Chapter 8- Wrath of the Sad Maiden and the One eyed Jonin.
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"HIRYŪ SHŌTEN HA!!"
A destructive twister surfaced from the very earth at Furinkan High. The power of the storm punctures the very surface of the cumulus clouds and forms a tower vortex that broke the barrier between Heaven and Earth.
In the eye of the storm, one man stood in the center of it all.
His eyes are starting to get heavy… His mind is getting hazy... The attack took a lot out of him than he thought. Comparing to the time he used it on the Old Freak and the three idiots, he could tell the wind is much heavier. He just wished the attack would end soon.
"GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH…!"
Ranma is alarmed by that grueling cry somewhere within the storm. Dammit, the guy is tougher than he thought. He should have been unconscious after taking a full force of the blast.
BUB-GUB-GU-GU….
Ranma heard something, a goggling sound of some sort. He can hear it coming close, and then…pain struck.
Ranma agonizingly held his left arm, a burning sensation he never felt before. The pain started to crawl up his numbed shoulder then it began to spread throughout his entire body. His body has gone completely numb and he could feel something trying to force itself inside his head. He didn't know what what's going on but this thing is killing him!
Ranma then heard something else… a humming sound, above him. Ranma force himself to look up to see…something he wasn't expecting.
Three large wings of lights are hovering above him. Spinning and rotating on a single ring. The ring hums rapidly as it generates a tremendous amount of energy, forming a large sphere.
"GAHH!!" The ball of light was fired… crashing toward the sole martial artist…
'Oh shit…'
Black bubbles were the last thing he saw before fading into unconsciousness…
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Ranma shot upright, shocked and confused. Then comes the blinding shots of pain, felt like one of Pig-boy's punches…hitting him ten times harder. As the wave of pain fades away, he breathes in deeply and takes a glimpse of his surroundings. He realized he's not anywhere at the school ground but in his futon. Then there comes the sound of the slide door opening.
"Ranma!" Akane rushed into the room and instantly went by his side. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
Sitting himself comfortably, Ranma gives Akane his usual cocky smirk. "Hey, I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about me for something like that. I had worse." POW! "OW!"
"BAKA! After we gone all that trouble dragging you home, you still act like a jerk! I thought you would never wake up! What were you thinking?! BAKA!!"
Tending to his sore head, Ranma glared angrily at his fiancée. "Hey! Is that the thanks I get for getting the guy off ya back?! Stupid Tomboy..."
Strangely enough, Akane has gone quite. Usually, she would hit him by now.
"What? There something on my face?"
"Eh Ranma…, about that-" the youngest Tendo was interrupted when the guest door was opened.
"Ranma-kun, you're awake?!" Kasumi enters the guest room with a mid kite in hand.
"Hey Kasumi, is dinner ready yet?"
"How can you think of food at a time like this?!" bellowed Akane.
"Dinner will be ready soon Ranma-kun, just be patient."
"Man, I can't wait! The only thing I ate were one of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki."
"That's what you get for forgetting your bento at home." Akane muttered.
"And whose fault is that? Sigh, man… How can I forget something that important?!"
"We all make mistakes sometime Ranma-kun; you shouldn't worry." Kasumi began as she re-bandage Ranma's wounds while humming a cheery tone.
Ranma winced and groaned. "Man, today really sucks."
"Oh don't be like that Ranma-kun. Everything will be alright."
"Not today it ain't."
"Now, tell Kasumi Oneechan about it. Did something happen at school today?"
"Do you remember the guy this morning?"
"Uh, Ranma… There's something you got to know about him." Akane was unable to get Ranma's attention as he continues to ignore her.
"Oh, do you mean Kite-kun?"
"Kite huh? Well let me tell you what that bastard did at our little school. I mean, the school's a wreck all thanks to him chasin' after Akane like that. I wouldn't be surprise if he goes around chasing girls like that little perv-Yeeett te-te-tee!!"
"Ara, sorry Ranma-kun. Let me loosen that for you."
"Umm yeah…" Ranma eyed Kasumi strangely as she loosens the bandages around his cracked ribs. If he didn't know any better, he would say that Kasumi deliberately did that on purpose. Must be his imagination. "Where was I? Oh yeah, and another thing…he…uhhh…" Ranma was lost for words when a ghostly figure unexpectedly stood right beside the eldest Tendo sister.
"Hello Kite-kun. Did you make sure to put away all the groceries?"
Kite moan saying he has.
"W-W-What the…! Why the…!" Ranma was completely lost for words after seeing the zombie man before him.
Akane gives out a big Sigh, seeing she needs to fill in some of the blanks about their… houseguest. "Umm…Ranma. You remember Kite-san right? Well… He's… not what you think… He sort of fixed the damages at school and… carried you back here." Akane was on edge the minute the phantom hovers over her. "W-w-what do you want?"
Kasumi moves in closely behind her youngest sister and rest her hands on her shoulders. She gives her a gentle squeeze for support and whisper softly in her ear. "Remember Akane, be nice."
