Author's Note: Reposted to fix a few grammatical mistakes.
Chapter 10 The Black Rose
Ranma was pretty disgusted. She had almost made it the entire day again without being splashed, and then as she was passing that old lady, she had gotten wet. She was almost home when she overheard the sound of a fight. She turned the corner and discovered three girls in Furinkan High School uniforms being attacked by a girl in a leotard. Ranma rushed over and snatched the ribbons out of the girl's hands and threw her to the ground. "I don't know who you are, but these girls are hurt pretty bad. There's no excuse for what you are doing!" she cried.
"I am the Black Rose of St. Hebereke High School, I answer to no common trash like you," the girl cried. She jumped up and disappeared, leaving a trail of black roses behind her.
"Who was that?" Ranma asked.
"That was the captain of the St. Hebereke Martial Arts Gymnastics team. We're what's left of the Furinkan team. We're supposed to have a match with them next weekend, and now we'll have to forfeit unless we can find someone to take our place," one of the girls said.
"We're almost to Dr. Tofu's clinic. Come with me there and he can take a look at your injuries. Maybe they're not as bad as you think," Ranma replied. She helped the three girls stagger over to Dr. Tofu's clinic. They met Akane entering the clinic. She was returning a book that Kasumi had borrowed.
Akane asked, "What happened to you three?"
The leader of the group explained how the girl from St. Hebereke had attacked them, saying, "They have never lost a match, but that's because the other team has to forfeit. Looks like we'll have to do the same, since there's no one left on our team."
"Let me do it," Akane volunteered.
All of the girls got excited and happy. Ranma looked startled. Akane and Ranma left the three girls in the capable hands of Dr. Tofu. Ranma waited until the girls went into the exam room and then borrowed some hot water. After changing back, they headed home. As they entered the dojo, Ranma asked, "Do you know anything about Martial Arts Gymnastics?"
"No, but how hard can it be?" Akane replied.
Akane started practicing with the various pieces of equipment, the clubs, the ribbons and the hoops. Nothing went where she wanted it to, and she began to get frustrated. Ranma tried to help, but he wasn't any better. "Akane, unless we can find someone who knows about this stuff, I think you're in trouble," Ranma said.
At that moment a voice was heard behind them, "Maybe I can help, I picked up a few things about Martial Arts Gymnastics in my travels." They turned and there in the doorway stood Ryoga.
Akane and Ranma looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Akane said, "Do you two promise not to fight until after the match?" Ryoga and Ranma agreed quickly. Seeing that, Akane said, "Okay then, I could use the pointers. I'm not getting anywhere doing what I am doing." Ranma got out of the way and watched Ryoga begin training Akane. He was actually pretty impressed by Ryoga's teaching ability. After a couple of hours, Akane was beginning to get the basics of the various tools down. Finally, Kasumi came out to tell them it was time for dinner, inviting Ryoga to join them. After dinner, Ranma took Ryoga upstairs and showed him where he could sleep.
Akane went into her room after dinner. She was about to sit down on her bed, when she noticed a black rose in the middle of the bed. Then she looked and there hiding above her in one corner of the room, was a black haired girl, wearing a leotard. She lashed out at Akane with a ribbon. It missed, but Akane screamed. Ranma came running in the door, and ran into the girl knocking her off balance. The girl climbed out the window, Akane following her. Ranma jumped out after them and saw the two girls fighting on the roof. Finally Akane got a solid blow in and knocked the girl off the roof. Ranma ran over and caught the girl before she could land on her head. The girl turned, and said, "My hero, you saved me. What's your name?"
He realized that this was the same girl from the afternoon. He answered, "I'm Ranma Saotome." She sighed and kissed him. "I am Kodachi, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke, we shall meet again, my beloved." He stood there paralyzed. She jumped out of his arms and disappeared over the rooftops, scattering black roses behind her, laughing manically as she disappeared from sight.
The paralysis wore off quickly. Ranma jumped up to the roof and found Akane. She was furious. She couldn't decide though if she was madder because of the attack, or because Kodachi had kissed Ranma. Ranma gathered Akane in his arms, and then leapt down to the ground. They entered the house and went back upstairs to bed.
Akane, Ranma and Ryoga spent the next two days practicing the skills for the gymnastics meet, Ranma practicing to be Akane's second. Each evening, Ranma would check out Akane's room before she would enter, just to make sure there wasn't a repeat performance.
The day of the match, Ranma, Ryoga and Akane went to the gym at St. Hebereke for the match. Her family and a host of well-wishers from the high school joined them. As they walked in, they met Kodachi. She walked over to Akane and held out her hand, saying, "May the best person win." Ranma grabbed her hand, turned it over and displayed several thumbtacks concealed between her fingers. Kodachi blushed, and said, "I wonder how those got there. Anyway, your dressing room is over there." Kodachi pointed to a door. Ranma opened the door. There on the table was a bouquet of black roses. Ranma tossed one of his clubs at the roses. As soon as the club touched the roses, some sort of gas began coming out of them. He waited, the gas dissipated. Eventually, he went in and checked out the rest of the room. He left and waited outside until Akane came out dressed in her leotard. Ryoga went to stand next to the Tendos. They heard the announcer call for attention.
"Testing, 1 2 3, testing. Welcome everyone to the St. Hebereke Martial Arts Gymnastic Challenge. Today we will see Akane Tendo representing Furinkan High School fight against our own beloved Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose," the announcer said.
"Kuno!!" Akane and Ranma both exclaimed.
"Please welcome the challenger to the ring," the announcer called. Hearing their cue, Akane and Ranma walked out, Akane climbing into the ring, Ranma taking his station in their corner. "Now, please welcome the reigning champion of Martial Arts Gymnastics, Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke High School," he declared. A trapeze began to descend from the ceiling, Kodachi sitting upon it wearing a white bridal gown.
