See No Evil
By Kyokukou
Disclaimer : I don't own the characters from Ranma 1/2 only the characters that
I write myself . So please don't sue me ! But if you try to use my characters
.....there will be ...unpleasant consequences if I find out . Do not repost or
reprint this without my permission , however if you do ASK there is a good
chance I will let you .
* I may know how the blind read here in America , but I'm completely ignorant
about how it is done in Japan so I'm winging it . Sorry . When I learn more I'll
revise .*
After Ranma had leapt off with that strange boy they had hurried off in
pursuit . Only to find an empty lot . The fresh scuffs and divots in the dirt
coupled with the cracks and fist shaped craters in the nearby wall spoke of a
recent fight between two powerful martial artists . However she and Akane had
missed the action .
Hoping that Ranma had returned home after the fight they hastened for the
Dojo . Only to have the wall a few meters before them explode in a manner that
gave them a distinct sense of deja vu .
" Oh , sorry ." The boy apologized the moment he identified them .
" What the hell is going on here , buster !?" Akane demanded hotly .
" What ? Oh , I guess Ranma never told you guys about me ?" The boy chuckled .
" Why wouldn't he ?" She asked .
" He probably thought he had time before I showed up ." The boy shrugged .
" So this is a regular thing ?" She prodded further .
" More like random ." The boy put a hand behind his head and gave an embarrassed
laugh . " I guess I should give you two a quick summary ."
She put a hand on her sister's shoulder to keep Akane quiet and nodded for
the boy to begin .
" My name is Hibiki Ryouga . I've known Ranma since junior high , and it was
back then that I discovered that one of the techniques Ranma knows to find his
way about without sight could all but cure a condition I have ....you see I have
a family curse , I have the worst sense of direction you could imagine . That's
not even the worst of it , but it's the basic problem .
" But when I asked Ranma to teach it to me one day his father said that I
had to beat him in combat to earn each lesson . He swore it on Ranma's behalf ,
and I was foolish enough to accept the terms . So ever since I've been following
Ranma around earning my lessons ."
Ryouga leaned back against an intact portion of the wall and waited for
their reactions .
" So you're not out to hurt Ranma ?" Akane asked slowly .
" Nope ." Ryouga replied . " In fact , Ranma happens to be the man I respect the
most ."
" Why ?" She inquired , intrigued .
" Being what he is Ranma could easily take advantage of his extra senses in a
fight . Luring a sighted opponent into a dark room , using smoke or other
blinding tools that will disable a normal fighter but only give him a supreme
advantage in the fight . But he doesn't do anything like that unless it's just
to balance the fight . Besides , that he's had to deal with some of the things I
have to . We understand each other ."
" That's a weird friendship ." Akane snorted without malice .
The boy only shrugged eloquently .
" So who won this fight ?" She asked .
" Um...I kinda got lost before we could finish ." Ryouga looked away in
embarrassment .
" If we take you to the Dojo you won't fight with him will you ?" She asked .
" Not today ," He assured her . " and I wouldn't dream of imposing on your
hospitality like that ."
" Just follow us , it's not far ." Akane favored him with a smile .
She suppressed a chuckle as she saw the boy blush and avert his gaze .
* * *
She idly wondered why Nabiki and Akane weren't back yet with Ranma . Where
could those three be ? Probably took Ranma to some friend's house with them .
She shook her head and finished vacuuming Nabiki's room .
She hummed to herself as she switched which hallway wall socket the vacuum
was plugged into , all that was left was the guest room .
She let out a startled yelp when she turned on the light to find Ranma
sitting on the floor right in front of her .
" I'm so sorry , I didn't know you were there ." She apologized , placing a hand
over her chest feeling her heart slow from it's rapid pace .
" I thought I left the light on ?" Ranma muttered , sliding his shades onto his
face .
" What are you doing ?" She noticed what looked like a blank book sitting in
Ranma's lap .
" Reading ." He replied mildly . " Do you need me to leave so you can vacuum ?"
" I'll take a break ." She replied , curiosity overtaking her .
While she had been informed that Ranma was no ordinary blind boy she knew
little to expand on that tidbit of information . Everyone seemed to be too busy
to tell her more .
