Oyu no Ranma
A Ranma ½ fanfiction by Zorknot
DISCLAIMER: You are reading a fanfiction. If you enjoy this story, please buy at least a volume of the Ranma ½ manga by Rumiko Takahashi, or a dvd from the anime produced by Kitty, Shogakukan and Viz. Otherwise you're peeing in the punch bowl.
For those of you following along at home, this chapter takes place between episodes five and six of the anime.
5:00:00
5:00:01
5:00:02…
~~~~~Chapter 8: Retaliation~~~~~
At breakfast, Ranma made sure she sat next to Kasumi. She watched the elder Tendo daughter as she distributed chopsticks and napkins to everybody. When Ranma got her napkin, she surreptitiously slipped it into the pocket of her trousers. She was wearing one of her old Chinese outfits. She would, of course, have to change into her school uniform before she left, but although she knew she could fight in the uniform in a pinch, she didn't want sweat stains all over it if she could help it. Also, the Chinese outfit had an added benefit: pockets.
As Kasumi set the food down, and everyone was complimenting her including Ranma, Ranma was carefully poking the thumbtacks she had in her pocket through the napkin.
Genma snatched a piece of fish from Ranma's plate as soon as it touched the table, but Ranma did not retaliate. Genma gave her a questioning growf, which Ranma answered with a look of pert superiority. She had seen one of Akane's friends pull it off. It was really girly, but that was exactly the sort of thing that would get her father off her case. It worked. Genma kept to his own food and didn't press the issue any further.
Finally Kasumi set the last dish, her own, down and she was preparing to sit. This was the most crucial moment. Ranma pushed the last thumbtack through the napkin just as Kasumi smoothed her skirt and was lowering herself down to the floor. Kasumi was going to sit on her knees. Ranma winced. This was going to be rough to watch.
When Kasumi's knees were two or three centimeters from the floor, and there was no way for her to stop her descent, Ranma quickly slung the thumbtack-studded napkin right into the place where Kasumi's left knee landed.
Ranma couldn't help but watch as the metal of five of the thumbtacks sunk into Kasumi's flesh through the material of her skirt.
"Ow!" Kasumi cried and stood up.
Ranma blinked. If the same thing had happened to her, a simple "ow" would not have cut it.
"What is it, daughter?" Soun asked.
Kasumi had a dark look on her face, which would have been more surprising if Ranma hadn't seen her at the hospital, and if she hadn't been more or less expecting a crack in the older girl's façade. Kasumi's eyes flicked down to Ranma and held Ranma's gaze for a moment.
Ranma realized suddenly, that she might have overplayed her hand. Soun was still rather protective of his daughters, and of Kasumi in particular. Akane might have reason to doubt Kasumi, but even she probably wouldn't agree that Kasumi deserved to have thumbtacks shoved into her knee.
Kasumi's face warmed again, though, a pleasant smile filling her face. "Oh, poo! I must have left these here last night, and here I've gone and hurt myself."
"Wait, are those thumbtacks stuck in your leg?" Nabiki asked.
All anyone could see were the round, brass heads flush against the napkin and Kasumi's knee. Also, now there was some red in the napkin, from the blood. There must have been some tearing when Kasumi got up, Ranma surmised. Oh poo, indeed.
Kasumi nodded. The strain of not showing the pain was barely evident in her voice when she said, "I dropped a box of them in here and I was picking them up, but I was distracted, and well, I suppose this is the result."
Kasumi was lying so smoothly and easily Ranma almost believed her! She had to make a conscious effort not to smile at all this. Her smile would be completely misinterpreted, she was sure, but she couldn't help feeling joy at finding another worthy opponent. Kasumi could have told on Ranma, and it would have gone very badly for the pigtailed martial artist. At the same time, if Ranma had simply tried to tell on Kasumi, instead of directly retaliating, Kasumi could have used the same story to get out of it. She had accidently dropped some thumbtacks, oh my. By not accusing Ranma, Kasumi was telling her that she was going to win no matter what. There was something else she was planning. In other words, whether Kasumi realized it fully or not, she had accepted Ranma's challenge.
"Here, Kasumi," Ranma said, "let me help you with that." She made to pull the thumbtacks off.
"Don't pull them out!" Akane winced.
"Why not?"
"She'll…hemorrhage? "
"Akane, they're thumbtacks," Nabiki pointed out. "Besides, technically she's already hemorrhaging."
Kasumi put a cool hand on Ranma's and said, "Thank you, Ranma-chan, but you don't need to trouble yourself. "
"Hate to say this, big sister, but maybe you should let Akane and Ranma help you to the kitchen so you can pull those out? Bleeding and breakfast don't really mix well for me anyway." Nabiki got up and glanced at Kasumi's knee. "I'll go get the first aid."
Akane got up too, and Ranma helped her make a chair with her arm for Kasumi to sit on as they carried her into the kitchen. Kasumi gave no protest. Probably because she had determined it wasn't a good idea to move her leg too much until the thumbtacks were out. When they reached the kitchen Nabiki was there with a kit.
Once Kasumi was ready, Nabiki quickly pulled off the thumbtacks. Five had punctured the skin, but only three were in really deep. Ranma felt a little bad about it, but when she thought of what might have happened to her if she hadn't seen the thumbtacks before she dove into her futon, she felt a little better.
"Why did you put the thumbtacks in the napkin?" Nabiki asked.
Kasumi waved her off. "Oh, it's easier to keep track of them that way."
Nabiki nodded as she applied alcohol with a cotton swab, dabbed each wound with antibiotic and covered them all with a small band-aid.
"You're pretty good at that," Ranma observed.
Akane nodded. "Nabiki volunteers at the school nurse's office."
"Really?" Ranma wouldn't have thought that would be something that Nabiki would do, except that the quick, no nonsense, way she treated Kasumi's wound made it seem more natural for her.
"You'd be surprised how much information comes through a nurse's office." Nabiki looked up at her older sister. "You okay, sis?"
Kasumi nodded, and they all returned to the breakfast table.
