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Ranma1/2
Whole New World
Chapter 3 - We're Off To See The Wizard! (Or, Things To Do In Indigo
When You're A Tamer)
Akane slowly came out of a very fitful sleep, as the early
morning sun's rays cast through her window and played lightly upon her
features. For some reason, she felt oddly comforted, even though her bed
seemed awfully small today. She ignored that, however, and cuddled up to
the other form in her bed.
Other form!?
She blinked her eyes open to see Ranma laid out on his back
next to her. The bedsheets barely covered him, though she was able to
tell he was as naked as she was.
"RANMA, YOU PERVERT!"
Well, that's what she meant to say, but it actually came out
sounding like, "TOMBOY, TOM TOMBOY!"
Still the croquet-like mallet swing was effective enough.
*Wham!*
As the nude pig-tailed boy departed via her window, Akane
collapsed onto the bed, trembling a little as memory's of yesterday came
rushing back at her. [Great,] she thought morosely. Despite her efforts,
she was now a tamed pokegirl.
"Akane, please keep noise down," a female voice mumbled
sleepily. "Nabiki trying to sleep."
Akane stared in shock at the brown-furred form of her sister,
equally nude, curled up on the lower half of the bed. Then she recalled
being woken up in the middle of the night by the bed shaking, only to
see Nabiki on her hands and knees with Ranma bent over her. The total
weirdness of the situation made her think it was only a dream, until
Ranma finished with her sister and jumped on her.
But it was real. All of it.
"Tomboy," Akane sighed in exasperation.
Ranma-chan sputtered as she surfaced in the pond. "Damn it, Pop
I-"
The rest of her words died on her lips as she realized her
father couldn't have thrown her into this pond. The old man did have a
habit of waking Ranma up by flinging her into water, even before the
curse, but he wasn't here now. And if it wasn't him, how did she end up
here?
As Ranma-chan stepped out of the pond and walked toward the
house heedless of her own nudity, she tried to think back on last night.
Images and sensations slowly came back to her, leaving her with a small
smile on her face. What had happened was unlike anything Ranma had
experienced before. It was quite a workout, being incredibly more
intense and physically demanding than her match with Akane several days
before.
It also confused the hell out of her, so she decided to deal
with the same she dealt with anything she didn't really want to
understand: She ignored it.
"Good morning, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said absently, a small portion
of her mind noting the father stepping into the living room while
brushing his teeth.
"Good morning, Ran-urk!" Soun froze in shock as a completely
oblivious, and completely nude, female Ranma walked by him.
Ranma-chan ignored him, however, as she headed upstairs to get
some clothes.
Nabiki smirked to herself as Akane got off the bed and headed
to the door in a zombiefied state, walking slightly different. The
Kitten pokegirl knew she would most likely end up walking a little
different after last night as well, but would get over it in time.
She stretched and yawned, pleased at how events had turned out.
Her original plan had been to seduce Ranma after Akane had finished with
him, figuring Ranma would be more agreeable to it. She wasn't expecting
him to take the initiative, nor to act like a tomcat just for her (Being
a cat-type pokegirl, the position had been one of her favorites). But
based on what she observed before she joined in, she absently wondered
just who tamed who.
Nabiki slid off the bed, stood up, caught a good whiff of the
scent that permeated the room with her sensitive nose, then decided a
bath was in order.
Across town, someone else also woke up to the gentle caresses
of fingers playing across his chest. Tatewaki Kuno, legend in his own
mind, took note of his surroundings and the girl that was cradled
against him, and grinned.
"Mmmm, Maaaster..." came the contented whisper from the girl.
She sleepily blinked her eyes open. "Oooh, Master tame Mariko so goood."
"But of course," Kuno replied, his already-huge ego swelling
considerably. "The Blue Thunder is a naturally-skilled lover, and you
have but sampled a mere fraction of my prowess."
His grin widened as he remembered just how good he was,
recalling the fact that Mariko had started to glow that final time,
signaling the fact that she was evolving. Just to be sure, he grabbed
his pokedex and flipped it open. {Damsel, the ego-gratification
pokegirl. This evolved form of Ingenue possesses very few attacks, but
does have a very strong resistance to damage. Being heroically rescued
is a big turn-on for Damsels.}
"My hero," Mariko cooed.
Kuno blinked. "Of course, only my supreme manliness could
possess such a strong ability to evolve pokegirls through the strength
of my love! Now I must step up my attempt to win Akane Tendo so that she
may partake of my manliness as well. Clearly, I have a powerful destiny
ahead, to wield such a gift!"
Kuno laughed maniacally, while Mariko simply gazed at her new
Master with stars of adoration in her eyes.
Several rooms down, Sasuke also awoke, but wished he hadn't.
He also wished he could move, but he couldn't; the mryriad
amounts of ribbons, leather straps, and vine whips saw to that. Of
course, they also kept Kodachi bound, but the fact that they kept her
bound to him, was not exactly a comforting thought.
Kodachi stirred and moaned against him. "Sasuke-Ranma-
daaarling..."
Sasuke whimpered.
Tofu went about his morning routine, a goofy grin plastered on
his face. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he was feeling so great when
he got up this morning, but then again, he didn't have much command over
his mental faculties at the moment to even contemplate the matter.
"Good morning, Betty-chan!" the doctor greeted, holding the
skeleton a loving embrace. "Isn't it a wonderful day?" He swung Betty
around once, her bony foot accidentally knocking something off the
table.
That something, began to sputter and speak. "Feb...ry
twent.....ird.......rnying to...west... theory
of......thin......ti....I.......ne."
"Why hello Professor Kao, what brings you by?" Tofu asked
cheerily, then froze. Like a rubber band that had been stretched too far
and then released, the doctor's mental state snapped back to normal,
then he put Betty back and snatched the recorder off the ground. "That's
it! That's where I recognize the voice from!"
Tofu wondered why he didn't figure this out earlier, then
remembered yesterday. He had spent most of the day treating pokegirls,
and then Kasumi had shown up that evening. The goofy grin threatened to
return, but he fought it down.
"You fool, that's what got you into this mess," he berated
himself. "Her family needs her more than I do." The doctor sighed, then
shifted his thoughts back to the recorder, shifting it in his hand as he
contemplated the matter. "Ranma had this in his pack, yet this
electronic journel belongs to my old professor. How did Ranma get it?
That must mean that Ranma was partially telling the truth." He sighed
heavily as he collapsed in his office chair. "Kao, my old friend, just
what have you gotten yourself into?"
"Doctor," came the pleasent voice of his Nurse Joy. "The Pidgy
and the Vixxen have finished their rejuvenation cycle."
Tofu turned and nodded. "Good. Then why don't you contact
Hiroshi and Daisuke that Yuka and Sayuri are ready for pick-up?" He
glanced at the recorder in his hand. "I'm going to be busy for the next
hour or two."
Nurse Joy smiled. "Of course, doctor, it would be my pleasure."
She closed the door as she left.
Tofu continued to study the mini-recording device, then pushed
the rewind button. [Let's find out just what exactly you've been up to,
Professor.]
