A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to get up here. BUT I HAVE AN EXCUSE!!
I've been running around getting ready for final exams (DARN YOU ALGEBRA!!) which includes tutoring three people in the past month—most of them more then once—because my teacher, while he is a fairly nice guy and cannot say "four" right, cannot teach for BEANS. Of course, this resulted in yours truly spending a good part of twenty hours over the past weeks tutoring random people in the hopes that they don't fail. So *sigh* Ranma took a backseat to my friends and I passing math for the past month. Not to mention I had particularly hard time writing this chapter for reasons not even _I_ understand.
Is Ranma badly OOC? Can people see Ranma and Akane both driving like maniacs? Do I have spinach in my teeth?
Wow, long beginning A/N. Oh well. Thank you reviewers!! ::gives out 'Stop Living in the Past' posters with the entire cast on it::
The Tendo's way cool dojo van was careening down the road, seven excited (and mostly martial artist) teenagers inside with the radio blaring. Nabiki was driving, Akane right next to her in shotgun. Kazuma and Hotaka were in the first bench, chatting absent mindedly with Ranma-chan who was taking up the entire second bench to herself. In the third and final bench, Natsuko was trying to pry information out of Perfume.
"Can you _please_ tell me where we're going?"
"Sorry, Nats, no can do. Hey, waitasecond…" Perfume snapped her fingers, and reached over Ranma-chan and grabbed onto Hotaka. Just at that moment, Nabiki hit a huge bump in the road, forcing Perfume on top of Ranma and to wrap her arms around Hotaka's neck.
Needless to say, he turned bright red.
"P-P-Perfume…" Hotaka stuttered, afraid to move.
"Whoops, sorry Hotachan," she said, untying his bandana and moving back into her own seat.
"Hey! My bandana!"
"Yeah," Perfume replied, tying it over Natsuko's eyes. "Blindfold."
"B-b-b-blindfold?"
"Looks like little Hotaka had other things on his mind."
"Other things…?"
"Shaddup Nabiki!"
"Hey Ranma?"
"Yeah Akane?"
"You're a girl."
"How observant!"
"I don't think that's what she meant Ranma."
"Kazuma's right, _Ranma_. Anyway, are you planning to go as a _girl?_"
"No. I'm going to change back."
"When?"
"Right--"
"Pit stop!"
Multiple voices: "AHHHH!!"
"Nabiki!!"
"Warn us before you do something like that again, okay?!"
"Ow, I hit my head on the seat in front of me…"
"You okay Perfume? Maybe I should go back there…"
"I'm fine Kazu-chan, don't worry about me."
"Hey ya Ranchan!"
"Wait a second, Ranma's here?"
"Ukyo? Ryoga?"
"What are _you_ doing here P-chan?"
"Here's your hot water Ranchan."
"Thanks Ucchan."
"And _I_ invited him Ranchan, and I _don't_ want you guys fighting. This is to cheer up one of my employees, not be a battle, okay?"
"Wait a second, employees?"
"Well, uh, ya see Kazuma, Nats and I are working for Ukyo."
"Why?"
"RED LIGHT!! RED LIGHT!!"
Multiple voices: "WOAH!!"
"Nabiki, you got stop with those sudden stops!"
"I could Kazuma-baby, but it'd cost you extra."
"Kazuma-baby?!"
"Breathe, Perfume, breathe!"
"Wait a second, Perfume?"
"Yeah?"
"…AH!! SHE LOOKS LIKE SHAMPOO!!"
"Ucchan, calm down!! It's Perfume, Kazuma's fiancée!"
"Oh, of course! …Who's Kazuma, Ranchan?"
"I am."
"…AH!! HE LOOKS LIKE RANMA!!"
"Ryoga, calm down!!"
"Yeah, chill out bacon breath."
"Ranma you…"
"STOP SIGN!! STOP SIGN!!"
***
"Okay, we're here!" Perfume declared, taking the bandana/blindfold off her friend. Natsuko looked around to see everyone else out of the van, and then she looked at Perfume.
