A/N: A reminder— quotes ``like this`` are spoken Chinese.
Thump!
Soun glanced casually out the door from where he sat in the washitsu, but couldn't see the battle raging on. He turned back to his newspaper.
Bam! The house shook.
Genma, in panda form, waddled in and sat at the table. Soun glanced up. "Morning, Saotome," he said, then stopped, dropping the paper to the table. "Wait a minute," he said. "If you're in here, who's…"
Thump! "Yeaaaah! Whooooooa!" Nabiki rocketed into view like a meteor, landed flat on her back, bounced, flipped backwards, landed on her feet, flailed her arms, and fell backwards onto her butt. Ranma was instantly by her, concerned, as she pushed him away. "I'm fine," she said, standing with some effort. She gave him a sheepish grin. "I guess I'm not good enough to parkour off the side of the house, huh?" she asked.
They both noticed their fathers staring from inside the house. Nabiki waved. "Good morning, daddy," she said. "Ranma's training me."
Soun stared, unmoving. Akane walked into the room, fresh off of her morning jog. She looked at Ranma and Nabiki. "Neesan," she said, "did I just see you jump out of a tree?"
Nabiki beamed. "Yep," she replied, "Ranma's helping me look for ways to move. Spotting places to step and jump."
Soun nodded approvingly, looking back to his newspaper. "Always good to learn to use your surroundings. Nabiki and Kasumi never really got that far in training. Neither were interested when they were younger."
"Yeah, well, I thought I'd better try to show her a little," Ranma replied. "I remembered when she fell from the balcony after Akane broke it, back when she pretended to be my…" He trailed off and snapped his mouth shut, as Akane's mood visibly went from confused to dark. He looked away. He hadn't meant to bring up a rough spot from an old relationship.
Nabiki broke the tension. "It's like everything else I'm learning. Starts kinda easy, then gets harder and harder to get better as you go along."
"That's the nature of martial arts," Soun said.
"Worst part's actually been getting used to getting up early. I don't get why we can't practice this after dinner."
"Because you're full of food," Ranma explained.
"Yeah, I guess."
Akane glared. "Funny," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "I thought you two were just working on the basics."
"We are," Nabiki answered. "Ranma doesn't want me fighting back, so this is supposed to help me get away. It's toughening me up, too."
Ranma chuckled. "Yeah, hitting the ground like a crashing plane will do that."
Akane rolled her eyes and walked away. She had planning to do, anyway. Nabiki sat on the engawa. "We done now, sweetie?" she said in her most saccharine tone. "After breakfast, you're supposed to study with me for your entrance exams, remember?" He nodded, a bit of dread visible on his face. Studying was not something that he was looking forward to.
The three Chinese residents of Nerima sat around the fire at their encampment. Mousse was grumpy, and the reason couldn't have been more obvious— he was being enlisted to help Shampoo get another man. It had been bad enough helping in that way when he still regarded Shampoo through starry, naïve eyes; now, he was question why he still wanted her at all, and that made him really wonder he was helping her find someone else.
Over the past few days, he'd been trying to answer that question. The answer used to be simple— do whatever Shampoo asked, because he loved her. But… every time he told himself that he loved her, it seemed false. It was like he was trying to convince himself, and failing. But what else was there? Some sort of loyalty to the Joketsuzoku as a whole? What the hell did he care? Men were second-class citizens to Amazon women. And the village… they lived in decent wood houses, but unlike Japan, there were no telephones, no electricity, not even running water. You got your water from a well with a bucket; you kept warm by carrying wood and building a fire on a hearth. And he actively working to return to that lifestyle? Was he crazy?!
He hung his head. 'I must been crazy,' he thought. 'It's the only logical explanation.'
Cologne peered at the two youngsters in front of her. ``Do you think you can handle this alright?``
Shampoo gave Mousse a sideways glance. ``I can. I'm not sure about shit-for-brains over here.``
If looks could kill, he would've ended his Shampoo problem right then and there.