" May I see it ?" She asked , after taking a seat on the floor beside Ranma .
" Sure , just be careful ." He handed the book to her after placing a scrap of
paper in it to mark his place .
On the outside the book looked entirely blank , Just a series of divots
where characters should be . She gave Ranma a questioning look before
remembering herself .
" I know that western letters can be made into Braille , but how do you do that
with our kanji ?"
Ranma smiled at her like a teacher asked his favorite question and took the
book from her gently .
" I've found two methods , Japanese in romanji Braille alphabet and regular
characters either raised or lowered like the Braille on this title ." He ran his
finger over the small patterned divots . " For example , the author's name is
Kurokawa Shin . In Braille that would be spelt k-u-r-o-k-a-w-a s-h-i-n . I just
have to read phonetically instead of by characters most of the time ."
" I see ." She ran her fingers over the divots that meant nothing to her . She
looked up at Ranma and was caught by the warped reflection of her face in his
shades . " Why do you wear those inside ? Or at all ?"
" These ?" Ranma touched the rim of his shades . He seemed to think for a moment
before answering . " They're not for me , they're so my eyes don't unnerve other
people ."
" But isn't that just for when you're out in public ?" She continued .
Standing , Ranma walked over and replaced the book among the few remaining
things in his pack . " The lights are on , right ?" He asked , walking back over
to her slowly .
" Yes ?"
" They're not hideous , just nothing you've ever seen before ." He warned before
pulling off his shades .
She gasped before she could catch herself . She had been expecting the
stereotypical normal , but blankly staring eyes she had seen on television
dramas . What she was met with was quite different .
In the center of the whites were two cerulean disks that peered , aimless ,
out at the world but with an intensity that jarred her . The startlingly blue
disks were just that , solid blue with no black pupil in existence .
" How ?" She asked , her mind reeling .
" Some kind of trap to guard an ancient artifact . I was used to set it off .
None of the doctors know how it happened . It's not just my pupils , that ,
could be at least helped with surgery . At least half of what happened to me is
magical . So no doctor can cure me , but no magic can either . So far I've never
found any reliable mix of the two that could be of any use ."
" I'm so sorry ." She placed a hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off
roughly the instant it landed .
" Pity is something I will never accept ." Ranma thrust his shades on , his
voice harsh . " I was a martial artist before I lost my sight , and I'm still a
martial artist now ."
" How ?"
" What ?" He all but snapped .
" How do you fight ?" She expanded , seeking to calm him .
" I've learned every single technique for blind fighting that I know exists ."
Ranma answered with bitter pride in his tone .
Seeing him calm slightly she continued . " I thought all there was , was
just fighting by sound ."
" Yeah , and I bet you think stuntmen on TV actually use real fighting
techniques too ." He snorted . " Fighting by hearing is so limited . All your
opponent has to do is find a loud background noise and he's invisible ."
" So what are the others ?" She pressed .
" Lot of questions ." He raised an eyebrow in a fashion that distinctly reminded
her of Nabiki . " Why do you want to know ?"
" I've lived with martial artists all my life . It's all old hat , but this is
the first time in years that there's something I've never heard of ."
He seemed to mull that over for a moment before giving her a sight smile and
adjusting his sitting position . " I've learned everything from the silly and
stupid to the devastatingly effective ."
" Devastatingly effective ?" She repeated . " How so ?"
" Some methods are more than simply sensing your opponent somehow . But one of
my best techniques is simply doing that , but to an extent that makes it very
painful to use .
" There is a rare condition called Synesthesia where all the five senses are
combined . The technique consists of artificially inducing a state akin to this
, but with the sense of sight missing , you use that hole as your mental anchor
in order to sift through all the info . People who are born with the condition
have no problem with it , but for someone who has separated senses it's an
intensely painful strain .
" So I don't use it except in emergencies . But , when I do I can predict my
opponents every move . They can't hide anything from me , and I know what they
are going to do at the same time they do ."
" If you can't use that all the time what do you use normally ?"
