I don't own the aquatranssexual or boobie tousen.
I have read a few complaints about how quickly Chou'un switched from Ranma to Herb. I have to say two things: one, these characters are teenagers, incredibly dangerous, and powerful teenagers, but teenagers nonetheless. Teenagers routinely charge into relationships and later regret them or at least the speed, hence the conversation between Kan';u and Ranma in this chapter. Teenagers routinely change opinions or interests in short amounts of time, and I made certain to explain that Chou'un really didn't feel as emotional a connection to Ranma as Kan'u did.
Kan'u and Ranma both wear their feelings on their sleeves and their connection built from the physical to the emotional, with Chou'un she never made it past the physical. Chou'un is much more emotionally reserved, putting her behind the curve. More, she and Herb will not be getting together that quickly. Will they talk, yes, will they have an understanding, yes, but Herb isn't comfortable around females enough to really flirt or do anything physical with her for a while.
Another review said that for being bisexual Kan'u hasn't done much with Ranma-chan. That's not her fault, that is Ranma's. As much as he has gotten used to his female form, he is not comfortable receiving affection in it. Besides he might be getting rid of it soon. Wait, I wasn't supposed to say that, ignore the man behind the curtain…
Want to give a shout out to Vandenbz, who has continued to read and give greats reviews, as well as pointing out typos to me. I'll be going back and correcting those tonight and reposting the chapters in question.
Final chapter before the tournament, some lime stuff with Ryomou, and a bit more about her joining Kan'u and Ranma, and basically foreshadowing her place in the relationship. Herb and Chou'un are also starting their search for mystics. I wanted to make certain I didn't make the mistake I had previously in the mucking up the geography. Turns out Kanto isn't a school district like I thought, but a geographic region. Unfortunately I honestly don't think I could go back and change that because of how it would effect how much information the Ikki fighters had about Ranma and Nerima before he showed up. What he can do must be a surprise in many ways, though that will end in the tournament, after which no one will be underestimating him.
Chapter 8 relative calm before the storm
Kan'u woke up the next morning after the best night's sleep she had in years to the sound of someone preparing breakfast Blearily opening one eye she looked at the alarm clock set on to the bed stand next to Ranma's bed. The time read 8:30, and she groaned. It's Sunday, she thought to herself. People are supposed to sleep in on Sunday. Especially when they spent 2 1/2 hours making out and practically having sex with their girlfriend last night! Here I am ready to sleep for another six hours and he is not only up and about but cheerful and energetic! I thought men were supposed to be the ones to nod off and be exhausted from sex, not the other way around!
That thought went away as she heard Ranma answer the phone. She heard his side of the conversation quite clearly and shook her head at how chipper he sounded. "Oh, hey Chou'un-chan, what's up?" Pause.
"That was quick. How many did you find?" Longer pause.
"Well if you think that's best." Ranma sounded a little dubious there, but thankful too. "I just didn't think that you'd be able ta find that many that fast." Short pause.
"Don't worry about it, if it takes a few days it takes a few days. Having something ta help with the dragon souls is way more important than havin' you around for the tournament, me Kan-chan Chouhi and Ryomou-chan are more than enough to see us through." Another pause, this time longer.
Then his voice became worried on top of sounding querulous. "Well if Herb is helping with this you won't have any problems with money or anythin' dangerous, but I wouldn't trust him that much. It's not that he's untrustworthy I guess, he's just got a real temper issue."
After the other person spoke for a time, Ranma seemed to calm down, and his voice was back to normal as he replied. "Well I just had plans ta spar with Ryomou the rest of the day, we're gonna meet up around 11:30." A very short pause. "Sure I'll make sure she gets home fine first, duh. Though ya know she can take care of herself."
Kan'u groaned at the thought of Chou'un making fun of her like that, as if she was little child that needed to be walked home. Still, she thought as she looked down at her naked body still covered with the remnants of their fun last night, a bath before I leave is most certainly a good idea. This idea of not cleaning up had been something she wanted to try, but was definitely not something she was going to let happen again. She thought it would make her feel deliciously dirty, but now that everything had dried she just felt sticky and yucky. Live and learn I suppose.
Her musings were interrupted as the door to the apartments bedroom opened and Ranma walked in carrying a plate of breakfast. It was a simple breakfast, just rice some salmon, and miso soup, but at the sight of it her stomach gurgled hungrily and she realized that she was really quite hungry.
Ranma smiled as she sees saw that she was awake and came over, placing the plate of food beside the bed, leaning over to kiss her. "How are you feeling Kan-chan?"
Kan'u shrugged apologetically. "Good, though unfortunately not up for more playtime Ma-chan," said smirking a little as his eyes widened as he blushed and stammered, obviously the idea of more fun time hadn't occurred to him. "My sensitive parts are a little too sore from last night for more fun."
Ranma nodded. "I already had my bath so ya can have yours and take yer time if ya want. Sorry I don't know any massage points that'll help, I mean some of them will, but they've got some side effects." Here he blushed again and Kan'u determined to ask him about those side effects some other time. She wasn't certain just yet how she felt about the former grandmaster of her lover's martial arts school being a world-class pervert, but the knowledge Ranma had learned from his books had come in handy once already so she would withhold judgment. "What time do you need to be back at the temple?"
Kan'u shrugged throwing offer musings and finishing off the miso soup. "What time do they want me there? And what are their plans for the day?"
"Chou'un and Herb are leaving after breakfast to go and hunt up some of the names on his list of mystics. Ryuubi was able to find a few that actually had addresses, and a few were listed under the FDPA as livin' in certain areas. I think they should be very, very worried that she can hack them so easily," he reflected.
Kan'u giggled, "That is one of her many talents. She wants to be a writer after this is all over, she wants to write children's books, did you know that? Maybe if we can actually end this stupid destiny of ours once and for all she'll be free to pursue that dream."
Ranma nodded. "Yep, and you're gonna be free to pursue yours as an explorer and world traveler right?" Kan'u smiled and nodded at him again, knowing that he had the same dream. It was one of the things that had attracted them to each other.
"Still," she mused, "Chou'un and Herb, huh? Did you notice the looks that they were giving each other last night?"
"What looks, remember I was in that vision from yer bead most 'o last night."
"I think Chou'un may be interested in Herb, though I don't know for certain, and I know she'll tell us before she does anything with him." She watched him as she chewed the last of the salmon and was surprised that he seemed to take this in stride.
He noticed her confusion and chuckled. "I've been thinking for a while that there was a kinda wall between her and me emotions-wise, y'know. I mean, you and I talk about important stuff, share ideas, snuggle and just, y'know, hang out. Chou'un-san and I almost never had a serious talk without you around, and most of the time we were talking about stuff alone it'd end up in us makin' out after only a few minutes. Don't get me wrong it was great, but… but to me the other stuff was even better."
"And what do you think of Ryomou's chasing after you?" she asked teasingly and he flushed.
He answered back however asking "What do you think of it?"
"I am intrigued and rather aroused actually." Kan'u answered bluntly and honestly. "Chou'un may be willing to experiment, but I've always thought that she was a one man/woman girl. Ryomou on the other hand is almost as, inquisitive shall we say, as I am and attractive. Now answer my question," she said, staring at him with her light blue eyes holding his darker ones.
"A mix between weirded out and interest frankly." He answered, replying to her candor and being honest in return. "She's not too violent but she gives the impression that she really would hit me if I did something wrong, and that reminds me a little too much o' some of my past issues from Nerima fer my liking. On the other hand, we do kind o' click, not as much as you and I do," he said looking at Kan'u and smiling "but a lot more than I did with Chou'un at first. Ryomou is sort of like a straight man in a comedy act, she's so dry and matter of fact sometimes but once you get to know her she's got a great sense of humor, she'll just shoot jabs and make sarcastic remarks about everyone. It's fun to listen to y'know."
