|\v/| Primal Chaos
|=_=| [rn][xo:fus][bw] A Ranma 1/2 / Beast Wars crossover fusion
:\_/: Part 8: The Crimson Gambit
---begin part 8---
Shan Pu was starting to feel out of breath from trying to follow
the pace set by her husband-to-be. She wanted to show him how well
she could hunt and fight along side him, unlike that scared little
cat on his back, but if they kept this pace up much longer she'd be
forced to show how winded she was getting. She was proud that she
was going to marry such a strong warrior but did his beast shape
have to be so fast?
The cat was amazed that the Joketsuzoku warrior was keeping up with
Ranma. Nabiki was more amazed that she, herself, wasn't shaken
loose. A cheetah's back was not the most comfortable place to
ride; even as a cat. She was slightly terrified, as she hadn't
quite got the hang of the 'always land on your feet' trick, but
trusted to Ranma's reaction time if she lost her grip. Still,
while she was in a hurry to check up on Kasumi as well, it surely
wasn't break-neck-speed urgent!
The cheetah grumbled to himself. He really wished that Nabiki
would ease up with her claws, but that wasn't the worst. If there
was one advantage to being a Beast Warrior, for Ranma it was the
exhilarating speed of his beast mode. However, with Nabiki riding
on his back in her cat mode and Shan Pu running beside him, he had
to go so slow!
The entire trio was almost relieved when a boulder on a rope swung
across their path back to camp and smashed into a tree. It gave
Shan Pu a chance to catch her breath, Nabiki an opportunity to
maximise and get firm ground beneath her and Ranma looked forward
to getting some exercise as he maximised and fell into a
lazy-seeming combat-ready stance.
Mu Tzu dropped down from the tree tops with only the slightest
rustle of silk to announce his presence; his hands tucked up the
sleeves of his robe and his glasses sat uselessly on top of his
head.
"Saotome!" Mu Tzu announced, pointing for dramatic effect, but
spoiling it by pointing at Nabiki. "I have taken your woman
hostage! If you want to see her again, you will agree to face me
in man to man combat. These are my terms. If you win, you can
have her back. But if I win, you will give up Shan Pu."
"Shan Pu no give up!" the Joketsu declared with a little
confusion, "anyway, what Mu Tzu talking? Mu Tzu wanting fight
Ranma, no Shan Pu."
"He means that he wants Ranma to give you to him, Shampoo" Nabiki
clarified.
"Sh-shsh-an Pu!" Mu Tzu exclaimed in surprise, dropped his glasses
over his eyes and stared. "What are you doing here?"
"Shan Pu finding husband!" Shan Pu asserted happily. "Ranma dating
Shan Pu later! Silly Mu Tzu keeping other girl, is okay, okay?"
"Now wait a minute, you bi...!" Nabiki protested.
"Alright, Mousse," Ranma interrupted, "I accept your challenge."
He charged forward.
"Not here, you fool!" Mu Tzu exclaimed as he jumped up onto a
branch. "We will fight beside the waterfall!" He pointed to a
neighbouring cliff face. "Come alone, tomorrow at dawn, or you
will never see your woman again!"
---
"... So Ranma has to fight Mousse tomorrow to get Akane back,"
Nabiki finished explaining to everyone after they'd called the
search off.
"But I'm right here," Akane pointed out. "So, there's no reason to
go, right? I mean, it sounds like a trap."
"' doesn't matter," Ranma said firmly. "Even if it is a trap, I
gave my word as a man." He tapped his armoured chest with a thumb
and scowled at the reminder.
Genma and Soun nodded in agreement; even Tatewaki grudgingly added
his assent. He didn't like that Ranma was so much be... had
somehow gained a temporary advantage over himself but he had to
admit that his adversary was acting with some honour.
"Oh Ho Ho Ho!" Kodachi announced with maniacal good cheer. "Ranma
Darling, to be rid Tendo Akane and the soap girl both, you need
only loose."
"Never fear, Akane," Tatewaki pronounced. "Should Saotome loose,
then I shall challenge this villain and win you back myself!"
