Heart of Fire, Soul of Ice
By: DemonSaya
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me. I've merely kidnapped them and am holding them for a large sum of money. Rumiko Takahashi get's her characters back on weekends and holidays only. Other than that, I am in possession. If you would like to borrow one, please e-mail me.
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Part 11: Spiritual Training
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Ranma woke with a start the next morning when a hand grabbed his ankle and hurled him out the window. Carefully, he flipped, landing on the ground rather than in the pond, as he usually did. He turned to see his father stalking towards him. A heavy sigh escaped him. Looked like his father wanted to get his ass kicked again.
He noticed Akane watching with a sweet smile on her face and fought down the urge to blush, instead centering himself and preparing to open a can of whoop ass on his father.
"I watched your sparring session with Akane yesterday." His father said in a soft, somewhat dangerous voice. "Now that I know you've trained her to be as good as you, I'm going to train you until she cant touch you, once again. If you training her is what got you two so close, I'll be damned if I'm going to let you stop!"
Ranma slipped into a ready position, preparing to attack. "Really, old man? What more can you teach-!" Ranma felt hands grab him and suddenly he was being hurled across the yard. He hadn't even seen his father move. He was so shocked that he let himself hit the wall. He stared at his father in shock. He looked towards Akane and saw the shock on her face as well. He jumped to his feet, closing his eyes and letting himself try to sense his father's chi. He saw a faint flicker quickly enough to dodge slightly, but a foot hooked around the back of his neck and he wound up getting a facefull of dirt.
"I've gone easy on you since you were getting training from Cologne and doing all those rescue acts. That ends today."
Ranma coughed, feeling at least ten hits to his back at nearly amaguriken speed and to his suprise, blood splattered onto his hand. He could hear Akane cry out, but forced himself to stand. He was furious. His father had been going easy on him this whole time, letting Ranma beat down on him. There was nothing that insulted him more than knowing that someone didn't go all out with him. He forced himself to block his father's next barrage of kicks and punches, blocking some, but several more than he blocked still got through his defenses.
Akane watched Ranma getting the crap kicked out of him and fought the urge to run to him. She could see that he had that determined light in his eyes and his face was firmly set. She knew he wouldn't let her intercede. Not unless he was unconsious. So she sat there helplessly, watching Ranma being pummeled by his father, on grounds that he wouldn't show Ranma wouldn't show his love for Akane when he wasn't training her. She felt her hands trembling, and finally ran out to them, as Genma threw Ranma to the ground and her fiancee bounced a few feet and lay still.
"Get up." Genma growled.
Ranma lay there for a moment, his eyes slowly opening and he glared at his father, slowly trying to get to his feet. Suddenly, there was a flash of blue skirt and Akane was standing in front of him, legs akimbo, arms outstretched. She was shielding him. "Akane...move..." He whispered.
"No." She said firmly. "Stop this now, Genma Saotome!" She demanded, fumbling around the neck of her uniform. "Ranma gave me this. It's an engagement ring. Please, stop this now!" She wanted to cry. She wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of Genma, but knew after seeing Ranma get his clock cleaned again and again, she wouldn't stand much of a chance. "Ranma and I are going to be training with some friends of ours soon...he needs to be in top condition, please, stop this now!"
Genma looked at the girl through narrowed eyes. "He will not be trained by anyone but his father!"
Ranma forced himself to his feet and put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "Akane, I'm okay, really. I may not be the sherman tank Ryouga is, but I can take hits.
Akane turned towards him, seeing one of his cheeks had a large bruise on it, and a little blood dripped down his lips. "I'm not moving." She whispered firmly, her face determined. "You know that Oukami is probably going to be training you with stuff more dangerous than this, and you need to be in top condition. Please, Ranma, do this for me?" She begged, curling her fingers into his sleeve.
Ranma sighed. How could he say no to those eyes? He lifted a hand, brushing a tear that was forming in her eye away. "Come on, Akane, don't cry."
"Did neither of you hear me? No one is training my son but me!"
Suddenly, a voice piped up from the wall. "Saotome-san, by the time I'm done training Ranma, you wont be able to touch him even if you practice for another hundred years." The voice was perfectly calm, and two silver eyes peered out at them. It was Oukami.
Genma turned towards Oukami, glaring at him. "Who are you to say what I will and wont be able to do with my son?!"
"Look, Ranma is a major player in a 'game' about to start. You're a player too, you just don't know it yet. But Ranma will be a more important player than you will. You have no business training my new student. And if you'd like, I'll fight you in honorable combat, and defeat you, and then you will have nothing else to say on the matter. If I lose, which I wont, Ranma will remain your student." Oukami stepped away from the wall, stalking towards Genma, his movements fluid, and showing a grace that meant several millenia of practice.
