Ryoga's Girlfriend
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ series, Ranma ½ is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Viz media.
I'd like to thank Fuyukazehime, she may not be writing anymore but she an I keep in regular contact, if not for her, I'd take even longer to post a chapter, thanks to me not having watched the anime in forever.
Without further ado, I present...
Chapter 14
Nabiki was normally one to walk with a confident stride in her step, like a lion; a leader. Leaders also happen to make contingency plans, just in case their cash cows happen to think they can seal deals without her knowledge, thinking for a second as she walked back to class she reached into her dress and pulled out a walkie-talkie.
Her eyes narrowed softly, as a smirk creeps onto her face.
Outside the track field, a familiar pale-faced boy could be seen, back up against a tree and camera in hand. He raised his head to the sky like with a look of exasperation. "Uh..." he groaned, wiping his brow, undoing the shirt part of his gakuran, his camera hanging by the strap. "Please, Akane... where are you?" he whined as he started to wrap his shirt sleeves around his waist.
"Ghostface..." Nabiki's static-filled voice boomed from Gosunkugi's walkie-talkie. Gosunkugi's eyes widened before he patted himself down, unsure whether or not he had left his walkie-talkie in his shirt, eyes widening slightly further he looked over his shoulder to find it on the ground right next to him. He quickly plucked it from the ground and brought it to his chest, pressing the button on the side.
"Uh... Ghost-" he sighed, "Present." he paused then tried to bring it down but pulled it back to his face, remembering something. "Over."
"Alright, I need you to follow Ranma around and report any findings to me, got that?" Nabiki asked, clearly having raised her phone closer to her face as her volume picked up a bit. "Over."
"Roger that, Yen Hawk! Also, why is my code name, Ghostface?" he asked, lowering the walkie-talkie as if he were speaking to her in person, holding them at arm's length.
"Sure you don't wanna' take a guess?" Nabiki replied her walkie-talkie to her ear as her eyes were directed to it.
"I'll get on it..." Gosunkugi lowered his head, his mouth resembling an upside-down bratwurst as he forced the stream of anime tears behind, straightening himself out the Japanese high school student equivalent of Casper the Friendly Ghost set off but not before he grits his teeth in a cartoony fashion, his forearm dragging across his eyes.
The pale-faced spectator roamed across the school grounds, looking for any signs of Ranma, he searched high and low, for a few moments before hearing a loud declaration.
"I'm saying, if it wasn't clear enough for you, Saotome... I want you, curse and all!"
Gosunkugi's eyes lit up, his hand springing to action and clamping itself over his mouth, as to avoid detection from the trio. All the thoughts his head failed to organize themselves, as the very notion of Ryoga and Ranma as a couple, two male, martial artists being romantically involved with one another. The gears in his head began to churn as one thought to lead to another. If Ranma was into men then that means that Akane was free, free to finally pursue her own dreams, dreams that specifically involved the pale-faced teen.
"It ain't what you think, Akane!"
"Huh?" Gosunkugi's thought was abruptly interrupted as those words reached his ears, the lone observer slowly hunched over, as to avoid being spotted, his eyes wide the entire time as his hand slowly dragged down from his face, eventually sliding off entirely.
Surprisingly; to Gosunkugi. Akane did not react with a loud shout, followed by calling the pig-tailed boy a filthy pervert and one of the following was bound to happen, either she'd hit him or storm out of the area, Ranma either following or pushing their troubles aside until they blew over. Sadly that was not the case here, it was much worse.
"Do you really think this is the place for this?"
Gosunkugi's face as well as his words, mirrored Ranma's, the two looking as though they just been told that Ukyo was, in fact, a boy. 'A-Akane... w-what are you saying? Akane!' he thought, shutting his eyes and avoiding the strange, bizarre world he had entered. Though he noticed a pause, what was going to happen next? Did Akane just suggest they talk about the fact Ranma was almost about to kiss his arch-rival? He did not wish to know but his curiosity got the best of him and Gosunkugi gave into his curiosity. He was faced with a spectacle of a site, Akane was just standing there, with her hands clasped together, however, Ranma's was more stone-faced, his eyes no longer visible as he tilted his head down, his hair casting a shadow over them.
Or what felt like the longest time, Gosunkugi stared, subconsciously becoming more acutely aware of time, therefore feeling as though more time had passed than what had actually been the cause, even as Ryoga grabbed both Ranma's and Akane's wrists, they appeared to be moving in slow motion. 'A-am I hearing this right? ...Ranma Saotome... is involved with both Ryoga and Akane? My poor Aka-' Gosunkugi thought to himself, before being suddenly jerked back into reality as he noticed the direction in which Ranma and his possible romantic interests were heading towards the school exit. His jaw dropped the slightest bit before he ducked into a nearby bush, waiting for Ranma and others to pass, his hands hugging his knees as though he were a mental patient huddled up in the fetal position. When they were far enough away, the voodoo enthusiast popped his head back out. Time was of the essence and Gosunkugi needed to make sure he kept Nabiki happy. So, reluctantly, he followed, gulping before dashing on after them.
Little could be done about Ryoga's poor sense of direction, all while following Ryoga, Gosunkugi came across a few problems, such as, the fact that Ryoga was much faster than him, which made our scrawny antagonist wonder why he bothered giving chase, however, there was no need to as he swore that sometimes Ryoga was running in circles and dashing around at the corner of his eye.
"Wait... was that? No! He's!" He shouted, shifting himself around to face where he last saw the trio, still panting like a water-deprived dog. From the corner of his eye he noticed them head towards the park, he groaned inwardly as that meant more running and his body, already begging him for rest, so, with what little reserves of energy, he tried to jog to the park at a brisk pace; obviously still trying to catch his breath.
"Why does...it-it have to be... so far!?" Gosunkugi whined, his sad excuse for a job letting him know that it'd be a while before reaching them. Most might have already given up, but the thought of everyone finding out how much he liked Nabiki's sister, coupled with the fact that Nabiki more than likely has some dirt on him.
