Rhythmer's Fist
"Akane"
::Theme for Akane; 'Why Me' (Future Mix) byK2K::
She had lost Ranma, not that he had bothered to follow her. Akane removed the trenchcoat and wide hat she wore to be inconspicuous on the 80+ degree weather, so that she could evade Ranma, Shampoo... anyone that may find intrest in her activities.
She had begrudingly admitted that there may be 'something' to this Rhythmer's Fist thing, but decided she would be damned if she learned it from Ranma, despite his subtle attempts to teach her.
Sans, the reason she had been heading across Tokyo for the last few days, even on school nights, and hitting whatever clubs her meager allowance that hadn't been extorted by Nabiki would allow her in. She was doing what she always did; find a table nearest to the dancefloor, and observe people dancing. Occasionally, she'd get asked out onto the floor, but adimantly refused, a couple of times rather violently. Unfortunately, her current course of action has yet to yeild her anything as to how the style worked.
After the club, she would find a vacant lot, and with a portable stereo, practice some of the moves she had seen on the floor. Good thing for her, being in a vacant lot in the night, because no one could see exactly how horrible she danced.
With a grimace, Akane felt her hips jerkily move to the beat, unsure of how to follow it, as her arms moved ungracefully with the rhythm. It was embarrassing to herself, but she refused to give in. She would learn the secret, without Ranma's help, and finally wipe that smug jerk's constant smirk from his or her face!
With that determination and resolve, Akane began to dance again to they pumping techno rhythm from the CD she had picked up from a bargain bin on a trip with Ranma through Akihabara, and with her firmed and serious diciple, she began to dance even worse...
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"Late night again, sis?" Nabiki asked with a smirk, watching her sister sluggishly slump downstairs.
"Lemme alone," Akane mumbled. She had to figure out the damn secret soon, or she wouldn't make it through the rest of the week. She was determined that she would find what made dancing such a formidable martial art. She was already in her own right a good martial artist, but she couldn't hold a candle to Ranma, and she knew that well enough after the battle between Ranma and Cologne. If dancing allowed Ranma to create a virtual tidal wave, then she would learn to do so, too.
Of course, that would mean learning how to dance, first.
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Right after school, Akane once again headed up to her room to nap, much to Ranma's annoyance; no tomboy to tease to liven things up. Ah well, always Shampoo, Kasumi, or Nabiki to irritate, but it just wasn't the same.
She again woke up, as everyone would be going to bed, and snuck downstairs. She was a bit surprised to find dinner waiting for her on the table, courtesy of the girl that had managed to sneak up behind her as she stared in slight shock at the meal.
"Akane, I don't suppose you'll tell us where you go all the time during the evening?" Kasumi asked politely, but with a slight chiding edge to her voice.
"Ah..." Akane spun around, and smiled nervously at her sister, "Um... good morning, Kasumi, I... wow, that sure looks delicious!"
"I asked a question," Kasumi's expression turned to a slight pout.
"Well.... I kind of like going out for a walk, at night, okay?" Akane responded with a slight defensive tone.
"Oh my, but isn't Ikebekuru, Shinjoku, annnnnd...." Kasumi looked at one of the train ticket stubs she had in hand, "Roppongi a bit far from here? I would really rather you take your late-night constitutionals closer to home."
"So, I like a change of scenery, is that a problem?" Akane retorted, knowing she wasn't going out tonight, being caught red-handed in the act.
"I suppose, but really, if you want to go clubbing, why not just go to Ucchans?"
Akane blinked, realizing her sister easily put two and two together. She bowed her head, and mumbled just loud enough so Kasumi could hear it, "I didn't want Ranma to catch me, okay?"
Oh... well then," Kasumi then handed a shocked Akane the ticket stubs, "Please, try not to leave these in your pockets, I do so hate having to clean out lint from the dryertrap too often. Have a nice night, and don't let it affect school too much, okay?" Akane mutely nodded, and then sat down to eat her late meal.
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"Just you wait Ranma," Akane growled, doing a great disservice to the dance she had seen earlier that night... morning. She was once again in a vacant lot, still unable to master the sensual moves she had seen many times from many people. Finally, with a scream of fustration, she picked up a rock, and owed Nabiki a pretty yen for busting up her portable stereo.
She could dance okay, but nothing like what she had seen Ranma or Shampoo or Ukyo or Konatsu and Tsubasa or Ryoga or even her sisters or the thousands she had witnessed over the past week do. Her style of dancing was something she picked up from friends listening to the latest J-Pop idol during the occational party or sleepover. What she was trying to do was mature, confident, attractive, compared to her toe tapping and childish hip shaking.
