Immediately the boy in the red shirt crouched down by her side. "Hey, we didn't hurt ya, did we? You just sorta appeared out of nowhere, and then you avoided my kick..." He frowned slightly at that and the girl finally found the words to speak.
"No! No really, I'm fine. Neither of you even hit me...I was just surprised, that's all.." She began to stand, and the two boys both reached for her arms to help her up. She ignored the proffered hands and leapt easily to her feet.
The girl bowed and said "Sorry for getting in your way, and thank you for... helping me. I guess.... I should be going."
"Wait," said the boy with the bandana "are you lost or something?" He glared at the other boy as he snickered. "I mean, you just sort of appeared out of nowhere. Where did you come from?"
The girl seemed to debate within herself, and then sighed resignedly. "I...I'm not really sure. One minute I was in the woods, then this man showed up, and the next I was here." I guess that's close enough to the truth - not like they would actually believe the truth....
To her surprise, none of the three surrounding her seemed to be at all shocked by her story. The boy in the red shirt spoke up. "Ano...I suppose if you are lost we should probably try and find a way to get you back to wherever you came from." He looked at the girl on his left, and she nodded and said, "If you want to come to my house, we can go about seeing how we can get you home."
The stranger looked back and forth between them, her eyes betraying her uncertainty. Then she said quietly "Thank you, I guess I don't really have anywhere to go... I'm Saoto...ri. Saotori Kimiko." She cursed herself for her almost slip, but none of the others seemed to notice. She looked to them, waiting for them to introduce themselves. She knew what their names were going to be, but dreading hearing them for herself. "Hibiki Ryoga" "Tendo Akane" and finally, "Saotome Ranma".
As they started to walk away, Akane noticed the girl's hands. "What happened to you? You should get that looked at..."
Her hands were scored with cuts, some deep enough to be oozing blood. "It's nothing, really..." Kimiko replied trying to free her hands from Akane's grasp.
"There is a doctor right on the way home. He looks at all of Ranma's scrapes and such, I'm sure he would help you out." Kimiko's mind was racing too quickly to protest, so they continued walking.
Ranma and Ryoga led the way, Ranma every once in a while catching Ryoga by the arm to turn him in the right direction. Akane walked next to Kimiko. By passing glances to the side, she looked more carefully at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere. She was shorter than Akane, but only by a few centimeters, and her hair was longer and braided down her back. It was very dark, but there was something different about it that she couldn't quite place. Her eyes were a soft dark blue; "the exact same shade as Ranma's" Akane blushed momentarily at thinking about Ranma's eyes.
Shaking her head to dispel the thought, she turned up the path to the clinic. Kimiko followed, and they all entered the waiting room. Dr. Tofu came out to meet them. Akane felt Kimiko stiffen standing next to her as she bowed in greeting. "Hello, Doctor. This girl sort of appeared out of nowhere, and we were wondering if you would take a look at her."
Dr. Tofu nodded, saying "I would be happy too, Akane. This way, Miss..."
"Arigatou, Ono-sensei. " A flicker passed over Tofu's countenance, as he led his patient into the examining room. She sat on the examining table, her eyes fixed on the floor. Tofu stood up next to her, not speaking, so she was forced to raise her head to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Before we begin, I have to ask - who are you, exactly, and why did you call me Ono-sensei?"
Kimiko stared at him for a moment, before her eyes filled with tears and she began to sob. Tofu stood and put an arm around her shoulders. After a moment she regained enough of a voice to speak. She almost smiled. "I should have known I couldn't hide from you...if I had been paying attention I would have realized and not come here..." She took a deep breath and straightened up and turned so that she looked straight into his eyes. "My name is Saotome Kimiko, heir to the Tendo-Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and daughter to the late Saotome Ranma and Akane."
"No! No really, I'm fine. Neither of you even hit me...I was just surprised, that's all.." She began to stand, and the two boys both reached for her arms to help her up. She ignored the proffered hands and leapt easily to her feet.
The girl bowed and said "Sorry for getting in your way, and thank you for... helping me. I guess.... I should be going."
"Wait," said the boy with the bandana "are you lost or something?" He glared at the other boy as he snickered. "I mean, you just sort of appeared out of nowhere. Where did you come from?"
The girl seemed to debate within herself, and then sighed resignedly. "I...I'm not really sure. One minute I was in the woods, then this man showed up, and the next I was here." I guess that's close enough to the truth - not like they would actually believe the truth....
To her surprise, none of the three surrounding her seemed to be at all shocked by her story. The boy in the red shirt spoke up. "Ano...I suppose if you are lost we should probably try and find a way to get you back to wherever you came from." He looked at the girl on his left, and she nodded and said, "If you want to come to my house, we can go about seeing how we can get you home."
The stranger looked back and forth between them, her eyes betraying her uncertainty. Then she said quietly "Thank you, I guess I don't really have anywhere to go... I'm Saoto...ri. Saotori Kimiko." She cursed herself for her almost slip, but none of the others seemed to notice. She looked to them, waiting for them to introduce themselves. She knew what their names were going to be, but dreading hearing them for herself. "Hibiki Ryoga" "Tendo Akane" and finally, "Saotome Ranma".
As they started to walk away, Akane noticed the girl's hands. "What happened to you? You should get that looked at..."
Her hands were scored with cuts, some deep enough to be oozing blood. "It's nothing, really..." Kimiko replied trying to free her hands from Akane's grasp.
"There is a doctor right on the way home. He looks at all of Ranma's scrapes and such, I'm sure he would help you out." Kimiko's mind was racing too quickly to protest, so they continued walking.
Ranma and Ryoga led the way, Ranma every once in a while catching Ryoga by the arm to turn him in the right direction. Akane walked next to Kimiko. By passing glances to the side, she looked more carefully at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere. She was shorter than Akane, but only by a few centimeters, and her hair was longer and braided down her back. It was very dark, but there was something different about it that she couldn't quite place. Her eyes were a soft dark blue; "the exact same shade as Ranma's" Akane blushed momentarily at thinking about Ranma's eyes.
Shaking her head to dispel the thought, she turned up the path to the clinic. Kimiko followed, and they all entered the waiting room. Dr. Tofu came out to meet them. Akane felt Kimiko stiffen standing next to her as she bowed in greeting. "Hello, Doctor. This girl sort of appeared out of nowhere, and we were wondering if you would take a look at her."
Dr. Tofu nodded, saying "I would be happy too, Akane. This way, Miss..."
"Arigatou, Ono-sensei. " A flicker passed over Tofu's countenance, as he led his patient into the examining room. She sat on the examining table, her eyes fixed on the floor. Tofu stood up next to her, not speaking, so she was forced to raise her head to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Before we begin, I have to ask - who are you, exactly, and why did you call me Ono-sensei?"
Kimiko stared at him for a moment, before her eyes filled with tears and she began to sob. Tofu stood and put an arm around her shoulders. After a moment she regained enough of a voice to speak. She almost smiled. "I should have known I couldn't hide from you...if I had been paying attention I would have realized and not come here..." She took a deep breath and straightened up and turned so that she looked straight into his eyes. "My name is Saotome Kimiko, heir to the Tendo-Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, and daughter to the late Saotome Ranma and Akane."
