Ukyo just couldn't take it anymore. Ever since last night after she took him in, Mousse just seemed to destroy any silver lining of a good mood she may have had before. She let him rest on a furo in her bedroom as a way to make sure that she could keep an eye on him, and care for him when he needed it. The result? He kept her up all of last night with his pathetic, nonstop sobbing over Shampoo, only letting her sleep when he became too tired to complain anymore.
It wasn't that she didn't pity the poor guy. She, too, was always astounded by how he would constantly run towards Shampoo, ecstatic from any sign of positive emotion from that bimbo, especially with the way she treat him. He chased her like that for thirteen years. Thirteen years he devoted his entire being to her, and for what? Now at least maybe she'd occasionally take her mind off of Ranma and think of the one that doesn't completely reject her, under desperate circumstances such as him dying in her arms or if she accidentally broke his entire set of glasses. Was it any news that it would eventually be too much for the jackass?
The ex-chef had just got out of bed and looked at the clock. Ten o'clock. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept that late. She was always a morning person. Even when she didn't have a restaurant to run, she would never have been caught dead sleeping past eight. It was understandable though since she remembered how Mousse wouldn't let her sleep until about five o'clock. So logically, she really didn't go to bed until then, and she actually only got about five hours of sleep. She certainly felt like it, she thought as she rubbed her temples to assuage her headache. She reminded herself to give that duck man a good talking to about either letting her talk with him, or just keeping it to himself. That would not be acceptable if he was going to keep her awake at all odd hours once the restaurant was up and running.
Speaking of which, she noticed that a certain blind boy with second-degree burns she was healing was not sleeping, or even in her room. She leapt out of her bed, uncaring of the fact that she was in her pajamas. Both of her housemates wouldn't care. As she opened the door, however, Kontasu was already on the other side, his hand about to knock on the door.
"Ukyo, dear," the "sexy" kuonchi called her. "Your new friend has volunteered to make us his own Chinese cuisine. Isn't that nice of him?"
Ukyo suddenly noticed the delicious smell coming from the kitchen of her small apartment, causing her to remember the small amount of food she ate last night, since even the groceries she bought last night for dinner became second priority when Mousse came in the shape he was. "Remind me to thank him!" she cheered. "God, I'm starving!"
"I helped, too," Kontasu informed her meekly, hoping to get some praise.
"Yeah! Thanks to you, too!" the spatula girl harped to him. However, her face became more serious as she walked closer to him, lowering her voice so the new guest won't hear her. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how has he been doing? Any better than last night?"
The ninja's face sobered as well from that question. "Maybe a little, but he's still sad. He at least cheered up a little when he started cooking. If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with him?"
"You mean the burn marks all over his body didn't get it across to you?" Ukyo asked with sarcasm. "He lives with this girl that he really loves, but she treats him like dirt. He works endlessly at the restaurant her great grandmother owns for nothing, and lives in their attic." Of course, that part wasn't something she had the right to judge Shampoo for, especially considering who she was talking to. "So when she finally seemed to be starting to like him a little and Ranma was taken, her great grandmother kicked him out, after pouring hot water on him, of course." She also wouldn't comment on why, hoping a certain dipstick lived a miserable life being the slave, or wife of an Amazon.
His sympathy getting the best of him, the waitress of Uchan's squealed in sadness. "That poor man was treated as bad as I was by my Ugly Stepmother!" Even if he was worried about this Mousse person she invited being competition for his Ukyo darling, Kontasu couldn't help but empathize with him.
Ukyo gasped in shock upon her servant's reaction then grabbed him so that his ear was directly in front of her mouth. "You jackass, he's still upset you know! What if he heard you?" she whispered. Her question was answered when she heard a third person walking towards them.
"It's okay," Mousse's raspy, dry voice told them. "Were you afraid I was going to be mad at you for telling Kontasu? I thought he already knew."
Ukyo turned to her newest addition to the house, giving a cheery greeting. "Heya, sugar! How ya' feeling?" Despite his polite and restrained disposition, his face made it perfectly obvious how he was. Her smile straitened out, but she still attempted to be as compassionate as she possibly could be. "Any better?"
"A little," Mousse answered her with a fake smile. "I'm sorry about everything in general last night. I made you some beef lo mien. Kontasu said you both like beef."
"Well, until someone falls into the spring of drowned cattle, I guess not," Ukyo joked, trying to lighten up the situation.
Mousse couldn't help but to give a small laugh from the joke while turning back. At least his mood seemed to lighten up for a little while. "Come on. Let's eat it before it gets cold. It's the recipe my mother used to make."
Ukyo ran past her new chef, simply excited that her stomach was finally going to be full again. "A nice home cooked meal sounds great to me!"
Kontasu jumped in joy, simply excited his love was finally going to be happy again. "My loving Ukyo is happy again!"
It was only Dr. Tofu's first week back from his internship back in the Tokyo hospital, and he heard about just exactly how chaotic life had been lately in Akane and Ranma's life. It was exciting to hear those two lovebirds were finally able to actually admit their feelings. Too bad it took such a life threatening situation for it to happen, and that trying to get married resulted in their house being demolished by an angry horde, and it seemed to bring the worst out of one of the last people he expected to use such a lack of judgment. Now, he had someone from one of the most powerful families under his care, black and blue bruises covering his entire body, and his less than lenient sister demanding the best care possible for her dear brother.
He had to admit he was a little reluctant to take him. The Kunos in general seemed to be a source of some nasty conversations. That Tatiwaki sleeping in his office was apparently the whole reason Akane had the irrational hatred for boys she did for so many years. But that probably wouldn't look very good on his record if he rejected a patient so soon after he came back, especially when the injuries involved were so severe. Besides, from talking with both of them he couldn't help but wonder if word of mouth was less reliable than he thought.
From what he saw of this Kodachi girl, she really didn't seem scary so much as a tad eccentric, and lonely. He had to admit he was impressed by the vast knowledge she had in botany and chemistry. It was unnerving to him that she decided to have a live alligator as a pet, but couldn't help but to understand her situation when she talked about the time she found the dying baby reptile in the dumpster behind a zoo. The way she was so open with him, despite all the bizarre stories she had to tell him, it was clear all this source of so many vicious rumors was simply an overly sheltered, socially confused teenager.
"So then, Kodachi," Tofu questioned the girl as she sitting beside him in his main office, both sipping on the newly brewed tea, "Did you two really live alone for that long?"
"Correct," Kodachi answered in despair. "I never met my mother. I finally met my father for the first time since I was almost too young to remember. My brother dear has acted as my guardian since then."
He couldn't understand how such an arrangement could possibly be overlooked by social services. Even if they were rich, her brother was only one year older than her. It was amazing she came out as well as she did. "That's not normal," the doctor mentioned calmly, doing his best not to offend her by staying calm. "I just want to know, why didn't you tell authorities, and find someone to adopt you?"
The gymnast simply shrugged her shoulders, responding with a "matter of a fact" tone. "We were kids at the time. Do you honestly think we wanted to be taken care of by complete strangers? We figured that we'd be better off looking out for each other. Besides, we have a family servant in our home named Sasuke. For the most part he's sort of a father figure for us."
"So at least you had some sort of adult supervision," Tofu thought out loud as he rested his chin on his fist. "I guess that must have been the reason you could avoid social services. But still… being taken care of by a house servant? It must have been really hard."
"I got used to it, I suppose," Kodachi stated. "Even if they weren't biological fathers, both my brother dear and Sasuke looked out for me the absolute best they could." However, her face saddened as she thought of the next part. "I suppose the kindness I was used to from them led me unable to deal with the fact that people in the real world aren't so friendly, and may not even want to know me for who I am. Just like…"
Noticing Kodachi pause, obviously mentally unable to continue, Tofu filled in the blank. "Just like Ranma?" He always told Akane and Ranma to try to consider what the other kids must be feeling. Obviously if they were that determined to break the two up, loneliness and a deep need for attention must have been a big factor. He told them both before that they should try to consider thinking of what the others were feeling. Akane was at least a little better in this, trying to care even for that girl Shampoo who caused them the trouble she did. Ukyo, for the most part, seemed like a nice enough girl when the engagement wasn't involved, so it was easy for Akane to be friends with her. If only she didn't lash out at the wedding like he heard she did, maybe Akane would have focused on finding her a boyfriend.
