Tarou 1/2
By Intrasonic

Chapter 5: Of Spatulas and Pantyhose

Lunchtime in the cafeteria, at the girl's table.
"I wonder where Ranma is? He disappeared yesterday all of a sudden, and no one's seen him since. What about you, Akane?"
Akane shrugged. "Some training trip all of a sudden. He left a note apologizing, saying that he'd be gone for a week."
"Too bad. You know, between him and Tarou, I can't decide which one's cuter."
"Tarou. I looove those earrings..."
"Ranma. That pigtail is soooo sexy!"
"Tarou. He's more mature. He's so polite and formal."
"That's because Japanese is his second language. I'll bet he talks worse than Ranma in Chinese. Ranma's always casual about everything."
"Yes, but he's immature. Did you see how angry he got when Kunou called him a girl? And how macho he always acts? That's a sign of insecurity, I'll bet. Now Tarou, he's secure. I mean, he even has the guts to wear that pantyhose sash."
"What's with that thing, anyway?"
"I'll bet it's a custom. He's probably a real ladies man back home. I can believe it."
"What about you, Akane? What's it like having them both living with you? Which one do you like better?"
Akane looked thoughtful. "I don't know... they're both pretty nice. They don't chase me like all the other perverted guys do. I don't know anything about Tarou. A little mystery is nice, but he's all mystery. And he's a good fighter. He makes even Ranma look bad."
That got an appreciative noise around the table. Ranma beating up Kunou was a daily thing now, but the fact remained that Kunou had once been the best fighter in all of Furinken High.
"I don't think even Nabiki's been able to learn anything about him."
"Boy, she must be ticked at that! This'll be a first. Tarou's even trickier than she is! I wonder what she thinks about that?"

***************

At this particular time, Nabiki sneezed. She looked around curiously, then resumed doing her homework. Not schoolwork-homework, of course. This paragraph would be pointless if that was the case. But this homework, if you couldn't tell from the last paragraph, was directly related to Tarou. Specifically, it was devoted to finding out more about him.
She scratched her head, her brows furrowing.

-Wears pantyhose around waist.
-Also wears thermos at waist, although never uses it.
-Uses Cotton Fist style of fighting.
-Very good fighter.
-From China
-Tarou is possibly an assumed name.
-Mystery girlfriend named Jasmine.

Next nothing on his background, in other words. She had been the first person to pick up that both Tarou and Ranma had become objects of admiration for the female half of the school. The fact that they were both willing and able to shut up Kunou's poetry binges had granted them a reluctant acceptance by the male half. Ranma was an open book, but the book was rather thin anyway, because ten years of it involved wandering around China and training. How much could that involve?
Tarou's was possibly quite similar. If he was better than Ranma, that suggested extremely intense training. She had picked up that even Ranma was curious about his training. And he had come all the way to Japan for something. Regrettably, she hadn't been privy to that conversation involving Tarou and the two fathers. But at some point, both fathers had been terribly spooked, although it seemed that Tarou hadn't directly done anything to them. They had seemingly come to an agreement and Tarou was now boarding for a reasonable fee at the Tendou Dojo. It made sense. He was here to learn about the Anything-Goes style of martial arts, which would explain why he'd hunted down Genma for so long. He seemed like a persistent sort of person.
He also seemed like a dangerous sort of person. That wasn't especially new. Any martial artist could be dangerous. Kunou was actually a very good swordsman. Akane could effortlessly shatter bricks with his fists. Ranma was no doubt capable of all that and more. But when it came down to it, a weapon is only as good as the person holding it, and where a martial artist is concerned, the body is the weapon, and the brain is the holder. No slight to her younger sister, but Akane lacked the sheer inventiveness, the cunning, the ability to instantly evaluate things. Ranma had it to a degree where combat was concerned. Kunou was a moron who got D's across the board except for an A++ in Literature.
Tarou was another story. She'd already seen him go through a sizable pile of textbooks. The fact that they were Japanese textbooks was also impressive. But she'd caught him observing homework being done by Ranma and Akane. And he'd been almost as good at the math than they were. And he'd actually gotten Kunou to call off the business of defeating Akane. Granted, Kunou was in no state of mind to argue after being tied up inside the school bell for a day. But that just went to demonstrate Tarou's capabilities. Ranma would have simply pounded Kunou and accomplished nothing. But Tarou had gotten results, which said something in itself. And he`d quieted the school down in a matter of days.
The way he faced down anyone, never provoking the attack, yet always willing to accept a challenge with a grim confidence. The scene at the ice rink only proved her point. Despite having no idea about the `Jasmine` individual or why the dispute seemed to revolve around a hair string, Nabiki had still gotten the gist of the fight. Tarou had understood he was outmatched on the ice right then. And he planned to use the week to change the odds in his favor. Mikado Sanzenin's delaying the match had quite possibly cost him the match.
Nabiki got up with a smile. She was no closer to finding out who Tarou really was. But she had a small edge on him. She would talk to him tonight.