Genma slipped into a ready stance and sprung towards Oukami, his face furious.
The fight took less than three seconds. Genma blurred out of sight, and Oukami simply lashed out with one hand, palm outwards, striking Genma in the chin. Genma went flying back and landed in a neat pile. Unconsious.
Akane and Ranma stared at Oukami in shock and finally Ranma shook his head. "Wow..." He muttered, grinning from ear to ear. Akane nodded in agreement.
Oukami winked. "If he's a man of honor, he'll remember this. If not, I'll run him into the ground a few more times. You'd better start practicing with each other more. You have to be totally comfortable with sparring before we can start your actual training. And don't worry about hurting each other too much." He grinned at Ramna. "She CAN take more than you think." With that, Oukami left.
Ranma blushed. Evidentally Oukami knew how his mind worked too well. It was downright eerie sometimes. He caught Akane looking at him and turned his head quickly so she couldn't see the flush on his face. When he looked back at her, she was smiling a bit. "Um...I guess we should do as we're told and go practice, huh..." He said, looking at her from under his eyebrows.
She smiled, nodding. He was so CUTE like that!
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Ryouga sat there, watching the moving people carry his stuff into his most recent residence, the okinomiyaki shop run by Ukyou. They'd talked about it and this was now the most logical place to stay. She'd even taken it upon herself to get him enrolled into highschool. He wasn't entirely comfortable living with a girl, much less one of Ranma's rejected fiancees, but he knew that it was the most wise idea. After all, now, he could stay here and they'd train here, and he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.
He shifted uncomfortably on the bar stool. He could feel Ukyou's eyes examining him and forced himself to focus on the people moving his stuff. He still hadn't gotten used to her constant presence, always sure that he didn't get lost and wind up in some random location that wasn't Nerima. It wasn't that it bothered him, but he wasn't used to getting attention from anyone. Especially from a girl that wasn't clutching him while he was P- chan.
Ukyou cleaned the grill monotonously. It didn't need it, but she continued to wipe it down with the cloth, her eyes resting on Ryouga's profile. There was something about him that confused her. He constantly claimed he loved Akane, even now, he continued to do that, yet he was moving in with her.
He was blushing.
She half-smiled, knowing he knew she was watching. Her eyes swept down to his feet, then back up to his hair. He was an attractive male, but she'd seen quite a few men that were attractive. Ranma, who in her eyes was still about the most handsome man on the planet, and even Mousse had something that was bordering on sensual...well, if he lost the glasses and didn't act like a complete moron half the time. Maybe the training would fix that. A wry grin swept across her face.
She'd always had reasons for finding a man attractive, different things for each different male. With Ranma, he was always so carefree and boyishly handsome, effortlessly sexy sometimes, and he had a sweetside that was amazing. Mousse had incredible turquoise eyes, and was somehow exotic for some strange reason she couldn't fathom. Ryouga, however...
She paused another moment to examine him closer. He was definitely earthy. He had calluses evident on his hands, and his hair was slightly uneven. His eyes were piercing, his jaw strong, his face tanned from so long in the sun. She chuckled. If he didn't get lost so much, he probably wouldn't be that tan.
Ryouga shifted uncomfortably once again, glancing towards her. Sure enough, she was watching him quite contently. She looked deep in thought. An ugly flush dashed across his cheeks and he looked back to the movers. Why was she staring at him?!
Ukyou chuckled slightly, then moved around the bar to go stand next to him. She leaned over his shoulder, bringing her lips close to his ear. "You're blushing." She said with a wicked grin.
He flushed darker. "I'm just a little warm." He lied, looking anywhere but at her. He heard her giggle in his ear and his eyes involuntarily went to hers. "Wh-what's so funny?"
She straightened, looking down at him. "If you get any warmer, you're going to have a nosebleed." She teased. She giggled again as his blush darkened even more. "Ryouga, I'm just teasing..." She shook her head and walked back behind the bar leaving the poor lost boy even more lost than normal.
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Mousse woke feeling strangely warm that morning. He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at a blurred roof. He sighed heavily, reaching his hands up and massaging his temples. Shampoo was being unusually aggressive lately. It was getting monotonous. Cologne had also noticed she was paying him more attention than normal. He sighed again, ruffling his bangs, and pushing them off his forehead. He glanced at the clock, which was quite blurry, but he could just make out the numbers as reading 6:00. He groaned, rolling over to get more shut eye before they opened at ten.
And hit something soft curled up next to him.
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw what was curled up so cozy next to him was none other than Shampoo, herself. She was fast asleep, her purple hair everywhere around her. She was under the covers with him.