Once reaching the park, the pale-faced teen power walked himself over to the park, his posture slouched forward, his arms dangled to his sides. 'Why am I even still trying... it'd take some miracle for me to find them...' he thought, guessing that desperation was what drove him to this extreme, 'Nabiki's going to kill me! Why'd she pick me for the job, I'll never find-"
"Both!"
Gosunkugi's was about to fall over, however, the sound of Ranma's voice echoed out to him, sparking hope in the desperate boy's eyes, giving him the strength to catch himself on his hands, keeping himself from landing flat on his face. Though what might have caught his attention he most was what Ranma said. 'What does that mean?' he thought, suddenly becoming serious and forgetting about his exhaustion, however, his body still had needs, so catching his breath was still very important, it even bothered him a bit as he swore his own breathing might either give away his location.
"You can't have us both, Ranma! That's not how it works!"
'What are they...? No...' Gosunkugi thought, remembering what he had heard. Ranma couldn't be dragging Akane into a weird, polygamist relationship with both Ryoga and Akane. 'Could he?' he thought, raising his head and his camera, gulping as he did his best to stay calm, glad that he appeared to be blending into the background without anyone noticing him, even the elderly people and housewives, coupled with a few stays at home dads, some of them even walked by him, they didn't really seem to notice him spying on the unsuspecting trio.
"I know! I don't know which one to pick!"
The very second those words slipped from Ranma's mouth, Gosunkugi was already ready to impale a Ranma voodoo doll he had pressed up against a tree with his bare hand, the other holding his hammer as it was about to strike, though as he was about to strike, he stopped before hitting the voodoo doll, it was far too quiet for Gosunkugi. He looked over his shoulder to see Akane in tears, the pain in her eyes was enough to break the teen witch doctor's heart three times over, the pain keeping him from finishing the task at hand.
"Why can't Ranma have us both?"
Much like Ranma and Akane, Gosunkugi uttered the same words, his sounding strangely chipmunk-like in his head, 'Huh?' thought Gosunkugi as his eye twitched.
"Who says you can't have us both?"
Gosunkugi felt so much panic rise in his chest that he immediately wanted to respond to the question with, 'Society!'
"Society! Gender roles? Who the hell cares about that! Society is the one telling me I can't be with you, Ranma! Just because you're actually a man! I say, to hell with society! If you want to be with two people, who are they to tell you otherwise!?"
Gosunkugi allowed the doll to gently slide down the tree, had he heard what he just thought he did? Ranma was going to not only get the girl but also get the rival? That means Akane would no longer be eligible for the position of Mrs. Gosunkugi, 'Akane! P-please, don't do it! I know you wouldn't, you're not like that!' he desperately pleaded in his mind, hoping that fate would deal him a lucky hand.
Fate had no such plans for that as what he heard after was the sound of Akane's voice, crying out to Ranma.
"Please, please don't leave me, Ranma..."
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to fall over and cry himself to sleep but there wasn't any time for that.
"I'll do it... I'll do it... I don't care anymore, I love you! I've loved you for so long now! Please..."
The ghostly looking stalker was now biting at his collar, too cowardly to risk himself or expose himself now as either scenario he would try to engage would ultimately have too many consequences. All of a sudden, Ranma was heard gasping before being silenced by Akane's lips against the Saotome prodigy's. What little remained of Gosunkugi's hope vanished as he saw this, it felt as though his world was coming apart at the seams. His mind wanted to shut down since all that was there was now was incoherent babble. Gosunkugi used to tree he was about to nail his Ranma doll as something to lean on, with his back pressed up against it, he allowed himself to slide down and lower his head, his mouth open from just the pure shock.
"Akane..." he whispered softly, tears gently forming at the corner of his eyes, his voice sounding devoid of any passion or drive. "I can't let this be... I just..."
'...can't.' his voice echoed in his mind.
Ranma, Ryoga & Akane
Akane's eye twitched as furiously as Ranma and Ryoga were kissing, however, they clearly didn't pay her any mind as there was obviously just a bit of practice behind their actions. Even though Akane was oftentimes considered oblivious to the point nearly being a boy; hence the tomboy comments. Though it was impossible for this to mean anything other than that.
The Tendo girl clenched her fist out in front of her, just about ready to use her mallet, however, there was hesitation in her movements, her fist trembling, her need to act on an impulse raising. She managed to quell her temper and close her eyes, her trembling fist losing the malicious aura that surrounded it.
"I see you have some practice, Ranma..." Akane said, her tone clearly displaying how much aggression she had tucked away by the slight deep rasp she added to her voice.
Immediately Ranma's fight or flight instincts kicked when hearing such an insistent tone, she swore it was comparable to some of her enemies. 'Crap!' Ranma thought, pulling back from Ryoga and holding him at arm's length, genuinely looking adorable to Ryoga.
"Cool it! Pork loins!" Ranma demanded, her eyes shutting when doing so, a tiny tinge of pink crossing her face.
Ryoga's eyes stared into Ranma's, looking as though he was in awe, his eyes widening when he saw that Ranma's blue eyes shimmered in the light, practically drunk on the feelings of love surging through him, giving the back of his head that tingly sensation, the kind that only happens when one is overwhelmed by the need to show their affection.
Akane sighed and placed her hand over her heart, with a sigh of her chest she closed her eyes and figured that they should address a very important matter.
Ranma watched the Tendo girl, trying to create some space between her and the love-struck Hibiki boy by pushing away from him, that was until she felt Ryoga's arms trying to keep her in, she was about to call him on that until she felt Ryoga's hand caress her cheek. Her pupils trembled for a second before her breath went short. The pig-tailed girl's eyes landed on Ryoga's lips first, then to his eyes. A strong need to embrace this feeling stirred in the red-head but was stopped as both Ranma and Ryoga felt the battle aura of Akane's flare.
The two instantly fixed their gazes and retracted from one another.
"Sorry..." both said, in unison.
Akane relaxed her grip and allowed herself to sigh in defeat. Looking towards the two, not making direct eye contact with either one, as if she were trying to look past them, but shook her head and opened her eyes, her eyes giving a somewhat longing look.
