There will be: language, nudity, sex, violence, death, and rather detailed descriptions of such. I'm an adult, and a writer. I revel in the coincidence that I'm also an adult writer.
I only own what someone else does not.
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Chapter Five
–
Ranma had been enjoying what to her had been a wonderful day. Her grades were so-far sitting in the top ten-percent of the class – an utter turnaround from her usual performance, thanks to covering what to her was old material. She would be higher if her focus in maths could be sharpened, which was something to look into Ranma grudgingly allowed. Her lessons, which seemed more like small companionable meetings with Takamichi Takahata, were really helping her with her ki and onmyōdō, and to top the day off, she and Konoka were going to get together and walk to work that night, maybe stopping off to get a bite to eat on the way. The Dean's granddaughter had mentioned that there was an ice cream parlor on the way to the Baraen-sō, and Ranma was seriously in the mood for a sundae as tall as she was.
Even her future plans were pleasant. Tomorrow she was planning on starting the morning with a workout session on the roof her apartment, something she'd cleared with the landlady. Said woman had pointed out that as long as she kept the space clean and maybe helped tidy it up, it was free to use whenever, which Ranma planned to exploit severely. Hopefully her idea for the rooftop space would also get her a rent cut. She also wanted to summon Suzumebachi for lunch and the afternoon's meeting with Eva, to introduce her Shikigami to her tutors. Supposedly, at least according to Takahata, there was a way to increase such a summon's power using Western techniques despite it being a primarily Eastern discipline. Ranma really enjoyed having her vicious little Bee around, so the redhead decided that she'd see what could be done to extend the usually day-long limit on the wasp spirit's contract, if she was also willing.
To top it off, both Takahata and Eva were actually teaching her new techniques, though admittedly, the diminutive blonde wanted to see Ranma's male form to get a gauge on the difference in magic potential between the two genders. She would accommodate the young girl, but didn't know how long the attempt would last. The curse could be fickle and annoying at times, when one wanted to spend time in a single form. Luckily for her – though the idea Ranma considered it as such would send some of her past associates into a panic, thinking it the end of the world – the change from her first trip to Jusendo which caused the trigger-temperature to rise drastically also kept changes from female to male almost nonexistent. She'd need contact with nearly boiling water in some quantities to change, and that was an accident that even Jusenkyo magic couldn't fabricate out of most circumstances. She countered it by spending most of her afternoons at home male, balancing herself and the time between forms, in sleep and idleness. It had worked quite well so far, as evidenced by a fairly pleasant lack of accidental splashing or attempted splashing since she began the new routine.
So, one can understandably relate to why a disheveled redhead in a pink kimono was glaring balefully at her classmate Asuna Kagurazaka, as the two faced off that afternoon, on her way to the Baraen-sō.
Or, perhaps one needed to back up about an hour, as Konoka and Ranma left the school on their way to the Baraen-sō early enough to get something to eat – and subsequently notice Konoka's roommates stalking an oblivious Chachamaru.
–
"Are you sure she meant that I was hired as well?" Konoka's question reached Ranma through the door to the spacious supply closet attached the classroom. They had requisitioned it as a space to change in, seeing as they were planning on spending some time on the way to the onsen getting food and generally just getting to know one another better, as they were now coworkers.
Ranma rolled her eyes, chuckling at the anxiety clear in the meek girl's tone. "Yeah, Konoka-chan, I'm sure. Nonohara-san seemed rather enthused, and you did end up with the same uniform as me, after all." Though Ranma wondered why her's was small enough to force the redhead into showing more than the usual amount of cleavage. Sure, she knew she was built very well for her age – according to Shiina Sakurako, the blonde cheerleader who had been assisting Ako with the health exams – as she happened to have one of the top five bust measurements in 3-A, but to show it off at a couple's onsen... Well, Ranma had some reservations about her kimono – no hotel pun intended. "'Sides, I think you'd make a great hostess," she sent back, tying off her obi after improvising some more coverage by wrapping her bust with sarashi instead of a bra, completely missing the curious looks she got from passing students looking through the classroom windows at her casual display of skin.
"You really think so?"
"Wouldn't say so otherwise," Ranma remarked, as her coworker finally shuffled from the closet. The redhead whistled low, with a grin. "My, don't you clean up nice."
Konoka blushed at the compliment. "Auu, well. It's a nice kimono..."
Ranma waved her modesty away, "None of that, none of that," she chided, standing before the other girl with her hands on her shoulders, peering at her critically. She noted, among other things, that Konoka was only a few centimeters shorter than she was but most of her focus was on the other girl's hair. Tapping her chin, the martial artist produced a pair of lacquered chopsticks and a comb from her ki-space, causing Konoka's eyes to widen slightly. "Where did-"
"Tell you about it on the way," she commented distractedly, spinning the girl around to work on her hair. "She was right, you know. Put you in a kimono, and you're pretty much instant princess material," the redhead idly stated, her hands flying through complex styling maneuvers in a blur. One more benefit of constant contact with insane Chinese Amazons for over two years, she mused to herself. That, and she could make a mean bowl of ramen when pressed.
Finishing her work, Ranma nodded to herself smartly. Konoka's long hair had been gathered into a braid, then whorled into a bun, set in place by the chopsticks. She made a note to get the girl a more decorative pair if she liked the style, later. She left her bangs alone, figuring they framed her face nicely with the small locks Ranma left free from before her ears. The effect brought the slighter girl's neck into focus, where normally her hair would have obscured it – and she had a very lovely neck, Ranma had to admit. Producing a mirror she'd tucked away that morning, she held it in front of the girl, grinning from behind her shoulder. "Like?"
Konoka blinked a few times, then took hold of the mirror eagerly to inspect Ranma's work. "Oh... my. This is me?"
"Just a little change can do a lot," the redhead affirmed with a nod. "You don't have the hime-cut, but still just leaving those locks before your ears free, it gives a nice effect," Ranma observed. "Plus, it won't get in the way. Don't know what Nonohara is going to have us doing, but this way you won't have to worry about it much."