He moved carefully, and confirmed what he'd suspected before. She was nude. He flushed right up to the roots of his hair. If it had been anyone else, he'd have pushed them out on their ass so fast they wouldn't know what hit them, but it was Shampoo, and he couldn't do that to her. With a sigh, he rolled towards her, carefully, letting a finger gently stroke her face. A few weeks ago, he'd have killed to be in this situation, but now he wasn't sure what to do.
With a heavy sigh, he rolled out of bed, which unfortunately woke her up. He walked towards the closet, avoiding looking at her, and pulled a robe from inside of it.
She watched him move in confusion as he came towards her with the robe. She opened her arms to receive him, but instead, he wrapped the robe around her. She didn't understand. "Mousse?" She asked softly in Mandarin.
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You must be more careful." He said in Japanese. "If Cologne finds you in here, there will be hell to pay, and you know it." He saw the confusion on her face and forced himself to look away from her. "I'm not upset or anything, but...if Cologne-"
"Shampoo don't care about great-grandmother!" She cried, angry.
He looked at her sharply. "Shampoo, if she finds out about this, she'll kill me, and disown you." He said softly. "You don't have anything to lose. I have everything to lose." He gently wrapped the robe tighter around her, then put his hands on her shoulders. "It's not about you..." He promised, kissing her forehead lightly. "Hurry and go get dressed, before Cologne catches you."
She frowned a bit, then left, her face serious.
Mousse sighed when she was gone. Okay, evidently, Shampoo will be Shampoo. The problem was, getting her to be a little more discreet about being herself. He half-smirked, slipping on his glasses and seeing clearly for the first time that morning. Things were getting complicated now. He shook his head, and changed into his work-clothes. He was up, may as well get ready for today.
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Ryu and Hotaru stood outside, their heads proudly raised. They were well aware that these battles were going to torment every single one of them until the final battle, and whoever won, would receive their own little place in heaven to rule. They also knew that despite this, all these six martial artists wanted was to live peaceful lives on earth.
As Ryouga was guided outside by Ukyou, looking rather nervous and not very excited. They each took position in front of their teacher, holding their respective weapons, Ryouga with his giant umbrella, Ukyou with her whoop ass spatula. Ryouga was frowning ever so slightly, while Ukyou had a determined glint in her eyes.
Hotaru spun her quarterstaff slightly. "You both will commence training today. You will only have a few days of training, so it will be highly condensed, and very quick. It will begin in the morning, before dawn, and end around seven or eight at night."
"What about the restaurant?!" Ukyou gasped.
Hotaru's big, innocent eyes turned towards her pupil. "Will you be worried about the restaurant if you're dead?"
That shut both of their possible objections up.
Ryu looked between them. "If you're not up on time, you will receive rather rude awakenings. And I don't mean a glass of water dumped over your head. I mean worse." Ryu pulled his sword out of the ground, holding it easily. "Now let's begin.
The training was more physically trying than anything they'd ever done before, Ukyou was about to collapse after less than an hour of it. She held up her hands, trying to catch her breath, but Hotaru's staff spun, catching her in the stomach and sending her back about ten feet. She landed hard, and gasped in pain. Ryouga turned to check on her, only to receive Ryu's hilt to the shoulder.
"If I had been an opponent, I wouldn't have used the hilt." Ryu chastised. "Pay attention. Constant attention, or you will be killed. Ukyou will be fine. She's a martial artist as well, correct?!"
Ryouga held his shoulder, glaring back at Ryu. "She's tired. She needs a break."
Hotaru rested a hand on Ryouga's head. "She needs stamina." She said softly. "Perhaps we should start with a little training in energy." She looked at Ryu, who nodded in agreement. Without another word, she walked to Ukyou and helped her stand, then walked her back towards where they were working.
Ryu and Hotaru sat down, and the exhausted martial artists followed suit. "Close your eyes, and breath in deeply, try to imagine than some unseen energy is pouring into you. Feel it filling you and in doing so, making your energy level rise."
Ukyou's glow slowly returned. "Wow..." She muttered.
Ryouga looked towards Ukyou, and saw that she really WAS glowing. "Holy SHIT." He gasped, staring at her in shock. In fact, he was glowing too. And so were the spirits.
"Lesson one." Ryu said calmly. "Everything is made of energy. Including you, and the earth. When your energy level drops, all you must do, is create a connection such as this one, and you will have a never ending supply." His eyes opened and he looked directly at Ryouga. "Now the training really starts."
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The next morning, Ukyou made the mistake of sleeping in. Hotaru stood over her bed, her expression disapproving. Her eyes closed and she made a connection with Ukyou's mind, and promptly triggered abdominal cramps that girls get as they P.M.S.. She pulled back as Ukyou let out a pained cry and woke up, holding her abdomen in pain.
"H-Hotaru?!"
"We told you, if you slept in, you'd be given a rude awakening. Not get up. It's time to start training."
Ukyou climbed out of bed and staggered downstairs. "What about food?"
