Embracing Curse
Chapter three:
Akane Tendo's diary, August 27th:
Boy was Nabiki-chan mad! Having to agree to all those refunds must've really gotten her goat, not to mention that scolding she received from Isabella-chan. I guess she is a little weird, but in a good way, and she was right in giving Nabiki-chan that reprimand. I saw the anxiety in Aelfred-san's eyes, that gold ring has great importance; my big sister should've been more sensitive. Still, I wonder why Isabella-chan treats Nabiki-chan so. I'll ponder about that later.
Anyway, Isabella-chan came along on our way back home; she told us everything she knew about Aelfred-san, mainly, how they and a couple more friends formed a group a few years ago. In fact, Aelfred-san's lost love was part of that group, and a friend of Isabella-chan's as well.
Kasumi-chan greeted us when we got to the dojo, and immediately went into the kitchen to get dinner. Happosai was there too, ironing his ecchi collection.
"What a cute little old man!" Isabella exclaimed upon seeing him, "Is he your grandfather, Akane?"
"Heaven forbid!" I shouted, "The only one who's got any sort of relation with this hentai creep is Ranma here."
"If you ask me," Ranma-kun protested, "I have absolutely nothing to do with this old goat." The moment he said this, we all got a feeling of dread, Happosai was glaring at Ranma-kun, with his chi all flared up.
"Ranma, as a student of the anything-goes martial arts, how can you disregard me as your master?" He charged, forcing Ranma-kun out into the yard, he then pulled a few tricky moves and caused him to fall into the koi pond. As Ranko-chan came out, Happosai made an offer. "I'm willing to forgive you, if you agree to model a new bra I got tonight."
"Old goat," Ranko-chan growled, "the only thing I'm gonna do with that rag is ring it around your wrinkled old… Nani?" Ranko-chan had seen something which surprised her, we all turned and saw Isabella-chan rummaging through the old man's collection!
"Too big, too big, just right, maybe, too ugly. Ooh, nice!" I guess the bunch of underwear had caught her full attention, so she was oblivious to the quarrel or Ranma-kun's transformation. Happosai sprinted, got on top of the pile and yelled at Isabella-chan furiously.
"This isn't some store display, young lady, this is my own private collection!"
"Yours?" Isabella-chan asked, blinking curiously, "I thought you were doing the laundry." We all giggled when she said that, I guess that explains why she didn't react negatively, just unusually. We laughed even harder when Isabella-chan asked for a few garments, saying she was meaning to buy some anyway.
"Then go to some store and buy 'em," Happosai retorted rudely.
"Happosai-san, I'm speechless," Nabiki-chan praised, "You could easily ask Isabella to pose for you."
"What do I look like?" the old man asked in an appalled voice, "Do you really think I would gawk at a child?" His expression changed. "Of course, I'll admit that if her body were a teeny bit more developed, I might consider it." He added this last part while patting Nabiki-chan's chest, maybe he'll think twice before doing that again once he lands. I'm not surprised by what onee-chan did, and I'm sure Kasumi-chan has an uppercut ready for such an occasion. Never underestimate a Tendo woman.
"So he collects women's underwear," Isabella-chan said once we'd all calmed down and were sitting round the table.
"Hai," I answered, "sorry you had to meet him."
"Don't worry about it," she replied with a grin, "I've heard about plenty of nutcases in the last few years, I know one guy who saves his nose-hair clippings." That's something I didn't need to know. "Still, Nabiki (as usual, she was about to say Catherine), does he take liberties like that very often?" Isabella's tone and stare were quite serious.
"You don't have to worry about Nabiki-san," Ranko-chan said, "I'm the one who gets the worst from the old goat's libido. Besides, if you want to know about ecchi behavior-" I rushed to cover Ranko-chan's mouth. Isabella-chan will learn about the pictures Nabiki-chan takes and sells eventually, but there's no need for her to do so yet. Our young friend tapped her fingers on the table before speaking again.
"Well, I suppose that as long as you keep him in check, he should be relatively harmless."
"Che, harmless perhaps, but still a pain in the ass," Ranko-chan grumbled sourly, I silently agreed.