"B- but Oneech-yeh-tei!" Akane wince when she felt the sudden sharp pressures against her shoulders.
"Now Akane... we have been discussing this for awhile now, haven't we?" Akane nods her head. "Good… Now I believe you have something to say to Kite-kun, right Akane-chan?"
Akane gave in instantly. She slowly, but forcefully, gazes up at the horror form and spoke to him very softly. "I'm… Sorry I've caused you a lot of trouble… Kite-san…" She breathes out in relief after feeling the pressure taken off her shoulders.
"There, wasn't that so hard?"
Ranma was lost. Not lost-lost like pig boy, just completely lost. Why is this guy here? What the hell is Akane doing? And did Kasumi just force Akane to apologize?! What the hell is going on here?!
"Won't somebody tell me what's going on?!"
Kasumi eyed Ranma questionably, but asked nevertheless. "Whatever do you mean Ranma-kun?"
"I mean him!!" Ranma began pointing at the sole phantom. "Why is he doing here?! And why is Akane apologizing to him?! Shouldn't he be the one apologizing for causing all the trouble?!"
Kasumi's head was tilted downward and her eyes were covered up by her bangs. A sudden chill is placed within the atmosphere and the light around her has gone completely dim.
"Kite-kun, can you watch the stove for me please? I'll be down shortly."
Seeing to his Lady's wishes, Kite left to attend the task at hand.
"Akane-chan, can you leave us alone for a minute? I would like to talk to Ranma-kun… privately."
"Ehhh…Sure Sis." Still a little wary by her sister's behavior, Akane quickly left the room.
Ranma got a sinking feeling crawling up his spine. The minute Akane shut the door, the atmosphere suddenly become dimmer. He can feel the air become sickly heavy and a frosty wind rubbing against his flash.
Kasumi lifted her head to face the young martial artist to show the worst thing has finally happened.
Kasumi Tendo… has frowned.
"I'm … very disappointed of you Ranma-kun."
STAB! Ranma cringed and clutched his chest in pain. It felt like a large dagger just lunged itself into his very heart.
"I know you can be rude." WACK! "Stubborn." TONG! TONG! "Pigheaded." KLANG! "Ignorant." KAPOW! "And most of all, Egotistical." BANG! "I know everyone is giving Kite-kun a hard time just because he's new but I expected better from you. You used to have the same problem when you first came to our little home."
VVVVUUUUUUU! CRASH! BEEP! BEEP!
Stabbed by imaginary knives, bleeding from invisible bullet wounds, and run over by an unseen car. Ranma couldn't figure out how the kind and caring Kasumi is doing this but he knows he can't take much more of this.
"But…but… you don't understand."
"That's right. I don't understand why you would go and hurt my friend like that. That wasn't very nice."
TONG! TONG! Two arrows struck.
"But…but…He was… trying to get Akane. And… he was going to do something to her!" Ranma struggles to pick himself up but couldn't due to the unexplainable pain.
"He was trying to give Akane her lunch."
"And… why would he do that?"
"Because I asked him to."
WHACK!
"You...You did?" Ranma weakly asked after having a phantom hatchet striking him in the back.
"Let's not forget about Nabiki's, and most of all, yours."
TONG!! KLANG!! Two more struck.
"I know you mean well and you did what you thought was right to protect someone. It was a big misunderstanding and it's good to know that you would go so far to protect someone very close to you."
"Akane… means nothing to me!!"
"But I hope you don't something like that again… I can't bear to see either one of you get hurt. I don't want to lose any more friends…" A single tear drop ran down her angelic face.
Ranma couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Kasumi…"
"Ranma-kun, if you do anything that would hurt him… Anything that would make him ashamed of… Anything that would make him leave and never come back! …I will never forgive you."
WOOT! WOOOOOTTTT! WOOT! WOOOOOOTTTT! CRASH!! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!
"Oh my, I better get going. There's so much work to be done." Kasumi wipes away the tears from her eyes and the ray light she illuminates came back. "I'm glad we have this conversation Ranma-kun, I know you and Kite-kun can be good friends."
A moan was his only answer after catching the undetected five o'clock express.
"Dinner will be ready in five minutes. So don't be late." With that, Kasumi exits the guestroom with a smile.
After five minutes, Akane comes in to get Ranma down for dinner.
"Ranma, dinner's- Ranma! What happened to you?!"
"… Kasumi…did.. this…" Ranma weakly crawled toward the opened door and collapse before Akane's feet. "Be careful… her words… are dangerous."
--
Everyone is engaging in another wonderful meal at the Tendo dojo. With the exception of the missing Grand Master and the absence of one of the two bobbling idiots, everybody didn't seem to mind their absence at all.
Nabiki was in a cheerful mood, the fact that the grin on her face proved it. She has been like this ever since she came home from school. In fact, Soun was rendered speechless when she greeted him with a BIG hug and skipped merrily to her seat. Something wonderful must have happened to put her in such high spirit.