Even if he cared about the other boys, Ranma just didn't seem to have the social skills to do the same thing. As much as the doctor could laugh when he heard of the time he refused to loose on purpose against that Mousse he kept hearing of, it brought a sad point across to him about Ranma's psychology. He could have had both of the Amazons out of his hair if he only did that, but his pride was more important. He saw enough of his relation with Ryoga to understand that they both could be very cruel bullies to each other; despite the grudging respect they had for each other. Still, it did take a good amount of patience on Ranma's part to keep his friend's secret.
"Ranma may seem like a friendly person, but he's not very open. You have a lot of interesting things about you, but I could see how they may scare him off," Tofu told the girl as he laid his teacup on the table. "You probably scare a lot of people, don't you?"
"I didn't give up on Ranma because he scared me," Kodachi corrected the older man, becoming more bitter and irritated. "I stopped loving him ever since that time. That time I saw that disgusting turn of events, and discovered how Ranma and that wicked pigtailed girl truly were of 'one mind and one body'." Tofu noticed a frighteningly acidic hiss of spite from the girl when she spoke the infamous quote. "I am beginning to become truly disgusted with my brother as much as I love him due to his inability to comprehend the simple fact." Saddened when she looked to her side at the room with her brother in it, "My poor brother dear is in complete denial of the fact. I told him over and over about the identity of his so called 'pigtailed goddess', but he simply refuses to listen. I'm so scared of what will happen the day his wall of denial breaks."
"I won't lie. These sorts of denial episodes are always a way for the patients to keep themselves calm while they try to understand a difficult fact. I'm sure there's a part in him that already knows that Ranma really is the pigtailed girl." Tofu took a form from the table and handed it to Kodachi. "He's all set. When he finally accepts the fact, please bring him back here." The patient's sister took the form from the doctor and signed the document.
Minutes later, the Kuno siblings walked together down the sidewalk. "So brother dear, are you really sure that you want to continue this delusion that despite the fact that Ranma turns into the pigtailed girl that they're not the same person? And please don't tell me that he doesn't. I've seen it with my own two eyes."
Kuno looked towards his sister in pity. How could she think so simple mindedly when it came to that scum? "Dear sister, it's not that I have not. I've seen it well before you have. It's just that the abomination that is Ranma Saotome has enslaved my beloved into his own netherworld, only to be released when he wants someone to replace him when he hides?"
Kodachi couldn't help but to roll her eyes, humming in frustration. "Yes, brother dear. I suppose." She couldn't allow this insane denial to continue. Dr. Tofu was right. He was only being like this because he was digesting such a difficult fact. It was only some time until the truth was accepted for what it was, and when he did hell would truly break loose. She decided on a plan that her father might enjoy, and would call him when she got home. It was a sadistic and detestable one; no doubt about it, but that never stopped a Kuno before had it? Besides, it was all for her brother.
Brother dear, you can't keep going on being in love with this pig tailed girl. I don't care what it takes, but I swear that by tomorrow you will love her no more. It's for your own good, and it's a good excuse for me to have myself a little revenge.
Mousse was clearly going to be a valuable asset to the restaurant. The brunch he prepared gave Ukyo suspicions that he could cook Okonomiyaki fine with just a little preparation, and when she tried to show him how for the first time, he quickly did his best to emulate her. The first time he tried to make it, he successfully cooked a plain one just as well as she could, maybe even better.
"You're something else!" the pancake girl complimented her new soon to be employee. "Just don't start your own Okonomyaki restaurant any time soon around here. I don't want to go out of business."
Excited from the compliment, Mousse turned to Kontasu in joy. "Ukyo, do you really like it that much?! I'm so happy."
"Pleasing my darling Ukyo always makes me happy too."
Shocked by his action, Ukyo turned Mousse back to her face. "Hey, stupid! I thought I told you to put your glasses on! You wanna go back on the streets?!"
"I'm sorry. I forgot."
"Jackass! You got proud of yourself and thought you would look cooler without your glasses!"
"I promise!" the Amazon male assured her, "I won't do it again, okay?"
"You promised before didn't you?!" Ukyo scowled as she grabbed him by the collar. "Did you listen? Obviously not!"
Kontasu watched the punishment his love was lashing onto her new friend, frantically trying to calm her down. "No fighting, Ukyo. It was only a mistake."
Then the front door behind them opened, as footsteps walked into the room. "Heya, Ukyo. Since when was Mousse living with you?"
Letting the blind boy in her captivity go, Ukyo stared in shock at her friend. "Ranma honey!" she greeted him with a wide smile. "It's been so long." He wasn't really happy, though, she noticed. He was trying to look away from her some while he itched his head. "Look. About the wedding…"
"My mother told me to come get you," Ranma stated in a very serious, but not particularly upset voice. "We need to talk."
His mother? Ukyo just barely knew Mrs. Saotome. It was always Mr. Saotome or Tendo she had to deal with when it involved Ranma. Becoming shyer as she noticed his grim expression, "What is this about?"
"She just told me to find you then bring you back home. I don't know for now. I guess we'll find out later," Ranma told his friend, giving a little white lie.
If she was being that secretive about it, it must be bad. Mrs. Saotome must have been really angry! She was generally a peaceful enough person like Kasumi, so it was hard to imagine what she must be like if she felt cross, but a certain katana she wielded with her and her take on how to deal with dishonorable sons and husbands gave Ukyo a good enough idea. "Okay." Then she looked back at her two employees. "You guys just stay here and get along. I'll be back sometime tonight."
He was staying silent throughout the entire walk so far. Usually he would have been chatting away by now. And why was he going a completely different direction?
"So, Ranma?" Ukyo asked the man she was following shyly. "She's probably still mad about the wedding, isn't she?" She noticed Ranma stop walking, and look directly at her with a face of indecision.
"I don't know. She didn't say anything about it," he mentioned, quite wishy-washy. "I know Tendo was pissed, and so was Akane. You wrecked the dojo pretty bad."
"I'm sorry… you're not mad, are you?"
"I'm pissed." The words came out with the usual foot in the mouth disease he always had. "I'm not going to lie. I expected a stunt like that from Shampoo, but you? I expected you would have used better logic." He leaned against the metal fence next to him, becoming truly angry. "And then you had the nerve to attack Akane, AGAIN! If Ryoga wasn't around to stop the fight you probably would have got her in the hospital, wouldn't you?!"
"She just ran up from out of the blue assuming I was trying to set 'poor innocent Ryoga' up on a date with you," Ukyo defended herself, remaining her composure.
"Then maybe you should stop doing that! In case you forgot he already has a girlfriend!"
For some reason, that comment truly hurt her. How could he just assume the worst of her like this? "I wasn't! That jackass is the one who just randomly barged into my restaurant with all these threats, telling me he'd punish me for Akane! I was trying to calm him down so he wouldn't go off and get himself engaged to Shampoo! All I did was offer him and his girlfriend lunch! How the hell does this all of a sudden end up being some sort of conspiracy of mine?!"
Obviously, something she said caught Ranma's attention as he calmed down. "Wait a minute! Ryoga was threatening you?" Maybe he really needed to have a talk with "P-chan" too. Even after what she did, Ukyo was still one of his best friends. If anyone was going to punish her, it would be himself.