"If you'd been up on time, you'd be allowed to eat."
Ukyou let out a grown, realizing she'd have to wait till dinner before she'd be allowed to let a single morsel pass her lips. This was going to be hell.
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Ukyou and Ryouga sparred in silence that day, both of them with huge bags under their eyes, neither of them knowing what time it was. When Ryu told them to stop, Ukyou promptly collapsed into a heap, and Ryouga sighed heavily. He pulled her arm around his neck and stood, helping her into the house. He carefully sat her at one of the booths, and went to the kitchen silently, returning with tea and a few enormous sandwiches.
She gave him a weak, but grateful smile. "Thanks." She said, then, in a matter of minutes, the sandwich was gone, and the tea guzzled. Then, she set her head against the table. "This training is going to kill us, you know?" She said with a weak grin.
He nodded in agreement. "And if it doesn't, I may actually beat Ranma in a fight." He shook his head. "We gotta survive this. It's not optional. The really hard stuff is coming up in a few more days. And we're probably not going to survive that."
She sighed heavily." I know. I'm worried about everyone. We're all strong, but this is nuts! How are we supposed to stand up to a god."
"I don't know..." He said. "But it's gonna be fine. Ranma's gonna win." He gave a grin. "How could he lose?"
Ukyou nodded, pacified, temporarily.
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Shampoo breathed heavily as she fought against Yuki, unable to believe how skilled the other girl was. Shampoo was actually struggling! She knew that Mousse was doing no better, either. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see him fighting against Taka as if his life depended on it.
Mousse grunted, taking a blow to the stomache in order to avoid a blow to the temple. He knew what was more important. He just wasn't sure how he was going to survive the training. A few more moments of this hard work and it'd be done for approximately eight hours, when inevitably, both him and Shampoo would collapse in their respective rooms and pass out. It had been going like this for almost a week now.
Finally, Yuki and Taka stopped, looking at them in an appraising fashion. "You may rest now." They bowed deeply at the pair and the pair bowed back, Shampoo with a hand to her side, where she could feel the fever of a bruise forming. They watched as the spirits disappeared, Mousse with a frown on his face.
"We're going to be lucky if we survive the training, much less the actual battles..." He looked towards Shampoo, noticing the grimace on her face. "Are you alright?"
She nodded firmly, not removing her hand. As she prodded, she could feel the actual bone was what had bruised. She felt a gentle hand over hers and looked towards Mousse. Her face grew upset. "Shampoo strong. She no need someone to take care of her!"
He backed away quickly, looking away, somewhat ashamed. "I was just worried, you looked like you were in pain." He said softly.
She gasped, her eyes widening. She examined Mousse for a long moment, then arched an eyebrow. "Mousse need contacts." She said suddenly.
He looked up, suprised. "Huh?" He watched her nod, then walk towards him, lifting her hands and pulling the glasses from his face. Everything in his world became a blur. He caught her hands, his face serious. "Shampoo?"
"Mousse is pretty eyed. Needs contacts. Can't see them behind stupid glasses." She glared at the glasses, then looked up at him, beaming. "Mousse would be able to see, and Shampoo could see pretty eyes. Is okay?"
He smiled a bit. They didn't have enough time on this world to worry about Cologne's old ways. He took the glasses away, slipping them onto his nose. "Okay, I'll get contacts. But Shampoo..." He glanced towards her. "If I do, would you let me be myself, and I'll let you be whoever you want to be..."
She blinked. "Mousse is Mousse. Shampoo want no one else."
He rested his head against her hair. "Then let me take care of you. It's something I need to do now and then."
She flashed him a secretive smile, then led him into the back entrance of the Nekohanten and up to his room, where she slipped off her shirt and displayed the bruise forming.
He frowned a bit, then reached into his robes, pulling a roll of gauze and a tub of ointment. "This will hut a bit, Shampoo." He warned, then smiled at the determined glint in her eyes. Shampoo evidentally would always be the strong Amazon. With a shake of his head, he rubbed the ointment into her skin and carefully wrapped the bandage around her abdomen. He saw her wince once or twice, but when it was done, she looked down, appraising it.
"Mousse good doctor." She said, smiling brightly up at him. When she threw her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his chest, he promptly passed out from a nosebleed.
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AN: I know, I know, this one's taken me forever, huh...Sorry ^_^; I was on vacation, and didn't have a computer available. Hopefully the next chapter will be out next week, which is when things are gonna start gettin juicy with Ranma & Akane. No, unfortunately, no sex...well...yet...I'm still undecided whether or not later chapters will include the occasional sex scene...::Heavy sigh:: Oh well, I'll figure that out when I get there. Stay tuned for the training of Ranma & Akane. Until then! *DemonLovin* 3 ~DemonSaya~
By: DemonSaya
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 does not belong to me. I've merely kidnapped them and am holding them for a large sum of money. Rumiko Takahashi get's her characters back on weekends and holidays only. Other than that, I am in possession. If you would like to borrow one, please e-mail me.
