Ranma was an expert on dressing quickly. During his varied and various training trips he had run out on more than his fair share of debts. As with everything else in the life of an Anything Goes martial artist, there was an art and a lineage to it. Ranma's father had, if not invented, than at least made significant contributions to the sweet science of whelching. The only problem lay in the fact that Genma liked to sleep in as much as was humanly, and pandaly, possible. The key to having both a full wallet and a good night sleep was, as with most things, timing. In this case, the quicker the better. They say that every man puts his pants on one leg at a time, Ranma mused, but that was probably because it was cumbersome to say that some put their's on in a twisting back flip towards the window. Either way, Akane was in for a fight.
*********
Bill presents:
Ranma ½, A Man's Woman
Part Four: Can I get an Amen?
*********
Ranma raced through the entrance to the dojo and stopped short. Akane was kneeling on the floor with her eyes closed. Her breathing was deep and slow. She did not look ready for a fight. He walked forward until the whole dojo was in view. Akane's father, Soun, was standing with his back to his daughter. He looked like he was reading something. Ranma cleared his throat.
"Ranma, good to see you're awake." Soun said without turning around.
"Yeah, um, I thought we were going to be training."
"We are. Just come in and clear your mind. Meditate for a few minutes while I figure something out."
Ranma walked forward and knelt down next to Akane. She didn't stir. Ranma closed his eyes and wondered what to do next. The Saotome School of Indiscriminant Grappling wasn't long on meditation. Nor was it long on thought in general, Ranma mused, but he should be able to make a credible effort before training began. He focused on the image of a still bowl of water, but quickly switched when he began to feel thirsty. A candle flame, the sound of a chime and a single lotus petal followed in rapid succession. Somewhere between the sound of one hand clapping and the formless form of wind he grew frustrated and poked Akane.
"Ow, what do you want?" Akane said, rubbing her side.
"What are we doing? I thought we were going to fight."
"No, we are going to train and then we are going to fight. Daddy had some idea about forms he wants to try."
"Ah man, forms! That's lame."
Soun Tendo interrupted, gently but firmly "Ranma, we learn forms as the basis for all our movements and manipulations. Now, if you and Akane would come take a look at this."
In the center of the room, Soun held up a scroll. It was yellowed parchment and cracking with age. Ancient Chinese lettering surrounded the figure of a man. The scroll showed the location of several pressure points on a man's body. All in all, it looked like about a thousand other scrolls Ranma had seen.
"Are we going to learn those pressure points?" Akane asked.
"Yes, but that is not the lesson for today. Are you both familiar with the Limitless Freedom form?" Soun's eyes twinkled.
When both Akane and Ranma nodded, Soun continued. "Good, the exercise today will be to complete the form, in its entirety."
"Wait a sec, there's just no way!" Ranma protested. "That form is like, 8 hour long and it requires a huge expenditure of battle aura. I mean, I think I could do it, but, I dunno, why?"
"As for the why, that is easy enough. A great deal of the Limitless Freedom form is devoted to improving the speed and stamina of the practitioner. It is second to none in expanding the yang transformation at the 3rd and 5th chakras. To wit, you will be better for having done it."
"But Daddy, still, it takes so long. We have school today."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't want you to miss school. But I don't think that will be a problem. For the true master, the Limitless Freedom form takes a brisk 45 minutes. That is, if the master is willing to burn through nearly all their battle aura. I know you don't want to admit it, but neither of you have anywhere near enough."
Soun brandished the scroll again, more to quiet the protests Ranma and Akane were making than anything else. "And thus, we turn to this cheat. This scroll details a technique for, pardon the expression, putting your chi into overdrive. Used unwisely, it would literally burn through the meridians of your body and render you incapable of using battle aura ever again. But I think it should be safe if we use it outside of true battle. Now hold still." Neither Ranma nor Akane missed the slightly maniacal look in Soun's eyes.
Ranma turned his eyes questioningly to Akane. "He 'thinks' it should be safe?"
Akane shrugged. "Daddy is usually right about this stuff. Most of the time, anyway."
"To begin, I have to tap your Lao Gung point with this jade needle…"
*********
"School?" Ranma asked his father after returning to the room they shared. For a few years now he hadn't stayed anywhere for long enough to make school a necessity. Why ruin a good thing? And besides, his body ached too much to go to school. It had been a hell of a workout, even if they had stopped without any sparing. The Limitless Freedom form, the Chi overdrive: he hadn't been trained like that for a while. Plus, he was forced to admit that Akane had the skills and stamina to make training with her interesting. Maybe yesterday's fight hadn't been a fluke. Still, she was probably no match for him as a guy. Probably.
