'The Art of War'
"There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army. By commanding the army to advance or retreat, being ignorante of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. By attempting to govern the army in the same way he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldiers' minds. By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers...
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"Miserable smell still burning my nose..." Ranma mumbled, as he walked into the men's washroom of the public bath, and sat upon one of the stools supplied. After carefully ensuring to fill a pail with warm water, the pigtailed boy upended it over his head, and then set to the audious task of washing away the obnoxious stench of Kodachi's perfume.
After pausing to wash a bit of soap that managed to spatter into his eye from his frantic scrubbing, he spotted a white duck heading towards him down the isle, "Yo, Mousse, how's it goin'?"
The duck quacked in reply, and leapt onto the stool next to Ranma, patiently waiting for the pigtailed boy to finish filling his pail with hot water, and then upend it over the duck's head.
"Greetings, Saotome, you're just the person I wanted to see."
"Izzat so?" Ranma enquired, before mumbling a bit more about horrible body oders of gymnasts.
"I beg your pardon?" Mousse didn't quite catch what Ranma had said.
"Nutt'n. There was something I wanted to ask you about Shampoo," as Mousse's eyes narrowed, Ranma hastefully added, "I mean, she's acting weird and all, and she practically attacked me! You know what that's all about?"
Mousse silently fumed, as his eyes shifted to his left. With a slight nod, Mousse turned back to Ranma with a cracked smile, "I guess it's... that time of the month... WHAT?!?"
"Um, Mousse, are you okay?" Ranma equired.
"I'm fine, I am, really," Mousse quickly answered, the next part he had barely managed to get out through gritted teeth, "Her actions aren't your.... fault... after all...."
"No, really, are you okay, Mousse?" Ranma enquired for a second time.
"I'M FINE, YOU MORO-...." Mousse stopped abruptly, and shifted his eyes back to the left. Ranma blinked, and followed Mousse's gaze, only to find himself staring at the wall two feet to the right of him. Ranma's attention was drawn back to the sound of Mousse forcing himself to take deep breaths, as if to calm himself down.
"I'm fine, Saotome, thank you for your concern." Mousse found himself replying rather easily after taking several deep calming breaths. The rather unusual but somewhat pleasant scent helped to relax him, also. "Perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss things..."
"Where do you suggest, then?" Ranma enquired, eyeing Mousse dubiously.
After several moments, Mousse replied, "Icecream... my... treat?" The wince he made was even audible, but apparently Ranma chose to ignore it.
"Sure! If you're offer'n! I know a great place near here, in fact...!"
"Great..." Mousse replied, already seeing last weeks pay from working at the Cat Cafe becoming non-existant.
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Tarou groaned, as he put down the mic that was broadcasting to Mousse's earpiece... the one in his left ear. He had to wonder if it would have been better just to hunt down pigboy for this little gag against the femboy.
"The things I have to go through for some decent entertainment..."
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Mousse watched the redhead across from him raptly, as she dug into her third sundae with gusto. The Chinese native had to admit, he may have been indifferent to making passes at other guys, but he was much more comfortable with Ranma as a girl. Not only that, the alluring scent that he had now figured was accompanying Ranma had grown stronger while he was in girl form (choosing to switch to that form after explaining that it wasn't manly to eat some of the sundaes he intended to), and after the brisk run they made to the parlor; the pigtailed girl was rather enthuesiastic about free icecream.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ranma asked, looking up at Mousse with oblivious eyes, and lips slightly rimmed some melted icecream. Unconciously, she licked her tongue against her lips slowly, capturing some of the flavor that saught to escape her as long as possible. She blinked as Mousse's eyes went wide, and he gave a long, silent gulp, before shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Ranma hoped whatever Mousse had wasn't contagious.
"I just wanted... t-to... you n-now... let bygones... be bygones?"
Ranma blinked again, "Okay, who are you, and where's Mousse?"
