HAH! I BET YOU ALL THOUGHT I WAS DEAD!!
Well, I'm not. I've just been busy, and lazy, and...(mutters) I'mwritingthisotherficandI'mhavingfunwithitand...
Ah, well, no excuses. Here it is...I hope you enjoy it, and please R & R!
Thanks to my prereaders: Diana, Natalia, Greg, and Chris. You guys ARE the best.
Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. If you don't know that, then you're obviously in the wrong place.
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AFTER YOU
Chapter 6: Hot Six
By: nakigoe-chan
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Nabiki and I were waiting for Ranma in our hotel room, contemplating the wonders of packaged ramen.
Sure, the taste could use some work and it sure didn't *look* glamorous and it was nothing but noodles and broth - talk about boring.
But it was edible, and it was only 49 cents. At this hotel, a glass of orange juice was something like $4.50. And we were not that stupid. Your average coral fragment is not that stupid. *Joey* is not that stupid, which is saying a lot. Joey is not known for his mental revelations.
I looked down at him. He was lying on the rug at my feet in the hotel room's little improve-kitchen, obstructing four of the perhaps six square feet it offered. The bedroom was huge, but the kitchen could only have claimed to be the ideal size for two cranky sisters to attempt to cook breakfast in if, say, we happened to be gerbils. And even if we had been, we'd have been pissed off anyway at our inability to reach the counter. So Joey's fat little arse wasn't helping.
I told him to get out of the kitchen. He didn't understand me, but he probably knew what I wanted. His response was to tightly close his eyes and pretend to be asleep. I groaned and gave up.
"What doesn't he remember?"
My head snapped up. "Huh?"
Nabiki was leaning sideways on the counter, trying to see into the side cabinet. She looked like one of those circus contortionists.
"The explosion," the cabinet said in Nabiki's voice. "What doesn't he remember? Or don't you remember, either?"
I gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, I remember."
Her head came out of the cabinet, Nabiki's mouth twisted into an evil grin, and I realized I'd let on a lot more than I'd intended. "So," she said with that familiar glint in her eye. "What *besides* the explosion doesn't he remember?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying," she said confidently, putting her head back in.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"HE KISSED ME, ALRIGHT?! JEEZ! MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!"
From inside the cabinet I heard an excited squeal, closely followed by a bump and a string of colorful swear words. "He *kissed* you?" Nabiki shrieked when she managed to get her head out. She was rubbing what would obviously be a painful bump, but she was grinning from ear to ear. "Really?"
"Does it matter?" I asked.
She opened her mouth to reply in the obvious affirmative, then her brain caught up with her and she remembered that a) I had decided that Ranma was NOT the guy for me, b) I had a boyfriend, and c) Ranma didn't remember anyhow.
"Yes," she said anyway.
And, as always, she was right.
At first it had been devastating that he didn't remember. Heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, whatever. But in the end, I realized, it would save him some pain - and for me, that made the situation suddenly all right.
Now if only *I* could forget.
Nabiki and I spent three minutes slopping the now-overdone noodles and broth into the two wimpy little bowls the cabinet offered us, carried them unsteadily toward the main room, and simultaneously screeched at the top of our lungs when we turned into the bedroom/lounge room and found Ranma sitting in one of the chairs.
"Hey, ladies," he greeted us. "Happy to see me?"
"You wish!" Nabiki scowled, plunking herself down in the seat next to him. "You have to stop sneaking up on people. It's rude. We have to get you a foghorn or something."
"I don't think so. Bad for business. How'd you sleep?"
"Not at all. You should have stayed. I was scared out of my wits."
"Awww. Poor little Nabs, Damsel in Distress. I had someone watching you. How would it have helped to have me here, asleep?"
"We could have had Akane keep you awake." Nabiki offered with a smirk.
Ranma coughed and blushed while I choked on my ramen. Nabiki assumed an innocent smile. "What?" She asked, all bland and blameless. "You guys have something against board games and TV?"
"Funny, Nabs."
"Don't *call* me that. Akane did it yesterday. You know that it pisses the hell out of me." "And we all know that you have a lot of hell *in* you. But you deserved it."
"That's cold."
"So eat your ramen. That's hot. You didn't bring me into this case for charming commentary."
"No," Nabiki said, "I brought you in because I trust you."
There was a moment of silence.
Ranma sighed. "I'm not sure where to go from here," he said. "I can't find any more leads. Streets are quiet."
Nabiki looked puzzled. "Are they usually?"
Ranma shook his head. "No. They're too quiet. The cops are ignoring the fact that something dark is going down."
"Why?" I piped in for the first time.
Ranma leaned back and looked at me. "They want to ignore it. Dealers are leaving town, or winding up with bullets in their heads. Someone has them on the run. Somethin' is goin' on, and the victims - the dealers - can't say anything about it."
"Why not?"
"Hell, Akane, would you put a lot of faith in the testimony of a drug dealer?"
"No, but if they're getting *killed*..."
"People are looking the other way," Ranma shrugged. "Streets are safer for kids and little old ladies. Talked to a friend in the force this morning. He told me that even if someone's playing vigilante, the chief probably won't do anything. There's too much crime for them to handle anyway - someone not on the payroll is running around helping, they aren't gonna put a stop to it."
"But being vigilante is illegal, right?"
Ranma shrugged again. "Yeah, sure, but they don't really care. They have bigger shit to deal with."
I looked down at my ramen. "Do you think that maybe this is connected to Hiroshi? Like, he discovered who the vigilante person was, or something?"
Ranma studied me carefully. "It's crossed my mind."
Nabiki's mouth twisted at the side. "If he did, then why would he get killed? I mean, let's say he hypothetically finds out who the vigilante is. The dealers don't want him dead, 'cause he might be saving their butts. The vigilante is supposedly someone who only kills the bad guys, so why would *he* do it? To protect himself, maybe, but then again that would screw his whole little noble deal. So where's the motive to kill this one little reporter?"
Ranma shook his head. "It's gotta be more than that. The cops are sayin' vigilante, but my gut tells me it's something else. There's more to this than one little guy thinking he's Zorro."
"So where do we go from here?" I asked.
Ranma stood up. "I think we should go call on Jim Weaver. See if we can get anything else out of him. Then I think I should hit the streets, ask a few questions."
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We made our way down the hall of the Post to the office of the sour-faced reporter. Nabiki had insisted upon "seeing this one" which had also necessitated bringing Joey. Weaver came to stand in his doorway and, to our surprise, grinned when he saw us. Then he opened his mouth, and we knew why.
"I heard you two got yourselves blown up day before yesterday. Why couldn't you make a complete job of it and bite the goddamned dust?"
"Good morning, Mr. Weaver, I'm thrilled to find you in good health as well. We were wondering if we could ask you a few more questions."
"No." SLAM.
Ranma sighed and yanked the door back open. "I'm going to get cranky..."
Weaver grabbed the door handle with both hands and threw his whole body weight into an attempt to close the door that Ranma was only holding with his left hand. The door didn't budge an inch. Ranma smirked and continued. "Did Hiroshi act differently shortly before his murder?"
Weaver shrugged, walked back into his office, sat down in a swivel chair, started rotating, pulled out a cigarette, and lit up.
"Did he go anywhere unsafe for a story or for no apparent reason? Or some place that he wouldn't think was dangerous?"