Cologne also gave the girl a sharp look. ``You're the one I'm worried about, Xian-Pu. I can take care of this. You two are backup. You're there to make sure that the two of them don't run in the opposite direction. No going rogue, Xian-Pu. You lose your mind and attack, and the whole plan is blown. Got it?``
Shampoo nodded sadly.
``Good. We don't have a big window for this. We have to catch them together or we won't have a prayer of making this work. If we catch just the girl, son-in-law will likely tear us all to shreds. If we only catch son-in-law, the girl will have all of the ports and air bases on high alert before we even have a chance to leave. There's going to be a lot of time spent waiting and watching. Don't get restless.``
``Is Nabiki Tendo really that much of a threat?`` Shampoo asked.
``I'm not sure, but I don't want to find out the hard way. I'm getting tired of this country. I want to get this business over with and get back to China. I have no plans to grow old here.``
``You grew old fifty years ago,`` Mousse muttered. Cologne whacked him on the head with her staff.
``You two make some lunch. We still have a few hours of waiting. Eat, then get prepared. This isn't an operation to be taken lightly; we have to move a lot faster than these Japanese have ever made us move before.``
The school day came and went, and after a couple of hours, nightfall arrived. Akane sat at the desk in her room as the last of the sun disappeared behind the buildings in her neighborhood. She let out a shaky breath. 'Nervous' didn't even begin to describe what she was feelings about what she was about to do. She knew she was doing the right thing, and she knew that she wanted to do it, but that didn't do much to settle her.
She stood and turned toward her closet. It was time to start getting ready.
Ukyo took the noren down from the doorway of the restaurant, and hit a couple of light switches to turn off the lights and sign outside. There were still a few customers inside, but it was closing time, meaning that anyone who hadn't come yet had to wait for another day.
She padded back to the grill and stood at the grill pensively. Akane hadn't come around all weekend, though she seemed perfectly nice at school. It wasn't just that she was cordial, like she was trying to keep away; they were very friendly with eachother. Everything seemed normal— except that she never saw her friend after the end of the school day.
Maybe Akane didn't want to see her outside of school anymore…
She shook her head. She was thinking too much. After everything that had happened in her life, and the years she spent training to confront Ranma, she couldn't beat herself up for going for it. She couldn't hope for a good life if she played it safe all the time. She'd never lived like that before, and she wasn't about to start now.
The last customers stood from their table. She gave them a wave as the headed out the door. As they did, they passed someone entering. She was about to tell them that she was closing, until she caught sight of who it was— the very person that had been on her mind, Akane. And she was there in the flesh, quite literally, her legs extending from a rather short pair of shorts, way shorter than most people would wear at that time of year. It was cold enough that she was wearing a coat— she must have been showing herself on purpose, right?
Ukyo blinked. "Hey, Akane."
Akane gave her a shy smile. "Hey, Uuchan. I finished studying for the exams and thought you might want to hang out."
Ukyo blushed. "Uh, sure, I'd love to." She winced inwardly at sounding too eager. "Just let me close up. I'm so glad I don't have entrance exams to worry about."
"Yeah, you're way too successful to have to worry about college," Akane said. Ukyo's blush deepened at the compliment.
For the next few minutes, the two girls put the chairs on the table. Ukyo was more than a little distracted by Akane's appearance, especially after Akane removed her coat, revealing a tank top that wasn't much more modest than her shorts. She looked like she were dressed for the middle of summer. Finally, the closing was done, the doors were locked, and they headed upstairs. Akane lead the way, and Ukyo fought back a nosebleed as she followed.
They made it upstairs, and Ukyo rushed to turn the television on, though she hoped it would merely be for background noise. After all, if Akane was showing herself off, it had to mean she was happy about what happened last time. Surely she was trying to take things even further than last time. Why else would she dress like that in the winter?