Kasumi smiled radiantly as always. She is pleased that everyone is enjoying the wonderfully prepared meal and in addition, happy that her new friend decided to stay for dinner. No one seems to mind as he took a spot right next to her. If possible, her smile has brightened more than usual.
"Would you like another bowl Kite-kun?" Kite passed his bowl to Kasumi as she served him another helping.
"I'm glad you decided to stay Kite-kun. With Uncle Saotome and Grandfather Happosai out of town, our little gathering seems so small."
"Gaahahhhh…"
"Giggle, don't be silly. Uncle couldn't have run off because of you. I'm sure Uncle went out for a nice walk."
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Genma's Log 1600 hours Day 1
My name is Genma Saotome, the Master of the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. Of all the known schools of this generation, The Anything Goes will always be the best of the best!
Our School is based upon learning and adapting many different styles of martial arts, taking what works and discarding what doesn't. As such, Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū is not confined to a single way of thinking or philosophy when it comes to martial arts combat.
Though it pains me that only a handful of people know little about our School, if only my disgraceful son marry the daughter of the sister school, my retire-I mean-eeh-our legacy would flourish.
Sadly, that would have to wait for I somehow found myself trapped within the pit of garbage while I was recuperating from encountering that demon the second time. Fortunately, I was lucky that an old filing cabinet, few bed cushions, and a couple of tables and chairs constructed a gap pocket over me or I would have been crush underneath tons of waste products…but for how long…?
The first thing to do in this situation is to salvage anything that can be of use. In the Art of survival, one most adapt to the environment and use whatever tools that can come in hand. Comparing to the wilderness, this is no different.
I was able to find some old gardening tools and a rusty old pick axe that were recently thrown away in one of the wasted piles. These will do nicely. Along the way, I found this very notebook and decided to record my entire excavation of getting out of this hell hole. Well, better get started.
End of entry…
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"I'll save something for him when he gets back."
"My word Daughter, this is one of your finest meals I ever imagine." Said Soun, stuffing his face with food.
Kasumi smiled at the compliment. "Why thank you Father."
"No no, I mean it; especially this one. Chomp! Eeemmm! So nice and juicy...just like how Mother used to make!" Soun was in tears the instant he mentions his departed wife.
"Those are very kind words Father," Kasumi replied calmly. "But you should also be thanking Kite-kun for helping out tonight's dinner."
Her Father instantly stops in mid-bit and his hair has standout once more. "What…?"
"It's true. He also the one who cooked some of the dishes you're eating."
Snap!
"Is something wrong Ranma-kun?"
Ranma flinch when he heard Kasumi's voice. He still haunted by the memories of their private discussion. It's not like he's scared or anything. Nope, not a chance.
"W-what do ya mean K-kasumi?"
"You broke your chopsticks."
Looking down, Ranma notice two pieces of his utensils lying on the table. "Oops. Heh heh, s-s-sorry Kasumi."
"That's alright. Here you go, please do be careful."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"Don't worry. Kite-kun made extras just in case. Isn't that thoughtful?"
Snap!
"Oh my," Kasumi hands Ranma another pair.
Soun couldn't help but stare at the thing in front of him. Its glaring green eyes kept staring at him, making him feel empty and a promise of despair.
Trying to ignore the new guest sitting across from him, Soun decided to have a little chat with his other daughters. "N-n-nabiki, mind telling your Father anything happened today? If I were to guess, something good must have when you came home from school."
"You have no idea Daddy." Nabiki cheerfully began. "And it's all thanks to tall, dark, and handsome here. He made a big impression at school today, especially during Lunch."
Snap!
"Now Ranma, you should be more careful." Kasumi gives Ranma another pair.
"Oh I see. Please do go on daughter, what happened?"
Smirking, Nabiki continues. "Kite here got himself a lot of attention after showing off his little fire display. In fact, seeing that he was with me a little while ago, a lot of the student, even the Goths, came to me for anything about him."
"Ara, you became quite popular Kite-kun."
"Oh that's reminds me," Nabiki leans forward and gave Kite a small peak on the cheek. The phantom's pale skin has turned a little hue shade of red. "Thank for the win Hun, you really helped me out."
Soun is shocked by his daughter's action. It's bad enough that Saotome is missing but to have one of his daughters (Nabiki no-less) actually give this THING a sign of affection!! He demands some explanations, some justification… Now!
"Daughter, what are you talking about? What win?"
"Why the fight Ranma and Kite had of course. You should've seen it. Ranma had no chance against Kite, period."
Snap!
"What?!" Soun bellowed loudly and came to face the Son of his old friend. "Son, is this true?! Did you really lose to this -ehhh…young man?!"
"You might say he got BURNED."
"Sob! For shame! If Saotome were here, he would be crush to know his only son lost in a fight! BoHo!"
"Would you drop it Tendo-san, I don't want to talk about it." Ranma was trying to stay calm but without knowing it, he was giving Soun an angry glare.