Nabiki smirked as she stepped into the changing room. She had
just passed Ranma-chan on the way, and enjoyed the look on the redhead's
face when Ranma caught sight of Nabiki's furry nude form. She merely
smiled as Ranma plastered herself to the ceiling. While the middle Tendo
like people to fear her, Ranma's reaction was a bit much. She'd have to
look into a way of dealing with that.
Later, Nabiki decided. She was feeling too good right now.
The Kitten pokegirl stepped into the washroom, not surprised to
see Akane already soaking in a bathtub, the steam wafting from the water
signaling that it was hot. Nabiki exhaled nosily as she beheld her
sister's morose and downcast expression. [Oh boy, looks like my little
sis is still in denial.]
She stepped into one of the shower stalls and turned the water
on, delighting in the feel of the cool water cascading through her fur.
Cat-types were usually not that fond of water, but Nabiki found she was
a special case. It was one of her little quirks.
Two more empty tubs and four more broken down stalls rounded
out the washroom, but ever since the Tendo PokeDojo and Breeder Ranch
had fallen on hard times, those amenities had gone unused. Nabiki
chalked it up to the loss of their mother, their father's less-than-
capable state, and the big breeder ranch that moved into the nearby town
of Juban. It tended to soak up all the business
"Listen, Akane, you no can deny what happen," Nabiki told the
depressed Tomboy. Internally, she swore. Having just been tamed for the
first time, her mind was undergoing a few alterations to imprint her new
tamer, and that was still cutting into her speech ability. She hated
sounding like a bimbo. "Ranma is nice guy. At least he better than
Kuno." Nabiki smiled as Akane shivered, glad to finally get a reaction
out of her sister.
"Tomboy," Akane huffed, still staring at the water.
Nabiki rolled her eyes, then continued to lather up. "You know,
if you quit fighting and accept it, you get voice back quicker." She
smiled a little, having almost gotten her own voice back to normal.
Akane slid down a little further in the water. "Tom tom
tomboy."
"I know you don't like it," Nabiki replied, taking a moment to
duck under the spray and rinse the soap off. "But moping like a spoiled
child won't change the facts." She turned off the spray and began to
towel off, moving over to the edge of the tub to look her sister in the
eye. "You have two choices: Either continue to mope around, in which
case Ranma will most likely trade you off to someone else for a better
pokegirl. Or, you can brighten up and try to make the best out of the
situation. Like I'm doing."
The middle Tendo turned and left the washroom, leaving Akane
alone with her thoughts. The depressed Tomboy returned her sullen gaze
to the steaming water, looking for answers but finding none.
Ranma-chan polished off the last of her breakfast. She had
decided to remain in female form for the moment, since Nabiki had
informed that Akane was in the bath. Of course, the Kitten pokegirl
suggested that Ranma join her younger sister, but somehow Ranma got the
feeling that it wasn't such a good idea. Maybe she'd take a hot bath
after a good morning workout.
Looking across the table, the boy-turned-girl noticed that
Akane appeared to be a depressed mood, in stark contrast to the happier
mood of Nabiki. Even Kasumi seemed a little bit perkier this morning.
For her own part, Ranma felt a little better, though she was still a
quite confused about the strange circumstances she found herself in.
Still, if she learned one thing from her father, it's that one takes
advantage of every situation for training.
Standing up and stretching, Ranma decided that she wanted a
sparring partner, and the Tomboy pokegirl was really the only option at
the moment. Soun looked like he might have had a little training at one
time, but he was nowhere near Ranma's league. Kasumi just seemed to nice
and gentle to fight, and facing a fierce cat-girl was not high on
Ranma's list of Very Enjoyable Things. She had gotten to the point of
being able to tolerate Nabiki in the same room, but close contact still
made the red-head nervous.
Ranma retreated to the yard, but still kept the dining room in
sight as she began to work out. She waited until Akane finished with her
meal and stood, tightening her gi belt.
"Hey, Akane, wanna spar?"
Akane stopped, then looked up and blinked at the redhead.
"What?"
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Ranma said, smiling a little. "Don't
worry, I'll go easy on you, since it ain't like you can hurt me or
anything."
Akane's forehead scrunched up a little as she scowled. "What
you mean I no can hurt you?" She grit her teeth, hating how stupid she
sounded, but glad she could say more than one word now. She also hated
these new thoughts running through her head.
Ranma rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. But I thought you could use
the exercise."
Nabiki stared at the pig-tailed girl in confusion, and
wondered, [Is he intentionally trying to make Akane angry?] She turned
to study her younger sister, and sighed at the expected result. Akane's
fists were clenched at her sides, and Nabiki could swear that she saw a
vein throbbing on Akane's forehead. [Hurricane Akane strikes again.]
"Are you saying I'm fat!?"
"Well, not fat, but you you thighs are a little chunky and your
waist is a bit wide..." Ranma trailed off and shrugged innocently.
"DIE RANMA!"
Ranma grinned as Akane launched herself off the veranda, fists
swinging.
Thirty minutes of intense combat later left Ranma out of
breath, but grinning in exuberance. He looked over to see Akane equally
winded, if not more so, and panting as she lay against the outer wall.
As the redhead expected, Akane was nearly a match for her. The Tomboy
possessed great strength, but her speed wasn't as great as Ranma's.
Akane also tended to go for pure power moves, as oppossed to the
graceful strikes and acrobatics that Ranma used.
[A little more speed and some focus trainin', and she might be a
match for me,] Ranma deduced.
As Akane's deep gulps of air became less and less, she glanced
over at her opponent, and scowled at his smirking face. It was bad
enough that she was a tamed pokegirl, but her tamer was a better fighter
as well. "What are you looking at?" The words didn't come out as harsh
as she wanted, mostly due to her exhaustion.
"Heh, you," Ranma answered, grinning. Overall, the practice had
been good, as she had learned more of Akane's style and incorporated it
into her own. She walked over to give the raven-haired girl a hand up.
"Not too shabby. How long have you been doin' martial arts?"
The question caught Akane off-guard, and for some reason she
found it hard to hold onto her anger. The workout had felt pretty good
to her as well, so she hesitantly accepted the hand up. "Um, I've been
training most of life."
Further conversation was put on hold as a face poked into the
yard from the front gate. "Hello? Anybody home?"
"Oh, Doctor Tofu, good morning!" Akane called, waving her hand
to get his attention after both her and Ranma turned to see who it was.
Tofu smiled and started towards them. "Why, good morning to
you, too, Akane!"
Ranma blinked as he looked back and forth between the doctor
and Akane, and wondered at the sudden change in Akane's expression and
demeanor. At first she appeared confused and a little angry, but as soon
as Tofu appeared, her face brightened and she seemed a bit happier, as
well as a little embarrassed. A light blush also colored her cheeks.
"I haven't seen you in my clinic lately," the doctor was saying
with an amused smile. "No new injuries?"
Akane's embarrassed blush deepened a bit. "No, I mean I've been
taking care of myself!"
Tofu chuckled. "Ah, well, are you going to introduce me to your
new friend?"