She nodded, looking at him happily and putting the now empty tray next to her on the bed. "Good because I've grown to like her as well. I think we would make a good quartet or trio if Chou'un does end up leaving us. Now, while I am guarding Ryuubi all day you are going to be training and sparring with Ryomou, correct?"
Ranma nodded. "Yep, that's the plan."
"Good" Kan'u said and got up out of bed, standing there naked. She paused, enjoying the way he looked at her torn between blushing embarrassment, sexual desire, simple appreciation and the need to control himself. The thought struck her that she had sort of roused a volcano here, and being the only object of that desire may wear her out for anything else. Oh but what a way to go…
Kan'u walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open so she could continue their conversation. "When you spar with Ryomou Ranma, at some point I want you to go all out."
Ranma cocked his head. "Are ya sure that's a good idea? I don't want her to resent me or anythin' and if I go all out I'll overpower her pretty easily."
"Oh yes, I'm very sure Ma-chan. You see Ryomou is a sexual submissive." Even from within the confines of the bathroom she could almost feel his confusion and went on to relieve said confusion quickly. "She wants to be dominated Ranma, she wants to submit herself a little to another person. For a woman like her, knowing that the other person has power over her is a major turn on, I noticed it after our spar when she joined the school. So when you spar" She added, looking around the doorway at him, her purple hair flopping to one side and her aquamarine eyes glittering with humor over a smirk that widened at his crimson face, "make it good."
After that rather disconcerting conversation, Ranma dropped Kan'u off at the temple and then went to meditate on a rooftop near the park where he and Ryomou were going to meet. She was still working on her weekend homework when he and Kan'u arrived, and she wanted to finish it up before they started to spar. He had to get his mind around the whole relationship thing that had been occurring lately, and he hadn't really been able to sit down and think about it yet.
That I love Kan'u isn't a question anymore, he thought to himself as he meditated. She's bright funny, intelligent, a great listener. We just click on many levels, our dreams for the future are pretty much the same, and how we view the Art is pretty much the same as well. And she understands me, my fears, my worries, all my insecurities, 'cause she shares some of them, and has shared her own with me.
I've always been a little more… hesitant I guess with Chou'un, and that's my fault. Maybe if I had met her at the same time I met Kan'u, we would've developed the same level of rapport as I did with Kan'u, but we didn't. She's made no bones about the fact she is physically attracted me, but like I told Kan'u not so much emotional, we've only shared a few things, and never really talked about the future just the two of us. So her leaving isn't much of an issue, I'll be a little sad, but as long as she's happy I'll get over it. Though if they get together and he hurts her, Herb is gonna wish he'd never been born!
And now we come to Ryomou he thought sardonically as he could feel her aura coming closer slowly. I like her too. She's brave, feisty, intelligent, strong, strong-minded which is even more important, a surprisingly good listener, and has gone through a lot of the same issues and problems with her family that I went through with my old man, though she hasn't yet told me the reason why her family treated her like that. I like her too, and I guess with Kan'u's permission to y'know invite her in I don't have to feel guilty about it but I still kind of do? I guess the problem is that I don't know what would've happened if the girls back in my old district were willing to share. That alone seems to solve a lot of problems, but would I have been happy that way?
And then it hit him. The girls back home weren't looking at me as a person to be in a relationship with, they were all looking at me as a problem solver or property! You don't have to share property, it's yours! Akane thought of me as property, she could abuse me as often as she wanted ta cause I wasn't a person to her, just a thing her daddy gave her. Ukyo thought of me as a prize, a way to get back the girlhood she threw away searching for me and my old man. My own thoughts never mattered, my own emotions, and dreams for the future never mattered, only hers. And Shampoo… well she might have really had feelings for me, but she never took me or my dreams or emotions into account.
But these girls are interested in me, Ranma the person not me, Ranma the prize. He opened his eyes at that revelation and whispered. "Wow." That just completely blew his mind. He looks down from where he was perched on the edge of the rooftop to see Ryomou waving up at him, and indicating he should come down. He nodded, with a bit of newfound confidence. And if they both look at me that way, and if Chou'un is obviously okay with moving on from our relationship, then maybe I really should take the initiative here and bring Ryomou in.
The first half of training went well. Ryomou, though a little amused by how often Ranma was blushing as he looked at her, went through the katas she had learned the day before performing each of them flawlessly.
Ranma then walked her through some of the same speed enhancing exercises he had taught Chou'un and Kan'u, which she took to like a duck to water, though it would be several days until she started to see results. Next he walked her through some exercises to learn ki sight, a few exercises intended to build ki control and how to create a fold-space pocket, areas that in his eyes were a must for any marital artist. He was actually surprised at the speed Ryomou learned the fold-space technique as after a few hours she had it down pat. While she couldn't create a large space yet, she could still enlarge any given pocket by at least a factor of three. Enlarging it further would just take pumping in more ki into the bubble now that the space was created, which would have to wait until she had more control. Ryomou actually had a slightly larger core than Kan'u, but not nearly the control the descendant of Guan Yu had.
After a brief break for a late lunch, Ranma looked up at the sky and noticed that the sky was looking overcast. "It looks like it's gonna rain, so let's move ourselves somewhere else. You know any abandoned factories or anythin' like that around here?"
Ryomou thought for a bit then nodded. "I think I do. Let's go." And without another word she jumped up and led the way over the rooftops.
Ranma shrugged and followed her, blushing as her short maid skirt, which she hadn't replaced yet, occasionally flipped up, showing white lace panties underneath. He blushed further when she looked back and noticed he was looking. She merely smiled and moved a hand back to flip her skirt up further, causing him to nearly stumble mid-leap. He recovered as she jumped away laughing.
After about ten minutes of roof hopping Ryomou paused and pointed in front of them. "Here we are." Ahead of them Ranma could see a construction wall around a abandoned building that looked like some kind of gym. Idly he wondered why there were always so many abandoned buildings around, but outwardly he nodded. "Looks good, let's get in there before it starts ta rain."
Ryomou nodded and the two leapt over the wall and went into the building. Inside the building still looked decent, with only a few areas looking damaged or in need of repair. Much like Ranma thought it was a gym, laid out like a gymnastics gym, with some ratty pads on the ground, a jumping horse, and a few sets of bars and hoops spread around.
Ranma looked around and nodded approvingly. The two moved into the center of the gym facing one another and ready to start on sparring. Ranma first laid down a few ground rules. "Alright, since we're gonna be doing this for a while, I figure each match should be a little different. So first were gonna just gonna stand in place and trade blows, not power but speed and accuracy. Then we'll move on to hand to hand full out and then just kicks. Do ya have any ki attacks?"
Ryomou nodded. "I have a few power strikes if that's what you mean, as well as two ranged attacks I've recently thought up." One part of her, the warrior half that was always striving to better itself, was excited. This idea of working on different areas of combat would be very interesting and would provide certain results. The woman part of her, the part that wanted to see how far she could push Ranma with her grappling skills, getting their sweaty bodies close and keeping them that way, was not so happy.
"Great, so that'll be the fourth match. After that we'll switch to all go without ki attacks or special maneuvers, then all out with everythin', okay?"
Ryomou nodded. That last bit suited her just fine.
