Ranma got up the Next morning to spar with his father, partly to stay in
practice and partly to humor the old man. After knocking him into the koi
pond and sufficiently scaring the fish, Ranma entered the house and sat
down for breakfast. Akane and Nabiki came downstairs shortly after.
"What the hell is that?" Akane exclaimed.
"You collecting Pokemon now Ranma?" Nabiki asked.
Ranma looked down where Nabiki was pointing to see the Tanuki sitting at the table between Ranma and his panda-fied father.
"Oh, that's just Jerry. I met him last night. Tell everyone good morning Jerry." Ranma said.
Jerry barked something and Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "He says I'm the only one who can understand him."
Akane was glad for once that she and Nabiki had switched places before so her older sister could sit next to Ranma. Akane was pretty sure tanuki didn't really sit at the table and drink sake, at least not as real animals. Ranma's life was really creeping her out and not for the first time did she thank the kamis that she wasn't engaged to the perverted freak.
Nabiki sat down and leaned over and whispered to Ranma, "Tell me later ok?" Ranma nodded.
Kasumi came out of the kitchen with breakfast, "Oh what a cute pet Ranma!"
School went smoothly for most of the day. Kuno attacked Ranma for some imagined slight against Akane and Akane attempted to pound Ranma with her mallet only to be interrupted by Nabiki.
Akane was stomping off angrily while Ranma and Nabiki followed behind holding hands. They were almost to the gates of the school when Ranma's danger sense went off. Grabbing Nabiki quickly he jumped back just as someone thrust a bamboo umbrella into the pavement where Ranma had been just an instant before. A crater three meters across resulted from the impact and Ranma set Nabiki down a safe distance away and assumed a defensive position as Nabiki moved further back to saftey.
"Still good at running away I see." The boy said brushing his hair out of his eyes dramatically. He wore faded and worn pants with a threadbare yellow shirt and a tiger striped bandanna. He was heavily muscled but not grossly so and fangs could be clearly seen through his half smile.
"Do you know this guy Ranma?" Akane asked. She was sure that somehow this was Ranma's fault for putting Nabiki in danger.
"Oh, yeah... um, that is... oh wait... I got it! I have no idea." Ranma finished lamely.
Ryouga recovered from his face fault and glared angrily at Ranma, "Well how about this? Why didn't you wait for me to meet my challenge?"
"Challenge? Oh, I know! Hey Ryouga how's it been?" Ranma responded with a genuine smile. Nabiki had moved a bit closer as it seemed the violence had abated somewhat.
"Don't act innocent with me! Why weren't you there to fight?"
"Oh man! I waited three days for you to show up. Pops finally got tired of waiting and drug me off on our next trip." Ranma retorted, his smile faltering a bit.
"Oh sure, you waited three days, but when I showed up on the fourth day you had run away."
"Geez Ryouga, we were supposed to meet in the vacant lot behind your house..."
"You have no idea the horrors I went through to find that lot. Everywhere I turned someone had moved it. SO now that I have found you, I will destroy your happiness!"
Ranma turned to Nabiki, "Am I happy?"
Nabiki gave him an evil half smile, "You damn well better be, you've got me remember?"
"You know, you're right." Ranma turned back, "Sorry Ryouga old pal, I can't let you do it. If this is about that bread..."
"This is beyond the stupid bread! Because of you I have seen hell!" Ryouga yelled and threw his umbrella towards Ranma who just stepped aside as it spun past like a top.
Ranma barely evaded the umbrella's return path. Only Nabiki's cry of warning enabled the pig tailed martial artist to evade the unusual weapon. It cut into the cement walkway leaving a scar in the pavement. Ranma re- estimated his opponent and settled into a defensive stance.
"Fine, if that's how you want to play it then let's do it, but let's get away from here where you can't hurt any bystanders." Ranma begged. He jumped into the air and over Ryouga to land on the boundary wall of the schoolyard. Ryouga turned and ran through a section of the wall.
"Ranma! Where are you? Damn you for running away again!" sounds of destruction and cursing moved off into the distance in a random, chaotic fashion.
Ranma dropped to the ground and scratched his head in confusion, "Heck, his direction sense is even worse than before." Nabiki came up behind him and took his hand.
"So what was that all about?" She asked.
"I'll tell you about it at home. By the way, there's a new martial arts action flick playing tonight. Wanna go?
By the time Ranma and Nabiki got home that evening there was barely enough time to do their homework. Kasumi had come up to Nabiki's room to give Ranma a letter that had arrived for him while they were out.
Ranma opened it and read the letter enclosed. Nabiki came up and read over his shoulder, "A challenge letter? Hey! It's dated for today!"
Ranma shrugged, "I know, I doubt that Ryouga meant to run into me at school today though. Even so, he'd just say I ran out on our duel again or some crap like that. I'll see him again in a few days I'm sure."
"So how many more pieces of your past are going to show up wanting a piece of you?" Nabiki asked halfheartedly.
Ranma sighed, "Hopefully none. I think I managed to scare off that weird Amazon girl."
Meanwhile, a few miles south of Tokyo, a pair of figures moved quietly down a deserted road.
"How Great Grandmother know demon go to Tokyo?" The tall purple haired girl asked.
The shorter and much older woman paused and held up a small device, "With this child. Our tribe has legends detailing the creature you fought." She pointed to a symbol on the compass like mechanism. It was two tear shapes, one gold, the other red. They were arranged almost like a yin/yang symbol.
"Yes! Yes! That same tattoo Shampoo see on girl demon's hand!"