"Ah! What happened to your forehead?"
"You can thank Nabiki for that one," Perfume replied bitterly, gently touching her bruised forehead. "I got thrown into the seat in front of us every time she made a sudden stop."
And she's supposed to drive _better_ than Ranma and Akane?! Natsuko thought in alarm. I am very scared right now.
Perfume and Natsuko climbed out of the van and into the parking lot with everyone else. After shutting off the van, Nabiki climbed out with everyone else.
"Well, here we are," she said. "The Spring."
"The Spring?!" Natsuko asked in alarm, paling at the thought and wondering _why_ her friends would take her to another spring knowing her history.
"Yeah, the Dance Springs Eternal Club," Akane replied.
"Dance Springs Eternal…? You mean this is a dance club?"
"Ding ding!" Hotaka cried out, holding an invisible microphone. "And we have a winner! Johnny, tell her what she's won!"
"Shuddup Hotaka…"
"Come on guys, we're here to party, not to spar in the parking lot," Akane said, stepping between the two rivals. Natsuko and Hotaka glared for a moment, then turned away from each other without another word. "I'll take that as a promise not to fight each other," Akane declared before linking her right arm with Natsuko's and her left with Hotaka's and began to drag the two (backwards) towards the club, the others chasing after them.
By the time Akane had stopped dragging the two and they could stand up straight, Natsuko turned around and connected her face with a huge, tattooed gut. She straightened and looked up apolitically at his face. It, too, had a tattoo of a viper crawling up the side of his face and over his right eyebrow, which was pieced about four times, along with the left, and his left ear.
"Um, sorry," she said in a half whisper.
"Name," he barked out, not even fazed. Akane shuffled in front of Natsuko.
"Tendo Akane," she told the huge bouncer. "Party of nine including Ranma, Nabiki, Natsuko, Hotaka, Kazuma, Perfume, Ukyo, and Ryoga."
The bouncer nodded at each of the name, except—
"There's no 'Ryoga' on here," he declared, looking up from the list of names, almost challenging Akane.
"He's a resent addition," Akane told him coolly. "Besides, everything else checks out. Can we go in now please?"
The bouncer grunted a reply that no one seemed to make out, but moved aside just the same. Akane boldly marched forward to the narrow doorway where only two people could enter at a time, Natsuko quickly (and nervously) falling into step right next to her. Ranma, dragged by the arm by Ukyo, went in next, followed by Kazuma who positioned himself between Perfume and the bouncer as they walked in, keeping a protective arm around her until they got inside. Hotaka and Ryoga brought up the rear, the man sneering at them before retaking his position in front of the door when they went in.
"Friendly, isn't he?" Hotaka grumbled. Ryoga just nodded to be on the safe side; he couldn't hear Hotaka over the booming music now that they were inside.
Strobe lights of all colors were blinking over and around the moving mass of dancing bodies on the dance floor. False torches with flames made out of cloth giving the effect of real torches using red/orange lights and a built in fan were hanging on the walls every few feet. A darker lounge area and bar were off to their immediate right, with this cool waterfall that had a big neon sign over it that read 'Dance Springs Eternal.' Everywhere else, there were people dancing.
Natsuko gaped at the sight before her. Then, giving off very little warning, she grabbed Ranma, Perfume, and Nabiki in a lung-crushing hug.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" she screamed before releasing them and dragging Perfume and Akane onto the dance floor.
It took a grand total of thirty seconds before the three started dancing. Akane was a tad reluctant at first, but into the swing of things after a minute or two. Natsuko and Perfume had started dancing right away, and it was obvious to everyone in the club Natsuko knew exactly what she was doing.
"Wow," Ranma commented to Kazuma. "She _is_ good!"
"She didn't get to be star of the dance team for nothing!" Kazuma replied, beaming with pride at his twin.
"KAZUMA!"
"EEP!" he cried as his face was suddenly brought _very_ close to that of his fiancée's, his pigtail firmly in her hand. "Oh, Perfume."
