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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 7
"How much longer is it to this stupid Kuno place, Saotome?" Ryo
asked gruffly.
Tenma shrugged. "How should I know? I've never been there. Ask
our guide."
Ranko flipped her red pig-tail coyly in Ryo's direction. "We'll
be there soon, Ryo-chan." Tenma snickered and Ryo groaned.
Ranko had been flirting with Ryo ever since they started riding
together. She tried to flirt with Tenma, but quickly told her he was
already engaged. Not that he cared mind you, it was just to stop Ranko
from flirting with him.
"We should be there by nightfall."
"Are you sure, Ranko-san?" Tenma asked.
"I've been all all around the country, I know where we're going.
Trust me."
Both boys glanced at each other, each one knowing what the
other was thinking.
"What was daddy thinking!?"
"Calm down, imouto-chan," Nayrumi said while relaxing on a bed
of cushions in an exquiste kimono. "If you ask me, you're getting a good
deal here; the Kuno's are loaded. You can lead an easy life here. And
need I remind that if you don't marry him, the Kunos won't help us, and
we need all the help we can get."
"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to marry the
arrogant, egotistical jerk," Akara countered. Her face hardened.
"There's no way I'm going to be his wife. I'll die first."
She had been granted a brief resting moment before the ceremony
would begin, and her older sister had managed to sneak in talk with her.
"Oh, so you'd rather marry Tenma?" Nayrumi asked snidely.
A strange smile appeared on Akara's face for a minute, then it
turned into a scowl. "That hentai!? Not likely! I don't want to marry
anyone!"
A dull gong rang throughout the mansion and both girls realized
what it meant.
"Well, you're about to marry someone," Nayrumi said solemnly.
"So you might as well get used to the idea right now."
"I hear what you're saying, Tendo-san," Kuno-dono was saying.
"But my son has chosen and this `Tenma' has yet to appear."
Senshin sighed. He tried to appeal to the Daimyo's reasoning
several times, but each time his pleas had been rejected. Now, he was
forced to be silent as the wedding ceremony began and his youngest
daughter arrived, clad in a white kimono.
"Well, this is it," Ranko said at last. "Over this wall is the
Kuno estate. Now what?" She turned to her two traveling companions.
"We go to the gate and get let in," Tenma stated. "Akara should
have let them know we were coming."
"For once, I hope you know what you're doing, Saotome," Ryo said
as they approached the main gate. "Those guards don't look friendly and
we don't have our you-know-what back yet."
"Halt!" one of the eight guards by the gate commanded. "State
your name and business."
Tenma pulled his horse up short. "Saotome Tenma. I'm part of
Tendo-san's army. I wish to be let in to rejoin them."
"The Kuno estate is currently off limits to everyone," the guard
responded. "Until the marriage ceremony is complete, for safety
reasons."
"Ooh!" Ranko squealed. "Who's getting married?"
"It's between his highness, Kuno Tateyama, and Tendo Akara.
After the ceremony is complete, you will be let in."
"WHAT!?" both boys retorted.
Tenma suddenly found himself shaking with barely contained
anger. Somehow the thought of Akara being married to another man was
making his blood turn cold and his whole body tingled with fear. "Now
wait just a minute! She's my fiancee!"
The guards snickered. "Yeah, sure she is," one of them said,
brandishing his polearm menacingly. "Now just move along."
Ranko was shocked. "Your fiancee is getting married to another
man!?" Her eyes narrowed. "That's not right!" She leapt down off her
horse and started towards the guards, pulling out a pair of dark blue
bracers and snapping them on. Some small part of Tenma's mind thought
they looked an awful lot like his own. "We demand to be let in or else!"
"Or else what, little girl?" one of the guards snickered.
Tenma and Ryo braced for what would happen next, even as they
pitied the poor man.
"LITTLE GIRL!?"
*WHAM!* The guard doubled over in pain, his hands over his
crotch, thanks to Ranko's knee.
"Who's next?"
"Get her!" The guards charged.
"Come on, Ryo, let's go help her before she gets in over her
head."
The boys leapt off their horses and prepared to join the fight,
but were surprised to see Ranko holding her own. She was fast, and knew
exactly where to attack. The two boys grabbed a pair of pikes and began
to help anyway.
"We can handle this, Tenma-san!" Ranko called, flipping one of
her attackers into another. "You go get your fiancee!"
Tenma nodded. Ranko had Ryo with her, so she should be okay.
Even though, he didn't have his strength, he wasn't completely helpless.
"Thank you!" he called as he leapt from one guard's head to the top of
the wall. Then he was down on the other side and running as if his life
depended on it.
Because oddly enough, he felt as if it did.
Akara had declared that she would never get married to the Kuno
heir, but the truth of the matter was they needed the Kuno's help to
defeat the Dark Shogun. If she refused to marry him, their alliance
would be dissolved. So that's what she told herself over and over again,
hoping it would give her the strength to go through with this disgusting
act.
she
reasoned.
Still, as she shakingly lifted the cup of sake that would seal the
marriage, she desperately wished there was a way out of this.
As if a sympathetic Kami had heard her heart's plea, the doors
to the wedding hall were flung open and a single voice rang out.
"Stop this!"
Akara almost couldn't believe her ears, the recognized voice a
welcome and joyous musical symphony in the face of Kuno's arrogant tone.
Mumbles and whispers from the gathered folk echoed around the pavillion
in the wake of the newcomer's shouted command.
Tateyama was instantly on his feet. "Who be this commoner, who
dares to trespass upon this holiest of days!?"
Akara gasped as she turned and beheld her first iinazuke. "Tenma!"
"Saotome Tenma," the man declared as he walked down the hall.
"Akara is my fiancee! If you touch her, I'll kill you!"
There were more surprised whispered rumors from the group of
people who had come to watch to wedding. Many backed away from the young
Saotome in fear, because of the threatening presence he radiated.
Tateyama waved that statement off, oblivious to the danger he
was in that everyone else could sense. "Nonsense, she is mine now. Any
claim you had is now forfeit."
Tenma instantly recognized the young nobleman as the arrogant
type, the kind he had always despised. "So, you think you're are man
enough to hold onto her?" he challenged. "Or does the young lord fear
his skills are inadequate?"
Tateyama's visage darkened. "Very well. If thy death is what
lurks inside thee as thy innermost desire, I shall allow you the
pleasure of witnessing mine skill firsthand as a gift, before your
departure to the afterlife!"
