Nothing is Easy
Part 1 The game
By Halen Rains
School seemed to drag on that day. Ranma had returned to class after lunch and
been a little worried when he didn=t see Akane again. By the time gym rolled around,
people had begun to whisper about her. Ranma simply did his best to ignore them. It
wasn't hard for Ranma to completely engross himself in sports.
Ranma watched as the small white ball disappeared into Japan then mockingly
tossed the bat onto the ground and began to trot around the bases. When he rounded third
the girls softball field came into view and he began looking into the crowd of girls
cheering him on for her face. By the time he crossed home and was surrounded in the
crowd of teammates patting him on the back mocking the other team he'd checked every
face. Not one was the girl he sought. Almost as if a rubber band had snapped, Ranma
turned his attention to his cheering teammates and began clapping hands. After a few
minutes, everyone had returned to their places and the game picked back up. Ranma
walked triumphantly to the bench and sat down to watch the game.
"Damn Ranma." Hiroshi strolled over to Ranma, tossing his batting helmet and
bat away before sitting down and slapping Ranma on the back. "I don't see how you do
it."
Ranma shook his head and laughed. Hiroshi had been the first one to bat after his
home run, three pitches three strikes he's out.
"Just gotta know when to swing." Ranma spoke lightheartedly and grinned from
ear to ear.
"Yep." Hiroshi put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the fence.
"So how's the swinging going with Akane?" He chuckled as his implied question went
right over the mighty Ranma's head and sweat dropped. "You know...swing."
Ranma stared at Hiroshi blankly for a second before the real question made it's
way to his head. He drew his hand back as if to hit Hiroshi then simply pushed him from
the bench playfully.
"Like I'd really do anything with that tomboy." He turned his attention back to the
game then jumped to his feet. "Go back!" Ranma slammed back down on the bench.
"Damn it." Ranma watched as the boy he'd been yelling at got caught between second
and third and was finally tagged out.
"Yeah Ranma." Hiroshi pulled himself back onto the bench and dusted himself off.
"Only you would hold that against her."
"Huh?" Ranma turned his attention from the game to listen to Hiroshi. Everyone
knew Hiroshi was a no count hentai, but occasionally he would let a nugget of truth slip
past.
"It's like..." Hiroshi roughed his hair as if trying to shake loose the words from his
wild mane. "Not everyone sees a tomboy as a bad thing." Hiroshi stopped and waited
until Ranma motioned for him to continue. "You know she's always been like that. The
tough girl who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty." Hiroshi let his hands fall to his knees
and leened forward inspecting the ground. "Akane is a tomboy, sure, I'll admit it. But I
like that about her. She's not made of glass like some of these other girls." He struggled to
think of what to say exactly for a second. "I means take a look." Hiroshi pointed towards
the girls field not looking up from the ground.
Ranma looked where Hiroshi was pointing and watched as a girl carefully swung
the bat, hitting the ball and sending it foul. He smiled suddenly as the image of Akane
nailing him in the face flashed back to him again. *Akane wouldn't have messed up a
pitch like that.*
"You seen what I means." Hiroshi glanced up to see the look of realization on
Ranma's face then turned his attention to where Daisuke was getting ready to strike out
their last batter.
"Hai." Ranma looked back to Hiroshi and nodded. He didn't have to wait long for
Hiroshi to continue again, only until he head the sound of metal connecting with the ball.
"Not everyone likes a tomboy, but not everyone dislikes one either." Hiroshi
laughed under his breath then continued. "Before you came here, she was top dog. Queen
of the ant hill. Every guy wanted her. Then you show up, engaged to her I might add."
Hiroshi held up a hand to stop Ranma from interfering. "Kick the shit outta every
other guy who had a thing for her, THEN precede to acting like she's the worst thing that
ever happened to you." He sat back up and hit Ranma weakly on the shoulder. "You got
the one thing anyone else around here woulda killed for and all you can do is call her
kawiikune. Did you know a lot of guys thought something was wrong with her after that.
