Tsundere25
Thunder in the Mountains
By
Jim R. Bader
DISCLAIMER: Ranma 1/2 cast members were created by Rumiko Takahashi and remain the sole property of both her and those to whom she leased out the creative rights. This fanfic is not intended for the purpose of monetary gain and so is purely the work of the author using characters from Takahashi-dono's series. I am not getting any compensation or royalties for this, so please do not sue me…
"Well now," said Nabiki, "This is certainly an interesting turn of events."
"Wait, I'm confused here," said Ryoga.
"Why am I not surprised?" said Ranma as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.
"Hey, I'm with Uncle Ryoga on this one, Pop," said Ranko, "I mean…this Line is so messed up that even I'm having trouble keeping track of everything. I mean, you're engaged to Aunt Kasumi, Mom's got a crush on you but she's pairing up with Aunt Ukyo…"
"Well, why not?" Nabiki said as she sipped her coffee, "Looked at from a certain lights, Kuonji-san can seem pretty dashing, especially if you don't know her true gender. Plus she has a pretty good head for business."
"That's something I've never figured out, Mom," Ranko said, "How can anybody mistake Ukyo for a boy? She's way too cute for that. I mean, I've met a whole bunch of her offspring, and they're pretty hot, either boy or girl…or somewhere in between…"
"Yeah, can't imagine why anybody would fall for that one, right Pig?" Ranma asked.
"No idea what you mean by that, Cross-Dresser," Ryoga smiled back, both acting nonchalant and sampling their own tea as though nothing were the matter.
"Obviously my counterpart has yet to notice her lack of an Adam's Apple," Nabiki continued smoothly, "Plus she's had half a lifetime of practice in pretending to be a boy at this point."
"Okay," Ranko sighed, seeing that none of her elders were going to concede the point, "So here my real Mom is engaged to marry Aunt Shampoo…guess I can't really hold that one against her. Aunt Shampoo was such a real Hottie, and most of her daughters are pretty much off the chart for basic Hotness."
"Keep your tongue in your mouth, Squirt," Ranma winked, "She's old enough to be your mother."
"Hmph," Nabiki sniffed, "Frankly I think it's a good match. They're both violent and hot tempered, but Shampoo has a lot of pent up sensual energies that Akane is going to have to deal with one way or another. Plus Akane can be pretty level headed when she's not throwing temper tantrums, so I'd say the two of them pretty much balance out, don't you think?"
"I guess," Ranma scratched his head, "I always wondered if Akane would be happier getting in touch with her inner Tomboy."
"The thing I can't wrap my head around is the fact that P-chan's been adopted by Ranma and Kasumi as their pet," Ryoga turned and glanced at his brother, "That means this version of you sleeps with this version of me snuggling between your…"
"Don't go there," Ranma growled in warning.
"The thing I'm having trouble with is the presence of Kodachi," Nabiki spoke up as she glanced past their booth overlooking the ice rink, "This version appears to act more stable on the surface, but I can feel the roiling emotions swelling beneath her surface waiting to burst out. And now that Senzenen has thrown a huge rock in to break up that surface…"
"Yeah, no kidding," Ranko said, "Stealing that kiss like that. I'd half expected her to take out her ribbon and whip him into bloody strips."
"You sure it's safe to let her take off running like that?" Ryoga asked.
"Hey, you know the rules as good as me," Ranma said, "Don't interfere in the development of a Stream. It just creates more ripples and all of that. Right now all we can do is observe and report…which reminds me. Looks like we're got plenty of company there."
"You finally noticed, Ranma-kun?" Nabiki finished sipping at her coffee, "The events of this Line appear to have drawn quite an audience. I count several Gods, an Archmage or two, another Lore Master and at least three or more Immortals."
"That many?" Ranko glanced around, "Hey…Kishijoten and Aunt Peorth. Guess they came to watch the show. Wonder how much of this mischief was their doing?"
"Probably a lot more than those two Busy-Bodies would own up to," said Ranma, "That Senjiru guy's the one who surprises me. Thought he never left the protective Holy Ground of his mountain cabin?"
"That one is a puzzle," Nabiki conceded, "As is the presence of O'Shea and Dubois. Guess they really are attracted to trouble like moth to a flame."
"I'm kind of worried about my Mom working with Shampoo's Mom to help train us on this Timeline," Ryoga said, "Mom was trying to protect me from my Grandmother back in these times, and being together like this…it's just bound to attract her notice."
"Kind of with you there, Bro," Ranma said, only to glance to the side as he said, "'Scuze me, this will only take a moment…"
He got up out of the booth with even Nabiki looking puzzled, and then they saw the trench coated man approached a distraught looking fellow was heading towards the ice rink.
"Excuse me there, Sir," Ranma said with a more proper tone than what he normally employed, "About those damages to your ice rink."
"Get out of my way, you," the Proprietor of the rink said, trying to move around Ranma, which proved nearly impossible as Ranma moved to interpose hios broad-shouldered presence directly in his path,
"You are no doubt worrying about the activities taking place down there," Ranma continued, "But I am here to reassure you that everything is being taken care of and there is absolutely no reason for you to worry about things. Just forward the damages to this address and one of our agents will be more than happy to compensate you for costs of repairs and all of that."
The man took a card that Ranma offered and glanced down, "Senzenen AGAIN?"
"You are familiar with our client?" Ranma asked with a tone of soisant innocence.
"That scoundrel!" the proprietor fumed, "This isn't the first time he's been responsible for stirring up trouble! I'd have banned him from my establishment if he wasn't so highly connected! I swear, this time he's gone too far! Now I'm going to charge him double the cost of damages to our rink."
"Just make sure to send the bill for damages to the address there listed," Ranma smiled, "And be sure to give my regards to Toishido-san. Tell her Mister Tenma sends his regards. And it's been a pleasure doing business."
"I wish I could say the same," the proprietor fumed, turning around and heading back in the direction of his office.
Ranma smiled as he turned around, only to hear Ryoga ask, "I thought we weren't supposed to interfere in this Timestream."
"Who's interfering?" Ranma chuckled evilly, "I just set that guy on the right path to making back the cost of damages that might otherwise get sent to the Tendo dojo."
"Nevertheless," Nabiki said, "That was sneaky, sly and duplicitous," she smiled, "Kind of reminds me of me."
"Hey, I learned from the best," Ranma gave back with an almost boyish grin.
"Careful," she said with a coy look, "Flattery might get you somewhere…and we are on assignment."
Ryoga sighed, "Just get a hotel room first this time, Guys? You know what a risk it is when I have to drag you half naked out of the public restrooms…"
"Of course you know that Uncle Mikado isn't going to enjoy hearing from his Trustee Guardians that he's once again dipping into the family fortune," Ranko noted.