" I've taken the best of what I know and blended it to my needs . I may be able
to sense ki precisely enough to sense a held weapon's position by the ki bleed
off . But it's easier to get the magnetic echo off of it ."
" Magnetic echo ? You're kidding ."
Ranma sighed . " I've blended and combined so many that it'd be hard to
really explain ... Alright , right now I can tell exactly where your every
finger , toe , arm , leg , whatever , is and even your heart rate . But I have
no idea what color your blouse is or what your face looks like . The most detail
I have of people is what you'd get from a unpainted mannequin . Small or thin
things like some coins or paper lying flat are hard for me to pick up even under
good circumstances ."
" Oh ." She blinked a few times .
" I turn up my sensitivity in a fight , but I have to turn all the special
techniques down really low in a crowd . At school I have to rely on a cane and
training , just like a regular blind person . Didn't Nabiki or Akane tell you
any of this ?"
" No one really talks to me about such things ." She admitted with some
embarrassment . " Tell me what one of the silly techniques was ." She asked to
derail that tangent .
Ranma's face flushed slightly and he looked like he was fighting down
laughter . " One involves shouting really loud and spinning very fast . That's
all I'm going to say ."
" Oh come on ." She smiled , trying to get a mental picture of that . " It can't
be that bad ."
" You don't know the half of-..." He suddenly cocked his head as if listening
for a distant sound or catching a scent . " Ryouga's here ."
" Who ?"
" An old friend ." Ranma shrugged .
" Can you hear him ?" She asked in wonder .
" Impossible , but I can feel a strong person's ki from pretty far away . And I
know his ki like my own ."
* * *
She had followed Ranma down the stairs to the living room . He had taken a
seat facing the door and hadn't budged until Nabiki's voice announced that she
and Akane had brought a visitor .
" Glad you found a guide ." Ranma stated seconds before a boy stepped into the
room wearing a tiger striped bandanna and somewhat deteriorated clothes .
" So am I ." Ryouga seemed to be slightly embarrassed discussing the subject ,
his face flushed and he spoke again before Ranma could . " I notice you got new
shades , what happened to your lucky pair ?"
" Not so lucky ." Ranma corrected with a sigh . " Right now they're in about
twelve pieces . Oyaji sat on 'em in his panda body ."
" Mirror looks less threatening than matte black ." Ryouga sat down across from
Ranma .
" Doesn't matter much ," Ranma shrugged . " I'm not trying to threaten anyone
here ."
Silence passed for a moment , and she felt the subject change as the posture
of both boys grew more serious . Small talk was over .
" Furikan high is here in Nerima , right ?" Ryouga began .
" Yes ."
" Then she's here ."
" Already ?" Ranma almost looked startled .
" Who is 'she' ?" Nabiki butted in , seconded by Akane .
" Shampoo ." Ranma answered impatiently , turning his attention back to Ryouga
again . " But I thought you led her on a merry chase across Southern Brazil ?"
" Yeah ," Ryouga nodded . " but she probably sold that gold dagger to fly back
here ."
" Damn ." Ranma clenched a fist . " Why can't she stay the hell away ?"
" Because Amazon law says that she's got to kill you and marry me ." Ryouga
shook his head sadly .
" Why can't we fake our deaths ?"
" Again ?"
" Good point ."
" Um...excuse me but , what's going on ?" She put in .
" That , in about a second ." Ranma pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the
wall before diving forward . Ryouga was instantly on his feet , pulling a
handful of bandannas from his forehead , eyeing the wall like an opponent .
She just had enough time to turn her head to look at the offending wall
before it exploded in a shower of wood , sheetrock , pipes , and wallpaper .
Stiffened bandannas were whizzing at the cloud before she had finished shrieking
in surprise .
Three oddly metallic rings preceded the exit of the bandannas from the
rapidly dissipating cloud .
" When I get husband , I tie up and keep on leash !" A high soprano barked from
the fading mist of sheetrock dust .
Looking around , she noticed that Ranma had mysteriously vanished .
" Like hell !" Ryouga back up to the opposite wall , fists at the ready .
" Oooooh !" A violet haired girl stamped her foot in exasperation . " Is
marriage so bad ? Is I so bad ?"
