Chapter 2
The local Nerima fitness gym was a splendid sight. It was brand new, finished only a few months ago. It came equipped with a weightlifting room and two shower rooms one for women and one for men. It had a rounded dome top so it could be doubled as an arena for any sports event. The roof had lightly tinted skylights so that the dome used little lighting with the exception of nighttime.
One person inside the gym was certainly enjoying himself. The shadow of a small man slipped through the gym in the morning of Saturday and no one saw him. The man snuck stealthily into the women's locker room. Faint voices could be heard from the showers. The man cringed trying to repel his perverted urges to go take a peak.
"Come on, come on", he spoke to himself slapping his face with his eyes closed. "You came here for a specific reason." The man out of his daze moved to the lockers. He scanned up and down knocking on each locker door without a lock. Ping, Ping, Pong. The man leaned back from the locker and moved in closer with his ear against it. He knocked on the locker door again. Pong. Bingo he thought as he opened the locker door to reveal a shirt, some jean pants, a sock, a... Yes, he exclaimed aloud. He reached into the locker and removed a pink bra. The man examined it carefully. Hmmm a "C" cup. He cradled the piece of underwear in his arms. "I shall treasure you always darling." He said exiting the locker.
He had just moved to the next locker when he heard voices in the back shower growing closer to the lockers. He looked around but failed to find any windows. The door leading out goes past the shower entrance they'll definitely see me he thought. He eyed the locker, without hesitation jumped in, and closed it behind him.
The voices grew closer until they were just outside. The cloaked figure looked out the vent that every locker had. Damn they have towels on, he thought. As he was brooding, the locker door opened and the girl looked down on a man who was quite small and had a handkerchief tied around his face with a small sack on his back.
The girl grimaced and let out a scream as she slammed the door shut. The panty thief kicked open the locker door and hurried out the door with a wide smile on his face.
"See ya later sweeties." He yelled back at them as he left the locker room and into the main gym room to reveal security waiting for him. He looked around and made a sprint for the gym exit. The doors immediately closed as if by remote control. He turned back to the security that were wearing riot gear and had shields. They were sporting cattle prods and kaisho's*. What a challenge I will definitely have to come back sometime soon he thought with a smile on his face.
"Sorry boys, I'm not into the violence thing today." The thief brandished a small bomb and threw it at the crowd of heavily armed security. The bomb exploded creating a thick cloud of gas. The security stumbled blindly around looking for the thief. The man was already climbing a rope leading to the skylight.
"Taki, activate it". The captain of the security screamed. The security guard known as Taki activated a switch on his belt and the area just below the skylight moved bars over the glass stopping his escape.
"You're gone for old man." The captain said as he smiled at their captive, while moving towards the rope brandishing his cattle prod.
"I think not boy." The man pulled out a pipe, removed the brass mouthpiece, and stuck it in his mouth. He took in a deep breath and spit it out towards Taki. Taki recoiled bringing his hands to guard his face, but the piece of brass connected with its target. The mouthpiece hit the button on Taki's belt and the bars retracted. The infamous man known as Happosai grinned and broke the glass without effort with his pipe. He jumped out and ran on top of the dome jumped from roof to roof heading for home.
"What a haul, What a..." Happosai stopped mid run on top of a house and looked cautiously behind him. He took the mask off and looked in front of him. No one was following him but something tugged at the back of his mind as he looked around, something that sent chills down his spine. "Bet..Better head home." Happosai said aloud, moving with less vigor than before.
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Ranma trudged down the street and jumped over the wall that separated the street from the Tendo Dojo. He opened the front door letting out a long held breath and walked up-stairs to his and his father's room. He walked to the dresser and put the ring under the dresser, just in case someone thinks about stealing it he thought.
He was walking out the room when he slowed more and more until he was at a complete stop in front of the door. He could here someone whispering. He opened the door and looked down the hallway to see Nabiki walking down the hall.
"Hey Nabiki do you hear that?" Ranma said still looking around until he finished then he looked straight at her. She looked around, shook her head, and continued down the stairs until she stopped halfway down.
"Ranma?" She said in a hushed voice so that no one other than those in the hallway could here.
