Chapter 3 – Elder Horse "Fiancées Plus 1"
Cologne, Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo were sitting on one end of a table while E-Ranma stayed on the other side.
"Let me get this straight, Ranma: you want me to teach you the Chinese Language in such a way that will make you proficient in reading, writing and speaking it? Does that mean you're choosing my great-granddaughter over all the others?" Cologne asked.
"Aaaiiiyyyaaa! Shampoo so happy airen choose her!" Shampoo declared triuymphantly.
"Saotomoe, you cad! You'll never have my Shampoo!" Mousse menaced.
"Over my dead body! If there's anyone Ranma-honey will choose, it'll be me!" Ukyo threatened.
The three were about to engage in combat when Cologne suddenly felt E- Ranma's chi flare into life then disappear as he turned invisible. In a blink of an eye, the three would-be combatants were back in their seats, sitting quietly, albeit paralyzed. E-Ranma then reappeared in front of Cologne.
"There now; at least we'll have some peace and quiet," E-Ranma declared.
Cologne was shocked to see what had happened to the three youths. E-Ranma was almost too fast for even her to see with the last motion he did. He had stood up, hit the chi-nodes of all three people in the right places thus rendering them immobile temporarily, then went back to his original position in a few seconds.
"As I was saying elder, I would like you to teach me Chinese COMPLETELY, CORRECTLY and INSTANTLY. My purpose is not to marry Shampoo or accept Amazon laws but to find a cure for my curse," E-Ranma explained.
"I see. You'll be off to China soon. But I warn you, such a thing has never been attempted in the last three centuries and the actual method may well be lost even to us Amazons," Cologne replied.
"I'm well aware of that, elder. However, I believe there's still one technique that will make such a training possible, especially for someone of your skill and caliber as an Amazon elder," E-Ranma added as he flattered Cologne a bit.
"Really now Ranma, even if there's such a process, what makes you think I'll be able to do it? And by the way, flattery will get you nowhere," Cologne chided.
"I know for sure that you of all people will be able to do it because the technique is an Amazon one," E-Ranma replied.
"Okay. What technique is that?" Cologne asked.
E-Ranma went on to explain about the technique he was referring to in his request. As it turns out, it would involve using the amnesia-shampoo with chi-transfer that was often used by Amazon healers.
"No doubt, an elder like you can understand how the whole thing will work. All you need do is to select which type of chi to transfer and the whole thing's ready to go," E-Ranma explained.
"I see what you mean, Ranma; a reverse-effect shampoo that adds to a person's mind rather than take away from it. I never thought of using it that way," Cologne stated with a bit of amazement in her voice.
"And what's even better is that it will enable one to add memories SELECTIVELY as well," E-Ranma added.
Cologne nodded in agreement. E-Ranma's proposal had a lot of merit. She was amazed as how he was able to come to a proposal.
"One thing I'd like to know, Ranma; how were you able to come to this plan?" Cologne asked.
"Well, I figured centuries of Amazon lore had to account for something. I mean, your martial arts are formidable enough. But after being used as a guinea pig for all Shampoo's potions and spells, I got around to thinking: if you people have been using these mixtures and potions for even just half the length of time you've been around, you people must be very skilled and knowledgeable about them. As far as potions or poisons go, you people will definitely have an antidote lying around or have a recipe for one if it isn't readily available. Knowing that, what's to stop you from tweaking with existing potions so as to achieve different effects?" E-Ranma replied.
Cologne couldn't fault E-Ranma's logic. True enough, there were many times that Amazon potions and poisons were used against them by the enemy so the need to develop antidotes arose and all healers were required to know these techniques.
"Very well Ranma, I will do as you ask. Come back in three days and I'll have everything ready. I trust you'll be curing the younger Ranma of his curse as well?" Cologne asked. E-Ranma nodded.
E-Ranma was about to leave when Cologne tried to bop him on the head with her cane though the move was anticipated by E-Ranma.
"What's the big idea....?" E-Ranma asked.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cologne asked.
E-Ranma was about to reply when Cologne pointed her staff towards the still unmoving trio of Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo.