Mousse gave an extremely nervous laugh, before he jolted, and looked to his left. Ranma tilted her head, causing her companion to look back towards her, and become mesmorized by her innocently adorable gesture; he really had to wonder what he found so insufferable about someone who could be so cute without thinking about it.
"I said, is that a nervous twitch, or something?"
Mousse blinked back to reality, "What, darli-... Ranma?"
"You keep looking to your left..." Ranma commented in a dry tone.
"Oh, muscle spasm," Mousse quickly answered, before changing the subject like he was just ordered to, "Anyways, I was hoping that we can forget the past, and begin anew as friend, brothers, even!"
"Well, I don't know you all *that* well, but I guess it beats fight'n with ya at every instance Shampoo clings to me," Ranma drolled, before finishing her current sundae, and raising her hand to call over the waiter. "Wha?"
Ranma-chan looked down, to find Mousse clutching her other hand with both of his, while staring at her with a gloriously estatic and earnest espression, "You mean it? Do you?"
"...." Ranma replied immidiately, before continuing, "Well, if it means that much to you..."
Ranma tensed up, as Mousse hugged her from across the table, "THANK YOU! I WON'T MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!?"
"Already... starting... to..."
Mousse felt his heart began to shatter at her response, before she continued."
"Let... go... buddy... can't... breath..."
"Oh, my apologies, Ranma," Mousse replied sheepishly, before taking another deep breath, and emitting a glowing, goofy smile.
"Mousse? Mousse? Anyone home?" Ranma snapped her fingers a few times in Mousse's face, failing to catch his attention. With a sigh, Ranma left the table, got some hot water from the counter, and left a guy.
"[Mousse? MOUSSE! You moron, wake up before I come over there and beat you back to your senses!]" Tarou warred with his irritation at his accomplice, and the slight awe he felt from the way Mousse suddenly took control.
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"The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy."
"Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive."
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"I'm home!" Ranma announced, walking into the Tendou home. He blinked at the sight before him.
"Welcome home, Ranma-kun," Kasumi greeted, knealing seiza before the front hall in an rather attractive kimono, almost kow-towing before the pigtailed boy.
"Kasumi, what's this all about?" Ranma enquired, wondering if Kasumi accidentally screwed up one of his favorite shirts in the laundary again. Actually, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was Akane's fault, and Kasumi was covering for her, but nonetheless...
"I only wished to greet you properly upon your return, Ranma-kun. If you would like, I have prepared your favorite blend of tea with some cookies in the tearoom for you."
"You didn't get a call that I was dying, did you?" Ranma asked, growing increasingly nervous.
"Oh no! Nothing like that!" Kasumi quickly replied, "Would you like to join me for tea?"
"I.... guess...." Ranma replied, following the eldest Tendou daughter to the tearoom.
He sat down across from Kasumi, as she daintily poured his tea for him, before lifting the mug up, and presenting it to him with her head slightly bowed.
"Thanks, but you don't need to go through all of this," Ranma replied, wondering what the heck was going on.
"Oh, you must be tense from all that running around, Ranma-kun!" Kasumi replied.
Ranma shrugged, before reaching for a cookie, "Yeah, a bit. This morning Nabiki caught a bad case of Akaneidus. Speaking of Akane, I managed to get her angry somehow. Ukyo started acting all weird, same with Shampoo. Kodachi started clinging to me and got this weird and disgusting smelling perfume all over me." Kasumi nodded at that, as she had been wondering where the smell had been coming from. Although, she found it rather... asthetic and pleasant. "And then I met up with Mousse at a public bath, asking to be friends instead of blood enemies or something like... what are you doing?"
Ranma looked over his shoulder at Kasumi, surprised he hadn't even noticed her scooting behind him until she started massaging his shoulders. "Oh my, it seems as if you've had a rough day so far, Ranma-kun. Maybe there's something I can do to make it... better?"