Ranma's focus snapped back to his father. "…staying awhile."
"But Pops, come on. I need to train." Ranma protested weakly.
"Look boy, I don't like it any better than you do, but Soun and Kimiko insisted. They think that Akane is better off because she's stayed in school."
"Better off for what? Just tell them I ain't going."
"I am in no mood for another lecture from Soun. You are going." And with that, Genma turned his back on Ranma and began unpacking his rucksack. As Ranma left the room, he couldn't help but notice that his father left most of their important belongings in his bag. Not a promising sign.
*********
Downstairs, Ranma found breakfast already prepared and waiting on the table. In the kitchen, Mrs. Tendo was humming to herself as she bustled about. Akane and Nabiki were already seated. Akane was tearing into her food while Nabiki just picked listlessly. Ranma sat down opposite the two sisters.
"So, what school is this?" Ranma asked, helping himself to a plateful of food.
"It's the same school Akane and I go to." Nabiki said, standing up. Her jaw was set and she looked determined. "I'll see you there."
"Wait Nabiki, I'll walk with you." Akane said as she began to push herself up.
Nabiki clenched her fist in front of her face and turned towards her sister. "No, Akane. I have to face him myself." Her battle aura flared bright red.
"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Tendo said, poking her head in from the kitchen.
Nabiki's battle aura sputtered and then died. "Ah, I said, um, 'I have to clear space on my shelf.' You know, in my locker. I need more space." She finished lamely.
"Well, then I guess you'd better get going. That shelf isn't going to clear itself. Seconds Ranma?"
Nabiki nearly ran out of the room.
Ranma could swear that he saw a twinkle in Mrs. Tendo's eye as she piled more food onto his plate.
*********
As she walked, Akane watched Ranma's back sway in front of her. She hadn't ever met anyone else who had the same habit of walking along the fence like she did. It felt nice, in a way, to have someone else on the walk to school with. Still, Akane wondered what Ranma was thinking; probably about the curse, or maybe about the engagement. In the silence of the morning, Akane thought back to her conversation with Nabiki the night before. She needed to keep reaching out to Ranma. Maybe more training?
"How do you feel about a little more practice this afternoon?"
"Sure." Ranma said over his shoulder. "What did you have in mind? Some sparring?"
Akane winced at the though. "I was thinking some grappling or chin na. I am way too tired for any real sparring."
"I thought macho chicks like you didn't get tired?" Ranma asked mockingly.
"I'll fight you any time you want, you perv…" Akane brought herself up short. Why did it have to be like this? Ranma was just baiting her and her temper nearly got the better of her. She needed to keep her cool if she was going to get through to him at all. She took a deep breath and blew it out. "How about lunch today? I can pound you and have time to arrange flowers afterwards."
With that, Akane flipped over Ranma's head and twisted around to face him. "Besides, I really meant what I said yesterday. I want to be your friend."
Ranma stared at Akane. Her head was tilted to the side so that her hair fell over part of her face. Still, it was unmistakable: she was smiling at him. Could it be? Was this chick…cute?
Before Ranma could answer, Akane's expression changed to one of shock. "Oh, crap, we're going to be late." And with that, she grasped Ranma's hand and took off along the fence.
*********
"What the hell?" Ranma yelled. He was being dragged so quickly that his feet didn't have time to touch the ground. The town of Nerinma whipped by at a blur and the only sound he could hear above the roaring of the wind was Akane's footsteps clinking against the chain-link fence.
"We have to get to the school yard!" Akane shouted, without turning back.
"Who cares if we're late for school?"
And with that, he found himself suddenly stopping outside the gates to a large school. For a split second, Ranma thought he could see a pile of bodies lying inside the gate. Akane, though, still had his wrist in her hand and she yanked him off to the side and pushed him against the brick wall.
Akane pressed her face close to Ranma and whispered. "Listen, there's a fight going on inside. Just don't interfere."
Ranma tried to push her away. "Whaddaya mean, fight? Who's fighting?"
"Seriously, just keep your mouth shut." Akane let go of Ranma's arm and leapt atop the wall.