" Um , I guess not ." Ryouga's face relaxed into a wary expression , but his
stance never wavered .
" Then come with me to village !" The girl took a step forward and beckoned .
" Hell NO !" In a lightning movement a stiffened bandanna was in Ryouga's hand .
" WHY ?" The frustrated girl stomped her foot again , hard enough for the
floorboards to crack and give a little .
" I'll be a damn pet ! Not a husband !"
" You defeat me , is your fault !" The girl snorted raising in each hand what
looked like a basketball sized sphere of steel atop a metal bar .
" Over heeeeeere !" A soprano voice higher than even the violet haired girl
called from outside the hole-in-the-wall .
All turned to face the newcomer . A familiar redhead in mirror shades
gestured rudely to the violet haired girl .
" YOU !" The girl snarled , leaping out after Ranma .
" Me alright !" Ranma laughed mockingly , leaping just out of range of the young
girl's furious attacks .
No one spoke until the sounds of mocking red head and shouting violet head
had receded into the far distance .
" I hate to repeat myself , but what the hell was that about ?" Nabiki asked
Ryouga .
" Sit down , it's a weird story ." The bandannaed boy brushed some rubble aside
to clear a spot by the table .
" It started shortly after Ranma was cursed ." Ryouga began . " I met Ranma and
his father on the road . They had just came from the Amazon village only hours
before . As usual I wasn't picky about where I fought Ranma for my lesson . I
hadn't had a lesson in nearly a month so I was a bit overeager . Ranma didn't
even have time to explain that he was on the run for defeating an Amazon warrior
who could show up at any moment . I beat him just about the time Shampoo came
over the hill ."
" Amazon law states that if a warrior is defeated by an outsider male she
must obtain his bloodline through marriage . If the outsider is female she has
to either take the outsider's bloodline through her child , get the outsider to
join , or kill her . However , if that outsider , male or female , is defeated
then she has the option to switch to the victor . After all , the object is to
get the best genes . Then there's the thing she happens to have about guys in
bandannas ... ug ..."
" So she just dropped Ranma right there ?" Akane blinked .
" Ranma had defeated her as a female , so she decided to make use of both sides
and continue to try to kill Ranma and marry me ." Ryouga pulled off the amazing
feat of keeping a straight face throughout the entire explanation , including
what came next . " Oh yeah , I almost forgot . Shampoo has no idea that the male
Ranma and female Ranma are the same person or that both are blind . Then there
is the fact she assumes that I'm engaged or married or something to Ranma's
female form ."
" What ?" It was her turn to blink .
" Yeah , really screwed up huh ?" Ryouga idly brushed debris off the table .
" I'll say ." Akane nodded .
" So let me see if I have this right ." Nabiki began . " This Shampoo girl wants
to marry you , kill Ranma who she thinks is your lover , and doesn't even know
about Ranma's male form ?"
" She's met Ranma's male form , but she mostly ignores him ." Ryouga corrected .
" Oh my , can Ranma handle her ?" She looked out the new hole shaped door in the
wall .
" Oh yeah ," Ryouga nodded . " Shampoo's not someone to trifle with , but so
long as we pay attention to what we're doing she's not a serious threat ."
" So there's no problem then ." Akane smiled .
" Um..."
" What ?"
" Well , she may not be a threat alone , but she has this real problem with her
timing . It's always really , really good for her , but really bad for us ."
While the three Tendo sisters digested that information Ryouga stood .
" I'd better leave before she decides to come back ." He bowed to them before
starting from the room .
" Will you come back ?" She called .
" Anytime I can find Tokyo ." Ryouga called back sheepishly .
" That's the closet ." Akane called to correct Ryouga's trajectory . "....
that's the hall ... that's the kitchen ...alright now that's the front door ."
" Right the fourth time ! I'm getting better this week ." She heard Ryouga
mumble to himself as he left .
" Doesn't get any weirder than this ." Akane shook her head .
" You just cursed it Akane ." Nabiki glared at her little sister . " It's going
to be bad enough paying for that wall ."
Off in the distance she thought she heard a high voice cry out some odd
curse about the sexual habits of Japanese grandparents with red hair .
