CH3

(AN: About her deciding to join Hideki and his gang so easily… Well… Lets just say that she liked Hideki form the start and she wasn't really bothered by stealing, as long as it doesn't really hurt someone too much… I mean… she stole tons of things while she was in China… it was the only way for her to survive. And besides… Hideki was a link to Nerima… she couldn't pass up the chance to easily find a place to stay there.)

Hana met me outside the gates of my home before school the next day. "So? Tell me what happened?! You just disappeared without a word, yesterday…", she said with a frown… I sighed, "Well… In the bathroom, I took my clothes off to dry them… and, well… when I came back from the stalls they were gone! Someone stole them… … I had to walk home in my underwear.", I growled darkly at the sidewalk… "You did?!", asked Hana with a scandalous look my way. "Hey, my family's style is the ninja arts… speed and stealth is my specialty… nobody even saw me.", I said with an egotistical smirk.

"Riiiggghhtt…", said Hana skeptically, but didn't broach the subject again, the rest of the way to school. We chatted about various inconsequential things that actually brightened my mood a bit. At the gates we were met with a horrific sight… well it would have been horrific if they weren't perverts… It seems Akane'd decided to go all out this time. The pervert-hoard was strewn all over the place, some hanging from trees while others were imbedded in the ground. "Looks like Akane's on the rampage again this morning… I wonder what set her off.", I wondered out loud. "I bet some idiot boy said something stupid…", deadpanned Hana. "I swear… they must be masochists or something… She beats Kuno up every day and they know they're not even near his skill level… so why do they even try…", I signed in exasperation. "Actually, I think I heard one of the boys mention something about it… Kuno is threatening every guy who doesn't challenge her… something about them not 'honoring the beautiful Akane Tendo.' He thinks that they think they're to good for her… or something like that.", commented Hana.

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The day passed quickly and I said goodbye to Hana with a smile as we split up at the classroom… As I walked out the front of the school building I caught the glimpse of a boys uniform behind sports-storeroom which was partially hidden behind a small cluster of trees. (AN: Sport-goods storeroom? What do you call those again?…) 'Huh…? Nobody's supposed to be going there right now… We don't even have PE on half-days.', I thought suspiciously. I was torn between curiosity and my promise to Hideki… He'd told me to head home quickly after school so I could memorize my part of the operation but…

'I've got hours to memorize it…', I tried to reassure myself as I snuck towards the storeroom. I kept my footsteps light but tried to appear inconspicuous to the people who could see me from the school building… I circled around the trees and came up on the opposite side of the storeroom… I could hear voices.

I snuck up and leaned around the corner… There were two boys there. One with his back to me and another just opposite him. The second one moved a bit to the side, revealing his face… I frowned… it wasn't a familiar face but he had sharp features… The kind that the villains in the animè shows normally had. You know… those steely eyes… the sharp mouth. "Nabiki-san told me to give you this… it belongs to that girl we're supposed to humiliate…", he said as he handed the bundle to the other boy. "All you have to do is spread rumors that you slept with her and use this as proof… It has her initials on the strap…", said the boy. "Payment?", asked the boy as he turned to the left, giving me a view of both his profile and what he was holding… 'Gosenkugi!!!???!!! My bra!!!!!!!!!!!!' I stared at the scene with wide eyes… A dark aura of anger started rolling off me in waves… 'Peerrvveerrttss…', was the only thought that ran through my head, strangely enough… They probably felt someone walking over their graves since they both looked up and spotted me. I didn't care though… I stepped out from around the corner and stalked slowly towards them, my glasses giving off a piercing light as the purple and black waves billowed around my form. "Jjjuuuusstt whaaaatt dooo yooouuu thiiinnkk youuuu'rrree doooiiinnngg withhh myyy underweaaarrrr??", I ground out through clenched teeth… "Eeep!", cried Gosenkugi as he stuffed the bra back into the other boy's hands… "Keep your money! I'm outta here!!!" He was gone in a split second, leaving a dust trail in his wake…

The other boy stared after him for a second before turning back to me, only to come face to face with something that could scare a hell-demon… 'a woman scorned'… He sweat dropped and laughed nervously.