"He-he-he. Sorry about that," E-Ranma sheepishly answered after which he immediately unlocked each one, restoring their movement. They were about to launch into either an attack or tirade but E-Ranma had moved too fast and was out of the door before anyone save Cologne, noticed.
E-Ranma did not go home to the Tendo dojo immediately, however. He waited until all the people were asleep save for an individual whom he knew would still be wide-awake at this time either counting her money or making plans to generate more: Nabiki. A quick stealth-cover of his chi and he was soon up on the roof, outside Nabiki's window.
Nabiki wasn't busy with anything, contrary to what E-Ranma thought. She was actually typing away at her computer when she heard a slight tapping on her window. She went to investigate and found E-Ranma perched on the roof outside.
"Saotome! Where have YOU been and what in the world are you doing there?" Nabiki asked. She was about to go into a tirade when E-Ranma put a finger on his lips, indicating the need for silence.
"Sssshh! I can explain. Just don't get too loud of you might wake the others," E-Ranma replied. Nabiki complied and let E-Ranma into her room. She was a bit surprised to see this Ranma up –close for the first time. He was indeed taller, had no pigtail, looked a bit more mature and carried himself in a different way than the Ranma she was accustomed to seeing. She caught herself almost stopping her breath as she looked at him as she suddenly recalled their kiss. As E-Ranma turned to face her, she slapped him.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" E-Ranma asked.
"For stealing into my room and kissing me before," Nabiki replied.
"I knocked, remember? And as for the kiss, I have no intention of repeating that now. I'm here for purely business reasons," E-Ranma replied.
Nabiki settled somewhat then started the conversation.
"So, what brings you here into my room tonight, Ranma? It's IS Ranma, isn't it? Or should I call you differently?" Nabiki asked.
"Call me what you like but I'd prefer the name 'RAN'. As for why I'm here, I guess this will answer your question," E-Ranma replied then tossed a huge wad of bills onto her bed.
"Eh? What do you mean, Ranma....I mean, Ran? I don't recall asking you for anything or you owing me anything yet," Nabiki asked.
"You're right, Nabiki. I don't owe you for anything yet so this cash is for something else," E_Ranma replied.
"And what would that 'something else' be?" Nabiki asked. E-Ranma replied by getting the wad and counting it.
"That's about 20,000 yen. I'll need your help to make it grow," E-Ranma replied.
He went on to continue his explanation.
'So you want this cash to grow so you can go to China and find a cure. I take it that you've prepared for this trip completely?" Nabiki asked. E- Ranma nodded.
"You could always put it in a bank, you know," Nabiki suggested.
E-Ranma shook his head, saying it would take too long.
"So how do you want it to grow?" Nabiki asked.
E-Ranma replied by telling her of his plan to enter underground fight- tournaments. He'd bet the cash in a way that would reap huge returns when he won.
"Underground fights?!! Are you serious?!" she asked.
"Yes. I've no problems winning them but I don't exactly know HOW to make the betting really profitable so that's where you come in. You're the best when it comes to odds and stuff like that," E-Ranma replied.
Nabiki was surprised at his compliment. What's more, there was no cockiness in his voice when E-Ranma stated that he could win the fights handily.
"You're right. But I assume that you can't stay in fights too long, huh? So you want the most profit in less time?" Nabiki asked and E-Ranma nodded.
Nabiki thought about E-Ranma's proposal for a while then came to a decision.
"Okay. I'll help you out," she declared as she took the wad and counted it.
"Nineteen, twenty. Yep, that's twenty-thousand yen all in all. But I'm afraid we can only bet half of it in the first fight," Nabiki declared.
"Eh? Only half? Why?" E-Ranma asked.
"You still owe me for kissing me that day," Nabiki answered.
"Say what?! You kissed me! And even if I were the one who started it, I didn't hear you complaining even after it was over!" E-Ranma shot back.
Nabiki was about to retort when she realized that what he said was true. But she wasn't about to let him know that she agreed with him.
"Yeah right, Saotome. I've had better," she teased.