"Girl, what are you trying to do?"
Akane jumped, and immidiately turned, to find a dusky skinned woman with metallic aqua colored hair, standing casually with one hip on her hand and her head tilted to the side, eyeing Akane with wry amusement.
"I, ah..." Akane sighed, and looked down, "Nothing, nothing at all."
"Doesn't look much like nothing to me, irma. You go and bust up a perfectly good radio, after going into convultions in da middle of the night. I was 'bout call'n the ambulance for you!"
"HEY!" Akane shouted, indignantly.
"You lern'n to dance?"
Akane was caught off-guard by the question, before her eyes narrowed, "Why do you care?"
"Because it was hurt'n me feelings watch'n you, irma. And as an act of community service, I'm going to have to do something about it, no`?"
"I don't have to stand here and be insulted, you know?" Akane shot back, growing steadily more irritated, the longer the conversation went.
"No, I suppose not. How 'bout you come with me to my place, and I can insult you there?" Akane's eye twitched.
"No, thank you, I think I should be heading home," Akane replied with an acidic tone, as she then marched past the woman out the lot.
"Be a shame if I had to call the police for you being out so late. There a curfew in this city?" Akane ignored the barb, but came to a sudden stop, as an officer of the law indeed walked past her, fortunately not spying her.
"We can drink that tea stuff you povo seem to enjoy a lot here, and I can tell you why you dance so horribly!" The woman gave Akane a cheerful smile, one that Akane realllly wanted to rip from her face.
"So, you think you can tell me better?"
The other woman's expression grew serious, "Come with me, moca. We got a lot to discuss."
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Akane looked around the old dance studio that her hostess apparently lived in, as she was being lead to the apartment upstairs.
"Been choreographing for eleven years, moca, I think I know a thing or two about dancing."
"But, why do you care about how I dance?" Akane asked guardedly.
"Because, like I said, you hurt'n my eyes, and I like to fix the problem, not the symptom."
Akane sighed at the insult, "Do you have to make fun of me every chance you get?"
"Yes, but only because you let it get to you, irma. Now, let me do this boiling water thing, and then we can get to talk'n, si?"
Akane nodded, as the woman walked to the small kitchenette, and pulled out a pot for a coffee maker. She then removed the used coffee filter, placed in a new one, and added water to the top. "Um... Allores-san" Akane asked, looking around the rather dirty small apartment, "What is it you wanted to discuss, anyway?"
"Why you no have confidence," was Ms. Allores's reply, "And call me Petra, I'm not that much older than you..."
"You sure about that?" Akane asked, implying a barb.
"HA! There you go!" Petra almost shouted, "I think I can like you more, now!"
"What, so you're going to teach me how to dance?"
"If you wanna learn, I'll teach you."
"Uh, that would be great... I guess." Akane was trying to consider why this woman that she had never met before was taking an intrest in her, "Don't you have any other students or something?"
"I between gigs, moca." Petra answered from the kitchen.
"You know? It would be much easier if you just boiled the water in a pan or something," Akane replied, looking towards the coffee maker slowly dripping water.
"That may be so, but I only know how to run the coffee maker and microwave."
"You mean you don't know how to cook for youself?"
"I know how to cook plenty!" Petra replied, "I can cook microwave dinners, hot dogs, cold pizza..."
"By microwave, right?" Akane replied with a wry smirk.
"It's the greatest invention in the world, other than the coffee maker."
Akane's smirk grew into a slight smile, finding herself warming up to the foreigner before her. If she really was a choreographer, Akane could learn quite a bit from her. Petra had some other thoughts on the matter, rather pleased with herself for finding such a girl who obviously had some martial arts training, and was apparently eager to learn how to move to a beat...
Petra found her protoge`.
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Petra shook her head, wondering how abysmal someone could possibly be, 'Non`... please stop, you're going to hurt yourself..."
"Huh?" Akane asked, trying to copy the rather simple steps the dance instructor was showing her.
"You going to throw your hip out. You suffer from cerebral palsy, got medicine for those convultions of yours that you attempt to pass as dancing?"
"HEY! I'm just trying to do what you showed me!"
Petra's expression grew serious again, "Mebbe, why don't you enjoy dancing?"
"Huh? I like dancing just fine!"
"You don't seem to be enjoying it." Petra stood up, and began to sway to the music. Akane suddenly found herself transfixed to the way her instructor moved, far different from what she had shown her earlier. "Moca, tell me, do you think you're attractive?"
