Rambling of the author: Well I'm in a problem now that might be a usual thing with writers. That is I forgot WHERE I wanted to take this fanfic... I still remember how I wanted to end it but I don't remember the things I planned in the middle of it. So for now I'm rereading my work that might jog my memory or give me a good idea.
Disclaimer: I still don't own the rights to Ranma ½ or Urusei Yatsura
Time Lines:
Ranma: After the Failed wedding (so the end of Ranma nibun no ichi)
Urusei Yatsura: The start of the series the infamous tag. (I will change the writing here if we get into a new part of the manga timeline!)
The story is based on the happenings in the manga! Events/adventures from the movies or animes never happened.
A little help to the readers (more to come if needed):
"Hello." Speech
"(Hello.)" Thought
"Mouko Takabisha" Attack/ Technique
„U-chans" Signs
„/Hello/" Panda signs
„\Hello\" Telepathic
„/Hello\" Telephone
Part 12: The things we do...
In the living room of the Tendo home the world slowed down before the people as lightning started to crackle around the green haired girl. Soun was about to faint as the target of the lightning bolt was Akane but the young pigtailed girl was already in motion jumping in front of the young Tendo!
"Ranma!" Everyone yelled watching the pigtailed girl's body hanging in the air as the electricity ran through her.
No one knew what to do as Ranma fell to the ground with a loud crack coming from wooden floor. The loud noise brought back everyone to reality. Kasumi quickly ran for the first aid kit, Nabiki ran to the phone to call a doctor for Ranma and Nodoka who fallen unconscious from the sudden event.
While Soun and Genma were thinking about what to do.
Meanwhile Akane and Lum just awoke from the sudden shock, the youngest Tendo wanted to run over to Ranma and check on her but she was beaten to it by Lum.
"Darling!" With that the green haired oni girl flew over to her and started checking for life signs.
Not caring about the world and the event that just happened right before the two men's very eyes. The two fathers were deep in their united little world.
"Genma! Once Ranma wakes up let's start the wedding at once."
"You are right Soun. I bet the boy would like that I'll go and call a priest this instant." Genma quickly stood up but soon the dream bubble burst as a crimson aura enveloped Akane and she was looking at them.
"I'm NOT going to marry that perverted freak of nature!" Just as fast as she said it the youngest Tendo already regretted saying it.
"Akane you shouldn't talk about Ranma like this. Yeah he is insensitive most of the time but compared to the rest of the guys we know I'd say he is the most sensitive man ever." Nabiki expressed herself with a little side joke knowing well about Ranma's curse. After hearing the mercenary girls' words Akane looked at Kasumi who didn't show any kind of response to that. She probably agreed with the previously said things but in her own way.
"I can't believe you defend this pervert Nabiki! How much did he pay you for it?" Akane couldn't believe that her OWN sisters turned against her. She couldn't believe that somehow Nabiki didn't agree with her but also stood up for the pigtailed boy.
If this wasn't enough already the boy already had a new girl all over him! And now she meant it literally. Rage welled up inside the youngest Tendo and she was about to explode when she remembered that the alien girl could throw lightning bolts around.
"(How can I fight something that is like a malfunctioning electric outlet?)" The image of her becoming crispy from the shock made the idea of charging in unappealing. Then she caught sight of Ranma who had her eyes open already clearly alright, if a little singed, shocked hairstyle standing in spikes and it did seem that she had a run in with the alien girl's electric attack
Ranma just opened her eyes and caught a pair of blue eyes looking down at her and seemingly smiling at her... or was that the mouth with a very strange blue lipstick and she's having vision problems?
"(I believe this is the first time I was electrocuted. I can't feel my body it's like my whole body went numb... so this is what it feels like to be an electrician when his work goes bad.)" Smiling or rather trying at the grim joke she made, the pigtailed girl tried sitting up. Her vision cleared enough to realize that her head was in the lap of Lum and once again she had a good sight of her fun bags from under.
But as luck would have it as she tried to sit up her body wouldn't let her as she twitched once in a while here and there. Then a second problem appeared. Her senses caught a high concentration of ki piling up and she already knew the owner.