"Like I give a crap about that?" her adopted father smiled ominously, "Although I suppose I do owe him a favor on that one timeline when he saved my life…"
"Where he what?" Ryoga blinked, "And how did he do that?"
"He married Akane," Ranma chuckled, glancing at Ranko, "Remember the one where that friend of yours was dating that C'thuwulf Bioroid?"
"Oh yeah," Ranko nodded, "Senzenen Muku Dori and Rhea Kano. I kind of liked that One, lots of fun characters running around there."
"My point exactly," Ranma smiled, "And, best of all, it's one of those lines where I had Ucchan-OOOF!" he reacted as Nabiki took a giant fan and smacked it down atop his head.
"I just knew you were going to bring her in on this," Nabiki growled, then withdrew the fan and looked thoughtfully off towards the rink, "Still, I suppose I couldn't blame you for that. After all, Kuonji is rather dashing, and I suppose my counterpart here could find that sort appealing."
"Huh?" Ranma frowned as he turned around, "And what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," Nabiki said cheerfully, sticking her tongue out before winking, "Forget I said anything, Ranma-kun."
"With you that'd be like forgetting to breathe," Ranma said warily, but nonetheless took the hint and dropped the subject…
"Senjiro Heiki," Peorth frowned, "What is his interest in my daughters?"
"What do you think it is, Cherie?" Siren replied, sipping at her Ginseng Teat, "The Oldest one has obviously caught his interest with that that sword maneuver that she just executed."
"After what happened when he taught his arts to her mother?" Peorth balled her fists, "As if I would permit that."
"I'm afraid its not your call to make here, Darling," Siren pointed out, "You're still under a Restraint Command and dare not interfere for fear of angering your Kami-sama."
Peorth glanced down, "I still remember the wounds and injuries inflicted in the flesh of Kimiko when I occupied her body those last few years of her life. Have you any idea what an agony it was for her just to move in the morning? If I hadn't been lending her my strength the poor thing would have been taking pain killers the whole entire day. I can almost see the red marks, the lesions, the tears in my flesh brought about by his damned Batthosai maneuver…"
"Try and remember that Kimiko only passed down a few of her arts to her eldest child," Siren said, "Ones you selected for her, I believe."
"The ones I thought that she could master," Peorth replied, "And that would do her the least amount of internal damage."
"I must say that I am quite impressed with what I have seen so far," Siren remarked, "Even before she began Amazon training she was quite the minor adept. And now…her internal control is increasing almost dayly. I doubt very much that she could have manifested a wind that strong only a few weeks ago, and now she did it with very little effort."
"Kasumi was always a good kid," Peorth glanced towards the arena, "Kind, thoughtful, obedient, always concerned about others. It was a delight being her mother, I hardly ever had problems when she was around to calm things down with her presence. It was like when I taught her how to cook…at first the poor dear couldn't even boil water, but then, though dedication and hard practice…she exceeded even my lofty expectations."
"You sound very proud of her," Siren said, "As is your right as her spiritual Mother."
"She wasn't mine, she was Kimiko's," Peorth said, "Who was my Template…so I suppose I should take comfort in that. It's good to see how much she's grown as a woman. Nine years…might as well have been a thousand."
"And yet she seems strangely reminiscent of someone else we both happen to know," Siren remarked as she refilled her tea with a wave of one hand, as though it were being poured by an invisible servant.
"Ah…" Peorth grimaced slightly, "Oh yes…Belldandy. Kasumi is one of her Templates."
"I'm not surprised," Siren said, "They have so very much in common. Only…I wonder whose Template the middle child is supposed to be?"
"Nabiki?" Peorth shot a glance at her blonde companion, "You're still thinking of recruiting her, aren't you?"
"Any why not, dare I ask?" Siren smiled, "Promising candidates for training like her do not grow on trees these days. Or would you expect me to sponsor her for one of the Magical Academies at this late age? I don't think she'd make their entrance examinations."
"I wasn't talking Hogwarts or anything like that," Peorth said testily, "I mean do you actually intend to keep pestering her until she gives in and becomes your apprentice?"
"Well, that's entirely up to her," Siren replied, "But I'm prepared to wait for her answer, as much time as she needs. In the meantime I am letting her know that I still have an interest."
"That is so much like you," a withered voice said with the sound of a rapping staff striking the floor with a limping walk, "Set things up the way you like then and then call it Fate when people take your cues and do what you want."
"Uh oh," Peorth said, "Busted."
"Ah…my dear Granddaughter," Siren turned around, "I was wondering when you'd finally clear your busy schedule to pay us a visit?"
Lotion the Elder-who was younger than the other two women but appeared so much older on the surface-stood there regarding her eternally youthful kinswoman and saying, "The Matriarch asked me to check on you as you have been rather negligent in filing routine reports to the Council. And now I can see why. You have found something that absorbs your attention."
"Well, can you blame me?" Siren smiled back, "You weren't around and a very promising candidate has come to my attention, one whom I have been sounding out for her potential."
"Because she is like me," Lotion replied, "And you want her for yourself."
"You make it sound like I'm trolling in the Playground, Dear," Siren leaned forward and rested her chin upon her wrists, "I'll admit the child is fair enough to look upon, and she might be good for a tumble or two. But I am hardly that desperate. And besides, the type of relationship that I want to enjoy with this one is strictly the Business sort, I assure you."
"And why don't I find that very convincing?" Peorth wondered.
"Long experience and a reputation that is rather difficult to live down, Grandmother," Lotion said, "At any event, the Matriarch has expressed her concerns and wishes to know what progress Silk and her Granddaughter are making in this instance."
"Quite well, as you can plainly see," Silk nodded to the arena, where a fearsome battle aura was just then rising from the slender form of the purple haired Chinese Doctor, "Comb is whipping the little rapscallions into shape even as we speak. I must say that even I have difficulty remembering when I've ever seen a more promising crop of candidates for Warband training."
"Warband training?" Lotion arched a withered eyebrow, "She would go as far as that?"
Siren smiled, "Tell the Matriarch that she has nothing to fear and that matters are well in hand. Her Granddaughter is making right a situation that she found broken and in shambles, and that the Heir to the Matriarch's line is progressing nicely under the training that she is receiving in the company of her Airen."
"I see," Lotion frowned, "Most interesting. A bold maneuver on Comb's part."
