Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters so don't sue me.
What?! Ranma left the Tendo Dojo? He's not a Saotome anymore? What will
happen to their lives now? Can their love still be saved? Read on and find out.
R&R...... R/A pairings
The Right One For Me
by: numbskull
Part 7: Getting to know each other
Naru woke up and fixed her futon. She opened the door to get some breakfast
and saw a package lying in front of her door. She saw a letter on top of it and read it.
"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday.
This is only for peace-offering.
It's not much but I hope you'll appreciate and accept it.
Ranma Satoe."
She took the package inside and opened it. It was a stuffed panda. Naru smiled
and placed it on a table. She hid the letter in her drawer and went to the kitchen to get
some breakfast.
"Narusegawa! Ohayou (good morning)!" Keitaro greeted Naru when she walked
to the dining room. "Uhh... ohayou, Keitaro!" Naru said and seated on her usual place.
"Have you seen Satoe-san?" Naru asked. "He went outside for a run. He's quite an
athletic person." Kitsune said picking up her food using her chopsticks. "When he comes
back, I'm gonna get him for being such a pervert and for doing that to you,
Naru-sempai!" Motoko said as she took a mouthful of food and chewed it angrily.
"Motoko-san, it's alright. I guess he's just new that's why he didn't know that we
bathe in the hot spring. And I didn't know that he was there. So, it's kinda my fault
because I walked in on him. No harm done." Naru said and started eating her breakfast.
Everbody almost choked on their food. Motoko looked at Naru disbelievingly. Kitsune
stayed quiet for a while thinking of what ever happened to Naru. Finally, Kitsune found
her voice and asked Naru, "Is that you, Naru-chan? What have you done to
Naru-chan???"
"Of course it's me!!!" Naru said looking at Kitsune. "What happened to you?
Are you alright?Did you eat something or what?" Motoko asked as she placed her hand
on Naru's forehead. "I'm okay. I'm not sick. And nothing happened to me." Naru said
as she continued eating her food. Keitaro just looked at Naru and he knew there's
something wrong with Naru. "I'm finished eating. Put your dishes on the sink. I'll wash
the dishes today." Naru said and went to the kitchen.
Ranma panted at the front door. "I guess I'm late for breakfast already. Good
thing I'm not at the Tendo dojo anymore or else Pop'll eat all my food before I get
there." He removed his shoes and went straight to the dining room where he found his
food is still there.
Ranma looked around and saw that everybody was finished. He ate his meal like
a wind just blew by and carried the dishes to the kitchen to wash them.
"Shinobu-chan, the meal is...huh?" Ranma stared at Naru who was still washing the
dishes.
Naru turned around and saw Ranma carrying his dishes. "Umm...Y-you must be
N-Narusegawa-san." Naru nodded and Ranma continued speaking. "G-Gomensai
(sorry) for what happened yesterday." Ranma said and bowed. Naru blushed and
bowed too. "I-It's nothing, really. And gomen if I walked in on you." Ranma smiled and
nodded. He looked at the dishes on the sink and thought of something. "Maybe I should
help you wash the dishes. There's too many of them and you can finish a lot faster with
someone helping you." Naru can only nod since his eyes convinced her to let him help.
Ranma and Naru chatted while washing the dishes. Ranma told her about his life
back at the Tendo dojo. He never told her about his curse because he was still thinking
if he should tell anybody about it. 'Maybe I'll tell her soon. I can't keep this forever.
Besides, she looks like I can trust her.' Ranma thought. Naru told him about Toudai and
that she will be taking the entrance exams there. "Wow!!! That's great
Narusegawa-san!!! Gambatte (good luck)!!!" Ranma said. "Hai! Are you entering
Toudai too?" Naru asked Ranma. Ranma frowned and shook his head. "Iie (no). I'm still
a high school student. I can't enter Toudai yet. Keitaro-san said that he will help me
enroll in a school for high school students near here." Ranma said. "Oh you mean
Yoshinori High? That's a good school too! I guarantee you that!" Naru said cheerfully.
"Really? Well, hearing it from you means that school is really good. Do they have
entrance exams too?" Ranma asked. "Of course they do, silly!" Naru said laughing. "Oh.
