Disclaimer:
Megaman X character designs belong to Capcom. I'm just borrowing 'em, guys. I'll have 'em power washed before I bring 'em back. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em. Ranma characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just borrowing 'em, Rumiko-san. I'll have 'em power washed before I return 'em. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em.
Flashfyre5 Presents
A Flaming Amarant production
In association with Digital Wizardry Studios, Minnesota
The Opening Bet
Chapter Two: The Divine Wind
" " = speech
[ ] = panda board
= thought
/ / = written
* * * * * *
"I am Genma Saotome," stated the overweight man that had joined Soun. He was seated at the kitchen table, with Ranma sitting on his left, Soun around the corner on his right, and the three Tendo girls sitting across from him.
"And I'm Ranma, his son," Ranma added.
"Son?" Nabiki asked, eyeing 'his' figure.
"I was born a guy. Don't push it," Ranma warned in return, giving the middle Tendo an evil look.
"So why are you a woman now?" Nabiki asked flatly, obviously hot believing Ranma.
"Well, my idiot father here decided to take me to a training ground with a bunch of cursed springs. I kinda sorta fell into one," Ranma explained.
"Aah, Jusenkyo. Until now, I'd never truly comprehended it's horrors," Soun said solemnly.
"Truly, it was exactly as the Master described it," Genma added sagely. Ranma struck a disbelieving expression.
"You mean," he said, turning to his father, "That you knew about Jusenkyo before we got there?"
"Well, I'd, err, heard of it in passing...," Genma stammered. Ranma was struck dumb for a second. Fortunately, this second was seized upon.
"Mr. Saotome, how could you?" Kasumi asked harshly, a look that might have been anger on her face.
"Taking your son to a cursed training ground when you KNEW that it was cursed?" Nabiki practically screamed. Quietly, Ranma stood up and walked to the kitchen. Nobody except for Akane noticed, and she said nothing. Meanwhile, Genma was sheepishly nodding, and looking for some cold water, so he could trigger his curse. "You engage your son before he's even born, drag him across China, then give him a curse when you know the consequences? Just how dumb are you?!" Nabiki continued.
"Too stupid to live," a quiet, feminine voice said from the direction of the kitchen. Everyone turned to see Ranma, standing in ht kitchen doorway, holding the kettle of steaming water that she's put on earlier. Genma, seeing this combination and knowing exactly what it meant, began to desperately back away.
"Now, Ranma, let's be reasonable here," he urged desperately.
"Reasonable?" Ranma asked, advancing upon her father. "Was it reasonable for you to take me away from my mother when I was five? Was it reasonable for you to put me through the Goddamned Cat-fist? Was it reasonable for you to get me cursed? No, Pop, we left reasonable when we left Momma," Ranma growled, raising the kettle as she spoke. Nabiki, having heard about the springs from her father and having seen the blue robot from earlier, put two and two together and, as was usual for her, came up with four.
"Ranma, the others didn't see you long enough to know, but I saw your other form. Don't do this; you'll kill him!" Nabiki pleaded, knowing what kind of power her sister had. This young girl, in her other form, had fought Akane to a standstill.
"Give me one good reason why not!" Ranma demanded, her knuckles whitening on the handle of the kettle.
"Where would you go if you did?" Nabiki asked. "If you kill him, everyone will know about you, in both forms. You'd be hunted for the rest of your life, never knowing a home or a family. Do you want that?"
"No," Ranma said quietly, "but that's the life that I get. I can't even go home to my mother now; my stupid Pop just told me that I signed a contract with her when I was a kid. If I'm not a 'man among men,' then I have to commit seppuku. No matter which form I'm in, I'm screwed. Soon as this engagement is dissolved, we'll get kicked out and keep on wandering till one or both of us die. Life aint fair, and it really aint fair to me."
"What if you had a home?" Akane suddenly spoke up. "Somewhere you could stay as long as you liked, with people who care about you?"
"Maybe then. Too bad my Pop screwed that up for me," Ranma snarled.
"Daddy! Let Ranma and his father stay here until they want to leave," Akane suggested. "We were going to do the same thing for the engagement anyway, weren't we?"
"We were," Soun mused, looking worriedly at his best friend. "Ranma, I'll make you a deal. If you leave Genma be, I'll put you both up indefinately." This, unsurprisingly, shocked Ranma, who lowered the kettle ever so slightly.
"As long as I want?" Ranma queried, a shadow of hope on his face.
"As long as you want, providing that Genma is forgiven whatever crime that you're so angry about," Soun declared. Inwardly, Nabiki smiled, just a little. Yes, indeed, this was her father. Ranma, meanwhile, was warring between the desire to kill his father and some unknown longing that he'd had for as long as he could remember. His Pop had called it homesickness, and a weakness, but it had never left Ranma, no matter how much he tried to squash it.
"Deal," Ranma finally said, dropping the kettle. Everyone, especially Genma, breathed a sigh of relief at his decision. "Don't think you're off the hook yet, Pop," Ranma growled. "You might've just gotten away with Jusenkyo, but You've got a lot to answer for otherwise." With that, he dropped the kettle to the floor with a loud *clang*, and stalked outside. After a minute, Akane followed him. Kasumi, sensing that the conflict was over, went back to her kitchen to begin preparations for a late dinner.
"Well, now that that crisis is over, I can get onto the taxes," Nabiki grumbled, rising. She turned and jogged up the stairs, hoping to finish the organizing that she had to do before she could start. Soun, at Genma's silent gesture, kept silent until his daughters had left.
"Are you sure about what Ranma said?" Soun asked. "I'm not quite sure as to what she could do to hurt someone like you, but you seemed so afraid. Why?"
"Her other form is Changed. Unlike my ignorant daughter, I paid attention to the news when we got home. I know what he can do when he's a robot, and I'm not anxious to have it done to me," Genma explained. "Anyway, Jusenkyo was the only incident where I knew what I was getting myself into, so Ranma'll just fight a bit harder in our sparring sessions. A few bruises, nothing more."
"Aaah," Soun said, understanding. "So that was the blue blur from earlier."
"Going into the pond? Yes, that was her. In any case, I think that it's agreed that forcing the engagement now would be rather counterproductive," Genma said.
"It is," Soun agreed, tearing up. "Now the schools will never be joined! Waaaahhh!!" he wailed.
"Calm down, Tendo," Genma commanded. "We may not be able to force the engagement this generation, but there's always the next." Suddenly, Soun cleared up, hope dawning in his eyes. "Sooner or later, Ranma will have to accept that she's a woman, in every way, and take the necessary steps," Genma continued. "We will have grandchildren, provided that you can get one of your daughters married and with child. Then, we transfer the engagement to the next generation. With any luck, we'll see the schools united by the time we die!"
"What a spectacular plan!" Soun exclaimed. "I take it, then, that we should find fiancees for our respective daughters?"
"Exactly," Genma agreed. "It's a foolproof plan!"
* * * * * *
Outside, Akane sneezed, and wondered who was talking about her. Sighing, she set that thought aside and continued to look around the Tendo compound, even though she'd already checked every place in and around it. Suddenly, a touch of inspiration hit her and she looked upward, at the Tendo roof. Positioning herself near it, she crouched, then leapt upwards with all her mechanized might. Though impressive, it was hardly enough to get her onto the roof. Thus, at the top of her jump, she fired her dash jets, propelling herself straight upwards with enough force for her to soar right over the edge of the house and land with relative lightness on the edge of the roof. Immediately, she noticed Ranma, who was staring at Akane as if she'd grown an extra head.
"Umm... hi," Akane said, suddenly self-conscious.