"Like I said, he warned me that if I ever hurt Akane, he'd punish me for her own good. He also was originally wanting to challenge me, Shampoo and Kodachi at first. He did it at the wedding while you were unconscious too!" She pointed to some black and blue bruises from her left arm. "You probably haven't seen them since I've been wearing long sleeves lately, but it still hurts where he grabs me!"
Seeing the bruises, Ranma slowly approached her in curiosity. "Geez! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Maybe because you've all been too busy being mad at me to listen to my side of the story?!" Ukyo vented in frustration. "All I've ever heard from everyone is 'oh, poor Akane who's wedding got wrecked'! And about that nasty vicious brute Ukyo Kuonji is!"
"You expect people to be happy about what you did?! About how you just barged in and wrecked a whole building just because you couldn't accept a wedding?!"
"I thought I was helping you!" She backed away and dropped onto her knees, crying over the event in a pitiful manner. "Shampoo and I knew for sure that you were being forced into it. I keep hearing all that 'joining the school' crap from those two and I wasn't about ready to let you marry someone you don't even love just for that. You believe me don't you?"
Okay, she definitely had a point. He wasn't too happy with how his dad and Tendo just knocked him unconscious then leave him to wake up in a tuxedo and hearing about his wedding with Akane. Still, it wasn't like he wouldn't choose to be with her. "It probably looked like that, didn't it?" he asked as he softened up, feeling sympathy for his misunderstanding friend. "It probably looked like I was forced into it."
"You were and everyone knows it!" Ukyo clenched her fist in front of her chest, angry and feeling bad for her fiancée at the same time. "Just exactly what do you mean by that?! Are you trying to say you're in love with Akane?"
"I don't know. I think so."
"Come on, Ranma honey. You know you don't mean that," The chef tried to reassure him with a sad, unsure smile. "She beats you up all the time, thinks you're a pervert all the time for no good reason, and never listens to your side of the story. You don't want to live the rest of your life with someone like that."
"Well, I do. I'm sorry." Even though she was calmly listening to this without responding, he knew there was something inside of her slowly breaking. Why did he decide to do this now, especially when he was just disowned by the Tendos and not honor bound to marry Akane? Was beating Qin so important to him that he'd be willing to outright reject his best friend in the worst possible way? "Look, I know this isn't what you want to hear. It's probably the last thing you want to hear, but Akane and me have been starting to fall for each other more lately. I don't know why. I guess almost loosing her like that before made us reconsider what we thought about each other. Life or death situations…" Ranma paused, unable to really think of what to say. Eventually, he shrugged as he let out a pathetic, humorless chuckle. "Well, I suppose when you think you lost something, you realize just how much you're going to miss it."
"But… don't tell me it took you that to love her!" Ukyo stood back up and approached Ranma, laying her hands onto his shoulder. "Every day… every day, all the time, I loved you. It didn't matter that you were weak; it didn't matter if you never made a single yen, you'd never be anything but my Ranma honey." Her head looked ground, blocking herself from the other teen with her hair. "And now, you're trying to tell me that I lost to someone who doesn't even think of you as a human being?! Please! Stop doing this to yourself." She let her hands slip down his back and wrapped her fingers around his neck, pulling him towards her and forcing his chin onto her shoulder. "Don't do this to me! I spent ten years dedicating my entire life to you! Don't tell me that I spent all that time just to watch you leave me like that!"
Uncomfortable in the girl's grip, Ranma attempted to push his way out of Ukyo's grip. "Hey! Ukyo, c'mon! Let me go," he asked calmly. "Let's go see my mom." He pushed a little harder, but still light enough to make sure that he wouldn't hurt her.
Feeling her love try to push her away, Ukyo did the exact opposite of what she was asked as she tightened her grip and dug her forehead into his chest. "No… I won't let you go. Not again, not now! Not if I know you're going to run away from me!"
Ranma's temper, as a result of his fear, began to surface from inside. The good friend of his when he was six years old was progressively more like another Kodachi or Shampoo, and he was finally seeing first hand exactly how the good old Uchan had truly changed for the worst. ""Ukyo, I'm serious!" he barked offensively. "Get off me and quit freaking me out!"
"Then come back, stay with me, and forget about those other three nutcases!" She stared back at Ranma with the teariest eyes, desperately using the last approach that she could. "You'll never have to work. I'll cook for you. You just have to sit back and enjoy everything."
Officially freaked out by these pleas, the pigtailed boy shoved much harder than he before, almost as hard as he would have the time Ryoga became too touchy on his girl side. "UKYO, LET ME GO!!!" Seconds later, Ranma found himself become much lighter, and saw the girl he pushed off sitting on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as a pitiful, childish pout appeared on her face. "I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling too bad to stay angry with the fallen girl. He stood still as he found his apologies ignored, wails of anger at the world, at himself and his father, and simply for the bad lot in her life. "It's just the way things turned out. I guess you could say I couldn't stand someone who needed me so much, and reminded me so much of another man. I guess this just didn't go quite as well as I hoped it would." With that, the Saotome son walked away, his head dropped in shame. There was nothing he would have been able to do comfort the friend he just lost.
"How could you say that?" Ukyo screamed to the man walking away, failing in making him come back. "And Akane doesn't?! SO YOU DON'T LOVE ME BECAUSE I WANT YOU?!!! IS THAT WHY YOU KEEP LEAVING ME?!!!" He was gone when she looked up again. "Ranma honey…" she whimpered to herself, "Ten years, all down the drain." She looked up to the sky in desperation. Unable to find her answers from the moon, she simply whispered that common phrase she criticized others for thinking. "Ranma, this is all your fault." Unable to do anything else, she fell asleep in the middle of the sidewalk.
However, the sleep was not induced naturally, as an older man dressed in Hawaiian attire approached the scene from behind, took the poison dart from Ukyo's back, and scooped her onto his back. "Dacchi say she mad at you!" the insane principal sang in a joking tone. "Ohh, but seriously. If bad Ranma Saotome no marry you then is okay to have fun with you." Then, he jumped to a roof, completely unseen by any other city dwellers.
Someone help me…
Someone please help me…
Ukyo ran from the beast for almost an hour now. The thing was so hideous! It was nothing but a giant head the size of a small house, slime flowing on the fur on it. The fur was everywhere on the damned thing except on its top, where you would expect it to. Its eyes, those vile, opaque, gray pearls; it was amazing it was able to see with the cataracts. Those damned orbs were at least two meters wide, practically were the face! Not to mention the slurping noise made from its hairy eyelid closing, the ends dropping first as it dispensed that disgusting milky liquid slime onto those freaking eyeballs.
Fortunately, a light had suddenly appeared in front of her. It was a small one, true, but it got bigger and brighter as she kept moving on. It was the light to the end of this tunnel! She ran to the light with an entirely new vigor. The larger it became, the faster she ran. The vile monster's screams, cracking from the saliva bubbling in its mouth, had become softer as the monster was progressively further away. It was too heavy to go any faster than it already was going. Finally, the light enveloped her, not a speck of darkness touching her. Plus, she found HIM! She found her Ranma sitting on a rock next to a peaceful, bobbling brook.
"Ranma honey!" she cheered as she joyfully approaching him. "I'm so happy to see you! There's this really gross monster going after me that I need you to save me from! You'll do it, won't you?!"
Then he stood up with that same smirk. That same smug smirk that he had that told everyone Ranma Saotome never looses a match. "Yo, Ukyo? What's up?" However, much to Ukyo's dismay, Ranma continued chuckling, continuing talking. "Sorry, but you're a guy. Fight your own damn fights, why doncha?"
With that, he disappeared. He disappeared into thin air, taking the beautiful light with him and putting her back in that morbid cave. Out of breath and unwilling to fight, the hopeless girl had no choice but to stand still, waiting patiently for the arrival of her horrible death. It didn't matter, anyways. Not if Ranma hated her so much. The gurgling of the flesh hungry abomination soon became hearable again. Now she awaited it, her death. It slowly became louder, eventually deafening. Then, as she felt the slime she once abhorred it so much, she embraced it, and the true darkness that came next.