Seeing no other choice, Ranma leapt up next to Akane. He was shocked by what he saw in the yard below. The bodies of a full fifty male students lay strewn about. Someone had beaten them all to a pulp. Oddly, they were, to a man, dressed in athletic gear. Their equipment, however, was shattered: bats broken, bokken cracked, and soccer ball's deflated. In the center of all the carnage stood Nabiki, panting heavily.
Nabiki brushed her hair back out of her eyes. "Every morning. You think you jerks would learn."
"Truly, such a boorish lot."
Ranma turned towards the voice. It was an older boy, an upperclassman. A traditional kendo gi covered his tall frame. Ranma couldn't be sure from his first impression, but this guy definitely looked like a jerk. In one hand, he held a red rose and in the other, a wooden sword.
"Evidently, each of them intends to ask you out, Nabiki, on the dawn that he finally defeats you."
"Oh upperclassman. Good morning." Nabiki said sarcastically.
The older boy tossed the rose towards Nabiki and brought his sword to bear. "And now, Nabiki Tendo, might you fight with me?"
"Man, your sister sure is popular." Ranma said, jumping down off the wall.
Akane quickly followed and grabbed Ranma's arm, pulling him back. "I told you to stay out of the way." She leaned in a whispered sharply in his ear again. "This is Nabiki's fight."
The upperclassman swung his sword around to point at Akane and Ranma. His expression darkened to a twisted visage of anger as a peal of thunder ripped across the sky. "Ah, the witch, Akane Tendo. Have you come to try to win a date with me again? Do not attempt your black magics on me. I will never submit to you."
Ranma dropped his bag to the ground and started forward. "You'd better take that witch stuff back about Akane and apologize."
The upperclassman nearly exploded in rage. "Who are you, boor? Ah! But is it the custom to give one's own name first? Fine then! Mine I shall give!"
"Huh?" Ranma responded intelligently. "If you want…"
But the upperclassman had already begun speaking. "…is upperclassman Kuno. Captain of the kendo club. Undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. But my peers call me…" Lightning flashed behind Kuno for a moment, silhouetting him against a darkening sky. "The blue thunder of Furinkan high!"
Akane caught up to Ranma just as a rush of whispers issued from the crowed of students. If Ranma had turned to look, he would have seen that Akane's face held a private smile. "I know you're going to win. He practices Koryu. Just finish him quickly. It looks like rain, if you catch my meaning."
Akane had barely finished speaking to Ranma when a downwards sword slash parted the two. Akane cartwheeled to one side, while Ranma's twisting leap took him high over Kuno's head. "I'm the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling." Ranma landed gracefully in a fighting stance. "I am Ranma Saotome and I accept your challenge."
"So, you are the scoundrel who is now serving the witch, Akane Tendo. I, upperclassman Kuno, shall bring you to justice."
"You're gonna regret insulting Akane!"
And with that, Ranma streaked forward. His body twisted sinuously as Kuno's sword strikes attempted to intercept him. Ranma gently guided the bokken away from a vicious neck chop. His hand twisted over Kuno's sword arm, tangling the upperclassman's grip in the Thief's Handshake that Akane had used yesterday. In the blink of an eye, Ranma was inside of Kuno's guard. Three rapid punches hammered Kuno in the gut, doubling him over. As Kuno's limp body collapsed to the ground, another crash of thunder announced the coming of the rain.
The rest of the student body fled indoors from the torrential downpour. With no time to savor his victory, Ranma turned to run, but stopped short. He wasn't getting wet! As he turned around, he saw Akane smiling at him. In her hand, she held an umbrella, which was covering his head.
"Daddy thought it would be a good idea." Akane stepped in closer so they both were under the umbrella. "Come on, we're late to class."
*********
"Well it does seem to be true, that you were in China until recently. But that doesn't change the fact that both you and Akane Tendo were late. Stand in the hall!"
*********
"I wanted to say thanks. For sticking up for me, I mean. I could have handled Kuno on my own." Akane shifted her weight so that the buckets she was holding rested more comfortably in her hands. She was used to this kind of discipline, but it was never fun. She looked over at Ranma. He didn't look too uncomfortable, either.
"Of course you could have. I just can't stand guys like that."
"I think Nabiki is going to be angry, though."
"Why would she be angry? I did her a favor."
"I'm not saying you didn't. Kuno has been getting more and more obnoxious lately. But Nabiki likes to handle herself."
"What was that all about anyway?"
"I started last year, before I was here. I don't know why, but Kuno got up at some public speaking contest and made this ridiculous pronouncement." Akane set her brow in mock seriousness and struck an imperious pose. "If you wish to take out Nabiki, you must defeat her. I will accept no other terms!"