"It's me, Ranma," said the pigtailed girl, surprised. "You were
the one who sent me here, remember?"
Tofu leaned forward to take a closer look, adjusting his
glasses. "Ah, of course, Ranma. You look a little different from last
time!"
"It's a Jusenkyo curse," Ranma replied, a little sullenly. "It's
why I came here in the first place, because some professor guy said he
could cure it."
The doctor appeared quite intrigued as he studied Ranma.
"Fascinating! But that reminds me of why I came." He held up the mini-
recorder. "I believe this fell out of your pack. It's an electronic
journal that belongs to my old professor, David Kao, though how you
ended up with it, I don't know. It does partially verify your story,
however, as my old professor was working on a variety of subjects,
including advanced genetics. Who knows what he's done now, to bring you
here?"
"But if you have his journal, can't you tell what he was working
on?" Akane questioned.
"I'm afraid it's been damaged," Tofu admitted regretfully. "And
I haven't been able to contact him using any of my normal methods." He
turned to Ranma. "But I do know where his lab is. If you go there, you
might be able to find out where he is and what he is working on. Maybe
even a way home."
Ranma's eyes lit up at that. "Maybe even a cure..." The
redhead's thoughts were filled with returning home to her pandafied
father as a full man. [Take that pops!]
Akane spared a glance at Ranma and felt a sad twinge at the
thought of him leaving, never to return. But she just chalked it up to
the fact that he was her tamer, so it was just her genetic impulses
talking. It's not like she really cared about him.
"I heated some hot water for you, Ranma," came Kasumi's gentle
voice. She stepped off the veranda and handed the pig-tailed girl a
kettle, which was quickly nabbed and enthusiastically used. "Oh my, we
have company! Greetings Doctor Tofu."
A pair of glasses decided to fog up. "Hu-hu-hello, K-Kasumi!"
*Crunch!*
Ranma's eyes widened in disbelief as the doc crushed the
recorder in his grip. "What'd you that for!?" Then he blinked as Tofu's
goofy gaze turned on him. In his periphal vision, Ranma noticed that
Akane had taken a few steps backward, a saddened and forlorn expression
on her face.
"Oh, you mean this?" Tofu held out the recorder, which Ranma
quickly snatched.
"You broke it!" Ranma exclaimed, dismayed. This thing supposedly
held clues on how to find the guy responsible for bringing him here.
"Oh dear, that's not good," Tofu conceeded, patting Ranma's
shoulder.
"Would you like to come in for tea and cookies, Doctor Tofu?"
Kasumi asked innocently.
*Crack!* "OW!" After the pain subsided, Ranma wondered why the
world suddenly presented itself at a 90 degree angle.
Tofu removed his hand from Ranma as he turned back to the
Mousewife. "Why Kasumi, I'd love to drink your cookies and eat your
tea!"
Kasumi giggled. "You're so silly, Tofu!"
"What the hell did you to to me!?" Ranma demanded to know, as he
felt his neck.
Tofu turned to study the pig-tailed youth. "Oh, how did that
happen? Let me fix it." *Crack!*
"AUGH!" Ranma commented as his viewpoint was adjusted 180
degrees. Internally he was cursing. Since the doc seemed to be going
nuts, Ranma turned to ask Akane what was going on, only to see her turn
and run off towards the rear of the dojo. Curious, and not wanting to
hang around the doc's tender-loving hands, he took off after her.
"Oh, it looks Akane and Ranma have left us alone," Kasumi
declared sunnily, smiling.
"I wonder why th-mmmmppppphhh!"
Kasumi let him up for air after a good ten seconds. "Oh, silly
me, I forgot to ask why you came by!"
Moving as if he had just swallowed a bottle full of earthquake
pills, Tofu reached into his brown gi and pulled a piece of paper,
handing it to Kasumi. He nodded once to her, then sprung away, doing
several cartwheels on the outer stone wall, laughing madly all the
while.
Kasumi giggled once more as the good doctor leapt out of sight.
"Not that I don't mind the walk or nothin', but aren't there any
trains or cabs or something we can take to get there quicker?" Ranma
asked his two traveling companions, nonchalantly.
Nabiki huffed, annoyed at the way Ranma was keeping his
distance, walking on the opposite side of the forest path. Akane was
walking between them. "There used to be, a long time ago. They were all
destroyed in the Great War. A few new automobiles are built and used,
but they're mainly confined to the big cities. Traveling in the country,
like we're doing, is usually done by walking or animal-drawn wagons."
"Ah," Ranma comment, not really caring, but trying to make some
conversation. Instead, he gave up.
The past couple of hours had been pretty quiet as they followed
the map and instructions Tofu had left with Kasumi. Once more, he
fingered the damaged recording device enclosed in a plastic bag, that
was sitting in his pocket. With any luck, he could find someone to
repair it, or recover the data, so he could locate this Professor Kao,
get his curse cured, and find his way home.
He glanced to his right, wondering why the girls had come with
him. Oh sure, they said it was because he was their tamer, but Ranma had
yet to figure out what that meant. So he decided to just go with the
flow for now. He also fingered the two pokeballs attached to his new
belt. Soun had informed Ranma as to their use, but the pigtailed martial
artist couldn't actually see himself using them. Keeping girls locked up
in them just didn't seem right, and he thought he saw a flash of fear
and loathing whenever Akane glanced at her own pokeball.
Akane adjusted her beltpack, wondering why she let Nabiki talk
her into this. Of course, it wasn't totally Nabiki's fault really, it
was all Ranma's fault. She was fine before he showed up and defeated
her, and he could be such an insulting jerk. But then there were times
like ealier that morning, after Tofu had showed up. Ranma had come after
her when she had run away and tried to cheer her up, even to the point
of calling her `cute'. Akane had wanted to stay mad and depressed, but
now found she couldn't.
The Tomboy pokegirl snuck a sideways glance at Ranma, and
wondered why he was so different from the other boys she knew, as she
fingered the small pendant hidden in her shirt. Her father had given it
to her before they left, saying that their mother had wanted her to have
it when she left on her pokegirl journey. She didn't know why that was
the case; she was just glad to carry something of her mother's.
Nabiki frowned as she walked along, trying to make sense of
this trip. On one hand, they were finally starting their journey. But on
the other, if Ranma was successful in finding this Professor Kao, he
would be sent home, wherever that was. She wasn't buying this "from
another world" nonsense, but if Ranma did find his home, he might stop
his journey. Nabiki couldn't allow that. They needed to move around,
fight other tamers and pokegirls, and draw attention. In short, become
famous. Then the riches and easy lifestyle would follow, and Nabiki
could relax and be happy. Of course, this meant she had to keep Ranma
moving. And of course, another taming session wouldn't hurt, if she
could do something about his fear.
The brown-furred Kitten carried a small pendant in her shirt as
well, also given to her by her father. Neither of the girls knew that
the other had been given a similar pendant, though. The small piece of
jewlery was pure white, in an elongated diamond shape made of ceramics,
with a small blue sapphire gem in the middle. The difference was that
Akane's had a yellow gem instead, though Nabiki felt the same way about
having something of their mother's.
