Chimidoro no Ryuu
Chapter 2
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction by Hino, Ron
Just a brief foreword:
1. Ranma and friends are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and a bunch of corporations.
Except for the new characters, everyone else belongs to her and them. I don't
own them. Please don't take ideas or (my) characters from this story without my
permission.
2. "Chimidoro no Ryuu" means, loosely translated (by which I mean, badly
translated) "Bloody Dragon". That would make the full name of the School
"Chimidoro no Ryuu Ryu". To avoid the confusion, it will always be written as
the Chimidoro no Ryuu School, or the shorter Chimidoro school, though in the
second case it is a reference more to Reiko's family name then the school's
title.
And with that out of the way, we begin again.
Reiko was sleeping. It was a peaceful experience, where no nightmares
plagued her, no dreams. Her favorite kind of sleep.
A hand touched her shoulder. Her right hand grabbed the wrist as her left
found the elbow joint and locked it.
Then she woke up.
"Um... good morning to you too, Reiko." Dr. Tofu chuckled, twisting his
arm with her force instead of against it, extracting himself from her arm-bar.
Reiko flushed with embarrassment. "I... I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Your reflexes are pretty impressive. Even I can't
wake up that fast."
"Well... my father trained me that way. He would tap me first, and if I
didn't wake up immediately, he stomped on my stomach."
Tofu went a little pale, remembering what he had said to Ranma and Akane
the day before, while Reiko was still unconscious.
'No, you don't understand. I mean she's been hit there, again and again,
over a long period of time, without time to heal in between. It's caused
gradual damage to occur to her internal reproductive organs...
...I'd need to do more tests, but I don't think she will ever be able to
have children.'
Dr. Tofu cleared his throat. "Yes well... In any case, Ranma and Akane
are here to visit you, so I thought I'd wake you up."
"Thank you Doctor. Send them in."
"Hiya Reiko. How're you doing?" Ranma stepped in, waving hello. His arm
was still bandaged from the deep cuts Reiko had inflicted upon him during their
fight. Akane followed him, smiling.
"I feel great. Ready for round two?" She grinned at him.
Ranma gave her an odd look. "Er... I think I'll have to pass. My arm's
still throbbing and all."
"Aww, poor Ranma." Reiko teased. "Would you like to lie down in my bed?"
"Ex-CUSE me?" Akane exploded.
"After I got out of it, of course."
"Oh. Right. Of course." Akane said, slightly embarrassed.
"I think your real fiancée thinks I'm trying to steal you away, Ranma
dear."
"Hmph! You can have the pervert!" Akane snorted, before Ranma could
answer.
"Hey! Who're you calling a pervert, you kawaiikunee tomboy!"
"RRRRRR! Why is it whenever we meet someone new, you start right in
calling me uncute?"
Reiko looked back and forth at her visitors. "Um... guys?"
"'Cause I can't stand the idea of people thinking I'm attracted to a
sexless, flat-chested, tomboy chick like you."
"OOOH! DIE RANMA!" Akane screamed as she snatched up a steel bedpan from
a rack.
(Author's note: prepare yourselves for the most tasteless joke I've ever
written)
"No! Akane, wait. That's..." Reiko trailed off as Akane lifted the
bedpan over her head, intent on bringing it down on Ranma's skull. Cold, smelly
yellow liquid rained down on her.
"...The bedpan I used last night." Reiko finished lamely.
Akane dropped the bedpan and twitched in disgust. Ranma was actively
attempting not to smile... and failing.
"Um... I think there's a shower down the hall, Akane-chan." Reiko said
apologetically.
Akane wordlessly marched out, her arms held stiffly out to the sides, as
though any movement might cause the cold, smelly liquid to spread.
Reiko glanced at her other guest, who was turning blue. "Okay Ranma. You
can let it all out now."
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
*CLANG* A chair was thrown through the open doorway, connecting solidly
with the side of Ranma's head.
As Ranma slumped to the floor, Reiko shook her head in amazement.
"What an interesting couple."
When Akane returned in a hospital gown (which Dr. Tofu kept in stock) and
Ranma had woken up, the visit continued.
"So, what's the good Doctor said of my condition? Any chance I could go
home early?"
"I don't think so. Dr. Tofu understands how martial artists have a
stronger constitution than most. He probably took that into account when he
said three days." Ranma said.
"When you say 'home' you mean our house, right?" Akane asked.
"Well, yes. I hope I didn't seem too presumptuous."
"Oh, not at all! That's what we'd hoped. I was just afraid you had some
idea to go back to your father."
Reiko laughed. "Don't be silly! I'm not ready to go back to him yet."
Akane sighed in relief, then looked up. "Yet?"
"When I've trained enough, when I'm better than him, I'm going to kill
him. Not for his treatment of me, you understand, but for murdering my mother."
Akane couldn't think of anything to say. Ranma nodded in understanding.
Further conversation was interrupted as the East wall exploded inward.
When the dust cleared, Shampoo stood in the rubble, bonbori in hand.
"Ranma! Where is new obstacle?"
Shampoo was immediately knocked flat with a huge spatula.
"Ranma! What's this I here about you engaging yourself to yet another
fiancée?"
Ukyou was struck down by a girl in a dark leotard, who jumped onto her
shoulder and began twirling a ribbon in the air. Black rose petals flew
everywhere.
"Ranma darling! Say it's not true! Where is the fiendish monster-woman
who has ensnared you in a spell of lust?"
Shampoo and Ukyou hopped up, spilling Kodachi the Black Rose onto her
behind.
"What you talking? Shampoo no use lust potion in three whole months!"
"How dare you jump on me like that, you two-bit hussy!"
"Silence you knaves! Only I am worthy to court my darling Ranma!"
Reiko watched in open-mouthed amazement at the three squabbling girls who
burst into her room.
"Would I be right in assuming that these are your other three fiancées,
Ranma?" Reiko looked left and right. "Ranma?"
Akane, her face a tight mask of irritation, pointed down. Reiko found
Ranma hiding under her bed. She reached under and grabbed him by his ponytail.
"What the hell do you think your doing? Get out here and start
explaining!" Reiko growled.
Wow, Akane thought, she really runs hot and cold, doesn't she?
Reiko's little outburst served to draw the fiancées' attention from each
other, and back to their original objective. Shampoo conked both her rivals on
the head and faced Reiko.
"You girl what stand between Shampoo and Airen. You is obstacle. That is
for killing."
"Shampoo! Look, it's not like it sounds. It-" Reiko cut Ranma off with a
wave of her hand.
"Alright China-girl. If you want to fight, that's fine with me. I can't
afford to renounce my engagement to Ranma, so I'm not going to."
"Then I kill you."
Reiko smirked. "You may try, but I'd rather you not right now. As you
can see, I'm recovering from injuries. A fight now would be quite uneven, and
for you to win would be no great honour. Do you agree?"
"Is true." The Chinese girl relaxed her battle stance. "Shampoo agree to
kill you later."
"Quite noble of you. I should be ready to end you in about a week. Is
this acceptable?"
Shampoo smiled arrogantly. "Shampoo fight you then. Where place?"
"I'll be staying at the Tendo dojo, but anywhere you would like would be
acceptable."
"Tendo dojo is for good. I kill you in one week, Chimidoro Reiko."
Shampoo said, then sprinted out the door.
"What just happened?" Akane said.
"I think Reiko just promised to kill Shampoo."
"Don't worry, I don't think she should be too difficult to defeat. I'll
just-"
"You thief of hearts! You trollop! I will free my darling Ranma from
your lecherous clutches!" Kodachi was awake.
Reiko's eyebrow twitched. "Or die trying." She muttered. She raised her
voice and addressed Kodachi. "I'm indebted to Ranma, and I will remain his
fiancée. If you wish to challenge that, meet me at the Tendo dojo in eight
days. I'm not in any shape to be challenged today."
"Very well then. I shall liberate my darling Ranma in eight days. Be
well prepared." Kodachi skipped out of the clinic in a strange display of rose
petals and insane laughter.
"That one's just creepy." Reiko muttered. Ukyou began to stir. "And
here comes number three."
"Wait!" Ranma cried. "I... I mean... let me handle this one, okay?"
Reiko cocked her head. "For the honour of my school, I never turn down a
challenge. On the other hand, if you want to talk _her_ out of it, be my
guest."
Ranma nodded and gave Ukyou a hand up.
"Ukyou, are you okay?"
"I'm fine sugar, now where's that hussy that conned you into getting
engaged, AGAIN!"
Reiko smiled and waved.
Ukyou growled and was about to charge, but Ranma restrained her.
"Wait, Ukyou. Before you attack her, there's a few things you need to
hear first."
"What for?"
"Don't you at least want to hear how she became my fiancée?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"Come on. I just got my allowance, and I feel like some of the best
okonomiyaki in all Japan. How about it?"
Ukyou dropped her battle spatula in shock. "Ranma... you... you're..."
Ranma blinked. "I'm what?"
"You're actually paying!?"
"I think she's going into shock." Akane smirked.
"Better tell Doc Tofu to get another bed ready." Reiko chuckled.
"Hey!" Ranma yelled indignantly. "I've paid for food before!"
"Only when you had to." Akane said.
"RRR. Come on Ukyou, let's go." He pulled the slack-jawed okonomiyaki
chef through the hole in the wall.
"I wonder how much he'll order, now that he's putting down cash for it."
Reiko called after them.
"Probably a cup of tea." Akane chuckled.
"SHUT UP!"
After they left, Akane and Reiko were left alone.
"I wonder how they all found out? I never said anything. Ranma wouldn't
dare. And I know none of them have been to the house in the last couple of
days. Where..."
"Don't strain yourself, Akane-chan. I know exactly who leaked the
information. Someone who I used like some might throw dirt."
"Huh?"
"Hi everyone!" Nabiki said cheerfully, coming through the hole in the
wall instead of the doorway. "What did I miss?"
Reiko smirked and gestured towards the middle Tendo sister. "Speak of the
devil..."
***
Reiko attempted to sleep in her hospital bed later that night, but her
mind wouldn't rest.