"Anyways... what are we gonna' tell my Dad...?" Akane asked, the air once again became tense. Yes. Akane had agreed to take part in a three-way relationship. Did that mean Soun was going to agree to this most unusual of arrangements? If anyone one of them had a magic 8-ball, their future would surely say "All signs point to no.".
The lost boy also considered the possibilities, however, could see no light at the end of this tunnel. To him, it felt as though he was going to have to be forced to live the way he did before; alone.
"Dat's why we don't tell em'," Ranma answered as if the solution were as simple as night and day.
It only earned him vacant stares from the other two, "What do you mean, don't tell them?" Akane questioned. "They're going to start asking questions..."
"Geez, Akane... such faith..." Ranma stated, staring at Akane, similar to the one just given by the blue-haired girl a moment ago.
"Just let her talk, Akane..." Ryoga said, allowing a whole second to go by before noticing he had just referred to Ranma as a 'she'. Now it was Ranma and Akane's turn to stare but one of them was blushing as brightly as the color of their hair. "Wait... I didn't mean..."
"Whatever!" Ranma half-shouted, shaking head once in protest to being referred to as she. "What I'm saying is simple, we just don't tell them about our little band of three," Ranma said, taking her composure back.
"So what? Are you saying we just pretend to be normal friends or something? You saw how they're acting towards me, the moment they see me they're gonna' attack!" Ryoga exclaimed.
"You act like this is the first time you've ever had to lie to them? And besides..." Ranma paused, gulping with a bit of difficulty, going red once more. "Isn't it..." Ranma looked off to the side, looking as though she were pouting, seeming dissatisfied.
Akane felt the pain in Ranma's words, she wanted to comfort her but didn't know exactly how. Her eyes looked to Ryoga, calm desperation in her eyes, 'This is all so much... I hope Ryoga knows what to do...' Akane thought.
Ryoga hearing all this, lowered his head slightly, knowing what he had to do. "...worth it." he finished as he stood before Ranma.
"M-me too..." Akane commented, blushing and looking to the ground, intertwining her fingers before speaking up. "Besides, like Ryoga... I'm all in." Akane commented, taking Ryoga's side.
Ranma looked to the two, then smiled and faced away from the two. "The two of ya' are so sappy..." Ranma commented, maintaining a soft smile, 'Guess I really do love these weirdos...' Ranma thought, her expression relaxing while doing she suddenly felt Ryoga's hand taking hers, the opposite of where she was facing, so his intimate gesture leads to Ranma turning to face the lost lover-boy.
He offered her nothing but a warm smile, his eyes gently narrowing at her, which Ranma had to admit, there was a peaceful but loving feeling coming from him but Ranma soon learned Ryoga wasn't the only one who could show his feelings as the Saotome child felt someone take her other hand.
Akane's approach was much more bashful than Ryoga's, as one hand was beneath her chin, looking as though she was about to clear her throat.
Observing was the only thing Ranma could do, being in such awe of what was happening between her and two people she cared deeply for, come together, for her. The red-headed girl's eyes glistened slightly as she met Akane's eyes. Although Akane was not facing her, she was still able to meet her eyes from the corners and return the sentiment, her wide-eyed expression was shy yet, amazingly beautiful.
She then drew her attention towards the lost boy, who not once, let his warm smile falter. He gave her that same caring smile, but with a closing of his eyes and a comforting squeeze to her hand.
Ranma slowly looked to the ground, her pupils shifting from right to left, before she raised her head and smiled with a confidence as warm as the smiles she was given, finally, she added her own smile to the mix, being the one to take their first steps forward and leading them wherever fate took them.
Kuno & Shampoo Mousse
For the first time in either of the two's lives, things were going their way. It wasn't who they thought it'd be, but in each other, they could feel the warmth and compassion they had been wanting. They drew apart, Shampoo resting her forehead on Kuno's and Kuno returning the sentiment, though paused as again, this was his first time 'actually' getting to know someone but soon came to realize that none of that mattered as he saw Shampoo gently opening her eyes, time slowing down for him as he was lost in her beauty. 'My... she really is stunning and powerful... truly worthy...' Kuno thought, his own inner voice echoed timidly, as if, half-hearted.
"Is good?" Shampoo asked, genuinely interested in how Kuno felt about his first kiss, although she knew there may have been a chance Kuno had kissed someone before, but couldn't help but doubt it given what she's seen and his persistence for Akane and Ranma.
Kuno pushed aside his feelings of doubt, Akane and his once-beloved pig-tailed girl were now gone, but sadly he was honor-bound but also not entirely opposed to the idea of getting with Shampoo. In fact, he wondered if she was stronger than Akane, however, when his eyes met her again, she looked to be a shy and cute looking girl. Different from the one he had come to know, she wasn't bad after all, he had come to admire her zest for life, mad martial arts training, incredible strength and from his past experiences and run-ins, she was just as deceptive as him, if not more so.
"Is good," he answered with his trademark cocky smile.
Shampoo blushed from what she saw as Kuno's suave reaction, although the words were clearly paying tribute to her mannerisms considering how well he delivered his response, she was willing to let it slide. She calmly pulled back from him and kept her hands together, then began to calmly walk away.
Kuno stared in awe, looking as though he was just as lost as Ryoga, till Shampoo looked over her shoulder with a somewhat annoyed looking face. "Is coming?"
Kuno shook his head and raised a closed fist before him, "Wait! My lavender maiden...would you allow me the honor of saying that you and I are dating with one another?" Kuno asked, smiling gently.
Shampoo crossed her arms and raised her head, seemingly scuffing at the very concept. It did little to deter Kuno, as such a passionate kiss could not possibly mean something, even for someone as dense as The Blue Thunder. He approached her from behind and embraced her, now cuddling the Amazon but in Kuno's usual way, which was to be far too hands-on with his affection. Normally in this type of situation, Shampoo would react with a violent heel kick to the sky but instead, she smiled in her usual chipper way before using one hand to shove Kuno off her, effortlessly.