"A likely story," he shot back.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Tell you what 'RAN', as you want to be called now; if you think I really DID feel that good when you kissed me like you claim and can prove it to me, I'll forgo charging you for it and I'll put in ten thousand of my own cash in the first fight you take," Nabiki suggested.
"You're kidding, right?!" E-Ranma asked.
"Nope," she replied.
"You mean it?" E-Ranma added.
"Yes. I'll even make it twenty from me if you can MANAGE to top the last one," Nabiki teased.
"Since you put it that way, you're on," E-Ranma replied.
E-Ranma was still quite surprised at what was happening now. Nabiki had just slapped him a while ago for the last kiss and now she was daring him to repeat it. Well, a Saotome never backs away from a formal challenge.
"So what's taking you so long, Ran? Having second thoughts?" Nabiki chided.
E-Ranma replied by approaching her. Then, standing before the bed where she was sitting, he gently took her face into his hands, lifted her chin then kissed her.
Nabiki was thrown for a loop. A small sensation starting from deep within her chest became an all out flood which threatened to make her faint. E- Ranma noticed this as he felt her giving into the kiss so he slid his left arm behind her waist and held her nearer to support her. They broke the kiss after a few minutes. Nabiki looked at E-Ranma and expecting a cocky, triumphant grin, found a warm smile and honest concern instead. E-Ranma himself felt his own heartbeat still rapidly thumping even as he held Nabiki. They soon settled into a position where E-Ranma was sitting on the bed now while Nabiki was sitting on his lap.
"Well? What do you think?" E-Ranma asked gently.
Nabiki replied by digging into her pockets and produced another wad of twenty-thousand yen. She gently put it beside E-Ranma's own wad of bills then looked at him again. E-Ranma was surprised at how Nabiki's expression had changed. Where it was once the cool, calculating visage of Furinkan High's ICE QUEEN, it was now a face that showed actual, deep concern.
"Please be really careful when you fight," Nabiki gently stated. It was E- Ranma's turn to be surprised when she took his face into her hands then kissed him deeply once more.
Cologne, Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo were sitting on one end of a table while E-Ranma stayed on the other side.
"Let me get this straight, Ranma: you want me to teach you the Chinese Language in such a way that will make you proficient in reading, writing and speaking it? Does that mean you're choosing my great-granddaughter over all the others?" Cologne asked.
"Aaaiiiyyyaaa! Shampoo so happy airen choose her!" Shampoo declared triuymphantly.
"Saotomoe, you cad! You'll never have my Shampoo!" Mousse menaced.
"Over my dead body! If there's anyone Ranma-honey will choose, it'll be me!" Ukyo threatened.
The three were about to engage in combat when Cologne suddenly felt E- Ranma's chi flare into life then disappear as he turned invisible. In a blink of an eye, the three would-be combatants were back in their seats, sitting quietly, albeit paralyzed. E-Ranma then reappeared in front of Cologne.
"There now; at least we'll have some peace and quiet," E-Ranma declared.
Cologne was shocked to see what had happened to the three youths. E-Ranma was almost too fast for even her to see with the last motion he did. He had stood up, hit the chi-nodes of all three people in the right places thus rendering them immobile temporarily, then went back to his original position in a few seconds.
"As I was saying elder, I would like you to teach me Chinese COMPLETELY, CORRECTLY and INSTANTLY. My purpose is not to marry Shampoo or accept Amazon laws but to find a cure for my curse," E-Ranma explained.
"I see. You'll be off to China soon. But I warn you, such a thing has never been attempted in the last three centuries and the actual method may well be lost even to us Amazons," Cologne replied.
"I'm well aware of that, elder. However, I believe there's still one technique that will make such a training possible, especially for someone of your skill and caliber as an Amazon elder," E-Ranma added as he flattered Cologne a bit.
"Really now Ranma, even if there's such a process, what makes you think I'll be able to do it? And by the way, flattery will get you nowhere," Cologne chided.
"I know for sure that you of all people will be able to do it because the technique is an Amazon one," E-Ranma replied.