She'd forgiven Nabiki for spreading the news of her and Ranma's semi-
engagement. She had used Nabiki like a tool in her match against Ranma; sending
her sprawling in his direction, and then attacking him while his hands were
occupied in catching the middle Tendo sister. Nabiki wasn't the type to enjoy
being used. Reiko said that if sending three assassins her way was enough for
Nabiki to consider them even, Reiko would forgive her and they both would let it
drop. Reiko didn't need another enemy.
She wished she could have trained during the day, but the Doctor had
forbid it. That was part of the reason she'd set her matches for a week later;
two days to heal and five to retrain. She wondered what training Akane did.
She seemed really nice, except to Ranma.
Maybe Reiko stood a chance at breaking the two of them up.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a person crept stealthily into the room.
Reiko feigned sleep. The tread was too light to be the Doctor, and she heard
the tiny hiss of cloth scraping across the floor, like a cloak or a cape. The
Doctor didn't wear anything like that.
The person threw back the cloak and raised a weapon above his/her head.
Reiko rolled off the small bed just as the mallet smashed down where her legs
used to be. Reiko's eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she could clearly see
the outline of a girl with a ponytail tied to one side, a cape around her
shoulders. Where had she seen that form before? Oh yes...
"Kodachi." Reiko growled, half from anger and half from the pain that
movement brought. "What happened to eight days for recovery?"
"Fear not, the date of the match still stands, I'm simply preparing myself
by knowing my competition. A reasonable precaution, I'm sure you'll agree."
"You're the first person I've met who considers an attempt to cripple a
person to be 'checking out' the competition." Reiko growled.
"You say to-meh-to, I say to-mah-to. DIE!" Kodachi swung the mallet.
Reiko grabbed the sheets from the bed and threw them into the air, blocking
her from view. Kodachi swatted the sheet away. Reiko was nowhere to be found.
Kodachi cursed herself for not waiting for her eyes to adjust before
attacking. She had just come in from the light of the street lamps. Searching
for the girl in this dimness was going to be difficult.
A hand tapped her shoulder. Kodachi spun.
A fist cracked across her jaw. Kodachi fell.
A voice snorted in derision. Kodachi passed out.
Dr. Tofu came in with breakfast the next morning, and nearly dropped the
tray. Reiko was sleeping soundly, a pleased smile on her face, just as he had
excepted her to be.
What he hadn't expected, was to find a girl in a leotard, bound with a
ribbon, hanging from the curtain rod that circled Reiko's bed. Actually, she
wasn't just hanging. The excess ribbon had been wound around her neck, and
then tied to the curtain rod. Kodachi had been hung at a height that just
allowed her to stand on the tips of her toes, and keep breathing. If she
relaxed, the ribbon would tighten and strangle her. Kodachi's eyes were red and
bloodshot. It had obviously been a long night for her.
"Um... Good morning Reiko." The doctor said, as he took The Black Rose
down and unwrapped her throat. The younger Kunou coughed and gasped as soon as
she was let down. "Would you mind explaining this?"
Reiko stretched leisurely. "I've never had such a restful night's sleep.
Must have been the scarecrow I put up."
Kodachi scowled at her. She tried to stand and failed. Dr. Tofu began to
massage her legs to unlock the calf muscles.
"As you can see, Doctor, I had a nocturnal visitor, who seemed determined
to give me some midnight exercise. I obliged her." What she hadn't mentioned was how much the movement had hurt.
"I see." Dr. Tofu said.
"Thanks for the fun, Kodachi-chan. Why don't you run home now, and I'll
see you in a week." Kodachi attempted standing again, finding the doctor's
hands had done their work, and picked up her stuff.
"You haven't heard the last of me, you evil, heartless, enemy of love!"
She dashed out the door, near tears.
"Oh my, 'enemy of love'? That's one I haven't heard before."
"I have this sick feeling, in the pit of my stomach, that you're going to
become one of my 'interesting' patients." The doctor muttered, shaking his head
and smiling.
"Ranma's got nothing on me. Now, how about that breakfast?"
***
"Morning Reiko. Sleep well?" Akane asked, as she stretched in her bed.
"Just fine." Reiko answered, stacking her folded bedding in the corner.
She was already dressed.
Akane rolled over to look at her clock. It said 7:01. "When did you wake up?"
"Around five. I spent the morning training with Ranma and Genma, in
preparation for today's match." Her voice had a sad touch to it, but Akane was
still too groggy to notice.
Akane nodded. Reiko had done the same every day for the last five, and
after she and Ranma left for school, Reiko apparently continued with their
fathers, or by herself. In regular sparring matches, she'd beat Ranma several
times.
"That girl is something else, boy." Genma had told his son in private.
"I want you to spar with her every chance you get. We can add her techniques to
our school's repertoire."
Ranma had just rolled his eyes, but secretly, he wanted to learn the
techniques as well.
Akane got out of bed and dressed. Rei, having nothing else to do, sat on
Akane's bed and watched.
"You know, it occurs to me," Reiko said, "we never set an actual time for
the match. She could show up anytime today. You said she doesn't go to school,
right?"
"True, but she'll probably be here pretty soon. Shampoo's not known as
the patient type." Akane said as she pulled on her school dress.
Reiko flopped back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She'd exercised
enough already this morning. Any more and she'd risk being tired when Shampoo
arrived. On the other hand, if the Chinese girl showed up at noon, Reiko would
have lost many of the benefits of her warm-up.
She rolled her head to look at Akane again. "You know Shampoo better than
I. Any pointers?"
Akane straitened her dress in the mirror. "Well, if you beat
Ranma, than Shampoo should be an easy. Um... she's pretty acrobatic; likes to
jump around a lot when she fights. May or may not bring a pair of colourful
maces called bonbori."
Reiko nodded to herself, making a note of it. "Just because I beat Ranma
doesn't mean this girl's no threat. Skill is not the only determinant in a
fight. If I'm not prepared for her style; if she pulls some move that's so
unlike anything I've ever seen before, I might not recognize it as an attack
until it's too late. If her move was really flashy, I might even be so
surprised that I'd just stand there while she nailed me. Surprise is always an
advantage if you can use it right."
Akane sat beside Reiko on the bed to put on her socks as she thought about
that. Surprise, huh? Maybe there was some way she could use that against
Ranma...
Reiko frowned curiously as Akane began to smile to herself. She was about
to ask what was so amusing, when Akane hopped up and said cheerfully,
"Let's go get breakfast."
Reiko shrugged and followed her down.
***
Shampoo arrived precisely at 7:30 am. Her great-grandmother accompanied
her.
"Son in Law, what's this I'm hearing about you having a new fiancée, hmm?
Don't you have enough already?"
"Hey old ghoul! Mind your own business!" Ranma yelled.
"I believe I'm the girl in question." Reiko said calmly, as she stood up
from the breakfast table and stepped out into the yard. "Would you mind if I
asked what your involvement in all this is, old woman?"
"This Shampoo great-grandmother." Shampoo stated proudly. "Great
grandmother is elder of Amazon tribe, and great fighter."
Reiko raised an eyebrow. "Am I fighting her today, or you?"
"You fight Shampoo, of course!"
"Then what difference does it make how good a fighter your great-
grandmother is. No offense intended obaasan."
"None taken." The old woman smiled. "You have a valid point. Now, young
lady, if you don't mind; I'd like to know how you came to be the fiancée of my
Shampoo's bridegroom."
Reiko smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid that information is not your
business. However you should know that I am Ranma's fiancée, and I am not
willing to renounce that title under any circumstances. There should be no
confusion on that point."
"If Shampoo beat you, then you is no more Ranma fiancée!" Shampoo said.
Reiko shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I never said that, and I won't now
either. More is at stake here than simple pride."
Cologne frowned. "If this match is not over Son in Law, then why are you
two fighting?"
Reiko shrugged. "Your great-granddaughter challenged me. As the heir to
the Chimidoro no Ryuu School of Martial Arts, I never refuse any challenge."
Cologne seemed taken aback. "The B-Bloody Dragon school?"
Reiko nodded.
Shampoo looked at her great-grandmother curiously. "You know this girl
school, Great-grandmother?"
"Yes child, but just a moment." She turned back to Reiko, looking more
carefully at the red gi with its black trim. She now noticed the familiar
crest. "Tell me, student of the Chimidoro school, how long have you been
training?"
"I said 'heir', not student. And I have been trained almost from the time I could walk."
Cologne seemed very pale. "Oh Shampoo, I would not tangle with this one
if I were you."
"But Great-grandmother!" Shampoo protested.
"No child!" Cologne snapped. "If she has not agreed to stake her
engagement on the battle, then there is nothing to gain here but your death!"
Everyone seemed to stiffen. Death?
"Reiko, what is she talking about?" Akane asked, coming up behind the
dark girl. Reiko folded her arms and glared coldly at Shampoo as she spoke.
"What she's trying to tell her great-granddaughter, is that the Chimidoro
no Ryuu School is not one of those weak little commercial schools, who study and
teach the art for the money. We of the Bloody Dragon family follow the
teachings to their original purpose, to survive and win a battle to the death.
With a few special exceptions, all challenges accepted by the Chimidoro no Ryuu
School are to the death."
"You can't be serious!" Ranma said, the only one able to find words.
"What about our fight? That was a challenge."
Reiko nodded. "Since the purpose of the fight was to decide whether or
not I would marry you, that falls under the category of special exceptions."
She turned her raptor's gaze on the nervous Shampoo. "This does not."
"Let's not be hasty, my young friend." Cologne pleaded. "I think we have
much in common. Shampoo was engaged to Son in Law much the same way as
yourself. Now-"
"Shampoo no care where you train! You is obstacle! I defeat you Reiko
Chimidoro! Then Ranma is mine."
"As you wish," Reiko said coldly, "but keep in mind that the only way for
you to end my engagement to Ranma is to kill me." Reiko took up a battle
stance. "Begin!"
"Shampoo, NO!" Cologne screamed, but Shampoo ignored her. This girl was
an obstacle to her and Ranma's happiness. Her honor demanded she make good on
her challenge. Great-grandmother was probably just being over-cautious.