*****************

Nabiki took a deep breath and knocked.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, she entered into Tarou's sparse quarters. He clearly hadn't brought much with him, nor purchased much to date. She might have mistaken him for a monk if she hadn't already been on the receiving end of his glares. The dragon-scaled clothing somewhat ruined that image also.
"Nabiki," Tarou acknowledged, a faint smile appearing on his face.
She mimicked the smile. "Tarou. I heard about what happened at the ice rink yesterday."
He frowned. "I'm disappointed in you, Nabiki. Everyone else found out yesterday."
She refused to take the bait. "Regardless, it seems you and your girlfriend have a match with the legendary Golden Pair in less than a week." She saw Tarou flinch at the mention of the word 'girlfriend'. Interesting.
"We do," he confirmed, refusing to advance the conversation.
"I would also say that at first glance, you don't seem to have a prayer at succeeding."
"Please, feel free to bet against me," he invited with a sneer.
"A lot can happen in a week, I'm sure you'll agree. I think you plan on doing some training?"
"Only a fool would go into a fight unprepared."
"But you know as well as I do that you and 'Jasmine' will never become better skaters than them. You'll have to make up for it in another way."
"I suppose you're right. You didn't waste your time to tell me that, did you?"
"No. I was wondering if you'd be interested in a mutual exchange of information."
"Information."
Nabiki could see the glimmer in his eyes. She hadn't been one bit wrong. Tarou wasn't an idiot in the least. He might be a superb fighter, but he obviously understood the value of information even more. "Yes, information. I was thinking that you were in need of some accurate, reliable information on the Golden Pair. And I happen to have access to it faster, and in greater volume than anyone else you'll find this side of Nerima."
"How can I refuse? So what information did you want from me?"
She beamed at him. "Why, I'll even give you a choice. You can either tell me about your girlfriend, Jasmine, or you can explain to me why you're really here in Nerima. And don't feed me the line about wanting to learn the Anything-Goes style of martial arts, either."
Tarou smirked. "Haven't you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat, Nabiki? I'm terribly sorry, but no deal on either of those."
Interesting. Nabiki had expected information on Jasmine from this deal. But she wasn't getting either of the two. This wasn't good at all. "You must be more confident that I thought," she replied, trying to decide how to level the playing field again.
"Obviously," he agreed. "Nabiki, I'll win this match no matter what happens. I'm simply trying to make it easier for myself. Offer denied."
Was he telling the truth? Nabiki was a good judge of people, and Tarou seemed to be quite in earnest. He had more secrets than she'd originally thought, obviously. This would go nowhere at the moment. She would have to pump Jasmine for information. As soon as she was able to find her, that was.