Akane sat on the couch, and Ukyo turned to face her. "Give me one second," she said quickly, rushing from the room. She hurried to the furoba, passing Konatsu's room as she did. She could hear the sound of a television from inside— good. He was distracted. She made it inside the furoba, sliding the door shut and yanking her top off as fast as she could. She didn't know if anything was going to happen, but she was going to be damn sure that she was ready if it did.
Tossing her shirt and undershirt aside, she dug through the drawers in her vanity until she found the well-used item she was looking for— her scissors. In an instant, she got them under the tape around her chest, slicing through the layers with one motion. Biting her lip, she grabbed hold of the tape and ripped it off in one motion, tossing it the garbage as her skin momentarily burned from the action. Thank the Kami that she put pieces of paper over her nipples when she taped herself every morning— she might've lost one with that maneuver.
She threw her undershirt back on, yanking her shirt on and tying the sash as she headed back to her living room. Akane was still waiting patiently, and she settled next to her on the couch. That beautiful western-style couch… If Akane stuck around, she'd treasure it forever. If it turned out that Akane had come to rebuke her, well, it couldn't make it to the curb fast enough.
Akane's eyes flicked down as she noticed her friend's her now-unencumbered breasts. She smiled to herself, realizing she wasn't the only one letting things out.
Ukyo's heart pounded in her ears as she tried to think of her next move. After a split second of mental debate, she decided that bluntness was the best approach. "So," she said, "you're not very covered up for the weather. Didn't your legs get chapped in those shorts?"
Akane blushed a bit. "Nah. It didn't take me very long to walk here."
"Ah." They sat in silence for a moment. "It's still a lot less than you usually wear in the winter."
"Yeah, well… I figured you'd like the view."
Ukyo lit up like a Christmas tree. "So it doesn't bother you knowing that I look at you?"
"At least somebody does."
Ukyo turned serious. "Don't sell yourself short, Akane. I've heard the stories about the mobs at school. You're one of the prettiest girls in Nerima and every single guy here knows it."
"Wow… thanks."
She looked away. "So, are you… upset that I kissed you?"
Akane's blush deepened. "No, I didn't mind. Actually…" She took a breath. "I… liked it."
Ukyo's heart started pounding. "Really?"
"Yeah. Really." She nervously brushed her hair out of her eyes. "And, ah… part of the reason I came here dressed like this is… I was kinda hoping we could, y'know, do it some more."
Ukyo blinked, as Akane's words slowly filtered into her mind. She turned, and was met by the sight of Akane leaning close, eyes half-lidded. She didn't have to think twice. She put her hands on Akane's waist and pulled her close, their lips coming together.
The kissing started out slow, nervous, but after a moment, Ukyo felt Akane's breathing quicken and she took it as a sign that she didn't need to hold back. She slipped her tongue in, and Akane returned the gesture, letting out a soft moan that told Ukyo that things were going better than she could've asked for. She stopped for a moment, staring into Akane's eyes as they fluttered open, before laying back and yanking Akane down on top of her. Their lips crashed together again.
Laying down together quickly made both girls want to go a lot further than they were already, and the moans and grinding let each one know that the other felt the same way. Ukyo in particular, having done this before but not for a couple of years, was almost in desperation to feel another person's bare skin against her own. She pulled away and put her lips to Akane's neck, enjoying the loud groan that escaped the other girl. It was new territory for Akane, and she was momentarily surprised, only to lose her mind from the pleasure that shot through her from Ukyo's touch. She'd never been kissed there, after all— she couldn't have known how good it would feel when it finally happened. She jumped as one of Ukyo's hands found their way to her butt and gave her a squeeze, but she definitely didn't mind. In fact, at that moment, she felt more alive than she'd ever felt in her entire life.
Ukyo pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Whatever you're comfortable with," she said breathlessly, "I'm comfortable with. I would love to get you out of your clothes. I mean… if you're okay with that." Akane's response was silent but clear— in a flash, she sat up, grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and yanked it up and off, tossing it halfway across the room. A split second later, she was back down on Ukyo, who was already tugging at the sash to her own top.
