Ki Cutters: 12
The Potential
Nodoka Saotome walked home from her trip to the clinic, a worried look on her face. She controlled her expression with difficulty. She wasn't sure how her family was going to take this. No, she wasn't sure at all. This was going to cause… She stopped at a bench and sat down. She had to decide how she was going to tell them. She had been having… difficulties.
Having her friend Kimiko's example to live by, she had not waited, but went straight to the doctor. There was no way she was going to leave her family at this stage, not if she could help it. It wasn't that they needed her anymore, in a physical sense, but she needed them. She wasn't ready to leave them.
She calmed her breathing and looked up at the winter sky. She was very careful of her health. This, however, was unexpected, unplanned, unforeseen, un… The doctor shrugged and shook his head when she had protested his diagnosis. He promised that they could make her comfortable, at least, until the very end. Confused and frightened, she left him and hurried back to the Tendo's. Slipping up to the room she and Genma shared, she knelt down, buried her face in her hands and cried. She was asleep when her husband came to bed.
oOo
A girl with long red hair slipped from between silken sheets and stretched luxuriously. Naked as the day she was born, she reached out and touched the shoulder of the man still slumbering face down in the huge bed. He stirred and striking eyes with incredibly long silky lashes blinked open. Brows furrowed momentarily then lifted in remembrance. A smile tugged at lips that more often frowned. He slid out as well and, for a moment, they stood together, regarding one another in the silent gray pre-dawn light.
Unwilling to break the magic of the moment, they used body language rather than words. An obvious reaction from the man spoke of the desire to continue; her response agreed, but a nod of the head at the clock, its face glowing the hour, intimated there was no more time. A closing of the distance suggested that the day could go hang, but a smile and a slight shake of her head informed him she was determined in her course. A quick kiss and a rapid retreat out the doorway of the room, also spoke of that, as well as her awareness that his offer was too tempting to consider for long. As she peeked back around the corner, he kissed her. They drew it out, long and passionate, not touching at any point except the lips. She began to move back into the room, but he blocked her with a smirk and a roll of clothes held in his hands. His head bobbed toward the window, and she sighed and nodded. Swiftly he dressed, kissed her again and made his exit.
She, in turn, walked into the bathroom and treated herself to a long soak before dressing in a turquoise school uniform and tiptoeing downstairs to breakfast. She passed the huge dining table and walked to the kitchen. Within, a young man was working at a commercial stove, fixing a simple omelet. With dark hair, blue-eyes, a splendid 'V' from shoulders to waist, the form was very familiar.
"Good morning, Sasuke," the girl said, finding a stool to sit down on.
The young man jerked and turned. He stared at the redhead and a frown slowly came across his face. "Ranma," he asked uncertainly, "what are you doing here? And dressed like that?"
She laughed. Faintly, beneath the healthy sound, came an echo of her former tones. "Ah, hahahahahaha-ha-hah!" Her laughter changed to giggles. "You may not believe it, Sasuke, but I'm Kodachi."
Sasuke's mouth gaped open, then shut, opened again, but nothing came out.
"Why are you wearing Ranma's form this morning?" she asked curious. "Beginning to like it? Perhaps you should take care," she teased. "I may mistake you for my Ranma-sama some evening."
Sasuke looked pained. "I spilled some hot water fixing Master Kuno's breakfast," the ninja-manservant and Chairman of the Board of Kuno Industries explained. He sidled closer. "Is that really you, Mistress? What happened? When did you return? How…"
"I visited Togenkyo Island, old friend," she said, interrupting him. She explained what happened, ending with, "…somehow we ended up in Lake Biwa. We took the train to Tokyo and here we are."
"You poor thing," Sasuke commiserated, "You'll never be yourself again!"
"You aren't really saddened by that, are you?" she asked him. She smirked as he struggled for some reply. "I'm not. The Black Rose is dead; and good riddance, I say. Actually, my biggest worry is how to establish an identity separate from Ranma. We're more identical than twins now." She laughed. "It wasn't long ago we nearly were that before."
"I'm certain we can manage something, Mistress," Sasuke replied thoughtfully. Suddenly he frowned. "Does Master Kuno know of your transformation, yet?"
"Pigtailed girl!" The tones were said in breathless wonder. Then Kuno frowned as he attempted to reassemble his wits. "Saotome, why do you invade my domain at this hour?" He advanced, his body language swinging wildly between desire and disgust. "And dressed like that? Have you no shame?"
Kodachi rolled her eyes. "In a word, Sasuke… no."
oOo
Baradandya Morisato stretched luxuriously that same morning and regarded her sleeping husband. As supernatural entities, neither needed sleep, but Keiichi was in the habit from his mortal years and probably would be for some time to come. She found distinct comfort resting beside him, listening to his heart and feeling the warm breeze of his breath through her hair. It was still early, so she kissed him awake and they spent a few private moments enjoying one another's company.
Then the phone rang.
After a few brief moments of waiting in the hope that Urd would pick it up, Baradandya wriggled free of Kei's grasp and picked up the receiver.
"Moshi, moshi," she said, cheerfully giggling as Kei made faces at her. Her expression grew startled. "Oh, Father! What can I…" There was a long pause as the individual on the other end of the line spoke to her.
Keiichi sat up, concerned. When Bel said 'Father', there could be only one entity at the other end of the line. This was their ultimate boss, after all. He almost never called unless it was serious, dangerous or downright nasty. Guiltily, he wondered if his aid in getting Kodama's ninja to Togenkyo was, in some obscure way, against the Supreme Will. He sure hoped not.
"Oh, my!" Baradandya took two deep, gulping breaths as the caller spoke extensively in deep resonant tones. "I-I see! By your will, Father." She hung up the phone. Keiichi was at her side in an instant, enfolding her in arms that comforted and offered protection, even though he knew that nothing could protect from the Will that moved the universe. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Kei…"
oOo
Nodoka Saotome hummed as she fixed lunches for her children. Natsume and Kurumi were sweet girls and deserved far better than the rough life they had led. She considered them surreptitiously, watching Kurumi tease her older sister into smiling. Natsume didn't smile much, but when she did, a certain martial artist, who once posed as her son, was usually nearby.
Ryu Kumon seemed a nice, honorable young man. He was teaching karate in a dojo in Fujisawa, but it was obvious where his heart was. He called twice a week, probably far more than his meager budget allowed right now, and planned to visit monthly. Nodoka kept a close, if gentle watch on them. It wouldn't do for Natsume to discover the responsibilities of parenthood before they married.
She gazed out the window, watching the birds dart up to a tree in her garden. 'It should be spring,' she thought. She wished she could watch the birds building their nests and raising their young. Her breath caught, the turmoil of many years of regrets making itself felt for an instant. She sighed to herself.
She had been totally overwhelmed when she had become a mother so long ago. Ranma had been a sweet child and surprisingly, considering his training, remained a sweet, if sometimes clueless, adult. Ranma had been sweet, but he had also been in trouble almost constantly. Between the natural inquisitiveness of a preschooler and the skills her husband had been teaching him, he had gotten into one scrape after another. It had been a particularly difficult week before Genma had knelt with Ranma in front of her, packed to go on a trip that was to separate them for ten years. She had always wondered what it would have been like if they stayed. She had been so agitated, those last few days, so doubtful of her own ability to help raise her strong, active, sometimes destructive son in conjunction with her idiot husband.
The incident in the public baths — Genma had taught Ranma how to fight when hampered by waist-deep water. Or the time she had caught Genma throwing their son off the roof to teach him 'advanced falling techniques'. Or when she caught him soaking Ranma in the tub of herbal skin conditioner designed to toughen calluses on your hands. Just what had Genma thought Ranma was going to use to break coconuts, anyway? She had objected fiercely and her husband replied that she was inhibiting her son's developing skills as a martial artist.
