The much taller girl shifted her grip on the ribbon. "You caught my
ribbon. You're no ordinary girl."
Kodora almost facefaulted. "No, really? Ya think?"
Obviously this girl was as blind as Kuno, just in a different way. Kodora and Ranma were both thinking just this.
How right they were.
The tall girl in the mostly-black school uniform suddenly dropped the handle of the ribbon.
"Good, because I prefer not to treat girls-"
She toe-kicked one of the fallen baton/clubs into the air, catching it with one hand.
"-with common COURTESY!" The black-haired girl exclaimed, lashing out with the club.
Kodora, having seen that one coming a mile away, slid her body back a bit, overbalancing, as she grabbed the club just behind the head. Shoving off hard with her feet, she rolled backwards, pulling the far taller girl down on top of her. Feet pressed into her opponent's gut, she kicked out with both legs as hard as she could. Instead of sending the taller girl flying over her head, upside-down, she misjudged and sent her opponent maybe a foot up into the air just above her.
Realising her error, Kodora instantly rolled to the side, allowing the surprised girl to land on her side on the ground, as Kodora pulled the club both still had a grip on. Immediately, both released it and got to their feet, the club lying on the grass between them. Kodora had her hands at the ready, and was balanced lightly on the balls of her feet, tail lashing swiftly.
The taller girl stood stoically for a moment, then smirked.
"Heh. Well... you are very good!" She stated, flicking a rose through the air at Kodora, who ignored it as it bounced off her arm. "Remember... I'm called the black rose of St. Bacchus' school for girls. Kodachi... the Black Rose. Please don't forget it."
Then she bounded off, easily topping the fence Kodora had clambered up earlier. A disturbing, loud laugh followed her out.
"OOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!"
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Passenger
Chapter 16: Dancing Tiger, Hidden Aura
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by S. Starblade
Dedicated to the power within all of us.
Warning: I borrow ideas from people when I think the ideas fit what I'm writing. I try not to commit plagiarism. Remember, if I borrow it from you, that means I think it's good, and it's intended as a compliment to you. Well, okay.. that's just a side effect of trying stuff that works.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the standard Ranma 1/2 characters appearing in this fanfiction. If you don't know which ones they are, you should read the Ranma 1/2 manga before continuing any further. That or just forget it altogether.
Key:
= English
" " = Japanese
[ ] = Jusenkyou Cursed Signs
{ } = Chinese
* * = Internal conversation between Ranma and Kodora.
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Kodora watched enviously as Kodachi roofhopped away.
*Wish I could jump that high.*
*Ahhh, Imootochan?*
Kodora smiled slightly. *Hai, Oniichan?*
*You did jump like that.*
Blink.
Blink.
*Say wha?*
*You did jump like that, Imooto.*
Kodora shook her head. *I did? When?*
Had Ranma been able to sweatdrop, he would have. *When you got mad at Kuno, and flung him into the wall. Remember that?*
It was Kodora's turn to sweatdrop. *Aheh... not really...* she replied, sheepishly. *When I go like that, everything gets kinda hazy... I remember throwing Tatewaki around, and throwing him at the wall, but all the specifics kinda escape me...*
*....*
For whatever reason, Kodora got the distinct impression that Ranma really wanted to bash his head against something. Ignoring it, she looked around the empty lot, to talk to the three who'd fought Kodachi, but they had left while she was conversing with Ranma.
Shrugging, she turned to walk home, a quarter of her mind on going back to the Tendou-ke, five eigths on conversing with Ranma, and the last little bit wondering what to do about school.
She always did do better when she multitasked.
*It's just that... well, Ranma, not a lot sets me off like that, y'know? But when it does... The best phrase I can find for it is 'berserker rage'. And I don't mean like a berserker technique, or like Vikings.*
*Vikings?*
Kodora nodded as she continued on her way home. She failed to notice that everyone gave her a wide berth. Other than that, though, she didn't get much attention.
This WAS Nerima, after all.