"Uh," Akane blushed at the question, "I guess."
"Don't guess your feelings, they come naturally to you. Just like the way you should move."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, dancing is an outward expression of your emotions. Do you do karate?"
"I'm the heir to my family's school of martial arts!" Akane stated adimantly.
"Impressive. Now how do you know to move when you fight?"
"Ah..." Akane thought for a second, "I just... do."
"Good, now why can't you dance?"
"Hey! I'm trying, alright?"
"And that... be your problem."
Akane blinked, as she found herself being lead in a dance, with her current instructor's hands on her hips, moving her sensuously to the pumping rhythm of the beat, "When..."
"Whenever," Petra stated, knowing Akane was wondering when they started to dance together, "If you don't let yourself go to the rhythm, you never going to enjoy the dance, because you don't put the right feelings into it."
Akane backed away quickly against the wall, slightly uncomfortable with dancing with another woman. Petra didn't give Akane any quarter, as she put herself right into Akane's personal space, "You're attractive, moca. That's power against anyone..." almost brushing her lips against Akane's sweaty cheek, Petra began to whisper in her ear, "Move like everyone wants you. Dance like nobody would forget a night with you, moca..."
Akane quickly pulled herself from under the other woman with a wide-eyed expression, "Are you... you... like that?"
Petra blinked at the question in non-comprehension, "Like what?"
"You're a pervert!" Akane suddenly accused, "You only keep teaching me because you like girls!"
Petra smirked, and then closed her eyes, as she let out a humorous snort. She then opened her eyes to a sultry stared that immidiately had Akane in a defensive stance, "Non`... mebbe yes, but it wouldn't make me a pervert in any way."
"How can you say that?" Akane demanded, never moving from her defensive stance.
Petra started to move towards Akane in confident, sensual strides, "You like the way I move, Akane?"
"Ye-NO!"
"Yes you do, you want to walk like me, you want to dance like me..." Petra was halfway to Akane, "I can see how you admire me, my grace, my confidence. I'm showing you everything that you feel you're lacking..." Petra was right up in front of a petrified Akane, "And you want it so bad, don't you, estudante?"
Akane gulped at her nervousness at having the other woman so close to her again, but the words were ringing true. The raven haired girl bowed her head, and whispered, "Yes." She then backed away to get some space, and stared resignedly at her instructor, "But... Shampoo calls me rhythmless, Ranma calls me a tomboy... and you, you're..."
"Oh? Something wrong with being a tomboy?" Petra lost her intensely sensual air about herself, and was standing with a smirk on her face.
"Yes! He's saying I'm unfemenine!"
"Tomboy just means you have masculine traits, what's wrong with that?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong with that? I just told you..."
"You certainly look femenine to me..." Petra cut the younger girl off. "But your confident, aggressive, determined... those are all masculine traits..." Akane was caught off-guard by the reply, and stood slightly dumbfounded.
"Those three principles are your best traits, they serve you well."
"I still don't like being called a tomboy," Akane replied with a sullen tone.
"You should revel in it when he calls you that, he doesn't understand what it *should* mean to you, moca," with a sly smirk, Petra slid beside Akane, causing the other girl to jump slightly in startlement, as she barely noticed her move, "Look, this is what you do, next time rapaz call you that..."
____________________________
"I see you've been getting enough sleep, lately," Ranma quipped idly.
Akane gave Ranma a slight smirk, not having told anyone what she's been doing directly afterschool, "I decided to stop keeping late nights."
"So, Not-so-rhythmless-girl have midnight meeting with other boy?" Shampoo accused, "That Ryoga boy?"
Akane thought back to what her instructor had told her, and leaned against the fence they were walking by, "I wouldn't mind it, if that were the case. I mean, he's got a lot I would like to meet with, after all..."
Both Shampoo and Ranma froze, though Ranma was a bit more rigid than Shampoo.
"You're going to slip a disk, standing like that, Ranma-dear," Akane replied, feeling a surge of confidence in getting such a reaction out of both of them.
"Hmph, I don't think Ryoga wouldn't mind meeting with a tomboy like you," Ranma retorted, finding a way to recover from being put off-guard like that by Akane of all people.
Akane's eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself off the wall. She stalked towards Ranma in a walk he had never seen the girl use, causing him to lock up with a tight breath. Akane came upon him, and pressed herself right into him, leaning right into his face so he could see her expression directly.