Grinning happily, the smaller girl spun and gave her impromptu stylist a hug. "Thank you, this is lovely."
Blushing at the contact, Ranma laughed nervously, "Ah, ehe, it's nothing, really."
Pulling back, the Dean's granddaughter eyed the redhead critically. "What about you, though? Not that there's anything wrong with a simple braid..."
Waving Konoka's concern off, Ranma shook her head. "I may tie it up in a ponytail, if the boss gets antsy, but I don't like it down. Too much hassle."
The smaller girl hummed in thought. "Why not cut it, then?"
Ranma considered that honestly for a moment, having entertained similar thoughts in the past. The bottom line was always the same however – she needed it long enough to tie with the Dragon's Whisker, to prevent it growing completely out. Her short braid was about where it became possible, without seeming too long as a boy. Though, she had to admit, she had the perfect styling cheat in the event she ever wanted longer hair – just shift into her male form, and take the Whisker out for a few minutes.
To Konoka, the redhead shrugged noncommittally. "I've just always worn it this way. I might change it some day, but not today," she concluded, tucking both their schoolbags away in the same manner she did her comb and mirror. Seeing her coworker's expression, Ranma chuckled, "I promise I'll tell you on the way. Now, c'mon. We don't want to miss out on ice cream!"
"I'm beginning to wonder if that's one of your vices," Konoka commented with a grin.
Ranma rolled her eyes, as she closed the classroom door behind them. "One of them, yeah," she muttered, resettling her kimono with a huff. "The next one on the list is impatience. Let's go."
–
Konoka stared in open shock at the petite figure beside her, as she systematically decimated her own body-mass in sundaes. "Wow, this place is awesome," Ranma happily chirped as she faded into another blur of whirling confectionery doom.
What boggled the slight young woman most, perhaps, was how the redhead managed to get her apparently required intake of ice cream. "How... what?" She blinked owlishly for a moment in thought. "Are you a Jedi or something?"
"A what?" Ranma asked between bites. "Is that some kind of Catholic? If so – no. More Shinto than anything."
"I... nevermind," Konoka sighed, focusing on her own double-scoop of strawberry with whip cream. To her, this was splurging... she peered at Ranma again, noting how utterly blissed-out the redhead seemed. She was beginning to understand one of the fundamental truths of her classmate and coworker – Ranma Saotome did nothing by half measures. "So... what do you think the Baraen-sō is like? I mean, what will we be doing?"
Tapping her lips with her spoon, Ranma considered the question for a moment, as the shop's proprietor seemed to be coming around from his lust-cute-combo attack induced stupor. "Not sure. As a hostess, I guess it'll be a lot like at a restaurant. You'll show people to their rooms, maybe give directions, and possibly direct some of the activities." She waved her spoon about like a conductor. "Maybe make schedules for them, so people don't end up being in the onsen at the same times."
"Why would that be a bad idea?"
Ranma smile cracked slightly. How to break it to the cutely innocent Konoka that likely before the night was through, they'd have likely at least heard, if not seen, a couple having sex? "Ah, well... you see, these places usually book times so people have privacy. Being a couple's resort and all."
Konoka nodded, finishing her own bowl of dessert slowly. "I see. That does seem more complicated. I'm almost glad though – I'd hate to be bored at a job."
Of that, Ranma had no concerns, she admitted. Likely, she and Konoka would be rather entertained, in one way or another, for the rest of the evening.
Ranma was fairly sure her current train of thought would shock most of those she'd left in her wake, coming to Mahora. After all, few knew that she wasn't quite the clueless moron about sex most of Nerima thought her to be. Frankly, she pushed that image as something she and her father came up with, to keep the secondary arrangements in a kind of holding pattern. After all, how would any of them react, if she – as a male of course – responded to one of the girls she was engaged to in a sexual way? The first result would be that everyone else would turn on that person, and with the Joketsuzoku being their usual selves, someone may actually end up dead. Not something Ranma wanted on her conscience. Second, whichever fiancee she'd let her guard down with would be hauling her off to get married before the end of the day. Then there was Ranma's own feelings, which were something of a jumble on the best of days.
She had really liked Akane, maybe even loved her, but the lack of trust and refusal to hear her side of things made it so much a moot point – she would not become another Kuno, pining after the youngest Tendo without any hope of reciprocation. Ukyo was pretty and trustworthy – for the most part – but she still couldn't see her that way. Maybe she needed more time, but then again, 'good ol'Ucchan' had been one of the first to change her tune once Ranma's curse started acting up in a more permanent manner. Apparently, overexposure to Konatsu had caused her tolerance for girly-men to plummet recently. Shampoo was a bombshell – in both the figurative and literal sense. Touch her wrong, and your world would be over. Plus, Ranma felt she was justified in being wary – the Amazon had spent months trying to assassinate her, after all.
It wasn't that Ranma had no sexual urges – it was just that given her options in Nerima, celibacy was frankly safer for everyone. That wasn't to say she was still a virgin, however...
Ranma shook those memories off, a blush pinking her cheeks as the motion made her mala clink merrily. "Ahem. You were saying something, Konoka-chan?"
The girl in question regarded her companion critically. "Are you alright, Ranma-san? You look a bit flushed."
"I'm fine!" The redhead squeaked, as she hastily returned her sundae dishes and trays to the store owner. "C'mon, lets get walking. We have a little more than an hour left, I think."
Konoka hummed, her expression clearly questioning. She'd missed something, during that conversation, but couldn't quite figure out what.
"Oi, Konoka-chan... isn't that the brat sensei and your roommate?"
Peering around, the Dean's granddaughter took in their surroundings quickly, looking for Negi and Asuna. She and Ranma were currently walking on one of the parallel paths that separated the lake where Library Island sat from the campus proper. Between those paths, rows of trees and flowering bushes were planted, to give each a more scenic feel. In a way, it resembled a more wild version of Sakura Lane, except for the nearby body of water. Movement in the trees nearby caught her attention, and she perked up, getting ready to call out a greeting when Ranma's hand covered her mouth. "Wait a sec. They're acting... odd."