Nabiki's explanation made sense, but Ranma suspected there was more to it. Why was she so concerned about information? Why worry so much about the balls of thread that she was constantly trying to untangle? She was intelligent, she could have found other ways to make money, so why did she sell the photos and start the morning betting pools in the first place? Being a nurse's assistant might indeed be a good way to get information, but again there were other ways to do that. Ranma shook her head. She was probably over thinking it. Nabiki liked manipulating people. In a way, that's a lot of what nurses do, getting people to do things they'd rather not. It made a sort of sense, but Ranma still felt there was something more there.
And Kasumi was definitely more than she appeared. Even Akane had layers that Ranma wouldn't have suspected. Just because Akane was a little easier to get to know didn't make her any less complicated. Thinking about it made Ranma feel invigorated, like she was learning a new martial art style. And in a way, maybe she was. She just hoped it all didn't go away when she was a man again.
When Ranma got back to the table, Genma was almost done with his meal. Smirking, she stole some rice from his plate as a matter of principle.
"So, big sister," Nabiki said idly after they were all seated again. "What were you doing with all those thumbtacks anyway?"
"Oh I was using them to put some fliers up outside. We're going to start accepting students again, right?"
Ranma had to smile at this. She probably had been putting up fliers. Like all good lies, Kasumi's tale had an element of truth. Ranma decided to check on this just in case. "Hey, do you have any extra? We could distribute them to people at school."
"Certainly, Ranma-chan, I was about to suggest that myself. There's a stack of them next to the telephone in the hall. Temari-san was very helpful with them."
"Who is this Temari-san?" Soun asked. "Is he somebody we know?"
"Daddy!" Kasumi gasped. "Temari-san is just the nice older man who works at the print shop. He's very professional."
"Is he as nice to his male clients?" Soun took a sip of his tea, his eyes half-lidded.
"Now, Daddy." Kasumi put her hands on her hips. "I'm old enough to know how to handle myself around men. You don't need to worry about me." There was just the barest change of inflection, but Ranma was paying more attention to Kasumi now, and she caught it. The implication was that there were other people at the table, who didn't know how to handle themselves around men that Soun should worry about.
Who? Nabiki could handle herself just fine, and Akane just punched out anyone who bothered her…is it me?, Ranma wondered, But that doesn't make sense either. I'm not one of Soun's daughters, and I'm a gu- Ranma caught herself before she finished the thought. She wasn't a guy. She was a girl. Kasumi had probably heard about her kiss with Kuno, and when Kasumi heard about it, it probably made her think Ranma was a girl with loose morals or who was too naïve for her own good. Ranma's eyes thinned at the elder Tendo daughter. Is she calling me a slut?
Kasumi's eyes widened a little at Ranma's change of expression, and then her ever present smile got just a little wider. It was so subtle, it was almost too subtle. Ranma ate the last of her breakfast as she thought about it. Could she be imagining it all? Maybe Kasumi was exactly what she seemed, and she was just finding what she was searching for.
No, Ranma decided, she was forgetting about the hot water. Why would Kasumi turn it off and then say it was broken?
Soun crossed his arms after putting his chopsticks down. "Well, you know I wouldn't mind it if you started dating. I just want to know who it is. Same goes for all of you girls."
Ranma grimaced. It felt weird to be included in the statement in that way. Part of her wanted to yell that she wasn't a girl and that Soun wasn't her father, but one of those declarations wouldn't be true and the other would be pathetically overdramatic. Besides, it was kind of nice having someone else care for her, even if it was in a creepily possessive paternal kind of way. She looked at her father to see how he would react. He didn't say anything, largely because he was still a panda, but Ranma got the impression that he wouldn't have done much about it anyway.
"Thanks for the food, big sister Kasumi," Akane chirped as she picked up her empty plate to take it into the kitchen.
Ranma picked her plate as well. "Yeah, thanks."
"You're welcome, little sister. I was wondering, do you think you could run an errand for me?"
"Sure, I guess."
Kasumi picked her own plate up and Ranma followed her and Akane into the kitchen. "I was thinking we could have beef for dinner tonight, but I have a lot of housework to do, and it would really help me out if you could pick some up on your way home from school."
"I don't know…"
Ranma exchanged a glance with Akane. "It's our night off, Akane and I are still going through your mother's book."
"Oh I know." Kasumi took Ranma and Akane's plates and stacked them in the sink. "But the next entry is rice, isn't it? And Akane's been doing so much better since you started teaching her. I thought I could cook the meat and potatoes while you help Akane with the rice."
"That would be great!" Akane exclaimed cheerfully.
Ranma flinched a little. A cheerful Akane was rarely a good sign. Especially when cooking was involved. Still with Kasumi to help supervise, the lesson should go a little better… as long as it wasn't all part of Kasumi's evil plan.
Ranma had to wonder. Bloodthirsty amazons, ancient Chinese curses, extreme training in the art of deadly combat, and yet dealing with the twin threats of Kasumi's retribution and Akane's cooking was perhaps the scariest situation she had ever faced. All she would have to do is make a bet with Nabiki and it would be perfect madness!
Ranma smiled, the trepidation melting away into a warm, energetic feeling. I love this family! Ranma thought.
"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Akane asked.
Ranma shook her head. "I'm just really glad I'm here. This is the most fun I've had since…since I was with Ukyo."
"Fun? Kasumi just asked me if I could get her meat. How is that fun?"
Ranma blinked. "I…uh…it was the way she asked. Very entertaining."
"Why thank you, Ranma-chan!" Kasumi gave a slight bow. "I'm very entertained by the way you speak as well. What is that dialect?"
Ranma scratched the back of her head nervously. "Well, uh, Pops raised me like a boy and when I was young I used to hang around Osaka with this boy Ukyo. I picked up a little of the accent then I think. But mostly I talk like I'm from here I think."
"How delightful!" Kasumi clapped her hands. "If it were one of my stories, he'd show up here and sweep you off your feet."
"What? No, it wasn't like that!" Ranma protested.
"Of course not, dear. You were children. But still, old bonds have a tendency to form again even stronger than before after they are broken." Kasumi's eyes looked off into the distance. "Of course if it were one of my stories there'd be some reason you could never be together. And the two of you would pine for each other in the moonlight, looking across the expanse of a great desert or mountain range or perilous sea, and then he would complete an epic quest and find you and then he would hold you in his arms as he slowly untied the laces of your corset, his scent salty yet sweet, and finally, free from the burden of your clothes you would caress his…oh my!" Kasumi's eyes went wide as her cheeks reddened. She whirled to the clock on the wall. "Look at the time! If you two don't hurry you'll miss school!"