Reiko had said that she would have to kill her to get Ranma. Shampoo had
never actually killed anyone before, and was a little squeamish about the idea,
but she pushed that shameful emotion away. She swung the iron maces, her
bonbori, at Reiko's crimson form, trying to crush her skull.
Reiko nimbly avoided the heavy maces. The speed with which the Chinese
girl swung the weapons spoke of her impressive strength, but the weight of the
bonbori still slowed Shampoo's strikes a little.
And a little was more than enough.
Once she was sure she had Shampoo's rhythm, Reiko grasped Shampoo's
outstretched wrist and vaulted over the blow, using the extra pull of her grip
to add power to her kick as she sent the whole of her body weight into Shampoo's
chin.
Shampoo fell to the ground with a small cry, as Reiko landed beyond her.
Reiko turned halfway and watched the Chinese girl, putting a hand on her hip.
Akane hoped that would end the fight. She didn't like Shampoo, but even
the Chinese Bimbo didn't deserve to die over something so stupid. Akane thought
Reiko's watching expression seemed a little out of place. No anger, no
arrogance, no pity; she just looked... depressed.
Shampoo struggled to stand, fighting back the blackness that threatened to
overwhelm her. She barely made it to her feet. Reiko noted that she left the
bonbori on the ground. The Chinese girl wasn't completely stupid. She knew she
needed more speed than power now. Shampoo teetered a bit on her feet, still
dizzy.
Reiko took up a defensive stance and waited, giving Shampoo the time to
regain her balance. Shampoo seemed to take this as an act of pity, and was
insulted by it. She attacked Reiko like a mad animal, charging directly into
Reiko's fist. Shampoo's knees buckled, and Reiko grabbed her shirt in her left
hand, drawing back her right. The fingers curled into an unusual technique that
Akane couldn't recognize. Ranma didn't either, but he quickly grasped its
purpose.
Reiko's next blow would tear out Shampoo's throat.
"If you believe in gods, Shampoo, now is the time to pray to them." Reiko
said sadly. Her arm tensed.
"WAIT!" Ranma screamed.
Reiko looked at him. "What?"
"Don't kill her."
"Why not?"
"Because... well... she doesn't deserve it!"
"Maybe not, but she knew what she was getting into. I gave her every
opportunity to back out of it. I'm sorry Ranma," and she looked it, "but I have
no choice. The laws of the Chimodoro no Ryuu School are very clear on this
point."
"But... but..." Ranma struggled for a reason to stop this.
Shampoo used this opportunity to recover. She struck for Reiko's throat.
Reiko released her grip and caught the hand. The tips of the amazon's fingers
were millimetres from her throat. Too close. Reiko paused here for only a
fraction of a second, then her lightning fast hands were moving again.
Shampoo screamed as her elbow joint broke. The sound was cut off as
Reiko's backfist broke her nose, knocking her to the ground. Shampoo rose to
her hand and knees, her whole body shaking with pain.
Ranma whirled on the old woman. "Can't you stop this?"
"I'm afraid my hands are tied. Shampoo has given challenge and refused to
renege on it. This is a matter of honor; I cannot help her." Cologne said.
She closed her eyes, and a tear ran down her cheek.
Reiko advanced and pulled Shampoo upwards by her hair. She put one hand
across her throat, the other on the back of her head, in preparation of breaking
Shampoo's neck.
"No more, Shampoo. I won't drop my guard again. Do you have anything you
wish to say?" Reiko asked sadly.
Shampoo swallowed, choking back sobs.
"Sha-Shampoo... love... Ranma."
"I got it!" Ranma yelled. "You can't kill her!"
Reiko looked at him carefully. "And why not?"
Ranma smiled confidently. "Because I'm your future husband, and I say you
can't kill her, no matter what the laws of your school are. And, uh... Besides,
by our engagement, I'm the heir to the Chimidoro no Ryuu School and when the
school is mine, the laws will be mine to keep or change."
Reiko cocked her head curiously. "An interesting theory, but what gave
you the idea that I was the obedient, stereotypical Japanese housewife?"
Ranma faltered only a moment. "Uh... because if you fall out of favour
with me now, I can have our engagement annulled. Yeah!"
Reiko blinked at him, her hands still poised to wrench the Chinese girl's
head around backwards. Annulling the fake engagement was something Reiko
couldn't afford to do right now, and Ranma knew it. She looked at the trembling
girl whose life she literally held in her hands.
How many times had she been in this position?
How many times had she asked her father to let her stop?
How many times had she broke the neck, and then retched beside the corpse?
When had she stopped feeling ill?
When had she stopped asking her father to have mercy?
Reiko laughed. Everyone, tensely waiting for her reaction, was not
expecting this. Reiko let go of Shampoo, who leaned there with her head on
Reiko's lap for a moment, confused, before bolting like a frightened rabbit for
her great-grandmother's side.
Akane was the first to notice that Reiko's laughter had faded into sobs.
"Reiko..." She moved off the porch to the girl's side. She put a hand on
Reiko's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Reiko reached up and put a hand
over hers.
"Ranma..." Reiko began. She obviously wanted to say more, but she
couldn't through her tears.
Ranma came down from the porch and stood beside her. "Reiko... I'm sorry
I forced you to break your traditions, but..."
"No, Ranma, you don't understand..."
"Huh?"
"Thank you Ranma." Reiko said. "Thank you for stopping me. It's been a
long time... since anyone found a way."
Ranma couldn't think of anything to say.
Neither could anyone else.
***
Akane soaked in the tub, letting the stress of this morning seep out of
her body and into the hot water. She'd never have pegged Reiko for a killer.
Sure she was violent, but that was the result of her training. The rest of the
time she was quite pleasant.
The killing... was definitely not something Reiko seemed to enjoy, and
that was something of a relief. Obviously her father had forced her to kill
early on, making all her matches final. Now, at 17, Reiko no longer questioned
the need to kill her opponents. Her hesitation had been worked out of her.
But it still bothered her. That meant she was human.
A soft knock came on the screen door of the bath.
"Akane? Do you mind if I join you?" Reiko asked, in an almost timid
voice. It sounded so pitiful that Akane didn't even briefly consider refusing.
"Of course." She said cheerfully. "Come on in."
The door parted, and Reiko stepped through, a towel held loosely in front
of her. Akane watched her approach, looking over the girl's body. She noted
that the bruising of her abdomen was almost gone, but her body would always be
covered with the scars of her violent life.
Not unlike her soul, Akane thought.
Reiko washed herself economically, this time without any wincing. When
she was done, she slipped into the huge bath beside Akane. There was a silence
that grew more and more uncomfortable.
"After Shampoo left, I asked Ranma to repeat after me. Then I told him,
'Reiko Chimidoro, as your future husband, I command you never to kill another
person, unless your own life is in danger. I say this with the understanding
that if you go against my wishes, our engagement is off.' Then I promised to
obey his wishes. Okay, so he's not me real fiancé, and I'm never going to
marry him, but for now, I'm 'trapped' by 'his' ultimatum, and I don't have to
kill anyone else."
Akane nodded. "Good news. What about your father? Do you still intend
to kill him?"
Reiko smiled. "Oh yes. I'll kill him, and break my promise at the same
time. That means I'm no longer engaged to Ranma, so I'm free. No more men will
have any hold on me anymore, not even a friendly one like Ranma has. I'll be
completely free to go where I choose, do what I choose, and be who I choose."
"I'm happy for you." Akane said hesitantly. Reiko picked up on it.
"You don't sound happy. What's bothering you?"
Akane fidgeted. "Nothing. It's just... this whole killing your father
thing. I can't even imagine it."
"Your father is a kind and gentle man. You know mine is not. You can't
imagine the things I've seen him do, that I've had to do for him." Reiko
trailed off, obviously not wanting to describe anything in detail.
Silence reigned for a moment.
"Reiko, did your father ever... touch you... in a..."
Reiko smirked. "I'm not a six-year-old, Akane. Just ask if he ever
molested me."
"Uh..." Akane's face burned. She didn't want to put anything so personal
to words.
"The answer is no. His abuse was only physical... and verbal. My father
lives by a very rigid, if disturbing, moral code. Incest is out, and so is
rape, with the exception of the unfortunate woman who married him. She was his
to rape whenever, and however violently, he felt like it. Prostitutes too, once
they were paid."
Akane look ill.
"Anyway, let's talk about something more pleasant. Tell me about your
family, Akane."
"Well... you've been here almost a week now. What do you want to know?"
Reiko thought about it for a moment. "Tell me about your mother." She
asked softly.
Akane took a deep breath. "Well... I can't remember her all that well. I
was only about five when she died. She was sick, I don't remember what with,
but... she was in bed for weeks before it ended. Daddy kept telling me she was
in no pain. He cried a lot. He was calmer back then, but after she died, he
seemed to worry all the time and get upset about everything."
"He'd lose his temper?"
"No no. I mean he breaks down and sobs. He's very high-strung these
days, and emotional. I guess it's not so bad. Nabiki keep saying how easy it
is to manipulate him, not that _I_ ever do, but..."
Reiko smiled. "How did your sisters take her death? That's when Kasumi
started doing all the cooking and everything, right?"
Akane smiled nostalgically, leaning her arms on the edge of the bath.
"Yeah, she's amazing. She didn't shed a tear at Mom's bedside. She just took
care of her, and Dad. Later though, after Mom died, I remember walking past her
room at night and hearing her crying herself to sleep.
"Nabiki... Nabiki turned hard. I mean, she cried for Mom and everything,
but... inside, she just got all cynical, and material. She took over the family
finances. She's got a dozen scams going on at school in any given week. Making
money. I've seen her do a few things just for her own amusement, but other than
that, she seems to get more pleasure out of making deals, conning people out of
money, that sort of thing." Akane laughed. "One of her ongoing scams is
selling racy pictures of Ranma's girl form to the guys at school."
"His WHAT?"
***
The next day, Reiko faced off against Kodachi in the Tendo's yard. To be
honest, Reiko was surprised she showed. After being handled so easily a week
ago in the clinic, Kodachi was either very brave or completely insane. The
Martial Arts Gymnast had brought a friend, similarly attired in a leotard, who
carried a bag of Kodachi's 'special' tools.