After a moment, Konoka had to agree. "Who are they spying on?"
Ranma hummed in thought, before nodding. "Lets find out. Something's been bugging me about that kid since I got here, and this is a good way to find out more about him," she improvised. She'd actually put together from the Dean's notes and aside comments, along with those of Eva and Takahata, that Negi was something of a magic user. It was honestly beginning to irk her that she was surrounded by so much of the stuff, and though she tolerated and somewhat enjoyed Eva's scathing wit and barbed humor, the brat-teacher left a bad taste in her mouth for some reason. Perhaps if she shadowed Negi while he spied on someone else, she'd figure something out, about that.
Well, other than the fact he stank of magic. That, she had to admit, may be all of it.
If nothing else, she could figure out who the kid thought was so interesting. With the way things were going, it may even be the blonde vampire, which would be amusing to watch. Did they get into fights often? Not that strange teachers were a new concept to Ranma, but this was something different, and not Nerima.
"Auu, Negi-sensei's not so bad..." Konoka defended weakly from Ranma's earlier comment, before firming her stance. "He tries very hard, and seems like a decent sort. All the other teachers believe in him, after all."
"Not saying anything bad about his teaching," Ranma countered, deflecting the argument. While doing so, she began maneuvering them into a position that formed something of a triangle between Negi and Asuna, themselves, and the other pair's quarry once they came into sight. "Just saying this is odd, and I had a weird feeling about him. Could mean anything."
Considering Ranma's words for a moment, Konoka had to admit, things had started seeming odd around Mahora since the young teacher arrived. First, that day where everyone seemed to want to get closer to him – herself included, embarrassingly enough – then that odd afternoon where she was dodging another omiai scheduled by her grandfather, where she could have sworn for a moment he was flying. She'd convinced herself easily enough it was something else, but the continued coincidences were beginning to wear her down, and seem more and more familiar.
Speaking of familiar, Konoka blinked as the lone person walking down the lane became visible. "Isn't that Karakuri-san?"
"Yeah, not much way to mistake Chachamaru-san for anyone else," Ranma agreed, eyes narrowing. "Though, I don't get what's up with Sensei and Asuna-san... hm. Lets get closer. I want to hear what they're saying."
It was at that point that a young girl nearby started crying, pointing at a tree where her balloon was stuck. Ranma was torn – for one, she'd be able to get the balloon without any trouble, but then again, she'd break her cover, watching the watchers.
"Ranma, look!" Konoka hissed, shaking the redhead's shoulder insistently.
Focusing on what was going on rather than her own thoughts, Ranma stared, then rubbed her eyes with her hand. "Um. Am I seeing things, or is Chachamaru flying? With rockets?"
Konoka's voice was flat as she responded. "Definitely flying."
"I mean, I kinda noticed she wasn't, well normal the other night, but..."
"Well, she always did have odd marks... I guess those aren't just some cosplay makeup. Those really are doll joints," Konoka remarked in a distracted way.
Ranma shook off her errant thoughts. "C'mon, we're nearing a bridge. We need to move so the others don't see us."
Nodding, Konoka followed behind, now as curious as her companion. She was somewhat surprised at Ranma's skill at moving quietly through so much brush and leaves, though it was quickly filed under the 'more things to ask about later' heading in her mind. If she hadn't been following behind her, the Dean's granddaughter would have written her off as some kind of hallucination, with the lack of sound. Feeling the need to break the silence – not that her feet weren't doing their damnedest on their own – she whispered as they moved, "Maybe they were curious about that? I mean... most of us just think she's something of a cosplay otaku, with those odd ear-antennae... oh. That means those are real," Konoka mumbled. "Er. I mean. Seeing that she was really a robot. Android. Cyborg. Auu..."
Chuckling, Ranma took some comfort in the fact Konoka was as shook up as she was. "Don't worry about it," she soothed. "But I've got a little experience with stalkers, and they're not done yet. If you want to know what someone wants in a situation like this, you have to wait till they've made a move, or are satisfied with seeing something specific."
"It sort of worries me that you know that, Saotome-san," Konoka replied wryly.
"Two years dodging a few over-amorous fiancees with loose morals around violence, drugging me, and the occasional kidnapping make Ranma a quick study," the redhead in question answered in an offhand fashion, creeping under a branch by contorting herself till she was moving on all fours.
Konoka was beginning to wonder how that worked in a kimono, and how the redhead managed to keep it from looking like she'd been crawling nearly on the ground. "Is that another thing you're going to explain 'later'?"
Ranma grinned back to her, and winked. "Sure. Just get me another sundae. Under here," she guided, saving the less-experienced girl from dirtying her own clothes.
Shortly they were positioned to see Chachamaru's next good deed, though this time they could hear the discussion from those they were watching. Sadly, while the pseudo-female student was helping an old woman up some stairs, the spies were silent. It wasn't until the green-haired figure waded into the small river to save a cat that they spoke again.
"Wh-What the hell! She's a really good person, and popular with the townsfolk to boot!"
Negi nodded fervently at Asuna's declaration. "She's awesome!"
It was the third voice that neither had heard before that startled the two who spied on the spies, "No way! This may just be a trap to trick you into letting your guard down!"
Ranma looked down, at the tug on her sleeve. "Who was that?" Konoka hissed. "I only see Asuna-chan and Negi-sensei!"
"Dunno," Ranma muttered quietly, eyes narrowing as she followed the two figures before them. If she didn't know better... "Next stop, I'll tell you my theory. Watch that rodent, though."
"Negi-sensei's pet?" Seeing her companion nod, Konoka bit her lip, but stayed silent. She did just watch a classmate fly around with rockets from her feet and back. "Alright, but this is getting strange."
The martial artist snorted at that, "Should have lived in Nerima a while. Place has nothing on that madhouse."