*Way back maybe a thousand years or so ago, there were these people in Northern Europe called Vikings. They were well known for raiding villages and churches, although that wasn't too much of what they did. Supposedly, they were the first people to travel from Eurasia to the Americas since the Beiring Strait.*
Kodora found it relaxing to tell Ranma these things. Besides, he needed some more education anyways, and she knew a LOT of esoteric, usually useless stuff. She'd already taught him about the Beiring Strait and the Americas, and quite a bit about WWI and WWII.
*Yeah, you said that before.*
*Right. So, to prepare for battle, some of the larger warriors would drink this stuff made from a wierd mushroom, and eat the mushroom too. It had two effects: First off, it cut off most blood flow and all the nerves on the outside of the body. This had a side-effect of turning the berserker warriors blue.*
*Freaky.*
*Yeah. Worked well for scare tactics. Anyways, the other effect was that it basically set them raving mad. It wasn't safe to fight in a berserker unit if you weren't berserker yourself, 'coz they had a tendency to cut each other up as well, mostly accidentally. They'd attack anything. Of course, most of them died, either from things like blood loss or because the mushroom killed them. The end result, however, was a fighter who would keep getting back up until they were totally destroyed, with adrenaline- powered strength, who would keep going until there was nothing to kill.*
*Whoa. But, aren't most 'berserker techniques' things that really power up the body and cause intense single-mindedness?*
*Exactly. Those techniques aren't true berserker stuff. What I do, however, pretty much is. When I get that mad, I just keep getting back up, no matter what gets thrown at me. Yeah, my strength and speed get 'turned to eleven', so to speak, but it's not too large a jump, whereas the difference between getting hurt and feeling it, and getting hurt and keeping on coming is really big. A side effect is that when I'm like that, I'll attack whoever's around with whatever's handy, regardless of why I'm actually angry. Also, my vision goes kinda hazy and red at the edges, and I have trouble remembering it.*
*Which is why you don't remember exactly what you did to Kuno.*
*Right. Or how I did it. Fortunately, there's not much that sets me off very easily. If you're gonna annoy me into that state of mind, be prepared to go for a couple days without sleep. However, making fun of people, especially about things they can't help, sets me off really easily. So does trying to force me into something.*
*Hm.* Ranma decided to spend some time fitting that into the puzzle of knowledge he was developing.
Turning one last corner, Kodora headed for the front gates of the Tendou- ke.
*Actually, that means that what I did to Kuno is inexplicable...*
******
"Ojisan Tendou?"
Souun looked up from the shogi board, to find Kodora kneeling nearby, facing him.
"Hai, Kodora-chan?"
Kodora bowed low, head almost touching the floor. Earlier, she'd used a piece of string to tie the end of her tail so that the whole thing wrapped around her waist like a belt. She didn't want to have to focus on keeping it from moving while she was doing this.
"I humbly request that you begin training me in the martial arts, sensei. Will you accept me, Saotome Kodora (Genma snorted derisively), as your student?"
Souun smiled. This obviously meant something to her: she'd gone to the trouble of getting someone to tell her the formal way to go about this. It didn't really matter that she hadn't gotten it quite right.
In Souun's imagination, Kodora was overlaid with images of Akane, Kasumi further back, and even a faint memory of his wife, Tsuki.
Solemnly, with small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, Souun nodded. "Hai. Arigatou, Kodora-chan."
Kodora straightened up, and was about to ask to go to the dojo, when Genma called her attention.
"Go ahead and learn from him." Genma stated, disapproval plain on his face. "But while you are like this, and while you insist on being a girl, NEVER use the Saotome name. Find your own, get someone to permit you to use theirs, but while you claim to be a 'real girl', you are NOT a Saotome."
Kodora shrugged. "Fine."
Genma nearly fell over, but recovered his stern gaze, although it wavered when Souun frowned at him.