With great force Shampoo was able to send Kuno into a mini-crater, thankfully this had not been Kuno's first time at the rodeo, so he recovered with his usual gusto.
Shampoo placed her hands on her hips and then looked down to the fallen bokken user, "Is thinking I easy? You is wanting Shampoo?"
"Of course, I do!" Kuno exclaimed, in an instant taking Shampoo's dainty hands into his. "Nay! I would call out to the very heavens themselves.-" Kuno paused as he felt a dangerous aura directed at him, his eye twitching the slightest bit as he could feel the malicious intent.
Shampoo glared at him, feeling a fit of familiar anger take hold, as Kuno appeared to be relapsing, clearly far too excited about the aspect of having her as his official Mrs. Kuno.
"A... A thousand pardons... Shampoo..." Kuno replied awkwardly as he gently let go of Shampoo's hand, which she still snatched away, appearing to spite him.
"Is okay, you stop..." she commented, relaxing her demeanor before addressing Kuno once more. "Is taste," she said suddenly.
"I beg your pardon?" Kuno inquired, raising a brow.
"Kiss is taste!" Shampoo exclaimed, flailing her arms once before letting them drop. "Shampoo want strong man, beat Shampoo and Shampoo give date!"
The Blue Thunder stared in awe as he felt a familiar feeling, the feeling of a worthy challenge, the same feeling he got when he was reminded as to why he loved the pig-tailed girl so much, his love of strong women. "A challenge! This my dearest Shampoo is one I eagerly accept!" Kuno shouted, raising his bokken. "And when the day comes that I best you! I! Tatewaki Kuno! Shall date with you!" he proclaimed, raising his bokken to the sky.
Shampoo rolled her eyes and turned around, her hands behind her back as a small smile crept upon her face, as did Kuno who looked to her walking away, his look of admiration directed towards the purple-haired, coy as a girl cat Shampoo.
Shortly after, Kuno followed, for once, eager to return to the campsite.
Tendo Dojo
Genma looked through his cards and saw that he had no other choice, besides Soun, had nothing to stop Genma's ace in the hole. "Sorry, Tendo... looks like you've run out of time! I choose Charizard!" Genma shouted as he placed his Charizard card over his Charmeleon card, causing it to evolve, the remaining energy cards were transferred over to Charizard.
"Sorry Saotome but I'm afraid you're going to be receiving the end of my Vensaur's Solar Beam! All over your smug face!" Soun exclaimed, as on his side of the field were only two Poke'mon, his Bellsprout having one energy one grass energy attached to it, while his active Pokemon, Venusaur, only had three energies attached to it and the turn prior he had used Venusaur's Pokemon Power: Energy Trans to take one energy from the nearby Bellsprout. "I don't see that fourth energy card, Saotome!"
"What do you think this is?" Genma asked, rising the one card he had yet to play.
"What? That card... you've had it since the match started Genma if it had been fire energy you would have played it by now..." Soun said and then paused. "Genma, you didn't..."
"Oh yes, Soun, my old friend, I did..." he replied, sounding triumphant as he threw down the last energy needed for his Charizard. "Fire Spin!" he exclaimed, attacking Soun's precious leaf type Pokemon.
With a smug sense of superiority, Genma crossed his arms and discarded two fire energies from his Charizard, beating Soun and claiming the last prize card from Soun, winning the game. "Not bad, Tendo! You almost had me that time!" Genma exclaimed, seeing as he only had one prize card as well.
"Maybe next time I'll enter that tournament..." Soun grumbled, annoyed that there was actually some game Genma could beat Soun at and fairly at that.
Genma smirked at Soun, Soun shortly after Soun looked to him and then sighed. "Fine... good game, Saotome, you really have earned you second-place spot."
The two narrowed their eyes and glared daggers at each other, after a momentary pause, the two old friends began to laugh, lighting up the mood with some hearty laughter. "Just like old times, eh?"
"Like old times, old friend!" Soun cheered, raising his saki cup, clearly not bothered by how tacky they were being by drinking before five.
The aging martial artist toasted with his fellow Poke'addict and proceeded to drink, the two, after downing their drinks, smiled like fools and placed their cups down on the table in front of them, both of them leaned back as drunk smiles spread across their faces.
"Kasumi!" Soun said, with one arm supporting him and the other holding his cup, wiggling it from side to side. "Please be a dear and fill Genma and your father's drinks?"
Kitchen
Kasumi happened to be preparing lunch, stirring a pot as she had her head turned to the nearby television she had asked Soun to help her get, he was happy to oblige. Kasumi turned red at the sight of two of her favorite characters getting together in her favorite soap opera.
"Silvia... este queso es muy apestoso!" the man in the show said, having long suave black hair and dazzling blue eyes, looking as naturally tan as a copper penny.
The women on the screen was also a typical lead for Kasumi's show, women dressed in a lavish red dress, a long slit along the side of her leg and hair as raven black as the man that held her. "Tiralo..."
"No puedo... era mi madre's!" He supposedly confessed as he pressed his lips to hers.
Dramatic music playing in a salsa dancing beat, feeling completely out place, given the romantic atmosphere of the show.
"Oh, my..." Kasumi said, placing her hand on her cheek and smiling at the beauty of the scene. "I have no idea what anyone is saying..." she stated, still stirring before reaching for a tasting cup, however never got to it as she heard her father calling to her, immediately making her sigh as she didn't like him drinking so early in the day.
"Coming!" she called back, going to their wine cabinet until hearing the sound of someone knocking on the front door, "Oh! I'll get it!" she stated, a little chipper than usual.
Upon reaching the door she stopped and straightened herself out, shaking out any food that has fallen on her apron before finally opening the door, "Akane? Ranma?" she questioned, wondering why they had to knock on their own door but stopped once seeing Ryoga behind the two, hands in his pockets and avoiding her gaze.
"Before you go asking," Ranma said, holding her hands up as if to reassure her.
"We can explain..." Akane began, "You see Ryoga is-"
"Ryoga!?" Both Genma and Soun shouted, jumping out from behind the doorway to the dining room.