"I thought you'd grasp the situation," Siren smiled, "As opportunistic as it might appear, Comb has taken her daughter under her wing in spite of the Matriarch's objections and is training her even now in the arts that she will need to learn in order to progress as a fighter. As an Elder myself I assure you that Amazon Law is being strictly maintained and observed…"
"More bent to suit Comb's needs," Lotion replied, "But I suppose I can hardly fault her for that. I was against her decision to separate mother and child in the first place. Perhaps this would be a chance to see which of us was the wiser in that regard."
"You're welcome to stay and watch if you like," Siren replied, "But before you go back home there is someone I would recommend that you consult with…someone whose name would terrify the Matriarch if it were to be whispered…even more than my name."
"I see," Lotion said, "Ganglot. So, the rumors are true that she has returned…"
"You were expecting, maybe, her apprentice?" Siren tipped her tea up and smiled, "He is still locked in that cave, and as far as I can determine the wards have not yet weakened. But perhaps the Oni Princess herself would be the better one to explain the circumstances."
"Perhaps you are right on that," Lotion replied, turning with a nod and saying, "Goddess."
Within two steps the withered old woman had disappeared, leaving Peorth to shudder a little, "I hate it when she does that."
"Each to their own path, Cherry," Siren said simply.
"That's Cherie," Peorth glared back at the blonde.
"You eat what you like and I'll each what I like," Siren smiled back, then turned and said, "Oh, look…I guess maybe the show is over. Heiki-san is making his own exit."
"He is?" Peorth turned and looked as they saw the tall man in the long coat getting up from his own booth, "Well, what do you know? I guess the entertainment value no longer holds his interest."
"You used to date him once, didn't you?" Siren asked.
"Urk!" Peorth blinked, "Where did you hear about that?"
"Just now from you," Siren smiled, "You may be a Goddess but I am an Archmage. And never forget that."
"As if I could," Peorth frowned, "You dated him too, didn't you?"
"Ah...once…when we were younger and so much more carefree in our ways," Siren glanced at the ceiling times as if finding them interesting, then turned and said, "So, should we follow him and see where he's staying?"
Peorth grinned back, "I thought you'd never ask…:"
At this time two others were taking their leave of the arena, one turning to her companion and saying, "I can't believe this place. They really will turn anything into Martial Arts."
"I know, but after a while…you just stop asking questions, Luv, and learn t'accept," Erin replied.
"But Martial Arts Figure Skating?" Leona shook her head in disbelief, "Why not just call it Kung-Fu on Ice?"
"That's Chinese, not Japanese," Erin corrected, "And, by the way, Luv, your Japanese has improved quite a bit. Ye hardly e'en hae much O' an accent."
"Well, ever since we ran into that 'Old Friend' of yours who tried to jump us at that Tea House," Leona shuddered, still recalling vividly her experience with the Quickening that seemed to fill her mind with five hundred years of Japanese History in one big crash course.
"Ye'll get used t'his memories O'er time, Luv," Erin replied, "After a while ye'll hardly e'en know he's there. But his skills should prove handy."
"Yeah, instant Ninjuitsu," Leona winced, "Talk about your basic crash course. This business of Head taking still freaks me out, but I'm starting to understand why some guys go to so much trouble. Not that he would have got much out of me if things turned out different."
"But fortune smiled on ye an' he allus was a cocky bastard, that 'un," Erin replied, "So cheer up 'cause ye get t'go on livin', my Luv, an' I gets t'enjoy th' continued pleasure O' yer company fer a while longer."
"I think the thing that really bothers me is all these memories, all these people he killed," Leona shuddered, "What happens when I keep absorbing the Quickening of Evil guys like him? Does it change me into a bad person?"
"Nae if ye remain true t'yerself it won't, Luv," Erin glanced at her with the knowledge of someone very ancient, "I've struggled wi' th' memory O' demons th' likes O' which ye dare nae imagine. But once these memories settle in ye kin pretty much ignore them as they only matter if ye obsess on them. It's how folk like me an' Duncan get by wi'out goin' mad from all th' lives we've taken."
"I guess so, but I'm never gonna get happy about this," Leona groused.
"I'd be more concerned if ye did nae fret about it, Luv," Erin assured her, "'Tis th' fact ye care whut proves ye ain't a Monster."
"So…" Leona decided to change the subject, "Where next do we head, Sensei? Too early in the day to return to our hotel room…" her tone was mildly suggestive.
"'Tis ne'er too early in th' day fer whut ye hae in mind, Luv," Erin chuckled softly, "But first…I thought maybe we ought t'stop in an enjoy some O' th' local cuisine."
"Not Okonomiyaki again?" Leona groaned slightly.
"Ah, lass," Erin mused, "Ye know me all too well…"
Akane and Shampoo came rushing into the clinic, slightly out of breath, then stood to attention as they called out, "We're back, Sensei!"
"About time, you two," Comb said as she came from the rear of the Ono Clinic, "Get your uniforms on and get to work. We have patients lining up around the block, and because of your little stunt at the arena I'm late with some of my early appointments."
"Sorry, Teacher," Akane sad as she and Shampoo hurried to the dressing area to don their Nurse outfits so that they could fulfill their roles as friendly Medical Assistants to Doctor Comb, their teacher.
And Mother…and prospective Mother In Law, though Akane was grateful that her Sensei had stopped using those terms while on professional duty.
By necessity they dressed together but Akane still felt awkward about taking her clothes off around Shampoo, who seemed a bit too grabby with those hands of hers whenever she let her guard down. But Shampoo understood the necessity of not keeping her mother waiting and behaved herself this time as they got ready to meet the patients of Tofu-Sensei's clinic, many of whom had no idea at all what had happened to their trusted neighborhood healer, but who seemed more than pleased to have a new clinician taking care of their needs.
Especially one as attractive as Comb, who did not in any ways look like a woman in her middle years, somewhere between late thirties or early forties, as near as Akane could determine.
And Comb was very bit the professional, and quite competent at her trade as Akane personally witnessed her in action. Comb also lacked Tofu's annoying habit of turning into a deranged lunatic any time that Kasumi came around to offer her own gentle-mannered assistance.
In a way Comb was doing a favor to the absent Doctor by filling in for him and doing the work that he had been neglecting just prior to his disappearance. Her license to practice was in China, but Siren had pulled a few strings to get her legally certified to work in Japan, and so could see patients and make diagnoses for them without legal constraints, and to have her prescriptions for medications be honored at a local pharmacy.
Especially the kind that catered to "non-traditional" therapies in which she specialized as a Healer First Rate.
Akane and Shampoo rushed to their stations and began welcoming in the stream of patients with the cheerful demeanor of a pair of hostesses greeting patrons at a resort. They were competent enough as Nurses but their presence mostly helped to reassure the patients as they were admitted to Comb's office, which she had converted to her own uses from the resources that were left behind by the absent Doctor Tofu.