"Oh, thanks ever so much," Akane exclaimed with a worried frown,
"but Ranma can't possibly loose. I'm not worried."
"Is true," Shan Pu agreed cheerfully. "Husband too too good!"
"In any case," Ke Lon admitted, "Mu Tzu can't possibly have Shan
Pu. He was once spurned by her. Joketsuzoku Law is absolute."
"Absolutely!" Shan Pu nodded brightly.
"Besides," Soun pipped up, "the terms of the challenge didn't
say Ranma had to give Akane away if he lost, did they? Just that
Mousse would give her back."
"But if Akane's here," Kasumi wondered, "who is Mousse holding
hostage?"
The Saotome, Tendo and Kuno families and the Joketsuzoku pair
exchanged puzzled glances, confirmed that everyone was accounted
for then shrugged. "I have no idea," Akane summed up with a
nervous frown.
"Silly Mu Tzu once thinking pig being Shan Pu," the young warrior
remembered.
"He's blind as a bat without his glasses," Ke Lon confirmed and
stated, "whoever it is, they will be fine until tomorrow. It is
only the groom the boy wants."
---
With the darkening sky announcing the lateness of the day, Tatewaki
dragged his sister off to their campsite and Ke Lon left to set up
the Joketsuzoku's camp. Only Shan Pu remained behind.
"Ranma take Shan Pu date now, is okay, okay?" Shan Pu asked eagerly
as she entwined herself around his arm and tugged him away from the
fire.
"Ranma has to train now," Nabiki informed the Joketsu warrior
coldly. "He has a challenge to fight tomorrow, right? This is no
time for dating."
'Oh damn,' Kasumi thought ruefully, 'that means a moonlight walk is
out of the question.'
"What's this?" Akane asked suddenly in mild confusion. "I thought
Ranma was dating Nabiki."
"Oh no," Kasumi corrected gently before Nabiki could agree. "You
still haven't got all your memory back, have you? Ranma hasn't
decided which of us he's going to marry yet. He hasn't even had a
chance to take me -any of us- on a date yet."
"Is decided," Shan Pu asserted firmly, "Ranma marrying Shan Pu."
"Hey! I only agreed to one date," Ranma protested in his defence.
"And that was just to get the shampoo to cure Akane's amnesia,"
Nabiki argued. "We don't need it now, so ...."
"Long hair girl still no in right head," Shan Pu pointed out
quickly and pulled out her shampoo set. "Shan Pu fixing, is okay,
okay?"
"No!" Akane backed away from her rapidly. "I mean, you've messed
with my head enough already."
Kasumi pressed her hands gently on Akane's shoulders and advised in
concern, "maybe you should let her. You are still having trouble
remembering things, after all."
"Do you think we could trust her," Nabiki drove in a wedge. "They
tried to trick Ranma into marriage by offering a cure Akane doesn't
really need, after all."
"Is no being so," Shan Pu countered. "Memory no come back when
Shan Pu doing Xi Fa Xiang Gao Shiatsu right."
"And that's supposed to reassure me?" Akane asked alertly.
Shan Pu blinked and, realising that that argument wasn't her best
line of defence, changed tactics. "Does no matter, yes? Ranma
promise date Shan Pu. Word as man, is so?"
"I guess," Ranma admitted to her then evasively added, as the other
girls turned on him, "but not now, okay!"
"Is okay," Shan Pu nodded and relinquished his arm. She was happy
enough to have gotten him to promise. "Husband fight Mu Tzu
tomorrow, then take wife on date, is okay, okay? Bye bye!"
"Ranma!" Soun exploded, suddenly appearing right behind him, "how
dare you ask another girl out when you're supposed to be dating my
girls!"
---
The cheetah prowled around the camp. The Kuno siblings and
Joketsuzoku had returned to their own camps but he expected that
there was little chance that they would try launch a surprise
attack during the night. He was less certain about Mu Tzu, but
he, too, would probably wait for the duel. Still, too many people
had found where they were camped already for Ranma's piece of mind.