By Kyokukou
Disclaimer : I don't own the characters from Ranma 1/2 only the characters that
I write myself . So please don't sue me ! But if you try to use my characters
.....there will be ...unpleasant consequences if I find out . Do not repost or
reprint this without my permission , however if you do ASK there is a good
chance I will let you .
* I may know how the blind read here in America , but I'm completely ignorant
about how it is done in Japan so I'm winging it . Sorry . When I learn more I'll
revise .*
After Ranma had leapt off with that strange boy they had hurried off in
pursuit . Only to find an empty lot . The fresh scuffs and divots in the dirt
coupled with the cracks and fist shaped craters in the nearby wall spoke of a
recent fight between two powerful martial artists . However she and Akane had
missed the action .
Hoping that Ranma had returned home after the fight they hastened for the
Dojo . Only to have the wall a few meters before them explode in a manner that
gave them a distinct sense of deja vu .
" Oh , sorry ." The boy apologized the moment he identified them .
" What the hell is going on here , buster !?" Akane demanded hotly .
" What ? Oh , I guess Ranma never told you guys about me ?" The boy chuckled .
" Why wouldn't he ?" She asked .
" He probably thought he had time before I showed up ." The boy shrugged .
" So this is a regular thing ?" She prodded further .
" More like random ." The boy put a hand behind his head and gave an embarrassed
laugh . " I guess I should give you two a quick summary ."
She put a hand on her sister's shoulder to keep Akane quiet and nodded for
the boy to begin .
" My name is Hibiki Ryouga . I've known Ranma since junior high , and it was
back then that I discovered that one of the techniques Ranma knows to find his
way about without sight could all but cure a condition I have ....you see I have
a family curse , I have the worst sense of direction you could imagine . That's
not even the worst of it , but it's the basic problem .
" But when I asked Ranma to teach it to me one day his father said that I
had to beat him in combat to earn each lesson . He swore it on Ranma's behalf ,
and I was foolish enough to accept the terms . So ever since I've been following
Ranma around earning my lessons ."
Ryouga leaned back against an intact portion of the wall and waited for
their reactions .
" So you're not out to hurt Ranma ?" Akane asked slowly .
" Nope ." Ryouga replied . " In fact , Ranma happens to be the man I respect the
most ."
" Why ?" She inquired , intrigued .
" Being what he is Ranma could easily take advantage of his extra senses in a
fight . Luring a sighted opponent into a dark room , using smoke or other
blinding tools that will disable a normal fighter but only give him a supreme
advantage in the fight . But he doesn't do anything like that unless it's just
to balance the fight . Besides , that he's had to deal with some of the things I
have to . We understand each other ."
" That's a weird friendship ." Akane snorted without malice .
The boy only shrugged eloquently .
" So who won this fight ?" She asked .
" Um...I kinda got lost before we could finish ." Ryouga looked away in
embarrassment .
" If we take you to the Dojo you won't fight with him will you ?" She asked .
" Not today ," He assured her . " and I wouldn't dream of imposing on your
hospitality like that ."
" Just follow us , it's not far ." Akane favored him with a smile .
She suppressed a chuckle as she saw the boy blush and avert his gaze .
* * *
She idly wondered why Nabiki and Akane weren't back yet with Ranma . Where
could those three be ? Probably took Ranma to some friend's house with them .
She shook her head and finished vacuuming Nabiki's room .
She hummed to herself as she switched which hallway wall socket the vacuum
was plugged into , all that was left was the guest room .
She let out a startled yelp when she turned on the light to find Ranma
sitting on the floor right in front of her .
" I'm so sorry , I didn't know you were there ." She apologized , placing a hand
over her chest feeling her heart slow from it's rapid pace .
" I thought I left the light on ?" Ranma muttered , sliding his shades onto his
face .
" What are you doing ?" She noticed what looked like a blank book sitting in
Ranma's lap .
" Reading ." He replied mildly . " Do you need me to leave so you can vacuum ?"
" I'll take a break ." She replied , curiosity overtaking her .
While she had been informed that Ranma was no ordinary blind boy she knew
little to expand on that tidbit of information . Everyone seemed to be too busy
to tell her more .