"You say the sweetest things, Ranma-dear," with that, Akane walked past Ranma in a stride that suddenly felt oh so natural to her. All Ranma could do was stand there, dumbfounded, as Shampoo chuckled behind him.
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Akane found the steps much easier, as she swayed to the beat. Petra looked on with an approving expression; Akane was no longer trying to imitate her own style, but was developing one on her own. Pretty soon, it would be time to introduce her to the next phase...
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"Akane..." Petra walked up to the girl, who was intimately involved with the rhythm pumping through her, the treble and bass that controlled her actions as much as her own emotions did. She felt her own heart beat beginning to sync with the rhythm, as she became part of the flow.
"Estudente..."
Akane stopped, throwing her instructor a wry smile that seemed to come more natural to her these days, "Yeah Pet?"
Petra twitched at the 'pet name', but remained serious, "You ready to learn for real?"
Akane blinked, "What do you mean?"
"You almost there, moca, but there's a reason I wanted to teach you."
Akane folded her arms under her breasts, "I thought you'ld have figured out by now, I don't swing that way."
Petra rubbed the bridge of her nose, refusing to let Akane get to her, "You're a fighter, that's why I wanted to teach you..."
"Wait a minute, you were teaching me the Rhythmer's Fist?"
Petra's eyes grew wide, "H-how do you know that form?"
"That's what Ranma uses," Akane stated, "I wanted to learn it just to show him I can be just as good as him, if not better."
"Tell me, moca, is his Mestre named Santos Marcello?"
"Um, I don't know."
"Indeed," Petra replied, turning away from Akane, "Let me introduce you to my school of martial arts... a branch of the Rhythmer's Fist..."
Akane found herself listening intently.
____________________________
Akane walked out the gates with Ranma, indulging in the way her potential fiancee was staring at her with a contemplative expression.
"You know? I could get used to the attention you have on my ass," Akane quipped, shaking her tush just so for Ranma's benefit.
"Hmph," Ranma redirected his eyes elsewhere, "What's gotten into you? And where have you been going all the time?"
"Hmmm? Afraid you're going to miss me? Aren't you sweet!" Akane replied, "But don't worry, I think there's enough of me to go around to share..." Akane suddenly spun away from Shampoo's bike, as it landed in the spot where Ranma had been standing.
Shampoo blinked, as she noticed she had almost hit Ranma this time, and then found Akane's arm around her waist, "Akane... what you doing?"
"...just like I do with Shampoo-chan here," Akane finished, and kissed Shampoo on the cheek, "Stay cute, you hear me, baby? I gotta get somewhere."
Shampoo sat frozen, as her brain attempted to assimilate what just happened. Ranma was just as dumbfounded, as he had felt Akane's rhythm. The pigtailed boy narrowed his eyes, deciding to get to the bottom of it all.
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"So... this is where you go, a little remote, isn't it?" Ranma stated, causing Petra and Akane to turn around in surprise.
"You followed me!" Akane accused, allowing irritation to show on her face.
"Who this?" Petra asked, eyeing Ranma up while licking her lips, "Rapaz looks delicious!"
"This..." Akane gestured to Ranma, as he savored the attention, "Is Ranma."
"Oh?" Petra's expression became slightly more strained, "So this is the one that practices the Rhythmer's Fist?"
"Ah, so she's been bragging about me?"
"Something like that," Petra replied, "You must make Mestre Marcellos proud."
"Heh, not that I didn't impress him when he first saw me," Ranma replied, while buffing his fingers against his shirt.
"Indeed," Akane noticed Petra's smile was becoming even more strained, "I would like to hear about your training, but in the meantime, me and Akane have things we need to do..."
"Don't mind me, I'm just here to watch you two shake your rumps."
"Sorry Ranma, girl talk," Akane added, giving him a warding stare.
"S'no prob, just lemme get a nice cold glass of water, and..."
"Ranma..." Akane almost growled, coming close to losing her temper.
Ranma sighed in resignation, "Coo, I can see when I'm not wanted. I think I'll scope out the town, and check back later to see when you're done." With that, Ranma walked out of the dance studio.
As soon as he left, Petra dropped all expressions of cheer, "Succubus..."
Akane looked up at her mentor in the art of the Rhythmer's Fist; whenever she used Akane's 'Christian' name, there was something important to be said, "Hmm?"
"I think I'll be increasing your training, but you won't be able to take that one for a bit..."
"But... I..."
"You will say no more on this," Petra commanded, before turning her thoughts to herself, "So, Marcello, my dear husband, you have found your own protoge`..."