If it had been just him, he would have been fine. Challenges were
something he was used to handling. But the way the Tendo girls
were getting drawn into it didn't sit right with him.
On reflection, training in the mountains to prepare for the Musk
Beast Warriors, instead of remaining in the city, might have been
not such a great idea. Out here, how would he know if an animal
was what it seemed or a Musk in animal disguise? It was no wonder
that he had grown nervous after the day's events.
Pausing outside the girls' tents, the cheetah sniffed the air in
puzzlement. Something wasn't quite right about the scent but he
couldn't decide what was wrong. He settled down on his haunches
to puzzle it out. Something was missing, that was it, he figured;
but what?
There was Kasumi's scent, with a lingering smoky aroma from the
camp fire, Akane's scent, fresh and strong (though she'd probably
take that as an insult) was clear in the next tent and then there
was Nabiki's scent, more feline than human with the tang of metal
and rather fainter than the other two. There was also a faint
trace of Soun from when he'd checked on the girls earlier, and
Ranma really wished he didn't drink and smoke so much, but that
wasn't the problem.
Then the cat dropped from the tree line and rubbed up against him
before snuggling down beside him. "Couldn't sleep, Ranma?" she
asked then accused, "you're not worried about the fight tomorrow,
are you?"
"Nah," the cheetah snorted his contempt. "I'm just .... What
about you, Nabiki?"
"What about me?" the cat countered. "I don't have a duel to fight
tomorrow." Her eyes narrowed. "Anyway, why are you sniffing
around our tents?"
"Well, I thought I smelled something missing," the cheetah replied,
"and I was right. You shouldn't wander off like that, you know."
The cat sniffed, "gee, Ranma, I didn't know you cared." Her ears
twitched guiltily as she stared off into space. Suddenly she
asked, "do you have trouble with your beast mode?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Do you find yourself behaving like a cat? I keep finding myself
doing catty things. Like I just had an urge to prowl and ....
Does that happen to you?"
"A little," he admitted in embarrassment. "Pop doesn't seem have a
problem though. I thought it was because I was trained in the
Neko Ken."
"The what?" the cat asked as she turned towards him alertly.
"The Neko Ken. It's ... a style that mimics the movements of
cats," he explained without going into the embarrassing details. "I
only really mastered it after I got this body."
"Do you think you could train me in it?" Nabiki asked, eager to
get some 'personal training' time alone with Ranma without Akane
joining the lesson.
"Er, not really," the cheetah said evasively; a shudder ran through
his body. "The training is rather intense. I might be able to do
something, though. You really should train in that body, I guess."
"Kasumi," Akane said as she popped her head through the flap, "stop
flirting with Ranma and get to bed. Some of us are trying to
sleep, you know."
"I'm Nabiki," the cat corrected. 'Maybe we should have let Shampoo
fix her head.'
"Whatever," Akane said crossly as she climbed out of the tent.
"Ranma, would you walk me to the bushes. I need to ,ah, you know,
but I don't want to leave camp on my own."
"Ah, right," the cheetah agreed with embarrassment, "no problem,
Akane." He stood up, stretched out and sniffed the air. His nose
twitched in puzzlement and he took a larger whiff of Akane's scent.
"Ranma?" the girl asked in alarm and backed off nervously. "Wh-
what's the matter?"
"Your scent. It's not...." The cheetah paused in realisation.
"Awe, jeez! No wonder I lost your trail. Shampoo's shampoo's
scent wore off."
"Oh. Is that all," the girl muttered in relief as she continued to
eyeball the hunting cat warily. "You know, I'd really prefer it if
you'd change," she added with a nervous titter.
"Whatever," the cheetah sighed. "Ranma Maximise!"
---
"Ranma," Akane asked in a curious tone from behind a bush, "could
you tell me how Nabiki got, well ...."
"Not that again," Ranma sighed. At least this would take his mind
off of the rustle of clothe. "I told you I don't know what
happened. I don't know how to make you a Beast Warrior."