Ranma closed her mouth and she watched Akane do the same. Then they both ran away.
They went to the furo, where Nabiki was already washing with cold water. They joined her silently. "What's going on?" Nabiki asked.
Ranma lowers herself into the hot furo water, feeling the shock of the heat against her skin. She sits for several moments in silence, until Nabiki gets in the water as well. "Seriously, what's wrong?"
When Akane gets into the furo, Ranma finally says, "You know, I think your dad's right. Kasumi really needs to start dating."
Akane just widens her eyes and nods her head.
Nabiki smirks, "Kasumi tell you about one of her stories, did she?"
"Yeah," Ranma responds. Then she does a double take. "Hey, you're naked!"
Nabiki rolls her eyes. "Thanks for noticing, Saotome."
~~~~~.~~~~~
School went well for Ranma, a fact that she was incredibly surprised by. Sure, she slept through most of it, but usually even the parts she was awake for were an excruciating bore. This time was different, though. During lunch Akane helped her with some math problems, and it was actually kind of fun. She would find ways of putting the math in terms of martial arts. The variable, usually x, was the opponent, but he always had a bunch of other numbers with him on his side of the equal sign and in order to defeat x, you had to get him by himself. Then you added all the numbers and when you were done, x's number would be up. He had a bunch of other tricks too, like fractions and squares and such, but once you tore through his defenses and got him alone, you had him.
And then in gym she played softball for the first time. Apparently it was a girl's game, because the boys weren't participating. Ranma liked how the red bloomers of the gym uniform showed off her legs. She also liked how Akane looked in it. Also, it wasn't a skirt. It was very close to wearing boxers and a t-shirt. Or at least that's what she told herself when her old sensibilities started tickling the back of her brain. She hoped she could show off her muscles when she was a guy again. The guys had all kept their shirts on, but maybe she could start a trend.
"You're in a good mood," Akane noted as they walked away from school with Nabiki.
"Yeah, I am. I had a good day today. Usually by now something goes wrong."
Nabiki stretched her arms up and yawned, "Well, you do have a challenge with Kuno-baby today, don't forget."
"Yeah, that's probably going to be the low point," Ranma agreed. "Thanks for taking care of that though. I mean, I know you got an angle planned on this, but it's still better than having him trying to fight me or woo me all day."
Akane was a little more hesitant. "Things were…quiet today. It was nice. I'm still not sure about this whole thing, though. Who'd you say was challenging me?"
Nabiki stuck a finger in her chin as she remembered. "Chiba Sentaro. Kid's from the chemistry club. I think he's hoping to catch you with an explosive or something."
"Great. I guess he's counting on having time to prepare."
"You still have time to change the venue." Nabiki pointed out.
"No, it's okay," Akane smiled, "I'll just pound him before he can do anything."
"You get any challengers, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.
"Not yet," she said, "I don't know if I made it clear enough that it was possible."
"You sound disappointed," Akane teased.
"No, I don't really care, I just want to be sure the rules are clear." They walked down the rest of the block in silence. They passed a no parking sign on the corner when Nabiki spoke again. "Alright, I'm a little disappointed."
"Ha!" Akane pointed at her, "I knew it. You like training!"
"I forgot how fun it could be," Nabiki allowed, "and it would be good to know where I stand."
Ranma wasn't sure if Nabiki should be gung ho just yet. "It's probably a good thing you didn't get a challenge. You just started training again, after all."
Nabiki thinned her unpatched eye at Ranma. Then she took a breath and looked away. "I know that. The smart thing would have been to stay out of FuMa except as an administrative power."
"I don't know about that," Ranma said, "I think it's good. It'll keep you motivated to train."
They walked another block in silence. Then Nabiki said, "Listen, Saotome. You know that favor I said I was going to ask of you? You know, for this?" Nabiki pointed to her patch as she stopped walking.
"Yeah?" Ranma stopped as well, and Akane did the same.
"Here it is:" Nabiki stepped closer to Ranma, taking advantage of her height. "I want you to lose to Kuno."
"What?"
Nabiki moved her bookbag so she was holding it behind her with both hands. "You heard me. Lose. On purpose. Then go on a date with him when he asks."
"Why?"
Nabiki shrugged and looked up at the sky for a moment. "Call it a lesson in humility. Anyway, that's my request. Do it or don't do it. It's up to you." She started walking again and Ranma watched her for a bit before following behind her with Akane.
They were about a block away from Tofu's clinic when Nabiki turned around, her face now wearing her usual amused smile. "You know what? I think I'll go another way home. I'll let you two take care of your errands on your own. Toodles!" Nabiki waved goodbye and turned right instead of going forward.
Ranma stood, watching Nabiki leave for a moment, then she exchanged a glance with Akane. "What was that about?"
Akane shrugged. "You going to do what she asked?"
Ranma thought about it. "I did promise her I would. I guess I have to…I just…"
"What?"
"Why does Nabiki want me to date Kuno? Wasn't she into him or something?"
Akane sniffed. "Into his money you mean. My guess is she had him pay her to convince you to forfeit."
Ranma hadn't thought of that angle. It fit her old idea of Nabiki as a pervert girl, but it didn't seem to quite jive with what she knew about Nabiki now. "She wouldn't do that, would she? I mean, that's almost prostitution. And your father told her to stop doing that sort of stuff."
"I don't know. She's seemed better recently, but I wouldn't put it past her."
Ranma shook her head. "She made a big deal about this favor in the hospital. I thought it would be something bigger than this, but there's no way she would use it up just to whore me out to Kuno."
"It's pretty big, Ranma. I wouldn't want to date Kuno, and I was born a girl."
Ranma really wished Akane would go back to pretending not to know about her curse. It made her question her actions every time she was reminded of it. "I already let him ugh…kiss me. How much worse could it get? The only part I don't like about it is having to lose."
"Honestly, I don't like how blasé you're being about this. Aren't you leaving yourself vulnerable?"
"Jeez Akane, If he tries something I'll just beat him up!"
Akane bit her lip. She turned her head away. "What if Kuno is better than you?"