Can I ask you a favor? Will you help me study? I'm not good at studying, you
know." Ranma said. "Sure! You can join me with Keitaro and Mutsumi. We study for
the entrance exams." Naru said. "That'll be great! Thanks Narusegawa-san!" "You can
call me Naru." Naru said. "Hai, Naru-san. And you can call me Ranma if you like."
Ranma said smiling. "Sure, Ranma-kun." Naru smiled.
They talked the whole day. After a few hours of just talking to each other, they
both went inside their respective rooms. Once the door was closed, Ranma sighed and
said, "I'm glad that's taken care of but this reminds me of Nerima. Naru is just like
Akane but there are some things that differ her to Akane. I guess she's just too kind and
understands a person even after she hits him or whatever she may do. But Akane's like
that sometimes so they are almost alike."
Ranma changed to his pajamas and lied down on his futon and read a manga.
Naru changed to her pajamas and lied down on the futon. "Ranma-kun's not bad
after all. He's so kind to me eventhough I hit him yesterday. And he's very thoughtful
too. He gave me a stuffed panda for peace-offering after all the trouble I made for him.
This'll start a very nice friendship between us. Maybe I should talk to him again since our
rooms are just beside each other." Naru got up and knocked on Ranma's door.
"Come in." Ranma said from inside his room. Naru went inside and closed the
door.
"Naru-san? What are you doing here?" Ranma asked as he set aside his manga
and sat up from his futon.
"Umm...I know we just talked a while ago but i can't help myself but to talk to
you again. Would you mind if we talk again?" Naru asked twiddling her fingers.
"S-sure." Ranma said blushing.
"So tell me Ranma-kun, is life in Nerima very hard? I mean you never told me why
you came here. You just told me about your life in Nerima but that's that. Is entering
Toudai your only reason why you're here?" Naru asked.
"Okay. You got me. I came here to get out of my problem back in Nerima and I
don't have any place to go. Then I heard about Toudai's upcoming exams and I thought
maybe I could enter there and continue studying since I've got nothing to do. I'm going
to look for a job so that I can pay all my expenses." Ranma said. "So why did you ran
away from your problem? You know you can't just runaway from your problems. It will
still hunt you everywhere you go. Can you tell me about it?"
Ranma nodded. "I have a fiancee back in Nerima. Things aren't doing with us.
Thefirst time we met is like the first time we met. She walked in on me and she got
angry with me. She called me a pervert and I called her kawaiikune. That's when we
started insulting each other. Then, this guy came whoturns into a pig whenever he was
doused with cold water. He became my fiancee's pet and I'm always trying to get him
out of her room. I can't tell her that he's really a guy because I'm bound in honor to keep
his secret."
"Wait. How can a guy turn into a pig? Is it some kind of magic?" Naru asked
disbelievingly.
"Well, I think it's about time to tell you. Actually, it's a curse. There's a place in
China named Jusenkyo where you will find a lot of springs. Each spring is cursed and if
ever you fall in a spring, you will take the body of the one who drowned there. When
doused with cold water, the curse will be triggered. If doused with hot water, you will
return to your true form." Ranma said.
"So he's really a guy that turns into a pig? I still don't believe it." Naru said
laughing.
"Okay. Maybe a little demonstration will clear things up for you. Wait here for
me." Ranma said and went to get some water, both hot and cold. He returned
immediately and showed Naru his curse. He poured hot water on himself and turned
back into a guy.
"So do you believe me now?" Ranma said as he wipes himself dry.
"H-hai. I've never seen anything like this before. So, you turn into a girl when
doused with cold water?" Naru asked shockingly.
"Hai and it's all my Oyajii's (Pop's/father's) fault. Do you think it's weird? Do I look
like a freak to you?" Ranma asked frowning.
"Well, it's kinda weird but you're not a freak. I accept you whatever form you are.
You are my friend after all." Naru said giving Ranma a reassuring smile.
