Ranma ½ and all related characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ entertainment. I am not making any money of the use of these characters-and if you thought I was, you have some serious mental problems.
To Follow The Ten Thousand Yen Horse
By
Darknight Squire
Chapter 11: The Black Rose's Challenge
Akane, Ranma, Kinma and Nabiki entered the schoolyard for Furinkan High. A couple of Akane's friends came up to them. "I hear you're going to represent us against St. Heberke!" one of them said.
"Don't let us down!" added the other.
"Leave it to me!" Akane smiled.
"Oh yeah right," Ranma put in, "you can't even use the tools yet Akane."
Kinma looked over at Nabiki. "You're not thinking about running up a bet on this, are you?" he asked.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "My sister who's only learned the techniques this past week against someone who's likely been doing gymnastics for years? No one would be stupid enough to take it."
Kinma looked over to his friends Kiroshi and Genosho. "You heard her guys. Pay up."
Nabiki's eyes widened in disbelief as Kinma's two cronies pulled out wads of yen notes and handed them to him. "Boy, I though Nabiki would try to raise a bet on ANYTHING." Kiroshi muttered.
Genosho nodded ruefully. "Just goes to show what we know." Nabiki couldn't believe it. Kinma had just made money off of HER?
Suddenly she had an idea. Turning to the two boys, she told them, "Want to know Kinma-baby here's weak spot?"
Both Kinma's friends looked at her, then to her surprise shook their heads. "No thanks. You're going to charge us something, and Genosho and I have to hang on to what money we have left." Kiroshi said, and Genosho nodded affirmatively.
Nabiki's shoulders slumped then brightened up. "Very well." Turning to Kinma, she said, "I'm sure there will be others who'll pay to hear about it-unless you do."
Kinma's face froze for a second, and then regained it's composure. "Go right ahead and tell. I won't stop you."
Suddenly a voice from above shouted out "Akane Tendo, prepare to die!" Akane whirled around, and grabbed the business end of a shinai bamboo practice sword.
Ranma and Kinma both stared at the person hanging on the other end. "Kodachi the Black Rose!" they both cried out.
Akane stared up at Kodachi. "So, now you try to ambush me at school, huh?"
"Ambush?" Kodachi asked, the voice of perfect innocence. "I'm doing no such thing. I just came here to visit my darlings Kinma and Ranma."
"Then why," Akane snarled as she twisted the shinai up suddenly, flipping Kodachi up into the air, "don't you visit them, then!"
Kodachi twisted herself in the air, flipped and landed on her feet, right between the two Saotome brothers. "Oh, Kinma, Ranma," she crooned and her eyes got misty.
Ranma and Kinma backed away from the girl-and straight into Tatiwaki Kuno's back. Immediately the kendoist turned and attacked with his boken. Ranma leaped over the wooden blade, which Kinma blocked with his bo staff.
Kuno immedatly grabbed both brothers by the collars. "Saotomes Kinma and Ranma, what grudge is it you two have against me?"
"Listen you-." Kinma began, but suddenly Kuno spied Kodachi with a hand on each brother's shoulder. He stepped back, and looked, then nodded to himself. "Very well. You may both date with her."
"Oh Kinma, Ranma!" Kodachi cried out joyfully. "I'm so happy!"
"Listen, you," Kinma glared at Kodachi, "neither me or my brother has any intention of going-."
Tears dribbled down Kodachi's face. "You both hate me!"
"No! That not it." Kinma cried out.
"It's just that-," Ranma looked around and immediately spied Akane and Nabiki, "we've both already got fiancées."
"Yeah right." Kinma nodded. The two brothers went to Akane and Nabiki. "C'mon, help us out," Kinma whispered.
Kodachi walked up to the Tendo sisters and looked them in the eyes. "Is this true? Are you two both engaged to my dear Kinma and darling Ranma?"
"More or less." Akane muttered.
"I'll let you have Kinma-baby for 15000 yen." Nabiki added.
"Oho." Kodachi chuckled. "But this is not something for mere monetary exchange. Instead, shall we wager Kinma and Ranma in the match?"
"Are you insane?" Akane cried out.
"Do you have to ask?" Nabiki said to her sister.
Kuno placed his hand on Akane's shoulder. "I think it's a fine idea, Akane."
Akane turned to face Kuno. "What?"
"You need but to lose, and you'll be rid of that cross dresser Ranma forever!"