"I bet you enjoy it down there don't you?" Akane's voice dripped with venom and the pigtailed boy would bet that she could outdo a dangerous poisonous snake! She tried to answer her but since no sound came out of her mouth or rather no sound left her mouth the young Tendo jumped to another conclusion.
"I bet you would rather marry her then me! You know what? I don't care. Go and be happy with her but not in my home!"With that she pulled out her mallet and with a large swing the mallet hit both Ranma and Lum out of the home.
"I think you might have gone too far this time Akane." Nabiki commented from the sidelines. Since she got the two together she just couldn't understand why the two couldn't stay together.
'(Akane can't trust Ranma enough or won't give him time to explain himself. Ranma on the other hand is a walking ego and can't see the line which says 'Do Not Cross.)" Nabiki shook her head and then left the room going for the phone...again! She might have an idea of where the young Saotome landed.
- High in the sky-
After taking most of the blow from Akane's mallet Ranma felt like her ribs turned to dust since she couldn't enhance herself with ki because of the electro 'therapy' she just had.
Speaking of it... the 'doctor' was also blown away with her said doctor's body was plastered to her as she tried to slow them down. After a few minutes of flying in the sky they finally came to a point where Lum could slow them down enough to stop. Looking at her saviour, Ranma could see relief and anger at the same time. Luckily the latter wasn't targeted at her!
"I don't know what that girl's problem is but I think it's about time to show her who she shouldn't mess with!"
The pigtailed girl stayed silent as she tried to regain control over her body.
After a few moment of silence the pigtailed girl regained her ability to talk.
"You know Lum you should forget getting even with Akane." Hearing her appointed lover's voice surprised the oni girl.
"Darling I thought that you agree with me that she needs to learn a lesson... or two."
"I agree that she deserves a few lessons but it's not worth it... and don't call me darling!" As she was about to finish her sentence the pigtailed girl realized that it would be wise NOT to go back to the Tendo house for a little while.
"Probably for a day or two ."
The low muttering caught the oni girl's attention but she couldn't quite make it out.
"What was that darling?"
"Just thinking out loud! How many times do I have to tell you not to..."
"But as far as I know this is an appropriate way to call one's love or was that another word and I'm not making any sense?"
"No, you remember it well but I'm not your darling." A reply came from Ranma after a heavy sigh but it raised a question in Lum.
"But, if you're not my darling then are you that aggressive girl's darling?" The young Saotome wanted to reply with a yes but kept quiet. This one question raised numerous others for him. After a minute of silence that seemed like hours for the pigtailed boy, Lum started speaking.
"Well I guess that I should give you some time to get used to the idea darling."
"I'm thankful for that, Lum." By chance Ranma called the alien girl by her name which surprised her. Usually he didn't refer to her by name unless it was necessary. This might be a sign that he was warming up to her.
Once near ground level the pigtailed girl looked around so she might find a familiar landmark. While in the middle of searching her eyes caught a familiar person walking with a girl besides him!
"Isn't that... Ataru?"
"Who are you talking about darling?"Lum asked not knowing who to look for so she just looked at the people who were walking under them.
"Do you see that guy with dark brown hair with the long haired brunette beside him?" What Ranma didn't see or didn't care about was as the mentioned pair held each other's hand and walked by it caught Lum's attention.
"Yeah. What about them?" She already knew what her darling wanted but she felt that she might play with him... just a little.
"Well I know that guy. I guess he can be called a friend... even, if I met him only recently."
"So what do you want to do now that you have seen him?" The look that Ranma gave her radiated masked annoyance which was too good for Lum to pass.
"Well... I thought that maybe we could go down to street level and greet him."
-At street level-
"Isn't it nice Ataru? The people are so happy and cheerful. "
"Yeah but what really makes ME happy is that you are with me Shinobu!" The young Moroboshi looked at the girl beside him and felt that he should follow his urges but pushed that idea aside.
So Ataru returned to enjoy his girlfriends company and take a peek or two at any good looking woman who came by their way.
Just as he felt like this was paradise an angelic voice chanting his name caught his attention.