She stopped suddenly, ears twitching. "Do you hear something?"
Ranma and Akane stopped as well, and looked back at her
curiously, each answering in the negative after a few moments of
listening. Nabiki ignored them, as her sensitive hearing was highly
superior than any humans' and better than most pokegirls. Only Kasumi
and few other types could compete. But the sound she was hearing now,
almost sound like...
Buzzing?
Nabiki's eyes widened in fear. "We have to go. Now!"
"Nabiki, what-" Akane tried to ask, but was cut off as her older
sister began to push both her and Ranma down the path.
"A swarm of Buzzbreasts, I think," the Kitten informed them in a
rush. "And they're getting closer!"
"I don't hear anything," Ranma countered, somewhat annoyed that
a girl could sense something he couldn't.
"Just listen to her, Ranma!" Akane yelled at him, beginning to
run herself.
That yell, coupled with the hiss from Nabiki, was enough to get
the young Saotome moving at a rapid pace, but it was for naught. In
under a minute, Akane spotted the swarm bearing down on them, numbering
about ten in all. They were yellowish, about four feet in height, and
mostly human-looking except for the rapidly fluttering wings, insectoid
eyes, and the sharp stingers protruding from their nipples.
Ranma took one look at them and his eyes bulged, then his face
became firm as he stopped and turned. "Ranma Saotome don't run from
anyone, and we ain't gonna be able to outrun them."
Akane stopped, her jaw dropped in disbelief as she beheld Ranma
preparing to face the Buzzbreasts on his own. "You IDIOT!" she screamed,
even as she found herself running back towards him at top speed. She
knocked him to the ground a split second before the insect
anthropomorphs struck.
"Supid idiots," Nabiki mumbled under breath as she witnessed
Akane's strike. The group of Buzzbreasts split up as they dove at the
group, otherwise Nabiki knew Akane wouldn't have stood much of a chance.
The Tomboy pokegirl sidestepped the first one, carefully
avoiding it's poison filled stingers, and slammed her left elbow into
the back of it's neck. As it hit the ground behind her, Akane struck out
with her right fist, landing a straight punch into the face of the next
insect pokegirl. While it was dazed, Akane grabbed it's arm and threw it
into a third, then noticed the other two were headed for Ranma, who was
beginning to get up. Without further thought, she dove and tackled Ranma
to the ground once more.
Nabiki could only take note of Akane's first attack, as the
other five were headed straight for her, and she could think of only one
thing to say: "Oh crap."
Using her natural cat-like agility, Nabiki dodged and wove
between her attackers, barely evading the erect stingers. Lacking the
strength of her sister, she could only strike out with her claws for a
couple of scratch attacks, but she was able to flip over the last one
and lash out sith both feet, impacting it's backside and proppelling the
Buzzbreast into a tree.
Then she was racing full out, dropping to all fours as she
sprinted to where Ranma was getting up from beneath Akane. Upon
arriving, Nabiki knew something was wrong by the way Ranma was picking
the listless Tomboy up, and then Nabiki saw that the single diagonal
tear across the backside of her sister's gi.
"She isn't moving!" Ranma half-yelled at Nabiki as the Kitten
approached.
Nabiki took a quick glance at Akane's dilated eyes and checked
her pulse. "She's just paralyzed. Carry her or put her in her pokeball,
but we have to go." She glanced around warily, noting that the insect
pokegirls that had been knocked down were in the process of getting back
up, while the rest were flying high overhead, preparing for another
pass.
Ranma glanced into Akane's fearful brown eyes. "I'll carry
her." He hefted her into his arms, then sprung after Nabiki as the
Kitten pokegirl took off through the forest. He spared a glance
backward, where the Buzzbreasts were regrouping. "We'll never outrun
them!"
Nabiki twitched her ears. "You're right, this way!" She
suddenly veered off to the side.
Ranma dashed after her, only to come up short when Nabiki
stopped. "What?" Then he realized that she had stopped at the edge of a
small cliff; a rushing river ran about six feet below. "Are you crazy!?"
"Buzzbreasts don't like water," Nabiki yelled at him, over the
noise of the ever-increasing buzzing. "And the current should carry us
beyond their territory."
Ranma took one look back at the approaching swarm, then looked
down at Akane. "Hold on!" Her eyes flashed with fear and worry, but she
understood.
He nodded once to Nabiki, and the pair jumped in.
"What!?" Kuno bellowed. "My fierce Akane Tendo has been spirited
away by the fiend Saotome?" [Doubtless the vile Saotome knew of my
coming, and fled in pusillanimity!]
"Oh yes, they left just this morning," Kasumi told him
pleasantly.
"Obviously, my beloved Ranma-darling as been ensnared by that
harpy, Akane Tendo," Kodachi stated with disgust. "Oh, I look forward to
the day when I have reduced Akane Tendo to my servant!" Images flooded
through her mind of a docile Akane tending to her every whim, all the
while saying, "Yes, Mistress."
"Then if I make haste, I may yet seize the moment and the
prize!" Kuno declared. "Pray tell, of whence Saotome has taken thy fair
sister?"
The Mousewife put a finger to her lips as she thought about it.
"If you mean where they went, I believe they were headed north, on the
old Viridian Forest route. If you hurry, you may catch up to them." She
smiled at him, thinking that Ranma would be thrilled to have such a good
friend for a traveling partner. It was obvious this young Tatewaki boy
showed a great deal of concern for both Ranma and Akane, and even some
of Nabiki's time seemed to be spent with him.
"Then I must beg your leave," Kuno told her, bowing politely,
then holding his bokken up high "I go to right wrongs and triumph over
evil!"
"Wrong speech, brother-dear," Kodachi corrected. "But I share
the sentiment. Let us be off! Ohohohoho!"
And with that, Team Bokken departed, knowing that their success
was already assured.
Well, _they_ thought so, anyway...
---------------------------
Author's notes:
KP: Once again, please welcome Shampoo of the Amazon tribe, as my co-
host for these author's notes!
Shampoo: (waves happily) Nihao!
KP: Well, I didn't get everything in this chapter I wanted to, because
several parts ran longer than I expected. But, I shall adapt. However,
the real question is: Will Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki survive?
Shampoo: Hmph. Of course Ranma survive. (stars appear in her eyes) Airen
is strong and brave. Only too-too stupid mans think Ranma not survive.
My Airen can triumph over any obstacle! Shampoo not say same for
pervert-girl and mercenary-girl, though. (Whips out a long sword and
points it at the author) Now, when you write Shampoo into fic?
KP: (Bigsweats) Uh, patience! I've got you written in, in a future
chapter, I swear!
Shampoo: (Frowns, put pust the sword away) Okay, but stupid author
better put Shampoo in soon.
KP: (laughs nervously) A-heh-heh. Anyway folks, we'll see you next time!
And a special thanks to Hpackrat for prereading this section!
Shampoo: (waves again) Bai bai!