And Akane had to privately admit to herself that the purple haired Amazon was impressive and very professional in the performance of her duties. Her knowledge and confidence in handling each case was astonishingly broad and extremely helpful. She had charm and warmth and spoke with humor while retaining just enough detachment to manage each person she saw on a case-by-case basis, often calling for their medical records to be pulled, at which point either Shampoo or Akane would jump to the task with almost military precision.
Even as a part time job taken in the hours after her regular studies Akane found that she had never worked so hard outside of a dojo. Yet there was satisfaction in the work as patients left with smiles on their faces and their shoulders a little straighter. Comb had no patience with Hypochondria and falsely diagnosed symptoms but she seemed to find ways of sending people home with bolstered confidence in their health, and as far as Akane could tell she never made a wrongful diagnosis.
At the end of their shift both young girls were thoroughly exhausted. Even Shampoo seemed grateful to be done with their work for the day, and both took a moment to slouch off onto the couches in the admittance room, too worn down to have much enthusiasm for even going home at that moment.
But Comb seemed hardly winded as she popped into the room, saw her charges on the couch and said, "Done already? Well, time to go home and see what Silk has prepared for the evening. Better look lively if you want your place at the table to be reserved."
"Aiyaa," Shampoo said wearily.
"You've gotta be kidding, Sensei," Akane groaned, "I can't even move my finger, let alone my legs."
"Young people these days," Comb rolled her eyes and then went over to where her voluntary staff was slouched and touched them both along the shoulders, at which point both young girls sat upright and looked more alert, as though injected with a burst of adrenaline.
"Whoah…what did you just do?" Akane asked with rounded eyes.
"Just touched your, 'Jolt to Alertness' pressure point," Comb replied, "It will only last around thirty minutes or so, which ought to be time enough to get home, eat your meal, take a bath and then pass out in your beds. So get moving the both of you, don't want it to wear off while you're in the middle of traffic."
"Aiyaa," Shampoo turned to Akane, "We go now, Airen?
"Right," Akane by now knew better than to ask if their new Sensei were serious or not when she made declarations such as that. She also knew that the great feeling of energy that she was feeling was ticking away inside her like a time bomb that would go off when the lights went out and she would be dead to the world, just like she was the day previous. And the day before that.
They left the clinic, having switched back to their regular clothing, and then accompanied Comb on the short two kilometer trip that would deliver them at her family home, during which time she could not help but notice that Comb still had the sword strapped to her back that she rarely drew out of its scabbard.
"I was wondering about something, Sensei," she said, having by now learned that no subject was off limits around her teacher, but that one ought to be wary about the answers Comb was likely to give, "Why do you carry a sword if you're sworn not to take a life as a Doctor?"
"I don't take the lives of my patients," Comb replied, "But I'm not totally against taking a life if the circumstances are severe enough that no other option is open. My real reason for having it, though, is as a reminder of what I left behind when I gave up my Warrior's status and took up the profession of Healer."
"Was that hard?" Akane asked, "Turning your back on everything you were trained to be to study something as difficult as Medicine?"
"I didn't make my decision overnight if that's what you mean, Tendo-san," Comb replied, "And no, it wasn't easy getting out from under the Old Ghoul who is my Grandmother. Shampoo can fill you in on what a tough character the Matriarch can be when she throws her weight around. Like her I was being groomed to be her possible successor, and I knew no other way to live than to carry a sword and use it to slice my enemies to ribbons."
"So what changed for you?" Akane asked, "What made you turn your back on that?"
Comb was silent for a moment then said, "It would take too long to give you all of my reasons for the decision I made, but the short version is that I had to face a truth about myself that all of Grandmother's teachings could not have prepared me to anticipate. Shampoo, answer me something."
"Mother?" Shampoo responded like a shy student who had just been called upon by her teacher.
"Have you ever taken a life, my Child?" Comb asked softly.
"Aiyaa…" Shampoo looked away, and by her expression seemed to affirm something she was too embarrassed to say aloud.
"Believe it or not," Comb smiled, "I'm actually grateful that you've never taken that step beyond the point of no return. I've killed plenty of times so my hands are stained with the blood of those whose faces will forever haunt me. But you don't carry that burden on your shoulders like I do. So you're free to make your own life choices without having to face the trial that I endured, back when I made a choice that cost me a part of my own soul."
"Aiyaa," Shampoo said with rounded eyes, hearing the emotion lacing the words of her mother and feeling a shudder in spite of it all.
"And that's why you gave up on being a warrior?" Akane asked, "Because you had to kill one time too many?"
"Because I took a life as the least of all possible evils," Comb replied, "And as necessary as that deed was, I had no wish to ever again take another."
"And warrior who no prepared to kill is no warrior by Amazon law," Shampoo said, "No wonder Shampoo mother fight for right to be Healer instead."
"It was the only thing that I could do to remain true to my own heart, Little One," Comb replied, "But the price was high. You had to take my place as Grandmother's successor or she would never have agreed to let me go. Amazon law can be harsh and cruel sometimes, Little One. It's the price we Amazons have paid to stay alive as a people when everything and everyone has sought to destroy us."
"I had no idea," Akane said, "I thought you people just chose to live apart from the world…"
"It's a very long story that goes back to our most ancient history, Tendo-san," Comb replied, "Maybe one day I'll share it with you and the others. But the short version is that our ancestors made a choice that had consequences and the rest of us have struggled to live with it. Both the Joketsuzoku and other remnants of the once mighty Amazon Queendom. It comes down to the question of how women live in the relationship with their men, and whether one gender should dominate over the other."
"Why not have them both be equal?" Akane asked, "Why should it be one way or the other?"
"Perhaps you can tell me, young One," Comb replied, "How do the men of Japan take to you as a young woman who makes her own choices and decisions?"
"Ah…well…I'm still working on that one," Akane sheepishly replied.
"You worry about us attempting to control your destiny," Comb smiled slyly, "Shampoo wanting to marry you freaks you out even now. But consider that my daughter is willing to give up everything for your sake, even sacrifice her pride in order to bind herself to you. And here in Japan you have a father who was willing to engage you to a boy you hardly even knew, let alone liked…"
"Don't remind me of that," Akane winced, "I'm just glad Kasumi's happy to have that duty instead of me."
"So why don't you tell me what you are thinking about this business of engagements?" Comb smiled, "Is it that you don't want to be forced into anything and would rather have the freedom to make your own choices?"