"What're you doing up here?" Ranma asked, sitting up.
"Looking for you," Akane explained, walking over to Ranma as softly as she could. "What are you doing up here?"
"Thinking," Ranma sighed, lying back down. Akane seated herself next to the redhead, looking up at the stars.
"About what?" she finally asked.
"Me. My Pop. My life," Ranma said, not looking at the robotic girl sitting next to her.
"What do you mean?" Akane returned, lying down and gazing out at the same patch of sky as Ranma.
"I dunno," Ranma answered. "Just... so much seems different now. I always thought that Pop was just really dumb, cuz he never read all the instructions. He did a lot of really dumb stuff, too. Now, I'm not sure how much he knew about and decided to go with anyway."
"Oh," Akane said, after a pause. A moment of silence passed, as both looked at the stars, not knowing what to say.
"I mean," Ranma finally continued, "everything we ever did was in the name of the Art. Ever since I can remember, we were going from place to place, doing all the training we could, learning how to perfect the Art. I guess it never really bothered me at the time, but I never really had a home, or a real friend." At Akane's shocked expression, he amended, "Well, sure, I knew people, and I even made friends with a few. Problem was, we always left after a week or two, so I never could really make any real friends." Akane mulled over this for a while, looking at Ranma instead of the stars. Ranma just stared upwards, thinking.
"You have a home, now," Akane finally said, prompting Ranma to look over at her.
"Only till your old man throws me out," Ranma countered.
"No, he'll keep his word. Besides, I was going to ask Dad to let you stay, even if that whole thing with the teakettle hadn't happened," Akane stated.
"Maybe," Ranma conceded, looking away. Another minute passed in silence, as Akane turned her gaze upwards again. "Lot of stars up there, aren't there?" Ranma finally said.
"Yeah," Akane agreed.
"Kinda makes you lonely, ya know? When I was on the road, I loved that stars. They were just about the only things that stayed the same, no matter where I went. They reminded me of Pop, always there and about as reachable as the moon. Now, what with Pop and all, it just feels empty, like one of the things that you count on every day suddenly isn't there anymore. You know, like you're all alone in the world," Ranma confessed.
"Like you're without a friend," Akane said.
"Yeah," Ranma agreed. Then, Akane rolled over to face Ranma, who turned her head to look at Akane.
"I'm Akane. Want to be friends?" Akane asked, holding out her hand. Ranma smiled and took it, gratefulness in her eyes.
"Friends. I haven't had one of those in a long time," Ranma said, a small smile dancing on her face.
"Well, you do now," Akane said. Both smiling, they continued to watch the stars.
* * * * * *
"School?" Ranma asked, confused. She was sitting in a tank top and boxer shorts, looking at her father as if he'd grown an extra head.
"Yes, school," Genma confirmed. "We're going to be living here for a while, even if you aren't marrying any of the Tendo daughters, so I believe that you should start attending school again." he thought,
"Whatever, Pop," Ranma gave in, sensing that her old man had something else that he wasn't telling her. "Where am I gonna go to school?"
"At the same school as me and Nabiki," Akane said, sticking her head into the room. For once, she was wearing her helmet, and the sight of the young warrior girl captivated Ranma for a split second before he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Really? Cool!" Ranma said, grinning. Suddenly, she realized something. "I don't have any school supplies."
"That's okay," Akane said. "You're in my class, so we can share for today. We'll get you some stuff after school." She looked up at the clock. "Uh-oh! We're gonna be late!" With that, Akane ran from the room and charged out of the house.
"Okay," Ranma agreed, rising. She grabbed her favorite Chinese shirt, a red silk one with real gold clasps, and a pair of black cotton pants that were a bit large for her frame as it was. However, they had to be this big, just in case she got accidentally splashed by hot water. Dressing quickly, she made her way downstairs. Grabbing a pork bun and a bento left on the kitchen counter for her, she dashed out the front door. Using her fast, lithe body to her advantage, Ranma was soon able to catch up to Akane, and hopped up on top of the fence next to her, matching her stride for stride.
"Why are you up there?" Akane asked, turning a corner. Ranma followed suit.
"It's great balance practice," Ranma said between breaths. "You should try it sometime."
"My feet are just a little too big, don't you think?" Akane teased.
"Maybe," Ranma replied seriously. "Maybe not." They continued on in silence for a bit, Ranma eating her pork bun, until the school came into view.
"Hate Kuno, hate Kuno, hate Kuno, hate Kuno," Akane chanted under her breath as they drew nearer to the building. Reaching over her left shoulder, she withdrew a cylinder from a holding place on her back.
"Huh?" Ranma asked as her chanting grew loud enough for her to hear. However, Ranma never got her answer, as Akane charged through the front gates of Furinkan Senior High. Inside, a robot stood, waiting for Akane. He was tall, almost six feet, and silver from head to toe. Fluid of design, as if he were one great mirror, stretched and contorted into a humanoid, he stood tall and proud, a long katana blade sprouting from his right wrist. Lining the edges of his various parts were bands of gold, shining in the morning sun. From his back grew two great, silver wings, articulated like a birds. He wore an ornate helmet and had the look of a nobleman on his face. Ranma decided to stand back and watch from the school wall.
"Aaah, the fair Akane Tendo, I greet thee this morn," he said to Akane, who was standing across from him, the cylinder held like the hilt of a katana.
"Just get it over with, Kuno," Akane said, her tone obviously disgusted. Ranma decided to jump down and investigate.
"Hey, who's this bozo?" Ranma asked Akane, standing behind her.
Before Akane could speak, the other robot jumped in. "I, fair maiden, am the high champion of the high school Kendo club. Foes tremble at the sight of me, for I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Divine Wind of Furinkan High! You may adress me as the noble Sword Angel, however, good maiden."
"Sword Angel?" one of Nabiki's friends said,
"That's a new one on me," admitted the infamous moneymaker herself.
"Is this guy for real?" Ranma asked incredulously.
"Unfortunately, yes," Akane said. "He decided that the only way that I, in my 'maidenly virtue,' would let him date me would be for him to beat me."
"He can't can he?" Ranma asked, noticing the gathering rain clouds.
"Nope," Akane replied, a small grin on her face. Suddenly, the cylinder in her hand spat out a blade of green energy, and Akane charged Kuno, attacking with the fury of a woman scorned. Kuno, for all his glorious Kendo titles, was hard-pressed to defend himself from the furious attacks of his 'love.' The two, in their fighting, slashed down a tree, and tore a wall to shreds. Finally, Akane ended the fight with a powerful side kick to Kuno's chest, which sent him sailing over the school wall and out of the established boudaries of the fight.
"Well," Akane said, putting away her sword, which was now reduced to a mere hilt again. "Let's get to class."
"All right," Ranma agreed, making a note to ask her about her sword later.
* * * * * *
"This is Ranma Saotome," the teacher said, introducing Ranma, who fidgeted at the front of the class. "She and her father just returned from China. However, this does not excuse the fact that both you and Akane Tendo were late. Both of you, take the buckets and stand in the hall." Ranma sighed and grabbed a pair of buckets, which sat at the doorway. She noticed that Akane had risen from her seat, and was following suit. There were a judicious amount of whispering as the two walked out, but Akane just ignored it, her head hung. Soon, she joined Ranma in the hallway, holding a pair of buckets.
"What was with all the whispering?" Ranma asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
"They were gossiping at us. They said that someone else was a robot lover," Akane said, sighing.
"Really? Who?" Ranma asked. Akane turned and stared at her companion, disbelieving. Ranma suddenly blushed.
"They were talking about me, weren't they?" she asked, felling stupid.