Ranma smiled back and continued his story. He told her about the incident in
Tendo dojo just before he left. Then how he found Hinata Sou and the girl he bumped
just before he enters a restaurant. And how he rescued the girl from the men who tried
to abuse her. He also told her that he forgot to return the eyeglasses and that the girl
took with her his extra shirt.
"Matte (wait). You bumped a girl in a restaurant and you forgot to return her
eyeglasses? And this girl took your extra shirt she used as a pillow?" Ranma nodded.
"Tell me, is the shirt white?" Naru asked. "Why yes. How did you know? Masaka
(Could it be)...." Ranma went to his closet and opened his bag. He took out the
eyeglasses which is already repaired. He showed it to Naru. "Is this yours?" Ranma
asked. Naru looked at the eyeglasses very carefully and saw that it was her eyeglasses.
"Yes. So you're the guy I bumped into before?" "I guess I am. Is my shirt still with you?"
Ranma asked. "Hai. It's in my closet. I'll go get it for you." "No. It's yours." Ranma said
smiling at her. "Are you sure? Maybe you need it." Naru said. "No. It's a souvenir for
you. I was hoping to see you again to apologize for what happened. And now that I
found you, I'm sorry for bumping into you." Ranma said and bowed. "I'm sorry for
bumping on to you, too." Naru said and bowed. (Well, isn't this scene familiar?)
"Tell me something I don't know about you, Naru-san. I told you about myself
and now it's your turn." Ranma said.
Naru nodded and told Ranma her story. She told him about Keitaro's promise and
about Toudai too. "Are you in love with Keitaro-san?" Ranma asked straightly. Naru
blushed and saw how Ranma looked at her as if telling her to answer him honestly.
"Well, I...I don't know. But I think I am." Naru said blushing furiously. "But now, I'm
beginning to doubt that I still feel the same way about him. He becomes so distant
lately." Naru turned away from Ranma because she's shy to show her tears to him.
Ranma moved closer to Naru and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I don't think that's
the case, Naru-san. I think he's just afraid to express what he really feels for you and he
doesn't know how to act around you. So, he's acting like that to you. You see, I was
like that to my fiancee. I tease her, insult her, and fight with her because I don't know
how to act around her. I don't know how to express my feelings to her. If I express to
her my true feelings for her, guess what our status would be, right? Keitaro-san's a shy
guy but he's not like me. He doesn't insult or fight with you. I really think that he's just
shy. So please understand him." Naru can't understand what Ranma's point was
because she was just staring at Ranma, adoring him.
Ranma noticed the way Naru looked at him. He waved hi hand in front of
Naru's face.
"Earth to Naru?" Ranma said. Naru came back to reality and blushed. "Umm...
it's already late. We better go to sleep. O-Oyasumi, Ranma-kun." Naru said and
walked out of Ranma's room. Ranma scratched his head thinking, "What's with her?"
End.
Well, that's it. Ranma finally found out that Naru's the girl he bumped earlier. They both
shared their stories and Naru's acting strangely in front of Ranma. If anyone watched
Love Hina, Naru is a hot tempered girl but she's sweet too. She just doesn't like
perverts. Who would? Me, I don't like perverts too. If you compare her to Akane,
they're almost the same. Naru doesn't like perverts and so is Akane. Naru is hot
tempered but a very sweet girl and so is Akane. Naru hits Keitaro whenever he does
something not good and so does Akane with Ranma. See? They have a lot in common.
So, do you think Ranma will fall for her? I don't know. Find out in the next chapters.
numbskull: Are you ready Naru-san?
Naru: I'm ready.
numbskull: Sorry guys. I'm not going to interview anybody today. I have a date with
Naru-san: ((whispers)) I just don't want to upset her again.
Naru: Let's go numbskull!!!
numbskull: Well, I gotta go. She's waiting for me. I don't want a girl to wait for me.
And here's the preview of the next chapter:
Well, Ranma and Naru are getting closer everyday. And the people in Hinata Sou are
beginning to suspect that the two are going out. Will their friendship bloom into
something else? Are their suspicions true? Find out more about it in the upcoming
chapters.
numbskull: Sorry if the preview is short. I better hurry or she'll send me into orbit.
Ja ne!!!