"Kind of," Akane replied, "Ah…I don't dislike Shampoo, by the way. I just…think we'd be better off as friends and not…you know…"
"Aiyaa?" Shampoo asked with a curious note to her voice.
"Give it time before you come to any decisions," Comb replied, "I've chosen to give you the freedom to choose that I was never allowed. My marriage to Shampoo's father was duty, though I do, in fact, dearly love my husband. You never really know how these things will work out," she said with a wistful expression.
"Er…well…" Akane fidgeted.
"By the way," Comb said slyly, "Thanks for standing up for your Airen when that fellow tried to put the moves on her."
Akane's mind involuntarily flashed back to the moment and she balled her fists again and looked away.
"I…wasn't really thinking about anything," she said, "I just don't like to see somebody take advantage of girls like that. And Shampoo's my friend. In fact, she's been a lot of help to my recently, and I'm learning so many useful things ever since we started to hang around…"
"Aiyaa?" Shampoo murmured, her expression curious and hopeful as she glanced in Akane's direction.
"Such as?" Comb asked in a much too casual tone of voice.
"Ah…well…" Akane said, "Before that business with Senzenen Shampoo was offering to teach me about…"
"Aiyaa," Shampoo suddenly spoke up, "Boy with kiss-kiss fetish sure annoying, yes? But why Shampoo mother so upset that Ranma and Akane make challenge, and Spatula boy and sneaky girl Nabiki before that?"
"Because you fledglings barely know how to walk let alone fight," Comb replied, "Picking fights may be a quick way to learn about your limitations, but it's also a good way to get hurt before you've been toughened up enough to survive making the kind of mistakes that I made when I was your age."
"But Shampoo Mother," Shampoo said, "You still let Ranma and Kasumi fight. No tell them fight forbidden."
"They are the senior students in this school and as such, have an obligation to stand up for the honor of their fellow classmates," Comb replied, "With Ukyo it's a matter of an old grudge, and Nabiki is witty enough to make up for her lack of proficiency in fighting. But at least you two had sense enough not to challenge that boy even though he threatened to kiss the both of you."
"Just let him try," Akane waved her fist at the air before her, "I'll bust his head wide open if he thinks he can get away with doing that to us. Hey, Shampoo…what was that technique you were telling me about? The Baku something?"
" Baku something?" Comb softly repeated.
"Aiyaa!" Shampoo almost jumped, "Is new dance step that kids is learning, Mother. Shampoo take advice, try learn new thing besides ways of fighting Outsiders all of time."
"Would this dance step be the Bakusai Tenketsu by any chance?" Comb wondered.
"Yeah, that's it," Akane said, only to see Shampoo making frantic hand signs as if telling her not to say it, "Nani?"
"The Exploding Pressure Point technique," Comb mused, "Yes, that does sound like something that a warrior such as you could master, Tendo-san."
"Is Mother Crazy?" Shampoo said, only to yelp and take a step back as Comb's battle aura flared up once again like a torch.
"Silly Child," Comb's eyes actually seemed to glow as her smile took on a cat-like predatory aspect, "You wanted to tantalize your Airen with the thought of making her a stronger warrior. And I approve. The Bakusai Tenketsu is precisely the best technique for your Airen to master if she is to advance to her next level as a fighter."
Akane could not help noticing that Shampoo grew pale and said, "Is it dangerous to learn how to use?"
"Oh, not at all," Comb's aura returned to normal and her smile became more relaxed, "In relative terms it's actually one of our easiest secrets to master. Even men can do it when they work the mines. It was developed as a means for excavating stone, but it's quite effective in a battle, though it's one limitation is that it is more effective on inanimate objects than it is on living flesh."
"It takes out inanimate objects but not people?" Akane grasped.
"It primarily seeks out the structural patterns of an object and touches the breaking point with a precisely focused concentration of Chi," Comb replied, "And shatters that object regardless of its size and mass. Even children can do it. Shampoo learned the technique when she was barely even eight…"
"Only eight?" Akane was incredulous.
"Ah…Great-grandmother insisted," Shampoo said weakly.
"How else do you think she goes through walls like they were made of cardboard?" Comb smiled, "Learn how to use this and I guarantee that no barrier or obstacle will thwart you, and you can make your own way through the world without feeling inferior to any man."
"Ah…thanks, but if it's dangerous then I'm not sure…" Akane was willing at this point to obey her own instincts at self-preservation, to say nothing of the warning signs that Shampoo was telegraphing in her direction.
"Oh, what a shame," Com mused, "And it would suit you so much better than someone like, say, Ranma…"
"Ranma?" Akane blinked.
"I was thinking of teaching him, but now I'm not so sure it would suit him all that well," Comb replied, "And to think, with your natural abilities you could have learned an art that was too difficult even for him to master…"
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Akane grinned, "If I can do it and show it off to Ranma then it's worth whatever risk is involved in training. So sign me up, Teach!"
"Aiyaa," Shampoo started to open her mouth, caught the look her mother gave to her and hastily thought better of the gesture.
"Good," Comb replied, "Then we will schedule it for this week since you're between quarters in mid-semester. A few days should be enough time for you to master the basics, and then you can show the others."
"But…won't Ranma and the others feel like you're favoring me over them?" Akane asked, "I don't want them to think that because…well…I'm with your daughter…"
"Oh, they'll be quite busy for the remainder of the week," Comb said, "And Shampoo will be as well learning how to master the art of fighting on skates."
"Aiyaa?" Shampoo reacted.
"Just because I disapprove of their accepting random challenges doesn't mean that I intend to leave them defenseless in battle," Comb replied, "You and Ranma both need to bone up on your skills, because I will not have a daughter who disgraces herself before a man like that Senzenen. Especially not a man like him."
"Why?" Akane asked, "You sound almost like you know him."
"Never saw him before in my life," Comb replied, "But I know his type. And he reminds me of someone else…" for a moment her battle arua flared up, but then was squelched with an act of real effort.
"Aiyaa," Shampoo murmured, sensing, as did Akane, that quite a story was being left unspoken in that declaration.
"Well, we're almost home, and I can smell Silk's fine cooking on the breeze," she said, "So pick up your feet and don't tarry since you'll soon be running low on your energy once again, so…"
Whatever she was about to say suddenly got cut off as water splashed her in the face,and one moment later the nearly six foot tall Amazon vanished from sight, her sword clattering on the ground with her clothing folding inward.
"Ooh, sorry, Dearie," said an old woman holding a bucket and a ladle whose yard they had been passing by without noticing it before, "Didn't see you there. Need to be more careful."
"Meow?" said the cat that had taken the place of the woman as if to ask, "Why me?"