Ranma started leaning back, as the young woman started to lean her face closer to Ranma's ever so slowly. "Well, you've already done more than enough for me, thanks Kasumi. I do feel a bit better now, at least."
Kasumi internally fought down her growl of fustration. She intellectually noticed herself becoming more aggressive, but didn't much care. "But it's only the duty of a proper, loving lady such as me to... please."
Ranma stiffened at Kasumi's statement, before his eyes narrowed, "I see what this is all about!"
Kasumi paused in her minstrations, "Y-you do?"
Ranma spun, facing the eldest Tendou daughter, and grasped both of Kasumi's shoulders, "How can I not see it? I would be blind not to!"
"Oh, Ranma-kun!" Kasumi realized she was swooning in Ranma's handsome gaze.
"You're worried that you won't find yourself a husband!"
Kasumi blinked, "I am?"
"Sure!" Ranma exclaimed, "That's what this whole show is all about, isn't it? To prove that you can be a proper wife!" Ranma looked sternly at Kasumi, "Kasumi, don't give up hope! There's plenty of guys out there for you!"
"B-b-b-..." Kasumi regained her composure, before throwing herself facefirst into Ranma's chest, while taking a deep, comforting breath, "but don't you find me attractive, Ranma?"
Kasumi felt almost euphoric, as Ranma hugged her, "Of course I do, Kasumi! But don't worry, you're only twenty... nineteen..."
Kasumi looked up from Ranma's chest with an incredulous stare, as Ranma had his eyes downcast, seeming to search through his memory. He looked back up with a hopeful expression, "Twenty?"
"Twenty," Kasumi confirmed with a half-lidded gaze.
"See? You still have a while yet before you're an old maid!" Ranma proclamed, "Remember, Kasumi, don't give up hope! You'll find Mr. Right, yet!" With that, Ranma gave a still Kasumi a hug meant for siblings, and a pat on the back, before standing up, and heading out the room.
Kasumi sat frozen for several moments, before her expression darkend, and she napped her fingers in irritation.
"There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army. By commanding the army to advance or retreat, being ignorante of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. By attempting to govern the army in the same way he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldiers' minds. By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers...
______________________
______________________
"Miserable smell still burning my nose..." Ranma mumbled, as he walked into the men's washroom of the public bath, and sat upon one of the stools supplied. After carefully ensuring to fill a pail with warm water, the pigtailed boy upended it over his head, and then set to the audious task of washing away the obnoxious stench of Kodachi's perfume.
After pausing to wash a bit of soap that managed to spatter into his eye from his frantic scrubbing, he spotted a white duck heading towards him down the isle, "Yo, Mousse, how's it goin'?"
The duck quacked in reply, and leapt onto the stool next to Ranma, patiently waiting for the pigtailed boy to finish filling his pail with hot water, and then upend it over the duck's head.
"Greetings, Saotome, you're just the person I wanted to see."
"Izzat so?" Ranma enquired, before mumbling a bit more about horrible body oders of gymnasts.
"I beg your pardon?" Mousse didn't quite catch what Ranma had said.
"Nutt'n. There was something I wanted to ask you about Shampoo," as Mousse's eyes narrowed, Ranma hastefully added, "I mean, she's acting weird and all, and she practically attacked me! You know what that's all about?"
Mousse silently fumed, as his eyes shifted to his left. With a slight nod, Mousse turned back to Ranma with a cracked smile, "I guess it's... that time of the month... WHAT?!?"
"Um, Mousse, are you okay?" Ranma equired.
"I'm fine, I am, really," Mousse quickly answered, the next part he had barely managed to get out through gritted teeth, "Her actions aren't your.... fault... after all...."
"No, really, are you okay, Mousse?" Ranma enquired for a second time.
"I'M FINE, YOU MORO-...." Mousse stopped abruptly, and shifted his eyes back to the left. Ranma blinked, and followed Mousse's gaze, only to find himself staring at the wall two feet to the right of him. Ranma's attention was drawn back to the sound of Mousse forcing himself to take deep breaths, as if to calm himself down.