"Akane"
::Theme for Akane; 'Why Me' (Future Mix) byK2K::
She had lost Ranma, not that he had bothered to follow her. Akane removed the trenchcoat and wide hat she wore to be inconspicuous on the 80+ degree weather, so that she could evade Ranma, Shampoo... anyone that may find intrest in her activities.
She had begrudingly admitted that there may be 'something' to this Rhythmer's Fist thing, but decided she would be damned if she learned it from Ranma, despite his subtle attempts to teach her.
Sans, the reason she had been heading across Tokyo for the last few days, even on school nights, and hitting whatever clubs her meager allowance that hadn't been extorted by Nabiki would allow her in. She was doing what she always did; find a table nearest to the dancefloor, and observe people dancing. Occasionally, she'd get asked out onto the floor, but adimantly refused, a couple of times rather violently. Unfortunately, her current course of action has yet to yeild her anything as to how the style worked.
After the club, she would find a vacant lot, and with a portable stereo, practice some of the moves she had seen on the floor. Good thing for her, being in a vacant lot in the night, because no one could see exactly how horrible she danced.
With a grimace, Akane felt her hips jerkily move to the beat, unsure of how to follow it, as her arms moved ungracefully with the rhythm. It was embarrassing to herself, but she refused to give in. She would learn the secret, without Ranma's help, and finally wipe that smug jerk's constant smirk from his or her face!
With that determination and resolve, Akane began to dance again to they pumping techno rhythm from the CD she had picked up from a bargain bin on a trip with Ranma through Akihabara, and with her firmed and serious diciple, she began to dance even worse...
____________________________
"Late night again, sis?" Nabiki asked with a smirk, watching her sister sluggishly slump downstairs.
"Lemme alone," Akane mumbled. She had to figure out the damn secret soon, or she wouldn't make it through the rest of the week. She was determined that she would find what made dancing such a formidable martial art. She was already in her own right a good martial artist, but she couldn't hold a candle to Ranma, and she knew that well enough after the battle between Ranma and Cologne. If dancing allowed Ranma to create a virtual tidal wave, then she would learn to do so, too.
Of course, that would mean learning how to dance, first.
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Right after school, Akane once again headed up to her room to nap, much to Ranma's annoyance; no tomboy to tease to liven things up. Ah well, always Shampoo, Kasumi, or Nabiki to irritate, but it just wasn't the same.
She again woke up, as everyone would be going to bed, and snuck downstairs. She was a bit surprised to find dinner waiting for her on the table, courtesy of the girl that had managed to sneak up behind her as she stared in slight shock at the meal.
"Akane, I don't suppose you'll tell us where you go all the time during the evening?" Kasumi asked politely, but with a slight chiding edge to her voice.
"Ah..." Akane spun around, and smiled nervously at her sister, "Um... good morning, Kasumi, I... wow, that sure looks delicious!"
"I asked a question," Kasumi's expression turned to a slight pout.
"Well.... I kind of like going out for a walk, at night, okay?" Akane responded with a slight defensive tone.
"Oh my, but isn't Ikebekuru, Shinjoku, annnnnd...." Kasumi looked at one of the train ticket stubs she had in hand, "Roppongi a bit far from here? I would really rather you take your late-night constitutionals closer to home."
"So, I like a change of scenery, is that a problem?" Akane retorted, knowing she wasn't going out tonight, being caught red-handed in the act.
"I suppose, but really, if you want to go clubbing, why not just go to Ucchans?"
Akane blinked, realizing her sister easily put two and two together. She bowed her head, and mumbled just loud enough so Kasumi could hear it, "I didn't want Ranma to catch me, okay?"
Oh... well then," Kasumi then handed a shocked Akane the ticket stubs, "Please, try not to leave these in your pockets, I do so hate having to clean out lint from the dryertrap too often. Have a nice night, and don't let it affect school too much, okay?" Akane mutely nodded, and then sat down to eat her late meal.
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"Just you wait Ranma," Akane growled, doing a great disservice to the dance she had seen earlier that night... morning. She was once again in a vacant lot, still unable to master the sensual moves she had seen many times from many people. Finally, with a scream of fustration, she picked up a rock, and owed Nabiki a pretty yen for busting up her portable stereo.
She could dance okay, but nothing like what she had seen Ranma or Shampoo or Ukyo or Konatsu and Tsubasa or Ryoga or even her sisters or the thousands she had witnessed over the past week do. Her style of dancing was something she picked up from friends listening to the latest J-Pop idol during the occational party or sleepover. What she was trying to do was mature, confident, attractive, compared to her toe tapping and childish hip shaking.