" May I see it ?" She asked , after taking a seat on the floor beside Ranma .
" Sure , just be careful ." He handed the book to her after placing a scrap of
paper in it to mark his place .
On the outside the book looked entirely blank , Just a series of divots
where characters should be . She gave Ranma a questioning look before
remembering herself .
" I know that western letters can be made into Braille , but how do you do that
with our kanji ?"
Ranma smiled at her like a teacher asked his favorite question and took the
book from her gently .
" I've found two methods , Japanese in romanji Braille alphabet and regular
characters either raised or lowered like the Braille on this title ." He ran his
finger over the small patterned divots . " For example , the author's name is
Kurokawa Shin . In Braille that would be spelt k-u-r-o-k-a-w-a s-h-i-n . I just
have to read phonetically instead of by characters most of the time ."
" I see ." She ran her fingers over the divots that meant nothing to her . She
looked up at Ranma and was caught by the warped reflection of her face in his
shades . " Why do you wear those inside ? Or at all ?"
" These ?" Ranma touched the rim of his shades . He seemed to think for a moment
before answering . " They're not for me , they're so my eyes don't unnerve other
people ."
" But isn't that just for when you're out in public ?" She continued .
Standing , Ranma walked over and replaced the book among the few remaining
things in his pack . " The lights are on , right ?" He asked , walking back over
to her slowly .
" Yes ?"
" They're not hideous , just nothing you've ever seen before ." He warned before
pulling off his shades .
She gasped before she could catch herself . She had been expecting the
stereotypical normal , but blankly staring eyes she had seen on television
dramas . What she was met with was quite different .
In the center of the whites were two cerulean disks that peered , aimless ,
out at the world but with an intensity that jarred her . The startlingly blue
disks were just that , solid blue with no black pupil in existence .
" How ?" She asked , her mind reeling .
" Some kind of trap to guard an ancient artifact . I was used to set it off .
None of the doctors know how it happened . It's not just my pupils , that ,
could be at least helped with surgery . At least half of what happened to me is
magical . So no doctor can cure me , but no magic can either . So far I've never
found any reliable mix of the two that could be of any use ."
" I'm so sorry ." She placed a hand on his shoulder only to have it shrugged off
roughly the instant it landed .
" Pity is something I will never accept ." Ranma thrust his shades on , his
voice harsh . " I was a martial artist before I lost my sight , and I'm still a
martial artist now ."
" How ?"
" What ?" He all but snapped .
" How do you fight ?" She expanded , seeking to calm him .
" I've learned every single technique for blind fighting that I know exists ."
Ranma answered with bitter pride in his tone .
Seeing him calm slightly she continued . " I thought all there was , was
just fighting by sound ."
" Yeah , and I bet you think stuntmen on TV actually use real fighting
techniques too ." He snorted . " Fighting by hearing is so limited . All your
opponent has to do is find a loud background noise and he's invisible ."
" So what are the others ?" She pressed .
" Lot of questions ." He raised an eyebrow in a fashion that distinctly reminded
her of Nabiki . " Why do you want to know ?"
" I've lived with martial artists all my life . It's all old hat , but this is
the first time in years that there's something I've never heard of ."
He seemed to mull that over for a moment before giving her a sight smile and
adjusting his sitting position . " I've learned everything from the silly and
stupid to the devastatingly effective ."
" Devastatingly effective ?" She repeated . " How so ?"
" Some methods are more than simply sensing your opponent somehow . But one of
my best techniques is simply doing that , but to an extent that makes it very
painful to use .
" There is a rare condition called Synesthesia where all the five senses are
combined . The technique consists of artificially inducing a state akin to this
, but with the sense of sight missing , you use that hole as your mental anchor
in order to sift through all the info . People who are born with the condition
have no problem with it , but for someone who has separated senses it's an
intensely painful strain .
" So I don't use it except in emergencies . But , when I do I can predict my
opponents every move . They can't hide anything from me , and I know what they
are going to do at the same time they do ."
" If you can't use that all the time what do you use normally ?"