"Okay. What technique is that?" Cologne asked.
E-Ranma went on to explain about the technique he was referring to in his request. As it turns out, it would involve using the amnesia-shampoo with chi-transfer that was often used by Amazon healers.
"No doubt, an elder like you can understand how the whole thing will work. All you need do is to select which type of chi to transfer and the whole thing's ready to go," E-Ranma explained.
"I see what you mean, Ranma; a reverse-effect shampoo that adds to a person's mind rather than take away from it. I never thought of using it that way," Cologne stated with a bit of amazement in her voice.
"And what's even better is that it will enable one to add memories SELECTIVELY as well," E-Ranma added.
Cologne nodded in agreement. E-Ranma's proposal had a lot of merit. She was amazed as how he was able to come to a proposal.
"One thing I'd like to know, Ranma; how were you able to come to this plan?" Cologne asked.
"Well, I figured centuries of Amazon lore had to account for something. I mean, your martial arts are formidable enough. But after being used as a guinea pig for all Shampoo's potions and spells, I got around to thinking: if you people have been using these mixtures and potions for even just half the length of time you've been around, you people must be very skilled and knowledgeable about them. As far as potions or poisons go, you people will definitely have an antidote lying around or have a recipe for one if it isn't readily available. Knowing that, what's to stop you from tweaking with existing potions so as to achieve different effects?" E-Ranma replied.
Cologne couldn't fault E-Ranma's logic. True enough, there were many times that Amazon potions and poisons were used against them by the enemy so the need to develop antidotes arose and all healers were required to know these techniques.
"Very well Ranma, I will do as you ask. Come back in three days and I'll have everything ready. I trust you'll be curing the younger Ranma of his curse as well?" Cologne asked. E-Ranma nodded.
E-Ranma was about to leave when Cologne tried to bop him on the head with her cane though the move was anticipated by E-Ranma.
"What's the big idea....?" E-Ranma asked.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cologne asked.
E-Ranma was about to reply when Cologne pointed her staff towards the still unmoving trio of Mousse, Shampoo and Ukyo.
"He-he-he. Sorry about that," E-Ranma sheepishly answered after which he immediately unlocked each one, restoring their movement. They were about to launch into either an attack or tirade but E-Ranma had moved too fast and was out of the door before anyone save Cologne, noticed.
E-Ranma did not go home to the Tendo dojo immediately, however. He waited until all the people were asleep save for an individual whom he knew would still be wide-awake at this time either counting her money or making plans to generate more: Nabiki. A quick stealth-cover of his chi and he was soon up on the roof, outside Nabiki's window.
Nabiki wasn't busy with anything, contrary to what E-Ranma thought. She was actually typing away at her computer when she heard a slight tapping on her window. She went to investigate and found E-Ranma perched on the roof outside.
"Saotome! Where have YOU been and what in the world are you doing there?" Nabiki asked. She was about to go into a tirade when E-Ranma put a finger on his lips, indicating the need for silence.
"Sssshh! I can explain. Just don't get too loud of you might wake the others," E-Ranma replied. Nabiki complied and let E-Ranma into her room. She was a bit surprised to see this Ranma up –close for the first time. He was indeed taller, had no pigtail, looked a bit more mature and carried himself in a different way than the Ranma she was accustomed to seeing. She caught herself almost stopping her breath as she looked at him as she suddenly recalled their kiss. As E-Ranma turned to face her, she slapped him.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" E-Ranma asked.
"For stealing into my room and kissing me before," Nabiki replied.
"I knocked, remember? And as for the kiss, I have no intention of repeating that now. I'm here for purely business reasons," E-Ranma replied.
Nabiki settled somewhat then started the conversation.
"So, what brings you here into my room tonight, Ranma? It's IS Ranma, isn't it? Or should I call you differently?" Nabiki asked.
"Call me what you like but I'd prefer the name 'RAN'. As for why I'm here, I guess this will answer your question," E-Ranma replied then tossed a huge wad of bills onto her bed.
"Eh? What do you mean, Ranma....I mean, Ran? I don't recall asking you for anything or you owing me anything yet," Nabiki asked.