"Make me ...." Akane sounded startled. "Oh my, I never thought of
that." Akane stepped out from behind the bush, leaving her flannel
pyjamas hanging on the branches. Flicking back her long hair, she
modelled her naked body in the moonlight. "Why would I want to
swap this for metal?"
Ranma's golden ponytail stood on end as though he'd just grabbed
onto a Van der Graff generator. Servo fluids sprayed out of his
nose as he windmilled around with arms flailing wildly. "Urk!" was
the most intelligible thing he could say for several moments, so he
repeated it several times.
"What's the matter, Ranma?" Akane said seductively as she pressed
against the fur lining on his back. "Don't you like this body? I'm
sure it's a lot nicer to hold than Nabiki's." Her hands slipped
around his waist and stroked his chassis.
"Ak-! Akane! What are you doing?"
"Don't be foolish," she replied. "Can't you tell? I'm marking my
territory," the girl told him as she rubbed against him. Her
scent, he realised, would cling to him and how would he explain
that to Nab... - er, keep his father from making a fuss about it?
"If you're up for grabs," Akane continued, "I'm staking my claim."
"I'm not 'up for grabs'!" Ranma stated firmly.
"Oh?" Akane said disappointedly but kept her arms around him. "So
you've already decided on one of my sisters?"
"No!"
"You're not brushing us aside for that bimbo?" Akane accused and
pulled away in heated anger.
"That's not what I meant!" Ranma protested. "This whole. 'pick a
fiancee' thing was our father's idea, not mine. I ain't marrying
no one."
"So you are up for grabs," Akane decided and moved in front of
him. "At least, I can still persuade you to pick me." She placed
her arms around his shoulders and wriggled her body in an
interesting way.
Ranma didn't know where to look. "If, if you think you can get to
me by, by ...." Ranma tried to protest and pull away. "Akane,
stop! You don't really want to do this. You'll regret it when you
get your memory back." A tree cut off his retreat and Akane
pressed her advantage.
"I may not remember everything," Akane told him, "but a girl knows
how she feels. Why don't you just give in?" she asked while
looking at him through heavily lidded eyes then pulled herself
close to his face. "I'm sure it will be very pleasant." Her head
tilted back, her pursed lips lifted to his and ....
"Way to go, Akane!" Soun cheered as he walked by on patrol. "Atta
girl!"
"Beast Mode!" Ranma exclaimed hastily as he felt the startled girl
loosen her grip long enough from him to refold.
Akane found herself holding a cheetah's head to her breasts and
pouted as she released him. "I'm not that kind of girl, you
pervert!"
'Now that,' Ranma thought with mixed emotions, 'is the Akane I'm
used to!'
Tears of joy streamed down Soun's face as he walked back toward the
camp. 'Now the union of our schools is assured when Ranma and ...
my little girl ... do ....' The gears in his mind suddenly jammed
as the image of just what they seemed about to do finally caught
up with him.
While Soun was trying to decided if that was a good thing or not, a
moment latter a golden form rocketed passed him. A short while
after that a fully clothed Akane stalked into the camp, fuming and
muttering to herself. "Oh, you got away this time, but just you
wait, Ranma, I'll get what I want from you yet!"
Over hearing that set Soun to twitching. On one hand he was all
for Ranma and Akane getting together, but on the other he thought
they should at least wait until after the wedding.
---
Akane was so furious at having underestimated Ranma's resistance to
her advances that she didn't notice the figure sneaking up on her
until a foot tried to crack open her skull.
"Shan Pu!" Akane cursed. "What are you trying to do?"
"Obstacle try steal Shan Pu husband," the Joketsu warned as she
moved in for the kiss. "Now Shan Pu killing!"
"Is that so?" Akane asked as she looked about quickly and whipped
her cheek dry.
"No one close enough being for saving girl," Shan Pu grinned
wickedly.
"If you think you've got what it takes to handle me, Shan Pu,"
Akane stated confidently, "you're in for a surprise!"
"Enough is talking. Now husband stealing girl die!"