"What is it Ataru?" Shinobu asked her boyfriend who suddenly stopped and started looking around like a madman.
"Someone called my name."
"Maybe you're imagining it?" Shinobu cared for Ataru and the idea that he might go insane didn't appeal to her.
"Could be." But as he thought that he might be just hearing things the angelic voice spoke again.
"Ataru! Up here."
Hearing that Ataru and Shinobu looked up and seen Lum and a redheaded girl beside the alien.
"What a beauty!" Ataru exclaimed loudly and already his mind started making dreams about that redhead and him.
Before he could enjoy the sight of the two girls a pair of hands grabbed him by his collar and he realized that he just made Shinobu angry!
"ATARU! Where do you know those two?" At her question the young Moroboshi started thinking and Shinobu could actually see his face becoming serious as he tried to remember.
After a few minutes Ataru's eyes focused for a moment and he said as calm as humanly possible.
"I don't remember meeting them ever."
-On the roof-
The alien girl and the one part girl looked at each other confused by the scene under them.
"Are you sure you didn't confuse him with the Ataru you know?" Lum asked as she continued enjoying the drama that played out at the street.
Keeping silent for a moment the redhead thought that she might have confused him with someone else but then again the face and even the voice was the same as Ataru's.
"Pretty sure..." As she tried to find the answer why wouldn't her friend remember her, she felt that her arms were rubbing up with her breast. Realizing that she wasn't in her male form cleared things up.
"Wait! I only met him as a guy! He doesn't even know about my curse so it's natural that he wouldn't recognize me."
"Then we should defuse this drama before it gets worse." Even if the scene the two humans are doing now was more entertaining than the soap operas on the Oni Romance channel back at her home.
"... I'm not a fool Ataru! This isn't the first time you go to an unknown woman to flirt." Shinobu was yelling at her 'boyfriend' with whom she felt happy a few minutes ago.
"But I'm telling you I don't know her! By the way how many times DID a girl came back to talk to me?"
"That isn't the point... and how should I believe you!"
Just as Shinobu finished the green haired girl and the buxom redhead appeared next to them.
"Great... your dates are here Ataru but I'm leaving!" With that the brunette walked away and Ataru ran after her.
"Shinobu wait I can explain!" But his words only met the girl's hand and now a big red hand print was the sign of Shinobu's work.
The young Moroboshi stood there as he nursed his cheek. Then he looked at the two girls.
"Well... I guess should bring out the best out of anything." With that he turned to the buxom redhead and that green haired girl... who was oddly familiar from somewhere.
"Hey girls! How about you two come with me? I know a great cafe near here."
Before Lum could ask Ranma what should they do now the small buxom girl replied to Ataru."Sure we would love to."
-At the cafe -
When the three entered the coffee shop the little group was the target of jealousy from many sides. For starters, the male patrons and staff that wanted to strangle the young Moroboshi for having two babes with him.
The other side was the female version. They weren't jealous of the girls being with Ataru but about their looks. Especially the one with green hair who flaunted her looks in that skimpy tiger striped bikini!
Not that the buxom redhead was better by the way. She's wearing a man's clothing and she still looks sexy!
The little group didn't really care about the murderous looks they were getting and took a seat near the entrance.
"So girls I have a question. Where do you know me from? I mean I would remember two babes like you." Ataru tried his best to get the 'two ladies' to like him but he couldn't even think of such a surprise.
"Don't worry about it. The thing is only I know you personally. My girlfriend here doesn't know you yet." Ranma instantly added trying to maintain the facade.
"(This will be so good, I can't wait to see his face.)"
"Oh well, then I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Moroboshi Ataru." The waitress chose that moment to take their orders.
Ataru ordered a cup of coffee, Lum didn't really know what to order so she chosen randomly a strawberry cake and a cup of tea. Then the waitress turned to Ranma who ordered a cup of tea and surprisingly a cup of warm water.
When the waitress was back with the orders, Lum was already confused about why Ranma didn't tell Ataru who he was.
She was about to ask when she felt the redhead's hand on her leg. She didn't know what to think! Ranma was never this forward before.
As she wanted to ask why did Ranma put her hand on her leg she heard the redhead's voice in her head.