Weaver started so violently that he coughed and his cigarette went flying out of his mouth. It hit a spot low on the wall, leaving a little ash spot, and fell to the floor. Ranma grinned and stomped on it while Weaver continued to cough, sounding as if maybe he was going to hork up a lung.
"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Ranma said. "Where was it?"
Weaver just stared stonily back at him, a bit of saliva dripping down his chin from his violent coughing fit.
Ranma was evidently not in a patient mood that morning, because he was an inch from Weaver in two big strides. He lifted the taller man off the ground and brought his face nearly nose-to-nose. "Listen up. My friend is dead, and I want to find the guy who made him that way. Don't make me get violent," he snarled.
Weaver smirked. "Ever heard the expression...'wild horses couldn't drag it out of me?'"
Nabiki and I looked at each other and almost cracked up. Weaver obviously didn't know of the significance behind that particular phrase, but given Ranma's name, we found it pretty amusing.
"Oh, really," Ranma said. "Shall we test that theory? Why don't you want to tell me?"
"Hiroshi tried to tell," Weaver said, his eyes murky. "Look what happened to him."
"Don't you care about justice?"
"Justice," Weaver replied, "means nothing to the dead."
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"Are all your business calls like that?" Nabiki asked, hiding a snicker, as we got into Ranma's car. She was in the passenger seat, Joey and I were in the back. It wasn't the sleak little black two-seater he'd taken me around in on the first day - this little expensive car of indeterminate origin had four seats, meaning Nabiki and Joey could come along, too. How did he anticipate these things?
"That wasn't funny." Ranma stared ahead, stone-faced. "He was scared shitless. I want to know why. Just because no one at the paper could tell us doesn't mean I can't find out. Which probably leads to the bad part of the city. Someone knows something about something."
"Gee," Nabiki said, "could you vague that last part up for me?"
"So now we go, right?" I suggested, knowing already what his answer would be.
I wasn't surprised. "There is no 'we,'" Ranma told me. "I'm going and you're not."
"But - "
"You are NOT pulling that 'oh I'll be so helpless all alone' crap again, Akane. Samson was relatively safe. You want to come with me? Tough luck. Where I'm going, you'll stick out like Kasumi at an Eminem concert."
"Are you saying I won't be able to take care of myself?!" He was probably right this time, but I was so sick of being treated like extra baggage. I wanted to establish that I was more than some stupid little wimp. Even if my behavior didn't back it up.
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," he snapped. "You won't be able to deal with this, okay? You walk in there and a neon sign will appear over your head saying 'hello, I'm a victim! Come and get me!'"
"You think I can't knock those bastards out with one punch?"
"No, but I think that you don't make a hobby of catching bullets! These people don't play by Nerima rules, Akane! They'll have you helpless from yards away, because they don't take that kind of a risk. You. Do. Not. Get. A. Choice."
"This may come as a surprise to you," I ground out through clenched teeth, "but I am an ADULT, and if I want to be stupid and put myself in danger, I have every right to do that."
Ranma's eyes were indigo fire. "The hell you do. Not while I'm around. I didn't come on this case to solve it, Akane. I came to make sure you stayed alive. Don't make that job harder than it already is."
"He's right, Akane," Nabiki offered.
"Fine." My mouth twisted to become something between a smirk and a scowl. "So drop us off at the America's Youth office on Mass Ave."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You want to go to a center for runaway teens?"
"No," I said, too sweetly. "I want to go visit my boyfriend. Unlike certain other *obnoxious* members of the male gender, he doesn't treat me like I'm stupid, weak, or someone he has unconditional control over."
Ranma's face darkened a moment before he turned back to the wheel. Nabiki turned around in the passenger seat next to him to look at me. "That was low, Akane." She said. Her voice was disappointed, and maybe even a little hurt.
I sat back and buried my nose in Joey's fur to hide my tears. A week ago, I had thought things couldn't get any worse. Now I had what I'd spent eight years *wishing* I had, and life was even more miserable.
And yes, I KNEW it was low. Just when I needed to be strong I was falling victim to the weakness that had held me back eight years ago - the inability to face the truth about my relationship with Ranma. And I wasn't even sure I knew what that was anymore.
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Nabiki, Joey, and I made a bit of a strange trio walking into Anthony's office. His eyebrows shot up, but he smiled and walked around his desk to greet us. Joey leapt forward to sniff his shoes, his pants, and between his legs, at which point Anthony pulled him away by his collar. I giggled, Nabiki snorted. I could tell that she was going to put a sincere effort into hating him, and it didn't really bother me. The truth was, even if I couldn't have Ranma, I wanted there to be someone who believed, like I did, that we should have been together, and who believed, as I did not, that we still should. So she was playing Ranma's defender...but Anthony, despite her obvious distaste for him, was making a sincere effort NOT to hate her, and I was sort of proud of him, too. Most people hate Nabiki without even trying, and the fact that Anthony was trying to see through the harsh front of my sister reminded me uncannily of Ranma.
"Akane," he said, coming forward. "It's so nice to see you. But...why are you here?"
I shrugged. "I wanted to see you, and I didn't have anything else to do. I hope I'm not bothering you."
Anthony was now in a fix. I could tell from his face that I'd come at a bad time - that he really was very busy - but he wasn't about to be rude or unfriendly enough to say so, especially after my traumatizing past few days. The most creative response he could come up with was "Uh..."
I sighed. "Well, nevermind. Sorry."
"Wait, wait!" Anthony said quickly. "I was just about to sit down for some lunch. I could have some more food brought in for you guys and we could eat together."
"Are you sure you have time?"
"Of course. No problem."
The food was brought in from the cafeteria downstairs. It wasn't great food, but it wasn't high-school cafeteria food, either. We sat around, making small talk. I could see in Nabiki's eyes that she had a million witty, obnoxious little comebacks to every comment Anthony made; thank God she never said any of them out loud. Joey wondered around, eating leaves of Anthony's office plants, tail wagging so violently that his body wagged with it. Then he crawled under the desk, so that all we could see was his tail going upwards of a hundred miles per hour, and we all cracked up. Anthony's laugh at this point was a little strained, probably because of Joey's property damage. He went around and dragged Joey - who had eaten something that left white powder on his nose - from under the desk.
"Damn you, Darth Vader," he said, "I was saving that donut for later."
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"I'm thinking maybe we should go," I said a little later. "I know we interrupted something. I didn't mean to tie you up."
"It was no problem," Anthony assured us. "You're much better company than the people I'm late meeting."
Ranma swung in the door. Now that they were in the same room, Anthony and Ranma were quite the startling dissimilarity; Ranma again in mostly black, from the pants to the shirt to the black leather duster - the only thing that offered contrast was a silver stud dragon earring; Anthony in some casual but probably designer suit, looking put together and sophisticated.
Nabiki sat up, as if she were expecting them to immediately start beating the hell out of each other. "So," she said to Ranma, "did you find out whatever you needed to?"
"I have a little more information," Ranma told her, "but it just makes everything more confusing."
Anthony was looking back and forth. "What's this about?"
"We're playing detective," Nabiki told him. "We're trying to figure out who killed Hiroshi."
Anthony's eyebrows drew into a frown. "I don't think that's a good idea. Shouldn't you leave it up to the professionals?"
I could feel Ranma immediately bristle. "Excuse me?"