"Aiyaa," Shampoo said as she reached down and picked up her mother, gathering up her silk robes and sword in the process.
"Somehow when that happens it totally wrecks the effect that I'm sure she wanted to create," Akane dryly noted, "Well, let's get indoors and get a hot bath. Hope that meal is ready like she said because I'm totally famished."
"Aiyaa," Shampoo said, promptly following after her wife as Akane led the way into the Tendo compound, the Amazon's step a bit lighter as she felt unusually buoyed buy the day's events, and the side that she had just seen of her companion.
"Ah…just for the record, Shampoo," Akane said before they reached the main house, "You were offering to teach me this Bakusai Tenketsu technique before…but why did you look so worried when I brought it up with your mother?"
"Ah…technique of Amazon…hard to master if no careful," Shampoo replied, "Learned technique as child, thought maybe Akane learn too. Only Shampoo take time to prepare Akane. No want to make Akane learn before ready."
"So?" Akane turned around, "How is what your mother had in mind any different?"
"There two way learn Bakusai Tenketsu," Shampoo explained, stroking the fur of the cat in her arms, who looked up at her with a curious expression, "Fast way and Slow way. Slow way better, take more time but make warrior tough enough to handle training. Great-Grandmother teach Shampoo fast way. It much harder to learn, but master in shorter time."
"And you wanted me to take my time and do it the slow way?" Akane asked.
"Aiyaa," Shampoo agreed, "At least slow way Akane survive."
"Hah?" Akane replied, looking dumbfounded and very worried, and wondering just what the heck she had let herself get talked into learning this time from her mentor…
"Man, this bites," said Ranma as he emerged from the bath with a towel around his head, pigtail firmly in place, "We gotta fight some stupid guy and his idiot partner in a skating match. And we got rooked into making that stupid bet. No way is he getting P-chan or a kiss out of either one of us!"
"I completely agree with you, Ranma-kun," said Kasumi as she followed after her fiancé in a bathrobe, "We cannot trade people or favors for the sake of our own pride and honor. It's wrong, just as fighting pointless battles is wrong. Sensei Comb was right to chide us for allowing ourselves to get into this situation."
"Yeah, you're right," Ranma said, turning around to look at the beautiful girl with whom he had been sharing a bath (albeit with his eyes partially averted for politeness), "Things always make sense when you describe them. I get so frustrated sometimes…and then you make it right for me, and I'm left wondering what to say except…thanks."
"There's no need to thank me, Ranma-kun," Kasumi smiled, "You're my iinazuke, and it's my place to be at your side always."
Ranma smiled at that, "You keep saying that, and I keep apologizing for troubling you. Guess I'm just not used to being around someone who understands me like you do, Kasumi."
"That's okay, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said, "We'll have our whole lives to get used to being around one another, and I think it will be enjoyable in a lot of interesting ways."
Silence fell over them and they stared at one another with the space of only two paces laying between them. They had entered the furo both in female form and had taken times scrubbing each other's backs (something it had taken Kasumi several weeks to coax him into). Then Ranma had waited until Kasumi entered the bath first before joining her and transforming back to his male aspect.
He had kept his eyes averted from her the whole time, but it was hard not to be aware of her presence. Talking about the events of the day had allowed him to concentrate on other things besides being near to a naked woman with whom he shared an interest that was mutual. His anger about Senzenen had allowed him to concentrate, but every so often his attention drifted over to her, at which pint he was very glad that the lower part of his body was fully immersed under the water.
When the pressure to say something more got to be too much he made a lame excuse to step out of the bath, again being careful not to look at her as he sought a towel and tried to hide the part of him that was standing to attention. But once again, as was happening too frequently these days, he found himself confronted with unfathomable desires to do more than merely pay her compliments.
He wanted to say something more to her but lacked the words, language never really being his forte. He wanted her to know how much it meant being able to be with her but was afraid of sounding dumb or coming across as some kind of a pervert because of the way certain parts of him were reacting to her presence.
For her part Kasumi wondered why Ranma seemed reluctant to look at her, and would not look at her when she was naked even when she reassured him that it was not a problem. He obviously enjoyed being around her…and she could not help but notice how shy he was about displaying the erection he was wearing, which she could not but help to notice. In fact that was the thing that most reassured her that he was not turned off to the very sight of her or else she might have doubted.
But what exactly did she want him to say to her at this point? He had just paid her one of the largest compliments that she had heard from him all week, and it thrilled her to no end and made her feel very excited deep within. Her heart was fluttering even now with anticipation, but also from a kind of fear as if she were expecting Ranma to make some kind of move or something, which would be very much unlike him.
She had some vague notion of what men and women were supposed to do at this point. The romance novels were very explicit, up to a point, about the hero taking the heroine into her arms and planting a series of crushing kisses all over her body. Beyond that the language in those books got a little flowery and laden with euphemistic imagery that was not very specific, and while Kasumi had some clinical knowledge about the reproductive role of the sex organs she could not quite bridge the gap between the theory and practice, having too much of the former and almost none of the latter upon which to form a comprehensive basis.
But she did know that she wanted him to be nearer to her. It was a joy that she had convinced her iinazuke to share a bed while in his supposedly "Cursed" form, and that in itself was something of a triumph. Kasumi was a little vague about why the body of a redheaded girl so Kawaii and soft to the touch should be regarded as a "Curse," but she knew that Ranma would have preferred to remain male all of the time, but Kasumi enjoyed Ranma in either form and thought it very nice to snuggle up in bed with her together.
Sort of like when she had done so with her sisters on stormy nights, only different. Much, much different, and in ways she did not exactly understand just yet except that it felt…different.
But now that he was male again she found her desire for him was coupled with an urge that she found almost as hard to clarify. Something about his groin fascinated her, the way it curved and stood up so very firm, like a tree branch or an extra limb. She wanted to touch and feel the texture of it but for the certain knowledge that it would make Ranma uneasy. Some part of her knew what it was for, and it intrigued her to no end what fitting his loins into her own loins would be like since the medical textbooks gave a rather generalized description without telling her just what it would feel like.
The thought made her own loins tingle with anticipation, but still she hesitated to broach the idea of an experiment to Ranma as she knew it was too soon in their relationship for her to be so forward and aggressive.
After a full minute during which these thoughts flowed through their head like a coursing stream they both attempted to say something, paused, looked at one another, and then Ranma said, "Ah…sorry?"
"No, go ahead," Kasumi urged.
"Ah…you first," Ranma demurred.
"No, I insist," Kasumi murmured softly, "You were saying?"
"I…" Ranma opened his mouth, looked into her eyes, and once more suffered a classic case of "brain freeze."