"Mom?"
Nodoka jerked, startled. She had drifted so deeply into her musings that she had lost track of her work.
"It's almost time for school. Is my bento ready yet?" Kurumi asked, mouth watering.
Nodoka looked down. "Almost, dear," she answered with a gentle smile. Kurumi behaved very much like she suspected Ranma would, if he had not cloaked himself in the false dignity of his 'manliness'. Of course, he should be developing a public persona. That was only natural in Japanese society. He needed one that would inspire trust in potential clients and associates when he and Akane took over the dojo and began teaching by themselves.
Kurumi would have to start working out such a persona for herself, a mask to show the world. She was so sweet, though. Nodoka couldn't imagine not seeing her acting in happy enthusiasm and moving with perky, deceptively childish movements. She was a joy to be around, while her sister exuded a sort of quiet, intent seriousness. Natsume's problem was that it was not a mask; it was armor. Oh, well. At least Ryu seemed to have penetrated that icy reserve.
She finished the lunches and carefully wrapped them. Natsume and Kurumi would soon be at school. After school the older girl worked for a messenger service. She handed a wrapped bento to each girl and received an enthusiastic hug from Kurumi and a tentative and gentle hug from Natsume. It brought tears to her eyes. How she had missed hugs all those years! She listened to them as she turned back to fixing breakfast for the family.
"Hey, squirt. Who was the boy I saw you talking to at lunch yesterday?" Natsume asked her sister suddenly.
"Huh?" Kurumi had been needling her sister about mooning over Ryu; she hadn't expected the favor to be returned. "When?"
"Like I said, yesterday," Natsume smiled secretively. "He looks cute. Is he new?"
"Well… Yeah, he's new." Kurumi reddened and scuffed the floor. Ryunosuke Natsume was a very interesting addition to the student body in her opinion, but she hadn't gotten to tell him so, yet. How had her sister come by at the very moment she was trying to rake up enough courage to say something intelligent?
"What's his name?" her sister asked, amused.
"Umm… Ryunosuke." She glared when Natsume snorted.
"Another Ryu? No way! We'll get confused. You better drop him, squirt."
"Excuse me?" Kurumi gave her sister a gimlet eye. "Are you saying I should simply ignore him, because his name is similar to your darling Ryu Kumon?"
"Absolutely. It would be too confusing." Her sister nodded amiably, as if her argument was the most reasonable of statements. "What's his family name by the way?" she inserted before Kurumi could blow up at her. She smirked as Kurumi deflated like a released balloon. "Well?"
"Umm…" Kurumi struggled, her face turning odd colors.
Nodoka began to get alarmed. What was wrong?
"Natsume…" she murmured quietly.
"What was that?" Natsume asked. "I didn't hear that."
"Natsume," Kurumi said firmly with a tight-lipped defensiveness.
"Yes?" her sister answered pleasantly, "Just tell me what his name is."
"Natsume!" snapped Kurumi angrily.
"Yes, I know what my name is, squirt. What's his name?"
"It's Natsume, you jerk!" Kurumi shouted, face reddening. "Ryunosuke Natsume!"
"Oh, brother!" announced Natsume Saotome. "Worse and worse! Yep! You have to drop him, sis. There'd be no end to the confusion if you date him." A gleam of a smile betrayed something else.
Kurumi glared, boiling up to eruption levels. "You knew!" she accused her sister. Natsume smiled quietly and shrugged. "I can't believe it! My own sister is spying on me, and… and… Waaaaaah!" She grabbed her bento and ran out the door, almost flattening Ranma on the way.
"Eeep! What's with her?" he asked spinning in the kitchen entry. "Hi, Mom. What's with Kurumi?" He gave her one of those precious hugs and then went to the sink to fill a kettle and place it on a burner. It was guaranteed that he would be splashed, and they had finally convinced him to carry a small thermos for emergencies in his book bag.
"Payback, Ranma," Natsume said simply with an almost Nabiki-like delivery, "that's all." She glanced at him sidelong. "You should probably learn to practice it, little brother."
Ranma grimaced at the 'little brother' comment and regarded her doubtfully. "Right," he finally replied.
"How's Akane this morning?" Natsume inserted slyly into the following silence.
"She's fi–!" Ranma tensed defensively, before continuing with exaggerated innocence, "How would I know? I sleep in the dojo."
"If you say so." Natsume smiled as he tried to control his expression. He left huffily without replying, and his sister snickered.
"What was that all about?" Nodoka asked.
"I like having Ranma as a brother, Momma," Natsume said quietly. "As crazy as it gets around here, I feel like I've been delivered from hell." She met Nodoka's eyes. "Thank you for accepting us. I wish I had known you as I grew up."
Nodoka crossed to her and was relieved that Natsume accepted her hug. The older woman stroked the girl's hair and silently wished Genma had told her about these two when they were younger. They were almost too old to mother and yet they needed mothering so much. "I feel the same way, my daughter," she replied. She stepped back and smiled, fighting the dampness about her eyes. "You've had such a hard life."
"Yeah? Well, at least I knew my mom. Kurumi though…" Natsume shrugged eloquently and looked embarrassed. "She really needed you to want her." She disengaged suddenly, uncomfortable with further emotionality. Nodoka released her, feeling warmth deep in her heart. Natsume gracefully took her bento to the entryway to await her departure for school.
Nodoka turned back to finish preparing three more lunches, even as she heard the faint shouts coming from the dojo indicating that Ranma and Akane, at least, were sparing. Kasumi walked in, barely hiding a stretch and a yawn. Another gentle hug, though one of many they had exchanged over the past two years, and the motherly eldest Tendo stepped back to look over her borrowed kitchen.
"Thank you, Auntie," she said. "Being able to go out to the movies with Nadine and Tomoe last night was nice. Being able to sleep in this morning was even nicer."
Nodoka laughed. "It let me be a mother for my children once more. Thank you, Kasumi. Besides, I've noticed you don't get out near often enough for a woman your age. I can't understand why you don't have a boyfriend…"
Kasumi's smile became brittle for a moment as she recovered her aplomb. "I did have one… once… I think. But it didn't work out." Nodoka noted the concealed sigh of disappointment. "I'm satisfied taking care of my family."
Nodoka interrupted with a coarse, succinct remark that might translate into English as 'Bullshit!' "I don't believe you, Kasumi. Do you want me to look for a husband for you, dear?"
Kasumi gulped and shook her head. "Maybe I'm too old, Auntie. I really wish you wouldn't." She became abruptly silent as two guests wandered grumpily into the house.
One was Taro. No one used the name Happosai gave him most recently — Lacy Darlings. That was good, because Taro had new issues that almost certainly would have sent him ballistic if that name was used. The other was Jiro Hadoka. The latter, short and plain in appearance, rubbed his eyes and groaned.
"What's wrong with sleeping in? That's all I have to say," he grumbled, scratching his side.
"Humph," Taro grunted, irritably. "You have school, don't you? How long were you going to sleep?"
"You'd be surprised how fast I can get ready." Jiro stretched and worked his kinks out. "What's with you, anyway?" he asked, eyeing the older man. Taro eyed him, the glint promised pain. Jiro backed away slowly. "Umm… Aside from waking up to Ranma and Akane sparring?"
"Why did you tell me Happosai was in Miroto?" Taro asked quietly.
"W-wasn't he there?" Jiro asked nervously.
"No. And there was no sign he had been there anytime in the last thirty years," Taro snarled. "I want answers, Jiro."
"Surely you can forgive someone for being mistaken?" Jiro backed away.
"I don't know. Maybe it is because of what happened on the way back from that oh, so unnecessary trip, but I don't feel very forgiving."
"Excuse me," Nodoka interrupted. "Taro, dear, I just wanted you to know that I got the estimate on rebuilding today. There will be a bit left over from your settlement. I wondered if you had an account I could credit it to?"