"No one is better than me! I'm Saotome Ranma! And I'm-"
"A girl." Akane whirled around. She pointed a finger at Ranma's chest. "You are a girl. And Kuno is a boy. That means he can rape you. Do you understand? He can slip you something when you're not looking and rape you. And it doesn't matter how good a martial artist you are. It can happen."
Ranma blinked. "Akane, I think you're being a little paranoid. Kuno wouldn't…"
"You've known Kuno what, two days? What do you really know about him? You think he's too stupid to rape you? Too insane? Too full of himself? Ranma, girls get raped all the time by those kinds of people."
Ranma swallowed. Akane had a point. She wanted to say it didn't apply to her. But it did. For the next six months, it did. "Damn it! I'll be careful, okay?"
Akane nodded. "That's all I want, Ranma." She started walking again. She murmured something that Ranma couldn't quite make out.
"What was that?"
Akane smiled nervously and waved her off. "I was just thinking out loud. Don't worry about it." Akane quickly returned her attention to the sidewalk as she held her school bag with both hands in front of her.
"Okay…" Ranma wasn't sure if she should let it go or not. She was getting the impression that there was something Akane wasn't telling her. But at the same time, she wasn't sure she was ready to hear it herself. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Akane just heard a few cautionary tales too many or something. Yes, that was probably it, Ranma decided. It was time to change the subject. "That was some excellent aiming at softball today." She started walking down the street again.
Akane reddened as she walked beside Ranma. "I didn't aim. It was a foul ball."
"Heh, well it broke both of those perverts' noses. After what they said about you, I call that aiming whether you meant it to be or not."
Akane smiled. "Hiroshi and Daisuke. The pervert duo of Furinkan high."
"What, they're the 'pervert duo' just because they're boys?"
"No," Akane said simply, "It's because they call themselves the pervert duo of Furinkan high."
"Oh." Ranma looked around her at the houses on the street. This was the way back to the house and the way to Tofu's, but she didn't know of any markets on this route. "So I guess we're going to Tofu's first?"
"Yeah, I thought it would be best. Otherwise the meat might spoil or something."
Ranma nodded. "That's good thinking."
"You don't have to sound so shocked, you know." Akane gave a wry look.
Ranma held up her hands. "Just giving a compliment."
"You looked cute in your gym uniform today," Akane riposted.
Ranma felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Th-thanks. So did you."
"When you were out in the field no one was able to make a home run. We all had to bunt."
Ranma laughed more easily at this. "Ha! It's a good thing we weren't on the same team. With your precision batting and my golden glove, we'd be unstoppable!"
"We could start a real team. Start playing against other schools."
Ranma shook her head. "Nah, I've already got enough to deal with."
"I know what you mean."
Tofu's clinic was just at the part of the fence where it changed from being three meters tall to about one and a half meters. It reminded Ranma of Akane's training. "Have you been practicing your jumping at all?"
Akane shook her head. "Haven't had the chance yet. We'll have to do that on the way to school tomorrow. Maybe watch Nabiki try it. She's my sister, but watching her fall on her butt is still funny. As long as she doesn't get seriously hurt, of course."
Ranma had to admit that she liked watching Nabiki out of her comfort level. It was good to see that she wasn't always so calm and collected. Compared to Kasumi, though, Nabiki was a basket case. Ranma grimaced. "So, what's your plan with Tofu?"
Akane sighed. "I don't know. I'll just confess I guess. If he loves Kasumi, he loves Kasumi. But if there's a chance, I'll never know unless I'm honest with him."
Ranma nodded as relief passed over her. Akane wasn't going to ask her to do anything dishonorable. In fact, confessing was probably the honorable thing to do. "Okay. I guess you'll want to do that alone. But I'll be in the waiting room, eavesdropping, if you need me."
Akane laughed. "Thanks, Ranma." She grabbed Ranma's hand and leaned into her briefly. "You're a good friend."
Akane held Ranma's hand tighter as the sign to Tofu's clinic came into view, but she released it when they could both see a panda sweeping the grounds.
"Growf." Genma greeted them, raising a black paw in a wave.
"Hey, Pop! I forgot you were working here."
"Growf growfer growf. Growf growf?"
"Don't you got signs to talk with now? Why are you still a panda, anyway?"
In response, Genma raised a sign that read, "I am not a panda, I am a man in a panda suit."
Apparently that was how Genma explained the presence of a zoo animal working outside a chiropractic clinic. Not a zoo animal, just a crazy guy in a suit. Yes, that made perfect sense. Ranma smiled and shook her head. "Anyway, Akane wants to talk with Tofu about something. Is he busy?"
Just then, Tofu came outside, wearing his usual black gi. "Oh hello, Akane-chan! And hello to you, Ranma-chan! Good to see you both. How's Nabiki doing?"
"She's fine, Doctor," Akane said, "Her eye is still bruised; so she's still wearing a patch over it, but she seems okay otherwise."
"Good to hear. I have to say I'm surprised her injuries weren't more severe. When I first saw her I was very worried for her."
Ranma swallowed and nodded.
Tofu smiled, "No need to worry about that now, though, eh? Come inside for some tea, I have some time before my next appointment, and I'd like to discuss your…aversion to water, Ranma-chan."
Ranma and Akane both nodded their assent, and they followed Tofu and Genma into the clinic. Tofu had a thermos of hot water he kept in the room where he saw his patients. Ranma found a stool to sit on and managed to do so, though wearing a skirt made her choose between keeping her knees together, and crossing her legs at the knee, and she wasn't particularly fond of either pose. She settled with crossing her legs, because it seemed a little less passive.
Genma had found a tray of biscuits and was holding them in front of Ranma's face. So she snatched one and put it in her mouth. It was sweet, buttery and crumbly, but now she had entered the minor torture that is having a biscuit without any tea or milk to wash it down with. She looked at the thermos now with renewed interest.
The thermos sat on a small table, acting as a book stop for a row of medical texts. Though Ranma wasn't sure what "Leaping Lizard Moxibustion" was, she was sure it was a serious book that had very important things to say. And she was sure that every reputable doctor probably had a book on "Curing Slimy Spider Sickness." Really the book that disturbed her the most was, "Perfect Normality: Symptoms and Prognosis."
Tofu pressed the top of the thermos, pouring hot water into a small, burnt sienna tea pot filled with tea leaves so that they could steep.