Akara watched as Kuno shed his outer kimono and leap into he
air. There was a sharp intake of breath as she caught sight of the
sheath inside his hakama and tried to warn her fiance. "Tenma! Look
out!"
But the young Saotome saw the flash of silver as Kuno drew, and
leaned to the side as the blade came down. He used the other boy's
momentum to trip him up and slam him face first into the ground. He then
backed away, giving Tateyama time to stand up.
"Thy strike be lucky, fiend!" Kuno accused. "Thou shall not get
another."
Tenma made an exaggerated yawn, which only served to infuriate
the young noble. But truth be told, he was a little worried. Tenma was
faster than Kuno, but a single lucky strike with the katana and it would
be all over. Plus, he didn't have much strength, so he would have to use
a variety of tricks to get Tateyama to hurt himself. Taking the sword
away and using it was out of the question, since the guards would most
likely kill him if he killed Kuno. And despite his bravado, he really
didn't want to anyone's death on his hands.
Then there was no more time for contemplation, as Kuno was
attacking again, sword blurring in front of him in rapid striking
motions. Tenma read the standard pattern in the attack and avoided most
of them as he backpedaled under the fierce assault. The few that made
contact were mere scratches and cut his clothing, but a couple managed
to draw a little blood.
Tateyama stood triumphant. "Ha! I came first blood! Do you wish
to yield?"
"Over a coupla scratches?" Tenma was incredulous. "You have got
to be kidding."
"Than have at you!" Kuno charged again with the same attack
pattern.
This time Tenma was ready for him. He worked his way into the
swordsman's guard while evading the strikes. With a simple twist that
didn't require much strength, Tenma flipped Kuno to the ground and
disarmed him. He then made a show of swinging the weapon around while
Tateyama stood up.
"Hmmm, good weight, nice balance," Tenma complimented. "Very
sharp. Nice weapon. Too bad you don't know how to fully use it." He then
tossed the weapon back to his opponent. "But you can have it back, since
you obviously need it more than I do."
Kuno's look of shock turned to anger before he attacked again
with more viciousness then he had yet shown. Tenma continued to evade
the lethal strikes, even while he worked on his only other option. He
was reluctant to use this maneuver because of the damage it would cause
and of how unpredictable it was, but he saw no other choice at the
moment.
"Whenever you're done playin', we can start fightin' for real,"
Tenma told his increasingly frustrated and furious advesary.
On the sidelines, Akara wondered what was taking Tenma so long.
So far he had just evaded everything and used a few simple tricks to put
Kuno down. Why wasn't he fighting back? Something must be wrong, but
what? And now he seemed to be going out of his way to make Tateyama
angry. Her worry only increased.
And was that a circular pattern he was moving in?
Tenma sensed the right moment. He just needed his opponent
angry enough, but not too angry so it wouldn't last too long. He thrust
his right hand up in a mighty uppercut that failed to connect.
"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"
The dragon's tornado formed and Kuno was sucked off his feet.
The audience gasped and backed away as the mighty winds thrust the young
heir into the ceiling, cracking it. A large amount of the gathered group
stampeded for the exits in fear as the attack went off, leaving only a
dozen or so of the braver bystanders behind. They watched in awe and
disbelief as the tornado then pulled Kuno straight down again to smash
into the floor.
There was quiet in the hall after that, except for the noise of
the whirlwind dying down. Then Akara broke from her place at the altar
and ran towards the young Saotome, shedding her outer kimono as she
went.
"Tenma!" She wrapped her arms around him with a crushing hug.
"I thought you were dead, you baka! You know much I was worried about
you!?"
The shock that covered Tenma's face, but that was nothing
compared to the warm and fuzzy feeling that filled his insides and made
his body tingle at the contact. It was several minutes before he could
respond.
"So, you were worried about me, eh?" he replied getting his
cocky grin.
She let go of him then, and slugged him hard. "Baka! Don't ever
do that again!"
Tenma rubbed his arm.. "Uh, yeah, sure." Somehow, he knew he didn't really want her to change.
The sound of clapping captured the attention of the couple, as
we as everyone else's. "Very good!" came the voice of the Kuno Daimyo.
"I haven't seen combat like that for ages. I only hope my son will learn
something from it." A pair of retainers were already carrying the young
heir out to receive medical attention.
Just then, a frantic guard burst into the palace with Ryo and
Ranko close behind. "Lord Kuno! I have urgent news!" He ran up to speak
with the Daimyo in hushed tones while Ryo and Ranko headed straight for
Tenma and Akara.
"We got big trouble, Tenma-san!" Ranko said breathlessly.
"Tenma, who is this?" Akara asked with a hint of jealously in
her voice and a slight scowl on her face.
Tenma made the introductions. "Akara, this is Ranko-san. Ranko-
san, this is my... fiancee, Tendo Akara." He turned back to his
reluctant iinazuke. "Ranko-san helped us out a bit on the road."
"Pleased to meet ya!" Ranko said enthusiastically as she bowed
with a big smile on her face. Akara returned the bow, but with less
enthusiasm.
Ryo had been watching this, and he couldn't mistake the look
Akara had given Tenma. Saotome may not have picked up on it, but Ryo
could tell it was a `you-better-not-be-fooling-with-other-girls-because-
you're-mine' look. At first he despaired, but then thought,
"Now what's this trouble all about?" Tenma asked.
Ranko's demeanor changed back to serious. "Oh yeah!" And with
her next two lines, twin looks of shock appeared on the young couple's
faces "The Dark Shogun's army is approaching the Kuno estate! They'll
be here in two days!"
Tenma relaxed onto his futon, putting his hands underneath his
head as he did so. He had been loaned this room during his stay at the
Kuno estate and he was sharing it with Ryo, who was currently asleep in
the other bed.
After Ranko's news, she had left with the Tendo sisters to get
the young would-be bride out of her bridal kimono and the house servants
had ushered both Ryo and him here. Presumably, Senshin had left with the
Kuno Daimyo to discuss strategy. That left Tenma with a now-snoring Ryo.
he thought to himself. I forgot how loud pig-boy
snores. He yawned tiredly.
He had just begun to drift off when he felt it; something was
tickling his nose. His subconcious mind took control of his hand to
swipe the fly away, but the tickling immediately returned. The hand was
ordered back into action, but it's efforts ultimately proved futile.
Exasperated, Tenma's subconcious gave up and delivered a swift kick to
his conscious mind.
