Meeting Ranma is Embarrassing
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Karin to Yuna Kagesaki.
My Family - the Maakas, or is it the Markers? Anyway I'm so Embarrassed of Them.
It was a few minutes before six in the evening when they landed at the designated spot specified by Karin. The neighboring area was devoid of any residential structures save for a cobbled walkway that passes under an avenue of overgrown cherry blossom trees - that gave the path a gloomy and foreboding cast.
"We're here." Karin stated after being set down by Ranma.
"'Here'?" Ranma dubiously looked around the place. "Where's your house?"
Bringing out clumsy smile to her face Karin uncomfortably answered. "It's right through there." She pointed at the darkened path.
Ranma became more dubious by the whole thing. "You're kidding right? Hey, who are calling now?"
"My little sister, Anju…" Karin answered. She waited for a response on the phone. 'Please answer, Anju!'
"Why bother, we're 'here' aren't we? I'll just accompany you all the way." Ranma took a step forward.
"NO, you can't!" Karin rushed in to bar Ranma's way, outstretching her arms in emphasis. "I mean," Karin tried to make a plausible excuse. "What I'm trying to say is that," she finally thought one. "My parents are very particular in receiving visitors and I'm not ready to have them meet you. That's it, hehe…"
Ranma just sighed and gave in to her elusive behavior. "Fine then, if that's the way you like it. But what are we to do now, just wait out here?"
Karin was at a lost over all of this. In the past Anju would respond to her beckon as soon as possible and come to her almost immediately, to help her deal with a situation like this. But for some reason she wasn't answering her phone now. Or was that really her intention? 'No, she wouldn't do that! Why would she?'
"Yo, Karin?"
"Huh?"
"It's getting awfully dark now. It wouldn't be good for either of us to stay out here like this, you know."
Karin sighed. Things were definitely not going her way. Not only has part of her secret been revealed to an outsider but she took it upon herself to lead the after mentioned outsider near her home. And to compound it all, her supposed 'partner in crime', Anju, couldn't be contacted at this crucial moment.
'I can't take Ranma along to the house nor can I allow him to leave just yet. Oh, Anju, What am I to do?'
Karins's prayer was answered when her cell phone bleep to life – playing a distinctive themed soundtrack. It's a text message. Karin immediately checked it out. It read: 'Onee-chan, please go the house now. Do not ask why. Leave the stranger to me.'
"Well?" anxiously asked Ranma.
"It's from Anju, my little sister," she answered without looking at him, a grim expression forming from under the bangs of her purple hair. 'Looks like Anju is ready. I'm really sorry for this, Ranma.' She faced him, putting on a fake smile. "From here on, I must go alone. I thank you so much, Ranma." She politely bowed to him. "For bringing me home, or at least very close to it." With one last sheepish grin, Karin turned around to head off.
"Wait! What about your 'condition'? Can you walk now?"
Karin stopped, and then turned around to face him once more. "Of course I can, see!" She tapped both of her shoe covered feet on the stony ground to give him reassurance.
It's true; while he carried her half across Nerima Ranma could tell that her state had gradually improved since that 'nose bleed' incident of hers.
"And my blood pressure has gone down. So I feel a lot better." She then did a couple of playful twirls, which was a mistake in her part. She could feel her world spinning, tumbling down.
"Oh!" Karin yipped. She lightly bumped into something, or was it because her fall got arrested?
"You okay?"
Karin's perception steadied. She was held upright in Ranma's arms, with her cute head cushioned by his firm chest.
"Spinning like, after what you've gone through, will really make you feel dizzy and sick, you know."
Karin closed her eyes, brushing her face on to the bloodstained Chinese shirt. 'I can still smell the blood on his clothes, my blood.' She blushingly faced him.
"I'm really sorry about your clothes…"
"Yeah, well, it was an accident after all," said Ranma, feeling discomfited, quickly steering the conversation in a different direction. "But I'm very sure Kasumi won't be happy when she sees this."
"Kasumi?" reacted Karin, rather apprehensively.
"She Akane's older sister," answered Ranma, remembering fondly of only good things about the eldest Tendo sister. "She very kind and considerate and she know how to cook" his face then frowned "unlike that tomboy of a sister of hers."
