8: Martial Arts Dinner
When they arrived at the dojo, they saw an old-fashioned car in front of it.
'A challenger?' Resha asked Ranma.
Ranma only shrugged.
'I'm home!' Ranma shouted as he went into the house. The others follow suit.
'Ranma, there you are! Where have you been? We were so worried!' Nodoka came into view and saw the other visitors.
'Resha, Shuichi. What a pleasant surprise.' She exclaimed, hugging her daughter and her son-in-law-to-be.
Resha made a brief intro to her friends as they sat down in the living room. She saw a woman around 40-50 with sky blue eyes and brown hair that looked like a chicken was stuffed onto her head!
"Weird hair." The Tantei, Resha and Ranma thought in unison.
The woman cough a few times and everyone including the Tendo family and the Saotome family sat silently, drawn by her attention.
'My name is Madame Sainte-Paul. I am the mistress of the Chateau Chardin, also the supervisor and trainer of the Chardin art of Martial Arts Eating. Messieurs Saotome Genma and Tendo Soun have made a promise in the past that they will give one of their future daughters to be wedded into the Chardin's family. I'm here to pick up the bride for my master, Monsieur Picolette Chardin II.' She finished in a strict voice.
There was a pause and suddenly Genma and Soun leaped outside the house with a hiking bag on their back.
Resha swiftly threw the dining table right on the back of their head and they both fell into the fishpond. She went up to her father, who is now a panda, and grabbed his thick fur.
'Pop! Don't you dare tell me I have another fiancé!' she said in a dangerously low tone.
'Another?' Yuusuke asked quietly, but only the Tantei heard him.
Panda sign: 'Calm down, Resha.'
'What do you mean, calm down! What on earth did you did this time, ya old man?' she yelled at the panda, shaking him crazily.
'Resha, we'll tell you! Please relax!' Soun cried, tears streaming from his eyes like waterfalls.
Resha was going to give a piece of her mind at him when Kurama suddenly put his hand on her shoulder lightly.
'Resha, we should hear what they are going to say. Let's just settle down, inside.' He spoke calmly.
Resha sighed in frustration, but went inside anyway.
Soun started the story since Genma was still in his panda-form.
'It happened 20 years ago, when we went training. We came to the Chardin's mansion and saw the Martial Arts Eating Competition. We were very hungry and hadn't eaten for days so we took the challenge. The one who loose must pay for the foods, French foods, they are extremely expensive.'
'Unfortunately you lost, and you hadn't any money, so you made that brainless pledge! Am I right?' Resha asked bitterly.
'Resha! I told you not to use such harsh words!' Nodoka said sternly.
Resha was quiet.
'Ye…yes. Well, she's right. So now I have three daughters and Saotome have one. I guess, Akane is out since she's already engaged to Ranma, and Resha is also not in since she's already betrothed to…' Resha stopped Soun words abruptly.
'Is there any way we can break from this engagement, Madame Sainte-Paul?' she asked.
'Well, there is. In order to get out of the marriage, the bride must defeat Monsieur Picolette at Martial Arts Eating, a match where you had to eat without being seen eating. Then the vow can be released.' She said in her strict tone.
Everyone was quiet yet again.
'I'll go then.' Resha said calmly at last.
Panda sign: 'But you are already engaged to…'
Resha smashed the sign before anyone could finish reading it.
'I said I'll go. Who are you going to send? Kasumi? Nabiki? They cannot defeat him. Only I am fast enough to counteract the art.' Resha snapped at her father again.
'Good then. We can go today. The match is in a week time, and I am supervised to train you as future wife into the Chardin arts of Martial Arts Eating.' Madame Sainte-Paul uttered and got up.
Resha followed suit.
'Resha, tomorrow is a school day.' Kurama pointed suddenly.
'I'll skip school for just a week.' She answered unconcerned. What she is anxious now is about getting herself out of one of her Pop dumb mistake and not to mention, winning the match.