"\He will find out soon. Don't worry, I'm speaking through telepathy. It's still hard to use so I can only do it, if I have some kind of physical contact.\"
While the situation wasn't clear to her or how did her darling gain such abilities she would have to accept that the impossible IS possible when it come to Saotome Ranma.
Seeing the green haired girl's confused face for a moment only to see it return to her normal expression gave Ranma enough of a clue that the telepathy had worked.
"(Never thought that would work.)"
"\A little more practice and you could might even do it without physical contact.\" The suddenly booming voice of Ranryu surprised the young Saotome for a moment but then she had a question.
"\Where were you?\"
"\You mean like when I'm not training you or here to counsel you?\" The inner spirits voice sounded younger than usual but the Saotome boy couldn't understand why it sounded like that.
"\Yeah, I was wondering that.\"
"\You know, here and there. Sometimes I take a long walk and buy a newspaper or sit down and have a chat with a good looking woman.\" The voice in Ranma's head was full of sarcasm that even she couldn't miss.
The pigtailed girl wanted to question him further but was literally shaken back to reality by Lum who looked troubled.
"Are you alright?" The green haired girl was concerned because of her darling. A moment ago he... she... her darling suddenly stopped reacting and like a switch had been turned off she looked straight ahead. Her eyes became lifeless while that happened.
"Yeah... I'm fine thank you. Where's Ataru?" The absence of the young Morobshi intrigued the Saotome girl's curiosity. "Oh he went to the washroom just after you went strange."
"Well, I guess I own you an explanation." The redhead felt embarrassed at least as she gave Lum her heart winning smile.
"Yes, you do." From the looks of it that smile didn't work when Ranma was female.
"Fine but I'll only tell you when we get home."
Before the oni girl could say anything Ataru returned with his goofy grin as he leered at the two girls.
"Sorry girls, I hope I didn't miss anything."
"No, we have just been..." Lum stated her reply and the redhead chose to look outside the window instead.
The oni girl's words became alien to the pigtailed girl. As she looked at the two happily chatting, more like Lum talking while Ataru kept looking at her chest.
She caught a young couple outside walking with their child. The feeling the three gave made Ranma smile.
Then she felt a shiver ran down her spine. Quickly realizing that it was because of a finger she lashed out hitting the perpetrator.
Ataru was holding the right side of his cheek. Realizing that she could've had killed him by accident she chose to switch topic.
"Why did you do that?"
"I called out but you didn't react so I thought that that might catch your attention." Ataru was looking if he had any teeth punched out but luckily for him no such thing happened.
The young Saotome wanted to yell at him but something different caught her attention.
"(What's Akane doing here?)" The redhead girl could clearly see Akane with Sayuri and Yuka. All three of them had shopping bags in one hand and from the look Sayuri gave they would be entering the shop any minute.
When Akane entered , the door hit the wall, from where a crack started that went up to the ceiling there the small chandelier gave in and fell onto the table where Lum, Ranma and Ataru sat at. The table catapulted what was left of the cake and the drinks onto the floor.
Except the hot water which landed straight into Ranma's face. Strangely the cup that held the water stayed on the table.
-Two hours ago at the Tendo home-
After sending Ranma and Lum out of the house with her mallet, Akane tried to calm down. Try was the keyword since now she realized that the alien girl would have more time with the pigtailed boy!
Seeing his little girl in an ambivalent mood Soun acted the only way that he knew that would make his daughter happy.
"Akane, how about you go out with some of your friends. It's a great day outside and you will feel better when you come back."
The young Tendo heeded her father's words and called Sayuri and Yuka to go out shopping with her. When they met at the bus station the two girls could tell that Akane was angry!
"What happened Akane? Why are you mad?"
"It's Ranma again." Hearing this, the two already knew what she was going to say.
"Is he out with Ukyo or Shampoo again?"
"No." At hearing that, the young Tendo's face started to turn slightly red, probably from anger. Not to mention that her answer only left a few choices !
"Don't tell me he's with Kodachi!"
"No! He's with that alien hussy of his!" That was a new thing. The two girls knew that something happened but it was clearly a misunderstanding...