For the time being, Konoka stifled the memories of things she'd pushed back since leaving Kyoto... but soon she'd need to address them. For the longest time she'd considered those fanciful days nothing but that – imagined play and childishness. Now though... some of what was going on reminded her starkly of some of the more unusual things she'd seen, and it was like a flood, refusing to be dammed again. More and more snippets of memory, small sights, odd things that she wrote off as imaginings kept jostling for attention that she couldn't spare them. Konoka sighed quietly, realizing it would likely be a very sleepless night.
Ranma sighed for a different reason. "Alright, she's alone in the square. If they're going to do anything, it'll be here."
"But, all she's doing is feeding some birds," Konoka argued, uncomprehending of the situation Ranma had been suspecting.
The martial artist's suspicions were confirmed shortly, as their quarry began speaking again. "She really is a wonderful person," Negi muttered from their cover by a wall, beside a touched Asuna.
Their reverie was shattered by that third voice, and both Konoka and Ranma saw the the ermine from earlier hop down and start flailing its little arms about while practically yelling in a man's voice, "Hey, just a minute there! She's the one targeting Negi-bro's life, right? Get your act together!
"There's no one watching, now! No witnesses or distractions! Here's your chance, so harden your hearts and take. Her. Out!"
Negi seemed unconvinced, "But..."
"I guess there's really no helping it," Asuna muttered, laying a hand on the child-mage's shoulder. "We should just do this and get it done," she urged, getting a hesitant nod from the young teacher.
Ranma had her hand across Konoka's mouth, a gentle hold on the girl as she struggled. "Calm down. I can handle this, but I need the initiative of surprise," she muttered into the captive girl's ear. "Do you understand? Gonna be quiet, and let me handle this?"
Konoka nodded, her eyes clouded in betrayal and anger. How could her own roommates be so... so cold hearted? Chachamaru had done nothing worth that vermin's angry words, so why were Asuna and Negi thinking of harming her? She'd been part of their class since Junior High had begun – why was Asuna being like this now?
In the end, the only answer she could come up with stood short and holding a long staff, looking uncertain, yet still striding forward. They watched as the two parties exchanged words, though there was some confusion on the remaining spy's part, as Negi mentioned being targeted, and Chachamaru replied with a denial in changing her focus, citing a master.
"Chachamaru works for Eva-san," Ranma explained to the unsure Konoka. "Eva was given permission from your grandfather to test the brat somehow – I think he took it personal. I wasn't there. I do know that she wasn't allowed to go too far."
"What should we do?" Konoka whispered, biting her lip. Nothing was making any sense!
"Leave it to me," Ranma reiterated simply, as she unwound a length of her beaded bracelet, but kept it wrapped. "I'll handle it."
It was at this point that Negi began speaking in a different language, though Konoka recognized it from her lessons as Latin. At the end of it, Ranma felt a build and release of energy, forcing her to curse and blur into motion, as Asuna did so as well.
"Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister!"
The first exchange of blows went badly for Chachamaru, but Ranma made her entrance as the bell-haired Asuna prepared a wicked kick aimed for the artificial girl's midsection. Coming up behind Chachamaru, she spun her around, using the momentum to chamber and release a counter-kick that took Asuna's leg from under her, dropping her onto the ground. Ranma's second kick slammed the auburn-haired girl's stomach, causing her to retch and curl up on herself in pain.
From the side of the building nearby, that same heckling voice yelled out, "She's got backup! Quick, Aniki, take them out with one big spell before they can counterattack!"
Groaning and gritting his teeth, Negi followed the ermine's orders, yelling his incantation, "Saggita Magica Series Lucis!"
Ranma cursed as a barrage of magic bolts homed in on her, but didn't panic. Instead, she loosed the loop of beads in her hand, breaking her seal by a single magnitude. Pressure whipped out from around her, disturbing the dust along the ground in a small wave, as time seemed to contract about her. Ki was cycled through her chakras and slammed into her perception harshly, blooming like a spike of steel in her skull – it was a headache she'd deal with later. Ranma wasted nothing, taking every drop, every scrap of power she released and coiled like a snake into her limbs and reactions.
To an observer, Chachamaru and Ranma simply disappeared in the explosion of light and debris as the diminutive mage's attack hit, the young man too stunned by what he had done to do much else after. That illusion was broken as Ranma came out of her blurred motion near the treeline some distance away, settling Chachamaru on her feet with a grim cast to her face.
"Stay here," she ordered icily, before disappearing with a crack of displaced wind.
There was another muted snap of air being displaced behind the child mage, and he turned with wide eyes only to see the edge of a descending hand, cracking him across the temple to spin him into the ground mercilessly in a stunned heap.
The ermine gasped, betraying his position. "Aniki! Crap, at this rate I'm going to have to ru-ackptt!"
"Not today, vermin," Ranma muttered, holding the white-furred animal about the throat with an iron grip, as it tried to twist and bite at her fruitlessly. "Useless trash," she snarled, flicking it in the head to stun it. Turning her attention to the aborted battlefield from the rodent's hiding place, Ranma's glacial eyes met those of her first opponent, pinning the blue and green gaze of Kagurazaka where she wobbled to her feet.
Seeing that Negi was still reeling, and that the instigator was literally in hand, Ranma called to those who were currently out of the line of fire. "Konoka-san, Chachamaru-san... it's over. You can come out."
Asuna's heart sank, seeing the furious look on her friend and roommate's face. "Kono-chan, let me explai-"
"Explain?" The typically demure and cheerful girl nearly screamed, "Explain? Look at that!" She demanded, pointing to the crater left behind where Negi's spell had splashed down onto the ground. "That could have killed Chachamaru and Ranma!"
Kagurazaka winced at the incrimination, feeling more than a little foolish and guiltily panicked, now that Chamo's goading dialog was silenced. Still, Konoka didn't know all the facts, and she wasn't about to let it go on just appearances. "Kono-chan, listen! Chachamaru is working for a vampire! Eva's the one that attacked Makie, and she nearly got Honya-chan too, if it wasn't for Negi-kun!"