"Let the people who actually know what they're doing handle the dangerous stuff."
They were squaring off. If they got in a fight it would be pretty stupid on both their parts, since Anthony would get the crap beaten out of him but Ranma would be the one to get in trouble - any law enforcement, should it be called in, would see Anthony as the credible one.
"Are you saying I don't know what I'm doing?"
"You aren't a cop."
"I'm a bounty hunter."
"So, no. You don't have any legal right to pull this stupid stunt off, and there's no proof you're qualified for it, either. Look, I'm just trying to make sure Akane stays safe."
"She'll be safe with me. Certainly a hell of a lot safer than she will be if she's with you."
Well, *that* jacked Anthony's ire level up to 'high.' "Oh, really? No offense, but you look a lot more like you might be working with these scumbags then I do."
"If you judge only by appearances you must have a pretty fucking miserable life. I'm a whole lot better than you at playing this game."
"Don't bet on it."
"Why not? I could use the cash."
"If you're short on dough, you must *not* be very good at your job."
Ranma leaned forward, his knuckles on Anthony's desk, putting his face forward so that he and Anthony were almost nose-to-nose. Listerine close. "I'm the best there is."
Anthony smirked, but I could tell he was intimidated. I could give him credit for not showing it, but I noticed the tiny tightening around the eyes and drawing of the mouth. When he said, "Of course," he emphasized the second word oh-so-slightly and sarcastically.
I could practically see Ranma's hackles rise. However, both of them - after a beat - leaned back; glaring, but obviously backing off. Or so I thought. Neither broke eye contact.
"Guys," Nabiki said, "staring competition: not accomplishing anything. We have a murderer on our trail, and the little no-blinking contest is not even on the top ten list of things we have to worry about. Okay?"
I didn't expect Nabiki's voice to cut through the heavy haze of testosterone, but I was surprised. Sort of.
Both men (God, it still felt weird referring to Ranma as a man - sure, I'd called him 'manly,' especially in his mother's presence, but that was different. That was man spelled m-a-c-h-o. Now I was spelling it a-d-u-l- t, and applying THAT to Ranma was weird. Okay, digression...) leaned back, glaring for all they were worth. At the moment, due to how immature they were acting, they were worth very little, so perhaps that isn't how I should put it. The point, straight and upfront, was that each had the complete in-your-face enmity of the other.
"So," Ranma offered, through gritted teeth, "nice to see you again."
Translation: Go to hell, you Armani-clad, stuffed-shirt little bastard.
"Right back at you," Anthony replied.
Translation: Same to you, asshole.
So maybe I wouldn't be spelling it a-d-u-l-t for a long time yet. Sigh...
"Hey," Ranma said, glancing down at Joey, "who Elizabeth Ardened the dog's face?"
"It was the donut," Nabiki told him.
"It must be stopped," Ranma said with faux indignant determination.
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Anthony insisted upon coming with us - at least to wherever we decided to go - because abandoning me to Ranma's care would have seemed like a concession; like losing the match. Thus we all stomped out of the double glass doors in a row of four: Anthony, then me, then Nabiki, then Ranma. There was two inches of snow on the ground that had fallen while we were inside, but despite the layer of peace it added to the city no one was in a good mood except Joey, who couldn't put himself in a bad mood unless the world was coming to an end or he didn't have any food. And I wasn't even sure about the world-coming-to-an-end part.
We walked out of the America's Youth building and bumped into - you guessed it! - Gosunkugi.
Ranma's eyebrows shot up, Anthony showed no reaction, and Nabiki looked as if she was trying to suppress laughter. Gos looked from me, to Ranma, to Anthony, and back to me.
"Hey, Gos," I sighed.
(What the Hell) Translation: What is it *this* time?
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
"Visiting my boyfriend. You?"
"Uh..." Okay, he wasn't about to say 'following you,' but I wanted to see if he could come up with a suitable lie. Evidently not.
Ranma looked amused. "We could have you arrested for stalking, you know."
Anthony looked at him then back at Gosunkugi, clearly not understanding the humor in the aforementioned situation.
"Ah...heh heh." Gosunkugi said weakly, not sure whether or not Ranma was joking. I waved at him and we all turned away, starting down the block to where Ranma's car was parked. Nabiki winked at Gos before doing a nifty little swivel on her high heels and following us, and he turned seven and a half shades of scarlet.
"Na-*bi*-ki!" I hissed at her.
"Hey," she grinned and shrugged, "THAT is never gonna happen to him again in his life, right? I figure it was a nice gesture."
Geez. Sisters are so weird.
We hadn't walked ten feet when Ranma suddenly whirled around. The rest of us turned, expecting something horrible had snuck up on us, but there was nobody there...just empty, snowy sidewalk.
"There's no one there," Anthony said, in a tone of voice that added 'you moron.'
"Exactly!" Ranma said in synchrony with Nabiki, who evidently got it (unlike Anthony, Joey, and I, although the day Joey 'got' something hell would freeze over).
"Huh?" I said.
"Gosunkugi," Ranma said. "Where'd he go?"
"Uh..."
In three strides Ranma was back where Gos had been standing. He glanced at the snow on the ground for a heartbeat and then took off at full sprint down a side alley.
Nabiki, Anthony, Joey, and I followed to Gos's starting point. "Look," Nabiki said. "These aren't footprints; it looks as if Gos was dragged back through here!"
We ran down the alley after Ranma, who had disappeared around a corner. We turned right and almost slammed into Ranma, who used an arm to keep us from going any farther and held a finger to his lips.
" - don't *know* anything!" Gos's voice floated back to us, high and panicked and too hoarse with fear to scream.
"You know what, shrimp?" The voice was harsh, firm, and not people- friendly. "I think you're lying. I think you're a deceitful little motherfucker who doesn't know what's good for him. If you're smart, you're gonna tell me, 'cause otherwise you might get hurt." There was the sound of a thump and a kick, and a wheeze of pain from Gos. A soft laugh. "Of course, I'll probably be hurting you anyhow."
And then Anthony decided he'd had enough - that if Ranma, the big bad crime fighter, wasn't going to play hero, he would. So he charged into the alley, yelling his head off.
Ranma swore and took off after him; Nabiki, Joey, and I followed.
The man holding Gos two feet off the ground was over six feet tall. He had long hair and was covered with dirt. His dark, ripped clothes hung off him, and when he turned he bared yellowed teeth in our direction.
"Dealer," Ranma muttered to me. "But not one who's doing to well."
And then he was lost in a whirlwind of movement. Anthony had gotten out of the alleyway sooner but he was moving in slow motion compared to Ranma. Ranma came around with a hooking kick and a backfist - both to the guy's temple - and his opponent dropped like a bag of sand. Gos sat whimpering in the snow; Ranma held out a hand and pulled him up.
"Jason Bourne called," Nabiki said to Ranma. "He wants his Identity back."
He gave her a secretive smirk.
"What the fuck!?" Anthony said.
Ranma turned to him, very calmly. "Excuse me?"
Anthony was royally pissed off. Perhaps from genuine concern; perhaps from a desire to sooth wounded male pride from the fact that he hadn't even helped with the takedown. Either way, he was mad. "If you could do that all along, Jackie Chan, why did you hide? Why didn't you just barge in there? This guy could have gotten seriously hurt!"