"Fear not Ranma Darling. I'll free you from this vicious harlot's
clutches! OHOHOHOHOHO!"
Definitely insane, Reiko decided as that disturbing laugh made everyone
cringe.
"All right! Shut up already!" Reiko said. "Fortunately for you, I've
promised not to kill my opponents any more. So you can relax. In fact, you can
collapse. Allow me to introduce you the ground." She took up a defensive
stance. Kodachi did the same, ribbon in hand.
Akane saw a big difference in Reiko's attitude today. She was smiling.
Fighting was fun now, since it didn't have such a serious conclusion.
"Prepare to suffer, you-"
"Shaddap!" Reiko groaned. "Let's get to it." She attacked.
They danced around for a while, Kodachi using her ribbon to keep Reiko at
a distance. After a while of this, Reiko got bored and caught the ribbon. She
smirked at Kodachi as the gymnast pulled and flicked the ribbon in a vain
attempt to free it.
Eventually she dropped it and called to her subordinate for her clubs.
Reiko smiled and waited politely with her hands folded behind her back until
Kodachi got them. As Kodachi charged, striking rapidly with the clubs, Reiko
simply dodged the blows by shifting her head or body from side to side. She
kept her hands behind her back the whole time. Her smile was beginning to
irritate the Black Rose.
Kodachi depressed the switch hidden on the handle of her club. Reiko gave
a small cry as a line of blood split open on her cheek. She jumped backward towards the big tree to reassess the situation. She saw the spikes retreat into
the club again as Kodachi released the button.
Now the Black Rose was the one who smiled. Reiko frowned. She dabbed at
the blood on her cheek with her fingers. Fortunately the cut wasn't very deep;
it probably wouldn't scar.
Reiko smiled, unkindly. "Not bad, 'Black Rose'. You took me by surprise.
Can you do it again?"
"We shall see, miscreant!"
Kodachi attacked, Reiko jumped up and vaulted off the tree, over her
opponent's head. Kodachi missed and her club lodged its spikes deep into the
tree's trunk. Pulling it free seemed unlikely.
Kodachi abandoned the club and switched the other to her right hand. She
prepared herself for an attack.
"You've been fun to play with, Kodachi, but I think I'll end this now, if
you don't mind. My breakfast is getting cold."
Reiko leapt into the air. "HIGI RYUUSEISHOU!"
Sitting with everyone else on the porch, Ranma's eyes widened. "That...
that's the technique that Herb uses." He murmured in surprise, wondering how
the Chimidoro school had learned the technique from the tribe of the Nyanniichuan-cursed dragon-boy... or perhaps, how Herb had learned it from the
Chimidoros.
Reiko's body glowed with the power of her ki, as she swooped down and
struck the Black Rose's stomach with all the force her bodyweight and ki could
combine to give.
The younger Kunou's eyes crossed with pain, before she pitched foreword on
her face.
Reiko stood over the unconscious girl and raised a hand to strike. She
paused and blinked. "Oh yeah, I don't have to do that anymore." She said
sheepishly as she lowered her hand and waved Kodachi's nervous-looking assistant
to the gymnast's fallen body. The girl eagerly ran forward to check Kodachi
for serious injuries.
Reiko returned to the breakfast table, happy to find her rice was still
fairly warm.
"Say, Reiko?" Ranma asked eagerly.
"Um?" Reiko grunted, her mouth full.
"That technique you just used, the Higi Ryuuseishou, do you think you
could teach it to me?"
Reiko swallowed her rice and looked at him. "Ranma, I thought I already
made this clear; the techniques of the Chimidoro no Ryu School are secret, and
can only be passed down through the family. Even if we are engaged to each
other, because of our... arrangement, it would be unethical for me to teach you
our school's secrets."
"Yeah I know, but this technique isn't unique to your school. There was
this guy from China I met who used the same technique, so it wouldn't be a real
secret you'd be teaching me, right?"
Rei thought he looked like a little kid at Christmas, so excited and
hopeful. "I don't know, Ranma. You've only seen the Higi Ryuuseishou in
action. Actually teaching you how to do it is something a little different..."
"Aw com'n! We're supposed to be getting married, officially. If we were
engaged for real you'd be teaching me the techniques, right? What if your
father comes back?"
Reiko slid next to him on her knees, taking Ranma's hand. "Oh Ranma!
Are you saying that you want to marry me for real?"
"Huh?" Ranma said.
"WHAT?" Akane roared, coming back from seeing the gymnast and her
unconscious burden to the front gate. She grabbed Ranma by his shirt collar.
"I turn my back for five minutes and you start acting like a pervert again. I
DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"
"Wait! Akane, it's not what it looks-"
*BASH*CRUNCH*KERPOW*
Reiko turned happily back to her unfinished breakfast. "Thanks Akane-
chan. His whining about my techniques was getting annoying."
"I'm impressed." Nabiki smiled as she sat down across from Reiko.
"It's nothing." Reiko said, taking a bite of her salad. "Actually, he
might have a point. If my father visits (not that he'd break his agreement to
stay off your father's property) he'd expect me to be teaching Ranma our
school's techniques."
Reiko added more mayonnaise and chewed her salad thoughtfully. "If I had
to teach him one, I'd guess it'd be the Higi Ryuuseishou, because he already
knows about it."
"Hmm. Are you going to teach him that 'Dragon Claw' thing too?" Akane
asked.
"You mean the Ryuunotsume? I guess by that logic, I could. On the other
hand, It's a much more advanced technique, so I might have to teach him other
techniques before he can master it. Sort of like stepping stones, leading up to
the Ryuunotsume. More than that though, the Ryuunotsume is a technique
characteristic to our school alone. It's sort of like a calling card, or a
signature. To teach it to someone outside our school would be like giving your
family name to people you meet on the street. But the Higi Ryuuseishou..."
Reiko grabbed Ranma and slapped him awake. "Hey Ranma!"
"Wha..."
"I'll teach you the Higi Ryuuseishou, if you teach me the Hiryuu Shotenha.
Deal?"
"Uh, sure. No problem. Thanks a lot, Reiko." He said happily, as he
picked himself up.
***
Training for both of them began the next day. Ranma would teach the
Hiryuu Shotenha before school, and Reiko would teach the Higi Ryuuseishou in the
afternoon.
"The essence of the Higi Ryuuseishou is to spread your ki around your
entire body, to make it into a living weapon, like a thrown spear." Reiko
lectured Ranma, as the two stood in a shallow part of the river in a nearby
park. The water came only a few inches above their ankles.
Genma and the Tendos sat on a blanket nearby, making a picnic out of it.
Since Ranma was being taught the technique directly, and it would therefore become part of the Saotome style, Genma felt no need to study the training, and lazily contented himself with playing shogi with Soun.
"You've already mastered a way to focus ki through your hands: your Mouko
Takabisha." Reiko continued. "This is the same thing, but more difficult. You
have to extend your ki around your whole body, and you have to be able to move
things with that ki."
"Things like what?" Ranma asked.
"In the actual technique? Air. You have to part the air in front of you
and pull it behind you suddenly, thereby pulling your body through the air and
shooting toward your opponent."
"Sort of like swimming."
"Right, except air's too light for you to pull yourself just by moving
your arms or legs. You need to use your ki to get a grip on it. You've
seen that the Higi Ryuuseishou begins with a jump. Once you've got the height,
you need to whip around in the air and then shoot in the other direction."
"So what's the first step?"
"We're going to start with water, then you can move up to air."
"But air's lighter than water. Wouldn't that be easier?"
"Sure, but if you can move the water fast enough, air should be a piece of
cake. Besides, how are you going to know for sure that the air's moving if you
can't see it? You need something visual to start with." She moved into a high
stance, placing her hands in a meditative position.
"Right." Ranma nodded. Sensing that the lecture was over and the
demonstration about to begin, she took up a similar position facing her.
Reiko closed her eyes and concentrated. Ranma kept her eyes open to
watch. The water around her legs swirled, and her long hair began to float
upwards.
The Tendos were now paying close attention to the display. Genma moved a
few pieces on the shogi board and then looked as well.
Reiko began to growl. It was a low noise beginning in the back of her
throat. It rose in pitch and the swirling of the water around her ankles
increased accordingly. Finally, she gave a fierce yell, a kiai, and the water
exploded around her, spraying up almost as tall as the trees.
Reiko was panting when the water splashed down again.
Ranma was sitting in the water with her mouth open, where she had been knocked over.
"Amazing!" Akane whispered.
"Not bad at all." Genma agreed.
"Saotome, maybe we should join in the lesson. After all, what have we to lose but the flab collecting around our waists?" Soun pondered aloud.
"But what about our game?" Genma returned.
"Oh, quite right Saotome. We can always give it a shot later. Now, who's
turn was it?"
"You- I mean, it's my turn."
Ranma gave the technique a shot, and managed to make some bubbles in the
water around her ankles.
"Stop focusing on the water." Reiko counseled. "Focus on your ki. The
water should just be a side effect."
Ranma nodded and tried again, and succeeded in getting the water to swirl
around her ankles like it did for Reiko.
"Good, now shoot the ki up in a big blast."
"Um... I think I did." Ranma muttered.
"We got some work to do." Reiko sighed.
***
End of Chapter two.
That's two down, and ?? left to go.
One of my pre-readers suggested I give this thing a little more of a lemon
sent. There's certainly room for it to head that way. I'm not sure how I feel
about writing that sort of thing (got no problem reading it, mind you :)), I've
always left the sex mostly "off-camera".
"To @%#& or not to @%#&, that is the question." And I put it to you
readers. Give me your opinion by the Email address at the bottom. If I do turn
this into a lemon, I promise it will be tasteful, and it will still have a plot.
I actually attempted to write a lemon once, just to expand my range. It
didn't turn out quite like I planned it, but it was very entertaining. I'll
either post it somewhere or Email it to individuals on request. I haven't
decided yet. I called it "H-Trek" (but it has absolutely nothing to do with
Star Trek). Let me know if you want to read it.
Opinion's criticized (and considered): simply send yours to:
Hinoron@hotmail.com
Ja matta!