The father and daughter looked through the glass peeping hole in the wall, unnoticed by the girl in the bedroom, dressed in a Furinkan High School dress and a giant spatula on the couch next to her. "HA hahaha! That wicked Ukyo girl has always been such a nuisance for me, father dear!" Kodachi giggled. "I remember that time that disgusting wretch dressed like that! Brother dear told me all about it!"
"Bad little kiki be nasty to other students," Principal Kuno giggled with an evil grin. "Me hear Ranma be mean to her when they be engaged, and break commitment to her. No surprise, not even naughty girl like Ukyo deserve to marry bad Saotome!"
Noticing the shock on the laying captive's face looking down to her body, the two bystanders couldn't help but to let out their infamous cackles.
"Oh, Dachi you bad, bad girl. How much paralysis powder you put in dart you give me?" the father asked his daughter with sarcastic disappointment.
"Oh, a good amount. She'll be out of it for an hour or so."
Her father's jaw dropped right before he closed it back. Pointing his index finger onto his daughter's forehead, Kuonchi continued to fake nag his daughter. "Bad little kiki, detention for you!"
"Well, whatever will be going on next is bound to be interesting. I'm so happy you could help me get back at that little wench and help my dear brother at the same time." As she backed away, she erupted her laugh, jumping through the mansion to find none other than the great Tatiwaki. "HO hohohohoho! Brother dear! Oh, brother dear! I have a special present for you!"
What the hell happened? One thing I know, I'm on the sidewalk while that jerk just walks out on me again, then I'm stuck in some weird place I never knew about before. To top it all off, I'm wearing some dress while I can't move!
Ukyo could do nothing. She couldn't even scream, feeling her voice too weak to let anything out but a tiny squeak. Even if she could, she got the impression that she was in a really big house where no one would hear them anyways. What the hell is this place, she thought to herself. All she saw was the annoying florescent lamp hanging above her head. However, she already had suspicions from the hideous laugh she heard outside, but the torn pictures of Akane thrown across the room and the ones of Ranma's girl form made it clear to her. She was trapped in Kuno's bedroom!
Her head rolled back and forth, trying to cause her body to move again. No use. She was clearly paralyzed. "He…." Her cry for help sounded like some relaxed hum from a withered old woman. She continued to make the pitiful sounds while rapidly twisting her neck. If some miracle from above didn't happen soon, she was going to end up at the mercy of Furinkan's most dreaded pervert! Didn't the gods have enough fun with her when Ranma rejected her?! Why did they have to do THIS to her now?!
A miracle was not going to happen apparently. She heard the voices from behind the door, muffled voices of the last three people she wanted to hear.
"But my twisted sister. I don't comprehend why you insist on leaving this gift in my bedroom which you have no business in in the first place!"
"Brother dear, don't be such a prude! Trust me when you see this gift that I gave you the last thing you will be thinking about is me sneaking in your room. You will be too excited!"
Kodachi planned this?! So that nutcase had the nerve to give her to Kuno as some sort of "present"?! The sliding door slid open, revealing the two Kuno siblings. When Tatiwaki saw the "gift" his daughter gave him, his eyes popped out of his sockets. "Dear sister, this is Ukyo Kuonji of Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome's class, dressed in feminine garb, is it not?"
The kendoist's sister nodded her head and answered him in the tone of a drama queen. "Indeed it is brother dear. Indeed it is. I felt sorry for you so I found you a new girlfriend, and at the same time got back at a wicked rival of mine and helped my dear father instill discipline in your high school. I was sort of thinking at first of using that Chinese Bimbo, but sadly she seems to be absent from this town right now. So, I just used a girl I know to be almost as anger inducing and apparently in debt with father."
Approaching the victim laying on his bed, Tatiwaki's remained wide-eyed as he kneeled down to her, wondering why she was not moving away despite the obvious look of horror. "Twisted sister, I believe you have turned this maiden defenseless using paralysis powder. Is this true?"
"Of course brother dear. In case you forgot this girl here is even stronger than Akane Tendo. We wouldn't want our present to attack would we?"
Ukyo knew now what was probably going to happen. As soon as this jackass got it across what was going on, he was going to jump for joy, then mercilessly molest her, maybe even force her to loose her virginity! The worst part, like Kodachi said, was that she couldn't do a thing about it. She was just going to have to watch helplessly as this weirdo did whatever he wanted.
Fortunately, he did not jump for joy. A frown of shock was drawn on his face as he cupped her cheek, a tear dripping from his eye. "Such a fierce tigress. Brought down simply from the dirty work of my twisted sister." He leapt back onto his feet and wielded his bokken, aiming it directly at Kodachi. "What sort of vile beast do you take me for?! You should know that I would never even think of taking advantage of a maiden in such a filthy way!"
Kodachi raised her hands, defending herself as she tried to calm her brother down. "But, brother dear… I was only trying to help you get over the loss of Akane Tendo."
"Silence! To think that my own sister thinks so lowly of my moral code that I would see such a thing as an opportunity!" Tatiwaki swiped his sword, not hitting his sister by a hair. "Get out!"
She couldn't understand this! What did she do wrong? She thought that by now her brother would be violating that wicked Ukyo and having the time of his life, forgetting completely about Akane. But no, he was threatening to attack her. Angry, defeated, and hopeless, she simply back away and grabbed the handle for the door. "This should have ruined her!" As the door hissed shut, both of the people still in the room heard the frantic, high-pitched shrieks of anger.
He sat back down next to the furo Ukyo laid in, simply staring down to her in guilt. "Do not think too harshly of my sister. Despite her flaws caused by her wayward sickness, I love her so. Don't misunderstand me. I see you like I have before, in a most intriguing way, but to wrongly take advantage of you when you're in this state is something I refuse to do. I would heal you of this ailment, but I'm afraid Kodachi is the only one who has the antidote, and as you can see she is not in the state of mind to hand it over. How do you feel?"
"Huhhh…" the laying female still did not have the strength to talk coherently. Noticing this, Tatiwaki held her hand up and nuzzled it onto his forehead, tears falling from his eyes.
"You don't even have the ability to speak! What has my twisted sister done to this poor being?! First the vile Ranma Saotome throws away his concubine, and then this happens to her. Oh, the tragedy!"
Ukyo couldn't help but to give him a sad smile. Here she was expecting the worst of the upperclassman, and in the long run all he was doing was crying over her plight. She could now not understand why Akane had such a dislike for him.
Eventually, the noble samurai slowly stopped crying and put Ukyo's hand down to her belly. "I suppose the best I can offer you is to stay and guard you so that neither my sister or father shall do any more than they have already done."
She couldn't help but to suddenly fall asleep as drowsiness overtook her body. She always found out that if you were ever poisoned or sick in a way that was not life threatening, but crippling, it was best to simply sleep it off. The blackness of rest took over her body.
So Kuno, you better not be the perv everyone says you are, 'cause if I wake up and find you taking advantage of the situation I swear I'll introduce you to the spatula.
Ukyo had awakened to find that she had gotten her wish. Her dress was fully intact, and Kuno was not to be found on top of her. Turning her head to her side, she noticed the suspected man sitting next to her, looking up from his poetry book. Noticing her leg bend upwards, she excitedly stood up and began to repeatedly jump in the air, giggling like a baby being tickled.
Kuno knew that the girl who just woke up was not likely to be pleased by the event, and was aware that he was most likely going to be clobbered for the actions of his sister. Putting his book away, he stood in front of the ecstatic female, who stood still the moment she saw the noticed the upperclassman staring at her. "Well," she cheered, "I can move again."
"That is good to know. I apologize for what has happened to you." He nodded to her with a sad expression. "If you want to assault me for what you have gone through, I will gladly take the blows."