E-mail me at: oddball22@hotmail.com
Ranma1/2
Whole New World
Chapter 3 - We're Off To See The Wizard! (Or, Things To Do In Indigo
When You're A Tamer)
Akane slowly came out of a very fitful sleep, as the early
morning sun's rays cast through her window and played lightly upon her
features. For some reason, she felt oddly comforted, even though her bed
seemed awfully small today. She ignored that, however, and cuddled up to
the other form in her bed.
Other form!?
She blinked her eyes open to see Ranma laid out on his back
next to her. The bedsheets barely covered him, though she was able to
tell he was as naked as she was.
"RANMA, YOU PERVERT!"
Well, that's what she meant to say, but it actually came out
sounding like, "TOMBOY, TOM TOMBOY!"
Still the croquet-like mallet swing was effective enough.
*Wham!*
As the nude pig-tailed boy departed via her window, Akane
collapsed onto the bed, trembling a little as memory's of yesterday came
rushing back at her. [Great,] she thought morosely. Despite her efforts,
she was now a tamed pokegirl.
"Akane, please keep noise down," a female voice mumbled
sleepily. "Nabiki trying to sleep."
Akane stared in shock at the brown-furred form of her sister,
equally nude, curled up on the lower half of the bed. Then she recalled
being woken up in the middle of the night by the bed shaking, only to
see Nabiki on her hands and knees with Ranma bent over her. The total
weirdness of the situation made her think it was only a dream, until
Ranma finished with her sister and jumped on her.
But it was real. All of it.
"Tomboy," Akane sighed in exasperation.
Ranma-chan sputtered as she surfaced in the pond. "Damn it, Pop
I-"
The rest of her words died on her lips as she realized her
father couldn't have thrown her into this pond. The old man did have a
habit of waking Ranma up by flinging her into water, even before the
curse, but he wasn't here now. And if it wasn't him, how did she end up
here?
As Ranma-chan stepped out of the pond and walked toward the
house heedless of her own nudity, she tried to think back on last night.
Images and sensations slowly came back to her, leaving her with a small
smile on her face. What had happened was unlike anything Ranma had
experienced before. It was quite a workout, being incredibly more
intense and physically demanding than her match with Akane several days
before.
It also confused the hell out of her, so she decided to deal
with the same she dealt with anything she didn't really want to
understand: She ignored it.
"Good morning, Mr. Tendo," Ranma said absently, a small portion
of her mind noting the father stepping into the living room while
brushing his teeth.
"Good morning, Ran-urk!" Soun froze in shock as a completely
oblivious, and completely nude, female Ranma walked by him.
Ranma-chan ignored him, however, as she headed upstairs to get
some clothes.
Nabiki smirked to herself as Akane got off the bed and headed
to the door in a zombiefied state, walking slightly different. The
Kitten pokegirl knew she would most likely end up walking a little
different after last night as well, but would get over it in time.
She stretched and yawned, pleased at how events had turned out.
Her original plan had been to seduce Ranma after Akane had finished with
him, figuring Ranma would be more agreeable to it. She wasn't expecting
him to take the initiative, nor to act like a tomcat just for her (Being
a cat-type pokegirl, the position had been one of her favorites). But
based on what she observed before she joined in, she absently wondered
just who tamed who.
Nabiki slid off the bed, stood up, caught a good whiff of the
scent that permeated the room with her sensitive nose, then decided a
bath was in order.
Across town, someone else also woke up to the gentle caresses
of fingers playing across his chest. Tatewaki Kuno, legend in his own
mind, took note of his surroundings and the girl that was cradled
against him, and grinned.
"Mmmm, Maaaster..." came the contented whisper from the girl.
She sleepily blinked her eyes open. "Oooh, Master tame Mariko so goood."
"But of course," Kuno replied, his already-huge ego swelling
considerably. "The Blue Thunder is a naturally-skilled lover, and you
have but sampled a mere fraction of my prowess."
His grin widened as he remembered just how good he was,
recalling the fact that Mariko had started to glow that final time,
signaling the fact that she was evolving. Just to be sure, he grabbed
his pokedex and flipped it open. {Damsel, the ego-gratification
pokegirl. This evolved form of Ingenue possesses very few attacks, but
does have a very strong resistance to damage. Being heroically rescued
is a big turn-on for Damsels.}
"My hero," Mariko cooed.
Kuno blinked. "Of course, only my supreme manliness could
possess such a strong ability to evolve pokegirls through the strength
of my love! Now I must step up my attempt to win Akane Tendo so that she
may partake of my manliness as well. Clearly, I have a powerful destiny
ahead, to wield such a gift!"
Kuno laughed maniacally, while Mariko simply gazed at her new
Master with stars of adoration in her eyes.
Several rooms down, Sasuke also awoke, but wished he hadn't.
He also wished he could move, but he couldn't; the mryriad
amounts of ribbons, leather straps, and vine whips saw to that. Of
course, they also kept Kodachi bound, but the fact that they kept her
bound to him, was not exactly a comforting thought.
Kodachi stirred and moaned against him. "Sasuke-Ranma-
daaarling..."
Sasuke whimpered.
Tofu went about his morning routine, a goofy grin plastered on
his face. Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he was feeling so great when
he got up this morning, but then again, he didn't have much command over
his mental faculties at the moment to even contemplate the matter.
"Good morning, Betty-chan!" the doctor greeted, holding the
skeleton a loving embrace. "Isn't it a wonderful day?" He swung Betty
around once, her bony foot accidentally knocking something off the
table.
That something, began to sputter and speak. "Feb...ry
twent.....ird.......rnying to...west... theory
of......thin......ti....I.......ne."
"Why hello Professor Kao, what brings you by?" Tofu asked
cheerily, then froze. Like a rubber band that had been stretched too far
and then released, the doctor's mental state snapped back to normal,
then he put Betty back and snatched the recorder off the ground. "That's
it! That's where I recognize the voice from!"
Tofu wondered why he didn't figure this out earlier, then
remembered yesterday. He had spent most of the day treating pokegirls,
and then Kasumi had shown up that evening. The goofy grin threatened to
return, but he fought it down.
"You fool, that's what got you into this mess," he berated
himself. "Her family needs her more than I do." The doctor sighed, then
shifted his thoughts back to the recorder, shifting it in his hand as he
contemplated the matter. "Ranma had this in his pack, yet this
electronic journel belongs to my old professor. How did Ranma get it?
That must mean that Ranma was partially telling the truth." He sighed
heavily as he collapsed in his office chair. "Kao, my old friend, just
what have you gotten yourself into?"
"Doctor," came the pleasent voice of his Nurse Joy. "The Pidgy
and the Vixxen have finished their rejuvenation cycle."
Tofu turned and nodded. "Good. Then why don't you contact
Hiroshi and Daisuke that Yuka and Sayuri are ready for pick-up?" He
glanced at the recorder in his hand. "I'm going to be busy for the next
hour or two."
Nurse Joy smiled. "Of course, doctor, it would be my pleasure."
She closed the door as she left.
