Ranma 1/2
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot




"Morning!" Kim chirped, and then went pale, as a drowsy Ranma-chan strode in wearing only boxers, and... a hair tie. The redhead blinked, noticing someone was in her apartment; her first reaction was to dive for the gun hidden down in the couch, before realizing that she had allowed the other girl to stay there for the night.

"Oh, hi Kim..." Ranma replied, before another realization snapped her awake, "SHIT!" Ranma ran back into her room, emerging a minute later with a dress shirt that was made for her male half. "Ah.. heh, heh, Morning Kim..."

"Uh.." the Korean woman started, trying to help Ranma recover her dignity, "I made breakfast, to say thank you for letting me stay the night."

"Oh? Cool!" Ranma-chan sat down at the small dining table, looking back towards Kim, "What you make?"

"Oh! My mother's recipe tripe soup, and rice," Kim happily replied, serving her friend first.

"Hmm? I have tripe?" Ranma-chan asked, taking a spoonful of her soup.

"Uh, yeah, I think so," Kim replied with a smirk, that faded as soon as she saw Ranko, correction, Yohiko's expression, "Are you alright?"

Without a reply, Ranma rushed to the bathroom, leaving Kim to brush down the strands of hair on her head that got caught in the rush draft from the smaller woman, "Yo-Yohiko?"

The toilet flushed, and Ranma staggered out of the bathroom, using a towel to wipe her mouth, "Um, that wasn't tripe..."

"It... it wasn't?" the Korean woman looked a bit put out by the announcement, Ranma merely waved it off.

"Don't worry about it, I guess it was an honest mistake," the smallish redhead replied, taking a scoop of her rice with the chopsticks.

"I... I'm sorry," Kim replied, bowing her head, "I... are you okay Yohiko?"

Ranma continued to gag with her mouth closed, making it sound like she was choking. And without removing the chopsticks, rushed to the bathroom for a second time. Kim continued to look down at the table in dissappointment, as Ranma-chan staggered back into the small kitchen dinette, "Uh, I probably shoulda brushed my teeth first, before eating, I mean..."

"Sorry, I guess it was pretty aweful, huh?" Kim still didn't look up, "I... I'll pay for the food I ruined, don't worry."

Ranma-chan sighed, "Don't worry about it," she smirked slightly as her still settling stomach would allow, "I've had worse..."

Kim nodded, but didn't meet the redhead's eyes, "I'm sorry."

Ranma sighed, deciding she needed a mood lightener, "Heh, a while back I..." Ranma caught herself, and forced herself to continue without gaining a whistful tone, "I told this one girl, she was pretty aweful at cooking, I told her that the only way her cooking could really be this terrible is if she was TRYING to make it horrible. And she told me, 'Oh yeah, I bet I could actually make it really terrible, and that'll shut you up about my cooking'! I mean, she actually took it as a challenge to make something *worse*, and imagine my surprise when she *did*. I wasn't going to actually eat the slop, but she cornered me, and.."

"My food's then as bad as her worst effort, then?" Kim had her eyes closed, with her head still bowed towards the table.

"Wha? HEY NO! I didn't mean it like that!" Ranma swore under her breath, before continuing, "Maybe there was just something wrong with some of the ingredients..."

"What could be wrong with water and rice?" Kim asked in an attempted jovial tone that lacked any true mirth.

"Well, aaaahhhhh, did you wash the rice? I'm pretty hard about washing rice!" Ranma-chan stated nervously.

Kim's head snapped up, as she looked at her friend with realization, "Oh, you're supposed to wash it first?"

"Um, yeah, I mean the rice start and talc on it gets pretty nasty, you know?" Ranma internally sighed, as the other woman seemed to lighten up.

Kim's face seemed to become determined, "Well, I'll get it right this time, then."

"Ah..." Ranma winced, "I'll tell you what, how about we get dressed, and I take you out to breakfast? I know a great cafe near here, and then I can walk you home, sound good?"

"I.. I can't really afford to eat out much, and I have to pay for wasting your food..."

"Ah, no buts!" Ranma-chan interjected, "This is for ruining last night for you, I know how much you girls can bring in, you know?"

"I-it wasn't your fault, really," Kim attempted to argue, as Ranma walked back into her room, and pulled out a pair of dress slacks and a blouse.

"I don't want to hear it, I insist!" The redhead tossed the garments towards Kim, "Now, my pants, um, my husband's pants should fit you fine, and my blouse may be a bit loose on you but..."

"And why would it be loose?" Kim asked with a slight edge in her voice.