"Huh?" Ukyo couldn't see how she could conceivably do such a thing to him when he was the only one who did anything good for her today other than Mousse or Kontasu. "I won't hit you," she informed the other Furinkan High student as her smile shrank from its eye-to-eye size. "I just want to ask you a question."
"Yes, well…" Kuno was in awe. Did she just say that she did not want to hurt her? It was because of him that she became involved in this mess! "By all means, ask."
"Well, you said that when I dress like this, you thought it was… intriguing. Does that mean…" She twitted her thumbs as she held them in front of her, blushing furiously as she stared at them. "Well, do you think I'm… cute?"
"But the fairest in the land, my dear Ukyo," Kuno answered in the most chivalrous voice possible. "You don't think you are? Is that why you dress to allusion others into thinking you are a man? That time you came to school dressed in this feminine garb, all of the men at the school would have gladly have slain the most vile monsters to be with you."
"Thank you…" the praised girl sighed in a lobster red blush. "I… I don't know what to say." All she could do now was walk towards Kuno, a shy smile. "You don't know how much I wanted to hear that," she cried as she wrapped her arms around the neck.
The kendoist was unsure if it would be the right thing to hug her back, worried that it would upset her. But when he noticed that she had stood in that position for almost a minute, he decided to take his chances, grabbing from behind her and pulling her closer. Most people would complain of how he did so below her arms, but rather than pushing away Ukyo simply tightened her grasp on the person comforting her, breaking into a restrained cry.
Ranma never let me hug him like this. If I tried… well… I saw the results.
Kuno simply watched in pity. How could Ranma Saotome throw away such an example of human beauty and leave her to live with nothing but her shame?
The two simply stayed in each other's comfort, silently comprehending the other's pain. The pain of loneliness that they had felt since the revelation that Akane and Ranma would eventually be together on that day, and even before. They stood beside each other, simply providing comfort that neither one was the only one suffering.
Ukyo's crying finally slowly turned into small sobs, and then eventually simply ceased after a half hour. "I always thought that crying made me pathetic," she laughed while she loosened her hold on Kuno. "I remember when I saw Ryoga sulking over Akane, he was the most pathetic dufus I've ever seen. I suppose I'm more pitiful now, though."
Kuno also let go of the girl, nodding his head to tell the girl she was wrong. "To cry is not a sign of weakness, Ukyo Kuonji. It is a sign that you accept life's problems for what they are. You find that they are not the fault of anyone, but simply what fate has decided for you. It pains me to see a girl cry, don't get me wrong, but it does not make you weak, just enlightened." He handed his new friend her giant spatula, then smiled to her. "I will hope to see you at school tomorrow morning, a half hour early, and of course dressed in the dress you have."
"Sure," Ukyo nodded her head as she walked backwards towards the door. "I'll see you."
That night, the spatula girl had run home with a newfound vigor. To receive so much care from a borderline stranger, and to even be called cute from a borderline stranger was all it took to make her wonder if things could start to look up for her.
Qin's first full day at the Tendo's seemed uneventful enough in the morning. Much to Kasumi's surprise, he had already been in the kitchen when she entered. Just like yesterday, she was reluctant to accept his help at first, but out of politeness allowed him to do simple support duty such as handing her pots and pans and cracking open the eggs. Despite her cheeriness, it was obvious that his presence made her feel uncomfortable. He could tell from the way that she seemed to keep his distance from him, and the slight shuffling of her feet.
Lying the breakfast on the table was all it took to lure the family members downstairs, all of them at the same time becoming moths to the table. The newcomers gladly ate the food, even as the two younger daughters ate their food faster than normal due to the pressure to get to school on time. Their father, taking a break from his breakfast, read his newspaper, completely oblivious as both Ranma Saotome's son and Happosai took their share of extra eats from his plate. Qin silently watched the scene, remaining passively uninvolved as the events of the day took place, at least for a while.
"Qin Mao," Happosai called, causing the mentioned Chinese boy to look up, noticing the old man give him a friendly smile. "Not that I mind, but I have noticed that you were not in bed when I woke up. Do you mind explaining why to me?"
"Qin offered to help me with breakfast today," Kasumi answered before the mentioned boy could, in her usual cheery disposition. "He's going to help me around the house from now on. Isn't that nice of him?"
Nabiki became joined in, becoming interested too. "Well, trying to win brownie points are we?" she giggled. "You know, Kasumi doesn't like it when people do that. She's not going to tell you this, but I think she's mad at you."
The designated housekeeper raised her hand to her mouth, upset by that comment. "Nabiki! Don't tell him that! I'm happy that I have help with the chores!"
"That's right, Nabiki," Mr. Tendo added, still reading his newspaper. "Kasumi does not do the work here because she enjoys it. She does it because she loves her family. Personally, I am quite pleased that one of us has chosen not to exploit her generosity. I appreciate this decision of yours, Qin Mao."
"And maybe if you be extra nice to her, she'll give you a special reward, if you know what I mean," Happosai
Hearing that, Akane pounded her hand onto the table, causing her tea to fall onto her hand. "That's disgusting!" However, she quickly turned her attention to the burning pain on her hand. "Ow…"
The master winced back, crying from the harsh words. "That's not fair Akane! What's so disgusting about offering him free food? Why do you have to be so mean to me?"
Well, Akane did have to put up with the other girls doing that for Ranma, but she had to admit that that in itself would be perfectly harmless. However, something clicked in her mind, sending her into alert mode.
Why was Happosai of all people referring to some free food as "a special reward"? He'd usually be thinking of something a lot more perverted!
Akane's thoughts were interrupted when Nabiki grabbed the collar of her dress, calling for her sister's attention."Oh, geez. Akane, we need to get to school, and quick!"
Looking at the watch her sister shoved in her face, Akane jumped up and grabbed her bag. "You're right! C'mon, let's go!"
The duo gave their goodbyes as they ran to the front door, ready for another day of learning. Calming down from his blubbering, Happosai gave a sigh as he took a black silk bag and handkerchiefs, covering his mouth and forehead with the two square apparels. "Qin, my boy, I have work to do. I'll train with you tonight after dinner." With that, the covered troll leapt from the window, giving an excited holler as he left.
Qin watched with an expression of halfhearted interest. "I'm assuming he's…"
"There's some things in life you're best just not to know, boy," Saotome, Ranma's father answered. "I want to warn you of something right now before you let him fool you, young man. The master isn't usually this nice."
"I'm well aware of that," the Chinese youth informed the gi wearing man while sipping his tea. "He is the infamous 'greatest evil in all Japan', is he not? I am also perfectly aware that he is currently on a daily round of stealing women's underwear. I recall that master of yours had previously visited my village while in refuge from a giant Montour-like creature."
The other adult dropped his paper, staring grimly at the boy. "So, despite your obvious knowledge of Happosai, you are willing to be his disciple. And all for the sake of your honor. Although I am pleased by how dedicated to your word you are, there is the concern I have for you as a father of three children. Are you sure you want to sacrifice yourself like that?"
The only response Soun got is for him to drop his teacup to the table. "Don't worry. As you said, he is treating me with kiddy gloves. As long as he does this, I don't see him as a threat to my honor."
"The master is a cunning manipulator, child," Saotome mentioned. "What if he's suddenly tells you to help him steal underwear, or eat at a restaurant without paying?"
"Then as a student disavowing his master, I shall give Happosai the Kiss of Death, and fight him until only the stronger fighter survives," Qin answered with a flat face, but the chill from his voice warned the two old men that he was quite serious. "After that, I shall leave this place and inconvenience you all no more."
"I do hope that it doesn't come down to that," Soun reprimanded the younger child. "As much as I would love to see the master finished, he is among the most dangerous enemies that I could think of. It would be a shame to see a child throw his life away so rashly."