His eyes popped open to behold the sultry smiling girl above
him, clad in a black kimono. Her hand was holding the end of a whip and
was using it to tickle his nose. Part of his mind noted how some of the
kimono was pulled down, baring her right shoulder.
"Ohohoho!" she laughed quietly, obviously quite amused.
"Yaaagh!" Tenma was instantly against the far wall. "Who are
you!? What are you doing here!?"
The girl seemed mildly surprised at his rapid escape, but hid
it behind a lusty smile. "He didn't mention how handsome you were." She
stood up slowly, not bothering to fix her kimono, and let her long black
hair fall over her left shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you, Tenma-
sama."
The young Saotome calmed some, confusion replacing the
surprise. "What do you want?"
Her eyes traveled up and down his body, and Tenma suddenly
found himself feeling very much like a piece of meat. She sauntered
slowly toward him, doubling up the whip she held in her hands. As she
neared him, she playfully hung the whip around the back of his neck,
pulling him closer with both hands.
"Many things," she said in a highly suggestive voice. Then her
lips turned into a pout of regret. "But some will have to wait. My
mother wishes to meet with you and your friend."
*Knock* *Knock* "Tenma? Are you awake? Can I come in?"
Tenma's eyes went wide. "Ah, hold on!"
He began to struggle to get out of the strange girl's
entanglement, but it was more difficult then he thought. He was still
lacking the majority of his strength, and she had taken his struggles as
some sort of playful game, so she was holding on.
"Leggo!" He whispered vehemently to her.
"Oh, you don't really want that, Tenma-sama," she replied
seductively.
Outside, Akara had put her ear to the door, but all she could
hear was hushed whispering and sounds of a struggle. She grew quite
concerned for some reason. "Tenma, what's going on? I'm coming in!"
"No!" Tenma replied. But Akara's voice had distracted him and he
slipped and fell backwards, pulling the girl on top of him.
Which was naturally what Akara saw when she opened the door.
"Tenma--?"
"Akara!" he exclaimed. "It's not what it looks like!"
The young Tendo's face darkened as she crossed her arms over
her chest. "Well, apparently I've come at a bad time. I'll just let you
two get back to what you were doing." And with that, she turned and
stomped out, slamming the door shut as she did.
Which was finally what woke Ryo up. "Huh-what? Did I hear
Akara-san's voice?" He blinked his eyes open and beheld the same scene
Akara did. "TENMA! How dare you cavort with other women when you have a
great fiancee like Akara!"
Tenma put his hands up in a warding gesture. "Ryo! It ain't
what ya think!"
Seeing how this wasn't going to go the way she wanted, the girl
finally let go and stood up.
Which was a good thing too, since Ryo chose that moment to drop
a large, iron, planted pot on his rival.
"I trust my daughter didn't cause you too much trouble," Lady
Kuno was saying.
Tenma and Ryo glared at each other. The former boy was sporting
a nice goose egg bump on his head from Ryo and his cheek was red from
Akara's slap, which she administered a short time ago.
"No trouble at all," Tenma muttered.
The Kuno matriarch smiled slightly from her side of the room
where she was sitting seiza, almost as if she had known exactly what had
occured. Physically, she looked almost like an exact duplicate of her
daughter, but older and more mature. But where her daughter had
seductive eyes, the older woman had a piercing gaze that seemd to read
Tenma's innermost thoughts. Her daughter, Konisha, was the the girl who
had been sent to fetch Tenma, and had ended up causing him a lot of
trouble instead.
Still, now both boys were finally here in this small room,
kneeling on their side of the small table across from the Kuno matriarch
and her daughter. Akara sat next to Tenma from where she took turns
glaring at Konisha and Tenma, and Ranko sat next to Ryo.
"Yes, well, my daughter and I recently returned from a long
trip," Lady Kuno said, continuing. "We left when we heard rumors of a
mysterious shogun who was assembling a large army. None of our spies
ever returned, so we deemed this a significant threat. We knew our army
was too small to defend ourselves, should we be attacked, so I departed
with my daughter to seek allies."
"Just you two!?" Tenma asked, incredously. "No guards?"
Lady Kuno put down her tea after taking a sip and fixed with
him with a look that made the young Saotome feel incredibly stupid.
"Yes, just us two. Guards would have drawn too much attention to us."
Tenma stopped, unable to argue against the logic in that.
"As I was saying, we were seeking allies," she continued.
"Tendo-san's rebel army was one, but the other we met when we found a
gaijin girl on the western coast of Japan. She spoke our language
perfectly, yet claimed to be a traveling warrior from across the sea,
looking for worthy male opponents to fight. In return, I explained our
plight about the gathering darkness. She then declared she would return
in 30 days with more warriors. She said it was a sacred duty of her
tribe to fight such evil." The matronly woman gazed down into her tea.
"I do not know why, but I believed her."
Akara had been growing more uncertain as the Kuno matriarch
related her tale. She had a growing suspicion about where it was
heading, but wanted to be sure. "So, just where do Tenma and Ryo-san fit
into all of this?"
The older woman looked back up. "The 30 days are up. If the
girl spoke the truth, her warriors should be gathered at the western
shore. I would like for Tenma-san and Ryo-san to meet with them and lead
them back here. My daughter shall be your guide, since she knows the
way."
"Why both of us?" Ryo asked, not wanting the leave the Kuno
estate and Akara. "Why not just send Tenma?"
"Because," she replied. "I know you are both suffering from a
strength malady, are you not?"
Surprised, both boys nodded, then Tenma asked, "How did you
know?"
"I can sense it. The point is, the girl I met with seemed to
know a lot of medical lore and she shared much with us. If anyone could
cure your problem, she, or one of her people, could."
There was silence in the room after that as the the young
occupants mulled over this latest development in their minds. Then Tenma
seemingly reached a decision and stood. "I'm going."
"Me, too," Ryo added immediately. He knew he'd never be able to
beat his rival if only Tenma got his strength back.
Akara looked into her lap but didn't say anything.
Lady Kuno also stood. "Well, it is late. Why don't you head
back to your rooms and get some rest? You will be leaving at first light
tomorrow." She slid open a side panel and stopped in the doorway, her
daughter joining her.
"And Tenma-san, remember this. We only have enough supplies here
to hold off the Dark Shogun's army for four or five days at most. You
must return in that time with help, or we will be lost."
Tenma stood on the small balcony of the second floor, gazing at
the star-filled sky. In the room in the back, Ryo snored on, but the
young Saotome didn't feel much like sleeping. For the first time in his
life, his thoughts and emotions were in a whirl.