"Yeah," Akane confirmed. "I'm really sorry about this. I'd hoped to keep your reputation intact for longer than one period. Now it looks like you're stuck with me, Yuka, and Saryu."
"Aaah, it's okay," Ranma said. "You're my friend. I don't really care what they think." At this, Akane relaxed, leaning back on the wall. Her bucket accidentally knocked against Ranma's and it sloshed over onto her. Unfortunately, the teacher had filled the buckets with lukewarm water, and it was enough to trigger Ranma's transformation.
"Aww, man," he exclaimed, dismayed. "Do you know where the bathrooms are?" I gotta go find some cold water."
"Yeah, they're down a floor and- Ranma, look out!" Akane yelled. Ranma turned and ducked to the side, just in time to avoid a vicious overhead slash from Kuno. A loud rip could be heard, and Ranma's shirt tore in half.
"Who are you that talks so familiarly with Akane?" Kuno demanded.
"Dammit, you ruined my favorite shirt!" Ranma exclaimed. A number of people were now leaning out of nearby classrooms, curious at this spectacle. "I'm err... uhh...," he said, noticing all the people around him and not wanting to blow his cover quite yet. "X! Yeah, that's it, X. In any case, I'm gonna beat the tar outta you for doing that."
"X? Surely, that is the name of a knave. Good Akane, surely you do not deign to associate with such a base and dishonorable creature," Kuno stated haughtily.
"All right, THAT'S IT!" Ranma shouted, and knocked Kuno out of the window with a powerful roundhouse kick. He followed, leaping out the window after his prey.
"Ranma, this is the third floor!" Akane called after him, just as he discovered this fact for himself. Kuno, however, was unimpressed, and flew just out of Ranma's reach. Ranma himself fell like a rock, and landed with a loud *crash* right next to the pool.
"Whew, that was close," he breathed, turning to face Kuno, who hovered at the third floor.
"Foolish knave, you cannot hope to defeat me, for I am the Divine Wind of Furinkan High, Tatewaki Kuno!" Kuno declared, a bolt of lightning punctuating his statement. Ranma used the time to build up a charge in his arm cannon.
"An' I'm X, the Blue Bomber of wherever the Hell I choose to be," Ranma made up on the fly, raising his arm to point at Kuno. With that, he retracted his hand and loosed a great bolt of plasma, which struck Kuno squarely on his left wing joint, shearing it off. Kuno fell to the ground unceremoniously. He rose slowly, badly unbalanced by the loss of his wing.
"You shall pay for that," Kuno said softly, standing tall again.
"Put it on my tab," Ranma sneered. Prevented from hurting his father, and still boiling from the panda's offenses, Ranma needed to vent badly. He had just found a target to vent upon, and vent he did. "You insulted my honor, and I'm gonna get you fer that. Besides, what kind of 'honorable' guy attacks a girl to get a date with her?" Ranma asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. By the time he'd stopped speaking, Kuno was trembling with rage.
"I shall smite thee!" he screamed as loudly as he could, and charged at Ranma. Ranma flipped backwards, his boots catching Kuno in the jaw, stunning him. Ranma used the time to recover and back away some more, eyeing the keen edge of the katana with a bit of fear. He sensed that it was no ordinary metal, and would cut through his armor just as easily as it would flesh. Besides, he'd seen it shear down a tree in one slash earlier that morning. "You run from me, coward?!" Kuno taunted, hoping to get a rise out of Ranma. Ranma, with both his honor and courage insulted, could no longer contain himself.
"Okay, now you die," Ranma stated, and charged forward, enraged. Kuno tried to get the katana up to block, but Ranma was too fast, and opened his assault with a vicious uppercut to the gut. Kuno felt his armor creak as it absorbed the blow, and his respect for his opponent went up a notch. Ranma followed his opening blow with a barrage of attacks to Kuno's torso, even as the silverclad boy tried to get his katana into a defensive position. He finally gave up on defense, and struck Ranma a nasty jab in the side of his stomach. Ranma winced, and grabbed the katana, holding it by the flat of the blade. With one swift, decisive move, he brought his hand down on the side of it, hard. It snapped cleanly, leaving Kuno defenseless as Ranma continued his assault. Ranma finally kicked Kuno hard, in the groin, sending him upwards a good foot. His arm cannon charged once again, Ranma unleashed a great burst of plasma into the robot at point blank range. It exploded upon contact with Kuno's chest, sending him far across the schoolyard, smoking the whole way. He landed with a loud *crash*, and did not rise.
Ranma, yanking the remains of Kuno's sword from his belly, suddenly noticed the eerie silence that had descended upon the school, and looked around. From all three floors, people were staring at him, with expressions of awe, terror, and loathing on their faces.
"He beat Kuno," someone said. Slowly, a murmur rose among the student populous as they discussed the implications of this.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, bursting out the school doors. "Are you all right?" she asked, running to his side.
"Ranma?" One student from their class asked. "Wasn't she a girl?"
"Yeah, and human too," agreed another.
"Weird," stated a third. The other two nodded.
"I'm just fine," Ranma said, clutching his side. Akane pried his had away from the wound and inspected it.
"We're going to have to get you to a doctor. When you change back, this is going to bleed really badly," Akane decided. "C'mon, I know a doctor that lives right nearby." With that, she dragged Ranma from the school grounds.
* * * * * *
"Dr. Tofu! Dr. Tofu!" Akane called, entering the small clinic with Ranma in tow, who was now thinking that Akane had been right. The slash was right on the edge of his torso, and hurt like Hell.
"Akane! I haven't seen you for a while," Tofu said, walking out of an examination room. "Who's your friend? I haven't seen a blue Reploid around here before."
"Reploid?" Ranma asked.
"That's what some scientist dubbed us," Akane said hurriedly. "We're not really robots, because we don't have to follow the Rules of Robotics."
"Oh," Ranma said, not asking what the Rules of Robotics were.
"Dr. Tofu, I need your help with Ranma here. He just got a nasty cut in his side from Kuno," Akane said to Tofu, who had waited patiently for them.
"I'm a doctor, not a mechanic, Jim! Err... Akane," Tofu amended, looking sheepish.
"Ranma turns back into a human with cold water," Akane explained, looking back at Ranma, who was clutching his side again. "I'm worried about what would happen when he gets splashed, so I brought him here."
"Understandable," Tofu agreed, nodding. "Ranma, have you ever been to Jusenkyo?"
"Yeah, that's why I can turn into a girl," Ranma confirmed. "Umm, Doc, I hate to hurry you, but could you do something about this already? It really hurts."
"Oh, of course, Ranma. Please lay down on the bed in the examination room, and I'll be in to sew you up in a few minutes," Tofu instructed Ranma, walking to a nearby sink to wash up and get a glass of cold water. Setting it on a tray alongside a needle, some thread, and a packet of rub-in anesthetic, he walked into the room, with Akane following him. She took up a position at the side of the room. Dr. Tofu set the tray on a small table nearby Ranma, and went to a small refrigerator he kept nearby, and withdrew a pint of blood. "Just in case," Akane heard him mutter.
"All right, Ranma, are you ready? I won't be able to apply the anesthetic until I've sewn you up," Tofu said, threading his needle.
"I'm fine," Ranma confirmed, grasping the sides of the examination table.