Qin was beginning to question this man's honesty. He was a martial artist himself, wasn't he? He should know that putting your life on the line when needed was a basic expectation. "I do too, but in the case that my honor and duty requires me it, I shall do so, even if it costs me my life."
"He has a point, Tendo," Saotome reassured his friend. "I always asked my boy that question: are you willing to give up your life for the sake of your art? If not, then he is not a true martial artist." However, his face stayed just as grim as he eyed the boy. "But so does he, boy. You don't understand the master like we do. He may be treating you well now, but you just wait until he has you right where he wants you. He'll do whatever he can to drag you down to your level, making you wish you never knew him in the first place!"
Kasumi lifted some dishes from the table, not enjoying where this conversation was going. "Father, Mr. Saotome. Can you talk with Qin later? I need him to wash dishes for me," Kasumi called, silencing both of the men.
"Yes, well…" After clearing his throat, Soun stood up and bowed. "I have a meeting with the town council today, son. Perhaps we could discuss this later."
Genma's jaw dropped from this news, loosing the serious image he had before. "But Tendo, I thought we were going to play a good game of shogi today."
"Sorry, my good friend. I guess I forgot to mention that to you," Mr. Tendo laughed as he left the kitchen. "But don't worry. I'm free for a good game tonight."
Genma let out a depressed sigh as he stood up. "I know they hate me, but I guess I should go check on my boy. It's the least I can do."
"Have a nice trip," Kasumi called cheerfully, watching the older guest slouch over as he left. Then she looked over to Qin, clapping her hands to get his attention. "Well then, shall we get started?"
In response, the new assistant stood up, dropping more plates onto his. "Very well," he answered in a mechanical tone.
For whatever reason, Nabiki had accepted her sister's request to walk with her to school. Obviously she wasn't wanted to talk, since the younger sister had remained rather untalkative, the two girls simply walking to side by side in silence. She couldn't really understand why her sister wanted her around. Especially not after the disaster of a wedding she helped to cause. "So… what's this about?" Nabiki spouted, in attempt to end the silence. "It's not like you to want me around."
Akane looked over to her sister, an indifferent expression on her. "I just asked if you wanted to walk to school with me," she shrugged. "If you don't want to, you can always go on ahead."
"I don't mind. I just think it's weird," Nabiki stated. "Don't think I don't know you're still mad at me about the wedding."
"You're right," Akane admitted to the other girl, becoming angrier, "but I'm mad at a lot of people about it. That's why you're off the hook!"
Giving a playful smirk, Nabiki continued. "And yet you decide to be with anyone as long as it helps you get over the fact that Ranma's not here any more."
"Why did you kick him out?" Akane snarled. "You know we could afford to keep him!"
"Why do you care so much? I thought you said you hated him," Nabiki shrugged mischievously. "Did you know how much this new Qin kid is willing to pay in rent? A lot more than our former in laws do, that's for sure."
"That's not the point!" Akane snapped. "So what if Grandfather Happosai threw Ranma away when he found someone better for him?! That doesn't give you the right to just kick him out!"
"Well, maybe he's better off with his mother, anyways," Nabiki suggested halfheartedly. "I talked with her before. She said she wanted to talk with him anyways."
Akane calmed down some as she heard that. "She did? About what?"
"She wanted to talk with him about whether he should try to cancel all of his engagements or not, Akane," the older sister informed the other, becoming more serious. "Apparently she wasn't too impressed with some of the things you said after the wedding. She's worried about how good of a wife you will be."
"Oh, and I guess Ukyo or Shampoo are so much better!" the tomboy howled indignantly.
"Not quite. Let me put it this way. Right now, she's not sure she wants you two marrying each other until you both grow up, but she's sure she does NOT want either of them to," Nabiki retorted in a voice too amused for comfort. "She may still have the time they all wrecked her house on her mind. Lucky you."
"Yeah, true," Akane shrugged meekly. "At least she sees how violent those three can be. I'm happy that at least Kodachi got over him. That's one down. Oh, and did you hear about how Ukyo tried to beat up my friends during lunch the other day? Completely unprovoked, and they're not even martial artists! I'd say she's lucky she wasn't just flat out expelled…"
"But then again being forced to stick around the nutcase principal we have is probably even worse?" Nabiki concluded, still in her amused tone. "Personally, I kind of feel bad for her. Could you imagine? A whole week, spending eight hours a day with no human interaction other than a Kuno, which hardly counts as human now does it?"
Her anger returning, Akane turned her head away from her mediating sister. "Hmph! She still got off lucky if you ask me! First me, then my friends who can't defend themselves! I hope the whole experience gets her put into the loony bin! He better put her through hell!" However, her mind was cleared when they saw the entire school body crowded in front of the school. Blocking them from the campus, Principal Kuno, Ukyo dressed in a normal female school uniform and still wearing her spatula, and the ever well-known Tatiwaki Kuno, still dressed in bandages from his "noble clash" with the ever-hated Ranma Saotome. "Hey! What's going on?!" Running towards the scene, she noticed Yuka and Sayuri approach her, gleefully grabbing onto her wrists.
"Hey, Akane! Check it out! I think Ukyo's in big trouble!" Yuka squealed in excitement, pulling Akane towards her.
"I haven't seen him so mad since, well, ever!" Sayuri chirped. "And somehow he has Kuno teaming up with him! I can't wait to see the justice she gets!"
Nabiki ran with them, not quite as quick as the others. However, noticing the pleasure the two girls were taking in the event, she couldn't feel slightly disgusted, staring idly at the group.
Justice is one thing, but she's in the hands of arguably the craziest member of the craziest family I know. Then again, I guess I couldn't help but be amused by whatever he does as long as I'm not involved, so I guess I can't really judge you.
As all of them had finally made it to the horde of other students, already engrossed by the sight in front of them, they did so as well, seeing the same people standing in front of the entrance gate. As Akane heard, the usually sadistically jolly principal stood strait up, folding his arms in front of his chest and pursing an angry frown. He stayed silent as the students asked him what it was about, simply giving them a cold stare. Eventually, as he seemed to grow tired of the complaints, the Hawaii obsessed authority figure grabbed a megaphone on him, and screamed to the crowd, making sure that he was almost touching some of the front.
"GOOD KIKI NO DO WHAT YOU DOIN', YA! I NO TELL YOU 'TIL ALL KIDDIES GET OVA' HEAH!"
Of course, one of the last people to come was Ranma Saotome, unnoticed by everyone until he spoke. "Akane! What's going on? Why is everyone just standing here? And why is that nutcase making Ukyo stand up in front of everyone like that?!"
"He didn't tell us yet, but whatever it is I can't help but actually feel sorry for her."
Behind the principal, Ukyo sat in a folding chair, dressed for once in the blue dress intended for school. She looked down, clearly with a loss of any words. It almost seemed like she already knew what was already going to happen. Beside her, Kuno stood, tapping the end of his bokken on the concrete ground with an impatient but restrained expression, stretching his lips back to his cheeks.
Counting the number of heads for the last time, Principal Kuno once again raised his microphone to his mouth. The crowd became completely silenced, focusing completely on the middle-aged man. "Aloha, students!" he greeted the audience, coming back to his usual cheeriness as he gave his audience a wide smile. "It come to my attention the other day that there have been one kiki who do some bad things in this school! She martial artist, but pick on other students who no know how to fight! Me being big kahuna no tolerate bullies in my school!"
Ranma raised a fist, scowling in hate. How could he accuse his friend like that? She'd never simply go pick on the weak, especially not just for the fun of it. He already knew this was a setup to screw someone over.
Principal Kuno continued, pointing to the girl behind him. "Other than that, she naughty, naughty girl in general. She never comply to dress code, and sometimes even skip school!"
"Oh, like no one else ever did those things before!" Ranma yelled in front of the crowd. "What are you doing with her?!"
