The Disaster Sisters: Celestial Interference

Part II : Home sweet home

By Kalio

Disclaimer: from now on, just see the prologue.

A/n: No news here...so on with the show!

***

Tatsuya looked at Akane with surprise. 'Tendo Akane, as in Tendo Soun's Daughter?'

Akane smiled, 'The one and only Tendo Akane, though not the only daughter. I have two sisters.'

'Yea, but you're the heir to the martial arts school, right? I'm supposed to meet your father this afternoon to discus training! Small world, huh?'

'Oh, you must be Daddy's new student! Kasumi said he might be accepting a student for awhile. Yes, I'm the heir, to the school, but I'm not that great, if you're looking for a sparring partner. Dad hasn't taught me in years, and neither will Ranma.'

Tatsuya looked at her curiously. 'Who's Ranma?'

Akane frowned. 'If you mean that selfish, arrogant, macho - jerk- who's supposed to be my fiancee, then you'd be right.'

Tatsuya stopped walking. 'Fiancee?' It was obvious that he was shocked and really disappointed.

Akane stopped and looked back. 'Oh, sorry. Don't get the wrong idea. Our fathers have us engaged so that their precious school can be continued. We're not involved. In any case, I'm really mad at him right now, so don't mind me. He's not really that bad to anyone BUT me-' she pondered a minute, 'except maybe Ryouga and P-chan, he's pretty horrible to them, too.'

'Oh. Okay, then.' Tatsuya started walking again. 'So no one will teach you the art?'

'Nope, they all think I'm too weak to learn it right, and I don't really know how to do it on my own. I try to just keep in some semblance of shape, but it bugs me that I'm not the strongest in the town -by far, anymore.'

'Well, I could teach you some. Especially if I'm staying near your house for awhile.'

Akane grinned. 'That would be great.'

***

Ranma ran into the gates just in time to see Akane walk into the school with some guy he didn't know. And she was smiling. 'What the-?' He stared after them.

When he got to class, Akane was introducing him to Yuka and Sayuri. As he walked in, a few guys ran over to him to ask him if he knew anything about him.

'Hey, Ranma! You and Akane broke up, or somethin'?'

'Yea, what's the deal with that guy? Her dad engage him to her, too?'

'I don't know, guys, I've never met him, so would ya leave me alone? Geez!'

Just then, the teacher came and tried to start class, and everyone had to sit down. Ranma stared at the back of Akane's head until she turned around.

'What?!' She mouthed.

Ranma shook his head. Akane looked at Tatsuya and rolled her eyes.

***

Fate watched through the little window into the classroom. She grinned. So long as Akane didn't fall too hard for Tatsuya, Ranma's jealousy would cause something to happen, and they would get together. Fate quickly checked her monitor for the whereabouts of Des. Good. She was still in the other realm. Now for phase two of the operation.

***

Ranma was mad. He didn't know what was going on, but it wasn't good. New guy. Akane likes new guy- as more than a friend, for all he knew. Akane's mad at him. All of these things did not add up to a happy Ranma. So he glared. It was all he could do to sit still in class, let alone storm out. I mean, the new guy could have talked to anyone else. Why Akane? The teacher didn't even bother calling on him when he glared like that.

'Class dismissed!'

Ranma stood up. He shot Akane a look and started to leave. But for the cause of good relations, Akane tried to stop him and introduce him. 'Hey Ranma, wait up.'

'What, Akane?' She didn't like the way his eyes were narrowed.

'I want you to meet Daddy's new student. This is Tatsuya.'

Tatsuya bowed. 'I'm Shishikura Tatsuya. Pleased to meet you, Ranma.'

Ranma was floored. 'New student?! I thought your dad didn't take new students!'

'He doesn't. Tatsuya is really pretty good, he just wants to learn the style from Dad.' She frowned. 'Well, I'm taking him home to meet Dad. Are you coming?'

Ranma stared at the ground, thinking about the implications of this, and the how what Akane just said sounded. 'Yea.'

***

'WHAT?! He's staying here?!' Ranma shouted, disbelieving.

'Yea, Ranma, just like you and your lay-about father. You got a problem with that?'

'Yea, I got a problem with that! Where's he staying? Not in my room, I hope.'

Akane grimaced, she knew this wouldn't be pretty. 'It's not your room in the first place. Look, he's only staying there until we can renovate the back storage room. Then you and your dad can have it all to yourselves, ok?'