The first match began, and Ryomou swiftly found out that she couldn't match Ranma in pure speed. His hands were too fast, even without reinforcing that speed with ki, and she could barely see them let alone match them. After a few minutes however, her eyes began to adjust and she began to tag his hands just enough to change their trajectory.
This went on for about fifteen minutes until Ranma stepped back, signaling the end of the first match. "Speed kills" he stated simply, gesturing at Ryomou. She looked down and gasped. Ranma had sneakily daubed his fingers with a bit of red paint, so that every time he tagged her, a bit of red paint marked the place he hit. Her front, neck chest arms, everything had small red paint marks.
Ryomou looked up and glared at him. "You better pray this stuff comes out Ranma or else."
Ranma gulped, and she smirked. Realizing it was a joke he sagged in relief before smirking at her. "Completely missed the point there y'know? The point is you can never have enough speed. I want ya ta add some speed exercises to your daily regimen at least until you can do the Amaguriken. It don't matter how much strength ya got if ya don't have enough speed ta hit yer opponent, then ya lose. So from here on I'm gonna go just a little faster than you can right now, and push ya a bit okay?"
Ryomou nodded and the second match began.
Ryomou again was barely able to keep up with his speed. Ranma jumped and danced around her and she tried to keep up only to fail spectacularly. After only five minutes this time Ranma stepped back. "Okay, yer footwork's great, but ya need to work on yer overall speed a lot. Yer plenty strong, the few times I let ya tag me I felt it, but again, speeds the thing." Ranma just could not understand why none of the Fighters he'd met so far realized speed was more important than strength in martial arts fights. Not one of them had enough speed in his opinion, though Kan'u and the rest of his friends were getting better quickly.
Ryomou nodded and the two moved back to the center before beginning their third match. She was beginning to be a little irritated at how badly she was doing so far, and ached to do something to change that cool, blasé attitude of his.
Now the two exchanged kicks rather than punches, and here she was able to make up some ground. She was a little more flexible than Ranma and thus able to dodge better, and while he was still faster, he telegraphed his kicks just enough for her to counter or dodge. She was also sneakier, and landed a few toe stomps and low kicks in this match. After about a half hour Ranma backed off. "Okay, I ain't gonna make any comments about that match, ya did good, and yer tricky which is a plus. Now let's see yer ki attacks."
Ryomou nodded, concentrating and then shot forward with a loud "Kiyahh!" with a low jab that segued in to an elbow thrust.
Ranma blocked the punch but not the follow up elbow jab which was the real power shot, and it went home into his stomach. Ranma gasped as the force of the jab impacted his stomach and crashed backwards. Much to Ryomou's surprise however Ranma got up, tearing off his now ruined shirt but otherwise unharmed. He grinned at her expression and explained. "If you got ki-sight, you can see the buildup in yer opponent's energy and prepare for it."
Mystery explained he shot forward like a bullet out of a gun and before Ryomou could even raise her arms she felt a blow land on her stomach "tiger punch!"
Ryomou's body left the ground and shot backwards, blasting through the far wall and into what had once been a locker room. It still had some of its furnishings, a few lockers and benches, but that was of no interest to Ryomou as she hit the outer wall hard enough to crack the concrete. When she slid down the wall, she felt a draft around her middle and looked down to see that the stomach area of her maid outfit had not survived the blow, shredding and exposing her taut bare tummy and the lower part of her bra.
Ranma, who had jumped through the hole her body had made, noticed the same thing and turned away blushing. Before he could offer to let her take a break and put another shirt on she was off the ground and charging. A quick power kick caught him napping and it was Ranma's turn to become airborne.
While Ryomou didn't have a high end devastating ki attack like Kan'u's explosive palm technique, what she did was to overload one body part or another strengthening it. The effect was the same as taking five of Ryoga's hits all at once. Ranma was smacked sideways and crashed into the lockers on one side of the room, bending them entirely out of shape.
He pushed himself up but this time Ryomou wasn't about to let up. She charged in and her ki powered haymakers began to land before he could get to his feet. Unfortunately for her Ranma had the edge on her in ki manipulation and showed this in as unequivocal a manner as possible by redirecting her attack with one ki charged arm and raising his other palm to right before her stomach. "Moko Takabashi!" A cerulean disk of power slammed into her and threw her backwards to land back into the gym area.
Ranma kept his distance (and his attention, getting in close when her maid outfit was falling apart was too distracting) and began to fire off what he thought of as mini moko's, small baseball sized spheres of ki that stung but didn't to a lot of damage. Ryomou dodged this way and that in an attempt to avoid them for a bit as she powered up one of her two ranged attacks.
Ranma noticed her aura changing, almost reaching out like one of his own techniques did, but differently, and wondered what she was going to try, but when she shouted "shadow Kick!" The effect still took him by surprise.
What came at him was just a mass of dark energy that looked much like a kick and that hit like one too, doubling him over as it slammed into his midriff. With a shout Ryomou closed the distance again, determined to bring the fight to Ranma and use her grappling skills to best effect.
Ranma however was only stunned by the kick, not really injured. Suddenly Ryomou found herself on her back, both arms pulled up behind her back and held by one hand with Ranma sitting on her and his other fist slamming down beside her head glowing blue with ki. She watched wide-eyed as he pulled it out of the hole in the floor his fist made before resting his hand between her shoulders. "Match over." He said behind her, and she could only gulp and nod.
He held her there for a moment to drive his point's home as he spoke. "I gotta admit yer shadow kick is damn good, ya need to work on building up to it faster and maybe having more than one of 'em hit at a time. Ya need to work on enhancing the speed with which ya can power yer blows, they're way too slow. If ya ain't fast enough in hand to hand things like this happen." And he tapped her shoulder blades with his free hand, still holding her arms behind her.
For her part, Ryomou was shocked at how badly she had lost. Even with the ground she had regained in their kicking match Ranma had completely overwhelmed her so far. She knew he was good from their short spar a few days ago but this good? He was monstrously strong, and it was turning her on like nothing she'd ever felt. That and the position she was in right now…
Experimentally she tried to shift underneath him, not incidentally rubbing her rear up against his pants where he sat on her back with his legs on either side. He flinched but she didn't take advantage of it, she wasn't trying to get away, not really, and after a moment she felt him unwillingly respond to her. "It would appear as if I'm completely at your mercy." She said huskily, her voice a bare shadow of its normal controlled tone.
Behind her Ranma was looking down in panic, his fear of situations like this warring with what Kan'u had said and the knowledge that Ryomou did in fact like him and might like this. After a few seconds this newer and surprisingly more powerful aspect of his mind won out and he began to grind his now semi-hard dick against her rear in turn, letting it flop between her magnificent ass checks. They were only separated by his pants and her panties, as her maid skirt, already short and partially destroyed, had ridden up to her waist from her earlier gyrations. "Yeah," he husked licking dry lips as he looked down at her. "Unless ya get stronger, someone could take advantage of a position like this pretty easily."
Underneath him Ryomou bit her lip to keep from moaning as she thrust backward as much as she could from her pinned position. She could feel herself getting wet, and if that was his cock she felt against her ass…
"So are you ready to admit defeat?" he asked her. It came out half in jest and half throatily, a voice that admitted without saying it that he was enjoying what they were doing.
Admit defeat? Hell, she was ready to have his children...and yet...her warrior pride wouldn't allow her to just surrender. So with regret she shook her head. "No I think I want to go on to our full on spar now. I'm not ready just yet to concede."
Ranma nodded and jumped off her quickly, half relieved and half strangely disappointed, an emotion that was mirrored in Ryomou as she stood up, rubbing at her shoulders to get some of the stiffness out. Without another word the two moved back to the center of the gym and took up their stances facing one another.