Ranma's features drew down into a dangerous snarl. He and Anthony turned to face each other; they were squaring off again. "Why didn't I immediately go charging in there? Because I'm not the moron that you evidently are! He could have had a gun, that's the problem! You can't just charge into a situation without knowing what the fuck is gonna happen! The more you know, the more likely you're able to prevent disaster. I know that from experience. You have NO FUCKING EXPERIENCE."
"I have something you lack."
"Like what?"
"A brain!"
"Coulda fooled me."
Anthony threw a punch at Ranma; Ranma, of course, dodged as if it were going at all of .5 miles per hour.
"Pathetic," Ranma laughed, which of course only raised Anthony's fury level.
Both were so absorbed in each other that neither noticed the dealer climb back to his feet.
With a gun in his hand.
Nabiki shrieked, and the guy got off a round over her shoulder. Ranma and Anthony whirled toward the gunman, who first took aim at Ranma, then changed his mind and aimed the gun at Anthony.
He pulled the trigger.
I shouted "NO!" and stepped in front of him. It wasn't one of those melodramatic, self-revelation moments where I realize if-he-dies-I-will-die or something along those lines. Truth is, I never once considered whether or not Anthony was worth giving my life for. It was simply an instinct of protection; the same thing I admired in Ranma rubbing off on me.
But Ranma had much more experience with the protection thing.
Which is probably why he stepped in front of *me.*
There was the crack from the gun, a splash of blood across the snow, and Ranma collapsed in a boneless heap.
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END OF PART SIX (PLEASE review - or drop me an email at nakigoe_chan@hotmail.com. I reply to all emails.)
In Chapter 7: Seven Up: Akane finally not only kicks some serious ass, but also decides...on Ranma! Unfortunately, problems arise: the stolen computer disks vanish, the police finally have an arrest warrant, and sniff the girls have no Midol! (And yes, it's already written. Come to that, so is chapter 8...)
(Sweatdrop...) Yeah, yeah, I know. My friends read this chapter's ending, and then they went into the kitchen and came out with the butcher knives. It wasn't a pretty picture. But this is probably my least favorite chapter (my friends have officially voted eight as the best chapter so far, and I tend to agree), so if you liked this one, positive reinforcement is always a plus.
Minna-san, check out http://www.faniac.com: the website of the first ever fanfiction/fanart magazine!
Review Responses (in chronological order):
Exodus: Thanks; all the Ranma fics were starting to sound the same to me, so I was trying to do something interesting, and it's nice to know I've sort of succeeded.
Dane17: You're probably right. Thanks for the compliment and for the advice...grammar is not my friend. And I know where you're coming from. I'm in a high school comp class, too...
seongmi: Mostly the people who complain seem to hold the same view. Except Carlen and Hilda, who, after reading my cliffhangers, tend to attempt to cause me physical pain. ^_^
taku: That would be very interesting; unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm too much of a hopeless romantic to try it. I don't guarantee a happy ending, but I very much doubt Anthony and Akane will wind up together.
WTF: Oh...okay, ouch. Allow me to explain. I agree in many aspects: Chapter 5 does not put Akane in a terribly positive light. She is, on many levels, behaving very much in her own self-interest. We must degrade her for this, because she has no excuse. It isn't as if Ranma isn't the marriageable type. It isn't as if he never left her before, it isn't as if she's fearing for her life because a killer is after her, and it isn't as if she hasn't had time to think this situation through because, hey, anyone responsible would plan for this state of affairs. Can you honestly say that you'd never jumped for the safest solution presented to you when you were faced with overwhelming odds? Akane's actions are cowardly, I'll give you that. And since you have so obviously never been afraid that lightening would strike the same place twice, you couldn't possibly understand. Everyone has their moments of weakness. Akane's situation lends itself to hers, and she'll work through it and face up to her mistakes. Have a little patience. And you claim that all she brings to the relationship is the ability to bear children...not ambition (despite the fact that she's sacrificed monetary comfort for the sake of following her dream) drive (despite the fact that she COULD have walked away from this situation as opposed to putting her life in danger) or wit (well...wasn't I SOMETIMES funny?). So what does Ranma or Anthony have that she doesn't besides money? Is that more important? I guess you think so...
GundamAce: Ah, the detective. DumdumDUM. Unfortunately (or, for me, fortunately), there are a few little holes in your logic, and a few things I didn't make clear. They met up at the theater because it was the only place Hiroshi could be sure they both knew how to get to; he didn't have the time to prattle off directions. The theater itself has little to no role in the mystery, and Gos works there as the unofficial photographer and Odd Job Boy - meaning when the alarm goes off, he gets the call to go check it out. You're right, Akane was only in there for five minutes - but it took her twenty to get there, and Hiroshi probably got there several minutes earlier. As for Gos's theories...you say he knows way too much. But looking back at these chapters, it looks more like he knows very little. Ranma punched holes in most of his theories in chapter 3, and he sounds a little melodramatic the whole way through, doesn't he? If someone talked to ME that way, I'd think they just read too many trashy mystery novels. And as for Akane - she's NOT stupid enough to miss it, wait and see. ^_~
Haruka52487: Well, I can't write lemons to save my life. But yes, sex will be had at some point. ^_^
May: possibly the most faithful reviewer of Ranma ½ fanfiction in general, and also one of the most encouraging. Your reviews are always wonderful.
Akane-chan: I am no understanding this word. Hoo-ry? Hurry? What mean this? (Sorry...^_^)
Jinx: Yatta!
Silver: I'm so flattered that you like my story so much, because I love yours!
Loki & Beps: Arigatou!
Inuki: Uh...I guess I was evil, ne? Sorry, and thanks!
Numena: Nope, you're not imagining it - the Stephanie Plum series, in fact, inspired this story. ^_^
Sakura MysticMoon: Sure, that sentence made sense! (It also kinda made me fall out of my chair laughing, but...) and the computer, even if it doesn't always comply with our wishes, is our friend. ^_~ Arigatou!
Carlen and Yueling: Please, God, have a little mercy. ^_^;;;
Zarrah Bevan: I did fall off. There were pointy rocks. Stupid cliff. ^_^
Erie Maxwell: Yatta! One of the biggest fans of AY (or so it appears), thank you so much! But, just to be clear: Anthony is NOT a Morelli character. (And BTW, while Ranger IS my favorite character, I believe that Stephanie should wind up with Joe. Because Ranger is MINE. ^_^)
Otakubuddy: Is that you, Mariel? You were always the one who didn't threaten me! Eeep! hides
SweetlilBell: Take...a deep breath. Okay, again. ^_^ I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, though. Jen: Arigatou!
Beps: Uh...didn't you already review? Not that I'm complaining, of course...^_~
Shaka[Zulu: Just did, Shaka-chan!
Lipana: I agree entirely, but Ranma ½ wouldn't be Ranma ½ if the cast wasn't made up entirely of idiots.
Ikillyoupig: Yup, this is the same Akane: the Akane who has had her heart broken, has had eight years to mature, has had to take care of herself, and who will, in chapter 7, kick some SERIOUS ass.
Ka-chan: As you see, I HAVEN'T given up on it, and thanks for the guestbook thing...
jL637: Arigatou!
Well, that's it...I dunno what else to say, except, again, PLEASE R & R.
Ja ne!