"Well, well! Look who brought home the bacon?" Genma glared, stomping his foot out in front of him and then pointing to Ryoga's face.
Ryoga leaned his head back, his reflexes kicking in, just in case Genma and Soun tried anything, however, that comment about bacon caused his eye to twitch wildly for a split second, 'Only one person gets to make pig jokes and that someone isn't you!' Ryoga thought.
"Stand aside! Akane!" Soun exclaimed spreading his legs apart and throwing his arms to his sides, fists raised, completely ready to strike.
"Daddy! No! You've got it all wrong!" Akane stated, waving her hands out in front of her.
"Hey! We ain't here for a fight, you geezers!" Ranma exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. "But if that's what you want!? That's what you're gonna' get!"
"Did you forget, boy!? He tried to get between you and Akane! Even going as far as claiming her to be his rival!" Genma shouted, shaking his head and denying this.
"Father! Please! You're not even letting Akane explain!" Kasumi shouted, actually breaking her happy demeanor. The two heads of the household looked to her, stunned by such an outburst, mostly because it was Kasumi who had done it. The others did so as well, all of them blinking at the same time as if coordinated for this very day.
Soun Tendo for the first time and not wanting to disappoint Kasumi swallowed his pride and then immediately crossed his arms, "Fine! Know this Ryoga Hibiki, the only reason you are being allowed to speak is that my dear Kasumi has asked it of me..."
"Thank you, Father..." Kasumi smiled, then turned to Akane and smiled, clasping her hands together and nodding to her sister.
"You can't be serious, Tendo..." Genma commented, having slouching forward in shock, from Soun actually letting Ryoga defend his case.
"If you've ever had a daughter before, Saotome," Soun replied, looking to his friend with the corner of his eyes. "...you'd understand."
Genma looked off to the side and appeared to be pouting, "I might as well..." Genma stated, looking to Ranma from the corner of his eye.
"Hey! You got sumthing to say, you stupid Panda!?" Ranma shot back.
Akane watched as she saw that Ryoga had kept his head down, avoiding eye contact to the point of casting a shadow over his eyes. She knew that should have made some sort of excuse, now Ryoga was on the spot and Soun wanted his answer.
Ryoga bared his fangs just the slightest bit, forcing himself to bite his lip instead. 'Damn it! What do I say? Please... someone help...' Ryoga thought, closing his eyes.
"I'm saying he's got you brainwashed or something for you to actually bring him here and tear him apart, weren't you fighting him just before he told you that nonsense!?" Genma questioned.
"Enough Saotome! We'll deal with Ranma after we've finished with Ryoga! Now Ryoga Hibiki, speak!" Soun said, getting quite fed up with all the delays.
"It was a love potion Dad!" Akane shouted, catching everyone's attention. "It's just that Ryoga is really embarrassed to say anything... cause it wore off!" Akane explained, literally coming up with that on the top of her head.
"A love potion?" Soun asked with a quirk of his brow. "Why would he need such a thing?"
"That sounds kinda' far fetched actually..." Genma said, narrowing his eyes and leaning his shoulder to Ryoga's general direction, also giving Ryoga the quizzical brow that Soun was. "What about you, boy? Don't think we didn't see that kiss!"
Ryoga and Ranma both leaned back suddenly, a bit taken back by how sudden that was and also the possibility it presented, Ranma was about to try and utter just about anything to help him but suddenly something in her mind clicked. "He got the potion on me!" Ranma exclaimed, looking somewhat tense as she had just made that up on the spot. "Cause he drank it and...yeah..." the red-head said, scratching the back of her head.
"It was Kodachi! She was after Ranma but ended up getting Ryoga caught in the crossfire!" Akane said, reminding both Ranma and Ryoga why Akane got fairly high grades.
"Yeah! It was one of those... if you drink it, you fall for the first person you see things!" Ranma added, using her amazing acting skills.
"Is this true, Ryoga?" Soun probed.
After everything that had happened, so many things, finally coming to the light, only to be shoved back in. It was enough to make Ryoga sick to his stomach, he reminded himself as to why he needed to do this, 'Ranma...' he thought, his own voice sounding like a whisper in his mind.
Ranma and Akane silently pleaded for Ryoga to sell their lie, show them that he could act just as well. The lost boy raised his head and crossed his arms, "As if... I'd rather die than be in love with Saotome!"
Ranma's relaxed as he saw that Ryoga was able to control himself, 'Just for that... maybe I'll give em' little something...' Ranma's inner voice sounded somewhat shy at using signs of affection as rewards. "Same here! Besides, we got a little rematch... this time without that dirty little trick of yours..." Ranma stated, cracking her knuckles at the lost boy.
"Our apologies, if you still wish to stay here after... everything, that's fine," Soun smiled, somewhat nervously.
"Thank you, ..." Ryoga exclaimed, putting his arms to his sides and bowing, to which Soun answered with a few waves of his hands, an anime sweatdrop running down the side of his face.
"It's quite alright really! Just... keep your payments up and everything will be fine." Soun reassured him, glad that he'd still be receiving money from Ryoga, 'Not to mention you haven't stayed here long enough to be charged more than once.' Soun thought, ecstatic about the fact that he and Genma can continue to buy their Poke'mon merchandise.
Soun stared at Genma with a blank expression and then looked to Genma, "Please excuse my friend here, he's clearly very defensive about his son... future of the school and whatnot," Soun said, earning a nod from Ryoga, who had managed to gain his composure and hold a stern look; completely understanding of the situation.
"Though we'll need a payment to help with the emotional damages!" Soun smiled, holding his hand out.
Ryoga looked to Soun and then sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulled out some yen. Thankful that he kept quite a few bills on his person, also glad that he didn't lose his money whenever switching over to his pig form, "Fine... will this be enough?"
Genma watched Ryoga the entire time, trying to ignore whatever was being said by Ryoga, however, was unable to keep it up as he saw a moderate stack of bills being handed to Soun, to which Genma's eyes widened and the world around him became silent.
"Of course! This will certainly cover the damages, you've done well to mend this poor old man's heart!" Soun replied, taking the money and rubbing the side of his face to it.
Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane, all felt a sweat drop form on the side of their heads. Mostly relieved but also saddened to see such a pathetic display.
"And now that our moods have surely been brightened, what say we make this even better, eh, Saotome?" Soun said, looking over his shoulder to Genma as he waved the stack of bills high enough for Genma to see it, from behind him.
Genma finally noticed this, shortly after his glasses fogged over, moving over to Soun and smiling at him, holding his hands up and clenching his fists. "Booster packs and Saki to go around! Tonight's gonna' be a good night, Tendo!" Genma laughed, placing his hand on Soun's shoulder and marching off to the nearest card game shop and liquor store.
A three all released their collective sighs as Genma and Soun merrily skipped over to the front door. Kasumi placed her hand over her chest and smiled, lowering her head, glad that a crisis was averted.
"Oh and before we go..." Soun said, poking his head out from behind the door, vertically to the right, "Akane, you're grounded for skipping class and as for you Ranma, I can't speak for you." Soun said, looking at Ranma somewhat plainly.
Ranma appeared relieved with her hand on her chest.
"That doesn't mean I won't remind him about it, though!" Soun warned.
Ranma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not all that scared of Genma since he could easily take him in a fight. Looking back to the door she saw that her father had popped up at some point and was now glaring at Ryoga, doing the whole 'I've got my eyes on you' hand gestures before both pulled away and soon after were heard merrily skipping, yet again.
"Oh and Akane..." Kasumi began, walking over to her youngest sister and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck..." she commented, looking to Ranma and Ryoga, offering them a kind smile before taking off to the kitchen.
Ranma smiled in return, as did Akane and Ryoga, small blushes on their faces. "I might as well catch up on some homework..."
"And get ready for when Principal Kuno tries to use this as an excuse as to why students should get buzz cuts for the boys and bowl haircuts for the girls?" Ranma asked, placing her hand on her face, she could already hear the sounds The Hawaiian explosions.
Akane sighed and nodded her head, then turned to Ryoga. "So, what are you gonna' do, Ryoga?"
"I'm gonna' relax for a while... we've all been through so much..." Ryoga commented, rubbing the back of his head. "I should also probably take a shower..." Ryoga said, tugging at his clothes, sniffing it a few times before retracting his head.
"Huh... guess I've gone blind ta' it, cause I don't smell it," Ranma commented, smirking a little, as it was common for someone who spent so much time outside.
"I guess that means me too..." Akane commented, smiling a little. "And you, Ranma?" she turned to him.
"I dun' know... maybe I'll train or something." Ranma shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Akane.
The youngest Tendo exited the room, Ryoga following shortly after as Ranma placed her hands behind her head and made her way over to the kitchen entrance. "Hey, Kasumi... do you got any snacks? I missed lunch..."
The only response Ranma got where a smile and a laugh, followed by her pointing Ranma to her destination.
Nabiki
Furinkan High's queen of the underground sat around her friends, though rather than listen to her friends talk about the incident with Shampoo, she wondered how she stood to make enough profit from Ranma and Ryoga's possible relationship, 'If that doesn't happen, I'm out a whole lotta' money...' Nabiki thought, resting her cheek in her palm as her elbow was on her desk, 'Who knows maybe now that Shampoo's out of the way, I can smooth talk him into some grade A pictures of mysel-' Nabiki paused in her train of thought and then blinked, finding herself laughing.
"Something funny?" Sayuri asked.
"Sorry... I just remembered a joke, a joke named Kuno." Nabiki replied, smirking as she raised her cheek out of her palm and smiled in her oh-so-coy way. Seeing that her friends bought it she closed her eyes and kept her smile, waiting for their gaze to leave her.
"It's too bad really, Kuno's a good looking guy, he's just kinda' crazy..." Yuka commented.
"I know, right? Maybe he really does like that Shampoo girl! Think about it!" Sayuri deduced, one arm up, her index finger pointed upwards.
Nabiki opened her eyes to the point they were half-lidded, raising a closed palm to her chin, wondering why she felt so, nervous and panic-filled. 'I must really miss all the extra yen I got for those photos...' Nabiki thought, sounding very unconvincing, even to herself.
"He's been gone for a while now and anyone who's seen em' together swears they seem like an old married couple!" Sayuri finished, earning some 'wow's' from the girls.
Nabiki pursed her lips behind her closed palm, trying to make sense of this unease in her. Her eyes darted from left to right, eventually she reached a conclusion. 'Hurry up and finish getting rejected Kuno, it's bad for business... and boring...'
"Uh... Nabiki, your walkie talkie is making that sound again." Yuka commented, snapping Nabiki out of her thoughts, when coming to she reached inside her desk and pulled out her walkie-talkie, earning a few looks from the students, even the teacher who was in the middle of a lecture. "What? It's business." Nabiki stated, sounding blunt.
The teachers and the students for worry over their own safety and or personal secrets, they allowed Nabiki to do as she pleased, undisturbed.
"Talk to me..." Nabiki said, holding her hand out as the other was holding the communication device, checking it for any broken nails. "Wait? What!?" Nabiki stood up from her desk and made her way to the back of the classroom, dropping the volume. "Calm down, Ghost-face... tell me from the beginning."
Nabiki's eyes widened as she held the phone., "It's finally happened..."Nabiki paused, listening very closely, her eyes trailing to the side as she would occasionally nod, gradually becoming less attentive as she found her eyes slowly widening, until looking awestruck as she quickly came to her senses.
"Wait? What? Never mind, Look... we'll talk about this later." Nabiki finished, ending her call with Gosunkugi. Who sounded like he was whining on the other end before being silenced by the off button, 'Ryoga, huh... he's the last one I'd suspect of ever wanting that...' Nabiki thought, sounding cold and calculating while thinking so.