"Eva-san was working with the Dean's authority," Ranma interrupted with a tone that spoke of nothing but leashed cold rage. "She wasn't allowed to do lasting harm. You're telling me you and that snot-nosed brat decided to kill a classmate, without getting the facts?"
The redhead's cold assessment left Asuna wide-eyed and shaking. "W-What? The Dean? Kill? B-B-But she's just a robot!"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Konoka hissed, her eyes shut tight for a moment, before snapping open angrily in the direction of her roommate. "I just... who are you?" Walking up to Asuna, the incensed young woman got right up into the other girl's face. "Where did the kind-hearted Kagurazaka go? The one that cares enough about her rival to remember her important days? The one that helped a stuck-up brat from Kyoto fit in, when all she wanted to do was push people away? The girl that looks up to a man with honor and integrity, wanting to make him proud by being an example of the same thing?" she challenged, staring right back into Asuna's wide, mismatched eyes. "The Asuna-san I know wouldn't let something like what Chachamaru was override two years of knowing who she was. The Asuna-san I know would make her own decisions, and she wouldn't listen to a perverted rodent over common sense!"
Asuna flinched back from the verbal assault from the normally cheerful girl, feeling all the worse for being part of why she was so enraged. It just wasn't like the Konoka she knew to be so angry, so upset.
While Konoka berated Asuna, Ranma stood nearby, winding her mala back around her wrist. She knew the situation wasn't as black and white as Konoka was making it out to be, but felt that Asuna could use a wake-up call. If she planned on playing with the kind of forces Ranma had seen the child-mage use, then the first thing she needed was a cold dose of reality to wash the veneer of amazement off. Magic wasn't a toy – it destroyed lives, bent people into twisted things. It was, in her mind, a living force that did nothing but pervert things around it, for some obscure sense of amusement.
Speaking of reality, the martial artist took a look back at the cratered pavement left behind from Negi's attack, her scowl deepening severely. "That... was entirely too close."
"Why did you protect me?"
Ranma turned toward Chachamaru after she spoke, the green-haired figure looking a little beaten but none the worse for wear. She considered the artificial girl's question a moment, before replying. "Because it wasn't a fair fight. Because I bet when you and Eva pushed him that night, you were teaching him a lesson, not trying to go all out," the redhead observed, eyes narrowed. "The kid's been thinking hard for the last few days, and I think he got the point, but that damn rodent..."
"Advisors sometimes do not give the best advice," the stoic girl replied in her usual lack of tone. "Regardless of his reasons, I would thank you."
Ranma shook her head. "It's fine. At least this time, he was in the wrong."
Chachamaru nodded, understanding Ranma's words for what they meant. "We will be on even ground from here out, now. He has found a partner."
"You mean that girl," Ranma jerked her thumb at a shame-faced Kagurazaka, who was still being dressed-down by a livid Konoka. "Asuna?"
The artificial girl nodded, "Much like my pact with Master, she is empowered by Negi's magic."
It took a moment, but once the idea settled, it sparked another wave of anger, burning through the redhead's heart. "I get it," Ranma muttered, her lip curling in distaste. "A free power-up, and she thinks she's something special," the redhead commented with a scorching look toward the girl who seemed to be locked into an emotional defensive against her friend. Shaking her head in disgust, Ranma moved back to where everyone was gathered, more or less. "Konoka, that's enough," she interrupted, a steady hand on the angry girl's shoulder. Mouth set in a tight line, the young woman looked as if she'd continue anyway, but nodded once instead. In her place, Ranma began speaking, "Want you to make sure you understand me, Kagurazaka. You try this kind of stunt again, I'll put you down, hard."
Never one to back down from a confrontation, Asuna found her resolve returning now that Konoka's focus was elsewhere. "You just got a cheap shot in! Don't butt into things that don't concern you!"
Despite her smaller stature, Ranma seemed to loom suddenly over Asuna, "Luck? Little girl, you're at least a decade too early to even come near me. I don't need magic tricks to put a snot-nosed little punk like you in the ground," she snarled forcing the cowed girl back a step from the sheer ferocity of her expression.
"And you," she turned toward a recovering Negi, who gripped his staff as he shook off the blow that had put him on the ground. "Just what the hell did you think you were doing? Attacking a student with the intent to at least do major damage, if not kill?"
"Saotome-san, you don't know-"
"Yeah, yeah," the redhead cut him off, slashing her hand through the air angrily. "Eva's a vampire, they're ganging up on me, woe is me!" She ceased her mocking, fixing the stunned boy with a glare. "So, if she was such an issue, why didn't you go to the Dean?"
Negi flinched at Ranma's mocking tone. "S-She said she'd attack more students if I went for help..."
Ranma threw her arms up in exasperation, before rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "When have all the 'attacks' on Sakura Lane happened?"
The child-mage looked confused for a moment, before shrugging, "On full moon nights, the rumor said. Why?"
"How did this kid get to be a teacher," she muttered to herself, having researched this herself briefly in the hopes of maybe finding some truth to the rumors, that wasn't Eva. Nothing like monster hunting to round out a workout, after all. What she'd found, was that the rumors were started the month before – there had been no other attacks. Makie was the first, and there had been no others since. Going with a hunch, she voiced her thoughts, "So, it happened on a full moon. And not since. Didn't that tell you anything? So explain how Eva-san could continue to attack people if she's limited to three days in a month... much less continue to attend Mahora? And why hasn't she done so before? Did you even look into her records, since you have access to them with your position? Or even research this – false I should point out – rumor?"
Realization dawned on the diminutive teacher's face at the flood of questions, as he grew pale suddenly. "...a bluff?"
"A test," Chachamaru corrected, speaking for the first time since before the fight. "To see if you were mature enough to seek out help when over-matched, of if you would endanger yourself, and by proxy, those around you if pressed."
"But I got a partner," Negi tried to argue, his voice cracking with his failing composure, now that the fighting was done and his mind re-engaged. Without adrenaline to fuel him, and the fight itself to keep his thoughts from the reality of what he was doing, all of the child-mage's actions were coming down on his shoulders, hard.
