Ranma; Hard Core
Book 2
Chapter 6
"Hello," Kasumi greeted the lovely young lady standing at the Tendou's front door.
"And greetings to you," the foreign woman in an impeccable business suit bowed to the other woman, "My name is Xian Pu, my card..."
Kasumi took the card, while eyeing the woman with deep black hair warily, "You don't seem like a martial artist to me."
Xian Pu noted the curtness in the woman's voice. She was either agitated at being interrupted, annoyed and believing Xian Pu to be a salesperson, or she hasn't had a good day at all, "I was told that I should represent my people in the most non-disconcerting way. I decided that a professional attire would be best appropriate, compared to my... usual garb."
"I see," Kasumi replied with a bit less of a guarded tone, "I don't know too many martial artists that also carry business cards."
"Um, is that not a custom to exchange business cards among your tribe... er... people?"
"No, unless you're soliciting business..." Kasumi said with a condensending tone that managed to slip through a cheerful demeaner that was clearly window dressing to the woman standing before her.
Xian Pu almost snorted; to believe, the greatest warrior of her generation being alluded to as a common business woman... "Fortunately no, that is not the reason I am here."
"The dojo's in back, I will have my father ready and out there to meet your challenge." Kasumi was about to close the door, before Xian Pu stiff-armed it.
"Oh, I'm not here to challenge your school, I assure you," the guest promised the other woman, "I am actually on... an information gathering quest, you may say."
"And what would that have to do with this home?"
"I was told that I should seek out the Tendou home for many of the answers I may have. May I step inside so we could discuss this in comfort?"
______________________________
"Hey, pretty quiant," Nabiki commented, as she walked into the little side restaurant.
Ukyo looked up from preparing the grill, "Oh, hey! You're kind of early, so it's gonna take a while for me to get everything ready for you."
Nabiki sat down at the grill, followed by her sister, "Well, if it's as good as you said it was, I don't think I'd mind the wait... Say, is there a discount for Akane and her relatives?"
Ukyo stopped glazing the grill with the oil mixture, as something in the back of her mind started to nag her, "Oh? For Akane-chan, everything's on the house!"
"Hmph, so now I know where you're getting those 'luscious' hips of yours, Sis. I guess you haven't been going hungry, have ya?" Nabiki gave a sardonic grin to her sister, who was currently staring at Ukyo with wide eyed fright. Nabiki's expression dropped when she noticed the fear her little sister was displaying.
Ukyo chuckled at the comment, "Well, that's assuming I *can* get Akane to eat something. She... did you say 'sister'?"
Nabiki turned back to the Ukyo, noticing the humor from her voice dropped, "Yeah, Akane's sister, Nabiki. I've... been abroa-HEY!" Nabiki fell out of her stool from the shove Ukyo gave her from over the grill. Ukyo grabbed something that was leaning against the wall, and vaulted over the grill, and before Nabiki could recover, she found the flat head of a large spatula against her throat.
"Nabiki, as in the sister that ruined Akane's life? As in the *wife* of the guy who ruined *MINE*?" Ukyo's grip tightened on the weapon, as her steely eyes glared down at the other girl.
"What did he 'supposadly' do to you?" Nabiki challenged, having dealt with many of the issues Ranma's *father* had created for him while they were traveling all over Japan. She was becoming an old hat at negotiating these ordeals, particularly when she was trying to throw Genma off their track, and needed a good distraction.
"Well, 'supposadly', he took my dowery, and cursed me for life!"
"Since when did guys need doweries?" Nabiki attempted to press her head back further from the bladed end of Ukyo's weapon, as it got just a scant closer to her neck.
"Look closer, hun. Get a good look at your husband's *first* fiancee!"
"WHAT?!?" Nabiki screeched, before suddenly bringing her hands to the side of the spatula head, and shifting it to the right side of her while sliding her body to the other side. As soon as it was away from her neck, she lashed out with the heel of her right foot, catching Ukyo just at the top of her left knee.