I don't understand, he thought.
He could recall smashing open the doors to the wedding pavilion
and feeling conflicting emotions at the sight that greeted him. Akara
was kneeling in a brilliant wedding kimono that sent strange tingles
throughout his body. He also saw the man beside her that was about to
become her husband, and that tingle helped to fuel his rage. This man
had dared to take Akara away from him!
On the balcony, Tenma clenched and unclenched his fists, trying
to calm down as the memories threatened to inflame him once more. I
just don't understand. So preoccupied was he, that he failed to detect
the person approaching from behind.
"Hey there," came the gentle female voice.
Tenma started and turned around. "Akara! What are you doing
here?"
Her response wasn't what he was expecting. She seemed to blush
faintly even as she turned her head up into the sky. "Just checking up
on you." She turned to face him again, a slight smile on her lips. "And
to bring you a friend."
The young man cocked his head in confusion, but then he could
sense a familiar presence in the shadows behind her. Slowly, the shadows
unfolded to form a black panther.
"Neko!" Tenma exclaimed in surprise. "You're alive!"
The big cat wasted no time in pouncing on on his old friend,
wrestling him to the ground and licking his face. The laughter of Tenma
and the loud, playful purring of the panther brought a giggle out of
Akara as she watched the two play.
The two slowed down and stopped. "I thought I'd lost you,"
Tenma told his old friend as he scratched the big cat's neck. He turned
to look at Akara, gratitude displayed prominantly on his face. "Arigato
nasai, Akara. Where did you find him?" He slowly extricated himself from
Neko's grip and stood up.
"More like he found me," Akara replied. "I had just laid back
down to go to sleep when he showed up. I figured I'd better show him
where you were." Her face became odd. "It's strange, but it almost felt
like he wanted me to come here."
Tenma shrugged. "Neko is a strange cat. He lived in the
mountains with Satsu, Ryo, and I, but never actually came to the cabin."
He turned to gaze out over the balcony to the landscape below, his arms
coming to rest on the railing. Akara hesitantly took the few steps
between them until she was duplicating his postion from a couple feet
away. Neko sat down bewteen them.
"Why's that?" Akara asked, curious.
"I don't know." Tenma took a breath. "The first time I saw Neko
was several years ago while I was training alone in a secluded grove. I
was performing a kata when suddenly I saw this big, black cat perched on
a rock and watching me. I got scared and ran back to Satsu's shack." He
let loose a small smile at the memory.
"Scared?" Akara sounded amused. "The great Saotome Tenma was
afraid?"
Tenma turned his head sideways and grinned at her. "I remember
Neko gave you quite a fright when you first met him."
She blushed and `hmmphed.' "Touche."
He turned back to looking at the night sky before continuing
his story. "I had never seen a creature like that before, so I asked
Satsu about it. He laughed and explained about Neko, who was a panther,
the only one he'd ever seen. He said not to worry because Neko was
friendly, if a bit affectionate. The next day, I ran into Neko in the
same spot. This time I faced my fear and approached him, expecting to be
attacked at any moment. It wasn't until I was actually scratching his
neck when I realized Satsu was telling the truth. He's been with me ever
since."
Tenma absently reached a hand down to scratch Neko's neck, and
found Akara's hand doing the same thing. They both jumped a little as
their hands met, then quickly retrieved them, cheeks reddening.
"Sorry-" "Oops-" They said simultaneously, then laughed at
their actions. Neko look back and forth at the two, mildy upset that
they had stopped petting him.
"I'm sorry about the earlier thing with Konisha, too," Tenma
said softly. "She just sort of jumped on me. I didn't want her to do
that. There ain't nothing going on between us! I mean, not that I care
or anything."
Akara frowned a little and gave him a half-lidded stare,
crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh reeeeally?"
"Yes, really!" he gruffed as he turned to face her. "And you get
so uncute when you're jealous."
"Why would I jealous of her!? After all, there's nothing going
on between us to be jealous about! It was my father's stupid idea to
engage us!"
"Right!" Tenma agreed, then both turned to gaze out of the
darkened lanscape once more. "So what if you wanted to marry that idiot
Kuno boy. There ain't no reason for me to be jealous of that!"
Both teens suddenly felt disheartend for no reason they could
identify, and it was several moments before Akara spoke again. "You
don't have to worry. I'm not marrying Kuno. He's even more of a baka
hentai than you are."
"Hey!" Tenma was affronted. "Well, that's good,but its not like
I care or anything." He suddenly felt compelled to turn and look at his
unwilling fiancee, to judge her reaction, and found her already looking
at him.
On the ground, Neko yawned and look back and forth between
Tenma and Akara. Seemingly reaching a decision, he got up and bumped
Tenma from behind, forcing the boy to stumble forward to fall, then
quickly did the same to Akara. The two teens fell into each other, her
hands coming to rest on his chest, and his hands falling on her
shoulders. For several moments, the two stayed like that, drinking in
the wonder-filled gaze of the other and listening to their own rapidly-
accelerating heartbeats.
Tenma could see the stars reflected in Akara's big, brown eyes,
and suddenly found his whole body heating up for no reason.
Akara could feel his firm chest under her hands, as well as the
fast beating of his heart that nearly matched her own. Gazing up into
his face, she felt as if she could get pulled into his deep, blue eyes
and lose herself within them.
"Tenma..." She leaned her head up ever-so-slightly.
"Akara..." He lowered his down a bit, feeling drawn to her for
some reason.
Their lips were centimeters apart.
"Tenma?" came Ryo's voice from inside the room. "Where are you?"
The bandanna-clad boy came out onto the balcony to see Tenma
and Akara at opposite ends, which was roughly a dozen feet apart. "A-A-
Akara-san! What are you doing here?"
She turned to face Ryo. "I just wanted to see how you were and
return Neko to you guys." She spared a side glance to Tenma, thankful
that the dark night hid her deep blush. "See you tomorrow. Have a good
night, Ryo-kun." She quickly strode out of the room.
"She called me `Ryo-kun'," he said dreamily.
"Don't make me gag, pig-boy."
"Shut up, Tenma. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Just getting some fresh air." He turned and started to walk
back into the room, passing the panther on the way. "Come on, let's get
some shut-eye for our trip tomorrow." Ryo grunted something that could
have been an affirmative, but didn't argue.
But as Tenma made his way back to his bedroll and laid down, he
couldn't shake the feeling that as he passed the big cat, he had caught
sight of a big smile plastered on Neko's face.