"Girl, what are you trying to do?"
Akane jumped, and immidiately turned, to find a dusky skinned woman with metallic aqua colored hair, standing casually with one hip on her hand and her head tilted to the side, eyeing Akane with wry amusement.
"I, ah..." Akane sighed, and looked down, "Nothing, nothing at all."
"Doesn't look much like nothing to me, irma. You go and bust up a perfectly good radio, after going into convultions in da middle of the night. I was 'bout call'n the ambulance for you!"
"HEY!" Akane shouted, indignantly.
"You lern'n to dance?"
Akane was caught off-guard by the question, before her eyes narrowed, "Why do you care?"
"Because it was hurt'n me feelings watch'n you, irma. And as an act of community service, I'm going to have to do something about it, no`?"
"I don't have to stand here and be insulted, you know?" Akane shot back, growing steadily more irritated, the longer the conversation went.
"No, I suppose not. How 'bout you come with me to my place, and I can insult you there?" Akane's eye twitched.
"No, thank you, I think I should be heading home," Akane replied with an acidic tone, as she then marched past the woman out the lot.
"Be a shame if I had to call the police for you being out so late. There a curfew in this city?" Akane ignored the barb, but came to a sudden stop, as an officer of the law indeed walked past her, fortunately not spying her.
"We can drink that tea stuff you povo seem to enjoy a lot here, and I can tell you why you dance so horribly!" The woman gave Akane a cheerful smile, one that Akane realllly wanted to rip from her face.
"So, you think you can tell me better?"
The other woman's expression grew serious, "Come with me, moca. We got a lot to discuss."
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Akane looked around the old dance studio that her hostess apparently lived in, as she was being lead to the apartment upstairs.
"Been choreographing for eleven years, moca, I think I know a thing or two about dancing."
"But, why do you care about how I dance?" Akane asked guardedly.
"Because, like I said, you hurt'n my eyes, and I like to fix the problem, not the symptom."
Akane sighed at the insult, "Do you have to make fun of me every chance you get?"
"Yes, but only because you let it get to you, irma. Now, let me do this boiling water thing, and then we can get to talk'n, si?"
Akane nodded, as the woman walked to the small kitchenette, and pulled out a pot for a coffee maker. She then removed the used coffee filter, placed in a new one, and added water to the top. "Um... Allores-san" Akane asked, looking around the rather dirty small apartment, "What is it you wanted to discuss, anyway?"
"Why you no have confidence," was Ms. Allores's reply, "And call me Petra, I'm not that much older than you..."
"You sure about that?" Akane asked, implying a barb.
"HA! There you go!" Petra almost shouted, "I think I can like you more, now!"
"What, so you're going to teach me how to dance?"
"If you wanna learn, I'll teach you."
"Uh, that would be great... I guess." Akane was trying to consider why this woman that she had never met before was taking an intrest in her, "Don't you have any other students or something?"
"I between gigs, moca." Petra answered from the kitchen.
"You know? It would be much easier if you just boiled the water in a pan or something," Akane replied, looking towards the coffee maker slowly dripping water.
"That may be so, but I only know how to run the coffee maker and microwave."
"You mean you don't know how to cook for youself?"
"I know how to cook plenty!" Petra replied, "I can cook microwave dinners, hot dogs, cold pizza..."
"By microwave, right?" Akane replied with a wry smirk.
"It's the greatest invention in the world, other than the coffee maker."
Akane's smirk grew into a slight smile, finding herself warming up to the foreigner before her. If she really was a choreographer, Akane could learn quite a bit from her. Petra had some other thoughts on the matter, rather pleased with herself for finding such a girl who obviously had some martial arts training, and was apparently eager to learn how to move to a beat...
Petra found her protoge`.
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Petra shook her head, wondering how abysmal someone could possibly be, 'Non`... please stop, you're going to hurt yourself..."
"Huh?" Akane asked, trying to copy the rather simple steps the dance instructor was showing her.
"You going to throw your hip out. You suffer from cerebral palsy, got medicine for those convultions of yours that you attempt to pass as dancing?"
"HEY! I'm just trying to do what you showed me!"
Petra's expression grew serious again, "Mebbe, why don't you enjoy dancing?"
"Huh? I like dancing just fine!"
"You don't seem to be enjoying it." Petra stood up, and began to sway to the music. Akane suddenly found herself transfixed to the way her instructor moved, far different from what she had shown her earlier. "Moca, tell me, do you think you're attractive?"