---end part 8---
|=_=| [rn][xo:fus][bw] A Ranma 1/2 / Beast Wars crossover fusion
:\_/: Part 8: The Crimson Gambit
---begin part 8---
Shan Pu was starting to feel out of breath from trying to follow
the pace set by her husband-to-be. She wanted to show him how well
she could hunt and fight along side him, unlike that scared little
cat on his back, but if they kept this pace up much longer she'd be
forced to show how winded she was getting. She was proud that she
was going to marry such a strong warrior but did his beast shape
have to be so fast?
The cat was amazed that the Joketsuzoku warrior was keeping up with
Ranma. Nabiki was more amazed that she, herself, wasn't shaken
loose. A cheetah's back was not the most comfortable place to
ride; even as a cat. She was slightly terrified, as she hadn't
quite got the hang of the 'always land on your feet' trick, but
trusted to Ranma's reaction time if she lost her grip. Still,
while she was in a hurry to check up on Kasumi as well, it surely
wasn't break-neck-speed urgent!
The cheetah grumbled to himself. He really wished that Nabiki
would ease up with her claws, but that wasn't the worst. If there
was one advantage to being a Beast Warrior, for Ranma it was the
exhilarating speed of his beast mode. However, with Nabiki riding
on his back in her cat mode and Shan Pu running beside him, he had
to go so slow!
The entire trio was almost relieved when a boulder on a rope swung
across their path back to camp and smashed into a tree. It gave
Shan Pu a chance to catch her breath, Nabiki an opportunity to
maximise and get firm ground beneath her and Ranma looked forward
to getting some exercise as he maximised and fell into a
lazy-seeming combat-ready stance.
Mu Tzu dropped down from the tree tops with only the slightest
rustle of silk to announce his presence; his hands tucked up the
sleeves of his robe and his glasses sat uselessly on top of his
head.
"Saotome!" Mu Tzu announced, pointing for dramatic effect, but
spoiling it by pointing at Nabiki. "I have taken your woman
hostage! If you want to see her again, you will agree to face me
in man to man combat. These are my terms. If you win, you can
have her back. But if I win, you will give up Shan Pu."
"Shan Pu no give up!" the Joketsu declared with a little
confusion, "anyway, what Mu Tzu talking? Mu Tzu wanting fight
Ranma, no Shan Pu."
"He means that he wants Ranma to give you to him, Shampoo" Nabiki
clarified.
"Sh-shsh-an Pu!" Mu Tzu exclaimed in surprise, dropped his glasses
over his eyes and stared. "What are you doing here?"
"Shan Pu finding husband!" Shan Pu asserted happily. "Ranma dating
Shan Pu later! Silly Mu Tzu keeping other girl, is okay, okay?"
"Now wait a minute, you bi...!" Nabiki protested.
"Alright, Mousse," Ranma interrupted, "I accept your challenge."
He charged forward.
"Not here, you fool!" Mu Tzu exclaimed as he jumped up onto a
branch. "We will fight beside the waterfall!" He pointed to a
neighbouring cliff face. "Come alone, tomorrow at dawn, or you
will never see your woman again!"
---
"... So Ranma has to fight Mousse tomorrow to get Akane back,"
Nabiki finished explaining to everyone after they'd called the
search off.
"But I'm right here," Akane pointed out. "So, there's no reason to
go, right? I mean, it sounds like a trap."
"' doesn't matter," Ranma said firmly. "Even if it is a trap, I
gave my word as a man." He tapped his armoured chest with a thumb
and scowled at the reminder.
Genma and Soun nodded in agreement; even Tatewaki grudgingly added
his assent. He didn't like that Ranma was so much be... had
somehow gained a temporary advantage over himself but he had to
admit that his adversary was acting with some honour.
"Oh Ho Ho Ho!" Kodachi announced with maniacal good cheer. "Ranma
Darling, to be rid Tendo Akane and the soap girl both, you need
only loose."
"Never fear, Akane," Tatewaki pronounced. "Should Saotome loose,
then I shall challenge this villain and win you back myself!"