"Rebuilding? Oh, your house," Taro exclaimed. "Why don't you give it to the Tendos if you don't need it yourself," he suggested. "We're all living here, after all." He turned back to Jiro, only to find him vanished. "That little shit!" he raged.
"Taro, dear," Nodoka said with that tone of voice.
Taro stiffened. "Sorry, ma'am," he replied. "I had a really bad day yesterday."
"We can sympathize. But please don't fight in the house, hmmm?"
Taro glanced at her, at Kasumi and mumbled an acknowledgement before leaving. Once outside, they heard his hoarse bellow, "Where did you go, you little shit-for-brains? Come out and answer me or I'll wait till you're in class and drag your sorry ass outa the school!"
Nodoka sighed. She turned to Kasumi. "Perhaps Taro might be someone you could take an interest in, Kasumi dear. He's very much like my son…"
"Too much so," Kasumi answered swiftly. "Ranma is very dear to me, but I don't regret not offering to be his fiancée."
"Too much like a little brother?" Nodoka asked.
"Well, that too; but, simply, he is too focused on martial arts. I'm not Akane, Auntie. I can admire Ranma and Taro's drive in their chosen field, but I want something different in my man."
"We will talk more on this," Nodoka smiled. Kasumi was too sweet for her own good, but she had tremendous spiritual strength. A natural mother, if only they could find the right man. "Breakfast is almost done. Would you help me serve?"
"Of course."
Genma went from sound asleep to second-at-the-table seconds after the call was given. Soun, of course, was already seated at the table, having gotten up early, as was his habit, to read his paper. Kurumi was third. She stuck her tongue out at Natsume who gracefully knelt at the opposite corner. Ranma and Akane argued intensely but quietly about something as they walked in from the bath. Genma glanced at them, overheard martial arts instead of personal business and invited himself to the discussion. Taro wandered back in, grumbling because Jiro was apparently still hiding.
"I guess that little jerk, Jiro, is gonna miss breakfast," he bellowed in a last hope of drawing his victim out.
"Swee-to!" (SPLOOSH!)
"Dammit!" shrilled Ranma, swiping at the old pervert.
"Nice to see you too, Ranma," cackled Happosai. "Let me greet Akane properly." (BAM!) Akane punched him into a wall. He bounced out of the depression and brushed himself off. "Ahhh… More lovelies!" He eyed Natsume and Kurumi with a leer.
Nodoka looked around grimly for her katana. She had some issues she wanted to discuss with the old man. Ranma and Akane advanced, ready for some serious pervert pounding, as Ranma's sisters flushed and got to their feet. Even Genma and Soun looked ready to take on their old master.
Taro leaped to his feet, as well, and pointed at the old pervert. "Happosai! You and me gotta talk," he bellowed, aura flashing hot.
"Save it, Lacy," Happosai sniffed disdainfully. "I have nothing to say to you!" He hefted the bucket he sloshed Ranma with and threw the rest at Taro.
Everyone stiffened. The change in Taro's size would have disastrous results in the confines of the Tendo main room. Tall enough to look in a two-story building, and bearing a ton of weight on his small heavy hooves, the martial artist's beast-form could easily wreck the place. Ranma tried to get in the way and shield him… too late. The others all flinched away.
(SPLOOOSH!)
"Swee-to," murmured Happosai absently, where he stood frozen at the unexpected results of Taro's transformation. Dark-haired and violet-eyed, Taro was taller than Ranma's girl-type with long sweeping lashes and high breasts. Her smoldering eyes glared at her godparent even as she strove to hold her clothes in place on her smaller frame.
"I'm gonna kill you, freak," she growled in husky tones. Happosai was momentarily mesmerized. Where Ranma was wholesome, sexy and uninhibited, Taro was dark, sultry and mysterious. The old freak felt his mouth go dry.
The pummeling ended inconclusively, outside, as Happosai made his escape under the cover of a Happodarikin bomb. Taro twitched in the crater until Ranma and Akane picked her up and carried her into the bath. While Taro cleaned up, there was a call from the door. Kasumi went to answer it.
"Oh, my!"
Kasumi's loud, if typical, exclamation of dismay brought Ranma and Akane swiftly to see what was wrong. "Why is it that all you guys end up as even better-looking girls? It isn't fair!" Akane was complaining. They stopped dead at what they found.
Ukyo and a feminine Ryoga, who dripped water, and… girl-type-Ranma? Everyone's eyes tried to take in the weirdness — the three girls in the entry and a duplicate of one of them in the house.
"The ladle-lady struck again," Ukyo said disgustedly. "You guys got any hot water?"
Soun fainted.
Explanations continued on the way to school. Ranma and his girl-type look-alike, Kodachi, paced along the top of the fence while Akane, Ukyo and Ryoga took the street. Kurumi had already raced on ahead in the hopes of meeting Ryunosuke before class with Natsume close behind, teasing her unmercifully. Taro remained behind and sulked.
"So, after all this time, you're free of the pig?" asked Ranma.
Ryoga shrugged and grinned. "I guess. From what I've read and from what I sensed, the curse is a part of me just like the pig was," he smirked and then sighed pensively.
"Why the long face?" Ranma inquired. "Don't like your looks? And what has Ukyo upset?" Ryoga looked defensive. "Well?"
"Do you remember the clan of tiny ninja girls who live at the Temple, Ranma?" Kodachi spoke up behind him. "Well, they dropped by Togenkyo with Mr. Morisato and claimed they were going to use the Nyanniichuan there."
Ranma fell off the fence.
"You did suggest it to them, baka," Akane called down to her female fiancé in the canal.
"Nabiki is supposed to be helping them set up some sort of bodyguard service," Kodachi continued, "provided the curse works right and they don't end up looking like giant chibi-duplicates of themselves."
Ryoga looked pained and distracted. So did Ranma as she climbed out of the canal and rejoined them. Both could end up seriously inconvenienced by new female pursuers because of this. They walked on in contemplative silence for a while.
"How is…" Ryoga struggled to get his words out. "How is Akari?"
"I probably ought to talk to Konatsu as well," Ukyo growled with an edge in her voice.
"Akari was scared spit-less, man," Ranma said callously, ignoring Ukyo for the moment. "You really went berserk there."
Ryoga frowned. "Maybe I over-reacted, yeah, but she was going behind my back…"
"You mean like you did, when you were still playing P-chan after you started seeing Akari?" asked Akane sweetly. "Oh, well, at least Katsunishiki survived the experience."
Ryoga gulped. He reviewed what he remembered happening and realized he had some blank spots. He didn't remember doing anything to Akari's pig. What else had happened?
"Besides, after she stopped crying, we managed to pry out of her what was going on. Konatsu confirmed it," Ranma informed them reasonably.
"She and Konatsu used to live on neighboring farms," Akane picked up the narrative, not looking at them. "When Konatsu's parents were killed, he was sent to an orphanage, then adopted."
"I thought his dad remarried and those ogres were his stepfamily," shot in Ukyo, suspiciously.
"He thought so, too, Ucchan," Ranma replied. "They told him that often enough. Of course, they also told him he was a girl."
"Just before the martial arts tournament," Akane took up the tale, "when you and Akari were up at the university, Katsunishiki wandered off and tried to beg an okonomiyaki off Konatsu. He was a little rough and Konatsu thought he was going to break Ukyo's yatai."
"Konatsu saw a ton of sumo pig coming at him and managed to remember some special moves a good friend had taught him when they were little," Ranma broke in. "He stopped Katsunishiki cold with one of them and Akari saw him do it. She recognized the move."
"He beat Katsunishiki?" Ryoga asked sharply. So, Konatsu could be considered a legitimate rival.