"Let me do that for you, Tofu," Akane said, with just a touch of eagerness in her voice.
Ranma got a little nervous at that. Akane should be fine with just pouring tea, but in some respects she was like a screw up addict, and she could fall off the wagon at any moment.
Tofu smiled, though and said, "Sure Akane, here's my cup!" He moved a mug with an abstract design on it closer to the long-haired girl.
Akane held Tofu's mug in her hands like a bouquet of flowers. Ranma found this a little disgusting, but maybe she really liked the guy and couldn't help being weird about it.
"So Ranma," Tofu said, his hands behind his back, "there are a number of things I've been wondering about this affliction of yours."
"Yeah?"
"You say you got it after you drank a vial of liquid?"
Ranma nodded.
"So someone gave you this potion, then?"
"Yeah, I go- ahem" Ranma coughed some of the dryness out of her throat. "I got it in China."
"In China!" Tofu said, "Wow, that must have been quite an experience for you! Where in China did you go?"
Ranma smiled, liking the chance to brag a bit. "Oh we, that is, me and pop went all over the place there. Shanghai, Beijing, there was a desert I forget the name of…We even spent some time in Tibet, though that's not really part of China, I mean, maybe it is politically? But man, whole different country when you see it. Most of the places we stayed at weren't big cities though. A lot of villages and real small towns. Lot of people just getting by. Some people were even poorer than us, and we barely ever had more'n two coins to scrape together."
"Really? That must have been rough, just a girl and her father, travelling like that."
Ranma eyed the tea, wishing it was ready to drink already. "I ah…I'm not a…that is…hmm. Okay I guess I might as well tell you, 'cause everybody I'd want to keep it from knows already anyway. I got a Jusenkyo curse. Like Pops has."
"A Jusenkyo curse? I've heard of that! Doesn't that mean you turn into something if you're touched with cold water?"
"Tea's ready!" Akane informed them all and presented Tofu with his mug. Then she gave Ranma a cup, and finally took hers to the hospital bed where she sat.
"Thanks," Ranma said gratefully and took a sip of the hot liquid. It burned her mouth a little, but it was good. "Didn't Pops explain it to you when you hired him?"
"No, I don't remember him saying anything about it. Does he change into something I should know about?"
Ranma took another sip of tea, not quite knowing what to say to that. Then the black rotary phone by the door started ringing, and Ranma just decided to let the issue go.
"Mr. Saotome, would you mind getting that?" Tofu requested.
Genma dutifully plodded over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Growfer growfer?" he said.
Akane sighed and put her mug down carefully on the bed. "I'll get it." She got up and took the receiver from the panda.
Jeez, Ranma thought to herself, why did he even try to answer the phone if he knew he couldn't talk? If he's going to be a panda he should act like one. She might have said it out loud, but she didn't want to make fun of her father in front of Tofu.
"Hello, may I ask who's calling, please?" Akane asked.
"Ranma-chan, I can see now why you'd want to take a potion like this, but I'm concerned." Tofu took a sip from his mug. "It takes a lot of energy to deflect water the way you seem to be, you know, and that energy has to come from somewhere."
"Yes, I see. Okay, bye." Akane set the receiver down. "Ranma, could I talk with you for a moment?"
"Uh, sure…excuse me, doc." Ranma got up and followed Akane out of the door. She slid it closed.
"That was Kasumi," Akane said, "She says she's coming over."
"What?" Ranma lowered her voice to a whisper, "You got to confess to Tofu then before she gets here!"
Akane put a hand on her waist. "Well, maybe if someone hadn't been flirting with him for the past five minutes I might have been able to!"
"Who was flirting with him?" Ranma asked confused.
"Don't play dumb!" Akane batted her eyelashes and made her voice high as she said, "Oh I've been all around China, Dr. Tofu!"
"I didn't say it like that! Look, I'm sorry I've been taking up your time. We should have given you an injury or something for him to look at so he would talk to you more."
"Oh," Akane seethed, "So I need an injury for him to talk to me, is that it?"
"I didn't mean it like that! Gods, Akane, we don't have time for this! Or do you want to do it while Kasumi is watching?"
Akane looked down. "No. You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated. This isn't going how I thought it would."
"Look, I'll stay out here. You just go in there and do what you have to do, okay?"
"I can't! Your dad is still in there!"
Ranma let out a breath of aggravation. She slid open the door. "Hey, Pops! Come out here! I need to talk to you about something!"
The panda cocked his head in a manner that was eerily cute, then he lumbered out of the door.
"Okay, Akane. You can do this. You're a great person, just be honest and go for it okay?" Ranma gave her a quick half hug with one arm and pushed her into Tofu's office. "Ganbatte!" Ranma said and then slid the door closed again.
The literal meaning of "Ganbatte" is closest to "do your best" in English, however in Japanese it often has more of the flavor of "good luck" or even "you go, girl/boy/ambiguously gendered person!" After Ranma slid the door shut, she was rather thrown by the realization that it was the first time she had ever said it to another person that she could remember. It was also the first time she had hugged anybody like that. It happened so naturally, but normally the only time she was that physically close to someone was when she was fighting them. That seemed a bit sad somehow.
Ranma leaned against the door. She felt a little on edge after the sudden whirl of emotions. She wasn't sure what she should do. She looked up at her father who seemed to be scrutinizing her rather closely, though it was difficult to tell whether a panda was scrutinizing you or it was just hungry. "If she says it's okay, I'll let you know what this was about, alright, Pop? It's kinda…personal is all."
"Growf," he said and waddled to the gray vinyl couch in the waiting area to sit.
The outside door opened and Ranma saw something she would have never guessed she would ever see. Nabiki staggered in, breathing heavily as Grandmother Shiratori rode her piggyback into the waiting room. "We're here!" Nabiki observed in an exalted tone. She crouched and the small, elderly lady in traditional garb slid off of her back.
Shiratori gave Nabiki a light jab. "Enough with the theatrics, girl. I don't weigh that much."
"You weigh enough, Grandmother Shiratori." Nabiki took a few ragged breaths as Shiratori got out her staff and started shuffling away. Nabiki crossed her arms. "I thought you and Akane were going to the market."
Ranma was still trying to process what she had just seen and was seeing. "Uh, yeah, we're still going to do that, Akane just wanted to talk with Tofu about…something first."