Before either of Sayuri or Yuka could say anything Akane continued ranting.
"I bet he wasn't happy enough with his harem yet. I bet that having a Chinese Amazon running after you like a love sick puppy wasn't exotic enough for him!" Hearing this, the two girls started wondering if what Akane just said has SOME truth in it.
The little shopping trip was great but what really made it great was that the old Akane was back. The happy one, the one who you COULD be around, who wouldn't get mad at something or more likely someone.
As the three girls walked out of a mall, Sayuri caught the sight of a cafe.
"Hey I heard of this cafe. Supposedly it's quite nice with good prices."
"Well I'm not sure. I should be heading home. Who knows what's going on there." Akane was reluctant at first since with her home it was never sure it would be there the next time she went back.
"Come on Akane, just for a cup of tea."
In the end Akane gave in to Yukas diplomatic skills. Then came the first sign that this wasn't a good idea.
"Why won't this door open?" Yuka tried to open it but it seemed like the door was stuck!
"Let me try." Akane pushed down the handle and pushed the door. It wouldn't budge.
Then she tapped into her strength that she used to break bricks with. The door barely showed any sign of moving. Irritated that one door tried to get smart with her she let all of her strength go into it and the door suddenly flung open and met the wall with a loud bang. That was followed by a familiar scream.
The adrenalin already started surging in the young Tendo girl but to make sure she slowly turned her head to the source of the scream.
"RANMA!"
-At Ranma's table-
The pigtailed boy was trying to calm down Ataru who was blabbering stuff that didn't have any meaning.
It was a funny sight and the young Saotome would have probably paid for it in any other situation but not now.
Lum went over to find where her cake landed. It might have landed somewhere safe after all. Soon she found it.
"Here it is." The problem was that she didn't see or didn't care that the cake and the plate was on someone's head. That someone was unconscious, his upper body lying on the table.
"Ranma what are you doing here?" The dark blue haired girl started questioning her husband to- be who tried to answer and make sure that his friend was alright at the same time.
"Well it's a long story. After you belted me and Lum into the air..." While he said that he smacked Ataru twice to get some kind of a response out of him. After the second hit he was back... at least he wasn't saying gibberish anymore.
"I see you already like her enough to call her by her name! I bet you were ALL over her while I was away." The youngest Tendo was red both from anger and embarrassment.
"What are you talking about? It was just TWO hours ago YOU sent US flying away."
Akane couldn't find a reply so she used the line that always worked on Ranma. "That isn't the point."
"Then what is the point?" At this Ranma let go of Ataru and moved closer to Akane, his face was only six inches away.
"The thing is that..." As soon as Akane wanted to continue the green haired alien girl arrived, in her hands a plate with the remains of the strawberry cake.
"Darling I found my cake."
After exclaiming it she saw that the angry blue haired girl from that house was here.
"(What was her name? Akari... Akira... Okan... never mind.)"Sizing up the girl she already felt jealous when HER darling was so close to that girl who mistreated him.
Putting down her cake she hugged Ranma from behind at this the pigtailed boy jerked a little as he felt two orbs pressing into his back.
"Darling, why are you wasting your time with that girl? I mean she sent you and me away. I think this is a clear message that she doesn't want you." Lum had to force back a wide grin as Akane hung her head after hearing that. The thing she didn't count for was the red and yellow aura that sprang around her.
"The point is that you're a pervert..." While saying this Akane's eyes looked at Ranma and if looks could kill then Ranma would have been pierced, burned and a lot more. Then she turned towards Lum and even pointed at her.
"...who isn't even concerned about crossing limits?"
Hearing this Ranma was boiling with anger. He's already used to the fact that Akane doesn't trust any male except her father, Ryoga and Tofu.
But bringing in Lum who is still a stranger to even him into her little deluded mind is too much.
"You know what Akane? At first I wanted to make the relationship between you and me work, but after all the crap you said to me I started reconsidering. But now I'm not even considering making it work between us!"
The already angry Akane turned even redder then shouted back at Ranma.
