Chapter 13: Point differences
Adapting and improvising is the core of the anything-goes style. Practitioners are expected to use any means to fight and any opportunity to train. Now then, Soun and Genma. For this regime you will be hunted by a herd of enraged elephants while blindfolded. The minefields I have planted all over the valley and the enraged tribe of pygmies that are out for your blood are the least of your concerns...
-Grandmaster Happosai, during casual training trip.
- - -
Akane's eyes blinked open and she swore in frustration. The futon she was sleeping on was comfortable enough and her current body was used to such accommodations. What she couldn't bare was the snoring panda next to her that apparently did its best to keep her awake. Sighing, she took a moment to stare at the ceiling, remembering last night. Fortunately, they had arrived home after everybody else had finished supper, meaning they did not have to sit around the table with the rest of their families. Later they had both gone out of their ways to keep away from both each other and everybody else. If the rest thought they had had a quarrel, so much the better. It would explain their unusual behavior and dissuade any questions and instant weddings.
The Tendo girl had only accomplished a few hours of sleep, but instead of feeling tired she felt restless. Still not used to Ranma's body and its apparently permanent sugar high, she felt an overwhelming urge to move ever since the panda beside her had interrupted her slumber. Akane decided she had had enough. Rising to her feet, she kicked at Genma's side hard, gawking when he failed to be disturbed. "At least I now know why Ranma is such a heavy sleeper at mornings" she mused.
Wearing Ranma's everyday clothes, she used the window to reach the ground in an authentic Ranma way, then her eyes fell on the dojo. Her newfound senses warned her there was someone else in there, probably Ranma herself. She had to raise a brow when she saw a blue glow escaping from the windows. Intrigued, she silently opened the dojo doors and looked inside.
She saw her body, dressed in her casual gi and sitting in the middle of the hall in lotus position. Ranma had her eyes closed in trance and a blue corona of light extended from her center, at least three times wider and stronger than the widest aura she had ever managed to project. She had to beat back envy with the proverbial stick, standing there mesmerized as tendrils of chi would occasionally expand out of the aura and brush against the walls.
Suddenly, she felt a change in the air and noticed that instead of serene, Ranma's face was now strained from the effort. She watched in disbelief as her normal body's aura seemed to collapse upon itself, halving in size and doubling in intensity. Seconds later, the process repeated and Akane started having trouble to look directly at Ranma's form. The Saotome youth held the performance a little bit more, grunting in effort, then let go, dropping her aura completely and gasping for air.
As soon as the light show was over, Akane strode inside the dojo, determined to get some answers. "And what exactly have you been doing with my body?" she asked out of the blue, startling her fiancée.
Ranma jumped a bit, then smiled the cutest smile she could conjure, causing Akane to flinch. "Good morning to you too, 'Kane. Sleep well? It's entirely too early for you to be up."
"That interesting and secret a technique, huh?" she asked in a condescending tone, making it perfectly clear she would not accept the change of subject.
Ranma sighed, rising to her feet and stretching. "If Nabiki is right-and she usually is- we will need any advantage we can get. I was trying a... technique I saw a long time ago."
Akane raised a brow. "A technique you saw but never mastered? Now that's a surprise."
Her fiancée frowned. "There are a lot such techniques Akane. Do you think that during the training trip with pop I had time to settle somewhere and actually train? Half of the time we were running away from people he conned."
The Tendo girl was not convinced, looking him through half-lidded eyes. "You've had all the time in the world here, Ranma. What aren't you telling me?" she insisted, coming close enough to almost cause their noses to touch.
Ranma scowled. "Alright, I couldn't learn it in my body! Satisfied?" she exclaimed frustrated.
Akane blinked. "And you can learn it in while in mine?" she asked in disbelief and elation.
The displaced Saotome smirked somewhat cruelly. "It's because by the time I remembered this technique, my body had way too strong an aura. It would be dangerous to try and learn it in my own body."
"Are you saying my body is weak?" she demanded and Ranma chuckled.
"Not weak, tomboy, just weaker than my body. I thought you would have realized that by now" she retaliated, blowing her fiancée a raspberry.
"Don't call me that" she fumed, throwing a half-hearted punch that was easily dodged. "So what's this oh so might technique?"
Ranma looked thoughtful. "What do you know about battle auras?" she asked back.