~ nakigoe-chan
Well, I'm not. I've just been busy, and lazy, and...(mutters) I'mwritingthisotherficandI'mhavingfunwithitand...
Ah, well, no excuses. Here it is...I hope you enjoy it, and please R & R!
Thanks to my prereaders: Diana, Natalia, Greg, and Chris. You guys ARE the best.
Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. If you don't know that, then you're obviously in the wrong place.
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AFTER YOU
Chapter 6: Hot Six
By: nakigoe-chan
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Nabiki and I were waiting for Ranma in our hotel room, contemplating the wonders of packaged ramen.
Sure, the taste could use some work and it sure didn't *look* glamorous and it was nothing but noodles and broth - talk about boring.
But it was edible, and it was only 49 cents. At this hotel, a glass of orange juice was something like $4.50. And we were not that stupid. Your average coral fragment is not that stupid. *Joey* is not that stupid, which is saying a lot. Joey is not known for his mental revelations.
I looked down at him. He was lying on the rug at my feet in the hotel room's little improve-kitchen, obstructing four of the perhaps six square feet it offered. The bedroom was huge, but the kitchen could only have claimed to be the ideal size for two cranky sisters to attempt to cook breakfast in if, say, we happened to be gerbils. And even if we had been, we'd have been pissed off anyway at our inability to reach the counter. So Joey's fat little arse wasn't helping.
I told him to get out of the kitchen. He didn't understand me, but he probably knew what I wanted. His response was to tightly close his eyes and pretend to be asleep. I groaned and gave up.
"What doesn't he remember?"
My head snapped up. "Huh?"
Nabiki was leaning sideways on the counter, trying to see into the side cabinet. She looked like one of those circus contortionists.
"The explosion," the cabinet said in Nabiki's voice. "What doesn't he remember? Or don't you remember, either?"
I gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, I remember."
Her head came out of the cabinet, Nabiki's mouth twisted into an evil grin, and I realized I'd let on a lot more than I'd intended. "So," she said with that familiar glint in her eye. "What *besides* the explosion doesn't he remember?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying," she said confidently, putting her head back in.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"HE KISSED ME, ALRIGHT?! JEEZ! MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!"
From inside the cabinet I heard an excited squeal, closely followed by a bump and a string of colorful swear words. "He *kissed* you?" Nabiki shrieked when she managed to get her head out. She was rubbing what would obviously be a painful bump, but she was grinning from ear to ear. "Really?"
"Does it matter?" I asked.
She opened her mouth to reply in the obvious affirmative, then her brain caught up with her and she remembered that a) I had decided that Ranma was NOT the guy for me, b) I had a boyfriend, and c) Ranma didn't remember anyhow.
"Yes," she said anyway.
And, as always, she was right.
At first it had been devastating that he didn't remember. Heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, whatever. But in the end, I realized, it would save him some pain - and for me, that made the situation suddenly all right.
Now if only *I* could forget.
Nabiki and I spent three minutes slopping the now-overdone noodles and broth into the two wimpy little bowls the cabinet offered us, carried them unsteadily toward the main room, and simultaneously screeched at the top of our lungs when we turned into the bedroom/lounge room and found Ranma sitting in one of the chairs.
"Hey, ladies," he greeted us. "Happy to see me?"
"You wish!" Nabiki scowled, plunking herself down in the seat next to him. "You have to stop sneaking up on people. It's rude. We have to get you a foghorn or something."
"I don't think so. Bad for business. How'd you sleep?"
"Not at all. You should have stayed. I was scared out of my wits."
"Awww. Poor little Nabs, Damsel in Distress. I had someone watching you. How would it have helped to have me here, asleep?"
"We could have had Akane keep you awake." Nabiki offered with a smirk.
Ranma coughed and blushed while I choked on my ramen. Nabiki assumed an innocent smile. "What?" She asked, all bland and blameless. "You guys have something against board games and TV?"
"Funny, Nabs."
"Don't *call* me that. Akane did it yesterday. You know that it pisses the hell out of me." "And we all know that you have a lot of hell *in* you. But you deserved it."
"That's cold."
"So eat your ramen. That's hot. You didn't bring me into this case for charming commentary."
"No," Nabiki said, "I brought you in because I trust you."
There was a moment of silence.
Ranma sighed. "I'm not sure where to go from here," he said. "I can't find any more leads. Streets are quiet."
Nabiki looked puzzled. "Are they usually?"
Ranma shook his head. "No. They're too quiet. The cops are ignoring the fact that something dark is going down."
"Why?" I piped in for the first time.
Ranma leaned back and looked at me. "They want to ignore it. Dealers are leaving town, or winding up with bullets in their heads. Someone has them on the run. Somethin' is goin' on, and the victims - the dealers - can't say anything about it."
"Why not?"
"Hell, Akane, would you put a lot of faith in the testimony of a drug dealer?"
"No, but if they're getting *killed*..."
"People are looking the other way," Ranma shrugged. "Streets are safer for kids and little old ladies. Talked to a friend in the force this morning. He told me that even if someone's playing vigilante, the chief probably won't do anything. There's too much crime for them to handle anyway - someone not on the payroll is running around helping, they aren't gonna put a stop to it."
"But being vigilante is illegal, right?"
Ranma shrugged again. "Yeah, sure, but they don't really care. They have bigger shit to deal with."
I looked down at my ramen. "Do you think that maybe this is connected to Hiroshi? Like, he discovered who the vigilante person was, or something?"
Ranma studied me carefully. "It's crossed my mind."
Nabiki's mouth twisted at the side. "If he did, then why would he get killed? I mean, let's say he hypothetically finds out who the vigilante is. The dealers don't want him dead, 'cause he might be saving their butts. The vigilante is supposedly someone who only kills the bad guys, so why would *he* do it? To protect himself, maybe, but then again that would screw his whole little noble deal. So where's the motive to kill this one little reporter?"
Ranma shook his head. "It's gotta be more than that. The cops are sayin' vigilante, but my gut tells me it's something else. There's more to this than one little guy thinking he's Zorro."
"So where do we go from here?" I asked.
Ranma stood up. "I think we should go call on Jim Weaver. See if we can get anything else out of him. Then I think I should hit the streets, ask a few questions."
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We made our way down the hall of the Post to the office of the sour-faced reporter. Nabiki had insisted upon "seeing this one" which had also necessitated bringing Joey. Weaver came to stand in his doorway and, to our surprise, grinned when he saw us. Then he opened his mouth, and we knew why.
"I heard you two got yourselves blown up day before yesterday. Why couldn't you make a complete job of it and bite the goddamned dust?"
"Good morning, Mr. Weaver, I'm thrilled to find you in good health as well. We were wondering if we could ask you a few more questions."
"No." SLAM.
Ranma sighed and yanked the door back open. "I'm going to get cranky..."
Weaver grabbed the door handle with both hands and threw his whole body weight into an attempt to close the door that Ranma was only holding with his left hand. The door didn't budge an inch. Ranma smirked and continued. "Did Hiroshi act differently shortly before his murder?"
Weaver shrugged, walked back into his office, sat down in a swivel chair, started rotating, pulled out a cigarette, and lit up.
"Did he go anywhere unsafe for a story or for no apparent reason? Or some place that he wouldn't think was dangerous?"