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges
Trials
Chapter 7
"How much longer is it to this stupid Kuno place, Saotome?" Ryo
asked gruffly.
Tenma shrugged. "How should I know? I've never been there. Ask
our guide."
Ranko flipped her red pig-tail coyly in Ryo's direction. "We'll
be there soon, Ryo-chan." Tenma snickered and Ryo groaned.
Ranko had been flirting with Ryo ever since they started riding
together. She tried to flirt with Tenma, but quickly told her he was
already engaged. Not that he cared mind you, it was just to stop Ranko
from flirting with him.
"We should be there by nightfall."
"Are you sure, Ranko-san?" Tenma asked.
"I've been all all around the country, I know where we're going.
Trust me."
Both boys glanced at each other, each one knowing what the
other was thinking.
"What was daddy thinking!?"
"Calm down, imouto-chan," Nayrumi said while relaxing on a bed
of cushions in an exquiste kimono. "If you ask me, you're getting a good
deal here; the Kuno's are loaded. You can lead an easy life here. And
need I remind that if you don't marry him, the Kunos won't help us, and
we need all the help we can get."
"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to marry the
arrogant, egotistical jerk," Akara countered. Her face hardened.
"There's no way I'm going to be his wife. I'll die first."
She had been granted a brief resting moment before the ceremony
would begin, and her older sister had managed to sneak in talk with her.
"Oh, so you'd rather marry Tenma?" Nayrumi asked snidely.
A strange smile appeared on Akara's face for a minute, then it
turned into a scowl. "That hentai!? Not likely! I don't want to marry
anyone!"
A dull gong rang throughout the mansion and both girls realized
what it meant.
"Well, you're about to marry someone," Nayrumi said solemnly.
"So you might as well get used to the idea right now."
"I hear what you're saying, Tendo-san," Kuno-dono was saying.
"But my son has chosen and this `Tenma' has yet to appear."
Senshin sighed. He tried to appeal to the Daimyo's reasoning
several times, but each time his pleas had been rejected. Now, he was
forced to be silent as the wedding ceremony began and his youngest
daughter arrived, clad in a white kimono.
"Well, this is it," Ranko said at last. "Over this wall is the
Kuno estate. Now what?" She turned to her two traveling companions.
"We go to the gate and get let in," Tenma stated. "Akara should
have let them know we were coming."
"For once, I hope you know what you're doing, Saotome," Ryo said
as they approached the main gate. "Those guards don't look friendly and
we don't have our you-know-what back yet."
"Halt!" one of the eight guards by the gate commanded. "State
your name and business."
Tenma pulled his horse up short. "Saotome Tenma. I'm part of
Tendo-san's army. I wish to be let in to rejoin them."
"The Kuno estate is currently off limits to everyone," the guard
responded. "Until the marriage ceremony is complete, for safety
reasons."
"Ooh!" Ranko squealed. "Who's getting married?"
"It's between his highness, Kuno Tateyama, and Tendo Akara.
After the ceremony is complete, you will be let in."
"WHAT!?" both boys retorted.
Tenma suddenly found himself shaking with barely contained
anger. Somehow the thought of Akara being married to another man was
making his blood turn cold and his whole body tingled with fear. "Now
wait just a minute! She's my fiancee!"
The guards snickered. "Yeah, sure she is," one of them said,
brandishing his polearm menacingly. "Now just move along."
Ranko was shocked. "Your fiancee is getting married to another
man!?" Her eyes narrowed. "That's not right!" She leapt down off her
horse and started towards the guards, pulling out a pair of dark blue
bracers and snapping them on. Some small part of Tenma's mind thought
they looked an awful lot like his own. "We demand to be let in or else!"
"Or else what, little girl?" one of the guards snickered.
Tenma and Ryo braced for what would happen next, even as they
pitied the poor man.
"LITTLE GIRL!?"
*WHAM!* The guard doubled over in pain, his hands over his
crotch, thanks to Ranko's knee.
"Who's next?"
"Get her!" The guards charged.
"Come on, Ryo, let's go help her before she gets in over her
head."
The boys leapt off their horses and prepared to join the fight,
but were surprised to see Ranko holding her own. She was fast, and knew
exactly where to attack. The two boys grabbed a pair of pikes and began
to help anyway.
"We can handle this, Tenma-san!" Ranko called, flipping one of
her attackers into another. "You go get your fiancee!"
Tenma nodded. Ranko had Ryo with her, so she should be okay.
Even though, he didn't have his strength, he wasn't completely helpless.
"Thank you!" he called as he leapt from one guard's head to the top of
the wall. Then he was down on the other side and running as if his life
depended on it.
Because oddly enough, he felt as if it did.
Akara had declared that she would never get married to the Kuno
heir, but the truth of the matter was they needed the Kuno's help to
defeat the Dark Shogun. If she refused to marry him, their alliance
would be dissolved. So that's what she told herself over and over again,
hoping it would give her the strength to go through with this disgusting
act.
she
reasoned.
Still, as she shakingly lifted the cup of sake that would seal the
marriage, she desperately wished there was a way out of this.
As if a sympathetic Kami had heard her heart's plea, the doors
to the wedding hall were flung open and a single voice rang out.
"Stop this!"
Akara almost couldn't believe her ears, the recognized voice a
welcome and joyous musical symphony in the face of Kuno's arrogant tone.
Mumbles and whispers from the gathered folk echoed around the pavillion
in the wake of the newcomer's shouted command.
Tateyama was instantly on his feet. "Who be this commoner, who
dares to trespass upon this holiest of days!?"
Akara gasped as she turned and beheld her first iinazuke. "Tenma!"
"Saotome Tenma," the man declared as he walked down the hall.
"Akara is my fiancee! If you touch her, I'll kill you!"
There were more surprised whispered rumors from the group of
people who had come to watch to wedding. Many backed away from the young
Saotome in fear, because of the threatening presence he radiated.
Tateyama waved that statement off, oblivious to the danger he
was in that everyone else could sense. "Nonsense, she is mine now. Any
claim you had is now forfeit."
Tenma instantly recognized the young nobleman as the arrogant
type, the kind he had always despised. "So, you think you're are man
enough to hold onto her?" he challenged. "Or does the young lord fear
his skills are inadequate?"
Tateyama's visage darkened. "Very well. If thy death is what
lurks inside thee as thy innermost desire, I shall allow you the
pleasure of witnessing mine skill firsthand as a gift, before your
departure to the afterlife!"