That was the highlight of the evening, everything else was just chatter. We talked about Aelfred-san, Nabiki-chan's trip, Italian and Japanese customs, etc. Before we knew it, it was nearly ten o'clock, and Kasumi-chan suggested that Isabella-chan should spend the night. Our young friend agreed and called her parents for permission while I readied a spare futon in my room.
Isabella-chan should be done with her bath by now, and I'll bet she's tired, so I better get done with my writing.
One more thing before I close my diary. I'm so proud of the way Ranma behaved himself after the match with Aelfred-san, he never looked so gallant.
Nabiki's voice journal, August 27th:
You might say I'm sore because of all that money I lost, (grumble) and Happosai's idle hands, but I don't think Isabella's trustworthy anymore. At first I thought of her behavior as queer, but two specific details arose tonight which make me suspect her. First of all there's her relationship with Aelfred-san, there are parts in her story which don't concord with his. Isabella says she was friends with Aelfred-san for several years, but she also said she had no idea he'd become such a capable martial-artist. You can only reach such a level if you train your entire life, not during a trip, I know so. It's supposed to be a family tradition, Aelfred-san couldn't and wouldn't have kept it hidden from her if they know each other that well. One of them, perhaps both, is lying.
Something else happened after dinner. I was spying on Isabella from around the corner while she made her 'phone call', and noticed that she had her finger on the hook, the call was never made.
I don't know what her game is, but I'm going to keep my eye on Isabella and bring her down. (voice rises) Che, who does that girl think she is!? Ordering me around and scolding me as if she was my mother. Urgh, why do we have to attract all the freaks? Okay, it was cold of me to say it, but that comment I made about the value of the ring was really a compliment! Maybe I should have shown more sensitivity, but that's not my style! Look, I was surrounded by all the people I know, and as I said before, I can't show myself being soft! Arrgh! …She has no right, Isabella doesn't know me (sob) no one knows who I am… Everything would be easier if I would just… (sob)Chikuso, I can't. (recorder stops)
Tendo dojo, 3:00 a.m.:
Once she was sure Akane was sound asleep, Isabella got up. Silently, the Italian girl rolled up the futon, folded the sheets, and went over to the desk to write a note. She left it in plain view then sat beside the blue-haired girl.
"You better tell Ranma what you feel, Akane. It's unwise to keep quiet about such important matters, I know so by experience." The long-haired child leaned over and kissed Akane's forehead. "Sweet dreams, little one."
She walked down the hall and went into Kasumi's room, there she tucked the young girl in and stroked her face gently.
"You are twice as responsible as you are young, and I'm very proud of you, Kasumi. Rest assured, all your efforts will be rewarded." She gave her a kiss as well and left.
Next she entered Ranma's room, who was still in his female form. The dark-haired girl was quite surprised when she saw the redhead's position, an arm over here, a leg over there and the sheets all rolled up.
"Hoo, someone here needs a lesson in femininity." Isabella tried to put Ranma in a more decent position, but each time she got near, the martial artist mumbled in her sleep and threw a punch or a kick. "Okay, forget this, I don't need any broken bones." She knelt and looked at Ranma. "You say your name's Tendo, but you don't seem to be related to the others. Yet, whether it's by blood or name, you're family, Ranko, so I'm taking care of you, at a lesser degree of course."
Isabella's last stop, before leaving the house, was Nabiki's room. She found her fully clothed, and it was obvious the moneymaking girl had cried herself to sleep. The dark-haired child sat beside Nabiki and stroked her hair while looking at her worriedly.
"Catherine, mia rosa piccolla, why are you sad?" Her green eyes gave an unblinking stare. "(Tsk) Oh, Catherine, after so long I find you as beautiful as ever, and you and your sisters looked so happy I thought everything was okay." Isabella laid down and held Nabiki for a while, humming softly. Slowly, a little smile appeared on the short-haired girl's lips. "I don't know how long I will be able to stay, Catherine, but I'll do everything I can to help you." She kissed her cheek, "I have to go now, my dear, I'll see you again tomorrow."