Weaver started so violently that he coughed and his cigarette went flying out of his mouth. It hit a spot low on the wall, leaving a little ash spot, and fell to the floor. Ranma grinned and stomped on it while Weaver continued to cough, sounding as if maybe he was going to hork up a lung.
"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Ranma said. "Where was it?"
Weaver just stared stonily back at him, a bit of saliva dripping down his chin from his violent coughing fit.
Ranma was evidently not in a patient mood that morning, because he was an inch from Weaver in two big strides. He lifted the taller man off the ground and brought his face nearly nose-to-nose. "Listen up. My friend is dead, and I want to find the guy who made him that way. Don't make me get violent," he snarled.
Weaver smirked. "Ever heard the expression...'wild horses couldn't drag it out of me?'"
Nabiki and I looked at each other and almost cracked up. Weaver obviously didn't know of the significance behind that particular phrase, but given Ranma's name, we found it pretty amusing.
"Oh, really," Ranma said. "Shall we test that theory? Why don't you want to tell me?"
"Hiroshi tried to tell," Weaver said, his eyes murky. "Look what happened to him."
"Don't you care about justice?"
"Justice," Weaver replied, "means nothing to the dead."
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"Are all your business calls like that?" Nabiki asked, hiding a snicker, as we got into Ranma's car. She was in the passenger seat, Joey and I were in the back. It wasn't the sleak little black two-seater he'd taken me around in on the first day - this little expensive car of indeterminate origin had four seats, meaning Nabiki and Joey could come along, too. How did he anticipate these things?
"That wasn't funny." Ranma stared ahead, stone-faced. "He was scared shitless. I want to know why. Just because no one at the paper could tell us doesn't mean I can't find out. Which probably leads to the bad part of the city. Someone knows something about something."
"Gee," Nabiki said, "could you vague that last part up for me?"
"So now we go, right?" I suggested, knowing already what his answer would be.
I wasn't surprised. "There is no 'we,'" Ranma told me. "I'm going and you're not."
"But - "
"You are NOT pulling that 'oh I'll be so helpless all alone' crap again, Akane. Samson was relatively safe. You want to come with me? Tough luck. Where I'm going, you'll stick out like Kasumi at an Eminem concert."
"Are you saying I won't be able to take care of myself?!" He was probably right this time, but I was so sick of being treated like extra baggage. I wanted to establish that I was more than some stupid little wimp. Even if my behavior didn't back it up.
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," he snapped. "You won't be able to deal with this, okay? You walk in there and a neon sign will appear over your head saying 'hello, I'm a victim! Come and get me!'"
"You think I can't knock those bastards out with one punch?"
"No, but I think that you don't make a hobby of catching bullets! These people don't play by Nerima rules, Akane! They'll have you helpless from yards away, because they don't take that kind of a risk. You. Do. Not. Get. A. Choice."
"This may come as a surprise to you," I ground out through clenched teeth, "but I am an ADULT, and if I want to be stupid and put myself in danger, I have every right to do that."
Ranma's eyes were indigo fire. "The hell you do. Not while I'm around. I didn't come on this case to solve it, Akane. I came to make sure you stayed alive. Don't make that job harder than it already is."
"He's right, Akane," Nabiki offered.
"Fine." My mouth twisted to become something between a smirk and a scowl. "So drop us off at the America's Youth office on Mass Ave."
Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You want to go to a center for runaway teens?"
"No," I said, too sweetly. "I want to go visit my boyfriend. Unlike certain other *obnoxious* members of the male gender, he doesn't treat me like I'm stupid, weak, or someone he has unconditional control over."
Ranma's face darkened a moment before he turned back to the wheel. Nabiki turned around in the passenger seat next to him to look at me. "That was low, Akane." She said. Her voice was disappointed, and maybe even a little hurt.
I sat back and buried my nose in Joey's fur to hide my tears. A week ago, I had thought things couldn't get any worse. Now I had what I'd spent eight years *wishing* I had, and life was even more miserable.
And yes, I KNEW it was low. Just when I needed to be strong I was falling victim to the weakness that had held me back eight years ago - the inability to face the truth about my relationship with Ranma. And I wasn't even sure I knew what that was anymore.
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Nabiki, Joey, and I made a bit of a strange trio walking into Anthony's office. His eyebrows shot up, but he smiled and walked around his desk to greet us. Joey leapt forward to sniff his shoes, his pants, and between his legs, at which point Anthony pulled him away by his collar. I giggled, Nabiki snorted. I could tell that she was going to put a sincere effort into hating him, and it didn't really bother me. The truth was, even if I couldn't have Ranma, I wanted there to be someone who believed, like I did, that we should have been together, and who believed, as I did not, that we still should. So she was playing Ranma's defender...but Anthony, despite her obvious distaste for him, was making a sincere effort NOT to hate her, and I was sort of proud of him, too. Most people hate Nabiki without even trying, and the fact that Anthony was trying to see through the harsh front of my sister reminded me uncannily of Ranma.
"Akane," he said, coming forward. "It's so nice to see you. But...why are you here?"
I shrugged. "I wanted to see you, and I didn't have anything else to do. I hope I'm not bothering you."
Anthony was now in a fix. I could tell from his face that I'd come at a bad time - that he really was very busy - but he wasn't about to be rude or unfriendly enough to say so, especially after my traumatizing past few days. The most creative response he could come up with was "Uh..."
I sighed. "Well, nevermind. Sorry."
"Wait, wait!" Anthony said quickly. "I was just about to sit down for some lunch. I could have some more food brought in for you guys and we could eat together."
"Are you sure you have time?"
"Of course. No problem."
The food was brought in from the cafeteria downstairs. It wasn't great food, but it wasn't high-school cafeteria food, either. We sat around, making small talk. I could see in Nabiki's eyes that she had a million witty, obnoxious little comebacks to every comment Anthony made; thank God she never said any of them out loud. Joey wondered around, eating leaves of Anthony's office plants, tail wagging so violently that his body wagged with it. Then he crawled under the desk, so that all we could see was his tail going upwards of a hundred miles per hour, and we all cracked up. Anthony's laugh at this point was a little strained, probably because of Joey's property damage. He went around and dragged Joey - who had eaten something that left white powder on his nose - from under the desk.
"Damn you, Darth Vader," he said, "I was saving that donut for later."
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"I'm thinking maybe we should go," I said a little later. "I know we interrupted something. I didn't mean to tie you up."
"It was no problem," Anthony assured us. "You're much better company than the people I'm late meeting."
Ranma swung in the door. Now that they were in the same room, Anthony and Ranma were quite the startling dissimilarity; Ranma again in mostly black, from the pants to the shirt to the black leather duster - the only thing that offered contrast was a silver stud dragon earring; Anthony in some casual but probably designer suit, looking put together and sophisticated.
Nabiki sat up, as if she were expecting them to immediately start beating the hell out of each other. "So," she said to Ranma, "did you find out whatever you needed to?"
"I have a little more information," Ranma told her, "but it just makes everything more confusing."
Anthony was looking back and forth. "What's this about?"
"We're playing detective," Nabiki told him. "We're trying to figure out who killed Hiroshi."
Anthony's eyebrows drew into a frown. "I don't think that's a good idea. Shouldn't you leave it up to the professionals?"
I could feel Ranma immediately bristle. "Excuse me?"