"Akane, would you wash up and come over here? I suspect that I'll need an extra pair of hands for this," Tofu told Akane, who complied. "Ranma, would you roll over on your side, please? I need to be able to work at the whole wound." Akane arrived, her hands wet from washing. "Akane, put your hands on either side of Ranma's wound, and push them together so that I can sew," Tofu commanded. "On the count of three, I'll splash Ranma," he continued, picking up the water so that he had the glass in one hand and the needle in the other. "One... two... three!" he said, pouring the water onto Ranma, who gasped in pain as he became human once more. Akane immediately began to push at Ranma's wound, staunching the bloodflow and allowing Tofu to sew. Ranma hissed just a little at each puncture of the needle, but did not complain otherwise. The seconds stretched into minutes, as Dr. Tofu closed off the wound bit by bit, moving with quick, expert motions. After two minutes and forty three seconds, Dr. Tofu tied a knot in his sixty-seventh suture and leaned back, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"There. That should do it," he said, setting the needle down. He picked up the anesthetic and rubbed it slowly and gently around the wound, which numbed quickly. Ranma sighed in relief at Tofu's ministrations. "And we only lost about three ounces of blood. Thank you, Akane, I would've had a real problem without you," Dr. Tofu said, relaxing.
"Thank you, Dr. Tofu," Akane said, bowing. "Ranma might have died without you."
"That's my job," Tofu said with a smile. "It's been a while since I worked E.R. It feels good to do that kind of thing every now and again. Now Ranma, I just want you to stay off your feet for a few days. I'll stop by later this evening with some anesthetic cream for your wound. For now, get outta here; I've got to clean up before someone comes in and thinks that I've killed someone," Tofu said with a chuckle. Ranma silently got up from the table and joined Akane as the two left for the Tendo home. Akane tried to start up a conversation a couple of times, but gave up when she realized that Ranma was too deeply in thought to reply. Most of the walk was spent in silence, as Ranma walked slowly beside Akane. When they arrived at the house, Ranma immediately went up to his bedroom, saying that he was tired, and wanted to sleep. Akane just wondered what was bothering him so much.
* * * * * *
***Later that evening***
"Sasuke, have you found a man that can repair my august body yet?" Kuno asked from his bed, nearly immobile from the beating that he'd received from 'X' earlier that day.
"I'm sorry, Master, but I've said before that nobody on the planet has the technology to repair a robot as advanced as you are," Sasuke said, his head bowed.
"Bah! Leave me, fool!" Kuno commanded. Sasuke left, leaving the Kendo master alone in his room, where he'd been left by Sasuke earlier that day. "What shall I do now?" Kuno wondered quietly.
"Nothing," said a mysterious voice, "Unless you'd like to talk to me."
"Who are you?" Kuno asked. "Show yourself!" A shadowy form seperated itself from the wall and approached Kuno's bedside.
"You wish to be repaired, so you can have a measure of revenge, do you?" the figure asked, its voice sneering and grating to the sound.
"I do. Can you help me attain this goal? I assure you, you will be well compensated for your troubles, sir," Kuno said with a noble air. It was somewhat spoiled by the condition that he was in.
"I can fix you, and I can make you so much better," the figure said. "But it does not come without a price."
"I told you already, the Kuno family is quite well off. You will be paid in full, I assure you," Kuno repeated, nodding. That nod was just about the only thing that he could do at the moment.
"I don't want your money. I want your assistance in regards to a few matters of importance to me. I assure you, you will not find them disagreeable, and you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts," the figure stated, reaching down and tracing the lines of Kuno's shattered wings.
"If that is your price, then I agree to the terms," Kuno nodded. The figure gathered Kuno's various parts and left quietly out the window, flying through the moonless night on silent jets.
* * * * * *
Ranma was silent that night at dinner, still deeply in thought. The conversation was essentially unaffected by his silence, and he didn't seem to care too much. Akane was a bit worried, and her worry grew as she noticed that Ranma wasn't eating anything.
"Ranma," she said quietly, "Is anything wrong?" Ranma was silent for a minute before replying.
"Nah, but I wanna meet you in the Dojo after dinner," she said. Akane nodded, not knowing what else to do. For the remainder of the meal, which she sat at out of courtesy to her family, a cold knot rested where her stomach would have been, had she been human. She was able to maintain her end of the conversation, which mainly lay between herself, Nabiki, and Kasumi. Soun didn't talk to her much, for some reason that she'd yet to uncover, and Genma was too busy eating. Finally, Ranma stood up.
"Kasumi, I'm sorry that I didn't really eat tonight. I got a lot on my mind, so don't be mad," Ranma said.
"Oh, that's fine, Ranma. If you want anything later, I'll be happy to fix something for you," she replied, smiling. Ranma wondered inwardly if she ever stopped smiling. Shaking her head, Ranma left out the door for the dojo, walking slowly, due to her injury.
"Ranma wanted to talk to me in the dojo, so I'd better go too," Akane said to her family, leaving.
"I wonder what's going on between those two," Nabiki wondered aloud. Kasumi nodded her agreement, then began to gather up dishes from around the table.
Akane walked slowly into the dojo through the main door, which Ranma had left open. Ranma herself was standing in a corner, holding a big towel in one hand and a water bottle in another, which she was staring at intently.
"You wanted to see me?" Akane said tentatively, walking up to Ranma.
"When's your birthday?" Ranma asked suddenly, not looking up from the bottle.
"Huh?" Akane responded, surprised.
"When's your birthday?" Ranma repeated, lifting her gaze from the water bottle.
"Umm... It's in a month or so. Why?" Akane replied.
"You helped me out a lot today," Ranma said, changing the subject. "Kuno woulda cut me in half if you hadn't warned me, and I prolly woulda been in the hospital or worse if you hadn't helped me with that slash wound."
"That's what friends are for," Akane returned, smiling.
"Well, I wanna give you a present. It's kinda a thank you gift, and kinda an early birthday present. That okay?" Ranma asked.
"Sure," Akane answered, a bit flustered.
"Okay, but you gotta do what I say, all right?" Ranma said. Akane nodded, causing the other girl to smile. "Okay, wrap this towel around you like this," Ranma said, throwing the towel over Akane's shoulders and tugging it tight around her. Akane held it tight against her chest and waited. "Now, close your eyes," Ranma told her. Akane complied, shutting herself off from the world. A few seconds passed, as Akane wondered what was about to happen. Then, she felt a trickle of water sliding down her face and rolling over her hair. Suddenly, she froze. She FELT the water over he hair. She FELT the towel, wrapped around her shoulders. She FELT the cool wooden floor of the dojo beneath her feet. Slowly, with a trembling jaw, she opened her eyes and dared to look downward. The pink of her toes poked out from the cool cream of her feet, a sight that she'd not felt in what seemed like ages. She looked back up at Ranma, her jaw still trembling.
"H-How?" she asked, amazed at the feeling of air rushing down her throat, having never before realized just how good it felt to breathe.
"Nyanniichuan, straight from Jusenkyo," Ranma said, a note of forlornness in her voice. "Hot water'll turn you back into a robot, but cold'll fix that. Happy birthday." Akane, finding herself without words, just wrapped Ranma in her arms and sobbed for joy.
***Author's Notes***
Awwwww... aint it pretty? Seriously, though, I had this planned from the start. So, now both Akane and Ranma share a curse, and Kuno's out of commission... but for how long? Seriously, this has been a lot of fun to write, and I hope to keep things going for a while. I've got a friend right now who's writing music (in a midi sequencer) for all the 'X bosses' that are gonna appear later on in this fic. He's already completed one, and is working on the second. I'll release them all at once, to cut down on junk mail. In any case, tell me what you thought of this chapter, and this story! They definitely come out faster when you write to me! I don't really care weather you loved the thing or hated it- I just want to know, and why!! My E-mail is Flashfyre5@aol.com, so drop me a line. I promise that I'll get back to ya! Oh well, until next time!