Tofu continued to study the mini-recording device, then pushed
the rewind button. [Let's find out just what exactly you've been up to,
Professor.]
Nabiki smirked as she stepped into the changing room. She had
just passed Ranma-chan on the way, and enjoyed the look on the redhead's
face when Ranma caught sight of Nabiki's furry nude form. She merely
smiled as Ranma plastered herself to the ceiling. While the middle Tendo
like people to fear her, Ranma's reaction was a bit much. She'd have to
look into a way of dealing with that.
Later, Nabiki decided. She was feeling too good right now.
The Kitten pokegirl stepped into the washroom, not surprised to
see Akane already soaking in a bathtub, the steam wafting from the water
signaling that it was hot. Nabiki exhaled nosily as she beheld her
sister's morose and downcast expression. [Oh boy, looks like my little
sis is still in denial.]
She stepped into one of the shower stalls and turned the water
on, delighting in the feel of the cool water cascading through her fur.
Cat-types were usually not that fond of water, but Nabiki found she was
a special case. It was one of her little quirks.
Two more empty tubs and four more broken down stalls rounded
out the washroom, but ever since the Tendo PokeDojo and Breeder Ranch
had fallen on hard times, those amenities had gone unused. Nabiki
chalked it up to the loss of their mother, their father's less-than-
capable state, and the big breeder ranch that moved into the nearby town
of Juban. It tended to soak up all the business
"Listen, Akane, you no can deny what happen," Nabiki told the
depressed Tomboy. Internally, she swore. Having just been tamed for the
first time, her mind was undergoing a few alterations to imprint her new
tamer, and that was still cutting into her speech ability. She hated
sounding like a bimbo. "Ranma is nice guy. At least he better than
Kuno." Nabiki smiled as Akane shivered, glad to finally get a reaction
out of her sister.
"Tomboy," Akane huffed, still staring at the water.
Nabiki rolled her eyes, then continued to lather up. "You know,
if you quit fighting and accept it, you get voice back quicker." She
smiled a little, having almost gotten her own voice back to normal.
Akane slid down a little further in the water. "Tom tom
tomboy."
"I know you don't like it," Nabiki replied, taking a moment to
duck under the spray and rinse the soap off. "But moping like a spoiled
child won't change the facts." She turned off the spray and began to
towel off, moving over to the edge of the tub to look her sister in the
eye. "You have two choices: Either continue to mope around, in which
case Ranma will most likely trade you off to someone else for a better
pokegirl. Or, you can brighten up and try to make the best out of the
situation. Like I'm doing."
The middle Tendo turned and left the washroom, leaving Akane
alone with her thoughts. The depressed Tomboy returned her sullen gaze
to the steaming water, looking for answers but finding none.
Ranma-chan polished off the last of her breakfast. She had
decided to remain in female form for the moment, since Nabiki had
informed that Akane was in the bath. Of course, the Kitten pokegirl
suggested that Ranma join her younger sister, but somehow Ranma got the
feeling that it wasn't such a good idea. Maybe she'd take a hot bath
after a good morning workout.
Looking across the table, the boy-turned-girl noticed that
Akane appeared to be a depressed mood, in stark contrast to the happier
mood of Nabiki. Even Kasumi seemed a little bit perkier this morning.
For her own part, Ranma felt a little better, though she was still a
quite confused about the strange circumstances she found herself in.
Still, if she learned one thing from her father, it's that one takes
advantage of every situation for training.
Standing up and stretching, Ranma decided that she wanted a
sparring partner, and the Tomboy pokegirl was really the only option at
the moment. Soun looked like he might have had a little training at one
time, but he was nowhere near Ranma's league. Kasumi just seemed to nice
and gentle to fight, and facing a fierce cat-girl was not high on
Ranma's list of Very Enjoyable Things. She had gotten to the point of
being able to tolerate Nabiki in the same room, but close contact still
made the red-head nervous.
Ranma retreated to the yard, but still kept the dining room in
sight as she began to work out. She waited until Akane finished with her
meal and stood, tightening her gi belt.
"Hey, Akane, wanna spar?"
Akane stopped, then looked up and blinked at the redhead.
"What?"
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Ranma said, smiling a little. "Don't
worry, I'll go easy on you, since it ain't like you can hurt me or
anything."
Akane's forehead scrunched up a little as she scowled. "What
you mean I no can hurt you?" She grit her teeth, hating how stupid she
sounded, but glad she could say more than one word now. She also hated
these new thoughts running through her head.
Ranma rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. But I thought you could use
the exercise."
Nabiki stared at the pig-tailed girl in confusion, and
wondered, [Is he intentionally trying to make Akane angry?] She turned
to study her younger sister, and sighed at the expected result. Akane's
fists were clenched at her sides, and Nabiki could swear that she saw a
vein throbbing on Akane's forehead. [Hurricane Akane strikes again.]
"Are you saying I'm fat!?"
"Well, not fat, but you you thighs are a little chunky and your
waist is a bit wide..." Ranma trailed off and shrugged innocently.
"DIE RANMA!"
Ranma grinned as Akane launched herself off the veranda, fists
swinging.
Thirty minutes of intense combat later left Ranma out of
breath, but grinning in exuberance. He looked over to see Akane equally
winded, if not more so, and panting as she lay against the outer wall.
As the redhead expected, Akane was nearly a match for her. The Tomboy
possessed great strength, but her speed wasn't as great as Ranma's.
Akane also tended to go for pure power moves, as oppossed to the
graceful strikes and acrobatics that Ranma used.
[A little more speed and some focus trainin', and she might be a
match for me,] Ranma deduced.
As Akane's deep gulps of air became less and less, she glanced
over at her opponent, and scowled at his smirking face. It was bad
enough that she was a tamed pokegirl, but her tamer was a better fighter
as well. "What are you looking at?" The words didn't come out as harsh
as she wanted, mostly due to her exhaustion.
"Heh, you," Ranma answered, grinning. Overall, the practice had
been good, as she had learned more of Akane's style and incorporated it
into her own. She walked over to give the raven-haired girl a hand up.
"Not too shabby. How long have you been doin' martial arts?"
The question caught Akane off-guard, and for some reason she
found it hard to hold onto her anger. The workout had felt pretty good
to her as well, so she hesitantly accepted the hand up. "Um, I've been
training most of life."
Further conversation was put on hold as a face poked into the
yard from the front gate. "Hello? Anybody home?"
"Oh, Doctor Tofu, good morning!" Akane called, waving her hand
to get his attention after both her and Ranma turned to see who it was.
Tofu smiled and started towards them. "Why, good morning to
you, too, Akane!"
Ranma blinked as he looked back and forth between the doctor
and Akane, and wondered at the sudden change in Akane's expression and
demeanor. At first she appeared confused and a little angry, but as soon
as Tofu appeared, her face brightened and she seemed a bit happier, as
well as a little embarrassed. A light blush also colored her cheeks.
"I haven't seen you in my clinic lately," the doctor was saying
with an amused smile. "No new injuries?"
Akane's embarrassed blush deepened a bit. "No, I mean I've been
taking care of myself!"