Which was when they both heard a savage snarl of, "RANMA-NOW YOU DIE!"
They had not noticed when a small black form had trotted on past them, glancing up in passing and narrowing its eyes in Ranma's direction, but now they turned and saw a fully nude Ryoga come sailing at him with fist drawn back for a thrust…
Only to have Ranma dodge and catch Ryoga from behind, then shove him face-first into a wall, hard enough to stun him momentarily, during which time Ranma gave his half-brother a wrist and head lock that forced the other boy into a one knee drop of submission.
"Hey, Bro, what's the big idea of barging in here all naked?" Ranma demanded in the ear of the other young man, "You want to flash your equipment in front of my iinazuke or something?"
"Oh my," Kasumi said, not having even thought to turn away as the vivid sight of the naked Ryoga was burned into her mind, complete with a full comprehension of a matter that had been broached before and called to her attention by Kodachi.
"She's not married to you just yet, Ranma!" Ryoga shouted into the wall, "Kasumi deserves better than a selfish jerk like you and…"
"Yeah, yeah, heard it before, give it a rest already," Ranma poked the other boy in the back at the "Sleep Spot and Ryoga went out like a light almost instantly, "Man, Sensei Comb wasn't kidding about that being effective. Works even better than the technique Pop once showed me."
"Why does Ryoga always insist on fighting with you, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked, "What is it that makes him so angry."
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ranma said as he set Ryoga down on a bench, then belatedly remembered to throw a towel over his lap before turning around and saying, "Well, off to bed then. Got a big day in the morning and all of that."
"Yes…to bed it is," Kasumi paused and said, "Yours or mine?"
"Hah?" Ranma linked, looking right at her, "Ah…Kasumi…"
"Just kidding," she smiled, albeit with just a touch of disappointment.
It had been fun falling asleep with his arms wrapped around her for the first few days when they had tried it, and Kasumi had slept so blissfully in his lap that way. But lately it was becoming uncomfortable for them to be like that, and for reasons that neither of them could fully grasp, as if something more than just talking and sleeping would satisfy a growing need that was emerging between them.
They stood there for another few seconds, then Ranma said, "You know…I'd love to stay up and…talk some more."
"Me too," Kasumi said, though at the moment talking was a very low item on her agenda.
"I…ah…" Ranma hesitated some more, the awkward pause dragging out for another minute.
Then a bold impulse came upon Kasumi and she said, "Ranma-kun?"
"Yeah, Kasumi-chan?" Ranma asked.
"Senzenen Mikado," she saw his expression darken abruptly and made haste, "He threatened to kiss both of us, and if he did…it would be our first, right?"
He blinked, "First?"
"Our first kiss," Kasumi answered, then felt her cheeks suddenly flush a bright crimson.
"Hah?" he responded blankly.
"I don't want my first kiss to be with a boy like that," Kasumi replied, hesitating before forcing herself to blurt out, "I would much rather have you be the one to kiss me."
"Hah?" Ranma said, his brain immediately going into short-circuit mode.
"I want the one I kiss for the very first time to be someone I care about, who cares about me as a person," Kasumi managed to get out in a rush, "Someone like you…" and her voice caught in her throat as she said that.
His mouth hung open and was suddenly quite dry. His eyes bugged out in his head and it seemed almost as though he had become a living statue as he tried to process that unexpected declaration.
"Don't you want to kiss me, Ranma-kun?" she managed to get out with a bit more effort, "You don't want him to be the one who kissed me?"
It was that latter question that cut through the paralysis effect cast upon him by the previous part. But the thought of Senzenen laying hand on his girlfriend, let alone attempting to press his lips to her mouth, caused a seething tide of anger to suddenly erupt from within him.
"If he did that," he angrily declared, "Then I think I'd kill him."
"oh?" Kasumi was shocked by the forcefulness of that statement, but also was thrilled as well as her iinazuke clearly found the notion of another man kissing her deeply offensive.
He turned away, "Sorry…don't know why I said that. It just came out of me. I mean…it's not like I'd actually kill him…I mean…I'd rough him up and mess up that pretty face of his, but I'd stop myself short of putting him in the hospital or anything like that."
Kasumi slowly smiled, "You want to defend my honor."
"I want you to be happy," Ranma turned around, "Kasumi, I'd never want to see you sad, or hurt or angry. I know I don't deserve a girl like you, but…"
Kasumi took a step forward and said, "Hush…don't say things like that, Ranma-kun. I'm the one who doesn't de-whoops!" she said in surprise as her bare foot touched the dangling hem of her bathrobe and caused it to get yanked down off of her shoulders as she stumbled and started to fall forward, even as Ranma reflexively reached out to catch her…
And found his hands moving to steady her balance by gripping the most obvious thing on her chest that came to hand…or rather, gripped BOTH things and squeezed them out of pure reflex.
"Ah…" Ranma said as Kasumi looked up at him, her expression both surprised and curiously abstracted.
He half expected her to slap him, to get mad and say rude things. He wanted to let her go and back away, to say that it was an accident, that he did not really mean for it to happen, to say or do anything to take the moment back and try and assure his iinazuke that he was not a pervert, that he really had been trying to prevent her from being hurt and that his hands just…reacted as though they had a mind of their own.
He expected anything but what happened next, which was that she murmured, "Ranma-kun…" and all at once reached out to him with her hands, which she placed over his own, and rather than pry them away from her breasts she instead squeezed them gently, encouraging him to do it to her again, and this time with greater encouragement and feeling.
And damn but those melons of hers felt ripe…and the feel of them in the palm of his hands made all sort of funny fluttering sensations in his bellow congeal about his loins, causing his member to stiffen to an even more formidable tree branch.
She took her hands off of his and slipped them around his waist, pressing his body up against her's and murmured, "Ranma-kun…"
"Kasumi…" his face hovered near to hers, and since they were almost even in height she dominated his vision as he felt her inner thighs brush against his stiffening manhood, as though it were sliding past the gulf that her legs were creating.
His towel fell away to the floor and her robe seemed to part in the center, allowing full flesh-to-flesh contact, which felt incredibly…nice…and overall pleasant. He played with her bosom a bit then slid his hands down around her waist and pulled her into an embrace that made the contact between skin all the more intimate, even as their eyes were locked in orbit of one another with the room spinning around and seeming to revolve around just the two of them in that one timeless moment of invitation.
But then a soft sobbing noise distracted the both of them, with Kasumi and Ranma blinking, then turning their heads to the side, seeing a sight that caused them both to blink and look non-plussed.