Megaman X character designs belong to Capcom. I'm just borrowing 'em, guys. I'll have 'em power washed before I bring 'em back. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em. Ranma characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just borrowing 'em, Rumiko-san. I'll have 'em power washed before I return 'em. Yeah, yeah, I'll even hot wax 'em.
Flashfyre5 Presents
A Flaming Amarant production
In association with Digital Wizardry Studios, Minnesota
The Opening Bet
Chapter Two: The Divine Wind
" " = speech
[ ] = panda board
= thought
/ / = written
* * * * * *
"I am Genma Saotome," stated the overweight man that had joined Soun. He was seated at the kitchen table, with Ranma sitting on his left, Soun around the corner on his right, and the three Tendo girls sitting across from him.
"And I'm Ranma, his son," Ranma added.
"Son?" Nabiki asked, eyeing 'his' figure.
"I was born a guy. Don't push it," Ranma warned in return, giving the middle Tendo an evil look.
"So why are you a woman now?" Nabiki asked flatly, obviously hot believing Ranma.
"Well, my idiot father here decided to take me to a training ground with a bunch of cursed springs. I kinda sorta fell into one," Ranma explained.
"Aah, Jusenkyo. Until now, I'd never truly comprehended it's horrors," Soun said solemnly.
"Truly, it was exactly as the Master described it," Genma added sagely. Ranma struck a disbelieving expression.
"You mean," he said, turning to his father, "That you knew about Jusenkyo before we got there?"
"Well, I'd, err, heard of it in passing...," Genma stammered. Ranma was struck dumb for a second. Fortunately, this second was seized upon.
"Mr. Saotome, how could you?" Kasumi asked harshly, a look that might have been anger on her face.
"Taking your son to a cursed training ground when you KNEW that it was cursed?" Nabiki practically screamed. Quietly, Ranma stood up and walked to the kitchen. Nobody except for Akane noticed, and she said nothing. Meanwhile, Genma was sheepishly nodding, and looking for some cold water, so he could trigger his curse. "You engage your son before he's even born, drag him across China, then give him a curse when you know the consequences? Just how dumb are you?!" Nabiki continued.
"Too stupid to live," a quiet, feminine voice said from the direction of the kitchen. Everyone turned to see Ranma, standing in ht kitchen doorway, holding the kettle of steaming water that she's put on earlier. Genma, seeing this combination and knowing exactly what it meant, began to desperately back away.
"Now, Ranma, let's be reasonable here," he urged desperately.
"Reasonable?" Ranma asked, advancing upon her father. "Was it reasonable for you to take me away from my mother when I was five? Was it reasonable for you to put me through the Goddamned Cat-fist? Was it reasonable for you to get me cursed? No, Pop, we left reasonable when we left Momma," Ranma growled, raising the kettle as she spoke. Nabiki, having heard about the springs from her father and having seen the blue robot from earlier, put two and two together and, as was usual for her, came up with four.
"Ranma, the others didn't see you long enough to know, but I saw your other form. Don't do this; you'll kill him!" Nabiki pleaded, knowing what kind of power her sister had. This young girl, in her other form, had fought Akane to a standstill.
"Give me one good reason why not!" Ranma demanded, her knuckles whitening on the handle of the kettle.
"Where would you go if you did?" Nabiki asked. "If you kill him, everyone will know about you, in both forms. You'd be hunted for the rest of your life, never knowing a home or a family. Do you want that?"
"No," Ranma said quietly, "but that's the life that I get. I can't even go home to my mother now; my stupid Pop just told me that I signed a contract with her when I was a kid. If I'm not a 'man among men,' then I have to commit seppuku. No matter which form I'm in, I'm screwed. Soon as this engagement is dissolved, we'll get kicked out and keep on wandering till one or both of us die. Life aint fair, and it really aint fair to me."
"What if you had a home?" Akane suddenly spoke up. "Somewhere you could stay as long as you liked, with people who care about you?"
"Maybe then. Too bad my Pop screwed that up for me," Ranma snarled.
"Daddy! Let Ranma and his father stay here until they want to leave," Akane suggested. "We were going to do the same thing for the engagement anyway, weren't we?"
"We were," Soun mused, looking worriedly at his best friend. "Ranma, I'll make you a deal. If you leave Genma be, I'll put you both up indefinately." This, unsurprisingly, shocked Ranma, who lowered the kettle ever so slightly.
"As long as I want?" Ranma queried, a shadow of hope on his face.
"As long as you want, providing that Genma is forgiven whatever crime that you're so angry about," Soun declared. Inwardly, Nabiki smiled, just a little. Yes, indeed, this was her father. Ranma, meanwhile, was warring between the desire to kill his father and some unknown longing that he'd had for as long as he could remember. His Pop had called it homesickness, and a weakness, but it had never left Ranma, no matter how much he tried to squash it.
"Deal," Ranma finally said, dropping the kettle. Everyone, especially Genma, breathed a sigh of relief at his decision. "Don't think you're off the hook yet, Pop," Ranma growled. "You might've just gotten away with Jusenkyo, but You've got a lot to answer for otherwise." With that, he dropped the kettle to the floor with a loud *clang*, and stalked outside. After a minute, Akane followed him. Kasumi, sensing that the conflict was over, went back to her kitchen to begin preparations for a late dinner.
"Well, now that that crisis is over, I can get onto the taxes," Nabiki grumbled, rising. She turned and jogged up the stairs, hoping to finish the organizing that she had to do before she could start. Soun, at Genma's silent gesture, kept silent until his daughters had left.
"Are you sure about what Ranma said?" Soun asked. "I'm not quite sure as to what she could do to hurt someone like you, but you seemed so afraid. Why?"
"Her other form is Changed. Unlike my ignorant daughter, I paid attention to the news when we got home. I know what he can do when he's a robot, and I'm not anxious to have it done to me," Genma explained. "Anyway, Jusenkyo was the only incident where I knew what I was getting myself into, so Ranma'll just fight a bit harder in our sparring sessions. A few bruises, nothing more."
"Aaah," Soun said, understanding. "So that was the blue blur from earlier."
"Going into the pond? Yes, that was her. In any case, I think that it's agreed that forcing the engagement now would be rather counterproductive," Genma said.
"It is," Soun agreed, tearing up. "Now the schools will never be joined! Waaaahhh!!" he wailed.
"Calm down, Tendo," Genma commanded. "We may not be able to force the engagement this generation, but there's always the next." Suddenly, Soun cleared up, hope dawning in his eyes. "Sooner or later, Ranma will have to accept that she's a woman, in every way, and take the necessary steps," Genma continued. "We will have grandchildren, provided that you can get one of your daughters married and with child. Then, we transfer the engagement to the next generation. With any luck, we'll see the schools united by the time we die!"
"What a spectacular plan!" Soun exclaimed. "I take it, then, that we should find fiancees for our respective daughters?"
"Exactly," Genma agreed. "It's a foolproof plan!"
* * * * * *
Outside, Akane sneezed, and wondered who was talking about her. Sighing, she set that thought aside and continued to look around the Tendo compound, even though she'd already checked every place in and around it. Suddenly, a touch of inspiration hit her and she looked upward, at the Tendo roof. Positioning herself near it, she crouched, then leapt upwards with all her mechanized might. Though impressive, it was hardly enough to get her onto the roof. Thus, at the top of her jump, she fired her dash jets, propelling herself straight upwards with enough force for her to soar right over the edge of the house and land with relative lightness on the edge of the roof. Immediately, she noticed Ranma, who was staring at Akane as if she'd grown an extra head.
"Umm... hi," Akane said, suddenly self-conscious.
"What're you doing up here?" Ranma asked, sitting up.