Chapter 2
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction by Hino, Ron
Just a brief foreword:
1. Ranma and friends are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and a bunch of corporations.
Except for the new characters, everyone else belongs to her and them. I don't
own them. Please don't take ideas or (my) characters from this story without my
permission.
2. "Chimidoro no Ryuu" means, loosely translated (by which I mean, badly
translated) "Bloody Dragon". That would make the full name of the School
"Chimidoro no Ryuu Ryu". To avoid the confusion, it will always be written as
the Chimidoro no Ryuu School, or the shorter Chimidoro school, though in the
second case it is a reference more to Reiko's family name then the school's
title.
And with that out of the way, we begin again.
Reiko was sleeping. It was a peaceful experience, where no nightmares
plagued her, no dreams. Her favorite kind of sleep.
A hand touched her shoulder. Her right hand grabbed the wrist as her left
found the elbow joint and locked it.
Then she woke up.
"Um... good morning to you too, Reiko." Dr. Tofu chuckled, twisting his
arm with her force instead of against it, extracting himself from her arm-bar.
Reiko flushed with embarrassment. "I... I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Your reflexes are pretty impressive. Even I can't
wake up that fast."
"Well... my father trained me that way. He would tap me first, and if I
didn't wake up immediately, he stomped on my stomach."
Tofu went a little pale, remembering what he had said to Ranma and Akane
the day before, while Reiko was still unconscious.
'No, you don't understand. I mean she's been hit there, again and again,
over a long period of time, without time to heal in between. It's caused
gradual damage to occur to her internal reproductive organs...
...I'd need to do more tests, but I don't think she will ever be able to
have children.'
Dr. Tofu cleared his throat. "Yes well... In any case, Ranma and Akane
are here to visit you, so I thought I'd wake you up."
"Thank you Doctor. Send them in."
"Hiya Reiko. How're you doing?" Ranma stepped in, waving hello. His arm
was still bandaged from the deep cuts Reiko had inflicted upon him during their
fight. Akane followed him, smiling.
"I feel great. Ready for round two?" She grinned at him.
Ranma gave her an odd look. "Er... I think I'll have to pass. My arm's
still throbbing and all."
"Aww, poor Ranma." Reiko teased. "Would you like to lie down in my bed?"
"Ex-CUSE me?" Akane exploded.
"After I got out of it, of course."
"Oh. Right. Of course." Akane said, slightly embarrassed.
"I think your real fiancée thinks I'm trying to steal you away, Ranma
dear."
"Hmph! You can have the pervert!" Akane snorted, before Ranma could
answer.
"Hey! Who're you calling a pervert, you kawaiikunee tomboy!"
"RRRRRR! Why is it whenever we meet someone new, you start right in
calling me uncute?"
Reiko looked back and forth at her visitors. "Um... guys?"
"'Cause I can't stand the idea of people thinking I'm attracted to a
sexless, flat-chested, tomboy chick like you."
"OOOH! DIE RANMA!" Akane screamed as she snatched up a steel bedpan from
a rack.
(Author's note: prepare yourselves for the most tasteless joke I've ever
written)
"No! Akane, wait. That's..." Reiko trailed off as Akane lifted the
bedpan over her head, intent on bringing it down on Ranma's skull. Cold, smelly
yellow liquid rained down on her.
"...The bedpan I used last night." Reiko finished lamely.
Akane dropped the bedpan and twitched in disgust. Ranma was actively
attempting not to smile... and failing.
"Um... I think there's a shower down the hall, Akane-chan." Reiko said
apologetically.
Akane wordlessly marched out, her arms held stiffly out to the sides, as
though any movement might cause the cold, smelly liquid to spread.
Reiko glanced at her other guest, who was turning blue. "Okay Ranma. You
can let it all out now."
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
*CLANG* A chair was thrown through the open doorway, connecting solidly
with the side of Ranma's head.
As Ranma slumped to the floor, Reiko shook her head in amazement.
"What an interesting couple."
When Akane returned in a hospital gown (which Dr. Tofu kept in stock) and
Ranma had woken up, the visit continued.
"So, what's the good Doctor said of my condition? Any chance I could go
home early?"
"I don't think so. Dr. Tofu understands how martial artists have a
stronger constitution than most. He probably took that into account when he
said three days." Ranma said.
"When you say 'home' you mean our house, right?" Akane asked.
"Well, yes. I hope I didn't seem too presumptuous."
"Oh, not at all! That's what we'd hoped. I was just afraid you had some
idea to go back to your father."
Reiko laughed. "Don't be silly! I'm not ready to go back to him yet."
Akane sighed in relief, then looked up. "Yet?"
"When I've trained enough, when I'm better than him, I'm going to kill
him. Not for his treatment of me, you understand, but for murdering my mother."
Akane couldn't think of anything to say. Ranma nodded in understanding.
Further conversation was interrupted as the East wall exploded inward.
When the dust cleared, Shampoo stood in the rubble, bonbori in hand.
"Ranma! Where is new obstacle?"
Shampoo was immediately knocked flat with a huge spatula.
"Ranma! What's this I here about you engaging yourself to yet another
fiancée?"
Ukyou was struck down by a girl in a dark leotard, who jumped onto her
shoulder and began twirling a ribbon in the air. Black rose petals flew
everywhere.
"Ranma darling! Say it's not true! Where is the fiendish monster-woman
who has ensnared you in a spell of lust?"
Shampoo and Ukyou hopped up, spilling Kodachi the Black Rose onto her
behind.
"What you talking? Shampoo no use lust potion in three whole months!"
"How dare you jump on me like that, you two-bit hussy!"
"Silence you knaves! Only I am worthy to court my darling Ranma!"
Reiko watched in open-mouthed amazement at the three squabbling girls who
burst into her room.
"Would I be right in assuming that these are your other three fiancées,
Ranma?" Reiko looked left and right. "Ranma?"
Akane, her face a tight mask of irritation, pointed down. Reiko found
Ranma hiding under her bed. She reached under and grabbed him by his ponytail.
"What the hell do you think your doing? Get out here and start
explaining!" Reiko growled.
Wow, Akane thought, she really runs hot and cold, doesn't she?
Reiko's little outburst served to draw the fiancées' attention from each
other, and back to their original objective. Shampoo conked both her rivals on
the head and faced Reiko.
"You girl what stand between Shampoo and Airen. You is obstacle. That is
for killing."
"Shampoo! Look, it's not like it sounds. It-" Reiko cut Ranma off with a
wave of her hand.
"Alright China-girl. If you want to fight, that's fine with me. I can't
afford to renounce my engagement to Ranma, so I'm not going to."
"Then I kill you."
Reiko smirked. "You may try, but I'd rather you not right now. As you
can see, I'm recovering from injuries. A fight now would be quite uneven, and
for you to win would be no great honour. Do you agree?"
"Is true." The Chinese girl relaxed her battle stance. "Shampoo agree to
kill you later."
"Quite noble of you. I should be ready to end you in about a week. Is
this acceptable?"
Shampoo smiled arrogantly. "Shampoo fight you then. Where place?"
"I'll be staying at the Tendo dojo, but anywhere you would like would be
acceptable."
"Tendo dojo is for good. I kill you in one week, Chimidoro Reiko."
Shampoo said, then sprinted out the door.
"What just happened?" Akane said.
"I think Reiko just promised to kill Shampoo."
"Don't worry, I don't think she should be too difficult to defeat. I'll
just-"
"You thief of hearts! You trollop! I will free my darling Ranma from
your lecherous clutches!" Kodachi was awake.
Reiko's eyebrow twitched. "Or die trying." She muttered. She raised her
voice and addressed Kodachi. "I'm indebted to Ranma, and I will remain his
fiancée. If you wish to challenge that, meet me at the Tendo dojo in eight
days. I'm not in any shape to be challenged today."
"Very well then. I shall liberate my darling Ranma in eight days. Be
well prepared." Kodachi skipped out of the clinic in a strange display of rose
petals and insane laughter.
"That one's just creepy." Reiko muttered. Ukyou began to stir. "And
here comes number three."
"Wait!" Ranma cried. "I... I mean... let me handle this one, okay?"
Reiko cocked her head. "For the honour of my school, I never turn down a
challenge. On the other hand, if you want to talk _her_ out of it, be my
guest."
Ranma nodded and gave Ukyou a hand up.
"Ukyou, are you okay?"
"I'm fine sugar, now where's that hussy that conned you into getting
engaged, AGAIN!"
Reiko smiled and waved.
Ukyou growled and was about to charge, but Ranma restrained her.
"Wait, Ukyou. Before you attack her, there's a few things you need to
hear first."
"What for?"
"Don't you at least want to hear how she became my fiancée?"
"Well... I suppose so."
"Come on. I just got my allowance, and I feel like some of the best
okonomiyaki in all Japan. How about it?"
Ukyou dropped her battle spatula in shock. "Ranma... you... you're..."
Ranma blinked. "I'm what?"
"You're actually paying!?"
"I think she's going into shock." Akane smirked.
"Better tell Doc Tofu to get another bed ready." Reiko chuckled.
"Hey!" Ranma yelled indignantly. "I've paid for food before!"
"Only when you had to." Akane said.
"RRR. Come on Ukyou, let's go." He pulled the slack-jawed okonomiyaki
chef through the hole in the wall.
"I wonder how much he'll order, now that he's putting down cash for it."
Reiko called after them.
"Probably a cup of tea." Akane chuckled.
"SHUT UP!"
After they left, Akane and Reiko were left alone.
"I wonder how they all found out? I never said anything. Ranma wouldn't
dare. And I know none of them have been to the house in the last couple of
days. Where..."
"Don't strain yourself, Akane-chan. I know exactly who leaked the
information. Someone who I used like some might throw dirt."
"Huh?"
"Hi everyone!" Nabiki said cheerfully, coming through the hole in the
wall instead of the doorway. "What did I miss?"
Reiko smirked and gestured towards the middle Tendo sister. "Speak of the
devil..."
***
Reiko attempted to sleep in her hospital bed later that night, but her
mind wouldn't rest.