*************

"Alright. Tell me about this Ryouga Hibiki guy."
Ranma shrugged. "He's a buddy of mine from junior high. Lousy temper, but he's a pretty good martial artist. We used to spar every day at lunch. He has the world's worst sense of direction. Takes five minutes to find a door in a room with no windows."
"Oh really?" Tarou had a hard time believing that.
"Really."
Interesting. "So what about this Ukyou Kounji guy?"
"Me and Pop met him and his father on the road. We stayed with them for a bit. We'd spar every day for okonomiyaki."
"Well, I wouldn't mind knowing why they hate you."
"Probably just a misunderstanding. I wonder where Ukyou is? Ryouga's probably in Africa for all I know, but Ukyou shoulda been able to find me by now."
"Ukyou's never seen your cursed form, has she?"
"Oh yeah. I'll have to go find her then."
"Screw it! We've got to practice. Unless you don't want that hair ribbon back? First thing's first."
"Geez, okay. Why are you so set for this match?"
"That's none of your business. You just worry about learning to stand up on the ice."

Despite all insults, an hour of hard practice and both had improved. That was all relative, of course. Tarou could now skate moderately well. Ranma could stand up moderately well.
"This sucks!" was Ranma's opinion. "I can't do any of my better techniques on ice!"
"You can't do any techniques, fem-boy," Tarou snapped. "We'll clearly need a few wild cards."
"Wild cards?"
"Yes. We can't outskate them. But I'm willing to bet we're both tougher than them. We hit them, they'll feel it. We just gotta slow them down. See if you can crack the ice."
"Not in this form. Not strong enough. Can't you?"
Not in this form. "Not strong enough," Tarou agreed. "So much for that idea. Do you know how to use any weapons?"
"Well... I can use lots, but I'm not really trained in them."
"Okay, screw that. Any special techniques?"
"Some, but I can't do them on the ice. I need a solid footing."
"We're stuck with the ice. Work with it."

*****************

-Wears pantyhose around waist.
-Also wears a thermos at waist, although never uses it.
-Uses Cotton Fist style of fighting.
-Very good fighter.
-From China
-Tarou is possibly assumed name.
-Mystery girlfriend named Jasmine.
-Jasmine apparently has a father around (?)
-Jasmine knows Ryouga Hibiki from junior high school. RH hates Jasmine too? (?)
-Jasmine knows Ukyou Kounji. UK hates Jasmine too? (?)
-Hair ribbon belongs to Jasmine
-Jasmine also a martial artist.
-Jasmine apparently has 'another form' that is possibly stronger (?)
-Neither knew how to skate until recently.

Nabiki looked at her now enlarged list doubtfully. More questions. And no answers. Several hours of trailing the two had given her nothing but more questions, some which seemed to make no sense at all. Such as this hair ribbon that was up for contest. What if... perhaps she should take a more active part in this.
She would also have to investigate Jasmine. She was a mystery. Tarou's girlfriend, perhaps. She supposed she could understand his choice. Jasmine had a body most girls could only dream of having. The somewhat obvious fact that she wore no bra was the source of no small amount of speculation about her relationship with Tarou. An interesting girl, to say the least.
But somehow, Nabiki didn't think they were a couple. Why? Because they didn't show any signs of affection towards each other. She wondered how everyone else could have missed that fact. Both were willing, no, happy to dismiss the other for the slightest reason. Even now, they were approaching the fight with the air of two martial artists. They plainly cared nothing about each other beyond the fact of their partnership in the upcoming duel.
Another question to add to her list. And she couldn't get any information about anything because Tarou was so confident he'd win regardless of how well prepared they were. He simply wanted to make it easier for himself. He was clearly not above using a few dirty tricks in this match, she figured. Some of those dirty tricks might involve a few dirty secrets...
She smiled and quietly left the scene of the skaters. She would just have to stack the match a little herself and bring a few of those secrets out.