Isabella looked all around but couldn't find Ranma anywhere, the male form that is. Outside, she stared at the Tendo home for a while before parting swiftly. The night grew short, and she had important matters to take care of.
Ukyo Kuonji's diary, August 28th:
Shampoo and I met early this morning and headed for the Tendo Dojo to inform Ran-chan and Akane-chan about this bullying redhead. She's my most dangerous rival, I know, but she'll surely be targeted by this gaijin, and I really don't want anything bad happening to her.
When we told Ran-chan about this girl, he said he'd never met her, in any of his forms.
"Great," I said, "just what we needed, a stalker."
"I still think you're letting your imagination wander," Ran-chan told us, "If there was someone tracking me, I'd know about it. Sensing the opponent's presence is a minor skill for a martial artist of my category," he boasted.
"Is it now?" Akane-chan countered as she dangled that mallet over his head.
"Shampoo not imagining, wrecked bicycle very real," Shampoo said. "True, not seen lately, but red-haired girl must still be around." She was telling the truth, that redhead hasn't let herself be seen since a few days before the match with Aelfred-san. And in regard to what Ran-chan said, she is anything but subtle, he would have known about her.
When Kasumi-san passed by, on her way to sweep the yard, I noticed that she looked a bit glum, so I asked what was the matter.
"Oh, I'm just worried about Isabella-chan. She left very early this morning," she answered. I remember meeting Isabella, she's the girl who's friends with Aelfred-san and lousy at names.
"Very early indeed," Akane-chan added, "I woke up at dawn and she was already gone. All she left behind was a note thanking us."
I'd like to meet Isabella again soon, she seemed a very nice girl. I also wanted to know more about Aelfred-san, so I asked Ran-chan to tell us about him. He told us a very interesting story, about an overseas trip, a fateful meeting between ancestors and, obviously, martial arts.
After finishing the story, Shampoo told us that her great-grandmother had told her once about an ancient library in China where the great martial-artists keep the records of their lives, and there was a fair chance that the Saotome school is included among them.
"There slight chance that Ranma-airen's ancestor wrote story about Aelfred. Ranma-airen could go with Shampoo and find out." She just has to jump at every opportunity, doesn't she? Okay, I'll admit it, I would've done the same thing have I had the chance.
Something else happened this morning. Someone at the door called, Kasumi-san got it then called for Nabiki-chan. I caught a glimpse of her as she came down the stairs and saw her stop then hurry on. This struck me as odd, so I peeked around the corner and saw Nabiki-chan talking to a gray-haired man in an elegant suit. I tried listening in but couldn't make out anything, so I asked Akane-chan if she knew anything about a name that ended in -eto. She told us that Nabiki-chan had met a man named Fideto in her Italian vacation, a millionaire, which explains why Nabiki-chan acted so. Money, money, that's all she thinks about. Her conversation with that man was quick, and I called her so she would tell us about this rich guy.
"First of all, that wasn't Fideto-kun, merely his majordomo, Phillipo-san," Nabiki-chan explained, "Fideto-kun is busy all day with business. Apparently, he can't even take a break while travelling."
"So, what did his servant come to tell you?" Ran-chan asked in a bored tone.
"Fideto-kun just arrived in Japan, and is inviting me out to a date tonight. I was feeling low when I woke up this morning, but looking forward to the evening has really made my day." The tone and expression with which Nabiki-chan said this made me feel sorry for this Fideto guy right away.
"Well then, shouldn't you get to work?" Akane-chan asked, "You know, selecting the most expensive restaurants and shops so you can milk the victim out of every yen." Nabiki-chan seemed to be a bit bothered by this comment.
"Fideto-kun is already conducting a research, and I know by personal experience, he doesn't need me to choose a place. And as for the subject of gifts," Nabiki-chan patted a package Phillipo-san had brought, "he's an expert in that area as well." I was very curious to see what the box contained, probably a dress judging by its size. I'll just have to find out later.
I left for home soon afterwards, not before convincing Akane-chan of joining Shampoo and I, and spent the rest of the day at work. I'm finishing this entry now, I'm meeting the girls in a few minutes to search for the bullying redhead. Good hunting.