She'd forgiven Nabiki for spreading the news of her and Ranma's semi-
engagement. She had used Nabiki like a tool in her match against Ranma; sending
her sprawling in his direction, and then attacking him while his hands were
occupied in catching the middle Tendo sister. Nabiki wasn't the type to enjoy
being used. Reiko said that if sending three assassins her way was enough for
Nabiki to consider them even, Reiko would forgive her and they both would let it
drop. Reiko didn't need another enemy.
She wished she could have trained during the day, but the Doctor had
forbid it. That was part of the reason she'd set her matches for a week later;
two days to heal and five to retrain. She wondered what training Akane did.
She seemed really nice, except to Ranma.
Maybe Reiko stood a chance at breaking the two of them up.
Her thoughts were interrupted as a person crept stealthily into the room.
Reiko feigned sleep. The tread was too light to be the Doctor, and she heard
the tiny hiss of cloth scraping across the floor, like a cloak or a cape. The
Doctor didn't wear anything like that.
The person threw back the cloak and raised a weapon above his/her head.
Reiko rolled off the small bed just as the mallet smashed down where her legs
used to be. Reiko's eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she could clearly see
the outline of a girl with a ponytail tied to one side, a cape around her
shoulders. Where had she seen that form before? Oh yes...
"Kodachi." Reiko growled, half from anger and half from the pain that
movement brought. "What happened to eight days for recovery?"
"Fear not, the date of the match still stands, I'm simply preparing myself
by knowing my competition. A reasonable precaution, I'm sure you'll agree."
"You're the first person I've met who considers an attempt to cripple a
person to be 'checking out' the competition." Reiko growled.
"You say to-meh-to, I say to-mah-to. DIE!" Kodachi swung the mallet.
Reiko grabbed the sheets from the bed and threw them into the air, blocking
her from view. Kodachi swatted the sheet away. Reiko was nowhere to be found.
Kodachi cursed herself for not waiting for her eyes to adjust before
attacking. She had just come in from the light of the street lamps. Searching
for the girl in this dimness was going to be difficult.
A hand tapped her shoulder. Kodachi spun.
A fist cracked across her jaw. Kodachi fell.
A voice snorted in derision. Kodachi passed out.
Dr. Tofu came in with breakfast the next morning, and nearly dropped the
tray. Reiko was sleeping soundly, a pleased smile on her face, just as he had
excepted her to be.
What he hadn't expected, was to find a girl in a leotard, bound with a
ribbon, hanging from the curtain rod that circled Reiko's bed. Actually, she
wasn't just hanging. The excess ribbon had been wound around her neck, and
then tied to the curtain rod. Kodachi had been hung at a height that just
allowed her to stand on the tips of her toes, and keep breathing. If she
relaxed, the ribbon would tighten and strangle her. Kodachi's eyes were red and
bloodshot. It had obviously been a long night for her.
"Um... Good morning Reiko." The doctor said, as he took The Black Rose
down and unwrapped her throat. The younger Kunou coughed and gasped as soon as
she was let down. "Would you mind explaining this?"
Reiko stretched leisurely. "I've never had such a restful night's sleep.
Must have been the scarecrow I put up."
Kodachi scowled at her. She tried to stand and failed. Dr. Tofu began to
massage her legs to unlock the calf muscles.
"As you can see, Doctor, I had a nocturnal visitor, who seemed determined
to give me some midnight exercise. I obliged her." What she hadn't mentioned was how much the movement had hurt.
"I see." Dr. Tofu said.
"Thanks for the fun, Kodachi-chan. Why don't you run home now, and I'll
see you in a week." Kodachi attempted standing again, finding the doctor's
hands had done their work, and picked up her stuff.
"You haven't heard the last of me, you evil, heartless, enemy of love!"
She dashed out the door, near tears.
"Oh my, 'enemy of love'? That's one I haven't heard before."
"I have this sick feeling, in the pit of my stomach, that you're going to
become one of my 'interesting' patients." The doctor muttered, shaking his head
and smiling.
"Ranma's got nothing on me. Now, how about that breakfast?"
***
"Morning Reiko. Sleep well?" Akane asked, as she stretched in her bed.
"Just fine." Reiko answered, stacking her folded bedding in the corner.
She was already dressed.
Akane rolled over to look at her clock. It said 7:01. "When did you wake up?"
"Around five. I spent the morning training with Ranma and Genma, in
preparation for today's match." Her voice had a sad touch to it, but Akane was
still too groggy to notice.
Akane nodded. Reiko had done the same every day for the last five, and
after she and Ranma left for school, Reiko apparently continued with their
fathers, or by herself. In regular sparring matches, she'd beat Ranma several
times.
"That girl is something else, boy." Genma had told his son in private.
"I want you to spar with her every chance you get. We can add her techniques to
our school's repertoire."
Ranma had just rolled his eyes, but secretly, he wanted to learn the
techniques as well.
Akane got out of bed and dressed. Rei, having nothing else to do, sat on
Akane's bed and watched.
"You know, it occurs to me," Reiko said, "we never set an actual time for
the match. She could show up anytime today. You said she doesn't go to school,
right?"
"True, but she'll probably be here pretty soon. Shampoo's not known as
the patient type." Akane said as she pulled on her school dress.
Reiko flopped back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. She'd exercised
enough already this morning. Any more and she'd risk being tired when Shampoo
arrived. On the other hand, if the Chinese girl showed up at noon, Reiko would
have lost many of the benefits of her warm-up.
She rolled her head to look at Akane again. "You know Shampoo better than
I. Any pointers?"
Akane straitened her dress in the mirror. "Well, if you beat
Ranma, than Shampoo should be an easy. Um... she's pretty acrobatic; likes to
jump around a lot when she fights. May or may not bring a pair of colourful
maces called bonbori."
Reiko nodded to herself, making a note of it. "Just because I beat Ranma
doesn't mean this girl's no threat. Skill is not the only determinant in a
fight. If I'm not prepared for her style; if she pulls some move that's so
unlike anything I've ever seen before, I might not recognize it as an attack
until it's too late. If her move was really flashy, I might even be so
surprised that I'd just stand there while she nailed me. Surprise is always an
advantage if you can use it right."
Akane sat beside Reiko on the bed to put on her socks as she thought about
that. Surprise, huh? Maybe there was some way she could use that against
Ranma...
Reiko frowned curiously as Akane began to smile to herself. She was about
to ask what was so amusing, when Akane hopped up and said cheerfully,
"Let's go get breakfast."
Reiko shrugged and followed her down.
***
Shampoo arrived precisely at 7:30 am. Her great-grandmother accompanied
her.
"Son in Law, what's this I'm hearing about you having a new fiancée, hmm?
Don't you have enough already?"
"Hey old ghoul! Mind your own business!" Ranma yelled.
"I believe I'm the girl in question." Reiko said calmly, as she stood up
from the breakfast table and stepped out into the yard. "Would you mind if I
asked what your involvement in all this is, old woman?"
"This Shampoo great-grandmother." Shampoo stated proudly. "Great
grandmother is elder of Amazon tribe, and great fighter."
Reiko raised an eyebrow. "Am I fighting her today, or you?"
"You fight Shampoo, of course!"
"Then what difference does it make how good a fighter your great-
grandmother is. No offense intended obaasan."
"None taken." The old woman smiled. "You have a valid point. Now, young
lady, if you don't mind; I'd like to know how you came to be the fiancée of my
Shampoo's bridegroom."
Reiko smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid that information is not your
business. However you should know that I am Ranma's fiancée, and I am not
willing to renounce that title under any circumstances. There should be no
confusion on that point."
"If Shampoo beat you, then you is no more Ranma fiancée!" Shampoo said.
Reiko shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I never said that, and I won't now
either. More is at stake here than simple pride."
Cologne frowned. "If this match is not over Son in Law, then why are you
two fighting?"
Reiko shrugged. "Your great-granddaughter challenged me. As the heir to
the Chimidoro no Ryuu School of Martial Arts, I never refuse any challenge."
Cologne seemed taken aback. "The B-Bloody Dragon school?"
Reiko nodded.
Shampoo looked at her great-grandmother curiously. "You know this girl
school, Great-grandmother?"
"Yes child, but just a moment." She turned back to Reiko, looking more
carefully at the red gi with its black trim. She now noticed the familiar
crest. "Tell me, student of the Chimidoro school, how long have you been
training?"
"I said 'heir', not student. And I have been trained almost from the time I could walk."
Cologne seemed very pale. "Oh Shampoo, I would not tangle with this one
if I were you."
"But Great-grandmother!" Shampoo protested.
"No child!" Cologne snapped. "If she has not agreed to stake her
engagement on the battle, then there is nothing to gain here but your death!"
Everyone seemed to stiffen. Death?
"Reiko, what is she talking about?" Akane asked, coming up behind the
dark girl. Reiko folded her arms and glared coldly at Shampoo as she spoke.
"What she's trying to tell her great-granddaughter, is that the Chimidoro
no Ryuu School is not one of those weak little commercial schools, who study and
teach the art for the money. We of the Bloody Dragon family follow the
teachings to their original purpose, to survive and win a battle to the death.
With a few special exceptions, all challenges accepted by the Chimidoro no Ryuu
School are to the death."
"You can't be serious!" Ranma said, the only one able to find words.
"What about our fight? That was a challenge."
Reiko nodded. "Since the purpose of the fight was to decide whether or
not I would marry you, that falls under the category of special exceptions."
She turned her raptor's gaze on the nervous Shampoo. "This does not."
"Let's not be hasty, my young friend." Cologne pleaded. "I think we have
much in common. Shampoo was engaged to Son in Law much the same way as
yourself. Now-"
"Shampoo no care where you train! You is obstacle! I defeat you Reiko
Chimidoro! Then Ranma is mine."
"As you wish," Reiko said coldly, "but keep in mind that the only way for
you to end my engagement to Ranma is to kill me." Reiko took up a battle
stance. "Begin!"
"Shampoo, NO!" Cologne screamed, but Shampoo ignored her. This girl was
an obstacle to her and Ranma's happiness. Her honor demanded she make good on
her challenge. Great-grandmother was probably just being over-cautious.