Ukyo grunted, as she dropped down onto the injured knee. Nabiki quickly gained to her feet, and brought her fist down onto the top of Ukyo's biceps. The chef cried out from the feeling of her muscle involintarily spasming and tightening, and brought her other arm over to cover it, thus relenquishing her grip on her weapon. Nabiki had expected this, as shoved Ukyo in the shoulders against the bar as hard as she could after she was unarmed. Ukyo was taken a bit by surprise, as she now found Nabiki's right forearm against her throat and her left palm ready for a strike to Ukyo's nose, while Ukyo herself was sitting down in a prone position that gave up the advantage to the other girl.
"Been there, heard it, needs to be redelivered to Genma Saotome," Nabiki almost growled.
"Don't worry, that bastard's getting what's coming to him, too," Ukyo stated in a low voice, as she glared defiantly back at Nabiki.
"Then you're at the back of the line, he has a lot to answer for..." Nabiki then backed off of Ukyo quickly; to Ukyo's surprise, she found a hand offering to help her up. "I'm not mad at you, I've seen the trouble Genma has caused. A lot of the time, me and Ranma end up paying for it," Nabiki continued, holding her hand in offer, "If you've been that wronged by him, we'll do our best to offer restitution..."
"You think you can offer restitution for the ten years of my life wasted because of Ranma?" Ukyo slapped the hand away, "No deal, when I see Ranma, we're going to have a score to settle, you got that?"
Nabiki sighed, and kneeled down to Ukyo's level, "You don't know what you're getting into. Ranma's not exactly the type who'll let you beat him around, regardless of who you are. I suggest you let things be, for everyone's sakes."
"Like you are? Why in the Hell did you come back, anyway? So you can see what you did to your sister? To your own *SISTER*!" Ukyo pulled herself to her feet, and gave a sympathetic glance towards Akane, who had her head bowed and her hands cupped in front of her, as if trying to ignore the scene. "Do you even CARE what you did to Akane-chan? It took me forever just to get her to open up, and I'm probably the only friend she has now. She won't tell me what it is you said to her, but if what your father told me she was once like..." Ukyo turned her head, and reared in her temper. She then turned back to Nabiki, "Whatever... just... what do you want?"
"That's okay, I'm not feeling too hungry, anymore," Nabiki stated with a sincere apology laden in her voice.
"Fine, Akane? The usual?" Akane shook her head meekly, not bothering to turn to either of the other girls.
"I think we better leave," Akane got up, and walked towards the door, "Come on, Nabiki."
Ukyo turned to Nabiki, "Yeah, I've got things to do."
Not missing the underlying statement in Ukyo's phrasing, Nabiki sighed.
"I am sorry that you want it to come to this," with that, she walked out of Ucchans.
______________________________
Xian Pu scowled, as she left the Tendou home. Ranma had definitely been there, but Kasumi wasn't being forthcoming. The Amazon did feel sympathetic to the older woman, as whatever Ranma did left her pretty bitter.
She had to chuckle to herself at that; Ranma just seemed best at spreading misery wherever he went. Since she had been on his trail, it seemed as if Ranma or his father had just brought grievance to all those she questioned. Kasumi was obviously no different, as she refused to say anything about him; something a few people who have encountered Ranma... or his father, tended to do. She couldn't blame them, though, as she would like to try to forget them, if it weren't her Amazon and personal honor at stake here in her vengance.
Unfortunately, the trail ran cold in Nerima, but the Amazon would not be satisfied until she was vindicated.
"Ranma, don't think you'll escape me by hiding. I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth, to Hell and beyond to destroy you. You have my solumn oath on that!"
______________________________
Nabiki quickly caught up with Akane, "Okay, what was that all about?"
"Nothing, just don't worry about it," Akane replied quietly and curtly, as she turned back towards home.
"Akane, no, what did she mean about what I did to you?" Akane turned to her sister with pleading expression.
"Please, Nabiki, just let it drop."
"This is about what I said to you, that night, isn't it?" Nabiki lowered her eyes in realization, "What I said... it was a mistake. If I could tell you how sorry I am for..."
Akane's eyes had been watering up, the longer Nabiki continued to speak. She suddenly jerked from Nabiki's hand, and turned away, "Nabiki, just... please shut up..." Akane ran from Nabiki back to the Tendou home, leaving the middle Tendou sister standing amidst the gray afternoon with but a scant few dead leaves dancing in the wind for company.