'He really has no idea about this.' Thought Souun. 'I almost pity my old friend, but he brings this disrespect upon himself. Nekoken indeed.' Then he looked to Kodora. 'She's holding it back. This is hurting her more than she's letting on... A lot like I used to do... But what can I...' Something occurred to Souun, and he smiled. Best of all, Nabiki would love this idea, as well.
Rising, he spoke to Kodora. "I will gladly train you. But first, I would like to speak with you and Nabiki about something. Would you come with me to her room?"
Smiling, although it only affected the edges of her eyes, more than it usually did, Kodora nodded, and stood. As she moved, she reached back and pulled the string off her tail, allowing it to resume slowly lashing.
******
Knock, Knock
Nabiki took off her reading spectacles and frowned. Everyone in the family knew that this afternoon was spent on taxes. She'd been doing this every year for almost six years now. Maybe it was one of the Saotomes.
Knock, Knock.
"Nabiki-chan, may we speak with you a moment? I think you'll like this."
Her frown deepened. Her father wouldn't interrupt unless it was very important. Wiping her face to neutral, she stood, and walked the short distance to the door.
"'Tousan, you know I'm doing the taxes?"
"Hai." Came the answer through the door. "Actually, this has something to do with that. May we please come in?"
Sighing, Nabiki opened the door, to reveal Souun and Kodora waiting outside the door. Her father looked happy, and the smallest Saotome looked slightly puzzled and a little happy. Nabiki did a double-take. Wait. Something else was there in Kodora's face and body posture... naah. Too small. She was probably just seeing things. Nabiki mentally reminded herself to swindle the man who came up with fine print.
Gesturing for the two to come in, Nabiki walked back and took a seat in the chair at her desk. "Okay, so what is it? I have limited time, you know. These forms won't fill themselves out."
Souun and Kodora nodded, and took seats on the floor, kneeling.
Souun, for once, decided to be circumspect.
"Nabiki-chan," he started, hesitating a bit. "...The taxes get lowered slightly for each of you three, right?"
Nabiki nodded warily. Where was her father going with this? The man was usually transparent as the spaces between tennis raquet strings. Now, however, she couldn't read him...
"Would it help offset the cost of supporting our guests if you could add another family member to our tax forms?"
Nabiki nodded again. But, where would they get another family member? All who were here were the four Tendous, and the one-and-two-halves Saotomes... wait, he couldn't mean...
"Very well. How about if I adopt Kodora?"
Nabiki was ready with her response. "I really don't think you could persuade Akane or Kasumi to marry Ranma right now, even with my....help? Wait, say that again?"
Souun smiled expansively. "How about if I adopt Kodora?"
Who, by the way, had just passed out, unable to believe this.
Nabiki covered up her own surprise by indicating the unconscious girl. "I like it, but shouldn't you get her opinion too?"
Souun nodded. "Of course." With that he turned to Kodora. "What do... oh, wait. You're passed out..."
Reaching into the pocket of his gi, Souun produced a lollipop. As he dangled it over Kodora's unconscious face, Nabiki did some quick figures.
KRUNCH
Nabiki turned to see Kodora sitting up, chewing noisily. Souun was examining what appeared to be an evenly-sheared-off lollipop stick.
"Kodora-chan, you might want to spit out the wrapper."
Kodora looked up at Souun, and blinked.
"Whmph wmmphm?"
Souun and Nabiki sweated. "Oh."
Kodora swallowed. "Tootsie Pop, huh? Not my fave, but not bad. By the way, the answer is 2,856."
Souun blinked. "Answer to what?"
Kodora grinned toothily. "How many licks."
Souun facefaulted, and Nabiki raised an eyebrow.
"You counted?" She asked skeptically.
Kodora shrugged. "I was seven, and really bored. Besides, I never was one to leave questions unanswered."
Souun got back up. "Anyways, Kodora, how do you feel about the idea of me adopting you?"
"Uh... wow." Stated the small girl. "I... really? I mean, geez. Uhh... Sure! But, I mean... why?"
Nabiki nodded. "I was wondering much the same, 'Tousan."
To Nabiki's surprise, Souun didn't lose any strength under the combined stare of her and Kodora.