Ranma let Kasumi go and then walked over to the door to the furo and slid it open, his expression becoming shocked as he found nearly every other resident in the household was on the other side looking at him with round-eyed, astonished expression.
"Father?" Kasumi blinked, "Nabiki? Akane?"
Comb turned to glare at Soun and Genma, both of whom were crying like babies, and she growled, "Nice work, Drama Queens. You just had to go and spoil the moment."
"Oh…my little girl…" sobbed Soun with profusely mingled happiness and sadness plain in his expression, "To think that she has grown up to be a woman just like her mother…"
"And we were this close to succeeding too," Genma said, no less tearful than was his best buddy.
"Yeah, and it might have happened if you two goofballs could keep your mouths shut for another moment," Nabiki growled, then sighed, "Sorry about this, Sis. You and Ranma-kun just keep right on as you were going. It was starting to get interesting there." She paused to take a hand full of popcorn and make a point to stuffing it into her mouth.
"Hah?" Ranma said with a dismayed expression.
"Hey, don't stop now on our account," Akane insisted, holding the portable Video camera on one her shoulder, "You got this far, you might as well go for it Dummy,"
"Aiyaa," Shampoo said cheerfully, "Is please to pretend we no here. You give Big Sister nice-nice present?"
"But…how did you…" Kasumi said, being careful to tie back up her robe as she walked up to the door then examined it, sliding it partially out and discovering that somehow it had been converted into a one-way mirror.
"Just a little technique we use for surveillance in China, dear," Silk assured, "I was going to put it back to normal once you and your husband got finished doing your businesx."
"Our…Business?" Kasumi felt a blush coming on and said, "Oh my…"
Ranma suddenly started cracking his knuckles, "And what makes you think we're just going to perform for you idiots…?" he snarled, pulled back, and launched a massive haymaker that caught his father full in the face, catching Soun in the backwash and sending both elderly men soaring backwards and down the hallway.
"Oh my," said Nabiki, getting up as she stared at the crumpled men laying in awkward positions in the living room, "Well, that's my cue to get back to doing my homework. See you!"
"Guess the show's finally over," Akane said as she and Shampoo got up, "Sure was getting hot in there though, don't you think?"
"Aiyaa," Shampoo agreed as she dutifully followed after.
"And you two," Ranma turned on the Amazon duo, "What's the big idea of encouraging them like…huh?"
"Congratulations, Boy," his purple haired Sensei said, "I was starting to wonder if you had any manly juice in you, but now I see you've got it in spades. So here's a scroll that's been passed down in my family for generations that ought to help you out the next time you and your wife feel like getting busy."
"Ah…wha…?" Ranma glanced down and saw a tied scroll in his hands, but when he looked back up Silk and Comb were no where to be found, so he snarled, "HEY! Get back here! I'm not done yelling at you guys yet!"
"Oh my," Kasumi sad as she tuned to look at the scrolls in his hands, "What do you suppose is contained on that one, Ranma-kun?"
"I don't know," Ranma said dubiously, "And I'm starting to think I'm better off that way."
"Well, if you don't want to look at it then perhaps I can…"
"No, I'll look," Ranma decided to get it over with, undid the bindings on the scroll and started to unroll it…
And saw images depicted the like of which caused him to gape with eyes bulging, even as Kasumi at his side looked on and said, "Oh my…"
"Are you really sure that your charges are ready for something as advanced as what you offered?" Silk asked as she and Comb returned to the kitchen.
"I thought it was about time someone broke it to those kids the Birds and the Bees are not just something you research on the Discovery channel," Comb smiled slyly, "Honestly, that a boy that old should go through life without even a clue about what to do with a girl who's practically tearing the clothes off of him and demanding he put out…"
"Are you meaning that both ways?" Silk remarked, "Although I find it somewhat endearing…Kasumi's perpetual cluelessness about Sex is something that I would have remedied a long time ago…were I her actual mother."
"Well, now they ought to be able to figure it out with the hint I gave them," Comb said, only to blanch as a very loud scream echoed from down the hallway.
"Oh my," Silk replied, "That doesn't sound particularly pleasurable."
Ranma came charging in, this time having pulled on his shorts, and he waved the scroll at his Sensei and said, "What kind of a dumb scroll did you give me, Teach?"
"Oh?" Comb accepted it back from him, unrolled it then stared, then blinked.
"Oh my," Silk moved in close to studied the contents, "I was wondering where I put that one. Miroku Love Techniques for Seducing Shikima Demons, Second Level. Very rare and hard to acquire, and I have to get it back to the library where I borrowed it from by next week or pay a stiff late fee."
"Late fee?" Comb replied.
"They send a collection agent who is equipped with multiple appendages," Silk clarified, "And they give you a live home demonstration."
"Ah…" Comb handed the scroll over to Silk then reached into her cleavage and pulled out another scroll, "Oh, this is the one. Silly me, I forgot to check the label…"
"Never mind," Ranma backed away, "I don't need that kind of help. I'll figure it out on my own, thank you."
He then angrily stormed away, leaving behind a pair of weeping fathers who were groaning, "And we were so close…"
"Ahm...Sensei?"
Comb and Silk turned to see Kasumi standing there in her silk bathrobe looking somewhat shy, awkward and nervous.
"May I…see that scroll?" she asked shyly.
Without another word Comb handed it to the younger girl, with as much delicacy as one might a hand grenade that still had the pin in it, but barely.
"Thank you very much," she bowed at the waist, then turned and headed for her room and some late night reading.
"I think the boy may find himself overmatched with that one," Silk remarked.
"What have I done?" Comb asked rhetorically, but she was smiling as she added, "This is about to get much more interesting. I am so glad we made this trip. So many interesting things are calling back memories of our previous stay in Nerima."
"The good, the bad and the, 'What the heck,' you mean?" Silk replied.
"Yes, that one," Comb nodded, then calmly returned to the business of washing the dishes, about the only chore that she could safely perform in a kitchen that did not require a Hazmat team to later on come in and clean up in the aftermath. She calmly hummed a Chinese tune and thought of the days that were to follow, and the fun that was going to happen when she started her Victims-ah-students on their new regimen of helpful training…
Continued.
Comments/Criticisms/Casualty Tolls from Amazon Cooking Experiments gone awry:
Shadowmane
Next up, training begins for real as Comb takes her charges to a whole new level. But will she be able to help them surmount the incredible odds stacked against them? Can they master sophisticated new techniques in only a week time that will tilt the odds back in their favor? And will Kasumi surprise Ranma by engaging him in a whole different level of training?
Be here next time for: "Skating with Psychos," or, "Between a Rock and a Soft Place !"
Be there!