"'Oh, Perfume?' That's all I get?" She released him. "And here I thought being the girlfriend had _perks._" False sigh. "Ah well. Come dance with me!" she cried before dragging him onto the dance floor, nearly giving him whiplash in the process.
***
Hotaka watched from the other side of the club. For the past two hours, he had sat in the lounge area with Ryoga and Nabiki and had seven—no, make that eight sodas. Perfume had her little "guard stag" by her side the entire night; there was just no hope in the love life of Hotaka.
"Somebody looks a little down," Nabiki said, moving away from a rather pale boy who was looking down at his empty wallet like he had just lost his best friend, and sitting down next to Hotaka on the couch. "I can help, but it'll cost you extra because it's the weekend."
"It's only Friday night," Hotaka told her.
"When the second final bell rings at three o'clock on Friday, it's the weekend, my friend," she replied matter-of-factly.
"Right," he said, rolling his eyes. He began to let his eyes wander out unto the dance floor, settling on a particular purple haired girl who was moving in time with the music. Sure, she was no Natsuko, but Perfume had a few more… interesting aspects to show off which made her dancing mesmerizing.
This, of course, did not go unnoticed by Nabiki.
"Sorry, bub, I don't break up happy couples when there's no entertainment in it for me. But I could interest you in a few other girls… Take Ukyo for example—"
"No," Hotaka stated coldly.
"No?" Nabiki asked, eyebrows raised with a slight knowing glint in her eyes.
"No, not Ukyo."
"Why not?"
"I mean, just look at her—hanging off of Ranma like that. She _knows_ Akane throws things when she gets jealous, and it's usually Ranma! If Ukyo cares for him so much, why does she put him through that?" he demanded angrily. When Nabiki didn't answer, he continued without missing a beat. "And another thing, _obviously_ Ranma doesn't like her the way she likes him because if he did he would have reacted by now, so she should just drop it and look for another guy; they won't make a good couple anyway!"
"What other guy?"
"Oh, I don't know! Anyone! Even—"
"Ryoga?"
Silence.
Hotaka gaped at Nabiki. Nabiki sat quite calmly, as if they had been discussing the weather, except she had a smug grin on her face.
"How did you--?"
"I know everything, Hotaka baby, I thought you would have realized that by now."
"Who else--?"
"Knows? No one besides me—yet. See, the deal is I keep my silence for a price, but I'm almost positive you already know that."
"What type of price?"
Sighing, she shook her head. "Hotaka, Hotaka, Hotaka, why do you think little Natsuko over there wanted you both to get a job so badly? Of course, _that_ doesn't even cover it fully, so I've got a few ideas on how else you can pay me back…"
"Like what?" he asked, dreading it more and more by the second.
She smirked. "You'll see."
Hotaka was just going to press further questions, when one of the club's walls exploded. Among the screams and mayhem, a clear soprano could be heard calling out.
"Nihoa, Ranma!" Shampoo cried, running from her new entrance in the wall to her favorite pig-tailed boy and latching her arms around his neck from the back. "Shampoo bring back new love spice, so Ranma can take Shampoo to date!"
"Hey! What are you doing with _my_ Kazuma?!"
Shampoo's head shot up and she glared at Perfume, moving in front of her pig-tailed boy.
"_Your_ Kazuma, annoying jealous girl? No, no! This Shampoo's Ranma!"
"Um, Shampoo, I'm over here…" Ranma said cautiously.
Shampoo stared in utter confusion at him.
"Then who Shampoo…?"
"_That_ would be Kazuma," Perfume said pointly, moving over to her fiancée and clinging to his arm. "And he would be _mine._"
The two purple haired beauties just stood there, glaring, Kazuma unwillingly caught up in the middle with a large sweat bead on his head.
"The resemblance is striking," Nabiki said, still sitting on the couch, as if this happens everyday. "Don't you think, Hotaka baby?"
"No, Perfume's prettier," Hotaka told her, then added under his breath, "even if she is clinging to Kazuma's arm. Stupid Kazuma…"
Nabiki gave a knowing half-smirk that she was famous for.