Akane Tendo's diary, August 28th:
Ukyo-san and Shampoo seemed very convinced about this redhead being a threat, so I agreed to meet them and look for her.
I was a little late because I didn't want to leave without seeing Nabiki-chan in that dress Fideto-san sent her. She looked lovely, it was deep blue with long white gloves and a silver necklace. I've got to admit it, Nabiki-chan has hit the jackpot. I just hope she doesn't carve the chicken that laid the golden eggs. Fideto-san came to pick her up, and it was an impressive entrance, that limo seemed to go on for miles. To top it all off, he brought a small gift for each of us.
I only wish Ranma-kun had been a little more courteous, he was rather rude towards Fideto-san. I should've been more understanding, after all, each and every rich person we've met had selfish intentions towards us. But my reaction there and then was to smack Ranma-kun on the head. Why do I act this way?
Ukyo-san and Shampoo were quite upset when I finally met them, that amazon floozy even made a nasty comment.
"Look like tomboy girl not care who take Ranma-airen away," she said. Ooh, I could just boil her in her own ramen sometimes!
At first I thought I was going to take part in some wild goose chase, but it turned out that we actually found the redhead, after too many boring hours.
She did resemble Ranko-chan somewhat, except her pigtail didn't bend upwards. She was alone and seemingly paranoid; recalling the way Ukyo-san had described her, I got ready for a fight in case she found out we were following her. I thought we were just going to confirm whether she was after Ranma-kun or not, but Ukyo-san and Shampoo charged the moment they saw her, some plan.
The redhead was hardly able to avoid the attacks, a giant spatula to the left followed by bonbori to the right. She reacted with incredible ferocity, kicking Shampoo away then tackling Ukyo-san. She must've hit Ukyo-san's face about six times before I kicked her away, the redhead then glared at me and counterattacked. She was tough! She had no skill in martial arts, but her strength and speed made up for it. I'd say we traded punches for about four minutes before putting some distance between us. The redhead stopped fighting, she wanted to go on but something was stopping her; I could see it in her eyes, she was frightened, and for the first time, I noticed the scars on her arms and neck.
"What's the big idea, jumping on people like that? Just who do you think you are?" she demanded.
"Watashi wa Tendo Akane, from the Tendo school of anything-goes martial arts," I announced. Saying my name caused a surprised reaction in her.
"You one who started," Shampoo yelled, "trying to get all out of the way so you keep Ranma-airen to self."
"You should know better than to try and steal, Saotome Ranma, my fiancé," Ukyo warned. Shampoo cleared her throat. "Okay, our fiancé. Happy?"
"You're name is Tendo, huh?" the redhead said addressing me, "This Ranma, is he a fighter too?"
"Ranma-airen is best fighter in all world. You have no easy time if try to win him by force," Shampoo claimed. The redhead didn't reply, she just looked at us standing there then ran off. We gave chase for a while but she was too fast.
That was the end of it, at least for tonight. But Ukyo-san and Shampoo have made a mistake, she's not after Ranma-kun. That redhead reacted when I said my name, which means she's after the dojo!
When I got home, I revealed my suspicions to Ranma-kun, and managed to convince him into thinking the redhead would be an easy opponent. That girl is dangerous, I can tell she's not above using dirty tricks. If Ranma-kun fights her he will be seriously hurt, I can't tell him that to his face, Ranma-kun is much too vain, hearing something like this will cloud his common sense.
Ie, I'm facing that redhead on my own. I'm starting a special training regime very early tomorrow. I better be ready, there's no telling when our next encounter will be.
Ranma Saotome's journal, August 28th:
That Fideto guy came over tonight and took Nabiki-san away for their date. Akane-chan thinks that bringing those presents was a considerate detail, I say he's just sucking up. I mean no disrespect towards uncle Tendo, but I think he would've also been dazzled by the limo and money. If I must say something positive about him, it looks like he's really interested in Nabiki-san, after all, he met Akane-chan and didn't flirt. You must really like someone in order to ignore such a kawaii girl. I wonder if he would've resisted my female form, should I put him to the test?