Ryomou made a concerted effort to clear her mind of her hormones and concentrate on the match, and after a few she was successful. Looking across at Ranma she saw that he had been able to do the same thing and she nodded, then rushed forward.
This time she mixed in kicks, punches, chops, grabs, lunges and randomly a ki enhanced blow, but Ranma bent like a willow around all of them, coming back with stinging hits to her sides and bare stomach, never her face or legs, the better to keep focused.
She in turn pulled out every trick she knew but none of them worked for long. She even tried to power up her shadow kick more quickly and hit him with it at half strength but he dodged it easily and returned with a stinging shot to her abs.
She tried to concentrate on his lower body, trying to take out his legs to reduce his maneuverability, but he took to the air, using her own strikes as momentum to stay in the air, hitting back at her upper body with a few stinging slaps.
She tried to grapple with him going for holds and throws but failed as his style suddenly switched to defense, and it was her who was thrown. She landed and looked up in time to see him still in the air coming down with a foot raised for an axe kick.
Ryomou took this one chance to turn the tide in her favor and whipped out her last ki attack, one she had in fact thought up herself only a few days ago by seeing it in a show on a TV in a store. It wasn't much, but used in the right circumstances it could turn the tide of battle in her favor. She raised her hands and smacked them together shouting "Radiant Flare!" From her hands burst a bright blinding light, which hit Ranma full in the face blinding him and causing him to fall out of the air with a cry of pain.
As he landed on his feet automatically Ryomou capitalized on his distraction, closing the distance and placing him into a submission hold. After a few second she had Ranma in a choke hold, one leg over his shoulder, the other under his opposite arm, and locked together behind his back while using her arms to pull his head down. It was all over now. There was no way he could get out of this.
Amazingly, Ranma remained standing, though Ryomou threw her weight back in an effort to bring him to the floor. Ranma stood firm, but Ryomou knew she had won. "It's all over, the blood stream from your arteries is cut off, causing all the muscles in your body to relax." She went into her normal spiel automatically, not even realizing what she was saying only knowing she was a little turned on by having Ranma in her power, though nowhere near the amount she had felt the other way around. "Doesn't it feel good? This is ecstasy, right? Oooo, feels so good!"
"You...tell...me," Ranma replied, his voice strained with effort. Ranma raised his arm up and drove it between Ryomou's crotch and his own body, forcing her thighs apart until Ryomou's legs fell down until they locked around his chest. Ryomou had a stunned look on her face, but she didn't release her hold. Instead she used her grip on his pigtail and her arm around his throat to pull his face into the bare flesh of her belly in an effort to suffocate him, ignoring the feel of his breath on her stomach and the flutter this caused her lower down.
Ranma wasn't having it though. His hands found their way to her armpits and he dug his thumbs into the vulnerable nerve clusters there. Ryomou screamed as neural fire raced down her arms. She tried to maintain the hold through the pain, but it sapped the strength of her arms too rapidly. Ryomou was forced to release her hold on him and she tumbled back out of his reach. Ranma added to her humiliation by simply pushing her a little and then stood back waiting.
Now with her best moves proven to be insufficient Ryomou became desperate. And much like in her match with Kan'u she let that sway her actions. She charged forward and began throwing a flurry of punches and kicks, but again Ranma just dodged them easily and she became more and more flustered.
Then it happened; Ryomou launched a roundhouse kick that was in the air just a second too long. He ducked under it and suddenly, Ranma was behind her and she felt his arm slide around her throat while his other hand grabbed a handful of hair, pulling her head back, putting her into a classic choke hold. She felt the steel-hard, corded muscles of his arm tighten around her throat, cutting off the blood supply to her brain in a complete reversal of what she had tried to do to him a few minutes ago.
Ryomou struggled, pushing and pulling on the arm locked around her throat, but she might as well have tried to budge a steel bar. She attempted to drive her elbows back into Ranma's ribs, but he just ignored her efforts without so much as a grunt of acknowledgement; she'd have gotten more results from elbowing a stone pillar. Attempts to stomp down on his instep proved futile as well; he was too fast. The effects of the choke hold began to manifest and her struggles slowed.
Acting again on Kan'u's information and the previous little session they had he spoke to her. "Does it feel good?" he asked in a soft, tender voice, deliberately running his tongue out and over one of her ears. "Is it everything you imagined? Ya can't fight it. Ya don't even want to. It feels too good."
Ryomou moaned as his warm breath and tongue caressed her ear as he spoke sending shivers of pleasure up and down her spine as Ranma went on, somehow realizing what to say as he did. "Can ya see the darkness edging in around your vision? It's so warm and comforting. It'll be so easy to just give in and let it take ya. There's no shame in this. It's an honorable defeat." A shudder ran through Ryomou's body, causing her to moan again...a long pleasure-filled moan. "That's it," he encouraged. "Can you feel your muscles relaxing? Isn't it nice? Embrace the darkness," he urged her soothingly.
Just as she was about to give in and pass out Ranma abruptly released the hold, reaching down with one hand into her soaked panties and jabbing two fingers straight into her dripping slit as the other went around her stomach roughly pulling her body back against his. Ryomou came with a wail as her juices squirted out of her in her excitement. Her entire body tensed as she wailed and thrashed, the juices running down her legs.
After a moment she collapsed back against his chest. When she had enough energy to lift her head she looked up at him and he smiled down at her gently, but with more than a hint of nervousness. "Er, did ya like that? Only from yer reactions before and from what Kan'u said I thought ya might."
Ryomou shook her head wonderingly. He gives me a world shattering orgasm and then asks me if I liked it? "I more than liked it Ranma, I loved it, it was precisely what I wanted. You said something about Kan'u though?"
Ranma chuckled as he gently lifted her still boneless body and moved over to one of the least rotten benches along the gyms wall. "Yeah she somehow figured out you'd like this kind of thing. I never would've, but when she basically slapped me in the face with it and you reacted like ya did after our last spar and the stuff ya said after getting me in yer submission grip, well I decided ta try it." He leaned in sucking at her neck gently and making a mark there much like Kan'u had made on him the night before. He found he kind of liked being in charge like this, at least a little. Not that he was going to push it or anything but seeing Ryomou cum that hard had been really hot.
Ryomou determined to thank Kan'u profusely at a later date, but right now she merely nodded, curling up in Ranma's lap happily. "Well it was magnificent. I take it this means you two have decided I can join your relationship?"
Ranma nodded. "Yep, I like ya, Kan'u likes ya, and Chou'un likes ya so if she stays with us you're welcome to join." Ryoumou nodded, having noticed the looks Chou'un was giving Herb the night before and Ranma continued. "After all" he joked puffing out his chest and raising his chin haughtily. "I'm more than enough man to take care of all of ya."
Of course karma could not let such an opening pass. The window behind where the two were sitting suddenly blew in, letting the rain that had begun to fall splash inside and soak Ranma.
Ranma-chan rolled her eyes as Ryomou looked at her, now resting her head against the other girl's bare breasts rather than his hard chest. "Why me?"
Ryomou looked at her for a moment before she burst out in laughter, then leaned in to capture the other girl's lips.
Ranma-chan stiffened, but eventually began to return the chaste kiss, though she was surprised how strangely alike yet different the sensation was from one form to another. After a moment Ryomou pulled back and looked into the shorter girls eyes. "Just remember I fell for you Ranma, not just you in your male body but the whole package. Never forget that."