"Let the people who actually know what they're doing handle the dangerous stuff."
They were squaring off. If they got in a fight it would be pretty stupid on both their parts, since Anthony would get the crap beaten out of him but Ranma would be the one to get in trouble - any law enforcement, should it be called in, would see Anthony as the credible one.
"Are you saying I don't know what I'm doing?"
"You aren't a cop."
"I'm a bounty hunter."
"So, no. You don't have any legal right to pull this stupid stunt off, and there's no proof you're qualified for it, either. Look, I'm just trying to make sure Akane stays safe."
"She'll be safe with me. Certainly a hell of a lot safer than she will be if she's with you."
Well, *that* jacked Anthony's ire level up to 'high.' "Oh, really? No offense, but you look a lot more like you might be working with these scumbags then I do."
"If you judge only by appearances you must have a pretty fucking miserable life. I'm a whole lot better than you at playing this game."
"Don't bet on it."
"Why not? I could use the cash."
"If you're short on dough, you must *not* be very good at your job."
Ranma leaned forward, his knuckles on Anthony's desk, putting his face forward so that he and Anthony were almost nose-to-nose. Listerine close. "I'm the best there is."
Anthony smirked, but I could tell he was intimidated. I could give him credit for not showing it, but I noticed the tiny tightening around the eyes and drawing of the mouth. When he said, "Of course," he emphasized the second word oh-so-slightly and sarcastically.
I could practically see Ranma's hackles rise. However, both of them - after a beat - leaned back; glaring, but obviously backing off. Or so I thought. Neither broke eye contact.
"Guys," Nabiki said, "staring competition: not accomplishing anything. We have a murderer on our trail, and the little no-blinking contest is not even on the top ten list of things we have to worry about. Okay?"
I didn't expect Nabiki's voice to cut through the heavy haze of testosterone, but I was surprised. Sort of.
Both men (God, it still felt weird referring to Ranma as a man - sure, I'd called him 'manly,' especially in his mother's presence, but that was different. That was man spelled m-a-c-h-o. Now I was spelling it a-d-u-l- t, and applying THAT to Ranma was weird. Okay, digression...) leaned back, glaring for all they were worth. At the moment, due to how immature they were acting, they were worth very little, so perhaps that isn't how I should put it. The point, straight and upfront, was that each had the complete in-your-face enmity of the other.
"So," Ranma offered, through gritted teeth, "nice to see you again."
Translation: Go to hell, you Armani-clad, stuffed-shirt little bastard.
"Right back at you," Anthony replied.
Translation: Same to you, asshole.
So maybe I wouldn't be spelling it a-d-u-l-t for a long time yet. Sigh...
"Hey," Ranma said, glancing down at Joey, "who Elizabeth Ardened the dog's face?"
"It was the donut," Nabiki told him.
"It must be stopped," Ranma said with faux indignant determination.
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Anthony insisted upon coming with us - at least to wherever we decided to go - because abandoning me to Ranma's care would have seemed like a concession; like losing the match. Thus we all stomped out of the double glass doors in a row of four: Anthony, then me, then Nabiki, then Ranma. There was two inches of snow on the ground that had fallen while we were inside, but despite the layer of peace it added to the city no one was in a good mood except Joey, who couldn't put himself in a bad mood unless the world was coming to an end or he didn't have any food. And I wasn't even sure about the world-coming-to-an-end part.
We walked out of the America's Youth building and bumped into - you guessed it! - Gosunkugi.
Ranma's eyebrows shot up, Anthony showed no reaction, and Nabiki looked as if she was trying to suppress laughter. Gos looked from me, to Ranma, to Anthony, and back to me.
"Hey, Gos," I sighed.
(What the Hell) Translation: What is it *this* time?
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
"Visiting my boyfriend. You?"
"Uh..." Okay, he wasn't about to say 'following you,' but I wanted to see if he could come up with a suitable lie. Evidently not.
Ranma looked amused. "We could have you arrested for stalking, you know."
Anthony looked at him then back at Gosunkugi, clearly not understanding the humor in the aforementioned situation.
"Ah...heh heh." Gosunkugi said weakly, not sure whether or not Ranma was joking. I waved at him and we all turned away, starting down the block to where Ranma's car was parked. Nabiki winked at Gos before doing a nifty little swivel on her high heels and following us, and he turned seven and a half shades of scarlet.
"Na-*bi*-ki!" I hissed at her.
"Hey," she grinned and shrugged, "THAT is never gonna happen to him again in his life, right? I figure it was a nice gesture."
Geez. Sisters are so weird.
We hadn't walked ten feet when Ranma suddenly whirled around. The rest of us turned, expecting something horrible had snuck up on us, but there was nobody there...just empty, snowy sidewalk.
"There's no one there," Anthony said, in a tone of voice that added 'you moron.'
"Exactly!" Ranma said in synchrony with Nabiki, who evidently got it (unlike Anthony, Joey, and I, although the day Joey 'got' something hell would freeze over).
"Huh?" I said.
"Gosunkugi," Ranma said. "Where'd he go?"
"Uh..."
In three strides Ranma was back where Gos had been standing. He glanced at the snow on the ground for a heartbeat and then took off at full sprint down a side alley.
Nabiki, Anthony, Joey, and I followed to Gos's starting point. "Look," Nabiki said. "These aren't footprints; it looks as if Gos was dragged back through here!"
We ran down the alley after Ranma, who had disappeared around a corner. We turned right and almost slammed into Ranma, who used an arm to keep us from going any farther and held a finger to his lips.
" - don't *know* anything!" Gos's voice floated back to us, high and panicked and too hoarse with fear to scream.
"You know what, shrimp?" The voice was harsh, firm, and not people- friendly. "I think you're lying. I think you're a deceitful little motherfucker who doesn't know what's good for him. If you're smart, you're gonna tell me, 'cause otherwise you might get hurt." There was the sound of a thump and a kick, and a wheeze of pain from Gos. A soft laugh. "Of course, I'll probably be hurting you anyhow."
And then Anthony decided he'd had enough - that if Ranma, the big bad crime fighter, wasn't going to play hero, he would. So he charged into the alley, yelling his head off.
Ranma swore and took off after him; Nabiki, Joey, and I followed.
The man holding Gos two feet off the ground was over six feet tall. He had long hair and was covered with dirt. His dark, ripped clothes hung off him, and when he turned he bared yellowed teeth in our direction.
"Dealer," Ranma muttered to me. "But not one who's doing to well."
And then he was lost in a whirlwind of movement. Anthony had gotten out of the alleyway sooner but he was moving in slow motion compared to Ranma. Ranma came around with a hooking kick and a backfist - both to the guy's temple - and his opponent dropped like a bag of sand. Gos sat whimpering in the snow; Ranma held out a hand and pulled him up.
"Jason Bourne called," Nabiki said to Ranma. "He wants his Identity back."
He gave her a secretive smirk.
"What the fuck!?" Anthony said.
Ranma turned to him, very calmly. "Excuse me?"
Anthony was royally pissed off. Perhaps from genuine concern; perhaps from a desire to sooth wounded male pride from the fact that he hadn't even helped with the takedown. Either way, he was mad. "If you could do that all along, Jackie Chan, why did you hide? Why didn't you just barge in there? This guy could have gotten seriously hurt!"