"Um, Iiiiii usuallydon'twearabra... and so I wear my shirts loose, that's it!" Ranma hoped Kim wouldn't question the beads of sweat that were beginning to build on her face.

Kim contemplated the answer, and seemed mollified, "Okay, I guess, but someone with your rack shouldn't be going around without a bra, you know?"

"Er... I've been told."Ranma pointed Kim towards the bathroom, and then closed the door for the girl to allow her some privacy. Once closed, Ranma-chan looked towards the heavens and whispered 'thank you'.
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"I see..." Richter replied over the phone, "Well, if you feel it's nessesary... alright, I understand, but I thought you would have more faith in your partner. Indeed, I'll have him investigate another assignment then... oh, nothing, just some busy work, is all... Good good, I'll await a report of your progress then, Auf veiderhoren."

The blond Austrian hung up the phone, and thought for a few seconds, before picking the phone up again, "Yes, Ms. Ming? I need you to look up the number for our employee Saotome Ranma. Yes, please make haste, it is of slight importance..."
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Ranma strode back into her apartment, right when the answering machine clicked off as whoever called hung up. The redhead walked over to find it was the only message left the whole morning, and listened.

"Mr. Saotome, I am unfortunate to not find you home at this time, and I am disheartened that I wasn't able to reach you on your cellphone..."

Ranma checked herself, and swore when she realized she left her phone at home, "Anyhow, I request you call me back as soon as you hear this, it's a matter I would like you to look into..."

Ranma shrugged, trying to seem disconcerned with whatever her boss wanted, and surpressing the notion that she was in deep shit for something. With a little trepidation, the redhead picked up the phone, and dialed the direct number she had never been allowed to use before...

"Uh, Richter... I mean, Mr. Stromhaus, is th-there something you wanted...?"
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Rugar continued to pack ammo and load clips with rounds. He decided that this was something he'd have to do on his own, regardless of what Ranma had to say on the subject. he knew he would be upset about it, but this was just too personal to involve anyone else in it, especially Ranma. Northrop was in town for a reason other than assassinating the underworld's bosses of the city...

He was that reason.

"Northrop, we're gonna settle this, once and for all," Dan growled, before feeling the tip of a gunbarrel against his head.

"Right, you can take whatever it is with this Northorp guy that's got your panties up in a bunch," Ranma replied, bringing his free hand over to motion Rugar to put his guns off to the side, "But in the meantime, how about we chat?"

"Ah, hi Ranma, let yourself in, did you?" Dan said nervously.

"What the hell is this all about? You're cutting me out of this gig?"

"Ah, I thought you could use the time off..."

"Na," Ranma replied casually with a slight edge of anger in his voice, "got bills to pay..."

"I'll give you half of the proceeds, just for being my friend?" Dan winced, when Ranma popped him up the back of his head.

"I ain't in the mood for cute, and you know I don't accept charity. Now talk."

"Ranma..." Dan started with a tired voice, "We said we wouldn't ask each other about our pasts, right?"

Ranma was thrown off by the question, "Uh, yeah, so?"

"Well, before I say anything about this, you're gonna tell me..." Dan went back to loading bullet rounds into clips, "You're a bright kid, what the hell were you doin wandering like some vagabond?"

"And what does this have to do with anything?" Ranma growled, stepping back, but keeping the gun aimed at his partner.

"If you can't answer the question, I can't tell you what this is about." Dan gathered the rounds, and loaded them into his cargo pants pockets. Then, he reached for his dagger guns, and slowly put them into their holsters as to not startle Ranma.

"I'm afraid I can't just let you leave," Ranma replied with a somber tone, "Mr. Stromhaus..."

"Tipped you off, I know. I guess I shouldn'ta told him anything, but this is part of business." Dan stood up, and started for the door of his house.

"Dan, stop..." Ranma kept the gun traced on his partner.

Dan paused at the door, "If you're gonna shoot, just shoot, but this job is no longer your concern." With that, he opened the door, and walked out.

"Shit!" Ranma swore for his overbearing sense of honor to shoot a man in the back, and rushed for the door. He looked around to find Dan seeming to have vanished into thin air. The ponytailed man swore, as he started to the rooftops. He knew his chances of finding his partner were slim; Rugar wasn't quite in Ranma's league when it came to stealth, but he knew what he was doing well enough.

From the house next door, Rugar watched, as Ranma leapt to the roof of the next house, away from him. Pocketing the key of the second house he owned, he waited a while before he was sure Ranma was gone.