Ranma-chan looked at her for a long second, before she nodded silently. She had gotten just the same reassurance from Kan'u whose liking of both her forms he had known before they even became a couple, and Chou'un had shown no revulsion of his female form either. Ranma-chan pulled the other girl into a tight hug, reflecting how lucky she was that the government had sent him here, where s/he was accepted and loved.
Lunchtime found Chou'un and Herb on a train towards Tokyo, where their three first targets were. It would take them a few hours to get there, but after that it would be a simple matter to get to the addresses listed. These first three targets weren't their best shots for finding a living mystic, but they were the easiest to reach. They could also hit up several others in the city via bus, and be done more than half the list in a day.
It'd been Chou'un and Ryuubi who had thought this plan up, and planned out the itinerary for the trip, but Herb had insisted on going along, as it was his spell scroll that was going to be copied, and he had more than enough money to pay their way.
Now he looked over at Chou'un and was once again intrigued by her features. Though for some reason when they were around other people she kept her eyes closed, hiding those glorious draconic eyes from view. "Why do you keep your eyes closed?"
Chou'un smiled. Often this was the first question someone asked her, those who did not automatically assume she was blind at least, and their response to her eyes had become a sort of litmus test for her dealings with them. "Two reasons. One, most people look at them afraid or suspiciously at the very least, and two it allows me to use my other senses at a heightened level."
"Bah" he scoffed, "let them stare. It just shows that you have an attribute of a far superior species. And if strangers are afraid, what of it? Their opinion should not matter to you at all."
"Ranma said much the same thing, well other than the superior species thing" she mused and chuckled as he stiffened. "Does that bother you so much, to be compared to him?"
Herb forced himself to relax. "Being compared to any normal human's a bit of an irritant yes, but I suppose Ranma is far from normal." He said in a deadpan tone. Chou'un laughed and with the ice effectively broken the conversation continued.
Herb told her of the Musk people, how they were descendents of warriors who had bathed in Jusenkyou in order to gain the strength of wild animals such as tigers, bears and other species. How his line was descended of a dragon taking on the shape of a human woman and mating with a human male. And of his own dreams for the future, where their people would be more powerful, and the role of women brought to a more modern standard, as such a thing would make the Musk stronger.
Their nearest neighbors were powerful examples of what could happen if they didn't change. Both the Amazons and the Phoenix refused to change, and were in decline. The amazons, with their strict adherence to the supremacy of their laws over all others had alienated both their neighbors and the Chinese government. While it didn't want to invest the resources necessary to bring them to heel, all trade with the lowlands had been cut off recently. The Amazons were also losing members with every generation, as men who could left their oppressive rule, and even some women who thought them archaic. The phoenix tribe, whose territory was even deeper into the mountains than the Musk or Amazons were even worse off. Not only were their birthrates a bare fraction of normal humans, their lands were not up to feeding even their present population without trade with their neighbors, and their arrogance and contempt for anything on the ground made that trade hazardous and costly.
If the Musk did not want to join them in decline they had to change, and Herb was determined to force that change through. He wanted to forge stronger ties with the lowlands to bring in modern technology while keeping their traditional strengths and laws and then conquer the region, giving his people some room to expand into without coming into direct competition with the communist government.
She in turn told him of the sacred destiny from her perspective and her supposed role in it, her dream to become a diplomat, and the problem she had with English. She could speak Mandarin, Vietnamese, Mongolian, and Korean, but she had a lot of trouble speaking any of the European languages and unfortunately, English had become the lingua franca of diplomats everywhere.
Herb however disagreed and said that he knew of no one in his territory or the surrounding mountains that could speak English save the Amazon elder Lotion, and that English was only the lingua franca because of the power of the United States and it would decline in use as America declined. He pointed to several economic facts that showed this decline was already occurring and that China and India were stepping up to fill the breach. (his opinion people)
If Ranma had been listening this would have had him looking at Herb as if he was possessed. The idea of Herb, haughty and insular master of the Dragon Fist martial arts having a discussion about world economics of all things would've stunned him and made him think he was in the twilight zone.
This conversation continued for hours. As they neared their destination the two stood up with a much greater respect for one another than they had before. Not only was Chou'un intelligent, but she was also stubborn, quick on her feet, and well read. She in turn was impressed with Herb, there was actually a mind behind that haughty expression, and her opinion of him had skyrocketed. His plans for the future were also interesting, and she thought that maybe, just maybe the two of them might have something going on.
Their search for the mystics, however, did not go as well as their conversation. The first two mystics on their list turned up to be dead from old age. The last one was blind, and unfortunately Herb had not thought to bring along a spell scroll translated into Braille. That one however was helpful as he was able to tell them that two of the others on the list were already dead as well. Apparently a feud had begun between their families, and both of them had died before the feud ended.
That left only two names on Herb's list that he had received from his father. Alas Ryuubi had been unable to find addresses to go with them, only areas in which to look for them. Once again they had to ride a train though this time it took far longer, nearly six hours and cost much more, nearly 22,000 yen, for their targets were on Kyushu Island in the Oita region. The train got into Fukuoka, the islands main transportation city, that afternoon, leaving them with half a day to get from the city to their next stop, Yufuin in the Oika region. They bought a three day pass costing another 14,000 yen for the pair and made their way by train from Fukuoka to Yufuin.
Once there, they began to ask around for direction to the mystic's house. The local's strange accent/dialect made them nearly incomprehensible to Herb, but Chou'un was able to follow it enough to get by and they kept searching for a few hours. It was nearly dusk when they finally found a person who was able to direct them up a nearby river and to a nearby waterfall where the master had made his home. Herb led the way up the river and soon enough the two were at the house of the mystical master.
His house was done up in the same style as the Temple where Chou'un lived, though much smaller. It was an old-fashioned Japanese house with wood and rice paper panels, inside a small fortified wall. There were no modern accessories or accoutrements to see, no electricity lines or telephone poles lead up here. The master apparently had decided that such a thing would be in the way of his calling.
"Hello the house." Chou'un called out politely and within moments, a young girl of about eight or nine answered the door. Chou'un smiled at her gently, not wanting to scare her off. "We have come to meet with master Harumoto, is he in?"
The girl nodded, opened the door and admitted the two before closing it behind them. She bade them follow her with gestures and the two fell in behind her as she moved into the small house. Inside they found a simple three room house, a kitchen, what was probably a bedroom behind another door and a main room. In the main room on a set of cushions sat in wrinkled man.
If Ranma was there he would have shivered at how much he looked like Happosai. Short, he stood only about a foot and a half tall with a wizened raisin like body, weather beaten features and a small mustache but despite his apparent age he radiated a sort of boundless energy. His clothing while rumpled looked well cared for at least, but the eyes in that old face were lively and had a wicked gleam to them. A small pipe completed the image. The resemblance was so uncanny it would have only taken a single shout of 'hotcha' to initiate Ranma's flight or fight protocols.
As it was Herb felt a shiver up his spine looking at him. He had never met the perverted grandmaster of Anything Goes, but he had heard of his exploits and infamy from his father, who had run into him in his youth at some point (that his father never talked about what happened between them was a mystery that Herb was never certain he wanted to solve).
The old man cackled doing nothing to dispel the image his looks had cast over one of his guests, "Well to what do I owe the pleasure of two such fine looking young ladies coming to see me?"
Herb growled at being called a lady but then looked down in shock. Somehow she had gotten wet without even noticing it, and she looked up just in time to see the old man place a now empty bucket behind him.