Nabiki leaned on Ranma as they walked. They'd gone to the park as a means of relaxation after the two hours of studying. Ranma, usually overconfident about everything, constantly complained that he'd do bad at the tests, and didn't think he needed college, blah, blah, blah. Nabiki understood; after all, she was a bundle of nerves in the weeks before her own exams. And, while he he had a low opinion of his own academic ability, she thought the entire time that he was doing very well. If he didn't get test anxiety, he'd pass for sure.
The whole thing was taking her back to her own exams, but more specifically, to the part those exams had played in getting to know Ranma. The previous year, she was buried in studying for them when she had her first talk with Ranma. Over the next few weeks, as the exam date drew nearer, having him as a friend did everything to deflate her anxiety. He wasn't doing anything conscious to accomplish that, but still… her memories of their conversations from that time warmed her heart like almost nothing else.
Then, when she got her scores back, the whole family went out to eat in celebration. Typically, meal conversation with the family was minimal, with Kasumi asking a few casual questions of Ranma and Akane to get them to speak. This time, she and Ranma had a deep enough conversation that they nearly forgot about the others at the table. It was wonderful to be able to talk so freely to someone. Akane seemed a little miffed, but considering that she'd argued with Ranma earlier in the day, it was a bit understandable. Looking back on it, it should've been obvious to everyone where the real connection was, but people settle in their norms, and Ranma and Akane being the dysfunctional fiancés was just accepted as the status quo.
Ranma grabbed her by the arm and stopped her, just as an amused cackle drifted to their ears. Cologne hopped down from above, and the sounds of two more sets of feet announced Shampoo and Mousse landing behind them. Cologne grinned at them. "Nabiki Tendo," she said. "You've proven to be much more of an irritations than I would have anticipated. I dare say, you put up more of a fight than your sister." She chuckled. "I suppose I should concede that your style has some advantages over physical battles."
Ranma glared at her. "What do you want, old ghoul?" he asked warily.
"Why, you of course, son-in-law. The only reason I've ever been to Japan was to take you back to Nyucheizu and marry you to Shampoo, in accordance with Amazon law. But you've pushed my hand. I can't swoop in and take you, because your new choice of Tendos will have half of the JDF on me before I can even reach the coast. So, we're going to have to deal with you both at the same time. Don't worry, Miss Tendo, by the time you wake up, we'll be in China."
Nabiki reached up and wrapped her fingers around something that hung from her neck. The amusement was apparent on Cologne's face, as she studied the small black box in the girl's hand. "A charm of some sort?" she asked. "Am I really to assume that you think some trinket will help you? Why, you've never been one to buy into oddities; I doubt you'd even believe in Jusenkyo curses if you hadn't seen one with your own eyes."
Nabiki scowled, tightened her grip, ripped the object from its chain, and threw it to the ground. Cologne had been thinking along the lines of magical and cursed objects, like she saw in China. It hadn't occurred to her to think more Japanese, where electronics prevailed. Ergo, she failed to recognize an object that was far more common before cell phones— the personal alarm.
"Screeeeeeeee!"
The small black box let out an ear-piercing squeal. The three Amazons looked around, and Cologne didn't like what she saw. At least a dozen pedestrians stopped and stared. As she looked up, she saw more than one head poke out of upstairs windows, then dart back inside. She cursed to herself. Calls were being placed to the police for sure.
``We don't have much time!`` she barked in Chinese, and took a step toward Nabiki. The Tendo sister, however, remembered her training. She needed to improvise, and an idea instantly popped into her head.
"Ladybug!" she yelled, collapsing onto her back, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins. The other teenagers present stared in confusion, but Cologne recognized what she'd done— she'd blocked her pressure points. Sure, Cologne could pry her arms away, but it would take a few extra seconds, seconds that she didn't have. As if to hammer the point home, the sound of a siren roared from down the street. She looked over her shoulder to see two police cars, lights blazing, race around the corner and barrel toward them.