Shiratori squinted at Ranma for a moment and then exclaimed, "Oh look! It's that Saotome girl! Tell me, child, have you lost your soul yet?"
"Huh?"
"Growf!" Genma said angrily as he stood up.
"You mustn't be too upset, Mr. Fat Panda. You aren't so much losing a son as gaining a daughter after all." Shiratori cackled after this.
Ranma wasn't sure how to take this. She was still getting over watching Nabiki carry the old woman into the room on her back. "I…uh…I'm not losing my soul, far as I know."
Shiratori shook her head. "She's coming up in you, girl. She doesn't want to, but she can't help it. I see her mark on Nabiki's face. That weakened her, but she'll come back stronger. I were you, I'd find a way to cure this curse of yours."
"I'm tryin' to do that!" Ranma protested, focusing on the part of what she heard that made sense.
Shiratori shook her head. "Oh? What have you done? You look very pretty in your uniform, by the way."
"I took a vial…" Ranma started, then decided she was sick of explaining herself, "It's not important! I haven't given up okay? I just don't see many options at this point."
The old lady shook her head. "You have the wills of too many people on you, child. You need to strengthen your own will. But what do I know? I'm just an old woman." She shuffled off to the gray couch, took a seat and picked up a magazine.
Ranma's attention drifted back toward Nabiki who was still catching her breath as she staggered past her. "I made the mistake of telling her that I was training again," Nabiki explained as she sat down on the couch herself. "And don't make any approving gestures or say anything good about it, or I swear, Saotome, I will kill you, and I will make it look like an accident."
Ranma held her hands up, but she couldn't help smiling about it.
Nabiki sighed. "Look, if you don't want to forfeit to Kuno, you don't have to. I can make the favor something else."
"What, did you just remember you had a thing for him or something?"
"Ranma, if you want Kuno, you're more than welcome to him. That ship has sailed and fallen off the non-existent edge of the Earth. Now, if you're interested in learning how to bleed him for everything he's worth, you let me know and we can work something out." She took a deep breath and wiped some of the sweat from her brow with her hand. "No, I was just pissed at you and feeling vindictive. Brief lapse in judgment. Not my finest hour."
Ranma thought about what Nabiki said for a moment, then she smiled and said, "No backsies. You said that was the favor, so that's the favor."
Nabiki smiled as well. "I figured. I forgot that I got you all insecure about your orientation. For the record, I think you're handling it a lot better than when I pulled the same trick on Akane. I did the same thing you're doing when I was about fourteen or so. You date a few guys, you date a few girls, you find out. And knowledge is power. " She did a little salute with two fingers that was at once self deprecating and expressive.
Ranma chuckled. "I like you better when you're exhausted."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well I like you better when you're not retarded."
"Hey!"
Nabiki held up a hand, "I know, I know, I shouldn't insult retarded people that way."
Ranma could only laugh at that one.
Just then Akane and Tofu came out of his office. Tofu slid the door shut. Akane looked…confused.
"How...did it go?" Ranma asked slowly hoping that she wasn't tipping anybody off to what Akane was doing by asking.
"Oh, Akane and I decided to go see a movie together. Anybody else want to come?"
Nabiki laughed explosively, and raised her hand, then Genma did as well. Finally, reluctantly, Ranma raised her hand, "If it's okay…"
"Great!" Dr. Tofu said. "The more the merrier!"
Emotions were playing across Akane's face like a kaleidoscope.
Ranma bit her lip. "Hey, uh Tofu? Where's the bathroom?"
Tofu pointed down the hall and Ranma went in that direction, hoping Akane would take the hint and follow her. Ranma thought she was pretty clever, thinking of this way to talk to Akane alone, without anybody realizing.
Ranma waited by the door inside the restroom. "Really, Ranma?" Akane said when she came in, "the restroom trick? Gods, everybody knows now. I'm so embarrassed."
"I'm…sorry?" Ranma tried.
"Stop it." Akane said, tears starting to leak from her eyes. "Stop it with the sorrys. I'm sick of you trying to placate me all the time. Just be a jerk to me. Please. I deserve it."
Ranma shrugged, "Okay. So what exactly were you expecting? He's like ten years older than you… at least. He could almost be your father."
"I know!"
"What's he going to do, drop you off at school and go back to his office to realign a joint afterward?"
"I confessed to him, Ranma. I said I liked him, and you know what he said?" Akane was in full on cry mode now.
"Uh, still being a jerk here, but my guess is he said he liked you back? I mean, he's a nice guy, Akane, what's he going to do, say he hates you?"
"I know! I know! But then I said I liked him more than that, I said that he was the only man I felt I could trust!"
"And he brought up your father, didn't he?"
"He made me feel like a…like a…"
"Like a pervert?"
"Yes!" Akane collapsed into Ranma's arms.
Ranma just held her awkwardly at first. Then she hesitantly put her arms around her friend. She rubbed her back."Nobody's perfect, Akane. I mean, I come pretty close, but even I've got problems every now and then."
"Okay," Akane said, "You can stop being a jerk now,"
"Are you sure? 'Cause I could keep going."
Akane released Ranma and backed off. She had an odd look in her eye. Almost as if pulled by a force Ranma felt her head moving toward Akane's centimeter by centimeter…
Then Akane pulled back. And Ranma followed suit. Akane was blushing, and Ranma felt heat on her own cheeks.
"We're both girls," Akane whispered.
Ranma crossed her arms. "Well, uh… you wouldn't be the first girl I kissed."
"No." Akane put her hands up. "We're not going there. We're friends, okay? I'm not a lesbian, I just got confused for a second. That's it."
Ranma frowned. "Akane…I'm still confused."
"Well, you better get un-confused! I can't have some pervert lusting over me in my own home!"
"It's just that… well, couldn't we see how it is? That way we know one way or the other and we won't be worrying about it all the time."
"I don't worry about it, ever!"
Ranma sighed. "Whatever. I won't ask again. It's just I still can't figure out whether I'm a lesbian or not."
"Just decide not to be!"
"But then I have to like guys, and I don't like that idea any better."
Akane stared at Ranma for a moment, then she turned away. "Honestly, Ranma, I see what you're saying. Maybe you're right, but if we are going to…experiment? Let's do it with other people. I don't want to lose you."