Akara watched as Kuno shed his outer kimono and leap into he
air. There was a sharp intake of breath as she caught sight of the
sheath inside his hakama and tried to warn her fiance. "Tenma! Look
out!"
But the young Saotome saw the flash of silver as Kuno drew, and
leaned to the side as the blade came down. He used the other boy's
momentum to trip him up and slam him face first into the ground. He then
backed away, giving Tateyama time to stand up.
"Thy strike be lucky, fiend!" Kuno accused. "Thou shall not get
another."
Tenma made an exaggerated yawn, which only served to infuriate
the young noble. But truth be told, he was a little worried. Tenma was
faster than Kuno, but a single lucky strike with the katana and it would
be all over. Plus, he didn't have much strength, so he would have to use
a variety of tricks to get Tateyama to hurt himself. Taking the sword
away and using it was out of the question, since the guards would most
likely kill him if he killed Kuno. And despite his bravado, he really
didn't want to anyone's death on his hands.
Then there was no more time for contemplation, as Kuno was
attacking again, sword blurring in front of him in rapid striking
motions. Tenma read the standard pattern in the attack and avoided most
of them as he backpedaled under the fierce assault. The few that made
contact were mere scratches and cut his clothing, but a couple managed
to draw a little blood.
Tateyama stood triumphant. "Ha! I came first blood! Do you wish
to yield?"
"Over a coupla scratches?" Tenma was incredulous. "You have got
to be kidding."
"Than have at you!" Kuno charged again with the same attack
pattern.
This time Tenma was ready for him. He worked his way into the
swordsman's guard while evading the strikes. With a simple twist that
didn't require much strength, Tenma flipped Kuno to the ground and
disarmed him. He then made a show of swinging the weapon around while
Tateyama stood up.
"Hmmm, good weight, nice balance," Tenma complimented. "Very
sharp. Nice weapon. Too bad you don't know how to fully use it." He then
tossed the weapon back to his opponent. "But you can have it back, since
you obviously need it more than I do."
Kuno's look of shock turned to anger before he attacked again
with more viciousness then he had yet shown. Tenma continued to evade
the lethal strikes, even while he worked on his only other option. He
was reluctant to use this maneuver because of the damage it would cause
and of how unpredictable it was, but he saw no other choice at the
moment.
"Whenever you're done playin', we can start fightin' for real,"
Tenma told his increasingly frustrated and furious advesary.
On the sidelines, Akara wondered what was taking Tenma so long.
So far he had just evaded everything and used a few simple tricks to put
Kuno down. Why wasn't he fighting back? Something must be wrong, but
what? And now he seemed to be going out of his way to make Tateyama
angry. Her worry only increased.
And was that a circular pattern he was moving in?
Tenma sensed the right moment. He just needed his opponent
angry enough, but not too angry so it wouldn't last too long. He thrust
his right hand up in a mighty uppercut that failed to connect.
"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"
The dragon's tornado formed and Kuno was sucked off his feet.
The audience gasped and backed away as the mighty winds thrust the young
heir into the ceiling, cracking it. A large amount of the gathered group
stampeded for the exits in fear as the attack went off, leaving only a
dozen or so of the braver bystanders behind. They watched in awe and
disbelief as the tornado then pulled Kuno straight down again to smash
into the floor.
There was quiet in the hall after that, except for the noise of
the whirlwind dying down. Then Akara broke from her place at the altar
and ran towards the young Saotome, shedding her outer kimono as she
went.
"Tenma!" She wrapped her arms around him with a crushing hug.
"I thought you were dead, you baka! You know much I was worried about
you!?"
The shock that covered Tenma's face, but that was nothing
compared to the warm and fuzzy feeling that filled his insides and made
his body tingle at the contact. It was several minutes before he could
respond.
"So, you were worried about me, eh?" he replied getting his
cocky grin.
She let go of him then, and slugged him hard. "Baka! Don't ever
do that again!"
Tenma rubbed his arm.. "Uh, yeah, sure." Somehow, he knew he didn't really want her to change.
The sound of clapping captured the attention of the couple, as
we as everyone else's. "Very good!" came the voice of the Kuno Daimyo.
"I haven't seen combat like that for ages. I only hope my son will learn
something from it." A pair of retainers were already carrying the young
heir out to receive medical attention.
Just then, a frantic guard burst into the palace with Ryo and
Ranko close behind. "Lord Kuno! I have urgent news!" He ran up to speak
with the Daimyo in hushed tones while Ryo and Ranko headed straight for
Tenma and Akara.
"We got big trouble, Tenma-san!" Ranko said breathlessly.
"Tenma, who is this?" Akara asked with a hint of jealously in
her voice and a slight scowl on her face.
Tenma made the introductions. "Akara, this is Ranko-san. Ranko-
san, this is my... fiancee, Tendo Akara." He turned back to his
reluctant iinazuke. "Ranko-san helped us out a bit on the road."
"Pleased to meet ya!" Ranko said enthusiastically as she bowed
with a big smile on her face. Akara returned the bow, but with less
enthusiasm.
Ryo had been watching this, and he couldn't mistake the look
Akara had given Tenma. Saotome may not have picked up on it, but Ryo
could tell it was a `you-better-not-be-fooling-with-other-girls-because-
you're-mine' look. At first he despaired, but then thought,
"Now what's this trouble all about?" Tenma asked.
Ranko's demeanor changed back to serious. "Oh yeah!" And with
her next two lines, twin looks of shock appeared on the young couple's
faces "The Dark Shogun's army is approaching the Kuno estate! They'll
be here in two days!"
Tenma relaxed onto his futon, putting his hands underneath his
head as he did so. He had been loaned this room during his stay at the
Kuno estate and he was sharing it with Ryo, who was currently asleep in
the other bed.
After Ranko's news, she had left with the Tendo sisters to get
the young would-be bride out of her bridal kimono and the house servants
had ushered both Ryo and him here. Presumably, Senshin had left with the
Kuno Daimyo to discuss strategy. That left Tenma with a now-snoring Ryo.
he thought to himself. I forgot how loud pig-boy
snores. He yawned tiredly.
He had just begun to drift off when he felt it; something was
tickling his nose. His subconcious mind took control of his hand to
swipe the fly away, but the tickling immediately returned. The hand was
ordered back into action, but it's efforts ultimately proved futile.
Exasperated, Tenma's subconcious gave up and delivered a swift kick to
his conscious mind.