"Oh she needn't worry about that!" chortled Kodachi. "She'll be losing in any case!"
She looked over at the Saotome brothers. "Ranma! Kinma! When the match is over you will both be mine! Farewell!" She twirled her gymnastics ribbon and suddenly, in a flurry of black rose petals, leaped away from the Furinkan schoolyard.
"That girl is totally insane," Kuno said as he watched the girl leave. "But even so, Saotomes Kinma and Ranma," he looked over at the brothers, "take good care of my little sister.
"Wait a second," Kinma said as he pushed his glasses back against his face, "what did you just say?"
"I said, take care of my sister. Are you deaf, Saotome?" Kuno sighed and looked up. "She is twisted, deviant, and completely deranged. I love her well."
Kuno walked to Akane and handed her a bouquet of roses. "Please, Akane, try not to get hurt. Kodachi is more than likely to try something underhanded in the match."
Kuno shouldered his boken and walked towards the building. "One more thing, Saotomes," he said as he opened the door. "When Kodachi sets her sights on something she wants, she persists until she gets it."
"That girl-?" Ranma started.
"-is Kuno's sister?" Kinma finished for him.
"What'd you expect?" Nabiki chimed in. "She's just like Kuno-baby would be if he fell into the same spring Ranma did."
Two nights later, the night before the match, Akane was in her leotard, practicing for the big day. She twirled the clubs in her hands and threw them at Kinma. The older Saotome brother blocked them with his staff.
Still in motion, she grabbed her ribbon and whipped it at Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist leaped and swerved, missing by mere inches.
Sitting at the far wall of the dojo was Nabiki, watching the whole thing. She was depressed, an unusual mood for her.
For the past two days she'd been offering to tell people about Kinma's secret phobia-for a fee, of course. Yet strangely, very few seemed willing to pay for the information and some even looked afraid, as if Kinma had something on them. There were five guys and two girls who were both willing. All seven of them gave Kinma a hard time about it too.
Kinma challenged the guys to a fight after school. Him against all five of them at once. Every one of the boys was now enjoying a month-long vacation in the intensive care ward at Tokyo General.
What Kinma did to the girls was truly diabolical. Kimiko Hartushi was giving speaking at the debate club when suddenly in front of everyone her school uniform disappeared, leaving her in nothing but bra and panties. And Makoto Soboshi had just finished at the public baths and came back to her locker, and all her clothes were gone, only to be found in her home closet later. Nabiki shuddered at the thought. What might Kinma do to her?
Akane looked up at Ranma hanging from the ceiling. "Will you hold still and let me practice?" she cried out.
"Gee Akane, you've made pretty good progress," Kinma put in. "I may just run up a bet after all-maybe on how long you'll last against that Kuno girl."
"Why you-!" Akane picked up a ball and threw it at Kinma. "I'm not fighting for either of you two!" Her shoulders slumped. "I need to practice, and Ryoga hasn't been around all week. I was counting on him."
Suddenly they heard a barking sound at the door. At the doorway was a big gray wolf dog wearing a bandanna around its neck and several packages strapped to it are back.
"Dollars!" Nabiki cried. She stood up, and the big dog ran up to her and licked her face. "Where've you been? Mommy's been so worried about you!"
"Hmmmm," Kinma picked up the packages from Dollar's back. "Red bean cakes from Kyoto-cinnamon crackers from Hiroshima-Swiss chocolate!"
"Man, not even Ryoga's got a sense of direction that bad!" Ranma exclaimed.
"They sell that in a lot of upscale places in Tokyo," Nabiki said to Ranma. "Besides, he wouldn't have run off if YOU hadn't chased after him Kinma-baby."
"Whatever," Akane said. "Right now, I need to practice."
She grabbed two clubs in her hands. Ranma got into a defensive stance and Kinma hefted his staff. Akane ran straight at the Saotome brothers-
-and tripped herself on the ball, spraining her ankle.
"Akane, you're such a klutz," Nabiki said as Kasumi finished bandaging Akane's ankle. The three girls and two brothers were in Akane's room.
Kasumi closed her first-aid kit. "I guess you have no choice but to forfeit the match Akane."
"No!" Akane cried. "I'll be there. I'm not going to let that girl beat me!" She tried to get up from the bed but screamed when her foot touched the floor.
"See," Kasumi said, "you'll have to find a replacement."