" I've taken the best of what I know and blended it to my needs . I may be able
to sense ki precisely enough to sense a held weapon's position by the ki bleed
off . But it's easier to get the magnetic echo off of it ."
" Magnetic echo ? You're kidding ."
Ranma sighed . " I've blended and combined so many that it'd be hard to
really explain ... Alright , right now I can tell exactly where your every
finger , toe , arm , leg , whatever , is and even your heart rate . But I have
no idea what color your blouse is or what your face looks like . The most detail
I have of people is what you'd get from a unpainted mannequin . Small or thin
things like some coins or paper lying flat are hard for me to pick up even under
good circumstances ."
" Oh ." She blinked a few times .
" I turn up my sensitivity in a fight , but I have to turn all the special
techniques down really low in a crowd . At school I have to rely on a cane and
training , just like a regular blind person . Didn't Nabiki or Akane tell you
any of this ?"
" No one really talks to me about such things ." She admitted with some
embarrassment . " Tell me what one of the silly techniques was ." She asked to
derail that tangent .
Ranma's face flushed slightly and he looked like he was fighting down
laughter . " One involves shouting really loud and spinning very fast . That's
all I'm going to say ."
" Oh come on ." She smiled , trying to get a mental picture of that . " It can't
be that bad ."
" You don't know the half of-..." He suddenly cocked his head as if listening
for a distant sound or catching a scent . " Ryouga's here ."
" Who ?"
" An old friend ." Ranma shrugged .
" Can you hear him ?" She asked in wonder .
" Impossible , but I can feel a strong person's ki from pretty far away . And I
know his ki like my own ."
* * *
She had followed Ranma down the stairs to the living room . He had taken a
seat facing the door and hadn't budged until Nabiki's voice announced that she
and Akane had brought a visitor .
" Glad you found a guide ." Ranma stated seconds before a boy stepped into the
room wearing a tiger striped bandanna and somewhat deteriorated clothes .
" So am I ." Ryouga seemed to be slightly embarrassed discussing the subject ,
his face flushed and he spoke again before Ranma could . " I notice you got new
shades , what happened to your lucky pair ?"
" Not so lucky ." Ranma corrected with a sigh . " Right now they're in about
twelve pieces . Oyaji sat on 'em in his panda body ."
" Mirror looks less threatening than matte black ." Ryouga sat down across from
Ranma .
" Doesn't matter much ," Ranma shrugged . " I'm not trying to threaten anyone
here ."
Silence passed for a moment , and she felt the subject change as the posture
of both boys grew more serious . Small talk was over .
" Furikan high is here in Nerima , right ?" Ryouga began .
" Yes ."
" Then she's here ."
" Already ?" Ranma almost looked startled .
" Who is 'she' ?" Nabiki butted in , seconded by Akane .
" Shampoo ." Ranma answered impatiently , turning his attention back to Ryouga
again . " But I thought you led her on a merry chase across Southern Brazil ?"
" Yeah ," Ryouga nodded . " but she probably sold that gold dagger to fly back
here ."
" Damn ." Ranma clenched a fist . " Why can't she stay the hell away ?"
" Because Amazon law says that she's got to kill you and marry me ." Ryouga
shook his head sadly .
" Why can't we fake our deaths ?"
" Again ?"
" Good point ."
" Um...excuse me but , what's going on ?" She put in .
" That , in about a second ." Ranma pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the
wall before diving forward . Ryouga was instantly on his feet , pulling a
handful of bandannas from his forehead , eyeing the wall like an opponent .
She just had enough time to turn her head to look at the offending wall
before it exploded in a shower of wood , sheetrock , pipes , and wallpaper .
Stiffened bandannas were whizzing at the cloud before she had finished shrieking
in surprise .
Three oddly metallic rings preceded the exit of the bandannas from the
rapidly dissipating cloud .
" When I get husband , I tie up and keep on leash !" A high soprano barked from
the fading mist of sheetrock dust .
Looking around , she noticed that Ranma had mysteriously vanished .
" Like hell !" Ryouga back up to the opposite wall , fists at the ready .
" Oooooh !" A violet haired girl stamped her foot in exasperation . " Is
marriage so bad ? Is I so bad ?"