"Oh, thanks ever so much," Akane exclaimed with a worried frown,
"but Ranma can't possibly loose. I'm not worried."
"Is true," Shan Pu agreed cheerfully. "Husband too too good!"
"In any case," Ke Lon admitted, "Mu Tzu can't possibly have Shan
Pu. He was once spurned by her. Joketsuzoku Law is absolute."
"Absolutely!" Shan Pu nodded brightly.
"Besides," Soun pipped up, "the terms of the challenge didn't
say Ranma had to give Akane away if he lost, did they? Just that
Mousse would give her back."
"But if Akane's here," Kasumi wondered, "who is Mousse holding
hostage?"
The Saotome, Tendo and Kuno families and the Joketsuzoku pair
exchanged puzzled glances, confirmed that everyone was accounted
for then shrugged. "I have no idea," Akane summed up with a
nervous frown.
"Silly Mu Tzu once thinking pig being Shan Pu," the young warrior
remembered.
"He's blind as a bat without his glasses," Ke Lon confirmed and
stated, "whoever it is, they will be fine until tomorrow. It is
only the groom the boy wants."
---
With the darkening sky announcing the lateness of the day, Tatewaki
dragged his sister off to their campsite and Ke Lon left to set up
the Joketsuzoku's camp. Only Shan Pu remained behind.
"Ranma take Shan Pu date now, is okay, okay?" Shan Pu asked eagerly
as she entwined herself around his arm and tugged him away from the
fire.
"Ranma has to train now," Nabiki informed the Joketsu warrior
coldly. "He has a challenge to fight tomorrow, right? This is no
time for dating."
'Oh damn,' Kasumi thought ruefully, 'that means a moonlight walk is
out of the question.'
"What's this?" Akane asked suddenly in mild confusion. "I thought
Ranma was dating Nabiki."
"Oh no," Kasumi corrected gently before Nabiki could agree. "You
still haven't got all your memory back, have you? Ranma hasn't
decided which of us he's going to marry yet. He hasn't even had a
chance to take me -any of us- on a date yet."
"Is decided," Shan Pu asserted firmly, "Ranma marrying Shan Pu."
"Hey! I only agreed to one date," Ranma protested in his defence.
"And that was just to get the shampoo to cure Akane's amnesia,"
Nabiki argued. "We don't need it now, so ...."
"Long hair girl still no in right head," Shan Pu pointed out
quickly and pulled out her shampoo set. "Shan Pu fixing, is okay,
okay?"
"No!" Akane backed away from her rapidly. "I mean, you've messed
with my head enough already."
Kasumi pressed her hands gently on Akane's shoulders and advised in
concern, "maybe you should let her. You are still having trouble
remembering things, after all."
"Do you think we could trust her," Nabiki drove in a wedge. "They
tried to trick Ranma into marriage by offering a cure Akane doesn't
really need, after all."
"Is no being so," Shan Pu countered. "Memory no come back when
Shan Pu doing Xi Fa Xiang Gao Shiatsu right."
"And that's supposed to reassure me?" Akane asked alertly.
Shan Pu blinked and, realising that that argument wasn't her best
line of defence, changed tactics. "Does no matter, yes? Ranma
promise date Shan Pu. Word as man, is so?"
"I guess," Ranma admitted to her then evasively added, as the other
girls turned on him, "but not now, okay!"
"Is okay," Shan Pu nodded and relinquished his arm. She was happy
enough to have gotten him to promise. "Husband fight Mu Tzu
tomorrow, then take wife on date, is okay, okay? Bye bye!"
"Ranma!" Soun exploded, suddenly appearing right behind him, "how
dare you ask another girl out when you're supposed to be dating my
girls!"
---
The cheetah prowled around the camp. The Kuno siblings and
Joketsuzoku had returned to their own camps but he expected that
there was little chance that they would try launch a surprise
attack during the night. He was less certain about Mu Tzu, but
he, too, would probably wait for the duel. Still, too many people
had found where they were camped already for Ranma's piece of mind.