"Fine by me! But since you're too much of a coward to say it out loud then I will. This engagement is over! Everything between us is over. I don't want to see you at my house anymore."
Around the pigtailed boy a crimson aura appear that was almost black!
"Good. Because I NEVER wanted this engagement!" He yelled at Akane turned his eyes to Lum who feared that it was her time to get yelled at.
"Even Lum who I've known for TWO days at best was kinder to me in THAT time than YOU were in THREE and a half years!"
On the sidelines the people's eyes in the cafe were bulging from the drama that was playing in front of them. One of the patrons started clapping and yelling asking for an encore from the magicians.
While that patron was having fun, Akane wasn't. She was insulted, humiliated and all of this by the pervert she had to marry! As her rage went into the next stage, she smiled at Ranma.
"Then I have two things to say to you. I don't want this marriage either and when YOU and your whore get back to MY home then I want you two to leave IMMEDIATELY!"
With that said Akane grabbed Ranma by his shirt, and he was shocked more by the calm Akane displayed than what she said.
Before he could say anything he felt a sense of vertigo followed by the sudden pain in his back.
"Ranma!" Ataru yelled as he saw his friend being grabbed by that cute but violent girl and thrown to the wall... and through the wall!
"Darling!" Lum quickly flew through the hole in the wall to her loved one who was now face to face with the wall of the groceries store that was on the other side of the street.
Seeing the green haired girl all over Ranma again... Akane just felt it that her anger was just.
"(He had me, and then came Shampoo... Kodachi who was all over him and Ukyo! That is already three girls! He even said he loved me...)"
Memories flashed in her mind when Ranma came for her... even when he could have easily given up on her!
When she slapped Ranma when he came to bring HER back home! When the pigtailed boy fought with the Yamata no Orochi for her to help out Shinnosuke. When Ranma battled Saffron to get HER back to normal! He didn't care about a cure for himself as long as she didn't die!
Her tears started to appear as her anger slowly disappeared and she could see her own handiwork.
"What have I done?"
Yuka seeing that her friend was in complete disorder went over to see if she was alright or not.
"Akane, are you alright?"
The youngest Tendo girl didn't stop crying as she looked at her friend and saw Ranma in his cursed form smiling at her.
Then the image cleared up showing Yuka.
"Yuka? Please tell me I'm dreaming and I didn't do what I think I just did!"
No matter how much Sayuri and Yuka liked Akane they both knew that today would change things.
"I am sorry Akane but I think you just made a big mistake today." Yuka said and she could see that in Akane's eyes a whole world trembled before crumbling.
"It's all that green haired hussy's fault! If she hadn't appeared then Ranma and I wouldn't have this problem." That was the moment when Sayuri interfered.
"You know Akane... I think that even if she wasn't here you two would still be at each other's throat. I mean the only time you two are acting like a couple is when something bad happens and you two are forced to work together."
Just as Akane was about to understand the scenario she forced herself into, her ears caught something strange.
It was like when the toaster or when the television didn't work well and gave off sparks, then the young Tendo realised what it was... in front of her, only ten feet away was a super charged, angry alien who's ready to fry her ass into charcoal!
Outside Lum was making sure that Ranma wasn't harmed. Even if he had already shown super human abilities, going through a brick wall and landing in another isn't something even an Oni would survive without a concussion.
After checking his vital signs and found all of them stable she calmed down for a minute.
As Ranma stirred in her arms, his eyes opened for a moment and smiled at Lum.
"I hope that I didn't do much damage."
Lum only nodded restraining a yell of anger as her husband to be smiled again and closed his eyes to rest.
Once sure that he was asleep, she let him go and turned towards Akane.
"Even after all this... he only cares about others." Her green eyes locked onto the young Tendo who was crying.
"You hurt my darling! Don't 'cha know that an oni is dangerous if angered?" The air started to charge with electricity as lightning appeared around Lum. The electric devices started malfunctioning or exploding in a thirty meter radius.
Lum could see Akane's mouth moving but didn't understand what she said as she let go of the lightning.
"... I said I'm sorry! Can't you understand what I'm saying?" Akane tried to calm down Lum who was ready to shoot her lightning any moment.