She called, "Ranma, my beloved, I wear my wedding dress for you, dear."
Akane began to see red. "Ranma, what does she mean by that?"
Ranma said, "I have no idea. Do me a favor and hit her a bunch of times for me, will ya? She ain't my fiancée!!"
Kodachi landed in the ring, threw off the wedding dress to appear dressed in a black leotard. She called to her second for her hoop. Akane got two of her clubs. The bell rang and the fight was on. Kodachi threw her hoop at Akane, Akane dodged, putting one of the clubs in the way of the hoop. The hoop cut the club in half, and landed next to Ranma. "Hey, ref, this hoop is a razor," Ranma called, "Surely that's not legal."
The referee turned to him and said, "Any tool she has is legal. Those are the rules. You can only hit someone with one of the tools is the only restriction in this match."
Akane threw what was left of her club at Kodachi. Kodachi leapt to avoid it and landed by the ropes. Kodachi lashed at Akane with her ribbon. Akane caught it with her leather-gloved hand, and began to pull Kodachi to the center of the ring. Kodachi frowned in surprise; no one had ever been able to do this before to her. Akane pulled even harder, and Kodachi lost hold of the ribbon. Akane tossed that behind her to the ring floor. Then Kodachi called for her clubs and grabbing them, called out "Attack of the thousand clubs". She charged Akane, whirling her clubs around making it look like there were a thousand clubs. As she got nearer, Akane threw her club into the middle of the clubs, disrupting Kodachi's rhythm. About twenty clubs flew out of the ring, barely missing some of the spectators. Kodachi ran back to her corner, looking for her next tool. Akane grabbed Kodachi's ribbon, and began lashing Kodachi. Kodachi jumped up on the ropes to avoid the ribbon, then jumped back out of the ring. As she jumped up, she whistled, the ring moved to land under her. Ranma lifted up the skirt of the platform and saw the remainder of the Gymnastics Team under the platform. "Hey, Ref, is this legal?"
The referee just ignored him. Akane continued to attack Kodachi with Kodachi's ribbon. Finally, she cornered Kodachi on the ropes again. This time when Kodachi sprung back, Ranma was ready. As Kodachi whistled, he threw a bunch of marbles in the way of the girls. They fell down, slipping and sliding and the ring stayed put. Kodachi fell outside of the ring, knocking herself out.
The announcer cried out, "In a stunning victory, the challenger, Akane Tendo has defeated the champion, Kodachi Kuno, breaking her undefeated streak at one hundred matches." The crowd from Furinkan came running over to congratulate Akane. Finally, bruised and battered, Kodachi walked over and congratulated Akane.
"Ranma, darling, I can not bear for you to see me defeated. Please forgive me for not being able to win you from this peasant," Kodachi said.
"Ranma," Akane growled.
"Kodachi, I'm not your darling. Leave me alone; I'm not interested in you. Go find someone else to pester," Ranma said. With that, they all turned and left, leaving Kodachi spluttering behind them.
Akane asked, "Ranma, where's Ryoga?"
A little later
"Now, where am I," Ryoga asked out loud.
"Just outside of Nerima," a voice said. Ryoga turned. He saw a young man, dressed in some kind of uniform, with a bandolier across his chest. In the bandolier were several small spatulas, and a great spatula handle was visible above his head.
"Do you know how to get to the Tendo home," Ryoga asked hopefully, "I got lost and want to get back to see my friend Ranma."
"Sorry, I don't know where it is, I'm new to the area myself. Your friend wouldn't be Ranma Saotome, would he?" the boy asked.
Ryoga said, "Yeah, that his name. Do you know him?"
The boy just ignored him and rushed off toward Nerima. Ryoga tried to follow, but soon lost sight of the boy.
A figure was shadowing Gemna Saotome as he walked home from his job at the clinic. Suddenly the figure rushed him, swinging a huge battle spatula. "Saotome", the figure roared, "At last I've found you, you bastard!" The spatula swung and connected with Gemna, smashing him into the ground. The assailant hit him again and again in an angry rage. "Why did you leave me, Father," he cried. After pulverizing Gemna, the figure choked back a sob and ran off, leaving Gemna unconscious on the ground.
Akane came rushing over, after overhearing the last portion of the fight, to check on Gemna. She picked him up and staggered back to Dr. Tofu. After leaving him in the doctor's capable hands, she walked home, lost in thought. 'What did that person mean by calling him Father? Does this mean Ranma has a brother?' she thought to herself. Entering the yard, she saw Ranma practicing in the entrance to the dojo. 'He sure moves gracefully,' she thought, 'I wonder if I could ever move like that?' She stared, entranced by the beauty of his motion.
Ranma sensed he was being watched. He finished the exercise he was doing, and then turned. "Yo, Akane, where've ya been? We were supposed to work out together tonight right after school, remember?" he said.
"Sorry, Ranma, I had to stay late, I thought I told you. It's a good thing I did, too. I stumbled across your dad on the way home. Somebody had beaten him pretty badly. He's at the clinic with Dr. Tofu. But, the person who was hitting him was calling him Father. You don't have any brothers, do you?" she said.
Ranma looked stunned. "Not any that I know of, tell Kasumi would you, I need to get over there and check on the old man," he said. With that, he ran off. Akane went in to tell Kasumi, and then went upstairs to work on her schoolwork.
Ranma came home about an hour later. He met Kasumi and Akane as he entered. He said with a hint of disgust, "The old man will be okay, but he didn't see who it was that attacked him. All he knows is that he got hit by some kind of weapon. He's going to spend the night there, and then come home first thing in the morning."