Ku lon frowned, she didn't have the heart to tell her great great granddaughter that fulfilling the kiss of death may very well be impossible. In fact it would be best not to piss off the sigil bearer or more than just the amazon village could suffer her wrath.
"What the hell is that?" Akane exclaimed.
"You collecting Pokemon now Ranma?" Nabiki asked.
Ranma looked down where Nabiki was pointing to see the Tanuki sitting at the table between Ranma and his panda-fied father.
"Oh, that's just Jerry. I met him last night. Tell everyone good morning Jerry." Ranma said.
Jerry barked something and Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "He says I'm the only one who can understand him."
Akane was glad for once that she and Nabiki had switched places before so her older sister could sit next to Ranma. Akane was pretty sure tanuki didn't really sit at the table and drink sake, at least not as real animals. Ranma's life was really creeping her out and not for the first time did she thank the kamis that she wasn't engaged to the perverted freak.
Nabiki sat down and leaned over and whispered to Ranma, "Tell me later ok?" Ranma nodded.
Kasumi came out of the kitchen with breakfast, "Oh what a cute pet Ranma!"
School went smoothly for most of the day. Kuno attacked Ranma for some imagined slight against Akane and Akane attempted to pound Ranma with her mallet only to be interrupted by Nabiki.
Akane was stomping off angrily while Ranma and Nabiki followed behind holding hands. They were almost to the gates of the school when Ranma's danger sense went off. Grabbing Nabiki quickly he jumped back just as someone thrust a bamboo umbrella into the pavement where Ranma had been just an instant before. A crater three meters across resulted from the impact and Ranma set Nabiki down a safe distance away and assumed a defensive position as Nabiki moved further back to saftey.
"Still good at running away I see." The boy said brushing his hair out of his eyes dramatically. He wore faded and worn pants with a threadbare yellow shirt and a tiger striped bandanna. He was heavily muscled but not grossly so and fangs could be clearly seen through his half smile.
"Do you know this guy Ranma?" Akane asked. She was sure that somehow this was Ranma's fault for putting Nabiki in danger.
"Oh, yeah... um, that is... oh wait... I got it! I have no idea." Ranma finished lamely.
Ryouga recovered from his face fault and glared angrily at Ranma, "Well how about this? Why didn't you wait for me to meet my challenge?"
"Challenge? Oh, I know! Hey Ryouga how's it been?" Ranma responded with a genuine smile. Nabiki had moved a bit closer as it seemed the violence had abated somewhat.
"Don't act innocent with me! Why weren't you there to fight?"
"Oh man! I waited three days for you to show up. Pops finally got tired of waiting and drug me off on our next trip." Ranma retorted, his smile faltering a bit.
"Oh sure, you waited three days, but when I showed up on the fourth day you had run away."
"Geez Ryouga, we were supposed to meet in the vacant lot behind your house..."
"You have no idea the horrors I went through to find that lot. Everywhere I turned someone had moved it. SO now that I have found you, I will destroy your happiness!"
Ranma turned to Nabiki, "Am I happy?"
Nabiki gave him an evil half smile, "You damn well better be, you've got me remember?"
"You know, you're right." Ranma turned back, "Sorry Ryouga old pal, I can't let you do it. If this is about that bread..."
"This is beyond the stupid bread! Because of you I have seen hell!" Ryouga yelled and threw his umbrella towards Ranma who just stepped aside as it spun past like a top.
Ranma barely evaded the umbrella's return path. Only Nabiki's cry of warning enabled the pig tailed martial artist to evade the unusual weapon. It cut into the cement walkway leaving a scar in the pavement. Ranma re- estimated his opponent and settled into a defensive stance.
"Fine, if that's how you want to play it then let's do it, but let's get away from here where you can't hurt any bystanders." Ranma begged. He jumped into the air and over Ryouga to land on the boundary wall of the schoolyard. Ryouga turned and ran through a section of the wall.
"Ranma! Where are you? Damn you for running away again!" sounds of destruction and cursing moved off into the distance in a random, chaotic fashion.
Ranma dropped to the ground and scratched his head in confusion, "Heck, his direction sense is even worse than before." Nabiki came up behind him and took his hand.
"So what was that all about?" She asked.
"I'll tell you about it at home. By the way, there's a new martial arts action flick playing tonight. Wanna go?
By the time Ranma and Nabiki got home that evening there was barely enough time to do their homework. Kasumi had come up to Nabiki's room to give Ranma a letter that had arrived for him while they were out.
Ranma opened it and read the letter enclosed. Nabiki came up and read over his shoulder, "A challenge letter? Hey! It's dated for today!"
Ranma shrugged, "I know, I doubt that Ryouga meant to run into me at school today though. Even so, he'd just say I ran out on our duel again or some crap like that. I'll see him again in a few days I'm sure."
"So how many more pieces of your past are going to show up wanting a piece of you?" Nabiki asked halfheartedly.
Ranma sighed, "Hopefully none. I think I managed to scare off that weird Amazon girl."
Meanwhile, a few miles south of Tokyo, a pair of figures moved quietly down a deserted road.
"How Great Grandmother know demon go to Tokyo?" The tall purple haired girl asked.
The shorter and much older woman paused and held up a small device, "With this child. Our tribe has legends detailing the creature you fought." She pointed to a symbol on the compass like mechanism. It was two tear shapes, one gold, the other red. They were arranged almost like a yin/yang symbol.
"Yes! Yes! That same tattoo Shampoo see on girl demon's hand!"
Ku lon frowned, she didn't have the heart to tell her great great granddaughter that fulfilling the kiss of death may very well be impossible. In fact it would be best not to piss off the sigil bearer or more than just the amazon village could suffer her wrath.