His eyes popped open to behold the sultry smiling girl above
him, clad in a black kimono. Her hand was holding the end of a whip and
was using it to tickle his nose. Part of his mind noted how some of the
kimono was pulled down, baring her right shoulder.
"Ohohoho!" she laughed quietly, obviously quite amused.
"Yaaagh!" Tenma was instantly against the far wall. "Who are
you!? What are you doing here!?"
The girl seemed mildly surprised at his rapid escape, but hid
it behind a lusty smile. "He didn't mention how handsome you were." She
stood up slowly, not bothering to fix her kimono, and let her long black
hair fall over her left shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you, Tenma-
sama."
The young Saotome calmed some, confusion replacing the
surprise. "What do you want?"
Her eyes traveled up and down his body, and Tenma suddenly
found himself feeling very much like a piece of meat. She sauntered
slowly toward him, doubling up the whip she held in her hands. As she
neared him, she playfully hung the whip around the back of his neck,
pulling him closer with both hands.
"Many things," she said in a highly suggestive voice. Then her
lips turned into a pout of regret. "But some will have to wait. My
mother wishes to meet with you and your friend."
*Knock* *Knock* "Tenma? Are you awake? Can I come in?"
Tenma's eyes went wide. "Ah, hold on!"
He began to struggle to get out of the strange girl's
entanglement, but it was more difficult then he thought. He was still
lacking the majority of his strength, and she had taken his struggles as
some sort of playful game, so she was holding on.
"Leggo!" He whispered vehemently to her.
"Oh, you don't really want that, Tenma-sama," she replied
seductively.
Outside, Akara had put her ear to the door, but all she could
hear was hushed whispering and sounds of a struggle. She grew quite
concerned for some reason. "Tenma, what's going on? I'm coming in!"
"No!" Tenma replied. But Akara's voice had distracted him and he
slipped and fell backwards, pulling the girl on top of him.
Which was naturally what Akara saw when she opened the door.
"Tenma--?"
"Akara!" he exclaimed. "It's not what it looks like!"
The young Tendo's face darkened as she crossed her arms over
her chest. "Well, apparently I've come at a bad time. I'll just let you
two get back to what you were doing." And with that, she turned and
stomped out, slamming the door shut as she did.
Which was finally what woke Ryo up. "Huh-what? Did I hear
Akara-san's voice?" He blinked his eyes open and beheld the same scene
Akara did. "TENMA! How dare you cavort with other women when you have a
great fiancee like Akara!"
Tenma put his hands up in a warding gesture. "Ryo! It ain't
what ya think!"
Seeing how this wasn't going to go the way she wanted, the girl
finally let go and stood up.
Which was a good thing too, since Ryo chose that moment to drop
a large, iron, planted pot on his rival.
"I trust my daughter didn't cause you too much trouble," Lady
Kuno was saying.
Tenma and Ryo glared at each other. The former boy was sporting
a nice goose egg bump on his head from Ryo and his cheek was red from
Akara's slap, which she administered a short time ago.
"No trouble at all," Tenma muttered.
The Kuno matriarch smiled slightly from her side of the room
where she was sitting seiza, almost as if she had known exactly what had
occured. Physically, she looked almost like an exact duplicate of her
daughter, but older and more mature. But where her daughter had
seductive eyes, the older woman had a piercing gaze that seemd to read
Tenma's innermost thoughts. Her daughter, Konisha, was the the girl who
had been sent to fetch Tenma, and had ended up causing him a lot of
trouble instead.
Still, now both boys were finally here in this small room,
kneeling on their side of the small table across from the Kuno matriarch
and her daughter. Akara sat next to Tenma from where she took turns
glaring at Konisha and Tenma, and Ranko sat next to Ryo.
"Yes, well, my daughter and I recently returned from a long
trip," Lady Kuno said, continuing. "We left when we heard rumors of a
mysterious shogun who was assembling a large army. None of our spies
ever returned, so we deemed this a significant threat. We knew our army
was too small to defend ourselves, should we be attacked, so I departed
with my daughter to seek allies."
"Just you two!?" Tenma asked, incredously. "No guards?"
Lady Kuno put down her tea after taking a sip and fixed with
him with a look that made the young Saotome feel incredibly stupid.
"Yes, just us two. Guards would have drawn too much attention to us."
Tenma stopped, unable to argue against the logic in that.
"As I was saying, we were seeking allies," she continued.
"Tendo-san's rebel army was one, but the other we met when we found a
gaijin girl on the western coast of Japan. She spoke our language
perfectly, yet claimed to be a traveling warrior from across the sea,
looking for worthy male opponents to fight. In return, I explained our
plight about the gathering darkness. She then declared she would return
in 30 days with more warriors. She said it was a sacred duty of her
tribe to fight such evil." The matronly woman gazed down into her tea.
"I do not know why, but I believed her."
Akara had been growing more uncertain as the Kuno matriarch
related her tale. She had a growing suspicion about where it was
heading, but wanted to be sure. "So, just where do Tenma and Ryo-san fit
into all of this?"
The older woman looked back up. "The 30 days are up. If the
girl spoke the truth, her warriors should be gathered at the western
shore. I would like for Tenma-san and Ryo-san to meet with them and lead
them back here. My daughter shall be your guide, since she knows the
way."
"Why both of us?" Ryo asked, not wanting the leave the Kuno
estate and Akara. "Why not just send Tenma?"
"Because," she replied. "I know you are both suffering from a
strength malady, are you not?"
Surprised, both boys nodded, then Tenma asked, "How did you
know?"
"I can sense it. The point is, the girl I met with seemed to
know a lot of medical lore and she shared much with us. If anyone could
cure your problem, she, or one of her people, could."
There was silence in the room after that as the the young
occupants mulled over this latest development in their minds. Then Tenma
seemingly reached a decision and stood. "I'm going."
"Me, too," Ryo added immediately. He knew he'd never be able to
beat his rival if only Tenma got his strength back.
Akara looked into her lap but didn't say anything.
Lady Kuno also stood. "Well, it is late. Why don't you head
back to your rooms and get some rest? You will be leaving at first light
tomorrow." She slid open a side panel and stopped in the doorway, her
daughter joining her.
"And Tenma-san, remember this. We only have enough supplies here
to hold off the Dark Shogun's army for four or five days at most. You
must return in that time with help, or we will be lost."
Tenma stood on the small balcony of the second floor, gazing at
the star-filled sky. In the room in the back, Ryo snored on, but the
young Saotome didn't feel much like sleeping. For the first time in his
life, his thoughts and emotions were in a whirl.