"Think about it. My old friend Genma, great a man though he is, isn't exactly the best father."
"What was your first hint?" Kibitzed Nabiki.
Souun cleared his throat. "As I was saying, he really doesn't know how to handle a daughter. Besides, he refuses to let you call yourself a Saotome, so long as you claim to be a girl, and are a girl at the time. I doubt he'll make the same statement regarding when you're Ranma. Anyways, you really look like you could use some family, and you'll hopefully be staying with us for the rest of your life regardless." 'And' He thought, awaiting a response, 'you really need a shoulder to cry on. May Kasumi, in her infinite heart, find the room. I remember she did so for me.'
Kodora smiled brightly, again it failed to strike quite true to Souun. Although Nabiki didn't catch the fault in it.
"I, well... Thank you. Thank you very much... Otousan!" She giggled. "Thank you." She repeated, in a softer voice than anyone had heard from her before.
Nabiki nodded and smiled. "Glad to see more than taxes was behind this. I guess this is welcome to the family, Kodora-imootochan. Now, if you'll excuse me for not rejoicing loudly, I must get back to the taxes. And leave myself a note to get adoption papers, and establish a legal existence for Kodora-chan, here. Go on, scoot."
So saying, she turned back to her desk, as Souun and Kodora got up and headed out of the room, aiming for the dojo. As the door closed behind her, she chuckled softly, a tear in her eye.
"And may you have better luck reviving Daddy than any of us. You seem to have a good start on it... Imooto."
******
Kodora and Souun sat in the dojo, facing each other.
"So, Kodora-chan, you mean to say that you aren't normally able to jump that high, no matter what?"
The miniscule pre-martial artist nodded. "But when I got mad, it just happened. I can't explain it. I know it never happened before, though."
"I think I may know." Souun said thoughtfully. "Look at it this way... when you're angry, scared, or in danger, your subconscious triggers the whole fight-or-flight setup, right? That means that anything you can do, it instinctively tries to do. When I taught you those trances, I was teaching you to access your chi. By the way, you have quite a bit of chi, much more than normal. I expect it comes from also being Ranma. Anyways, I believe you drew on your chi to boost your abilities temporarily. Touhuu- sensei would probably be able to explain it better than I. Incidentally, that's probably also why you passed out from a wound that shouldn't have done that. Since you don't know the best ways to do that, and only some of your chi paths have been in serious use, a lot was lost, which drained you."
"Oh, I get it."
Souun blinked. "Are you sure?"
Kodora nodded. "Hai, Otousan-sensei."
Souun looked slightly dismayed. "Then could you explain it to me? I'm not entirely sure WHAT I just said..."
WHAM Went Kodora's face against the mat.
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Whew. Another chapter out! This one came relatively easy, it's been flowing better for me lately.
The two questions still apply, I like input.
Incidentally, I don't really subscribe to the "soft/hard" martial arts theory. I prefer the "power vs. speed vs. stamina vs. recovery vs. agility vs. chi vs. technique" way of looking at things.
But that's just me.
That whole thing with Ranma, Kodora, Souun, and berserker and chi and stuff was sort of an explanation. Someone assumed Kodora was actually really strong and fast or whatever, and that definitely wasn't what I was aiming for. Yeah, she's fast compared to a normal person, and a bit stronger than she ought to be, but certainly not above Akane's level, except maybe by a little. Besides, I figured if someone misconstrued it like that, I probably needed to explain a little bit. Further explanations will be forthcoming in the second part of "The Dissertation". Yeah, that interlude.
Besides, it gave me a good opportunity to mention that Kodora had been teaching Ranma stuff. Pretty much everything that she/I had learned before this fic started.
Hey hey, it's tax day! And what a coinkydink, that's what Nabiki's up to!
Keep reviewing!
Jaa ne!
"You're... you're Kasumi. You're nice, you're kind, you...
I care about ya. If you're a vampire, then vampires must be all
right."
