"That was some first day," Akane commented as she and Ranma strolled home from school, "Two fights with Kuno, and getting turned into a girl? You've got some Kind of bad luck."
"At least no one saw me," Ranma sighed, feeling drained, "thanks for that, by the way. I can't believe Kuno didn't connect the dots."
Akane giggled. During his second encounter with Kuno, he had jumped out the third story window to avoid hurting anyone without knowing that the school swimming pool was right beneath it. He would have flown away from it, but Kuno, eager to fight, had been right behind him, and collided with the young Saotome midair, bringing them both down into the water.
Of course, his curse had come into effect, which was made worse when Kuno inadvertently grabbed Ranma's breasts. She had knocked him clean out after that, and scrambled to get out of sight before anyone saw her.
Akane would later come to find her hiding in a tree trying to dry her clothes out, and provide her with a kettle of warm water. Cue a third encounter with the Furinkan's Blue Thunder as Kuno had come looking for a mysterious red-haired girl with a pig-tail, much to Ranma's embarrassment.
Akane had misleadingly pointed him in the wrong direction, allowing her, and the now male Ranma to run for it before he realized he'd been tricked.
"You're welcome," she smiled, "It was worth pulling one over on Kuno, and seeing that technique you used!" She looked at him, "Was that something Mister Roshi taught you?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not moving fast enough for it to deal the maximum damage level." Ranma sighed, "And I used way too much Ki when I went through it. It's no wonder I'm so exhausted!"
"So it was another Ki technique?" Akane wondered, "Wow, I'll have to get you guys to show it to me."
Ranma laughed, "Sure, I..."
Ranma suddenly whipped around, feeling something watching them
"What is it?" Akane asked.
"Dunno," he said, feeling uneasy. "Feels like someone was watching us. It felt really creepy, too."
Akane looked down the street, not seeing anyone nearby, "Maybe you're just jumpy," she suggested, "It's been a rough day, after all."
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, maybe."
The two teenagers continued home. From above the street, however stood a figure, looking down at them. "Seems like that old turtle's finally picked himself a student after all these years." The figure said, "I'm gonna enjoy getting my revenge on him for sealing me away for so long."
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