Akane-chan left a few minutes later to join Ucchan and Shampoo in their search for my twin (good luck), and I went to the dojo to train for a while.
I was repeating the moves I used in my encounter with Aelfred-san, correcting the parts where I went wrong, when I received another visitor, little Isabella-chan. She surprised me with a loud 'hello' while I was in the middle of a flying kick, causing me to fall.
"How long have you been there?" I asked annoyed.
"Only a couple of minutes, watching you train," she answered, "Where did you go to last night? You disappeared right after we arrived."
"I, umm, I had remembered some errands I had to take care of," I answered. I think I heard her mutter something about needing me last night. "You came here to see Nabiki-san, ne?" I guessed.
"You're right, but Kasumi told me she's out on a date." There was a look of disappointment on her face as she sat on the floor. She just stayed there while I did some easy katas, then she asked: "You're engaged to Akane, right?"
"Hai, one minute I'm walking down the streets of Tokyo, the next I find out I'm engaged to this uncute tomboy." Isabella-chan started laughing and it bothered me. I frowned at her and she said:
"You say that with the tone of a man who hides his true feelings." Now I was really surprised, everyone else thinks I'm serious when I say those things, including Akane-chan. "You should come clean and tell her, it'll be for the best," she continued. I said Akane-chan would never believe it if I confessed something like that. Isabella-chan kept trying to encourage me but I didn't listen, I was thinking of all those opportunities I had and wasted. Honestly, if Akane-chan doesn't believe if I say I love her, it's my own stupid fault.
"Well, if Catherine's not here, then there's no reason for me to stay," Isabella-chan announced, drawing me back into reality. I'd been thinking about Akane-chan so much I lost track of time. "You better hurry and make a choice," she insisted, "I heard on the streets that Akane has several admirers. And, you didn't hear it from me, but it seems her cousin, Ranko, has a crush on her too." I waited for her to leave before allowing myself to laugh. How could she notice that without realizing the connection?
A couple of hours later, while I was reading a manga, Akane-chan arrived. She looked rather worried so I made her sit down and asked what was wrong.
"We found the redhead, and I think she's planning to challenge the Tendo dojo," she said.
"Do you think she'll be any trouble?" I asked.
"Not at all," she assured me, "That gaijin's strong but doesn't know the first thing about martial arts, she'll be an easy opponent." I nodded and said nothing else, however I did detect a hint of nervousness in Akane-chan's voice. I don't like it, but if it's necessary I'll face that redhead.
Nabiki's voice journal, August 28th:
It was midnight when I got home, Kasumi-chan was there waiting for me. Akane-chan and Ranma-kun were at the table talking, their conversation seemed important so I just passed by.
I was feeling down in the dumps this morning, but after my date with Guiseppe-kun, I'm in heaven. It was amazing, he took me to places I'd never be able to afford on my own. We went to that restaurant that's shaped like a pagoda, a Noh theater, the dance hall on top of that crystal tower. Plus, he gave me yet another gift, a brooch with a dark ruby in the center. A few days ago I was thinking that what I had felt for him was only an infatuation, but now that he's here… Huh, I have no idea how to describe it, let's just say I know he's the one. No man has ever made me think this way, consider spending my life with someone rather than alone. Well, maybe I have thought about Kuno-chan once, but by comparison, it was never really serious.
Hmm, speaking of Kuno-chan, I just realized I haven't seen him since I arrived from Italy. Strange that he didn't go see the match between Ranma-kun and Aelfred-san, or barged into the house when the limousine stopped by, his pea-sized brain should've come up with the thought that Guiseppe-kun was after Akane-chan. You know what? forget Kuno, he likes Akane-chan and Ranma-kun, I'm just the person who provides photos of them. Also, Kuno's too much of a pushover; having a slave is pretty useful, but would get dull in the long run. Last of all, I don't think I could stand having Kodachi-san for an in-law. Ugh, the thought of that cackle sends chills down my spine.