*****************

"We've got this match locked."
"Don't be so cocky, fem-boy. We don't know what those two are capable of."
Ranma scoffed. "The day a couple of skaters can take down Ra-"
"Jasmine," Tarou hissed, slapping his hand over Ranma's mouth.
"Right, right. Why couldn't you have thought up a better name? Like Ranko or something simple like that?"
"Deal with it, fem-boy."
"Alright you jackass! Time to pay!"
Both leapt backwards as a giant spatula smashed down where they had just been, cracking the pavement for good measure.
"Ukyou!" Ranma blurted out happily.
"Shut up!" Tarou hissed, already in a combat stance. "He doesn't know you!"
Ranma didn't look very happy with that, but held her tongue for once.
"What's your problem?" Tarou demanded.
Ukyou looked mad enough to tear both their heads off for breakfast. "You... gave... me... wrong directions!"
Tarou smirked. "Oops. How careless of me."
"Do you have idea what it's like to be kidnapped by an all-GIRL'S school! Especially when you're-" Ukyou cut himself off. "Now you're going to pay for that! Tell me where Ranma is or ELSE!!!"
Tarou didn't really feel like fighting at the moment. Besides, Ukyou was an unknown. One lucky hit could become a big problem five days from now at the match. "Look. Ranma's gone for five more days. I've got a skating match in five days. He'll be back right after that match, alright? Then you can do whatever you want to him, alright?"
Ukyou didn't look very enthusiastic. "I'd much rather hear the whole story right now. And I'm quite happy to beat the tar out of you to do it."
Tarou's expression suggested that he was distinctly underwhelmed. Inwardly, he was somewhat curious as to what kind of a challenge this Ukyou would pose. There was more to this than appeared at first glance. Not that he didn't think he could take down an idiot martial artist who used a spatula as a weapon. But there had to be an element of unpredictability in his style. And he had Ranma to worry about, who would probably object to anything violent against a childhood friend.
"Jasmine, why don't you get on home?" he suggested. "Ukyou and I have a few things to work out. Since it doesn't concern you, Jasmine, you don't need to waste your time here."
Ranma obviously caught the implications. She simply didn't want to listen. "Now wait a minute here, Tarou-"
Stupid idiot. "No, you listen here, Jasmine. Not your business, not your fight. I promise I will try to resolve this without violence, okay? And if it comes to a fight, I'll go easy on him, alright?"
Ranma still didn't look very enthusiastic.
Tarou leaned closer. "Listen here, Fem-boy. I'll grind you into the dirt too, if you don't get moving. I gave my word, didn't I? You keep this up, and someone's going to find out who you really are. He's not going to listen until he realizes that he can't win by fighting. As soon as he figures that out, I'll talk some sense into him and get him to wait until you get your Dragon's Whisker back, okay? Then you can deal with him yourself?"
Ranma gritted her teeth. "Swear you won't do anything serious?"
"I swear it." Of course, one's definition of serious could vary, Tarou knew inwardly.
"Fine. I'll meet you back at the Dojo."
"Sounds good, Jasmine," Tarou agreed with a smirk, turning to face Ukyou.
"Getting your girlfriend out of the way?" Ukyou asked with a grin. "I woulda figured a guy who wears pantyhose on his waist to have a boy friend!"
Tarou laughed at that. She didn't realize who she was calling a girlfriend. He sobered up. "I'm busy, spatula-brat. I gave you my terms. Piss off until I'm done the skating match, and Ranma's all yours."
"Forget it!" he snarled. "You delayed me once already. I'm not going to be delayed a second time by the likes of a pantyhose-wearing pervert like you!"
"I'm warning you..." Tarou growled, his temper beginning to slip. He could take any insult except that...
"Come on, Pantyhose-boy," Ukyou offered, now wielding his spatula in a combat ready position. "No sense in wasting time."
Screw his promise. Ukyou was going to be a world of pain. "I'll rip your HEAD off!" Tarou growling, launching himself forwards.
Ukyou laughed, slipping sideways, his spatula spinning rapidly in one hand as he let off some rapid jabs in Tarou's direction.
Tarou danced around the punches, his senses beginning to focus. Playing defensively would be a smart move. This style was different from any that he'd seen, but he was certain he could analyze it and overcome it. He could already tell that he was faster than this spatula-wielding pretty-boy...
"What's the matter?" Ukyou taunted. "Scared, Pantyhose-boy?"
On second thought, screw defence.
Tarou lunged forwards like a lightning bolt. "Time for payback, Spatula-boy!"