-Ranma, in the fanfiction short: The Vampire Kasumi
(By Andrew Aelfwine)
Kodora almost facefaulted. "No, really? Ya think?"
Obviously this girl was as blind as Kuno, just in a different way. Kodora and Ranma were both thinking just this.
How right they were.
The tall girl in the mostly-black school uniform suddenly dropped the handle of the ribbon.
"Good, because I prefer not to treat girls-"
She toe-kicked one of the fallen baton/clubs into the air, catching it with one hand.
"-with common COURTESY!" The black-haired girl exclaimed, lashing out with the club.
Kodora, having seen that one coming a mile away, slid her body back a bit, overbalancing, as she grabbed the club just behind the head. Shoving off hard with her feet, she rolled backwards, pulling the far taller girl down on top of her. Feet pressed into her opponent's gut, she kicked out with both legs as hard as she could. Instead of sending the taller girl flying over her head, upside-down, she misjudged and sent her opponent maybe a foot up into the air just above her.
Realising her error, Kodora instantly rolled to the side, allowing the surprised girl to land on her side on the ground, as Kodora pulled the club both still had a grip on. Immediately, both released it and got to their feet, the club lying on the grass between them. Kodora had her hands at the ready, and was balanced lightly on the balls of her feet, tail lashing swiftly.
The taller girl stood stoically for a moment, then smirked.
"Heh. Well... you are very good!" She stated, flicking a rose through the air at Kodora, who ignored it as it bounced off her arm. "Remember... I'm called the black rose of St. Bacchus' school for girls. Kodachi... the Black Rose. Please don't forget it."
Then she bounded off, easily topping the fence Kodora had clambered up earlier. A disturbing, loud laugh followed her out.
"OOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!"
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Passenger
Chapter 16: Dancing Tiger, Hidden Aura
A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by S. Starblade
Dedicated to the power within all of us.
Warning: I borrow ideas from people when I think the ideas fit what I'm writing. I try not to commit plagiarism. Remember, if I borrow it from you, that means I think it's good, and it's intended as a compliment to you. Well, okay.. that's just a side effect of trying stuff that works.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the standard Ranma 1/2 characters appearing in this fanfiction. If you don't know which ones they are, you should read the Ranma 1/2 manga before continuing any further. That or just forget it altogether.
Key:
= English
" " = Japanese
[ ] = Jusenkyou Cursed Signs
{ } = Chinese
* * = Internal conversation between Ranma and Kodora.
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Kodora watched enviously as Kodachi roofhopped away.
*Wish I could jump that high.*
*Ahhh, Imootochan?*
Kodora smiled slightly. *Hai, Oniichan?*
*You did jump like that.*
Blink.
Blink.
*Say wha?*
*You did jump like that, Imooto.*
Kodora shook her head. *I did? When?*
Had Ranma been able to sweatdrop, he would have. *When you got mad at Kuno, and flung him into the wall. Remember that?*
It was Kodora's turn to sweatdrop. *Aheh... not really...* she replied, sheepishly. *When I go like that, everything gets kinda hazy... I remember throwing Tatewaki around, and throwing him at the wall, but all the specifics kinda escape me...*
*....*
For whatever reason, Kodora got the distinct impression that Ranma really wanted to bash his head against something. Ignoring it, she looked around the empty lot, to talk to the three who'd fought Kodachi, but they had left while she was conversing with Ranma.
Shrugging, she turned to walk home, a quarter of her mind on going back to the Tendou-ke, five eigths on conversing with Ranma, and the last little bit wondering what to do about school.
She always did do better when she multitasked.
*It's just that... well, Ranma, not a lot sets me off like that, y'know? But when it does... The best phrase I can find for it is 'berserker rage'. And I don't mean like a berserker technique, or like Vikings.*
*Vikings?*
Kodora nodded as she continued on her way home. She failed to notice that everyone gave her a wide berth. Other than that, though, she didn't get much attention.
This WAS Nerima, after all.