I'm definitely staying with Guiseppe-kun. The only drawback will be having to switch my sleeping schedule, I don't want to feel that awful weakness ever again (recorder stops).
Xian Pu's diary, August 28th:
After Ukyo and Akane left, I tried to track down the redhead before going home. Tomorrow's my day off, so I can afford staying up late. I couldn't find a trace of the redhead, but I did run into Aelfred, the man who had fought Ranma-airen, looking around for something.
"Nihao, Aelfred," I greeted. He turned towards me and looked as though he'd seen a ghost. I introduced myself, "My name is Xian Pu, we met after your match with Ranma-airen last night."
"Did we? I'm sorry, but I don't remember," he replied.
"It's okay, you were too busy with your gold ring to notice me."
"That explains it. I apologize, but this ring is my most important treasure," he replied. He stared at me a while then said: "Xian, I met someone by that name on a trip to China." At that point he started speaking Chinese.
"Really? Well, it's a fairly common name," I told him. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Conducting an investigation of sorts," Aelfred said as he retook his search, "I read some old newspapers and learned about people being found unconscious at several places."
"Right, this was one of them, where they found one of the victims of that strange blood disease." I looked around, trying to find anything unusual but failed. "You seem to know something about these happenings," I told him.
"I do, but that's all I can tell you," he answered. He sniffed then turned to look at me with a surprised face. "Xian Pu, did you encounter another foreigner today?" he asked me.
"Actually, yes," and I told Aelfred about the redhead, he nodded at the information.
"Redhead, that should make things easier." He turned towards me and spoke seriously, "Leave that girl to me. I want you, Ukyo and Akane to leave the hunt, you cannot face the likes of her." This was really insulting.
"Do you think we're too weak because we're women? I'll have you know, I am a Chinese amazon."
"It doesn't matter if you're the amazon champion, this isn't a matter of power," he claimed, "This girl is-" Aelfred interrupted himself and pounded on a wall, he took a few moments to calm himself before continuing. "Tell me, Xian Pu, do the amazons have secrets, matters they cannot share with anyone else?" I nodded affirmatively, "Well this matter concerns my clan alone, none of you may interfere."
"I understand," I said. Aelfred smiled at me and went on his way.
It's true, the amazon tribe has many laws and customs which are exclusive. As an outsider, I can't reveal them to Ranma-airen. Even Mu-Su, the simple fact of being a man keeps him in the dark.
I have no choice but to respect his wishes and do what Aelfred asked me to, tomorrow morning I'm going to tell Ukyo and Akane that we have to stop looking for the redhead. However, I can't ignore the fact that she's after Ranma-airen; if she stays away we'll stay away, but if she goes after him, I'll have to face her.
Aelfred was sitting on a park bench, looking at the night sky and planning his next move when he heard footsteps approaching.
"You'll never change," Isabella said as she came up to her silver-haired friend, "Even back then, when we lived in Spain, you would go out on your own and stay away for hours."
"It helps me think," the Scotsman replied with a friendly grin, "How long has it been?"
"Much too long!" the dark-haired girl exclaimed, "We have a million things to talk about, let's go over to my place, I'm staying with a couple of kids who-"
"I can't," Aelfred interrupted, "I have to take care of something important first. I'm sure you're aware, if you're not as distracted as usual."
"Hey, give me some credit!" Isabella protested, "Yes, I often concentrate on my own affairs, but that doesn't mean I ignore everything else." She huffed and looked at some of the people walking on the streets, "There's someone else here besides us, someone's who's been very indiscrete."
"Right, I should be able to handle her on my own, but I'll call you if I need any help."
"I'm always there for my pals," the long-haired child guaranteed cheerfully, "Here's my present address, if I'm out you'll probably find me at the Tendo dojo. I'm sure you're planning to visit that place again soon." She then hopped and gave her long time friend a tight hug. "Hurry up and finish this business, then make some time for us, I really, really missed you Aelfred."
"Me too, Isabella, me too." She kissed him goodbye and he watched her leave. "There she goes," the yellow-eyed teen told himself, "still the same joyful girl." He chuckled sadly, "How could it be any different?"