"Yup!" Ranma confirmed. "When Akari asked him how he knew a move out of her family's art-form, they recognized each other as old childhood friends." Ranma glanced at the glowering Ryoga, who had gone pale. "Akari did tell him about her grandfather's requirement for a fiancé, but she told Konatsu that your claim was first and that she loved you." Ryoga swallowed. Ukyo's face was a mask.
"Besides, they hardly knew each other anymore," Akane said in an off-hand manner. "But Akari didn't want to lose contact with Konatsu and was afraid that if you heard about what happened, you'd think she was two-timing you." She looked innocently at Ryoga. "Funny idea, huh?"
"She was two-timing him," snapped Ukyo in Ryoga's defense. "If she really loved him, she should have taken the chance right then and told him. She should have taken the risk he might tell her not to see Konatsu anymore."
"Oh, please," retorted Akane. "Could you imagine Ranma listening to that logic if I told him he couldn't see you anymore, Ukyo?"
"That's not the same!" snapped Ukyo. "Besides, you did do that, essentially."
"Look how much good it did. And does that excuse launching ki all over the place or setting off a Shi shi Hokudan that dug a crater 40 meters across?"
"Oh, my god," muttered Ryoga. They suddenly became aware he was glowing. "I attacked Akari and Konatsu like some wild animal? And… Oh, my god!" His aura came flashing up.
"Direct it up! Up, stupid!" yelled Ranma and Ukyo together. They forced his hands skyward while everyone else dove for cover.
(BA-KOOOM!) It was a perfect, if small, Shishi Houkudan. The huge ball of heavy ki fell back like an avalanche.
Ukyo and Ranma staggered back, clothes smoking, as Ryoga swayed in the resulting crater, exhausted by his technique. Ukyo looked down at herself then swung her spatula, flattening the lost-boy into the dirt. "Jackass! Learn to control yourself!"
oOo
Students stopped and stared as two Ranmas walked into class. The fact that one looked like she'd been bombed was a pretty good indicator as to which was the real one, but since Ukyo was in similar condition, they weren't sure.
"What going on?" Shampoo exclaimed. She gulped and her head looked like it was going to come unscrewed. Two Ranmas?
Miss Hinako looked at them sitting side-by-side and frowned. It was going to be one of those days — as if she didn't have enough to deal with.
"Hiroko Kusinaro."
"Here!"
"Kodachi Kuno."
"Here!"
Hinako eyed the neat Ranma look-alike who sat in Kodachi's seat. She fingered the fifty-yen piece in her pocket, as the moment grew strained. "Dear, I don't know who you are, but I do know Kodachi." She eyed the other Ranma. "Ranma?" She was ignored as Ranma was looking through her bag, not expecting her name to be called yet. "RANMA SAOTOME!"
Ranma seemed to levitate for a moment, taking the desk with her. She sat up straight with a bang, dropping her book bag and shouting, "I'm here! I'm here!"
"Who is this?" Hinako demanded, pointing at Kodachi. Ranma glanced across at her twin.
"That's Kodachi." Her smirk faded to a sickly grin as Hinako started flipping her coin. "Really!" she insisted.
"It's quite true, Miss Hinako," Kodachi added.
"How did this happen?" Miss H was not ready to let this go yet.
"You know of the Ranma-iichuan incident?" Kodachi inquired.
"Yes," replied her teacher. "I came to see you a few times as I recall."
"I appreciated it, thank you. A few days ago, I happened to fall into a spring similar to the original Nyanniichuan that gave Ranma his present form. As it was a cold spring, unlike my hot-spring creation, I was given a form approximating the female form of Ranma's body."
Hinako rubbed her temples. "I really didn't need this today," she muttered. "Can you prove you're Kodachi?" she asked irritably.
Kodachi frowned in thought then shook her head. "No. But I can prove I'm not Ranma," she added.
"How will you do that?" asked Hinako.
"Can you wait for Chemistry class?" the redhead asked impishly.
oOo
Following homeroom, Hinako approached Akane.
"Akane dear, I need to talk to your father."
"Why?" asked the youngest Tendo, "I thought you had pretty much made your feelings clear, last time you spoke to him."
Hinako winced. She had not been civil to Soun when she had found out how he had endangered Akane and Ranma the previous month. She rebuffed his attempts to renew the relationship. But that was then. "I know. But I really need to talk to him, if he's willing to listen to me."
"I'll let him know," Akane replied doubtfully.
oOo
Kodachi sat edgily in her seat through school. It might have been a mistake coming back. After homeroom had been gym. Many of the girls interpreted her new form as an attempt by someone to do something perverted. It required considerable coaxing by Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo to assure them otherwise.
Then one of the girls, curious about Ranma's body, splashed her with hot water. The screams of girls exploding out of the locker room were deafening, as was the second outcry as they came pelting back, many having shown their assets to the boys who typically hung out near the locker room on the off chance they might see something. What was amusing, though, was that Kodachi hadn't changed. She'd been using waterproof soap ever since she had returned from Togenkyo to avoid just this situation. Too bad those girls had been too ready to react rather than observe. That group still felt Kodachi was to blame for their embarrassment.
By lunchtime, the boys all understood that Kodachi was a Ranma look-alike — but oriented as a girl. Her past reputation not withstanding, she was immediately mobbed by date offers. They had actually gotten rather physical and only the combined efforts of Shampoo, Akane and the new girl, Atsuko, had kept things from getting out of hand. Then Taro and a late-arriving Ranma stopped by, the former looking for Jiro. As that individual was absent today, Taro joined them, his ruthless reputation ending further trouble. After clearing away the remains, the gang reintroduced Kodachi and Taro to Nuku-Nuku.
With a bit of a shock, Kodachi realized she was acquainted with the new girl from one of the upper-crust parties she had attended. Though Atsuko's family name was Natsume, she was really a Mishima. The Mishima family was actually quite a bit richer than the Kunos, even if their ancestry couldn't compare. Atsuko was delighted, in turn, to make the acquaintance of the Ranma look-alike, though she had trouble integrating her memories of Kodachi, such as they were, with the redhead before her. Just as well.
Kodachi sighed. She didn't mind the attention of the boys, just the methods. Her status had been a barrier when she first transferred to the school, but Ranma's alternate form, for some reason, changed their perception of who and what she was. She sighed in exasperation. She hadn't even fully explored her new cosmetic color-palette yet. The gods only knew how the idiots would react to a Ranma girl-type with proper foundation, eye shadow and lipstick, even if she still had to wear a school uniform.
The bell rang, announcing the end of the day.
Hiroshi and Daisuke sidled up then and Kodachi watched them guardedly. She was a bit surprised when they bowed deeply.
"We wish to apologize for our earlier actions," groveled Hiroshi.
"We were very, very wrong to treat you like we do Ranma," Daisuke added wincing. Kodachi realized they were both well bruised.
"What happened to you two?" she asked.
They looked over their shoulders. Kodachi followed their gaze to see Yuka and Sayuri glaring back at them. She smiled slightly. Apparently, they were well in hand. She nodded her acceptance and watched them return to their keepers. Ranma, Akane and Shampoo glanced at the retreating figures then turned to her.
"Did you survive?" Akane asked gently.
"Fairly well," Kodachi admitted. "The boys were a bit much, however."
"I can't believe they did that…" Akane began angrily.
"No worse than what Akane had to deal with," Ranma observed, cutting her off. "And she did it alone." He shrugged, unaware of the glare Akane turned on him. "It's really weird seeing… Well, let's just say that, now, looking from the outside, I can see why they do it."
"Oh, really, Ranma?" Kodachi laughed archly and rose in a smooth sexy glide from her seat. "Falling for my new look? I wonder what Dr. Hashibara would think of that?" To her amusement, Ranma stuttered and backed away. Akane was beginning to glow green.
Ranma sensed the rise in temperature and turned, hair standing on end as he realized he had put his foot in it once more. He gulped, thought desperately and found something to say. "I love you, Akane."
