Chapter 53: Vengeance at Last
It was time for the match. Ranma had to admit to feeling a little nervous, as much as he tried to cool his nerves with the soul of ice technique. Fighting Happosai with only one tactic available wasn't the most reassuring thing. The large crowd didn't help. Apparently Furinkan students were curious about the idea of an arranged fight between someone other than Akane and Kuno. Meanwhile Wakaba students loved his fights, so didn't mind heading halfway across Nerima to watch. Plus, the concession stands for Ucchan's and the Neko Hanten didn't hurt the draw.
"I've got confirmation the little creep brought the book," Hibari said as she walked up beside Ranma. "When you win this Dr. Tofu will get you back to normal in no time flat."
Ranma gave her the best fake grin he could manage. "Well, it's as good as done then. No way I could lose."
Hibari stepped a bit closer and straightened Ranma's collar a bit. "You really need acting lessons. It's fair to be nervous, but technically all you have to do is impress the slime. Winning would just be the cherry on top."
Before Ranma could feel any further doubt, he felt her soft lips against his own. For a moment he was lost in the sensation, as if the sounds of the crowd faded away while all that mattered was the feeling of her against him, her hands at the back of his neck, thumbs rubbing at the area just behind his jaw and fingers tickling the nape of his neck.
She broke away too soon for Ranma's liking. The smile on her face made it clear she knew what she'd done.
"You've got this, handsome," Hibari said with a wink.
Ranma couldn't help smiling back at her. He really did feel like he had this under control again. With a quick 'wish me luck' he jogged out into the centre circle delineated for the fight. Already sitting there, blowing kisses to clearly disgusted girls in the audience, was his opponent, alongside Soun, who was serving as referee.
"So, we're all clear on the rules of the fight? Neither combatant is to leave the circle marked out. If either should be knocked out of the ring, or knocked out in general, that is a loss. If the fight lasts longer than five minutes, due to Ranma's handicap, he will be considered the victor," Soun explained, mostly for the audience's sake.
"I'll be surprised if she lasts a minute," Happosai announced.
"Well, prepare to be impressed, gramps," Ranma replied, slipping into a fighting stance.
Soun took a few steps back, to get himself safely out of the ring. Once he was out, he gave a start signal.
The two opponents circled each other for a moment, before Happosai charged. Ranma dodged, swerving between the old leech's assaults, and doing his best to keep his cool. Ranma had managed to lead his opponent for a round and a half of the circle before Happosai's attack halted.
"What's wrong, ya old slime? Realised you can touch me?" Ranma asked, trying to muster all the bravado he could.
"You're leading me on a spiral. That Chinese hag taught you her little wind trick, didn't she?"
Ranma's eyes darted to Cologne, as did Shampoo and Hibari's.
"It had been so long... I'd forgotten, but I had used that technique when he'd visited the village long ago," Cologne admitted quietly to Shampoo.
"I don't know the specifics of how it works, but a trick like that one was certainly memorable," Happosai declared. "I'm not about to fall for it again."
Ranma's heart fell, his main plan a failure.
"You can still win this, Ran-chan!" Ukyo shouted out.
"Yes! Just dodge for five minutes! You can do it, tongzhi!" Shampoo added.
Ranma's eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "I came here to win this, not get a technicality. I've got a plan B."
In the crowd, Hibari massaged her temples, letting out a sigh. "It'd better not be what I think it is."
As if on cue, Ranma produced a bottle of water and up-ended upon himself, shrinking into female form.
"It is what I think it is," Hibari muttered.
"Are you expecting me to go easier on you if you're embracing your girlish nature?" Happosai asked, his body language revealing uncertainty.
"I know you can resist your urge to fight, you old mosquito, but you've got another... another instinct ya can't resist," Ranma hissed, her voice shaking as she pulled her shirt open. "It's a brand new bra—aaah!"
That was all it took, Happosai had lunged forward almost before Ranma finished her sentence. Shrieking, she slipped out of the way, finding herself dodging more frantically now. Hopefully the heat of his lust was enough to replace that of his anger for the technique.
In the crowd, Shampoo and Ukyo watched in silent horror, struggling with the urge to charge in. The fear in Ranma's eyes was too much to ignore.
"It's working on her opponent," Cologne said flatly as she hopped up beside Hibari. "But her own soul of ice is significantly weaker. The temperature differential... it's not enough."
"It's a good thing I had a back up plan too," Hibari said, producing a remote and running ahead towards the ring. "The fight is getting intense. What do you say we liven things up a little more?"
Some of the crowd, mostly the boys, let out cheers at Hibari's call. Dramatically, she raised a hand, waiting as Ranma moved ever closer to the center. There. She was about ready to strike, and so Hibari dramatically pressed the button on her remote. The circle around the ring erupted with pyrotechnics, a wave of heat lasting for a moment, until Ranma's raised final strike sucked in all the heat. Hibari prayed she'd added enough...