Book 2
Chapter 6
"Hello," Kasumi greeted the lovely young lady standing at the Tendou's front door.
"And greetings to you," the foreign woman in an impeccable business suit bowed to the other woman, "My name is Xian Pu, my card..."
Kasumi took the card, while eyeing the woman with deep black hair warily, "You don't seem like a martial artist to me."
Xian Pu noted the curtness in the woman's voice. She was either agitated at being interrupted, annoyed and believing Xian Pu to be a salesperson, or she hasn't had a good day at all, "I was told that I should represent my people in the most non-disconcerting way. I decided that a professional attire would be best appropriate, compared to my... usual garb."
"I see," Kasumi replied with a bit less of a guarded tone, "I don't know too many martial artists that also carry business cards."
"Um, is that not a custom to exchange business cards among your tribe... er... people?"
"No, unless you're soliciting business..." Kasumi said with a condensending tone that managed to slip through a cheerful demeaner that was clearly window dressing to the woman standing before her.
Xian Pu almost snorted; to believe, the greatest warrior of her generation being alluded to as a common business woman... "Fortunately no, that is not the reason I am here."
"The dojo's in back, I will have my father ready and out there to meet your challenge." Kasumi was about to close the door, before Xian Pu stiff-armed it.
"Oh, I'm not here to challenge your school, I assure you," the guest promised the other woman, "I am actually on... an information gathering quest, you may say."
"And what would that have to do with this home?"
"I was told that I should seek out the Tendou home for many of the answers I may have. May I step inside so we could discuss this in comfort?"
______________________________
"Hey, pretty quiant," Nabiki commented, as she walked into the little side restaurant.
Ukyo looked up from preparing the grill, "Oh, hey! You're kind of early, so it's gonna take a while for me to get everything ready for you."
Nabiki sat down at the grill, followed by her sister, "Well, if it's as good as you said it was, I don't think I'd mind the wait... Say, is there a discount for Akane and her relatives?"
Ukyo stopped glazing the grill with the oil mixture, as something in the back of her mind started to nag her, "Oh? For Akane-chan, everything's on the house!"
"Hmph, so now I know where you're getting those 'luscious' hips of yours, Sis. I guess you haven't been going hungry, have ya?" Nabiki gave a sardonic grin to her sister, who was currently staring at Ukyo with wide eyed fright. Nabiki's expression dropped when she noticed the fear her little sister was displaying.
Ukyo chuckled at the comment, "Well, that's assuming I *can* get Akane to eat something. She... did you say 'sister'?"
Nabiki turned back to the Ukyo, noticing the humor from her voice dropped, "Yeah, Akane's sister, Nabiki. I've... been abroa-HEY!" Nabiki fell out of her stool from the shove Ukyo gave her from over the grill. Ukyo grabbed something that was leaning against the wall, and vaulted over the grill, and before Nabiki could recover, she found the flat head of a large spatula against her throat.
"Nabiki, as in the sister that ruined Akane's life? As in the *wife* of the guy who ruined *MINE*?" Ukyo's grip tightened on the weapon, as her steely eyes glared down at the other girl.
"What did he 'supposadly' do to you?" Nabiki challenged, having dealt with many of the issues Ranma's *father* had created for him while they were traveling all over Japan. She was becoming an old hat at negotiating these ordeals, particularly when she was trying to throw Genma off their track, and needed a good distraction.
"Well, 'supposadly', he took my dowery, and cursed me for life!"
"Since when did guys need doweries?" Nabiki attempted to press her head back further from the bladed end of Ukyo's weapon, as it got just a scant closer to her neck.
"Look closer, hun. Get a good look at your husband's *first* fiancee!"
"WHAT?!?" Nabiki screeched, before suddenly bringing her hands to the side of the spatula head, and shifting it to the right side of her while sliding her body to the other side. As soon as it was away from her neck, she lashed out with the heel of her right foot, catching Ukyo just at the top of her left knee.