There was a sudden silence as everyone around them turned and stared at the pair. Ranma did his best to look confident and Akane's anger flickered out like a candle in a typhoon, to be replaced by a blushing shyness that brought sighs of regret from most of the males present. Sighs of delight came from many feminine throats, as they saw what they perceived as the culmination of a long and stormy relationship. Then nervously, they looked at Shampoo and Kodachi.
Shampoo grinned. She might be trying to kill Akane and steal Ranma, but she also loved them both. Ranma's words, spoken like this in front of everyone, were something Akane needed but never expected from her shy fiancé. She glanced at Kodachi and froze in horror.
Kodachi was smiling fondly as well. Shampoo would admit, if asked, to being Kodachi's closest friend at Furinkan. Intellectually, they were near equals. But Shampoo would never claim that Kodachi was anything other than a complete and utter loon with a nasty fixation on Ranma. That fond smile chilled her. She was immediately suspicious. While she had to admit that the other girl's aura was perfectly normal, as opposed to the old Kodachi's roiling plague, she felt there should be… something.
So while everyone else in the class sighed in relief and went back to contemplating the most romantic couple in the school, Shampoo began armoring herself to protect her heart-sister from she knew not what.
"Hey, Ukyo!" Sayuri moved over to where Ukyo was gathering up her portable grill for the trip home. "Did you hear?"
"Hear what?" Ukyo was a little brusque. Ending up at Lake Biwa had been shocking to say the least, and she suspected it was Ryoga's fault. If she was right, then out of sight could literally mean out of this world for the lost-boy. Right now, he was still in the school, but for all she knew, his next stop could be Mars.
"I hope you don't get mad, but, Ranma finally told Akane he loved her, right in front of the whole school."
Ukyo froze, jolted. She smiled slowly. "So, the jackass finally made his choice clear. Good!"
"You're not mad?" Sayuri asked quietly.
Ukyo looked at her grill. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. I love that jackass, too. But…" She looked up at Sayuri. "…I knew months ago who won his heart. I've got to get on with my life."
"Any idea who you're going to try for?" Sayuri asked quietly.
Ukyo started to answer, then remembered just what Sayuri did. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a story for the school paper now, would you?" She eyed the girl.
"M-me?" squeaked Sayuri. "Darn!" She brought out and turned off the little tape recorder she carried. "All right, just between us. Are you in the dating game again?"
Ukyo grimaced. "No." She thought a moment. "No!" she said with more authority. "I've got a lot to think about, first." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, jeez! I've gotta get this home, Sayuri. Nutcracker practice tonight! See ya!"
oOo
Urudu, Baradandya and Ninomiya sat in the teacher's lounge and sipped coffee. It was Friday, already, and the week had been full of surprises.
"So what do you think about Kodachi, Miya?" Urudu said.
Ninomiya Hinako glanced over the top of her coffee cup and made a face. "I'll repeat, for the nineteenth time, 'I really don't need this'."
"At least she's back in school, Miya," Baradandya said calmly. "I'd say the change might have helped her."
"Though I'm sure she's found some disadvantages, already," snickered Urudu. 'And will soon discover others,' she thought with a hint of self-hysteria.
Baradandya raised an eyebrow and she subsided. "I'm certain everyone will adjust," she said confidently. She turned back to the ki-vampire. "I understand you're going to talk to Soun Tendo this evening?"
Hinako nearly dropped her cup. "Who told you that?" she demanded.
"I overheard Akane discussing it with her fiancé. I think it's the right thing to do, dear. Soun isn't nearly as bad as you've painted him and much of what he did was due to his fears for his children."
Hinako looked away with pursed lips.
"Give him a chance," Urudu suggested.
"Easy for you to say," snapped Hinako. "You didn't have undying love proclaimed to you from the dregs of some drug he tried to force on Ranma!"
Urudu flinched, her past leaving guilty reminiscences of her attempts to manipulate Bel and Kei in exactly the same way. "Fear makes fools of us all," she muttered.
Baradandya smiled and glowed slightly. "Besides, life works in strange ways and we must take some things on faith. Miya, there are always barriers to happiness, but they are there to make that happiness worthwhile. Things are always so much more satisfying and fulfilling when you achieve them. I know Soun's actions are an obstacle to you, but I can't believe you fell in love with him in the first place, without feeling certain that he was a fine man. Even the very best of us do foolish things or make horrible mistakes.
"Sometimes events and circumstances beyond our control seem to place insurmountable odds in our way. Yet if we give up, we never realize if they truly are beyond our abilities, or if we merely thought they were." Baradandya sipped her coffee. "Take Kei and I... We met when he was a freshman at Nekomi Tech. I can't tell you how often things came between us, and if we had not felt certain we were destined to be together, we could not have found the joy we have. When Kei asked me to marry him, I had to tell him that we could never have children."
Hinako started and stared. "He loves you that much?"
Baradandya smiled. "That much and more. His parents were very angry. They wanted grandchildren and didn't understand why he didn't immediately break up with me. Kei hasn't seen them often since that day," she added sadly.
Urudu sniffed sadly in remembrance of the scene her sister's in-laws had made. Unfortunately, it was completely true. Immortals and human women could once have had children but, without special dispensation, that had been forbidden twelve centuries ago. Immortal women, though, never had children at all, in the normal sense of the word. Any offspring were always, mythology aside, the rebirth of some being or entity who wished to return to the cycle of life and rebuild themselves, either changing the pantheon they were attached to or risking the loss of their present power on the outside chance that they could gain more in the rebirth. That sort of thing hadn't happened in millennia.
"Poor Kei," Hinako said. She liked Baradandya's sweet-natured husband. It didn't seem right that two people like them couldn't have children.
"Sometimes," Baradandya continued hiding a smile behind her cup, "sometimes an obstacle that seemed beyond possibility falls all by itself if you are merely patient enough, faithful enough for it to come."
Urudu straightened. Her sister was smiling like the Cheshire cat. Something was up. Hinako's eyes went wide. She understood suddenly what Baradandya was saying.
oOo
"Hi-yah!" (Thud! Swish! BOOM! Powpowpowpowpowpowpow! Swish! Dadadadada!) "Dai! Hi-yah!" (Pow! Thud!)
Ranma and Akane struck and dodged like maniacs as they bounced around the inside of the dojo. Though their bodies were erupting with violence, their faces were studies of serene caring, as if each strike was a caress, each kick, an offer to play. Shampoo was sitting this one out, watching Kodachi spar with Ukyo. Each time the other girl looked as if she were about to spar with Ranma or Akane, Shampoo jumped in first, testing Kodachi's limits and controls. She urged Mousse and Ryoga to spar with her as well, never giving her the opportunity to go against her friends.
Taro refused to spar with Kodachi. He apparently had his own agenda and was determined to meditate and work on his ki-awareness. He was certain he could manage the ki-vision trick on his own and rebuffed outside help.
Kodachi and Ukyo stopped, bowed and backed away from each other. Kodachi eyed the Amazon. What Shampoo was doing was so obvious. Why she was doing it was in question. "Shampoo dear, what do you think you're doing?"
Shampoo jumped guiltily. "Why you act so funny, Kodachi?" she said crossly.
"I'm acting perfectly normal, thank you," Kodachi replied. "You are the one acting like I'm a vial of lithium hydride. Is something wrong?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Why you not mad when Ranma say he love Akane?" Shampoo blustered. "Why you sit like bump on log?"
Kodachi's smile grew wide and Ranma and Akane stopped sparring to glance nervously her way. "Perhaps I mellowed on my journey. Perhaps my transformation has let me see that they are destined for each other." She smirked wickedly. "Perhaps I have a plan?" Shampoo frowned at her. "Perhaps… I know something you don't…" Kodachi chanted in a singsong voice.