*Way back maybe a thousand years or so ago, there were these people in Northern Europe called Vikings. They were well known for raiding villages and churches, although that wasn't too much of what they did. Supposedly, they were the first people to travel from Eurasia to the Americas since the Beiring Strait.*
Kodora found it relaxing to tell Ranma these things. Besides, he needed some more education anyways, and she knew a LOT of esoteric, usually useless stuff. She'd already taught him about the Beiring Strait and the Americas, and quite a bit about WWI and WWII.
*Yeah, you said that before.*
*Right. So, to prepare for battle, some of the larger warriors would drink this stuff made from a wierd mushroom, and eat the mushroom too. It had two effects: First off, it cut off most blood flow and all the nerves on the outside of the body. This had a side-effect of turning the berserker warriors blue.*
*Freaky.*
*Yeah. Worked well for scare tactics. Anyways, the other effect was that it basically set them raving mad. It wasn't safe to fight in a berserker unit if you weren't berserker yourself, 'coz they had a tendency to cut each other up as well, mostly accidentally. They'd attack anything. Of course, most of them died, either from things like blood loss or because the mushroom killed them. The end result, however, was a fighter who would keep getting back up until they were totally destroyed, with adrenaline- powered strength, who would keep going until there was nothing to kill.*
*Whoa. But, aren't most 'berserker techniques' things that really power up the body and cause intense single-mindedness?*
*Exactly. Those techniques aren't true berserker stuff. What I do, however, pretty much is. When I get that mad, I just keep getting back up, no matter what gets thrown at me. Yeah, my strength and speed get 'turned to eleven', so to speak, but it's not too large a jump, whereas the difference between getting hurt and feeling it, and getting hurt and keeping on coming is really big. A side effect is that when I'm like that, I'll attack whoever's around with whatever's handy, regardless of why I'm actually angry. Also, my vision goes kinda hazy and red at the edges, and I have trouble remembering it.*
*Which is why you don't remember exactly what you did to Kuno.*
*Right. Or how I did it. Fortunately, there's not much that sets me off very easily. If you're gonna annoy me into that state of mind, be prepared to go for a couple days without sleep. However, making fun of people, especially about things they can't help, sets me off really easily. So does trying to force me into something.*
*Hm.* Ranma decided to spend some time fitting that into the puzzle of knowledge he was developing.
Turning one last corner, Kodora headed for the front gates of the Tendou- ke.
*Actually, that means that what I did to Kuno is inexplicable...*
******
"Ojisan Tendou?"
Souun looked up from the shogi board, to find Kodora kneeling nearby, facing him.
"Hai, Kodora-chan?"
Kodora bowed low, head almost touching the floor. Earlier, she'd used a piece of string to tie the end of her tail so that the whole thing wrapped around her waist like a belt. She didn't want to have to focus on keeping it from moving while she was doing this.
"I humbly request that you begin training me in the martial arts, sensei. Will you accept me, Saotome Kodora (Genma snorted derisively), as your student?"
Souun smiled. This obviously meant something to her: she'd gone to the trouble of getting someone to tell her the formal way to go about this. It didn't really matter that she hadn't gotten it quite right.
In Souun's imagination, Kodora was overlaid with images of Akane, Kasumi further back, and even a faint memory of his wife, Tsuki.
Solemnly, with small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, Souun nodded. "Hai. Arigatou, Kodora-chan."
Kodora straightened up, and was about to ask to go to the dojo, when Genma called her attention.
"Go ahead and learn from him." Genma stated, disapproval plain on his face. "But while you are like this, and while you insist on being a girl, NEVER use the Saotome name. Find your own, get someone to permit you to use theirs, but while you claim to be a 'real girl', you are NOT a Saotome."
Kodora shrugged. "Fine."
Genma nearly fell over, but recovered his stern gaze, although it wavered when Souun frowned at him.
'He really has no idea about this.' Thought Souun. 'I almost pity my old friend, but he brings this disrespect upon himself. Nekoken indeed.' Then he looked to Kodora. 'She's holding it back. This is hurting her more than she's letting on... A lot like I used to do... But what can I...' Something occurred to Souun, and he smiled. Best of all, Nabiki would love this idea, as well.