Otherwise why would you turn her down." Hiroshi smiled dumbly and winked. "But ol'
Hiro knows better. I still see the girl they all fought over, and I see how she looks after
you insult her. Trust me, I look harder than anyone and I know what I see." His tone had
returned to it's normal goofy self and he was smiling like always.
"Hey!" Ranma bonked Hiroshi on the head and started to laugh.
"Just don't be such an ass man. She may be a tomBOY, but she's still a girl."
Hiroshi smiled slyly and stood up. "Trust me, if I were in your shoes, I'd sure as hell not
turn her down." He lifted his glove from the bench and started out onto the field. "You
coming?"
Ranma snapped his head up to see that the teams were changing places and
grabbed his glove then headed out to the pitchers mound.
Back on the Bench next to where they'd been seated a boy looking to be around
sixteen suddenly slipped into view. He wore bright red ankle tied pants with ornate
golden Lion head decorations, a white sleeveless shirt, and dark black work boots that
came up past the ends of his pants. Running down from his right shoulder down to his
left side waist the up again around the back was a thick red leather shoulder belt with a
large silver clasp just under his heart. On his back was a long red fighting rod with the
ends glowing a gentle blue green. His lazy sky blue eyes follow the game with little
interest from under thick blond bangs.
"Hmm." He stretched lazily and leaned back against the fence, a soft smile on his
chiseled yet gentle face. He watched as Ranma easily struck out the first two boys who
stepped up to bat then allowed the next three base hits before striking out the pitcher
from the other team. As Ranma's team began to swamp places again a large pair of white
wings appeared on his back and he vanished.
Hiroshi returned to his place on the bench and waited for his turn at bat to come
up. He watched Ranma warming up and yawned. Before the first pitch had been thrown,
his eyes had slipped over to the girls field where he watched as the girls on the winning
team jumped around hugging each other and mocking to other team.
*Ahhh...tomboys are great* He looked back to the field just in time not to see a stray
softball from the girls field smashed into his face and send him sprawling against the
fence. As the blackness slid over his eyes, he grinned. *Yeah...just wonderful*
Part 1 The game
By Halen Rains
School seemed to drag on that day. Ranma had returned to class after lunch and
been a little worried when he didn=t see Akane again. By the time gym rolled around,
people had begun to whisper about her. Ranma simply did his best to ignore them. It
wasn't hard for Ranma to completely engross himself in sports.
Ranma watched as the small white ball disappeared into Japan then mockingly
tossed the bat onto the ground and began to trot around the bases. When he rounded third
the girls softball field came into view and he began looking into the crowd of girls
cheering him on for her face. By the time he crossed home and was surrounded in the
crowd of teammates patting him on the back mocking the other team he'd checked every
face. Not one was the girl he sought. Almost as if a rubber band had snapped, Ranma
turned his attention to his cheering teammates and began clapping hands. After a few
minutes, everyone had returned to their places and the game picked back up. Ranma
walked triumphantly to the bench and sat down to watch the game.
"Damn Ranma." Hiroshi strolled over to Ranma, tossing his batting helmet and
bat away before sitting down and slapping Ranma on the back. "I don't see how you do
it."
Ranma shook his head and laughed. Hiroshi had been the first one to bat after his
home run, three pitches three strikes he's out.
"Just gotta know when to swing." Ranma spoke lightheartedly and grinned from
ear to ear.
"Yep." Hiroshi put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the fence.
"So how's the swinging going with Akane?" He chuckled as his implied question went
right over the mighty Ranma's head and sweat dropped. "You know...swing."
Ranma stared at Hiroshi blankly for a second before the real question made it's
way to his head. He drew his hand back as if to hit Hiroshi then simply pushed him from
the bench playfully.
"Like I'd really do anything with that tomboy." He turned his attention back to the
game then jumped to his feet. "Go back!" Ranma slammed back down on the bench.
"Damn it." Ranma watched as the boy he'd been yelling at got caught between second
and third and was finally tagged out.
"Yeah Ranma." Hiroshi pulled himself back onto the bench and dusted himself off.
"Only you would hold that against her."