"Yeah?"
"I think you should go apologize to Akane and get her something really nice." Nabiki said with a frown on her face. She could keep her impassable demeanor when she wanted, but it still hurt her heart to see her sister sad.
"Yeah I guess your right." Ranma said as he moved to Akane's room. He walked up to the door and was about to knock when he thought that; maybe it would be better if he came baring gifts. He walked down stairs looked at the clock and went out the door.
"Okay it's about half past twelve so I have about 3 hours." He said aloud looking around the street.
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Ranma walked from store to store looking for a gift she would like. Ranma recalled what he got her for Christmas last year and smiled at that. It was a framed picture of her, him, and the Nerima gang standing in front of the little store on the beach. It was something so simple yet so special. He walked into another store not bothering to look up at the sign on the front window. The store's air carried many smells in it's currents flowing mainly by one over-head fan shaped as four swords for blades. Ranma was about to walk out when the owner's voice came to him. It chilled him to the bone to hear such a voice. He couldn't explain it but it was just too strange for him.
He turned around to see a small old man maybe about 120 by the looks of it. Ranma chuckled, ever since Ranma saw Happosai and Cologne come to Nerima, 120 wasn't that old. The old man only had a few teeth and had a glass eye that pointed in another direction than the other.
"Wait young boy." The man saw Ranma look him over. "Does my appearance startle you young man."
Ranma snapped out of his reverie and replied. "No, no, that's not it. It's just..that..." Ranma trailed off and found the ground quite interesting.
"No need to make up excuses Ranma." The man walked back to the counter and sat on a stool, which made him look taller than he really was.
"How do you know my name?"
"I am an ancient wizard who knows everything about anything." The man said as he cocked an eyebrow and folded his hands on the table.
Ranma swallowed a lump in his throat. Uh oh, he thought as he backed away. "Re..Really?"
"No, of course not." The man got down from his stool, walked up to Ranma on the counter, and patted his arm. "I have a grandson who goes to Furinkan High so I sometimes read the school newspaper."
"Oh". Ranma felt a little dumb for falling for the old man's joke.
"Don't look so down my boy, now what can I get you?" The man moved his hands across the counter to show Ranma his main display.
"I'm looking for a present to give my fia...uh...friend for her birthday." Ranma said. He didn't know why he changed fiancé to friend. Must be habit or something, he thought.
"Akane Tendo? Yeah I think I have something for you." He moved over to a cubbard that had a "DO NOT TOUCH" sign on it. He opened it with a key and removed a very dusty box.
"How did you know it was Akane Tendo, I'm sure that's not in the paper." Ranma said beginning to get angry that this man was reading him like a book.
"Really, come on kid, I do listen to the stories my grandson tells me at home." He said while giving Ranma an annoyed look.
I'm going to have to get that little punk, he thought while clenching his fist and grinding his teeth.
"Aaaahhh here it is." The old man removed a shining Ruby surrounded by silver and on a silver chain that seemed to illuminate the room with its crimson coloring. "She'll like this Ranma, she'll like this very much." He said closing and returning the box then closing the cabinet behind him.
"It is supposed to have very special magic associated with it but I don't know." The man said using his hands for emphasis.
Ranma looked down at it. It was very nice looking, but it didn't compare to his ring. Ranma looked down at his ring for reassurance and looked back up at the old man. He saw the man looking at his ring. "Hey what are you looking at?" Ranma asked with just a little bit of threat in his voice, while he eyed the man.
"Nothing, nothing, just admiring your ring my boy." He said with his hands up defensively. "So are you going to buy it?" The man said returning his composure.
Ranma shook his head. He felt a little bit dizzy. "Oh uh yeah. Sorry about freaking on you". Ranma said as he took the box containing the necklace from the man.
"No problem kid". The old man waved good-bye to Ranma. "Come back soon." He yelled as Ranma walked out the door. The old man quickly turned around and walked into a back room. He grabbed his coat and his walking stick and hurriedly walked out of his shop. He locked the store behind him and hurried home. Passers would have found it odd, A 120-year-old man jogging down the streets mumbling, "It can't be true".