I don't understand, he thought.
He could recall smashing open the doors to the wedding pavilion
and feeling conflicting emotions at the sight that greeted him. Akara
was kneeling in a brilliant wedding kimono that sent strange tingles
throughout his body. He also saw the man beside her that was about to
become her husband, and that tingle helped to fuel his rage. This man
had dared to take Akara away from him!
On the balcony, Tenma clenched and unclenched his fists, trying
to calm down as the memories threatened to inflame him once more. I
just don't understand. So preoccupied was he, that he failed to detect
the person approaching from behind.
"Hey there," came the gentle female voice.
Tenma started and turned around. "Akara! What are you doing
here?"
Her response wasn't what he was expecting. She seemed to blush
faintly even as she turned her head up into the sky. "Just checking up
on you." She turned to face him again, a slight smile on her lips. "And
to bring you a friend."
The young man cocked his head in confusion, but then he could
sense a familiar presence in the shadows behind her. Slowly, the shadows
unfolded to form a black panther.
"Neko!" Tenma exclaimed in surprise. "You're alive!"
The big cat wasted no time in pouncing on on his old friend,
wrestling him to the ground and licking his face. The laughter of Tenma
and the loud, playful purring of the panther brought a giggle out of
Akara as she watched the two play.
The two slowed down and stopped. "I thought I'd lost you,"
Tenma told his old friend as he scratched the big cat's neck. He turned
to look at Akara, gratitude displayed prominantly on his face. "Arigato
nasai, Akara. Where did you find him?" He slowly extricated himself from
Neko's grip and stood up.
"More like he found me," Akara replied. "I had just laid back
down to go to sleep when he showed up. I figured I'd better show him
where you were." Her face became odd. "It's strange, but it almost felt
like he wanted me to come here."
Tenma shrugged. "Neko is a strange cat. He lived in the
mountains with Satsu, Ryo, and I, but never actually came to the cabin."
He turned to gaze out over the balcony to the landscape below, his arms
coming to rest on the railing. Akara hesitantly took the few steps
between them until she was duplicating his postion from a couple feet
away. Neko sat down bewteen them.
"Why's that?" Akara asked, curious.
"I don't know." Tenma took a breath. "The first time I saw Neko
was several years ago while I was training alone in a secluded grove. I
was performing a kata when suddenly I saw this big, black cat perched on
a rock and watching me. I got scared and ran back to Satsu's shack." He
let loose a small smile at the memory.
"Scared?" Akara sounded amused. "The great Saotome Tenma was
afraid?"
Tenma turned his head sideways and grinned at her. "I remember
Neko gave you quite a fright when you first met him."
She blushed and `hmmphed.' "Touche."
He turned back to looking at the night sky before continuing
his story. "I had never seen a creature like that before, so I asked
Satsu about it. He laughed and explained about Neko, who was a panther,
the only one he'd ever seen. He said not to worry because Neko was
friendly, if a bit affectionate. The next day, I ran into Neko in the
same spot. This time I faced my fear and approached him, expecting to be
attacked at any moment. It wasn't until I was actually scratching his
neck when I realized Satsu was telling the truth. He's been with me ever
since."
Tenma absently reached a hand down to scratch Neko's neck, and
found Akara's hand doing the same thing. They both jumped a little as
their hands met, then quickly retrieved them, cheeks reddening.
"Sorry-" "Oops-" They said simultaneously, then laughed at
their actions. Neko look back and forth at the two, mildy upset that
they had stopped petting him.
"I'm sorry about the earlier thing with Konisha, too," Tenma
said softly. "She just sort of jumped on me. I didn't want her to do
that. There ain't nothing going on between us! I mean, not that I care
or anything."
Akara frowned a little and gave him a half-lidded stare,
crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh reeeeally?"
"Yes, really!" he gruffed as he turned to face her. "And you get
so uncute when you're jealous."
"Why would I jealous of her!? After all, there's nothing going
on between us to be jealous about! It was my father's stupid idea to
engage us!"
"Right!" Tenma agreed, then both turned to gaze out of the
darkened lanscape once more. "So what if you wanted to marry that idiot
Kuno boy. There ain't no reason for me to be jealous of that!"
Both teens suddenly felt disheartend for no reason they could
identify, and it was several moments before Akara spoke again. "You
don't have to worry. I'm not marrying Kuno. He's even more of a baka
hentai than you are."
"Hey!" Tenma was affronted. "Well, that's good,but its not like
I care or anything." He suddenly felt compelled to turn and look at his
unwilling fiancee, to judge her reaction, and found her already looking
at him.
On the ground, Neko yawned and look back and forth between
Tenma and Akara. Seemingly reaching a decision, he got up and bumped
Tenma from behind, forcing the boy to stumble forward to fall, then
quickly did the same to Akara. The two teens fell into each other, her
hands coming to rest on his chest, and his hands falling on her
shoulders. For several moments, the two stayed like that, drinking in
the wonder-filled gaze of the other and listening to their own rapidly-
accelerating heartbeats.
Tenma could see the stars reflected in Akara's big, brown eyes,
and suddenly found his whole body heating up for no reason.
Akara could feel his firm chest under her hands, as well as the
fast beating of his heart that nearly matched her own. Gazing up into
his face, she felt as if she could get pulled into his deep, blue eyes
and lose herself within them.
"Tenma..." She leaned her head up ever-so-slightly.
"Akara..." He lowered his down a bit, feeling drawn to her for
some reason.
Their lips were centimeters apart.
"Tenma?" came Ryo's voice from inside the room. "Where are you?"
The bandanna-clad boy came out onto the balcony to see Tenma
and Akara at opposite ends, which was roughly a dozen feet apart. "A-A-
Akara-san! What are you doing here?"
She turned to face Ryo. "I just wanted to see how you were and
return Neko to you guys." She spared a side glance to Tenma, thankful
that the dark night hid her deep blush. "See you tomorrow. Have a good
night, Ryo-kun." She quickly strode out of the room.
"She called me `Ryo-kun'," he said dreamily.
"Don't make me gag, pig-boy."
"Shut up, Tenma. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Just getting some fresh air." He turned and started to walk
back into the room, passing the panther on the way. "Come on, let's get
some shut-eye for our trip tomorrow." Ryo grunted something that could
have been an affirmative, but didn't argue.
But as Tenma made his way back to his bedroll and laid down, he
couldn't shake the feeling that as he passed the big cat, he had caught
sight of a big smile plastered on Neko's face.