Ranma narrowed her eyes at the boy. "You talked a Jr. high school girl into being your shield," she accused bluntly, causing Negi to wince and Asuna to cry out in protest. "So tell me, Sensei," she asked, putting barbed emphasis on the title, "what would you have done, had you killed Chachamaru? Did you think about this supposed plan at all?"
"Killed? But I-" Rather than let him rationalize himself free of guilt, Ranma bent down and picked the slight figure up by his jacket, turning him by her hold on the back of his collar to see the crater his spell had left in the pavement. Negi's protest died in his throat. "...I see."
"Hey!" Asuna butted in, pulling Negi from Ranma's grip roughly, before stabbing a finger into the kimono-clad girl's chest. "Who do you think you are? I said before this has nothing to do with you!" Meeting the girl's glare with an impassive look, Ranma pulled out her school ID, which sat opposite of her campus credentials. As the auburn-haired girl registered what was before her, she slumped, "W-What? Special Security?"
Ranma's ear twitched. She ignored the girl as she spun on her heel, a pulsing orb of red-black forming in her left palm with a sudden crackling hum, as she faced down a sweating and wide-eyed Chamo. "Put the lighter down, vermin, before I do the world a favor and end you."
The ermine dropped the flash-bang firework and his lighter without comment, backing away from them slowly. "Ah, ahehe, c'mon now, sister, we can talk this out..."
"Don't talk to me in such a familiar way," Ranma spat, the orb of virulent ki in her hand fluxing dangerously with a faint howl. "Most of this is your fault for pushing them! What does a mage need a perverse little piece of trash like you around for, anyway, huh?"
She jerked her hand away, letting the ki dissipate to nothing as Negi tackled the ermine, putting himself between her and the familiar. "Stop! He didn't... he just wanted to protect me. We were wrong, alright? Can you just... leave us alone now?"
Narrowing her eyes at the boy, she leaned down to eye level with him. "That is why I hate magic. Why I despise mages... You nearly killed someone here today. You attacked a student, and used magic publicly – something even a rank amateur like me knows better than to do. And what do you want me to do? Forget it? Let me guess – normally you'd do something like try to erase my memory, right? How about thinking about your actions and responsibilities before fucking up so royally," she spat, ignoring the flinch her harsh words caused in Konoka.
"Whatever test Konoe-san was giving you, I think you failed it pretty spectacularly," Ranma concluded, snatching her campus ID from Asuna as she stood. "I'll speak with him about this tomorrow. I suggest you prepare yourself."
"No!" Asuna stopped the redhead from moving away, barring her path with arms outstretched. "I can't let you do that. You'll ruin his hopes at becoming a mage!"
"If he can't handle the responsibility of his power, then he doesn't deserve it!" Ranma roared back, coming face to face with the other girl. "The same goes for you! You get your hands dirtied with magic, and suddenly you think you're something else? What the hell is wrong with your head? Have you even trained? Practiced? Do you even know your abilities or limits?" She asked in a rapid fashion, pushing Asuna back with each question.
"Some idiot decided to give a little kid a loaded gun," Ranma commented, her tone calmer, if not fully back to normal. "And now he's going around waving it like the answer to all his problems." Turning toward Asuna, she continued, "Now, he's giving them out to his friends. And you're telling me to just let this go?"
Asuna, though obviously wishing she wasn't, stood her ground. "He... he trained hard for this. To get where he is. You can't take that away from him."
Ranma pointed to Chachamaru. "What did he almost take from her? From me? I don't know what that spell could do to someone – luckily I'm skilled enough to avoid stupid crap like that. But what if it was Konoka in the middle of that? Or Makie? Or Ako? Do you think the other girls in 3-A would be proud of you? Of what you nearly did?"
Losing her resolve, Asuna dropped her arms. "... I can't talk you out of this, can I?"
"You can't, no."
Realizing what the redhead meant, Negi stood and cleared his throat. "I'll talk to him. To the Dean."
Ranma turned to regard the young boy with an impassive gaze. "And?"
"Ask him for help. And advice. Maybe a teacher," Negi replied, firming his determination. He wouldn't make these stupid errors again! The only way to improve, was to make mistakes and fix what you did wrong – he wouldn't let this stop him. He couldn't let this stop him.
"Good start," Ranma nodded, calming significantly. "While you're at it," she suggested, trying to get her temper back under control from where he ki was running with it, "get a new advisor, too."
"Hey!" The scuffed up ermine complained at that. "I've only got Aniki's best interests in mind!"
Ranma raised her left hand, staring at her beads intently for a moment, her right hand hovering over them, fingers twitching slowly. The mala clinked ominously, though there was no motion to cause them to do so. Finally, she settled the last loop in place, seeming to lessen in presence as she did so. "I know your kind," she muttered quietly, though loud enough to hear. "Trash. Perverse vermin. And mark my words – if you cross me again, or get my attention, no act of kindness from a brat mage will save you. No matter of distance will save you. No number of apologies, or begging, or pleading will keep me from erasing your presence with such force that the world will forget your name."
Negi and Chamo held each other, whimpering quietly. "S-S-Scary..."
Shuddering as her ki drained away, leaving her feeling tired and worn, Ranma started walking toward her original goal again. "C'mon, Konoka-chan. We don't want to be late for our first day."
Sending Asuna and Negi a look that clearly stated they would have words later, the dark-haired girl nodded, hurrying after her redheaded coworker. Hesitating only a moment, Chachamaru regained her bag and followed, speeding her steps to take Ranma's arm and allow herself to be leaned on.
Staring after the departing trio, Asuna considered what had happened and frowned. "She's right. Why did we do this, rather than try to get more information?" Slamming her fist into the ground, she cursed, "Damn. I even ran into Eva the day after and she didn't even have fangs, and mentioned how she needed a month to even try that again! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Because we're not used to this sort of thing," Negi tiredly replied, looking downtrodden. "I've studied combat spells, how to cast them, best conditions, etc... but outside of practice targets, I've never used them. Never fought with them for real, when it mattered," he explained, picking up a small stone and hurling it with all his might against a nearby wall. "Combat strategy and information gathering aren't... well. They aren't exactly covered in the stock material."