"Uh," Akane blushed at the question, "I guess."
"Don't guess your feelings, they come naturally to you. Just like the way you should move."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, dancing is an outward expression of your emotions. Do you do karate?"
"I'm the heir to my family's school of martial arts!" Akane stated adimantly.
"Impressive. Now how do you know to move when you fight?"
"Ah..." Akane thought for a second, "I just... do."
"Good, now why can't you dance?"
"Hey! I'm trying, alright?"
"And that... be your problem."
Akane blinked, as she found herself being lead in a dance, with her current instructor's hands on her hips, moving her sensuously to the pumping rhythm of the beat, "When..."
"Whenever," Petra stated, knowing Akane was wondering when they started to dance together, "If you don't let yourself go to the rhythm, you never going to enjoy the dance, because you don't put the right feelings into it."
Akane backed away quickly against the wall, slightly uncomfortable with dancing with another woman. Petra didn't give Akane any quarter, as she put herself right into Akane's personal space, "You're attractive, moca. That's power against anyone..." almost brushing her lips against Akane's sweaty cheek, Petra began to whisper in her ear, "Move like everyone wants you. Dance like nobody would forget a night with you, moca..."
Akane quickly pulled herself from under the other woman with a wide-eyed expression, "Are you... you... like that?"
Petra blinked at the question in non-comprehension, "Like what?"
"You're a pervert!" Akane suddenly accused, "You only keep teaching me because you like girls!"
Petra smirked, and then closed her eyes, as she let out a humorous snort. She then opened her eyes to a sultry stared that immidiately had Akane in a defensive stance, "Non`... mebbe yes, but it wouldn't make me a pervert in any way."
"How can you say that?" Akane demanded, never moving from her defensive stance.
Petra started to move towards Akane in confident, sensual strides, "You like the way I move, Akane?"
"Ye-NO!"
"Yes you do, you want to walk like me, you want to dance like me..." Petra was halfway to Akane, "I can see how you admire me, my grace, my confidence. I'm showing you everything that you feel you're lacking..." Petra was right up in front of a petrified Akane, "And you want it so bad, don't you, estudante?"
Akane gulped at her nervousness at having the other woman so close to her again, but the words were ringing true. The raven haired girl bowed her head, and whispered, "Yes." She then backed away to get some space, and stared resignedly at her instructor, "But... Shampoo calls me rhythmless, Ranma calls me a tomboy... and you, you're..."
"Oh? Something wrong with being a tomboy?" Petra lost her intensely sensual air about herself, and was standing with a smirk on her face.
"Yes! He's saying I'm unfemenine!"
"Tomboy just means you have masculine traits, what's wrong with that?"
"What do you mean, what's wrong with that? I just told you..."
"You certainly look femenine to me..." Petra cut the younger girl off. "But your confident, aggressive, determined... those are all masculine traits..." Akane was caught off-guard by the reply, and stood slightly dumbfounded.
"Those three principles are your best traits, they serve you well."
"I still don't like being called a tomboy," Akane replied with a sullen tone.
"You should revel in it when he calls you that, he doesn't understand what it *should* mean to you, moca," with a sly smirk, Petra slid beside Akane, causing the other girl to jump slightly in startlement, as she barely noticed her move, "Look, this is what you do, next time rapaz call you that..."
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"I see you've been getting enough sleep, lately," Ranma quipped idly.
Akane gave Ranma a slight smirk, not having told anyone what she's been doing directly afterschool, "I decided to stop keeping late nights."
"So, Not-so-rhythmless-girl have midnight meeting with other boy?" Shampoo accused, "That Ryoga boy?"
Akane thought back to what her instructor had told her, and leaned against the fence they were walking by, "I wouldn't mind it, if that were the case. I mean, he's got a lot I would like to meet with, after all..."
Both Shampoo and Ranma froze, though Ranma was a bit more rigid than Shampoo.
"You're going to slip a disk, standing like that, Ranma-dear," Akane replied, feeling a surge of confidence in getting such a reaction out of both of them.
"Hmph, I don't think Ryoga wouldn't mind meeting with a tomboy like you," Ranma retorted, finding a way to recover from being put off-guard like that by Akane of all people.
Akane's eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself off the wall. She stalked towards Ranma in a walk he had never seen the girl use, causing him to lock up with a tight breath. Akane came upon him, and pressed herself right into him, leaning right into his face so he could see her expression directly.