Ranma laughed, "What a jerk!"
"Yeah, so now all the boys try to beat her every day. And worst of all is Kuno. He keeps challenging Nabiki and then letting her win, like he's so generous."
"He lets her win? He doesn't seem that good."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Whattaya mean?"
"Your throat." Akane said, gesturing with her bucket.
Ranma looked down at the purple swelling just along his collarbone. "Huh? A bruise? From when he missed?" Ranma's eyes darkened. "Wow, and he didn't even touch me."
"If he had, you'd be breathing through hole in your neck. I figured out how he creates that sort of battle aura a while ago. I can show you if you want."
"So he tried the same sort of thing on you?" Ranma asked, looking sidelong at Akane.
"Yeah, on my first day of high school he challenges me to 'A Duel of Beautiful Love.'" Akane attempted to make air quotes with her hands, but the bucket's weight interfered.
"He was planning on two-timing Nabiki with her sister? Classy. But wait, why does he call you a witch now?"
"Well, I already knew he had been hounding Nabiki, so I was ready for him. Instead of fighting, I just shattered his bokken with my fist. You should have seen his face. He looked like I had kicked him in the business." Akane dissolved into a fit of giggles at the memory.
Ranma laughed along at the mental image. "Wow, Soul of the Samurai indeed."
Akane wiped a tear away from her eye. "Yeah and I did it day after day until he got the idea."
"Jeeze, Akane. That's worse than what I did to him."
Akane's eyes widened. "What did you do?"
Ranma leaned over and whispered in Akane's ear. She broke into a fresh set of giggles just as the bell rang.
*********
"Hmmmm. I don't even remember that cur touching my blade." Kuno ran his hand along the length of his bokken.
"I told you not to talk to me in class. And it was just before your hands got tangled up." Nabiki turned towards the window, removing Kuno from her field of vision. She noticed that yet again the boys in the class had arranged themselves at a maximal distance away from her. Kuno, though, was still annoyingly close. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to date anyone till college.
"And I thought at first that Ranma Saotome was good. What does this even mean?!" Kuno cried out, brandishing his bokken.
The words, *I'm with* were carved into the wood.
"Kuno, you moron, lift your hand."
As Kuno loosened his grip from the hilt, the message became clear.
*stupid →*
*********
Lunchtime at Furinkan high school was a busy time. As in most schools across the world, friends sought each other out, groups formed and lunches were shared. Boys and girls flirted, gossiped and generally tried to fit in as much fun and relaxation as they could into 45 minutes. Teenagers were teenagers the world over, and the gauzy heat of the late Indian summer in Nerinma really just accentuated things. Still, Furinkan did have its own unique qualities. Take the density of world-class martial artists that populated the halls. Epic battles fought on the grounds made lunchtimes into a bread and circus so grand that they would have made Caesar blush. A full-time economy of sideline betting was a bit different, as well.
"So, Anything Goes rules?" Ranma asked, stretching lazily in the sun. Students had begun to gather around the front yard of the school. Ranma could hear them chatting amiably about the outcome of the match. He smiled to himself at the odds he was being given. Not nearly enough of a handicap.
"I don't know, Ranma. Maybe no students involved and no property damage?" Akane set her lunch down next to Nabiki. She began to stretch out as well, but her gentle movements naturally flowed into a deep pose that she held for several seconds.
"Ok, I agree: no students and no property damage. What's that?"
"Just some Chi Gung to limber up." And to begin the flow of yin chi, Akane thought gleefully. When she and Ranma had been allowed back into class earlier in the day, Akane had wasted no time in digging out the Kung Fu manuals she had secreted away in her pack. No one noticed that her 'textbook' was over a thousand years old. Ranma was in for a few rude surprises.
Ranma, unaware of Akane's plans for him, dropped into a fighting stance. "Anytime you're ready."
Akane, never one to shy away, ran forward at full speed. A complex spinning kick flowed seamlessly into a leg sweep and an uppercut. Ranma dodged flawlessly. Akane smiled. Her first few attacks were feints, designed to test how sore Ranma was from the training this morning. Disappointingly, he seemed to be in top form, weaving in and out of her strikes. His broad sweeping movements were graceful, but precise, as she had quickly come to expect from him. Ranma threw a few blows of his own, but Akane's compact style left precious little to attack, so he focused on creating openings. Even so, Ranma found it increasingly hard to make a move on Akane. Her blocking and parrying seemed odd, drawing his attacks in, but deflecting them at the last second. He couldn't quite say what was different, but he knew something was wrong. He had been fighting for only 5 minutes and his limbs felt like lead. Akane, far from tiring, was beginning to pick up the pace. Finally, with almost casual ease, Akane seized Ranma's lapel and brought her knee up into his stomach. Before he could recover his breath, Ranma found his entire body lifted and slammed back into the ground. Akane's fist missed his nose by a fraction of an inch as he rolled away and leapt across the field to safety.