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Part 11: Spiritual Training
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Ranma woke with a start the next morning when a hand grabbed his ankle and hurled him out the window. Carefully, he flipped, landing on the ground rather than in the pond, as he usually did. He turned to see his father stalking towards him. A heavy sigh escaped him. Looked like his father wanted to get his ass kicked again.
He noticed Akane watching with a sweet smile on her face and fought down the urge to blush, instead centering himself and preparing to open a can of whoop ass on his father.
"I watched your sparring session with Akane yesterday." His father said in a soft, somewhat dangerous voice. "Now that I know you've trained her to be as good as you, I'm going to train you until she cant touch you, once again. If you training her is what got you two so close, I'll be damned if I'm going to let you stop!"
Ranma slipped into a ready position, preparing to attack. "Really, old man? What more can you teach-!" Ranma felt hands grab him and suddenly he was being hurled across the yard. He hadn't even seen his father move. He was so shocked that he let himself hit the wall. He stared at his father in shock. He looked towards Akane and saw the shock on her face as well. He jumped to his feet, closing his eyes and letting himself try to sense his father's chi. He saw a faint flicker quickly enough to dodge slightly, but a foot hooked around the back of his neck and he wound up getting a facefull of dirt.
"I've gone easy on you since you were getting training from Cologne and doing all those rescue acts. That ends today."
Ranma coughed, feeling at least ten hits to his back at nearly amaguriken speed and to his suprise, blood splattered onto his hand. He could hear Akane cry out, but forced himself to stand. He was furious. His father had been going easy on him this whole time, letting Ranma beat down on him. There was nothing that insulted him more than knowing that someone didn't go all out with him. He forced himself to block his father's next barrage of kicks and punches, blocking some, but several more than he blocked still got through his defenses.
Akane watched Ranma getting the crap kicked out of him and fought the urge to run to him. She could see that he had that determined light in his eyes and his face was firmly set. She knew he wouldn't let her intercede. Not unless he was unconsious. So she sat there helplessly, watching Ranma being pummeled by his father, on grounds that he wouldn't show Ranma wouldn't show his love for Akane when he wasn't training her. She felt her hands trembling, and finally ran out to them, as Genma threw Ranma to the ground and her fiancee bounced a few feet and lay still.
"Get up." Genma growled.
Ranma lay there for a moment, his eyes slowly opening and he glared at his father, slowly trying to get to his feet. Suddenly, there was a flash of blue skirt and Akane was standing in front of him, legs akimbo, arms outstretched. She was shielding him. "Akane...move..." He whispered.
"No." She said firmly. "Stop this now, Genma Saotome!" She demanded, fumbling around the neck of her uniform. "Ranma gave me this. It's an engagement ring. Please, stop this now!" She wanted to cry. She wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of Genma, but knew after seeing Ranma get his clock cleaned again and again, she wouldn't stand much of a chance. "Ranma and I are going to be training with some friends of ours soon...he needs to be in top condition, please, stop this now!"
Genma looked at the girl through narrowed eyes. "He will not be trained by anyone but his father!"
Ranma forced himself to his feet and put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "Akane, I'm okay, really. I may not be the sherman tank Ryouga is, but I can take hits.
Akane turned towards him, seeing one of his cheeks had a large bruise on it, and a little blood dripped down his lips. "I'm not moving." She whispered firmly, her face determined. "You know that Oukami is probably going to be training you with stuff more dangerous than this, and you need to be in top condition. Please, Ranma, do this for me?" She begged, curling her fingers into his sleeve.
Ranma sighed. How could he say no to those eyes? He lifted a hand, brushing a tear that was forming in her eye away. "Come on, Akane, don't cry."
"Did neither of you hear me? No one is training my son but me!"
Suddenly, a voice piped up from the wall. "Saotome-san, by the time I'm done training Ranma, you wont be able to touch him even if you practice for another hundred years." The voice was perfectly calm, and two silver eyes peered out at them. It was Oukami.
Genma turned towards Oukami, glaring at him. "Who are you to say what I will and wont be able to do with my son?!"
"Look, Ranma is a major player in a 'game' about to start. You're a player too, you just don't know it yet. But Ranma will be a more important player than you will. You have no business training my new student. And if you'd like, I'll fight you in honorable combat, and defeat you, and then you will have nothing else to say on the matter. If I lose, which I wont, Ranma will remain your student." Oukami stepped away from the wall, stalking towards Genma, his movements fluid, and showing a grace that meant several millenia of practice.
Genma slipped into a ready stance and sprung towards Oukami, his face furious.