"Boy? Why you little-"
Tarou's first few punches bounced off the flat of the spatula with resounding clangs, but a quick switch from power to speed, quickly saw punches slipping through Ukyou's defense and hitting him, if not very hard.
Ukyou jumped backwards, grabbing a handful of mini-spatula's from a bandolier on his chest, hurling them towards Tarou. He dove sideways as they plunged into the pavement, already approaching again. His style was already emerging. Slow, powerful, long-ranged and unpredictable. Unfortunately, it wasn't much good when the opponent was inside swinging range.
"No more games, wimp!" he snarled, bursting into a full-fledged sprint towards her.
Ukyou swung mightily, his spatula coming overhead in an arc that was sure to decapitate anything short of an elephant. At the last moment Tarou grabbed the weapon with his left hand and swung himself around it, driving the knuckles of his right hand into Ukyou's side as hard as he could.
Ukyou let out a cry of pain and dropped the spatula, trying to back off. But Tarou was on the offensive now, letting off salvos of punches that impacted where ever he wasn't blocking. Slowly but surely, Ukyou began to back off faster, pain beginning to register on his face.
Tarou chuckled evilly. There was a pile of trash at the entrance of a nearby alleyway. How appropriate. With a grunt, he ducked down and put all his weight behind an uppercut that knocked him right off his feet and back into the pile of garbage. A drainage pipe was broken from the impact, briefly adding insult to injury as it sloshed its contents over Ukyou's head.
Ukyou groaned, trying to regain his senses after being slammed into the wall and dunked in water. It took long enough for Tarou to grab him by the collar and hoist him off his feet, pinning him against the wall.
"Had enough?" he snarled. "I was almost worried for a moment there. But if you try anything again, you won't even have a chance. I know your style, and I'm a damn sight better than you are, Spatula-boy. I was going to just ignore you as long as you kept out of my face, but you weren't smart enough to listen to me, were you? Too bad for you, Pretty-"
Without warning, Ukyou's uniform was no longer able to support his weight and completely ripped apart in Tarou's hand.
Tarou looked at Ukyou's now sitting form and smirked. "-girl," he finished, observing the now visible breasts. "You know, I think I understand a few things now."
Taking his thermos from his belt, he opened up one end and splashed scalding hot water over Ukyou's head.
"What the HELL are you doing?" she yelled in pain.
"Alright, I don't understand what's going on," he replied with a sigh. He had thought that perhaps Ukyou had run into Jusenkyou. That might be a reason to track down Ranma. But no, Jusenkyou hadn't occurred.
"Does the sight of cleavage make you insane?" Ukyou demanded, on her feet again.
"Forget it," he growled, clipping his thermos onto his waist again. "Just remember, don't bother me again!"
"Wait!"
He turned curiously.
Ukyou was looking rather embarrassed. "Listen, could you... not tell anyone that I'm a..."
"That's you're a girl?" he filled in.
"Well, yeah."
"You insult me, you fight me, and now you're asking me for a favour?"
Ukyou looked away. "Well..."
"Give me one reason to keep silent," Tarou demanded disgustedly.
Ukyou remained silent.
Tarou smiled. On second thought, this might prove useful after all. "I have an idea, actually. One that you're a perfect position to do for me."
Ukyou flushed red. "If you think for a moment, that I'm going to do anything like that you pervert-"
He rolled his eyes. People around here were so prone to misinterpretation. It was a wonder this section of Tokyo was even in one piece. "I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THAT, YOU DITZ!!!"
"What did you call me?!" she demanded.
"You've got ears! You heard me," he replied. "And you're in no position to be arguing," he added. "Now what I was going to ask you was two completely different things. Firstly, you will not get in my way for the rest of this week, is that understood?"
A reluctant nod.
"Good. Now as for the second reason, you will tell me exactly WHY you're trying to beat up Ranma Saotome? I want the complete story, understand?"
"This is a long story."
"I have some time on my hands. Put some clothes on, because I don't feel like waiting here in the middle of a garbage heap."
"You ruined my clothes," she pointed out sourly.
Tarou glanced skywards. No sign of rain. He tossed her his cloak. "You can use this for now."
Ukyou took the cloak and wrapped it around herself.
"Come on," Tarou ordered, leading her out of the alleyway.