Reiko had said that she would have to kill her to get Ranma. Shampoo had
never actually killed anyone before, and was a little squeamish about the idea,
but she pushed that shameful emotion away. She swung the iron maces, her
bonbori, at Reiko's crimson form, trying to crush her skull.
Reiko nimbly avoided the heavy maces. The speed with which the Chinese
girl swung the weapons spoke of her impressive strength, but the weight of the
bonbori still slowed Shampoo's strikes a little.
And a little was more than enough.
Once she was sure she had Shampoo's rhythm, Reiko grasped Shampoo's
outstretched wrist and vaulted over the blow, using the extra pull of her grip
to add power to her kick as she sent the whole of her body weight into Shampoo's
chin.
Shampoo fell to the ground with a small cry, as Reiko landed beyond her.
Reiko turned halfway and watched the Chinese girl, putting a hand on her hip.
Akane hoped that would end the fight. She didn't like Shampoo, but even
the Chinese Bimbo didn't deserve to die over something so stupid. Akane thought
Reiko's watching expression seemed a little out of place. No anger, no
arrogance, no pity; she just looked... depressed.
Shampoo struggled to stand, fighting back the blackness that threatened to
overwhelm her. She barely made it to her feet. Reiko noted that she left the
bonbori on the ground. The Chinese girl wasn't completely stupid. She knew she
needed more speed than power now. Shampoo teetered a bit on her feet, still
dizzy.
Reiko took up a defensive stance and waited, giving Shampoo the time to
regain her balance. Shampoo seemed to take this as an act of pity, and was
insulted by it. She attacked Reiko like a mad animal, charging directly into
Reiko's fist. Shampoo's knees buckled, and Reiko grabbed her shirt in her left
hand, drawing back her right. The fingers curled into an unusual technique that
Akane couldn't recognize. Ranma didn't either, but he quickly grasped its
purpose.
Reiko's next blow would tear out Shampoo's throat.
"If you believe in gods, Shampoo, now is the time to pray to them." Reiko
said sadly. Her arm tensed.
"WAIT!" Ranma screamed.
Reiko looked at him. "What?"
"Don't kill her."
"Why not?"
"Because... well... she doesn't deserve it!"
"Maybe not, but she knew what she was getting into. I gave her every
opportunity to back out of it. I'm sorry Ranma," and she looked it, "but I have
no choice. The laws of the Chimodoro no Ryuu School are very clear on this
point."
"But... but..." Ranma struggled for a reason to stop this.
Shampoo used this opportunity to recover. She struck for Reiko's throat.
Reiko released her grip and caught the hand. The tips of the amazon's fingers
were millimetres from her throat. Too close. Reiko paused here for only a
fraction of a second, then her lightning fast hands were moving again.
Shampoo screamed as her elbow joint broke. The sound was cut off as
Reiko's backfist broke her nose, knocking her to the ground. Shampoo rose to
her hand and knees, her whole body shaking with pain.
Ranma whirled on the old woman. "Can't you stop this?"
"I'm afraid my hands are tied. Shampoo has given challenge and refused to
renege on it. This is a matter of honor; I cannot help her." Cologne said.
She closed her eyes, and a tear ran down her cheek.
Reiko advanced and pulled Shampoo upwards by her hair. She put one hand
across her throat, the other on the back of her head, in preparation of breaking
Shampoo's neck.
"No more, Shampoo. I won't drop my guard again. Do you have anything you
wish to say?" Reiko asked sadly.
Shampoo swallowed, choking back sobs.
"Sha-Shampoo... love... Ranma."
"I got it!" Ranma yelled. "You can't kill her!"
Reiko looked at him carefully. "And why not?"
Ranma smiled confidently. "Because I'm your future husband, and I say you
can't kill her, no matter what the laws of your school are. And, uh... Besides,
by our engagement, I'm the heir to the Chimidoro no Ryuu School and when the
school is mine, the laws will be mine to keep or change."
Reiko cocked her head curiously. "An interesting theory, but what gave
you the idea that I was the obedient, stereotypical Japanese housewife?"
Ranma faltered only a moment. "Uh... because if you fall out of favour
with me now, I can have our engagement annulled. Yeah!"
Reiko blinked at him, her hands still poised to wrench the Chinese girl's
head around backwards. Annulling the fake engagement was something Reiko
couldn't afford to do right now, and Ranma knew it. She looked at the trembling
girl whose life she literally held in her hands.
How many times had she been in this position?
How many times had she asked her father to let her stop?
How many times had she broke the neck, and then retched beside the corpse?
When had she stopped feeling ill?
When had she stopped asking her father to have mercy?
Reiko laughed. Everyone, tensely waiting for her reaction, was not
expecting this. Reiko let go of Shampoo, who leaned there with her head on
Reiko's lap for a moment, confused, before bolting like a frightened rabbit for
her great-grandmother's side.
Akane was the first to notice that Reiko's laughter had faded into sobs.
"Reiko..." She moved off the porch to the girl's side. She put a hand on
Reiko's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Reiko reached up and put a hand
over hers.
"Ranma..." Reiko began. She obviously wanted to say more, but she
couldn't through her tears.
Ranma came down from the porch and stood beside her. "Reiko... I'm sorry
I forced you to break your traditions, but..."
"No, Ranma, you don't understand..."
"Huh?"
"Thank you Ranma." Reiko said. "Thank you for stopping me. It's been a
long time... since anyone found a way."
Ranma couldn't think of anything to say.
Neither could anyone else.
***
Akane soaked in the tub, letting the stress of this morning seep out of
her body and into the hot water. She'd never have pegged Reiko for a killer.
Sure she was violent, but that was the result of her training. The rest of the
time she was quite pleasant.
The killing... was definitely not something Reiko seemed to enjoy, and
that was something of a relief. Obviously her father had forced her to kill
early on, making all her matches final. Now, at 17, Reiko no longer questioned
the need to kill her opponents. Her hesitation had been worked out of her.
But it still bothered her. That meant she was human.
A soft knock came on the screen door of the bath.
"Akane? Do you mind if I join you?" Reiko asked, in an almost timid
voice. It sounded so pitiful that Akane didn't even briefly consider refusing.
"Of course." She said cheerfully. "Come on in."
The door parted, and Reiko stepped through, a towel held loosely in front
of her. Akane watched her approach, looking over the girl's body. She noted
that the bruising of her abdomen was almost gone, but her body would always be
covered with the scars of her violent life.
Not unlike her soul, Akane thought.
Reiko washed herself economically, this time without any wincing. When
she was done, she slipped into the huge bath beside Akane. There was a silence
that grew more and more uncomfortable.
"After Shampoo left, I asked Ranma to repeat after me. Then I told him,
'Reiko Chimidoro, as your future husband, I command you never to kill another
person, unless your own life is in danger. I say this with the understanding
that if you go against my wishes, our engagement is off.' Then I promised to
obey his wishes. Okay, so he's not me real fiancé, and I'm never going to
marry him, but for now, I'm 'trapped' by 'his' ultimatum, and I don't have to
kill anyone else."
Akane nodded. "Good news. What about your father? Do you still intend
to kill him?"
Reiko smiled. "Oh yes. I'll kill him, and break my promise at the same
time. That means I'm no longer engaged to Ranma, so I'm free. No more men will
have any hold on me anymore, not even a friendly one like Ranma has. I'll be
completely free to go where I choose, do what I choose, and be who I choose."
"I'm happy for you." Akane said hesitantly. Reiko picked up on it.
"You don't sound happy. What's bothering you?"
Akane fidgeted. "Nothing. It's just... this whole killing your father
thing. I can't even imagine it."
"Your father is a kind and gentle man. You know mine is not. You can't
imagine the things I've seen him do, that I've had to do for him." Reiko
trailed off, obviously not wanting to describe anything in detail.
Silence reigned for a moment.
"Reiko, did your father ever... touch you... in a..."
Reiko smirked. "I'm not a six-year-old, Akane. Just ask if he ever
molested me."
"Uh..." Akane's face burned. She didn't want to put anything so personal
to words.
"The answer is no. His abuse was only physical... and verbal. My father
lives by a very rigid, if disturbing, moral code. Incest is out, and so is
rape, with the exception of the unfortunate woman who married him. She was his
to rape whenever, and however violently, he felt like it. Prostitutes too, once
they were paid."
Akane look ill.
"Anyway, let's talk about something more pleasant. Tell me about your
family, Akane."
"Well... you've been here almost a week now. What do you want to know?"
Reiko thought about it for a moment. "Tell me about your mother." She
asked softly.
Akane took a deep breath. "Well... I can't remember her all that well. I
was only about five when she died. She was sick, I don't remember what with,
but... she was in bed for weeks before it ended. Daddy kept telling me she was
in no pain. He cried a lot. He was calmer back then, but after she died, he
seemed to worry all the time and get upset about everything."
"He'd lose his temper?"
"No no. I mean he breaks down and sobs. He's very high-strung these
days, and emotional. I guess it's not so bad. Nabiki keep saying how easy it
is to manipulate him, not that _I_ ever do, but..."
Reiko smiled. "How did your sisters take her death? That's when Kasumi
started doing all the cooking and everything, right?"
Akane smiled nostalgically, leaning her arms on the edge of the bath.
"Yeah, she's amazing. She didn't shed a tear at Mom's bedside. She just took
care of her, and Dad. Later though, after Mom died, I remember walking past her
room at night and hearing her crying herself to sleep.
"Nabiki... Nabiki turned hard. I mean, she cried for Mom and everything,
but... inside, she just got all cynical, and material. She took over the family
finances. She's got a dozen scams going on at school in any given week. Making
money. I've seen her do a few things just for her own amusement, but other than
that, she seems to get more pleasure out of making deals, conning people out of
money, that sort of thing." Akane laughed. "One of her ongoing scams is
selling racy pictures of Ranma's girl form to the guys at school."
"His WHAT?"
***
The next day, Reiko faced off against Kodachi in the Tendo's yard. To be
honest, Reiko was surprised she showed. After being handled so easily a week
ago in the clinic, Kodachi was either very brave or completely insane. The
Martial Arts Gymnast had brought a friend, similarly attired in a leotard, who
carried a bag of Kodachi's 'special' tools.