"Did you think you are the first person suffering from a Jusenkyou spring curse to come to me for help? I'll tell you the same thing I've told all of them: the cursed springs are too powerful and far too chaotic to unravel and never relinquish those they touch. I'll not mess with them or even try. It would cost me my life."
"Oh, at your age that doesn't sound expensive, and do that to me again and I'll show you the anger of a dragon!" Herb said sharply. He sighed and reached into his pocket to bring out a flask of heated water.
The little girl came back carrying a tray that had three sets of tea on it and she set it between the two supplicants and her master. Chou'un thanked her warmly reaching out to pat her on the head and the girl blushed but rubbed her head against the older girls hand for a moment before bowing herself out. Chou'un took up the thread of conversation before Herb or Harumoto could antagonize one another further. "We have not come seeking aid for my compatriot's curse honored one, but in ending a curse that is far darker and more dangerous than the curse of Jusenkyou." She went on to tell the master what she and the others had found out from Ranma's visions, as well as their own desire to end the curse of the magatama they were toiling under. At a nod from her Herb brought out the spell scroll and showed it to the master who looked at it keenly for a moment.
After a moment's assessment he raised a hand and the young girl appeared again moving forward to take the scroll from Herb's hands and moving over to place it in her Master's. Harumoto unrolled it again and placed it on the ground, placing little flat circular pieces of volcano rock on each corner to hold it in place. After that he traced the lines of the spell scroll with one finger muttering under his breath. It took him fifteen minutes to work his way through the scroll, checking and rechecking the spell words and matching them to what the two wanted the spell to do. Herb and Chou'un sat silently with varying degrees of patience throughout his perusal.
At last Harumoto looked up at them. "Yes, this may be able to contain the soul shards as you describe, though I would never have thought of the combinations of some of these symbols. So what you're asking is for me to reproduce these scroll shards and to empower them correct?"
Herb and Chou'un both nodded. "We would like at least three, possibly four scrolls if you can make them."
The master nodded and leaned back, stroking his wispy mustache thoughtfully. "I can do one, possibly two, though it will be time consuming, at least two, maybe three days to get all the parts right and double check them. And it will cost you oh my yes it will cost you quite a lot of money. My services don't come cheap and I have expensive tastes."
At that word Herb shivered again, once more reminded of the perverted master of Anything Goes as Harumoto went on. "But for any more than two you'll have to wait. These will take a lot of power out of me, and it'll be at least a month before I'm able to do one more let alone two. I would recommend if you're trying to solve this that you go with the two I give you and find something else to contain the last one. I can give you the address of one of my colleagues. He's not the best, and his work won't be as permanent as mine, but it will last long enough to, say, dump the container into the ocean. Besides, the faster you get rid of the soul shards as you describe the better. They may be able to break the spell and escape if given enough time."
Chou'un and Herb moved back to discuss their options and reluctantly agreed to go along with this suggestion. It wasn't perfect, but if they truly wanted to end the curse it might be the only way.
They returned and Herb began to haggle with Harumoto over the price only to be interrupted by Chou'un who took over the negotiations smoothly and worked the old man down to a price far lower than what Herb could've gotten. Once more Herb looked at her and the gleam of interest was in his eyes.
The old man finally nodded and reached out to clasp forearms with Chou'un to signal their agreement. The two I can make right away should be done in two maybe three days," he said. "Come back then or you can wait here. I won't be sending them through the mail regardless, and I will want to be paid for each as I finish them. "
Chou'un and Herb looked at one another before Chou'un got out her cell phone and went outside to call her friends. After a moment she came back and said that they would wait for the spell scrolls here. Even though the tournament was supposed to begin this coming Thursday, they would have enough time to get back for the second round. "Do you have room for us here or should we go back to town?" Chou'un asked Harumoto.
Herb however interrupted hastily before the old man could reply. "I think we should head back to town. I've become used to modern conveniences and no offense but modern food as well." He said nodding apologetically to the little girl, who blushed and bowed in reply as he turned to the old man where his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Chou'un nodded and the two left. Behind them the little girl watched them leave with a sad expression on her face before turning to go back inside.
Harumoto sighed. I had so hoped to use those peepholes I installed in the onsen. Why is it none of my female visitors ever take me up on the offer to stay? It's not like I've ever been caught, I'm just an old man who wants to enjoy a few simple pleasures. Someone out there is obviously sabotaging me!
Kan'u was waiting outside the school grounds Monday to see how it went yesterday between Ryomou and Ranma and was surprised when Ryomou walked up to her and without any preamble said "Thank you" then hugged her tightly before moving away to stand next to her.
Still Kan'u took it in stride and leaned forward conspiratorially. "So how did it go? I wasn't certain Ma-chan would follow my advice on how to bring you into the fold as it were."
Ryomou stood face flushed a little as she remembered then leaned in and whispered into Kan'u's ear. "It was incredible. Everything I wanted it to be and just enough. It was, wow just wow. He beat me in our spars, then tortured me with flirting and then made one of my all time fantasies come true all in one day." She leaned back and her tone turned sardonic as she went on. "It makes me wonder what the hell he's going to do for an encore."
Kan'u nodded happily. "Yes Ma-chan's like that a lot of the time. I think his use of ki sight should be illegal, it allows him to read our bodies far too well." The two young women leaned back against the schools outer wall, their talk turning to the upcoming tournament as they waited for their boyfriend to show up. "Are you going to participate and if so are you alright with fighting your former school if you have to? Chou'un called last night and may not make it back in time to participate in the first or maybe even second rounds."
Ryomou frowned in thought and then shrugged. "Yes I'm going to participate, and yes I'm alright with fighting my old school. It's not like I had any real friends there anymore. With my crush on Saji over and him supposedly dead and my one real friend crippled a few months ago and no longer attending school, I really don't have any ties to them any longer. I wouldn't mind facing Gakushu or Kokin, though I think my fighting Hakufu again would be a bad idea." And not only because she had been somewhat friendly with the other girl before transferring, the odds of the dragon in the girl waking up was far too high for her to be comfortable.
Kan'u nodded thoughtfully then smiled as she spotted Ranma jumping down from a nearby building, though she was puzzled to see him in his female form. Before she could greet him Ryomou grabbed her shoulder whispering in her ear. "Remember that he doesn't want his curse to become common knowledge. In this form he's Ranko, not Ranma."
Kan'u smacked her forehead. She had forgotten that, Ranma had mentioned not wanting to deal with any of the rumors or harassment in school he had faced in Nerima a few days ago. Yet to her, Ranma's body mattered not at all, he was still Ma-chan, so remembering that other people didn't see it that way was sometimes difficult. So she waited until 'Ranma-chan' was close to greet her, then spoke loud enough for the passing students to hear her. "Ranko-chan, how are you, and where's your brother?"
Ranma-chan smiled a little irritably as she gave both girls friendly hugs as she answered at the same volume. "Oh he has a bit of a family issue to take care of. As head of the family those kinds of things tend to pop up, but since he can't miss any school days I volunteered to cover for him." The passing students all nodded as that made sense to them. The guys were thankful as this gave them another source of ridiculously hot eye candy to look at rather than the fighter they had all come to be a little scared of, while the girls merely sighed. Ranma being head of his house just added to his allure but Kan'u and Chou'un had him so firmly sown up it wasn't even funny.
Ranma-chan looked around then leaned in close. "I noticed I was having my monthly attack when I transformed yesterday, so I decided to get it over with before the tournament starts. If I get changed into my female form while that's goin' on in the middle of a fight it could get ugly." Both Kan'u and Ryomou nodded sympathetically. They both knew to avoid fighting when it was their time of the month too.