Resha parted with her family and the Tantei that evening.
'Wow! Hardly half a day here and it's almost drove me crazy! That leotard girl and the boy with the bokken(wooden sword) –they sure love roses, and we even caught the youkai without breaking the tiniest sweat! Furthermore Resha truly has a weird family!' Yuusuke exclaimed as they went home.
'I wonder who is Resha's fiancé? She kept cutting peoples words when the name was about to mention.' Kuwabara uttered.
'Hn, baka!' Hiei muttered at his idiocy.
'Who are you calling baka, you shrimp! Do you know who is Resha's fiancé? Bet you don't!' Kuwabara yelled at him angrily.
'Hn! Isn't it obvious, you dimwit?' Hiei snapped.
'What do you mean, it's obvious?' Yuusuke asked.
Hiei couldn't defy a sweatdrop.
'You both are idiots!' he muttered finally.
'What does that suppose to mean?' Both Yuusuke and Kuwabara yelled.
'Calm down, you three.' Kurama suddenly hindered. 'I am her fiancé. We were betrothed by our mothers.' He explained.
'WHAT!' the two shouted in disbelief.
Kurama just sighed.
In Sarayashiki
The days gone by with a little confusion as people, especially in Meiou High wondered where Resha had gone.
Kurama told the headmaster and Resha's class monitor, Kazuki, that Resha went home to take care of her sick mother. The news then spread like the wind throughout school and everything calmed a bit.
Three days later
Kurama walked towards his house from school when he noticed a letter in his mailbox. It was addressed to him so he opened it.
The letter reads:
To Minamino Shuichi
Dear Monsieur Minamino,
You are invited to watch the match of Martial Arts Dinner on this Sunday, 10 August. Please wear formally.
Thank you.
P.S. Hiei is also invited.
Sincerely,
Picolette Chardin II & Saotome Resha
Kurama blinked at the letter. Suddenly, his name was called from behind.
'Kurama!' Yuusuke uttered, running towards him with Kuwabara. 'Did you get the letter from Resha?'
'Yes. An invitation to the match.' Kurama answered.
'We got 'em too. Kinda weird but nice, I guess.' Yuusuke shrugged.
'Hiei, you are also invited.' Kurama said clearly.
Hiei jumped from the tree above them.
'Hn, and what makes you think I'm going?' he grunted.
'Resha wrote so with her own hands. I recognize her handwriting.' Kurama showed him the appendix.
'Hn.' Hiei scowled and looked away. He jumped back on the tree.
'He means he'll be going.' Kurama enlightened his teammates.
After that, they went back to their house.
That evening
Kurama exited his house and thought.
"What am I forgetting? Ah yes, Resha would be pleased if I brought these along." He smiled to himself and grabbed a parcel.
At the same moment, at Tendo Dojo
Ranma exited the dojo and thought.
"What am I forgetting? Ah yes, Resha would be pleased if I brought these along." He smiled to himself and grabbed a parcel.
'ARGHHH! Don't put that into my mouth!' Resha shouted as Madame Sainte-Paul forced a huge watermelon into her small mouth repeatedly.
'Mademoiselle Resha, you must try. All Chardin can do it.' Picolette said in French as he took a bigger watermelon and shove it easily inside his mouth.
'I ain't a Chardin! Damn it!' she yelled –in French also, into his good-looking face. A pan was immediately whacked on her head, making her dizzy.
'Watch out who you are talking to! Such an impudent young lady!' Madame Sainte-Paul screeched.
'Mademoiselle Resha! Are you alright?' Picolette asked kindly, now in Japanese, looking her over with his light blue eyes.
Resha just groaned.
'We will stop here for today. You may go to your room and rest!' Madame Sainte-Paul ordered firmly.
Resha walked into her room, rubbing her bumped head.
"I'm going to die before the match." She thought wearily, going towards the bed.
'Would you like something before you rest, Mademoiselle?' a familiar female voice chirruped.