Gosunkugi
The ghost-faced student was seen behind a tree, holding onto his walkie-talkie close to his face, clicking the button on the side and speaking into it. "Okay, I did as you said, I looked for Ranma and Ryoga when I found them Ryoga had said, that he wants Ranma..." Gosunkugi paused, gulping, remembering the fire in Ryoga's eyes when he heard him say that. "Ranma tried to clear the air but she just stopped and asked them if this was really the place for that sort of thing and then Ryoga took off with them, I had to chase them for a while and even then I thought I lost them, that was till I heard Ranma shout something at the park! So I hide and listened, turns out... Ranma... that dirty creature! Wanted them both! That's when I saw Akane, they were asking Ranma to choose but the greedy jerk said he wanted them both! They wouldn't let him at first but... Ryoga suggested they all get together, then Akane accepted and kissed Ranma..." Gosunkugi closed his eyes and hugged his walkie-talkie before continuing. "Then Ranma changed into a girl and kissed Ryoga..."
"What're we gonna' do!? We can't let Akane be in something so... so wrong!" Gosunkugi cried, shaking the phone as if it were Nabiki, all Gosunkugi could hear was Nabiki telling him that they'd speak later. "Noooo! Nabiki!" he shouted, holding the phone at arm's length then allowing it to fall as he slouched forward, his head down, defeated.
"I can't let this be... I'll save you Akane..."
Campsite
Cologne and Sasuke sat the extinguished fire, cups of tea in their hands as they pleasantly sipped away. "Tell me... does your master usual take this long to settle things?" Cologne inquired, keeping her eyes closed as well as her head down when doing so.
The ninja in question was seated on his knees, a flat expression on his face. "Most of the time they're never settled and I have to find Master Kuno after he's been kicked away by either the pig-tailed girl or Akane," Sasuke answered, taking another sip of his tea.
"Hm... maybe we should start packing soon... everything is probably going to go back to the way it was soon, especially knowing my great-great-granddaughter," Cologne stated, assuming Kuno had failed in his efforts to secure Shampoo's feelings.
"What is knowing about Shampoo!?" Shampoo exclaimed, landing in a crocheted position as she had just hopped off a tree, now glaring at her great-great-grandmother.
"He actually did it..." Sasuke muttered, at a loss for words. The buck-toothed ninja could feel tears forming at the corners of his eyes, glad that their family lineage may continue, especially since Principal Kuno has lost most of his mind.
"Fear not! For I have arrived!" Kuno shouted as she stopped ran up to the others. "My apologies for not coming a little sooner, there was a snag with a wooden obstacle I needed to overcome..." Kuno said, trying to look smooth in front of Shampoo since he had fallen behind.
Cologne and Shampoo only stared, wondering what exactly he had meant by that.
"He tripped over a log..." Sasuke clarified. Cologne and Shampoo both found themselves laughing at Kuno's expanse, Cologne covering her mouth with her sleeve, Shampoo with her hand.
"Sasuke!" Kuno said, blush as his hands were to his sides, in annoyance.
"Sorry Master Kuno!" Sasuke shouted, then bowed before his master.
The Blue Thunder crossed his arms, scuffing at the laughter that continued. "That's enough!" he exclaimed, though both Shampoo and Cologne did not have enough respect for him to fulfill his demand.
"That explains the bruise on your head, chi-" Cologne paused as she looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the river they had been using.
Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and turned in the direction Cologne was facing. A lone figure stood at a distance, hidden behind the dense foliage, the shadowy silhouette began to approach them, stepping into and light and revealing himself to be Mousse.
"He's here..." Cologne stated, hoping they'd have some more time before Kuno would take him on, but she figured that she really should have known Mousse wouldn't stay lost forever.
The figure took a few steps towards them, leaves and dirt fell from his person as he made his way over to them, his head slouched forward as if he didn't know where he was actually going. Kuno raised his bokken in a defensive stance, ready for anything that Mousse might have up his sleeve and Kuno was already well aware of what those sleeves contained, pretty much anything.
"Shampoo... I'm..." Mousse stated, before falling flat on his face on his fifth step towards the group.
"And now he's gone..." Cologne commented, giving him a flat stare, really wishing she had some quality students to teach, like Ranma.
Ryoga & Ranma
Clouds gently flew by in the sky, Ryoga resting on the Tendo dojo roof, arms behind his head, one knee up as he calmly opened his eyes. The look on his face was soft, slowly a gently smile crept upon his face, before closing his eyes, laughing the slightest bit, 'To think... Ranma Saotome... and me...' Ryoga thought, letting that thought settle in, again.
It was just too much for him to accept sometimes, his version of reality didn't harbor this much kindness, sure it had its moments but the long lonely nights, those confusing times when he'd end up in a foreign country, even more, lost by the fact that he couldn't understand the different languages. Ryoga rolled onto to his right side and laid there, raising his left hand he stared at his hand, curling his fingers inward once.
"Tell me, Ryoga... you always this melodramatic?" Ranma asked hands on her hips.
Ryoga lowered his hand to see the object of his confusion but also the very reason he was there. "Sorry... so, what's going on? Is it time to eat?" Ryoga asked, sitting up with the support of his arms.
"Nah... got bored with training and decided to come up here and see what you were up to," Ranma replied, making her way over to him and plopping herself down next to him, legs crossed.
"All I really did was take a nap," Ryoga replied, his head still in Ranma's general direction as he spoke. "Then after that, I woke up and here you were..."
Ranma heard all this and knew that that wasn't the entire story, however, Ranma was in no mood to tease him at the moment and nodded her head, remembering that look on his face. "Sounds pretty boring..." Ranma commented, resting her back on the roof, Ryoga joining her shortly after.
"Not really... I've... had a lot on my mind," Ryoga replied, one arm to his side and the other placed on his chest. "I just wish I didn't have to lie about us, again..." Ryoga gasped as he felt someone's hand atop of his, blushing the lost boy shot his head in Ranma's direction, who, much like him, was also on her back, one hand on her stomach.
"This time, it's different..." Ranma maintained her strong look, squeezing Ryoga's hand gently, as to comfort the lost boy in his moment of need, "This is..." Ranma sighed, closing her eyes once before opening them. "real."
Ryoga eyes widened as he felt short of breath, admiring Ranma's courage. There, of course, wasn't too much when it came to being intimate, but it seemed that Ranma could also have a leg up on that sort of thing. "Ranma..."