Tofu chuckled. "Ah, well, are you going to introduce me to your
new friend?"
"It's me, Ranma," said the pigtailed girl, surprised. "You were
the one who sent me here, remember?"
Tofu leaned forward to take a closer look, adjusting his
glasses. "Ah, of course, Ranma. You look a little different from last
time!"
"It's a Jusenkyo curse," Ranma replied, a little sullenly. "It's
why I came here in the first place, because some professor guy said he
could cure it."
The doctor appeared quite intrigued as he studied Ranma.
"Fascinating! But that reminds me of why I came." He held up the mini-
recorder. "I believe this fell out of your pack. It's an electronic
journal that belongs to my old professor, David Kao, though how you
ended up with it, I don't know. It does partially verify your story,
however, as my old professor was working on a variety of subjects,
including advanced genetics. Who knows what he's done now, to bring you
here?"
"But if you have his journal, can't you tell what he was working
on?" Akane questioned.
"I'm afraid it's been damaged," Tofu admitted regretfully. "And
I haven't been able to contact him using any of my normal methods." He
turned to Ranma. "But I do know where his lab is. If you go there, you
might be able to find out where he is and what he is working on. Maybe
even a way home."
Ranma's eyes lit up at that. "Maybe even a cure..." The
redhead's thoughts were filled with returning home to her pandafied
father as a full man. [Take that pops!]
Akane spared a glance at Ranma and felt a sad twinge at the
thought of him leaving, never to return. But she just chalked it up to
the fact that he was her tamer, so it was just her genetic impulses
talking. It's not like she really cared about him.
"I heated some hot water for you, Ranma," came Kasumi's gentle
voice. She stepped off the veranda and handed the pig-tailed girl a
kettle, which was quickly nabbed and enthusiastically used. "Oh my, we
have company! Greetings Doctor Tofu."
A pair of glasses decided to fog up. "Hu-hu-hello, K-Kasumi!"
*Crunch!*
Ranma's eyes widened in disbelief as the doc crushed the
recorder in his grip. "What'd you that for!?" Then he blinked as Tofu's
goofy gaze turned on him. In his periphal vision, Ranma noticed that
Akane had taken a few steps backward, a saddened and forlorn expression
on her face.
"Oh, you mean this?" Tofu held out the recorder, which Ranma
quickly snatched.
"You broke it!" Ranma exclaimed, dismayed. This thing supposedly
held clues on how to find the guy responsible for bringing him here.
"Oh dear, that's not good," Tofu conceeded, patting Ranma's
shoulder.
"Would you like to come in for tea and cookies, Doctor Tofu?"
Kasumi asked innocently.
*Crack!* "OW!" After the pain subsided, Ranma wondered why the
world suddenly presented itself at a 90 degree angle.
Tofu removed his hand from Ranma as he turned back to the
Mousewife. "Why Kasumi, I'd love to drink your cookies and eat your
tea!"
Kasumi giggled. "You're so silly, Tofu!"
"What the hell did you to to me!?" Ranma demanded to know, as he
felt his neck.
Tofu turned to study the pig-tailed youth. "Oh, how did that
happen? Let me fix it." *Crack!*
"AUGH!" Ranma commented as his viewpoint was adjusted 180
degrees. Internally he was cursing. Since the doc seemed to be going
nuts, Ranma turned to ask Akane what was going on, only to see her turn
and run off towards the rear of the dojo. Curious, and not wanting to
hang around the doc's tender-loving hands, he took off after her.
"Oh, it looks Akane and Ranma have left us alone," Kasumi
declared sunnily, smiling.
"I wonder why th-mmmmppppphhh!"
Kasumi let him up for air after a good ten seconds. "Oh, silly
me, I forgot to ask why you came by!"
Moving as if he had just swallowed a bottle full of earthquake
pills, Tofu reached into his brown gi and pulled a piece of paper,
handing it to Kasumi. He nodded once to her, then sprung away, doing
several cartwheels on the outer stone wall, laughing madly all the
while.
Kasumi giggled once more as the good doctor leapt out of sight.
"Not that I don't mind the walk or nothin', but aren't there any
trains or cabs or something we can take to get there quicker?" Ranma
asked his two traveling companions, nonchalantly.
Nabiki huffed, annoyed at the way Ranma was keeping his
distance, walking on the opposite side of the forest path. Akane was
walking between them. "There used to be, a long time ago. They were all
destroyed in the Great War. A few new automobiles are built and used,
but they're mainly confined to the big cities. Traveling in the country,
like we're doing, is usually done by walking or animal-drawn wagons."
"Ah," Ranma comment, not really caring, but trying to make some
conversation. Instead, he gave up.
The past couple of hours had been pretty quiet as they followed
the map and instructions Tofu had left with Kasumi. Once more, he
fingered the damaged recording device enclosed in a plastic bag, that
was sitting in his pocket. With any luck, he could find someone to
repair it, or recover the data, so he could locate this Professor Kao,
get his curse cured, and find his way home.
He glanced to his right, wondering why the girls had come with
him. Oh sure, they said it was because he was their tamer, but Ranma had
yet to figure out what that meant. So he decided to just go with the
flow for now. He also fingered the two pokeballs attached to his new
belt. Soun had informed Ranma as to their use, but the pigtailed martial
artist couldn't actually see himself using them. Keeping girls locked up
in them just didn't seem right, and he thought he saw a flash of fear
and loathing whenever Akane glanced at her own pokeball.
Akane adjusted her beltpack, wondering why she let Nabiki talk
her into this. Of course, it wasn't totally Nabiki's fault really, it
was all Ranma's fault. She was fine before he showed up and defeated
her, and he could be such an insulting jerk. But then there were times
like ealier that morning, after Tofu had showed up. Ranma had come after
her when she had run away and tried to cheer her up, even to the point
of calling her `cute'. Akane had wanted to stay mad and depressed, but
now found she couldn't.
The Tomboy pokegirl snuck a sideways glance at Ranma, and
wondered why he was so different from the other boys she knew, as she
fingered the small pendant hidden in her shirt. Her father had given it
to her before they left, saying that their mother had wanted her to have
it when she left on her pokegirl journey. She didn't know why that was
the case; she was just glad to carry something of her mother's.
Nabiki frowned as she walked along, trying to make sense of
this trip. On one hand, they were finally starting their journey. But on
the other, if Ranma was successful in finding this Professor Kao, he
would be sent home, wherever that was. She wasn't buying this "from
another world" nonsense, but if Ranma did find his home, he might stop
his journey. Nabiki couldn't allow that. They needed to move around,
fight other tamers and pokegirls, and draw attention. In short, become
famous. Then the riches and easy lifestyle would follow, and Nabiki
could relax and be happy. Of course, this meant she had to keep Ranma
moving. And of course, another taming session wouldn't hurt, if she
could do something about his fear.
The brown-furred Kitten carried a small pendant in her shirt as
well, also given to her by her father. Neither of the girls knew that
the other had been given a similar pendant, though. The small piece of
jewlery was pure white, in an elongated diamond shape made of ceramics,
with a small blue sapphire gem in the middle. The difference was that
Akane's had a yellow gem instead, though Nabiki felt the same way about
having something of their mother's.