**************

Kasumi turned at the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen. Perhaps Akane was looking to try cooking again? "Is that you-oh my."
"Hi Kasumi," Ranma greeted her.
"Who are you?"
Ranma stopped in midstep. Oops. She was a girl right now. "Uh, my name's Jasmine. I'm..." Gods, he was going to hate himself for this. "I'm Tarou's friend. He wanted to meet me here pretty soon."
"I didn't know he had a girlfriend. How nice."
"Uh... no, I'm not his girl-"
"Would you like a cookie?"
"Thanks," Ranma replied, eagerly accepting a cookie and forgetting his protests for a moment.
"You can wait for Tarou up in his room if you want."
"Okay, I'll do that," Ranma agreed, deciding that he'd better make a quick retreat.
"Oh, you're a mess. You can't see your boyfriend looking like that," Kasumi insisted. "I'll let you borrow some of my clothes. Come on. The men can wait a little for supper."
"No really, that's okay..."
"Nonsense," Kasumi insisted, smiling in such a way that Ranma couldn't possibly refuse her. "We'll get you looking more ladylike in no time at all!"
Ladylike? "H-help!"
Unfortunately, his replies were for naught as he found himself dragged up to Kasumi's room for a session in looking more ladylike.

*************

"And then Genma took off the next day with the yattai, and Ranma was riding on it and waving goodbye!!!"
Tarou gestured for Ukyou to calm down. Eight years later, it was obviously still a sore subject for her. He had taken her to a park, which was presently deserted in the evening. Best of all, no one would be able to get close enough to overhear the conversation. "I guess that's pretty low," he agreed. "I've heard a lot of that while trying to find Genma."
"Figures," Ukyou muttered.
"So I guess I can understand why you're trying to turn them into a smear on the pavement. But what's with looking like a guy?"
Ukyou flushed. "Do you have any idea how humiliated I was when that happened? I was laughed at for weeks afterwards by everyone. For months! I had been left behind by my fiancee, and I didn't even have a dowry to get myself another husband."
"Lousy," Tarou agreed. "The part about looking like a guy?"
"What else could I do?" she demanded angrily. "I threw aside my womanhood for all time! I trained by the raging sea in the art of Okonomiyaki Fighting! I devoted my entire life to revenge!"
"I see." Pretty extreme, Tarou thought. But understandable in an obsessive sort of way. "I hate to break this to you, but I don't think you're going to get revenge on Ranma."
"Why not?"
"Because I saw how you fight before. I've also fought him. You're good, but he's better than you. His entire fighting style is devoted to adapting to unusual circumstances. He'll adapt to your spatula style even faster than I did. I found your weak spots, but he'll just accommodate your style and beat you anyway." A pity he wasn't adapting to ice-skating very quickly.
"It doesn't matter. I have to try," she insisted.
Tarou sighed. He needed to deal with this now. He didn't want Akane to think Ranma was some kind of thief. He needed to shift the blame away from Ranma somehow...
"Are you sure it was both Genma and Ranma?" he asked, having an idea.
"Well, they both took the yattai."
"I've never heard of Ranma doing anything like that, even though his father's bad enough. He might not have understood what was going on. He's dumb enough to, I'd say. You might only have to pound his father to avenge your honor."
"You think so?" Ukyou seemed to like that prospect somewhat.
"I'd suggest you beat up his father first," Tarou advised. "Could save you a lot of trouble in the long run, right?"
"I'll think about it," she agreed, although she seemed to like the idea.
"Good," Tarou agreed, standing up. This little encounter had paid off. He no longer had Ukyou to worry about, and would be able to console Ranma enough to get him focused on the upcoming ice skating match. "Just remember. Don't interfere with me for the rest of the week, understand?"
"Right. And then after that, you don't interfere with my revenge."
"Sure, whatever," he agreed, beginning to walk away.
Thunder rumbled overhead. Tarou cursed. It would start to rain now. "Give me my cloak back," he ordered sharply.
Ukyou blinked. "What?"
"Give me the cloak!" Tarou ordered, seeing drops begin to dot the bench.
"Like hell! I'll return it later on. If you think I'm walking around topless-"
"Give me the damn cloak!!!" Tarou repeated frantically, trying to grab it from her. Ukyou pulled back just as frantically.
All at once, the skies exploded, dumping a torrent of rain on them. Ukyou suddenly found herself dangling from the cloak, the other end held by a twenty-foot tall minotaur.
The minotaur glanced skyward, as though accusing nature of something.
"Wha..."
With a lurch, the beast's wings began to flap, their comparatively small size ignored as Ukyou found the ground beginning to move away from her. She didn't understand what was happening, but the fact that a huge monster was carrying her away like this...
"HELP!!!"