Ukyo snorted and picked up a towel to blot the sweat from her eyes.
Kodachi shivered and stretched, reveling in how her body felt. She had been working on flexibility in her male form of course, her own brand of martial arts required it; but she never fully appreciated the female form's advantages until she had lost them for a month or so. "Perhaps I'm not so concerned about what Ranma says? Hmmm?" she teased.
Ukyo's head snapped around angrily. "Leave them be, Kodachi. Can't you tell when you've lost?"
"What you say, hyena-girl?" Shampoo growled. She watched Kodachi twist and stretch luxuriously. Suddenly, her eyes went huge. "Aiya!"
oOo
Ninomiya Hinako knelt on the cushion provided by a sweetly smiling Kasumi. She crumpled the edge of her dress then straightened it with strong fingers that trembled as she brushed the cotton fabric flat. She glanced at Soun and felt her breath catch at the look in his eyes. She flushed and looked down. How to do this? Why did it have to be so hard?
But she had to. Baradandya's revelation had been too poignant, too much a miracle, to cheapen by her own fears and worries. She looked up again, remembering that this was the man she had dreamed about. Perhaps that was why she carried such a burden of anger. He had seemed so perfect when she met him that she refused to see that he could have faults and fears of his own. Urudu had said, 'fear made fools of us all'.
Soun gazed at Ninomiya Hinako with trepidation and concern. He had moped like a fool for this woman. It was his own fault. He had been doing wrong and had been caught in his own trap. Yet something about her touched him in a way that had not lived since his wife, Kimiko, died. He prayed about what to do. Till now, she rebuffed advances. He wondered why suddenly she had come to him. He didn't know for sure if he loved her, but he was certain he could learn to. He smiled encouragingly when her eyes lifted to his and became worried when he saw those eyes fill with tears.
Without even hesitating, he opened his arms and welcomed her home as she flung herself against him. "Oh, Soun!" she gulped in a shuddering cry for help.
oOo
Nodoka sat facing her husband in the room they used for a bedroom. Genma Saotome peered everywhere looking for where she had hidden that damn katana. The private setting was making him very nervous. While their relationship had thawed a little from the frigid depths caused by the disastrous attempt he and Soun had made to get Ranma and Akane married last month, he felt his wife might still discover sins of his that he literally couldn't recall, but could still get him turned into a panda-rug.
He had taken a real job, teaching karate at a local dojo. He limited his drinking and dragging Soun to bars. That hadn't been much fun of late anyway since, as soon as Soun was sloshed, he dampened the entire area with his tears. Damn that Ki-Neutral Hypnotic Potion, anyway! He was trying! Honestly! But he had a lot of baggage and he knew he'd carry it the rest of his life.
As for Soun, maybe his friend was going to get a break. That Hinako woman was here and wanted to speak to him in private. They were using the main room for their little get-together. Meanwhile, he was up here sweating buckets, wondering when the sword would fall. Literally.
"Husband," Nodoka said quietly. "I've noticed that you have made many changes in your life lately." Genma peered at her. Her face was unreadable; eyes demurely downcast and in shadow due to the lighting. "You've tried to learn how to be responsible and I honor you for how much you've changed."
Genma nodded and smiled. Maybe this was a good thing, after all.
"I'm sorry to say that I will have to add to the burdens you have so recently taken up."
Genma froze. 'What! Is something wrong?' He looked closer and saw how drawn she looked, how worried. He scooted across and enfolded her in his big burly arms. He loved his wife. No matter how much he vexed her or caused her pain, he really loved her. "What is wrong, Nodoka? I don't care; just tell me! We'll face it together. I won't run from you ever again."
Nodoka let her head fall to his shoulder. "I'm glad." She wiped her eyes and pulled back far enough to meet him eye to eye. She took a deep breath and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
Genma's expression glazed like ice on the pond on a very cold night.
oOo
Ninomiya Hinako couldn't stop crying. She never acted like this before, but she couldn't figure out how to stop. So much had been thrown at her lately. The school play, old and new super-charged students, a damaged school of which she was now acting principal… Now this!
"Tell me what is wrong, Miya! I'll make it right, somehow," Soun begged her.
So she told him.
oOo
"Aiya!" Shampoo stared at Kodachi. Kodachi jerked at the volume and degree of emotion in that single exclamation.
"What's wrong, Shampoo?" Akane asked, gliding over. The Amazon was staring at Kodachi as if she was a demon from hell.
"Look at Kodachi," Shampoo said shakily, "Look there!" She pointed with both her finger and ki. Kodachi had ki-vision but rarely used it. When she tried to look where they pointed, she couldn't make anything of it.
"See?" Shampoo accused. "It in right branch of tree of life! You see, Akane?" She pointed to Kodachi's stomach.
"What are you talking about, cat-girl?" Kodachi demanded.
"You is pregnant, Kodachi! Pregnant!" Shampoo declared.
"Impossible," Kodachi snapped irritably, "There is no way! Side effects of my stupid chemical experiments sterilized me before I was twelve. There is no way…"
"But you don't have your old body anymore, Kodachi," Akane reminded her. "So who is the father?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, no…"
While Kodachi froze and looked inward, shocked by the developments, five pairs of eyes focused on Ranma, who stood outside the circle of the females in his life. He looked back blankly, then his hair stood on end. "Oh, no; don't look at me! I ain't done nothin' to nobody, no how!"
"RrrrraaannnMMA!" This time it was Shampoo and Ukyo who growled his name.
"What have you done?" added Ryoga and Mousse almost simultaneously.
"I said," Ranma began to retort, backing away defensively, "it ain't mine!"
"Face your responsibilities, Saotome!" snarled Mousse.
"It ain't mine, I tell ya! Akane, don't you believe me?" His eyes pleaded.
Akane stared into his eyes, her own eyes huge and looking betrayed. She shook herself all over. She looked at Kodachi, then back at him. She swallowed as the others began to advance, growling. "I believe you, Ranma," she said in a small voice. He sagged in relief.
"Let's get a second opinion," suggested Ryoga. He turned back to the stunned Kodachi. "Hey, Kuno, snap out of it! Whose baby is it, anyway?"
"It's mine." The level voice came from the corner of the dojo. Taro emerged from the shadows and paced over. He laid a hand on Kodachi's shoulder, which broke her out of her reverie. "Sorry, Dachi. I didn't expect this, and I should have."
"I'm… pregnant?" Kodachi marveled.
While they milled disturbed and apologized to Ranma where he stood holding an upset Akane, Soun and Ninomiya and Genma and Nodoka walked into the dojo, followed closely behind by Kasumi, Natsume and Kurumi.
"Guess what, son," Genma bellowed. "You're going to have a baby…"
"It's not mine!" Ranma bellowed back quickly, "I didn't do it!"
Soun chuckled. "I should hope not, Ranma. What your father should have said is that you are going to be a brother again. Your mother is pregnant." He glanced at Ninomiya. "So, it seems, are we. Akane, say hello to your future stepmother; your sibling should be born sometime in July."
"Baradandya Morisato is expecting, too," Miss Hinako chirped from her vantage beside Soun. "Maybe it's contagious?"
The parents face-faulted as every unaffected female or quasi-female suddenly got as far away from anything male as they could.
"Is something wrong?" asked Nodoka.
Meanwhile, the guys were eyeing one another distrustfully. Mousse simply grinned. "God, I love being a duck!"
oOo
Baradandya hummed a happy tune as she cleaned vegetables for dinner. Urudu sat on a cushion, her head in her hand and seething in a blue funk. "Why do these things happen to you?" she complained. "I can't believe it! You finally get together with Keiichi and this happens!"
"I don't mind, Urd," the goddess of the present said as she began to cut the food and throw it into the wok. "In fact, I'm looking forward to it. Our Father was most kind."