The fight took less than three seconds. Genma blurred out of sight, and Oukami simply lashed out with one hand, palm outwards, striking Genma in the chin. Genma went flying back and landed in a neat pile. Unconsious.
Akane and Ranma stared at Oukami in shock and finally Ranma shook his head. "Wow..." He muttered, grinning from ear to ear. Akane nodded in agreement.
Oukami winked. "If he's a man of honor, he'll remember this. If not, I'll run him into the ground a few more times. You'd better start practicing with each other more. You have to be totally comfortable with sparring before we can start your actual training. And don't worry about hurting each other too much." He grinned at Ramna. "She CAN take more than you think." With that, Oukami left.
Ranma blushed. Evidentally Oukami knew how his mind worked too well. It was downright eerie sometimes. He caught Akane looking at him and turned his head quickly so she couldn't see the flush on his face. When he looked back at her, she was smiling a bit. "Um...I guess we should do as we're told and go practice, huh..." He said, looking at her from under his eyebrows.
She smiled, nodding. He was so CUTE like that!
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Ryouga sat there, watching the moving people carry his stuff into his most recent residence, the okinomiyaki shop run by Ukyou. They'd talked about it and this was now the most logical place to stay. She'd even taken it upon herself to get him enrolled into highschool. He wasn't entirely comfortable living with a girl, much less one of Ranma's rejected fiancees, but he knew that it was the most wise idea. After all, now, he could stay here and they'd train here, and he wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.
He shifted uncomfortably on the bar stool. He could feel Ukyou's eyes examining him and forced himself to focus on the people moving his stuff. He still hadn't gotten used to her constant presence, always sure that he didn't get lost and wind up in some random location that wasn't Nerima. It wasn't that it bothered him, but he wasn't used to getting attention from anyone. Especially from a girl that wasn't clutching him while he was P- chan.
Ukyou cleaned the grill monotonously. It didn't need it, but she continued to wipe it down with the cloth, her eyes resting on Ryouga's profile. There was something about him that confused her. He constantly claimed he loved Akane, even now, he continued to do that, yet he was moving in with her.
He was blushing.
She half-smiled, knowing he knew she was watching. Her eyes swept down to his feet, then back up to his hair. He was an attractive male, but she'd seen quite a few men that were attractive. Ranma, who in her eyes was still about the most handsome man on the planet, and even Mousse had something that was bordering on sensual...well, if he lost the glasses and didn't act like a complete moron half the time. Maybe the training would fix that. A wry grin swept across her face.
She'd always had reasons for finding a man attractive, different things for each different male. With Ranma, he was always so carefree and boyishly handsome, effortlessly sexy sometimes, and he had a sweetside that was amazing. Mousse had incredible turquoise eyes, and was somehow exotic for some strange reason she couldn't fathom. Ryouga, however...
She paused another moment to examine him closer. He was definitely earthy. He had calluses evident on his hands, and his hair was slightly uneven. His eyes were piercing, his jaw strong, his face tanned from so long in the sun. She chuckled. If he didn't get lost so much, he probably wouldn't be that tan.
Ryouga shifted uncomfortably once again, glancing towards her. Sure enough, she was watching him quite contently. She looked deep in thought. An ugly flush dashed across his cheeks and he looked back to the movers. Why was she staring at him?!
Ukyou chuckled slightly, then moved around the bar to go stand next to him. She leaned over his shoulder, bringing her lips close to his ear. "You're blushing." She said with a wicked grin.
He flushed darker. "I'm just a little warm." He lied, looking anywhere but at her. He heard her giggle in his ear and his eyes involuntarily went to hers. "Wh-what's so funny?"
She straightened, looking down at him. "If you get any warmer, you're going to have a nosebleed." She teased. She giggled again as his blush darkened even more. "Ryouga, I'm just teasing..." She shook her head and walked back behind the bar leaving the poor lost boy even more lost than normal.
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Mousse woke feeling strangely warm that morning. He slowly opened his eyes, staring up at a blurred roof. He sighed heavily, reaching his hands up and massaging his temples. Shampoo was being unusually aggressive lately. It was getting monotonous. Cologne had also noticed she was paying him more attention than normal. He sighed again, ruffling his bangs, and pushing them off his forehead. He glanced at the clock, which was quite blurry, but he could just make out the numbers as reading 6:00. He groaned, rolling over to get more shut eye before they opened at ten.
And hit something soft curled up next to him.
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw what was curled up so cozy next to him was none other than Shampoo, herself. She was fast asleep, her purple hair everywhere around her. She was under the covers with him.