"Whaaa!! He yelled at me!!"
A loud clank is heard at the dinner table as Ranma slam down his bowl. He stood up from his seat and head straight to the front door.
"Ranma! Where are you going?" Akane asked.
"I'm goin' out."
"But you didn't finish your dinner yet!"
"I'm not hungry." And out he goes.
"Ara, do you think something is wrong with Ranma?"
Nabiki snorted. "Please Kasumi; this is Ranma we're talking about. He is just being a sore loser," she mumbled quietly.
"Nabiki! That's wasn't nice!" Kasumi admonished her sister, who simply shrugged indifferently.
"What? It's true."
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Ranma continues walking down the nightly streets, muttering and cursing on one specific person that just made his day. He can't believe the guy beat him. The guy is not like anybody he ever faced before. He even survived the Hiryū Shōten Ha for crying out loud! How? How can he defeat a bastard like that?! And what's up with that black thing? Was it him? Did he used that thing to beat him?! Man, just thinking about the guy makes his blood boil!
"You seem to be in a good mood," Ranma turned around to see a man with white hair and a metal plated bandana covering his left eye. "Yoh…" He salutes. He must be some sort-of ninja if he is wearing that getup.
"Humph! Who asked you?"
"Hey hey, I'm not looking for a fight or anything." The ninja jumps off the steel fence walks right next to the young martial artist. "Rough day huh?"
"You can say that."
"Is it because of the guy with the blue flames?"
Ranma was taken aback. How did he know?
"Let just say I was there at the time." He glanced at the young man lazily. "I have my ways."
"Humph! Whatever, story of my life."
"You don't seem to be taking it well. Want to talk about it?"
"It's no big deal. Beside, ya don't want to hear it."
"I have time."
--
Few minutes later…
"Hah, ha hah hah…!!"
"Yeah yah, laugh it up…"
"Hah ha, s-sorry! Hah ha hah, it's just that you actually said that to him? Boy, no wonder he wants to roast you! Hah ha hah hah!!"
"Yeah, yah…" Ranma grumpily pouted and crossed his arms together.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know." Ranma then clutch his fist and shot it up into the air. "But one things for sure, that's gonna change. I'm gonna ta figure a way to beat that bastard, cause Ranma Saotome don't lose! Next time, it's gonna be different! Believe it!"
The masked ninja's right eye rose up with interest and he gave off a soft chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"Heh Heh, you remind me of a certain genin I used to train. He's quite the goofball and tends to mouth off a lot, but he came a long way to follow his dream. Hmm…sure hope he's not causing too much trouble while I'm gone."
"Whatever man, see ya around." Ranma walked off to another corner of the street, leaving the masked ninja alone.
"He's also a loud mouth, interesting." With a poof of smoke, he vanished.
--
"Geez, I really need to get stronger. But how?" Ranma resumes walking down the nightly streets, thinking a way to solve his loss. He then bops his hands together. "I should go training. Yeah, it's been a while and I may find a new technique that can help along the way." His expression then changed into a frown. "But… I can't 'cause Mom hired that Lee guy. She'll probably be angry if she finds out I'm skipping my studies… And I don't want another private talk with Kasumi."
Down the path, Ranma notice a steel bucket. What better way to relieve his anger.
"Man this sucks!" KUNK!! "OW!" Ranma tends to the stinging feeling of his toes and glance angrily at the metal bucket. 'Man, it's like kicking concrete.' Curious to find out what's underneath it, he lifts it up.
He discovered its Mouse…
And his ash, filthy, bruised and damaged head.
In times like this, one most remain calm and don't panic. It won't look good for a martial artist in his caliber and he-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Oh forget it…
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Ranma ran around while wave his arms in a frenzy before stopping right back to the scene. "N-now, calm down. There's gotta be an explanation! There's just got ta! Maybe he fell into a hole and the ground swallowed him!" Ranma took another glance at Mousse and rethink what he just said. "Like that's could 'ave happened!"
"Groan…Why does my head hurt?" Hearing a moan, slowly, Ranma looks where the sound came from.
"Oh… it's you Saotome. Of all people, I expected my Shampoo looking for me? Oh well, can you give me a hand here? I can't seem to move."
"AAHHHHHHH! It's talking! Oh why Kami?! Why did I have to find the idiot's severed head? Why?!"
"Excuse me…?"
"Don't worry Mousse; even though I hate ya guts and ya can be a real pain, but I'll help ya in any way so you can pass on and not haunt me for the rest of my life. Now, do ya want to be buried in the mountain or should I ask the Old Ghoul on how men are buried in your village."
"Ranma…"
"Hmmm… Now that I think about it, maybe I should bring the Ghoul here. She's more with this spiritual thing and she might know a few things to get ye pass on to your next life. Maybe you'll be reborn into a butterfly or something."
"Would you stop it already?! I'm very much alive! And I'm very sure I'm still intact."