And then the cyclone started, Happosai launched airborne. The crowd scattered, as the miniature tornado cut a path across the field and towards the main buildings of Furinkan high school. The force proved insufficient to damage the concrete structure of the building, but had managed to toss around some benches and sport supplies that were secured.
"I... uh, I guess that makes Ranma the winner then," Soun said, his hair a mess from the wind.
Ranma, a little shaky from adrenaline, stumbled to her feet and raised a victorious fist. Then she headed, shakily, straight for Dr. Tofu, to get the moxibustion lifted.
Akane adjusted her rubber gloves, shivering at the thought of touching any of the old slime's possessions as she and her sisters cleaned out the room he'd taken as his own. She was pretty sure she'd want to see the room heavily renovated before she was ready to use it again.
"Hey! What are you girls doing to my preciouses!" the vile man's voice shouted from the window.
Kasumi turned to him, an innocent smile on her face. "Why, we're helping you to pack everything up."
"Why would I be packing anything up!?" Happosai hissed.
"You commandeered this room under your powers as grandmaster, didn't you?" Nabiki asked, with her best innocent act in place.
"Yes?"
"Well, daddy explained to us that the grandmaster of anything goes is the strongest practitioner. You'd told him and Saotome-san many times that they could be grandmaster if they beat you," Nabiki explained.
"Mhm. And now Ran has defeated you, so that makes her grandmaster," Kasumi added.
"That-that wasn't an official challenge! And there was outside interference! Those pyrotechnics clearly impacted the fight!" Happosai roared, summoning his battle aura.
"Oh, but Ranma was already at a handicap of one of your most powerful moxibustion techniques," Kasumi replied, unphased by the old man's rippling rage filled aura. "Surely that balances out?"
"Any-anyhow, it's called 'anything goes' for a reason, isn't it?" Akane added, trying to calm her own nerves in the face of his aura.
"Fine! I'll go beat her up in a proper fight to prove myself!" the old slime hissed. "She just got in a lucky shot!"
With that, the tiny leech of a man bounded off. Nabiki turned to the other two and nodded.
"Good work. I'm going to go wash my hands and then phone the Oozoras. Time to spring a trap."
"Ugh, I hoped I'd have a little bit more time," Ranma muttered, drying her hair off with a towel as she talked to Nabiki over the phone. "I just finished taking a bath."
"Is your strength back?" Nabiki asked, something approaching genuine concern in her voice.
"Yeah, yeah. Tofu figured it out quick. Mousse an' Hibari have gathered up everything I need to win this too," Ranma replied. "Thanks for the warning though."
"Hey, I probably want him gone more than you do, so thank you," Nabiki countered, before giving her goodbyes.
Ranma hung up the phone and headed towards the Oozora's dojo, a shiver running down her spine. She wasn't sure if it was due to having to deal with her father's old master twice in one day, or if it was because of just what Hibari and Mousse had gathered... but, either way, she was hoping this was the last time she'd have to deal with either issue for a while.
Taking a seat in the middle of the dojo floor, she decided to try to meditate. Not to calm her mind as much as to focus it for what was happening next. She couldn't afford to get distracted, but would only have so much control.
A few minutes later, her loathing of her opponent properly stoked, the door was flung open. Standing there, glaring at her with rage filled chi flowing of his body, was Happosai.
"Come to let me get more than one punch in?" Ranma asked, not moving from her seat.
"Tendo's girls have some nonsensical belief that you beat me properly. It pains me to have to properly fight a young girl, but I need to firmly establish the pecking order."
Ranma nodded. "Well, let's see who wins then."
With that, she pulled the rope at her side, opening the other door to the dojo. Out from the dark flooded dozens of... cats. Ranma felt the fear was over her, and did nothing to resist it this time.
Hibari and Shampoo came across another crater, as they hunted for either combatant. There'd been several explosions once the fight had started, and the city was currently abuzz with sirens from various emergency vehicles. Both girls had to admit they hadn't expected quite so much damage to ensue from the fight.
Hibari lifted her walkie-talkie, sparking it awake. "Still no sign of Ranma or the slime here."
"Maybe try one of the restaurants?" Nabiki's life crackled on the other side. "There haven't been any explosions for a bit. Ranma's probably following her stomach now."
"Right, yeah, that makes sense," Hibari replied, feeling embarrassed to have not thought of it herself.
Following that possibility, Shampoo and Hibari hurried off to the Neko Hanten. It wasn't too far, especially taking the direct route, hopping across the rooftops. Landing in the backyard area, they were both thrilled to find Ranma, who had been scratching at the steel back door of the restaurant. The claw marks she'd left in the metal were a bit off putting, but her happy meows as she saw both of them helped assure the girls they were in no danger from her.