"Oh…" Karin was somewhat glad by the stated fact.
Her eyes suddenly widen in realization. "NO!" She pushed away from his light embrace. "I'm really sorry! I must get going!" she self-consciously blurted and quickly sped away.
Ranma was dumbfounded. "She does recover quite fast. Maybe she is some sort of martial artist?" He started heading back the way he came, but suddenly stopped. He was a bit curious if not concerned about Karin. What secrets does she have that she's hiding? Does she really live around this 'place', which was practically in the middle of nowhere? 'Why do I even care? She's just a classmate of mine. And a very cute classmate at that…perhaps even cuter than…' Ranma shook the thoughts off. 'Arrgh! What am I thinking? It doesn't mean a thing!' He looked back at the darken path. "I'll just go and see if she made all the way safely."
Up among the canopy of the cherry blossoms a pair of watchful eyes went unnoticed by Ranma's acute senses, silently observing the pigtail boy as he followed Karin's trail.
"Aren't you going to make your move, Anju?" asked a whiny and grating voice.
"No," replied a soft-spoken young female speaker "we shall wait and see, for now, Boogie-kun."
Ranma wasn't sure on how long he had trekked through this trail but two things remained constant - everything here was shrouded in shadows and the air had an oppressive feeling of dread. He wasn't even certain if the setting sun was still up or if it was already early evening - when the stars are up - outside of this confining environment, for time seems to strangely stand still here.
'Man, how long does this go? It seems to go on forever, and what's with all these bats?' Although it didn't bothered him too much Ranma had noticed ever since he entered this nether world of a place swarms of the flying rodents nosily chittered at his presence as if welcoming him to their dark domain. Or were they mocking him for his seeming helplessness with his bearings? 'This place is a sure winner for a cheesy horror fest," he mockingly implied. A trivial thought crept into Ranma's mind at that moment. He had watched the movie – The Ring, a creepy horror flick with his friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi some weeks ago. Even though the movie was not his kind of thing, even to the point of not admitting it himself, the film kind a freaked him out. He had nightmares, for days, after watching it. An image of Sadako's longhaired covered face and gangly form, shambling right behind him played into his thoughts. Ranma gulped hard at the notion, realizing just now how his mind and eyes were playing tricks on him in this place. Someone or something touched him at the back. "Yiiiaaah!" Ranma jumped in fright.
"Greetings Saotome Ranma." A soft, feminine voice spoke from behind.
His worst fears (besides cats) were realized. 'It's Sadako! It's Sadako!' Ranma fearfully turned around to face perceived fiend. "Huh?" Standing right there was not a woman but a girl perhaps twelve years of age and having long flowing locks of platinum blonde hair with a cute black ribbon tied at the back, not black and unkempt strands. Her face was not covered exposing it as cute, adorable even, if not being serious and impassive. She was however dressed in a black billowing dress, with a red bow tied at her collar. Cut just below her knees with white stockings covering her daintily legs finally ending with a pair of black retro loafers on her feet – very sophisticated compared to a simple white frock. One last thing that makes her stand out is the Muppet-like, straw haired, stuff toy she cradles with both arms which morbidly carries a cleaver in one of its small closed fisted hands.
"I am Anju, Anju Maaka." She simply said, without much emotion.
It took a while for Ranma to recover and to finally digest who was before him. "Ha! You're Karin's younger sister!" he exclaimed. "Wait a minute, how did you know me?"
"I know many things, especially if it concerns my big sister, Karin."
"We've been keeping track of that 'failure's' progress with Anju's familiars," interjected a new speaker.
Ranma eyes widen. Surely his eyes, and his ears, were definitely playing tricks on him. He swore he just saw that puppet that Anju carries move, more so since it seems to be the one that last to have spoken. "Did that doll just talked?" Ranma asked Anju, keeping an eye on the stuffed toy.
Still emotionless, Anju answered his query. "No…I am a…ventriloquist…and this," she begins to squeeze hard on the puppet which seems to exudes an audible wheezing groan. "Dummy…is my assistant, Boogie-kun."