She smirked, eager to display her knowledge. "It is projected from the body's center in times of need or stress, trained martial artists can control it and it enchases strength, speed and endurance without need to focus your chi at a specific place."
The Saotome youth nodded. "It's also very inefficient, since the stronger it is the wider it spreads. The technique I'm trying to learn allows me to 'fold' my aura back to itself. Each new folding doubles the aura's current effects" she explained, chuckling at the look of incredulous disbelief on the other girl's face.
"That's... that's a lot" she managed after a while and Ranma nodded. A second later, she had to use all her speed to avoid an extremely fast punch from Akane.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, barely dodging a low kick.
Akane smiled devilishly and Ranma subconsciously filed the expression for future use. "What does it look like? If I have to fight in your body, I need to get used to it. Plus I will be giving my normal body a real workout. Unlike you, I have few reasons to hold back" she clarified, falling in a vicious combo that Ranma again barely dodged.
The Saotome martial artist was not convinced. "Are you an idiot? My body is way faster and stronger than yours! If I miss a dodge you might kill both of us" she warned, frowning all the while.
Her fiancée failed to stop smirking. "Don't worry, I know how much damage my body can take. That is, unless you think you are not good enough to keep up with me now" she added slyly, mentally patting herself on the back.
Ranma knew very well Akane was baiting her. The challenge, however, was still a challenge and she knew she could guard against most of the things Akane could throw at her. The fact she was facing her own body made it a bit easier to attack, too. Face turning grim, Ranma prepared herself for the next attack. Akane assaulted her with an onslaught of punches at amaguriken speed and Ranma allowed herself a smirk. She blocked the first few with some difficulty, then proceeded to dance through the rest and land a palm strike on her opponent's diaphragm, hard enough to launch her off her feet.
Akane stayed down dazed for a while, looking at her former body incredulously. While not really hurt, she had felt more pain than when she would crash after an unsuccessful landing. "How did you do that?" she asked in disbelief. "I am sure I was punching way faster than what my body can do. I was practically doing the chestnut fist!"
Ranma chuckled, a cocky grin on her mouth. "That's because martial arts are not only about the body, tomboy" she retaliated, stressing the last word to Akane's ire. "The amaguriken is not only about punching fast and hard enough without hurting your hands. You have this part down pat, actually. The problem is, your mind can't keep up. You strike blindly and with no accuracy. To compensate, you fall into patterns. After I blocked the first few punches, I saw right through them. If I know where you're going to hit, I don't have to be faster than you."
Akane turned grim, nodding. She reflected she should have been angry for making such a mistake, but found she had started respecting Ranma as a teacher. That didn't mean for a second she wouldn't try to prevail against her fiancée, regardless of how unjust her current advantage might be. She tried once more, punching slower and trying to control each and every movement. She soon realized there was a fine line between speed and control. If she thought too much, she would turn slow and clumsy. If she thought too little, she would become predictable. Grinding her teeth, she tried to maintain that balance.
Ranma, on the other hand, was impressed. Akane was slowly gaining the upper hand and the young Saotome found herself blocking and parrying hits as often as she dodged. She would expend a lot of chi to bolster her body's weaker than normal defenses, so each hit had little effect individually, but so many together would soon start taking their toll. She decided it was time to break Akane's rhythm. Timing Akane's blows, she suddenly grabbed one of her hands by the wrist while leaving the ground. Using Akane's momentum and dodging her other punch, she twisted her body at an odd angle, bringing her knee right at her opponent's forehead. Still using her arm for leverage, she proceeded to leap above the Tendo girl, unbalancing her even more and falling behind her. A fast and hard leg sweep sent the dazed Akane to the floor and she barely managed to brace herself with her hands and avoid a face-plant.
Akane returned to her feet much slower. While she was satisfied to note Ranma was breathing harder than she had ever seen him breath during their spars, her own labored gasps were less than flattering. She absently rubbed her forehead, marveling at the strike.
"How did you hit me as hard as Ryouga?" she inquired puzzled. "I know I could never hit that hard with my body."
Ranma tried to maintain a straight face at that. She then proceeded to fail miserably. Despite Akane's frown, she collapsed, almost laughing to tears. "R...really Akane" she managed with difficulty. "Did you think I was pulling your leg every time I mentioned your brute strength? You are not strong as a mule. In fact, mules have nothing on you" she guffawed, causing Akane to turn violet from both anger and embarrassment.