Rising, he spoke to Kodora. "I will gladly train you. But first, I would like to speak with you and Nabiki about something. Would you come with me to her room?"
Smiling, although it only affected the edges of her eyes, more than it usually did, Kodora nodded, and stood. As she moved, she reached back and pulled the string off her tail, allowing it to resume slowly lashing.
******
Knock, Knock
Nabiki took off her reading spectacles and frowned. Everyone in the family knew that this afternoon was spent on taxes. She'd been doing this every year for almost six years now. Maybe it was one of the Saotomes.
Knock, Knock.
"Nabiki-chan, may we speak with you a moment? I think you'll like this."
Her frown deepened. Her father wouldn't interrupt unless it was very important. Wiping her face to neutral, she stood, and walked the short distance to the door.
"'Tousan, you know I'm doing the taxes?"
"Hai." Came the answer through the door. "Actually, this has something to do with that. May we please come in?"
Sighing, Nabiki opened the door, to reveal Souun and Kodora waiting outside the door. Her father looked happy, and the smallest Saotome looked slightly puzzled and a little happy. Nabiki did a double-take. Wait. Something else was there in Kodora's face and body posture... naah. Too small. She was probably just seeing things. Nabiki mentally reminded herself to swindle the man who came up with fine print.
Gesturing for the two to come in, Nabiki walked back and took a seat in the chair at her desk. "Okay, so what is it? I have limited time, you know. These forms won't fill themselves out."
Souun and Kodora nodded, and took seats on the floor, kneeling.
Souun, for once, decided to be circumspect.
"Nabiki-chan," he started, hesitating a bit. "...The taxes get lowered slightly for each of you three, right?"
Nabiki nodded warily. Where was her father going with this? The man was usually transparent as the spaces between tennis raquet strings. Now, however, she couldn't read him...
"Would it help offset the cost of supporting our guests if you could add another family member to our tax forms?"
Nabiki nodded again. But, where would they get another family member? All who were here were the four Tendous, and the one-and-two-halves Saotomes... wait, he couldn't mean...
"Very well. How about if I adopt Kodora?"
Nabiki was ready with her response. "I really don't think you could persuade Akane or Kasumi to marry Ranma right now, even with my....help? Wait, say that again?"
Souun smiled expansively. "How about if I adopt Kodora?"
Who, by the way, had just passed out, unable to believe this.
Nabiki covered up her own surprise by indicating the unconscious girl. "I like it, but shouldn't you get her opinion too?"
Souun nodded. "Of course." With that he turned to Kodora. "What do... oh, wait. You're passed out..."
Reaching into the pocket of his gi, Souun produced a lollipop. As he dangled it over Kodora's unconscious face, Nabiki did some quick figures.
KRUNCH
Nabiki turned to see Kodora sitting up, chewing noisily. Souun was examining what appeared to be an evenly-sheared-off lollipop stick.
"Kodora-chan, you might want to spit out the wrapper."
Kodora looked up at Souun, and blinked.
"Whmph wmmphm?"
Souun and Nabiki sweated. "Oh."
Kodora swallowed. "Tootsie Pop, huh? Not my fave, but not bad. By the way, the answer is 2,856."
Souun blinked. "Answer to what?"
Kodora grinned toothily. "How many licks."
Souun facefaulted, and Nabiki raised an eyebrow.
"You counted?" She asked skeptically.
Kodora shrugged. "I was seven, and really bored. Besides, I never was one to leave questions unanswered."
Souun got back up. "Anyways, Kodora, how do you feel about the idea of me adopting you?"
"Uh... wow." Stated the small girl. "I... really? I mean, geez. Uhh... Sure! But, I mean... why?"
Nabiki nodded. "I was wondering much the same, 'Tousan."
To Nabiki's surprise, Souun didn't lose any strength under the combined stare of her and Kodora.