"I'm fine, Saotome, thank you for your concern." Mousse found himself replying rather easily after taking several deep calming breaths. The rather unusual but somewhat pleasant scent helped to relax him, also. "Perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss things..."
"Where do you suggest, then?" Ranma enquired, eyeing Mousse dubiously.
After several moments, Mousse replied, "Icecream... my... treat?" The wince he made was even audible, but apparently Ranma chose to ignore it.
"Sure! If you're offer'n! I know a great place near here, in fact...!"
"Great..." Mousse replied, already seeing last weeks pay from working at the Cat Cafe becoming non-existant.
______________________
Tarou groaned, as he put down the mic that was broadcasting to Mousse's earpiece... the one in his left ear. He had to wonder if it would have been better just to hunt down pigboy for this little gag against the femboy.
"The things I have to go through for some decent entertainment..."
______________________
Mousse watched the redhead across from him raptly, as she dug into her third sundae with gusto. The Chinese native had to admit, he may have been indifferent to making passes at other guys, but he was much more comfortable with Ranma as a girl. Not only that, the alluring scent that he had now figured was accompanying Ranma had grown stronger while he was in girl form (choosing to switch to that form after explaining that it wasn't manly to eat some of the sundaes he intended to), and after the brisk run they made to the parlor; the pigtailed girl was rather enthuesiastic about free icecream.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Ranma asked, looking up at Mousse with oblivious eyes, and lips slightly rimmed some melted icecream. Unconciously, she licked her tongue against her lips slowly, capturing some of the flavor that saught to escape her as long as possible. She blinked as Mousse's eyes went wide, and he gave a long, silent gulp, before shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Ranma hoped whatever Mousse had wasn't contagious.
"I just wanted... t-to... you n-now... let bygones... be bygones?"
Ranma blinked again, "Okay, who are you, and where's Mousse?"
Mousse gave an extremely nervous laugh, before he jolted, and looked to his left. Ranma tilted her head, causing her companion to look back towards her, and become mesmorized by her innocently adorable gesture; he really had to wonder what he found so insufferable about someone who could be so cute without thinking about it.
"I said, is that a nervous twitch, or something?"
Mousse blinked back to reality, "What, darli-... Ranma?"
"You keep looking to your left..." Ranma commented in a dry tone.
"Oh, muscle spasm," Mousse quickly answered, before changing the subject like he was just ordered to, "Anyways, I was hoping that we can forget the past, and begin anew as friend, brothers, even!"
"Well, I don't know you all *that* well, but I guess it beats fight'n with ya at every instance Shampoo clings to me," Ranma drolled, before finishing her current sundae, and raising her hand to call over the waiter. "Wha?"
Ranma-chan looked down, to find Mousse clutching her other hand with both of his, while staring at her with a gloriously estatic and earnest espression, "You mean it? Do you?"
"...." Ranma replied immidiately, before continuing, "Well, if it means that much to you..."
Ranma tensed up, as Mousse hugged her from across the table, "THANK YOU! I WON'T MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!?"
"Already... starting... to..."
Mousse felt his heart began to shatter at her response, before she continued."
"Let... go... buddy... can't... breath..."
"Oh, my apologies, Ranma," Mousse replied sheepishly, before taking another deep breath, and emitting a glowing, goofy smile.
"Mousse? Mousse? Anyone home?" Ranma snapped her fingers a few times in Mousse's face, failing to catch his attention. With a sigh, Ranma left the table, got some hot water from the counter, and left a guy.
"[Mousse? MOUSSE! You moron, wake up before I come over there and beat you back to your senses!]" Tarou warred with his irritation at his accomplice, and the slight awe he felt from the way Mousse suddenly took control.
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"The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy."
"Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive."
______________________
______________________
"I'm home!" Ranma announced, walking into the Tendou home. He blinked at the sight before him.