"Yeah, right," groused Urudu. "He found a sap willing to take a loser." She frowned. "So tell me. Who's the loser kami who thinks they'll be better off going through rebirth?"
Baradandya smiled secretively.
Urudu looked disgusted. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Sakurida burst out of Urudu's teacup and landed hard on the kitchen floor. She caught her breath and dashed for her older sister. "Beldandy! Beldandy! Is it true?"
Baradandya's smile grew wider. "Yes, dear. It is."
"Oh, Kamisama!" Sakurida whined, eyes huge. "You mean I'm gonna have Marller for a niece?" Her voice was aggrieved.
"What did you say?" screamed Urudu.
"I think I'll call her… Mara," Baradandya said with a satisfied sigh.
oOo
"And step and step and step and turn." Marinara-sensei clapped her hands in time to music playing on a portable stereo. The Nutcracker practices were doing remarkably well. "Watch your hands!" she called, "Break the wrists over — don't lock the joints. Keep your back arched, on pointe. That's right." Though the dancing was greatly simplified from proffessional levels, these Japanese school children were remarkable. Perhaps it was a survival mechanism given the weirdness of the area. Too bad there weren't more of them, though.
Shampoo and four other girls kept high on their toes and sweated bullets as they moved through the blocking of their dance. Out in the auditorium, the guys drooled as Shampoo's bust bobbed and bounced with her movements, the thin stretchy fabric hiding little. They never saw the dark form that rose up behind them. Suddenly, in quick succession, they were chained to their seats and bags were dropped over their heads. Their groans and startled yells caught Marinara-sensei's attention.
"Mousse!" she snapped, "you're interrupting the practice."
Mousse, master of Hidden Weapons and punisher of perverts, paused in his work, allowing a few faster moving students to escape out the back doors. "I'm just reserving a few prisoners for Shampoo's judgment, sensei," he offered plaintively. "If you want, I can gag them for you."
"Mousse!" Shampoo stomped to the front of the stage; an action not aided by the toe-blocks in her dance slippers. "Leave stupid boys alone! What harm they do by looking? Everything covered!"
Everyone glanced at Shampoo's impressive attributes covered in stretchy pink lycra, accentuated by the strong lighting and deep shadows. Yes, Shampoo was wearing a pink leotard. Mousse walked calmly down front and smiled, looking over his glasses at Shampoo, then replacing them, obviously getting a real good look. "If you say so," he said smugly. Shampoo blushed and trembled in what everyone took to be a fit of rage.
"Excuse me," Marinara broke in. "There will be no fighting in this auditorium. Mu Tsu! Release those boys. You may, however, ask them to leave. I don't recall issuing invitations to observe our rehearsals."
Mousse grinned and walked back up the aisle. Soon a handful of frightened perverts were ejected on the toe of his shoe. He returned and sat down just a few rows back, light gleaming off his glasses and the large grin on his face. Shampoo groaned and scrubbed her fingers through her hair.
"What Mousse think he doing?" she demanded. "How what you do different from pervert-boys you kick out?"
"I'm on my dinner break, Shampoo," he replied innocently. He pulled a bowl of ramen from somewhere and began to eat. He continued to watch the stage and, in particular, a certain Amazon.
"Why you here for dinner? Why not at Nekohanten where help Great-grandmother? You being slacker, Mousse?" Shampoo continued to glare daggers at him.
"I was just delivering a takeout order, Shampoo," Mousse returned. "Matriarch Cologne's compliments, Marinara-sensei," he said with a slight bow to the instructor. He placed his own bowl down. "I didn't want to interrupt the dancing, but… Oh, well."
He came to the apron in front of the stage, doffed his glasses and proceeded to pull out of his sleeves… a three section folding table, a stack of napkins, a pot of tea, a pitcher of lemonade, a package of paper cups, chopsticks, a dozen servings of chicken lo mien, an equal number of egg rolls and a bag of fortune cookies. He bowed as the other girls clapped excitedly, impressed by his legerdemain and by his dark eyes. Shampoo's mouth twitched. Mousse was such a show-off!
Of course, Ranma came in then. Akane and Ukyo did, too; but, where food is concerned, expect Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist looked at the food spread out almost at his feet and his mouth watered.
"Ranma," bellowed Mousse as he started to reach for the food, "don't you dare!" When the man's hand continued to drift forward, he took action.
(Tckt, tckt, tckt, tckt, tckt) Five throwing knives tacked sharply into the tabletop, barring Saotome access to the food.
"Awww, c'mon, man! There's enough here for everybody," Ranma complained, jerking his hand back.
"If you count only the dancers, perhaps," Mousse retorted. "But if you count the stage crew, the lighting crew and Marinara-sensei, you will find that there is just enough!"
Ranma looked across the stage, accessing ki-vision and counting silently. "Damn! You're right, Mousse. In fact, you're short a serving as it is."
"What?" Mousse glared around the auditorium. When the hell had he lost control? He counted quickly. "I only count twelve, Saotome!"
Ranma shrugged. "My count is thirteen. You're one short."
"Count again," demanded Mousse. They started at different sections of the theater as cast and crew drew toward the table of food. "Twelve!"
"Thirteen," Ranma insisted. "Someone's gonna be disappointed," he warned the bespectacled martial artist. "Bad for business," he added.
"Arrgh!" Mousse was beside himself. His hands dove into his robes and searched. "Hah!" he shouted in triumph and a thirteenth serving rattled a little as he placed it on the table. "Thirteen!" He placed his hands on his hips and laughed at his performance against the irritating Saotome.
"Thanks, Mousse," Ranma said complacently, "I knew ya could do it!" He picked up the thirteenth serving and set to, grinning. "Ahhh… Still hot, too."
"Saotome!"
"Ranma!"
"Honestly!"
Ranma flinched a little and backed toward the door. He worried a little about the 'honestly' that had come from Akane, but… It had been fun to pull that old charade again with someone. He watched Mousse advance and wondered what he'd pull from his bottomless sleeves.
He was almost back to the door when it happened.
(BANG!) The door slammed open crushing Ranma against the wall in a splatter of chicken broth. Tatewaki Kuno marched into the room, a scowl on his face. "Where is Marinara-sensei? In truth, it strikes the strongest heart with woe that…YAAH!" (CLONK!) Kuno intercepted the full-sized, unclothed female mannequin with stand, which Mousse had extracted from his robes and hurled in silent venom at Ranma.
"Brother dear, I told you. I was not at the audition. I cannot in justice displace one of the present…" She glanced down at her unconscious brother, eyebrows rising in astonishment. "Hello," she murmured, "Did Tachi do something to someone? Or is everyone merely familiar with his reputation?" The mannequin appeared to grasp Tatewaki in a stiff but passionate embrace. The figure beneath moved a little and groaned. "Tachi! At last, a girl who hurls herself at you! I'm sure we shall post the bans immediately." The door slowly swung shut and a spattered and concussed Ranma staggered away from the wall and collapsed... across the mannequin and Tatewaki. "Ranma, can't you let my poor brother have even this tiny victory? What will Akane say if she sees you under such circumstances?" She glanced almost innocently aside. "Oh, my! Too late!"
"Ranma!" Akane's voice brought Ranma back to awareness. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a groggy Tatewaki Kuno over the unclothed white shoulder of a girl.
"Ahhh!" he yelled, levitating. He found himself standing on top of some seats, and dared glance at Akane… who was rolling on the floor in a very un-ladylike manner, gasping in laughter. Some of the girls eyed Kodachi with some trepidation.
Shampoo, though was glaring at Mousse. "Where you get, Mousse?" she growled.
Mousse adjusted his glasses and stared at his 'weapon'. He gulped and sweated. "How did that get in here?" he shouted unconvincingly, while searching his robes. He would have been in deep trouble if Ranma hadn't opened his big mouth again.