"Think about it. My old friend Genma, great a man though he is, isn't exactly the best father."
"What was your first hint?" Kibitzed Nabiki.
Souun cleared his throat. "As I was saying, he really doesn't know how to handle a daughter. Besides, he refuses to let you call yourself a Saotome, so long as you claim to be a girl, and are a girl at the time. I doubt he'll make the same statement regarding when you're Ranma. Anyways, you really look like you could use some family, and you'll hopefully be staying with us for the rest of your life regardless." 'And' He thought, awaiting a response, 'you really need a shoulder to cry on. May Kasumi, in her infinite heart, find the room. I remember she did so for me.'
Kodora smiled brightly, again it failed to strike quite true to Souun. Although Nabiki didn't catch the fault in it.
"I, well... Thank you. Thank you very much... Otousan!" She giggled. "Thank you." She repeated, in a softer voice than anyone had heard from her before.
Nabiki nodded and smiled. "Glad to see more than taxes was behind this. I guess this is welcome to the family, Kodora-imootochan. Now, if you'll excuse me for not rejoicing loudly, I must get back to the taxes. And leave myself a note to get adoption papers, and establish a legal existence for Kodora-chan, here. Go on, scoot."
So saying, she turned back to her desk, as Souun and Kodora got up and headed out of the room, aiming for the dojo. As the door closed behind her, she chuckled softly, a tear in her eye.
"And may you have better luck reviving Daddy than any of us. You seem to have a good start on it... Imooto."
******
Kodora and Souun sat in the dojo, facing each other.
"So, Kodora-chan, you mean to say that you aren't normally able to jump that high, no matter what?"
The miniscule pre-martial artist nodded. "But when I got mad, it just happened. I can't explain it. I know it never happened before, though."
"I think I may know." Souun said thoughtfully. "Look at it this way... when you're angry, scared, or in danger, your subconscious triggers the whole fight-or-flight setup, right? That means that anything you can do, it instinctively tries to do. When I taught you those trances, I was teaching you to access your chi. By the way, you have quite a bit of chi, much more than normal. I expect it comes from also being Ranma. Anyways, I believe you drew on your chi to boost your abilities temporarily. Touhuu- sensei would probably be able to explain it better than I. Incidentally, that's probably also why you passed out from a wound that shouldn't have done that. Since you don't know the best ways to do that, and only some of your chi paths have been in serious use, a lot was lost, which drained you."
"Oh, I get it."
Souun blinked. "Are you sure?"
Kodora nodded. "Hai, Otousan-sensei."
Souun looked slightly dismayed. "Then could you explain it to me? I'm not entirely sure WHAT I just said..."
WHAM Went Kodora's face against the mat.
±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±±±
Whew. Another chapter out! This one came relatively easy, it's been flowing better for me lately.
The two questions still apply, I like input.
Incidentally, I don't really subscribe to the "soft/hard" martial arts theory. I prefer the "power vs. speed vs. stamina vs. recovery vs. agility vs. chi vs. technique" way of looking at things.
But that's just me.
That whole thing with Ranma, Kodora, Souun, and berserker and chi and stuff was sort of an explanation. Someone assumed Kodora was actually really strong and fast or whatever, and that definitely wasn't what I was aiming for. Yeah, she's fast compared to a normal person, and a bit stronger than she ought to be, but certainly not above Akane's level, except maybe by a little. Besides, I figured if someone misconstrued it like that, I probably needed to explain a little bit. Further explanations will be forthcoming in the second part of "The Dissertation". Yeah, that interlude.
Besides, it gave me a good opportunity to mention that Kodora had been teaching Ranma stuff. Pretty much everything that she/I had learned before this fic started.
Hey hey, it's tax day! And what a coinkydink, that's what Nabiki's up to!
Keep reviewing!
Jaa ne!
"You're... you're Kasumi. You're nice, you're kind, you...
I care about ya. If you're a vampire, then vampires must be all
right."
-Ranma, in the fanfiction short: The Vampire Kasumi
(By Andrew Aelfwine)