"SHAMPOOOO!!" cried Mousse, bursting through the 'door' Shampoo had made in the wall. A second later, he was making a hole just like it in another wall after Natsuko screamed "WHO DO YA THINK YEH'RE GROPIN'?!"
***
Mrs. Saotome quietly opened the door to the guestroom and smiled at the little girl fast asleep on the futon. Banna breathed gently in her sleep in time to make the rain beating on the roof sound more soothing, shifting now and then to get a better grasp of the pillow her little hand was clutching to. After watching her contently for a few moments more, she slipped out the door and closed it behind her just as quietly as she had when she went in.
Oh, I hope the kids weren't rained out too badly, Nodoka said, glancing out through the hall window. As she watched the raindrops run down the glass, her mind began to wander to the little girl asleep in the other room, and then to the little boy she had let be taken away nearly thirteen years ago. I wonder if Ranma looked like that when he was a little boy, she thought, tears starting to cloud her vision. Oh Ranma, do you hate me so much to always be away when I come to see the man you've become? I miss you, Ranma. Please come home.
The front door opened.
Oh! Oh, oh! Ranma, could that finally be you?
She rushed to the front door and could only stare at the drenched Akane who was holding a soaked white tiger kitten and dragging an equally wet, unconscious Ranko behind her enter the house. Behind them trouped in a smelling, wet wolf, which looked like it was scowling, trotting next to a drenched deer with a small, soaked crane sitting on its antlers, its wings out in a futile attempt to keep its ride's head dry. After the motley crew, Nabiki strolled in, the only one who had remember there was an umbrella in the dojo van. Shaking it off on the porch, she closed it and placed it in the umbrella holder next to the coat rack.
"Nabiki," Mrs. Saotome stuttered out. "What happened? I thought you were going to a dance club…"
Nabiki grinned. "We did, and it was a great time until Shampoo and Mousse burst into the club. Then it was just a scream. You might say we tore the house down."
"Yeah, and the only thing left when we were done was a few bricks," Akane added grumbling.
Nabiki nodded, her grin growing wider, and flashed the V for Victory sign.
To say Mrs. Saotome was shocked to speechlessness would be an understatement.
She only watched as Akane opened the door to the bathroom where the animal troop hurriedly entered. A few seconds later, she dragged Ranko upstairs and opened the door to the guest bedroom, dragging her cousin inside.
"Hey, what happened to her?" Mrs. Saotome heard Banna mumble through a yawn from the guestroom.
Then she heard Akane sigh. "It's a long story, Banna-chan, mainly involving Ranko's incredible fear of cats and Natsuko turning into a tiger when splashed with cold water…"
A/N: Okay, DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MUCH GRIEF THIS CHAPTER GAVE ME?! *deep breath* I'm okay… But I got stuck so many times during this chapter! AND IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET UP! Not to mention I'm rereading the HP books looking for dates for 'Tale of a White Blossom' AND I'm trying to get an RPG my cousin and I are having into fanfic format AND I've got about thirty zillion Washington pictures to scan AND there's always the possibility of failing my math exam that I'm _still_ waiting on results for! AHHHHHH!! I'M GOING TO GO INSANE!! *deep breath* I am OK.
Dang, I knew I shoulda done the karaoke bar…
Actually I wanted to have this chapter end a different way, but it just wasn't happening, PLUS I needed Shampoo and Mousse to come back so I can get this story back into gear, not to mention my butt as well. Now that Shampoo and Mousse are back, we can get into the new cast's past…
But that's pretending none of you have caught on to all the oBvious (yes MooSe, oBvious) hints, clues, and blunders of the new cast along the way…
Darn it! I REALLY need to get some Perfume/Kazuma characterization in! I plan on having them play more a part later on, and it would be nice to know who the heck they are before I throw the rest of the new cast into the mix. (Yes, everyone, there are more. ::attempts to ignore the groaning in the background and dodges the rotten tomatoes being thrown at her::)
I know this took nearly two months to get up, but please review!! ~JenJen-chan