'Hey, wait, why didn't you renovate it so we could have separate rooms?'

She sighed. 'First of all, you weren't sharing a room with someone you didn't already share it with. And second of all...' her voiced dropped to just above a whisper, 'Dad hoped that it wouldn't be a problem if you weren't in that room after awhile...' she trailed off going pink.

'What do ya mean? Where would I be if I weren't in the guest room?' Akane would have laughed at his confusion if she wasn't so embarrassed. As it was she just shook her head and left the room.

***

'Here, Tatsuya, let me help you move your stuff in. Then I can show you where everything is, upstairs, since you've only been downstairs.'

Tatsuya smiled and handed her his pillow. 'Sure, you can carry that.' He laughed at the dirty look she gave him. 'The lady wants to carry more?'Akane grinned, hit him with the pillow, grabbed his suitcase and ran. He rubbed his butt and called after her, 'I'll take that as a "yes"!', and ran after her. Akane giggled and threw open the guest room door, and dashed inside. 'I've got you!' he cried as he tackled her onto Ranma's futon.

Akane blushed, and Tatsuya, helped her up. 'Sorry, didn't mean to hurt you.'

'No problem. The futon broke my fall. Where do you want this?'

Tatsuya considered a moment. 'Uh, how 'bout over there,' he said, pointing. 'So, how long have Ranma and Mr. Saotome lived here?'

'Um, about a year, now, I suppose. Oh, I do hope Daddy explained Ranma's curse to you?'

'Yea, he did. I'm not sure I believe it, but I'm glad I won't be surprised when it happens. Does he fight differently as a girl?'

'Not really. I mean, he's shorter, and not as strong, but he's faster, and has better balance and flexibility. Other than that, the only real difference is that he has boobs to get in the way.' Akane's hand shot to her mouth. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be crude!'

Tatsuya laughed. 'It's okay, Akane-chan.' Akane blushed again, but wasn't sure if it was from her comment, or from the way he called her 'chan'.

'Um, let me show you the rest of the upstairs, now that you're unpacked and everything.'

'Okay.' Tatsuya let her show him around the different rooms, and she warned him about Nabiki's room, and it's perils.

'Well, here it is. My room.' She opened the door. 'Sorry about the mess, I didn't know I was having company...'

'That's ok, I don't mind a little mess now and then. Wow, your room is beautiful. It smells nice too- like lilacs.'

'Yea, that's my favorite smell in the whole world so I have a few candle and some incense that smells like them.'

'Hey, what are these?' Tatsuya looked at a few pieces of paper on her desk.

'Oh! Nothing... they're nothing.' Akane scrambled trying to hide them.

'But they were good. How do you draw like that?'

Akane found herself turning pink for the millionth time that day. 'I, uh, have spare time. I'm working on my own manga. It's not very good, but it takes my mind of things...'

'Oh. It must be very personal, then. Maybe, when I know you better, you'll show me?'

A small, sad, smile graced her lips. 'I feel like I've known you forever,' she whispered. Tatsuya moved from his seat at her desk to sit by her on her bed. He put his arm around her, hesitantly, unsure.

'I feel like I've known you forever, too.'

***

Ranma sat on the roof looking at the stars. How could this happen? One day, everything was as normal as it got in Nerima, and the next, Mr. Perfect was invading his house! Maybe that wasn't fair, he really didn't know the guy, but what was there to be fair about? Right now, that Tatsuya guy was probably getting all cozy in HIS room with HIS fiancee! Where's the fair in that?

Ranma ran his fingers through his bangs. And Akane hated him. How could he let this happen? How?! Because you let it, said that little voice in the back of his head. You're the one who insulted her. You're the one who never told her that she means more to you than anything in the world. That it doesn't matter that she can't cook or she isn't as strong as you. You didn't tell her.

'Shut up,' Ranma said to no one. That was certainly not what he needed, some stupid little part of his mind telling him the truth. And it hurt like hell. Not able to stand it anymore, he decided to check in on Akane's room.

He hung upside-down from the roof and peered into the room. He gasped, and nearly feel to the ground. There he was, that guy was sitting on her bed with his arm around her...

A/n: Yea! Another chapter finished! Oh, boy, another almost-cliffhanger! Don't worry, Part III is in the works! Review, please!