"Huh?" Ranma turned his attention from the game to listen to Hiroshi. Everyone
knew Hiroshi was a no count hentai, but occasionally he would let a nugget of truth slip
past.
"It's like..." Hiroshi roughed his hair as if trying to shake loose the words from his
wild mane. "Not everyone sees a tomboy as a bad thing." Hiroshi stopped and waited
until Ranma motioned for him to continue. "You know she's always been like that. The
tough girl who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty." Hiroshi let his hands fall to his knees
and leened forward inspecting the ground. "Akane is a tomboy, sure, I'll admit it. But I
like that about her. She's not made of glass like some of these other girls." He struggled to
think of what to say exactly for a second. "I means take a look." Hiroshi pointed towards
the girls field not looking up from the ground.
Ranma looked where Hiroshi was pointing and watched as a girl carefully swung
the bat, hitting the ball and sending it foul. He smiled suddenly as the image of Akane
nailing him in the face flashed back to him again. *Akane wouldn't have messed up a
pitch like that.*
"You seen what I means." Hiroshi glanced up to see the look of realization on
Ranma's face then turned his attention to where Daisuke was getting ready to strike out
their last batter.
"Hai." Ranma looked back to Hiroshi and nodded. He didn't have to wait long for
Hiroshi to continue again, only until he head the sound of metal connecting with the ball.
"Not everyone likes a tomboy, but not everyone dislikes one either." Hiroshi
laughed under his breath then continued. "Before you came here, she was top dog. Queen
of the ant hill. Every guy wanted her. Then you show up, engaged to her I might add."
Hiroshi held up a hand to stop Ranma from interfering. "Kick the shit outta every
other guy who had a thing for her, THEN precede to acting like she's the worst thing that
ever happened to you." He sat back up and hit Ranma weakly on the shoulder. "You got
the one thing anyone else around here woulda killed for and all you can do is call her
kawiikune. Did you know a lot of guys thought something was wrong with her after that.
Otherwise why would you turn her down." Hiroshi smiled dumbly and winked. "But ol'
Hiro knows better. I still see the girl they all fought over, and I see how she looks after
you insult her. Trust me, I look harder than anyone and I know what I see." His tone had
returned to it's normal goofy self and he was smiling like always.
"Hey!" Ranma bonked Hiroshi on the head and started to laugh.
"Just don't be such an ass man. She may be a tomBOY, but she's still a girl."
Hiroshi smiled slyly and stood up. "Trust me, if I were in your shoes, I'd sure as hell not
turn her down." He lifted his glove from the bench and started out onto the field. "You
coming?"
Ranma snapped his head up to see that the teams were changing places and
grabbed his glove then headed out to the pitchers mound.
Back on the Bench next to where they'd been seated a boy looking to be around
sixteen suddenly slipped into view. He wore bright red ankle tied pants with ornate
golden Lion head decorations, a white sleeveless shirt, and dark black work boots that
came up past the ends of his pants. Running down from his right shoulder down to his
left side waist the up again around the back was a thick red leather shoulder belt with a
large silver clasp just under his heart. On his back was a long red fighting rod with the
ends glowing a gentle blue green. His lazy sky blue eyes follow the game with little
interest from under thick blond bangs.
"Hmm." He stretched lazily and leaned back against the fence, a soft smile on his
chiseled yet gentle face. He watched as Ranma easily struck out the first two boys who
stepped up to bat then allowed the next three base hits before striking out the pitcher
from the other team. As Ranma's team began to swamp places again a large pair of white
wings appeared on his back and he vanished.
Hiroshi returned to his place on the bench and waited for his turn at bat to come
up. He watched Ranma warming up and yawned. Before the first pitch had been thrown,
his eyes had slipped over to the girls field where he watched as the girls on the winning
team jumped around hugging each other and mocking to other team.
*Ahhh...tomboys are great* He looked back to the field just in time not to see a stray
softball from the girls field smashed into his face and send him sprawling against the
fence. As the blackness slid over his eyes, he grinned. *Yeah...just wonderful*