"But who?" Akane said. "Where are we going to find a girl with fast reflexes, gymnastic agility who looks good in a leotard?"
Kinma looked at Ranma. "I think I may know a girl…." His voice trailed off. Suddenly everyone in the room was looking at Ranma.
"Oh no." Ranma backed away, holding up his hands. "I'm not going out there in some leotard."
Suddenly coldwater splashed on the younger Saotome boy. Ryoga stood in the doorway holding an empty bucket and smirking at a soaking female Ranma. "I guess we'll be practicing all night, huh, Ranma?"
Kinma, Ryoga, Akane, Nabiki and Ranma-chan were in the dojo. Ranma was wearing Akane's leotard and holding a gymnastics ribbon.
"Okay," Ryoga began, "the match is tomorrow. The only way you can master all the techniques in one night is to fight for real. Are you ready?"
"Hiyah!" Ran leaped up and kicked Ryoga square in the face. "That was too easy."
Suddenly Ryoga wrapped a rope around Ranma's ankle and pulled her down. "Use the tools! Are you some kind animal!"
"At least I'm not a mangy mu-." Ranma began, but stopped when she saw her brother shake his head and slid a finger across his throat. "Okay. From the top." She attacked with the ribbon, and Ryoga fought back with the clubs.
"Man, you are pretty good little bro." Kinma put in.
"You should be doing this." Ranma said as she ducked under a swing from Ryoga's club. "You always took better to fighting with weapons."
"Sorry, but I fell into the wrong Jusenkyo spring for it."
The fight continued. Ranma grabbed a hoop with her foot and kicked it at Ryoga. The bandanaed boy jumped, and his clubs down on Ranma, who blocked with a pair of her own.
"You are good, Ranma." said Akane in amazement.
"He." Ranma shrugged. "I haven't been watching you all week for nothing, you know."
"You don't even need to practice."
Suddenly Ryoga tossed a ball that landed squarely in Ranma's face. "Maybe he does just a little," Nabiki added.
Ranma looked over at the Tendo sisters. "Maybe you better both go to bed."
"No, I couldn't."
"Oh?" Nabiki glanced at her sister. "Are you worried about him?"
"That's not what I said!" Akane shot back angrily.
"C'mon girls." Kinma stretched and headed for the door. "I think we'd better turn in. Ranma and Ryoga should be all right."
"I suppose," Akane said, then looked at Ryoga. "Say, where's your sister."
"Oh, ah, she'll be around." Ryoga said. "It's just that with our family, we just disappear from time to time." His words belied how worried he was. Yoiko wasn't as good a fighter as he was, and while he could defend himself as a dog, Yoiko was completely helpless as a little pig.
"Well, anyway goodnight." Kinma left the room, soon to be followed by Akane and Nabiki.
Ryoga looked at Ranma. "I just happened to hear," he said slyly, "what you and your brother promised."
"And what is that?" Ranma asked
"That if you lose, both you and Kinma will go out with Kodachi. Which means, your brother's engagement to Nabiki will be finished. Because of that," he stretched his ribbon tight, "I'll see that you lose!"
"I thought so!" Ranma cried out. "Well, I've got no intention of losing!"
They ran at each other, when all of a sudden, Ryoga tripped. Before he hit the floor, his ribbon suddenly tied itself around him and he landed trussed up like a chicken to be roasted.
"A word of advise, Hibiki," Kinma's voice called out from nowhere. "Never announce your plans where a guy who can turn invisible might hear them."
Yoiko shivered. She'd been inside this cage for three days now, naked except for a collar around her neck and only taken out to be washed and played with.
Suddenly the door opened, and Yoiko's eyes widened in terror as she saw her tormentor enter the room.
Asuza Shiratori looked down at the little balck piglet. "There there Charlotte," she said, smiling sweetly. "Be good and maybe Mommy will take you out for a walk today."
End of chapter eleven.
Sorry it took so long for me to update. I kind of got wrapped up in another story, and then my computer crashed.
Okay, here's what I want to ask you. I'm thinking about having Akane learn that Yoiko is P-Chan. Do you think she'll be angry, or will shefeel sorryfor the Hibiki girl?
And, since Kodachi's fallen for both Ranma and Kinma, the fiancee who goes after Kinma instead of Ranma is still up in the air. Should it be Ukyo or Shampoo? And would you like me to create more fiancees for Kinma? I mean, think of what Genma would do with two sons!