Ranma stopped his blabbering to stare down at the head, "...Ya sure you're still in one piece?"
"Of course you twit! I can still feel the rock pinching up my spine!"
Ranma blew out a sigh of relief, glad to see the blind Amazon is not dead, maybe. "Man, you really got me going there. I thought you were … you know. But why are you like this? Is this part of your training or did the Old Ghoul do it out of punishing you?
"Well, no. Even though we have something similar like this back at the village, this is not one of them. The rocks are not pinching my thigh enough and there are no birds around to peck my eyes out." Ranma just form a large sweat drop. "But that's beside the point! This masked ninja did this to me! He somehow dug himself underground and pulled me under!" Mousse wiggles around but it doesn't look like he'll be getting out anytime soon. "Hey, can you help me? I'm…stuck."
"Huh? Oh sure. Don't worry, I'll get you out. " Ranma started pacing around Mousse. He then crouched down and extending his forefinger.
"Eh…Ranma, what are you doing?" Mousse said with a hint of concern.
"I'm trying ta find that breaking point thing. After seeing Ryoga doing it a couple of times, I think I got it. Never bother using it 'cause those blast really hurt," Mousse felt very nervous as Ranma is about to perform the technique. "Now hold tight, this is gonna hurt." He poked his finger into the ground.
KABOOM! "HEY!! WHO'S THE IDIOT WHO DISCHARGED THE EXPLOSIVES?!" Cried out the director at a construction sight.
"Nope, that's not it. Maybe this one." POKE
KABOOM! "ALL GREAT!! NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH A BROKEN WATER MAIN!!"
"Don't worry. This time for sure!" POKE
BOOM! "MY CABBAGES!!"
"Don't you think it's better if we ask the workers if we can borrow their tools?" Mousse whimpered.
"Huh? Oh, sure, if ya want to do this the hard way. Hang on man, I'll be back."
"Yes, that's good. Take your time." When Ranma was out of hearing range, Mousse breathes out in relief. "That was a close."
--
"Ya really something, ya know? It's not everyday ya find yourself buried in the street," said Ranma as he bring down the pickaxe on the stone surface.
Klink!
"Careful with that! You're not the one buried here!" KLINK!! "Yikes!"
"Yeah yeah, I know. Now stop moving and I'll have ya out in no time." Klink! "So mind telling me how this happen?"
"Hah! Why would I tell a Jackass like you anything?"
Cling! "'Cause, ya don't have a choice," Ranma struck the gravel a bit too close for Mousse's comfort.
"It happened just around noon while I was looking for my darling Shampoo…"
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/Flashback Few Hours Ago…/
"Raikiri!"
FFFFFIZIIIIIZZZSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Mousse was last seen struck hard and hurtling toward a brick wall after being struck by 100,000 volts of pure electricity. In the matter of minutes, he was buried in a pile of rubble.
"Oops, looks like I over did it."
The masked man studied the sizzled idio- um I mean the unconscious young man and gave out a long sigh. "Well, I can't just leave you here, can I?" He picked him up in one swoop and set him down on a nearby bench.
"It's going to be boring waiting for you to wake up. Hmm…What to do?"
The masked ninja looks to the far left… then he looks to the far right. Seeing no one in sight, with a gleam in his eyes, he pulled out a black marker.
--
Few Minutes later…
"OOOHhhhhh…What happen?" Mousse groaned as he comes back into the waking world. He found himself sitting on a wooden bench and a blurry figure sitting right next to him. He's guessing it's a person, he couldn't tell without putting on his glasses.
"Oh, you're awake."
He guessed, wonder who he is. "Um…excuse me; do you know what happen to me?"
The blurry figure tilted to one side as if confused. "…You don't know?"
Mousse scratched his head sheepishly, embarrassed as he is. "Heh heh, well… yeah, you can say that."
"Sorry, can't help you there. I just found you lying on the street and set you there on the bench. You should get going, you don't look so good."
"Heh heh, yeah ow! Maybe you're right. Well…thanks."
Mousse can't seem to recall anything happened to him. He winces when he touches the lump on the back of his head. Something heavy most have hit him very hard. He then heard something. Sounded like a group of school girls giggling.
"Probably something they found funny."
Continue walking, Mousse can hear another group of girls giggling. Then a group of little kids…Then the construction workers… Then the elders… And strangely, the dogs and cats are also joining in the laugh fest. Feeling that something must be up, Mousse put on his glasses, which cause the laughter to rise in volume.
"Mommy! Look at the funny man! His face looks stupid!"
"Now Soto, it's not nice to call people names…even though he does look silly."
Curious, Mousse took out a hand mirror.
--
"You!!"
"Oh…Back so soon?"
Mousse was enraged. Huffing and puffing, Mousse burst out at the man seated at the bench. "It was you!"
"Me?"
"Yes you!! Now I remember!! You're the one who give me that shock treatment!!"
"Boy you catch on fast."
"And I bet you're the one who did this to me! I looked like a total idiot!!"