"Looking for you," Akane explained, walking over to Ranma as softly as she could. "What are you doing up here?"
"Thinking," Ranma sighed, lying back down. Akane seated herself next to the redhead, looking up at the stars.
"About what?" she finally asked.
"Me. My Pop. My life," Ranma said, not looking at the robotic girl sitting next to her.
"What do you mean?" Akane returned, lying down and gazing out at the same patch of sky as Ranma.
"I dunno," Ranma answered. "Just... so much seems different now. I always thought that Pop was just really dumb, cuz he never read all the instructions. He did a lot of really dumb stuff, too. Now, I'm not sure how much he knew about and decided to go with anyway."
"Oh," Akane said, after a pause. A moment of silence passed, as both looked at the stars, not knowing what to say.
"I mean," Ranma finally continued, "everything we ever did was in the name of the Art. Ever since I can remember, we were going from place to place, doing all the training we could, learning how to perfect the Art. I guess it never really bothered me at the time, but I never really had a home, or a real friend." At Akane's shocked expression, he amended, "Well, sure, I knew people, and I even made friends with a few. Problem was, we always left after a week or two, so I never could really make any real friends." Akane mulled over this for a while, looking at Ranma instead of the stars. Ranma just stared upwards, thinking.
"You have a home, now," Akane finally said, prompting Ranma to look over at her.
"Only till your old man throws me out," Ranma countered.
"No, he'll keep his word. Besides, I was going to ask Dad to let you stay, even if that whole thing with the teakettle hadn't happened," Akane stated.
"Maybe," Ranma conceded, looking away. Another minute passed in silence, as Akane turned her gaze upwards again. "Lot of stars up there, aren't there?" Ranma finally said.
"Yeah," Akane agreed.
"Kinda makes you lonely, ya know? When I was on the road, I loved that stars. They were just about the only things that stayed the same, no matter where I went. They reminded me of Pop, always there and about as reachable as the moon. Now, what with Pop and all, it just feels empty, like one of the things that you count on every day suddenly isn't there anymore. You know, like you're all alone in the world," Ranma confessed.
"Like you're without a friend," Akane said.
"Yeah," Ranma agreed. Then, Akane rolled over to face Ranma, who turned her head to look at Akane.
"I'm Akane. Want to be friends?" Akane asked, holding out her hand. Ranma smiled and took it, gratefulness in her eyes.
"Friends. I haven't had one of those in a long time," Ranma said, a small smile dancing on her face.
"Well, you do now," Akane said. Both smiling, they continued to watch the stars.
* * * * * *
"School?" Ranma asked, confused. She was sitting in a tank top and boxer shorts, looking at her father as if he'd grown an extra head.
"Yes, school," Genma confirmed. "We're going to be living here for a while, even if you aren't marrying any of the Tendo daughters, so I believe that you should start attending school again." he thought,
"Whatever, Pop," Ranma gave in, sensing that her old man had something else that he wasn't telling her. "Where am I gonna go to school?"
"At the same school as me and Nabiki," Akane said, sticking her head into the room. For once, she was wearing her helmet, and the sight of the young warrior girl captivated Ranma for a split second before he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Really? Cool!" Ranma said, grinning. Suddenly, she realized something. "I don't have any school supplies."
"That's okay," Akane said. "You're in my class, so we can share for today. We'll get you some stuff after school." She looked up at the clock. "Uh-oh! We're gonna be late!" With that, Akane ran from the room and charged out of the house.
"Okay," Ranma agreed, rising. She grabbed her favorite Chinese shirt, a red silk one with real gold clasps, and a pair of black cotton pants that were a bit large for her frame as it was. However, they had to be this big, just in case she got accidentally splashed by hot water. Dressing quickly, she made her way downstairs. Grabbing a pork bun and a bento left on the kitchen counter for her, she dashed out the front door. Using her fast, lithe body to her advantage, Ranma was soon able to catch up to Akane, and hopped up on top of the fence next to her, matching her stride for stride.
"Why are you up there?" Akane asked, turning a corner. Ranma followed suit.
"It's great balance practice," Ranma said between breaths. "You should try it sometime."
"My feet are just a little too big, don't you think?" Akane teased.
"Maybe," Ranma replied seriously. "Maybe not." They continued on in silence for a bit, Ranma eating her pork bun, until the school came into view.
"Hate Kuno, hate Kuno, hate Kuno, hate Kuno," Akane chanted under her breath as they drew nearer to the building. Reaching over her left shoulder, she withdrew a cylinder from a holding place on her back.
"Huh?" Ranma asked as her chanting grew loud enough for her to hear. However, Ranma never got her answer, as Akane charged through the front gates of Furinkan Senior High. Inside, a robot stood, waiting for Akane. He was tall, almost six feet, and silver from head to toe. Fluid of design, as if he were one great mirror, stretched and contorted into a humanoid, he stood tall and proud, a long katana blade sprouting from his right wrist. Lining the edges of his various parts were bands of gold, shining in the morning sun. From his back grew two great, silver wings, articulated like a birds. He wore an ornate helmet and had the look of a nobleman on his face. Ranma decided to stand back and watch from the school wall.
"Aaah, the fair Akane Tendo, I greet thee this morn," he said to Akane, who was standing across from him, the cylinder held like the hilt of a katana.
"Just get it over with, Kuno," Akane said, her tone obviously disgusted. Ranma decided to jump down and investigate.
"Hey, who's this bozo?" Ranma asked Akane, standing behind her.
Before Akane could speak, the other robot jumped in. "I, fair maiden, am the high champion of the high school Kendo club. Foes tremble at the sight of me, for I am Tatewaki Kuno, the Divine Wind of Furinkan High! You may adress me as the noble Sword Angel, however, good maiden."
"Sword Angel?" one of Nabiki's friends said,
"That's a new one on me," admitted the infamous moneymaker herself.
"Is this guy for real?" Ranma asked incredulously.
"Unfortunately, yes," Akane said. "He decided that the only way that I, in my 'maidenly virtue,' would let him date me would be for him to beat me."
"He can't can he?" Ranma asked, noticing the gathering rain clouds.
"Nope," Akane replied, a small grin on her face. Suddenly, the cylinder in her hand spat out a blade of green energy, and Akane charged Kuno, attacking with the fury of a woman scorned. Kuno, for all his glorious Kendo titles, was hard-pressed to defend himself from the furious attacks of his 'love.' The two, in their fighting, slashed down a tree, and tore a wall to shreds. Finally, Akane ended the fight with a powerful side kick to Kuno's chest, which sent him sailing over the school wall and out of the established boudaries of the fight.
"Well," Akane said, putting away her sword, which was now reduced to a mere hilt again. "Let's get to class."
"All right," Ranma agreed, making a note to ask her about her sword later.
* * * * * *
"This is Ranma Saotome," the teacher said, introducing Ranma, who fidgeted at the front of the class. "She and her father just returned from China. However, this does not excuse the fact that both you and Akane Tendo were late. Both of you, take the buckets and stand in the hall." Ranma sighed and grabbed a pair of buckets, which sat at the doorway. She noticed that Akane had risen from her seat, and was following suit. There were a judicious amount of whispering as the two walked out, but Akane just ignored it, her head hung. Soon, she joined Ranma in the hallway, holding a pair of buckets.
"What was with all the whispering?" Ranma asked, shifting from one foot to the other.
"They were gossiping at us. They said that someone else was a robot lover," Akane said, sighing.
"Really? Who?" Ranma asked. Akane turned and stared at her companion, disbelieving. Ranma suddenly blushed.
"They were talking about me, weren't they?" she asked, felling stupid.