"A-anju-san…y-your…strangling…me…"
"It is all just part of an act," she finally said, easing her grip on Boogie-kun who huffed in relief.
"Heh, neat trick." Ranma wirily smiled. "You're very good at it, for someone your age."
"Saotome Ranma…"
"Please just call me Ranma."
"Very well, Ranma. Tell what is my big sister to you?"
Ranma was not sure of the question asked; it seemed too vague and cryptic just like Karin's sister here, Anju. He answered her nonetheless, carefully choosing his words. "She just a classmate of mine, that's all."
"Then why did you all help her out on several occasions during the day? Like you did when upperclassman Kuno was harassing her. Or saving her from one of Mousse's slapdash assaults."
Ranma angrily interrupted her. "Hey, how do know all those things, have you be spying on me? Who put you up to this?"
"Answer the question." Anju's tone of speaking was mild-mannered yet Ranma could sense an aura of persuasiveness emanating from this unusual girl.
"What did you expect me to have done, just let get hurt? Of course I had to help her! I will help anyone who can't protect themselves!"
Anju was surprised by Ranma's answer that it caused her to momentarily lower her stoic mask. "Is that so…" she softheartedly said, more to herself. 'Can he be the one…can he help, Oneechan?' "Last question," she put on her serene, serious visage once again. "Why did you follow my big sister in here?"
"I just wanted to make sure she got home safely. Look, since you're here you must know, right? If so I can get home already."
"She is probably home by now…you need not worry about her, Ranma."
"Well if you say so I'll be leaving then. Say you got an interesting neighborhood around here. Nice and peaceful…"
"Wait, Ranma. I'll help you on your way." Anju outstretched one of her hands – it began to glow yellow!
Karin was panting with exhaustion when she finally reached her house, that gothic-like structure sitting on a hill like some bloated spider contently laying within the folds of this web of forested growths. "I…made…it…" Karin looked back, forlornly wondering of the outcome of Anju's handling with Ranma. She hoped that it would be like as always, clean and without fuss. Tomorrow when she meets Ranma he won't remember a thing related to incident at the park thus preserving her embarrassing secret. Right now Karin is more worried of the reception she'll be getting from her parents, they're most probably up and about at this time. Bracing her whole being, she began opening the front door. "I'm home…" Something small, whooshing at high velocity, struck Karin squarely on the front of her head leaving a visible imprint of the object on her face.
"Ha! I got you!" pettily declared a busty and somewhat attractive middle-aged woman, her platinum blond hair tied into a bun, not far from where Karin stood. She was sans one sandal, having used it as an impromptu missile weapon against Karin. "What is this we've been hearing from Anju, that you brought a boy near the location of our home, hmm, Karin? Explain?" Someone tapped her on the shoulder a couple of times.
"Carrera dear, I think you've over done it again," said a tall, slight and finely bearded man in whites and blacks who from his appearance could pass as a vampire antagonist role in some Dracula flick if not for his hangdog outlook.
The white-haired woman in red took a second look at Karin who lay prone on the floor - a silly, out cold expression was plastered on her face with a trickle of blood slightly oozing out of one of her nostrils. "Oops, I think your right, Henry…"
Ranma woke, finding himself lying face up on a grassy slope. "Where am I? Did I fall asleep?" He looked around, seeing a path nearby leading to large copse of cherry blossoms, the opposite direction leading back to Nerima lighted skyline, for if was already early evening. "God, look at the time!" Ranma sprang up into a standing position and began dusting himself, that's when he found out. "Karin's blood. How am I going to explain this to Kasumi-chan?" Something moist lightly touched the tip of Ranma's nose, followed then by another droplet and another. "Great, something I don't need. On the other hand this could partly solves my problem?" he said, referring to his bloody clothes. He looked again at the direction of the darken path. "For what it's worth it, I hope Karin is safe and sound."
Up within the confines and on a bough of a Sakura – the one that Ranma was looking at.
"Do you think he'd seen us?" spoke Boogie, his beady eyes following the every move of the pigtail boy, as he was about to leave. The increasing number of pelting rain drops indicated that it was about to drizzle.
"I don't know?" simply replied Anju, already holding an opened umbrella to shield her, and her stuffed companion, from the threatening rain.