***************

Ukyou didn't know how long they flew for, but she was able to discern that she had traveled a long distance by air. Five or ten minutes, she guessed. But even at the great height they were at, she could tell that they were moving at a fast pace. It would take her a few hours to walk the same distance.
Part of her wondered how she could be thinking so rationally, but after the initial shock, her martial arts focus had returned in part. Whatever this beast was, it hadn't actually hurt her. The fact that it had appeared in place of Tarou was still a mystery, but she figured they were somehow connected. She would simply have to wait and see what happened.
Eventually, the beast came in for a landing. Ukyou could make out the coast from the height she was at, and knew that they had traveled a fair distance by air. Looking straight ahead again, she instinctively ducked as the entrance to the cave rush at her, although she later chided herself for even worrying, when obviously the beast would hit the top before she ever did.
A gentle bump signified that the beast had touched down again. Nevertheless, the giant fist with her in the middle did not ease up at all. It was dark, but twisting around, she could see two large glowing orbs that made up the creature's glowing eyes. She had a hunch it could see better in the dark than she could, which was a point working against her at the moment.
She could feel herself being set down on the ground. She was held firm for a moment, several grunts emerging from the creature. She wasn't sure if it was trying to say something, but she had a hunch she was NOT supposed to try and run. The glowing eyes between her and the cave entrance also helped discourage that thought.
Several seconds later, a splash of water was heard, followed by an evil sounding chuckle. "It seems we have another issue to discuss, Spatula-girl."
Tarou. She narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
"Come on out to the light," he suggested amiably.
Ukyou obeyed, privately thankful she hadn't lost the cloak on the way over. After her eyes had gotten used to the light, she looked at Tarou. He didn't seem any different. Same clothing. His water bottle was open at one end, obviously empty.
"Alright, explain," she demanded. "I don't know what the heck that creature was, but I want answers!"
"Simple. That creature," Tarou replied casually, "is a cross between a yeti, a bull, a crane, and an eel."
Rrrrright. "Uh huh. And exactly how did this mating accident happen?"
Tarou laughed. "Jusenkyou. The Pools of Sorrow."
"Never heard of it."
"It's a training ground deep in China," Tarou replied. "It's made up of hundreds of pools, each one with its own tragic story behind it. Each story involves some animal or person that drowned there thousands of years ago. Now, whoever falls in the springs is cursed to take on the form of whatever drowned there."
Ukyou thought for a moment. She wasn't stupid by a long shot. As unbelievable as his explanation was, she had seen that beast and been kidnapped by it. "So, you fell in one of those springs?"
"Spring of Drowned Yeti Riding a Bull Carrying a Crane Holding an Eel." he smirked as though enjoying a private joke. "Veeery twagic story, miss customer."
"So... you can change into that monster?"
"Not at will. The curses are activated by cold water. Hot water returns the person to their normal form again."
This was beginning to make a little sense, Ukyou decided. "So... that's why you wanted your cloak back so badly when it started to rain."
Tarou nodded. She wasn't completely stupid, he decided.
"And... that's why you poured hot water on me?" she asked incredulously. "You thought that I..." she stared in disbelief. "You mean to tell me, there's a spring in this Jusenkyou place that turns whoever falls into it into a girl?"
A nod. Not stupid at all. "It's there."
"Holy crap. That's one dangerous place. What the heck were you doing there?"
Tarou gritted his teeth. What had he been doing there indeed! "None of your business. All I want to say is... This stays a secret. Or else we go back to square one, got it?"
Ukyou looked like she might consider pressing the point. After a few mental images of her sparring with that giant minotaur creature, she finally decided against it. "Alright, fine. I'm just a normal guy, and you're just a normal guy, right?"