If it had been just him, he would have been fine. Challenges were
something he was used to handling. But the way the Tendo girls
were getting drawn into it didn't sit right with him.
On reflection, training in the mountains to prepare for the Musk
Beast Warriors, instead of remaining in the city, might have been
not such a great idea. Out here, how would he know if an animal
was what it seemed or a Musk in animal disguise? It was no wonder
that he had grown nervous after the day's events.
Pausing outside the girls' tents, the cheetah sniffed the air in
puzzlement. Something wasn't quite right about the scent but he
couldn't decide what was wrong. He settled down on his haunches
to puzzle it out. Something was missing, that was it, he figured;
but what?
There was Kasumi's scent, with a lingering smoky aroma from the
camp fire, Akane's scent, fresh and strong (though she'd probably
take that as an insult) was clear in the next tent and then there
was Nabiki's scent, more feline than human with the tang of metal
and rather fainter than the other two. There was also a faint
trace of Soun from when he'd checked on the girls earlier, and
Ranma really wished he didn't drink and smoke so much, but that
wasn't the problem.
Then the cat dropped from the tree line and rubbed up against him
before snuggling down beside him. "Couldn't sleep, Ranma?" she
asked then accused, "you're not worried about the fight tomorrow,
are you?"
"Nah," the cheetah snorted his contempt. "I'm just .... What
about you, Nabiki?"
"What about me?" the cat countered. "I don't have a duel to fight
tomorrow." Her eyes narrowed. "Anyway, why are you sniffing
around our tents?"
"Well, I thought I smelled something missing," the cheetah replied,
"and I was right. You shouldn't wander off like that, you know."
The cat sniffed, "gee, Ranma, I didn't know you cared." Her ears
twitched guiltily as she stared off into space. Suddenly she
asked, "do you have trouble with your beast mode?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Do you find yourself behaving like a cat? I keep finding myself
doing catty things. Like I just had an urge to prowl and ....
Does that happen to you?"
"A little," he admitted in embarrassment. "Pop doesn't seem have a
problem though. I thought it was because I was trained in the
Neko Ken."
"The what?" the cat asked as she turned towards him alertly.
"The Neko Ken. It's ... a style that mimics the movements of
cats," he explained without going into the embarrassing details. "I
only really mastered it after I got this body."
"Do you think you could train me in it?" Nabiki asked, eager to
get some 'personal training' time alone with Ranma without Akane
joining the lesson.
"Er, not really," the cheetah said evasively; a shudder ran through
his body. "The training is rather intense. I might be able to do
something, though. You really should train in that body, I guess."
"Kasumi," Akane said as she popped her head through the flap, "stop
flirting with Ranma and get to bed. Some of us are trying to
sleep, you know."
"I'm Nabiki," the cat corrected. 'Maybe we should have let Shampoo
fix her head.'
"Whatever," Akane said crossly as she climbed out of the tent.
"Ranma, would you walk me to the bushes. I need to ,ah, you know,
but I don't want to leave camp on my own."
"Ah, right," the cheetah agreed with embarrassment, "no problem,
Akane." He stood up, stretched out and sniffed the air. His nose
twitched in puzzlement and he took a larger whiff of Akane's scent.
"Ranma?" the girl asked in alarm and backed off nervously. "Wh-
what's the matter?"
"Your scent. It's not...." The cheetah paused in realisation.
"Awe, jeez! No wonder I lost your trail. Shampoo's shampoo's
scent wore off."
"Oh. Is that all," the girl muttered in relief as she continued to
eyeball the hunting cat warily. "You know, I'd really prefer it if
you'd change," she added with a nervous titter.
"Whatever," the cheetah sighed. "Ranma Maximise!"
---
"Ranma," Akane asked in a curious tone from behind a bush, "could
you tell me how Nabiki got, well ...."
"Not that again," Ranma sighed. At least this would take his mind
off of the rustle of clothe. "I told you I don't know what
happened. I don't know how to make you a Beast Warrior."