"Did you have to be so lenient on his memory wipe, Anju?"
"I want to…test him. To see if he could be of help for Oneechan."
"I don't know. You're taking awfully a great risk here if you ask me." A sudden mild downpour occurred. "Whoa!" If Boogie's eyes were the normal kind they would go wide in wonder over what he saw – Ranma turning from a he into a she. "Now that's interesting!"
"Indeed it is, Boogie-kun." Anju's lips broke into a 'sinister', playful smile. "Indeed it is…"
Within the dark confines of their living room, the Maakas silently sat as they contemplated on issues regarding one of their estranged members, Karin. Henry Maaka, the family patriarch, initiated to break the ice.
"So that's how it was with Karin's first day in her new school." Said Henry, bobbing his head in all knowing manner. "I never have imagine that we would encounter such complications early on after our recent transfer here in Nerima."
WAPAK!
"And whose fault was that for having chosen this particular prefecture to start a new life in?" heatedly answered Carrera in response after hitting her husband with one of her infamous footwear.
Henry cowered more in fear than from the pain of the assault coming from his wife and resulted in bringing out his spineless side. "But I checked this area before we moved in! From what I ascertained, Nerima seems to the epicenter of the strange and bizarre. Normal folks here almost dismiss these seemly everyday 'occurrences' as ordinary. This is the perfect place for us to start anew."
"And I suppose vampires who discreetly prowl every night to feed on hapless victims, will be deemed seen as ordinary by normal people? Sometimes I wonder why I married you, Henry!"
"Still," Anju finally joined in, "we need to be ever prudent in our actions as long as Oneechan has not fully awaken yet."
"And finally find the cure to her peculiarity," sagely add Henry.
"And what of that Ranma boy, hmm?" Carrera implied indecorously.
Anju answered her mother's question. "I believe we should solicit his aid in our plans."
Henry is uncomfortable with the idea suggested by his youngest daughter. "You mean just like what we did with Usui Kenta?"
"But haven't we learned our lesson yet: associating with humans will only bring us… inconveniences. Look where it gotten us into?" Carrera gave Henry a stern stare causing him to cringe.
"But discretely feeding on the human populace doesn't guarantee us absolute security if we're not too careful. We may in time, if the situations warrant it, have to move away from here. Also I would like to point out that it wasn't Usui Kenta but Winner Sinclair who was instrumental in our ejection from the last town. Second, if it weren't for Kenta-kun, Onee-chan would not be here with us. He practically saved Oneechan from the angry mob and put to risk his own life and prestige in the process. And finally it was his wish to have Oneechan forget about him completely, for her sake."
"Hmm, I remember," solemnly hummed Henry. "We complied to his wishes by combining our midewipe power in erasing all memories pertaining to Karin's past experiences in that town: her friends, her happy and sad moments…"
"Don't forget embarrassing ones," interjected Carrera.
Henry nodded. "…And of course, Usui Kenta…"
Silence prevailed within the Maaka family living room save for the soft rustling sound of rain outside.
"Regardless," Carrera began, "how do we go about in persuading this Ranma in helping us, Karin I mean?"
Both parents of Anju turned to her for insight. "I'm not sure yet, for I haven't thought that far ahead…"
Boogie who had remained silent for the longest suddenly blurt out. "Aren't you going to tell them of what we-hmfph!" The platinum blond lolita clasped shut, with one hand, Boogie-kun's puppet trap, prematurely cutting off the slip out
"'Tell us' what, Anju dear?"
Carrera joined in with her husband. "Yes, Anju, what was Boggie trying to say?"
"It's…nothing. You know how Boogie-kun loves to ramble about nonsensical matters." Anju stood up. "Father, Mother, I like to be excused so I could check on Onee-chan."
"Of course, Anju," benignly said her father, "we'll talk about 'this' latter. Go on and see how Karin is doing."
Anju turned to her mother.
"Ok, fine then, latter," she apathetically said, excusing her daughter with a wave. "Oh, and Anju?"
"Yes, mother?"
"Tell that sister of your that…I'm sorry about earlier."