After Akane said sorry Lum let go of the electric attack. The young Tendo wasn't sure if seeing her life or not was a bad thing but she was sure that she couldn't dodge the lightning coming towards her.
Time slowed down for her as she tried to move but her legs wouldn't budge, Yuka and Sayuri were already at a safe distance when she tried to move.
Lum was smiling seeing the little girl standing there like the good target she was. "(It's about time this little stuck up human gets her lesson.)"
Then suddenly a yellow orb shot past beside her and stopped the electric bolt she just loosed!
"What?" She turned around to see Ranma standing, panting and smoke rising from his left hand. But something was strange going on the pigtailed boy. One of his eyes turned amber coloured for a moment before changing back to blue.
"Darling you shouldn't be up yet. You might cause harm to..." Lum tried to continue with how she feared that Ranma might cause harm to himself but his finger on her lips sealed it away.
"I know but I've had worse than this."
As he signalled Ataru and Lum that it was time to go, the three teens went to the young Moroboshi's place.
On the road there, questions popped up in Ranma's head. Like what was he supposed to do now? He's been kicked out of the Tendo home by Akane, they both said they didn't want the marriage.
"(What now? I could try to smooth things out between us... yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.)"
Both Lum and Ataru could see that Ranma was in distress. The youngest Moroboshi didn't know what to say, he had these kinds of problems with Shinobu but she always accepted him back.
Lum on the other hand did what she thought was best. She encircled his right arm with her left and tried to be there for him. After a few minutes walking like that she saw that it wasn't working so she tried another approach.
"Darling, when I tried to fry that girl how did you stop my attack?"
This brought Ranma back to reality from the endless maze of questions.
"To tell you the truth... I'm not sure. I just wanted to stop that blast so I shot my own energy at it."
Lum raised an eyebrow hearing this.
"How about we experiment a little with it later?"
"Sounds good to me."
-At the Moroboshi house-
After arriving to Ataru's home Ranma and Lum got treated to a scene, before Mrs. Moroboshi realized that they had guests.
She quickly invited them in and ran into the kitchen to make tea meanwhile Ataru used that moment to go up to his room to change clothes.
Lum smiled at this custom which was caught by Ranma, who had a few guesses why she found this amusing?
When Lum caught Ranma looking at her the boy quickly averted his eyes and looked a little nervous. To make things more entertaining for her, Lum got closer to the pigtailed boy and whispered into his ear.
"You don't have to look away darling. I enjoy it when you look at me."
Hearing this Ranma had a tint of red on his cheeks as he replied to her.
"I didn't look at you that way now."
Lum couldn't hold back a wide smile at hearing what Ranma said but still, the game was on.
"So you DO look at me that way." With that she bent forward a little showing off enough cleavage to make Ranma stutter a little.
"I...I... you're just twisting my words!"
That was the moment when the Moroboshi matriarch came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea cups.
"You two should go to the living room. I'll serve you the tea there. Where is my good for nothing son?"
Ranma didn't appreciate the way the woman was talking about her own son.
"Thank you we will sit down in there and Ataru is upstairs."
In the living room, Ranma felt it strange that Mr. Moroboshi wasn't there.
"(It's strange after oyaji and Tendo-san that a father actually goes to work.)"
Feeling that Ataru is still up in his room and Mrs. Moroboshi is still in the kitchen, Ranma was quite nervous that he's in the same room as the alien girl.
"(Why am I nervous? I slept in her spaceship. I even took a shower in there. Heck! She even gave me a change of clothes!)"
As Ranma was in the middle of finding the source of his nervousness, Lum felt that sitting here was boring.
"(Well Darling is here... even if he is in the middle of thinking. Maybe I should start a conversation? That should turn his attention to me and I won't be as bored.)" Cheered up at her idea the green haired alien turned towards Ranma.
"Here is the tea. Sorry for the delay but I had problems finding the cups we use for the guests."
Mrs. Moroboshi entered the room and the Lum pouted that her plan might be spoiled.
While serving the tea Mrs. Moroboshi has caught the look Lum was giving to Ranma and at her when she looked at the pigtailed boy.