"Right."
"So why are you protecting Ranma anyway?"
"What makes you think I'm protecting him? He can take care of himself. I'm protecting my interests, and he's connected to them. That's all you need to know."
"So..." Ukyou wasn't sure how to phrase her next question. "Is that beast form... as dangerous as it looks?"
Tarou smirked. "Actually, it's even stronger than it looks. I only use it for emergencies. Hard to talk to people in that form, you understand."
"Right." In other words, she hadn't stood a chance against him before. Even if she had proved to be a better fighter, he'd have dunked himself with cold water and pounded her head into the road with one punch. "So how do I know whether I'm
interfering with your interests?"
"Don't worry about that. Just find a place to live until the end of the week. Go to school or whatever. I don't care. Whatever you do, just don't interfere with me. I've got more at stake than you do, whether you want to believe it or not."
With that, he turned and left.
"Can't you at least give me a ride back?" Ukyou asked disgustedly.
"I'm walking," he growled. "Thanks to you, I'm out of hot water to change back again. So don't whine to me, got it?"
"Fine," she agreed, following him. It looked like they were both in for a long walk home.
"Why are you so dead set on this skating match?" she asked after awhile.
"None of your business."
"I've watched you skate. You suck."
"Go to hell."
"If you want to keep that curse of yours a secret, you'll have to come up with a plan."
"Then you'd better hope I do, because if I don't win that match, you'll never see Ranma. He's got a lot riding on this match."
"What if I could help you?"
Tarou eyed her suspiciously. "Help me?"
"Right. I've got five days to burn. I don't understand why Ranma's 'gone', but I'll bet he's hiding or something, isn't that right?"
"You could say that."
"And winning this match will bring him out of hiding."
"Perhaps."
"So what do you say to another deal? I help you and that red-head win the match. And right afterwards, you show me Ranma Saotome and let me have my revenge."
Tarou thought about it for a moment. It made sense. Was it really costing him much? Ukyou would find Ranma soon enough, once the fool had reverted to being a boy again. But this way, he could even determine the place and time of Ukyou's attempted revenge on Ranma.
"How do I know you can even help me?"
She gave him a flat look. "For starters, I can skate better than you or that red-head. That probably has something to do with the fact that I didn't learn to skate a few days ago like you obviously did."
"And what if I did?"
"You suck at skating and nothing short of that cursed form is going to make up for it."
"So what makes you think you can change things around?"
"That red-head, what's her name?"
"Jasmine."
"Jasmine looks like a decent martial artist."
"She'd probably kick your ass on dry ground."
"I'd kick hers on ice. But I could teach her a few things that would work on ice. I could teach you too. Nothing like a little edge, right?"
"You sound too helpful."
"Maybe you're a paranoid jackass. I want Saotome, and I'll whatever I have to do to get him, got it? Maybe you just don't understand what it's like to want revenge on someone practically your entire life for something. Let ME tell YOU, it sucks. But after a while, you do whatever the heck you have to do to get it done with..."
Tarou thought about it. Admittedly, he could relate with her better than she would have believed. But that didn't mean he was going to compromise his mission for hers.
"...So accept it. If I have to help the likes of you out, I will. Are you in or not?"
He nodded. "Alright, we have a deal. But one more thing. I'm staying at the Tendou Dojo. There's a girl named Nabiki Tendou. Can't fight, but she's a tricky girl. She doesn't hear ANY of this, understand? She'll probably pump you for information, try to bribe or blackmail you or do whatever it takes to make a profit out of this. She's already sore at me because she hasn't gotten anywhere doing the same to me."
"I don't mind hitting girls," Ukyou replied evenly. "This is about my personal honour. If she gets in my way, she'll regret it."
Tarou chuckled. "Ukyou, I think things will work out just fine between us."