His face is scribbled with waves and lines on each cheek. His eyes are shaded like a panda and writings of 'I'm an Idiot' or 'Pervert' are written all over his face.
"You're right, it does." He then took out his black marker. "But if we put something like this… color your noise and … some lines here… Oh, maybe some freckles and some drools. Yeah, that should do it. And maybe-"
"Stop screwing with me!!" Mousse quickly wiped off the markings with his sleeves and fire off missile of chains, wrapping them around his target. "Ha, got ya!"
POOF!
Mousse's jaw is hangs loosely to the floor and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He just witnessed something unbelievable. The masked man, the one he captured in his balls and chains, just 'poof' into a giant log.
"W-w-what the…?"
"Look like I have to teach you a lesson in manners." Mousse turns around to the trace of the voice, but no one was there. 'I could have sworn-'
"The names Kakashi …and you have a long way to go if you wish to defeat me." Mousse threw a long sword behind him, embedding it into a tree.
"Argh, where are you bastard!"
"Yoo Hoo! Over here!"
Guided by the annoying sound of his voice, Mousse turns around to face his opponent.
"This time I'll put an end of your non-…NANI!!"
"AAAHHHhhhh…What a nice aroma." Kakashi, the masked ninja, is discovered sitting under a nice shady tree…WHILE DRINKING TEA!!
"What's the big deal?! Don't you know we're in a middle of something?!
"True true, but before we continue, do you mind if I have a cup of tea? It's such a nice day and we should enjoy it."
Mousse's left eye began to twitch. He can't believe this guy!! First he shocked him into unconsciousness, he made him a fool by doodling his face, and now, he wants him to sit down for A CUP OF TEA!! 'Is he mocking me?!'
"Oh, I even made one to calm your nerves. You know, green tea is good for lowering high blood pressure and can help clean up your body's circulations quite nicely."
"You're DEAADDDDDDDD!!"
Charged right at his foe in murderous rage, Mousse summoned forth multiple chains and blades in hand.
Closer and closer, he was about a few steps away from his target. Kakashi lazily took hold of a black rope and give it a tug.
BASSHHHHHHH!!
"I can't believe you fell for such a simple trap." Setting his tea down, Kakashi made his way over to the large boulder. He then moves the boulder, showing the flatted Amazon.
"Baka."
Ree-Swoot!
"What…?!"
"Heh heh heh heheh…" Mousse weakly stood up from the crater and walks over to the bounded Ninja. Tugging his hands, Mousse reveals he has invisible wires in each tip of his fingers. "Ha! Whose a Baka now?!" He tugs the strings hard to end this serried quickly but painfully.
POOF! The body reveals to have turned into another log.
"Argh, not again!" Mousse desperately started searching around the streets. Where did he go?! Above?! Behind?! Where?!
"Below you!"
"Huh?"
CRANK-COM! A hand pops out from the concrete floor and grabbed a hold of Mousse's ankle.
"Wha?!"
"Earth Element, Earth Decapitation no Jutsu!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"
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"So, how do you like my Earth Element Jutsu? Neat huh?"
"Why…You!... Arrrghh…" Mousse tired to worm his way out under the layers of bedrock, but sadly, it didn't work.
"Hmm, you would be a torn if anybody sees you like this." He looks around for something of use, than he found it. "Ah, that will do." He took a bucket from a construction sight and places it over Mousse's head. "There now, that's better."
Mousse thought otherwise as angrily responds can be heard underneath the bucket.
"My, such language you have. Might as well do something about it," the man took out what looks like a talisman seal and release a small amount of chakra. He lifts the bucket so slightly and slipped the seal inside. Kakashi then picked up the grocery bags as they were left and walk away from the scene.
Few minutes later…
BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!
A dented bucket had just been spotted flying high up into the clouds then descended back into Earth's orbit with a loud Clank. Surprisingly, the bucket fell back right where Mousse is buried.
"Sigh, you still have a lot to learn."
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/End Flashback/
"Geez, he sure got ya good."
"Ah, shut up. When I get out of here, I'm going to hunt down that white haired bastard and rip off that mask of his! No one humiliates me and gets away with it!!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever ya say. Wait… was the guy this high, white hair sticking out like this, and wears a mask that only let you see his droopy eyes?"
"Yeah, that's him!! That's the bastard who put me here!!"
"Sorry to say this pale but you've just missed him. He must be long gone by now. Now hold tight." Ranma began digging the Male Amazon out the ground. For an half an hour, Ranma pulls Mousse out of the hole.
"There, now that you're out, see yaaahhhhh-etetet!"
"Hey! You're not just gonna leave me here are you?" said Mousse as he hangs onto Ranma's legs.
"Well that's the plan. Now!" THUMP!! "Let!" STEP!! "Go!!" STUMP-THUMP-STUMP!!
"B-b-but, you can't just leave me like this! Stop being such a jerk and help me back to the Neko Hunton!"