"What the hell are you talking about!" she demanded. "I'm nowhere near as strong as you or Ryouga!"
Ranma shook her head. "Idiot! You are almost as strong as him and I'm only a little bit stronger. Your problem is, you have zero control over it. Did you think I have been launching myself above Nerima all that time? After breaking so many cinderblocks, your body has enough strength affinity to lift tons!" she yelled and Akane blushed.
"But... but I" she tried embarrassed, not sure how to respond.
Ranma sighed. "Look Akane. Keep working on speed, control and balance. Right now, you have a body with way deeper chi reserves than what you are used to. Hell, start working on chi balls again. As long as you pick a harmless emotion, you won't run out of juice for days and it's easier in my body, too. If you do it now, it will be that much easier to repeat when the potion fades."
Akane settled down at that, then turned thoughtful. "Does that mean that you can throw chi around normally while in my body?" she wondered.
Ranma raised a brow. "One way to find out" she responded, extending her arm horizontally and concentrating. A few seconds later, a blue mass of chi the size of a softball appeared on her hand and she smirked. "It's a bit different than usual, but I still have it. In fact, I think I'll keep playing with your chi all day. It will help your body to get used to it."
For some reason, her fiancée blushed at the wording. "I think I'll go take a bath" she snapped, hurrying out of the dojo. As soon as she stepped outside, both she and Ranma realized what exactly taking a bath would entail.
- - -
Nabiki groaned as her alarm clock decided it was high time she woke up. For efficiency reasons she had it placed at the opposite side of her room, a fact that forced her to leave the bed altogether to get rid of the infernal sound. Still half-asleep, she frowned at her window. She could tell it was way earlier than her usual time and she struggled to remember why she would inflict such a despicable torture on her person. Her weary eyes fell on the thermos next to her alarm clock and she reached for it almost instinctively. Removing the cup, she drank directly from the bottle, ingesting an unreasonable amount of warm coffee, thanking her stars she had it prepared from yesterday. As soon as the black nectar entered her system, she remembered the method to her madness. She had planned to try and unearth as much information about Taro's enemies as possible.
Quickly dressing and clearing the bathroom, she stopped momentarily in front of Taro's room. Hardly hesitating, she slid the door open, expecting the cursed martial artist to still be asleep.
"I find your definition of privacy to be heavily skewed, Tendo" came the voice from inside and she merely raised a brow. Taro had his back against the wall and despite being in substantial pain he was busy pumping a pair of dumbbells fast enough to seem like blurs.
Nabiki smiled icily. "On the contrary, Taro. My definition of privacy is positively pristine. That doesn't mean I have to respect it. On the other hand, your definition of rest is not quite stellar."
The unfortunately named Chinese smiled almost sheepishly. "If I rest any more, I'll go crazy, Nabiki. You wouldn't like me crazy."
The middle Tendo failed to flinch in the slightest. "You assume I already like you, Taro. How very conceited of you" she retaliated teasingly.
Taro grinned. "I have faith in my indomitable charm, Nabiki. After I save your life a couple of times, you'll fall for me like a meteor."
"I hope you'll be able to take the strain then" she responded, not missing a beat. "While you have a head start since I already know your full name..." she went on, eliciting a groan from Happosai's godchild, "...you will be hard pressed to seduce me that easily. Ranma has saved my baby sister dozens of times and I find myself unsettlingly jealous" she finished, running a hand seductively down her side and basking under Taro's sudden leer.
"I am sure I can measure up", he replied, somewhat stiffly.
Nabiki smirked. "See that you do, big boy" she added while leaving.
Taro sighed, somewhat overwhelmed. "These Tendo sisters are something else" he muttered, shaking his head and trying to concentrate in his training.
- - -
Akane's cheeks were already rosy when she entered the bathroom area. Discarding her clothes, she couldn't help looking at the mirror with a generous mixture of jealousy, embarrassment and excitement. She had admitted to herself some time ago she was a pervert by her own, admittedly biased, standards, only marginally minding in which form Ranma was at any time. And there she was now, occupying Ranma's body and free to leer at it anytime.
Biting her lower lip, she quickly hurried to the bathing area, futilely trying to look down as little as possible. That didn't stop her mind from wandering and making her flush.