'Maybe some tea?' another well-known male voice piped.
Resha turned around to face a grinning Ranma-chan and Kurama. She blinked.
'Why are you dressed up like a maid, Ranma? And you look like a butler, Kurama!' she exclaimed.
'Well, the guards wouldn't let us in, so we had to disguise!' Ranma-chan explained.
'And I thought, you said you hate dresses. Why are you wearing one?' Kurama raised an eyebrow in amusement.
She looked attractive in a gown, especially it showed her perfect figure. She pouted and he noticed she was even wearing lipstick!
Very unlike her.
'I was forced to wear one. Madame Sainte-Paul even made me wear this tight steel corset!' she opened the top of her dress revealing the corset, and not to mention her upper breast.
Kurama gave a faint blush but Ranma-chan, very used to her boldness, examined the corset.
'It is real steel.' Ranma-chan muttered.
'Of course it is! And it's damn tight! How do women stand wearing this stuff 24/7?' Resha uttered angrily.
'Can't you just get them off?' Kurama asked, loosing his coyness.
'I can't. It is locked! And I can never get it off if I don't win this match!' she sighed and buttoned back her top.
'So win the match!' Ranma and Kurama pointed in unison.
'I don't know…' she said quietly.
'What do you mean, you don't know? He can't be faster than you.' Ranma uttered a little confused.
'He's faster.' She answered curtly.
'Explain!' Kurama and Ranma, again, said in unison.
Resha groaned. She hates explaining.
'Picolette, the Chardin family, they all have exceptionally large mouths that could fit two or three watermelons at once! They also have like two meters long tongue that could catch any food within its distance, and is extremely fast! And I, on the other hand, have a normal small mouth and tongue.' She paused to sigh.
'I thought Madame Sainte-Paul was supposed to train you.' Kurama uttered attentively.
'Yeah, she does train me, by forcing watermelons into my mouth to make it as big as theirs! Or put a dish of food on the top of my head and told me to get it with my tongue, seriously!' she rolled her eyes.
Kurama and Ranma-chan exchanged glances.
Resha sighed again. 'I'm so hungry…'
The other two grinned and at the same time got out their pack, uttering:
'I thought you would need this. Huh?' they looked at each other surprised.
Resha's eyes turned starry. 'Homemade bento! You two are the bestest people ever!' she shouted in French and hugged the two, making the trio fell onto the bed. She sat up and opened both bentos. In exactly 1.49 seconds, the plates were empty.
'Was that a new record?' Ranma-chan asked sweatdropping.
'I say I am more interested in what she just said. Did you just spoke French?' Kurama asked.
'Oh that, yeah. I learned French a bit while I'm here.' Resha replied.
'You just have to learn everything, don't you?' Ranma rolled her eyes.
'Heh, heh. I couldn't help myself. I asked Picolette to teach me French language, and I watched the chef cooked French foods, and I…'
'Okay! Okay! I understand your curiosity. Sheesh!' Ranma grumbled. She seemed to be thoughtful for a while before asking. 'Why don't you turned into your chibi-form and get out of that corset?'
Resha grunted. 'I can't. Remember, my clothes changes according to my form. Besides, it almost made me choke! Seeing as my body isn't curvy in that form.'
'You aren't giving up, are you?' Ranma smirked.
She smirked back. 'No, I have a plan, but I need both of you to help me.'
They gathered closer and Resha whispered the plan.
'That might work.' Kurama said, and the three smiled ultimately.
To be continue
Sneak peek chapter 9:
What do you mean it's not there?' Resha shouted.
"What is it actually this technique that the Chardin fear so much!" Resha thought.
'Resha has a fetish for foxes.' Ranma said bored.
Author: Muahaha! I'm so evil! I'm giving the greatest thanks to whoever read this story and also to those who reviews. Arigato gozaimasu/Shi-shi/Thank you/Trima kasih.