"Yeah," Akane confirmed. "I'm really sorry about this. I'd hoped to keep your reputation intact for longer than one period. Now it looks like you're stuck with me, Yuka, and Saryu."
"Aaah, it's okay," Ranma said. "You're my friend. I don't really care what they think." At this, Akane relaxed, leaning back on the wall. Her bucket accidentally knocked against Ranma's and it sloshed over onto her. Unfortunately, the teacher had filled the buckets with lukewarm water, and it was enough to trigger Ranma's transformation.
"Aww, man," he exclaimed, dismayed. "Do you know where the bathrooms are?" I gotta go find some cold water."
"Yeah, they're down a floor and- Ranma, look out!" Akane yelled. Ranma turned and ducked to the side, just in time to avoid a vicious overhead slash from Kuno. A loud rip could be heard, and Ranma's shirt tore in half.
"Who are you that talks so familiarly with Akane?" Kuno demanded.
"Dammit, you ruined my favorite shirt!" Ranma exclaimed. A number of people were now leaning out of nearby classrooms, curious at this spectacle. "I'm err... uhh...," he said, noticing all the people around him and not wanting to blow his cover quite yet. "X! Yeah, that's it, X. In any case, I'm gonna beat the tar outta you for doing that."
"X? Surely, that is the name of a knave. Good Akane, surely you do not deign to associate with such a base and dishonorable creature," Kuno stated haughtily.
"All right, THAT'S IT!" Ranma shouted, and knocked Kuno out of the window with a powerful roundhouse kick. He followed, leaping out the window after his prey.
"Ranma, this is the third floor!" Akane called after him, just as he discovered this fact for himself. Kuno, however, was unimpressed, and flew just out of Ranma's reach. Ranma himself fell like a rock, and landed with a loud *crash* right next to the pool.
"Whew, that was close," he breathed, turning to face Kuno, who hovered at the third floor.
"Foolish knave, you cannot hope to defeat me, for I am the Divine Wind of Furinkan High, Tatewaki Kuno!" Kuno declared, a bolt of lightning punctuating his statement. Ranma used the time to build up a charge in his arm cannon.
"An' I'm X, the Blue Bomber of wherever the Hell I choose to be," Ranma made up on the fly, raising his arm to point at Kuno. With that, he retracted his hand and loosed a great bolt of plasma, which struck Kuno squarely on his left wing joint, shearing it off. Kuno fell to the ground unceremoniously. He rose slowly, badly unbalanced by the loss of his wing.
"You shall pay for that," Kuno said softly, standing tall again.
"Put it on my tab," Ranma sneered. Prevented from hurting his father, and still boiling from the panda's offenses, Ranma needed to vent badly. He had just found a target to vent upon, and vent he did. "You insulted my honor, and I'm gonna get you fer that. Besides, what kind of 'honorable' guy attacks a girl to get a date with her?" Ranma asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. By the time he'd stopped speaking, Kuno was trembling with rage.
"I shall smite thee!" he screamed as loudly as he could, and charged at Ranma. Ranma flipped backwards, his boots catching Kuno in the jaw, stunning him. Ranma used the time to recover and back away some more, eyeing the keen edge of the katana with a bit of fear. He sensed that it was no ordinary metal, and would cut through his armor just as easily as it would flesh. Besides, he'd seen it shear down a tree in one slash earlier that morning. "You run from me, coward?!" Kuno taunted, hoping to get a rise out of Ranma. Ranma, with both his honor and courage insulted, could no longer contain himself.
"Okay, now you die," Ranma stated, and charged forward, enraged. Kuno tried to get the katana up to block, but Ranma was too fast, and opened his assault with a vicious uppercut to the gut. Kuno felt his armor creak as it absorbed the blow, and his respect for his opponent went up a notch. Ranma followed his opening blow with a barrage of attacks to Kuno's torso, even as the silverclad boy tried to get his katana into a defensive position. He finally gave up on defense, and struck Ranma a nasty jab in the side of his stomach. Ranma winced, and grabbed the katana, holding it by the flat of the blade. With one swift, decisive move, he brought his hand down on the side of it, hard. It snapped cleanly, leaving Kuno defenseless as Ranma continued his assault. Ranma finally kicked Kuno hard, in the groin, sending him upwards a good foot. His arm cannon charged once again, Ranma unleashed a great burst of plasma into the robot at point blank range. It exploded upon contact with Kuno's chest, sending him far across the schoolyard, smoking the whole way. He landed with a loud *crash*, and did not rise.
Ranma, yanking the remains of Kuno's sword from his belly, suddenly noticed the eerie silence that had descended upon the school, and looked around. From all three floors, people were staring at him, with expressions of awe, terror, and loathing on their faces.
"He beat Kuno," someone said. Slowly, a murmur rose among the student populous as they discussed the implications of this.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted, bursting out the school doors. "Are you all right?" she asked, running to his side.
"Ranma?" One student from their class asked. "Wasn't she a girl?"
"Yeah, and human too," agreed another.
"Weird," stated a third. The other two nodded.
"I'm just fine," Ranma said, clutching his side. Akane pried his had away from the wound and inspected it.
"We're going to have to get you to a doctor. When you change back, this is going to bleed really badly," Akane decided. "C'mon, I know a doctor that lives right nearby." With that, she dragged Ranma from the school grounds.
* * * * * *
"Dr. Tofu! Dr. Tofu!" Akane called, entering the small clinic with Ranma in tow, who was now thinking that Akane had been right. The slash was right on the edge of his torso, and hurt like Hell.
"Akane! I haven't seen you for a while," Tofu said, walking out of an examination room. "Who's your friend? I haven't seen a blue Reploid around here before."
"Reploid?" Ranma asked.
"That's what some scientist dubbed us," Akane said hurriedly. "We're not really robots, because we don't have to follow the Rules of Robotics."
"Oh," Ranma said, not asking what the Rules of Robotics were.
"Dr. Tofu, I need your help with Ranma here. He just got a nasty cut in his side from Kuno," Akane said to Tofu, who had waited patiently for them.
"I'm a doctor, not a mechanic, Jim! Err... Akane," Tofu amended, looking sheepish.
"Ranma turns back into a human with cold water," Akane explained, looking back at Ranma, who was clutching his side again. "I'm worried about what would happen when he gets splashed, so I brought him here."
"Understandable," Tofu agreed, nodding. "Ranma, have you ever been to Jusenkyo?"
"Yeah, that's why I can turn into a girl," Ranma confirmed. "Umm, Doc, I hate to hurry you, but could you do something about this already? It really hurts."
"Oh, of course, Ranma. Please lay down on the bed in the examination room, and I'll be in to sew you up in a few minutes," Tofu instructed Ranma, walking to a nearby sink to wash up and get a glass of cold water. Setting it on a tray alongside a needle, some thread, and a packet of rub-in anesthetic, he walked into the room, with Akane following him. She took up a position at the side of the room. Dr. Tofu set the tray on a small table nearby Ranma, and went to a small refrigerator he kept nearby, and withdrew a pint of blood. "Just in case," Akane heard him mutter.
"All right, Ranma, are you ready? I won't be able to apply the anesthetic until I've sewn you up," Tofu said, threading his needle.
"I'm fine," Ranma confirmed, grasping the sides of the examination table.