"Make me ...." Akane sounded startled. "Oh my, I never thought of
that." Akane stepped out from behind the bush, leaving her flannel
pyjamas hanging on the branches. Flicking back her long hair, she
modelled her naked body in the moonlight. "Why would I want to
swap this for metal?"
Ranma's golden ponytail stood on end as though he'd just grabbed
onto a Van der Graff generator. Servo fluids sprayed out of his
nose as he windmilled around with arms flailing wildly. "Urk!" was
the most intelligible thing he could say for several moments, so he
repeated it several times.
"What's the matter, Ranma?" Akane said seductively as she pressed
against the fur lining on his back. "Don't you like this body? I'm
sure it's a lot nicer to hold than Nabiki's." Her hands slipped
around his waist and stroked his chassis.
"Ak-! Akane! What are you doing?"
"Don't be foolish," she replied. "Can't you tell? I'm marking my
territory," the girl told him as she rubbed against him. Her
scent, he realised, would cling to him and how would he explain
that to Nab... - er, keep his father from making a fuss about it?
"If you're up for grabs," Akane continued, "I'm staking my claim."
"I'm not 'up for grabs'!" Ranma stated firmly.
"Oh?" Akane said disappointedly but kept her arms around him. "So
you've already decided on one of my sisters?"
"No!"
"You're not brushing us aside for that bimbo?" Akane accused and
pulled away in heated anger.
"That's not what I meant!" Ranma protested. "This whole. 'pick a
fiancee' thing was our father's idea, not mine. I ain't marrying
no one."
"So you are up for grabs," Akane decided and moved in front of
him. "At least, I can still persuade you to pick me." She placed
her arms around his shoulders and wriggled her body in an
interesting way.
Ranma didn't know where to look. "If, if you think you can get to
me by, by ...." Ranma tried to protest and pull away. "Akane,
stop! You don't really want to do this. You'll regret it when you
get your memory back." A tree cut off his retreat and Akane
pressed her advantage.
"I may not remember everything," Akane told him, "but a girl knows
how she feels. Why don't you just give in?" she asked while
looking at him through heavily lidded eyes then pulled herself
close to his face. "I'm sure it will be very pleasant." Her head
tilted back, her pursed lips lifted to his and ....
"Way to go, Akane!" Soun cheered as he walked by on patrol. "Atta
girl!"
"Beast Mode!" Ranma exclaimed hastily as he felt the startled girl
loosen her grip long enough from him to refold.
Akane found herself holding a cheetah's head to her breasts and
pouted as she released him. "I'm not that kind of girl, you
pervert!"
'Now that,' Ranma thought with mixed emotions, 'is the Akane I'm
used to!'
Tears of joy streamed down Soun's face as he walked back toward the
camp. 'Now the union of our schools is assured when Ranma and ...
my little girl ... do ....' The gears in his mind suddenly jammed
as the image of just what they seemed about to do finally caught
up with him.
While Soun was trying to decided if that was a good thing or not, a
moment latter a golden form rocketed passed him. A short while
after that a fully clothed Akane stalked into the camp, fuming and
muttering to herself. "Oh, you got away this time, but just you
wait, Ranma, I'll get what I want from you yet!"
Over hearing that set Soun to twitching. On one hand he was all
for Ranma and Akane getting together, but on the other he thought
they should at least wait until after the wedding.
---
Akane was so furious at having underestimated Ranma's resistance to
her advances that she didn't notice the figure sneaking up on her
until a foot tried to crack open her skull.
"Shan Pu!" Akane cursed. "What are you trying to do?"
"Obstacle try steal Shan Pu husband," the Joketsu warned as she
moved in for the kiss. "Now Shan Pu killing!"
"Is that so?" Akane asked as she looked about quickly and whipped
her cheek dry.
"No one close enough being for saving girl," Shan Pu grinned
wickedly.
"If you think you've got what it takes to handle me, Shan Pu,"
Akane stated confidently, "you're in for a surprise!"
"Enough is talking. Now husband stealing girl die!"
---end part 8---