Her curiosity was too strong to not ask about them.
"So Ranma, who is this beauty beside you? She seems familiar..."
The pigtailed boy had problems for a moment but realised that the truth was the best way.
"Her name is Lum, she is the alien I raced against." When he finished Mrs Moroboshis' eyes grew a little in size.
"I thought it was a mistake when she suddenly declared that she would marry you." The bluntness of the elder woman struck the two young adults.
"Well, it is a mistake but..."
When Ranma tried to explain how things happened, Lum interfered. "Darling what are you talking about? Let the humans think what they want. They can't separate us."
Usually Ranma wouldn't mind what Lum said since he didn't really care what people thought about him... but saying that they were together was something he didn't like.
"How many times do I have to tell you WE are not together? By the way I don't like that forceful approach of yours... you remind me of Shampoo."
"(Why do I remind Darling of hair care product?)"
As the three dug deeper in the subject the front door opened and Mr. Moroboshi arrived. He greeted his wife and the two guests before heading to their room to change into something comfortable.
On the way to the bedroom he ran into Ataru who ran to the phone.
In the living room the three wondered who Ataru was talking to before Mrs. Moroboshi had enough of her son talking too long on the phone.
Once in the room Ataru had a goofy looking grin. "Sorry for the wait but I had something to do."
Ranma didn't mind so he only nodded, while Lum didn't care what this friend of her darling did in his free time.
But unlike the two, his mother was a different story.
"So who did you talk to so long for?"
"I called Shinobu about what happened today and she said that she will come over so we can talk it out."
Ataru's grin became even bigger if that was possible. Ranma was happy for his friend but he didn't like the way he was looking at Lum.
"(Why am I so protective of her? I barely know her...)" This question lingered in his head for a while trying to find an answer.
-Outside the Moroboshi home-
Just outside the house Myjake Shinobu was deep in thought. She walked up and down for a little while.
"Should I believe Ataru?" She remembered that those two girls were way over an average girl like her.
After getting the two out of her mind she still wasn't sure what to do, so she weighed the bad things Ataru had done in the past."Maybe I shouldn't believe him. He did cheat on me once in the past."
Then she went to the good things."He is a good man... he should just become a bit more serious and stop being so lecherous."
Realising that even if she wanted him to he wouldn't change but that was one more thing she liked in him. He was always himself, he didn't act to be someone else... mostly because he wasn't good at acting.
After five minutes of thinking she chose to go in and talk this out with Ataru.
Then suddenly there was thunder and a sudden spark which blinded Shinobu.
When she opened her eyes a giant tiger striped bull was in front of her. She started screaming and yelling for help.
"No! No! Help me someone!" Realizing that no one would come to help her she ran inside the house. The horned tiger... striped bull... thing following her.
She started pummelling at the door to let her in and ran a quick circuit around the house trying to lose the creature.
Inside the house Ataru started worrying. Shinobu should have been here ten minutes ago. Then there was someone knocking on the door like a madman.
"I wonder who is beating at the door? I'd better check."
Opening the door, Shinobu ran in and Ataru didn't understand what was going on before something big trampled over him.
"What was that?"
Shinobu ran into the living room and saw that green haired girl and a handsome pigtailed boy. She would have blushed but she was more concerned about that bull thing!
"Call the police, the zoo, the vet and the army! There is a striped bull outside the house!" Just as she yelled that they heard a loud noise at the front door and the bull thing came into the room.
Ranma quickly jumped into a fighting stance, ready to knock the creature into the next week if it was necessary.
He quickly looked round, Mrs. Moroboshi was in the kitchen at the moment making dinner. Ataru's father was in the bathroom... that makes two girls that he had to defend from this wild coloured McDonalds food.
The brunette girl ran behind him, her whole body was shaking from fear. But what he found strange was the horror that was in Lum's eye.
Then the creature locked its eyes on Lum and Ranma was sure that it would attack any moment. Then its shape started changing that resembled a human.
The human formed creature had the same tiger patterned clothes as Lum but his was more of a body suit. Two small horns stood out from his dark green hair. His face was handsome, even Ranma would agree.
Then he spoke.
"Lum."