He moved carefully, and confirmed what he'd suspected before. She was nude. He flushed right up to the roots of his hair. If it had been anyone else, he'd have pushed them out on their ass so fast they wouldn't know what hit them, but it was Shampoo, and he couldn't do that to her. With a sigh, he rolled towards her, carefully, letting a finger gently stroke her face. A few weeks ago, he'd have killed to be in this situation, but now he wasn't sure what to do.
With a heavy sigh, he rolled out of bed, which unfortunately woke her up. He walked towards the closet, avoiding looking at her, and pulled a robe from inside of it.
She watched him move in confusion as he came towards her with the robe. She opened her arms to receive him, but instead, he wrapped the robe around her. She didn't understand. "Mousse?" She asked softly in Mandarin.
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You must be more careful." He said in Japanese. "If Cologne finds you in here, there will be hell to pay, and you know it." He saw the confusion on her face and forced himself to look away from her. "I'm not upset or anything, but...if Cologne-"
"Shampoo don't care about great-grandmother!" She cried, angry.
He looked at her sharply. "Shampoo, if she finds out about this, she'll kill me, and disown you." He said softly. "You don't have anything to lose. I have everything to lose." He gently wrapped the robe tighter around her, then put his hands on her shoulders. "It's not about you..." He promised, kissing her forehead lightly. "Hurry and go get dressed, before Cologne catches you."
She frowned a bit, then left, her face serious.
Mousse sighed when she was gone. Okay, evidently, Shampoo will be Shampoo. The problem was, getting her to be a little more discreet about being herself. He half-smirked, slipping on his glasses and seeing clearly for the first time that morning. Things were getting complicated now. He shook his head, and changed into his work-clothes. He was up, may as well get ready for today.
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Ryu and Hotaru stood outside, their heads proudly raised. They were well aware that these battles were going to torment every single one of them until the final battle, and whoever won, would receive their own little place in heaven to rule. They also knew that despite this, all these six martial artists wanted was to live peaceful lives on earth.
As Ryouga was guided outside by Ukyou, looking rather nervous and not very excited. They each took position in front of their teacher, holding their respective weapons, Ryouga with his giant umbrella, Ukyou with her whoop ass spatula. Ryouga was frowning ever so slightly, while Ukyou had a determined glint in her eyes.
Hotaru spun her quarterstaff slightly. "You both will commence training today. You will only have a few days of training, so it will be highly condensed, and very quick. It will begin in the morning, before dawn, and end around seven or eight at night."
"What about the restaurant?!" Ukyou gasped.
Hotaru's big, innocent eyes turned towards her pupil. "Will you be worried about the restaurant if you're dead?"
That shut both of their possible objections up.
Ryu looked between them. "If you're not up on time, you will receive rather rude awakenings. And I don't mean a glass of water dumped over your head. I mean worse." Ryu pulled his sword out of the ground, holding it easily. "Now let's begin.
The training was more physically trying than anything they'd ever done before, Ukyou was about to collapse after less than an hour of it. She held up her hands, trying to catch her breath, but Hotaru's staff spun, catching her in the stomach and sending her back about ten feet. She landed hard, and gasped in pain. Ryouga turned to check on her, only to receive Ryu's hilt to the shoulder.
"If I had been an opponent, I wouldn't have used the hilt." Ryu chastised. "Pay attention. Constant attention, or you will be killed. Ukyou will be fine. She's a martial artist as well, correct?!"
Ryouga held his shoulder, glaring back at Ryu. "She's tired. She needs a break."
Hotaru rested a hand on Ryouga's head. "She needs stamina." She said softly. "Perhaps we should start with a little training in energy." She looked at Ryu, who nodded in agreement. Without another word, she walked to Ukyou and helped her stand, then walked her back towards where they were working.
Ryu and Hotaru sat down, and the exhausted martial artists followed suit. "Close your eyes, and breath in deeply, try to imagine than some unseen energy is pouring into you. Feel it filling you and in doing so, making your energy level rise."
Ukyou's glow slowly returned. "Wow..." She muttered.
Ryouga looked towards Ukyou, and saw that she really WAS glowing. "Holy SHIT." He gasped, staring at her in shock. In fact, he was glowing too. And so were the spirits.
"Lesson one." Ryu said calmly. "Everything is made of energy. Including you, and the earth. When your energy level drops, all you must do, is create a connection such as this one, and you will have a never ending supply." His eyes opened and he looked directly at Ryouga. "Now the training really starts."
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The next morning, Ukyou made the mistake of sleeping in. Hotaru stood over her bed, her expression disapproving. Her eyes closed and she made a connection with Ukyou's mind, and promptly triggered abdominal cramps that girls get as they P.M.S.. She pulled back as Ukyou let out a pained cry and woke up, holding her abdomen in pain.
"H-Hotaru?!"
"We told you, if you slept in, you'd be given a rude awakening. Not get up. It's time to start training."
Ukyou climbed out of bed and staggered downstairs. "What about food?"