Ranma's features drew down into a dangerous snarl. He and Anthony turned to face each other; they were squaring off again. "Why didn't I immediately go charging in there? Because I'm not the moron that you evidently are! He could have had a gun, that's the problem! You can't just charge into a situation without knowing what the fuck is gonna happen! The more you know, the more likely you're able to prevent disaster. I know that from experience. You have NO FUCKING EXPERIENCE."
"I have something you lack."
"Like what?"
"A brain!"
"Coulda fooled me."
Anthony threw a punch at Ranma; Ranma, of course, dodged as if it were going at all of .5 miles per hour.
"Pathetic," Ranma laughed, which of course only raised Anthony's fury level.
Both were so absorbed in each other that neither noticed the dealer climb back to his feet.
With a gun in his hand.
Nabiki shrieked, and the guy got off a round over her shoulder. Ranma and Anthony whirled toward the gunman, who first took aim at Ranma, then changed his mind and aimed the gun at Anthony.
He pulled the trigger.
I shouted "NO!" and stepped in front of him. It wasn't one of those melodramatic, self-revelation moments where I realize if-he-dies-I-will-die or something along those lines. Truth is, I never once considered whether or not Anthony was worth giving my life for. It was simply an instinct of protection; the same thing I admired in Ranma rubbing off on me.
But Ranma had much more experience with the protection thing.
Which is probably why he stepped in front of *me.*
There was the crack from the gun, a splash of blood across the snow, and Ranma collapsed in a boneless heap.
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END OF PART SIX (PLEASE review - or drop me an email at nakigoe_chan@hotmail.com. I reply to all emails.)
In Chapter 7: Seven Up: Akane finally not only kicks some serious ass, but also decides...on Ranma! Unfortunately, problems arise: the stolen computer disks vanish, the police finally have an arrest warrant, and sniff the girls have no Midol! (And yes, it's already written. Come to that, so is chapter 8...)
(Sweatdrop...) Yeah, yeah, I know. My friends read this chapter's ending, and then they went into the kitchen and came out with the butcher knives. It wasn't a pretty picture. But this is probably my least favorite chapter (my friends have officially voted eight as the best chapter so far, and I tend to agree), so if you liked this one, positive reinforcement is always a plus.
Minna-san, check out http://www.faniac.com: the website of the first ever fanfiction/fanart magazine!
Review Responses (in chronological order):
Exodus: Thanks; all the Ranma fics were starting to sound the same to me, so I was trying to do something interesting, and it's nice to know I've sort of succeeded.
Dane17: You're probably right. Thanks for the compliment and for the advice...grammar is not my friend. And I know where you're coming from. I'm in a high school comp class, too...
seongmi: Mostly the people who complain seem to hold the same view. Except Carlen and Hilda, who, after reading my cliffhangers, tend to attempt to cause me physical pain. ^_^
taku: That would be very interesting; unfortunately (or fortunately), I'm too much of a hopeless romantic to try it. I don't guarantee a happy ending, but I very much doubt Anthony and Akane will wind up together.
WTF: Oh...okay, ouch. Allow me to explain. I agree in many aspects: Chapter 5 does not put Akane in a terribly positive light. She is, on many levels, behaving very much in her own self-interest. We must degrade her for this, because she has no excuse. It isn't as if Ranma isn't the marriageable type. It isn't as if he never left her before, it isn't as if she's fearing for her life because a killer is after her, and it isn't as if she hasn't had time to think this situation through because, hey, anyone responsible would plan for this state of affairs. Can you honestly say that you'd never jumped for the safest solution presented to you when you were faced with overwhelming odds? Akane's actions are cowardly, I'll give you that. And since you have so obviously never been afraid that lightening would strike the same place twice, you couldn't possibly understand. Everyone has their moments of weakness. Akane's situation lends itself to hers, and she'll work through it and face up to her mistakes. Have a little patience. And you claim that all she brings to the relationship is the ability to bear children...not ambition (despite the fact that she's sacrificed monetary comfort for the sake of following her dream) drive (despite the fact that she COULD have walked away from this situation as opposed to putting her life in danger) or wit (well...wasn't I SOMETIMES funny?). So what does Ranma or Anthony have that she doesn't besides money? Is that more important? I guess you think so...
GundamAce: Ah, the detective. DumdumDUM. Unfortunately (or, for me, fortunately), there are a few little holes in your logic, and a few things I didn't make clear. They met up at the theater because it was the only place Hiroshi could be sure they both knew how to get to; he didn't have the time to prattle off directions. The theater itself has little to no role in the mystery, and Gos works there as the unofficial photographer and Odd Job Boy - meaning when the alarm goes off, he gets the call to go check it out. You're right, Akane was only in there for five minutes - but it took her twenty to get there, and Hiroshi probably got there several minutes earlier. As for Gos's theories...you say he knows way too much. But looking back at these chapters, it looks more like he knows very little. Ranma punched holes in most of his theories in chapter 3, and he sounds a little melodramatic the whole way through, doesn't he? If someone talked to ME that way, I'd think they just read too many trashy mystery novels. And as for Akane - she's NOT stupid enough to miss it, wait and see. ^_~
Haruka52487: Well, I can't write lemons to save my life. But yes, sex will be had at some point. ^_^
May: possibly the most faithful reviewer of Ranma ½ fanfiction in general, and also one of the most encouraging. Your reviews are always wonderful.
Akane-chan: I am no understanding this word. Hoo-ry? Hurry? What mean this? (Sorry...^_^)
Jinx: Yatta!
Silver: I'm so flattered that you like my story so much, because I love yours!
Loki & Beps: Arigatou!
Inuki: Uh...I guess I was evil, ne? Sorry, and thanks!
Numena: Nope, you're not imagining it - the Stephanie Plum series, in fact, inspired this story. ^_^
Sakura MysticMoon: Sure, that sentence made sense! (It also kinda made me fall out of my chair laughing, but...) and the computer, even if it doesn't always comply with our wishes, is our friend. ^_~ Arigatou!
Carlen and Yueling: Please, God, have a little mercy. ^_^;;;
Zarrah Bevan: I did fall off. There were pointy rocks. Stupid cliff. ^_^
Erie Maxwell: Yatta! One of the biggest fans of AY (or so it appears), thank you so much! But, just to be clear: Anthony is NOT a Morelli character. (And BTW, while Ranger IS my favorite character, I believe that Stephanie should wind up with Joe. Because Ranger is MINE. ^_^)
Otakubuddy: Is that you, Mariel? You were always the one who didn't threaten me! Eeep! hides
SweetlilBell: Take...a deep breath. Okay, again. ^_^ I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, though. Jen: Arigatou!
Beps: Uh...didn't you already review? Not that I'm complaining, of course...^_~
Shaka[Zulu: Just did, Shaka-chan!
Lipana: I agree entirely, but Ranma ½ wouldn't be Ranma ½ if the cast wasn't made up entirely of idiots.
Ikillyoupig: Yup, this is the same Akane: the Akane who has had her heart broken, has had eight years to mature, has had to take care of herself, and who will, in chapter 7, kick some SERIOUS ass.
Ka-chan: As you see, I HAVEN'T given up on it, and thanks for the guestbook thing...
jL637: Arigatou!
Well, that's it...I dunno what else to say, except, again, PLEASE R & R.
Ja ne!
~ nakigoe-chan