Ukyo grunted, as she dropped down onto the injured knee. Nabiki quickly gained to her feet, and brought her fist down onto the top of Ukyo's biceps. The chef cried out from the feeling of her muscle involintarily spasming and tightening, and brought her other arm over to cover it, thus relenquishing her grip on her weapon. Nabiki had expected this, as shoved Ukyo in the shoulders against the bar as hard as she could after she was unarmed. Ukyo was taken a bit by surprise, as she now found Nabiki's right forearm against her throat and her left palm ready for a strike to Ukyo's nose, while Ukyo herself was sitting down in a prone position that gave up the advantage to the other girl.
"Been there, heard it, needs to be redelivered to Genma Saotome," Nabiki almost growled.
"Don't worry, that bastard's getting what's coming to him, too," Ukyo stated in a low voice, as she glared defiantly back at Nabiki.
"Then you're at the back of the line, he has a lot to answer for..." Nabiki then backed off of Ukyo quickly; to Ukyo's surprise, she found a hand offering to help her up. "I'm not mad at you, I've seen the trouble Genma has caused. A lot of the time, me and Ranma end up paying for it," Nabiki continued, holding her hand in offer, "If you've been that wronged by him, we'll do our best to offer restitution..."
"You think you can offer restitution for the ten years of my life wasted because of Ranma?" Ukyo slapped the hand away, "No deal, when I see Ranma, we're going to have a score to settle, you got that?"
Nabiki sighed, and kneeled down to Ukyo's level, "You don't know what you're getting into. Ranma's not exactly the type who'll let you beat him around, regardless of who you are. I suggest you let things be, for everyone's sakes."
"Like you are? Why in the Hell did you come back, anyway? So you can see what you did to your sister? To your own *SISTER*!" Ukyo pulled herself to her feet, and gave a sympathetic glance towards Akane, who had her head bowed and her hands cupped in front of her, as if trying to ignore the scene. "Do you even CARE what you did to Akane-chan? It took me forever just to get her to open up, and I'm probably the only friend she has now. She won't tell me what it is you said to her, but if what your father told me she was once like..." Ukyo turned her head, and reared in her temper. She then turned back to Nabiki, "Whatever... just... what do you want?"
"That's okay, I'm not feeling too hungry, anymore," Nabiki stated with a sincere apology laden in her voice.
"Fine, Akane? The usual?" Akane shook her head meekly, not bothering to turn to either of the other girls.
"I think we better leave," Akane got up, and walked towards the door, "Come on, Nabiki."
Ukyo turned to Nabiki, "Yeah, I've got things to do."
Not missing the underlying statement in Ukyo's phrasing, Nabiki sighed.
"I am sorry that you want it to come to this," with that, she walked out of Ucchans.
______________________________
Xian Pu scowled, as she left the Tendou home. Ranma had definitely been there, but Kasumi wasn't being forthcoming. The Amazon did feel sympathetic to the older woman, as whatever Ranma did left her pretty bitter.
She had to chuckle to herself at that; Ranma just seemed best at spreading misery wherever he went. Since she had been on his trail, it seemed as if Ranma or his father had just brought grievance to all those she questioned. Kasumi was obviously no different, as she refused to say anything about him; something a few people who have encountered Ranma... or his father, tended to do. She couldn't blame them, though, as she would like to try to forget them, if it weren't her Amazon and personal honor at stake here in her vengance.
Unfortunately, the trail ran cold in Nerima, but the Amazon would not be satisfied until she was vindicated.
"Ranma, don't think you'll escape me by hiding. I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth, to Hell and beyond to destroy you. You have my solumn oath on that!"
______________________________
Nabiki quickly caught up with Akane, "Okay, what was that all about?"
"Nothing, just don't worry about it," Akane replied quietly and curtly, as she turned back towards home.
"Akane, no, what did she mean about what I did to you?" Akane turned to her sister with pleading expression.
"Please, Nabiki, just let it drop."
"This is about what I said to you, that night, isn't it?" Nabiki lowered her eyes in realization, "What I said... it was a mistake. If I could tell you how sorry I am for..."
Akane's eyes had been watering up, the longer Nabiki continued to speak. She suddenly jerked from Nabiki's hand, and turned away, "Nabiki, just... please shut up..." Akane ran from Nabiki back to the Tendou home, leaving the middle Tendou sister standing amidst the gray afternoon with but a scant few dead leaves dancing in the wind for company.