The local Nerima fitness gym was a splendid sight. It was brand new, finished only a few months ago. It came equipped with a weightlifting room and two shower rooms one for women and one for men. It had a rounded dome top so it could be doubled as an arena for any sports event. The roof had lightly tinted skylights so that the dome used little lighting with the exception of nighttime.
One person inside the gym was certainly enjoying himself. The shadow of a small man slipped through the gym in the morning of Saturday and no one saw him. The man snuck stealthily into the women's locker room. Faint voices could be heard from the showers. The man cringed trying to repel his perverted urges to go take a peak.
"Come on, come on", he spoke to himself slapping his face with his eyes closed. "You came here for a specific reason." The man out of his daze moved to the lockers. He scanned up and down knocking on each locker door without a lock. Ping, Ping, Pong. The man leaned back from the locker and moved in closer with his ear against it. He knocked on the locker door again. Pong. Bingo he thought as he opened the locker door to reveal a shirt, some jean pants, a sock, a... Yes, he exclaimed aloud. He reached into the locker and removed a pink bra. The man examined it carefully. Hmmm a "C" cup. He cradled the piece of underwear in his arms. "I shall treasure you always darling." He said exiting the locker.
He had just moved to the next locker when he heard voices in the back shower growing closer to the lockers. He looked around but failed to find any windows. The door leading out goes past the shower entrance they'll definitely see me he thought. He eyed the locker, without hesitation jumped in, and closed it behind him.
The voices grew closer until they were just outside. The cloaked figure looked out the vent that every locker had. Damn they have towels on, he thought. As he was brooding, the locker door opened and the girl looked down on a man who was quite small and had a handkerchief tied around his face with a small sack on his back.
The girl grimaced and let out a scream as she slammed the door shut. The panty thief kicked open the locker door and hurried out the door with a wide smile on his face.
"See ya later sweeties." He yelled back at them as he left the locker room and into the main gym room to reveal security waiting for him. He looked around and made a sprint for the gym exit. The doors immediately closed as if by remote control. He turned back to the security that were wearing riot gear and had shields. They were sporting cattle prods and kaisho's*. What a challenge I will definitely have to come back sometime soon he thought with a smile on his face.
"Sorry boys, I'm not into the violence thing today." The thief brandished a small bomb and threw it at the crowd of heavily armed security. The bomb exploded creating a thick cloud of gas. The security stumbled blindly around looking for the thief. The man was already climbing a rope leading to the skylight.
"Taki, activate it". The captain of the security screamed. The security guard known as Taki activated a switch on his belt and the area just below the skylight moved bars over the glass stopping his escape.
"You're gone for old man." The captain said as he smiled at their captive, while moving towards the rope brandishing his cattle prod.
"I think not boy." The man pulled out a pipe, removed the brass mouthpiece, and stuck it in his mouth. He took in a deep breath and spit it out towards Taki. Taki recoiled bringing his hands to guard his face, but the piece of brass connected with its target. The mouthpiece hit the button on Taki's belt and the bars retracted. The infamous man known as Happosai grinned and broke the glass without effort with his pipe. He jumped out and ran on top of the dome jumped from roof to roof heading for home.
"What a haul, What a..." Happosai stopped mid run on top of a house and looked cautiously behind him. He took the mask off and looked in front of him. No one was following him but something tugged at the back of his mind as he looked around, something that sent chills down his spine. "Bet..Better head home." Happosai said aloud, moving with less vigor than before.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ranma trudged down the street and jumped over the wall that separated the street from the Tendo Dojo. He opened the front door letting out a long held breath and walked up-stairs to his and his father's room. He walked to the dresser and put the ring under the dresser, just in case someone thinks about stealing it he thought.
He was walking out the room when he slowed more and more until he was at a complete stop in front of the door. He could here someone whispering. He opened the door and looked down the hallway to see Nabiki walking down the hall.
"Hey Nabiki do you hear that?" Ranma said still looking around until he finished then he looked straight at her. She looked around, shook her head, and continued down the stairs until she stopped halfway down.
"Ranma?" She said in a hushed voice so that no one other than those in the hallway could here.