"Changin' yer attacks, duck-boy?" Ranma grinned as he recovered and hopped down from his perch. "Damn sight better than that potty seat you tend to swing. You gonna call this the 'Butt of the White Ass' or maybe 'Boobs of the Ivory Torso'?"
"Ranma!" Mousse snarled furiously. He searched his robes some more. "Wait a minute! Where is my swan potty-seat?" He stopped suddenly and brought his eyes up to Ranma's again. "Why did you just happen to mention the one item I can't find in here?"
"Ranma!" Shampoo's voice joined Akane's.
"Jeez! Okay, okay! Nobody can take a joke, anymore. Sheesh!" Ranma reached under his shirt, seemed to go into a sort of convulsion and brought out the infamous swan potty-seat. He handed it with a flourish to Mousse. "Why the hell do you carry that thing around, anyway? It's undignified," he grumbled.
Mousse snatched it from his hands. "I rue the day I taught you anything about Hidden Weapons," he said, before turning the object over and over again to be certain it wasn't vandalized or booby-trapped. "I'll have you know that this was the first item," he brandished the object at his nemesis, "I successfully hid using my Art." Grumbling, he tucked it away. Withdrawing his hands from his voluminous sleeves, he punched a fist into his palm in sudden comprehension. "This was about my comment yesterday, wasn't it?"
Ranma scowled at him. "You mean, 'I love being a duck'? Get real!" He flinched as a hand lightly touched his shoulder.
Akane looked up at him. "Then why did you so quickly remember the exact comment?" she asked slyly. She turned away with a smirk and leaped up on the stage to begin warming up.
Marinara had been staring at Kodachi all this time. She recognized Ranma's girl-type of course, but Ranma was over there, and… "What is going on?"
"Oh, excuse me," Kodachi said, bowing toward their instructor. "I am Kodachi Kuno. Sorry about this." Her glance flickered to Ranma as he snickered about something.
"Kodachi? But… I understood you had only Ranma's boy-type body as a curse. Was I misinformed?"
"No, sensei. Last week, I fell into a cursed spring very much like Nyanniichuan. Apparently my hot water curse overwrote my own genetic code and now I duplicate Ranma in everything except memories." Kodachi smiled. "I have done ballet before as part of my training for rhythmic gymnastics. I…"
"Another Nyanniichuan?" Marinara gaped. "Where?" Waterproof soap had been a wonderful find for the woman and she had discarded her Velcro-ed clothing and merely kept a rubber glove on one hand, to protect fingers she could dip in cold water in emergencies. Still, if she could get the real thing…
"Marinara-sensei," interrupted Shampoo, "we not know if Togenkyo spring change is permanent or tied to spring. It might be if spring go back to way it was, everyone changed by spring become man, all time, forever."
"I see…"
"Is that why you haven't used it, Shampoo?" asked Kodachi.
"Yes. Lose all status in tribe if become man. Mousse not allowed use spring because make woman, even if only part-time."
Mousse nodded. "I'm stuck with the duck unless some freak incident dumps a different curse on me," her fellow Amazon admitted. He turned and glared at Ranma. "Now just when did you slip this thing in on me?" he inquired icily, pointing to where Kuno was sitting up, cradling the mannequin on his lap.
"Kodachi, it is only two weeks to the show. Can you learn the basic routines and blocking in that time?" Marinara asked the redhead. "To be honest, we could use all the help we can get."
"Let's find out."
oOo
The plop of the stone in the still waters stirred the attention of the koi. Happosai sat against his tree beside the pool and frowned. It had been good lately. Real good. Jiro had found a pleasant place to live, had access to excellent sparring partners, gained respect and could enjoy the interesting fireworks going on between the youngsters in the household. It was as good or better than the deal he had as himself the past two years at the Tendos.
He yanked on his sleeve to free his hand and picked up another pebble. If only he hadn't been in such a hurry. Living a double life wasn't easy. Jiro's haste to be somewhere else had caused him to throw out a stupid lie that caught up with him. Like the pebble he had thrown, it stirred up unwanted attention. He hurled the next pebble far out into the pool and watched the dim glittering shapes turn as the ripples reached them. They began to disperse, some moving toward the new disturbance, but most beginning to patrol along the pool's edge once more.
Why hadn't he said San Francisco? Or Paris? They were far enough away that old Lacy Darlings might have thought twice about traveling to them. No, he had to send him to a spot well within the range of Lacy's abilities and now look what happened!
Still, you had to admit that Lacy's new form was hot.
Happosai thought of Jiro's present trouble with Lacy Darlings, formerly Pantyhose Taro, and sighed. Jiro was such a perfect spy for Happosai; so innocuous that people often forgot he was around, yet a martial artist with training in the Mutsabetsu style. Staying at the Tendo dojo where most of the young martial artists practiced, they had neglected to kick him out when they were discussing ki-techniques; and everything Jiro learned, Happi discovered. No, he needed Jiro to stay in place for a while, yet somehow avoid Lacy who might discover the truth.
That was why Happosai had joined breakfast that morning. He hoped to get Lacy kicked out for the damage his monster form caused. Instead… Happi took a moment to wonder about fate. Lacy had been Taro, but Lacy Darlings fit that porn-star body so much better than Taro ever would. Oh, yes! Lacy's new form was hot!
The old man had learned a few new tricks from the evening sparring sessions: ki-ribbon and sword, the improved Mouko Takabisha and ki-radio, but still lacked the real key — the ki-vision which was the prime focus for this sudden development of Ranma's power. If Happosai couldn't figure it out soon, Ranma would be in a good position to challenge his Mastery. The fight at the sports bar had been incredibly intimidating, but it just wouldn't do for some punk kid, barely into double digits age-wise, to unseat the Master of Mutsabetsu Kakuto.
Besides, with Lacy the way he was… Yes, this could get interesting. Jiro would visit Lacy tonight and let slip some story that would explain the mistake. His hands trembled at the thought of groping and fondling the lush female form cold water would reveal. He fought down his lust. Hanging around the dojo after being gone so long might be a mistake, especially with Jiro missing. Jiro could handle the excuses and take the lumps. It would be much more believable. That should get Jiro off the hook. Besides, he couldn't afford to miss too much school. It might jeopardize his position in the Tendo household as a respected guest if that happened. As it was, he felt he was pushing things with his in-and-out dodging of Taro this week.
Happosai reached into the pool and extracted a net. Inside were cans of cold soda and beer. He thought a moment and pulled out a beer. The smell might explain why Jiro was out so late this evening. He popped the tab and threw back a slug of the cold brew.
His form shifted and loose clothing became better fitting. The activation of the curse required topological similarity. That is, cold or hot liquid had to hit at least a part of your body that had originally been wet because of the spring. He had even met, years ago, a man with a horse curse, who didn't change unless you specifically dampened his head. So long as he had a waterproof hat, he was perfectly safe from unintentional change.
Happosai/Jiro ran his hands through his hair. That stupid Nanniichuan water he drank at the wedding had come in handy. He had briefly considered making a new life for himself — very briefly. But his old one was too much fun and would leave too much unresolved. He wasn't finished playing yet.
Besides, Lacy was one hot babe.
He glided into the dojo and looked around. He saw the three futon laid out in the middle of the floor. Happosai/Jiro snickered. If he had planned to splash them this evening, they were ducks in a row. He wandered over and sat down on his own futon. Taro seemed curled up in a lump. So was Ranma. He waited for them to notice him.
He waited some more.
He began to get annoyed. Ranma he could understand. The boy could sleep-fight as a result of Genma's weird training techniques. He wouldn't wake even if directly attacked, but Taro's experience should have had him up and moving by now. What was going on? He reached over and shook Taro's shoulder.
"Pillows? Training equipment?" he involuntarily exclaimed. He stepped over and yanked the cover off Ranma. More training equipment! "Where the hell are they?" growled a very annoyed man.