Nodding, Asuna looked away. "I... I get in fights a lot, nothing serious, but this... this was just..."
"Hey, c'mon you two! You can let this get you down!"
"Be quiet, Chamo," Negi growled, refusing to look at the ermine, who was stunned by his words and the force behind them. "I... she was right. I would never had done something like this on my own, but I was afraid, and it made so much sense at the time. If McDowell-san really intended on killing me, she had plenty of chances that night. Instead, she just had Karakuri-san disrupt my spells. She didn't do more than flick me in the head!
"As for Eva-san, she did bite me, but you know... I wonder about that."
Asuna slumped to the ground near the young mage. "What do you mean?"
Rewinding the straps that kept his staff mostly hidden, the child-teacher sat the thing down across his knees. "She bit me, yes, but there... she didn't drain any blood. Just... bit."
Blinking in confusion, the auburn-haired girl blushed as her mind supplied the imagery needed to understand. "...ah, you mean... she didn't... suck."
Negi blushed hotly. "Er. Right."
"I don't know much about vampires, and even less about the Shinsō, but... one thing that's always said, is that they barely need to feed anymore. They're so used to their powers and state that they've grown beyond that," Negi commented, picking at the cement beneath him pensively.
Chamo couldn't believe his furry ears. "Wh-What are you saying? She's a vam-pire. Blood-sucker! Undead! Just because that redheaded psycho is on her side, doesn't mean she knows all the facts here!"
"I'm just saying I don't know what she was doing, alright?" Negi shot back, looking harried. "I... I imagine vampires can tell a lot from blood. She did mention that my dad put a curse on her, and then disappeared after all-"
Boggling, Asuna rounded on the young boy, "What? Why didn't you tell me that?"
Flinching away, the slight boy shook his head. "I forgot to. It was during our fight, and she mentioned a curse on her that kept her magic sealed, and... and kept her from leaving the Academy. For the last ten years..."
"Jeez, no wonder she's so pissed off," Asuna muttered. "I mean, I like Mahora and all, but ten years? That's got to be boring."
Negi forced out a half-hearted laugh. "I know, right? Maybe... maybe Saotome-san was right. Looking back, I see that I messed up pretty bad."
The ermine looked back and forth between the two, some of his plans crumbling to dust in the wake of this sudden attack of thoughtful morality. "Aniki," he began soberly, trying a different tactic. "Maybe you were wrong. This time. But you were right about a few things. You need a partner – or partners. Magisters can have more than one contract, you know!"
Chamo continued into the dumbfounded silence, "And, that psycho was right about one thing – you need more information. You need to get more data, and be ready for the next time!"
"Chamo-kun," Negi tiredly muttered, "I don't want there to be a next time!"
"You don't have that luxury!" The ermine shot back. "That blood-sucker may be going easy on you now, but what if this was just her way of playing with her food?" Pushing forward, the familiar chattered on, "We'll do some research on her – and that crazy lady."
"Saotome-san?" Asuna blinked for a moment, before frowning. "Well... she is new. She transferred in this year. That's kind of odd."
Negi was openly confused. "Really? I mean, my old schools had transfers in and out all the time."
The athletic girl shook her head, bells jingling quietly. "Not so much in Japan. Our classes are static, especially in Mahora. Being an elevator-type school, I've been in the same class for years. That's what Kono-chan meant by knowing Karakuri-san. She's been here for two years now, starting with our first year." Grinning at Negi, she asked, "Didn't you think it was odd, with how the entire class was really close, like a bunch of friends? We live and all go to class together. Even the dorms we live in are the same."
"Wow, I had no idea," the child-teacher admitted, though he should have noticed by now as he was living in one of those dorms. "But... you said she's a transfer. I don't see her at the dorm at all."
"I don't think she lives there," the young woman admitted, frowning thoughtfully. "But more than that... what did she do earlier? She was faster than me – fast enough I couldn't even see her."
Rubbing at his still-ringing head, Negi nodded, "Hits like a train too."
Wincing at her own bruised stomach, Asuna had to agree. "Yeah..."
"Don't forget that power," Chamo chimed in, shivering for effect. "But this much I know. She's an Eastern mage – a ki user. Probably a martial artist."
Negi perked up at that. "Eastern mage?"
The ermine suppressed a grin. Being an advisor was easy – just have the information, and be willing to hand it over. The trick was doing it for best effect. "Right, I'll explain it back at the dorm. We shouldn't talk about it out in the open."
Asuna nodded, rubbing at her stomach with a wince. "Yeah... besides, I think I need to lay down for a while."
–
"She's got some talent," Tatsumiya remarked, loosing a low whistle. Dropping her rifle and closing its scope-cap as she sketched a few notes on the pad before her, the tanned woman paused. "I'd like to see her let loose some time."
To her side, a slight girl carrying a long sword mounted in the shirasaya style shuddered, "No, I don't think you really would." Putting away her binoculars, Setsuna Sakurazaki considered what she'd seen, and what had been relayed from her partner for the afternoon's work. "And you're sure? About Ojō-sama's words and reactions?"
Mana waved the girl's worry aside. "Yeah, I'm sure, Setsuna-san. Hime-sama didn't seem so confused as pissed off at her roommates. Makes one wonder how much she really knows, doesn't it?" She broke down and repacked her rifle quickly, scanning the skyline for their next roost. They couldn't use this position any longer, with both groups heading in directions that would cause a loss of line-of-sight. Surveillance so far had been less than interesting, at least, up until five minutes ago. The fight and conversation between the two groups had been surprisingly bland, truth be told, not that she could hear from that distance. Lip-reading was an interesting talent she'd picked up, handy in her line of work as a miko-mercenary. "Still... there's something that's telling me that I want to fight with her. That redhead, Saotome-san."