"You say the sweetest things, Ranma-dear," with that, Akane walked past Ranma in a stride that suddenly felt oh so natural to her. All Ranma could do was stand there, dumbfounded, as Shampoo chuckled behind him.
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Akane found the steps much easier, as she swayed to the beat. Petra looked on with an approving expression; Akane was no longer trying to imitate her own style, but was developing one on her own. Pretty soon, it would be time to introduce her to the next phase...
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"Akane..." Petra walked up to the girl, who was intimately involved with the rhythm pumping through her, the treble and bass that controlled her actions as much as her own emotions did. She felt her own heart beat beginning to sync with the rhythm, as she became part of the flow.
"Estudente..."
Akane stopped, throwing her instructor a wry smile that seemed to come more natural to her these days, "Yeah Pet?"
Petra twitched at the 'pet name', but remained serious, "You ready to learn for real?"
Akane blinked, "What do you mean?"
"You almost there, moca, but there's a reason I wanted to teach you."
Akane folded her arms under her breasts, "I thought you'ld have figured out by now, I don't swing that way."
Petra rubbed the bridge of her nose, refusing to let Akane get to her, "You're a fighter, that's why I wanted to teach you..."
"Wait a minute, you were teaching me the Rhythmer's Fist?"
Petra's eyes grew wide, "H-how do you know that form?"
"That's what Ranma uses," Akane stated, "I wanted to learn it just to show him I can be just as good as him, if not better."
"Tell me, moca, is his Mestre named Santos Marcello?"
"Um, I don't know."
"Indeed," Petra replied, turning away from Akane, "Let me introduce you to my school of martial arts... a branch of the Rhythmer's Fist..."
Akane found herself listening intently.
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Akane walked out the gates with Ranma, indulging in the way her potential fiancee was staring at her with a contemplative expression.
"You know? I could get used to the attention you have on my ass," Akane quipped, shaking her tush just so for Ranma's benefit.
"Hmph," Ranma redirected his eyes elsewhere, "What's gotten into you? And where have you been going all the time?"
"Hmmm? Afraid you're going to miss me? Aren't you sweet!" Akane replied, "But don't worry, I think there's enough of me to go around to share..." Akane suddenly spun away from Shampoo's bike, as it landed in the spot where Ranma had been standing.
Shampoo blinked, as she noticed she had almost hit Ranma this time, and then found Akane's arm around her waist, "Akane... what you doing?"
"...just like I do with Shampoo-chan here," Akane finished, and kissed Shampoo on the cheek, "Stay cute, you hear me, baby? I gotta get somewhere."
Shampoo sat frozen, as her brain attempted to assimilate what just happened. Ranma was just as dumbfounded, as he had felt Akane's rhythm. The pigtailed boy narrowed his eyes, deciding to get to the bottom of it all.
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"So... this is where you go, a little remote, isn't it?" Ranma stated, causing Petra and Akane to turn around in surprise.
"You followed me!" Akane accused, allowing irritation to show on her face.
"Who this?" Petra asked, eyeing Ranma up while licking her lips, "Rapaz looks delicious!"
"This..." Akane gestured to Ranma, as he savored the attention, "Is Ranma."
"Oh?" Petra's expression became slightly more strained, "So this is the one that practices the Rhythmer's Fist?"
"Ah, so she's been bragging about me?"
"Something like that," Petra replied, "You must make Mestre Marcellos proud."
"Heh, not that I didn't impress him when he first saw me," Ranma replied, while buffing his fingers against his shirt.
"Indeed," Akane noticed Petra's smile was becoming even more strained, "I would like to hear about your training, but in the meantime, me and Akane have things we need to do..."
"Don't mind me, I'm just here to watch you two shake your rumps."
"Sorry Ranma, girl talk," Akane added, giving him a warding stare.
"S'no prob, just lemme get a nice cold glass of water, and..."
"Ranma..." Akane almost growled, coming close to losing her temper.
Ranma sighed in resignation, "Coo, I can see when I'm not wanted. I think I'll scope out the town, and check back later to see when you're done." With that, Ranma walked out of the dance studio.
As soon as he left, Petra dropped all expressions of cheer, "Succubus..."
Akane looked up at her mentor in the art of the Rhythmer's Fist; whenever she used Akane's 'Christian' name, there was something important to be said, "Hmm?"
"I think I'll be increasing your training, but you won't be able to take that one for a bit..."
"But... I..."
"You will say no more on this," Petra commanded, before turning her thoughts to herself, "So, Marcello, my dear husband, you have found your own protoge`..."