The trio walked through the gates as the first bell rang to signal the start of homeroom. As they entered the main building Ryomou asked in an undertone, "By the way, I've been wondering for a while what happens if you get splashed with both hot and cold water at once."
Ranma-chan shivered in remembered agony. "It's one of the two most painful things I've ever had ta go through, and that is sayin' something. It happened once when that bitch Akane splashed me and Shampoo when the Amazon surprised me in the bath. It was like my… what's the name of those small things that everything is made from?"
"Molecules," Kan'u supplied helpfully.
"Yeah, molecules were being ripped in two directions at once, not wanting to be one thing or the other, my body trying to change into my girl form and remain a guy at the same time, and both were fighting one another. After we recovered I had to stop Shampoo from killing Akane, though lookin' back I probably should have just let her do it, would've saved me a lot of problems later."
Kan'u put an arm around the shorter girls shoulders giving them a friendly squeeze as both she and Ryomou decided not to ever let that happen to Ranma again if they could prevent it. "Well look at it this way Ranma, if you hadn't had so much trouble in Nerima you might never have met us."
Ranma-chan smiled back shyly as Ryomou nodded affirmatively. After that the trio broke up the girls going to their homeroom while Ranma-chan made her way morosely to hers alone.
While her first class went well, Ranma-chan ran into trouble immediately after it. "Hey babe, you want us to show you around the school for a bit? We can show you a great time y'know."
Ranma-chan stared blankly at the three boys surrounding her desk, low level fighters whose asses he had kicked on his first day, and sighed. She had been worried something like this would happen, and decided to put forth her position in unequivocal terms. She stood up abruptly and whistled, getting the attention of every student in still in the classroom. "Okay, I'm only gonna say this once so listen up. These three guys hit on me and I ain't interested, not just in them but in any guy because" she paused to take a breath before continuing "I am a raging bull dyke lesbian who would rather cut off a man's testicles, stuff them in his mouth and roast him over a fire than let any man touch me."
It was the normal happy tone she used as she said this that scared her listeners the most, so when she went on, they listened. "I am nearly as good a fighter as my brother and I will not hesitate to make that image a reality if someone decides to get fresh with me. You have been warned pass it on and have a nice day." Ranma-chan strode out with a happy smile on her face, leaving behind her several girls staring after her in shock torn between amusement and awe and several boys who were frozen in place with terror.
Ranma-chan didn't have any further problem until she met up with Kan'u and Ryomou for lunch. Ryuubi was quizzing Chouhi for a math test the younger girl had later today, so with Chou'un still missing it was just the three of them today.
She found Kan'u and their blue-haired companion already sitting down around what had become 'their' tree, with the lunch Ryomou had made for the temple dwellers already out and open. She sat down next to Kan'u and opened her own lunch, adding it to the other bento as Kan'u smirked at her. "A raging bull dyke lesbian Ma-chan? We heard about that little outburst you had this morning."
Ranma-chan grunted irritably. "Hhmph, just wanted to make my point as clearly as possible. I've had enough of jerks hitting on me thanks." She was about to start their regular speed eating match when Kan'u held up a hand.
"Hold on Ranko, I think you need a bit of a handicap."
"Huh? Why?"
Ryomou growled. "She means your female form is way faster than your male form so you have an unfair advantage. I can barely keep up with you when you're in your male body, how do you think I'm going to keep up with you in your female form?"
Kan'u nodded. "Exactly. I think you need to give us a bit of an advantage, and if we beat you in this form I think you need to pay a penalty."
Ranma-chan looked at her suspiciously. "Ok I'll only fight ya with one hand. But what do ya mean a penalty?"
Kan'u shrugged, making certain to keep her voice as normal sounding as possible. No sense scaring her target off after all. "Oh just something you do if we win."
Ranma-chan shrugged. It wasn't like she was liable to lose after all. Kan'u may be a little faster than his male form but in this form she was at least twice as fast as his birth body. Her stomach growled and she nodded, "Alright whatever, let's go I'm getting hungry." She didn't see the sly glances his two girlfriends shared before they too tucked in.
For the first few minutes of their food match, Ranma-chan's belief in her superior speed was well founded. However her concentration was broken as she looked up to complement Ryomou on her food and saw her crossing her legs flashing a bit of nearly see through black lace panties.
She gawked and her hand faltered for a bit and Kan'u took advantage, stealing several bites before the redhead could recover. Ranma-chan shook her head and refocused on the match, and again her speed was such that she could both feed herself and stop Kan'u and Ryomou from taking more food.
However when she looked up to gloat about how she was winning he saw Kan'u leaning forward, showing an inordinate amount of cleavage. She froze again, remembering their night together. This time when she turned back to the bentos on the ground she was dismayed to see Ryomou lifting the last piece of food to her lips. She tried desperately to pick the piece out of Ryomou's chopsticks but Kan'u was able to grab his chopsticks with her own to stop the redhead.
Ranma-chan pouted at the blue haired warrior as she rather smugly chewed the last bit of bento. "I believe we win" Kan'u said, smirking and winking at Ryomou who nodded.
Ranma-chan's expression changed to chagrin as she stared at them. "You tricked me, you distracted me deliberately!"
Ryomou nodded. "Yes we did, after all there's no rule against it." She smirked "Now, about your penalty, I think you should sing us a song. I've heard Chou'un-san and Kan'u-san saying you are a really good singer, but I haven't heard you."
Ranma-chan looked around wildly, noting that there were several groups of students scattered around. "B-but I, there's, I mean I don't, in front of so many people?" she asked nearly panicking.
"Ranma, you don't have anything to be worried about" Kan'u said soothingly. "Your voice is wonderful, and everyone will enjoy hearing it." This was part of her campaign to get Ranma more comfortable with his female body. Hopefully once he was, they could experiment a little.
"B-but, i, theres' no background music?" Ranma-chan said, grasping at straws.
Ryomou reached into her fold-space pocket and pulled out an iPod and then a small speaker. "Any other objections?" She said smirking playfully yet also encouragingly.
Ranma-chan groaned. "Alright, b-but it's gotta be a song I already know."
Ryomou and Kan'u bent over her iPod looking through the songs she had on it. Of the three of them Ryomou was the only one who was really into music, but the others had come to like a few of the songs she introduced them to, especially some of the American rock songs. Neither of them were into the pop, girl or boy band songs. Kan'u looked up after a moment. "How about Firework, will that do?"
Ranma-chan groaned again, she knew that song very well and had sung it before, so her last objection had fallen. "Alright but you two owe me. I don't care about the penalty thing you two cheated and you owe me."
Kan'u and Ryomou smirked leaning forward in tandem to show off their cleavage as Ryomou replied "I'm certain we can think of a way to repay you somehow."
"N-none of that," Ranma-chan muttered. "I, uh k'now I'm not exactly comfortable with that in this body. I mean, kissin' is all okay I guess, just nothing else okay. Not in this body. And I think I wanna slow that kinda thing down anyway. I mean I ain't unhappy with anythin' we've done, but it's all so fast and too new ta me. I mean, taking the initiative like I did yesterday with Ryomou, on top of gettin' into it with you the night before Kan'u, that kinda thing is just I mean…." She trailed off looking miserable.
Kan'u nodded. "I understand Ranma, I really do, a few days of just kissing is fine by me."