Ranma wondered at Akane's use of "we" instead of "you." Did Akane feel the same way?
Ranma realized with a shock that she did.
Akane had no more idea about her sexuality than Ranma did, and vice versa. She and Akane were in exactly the same situation. In other words, Ranma felt exactly the same way about relationships as a girl did.
Tasuke was right, Ranma concluded. She really was a girl…when she was a girl. Well, duh! Ranma shook her head. How many times did she have to tell herself that? Still she felt like things were adjusting themselves in her brain and she felt somehow more comfortable with her situation. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you either," she said.
"Best friends forever?" Akane held out her pinky.
Ranma hesitated for a moment, but then she smiled and wrapped her pinky around Akane's. "Best friends. Forever."
~~~~~.~~~~~
When Ranma and Akane left the bathroom they found that Kasumi had arrived in their absence, while Nabiki, Genma and Shiratori had all apparently left. Dr. Tofu had a crazed look about his face, or at least the part of his face that wasn't obscured by the bright pink bandanna he had tied around his mouth.
"Hello, Kasumi-oneesan," Akane greeted her sister. Ranma noticed Kasumi was holding an open box of candies.
Tofu pointed at Akane's direction after hearing her speak, "Betty-chan! Where is Kasumi's tea? It's Thirstday you know!"
Akane chuckled nervously. "I'm Akane, Doctor Tofu."
As Ranma got closer, she could see that Tofu's glasses were fogged up, which partially explained why Tofu might have confused Akane with someone else. "Oh hello, Akane-chan!" Tofu said brightly, "Have you met your sister, Tendo Kasumi?"
"Yes, I believe we are acquainted."
Kasumi laughed musically at this. "Let me lower your mask," she entreated the young doctor, "so you can have one of the candies." She reached up and moved the bandanna down so now it was around Tofu's neck.
"Thank you, Betty-chan!" Tofu exclaimed, "I believe I'll have one right now!" Tofu put a candy in his mouth and then promptly whirled around like a marionette caught in a ceiling fan. "Let me check on that tea!" he said in an oddly quixotic tone as he charged into his office with his index finger raised in front of his face.
Ranma rubbed her eyes, not sure if she had just seen what she thought she saw. Then she turned as the outside door opened and Nabiki entered, looking…concerned. "Hey. Is everything alright?"
Ranma snorted. "Define 'alright'."
Nabiki walked farther into the room. "Is Tofu acting… strangely by any chance?"
Kasumi covered her mouth daintily with her fingers "Oh, Tofu is always acting silly."
Akane sighed. "Believe it or not he's totally different when you're not around."
The door to Tofu's office slid open and Genma came out with tea for Kasumi, which Kasumi accepted graciously. Apparently Genma hadn't left, he had just gone into the office to make tea. "So where's old lady Shiratori?" Ranma asked.
"She ran out of here as soon as Kasumi showed up," Nabiki said, "I followed her out. Apparently my older sister has something of a reputation. Care to comment, older sister?"
Kasumi shrugged. "Who knows? The elderly in our neighborhood are sweet people, but I'm afraid many of them have some backward superstitions."
"Superstitions." Nabiki repeated. "Kasumi, Grandmother Shiratori made me carry her in here her back was hurting so bad. Then you come in and she's practically doing cartwheels trying to get out of here. She says when you're here, Dr. Tofu goes insane. Is that true?"
"Oh that's just Dr. Tofu's bedside manner. He makes jokes so his treatments don't hurt as much."
Tofu chose that moment to burst back out of his office carrying Betty-chan beside him. "Oh hello, Nabiki-chan. Have you met Betty-chan?" Tofu motioned toward Ranma with his hand.
"Betty?" Nabiki clarified, "That's Ranma."
Tofu held his anatomical skeleton, by the skull and jaw, making the mouth open and close as he talked in a squeaky voice. "Hello there, Nabiki! I am Betty! Pleased to meet you! Take care of me, okay?" Tofu moved his right hand to the skeleton's back and made the skeleton bow deeply with his left hand still holding her skull. When "Betty" rose up again, Tofu turned her skull toward Ranma. "Hello, Ranma-chan!" Tofu used his right hand to wave Betty's hand. "I'm Betty! I'm a huuuuman skeleton!" Tofu's voice sounded like something out of a children's puppet show.
Ranma walked closer, cautiously. "I can see that."
"I was flensed by beetles after I died!" Tofu, speaking as Betty assured Ranma. "That really tickled!"
Kasumi was there, smiling a little wider than normal, as if she were rather entertained by the display. Nabiki's eyes were wide as well as she watched Tofu, though her expression belied a decidedly different emotion. Akane's back was turned toward Ranma, so she couldn't see her expression. "Uh, what does 'flensed' mean?"
"It's how they strip the flesh from bones to create skeletons," Nabiki replied in a monotone without changing her expression. "They put the body in a box with bugs that eat the flesh off."
"Are you ticklish, Ranma-chan?" Tofu had Betty ask, "I bet you aaaaare!" He made her finger wiggle ominously toward Ranma.
"Cut it out, Dr. Tofu!" Ranma backed away. "It ain't funny!"
But Tofu lunged forward and Betty's bony finger jabbed into Ranma's side. Suddenly, it felt like her skin was crawling with bugs. "Arrgh! What did you do to me?" She tried patting herself down, itching, everything, but she couldn't get away from the feeling, and it was intensifying.
Tofu laughed, "You were right, Betty-chan! Ranma-chan is ticklish!"
"Yeah, I admit it, I'm ticklish. Can you fix what you did now?" Ranma spoke through grit teeth. Now it felt like her skin was peeling slowly away from her body.
"But Ranma-chan, if you're ticklish, why aren't you laughing?" Tofu asked.
"Because it hurts like hell!" Ranma screamed.
Tofu made Betty's head hang down. "Aw, now Betty's sad. Cheer up, Betty-chan! Here I'll give you a ride on my back, would you like that?" Tofu made Betty's head bob up and down. Then he put Betty on his back and started prancing out of the building, making "Whoop, whoop!" noises.
"Bye bye, Betty!" Kasumi waved to Tofu and Betty as they left, then she turned toward the rest of them. "Isn't Dr. Tofu funny?"