:: The following scene has been cut out by the author due to it's extreme violence and horrific content. (Hmmm hmmm hmm hehehehe hahahahaha HAHAHAHAHA BWAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!!) Now let's skip ahead in time a bit. ::

I strolled down the street with a sigh… My anger was spent… but I couldn't help wondering what I'd done to get Nabiki on my tail… She's always been one of my favorite Ranma ½ characters… I was actually thinking of dating her if I ever came to this world…… A cool breeze blew over me, rustling the leaves of the sakura trees around me and picking up a few leaves, sending them into the sky… A hint of rain rode on the wind, stroking my insides like a calming drug. I somehow knew it was gonna soon rain even though there wasn't a cloud in sight… I could feel it in the air… I took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh again. 'What am I gonna do about this? I don't have the money to pay her to stop and I know that to her that'll be the only thing that would work with her… No negotiations… no other options… of course I could threaten her with physical violence but that'd properly make things worse. Then there's the option that I could join her as one of her lackeys… but that's not a very 'likable' option… She's already got Hideki under her thumb… He's practically giving her all of his allowance, just to be allowed to take pictures of Akane… sigh what am I gonna do?'

I trudged into the house… For some reason it felt like I was being confined within these walls… I wanted to be outside right now… Right before it rains is always the best time… The air's always so fresh and there's a feeling of life that's never around at other times. Never the less flung my glasses on the small table next to the phone, mussed my hair a bit and went upstairs into Hideki's room, taking the plans out of the secret compartment in his desk before plopping down in the chair and settling down to study them. I spent the next four hours visualizing my orders and trying to think of what I would do if anything went wrong.

Finally I decided I'd had enough… besides Hideki was over three hours late… I hid the schematics again and went downstairs, meeting mom (I've been adopted so she's my mom now), in the kitchen. "Hey mom… have you seen Hideki? He was supposed to come study with me but he's been gone all afternoon. She smiled at my casual use of the word 'mom' and said, "I think he said something about going into town to get some things… he should be back any minute now… He did say he'd be home for dinner." I frowned but nodded and headed towards the dojo to work off some excess energy from all the sitting around. 'He's always doing this to me, I'll get him back for it one day…' Truthfully I knew I wouldn't do anything… I'm too tolerant and forgiving… An image of a bashed Ranma returning to the dojo every single time sprung to mind. 'I guess we're a bit alike in that option.', I thought to myself.

It was five 'o clock before I finished with my workout and looked up to spot Hideki with a perverted smirk in his face, at the dojo entrance. "You're getting pretty good.", he said with a smile. I glared at him, "Yeah… and it's all thanks to you.", I said with heat. (AN: Implying sarcasm… she's referring to the harsh training she went through. Damn I hate author notes but I guess some people wouldn't get most things without this and I have to provide for them… heh…sweatdrop) "Come on, get washed up so we can eat.", he said as he turned and headed into the house.

I headed inside, taking a quick bath and plopping down at the table. That atmosphere at this dinner table wasn't as reserved as most Japanese homes… Instead of the quiet respect it was a lively event in which the three of us sat down and talked and well fought…like a real family… It's times like these that I miss Hiroshi… I wonder what he's doing now… "What I'd like to know is where've been the entire afternoon! You told me to hurry home and when I get here you're gone!?!", I cried exasperatedly. "Hey, hey… calm down… something came up okay… I'll tell you about it later…", he said quickly with placating motions. The look on his face told me not to pry further… 'What's he so serious about?', I wondered "I'll be waiting…", I snapped as I got back to eating, starting up a conversation with mom.

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Darkness swept over the district and called out the nocturnal… tonight I was one of them. (The nocturnal, that is.) Side by side we sped over the rooftops towards the Nerima Museum… We were dressed entirely in black ninja outfits… I mentally catalogued the tools on my person. Some kunai, ninja stars, a few smoke bombs, a lock picking kit, a glass cutter, some rope with a fold-up hook, some chalk dust (AN: for the infra red lazers… I've seen this work in movies… I think… Right me if I'm wrong), a little flashlight and a katana. We paused in the darkness and waited for the appointed time. At precisely twelve thirty we sprung into action… I went for the second floor which had the least security while Hideki went into the first which had allot of pressure sensitive floors and infra red sensors. The museum kept all their most precious artifacts there… It was also where the guard station was centered so he'd probably run into Drake.

I flung the hook up and climbed up to the window, trying to be as silent as possible… The window structure was basic, with metal strips crossing each other to form smaller squares… The logical thing to do would be to break the window and open it at the latch but if I knew the technological development they'd probably have sensors on the window latches. I slipped my katana out of it's sheath on my back and leaned back a bit, holding on the rope. I paused for a second, taking a deep breath and concentrating. I slashed out with the sword… three fluid motions…

I looked closely and could see the thin white lines where I'd cut the window, metal and all. I gently took hold of the metal and pulled it outwards… a triangular piece of the window came out. I placed it to the side and quickly slipped through.