"Any other girl would get back pains with these things, but Ranma's body is above such mundane inconvenience" she muttered somewhat miffed and trying to concentrate in other such comparatively harmless subjects. She decided to try and keep the level-headedness of a doctor, although thinking about Dr. Tofu was not exactly smart. While her crush had long since faded, it didn't mean there were no memories left.
After a while, she managed to settle down enough to actually wash herself. What she did not expected was Ranma casually entering with only a folded towel to protect some of her body's modesty.
"What do you think you are doing, you pervert?" she demanded hotly, raising a brow when Ranma signaled her to stop talking loudly.
"Keep it low, everybody else is still sleeping" she replied. "And I believe I'm taking a bath" she added, casually sitting on the second stool."
"But...but...but I'm here now" she shot back flustered.
While Ranma was also blushing, she made a far greater job looking casual. "Come on, Akane. Can you honestly say you have something right now I have never seen?" she asked, staring directly at her fiancée and shamelessly running her eyes all over her normal body. "But damn, do I look good!" she added snickering.
"You... you... you" tried the Tendo girl unsuccessfully, clenching and unclenching her hands and not quite sure how to react to something like that. As a consequence, her eyes focused on her real body, looking at it from a new angle. She blushed a deep crimson and unthinkingly shot up, hurrying to the furo.
And completely forgetting a very very vital detail.
Ranma did not, however, seeing as the main reason she entered the bathroom was to see how Akane would cope with a male body. She also rose to her feet, staying close.
Akane did not notice, her mind occupied. What he did notice as soon as he sat down in the warm water was an overwhelming sense of nausea and displacement, ten times worse than what he felt when they switched bodies. At last he remembered Ranma's curse and hesitantly opened his eyes. All his senses seemed different to him and his mind screamed there was something very wrong. He gasped and his voice sounded deeper. Not able to take the strain, he went into shock, wrapping his arms around himself tightly and shuddering.
Seconds later he felt strong arms hugging him and he started to sob. Ranma did her best to shush him, not wanting to say something wrong. After a while, Akane settled down, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "You were right, Ranma. As soon as I changed I..." he tried, finding his own voice alien. "How can you not notice when the change happens" he half whined, half asked.
Ranma rocked him a bit more, causing him to sigh. "It's only the first few times that's that bad. After a while, you won't notice it either" she replied soothingly.
Akane nodded. "Thanks Ranma... For being here. I can't believe I made fun of..."
Ranma cut him short. "Oh, come on. You're just saying that because you're in shock. In a while you'll be back to your usual tomboyish self" she teased, causing Akane to frown. "Yeah, like that. No matter your form, you are still my fiancé" she added, causing Akane's blush to return with a vengeance. Both of them would rarely acknowledge their forced engagement like that and both valued such instances far more than they would admit.
Another thing that contributed to Akane's blush was the fact that Ranma was wrapped around him while female and very naked. While the male body was a mystery to Akane, he could guess the twin breasts pressed on his back had something to do with his uneasiness.
"Sorry Ranma. I guess this time I freaked out on you" he admitted embarrassed.
Ranma shrugged. "No big deal. I went completely berserk when I fell in the spring" she offered, then her eyes went wide as she noticed something. "Although that reaction is not exactly an indication of panic" she added, trying hard to stifle her giggles.
Akane blinked confused, then decided to look downwards. Ranma tried to remember if she had ever seen Ryouga getting that red. The currently male Tendo girl eeped and tried to leap out of the furo. Ranma, that was still holding him and the fact his balance was way off caused him to stumble badly. They both fell to the floor with Akane on top, then they both stood very still. Ranma looked at her fiancé, smiling while blushing prettily. Akane, on the other hand, eyes like saucers, felt blood trailing from his nose.
Within the next second he managed to leap to his feet, reach the cold shower for a quick gender change and bolt out of the room without bothering with a towel. Ranma blinked, remaining still for a while, then erupted in belly-shaking laughter. It took her a long time to come to her senses and leave the bathroom, noticing a thoroughly trampled and goofy-looking Soun lying nearby.
"Akane, you pervert!" she giggled.
- - -
12-06-07: No Ranma story is complete without embarrassing water situations, me thinks. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next chapter will either have school or a serious battle scene. Stay tuned for it, same Ranma time, same Ranma channel and thanks for the reviews.