Both girls worried again, though, when they properly processed the state she was in. Ranma's clothes were scorched and tattered, her skin covered in scrapes and soot. The pair bent down to try to inspect her as she ran up to them, but she squirmed uncooperatively and hurried back to the door, yowling to it, then turning back to them. On the whole, none of her scrapes look too serious, and her undergarments and pants were still relatively intact, so the girls reasoned she couldn't have been hurt too badly.
"I guess she is hungry. I will make some food," Shampoo said, heading over to the door, and trying not to trip as a purring Ranma rubbed against her legs.
Hibari slipped in after, crouching down to try to inspect Ranma again as Shampoo started preparing food. Instead, Ranma apparently decided that was her cue to try to cuddle Hibari and managed to knock the other redhead over, curling up in a purring ball on her chest.
Hibari couldn't resist scratching her behind the ear, before remembering she should probably radio in with Nabiki.
"We found her. No sign of slime though."
"Is she okay?" Akane's voice crackled in.
"I think so? A couple scrapes and bruises, but nothing like you'd expect from all the explosions," Hibari replied.
"Oh, thank the kami," Akane said.
Kousaku's feet were starting to hurt as he patrolled the streets of Nerima, hiding from passing police in case they got suspicious of him wandering about with a radio after all those explosions. Sure, Nabiki said he was being paranoid and the Tokyo Police wouldn't suspect a 16 year old in casual wear with a walkie talkie, but he wasn't so sure.
He also wasn't so certain there was still a Happosai to find. Some of those explosions had been pretty loud. Surely even the old master couldn't have survived all of them?
Shaking his head, Kousaku kept trudging along. Disappointing Nabiki wasn't something he wanted to risk. She had a nasty glare when she was angry. And... well, on the rare occasions he managed to make her smile, he'd learned she had a very nice smile. If he could get one of those again, he'd consider it all worth it.
Still, on the balance, she terrified him.
So, Kousaku decided to check another alleyway, hoping the search would get called off soon.
Halfway down the alley, however, he began to smell something burning. Moving forward nervously, he expected to find someone engaged in improper garbage disposal. Instead, he discovered the smoking form of Happosai. The man's face was covered in scratched, but his eyes remained open as he twitched and muttered things Kousaku couldn't make out.
After realising the man wasn't getting up, Kousaku picked up his radio.
"Hey, Sakamoto here. I found the old man. He... uh, I think he's in shock? Could probably use a trip to the hospital?"
"Where about are you?" Nabiki's voice replied.
"Uhh... y'know, I'm not entirely sure. I've kind of just been wandering for a bit. I'll go find somebody," Kousaku said, embarrassed that he'd not been paying better attention.
Hurrying out to the street, he found an old woman tending to her garden not too far away.
"H-hello there, ma'am. This might be a bit of an odd question, but I'm trying to give my friends some directions, and, uh... where would we be right now?"
"Lost are you, lad?" the old woman asked, chuckling a bit. "6 chome."
Kousaku nodded, and an awkward silence hovered over them.
"Uh, 6 chome of?" Kousaku asked.
"Oizumigakuen-cho. Nerima-ku. Tokyo. Kanto. Japan," the woman provided.
"Th-thanks," Kousaku muttered, before wandering a bit further and lifting the radio. "So, it's 6... are you laughing?"
"Pfft, yes. You left the radio on, Sakamoto. I like that old lady," Nabiki replied, before laughing some more. "Well, I'll have some of the Oozora men drive by and drop off the old man's stuff. Only polite thing to do... apart from the interesting stuff. We're seizing that in the name of the school."
"So, uh... not calling an ambulance or anything?" Kousaku asked.
"Nah. Old creeps has lived long enough, and proven hard enough to kill... if this does him in then it's karma," Nabiki replied.
It was about twenty minutes later when the large car belonging to the Oozora group arrived. Kousaku struggled against the desire to hide as a gorilla of a man emerged.
"Ah, you're Sakamoto, right?" the man asked in a gravelly voice.
Kousaku nodded, too scared to manage anything more.
"You can hop in the back seat," the man explained as he pulled out a pair of gloves.
Kousaku nervously complied, watching as the giant of a man opened up the trunk of the car and pulled out a pair of garbage bags. He then headed off into the alleyway, tossing the bags roughly near where Happosai lay.
"A peace offering, so ya don't return," Seiji said, his voice just audible from the car.
Kousaku watched as Happosai's tiny frame stood up and stumbled over to the bags, Frantically, the old man ripped one open, only to scream as a small number of bras fell out.
"The cat! The cat is back!" the man yelped, dashing into a pile of garbage.
Seiji just shrugged and returned to the car. The suspension lurched as he took his seat.
"Weird old man. Hopefully he won't be our problem anymore," Seiji said, before starting the car and driving off.
Kousaku nodded, still terrified he'd knowingly gotten into a car with a yakuza enforcer.