Pointing his finger up and wagging it back and forth, the old Kuno began to defend himself. "Ohhhhh, but I trying to help her Ranma Saotome. She upset and tell me you break engagement with her last night, is dat true?" Commotion began in the entire crowd, everyone stunned by the new news. Noticing the boy in question look down and remain silent, the principal continued to egg him on. "Tell truth now, boy."
"I did," Ranma finally admitted, barely audible by the principal in a hoarse voice. "I broke the engagement with Ukyo."
"Me can't hear you, boy. Say that little louder for us, ya? SCREAM it out!"
He stared blankly at the girl in question, dropping his jaw so that there was a small gap between his lips. He watched her writhe back, bouncing her bounce her chest as she could contain a sad cry. God how he hated doing this to her! "I broke the engagement to Ukyo!"
The principal skipped in the air, frantically howling in joy from the pleasure of this power. "No, no, little kiki! SCREAM it! SCREAM IT AT THE TOP YO LUNGS SO DA WHOLE WORLD CAN HEA IT!!!"
"FINE!" Ranma bellowed to he stared down his torturer. "I DID!!! I BROKE IT!!! SO ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!!!"
Frowning sympathetically as he watched the female student behind him stare bitterly at the ex-fiancée. "Me still punish her by making her stay in me office for whole week, but me feel bad for poor girl, too. So me help her find new boyfriend," Principal Kuno handed the megaphone to his son, who gladly accepted it. The kendoist upperclassman gave the audience a hateful, authoritarian gaze.
"It is unsurprising that the villain Ranma Saotome threw away one of the many innocent maidens he has enslaved when he has no more use for them, seeing as to how he not only attempted a forced marriage onto the goddess Akane Tendo, but has also used his vile sorcery to turn himself into the image of another fair maiden purely to spite me," Kuno spoke through the device, the fairly soft voice being amplified and echoed to everyone's ears. His eyes watered as he attempted to hold a cry. "It's such a tragedy, for this true beauty, rivaling that of my greatest beloved has felt so undesirable, so disgusting and unworthy of the love of a husband, that she has disavowed her entire womanhood, wrapping her chest and dressing in a way similar to one of her lesser! And why?! Why has such a replica of beauty itself go to waste?!"
He shifted away, pointing his fingertips to the girl sitting down, his voice cracking as his cries finally forced their way out. "Why does this poor soul allow herself to spend ten years in the depth of hell, her own father kicking her out of home?! I'll tell you why, my fellow students!" Kuno pointed his finger towards the crowd, specifically aiming for Ranma Saotome from the back. "The only reason she has had to do all this to herself was the simple fact that Ranma Saotome and his father wanted free Okonomyiaki. She spent ten years hiding and denying her womanhood, because that fiend loved the Okonomyiaki dowry her father offered but not her! And now, when she comes back and once again offers him a second chance, what does he do for her in return?! The fiend, the dastardly beast, he once again rejects her, claiming that she is no longer of use to him! All she is to him is a meal ticket! Now tell me my good-hearted men! When you see this sweet damsel next to me, do you see a meal ticket?! Do you see a common chef, who is useful only for the purpose of feeding you a hefty feast?!"
The entire male section of the crowd, except of course for Ranma who backed away in slight fear, yelled a chorus of "NOOOO!"
Tatiwaki's sword was lifted into the air, covering part of the sun. "DO WE SEE AN OBJECT THAT HAS NO SOUL, NO FIGHTING SPIRIT, AND IS NOT WORTHY OF A HUSBAND OR TO DATE WITH ONE OF US?!!!"
"NOOOOO!!!"
Ukyo had to admit, it was a nice change to see the attention she was getting now. No one before had ever showed her so much praise, except Kontasu who was just too womanly to make her feel this way. She felt like she had swallowed feathers, and they were all tickling the inside of her. If this was the pervert squad that Akane feared so much, she would gladly take her place! And she felt an electric shock of bliss as she felt a hand drop onto her shoulder, causing her to look up as she found herself hugged by the man who had just whispered the words she had always wished her Ranma honey would tell her.
"Ukyo Kuonji… I love you. I would date with you!"
She couldn't help but give a smile back, patting him on the arm. "I'm all for it," she whispered back.
"I cannot allow it, yet," He turned back to the audience, retrieving his megaphone. "I cannot allow it, yet! Someone so wonderful must be the reward of sweat and blood! If you wish to date with Ukyo Kuonji, you must defeat her in combat! No one who cannot is worthy of her! Am I making myself absolutely clear?!"
As bizarre as she thought the demand was, Ukyo had already heard the plan. She couldn't understand why Kuno couldn't simply date with her if he liked her. She wasn't worried too much about dating some random weirdo in school. It was just a date anyways, and she might actually enjoy it. Besides, if Ranma didn't get involved, the toughest fighter was Kuno himself, who she knew from before she could easily beat. She decided that maybe she would just let him win and let everyone be happy. Even if he wasn't Ranma, at least someone was giving her attention.
Despite the pleasure his friend was secretly feeling, Ranma couldn't help but to shake his head in awe, while Akane simply dropped her book bag as bad memories of boys waiting in the schoolyard for her to gouge their eyes out were brought back from the repressed recess of her mind. Not even Ukyo deserved such a terrible fate.
All Ranma knew was that it would be better for everyone if he talked with Ukyo after this, knowing how she could become very rash when she didn't have her way. Besides, maybe for once Kuno was right. Maybe he really did deserve to loose his friend the way he treat her. And now he left her to a pack of wolves. It would be little surprise if she swore vengeance on him for this.
For the first time in years, Kasumi had the free time. The new help she had received from the new guest was a pleasurable relief from the usual lack of support she was used to, whether he was aware or not. Despite his usual politeness, she couldn't help but to feel slightly uncomfortable around this Qin person. There were, of course many reasons. The first, of course, was the fight with Ranma he had before. It wasn't so much the fact that he was impersonating to be a dojo destroyer or even that he defeated her sister's fiancée. She knew well enough as the daughter and sister of martial artists that that sort of defeat was a common thing. It was the way he overdid the entire thing, and how he used such a needlessly painful attack on Ranma. Her father always told her that when you fight someone that you know you are far superior to in skill, hurting them anymore than you needed to was just as dishonorable as attacking someone without martial arts. You always held your strength back and only used the amount of force you needed to subdue them. As rare as such a person may be, Qin was clearly quite superior to Ranma in skill, and he did not seem to hold back much. The scariest part of it was the way he didn't even take pleasure in it, but bored as he watched his opponent struggle painfully. It was just a calculated process that he did every day.
Superior to Ranma. Kasumi couldn't even fathom the term. How could someone be stronger than him? The first day he saw how the new family member completely outclassed her sister, she feared how dangerous the girl would be if she went on a violent rage. She was especially worried when she discovered the fact that it was really a boy who turned into a girl. If he had allowed the event to make him unstable, the new fiancée was even more dangerous than she feared.
Fortunately, the boy was not angry, violent, or insane. He was actually quite laid back and tolerant, and the worst she had to worry about from him was occasional, and sometimes excusable insults to his sister and bad table manners. All in all, as irritating as he may be he was just like any other boy. Even as he grew into the legend he was now, his personality was too young and naïve to threaten her. She always wondered just how dangerous an angrier person would be if they had the power Ranma did. How it must be stressful on one's psyche to live in that sort of constant fear. Qin had as much, if not even more strength, and what kind of person was he like?
Over her years, she developed a natural talent to understand people fairly quickly. Dr. Tofu told her before about how simple gestures from people could tell a lot about their personality, and she had read her new guest like a book. Qin was not evil. He was in fact possibly even a very decent person. He was however, to put it mildly, paranoid. By nature, he didn't trust other people. She noticed the apprehension he had this morning around her father and Mr. Saotome, whose only crime was warning him of the possible dangers of working under Grandfather Happosai. He even did his best to avoid everyone whenever possible, like he assumed everyone was an enemy until they somehow proved otherwise. Then, something slightly better than the worst was assumed of that person.