"Welcome home, Ranma-kun," Kasumi greeted, knealing seiza before the front hall in an rather attractive kimono, almost kow-towing before the pigtailed boy.
"Kasumi, what's this all about?" Ranma enquired, wondering if Kasumi accidentally screwed up one of his favorite shirts in the laundary again. Actually, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was Akane's fault, and Kasumi was covering for her, but nonetheless...
"I only wished to greet you properly upon your return, Ranma-kun. If you would like, I have prepared your favorite blend of tea with some cookies in the tearoom for you."
"You didn't get a call that I was dying, did you?" Ranma asked, growing increasingly nervous.
"Oh no! Nothing like that!" Kasumi quickly replied, "Would you like to join me for tea?"
"I.... guess...." Ranma replied, following the eldest Tendou daughter to the tearoom.
He sat down across from Kasumi, as she daintily poured his tea for him, before lifting the mug up, and presenting it to him with her head slightly bowed.
"Thanks, but you don't need to go through all of this," Ranma replied, wondering what the heck was going on.
"Oh, you must be tense from all that running around, Ranma-kun!" Kasumi replied.
Ranma shrugged, before reaching for a cookie, "Yeah, a bit. This morning Nabiki caught a bad case of Akaneidus. Speaking of Akane, I managed to get her angry somehow. Ukyo started acting all weird, same with Shampoo. Kodachi started clinging to me and got this weird and disgusting smelling perfume all over me." Kasumi nodded at that, as she had been wondering where the smell had been coming from. Although, she found it rather... asthetic and pleasant. "And then I met up with Mousse at a public bath, asking to be friends instead of blood enemies or something like... what are you doing?"
Ranma looked over his shoulder at Kasumi, surprised he hadn't even noticed her scooting behind him until she started massaging his shoulders. "Oh my, it seems as if you've had a rough day so far, Ranma-kun. Maybe there's something I can do to make it... better?"
Ranma started leaning back, as the young woman started to lean her face closer to Ranma's ever so slowly. "Well, you've already done more than enough for me, thanks Kasumi. I do feel a bit better now, at least."
Kasumi internally fought down her growl of fustration. She intellectually noticed herself becoming more aggressive, but didn't much care. "But it's only the duty of a proper, loving lady such as me to... please."
Ranma stiffened at Kasumi's statement, before his eyes narrowed, "I see what this is all about!"
Kasumi paused in her minstrations, "Y-you do?"
Ranma spun, facing the eldest Tendou daughter, and grasped both of Kasumi's shoulders, "How can I not see it? I would be blind not to!"
"Oh, Ranma-kun!" Kasumi realized she was swooning in Ranma's handsome gaze.
"You're worried that you won't find yourself a husband!"
Kasumi blinked, "I am?"
"Sure!" Ranma exclaimed, "That's what this whole show is all about, isn't it? To prove that you can be a proper wife!" Ranma looked sternly at Kasumi, "Kasumi, don't give up hope! There's plenty of guys out there for you!"
"B-b-b-..." Kasumi regained her composure, before throwing herself facefirst into Ranma's chest, while taking a deep, comforting breath, "but don't you find me attractive, Ranma?"
Kasumi felt almost euphoric, as Ranma hugged her, "Of course I do, Kasumi! But don't worry, you're only twenty... nineteen..."
Kasumi looked up from Ranma's chest with an incredulous stare, as Ranma had his eyes downcast, seeming to search through his memory. He looked back up with a hopeful expression, "Twenty?"
"Twenty," Kasumi confirmed with a half-lidded gaze.
"See? You still have a while yet before you're an old maid!" Ranma proclamed, "Remember, Kasumi, don't give up hope! You'll find Mr. Right, yet!" With that, Ranma gave a still Kasumi a hug meant for siblings, and a pat on the back, before standing up, and heading out the room.
Kasumi sat frozen for several moments, before her expression darkend, and she napped her fingers in irritation.