"If you'd been up on time, you'd be allowed to eat."
Ukyou let out a grown, realizing she'd have to wait till dinner before she'd be allowed to let a single morsel pass her lips. This was going to be hell.
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Ukyou and Ryouga sparred in silence that day, both of them with huge bags under their eyes, neither of them knowing what time it was. When Ryu told them to stop, Ukyou promptly collapsed into a heap, and Ryouga sighed heavily. He pulled her arm around his neck and stood, helping her into the house. He carefully sat her at one of the booths, and went to the kitchen silently, returning with tea and a few enormous sandwiches.
She gave him a weak, but grateful smile. "Thanks." She said, then, in a matter of minutes, the sandwich was gone, and the tea guzzled. Then, she set her head against the table. "This training is going to kill us, you know?" She said with a weak grin.
He nodded in agreement. "And if it doesn't, I may actually beat Ranma in a fight." He shook his head. "We gotta survive this. It's not optional. The really hard stuff is coming up in a few more days. And we're probably not going to survive that."
She sighed heavily." I know. I'm worried about everyone. We're all strong, but this is nuts! How are we supposed to stand up to a god."
"I don't know..." He said. "But it's gonna be fine. Ranma's gonna win." He gave a grin. "How could he lose?"
Ukyou nodded, pacified, temporarily.
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Shampoo breathed heavily as she fought against Yuki, unable to believe how skilled the other girl was. Shampoo was actually struggling! She knew that Mousse was doing no better, either. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see him fighting against Taka as if his life depended on it.
Mousse grunted, taking a blow to the stomache in order to avoid a blow to the temple. He knew what was more important. He just wasn't sure how he was going to survive the training. A few more moments of this hard work and it'd be done for approximately eight hours, when inevitably, both him and Shampoo would collapse in their respective rooms and pass out. It had been going like this for almost a week now.
Finally, Yuki and Taka stopped, looking at them in an appraising fashion. "You may rest now." They bowed deeply at the pair and the pair bowed back, Shampoo with a hand to her side, where she could feel the fever of a bruise forming. They watched as the spirits disappeared, Mousse with a frown on his face.
"We're going to be lucky if we survive the training, much less the actual battles..." He looked towards Shampoo, noticing the grimace on her face. "Are you alright?"
She nodded firmly, not removing her hand. As she prodded, she could feel the actual bone was what had bruised. She felt a gentle hand over hers and looked towards Mousse. Her face grew upset. "Shampoo strong. She no need someone to take care of her!"
He backed away quickly, looking away, somewhat ashamed. "I was just worried, you looked like you were in pain." He said softly.
She gasped, her eyes widening. She examined Mousse for a long moment, then arched an eyebrow. "Mousse need contacts." She said suddenly.
He looked up, suprised. "Huh?" He watched her nod, then walk towards him, lifting her hands and pulling the glasses from his face. Everything in his world became a blur. He caught her hands, his face serious. "Shampoo?"
"Mousse is pretty eyed. Needs contacts. Can't see them behind stupid glasses." She glared at the glasses, then looked up at him, beaming. "Mousse would be able to see, and Shampoo could see pretty eyes. Is okay?"
He smiled a bit. They didn't have enough time on this world to worry about Cologne's old ways. He took the glasses away, slipping them onto his nose. "Okay, I'll get contacts. But Shampoo..." He glanced towards her. "If I do, would you let me be myself, and I'll let you be whoever you want to be..."
She blinked. "Mousse is Mousse. Shampoo want no one else."
He rested his head against her hair. "Then let me take care of you. It's something I need to do now and then."
She flashed him a secretive smile, then led him into the back entrance of the Nekohanten and up to his room, where she slipped off her shirt and displayed the bruise forming.
He frowned a bit, then reached into his robes, pulling a roll of gauze and a tub of ointment. "This will hut a bit, Shampoo." He warned, then smiled at the determined glint in her eyes. Shampoo evidentally would always be the strong Amazon. With a shake of his head, he rubbed the ointment into her skin and carefully wrapped the bandage around her abdomen. He saw her wince once or twice, but when it was done, she looked down, appraising it.
"Mousse good doctor." She said, smiling brightly up at him. When she threw her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his chest, he promptly passed out from a nosebleed.
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AN: I know, I know, this one's taken me forever, huh...Sorry ^_^; I was on vacation, and didn't have a computer available. Hopefully the next chapter will be out next week, which is when things are gonna start gettin juicy with Ranma & Akane. No, unfortunately, no sex...well...yet...I'm still undecided whether or not later chapters will include the occasional sex scene...::Heavy sigh:: Oh well, I'll figure that out when I get there. Stay tuned for the training of Ranma & Akane. Until then! *DemonLovin* 3 ~DemonSaya~