Kasumi thought at first that it could have possibly been the way that Nabiki treated him. She was worried that the moment her sister heard of the fact that he came from a wealthy family she would do whatever she could to milk him dry of everything he had. If she did that, then it would be easy for anyone to feel uneasy here. But she was somehow able to tell that he was naturally like that anyways, and would feel uncomfortable here even if everyone treated him with the utmost respect.
He was clearly not like the Saotomes who seemed to casually treat the new household like people they already knew them. If no one watched him, and this paranoia slowly developed into hate in such a powerful person, the results could be disastrous once the brewed anger exploded.
"I suppose it's for the best," Kasumi hummed to herself. "He seems so lonely."
Wind rustled through the plain's grass, sending a slight breeze to cool the warm air of the summer night. It was slightly after sunset, a dark red tint in the sky symbolizing the last remnants of day. The moon was barely visible under the clouds, slowly creeping out as the black fluff began shifting away.
In the open field, two black-cloaked figures sat on the ground, one significantly larger than the other, staring down to the face of the smaller one. The larger person was a pretty, black haired woman with brown eyes, and the smaller one was a preadolescent boy, shaved head with stubs of black sprouting from his head with bright green eyes, attentively watching the woman as she spoke to him. I will warn you now. This attack I am about to show you is not something someone your age should be exposed to. Especially not with the lack of progress you have been showing. The massive devastation it causes IF you succeed in using it is not something a child should have on their conscience, not to mention the fact that you're more likely to destroy your internal organs as your nerves become overworked.
I know, the boy claimed innocently. I still want to see it. I want to see what I could do if I become as good as you are!
The woman shrugged as she gave an uncomfortable chuckle, pointing her finger onto his nose. Qin, I just don't know what to do with you. Just remember if I ever catch you trying to use it or telling anyone else I showed you, I'm not teaching you anymore. The woman's face was much more serious as she stood up, raising her hand as far as she could. Soon, a pure white fire began to flicker from her fingertips, slowly growing until her entire hand was covered by it. It will be very bright. It will be bright enough to make the night into morning. But don't you dare look away.
Qin didn't look away. He stared up at the glowing hand, watching as it began to grow upward. Eventually, the flame simply stopped rising and stood still, being a fiery rod the woman covered her hand in. Suddenly, an enormous explosion was heard as a short flash of white light surrounded him, being replaced with a white flame flowing through the sky.
That was the ultimate goal he dedicated all his life to achieving since then. Ever since Qin saw it, every technique that he learned was a step closer to the Dragon Shooting Star. His chi concentration had improved drastically from his meditation, allowing him to release a decent battle aura long enough without growing too tired. Still, it was nothing close to what he needed to conjure it.
His fingertip glowed a fluorescent green as he moved it around, drawing Chinese letters in the air with the light. Eyes closed, he whispered the character's names as they were being drawn, and disappearing once he began calling the next one. Finally, a purple orb of electric energy appearing from his curved hands and the Dark Magic practitioner pushed his hands outward, making the ball separate into beams of lightening, a deafening explosion like a gunshot going off as a spark of white light the size of his head and torso combined flashed.
However, the Chinese boy looked over his shoulder as he heard the door open as a feminine voiced gasped in shock. "Please be careful, Qin!" he watched Kasumi wince away in what looked like fear, pleading him like a mother. "We just had the dojo fixed. I ask that you take care of it. At least for now."
Qin turned toward her and kneeled, fretting a harsh punishment. "I'm sorry if I worried you," he assured her in a professional, submissive tone. "I made sure I practiced moves that wouldn't damage it. I'll find somewhere outdoors where I won't risk breaking anything next time."
Kasumi pointed her finger to her chin, confused by the apparent fear she caused in the boy. "No, silly. I'm not mad at you. I just want to make sure it doesn't get wrecked too much for a while. Ranma and his friends can really do a number on this place when they get excited."
"I assure you, Miss Tendo," the guest repeated, still staring at the ground in his bow. "It will not be damaged by me."
"I know it won't," the housekeeper chuckled. "You seem like a responsible enough person. I just want to talk for a little while." She walked closer to the bowing boy, and then sat in front of him. "You don't need to bow in front of me like that," she told the boy in a more serious voice, trying to think of the best way to bring a message across to him. "It's okay if you just sit down. In fact, I don't want you to bow to me like that anymore. I find it insulting."
As he was told, Qin lifted his back and tucked his legs under him. "But why do you find it insulting, Miss Tendo?" he asked, his monotonous voice rising from confusion. "My elders have always taught me that it is dishonorable to not do so in front of my superiors."
Me? A superior? A caregiver sure, but I never considered myself much of an authority figure.
Slightly taken aback by the surprise his comment gave her, Kasumi decided to soften up again. "Well, no. Bowing is certainly appropriate in cases such as when you first meet someone or a formal conversation. But when you do it to me every time I talk with you, it makes me feel scary, and I don't like to feel that way."
"I understand," Qin murmured, "But I must say that I don't see how you should feel offended by feeling that way."
"I shouldn't?" the older girl asked, her smile slightly shrinking. "Why do you feel that way?"
"Because fear is the best way to keep your servants under control."
A shy frown of pity developed on the woman. What sort of life was this poor soul living? "We've been through this before," she reminded him in a hurt, but caring voice. "Your not my servant. You're my son, my friend. I'm more like your mother. You do remember your mother, right?"
"We're weaned from our natural parents at a very young age," the foreign youth informed her. "We're raised by a trainer, someone slightly older than us, who we are warned to treat with the utmost respect."
These tribes must be truly bizarre, not even letting children live with their own parents just for that! This was going to be even harder than she thought. "Well, here in Japan a mother is someone that tries her best to take good care of you, and try to teach you how to be a good person. They don't like it when you do something wrong, but they usually just tell you not to do it again, unless it's something very bad that you know you shouldn't do, then they may spank you." It was difficult for her to really explain. She herself always thought of possibly becoming a true mother, considering the fact that she already practically was one now. "But, you said that this trainer demands you to be respectful to them. Do you mind telling me what happens when you do something wrong?"
"By tradition if you anger your trainer in any way, or are simply unable to perform in the art in a way they deem passable, you are banned from life as a martial artist until you redeem yourself." It was noted how he said this in a detached voice, like a teacher simply giving a lecture. "I myself am here because I have been shunned in this way. My teacher claims that I have not shown strong aptitude, and that I was too weak to join their military."
"Well, I suppose you still have the second chance," Kasumi claimed with a hint of optimism in her. Inside though, she was confused. How could he be so untalented that he was kicked out of his own village? Even Grandfather Happosai admitted Qin was evenly matched with him! What did he have to accomplish? Become a god? "Still, just for failing a good mother would never disown their child, especially if she knows the child worked really hard, which I'm sure you did." She laid her hands on her new friend, staring towards him. "I want you to promise me something. As long as you stay here I want you to promise me that you will think of me as a mother. My job is to protect you and take good care of you, and your job is to trust that I will do just that. Is that understood?" Seeing the uncomfortable face in front of her, Kasumi smiled as she pulled his hand towards her. "Okay?"
"Very well," Qin sighed in acceptance. "I'll try to do that for you."
"I know!" Kasumi explained as she bolted back up. "Why don't you just stay here and wait for me to get ready, then we can go out and get lunch? I haven't done that in the longest time."
Well, I sort of lied. Qin wasn't a big part in the story, and he won't be much more significant on the next chapter. But anyways, before Ukyo fans decide to chase me with a stick, like I said I'm only doing what I do for the plot. Once she goes through some life lessons later I'm going to end up finding some other character to torment.
One last thing, some may be confused as to why I put this story in the "Action/Adventure" category. There isn't much of that lately is there. Well, there's going to be a big one the next chapter. I guarantee that.