Panting with exertion, Ranma could barely lift his arms up to a guard position. When he did, he realized his mistake. His hands and forearms were covered in small bruises. Akane had been playing him! Tapping pressure points over and over with each defense and wearing him down. Man this chick was good! Still, Ranma had to smile. Every attack had its flaw. With that, he charged the waiting Akane.
Akane nearly laughed out loud when Ranma came hurtling back in for more punishment. His combination of kicks and punches were staggering in their speed and ferocity, but Akane had seen him throw the same set together just a minute ago and she was unconcerned. She absorbed most of the blows on her forearms, but as she drew Ranma's hand in she tried to tap his King of Golden Palace point just as she had done before. Instead, though, Ranma pulled his arm up short and smashed his elbow into her fingers. She screamed in pain and frustration, and in that moment a second blow hammered the fingers of her other hand. The third strike connected with her chin and sent her reeling backwards. Sensing blood in the water, Ranma pressed his advantage. Akane felt blow after blow rain down on her. She tried to run, but her retreat was cut off by a gaggle of girls. Akane, sensing that defeat was imminent, did the only thing she could think of and threw her arms around Ranma and wrestled him to the ground.
"Get offa me, ya tomboy." Ranma shouted. There was a brief scuffle in the dirt and Ranma found himself staring up at Akane. He scrambled for purchase, trying to bring his superior strength to bear, but she was holding one of his legs at an awkward angle. Akane attempted to make a fist and found, in frustration, that she couldn't close her hand. Ever the tenacious one, Akane began to throw elbow after elbow into Ranma's torso. Without much ability to protect himself, Ranma took a savage beating, but the impacts jarred his leg lose enough that he could wrench it free. With a shout of effort, Ranma manage to catapult himself and Akane high into the air.
Spinning above the ground, Ranma found Akane's arm. Despite the burning pain in his chest, Ranma managed to pin her limbs aside and slam his fist into her midsection at the moment they both landed. A huge section of the turf was blasted away and he felt Akane's form go limp under his fist as they fell into the resulting crater. He had won.
*********
"You are such a loser." Nabiki sighed as she readjusted her arm under Ranma yet again.
"Whaddaya mean, loser?" Ranma found it hard to work up the requisite anger at Nabiki. Some of the difficulty was all the stuff Akane had said earlier about Nabiki needing to fight her own fights. That had confused Ranma a little bit. Most of his reticence, though, came from the fact that his leg ached too much to walk and Nabiki was the only one willing to help him home. He looked over at Akane, on the other side of Nabiki. She was hobbling along with a staff, like an arthritis patient. At least misery loves company, he mused.
"The first day of school and you get kicked out of class within 5 minutes, then you tell the teacher you and Akane fell down a flight of stairs and you have to go home. Not a good first impression."
"Hey, at least our teacher bought it." Ranma said, hoping it was true.
"Ranma, your teacher was there, betting on the fight."
"Damn. Hey, at least you can get away from Kuno for a while." Ranma said, trying to be helpful.
Nabiki readjusted Ranma savagely. "Do me a favor and stay out of my business. Ok Ranma?"
"Nabiki, Ranma was only trying to help." Akane said, pulling herself up straighter on her staff.
"But he's not helping. Look, now Kuno is going to be all over me twice as badly as before." Nabiki's voice took on a mockery of Kuno's commanding tone. "Who is this Ranma? What manner of man is he? By what right does he address you, my darling? And on and on and on." Nabiki spat.
"Well, why don't you just tell him that you and Ranma are engaged?" Akane asked, trying to think of a way to help her sister. "He might lay off then."
"First of all, that idiot doesn't deserve to know my shoe size, let alone my personal affairs. Second of all, I can handle myself. I don't need some fiancée to hide behind. Or for anything. If you both want to help, just stay out of my business."
Nabiki punctuated her last statement by dumping Ranma unceremoniously in front of the Tendo's gate. Before he had hit the ground, she had run inside. Akane couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw tears in Nabiki's eyes before she disappeared from sight.