"You're right, Nabiki. I don't owe you for anything yet so this cash is for something else," E_Ranma replied.
"And what would that 'something else' be?" Nabiki asked. E-Ranma replied by getting the wad and counting it.
"That's about 20,000 yen. I'll need your help to make it grow," E-Ranma replied.
He went on to continue his explanation.
'So you want this cash to grow so you can go to China and find a cure. I take it that you've prepared for this trip completely?" Nabiki asked. E- Ranma nodded.
"You could always put it in a bank, you know," Nabiki suggested.
E-Ranma shook his head, saying it would take too long.
"So how do you want it to grow?" Nabiki asked.
E-Ranma replied by telling her of his plan to enter underground fight- tournaments. He'd bet the cash in a way that would reap huge returns when he won.
"Underground fights?!! Are you serious?!" she asked.
"Yes. I've no problems winning them but I don't exactly know HOW to make the betting really profitable so that's where you come in. You're the best when it comes to odds and stuff like that," E-Ranma replied.
Nabiki was surprised at his compliment. What's more, there was no cockiness in his voice when E-Ranma stated that he could win the fights handily.
"You're right. But I assume that you can't stay in fights too long, huh? So you want the most profit in less time?" Nabiki asked and E-Ranma nodded.
Nabiki thought about E-Ranma's proposal for a while then came to a decision.
"Okay. I'll help you out," she declared as she took the wad and counted it.
"Nineteen, twenty. Yep, that's twenty-thousand yen all in all. But I'm afraid we can only bet half of it in the first fight," Nabiki declared.
"Eh? Only half? Why?" E-Ranma asked.
"You still owe me for kissing me that day," Nabiki answered.
"Say what?! You kissed me! And even if I were the one who started it, I didn't hear you complaining even after it was over!" E-Ranma shot back.
Nabiki was about to retort when she realized that what he said was true. But she wasn't about to let him know that she agreed with him.
"Yeah right, Saotome. I've had better," she teased.
"A likely story," he shot back.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Tell you what 'RAN', as you want to be called now; if you think I really DID feel that good when you kissed me like you claim and can prove it to me, I'll forgo charging you for it and I'll put in ten thousand of my own cash in the first fight you take," Nabiki suggested.
"You're kidding, right?!" E-Ranma asked.
"Nope," she replied.
"You mean it?" E-Ranma added.
"Yes. I'll even make it twenty from me if you can MANAGE to top the last one," Nabiki teased.
"Since you put it that way, you're on," E-Ranma replied.
E-Ranma was still quite surprised at what was happening now. Nabiki had just slapped him a while ago for the last kiss and now she was daring him to repeat it. Well, a Saotome never backs away from a formal challenge.
"So what's taking you so long, Ran? Having second thoughts?" Nabiki chided.
E-Ranma replied by approaching her. Then, standing before the bed where she was sitting, he gently took her face into his hands, lifted her chin then kissed her.
Nabiki was thrown for a loop. A small sensation starting from deep within her chest became an all out flood which threatened to make her faint. E- Ranma noticed this as he felt her giving into the kiss so he slid his left arm behind her waist and held her nearer to support her. They broke the kiss after a few minutes. Nabiki looked at E-Ranma and expecting a cocky, triumphant grin, found a warm smile and honest concern instead. E-Ranma himself felt his own heartbeat still rapidly thumping even as he held Nabiki. They soon settled into a position where E-Ranma was sitting on the bed now while Nabiki was sitting on his lap.
"Well? What do you think?" E-Ranma asked gently.
Nabiki replied by digging into her pockets and produced another wad of twenty-thousand yen. She gently put it beside E-Ranma's own wad of bills then looked at him again. E-Ranma was surprised at how Nabiki's expression had changed. Where it was once the cool, calculating visage of Furinkan High's ICE QUEEN, it was now a face that showed actual, deep concern.
"Please be really careful when you fight," Nabiki gently stated. It was E- Ranma's turn to be surprised when she took his face into her hands then kissed him deeply once more.