" Um , I guess not ." Ryouga's face relaxed into a wary expression , but his
stance never wavered .
" Then come with me to village !" The girl took a step forward and beckoned .
" Hell NO !" In a lightning movement a stiffened bandanna was in Ryouga's hand .
" WHY ?" The frustrated girl stomped her foot again , hard enough for the
floorboards to crack and give a little .
" I'll be a damn pet ! Not a husband !"
" You defeat me , is your fault !" The girl snorted raising in each hand what
looked like a basketball sized sphere of steel atop a metal bar .
" Over heeeeeere !" A soprano voice higher than even the violet haired girl
called from outside the hole-in-the-wall .
All turned to face the newcomer . A familiar redhead in mirror shades
gestured rudely to the violet haired girl .
" YOU !" The girl snarled , leaping out after Ranma .
" Me alright !" Ranma laughed mockingly , leaping just out of range of the young
girl's furious attacks .
No one spoke until the sounds of mocking red head and shouting violet head
had receded into the far distance .
" I hate to repeat myself , but what the hell was that about ?" Nabiki asked
Ryouga .
" Sit down , it's a weird story ." The bandannaed boy brushed some rubble aside
to clear a spot by the table .
" It started shortly after Ranma was cursed ." Ryouga began . " I met Ranma and
his father on the road . They had just came from the Amazon village only hours
before . As usual I wasn't picky about where I fought Ranma for my lesson . I
hadn't had a lesson in nearly a month so I was a bit overeager . Ranma didn't
even have time to explain that he was on the run for defeating an Amazon warrior
who could show up at any moment . I beat him just about the time Shampoo came
over the hill ."
" Amazon law states that if a warrior is defeated by an outsider male she
must obtain his bloodline through marriage . If the outsider is female she has
to either take the outsider's bloodline through her child , get the outsider to
join , or kill her . However , if that outsider , male or female , is defeated
then she has the option to switch to the victor . After all , the object is to
get the best genes . Then there's the thing she happens to have about guys in
bandannas ... ug ..."
" So she just dropped Ranma right there ?" Akane blinked .
" Ranma had defeated her as a female , so she decided to make use of both sides
and continue to try to kill Ranma and marry me ." Ryouga pulled off the amazing
feat of keeping a straight face throughout the entire explanation , including
what came next . " Oh yeah , I almost forgot . Shampoo has no idea that the male
Ranma and female Ranma are the same person or that both are blind . Then there
is the fact she assumes that I'm engaged or married or something to Ranma's
female form ."
" What ?" It was her turn to blink .
" Yeah , really screwed up huh ?" Ryouga idly brushed debris off the table .
" I'll say ." Akane nodded .
" So let me see if I have this right ." Nabiki began . " This Shampoo girl wants
to marry you , kill Ranma who she thinks is your lover , and doesn't even know
about Ranma's male form ?"
" She's met Ranma's male form , but she mostly ignores him ." Ryouga corrected .
" Oh my , can Ranma handle her ?" She looked out the new hole shaped door in the
wall .
" Oh yeah ," Ryouga nodded . " Shampoo's not someone to trifle with , but so
long as we pay attention to what we're doing she's not a serious threat ."
" So there's no problem then ." Akane smiled .
" Um..."
" What ?"
" Well , she may not be a threat alone , but she has this real problem with her
timing . It's always really , really good for her , but really bad for us ."
While the three Tendo sisters digested that information Ryouga stood .
" I'd better leave before she decides to come back ." He bowed to them before
starting from the room .
" Will you come back ?" She called .
" Anytime I can find Tokyo ." Ryouga called back sheepishly .
" That's the closet ." Akane called to correct Ryouga's trajectory . "....
that's the hall ... that's the kitchen ...alright now that's the front door ."
" Right the fourth time ! I'm getting better this week ." She heard Ryouga
mumble to himself as he left .
" Doesn't get any weirder than this ." Akane shook her head .
" You just cursed it Akane ." Nabiki glared at her little sister . " It's going
to be bad enough paying for that wall ."
Off in the distance she thought she heard a high voice cry out some odd
curse about the sexual habits of Japanese grandparents with red hair .