Setsuna grunted indifferently, mind very much preoccupied with other thoughts. "You know her address," she commented idly, scanning their surroundings for witnesses.
Grinning to herself, the shootist considered that seriously before schooling her expression. "Targets are moving in the expected path. Our next hide is at the bell tower of the Catholic cathedral serving that area."
Grimacing in anticipation, Setsuna handed her companion a set of earplugs. "Lovely."
Mana took the offered items with a nod, "Thanks. You have running recon, I'll get the nest set up. Lets go."
–
They were halfway from the square where Ranma had faced off against Negi and Asuna to the Baraen-sō, when Konoka stopped them, forcing the redhead to sit down for a moment. Though she wouldn't admit it, Ranma was grateful for the break. She'd used her ki too roughly back against the two before, and the headache she'd gotten for pushing herself into near-Amiguriken speeds in a body-wide manner was not letting up.
"I think it's later," the typically demure girl stated with a sense of finality, sitting beside her companion, while Chachamaru took Ranma's other side.
Ranma knew she wouldn't be able to put things off any longer, and honestly didn't like hiding things to begin with... but she still had to be careful. Both Takahata and Eva had warned her of speaking freely of the hidden world of magic – be it the literal kind or feats of ki – and had been fairly graphic at what happened to those that did so. Still... after what had just went on, there wasn't much she could really gloss over. "...nmph. Ok, first off, I'm a martial artist. A really, really good one."
Konoka tilted her head, frowning slightly. "That... really tells me nothing, you know."
"I'm getting there," Ranma groused, leaning back and closing her eyes against the pounding in her head. "People that work at it like I have can get to the point where they start not only perfecting how they use their body, but the energies within it. That life-energy some call chi, or ki.
"Maybe a handful out of a few thousand can go the next step, and perfect their ki like they have their body," Ranma muttered, before barking out a laugh. "I'm not there yet. I'm like... a little kid still taking lessons on how to fall right when it comes to really using my ki for more than just punching things," she admitted, groaning and clutching her head.
"Saotome-sa-"
"Ranma, damnit... Just. Ranma."
Chachamaru nodded, her stoic facade bending slightly as she frowned. "I apologize. Ranma-san, do you require medical aid?"
She would have shaken her head if the threat of it bursting wasn't so pointedly being hammered into her skull. "No, I'll be good in a bit," she muttered, keeping her eyes closed. Feeling like it was worth a shot, she pushed what little ki she had available while fully sealed into the chakras in her head, hissing for a moment at the sharp pain it brought. Gradually however, the overall headache lessened slowly.
"Anyway," she breathed, slumping where she sat, "Konoka-chan, all the strange stuff you've seen me do are the results of martial arts training over the last decade and some change. Sorry if it was a little shocking. I wasn't planning on getting into a fight today."
Konoka shook her head hard, the small parts of her hair that were loose fanning about slightly. "No! I'm glad you did... I really don't want to think about what would have happened to Karakuri-san if you hadn't been there," she mumbled, looking stricken. "I can't believe Asuna-chan and Negi-sensei could be so... so mean. I can't imagine what's come over them."
"People do dumb shit when they're scared," Ranma muttered, sighing a bit as Konoka flinched at her coarse speech. "Sorry. Just kinda worn out. Makes me a bit blunt. As I was saying, there are a lot of uses for ki, and I know a few. Maybe later I can show you some things. Talk about it more."
The young woman bowed slightly. "I would like that. Though, seeing some of what went on, I'm recalling things from when I was small," she admitted, fretting with her hands in her lap. "Growing up in Kyoto with Secchan, things like what you did, what Negi-sensei did, I think happened now and then. I remember, later, just thinking it was me imagining things."
The sound of somewhat distant bells rang out along the street, making the redheaded martial artist wince. "Damn," Ranma muttered, heaving a sigh and herself to her feet unsteadily. "Alright, Kono-chan. I think you and me need to talk a little more later. Don't mention this or what you're remembering with anyone till we do, got it?"
"Right," the younger girl agreed with a nod. "Not like anyone would believe me anyway."
"Oh, you never know," Ranma muttered with a quiet chuckle. "You never know. Though," the redhead mused, sparing a small look to Chachamaru, "you could probably talk to her about it some." Konoka looked to the green-haired girl, who Ranma was indicated with a hooked thumb. The artificial girl nodded once, accepting the proposal.
As she worked to even out her walk, focusing on her ki to lessen the pounding in her head, Ranma noted that Chachamaru again took up a position to her side. She leaned gratefully on the artificial girl, taking a measure of comfort in her solidity. "Ranma-san?"
"Yeah, Chacha-chan?"
The green-haired girl turned her head and regarded the redhead quizzically at the new name. "...?"
"Sorry, sorry. I feel a little..." Ranma spun a finger over her head, as if to illustrate the point."
Chachamaru nodded, returning her attention to guiding them safely following Konoka's lead, where she looked back occasionally. "I would like to accept your offer, and make one of my own."
"Offer?"
"If it still stands," the artificial girl continued. "I would like us to be friends."
Ranma laughed, then laughed louder, scaring birds from the trees around them. "Oi, ow," she muttered, as her mirth died down, rubbing at her temple. Shortly, she answered, "Yeah, you are a strange one, you know?"
Frowning slightly, Chachamaru nodded once.
"I like that. Normal people are boring," Ranma continued, throwing an arm around the taller girl's waist. "I saw this koi pond the other day, and I was thinking, it might be fun to go feed them sometime. Wanna go with?"
"I think I would like that very much."
"Ooh, koi!"
Ranma laughed again, quieter this time. "Yeah, you can come too, Kono-chan."
–
AN: There is a chapter six, but... I don't know if I like how I handled the Konoka-roommates resolution. Felt rushed. Plus there was a... not quite scene, but an indicator of possible foreshadowing that I may not want to press. IE, six is under possible rewrite. Six will also likely be the jump-point from "T" to "M". Not directly by character, but by association.