Ranma looked at him from the corner of her eyes, "Yeah?" she asked.
Though she didn't get much else to say as Ryoga shifted his position to be above Ranma, the redhead blushed lightly as she instinctively placed her hands on Ryoga's chest, keeping him from getting too close. "R-Ryoga!?"
Sapphire eyes met emerald eyes as Ryoga, for once, became intentionally lost in something. Ranma stared back, watching as the wind gently blew, making the moment all the tenser as Ranma's hands began to wander ever so gently.
Without further delay, Ryoga took that as his queue and leaned his head down, causing Ranma to freeze from shock, mostly because she was uncertain as to what she was supposed to be doing, so she closed her eyes, not really thinking about her actions; simply acting on her feelings.
Ranma closed her eyes and waited for Ryoga's lips to come to hers, however, she instead got the lost boy's lips pressing up against her neck, gently planting kisses on her neck, although being gentle enough to not leave any marks, while Ryoga was in a sense, having his way with her. The pig-tailed girl was going through some things of her own, her feet felt tense and her knees were being brought together as if feeling weak from the surge of physical sensations overtaking her.
"Geez! Ryoga! When did you grow a pair!?" Ranma asked, panting a little as she shoved the lost boy off of her.
She swore she needed to cool down or risk overheating, somehow. After being held back the lost looked into Ranma's eyes, "Sorry..." Ryoga apologized, ashamed that he had probably taken a moment a lot further than he should have, with his girlfriend slash boyfriend; currently girlfriend.
Ryoga looked towards Ranma's face, seeing that she was pouting as well as blushing a little, he attempted to pull away but felt Ranma tugging his collar.
"Don't..." Ranma said, leaning her head forward enough to cover her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest harder, to Ranma it felt like a jackhammer going off in her chest.
Ryoga's feelings were the same in this case, they had just been immensely intimate and then suddenly having to stop? It was just too cruel. Thankfully Ranma's manner of thinking was just like a man's, she wanted to actually finish what she started.
Without exchanging any words, Ryoga leaned himself back down, things felt as though they were moving in slow motion, Ryoga's lips capturing Ranma's, sharing a heated kiss, as they had done so many times before this one, however, it was as Ranma said.
Real.
Happosai
The Grandmaster of the 'Anything Goes' school of martial arts watched as the two students Nabiki hired for his entertainment failed to act out even the most basic of scenes for his theatrical fanfiction. "No! No! No! Ash you're supposed to be denser and Misty you're supposed to getting even angrier! How am I supposed to make beautiful fanservice if you're not playing your parts right!" Happosai exclaimed, looking over his script. Checking if there were any errors on his part, but saw none.
"We're sorry... we're trying as best as we can, please don't tell Nabiki!" the Ash look-a-like said, hoping that Happosai would calm down.
"We've been at this all day! And we can't keep making excuses for missing class!" the Misty like one stated.
"Don't you worry about that, I threatened the prin-" Happosai paused, then cleared his throat. "I mean... gave em' a good reason to leave ya' two alone!" Happosai laughed.
"So... can we go now?" the Misty of this little insane play asked.
"No! Not till I figure something out..." Happosai tilted his head down, wondering what was missing from the script. He had the actors and to top it all off, they looked the part. He thought about to the various scenes he had set these two up in, but none of those scenes inspired that old feeling Happosai got from the one he made Ranma and Ryoga perform.
"I need my old actors back!" Happosai exclaimed, slapping the sides of his face with his palms, unable to find the answer and looking for the old familiar, somewhat magical feeling that both Ranma and Ryoga brought to the stage.
Ranma & Ryoga
Ranma and Ryoga were back to their old ways, however for different reasons. The two exchanged fists with one another, Ranma making a right hook, Ryoga being hit with enough brute force to send him careening back, while in mid-fall back the lost boy threw his leg back and then leaned his torso forward as quickly as he could to push his momentum forward and slam his head into Ranma's chest.
He fell to a knee and placed his hand over his chest, gritting his teeth for a second before raising his head and smiling at him. "Not bad, Ryoga... getting good without that, what did you call it again?" Ranma asked, placing his hand on his cheek, trying to recall.
"Lion's breaking point shot... to be honest, it takes too much energy... or rather it takes too much ki, too quickly... so it's like trying to catch my breath once they've sucked it out of my lungs," Ryoga commented, reaching his hand up and rubbing his cheek.
"Hurt that bad, huh?" Ranma smirked, looking to him.
"Honestly, you're one of the few that can hurt me..." Ryoga commented, then began to churn his wrists, loosening them up as he watched his hand rotate.
Ranma looked to him and hardened his expression, enough to the point that Ryoga could not only see this but assume that Ranma was up to something. "Hold still..."
"What are you...?" Ryoga questioned as he noticed Ranma walk to his side and place his hand on his shoulder.
"Just shut up..." Ranma muttered as he closed his eyes and leaned his lips over to Ryoga's cheek. The lost boy froze in place, his eyes wide as Ranma paused, squinting his eyes before leaning in the rest of the way, kissing Ryoga on the cheek, softly. Silence followed shortly after and Ranma looked away, thinking maybe it was too early for something such as this.
"Thanks, Ranma..." Ryoga said, looking to the pig-tailed boy with a friendly smile.
"Just don't go expecting one every time we spar..." Ranma blushed a little, fake punching Ryoga's arm, letting him know that they could also be, friends when he was a guy.
Kasumi
The eldest sister of the Tendo's was currently vacuuming the hall near the front entrance. Not a care in the world as she hummed to herself, that was until someone was heard knocking on the front door. "Just a minute!" she shouted, turning the household cleaning device off, going over to the door and opening it.
"Hello? Oh! It's been so long, please come in!" Kasumi ushered as she stepped back and allowed the door to open enough to see who was on the other side. "Thank you Kasumi, I have to say..."
"It's been too long since I've last seen Ranko and Mr. Panda."
Thinking outside the box, inside the box~
KiyomuMitsue~