"Akane, would you wash up and come over here? I suspect that I'll need an extra pair of hands for this," Tofu told Akane, who complied. "Ranma, would you roll over on your side, please? I need to be able to work at the whole wound." Akane arrived, her hands wet from washing. "Akane, put your hands on either side of Ranma's wound, and push them together so that I can sew," Tofu commanded. "On the count of three, I'll splash Ranma," he continued, picking up the water so that he had the glass in one hand and the needle in the other. "One... two... three!" he said, pouring the water onto Ranma, who gasped in pain as he became human once more. Akane immediately began to push at Ranma's wound, staunching the bloodflow and allowing Tofu to sew. Ranma hissed just a little at each puncture of the needle, but did not complain otherwise. The seconds stretched into minutes, as Dr. Tofu closed off the wound bit by bit, moving with quick, expert motions. After two minutes and forty three seconds, Dr. Tofu tied a knot in his sixty-seventh suture and leaned back, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"There. That should do it," he said, setting the needle down. He picked up the anesthetic and rubbed it slowly and gently around the wound, which numbed quickly. Ranma sighed in relief at Tofu's ministrations. "And we only lost about three ounces of blood. Thank you, Akane, I would've had a real problem without you," Dr. Tofu said, relaxing.
"Thank you, Dr. Tofu," Akane said, bowing. "Ranma might have died without you."
"That's my job," Tofu said with a smile. "It's been a while since I worked E.R. It feels good to do that kind of thing every now and again. Now Ranma, I just want you to stay off your feet for a few days. I'll stop by later this evening with some anesthetic cream for your wound. For now, get outta here; I've got to clean up before someone comes in and thinks that I've killed someone," Tofu said with a chuckle. Ranma silently got up from the table and joined Akane as the two left for the Tendo home. Akane tried to start up a conversation a couple of times, but gave up when she realized that Ranma was too deeply in thought to reply. Most of the walk was spent in silence, as Ranma walked slowly beside Akane. When they arrived at the house, Ranma immediately went up to his bedroom, saying that he was tired, and wanted to sleep. Akane just wondered what was bothering him so much.
* * * * * *
***Later that evening***
"Sasuke, have you found a man that can repair my august body yet?" Kuno asked from his bed, nearly immobile from the beating that he'd received from 'X' earlier that day.
"I'm sorry, Master, but I've said before that nobody on the planet has the technology to repair a robot as advanced as you are," Sasuke said, his head bowed.
"Bah! Leave me, fool!" Kuno commanded. Sasuke left, leaving the Kendo master alone in his room, where he'd been left by Sasuke earlier that day. "What shall I do now?" Kuno wondered quietly.
"Nothing," said a mysterious voice, "Unless you'd like to talk to me."
"Who are you?" Kuno asked. "Show yourself!" A shadowy form seperated itself from the wall and approached Kuno's bedside.
"You wish to be repaired, so you can have a measure of revenge, do you?" the figure asked, its voice sneering and grating to the sound.
"I do. Can you help me attain this goal? I assure you, you will be well compensated for your troubles, sir," Kuno said with a noble air. It was somewhat spoiled by the condition that he was in.
"I can fix you, and I can make you so much better," the figure said. "But it does not come without a price."
"I told you already, the Kuno family is quite well off. You will be paid in full, I assure you," Kuno repeated, nodding. That nod was just about the only thing that he could do at the moment.
"I don't want your money. I want your assistance in regards to a few matters of importance to me. I assure you, you will not find them disagreeable, and you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts," the figure stated, reaching down and tracing the lines of Kuno's shattered wings.
"If that is your price, then I agree to the terms," Kuno nodded. The figure gathered Kuno's various parts and left quietly out the window, flying through the moonless night on silent jets.
* * * * * *
Ranma was silent that night at dinner, still deeply in thought. The conversation was essentially unaffected by his silence, and he didn't seem to care too much. Akane was a bit worried, and her worry grew as she noticed that Ranma wasn't eating anything.
"Ranma," she said quietly, "Is anything wrong?" Ranma was silent for a minute before replying.
"Nah, but I wanna meet you in the Dojo after dinner," she said. Akane nodded, not knowing what else to do. For the remainder of the meal, which she sat at out of courtesy to her family, a cold knot rested where her stomach would have been, had she been human. She was able to maintain her end of the conversation, which mainly lay between herself, Nabiki, and Kasumi. Soun didn't talk to her much, for some reason that she'd yet to uncover, and Genma was too busy eating. Finally, Ranma stood up.
"Kasumi, I'm sorry that I didn't really eat tonight. I got a lot on my mind, so don't be mad," Ranma said.
"Oh, that's fine, Ranma. If you want anything later, I'll be happy to fix something for you," she replied, smiling. Ranma wondered inwardly if she ever stopped smiling. Shaking her head, Ranma left out the door for the dojo, walking slowly, due to her injury.
"Ranma wanted to talk to me in the dojo, so I'd better go too," Akane said to her family, leaving.
"I wonder what's going on between those two," Nabiki wondered aloud. Kasumi nodded her agreement, then began to gather up dishes from around the table.
Akane walked slowly into the dojo through the main door, which Ranma had left open. Ranma herself was standing in a corner, holding a big towel in one hand and a water bottle in another, which she was staring at intently.
"You wanted to see me?" Akane said tentatively, walking up to Ranma.
"When's your birthday?" Ranma asked suddenly, not looking up from the bottle.
"Huh?" Akane responded, surprised.
"When's your birthday?" Ranma repeated, lifting her gaze from the water bottle.
"Umm... It's in a month or so. Why?" Akane replied.
"You helped me out a lot today," Ranma said, changing the subject. "Kuno woulda cut me in half if you hadn't warned me, and I prolly woulda been in the hospital or worse if you hadn't helped me with that slash wound."
"That's what friends are for," Akane returned, smiling.
"Well, I wanna give you a present. It's kinda a thank you gift, and kinda an early birthday present. That okay?" Ranma asked.
"Sure," Akane answered, a bit flustered.
"Okay, but you gotta do what I say, all right?" Ranma said. Akane nodded, causing the other girl to smile. "Okay, wrap this towel around you like this," Ranma said, throwing the towel over Akane's shoulders and tugging it tight around her. Akane held it tight against her chest and waited. "Now, close your eyes," Ranma told her. Akane complied, shutting herself off from the world. A few seconds passed, as Akane wondered what was about to happen. Then, she felt a trickle of water sliding down her face and rolling over her hair. Suddenly, she froze. She FELT the water over he hair. She FELT the towel, wrapped around her shoulders. She FELT the cool wooden floor of the dojo beneath her feet. Slowly, with a trembling jaw, she opened her eyes and dared to look downward. The pink of her toes poked out from the cool cream of her feet, a sight that she'd not felt in what seemed like ages. She looked back up at Ranma, her jaw still trembling.
"H-How?" she asked, amazed at the feeling of air rushing down her throat, having never before realized just how good it felt to breathe.
"Nyanniichuan, straight from Jusenkyo," Ranma said, a note of forlornness in her voice. "Hot water'll turn you back into a robot, but cold'll fix that. Happy birthday." Akane, finding herself without words, just wrapped Ranma in her arms and sobbed for joy.
***Author's Notes***
Awwwww... aint it pretty? Seriously, though, I had this planned from the start. So, now both Akane and Ranma share a curse, and Kuno's out of commission... but for how long? Seriously, this has been a lot of fun to write, and I hope to keep things going for a while. I've got a friend right now who's writing music (in a midi sequencer) for all the 'X bosses' that are gonna appear later on in this fic. He's already completed one, and is working on the second. I'll release them all at once, to cut down on junk mail. In any case, tell me what you thought of this chapter, and this story! They definitely come out faster when you write to me! I don't really care weather you loved the thing or hated it- I just want to know, and why!! My E-mail is Flashfyre5@aol.com, so drop me a line. I promise that I'll get back to ya! Oh well, until next time!