"What?! Since when do I-"
"Oh C'mon! I've been, electrocuted, smashed, buried under 10 tons of concrete and I got the battle scar to prove I was in an explosion.
"Well a…Oh fine!" Placing one of Mousse's arms over his shoulder, Ranma left him off the ground.
"We never speak of this."
--
At the Neko Hunton…
"Ya think you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, just set me down here." Ranma set Mousse down at one of the table close to the doorway.
"Sigh, thank Saotome. You can be a nice guy sometime."
"Yeah, that's good ta know. If you excuse me, I need to get goin' before-"
Gloup! "Airen! You come to see Shampoo yes? Are you Okay? Shampoo very worried when Airen got hurt by Scary Ghost man!"
"Shampoo I'm fine, now get off me!"
"Emm-umm, Shampoo won't let go! What if Airen get hurt by Ghost Man again."
"Well I'm telling ya it's not necessary!"
"I should have known you would go back to your old ways you enemy of women! Hands off of my Shampoo!"
"I'm not the one holding her IDIOT!" Ranma is starting to regret taking Mousse back to the Neko Hunton. He would be happy for a distraction right about now.
"Slurp! Ahhh… Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to eat here," someone said from one of the table.
Shampoo lets go of her Airen, to his relief, to apologize to their customer. "Sorry Mr. Customer, but Shampoo was so happy to see Airen."
The man gave a mischievous look at the young Amazon and leaned in closely. "Oh, so he's your lover. Well, I shouldn't have intruded than."
"Oh, we more than lovers. Ranma is Shampoo's husband. By Amazon Law, Airen already Husband. But here, Airen's not. Stupid Japanese law."
"Well, that's life young miss. But tell me; are you two planning on getting married anyway? I mean, you two look like a lovely couple."
The young warrior blush as she places both hands on her cheeks. "Aiya, Shampoo hopes so. Shampoo hope Airen takes Shampoo to romantic date first."
The man smirk gleefully underneath the black mask he wears. "Well, that can be arranged." Pulling out a small booklet, the man pulls out a hand full of travel brochures. "I know a great place in Kyoto that would be wonderful for such a lovely couple. If you're interested, I can arrange to get you two a good discount prices for three nights stay in a 3 to 4 star Hotel. There's also a private hot spot in the area where couples can do their … business, if you know what I mean. Sounds romantic enough?"
"Hey! Don't give her any ideas!" Ranma bellowed.
Gloup! "Ranma, let's go! Sound very romantic yes?" Shampoo excitingly rubs herself a little closer.
"Would ya quit doing that?!"
While this was going on, Mousse's jaw was wide open. He recognizes the person who was just speaking to his darling Shampoo. He can recognize that same droopy staring right back at him.
"Yo, how's it going?" The man greets the gasping young man.
"You!"
"Yes and…do I know you form somewhere?"
Mousse face was stroked hard onto the hard wooden floor. "You don't remember me?!"
"Well, I'm not sure. Hmm…" the masked man snapped his fingers. "Now I remember. You're the guy at the lollypop stand."
BAM!! Mousse fell over once more. "No!"
"Than you must be the lizard standing in front of the comic shop."
"Now I know you're just making fun of me!"
"No? Let's see… The Car Sales Man?" An angry pulse appears on Mousse's head. "The Don Performer?" Another pulse appeared. "The Butcher? The Baker? The Candlestick Maker? The Cross-dresser?"
"That's it!" Mousse draws five sets of broad swords, "I just have about enough of your sick little games!"
Bonk! "How many times do I have to remind you Mr. Part Timer? 'Don't bother the customers!'" Said the elderly voice holding a wooden cane.
"But Elder!"
Bonk! "Do I have to repeat myself boy?"
"Argh…Find! ...You dried up mummy…"
Bonk! "I heard that! Now, go to the back and start scrubbing the dishes! After that, I want you to set all the tables, organize the storage room, and do the laundries. Don't mix up the whites again or you'll be spending another time in that little cage." Mousse wonders off in the back while muttering under his breath about a certain slave driver.
"I'm sorry about that deary. That boy doesn't have manner." The small elderly woman turns her attention to the masked man to give her sincere apologize.
"No trouble at all eh…"
"You can call me Cologne. It's easy for everyone who doesn't speak our tongue."
"Then you can call me Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi, Honorable Elder."
"My, what a polite young man. You wouldn't be interested in meeting one of our girls back at the village would you? I'm sure you might find someone you would like." Cologne gave a devious smile at the masked man.
"I'm sure I would but I must decline your offer." Kakashi stood up from his seat and picks up his bag of groceries. "Thank you for the meal Elder."
"Sigh, what a pity. You would have made a nice addition to our tribe. Don't worry about the bill deary. Think of it as an apology for our foolish Part Timer."
"Thank you very much." The moment Kakashi passes by the two couples; he whispers something to Ranma as he leaves the restaurant. "Next time we meet, be ready. I like to see what you can do."