*********
Ranma lay in the furo, his face half submerged in the warm water. It had been a hell of a day. Right now, he was listening to his father and Soun Tendo argue with one another. They had been playing shogi when he and Akane had limped in, but they must have forgotten the game all together. Their muffled shouts drifted up from downstairs and Ranma could only make out every few words. Ranma thought back to a few weeks before. When Genma had announced that Ranma was to be engaged, he seemed really happy about going to see his old friend, even over Ranma's protests. It had lifted Genma's spirits for the first time since the cursed pools and the Amazon disaster. But now, Ranma wasn't so sure. Mr. Tendo seemed really critical of his father. And Ranma knew the signs of a cut and run: the food stash in their room, the packed bags, and the way his father kept eyeing the doors, planning an exit for when the time came. It was a shame, really. There was a lot to like about the Tendo's. The food was good, the beds were soft and Akane was shaping up to be a half-way descent training partner. Maybe he should talk to his father about staying…
A knock at the bathroom door awoke Ranma from his reverie. He scrambled to cover himself and cursed as his muscles protested.
"Ranma?" It was Mrs. Tendo's voice. "Are you alright? Akane said that your leg was hurt today. Why don't you let me take a look at it when you get out of the tub? Come downstairs to my study."
"Ah, ok. Let me get dressed."
"See you in a bit, dear."
*********
Ranma entered Mrs. Tendo's study tentatively. He had been invited in after knocking, but he was still unsure of what was about to happen. As he stepped inside, Mrs. Tendo set some papers down on her large wooden desk and gestured to a massage table on the other side of the room.
"Sit down there Ranma and roll up your pants leg." Kimiko pulled up a small stool in front of the table where Ranma was and sat herself down. "This is probably going to hurt quite a bit, so try to keep still."
Ranma winced as she began to poke and prod his knee. As Mrs. Tendo continued working, the pain lessened substantially and he had time to glance around the room. Shelves covered most of the walls and most of the shelves were crammed full of books and scrolls. The books looked like foreign textbooks, with big letters in English. There were also charts of chi meridians and chakras hanging up on the wall. One of them had tacks in it and red string connecting several of the points. Behind the desk, a modern laptop was nearly buried in papers. The cover of the computer was open and an x-ray was displayed with some notes typed next to it. Ranma didn't really know what to make of it.
"Mrs. Tendo, what do you do?"
"Oh, I'm a doctor. I work part-time at a small clinic in town with my partner." Kimiko smiled up at Ranma and began to move on to his other leg.
"Like, an herbal doctor?"
"Well, dear, I did most of my medical training in America. But I did my fellowship, the training after medical school and residency, in Bejing in traditional medicine. That was just before Akane was born."
"Wow. So you really know what you're doing?"
"I don't want to brag, but I know a thing or two. Can you show me your forearms? Akane said that she really did a number on them today."
Ranma gulped. "She told you about the fight?"
Kimiko pressed her thumb between the bones of Ranma's forearm and began to massage upward. As with before, the pain was excruciating, but quickly lessened to a manageable level as she continued. "She could hardly hide it from me, could she?"
"You aren't mad?" Ranma asked hopefully.
"Well, I don't approve of you leaving school early. I am always telling Akane that learning is important and so are grades. You both need to do better next time. That being said, I know you are both martial artists and you're excited about having someone to spend time with." Mrs. Tendo's eyes twinkled slightly. "But, please try not to get carried away. There, all done."
Ranma slid off of the table and tested his knee tentatively. It felt as good as new, just like the rest of him did. "Thanks a bunch Mrs. Tendo."
Kimiko smiled at Ranma and handed him two small packets. "Now then, I want you to take these herbs before dinner and these others before bed time. The will help you sleep and recover. I imagine you have another big day of training tomorrow. Now go do your homework."
As Ranma turned to leave, he didn't have a chance to notice that Kimiko's gentle smile faded into a look of concern.
*********
Author's Notes:
A big shout out to Riniko22 for encouraging me to continue this story. I had shelved it years ago and I appreciate that people are still reading it. On other topics, it was hard for me to write a fight scene where Ranma wins over Akane while going all out, but it was pointed out to me in previous comments that Ranma is much better in his male form than in his female form. Honestly, I think it will make things more interesting. Next chapter is going to be good (and timely!).
Always remember to take it easy!
Oh, and C+C always welcome. The more the better, I always say!