Ranma-chan nodded. "I, yeah, I mean…" She trailed off looking at them both, gathering her thoughts. "I, this whole relationship thing is so new to me, sometimes it feels like I'm barely treading water somehow. All my life it's been about control, control of self, control of the body, control of my ki and then control of my emotions only showing what everyone expected ta see, and control of y'know body reactions." She blushed as Kan'u smirked remembering Ranma's little protector but continued. "It's, it's just when we're together, I… when I'm with ya that control goes out the window. That scares me, it scares me a lot. Especially what happened when I was with ya this weekend, and you too Ryo-chan." Ryomou blushed and seemed to lose her voice for a moment at the nickname.
Kan'u nodded. "I can understand that, and speaking for myself, it scares me how fast we've gone. I'm no wall flower Ranma, no sheltered little virgin girl, but going from first meeting to third base in a little under two weeks is something I would never have done with anyone else. We've gone further in a week and a half than I've gone with any of my previous boyfriends, one of whom I went out with for a year! So slowing down is fine by me. We're in no rush."
Ranma nodded thankfully and Ryomou shrugged. "For me I'm more experienced than either of you, though I will admit to still 'technically' being a virgin. But I will follow your lead in this. You satisfied one of my most powerful fantasies in our first time together Ranma, so wherever you lead is fine by me." Ranma-chan nodded again blushing and Ryomou continued, smirking now. "But I think you've put off singing enough for now, so get your beautiful booty up and start singing."
Ranma-chan groaned but complied. She stood up, and as Ryomou began the song, she began to sing along. The song, which had already been translated into Japanese began and her voice rang out, causing everyone in the vicinity to turn to her in surprise.
As she hit the end of the first refrain Ranma-chan's eyes closed and she got into the song, forgetting her surroundings. As the chorus ended she began to dance, moving her body to the music, spinning gyrating and twisting, not realizing how sexy she looked just then. With each chorus she sped up her dancing.
The song wasn't yet over when her reverie was interrupted by a most unwelcome voice interrupting her. "Cease this unseemly display at once!" Ranma-chan blinked, lowering one leg she had raised in a spin and opened her eyes to see Asato striding toward them. She looked around and remembered where she was but too late.
Ryomou sat there mesmerized by the redhead's voice and her dance while Kan'u, who had been blushing and watching her with love in her eyes, quickly got control of herself before turning to glare at the unwanted intruder. Around them several boys gulped and smacked their cheeks to gain control of themselves before the scary redhead could see them, while the girls who had been outside were openly blushing and inwardly questioning their sexual preferences (most of them, the few who weren't decided to ask the vivacious redhead out as soon as they could get her away from her brother's girlfriend and Ryomou).
Asato glowered down at Ranma-chan. "Well, it's obvious to see that you're that oaf Ranma's sister. Detention for that unseemly and licentious dance and for that caterwauling you called singing."
Ranma-chan glared right back at the idiot. "Hell no. This is a lunch period and we're outside so we can sing if we want to."
Asato reached out and grabbed the impudent redhead's arm and prepared to drag her off. "We'll see what the principal saaaa" Suddenly he found himself in the air flipped end over end and then slamming back first into the ground.
He looked up and saw a hammer stomp coming down aimed directly at his privates. Intense fear gripped him for a moment before a welcome voice interrupted his upcoming neutering. "Ranko stop! That's enough. I don't think you need to neuter him just because he touched your arm and is an asshole."
Asato looked up to see Kan'u, his Kan'u with her arms around the shorter redhead pulling her away. "I" he gulped. "I knew you loved me Kan'u-chan. Why else would you save me from this barbarian?"
Kan'u growled and it was Ryomou and Ranma-chan's turn to hold the taller girl back. "The only reason I saved you is because I don't want Ranko-chan to get herself kicked out of school. I didn't do it for you, and I have never loved you retard. I never even mouthed the words when we were going out!"
Asato got to his feet, confident smirk back in place now that the threat physical assault had been removed. "You didn't have to say it, I know you're shy. And as for your present boy friend, what can he give you that I can't? Face it I'm a far better prospect."
Kan'u's growl increased in volume and Ranma-chan skidded through the grass as the taller girl tried to force her way past the redhead. "I don't look at prospects you idiot and as to what he can give me, how about a little understanding!" She suddenly stopped trying to plow Ranma-chan under and smirked as she straightened up. The shorter girl sighed and backed off as behind Kan'u Ryomou did the same, though they both kept a wary eye on her. "How about a little quiz Asato? You claim to love me, so that should mean you know what I like and don't like right?" Asato nodded of course he knew her likes and dislikes. "So what would be my ideal date?"
The would-be teacher smirked. "Well, obviously I would take you to an expensive restaurant, I remember you like Italian, and then a movie, a romance of course, or perhaps if we were going all out a play or opera. Then a ride around town and then some cocktails at an upscale bar before I take you back home."
"I hate alcohol," Kan'u said bluntly, her one visible eye narrowing in distaste, "It tastes awful and dulls the senses. As for the rest of what you said, that basically sounded like the classic clichéd date and it shows next to no knowledge about me. Congratulations, you've flunked this test. Let's see how the representative of your rival does shall we?" Kan'u turned to Ranma-chan who blinked in surprise. "Ranko, what kind of date would your brother take me on?"
Ranma-chan thought for a minute then answered surprisingly strongly. "Well I think first off he'd either start the date with a spar or maybe go downtown and find some yaks for you two ta smack around and hit up for cash. It's always fun ta see their faces when they realize they're getting rolled instead a' the alternative." Ryomou and Kan'u both smirked at that idea. Yakuza thought they were the toughest bastards out there, but to a martial artist of C or even D rank in Kanto they were only a threat in large numbers and with guns. It was why regular crime had gone down dramatically when the Fighters moved in. To someone as skilled as Kan'u or Ranma they would be little threat even with guns, save at range, just enough to get the blood pumping.
"Um then I guess we could use the cash ta go to an amusement park or something. I ain't ever been to one, neither has my brother. Or maybe buy a movie to watch at home. Ya said once ya like Jackie Chan stuff, comedy and action flicks so that'd be another idea. Um, as fer food, he'd probably just cook for ya. Some Lasagna and fried rice, 'cause ya said those are yer favorites so that'd be what he'd cook. Ya could eat and watch the movie and talk, 'cause ya can't do that in the movie theater." She grinned. "That way ya can make fun of the movie, and that's sometimes the best part."
Kan'u chuckled as Asato glared. "That really does sound like fun. I definitely think we should do that, maybe as a group thing." Ranma-chan and Ryomou both nodded, the blue-haired warrior thought that kind of date sounded fun too.
Kan'u glared at Asato. "You don't know me, you never knew me even when we were going out. You think of me as this beautiful flower, but I am a warrior by choice as well as by training and you will never understand me."
Asato tried to speak and Kan'u raised a hand and slapped him lightly for her, but enough to put him on his rear easily. He looked up at her in shock and growing fear. He had never been manhandled like this before, and to have it done to him by two girls, one of whom was the girl he was interested in was frightening.
"Go away," Kan'u said scornfully. "Leave this school, transfer to some other place to get your experience, because you will never get what you want from me." She turned without another word and led the way back inside the school without another word.
And that was the last time they saw Asato. For some reason, this little bit of violence was enough to finally get the idea that Kan'u was not interested in him across. When Ranma and Kan'u found this out the next day, there was much rejoicing and until the tournament began their lives were peaceful. This of course should have warned at least Ranma that something big was coming.
end chapter
Okay, so I realize the grappling part of the fight between Ryomou and Ranma was horrible, but review and tell me what you all think of the rest of it. If someone can give me some tips to make that section better I'll definitely look into it. Next chapter will almost be entirely all action, start off slow and build up. Unfortunately it will also be my last chapter before going to one chapter a week updates.