"Huh?" Recognizing the masked man, Ranma escapes from Shampoo's clutches and race after him when he turns to the corner.
"Hey wait!" For his misfortune, Ranma collided into someone carrying two large bags. The person fell over, spilling foods allover the street.
"Ow, watch where you're going you idiot!" said the person Ranma collided. "Ah man, look at this." He picks up a case that used to hold his now broken dozen eggs. He then picked up his broken bottle of milk. "Sign, I HOPE you are kind enough to PAY for all of this."
"Sorry man, I was just…" Ranma look down at the person and recognized him instantly. "DumbChin, is that you?"
"My name is NOT DumbChin! It's DongChang!" DongChang frown up at the idiot who just mistook his name. He then realized who it is. "Oh, it's you Boy-O." He took a deep breath as he look down at his groceries. "You know, you should watch where you're going."
"Hehe yeah…sorry about that."
"Well, no use crying over spilled milk." He began to gather whatever remains of his food. "So, how's your day boy-O?"
"Well…umm…say, ya wouldn't happen ta see a guy who wears a mask and a metal bandana covering the left side of his eyes, did ya?"
"Sorry kid, can't say I have."
"Shoot, lost him." Ranma said as he snaps his finger.
"Well, tell me later how it turns out. I need to get going before night fall."
"Oh, ya finally found a place?"
"Yeah, well…I need to do some… repairs first before consider it homey." Lee didn't sound too happy about it.
"If ya want, I can lend a hand."
"Thanks, maybe later, okay?"
"Sure, sound good," Ranma then remembers something. "Say, if ya busy, you wouldn't mind me going somewhere for a little while, would ya?"
Lee look at Ranma uncertainly. "…that depends, how long would you be gone?"
"About a week."
A hand grabbed him by his shirt.
"…Boy-O, please tell me you're not planning on leaving …on a school night… for an entire week, right?"
"Well…yeah."
"For what exactly?"
"A training trip."
"…Just for a training journey?"
"Umm… yeah." WHACK!! "OW!"
DongChang sternly stares down at Ranma (regardless of height) and brought him an inch closer to his face. "Look, I may not know how you people work in this town but I'll be damn if you think I'm gonna let you run off so you can go on one of your camping trips!"
"But-but I thought that-"
"But since I'm a nice guy, why don't we go back to the Tendo's for a little while." DongChang let go of Ranma's shirt and beckons him to follow. "Come now, maybe it's time I teach you something that can be put in good use. I'm still not comfortable of you going on your little trip, but I'm sure we can work something out."
"Eh…S-sure." Ranma did as he was told and follow his Sensai. He couldn't help but feeling a little nervous. 'Maybe The Old Freak was right about this guy.'
--
"Now Ranma, please read this panel."
"This is not what I have in mind Sensei."
"Ranma, as your Sensei, I need you to trust me and go along with my teachings. Now, please read this panel."
"Sigh… Th-th-The…R-R-Rrrrraain…I-I-Inn… Sppprainnn-"
WAM!!
"It's Spain. SPAIN! Not SPRAIN!! The rain didn't just sprain!! Try again from the top."
Ranma rub his head after taking a blow from a steel fan. 'On second thought, maybe the Old Cock is just paranoid. This is stupid!!'
"Why do I have ta do this in the first place?"
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma, you most understand that we're living in a world where people are educating themselves to speak more than three to ten languages. You can't just bind yourself in speaking only in your native tongue. And beside, this is a chance to improve your English skills. Now, let's begin from the top. After we finish, we can start on something else."
Ranma has a disturbing feeling building up in his gut, and it's not by one of Akane's cooking. "What would that be?"
"What else?" Lee pulls out a large table and a ridiculously large textbook. "You and I are going to travel into the wonderful world of Algebra." Ranma bang his head on the table and moan in his despair.
The Dojo doors slide open and Kasumi came in with a plate full of treats. "Oh DongChang-san, will you be staying for a while?"
"It would seem so Kasumi-san. Ranma here needs to finish at less fifteen of these cards and we're only able to get to three of them," a cup of tea was handed to him. "Oh, thank you-" DongChang look at the person who just handed him the cup. He was… how to put this? …surprise… stunned…shocked? Yes, that it. He was shock when he gazes at the figure before him. Those pale white skin of his face and those green eyes that glowed. So caught up staring at the person he spilled the hot tea all over himself.
"Gawk…!"
"Oh DongChang-san, I'm sorry. I should have introduced you to my new friend. DongChang-san, I would like you to meet Azure Kite-kun."
DongChang continues to stare at the very being named Azure Kite. He knows him fairly well and he got an idea who is responsible for this.
"Excuse for a sec." DongChang steps through the Dojo doorway and shut them behind him.
"I wonder where he is going…"
"DDOOOOOOCCCCCC!!" A roaring cry was heard from the other side.
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AN: Sorry it took so long…Here's Chapter 8.
Please comment my work. I would like to know your thoughts.