The hall was dark and I waited for a second for my eyesight to adjust… I walked into the first exhibit room, keeping out of sight of the cameras. Shields, swords and a few well warn pieces of armor. Nothing of real interest. I moved on. After about ten minutes of walking I found nothing of any real interest… I'd took an old painting off the wall from behind it's glass casing and rolled it up, slinging it over my back… 'This is boring… Next time I'm going to ask Hideki if we could rob a jewelry store or something.'

I walked on but didn't find anything else… I paused… 'Wait a sec… I think I saw them storing some artifacts in crates in some tomb raider movie... They normally do that before the things go on display… But that would be at the back on the ground floor.' I paused for a second… wondering if I should stick to the plan like Hideki told me or go off on my own… I weighed to pros and cons… 'Bah… like anything could go wrong. This is perfectly planned out…' Now anybody with half a mind would know that saying, 'what could go wrong' in Nerima is a big 'no-no'. And of course there's also the saying, 'No plan is ever foolproof.' But I wasn't thinking straight at that moment. I walked to the personnel stairs at the back of the museum and pulled open the door, knowing that it would show up on in the security room but I wasn't worried, Drake should have taken care of them by now. I swiftly ran down the stairs, skipping the first floor and the ground, going straight to the basement area… I tried the door, only to find it locked tight. I took out my sword again and concentrated once more… With a single swipe, the lock fell away and the door creaked open… I was starting to feel a bit winded from using that much ki in one night but I didn't let it stop me… I forced myself to continue as I walked into the room. I looked through the smaller crates and gaped at what I found… a jeweled necklace that looked like it could belong to royalty.

I picked it up, admiring it for a second. Maybe if I… was still a normal guy… I wouldn't have been distracted… but as it was, I felt like a girl and I acted like one. I fastened it around my neck, running my hand lightly over it… I rooted through a few of the other crates… picking up a few things of interest when my eyes finally locked onto something familiar… 'It's the sword from the other day… What's that doing here?', I wondered to myself… It was against the wall, resting in a glass case… I walked over to it, dropping the bag on the floor… I admired it through the glass with wide eyes… Suddenly I heard a sound behind me and spun around… A security guard stood there with shaking hands and a look of fear in his eyes.

For no apparent reason the gun in his hand went off, slippery trigger finger I guess. I felt something bite into my shoulder and gasped at the searing pain that filled my mind, driving away all reason. I heard the glass behind my shatter as I stumbled into the wall… Something clattered to the ground next to me and my hand closed around it… My vision was dark and I wasn't aware of anything around me… It kinda reminded me of those times that I was loafing in front of the tv back home(AN: I mean my home dimension.) and stood up too quickly… One time it was so bad it was almost like I had some seizure… I was home alone at the time though… I walked a few meters then as my vision darkened and leaned against the wall as my body spasmed, my muscles feeling like mush… I kinda liked the feeling… it was like being born again… It was like I reset myself… all the stress and emotion I felt during the day faded and I felt refreshed.

(AN: I don't know if any of you ever experienced it but somehow it just felt right to put it in the story… I've always wondered what it was… Something about sitting wrong, pinching your arteries and then when you get up your heart gives and extra strong pump and the pressure is release, sending a rush of blood to the brain… It's probably really bad for me, right?)

This time… even though I felt like my senses were dulled… I still moved forward, effortlessly pulling the sword from it's sheath and rushing forwards to where I suspected the guard was… though my body was moving on it's own accord. Slowly I became aware of myself again, noticing the sword rocketing to the man's neck my heart leapt into my throat and with a flinch I diverted the swords path, just in time… It passed less than an inch from the man's neck. He looked at me with wide eyes and whimpered as he dropped his gun, stumbling backwards and falling on his but. The man suddenly slumped to the floor, revealing Hideki standing there with hilt of his sword positioned as if he'd just hit the man from behind… the sword dropped out of my lifeless hands and I started falling forwards… Hideki was there in a second, "Akina! Are you okay?!" He's hand came away wet and sticky with my blood and he paused for a second, staring at it wide eyed. My head rolled to the side as I fell unconscious.

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END CHAPTER

AN: Well.... I just felt like ending it here to bug the hell out of you and keep you coming for more... You know I actually thought ahead in this one but it didn't turn out like I'd planned it at all... It's like the story is telling itself... I wonder why. Well... I guess I just felt like writing this one... even though it's a little shorter than the other two chapters. I decided to post it early and I'm even thinking of continuing this for a long time... I don't know but for some reason even I'm curious of what's gonna happen next.

Please note that this is still a bit of a 'draft' if I can put it that way. I might rewrite it, I might not but anyway, it's here, so read it.