"Fear not Ranma Darling. I'll free you from this vicious harlot's
clutches! OHOHOHOHOHO!"
Definitely insane, Reiko decided as that disturbing laugh made everyone
cringe.
"All right! Shut up already!" Reiko said. "Fortunately for you, I've
promised not to kill my opponents any more. So you can relax. In fact, you can
collapse. Allow me to introduce you the ground." She took up a defensive
stance. Kodachi did the same, ribbon in hand.
Akane saw a big difference in Reiko's attitude today. She was smiling.
Fighting was fun now, since it didn't have such a serious conclusion.
"Prepare to suffer, you-"
"Shaddap!" Reiko groaned. "Let's get to it." She attacked.
They danced around for a while, Kodachi using her ribbon to keep Reiko at
a distance. After a while of this, Reiko got bored and caught the ribbon. She
smirked at Kodachi as the gymnast pulled and flicked the ribbon in a vain
attempt to free it.
Eventually she dropped it and called to her subordinate for her clubs.
Reiko smiled and waited politely with her hands folded behind her back until
Kodachi got them. As Kodachi charged, striking rapidly with the clubs, Reiko
simply dodged the blows by shifting her head or body from side to side. She
kept her hands behind her back the whole time. Her smile was beginning to
irritate the Black Rose.
Kodachi depressed the switch hidden on the handle of her club. Reiko gave
a small cry as a line of blood split open on her cheek. She jumped backward towards the big tree to reassess the situation. She saw the spikes retreat into
the club again as Kodachi released the button.
Now the Black Rose was the one who smiled. Reiko frowned. She dabbed at
the blood on her cheek with her fingers. Fortunately the cut wasn't very deep;
it probably wouldn't scar.
Reiko smiled, unkindly. "Not bad, 'Black Rose'. You took me by surprise.
Can you do it again?"
"We shall see, miscreant!"
Kodachi attacked, Reiko jumped up and vaulted off the tree, over her
opponent's head. Kodachi missed and her club lodged its spikes deep into the
tree's trunk. Pulling it free seemed unlikely.
Kodachi abandoned the club and switched the other to her right hand. She
prepared herself for an attack.
"You've been fun to play with, Kodachi, but I think I'll end this now, if
you don't mind. My breakfast is getting cold."
Reiko leapt into the air. "HIGI RYUUSEISHOU!"
Sitting with everyone else on the porch, Ranma's eyes widened. "That...
that's the technique that Herb uses." He murmured in surprise, wondering how
the Chimidoro school had learned the technique from the tribe of the Nyanniichuan-cursed dragon-boy... or perhaps, how Herb had learned it from the
Chimidoros.
Reiko's body glowed with the power of her ki, as she swooped down and
struck the Black Rose's stomach with all the force her bodyweight and ki could
combine to give.
The younger Kunou's eyes crossed with pain, before she pitched foreword on
her face.
Reiko stood over the unconscious girl and raised a hand to strike. She
paused and blinked. "Oh yeah, I don't have to do that anymore." She said
sheepishly as she lowered her hand and waved Kodachi's nervous-looking assistant
to the gymnast's fallen body. The girl eagerly ran forward to check Kodachi
for serious injuries.
Reiko returned to the breakfast table, happy to find her rice was still
fairly warm.
"Say, Reiko?" Ranma asked eagerly.
"Um?" Reiko grunted, her mouth full.
"That technique you just used, the Higi Ryuuseishou, do you think you
could teach it to me?"
Reiko swallowed her rice and looked at him. "Ranma, I thought I already
made this clear; the techniques of the Chimidoro no Ryu School are secret, and
can only be passed down through the family. Even if we are engaged to each
other, because of our... arrangement, it would be unethical for me to teach you
our school's secrets."
"Yeah I know, but this technique isn't unique to your school. There was
this guy from China I met who used the same technique, so it wouldn't be a real
secret you'd be teaching me, right?"
Rei thought he looked like a little kid at Christmas, so excited and
hopeful. "I don't know, Ranma. You've only seen the Higi Ryuuseishou in
action. Actually teaching you how to do it is something a little different..."
"Aw com'n! We're supposed to be getting married, officially. If we were
engaged for real you'd be teaching me the techniques, right? What if your
father comes back?"
Reiko slid next to him on her knees, taking Ranma's hand. "Oh Ranma!
Are you saying that you want to marry me for real?"
"Huh?" Ranma said.
"WHAT?" Akane roared, coming back from seeing the gymnast and her
unconscious burden to the front gate. She grabbed Ranma by his shirt collar.
"I turn my back for five minutes and you start acting like a pervert again. I
DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"
"Wait! Akane, it's not what it looks-"
*BASH*CRUNCH*KERPOW*
Reiko turned happily back to her unfinished breakfast. "Thanks Akane-
chan. His whining about my techniques was getting annoying."
"I'm impressed." Nabiki smiled as she sat down across from Reiko.
"It's nothing." Reiko said, taking a bite of her salad. "Actually, he
might have a point. If my father visits (not that he'd break his agreement to
stay off your father's property) he'd expect me to be teaching Ranma our
school's techniques."
Reiko added more mayonnaise and chewed her salad thoughtfully. "If I had
to teach him one, I'd guess it'd be the Higi Ryuuseishou, because he already
knows about it."
"Hmm. Are you going to teach him that 'Dragon Claw' thing too?" Akane
asked.
"You mean the Ryuunotsume? I guess by that logic, I could. On the other
hand, It's a much more advanced technique, so I might have to teach him other
techniques before he can master it. Sort of like stepping stones, leading up to
the Ryuunotsume. More than that though, the Ryuunotsume is a technique
characteristic to our school alone. It's sort of like a calling card, or a
signature. To teach it to someone outside our school would be like giving your
family name to people you meet on the street. But the Higi Ryuuseishou..."
Reiko grabbed Ranma and slapped him awake. "Hey Ranma!"
"Wha..."
"I'll teach you the Higi Ryuuseishou, if you teach me the Hiryuu Shotenha.
Deal?"
"Uh, sure. No problem. Thanks a lot, Reiko." He said happily, as he
picked himself up.
***
Training for both of them began the next day. Ranma would teach the
Hiryuu Shotenha before school, and Reiko would teach the Higi Ryuuseishou in the
afternoon.
"The essence of the Higi Ryuuseishou is to spread your ki around your
entire body, to make it into a living weapon, like a thrown spear." Reiko
lectured Ranma, as the two stood in a shallow part of the river in a nearby
park. The water came only a few inches above their ankles.
Genma and the Tendos sat on a blanket nearby, making a picnic out of it.
Since Ranma was being taught the technique directly, and it would therefore become part of the Saotome style, Genma felt no need to study the training, and lazily contented himself with playing shogi with Soun.
"You've already mastered a way to focus ki through your hands: your Mouko
Takabisha." Reiko continued. "This is the same thing, but more difficult. You
have to extend your ki around your whole body, and you have to be able to move
things with that ki."
"Things like what?" Ranma asked.
"In the actual technique? Air. You have to part the air in front of you
and pull it behind you suddenly, thereby pulling your body through the air and
shooting toward your opponent."
"Sort of like swimming."
"Right, except air's too light for you to pull yourself just by moving
your arms or legs. You need to use your ki to get a grip on it. You've
seen that the Higi Ryuuseishou begins with a jump. Once you've got the height,
you need to whip around in the air and then shoot in the other direction."
"So what's the first step?"
"We're going to start with water, then you can move up to air."
"But air's lighter than water. Wouldn't that be easier?"
"Sure, but if you can move the water fast enough, air should be a piece of
cake. Besides, how are you going to know for sure that the air's moving if you
can't see it? You need something visual to start with." She moved into a high
stance, placing her hands in a meditative position.
"Right." Ranma nodded. Sensing that the lecture was over and the
demonstration about to begin, she took up a similar position facing her.
Reiko closed her eyes and concentrated. Ranma kept her eyes open to
watch. The water around her legs swirled, and her long hair began to float
upwards.
The Tendos were now paying close attention to the display. Genma moved a
few pieces on the shogi board and then looked as well.
Reiko began to growl. It was a low noise beginning in the back of her
throat. It rose in pitch and the swirling of the water around her ankles
increased accordingly. Finally, she gave a fierce yell, a kiai, and the water
exploded around her, spraying up almost as tall as the trees.
Reiko was panting when the water splashed down again.
Ranma was sitting in the water with her mouth open, where she had been knocked over.
"Amazing!" Akane whispered.
"Not bad at all." Genma agreed.
"Saotome, maybe we should join in the lesson. After all, what have we to lose but the flab collecting around our waists?" Soun pondered aloud.
"But what about our game?" Genma returned.
"Oh, quite right Saotome. We can always give it a shot later. Now, who's
turn was it?"
"You- I mean, it's my turn."
Ranma gave the technique a shot, and managed to make some bubbles in the
water around her ankles.
"Stop focusing on the water." Reiko counseled. "Focus on your ki. The
water should just be a side effect."
Ranma nodded and tried again, and succeeded in getting the water to swirl
around her ankles like it did for Reiko.
"Good, now shoot the ki up in a big blast."
"Um... I think I did." Ranma muttered.
"We got some work to do." Reiko sighed.
***
End of Chapter two.
That's two down, and ?? left to go.
One of my pre-readers suggested I give this thing a little more of a lemon
sent. There's certainly room for it to head that way. I'm not sure how I feel
about writing that sort of thing (got no problem reading it, mind you :)), I've
always left the sex mostly "off-camera".
"To @%#& or not to @%#&, that is the question." And I put it to you
readers. Give me your opinion by the Email address at the bottom. If I do turn
this into a lemon, I promise it will be tasteful, and it will still have a plot.
I actually attempted to write a lemon once, just to expand my range. It
didn't turn out quite like I planned it, but it was very entertaining. I'll
either post it somewhere or Email it to individuals on request. I haven't
decided yet. I called it "H-Trek" (but it has absolutely nothing to do with
Star Trek). Let me know if you want to read it.
Opinion's criticized (and considered): simply send yours to:
Hinoron@hotmail.com
Ja matta!