If the statement, coming from her mother, surprised Anju she didn't show it. "I will. Excuse me." Anju left the living room, leaving her parents perplexed on a couple of unsettling thoughts.
"Do you think, Anju, knows something we don't know, Carrera dear?"
"How should I know? You're the smart one here."
Karin groggily moaned, trying to open her blurry eyes, her head feeling as if it was hit by a freight train. "Where…am I?" she weakly muttered
"You are in your room, Oneechan."
Karin bolted up from her sleeping position, recognizing her little sister's voice and seeing her impassively seated beside her bed. "Anju! Ah…" Karin put a hand to her aching head.
"Ah, the 'failure' has finally awakened." chided Boogie-kun. "I thought Carrera-san's psychically infused sandals would done you in for good…erked!"
Anju wringed and violently shook Boggie-kun, by his neck, for the rag doll he is, while adopting a calm and composed demeanor. "You must forgive our mother's 'antics', Oneechan. In spite of her being eccentrically callous she actually means well for you."
"Well she has a strange way of showing it." Karin rubbed her nose, which still felt sore. She suddenly remembered. "Oh, how did it go with my classmate, Ranma? Karin eagerly asked.
Anju stopped shaking Boogie-kun, to the relief of the doll-familiar. "It was…settled." said Anju
"That's great, Anju!" Karin gave her a loving sisterly embrace. "I knew I could always count on you!"
Anju was startled by the action, causing her to blush. "Oneechan…" Both sisters savored the moment with each other but more so for Anju.
"Ah, ah, please don't do this with me in the middle!" pointed out Boggie who was getting partially squished in between the sisters' affectionate cuddle.
Anju eventually brushed out of Karin's touch, bearing the feeling of guilt inside of her – of telling white lies and such to her beloved sister. "Oneechan, how's your blood pressure?" she asked, changing the topic.
Karin dismissed Anju's recent inaptness, happily answering her question. "It's funny you should ask that but just this day," Karin flushed with embarrassment, looking down and twiddling her forefingers together. "I had couple of nosebleeds incidents and a few near occurrences when my blood rose while in school.
"Do you know what triggers them?"
"No…ah, wait!" Karin made a startling realization, something that she wanted to deny in believing. "My blood pressure seemed to rise whenever I'm near a particular individual in school…" '…Ranma…but why is that?' "I'm not sure but I think one of those incidents of nosebleeds occurred because that person was there."
"I see…"
"But you need not worry, I home now, Anju." said Karin with a smile, trying to dispel any worries or concerns swirling within her mind. All she wanted now was to spend quality time with her little sister and perhaps the only best friend she has in the world.
"Oneechan, do you know why your blood rises whenever you're near this…person?" It was a statement, not a question.
"No…Do you know something about it, Anju?"
Anju lightly nodded. "It means that you blood type is near and…that you need to feed."
"Blood type?"
"Every vampire has his or her preference in blood type. It comes as something natural when a fledging vampire finally becomes awakened. For father it's of those who are conceited; for mother – liars; big brother, Ren, he goes for those filled with stress in their lives,"
Boogie-kun then added. "Preferably with women, but he had this experience…"
"And yours, Anju?" excitedly interposed Karin, anxiously wanting to know her little sister's blood type.
Anju inwardly renewed her resolve in playing this farce of innocence, and at the same she tried to suppress a feeling of embarrassment in her part. "Jealousy. My blood type are of those with envious hearts and minds."
"Wow! Really?" Karin was really amazed by all this revelation coming her sister which seemed all new to her and yet there was this nagging feeling of déjà vu about all that what was said but she couldn't put her finger on it. Boogie-kun in the meantime was irritably vexed for seemingly ignored by the two girls but kept the feeling to himself, less he liked to be subjected to Anju's more or less insidious wraths.
"Does that mean I'll soon be awakened?" Karin started asking again, sounding worried.
"In a way, yes."
"But that means…" Dark and unsightly ideas and images plagued Karin's thoughts, of the life of an awakened vampire. "I will be biting people. People like my classmates in school." 'People like Ranma, oh no!' "I'll be sucking their blood!"
"Not exactly…"
A few minutes later…"WHAT! NO WAY! THAT'S SO EMBARRASSING!"