She stopped suddenly, ears twitching. "Do you hear something?"
Ranma and Akane stopped as well, and looked back at her
curiously, each answering in the negative after a few moments of
listening. Nabiki ignored them, as her sensitive hearing was highly
superior than any humans' and better than most pokegirls. Only Kasumi
and few other types could compete. But the sound she was hearing now,
almost sound like...
Buzzing?
Nabiki's eyes widened in fear. "We have to go. Now!"
"Nabiki, what-" Akane tried to ask, but was cut off as her older
sister began to push both her and Ranma down the path.
"A swarm of Buzzbreasts, I think," the Kitten informed them in a
rush. "And they're getting closer!"
"I don't hear anything," Ranma countered, somewhat annoyed that
a girl could sense something he couldn't.
"Just listen to her, Ranma!" Akane yelled at him, beginning to
run herself.
That yell, coupled with the hiss from Nabiki, was enough to get
the young Saotome moving at a rapid pace, but it was for naught. In
under a minute, Akane spotted the swarm bearing down on them, numbering
about ten in all. They were yellowish, about four feet in height, and
mostly human-looking except for the rapidly fluttering wings, insectoid
eyes, and the sharp stingers protruding from their nipples.
Ranma took one look at them and his eyes bulged, then his face
became firm as he stopped and turned. "Ranma Saotome don't run from
anyone, and we ain't gonna be able to outrun them."
Akane stopped, her jaw dropped in disbelief as she beheld Ranma
preparing to face the Buzzbreasts on his own. "You IDIOT!" she screamed,
even as she found herself running back towards him at top speed. She
knocked him to the ground a split second before the insect
anthropomorphs struck.
"Supid idiots," Nabiki mumbled under breath as she witnessed
Akane's strike. The group of Buzzbreasts split up as they dove at the
group, otherwise Nabiki knew Akane wouldn't have stood much of a chance.
The Tomboy pokegirl sidestepped the first one, carefully
avoiding it's poison filled stingers, and slammed her left elbow into
the back of it's neck. As it hit the ground behind her, Akane struck out
with her right fist, landing a straight punch into the face of the next
insect pokegirl. While it was dazed, Akane grabbed it's arm and threw it
into a third, then noticed the other two were headed for Ranma, who was
beginning to get up. Without further thought, she dove and tackled Ranma
to the ground once more.
Nabiki could only take note of Akane's first attack, as the
other five were headed straight for her, and she could think of only one
thing to say: "Oh crap."
Using her natural cat-like agility, Nabiki dodged and wove
between her attackers, barely evading the erect stingers. Lacking the
strength of her sister, she could only strike out with her claws for a
couple of scratch attacks, but she was able to flip over the last one
and lash out sith both feet, impacting it's backside and proppelling the
Buzzbreast into a tree.
Then she was racing full out, dropping to all fours as she
sprinted to where Ranma was getting up from beneath Akane. Upon
arriving, Nabiki knew something was wrong by the way Ranma was picking
the listless Tomboy up, and then Nabiki saw that the single diagonal
tear across the backside of her sister's gi.
"She isn't moving!" Ranma half-yelled at Nabiki as the Kitten
approached.
Nabiki took a quick glance at Akane's dilated eyes and checked
her pulse. "She's just paralyzed. Carry her or put her in her pokeball,
but we have to go." She glanced around warily, noting that the insect
pokegirls that had been knocked down were in the process of getting back
up, while the rest were flying high overhead, preparing for another
pass.
Ranma glanced into Akane's fearful brown eyes. "I'll carry
her." He hefted her into his arms, then sprung after Nabiki as the
Kitten pokegirl took off through the forest. He spared a glance
backward, where the Buzzbreasts were regrouping. "We'll never outrun
them!"
Nabiki twitched her ears. "You're right, this way!" She
suddenly veered off to the side.
Ranma dashed after her, only to come up short when Nabiki
stopped. "What?" Then he realized that she had stopped at the edge of a
small cliff; a rushing river ran about six feet below. "Are you crazy!?"
"Buzzbreasts don't like water," Nabiki yelled at him, over the
noise of the ever-increasing buzzing. "And the current should carry us
beyond their territory."
Ranma took one look back at the approaching swarm, then looked
down at Akane. "Hold on!" Her eyes flashed with fear and worry, but she
understood.
He nodded once to Nabiki, and the pair jumped in.
"What!?" Kuno bellowed. "My fierce Akane Tendo has been spirited
away by the fiend Saotome?" [Doubtless the vile Saotome knew of my
coming, and fled in pusillanimity!]
"Oh yes, they left just this morning," Kasumi told him
pleasantly.
"Obviously, my beloved Ranma-darling as been ensnared by that
harpy, Akane Tendo," Kodachi stated with disgust. "Oh, I look forward to
the day when I have reduced Akane Tendo to my servant!" Images flooded
through her mind of a docile Akane tending to her every whim, all the
while saying, "Yes, Mistress."
"Then if I make haste, I may yet seize the moment and the
prize!" Kuno declared. "Pray tell, of whence Saotome has taken thy fair
sister?"
The Mousewife put a finger to her lips as she thought about it.
"If you mean where they went, I believe they were headed north, on the
old Viridian Forest route. If you hurry, you may catch up to them." She
smiled at him, thinking that Ranma would be thrilled to have such a good
friend for a traveling partner. It was obvious this young Tatewaki boy
showed a great deal of concern for both Ranma and Akane, and even some
of Nabiki's time seemed to be spent with him.
"Then I must beg your leave," Kuno told her, bowing politely,
then holding his bokken up high "I go to right wrongs and triumph over
evil!"
"Wrong speech, brother-dear," Kodachi corrected. "But I share
the sentiment. Let us be off! Ohohohoho!"
And with that, Team Bokken departed, knowing that their success
was already assured.
Well, _they_ thought so, anyway...
---------------------------
Author's notes:
KP: Once again, please welcome Shampoo of the Amazon tribe, as my co-
host for these author's notes!
Shampoo: (waves happily) Nihao!
KP: Well, I didn't get everything in this chapter I wanted to, because
several parts ran longer than I expected. But, I shall adapt. However,
the real question is: Will Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki survive?
Shampoo: Hmph. Of course Ranma survive. (stars appear in her eyes) Airen
is strong and brave. Only too-too stupid mans think Ranma not survive.
My Airen can triumph over any obstacle! Shampoo not say same for
pervert-girl and mercenary-girl, though. (Whips out a long sword and
points it at the author) Now, when you write Shampoo into fic?
KP: (Bigsweats) Uh, patience! I've got you written in, in a future
chapter, I swear!
Shampoo: (Frowns, put pust the sword away) Okay, but stupid author
better put Shampoo in soon.
KP: (laughs nervously) A-heh-heh. Anyway folks, we'll see you next time!
And a special thanks to Hpackrat for prereading this section!
Shampoo: (waves again) Bai bai!