"Yeah?"
"I think you should go apologize to Akane and get her something really nice." Nabiki said with a frown on her face. She could keep her impassable demeanor when she wanted, but it still hurt her heart to see her sister sad.
"Yeah I guess your right." Ranma said as he moved to Akane's room. He walked up to the door and was about to knock when he thought that; maybe it would be better if he came baring gifts. He walked down stairs looked at the clock and went out the door.
"Okay it's about half past twelve so I have about 3 hours." He said aloud looking around the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ranma walked from store to store looking for a gift she would like. Ranma recalled what he got her for Christmas last year and smiled at that. It was a framed picture of her, him, and the Nerima gang standing in front of the little store on the beach. It was something so simple yet so special. He walked into another store not bothering to look up at the sign on the front window. The store's air carried many smells in it's currents flowing mainly by one over-head fan shaped as four swords for blades. Ranma was about to walk out when the owner's voice came to him. It chilled him to the bone to hear such a voice. He couldn't explain it but it was just too strange for him.
He turned around to see a small old man maybe about 120 by the looks of it. Ranma chuckled, ever since Ranma saw Happosai and Cologne come to Nerima, 120 wasn't that old. The old man only had a few teeth and had a glass eye that pointed in another direction than the other.
"Wait young boy." The man saw Ranma look him over. "Does my appearance startle you young man."
Ranma snapped out of his reverie and replied. "No, no, that's not it. It's just..that..." Ranma trailed off and found the ground quite interesting.
"No need to make up excuses Ranma." The man walked back to the counter and sat on a stool, which made him look taller than he really was.
"How do you know my name?"
"I am an ancient wizard who knows everything about anything." The man said as he cocked an eyebrow and folded his hands on the table.
Ranma swallowed a lump in his throat. Uh oh, he thought as he backed away. "Re..Really?"
"No, of course not." The man got down from his stool, walked up to Ranma on the counter, and patted his arm. "I have a grandson who goes to Furinkan High so I sometimes read the school newspaper."
"Oh". Ranma felt a little dumb for falling for the old man's joke.
"Don't look so down my boy, now what can I get you?" The man moved his hands across the counter to show Ranma his main display.
"I'm looking for a present to give my fia...uh...friend for her birthday." Ranma said. He didn't know why he changed fiancé to friend. Must be habit or something, he thought.
"Akane Tendo? Yeah I think I have something for you." He moved over to a cubbard that had a "DO NOT TOUCH" sign on it. He opened it with a key and removed a very dusty box.
"How did you know it was Akane Tendo, I'm sure that's not in the paper." Ranma said beginning to get angry that this man was reading him like a book.
"Really, come on kid, I do listen to the stories my grandson tells me at home." He said while giving Ranma an annoyed look.
I'm going to have to get that little punk, he thought while clenching his fist and grinding his teeth.
"Aaaahhh here it is." The old man removed a shining Ruby surrounded by silver and on a silver chain that seemed to illuminate the room with its crimson coloring. "She'll like this Ranma, she'll like this very much." He said closing and returning the box then closing the cabinet behind him.
"It is supposed to have very special magic associated with it but I don't know." The man said using his hands for emphasis.
Ranma looked down at it. It was very nice looking, but it didn't compare to his ring. Ranma looked down at his ring for reassurance and looked back up at the old man. He saw the man looking at his ring. "Hey what are you looking at?" Ranma asked with just a little bit of threat in his voice, while he eyed the man.
"Nothing, nothing, just admiring your ring my boy." He said with his hands up defensively. "So are you going to buy it?" The man said returning his composure.
Ranma shook his head. He felt a little bit dizzy. "Oh uh yeah. Sorry about freaking on you". Ranma said as he took the box containing the necklace from the man.
"No problem kid". The old man waved good-bye to Ranma. "Come back soon." He yelled as Ranma walked out the door. The old man quickly turned around and walked into a back room. He grabbed his coat and his walking stick and hurriedly walked out of his shop. He locked the store behind him and hurried home. Passers would have found it odd, A 120-year-old man jogging down the streets mumbling, "It can't be true".