"Hilarious," Nabiki deadpanned.
Ranma collapsed on the ground as she felt like her muscles were tearing free of their tendons. She tried to talk but it was only coming out as a whimper. Akane and Nabiki both had helpless expressions on their faces and Genma's panda face was unreadable. Ranma's eyes were wide and she was tensing all of her muscles against the pain. The room started to go dark. She could dimly see Akane's expression change as she moved behind her. She felt Akane's strong fingers on her back and suddenly…
The pain was gone. She was relaxed. Everything was cool. Funny even. Ranma giggled, then she chuckled, then she laughed almost to the point where she couldn't breathe. Then, finally it was over. After a few breaths, Ranma sat up. "I think I'm okay… Thanks, Akane." Actually, there was a residual ache. Like a headache only all over her body, but that was bearable.
Kasumi finished her tea. Oddly, she wasn't smiling anymore. "Well, I suppose we can all go to the market together now."
"Actually, big sister, if you'll go on, I think I have something to discuss with my fellow martial artists." Nabiki smiled, playing it like a joke, but Ranma knew Nabiki was being serious. Angry even. Otherwise her tone would have been more light and airy.
"Okay, little sister." Kasumi walked to the door, "I'll see you all at dinner tonight, though, right?"
"Sure, Kasumi. We'll be there." Nabiki's eyes followed her sister, watching her leave. When Kasumi was out of the door, Nabiki went into Tofu's office.
Ranma frowned, "I don't get it. He was fine at the hospital when he was showing us Nabiki's X-rays. Kasumi was there then."
Akane's eyes widened. "That's right! She was there in the same room as Tofu. But Tofu was fine. You think maybe it was the seriousness of the situation that kept Tofu focused?"
"I don't know." Ranma said as she sat on the waiting room couch. "I don't remember seeing any kind of affect at all. And now this?"
Nabiki came out of Tofu's office with his thermos and poured the rest of its contents on Genma's head. "I could use your help…sensei."
"My help with what?" Genma adjusted his glasses. He was fully clothed in his gi and bandana, for which Ranma was thankful, but it did make her wonder how he was able to do that.
Nabiki made eye contact with everyone in the room. "We have to stop whatever Kasumi is doing to Dr. Tofu."
~~~~~End chapter 8~~~~~
Author's Note:
7/24/10: This was an extremely difficult chapter to write. Mostly because there was a lot of stuff I wanted to reveal but it's still way too early to get to those things. What you've just read is really only half the work I've put into this. There's another 20 pages of stuff I had to cut, because it didn't make sense and/or it didn't quite mesh with the characters. There are some things that I realize might not be clear at this point and I don't know if I'll be able to clarify them in the actual fic, so I thought I'd give some explanations here. So here goes...
Tofu at the hospital: When Nabiki got hurt, Tofu was the first person the family called. Although he is a chiropractor I also see him as the Tendos family doctor, their GP, so he would be on their speed dial. He would have taken her to the hospital and other doctors specializing in head injuries would have taken over from there. In the scene back in chapter 5, Tofu is acting as a go between for the family, describing the results of the tests that other doctors have done. To be honest, I probably would write the scene differently now, and I may do an edit sometime later, but that seems vaguely like cheating so I don't like to do that too much. I'm actually kind of surprised no one questioned why he was there and acting normal yet. Anyway, a good part of the fun I have with fanfiction is figuring out ways to get out of the mistakes I make in earlier chapters, and I think the explanation for this one will be fairly satisfying.
Genma working as a panda: So there are a number of issues here. First, the manga has Genma using signs all over the place at this point already, while the anime takes a more conservative approach. I wanted to inject a little more realism by making it so Genma actually has to write out the signs in advance so he can pull them out when a situation arises. Later on, he'll find a way around this, but the idea is he's still perfecting his technique. In the third chapter, when he talks about asking Tofu for a job, one might easily assume he asked Tofu as a human. But I checked, and he never said that explicitly. And in the anime, Tofu seems oddly unaware of Genma's panda-hood. He asks him to pick up the phone and so on, and yet why, when there is obviously hot water available, is Genma still a panda? I thought the panda-suit idea would somewhat solve the problem. So basically Tofu hired Genma, thinking he was an eccentric fellow who liked to dress up as a panda and talk through written messages.
Tense changes: I've gotten a number of comments on this. I think I might need to fix a few things in the first chapter or so, but basically the deal is when Ranma is in hot water, the story is in present tense. The original idea being that every chapter would consist of Ranma remembering his/her day. This became a big problem with chapter 3 and 4, because the furo is most definitely broken at that point so if I wanted to have Ranma "remember" everything, she would have to be in the furo for about a year. There was and is a reason for it though, and so I'm still switching tenses when Ranma is in hot water. I'm not entirely sure my reason is good enough to make up for the awkwardness, but it's enough to make me stubborn about it. I'll try to make the tense changes as unobtrusive as possible. With this chapter I made sure to separate the present tense part out and put it in italics. I plan on fixing earlier chapters similarly.
Ranma's sexuality: Some people had problems with Ranma getting kissed by Kuno last chapter. Yes it was only three days since Ranma drank the vial, and believe me, I wasn't sure if I should have it in or not, but there were just too many reasons for it to happen. The main thing is that after Nabiki kisses her Ranma sees her lack of experience as a weakness and so she's hoping to correct that weakness. I think we can agree that Ranma was not sexually active in canon. Until he met Akane, he had no reason to really question things, and now she's a little neurotic about it. An added complication is that females tend to be less rigid about their orientation. I tend to think of Ranma as being heterosexual as a male, but when she's female I don't think it's nearly as clear. I don't like to put matchups in the description, because I think things should follow the character's progression rather than some predetermined destiny set forth by the writer. I am not going to have Ranma matched up with Nabiki, because I've already done that, and she's probably not going to end up with Akane, but beyond that, who knows? I have the main plot of this fic worked out pretty far ahead, but I have no real idea what's going to happen with the romantic stuff. I do have someone I'm rooting for, and you may be able to guess who, but I don't even know if they're going to make it in the fic before things get wrapped up. Basically, as it stands right now, all bets are off.
As always, thank you for your wonderful comments. I appreciate even the negative ones as they make me think about things in a different light.
Take care,
-Z