``Damn it!`` she hissed. ``Run!`` She sprinted away, with Shampoo and Mousse in tow. Shampoo struggled to catch her great-grandmother. ``Great-grandmother!`` she shouted. ``Why are we running? We can take a few police!``
``Police travel in packs!`` Cologne shouted back. ``If we knocked one down, another would call for backup! Hell, they'd probably send backup if a cop so much as didn't answer the radio! We could dodge a bullet. We could dodge a few of them. No person can dodge two dozen! Pick your battles!``
They darted between buildings and took to the roofs, heading back towards their encampment.
Above Uuchan's Okonomiyaki, the futon in Ukyo's bedroom was being used in a way it hadn't been used since the place had become occupied, with two naked girls catching their breath after doing things that were equally new to them. Akane lay against Ukyo, tossing an arm over her chest and snuggling against her neck.
Ukyo chuckled. "So," she said, "did any of that feel weird at all, or… do you like being this close to another girl?" Akane moved her hand to cup Ukyo's breast, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I do like girls," she answered. "Some of the guys I turned down used to make jokes about me being a lesbian… I never really let the idea of being with another girl enter my mind. And the huge crowds and then the engagement just kind of turned me off to liking anybody." She withdrew her hand and thought for a moment. "I'm no a lesbian, though," she said frankly. "I still like looking at guys, too."
Ukyo stared ahead for a moment, before a wry smile crossed her face. "Ranma was as good a pick for you as he was for me," she said with a chuckle.
Akane giggled. "Your three-way idea would've been perfect."
It was quiet for a moment. Ukyo turned to face her. "What do you think will happen with his other two fiancées?" she asked.
Akane shook her head. "I've thought about that. I don't think Nabiki knew what she was getting into. And now he's trying to train her to be a martial artist, and she's barely been exposed to it. I guess she fought off Kodachi, but it sounds like she got lucky. And Kodachi was never that big of a threat to start with. It's Shampoo that she has to watch out for."
"Are you worried?"
"I don't know if I should worry about her or hate her. This is all such a mess."
"And now two of Ranma's former fiancées are in bed together. We're not exactly making things any clearer."
Akane laughed and snuggled against her again.
Shampoo was in a full rage, throwing whatever she could get her hands on as hard as she could throw it. ``That whore!`` she screeched, sending a tree limb soaring. ``I'll murder that Japanese bitch if it's the last thing I do! This entire country is nothing but a land of retarded jackoffs! I will be so glad when I can finally get hold of Ranma and get the hell out of here! Gah!`` She threw a rock at the nearest tree, sending birds and squirrels scattering.
Cologne chuckled. ``We'll get him soon enough, child. I underestimated the Tendo girl a bit. I knew of her connections; I didn't realize how well she could plan around them.``
``Ya think?!``
Cologne gave her a harsh look, and she stopped, looking sheepish. Cologne continued. ``I always thought a lot of her game was sheer bluffing. I was wrong. She's got the police at the ready, and no doubt they're on high alert for three dangerous undocumented Chinese immigrants. We're going to have to be less proud and more sneaky. Something at night. But… I'm sure she knows her way around hidden alarms. We're going to have to observe a great deal, and plan very carefully.`` She scowled. ``I liked things a lot better when he was screwing the other one.``
Shampoo's eyes widened. ``Great grandmother! You don't really think he…``
``Figuratively speaking. Though if you're hoping for a virgin, I bet you'll be disappointed. He had a handful of her ass when I first spotted them walking. When you see people touching like that, it almost always means they're bumping uglies.``
She hopped away. Shampoo glanced at Mousse, and smacked him on the back of the head. ``And where were you during all of this? Your art is supposed to be hidden weapons! You could've tied them both up in half a second!``
``Not Ranma. He's never had trouble dodging me.``
She rolled her eyes. ``Then tie up the whore so that he has to rescue her. You know that! It's exactly what you did to the other Tendo when you first got here!``
``Yeah, whatever. I'll try it next time.``
She glared at him. ``Don't use that tone with me, Mu-Tsu. You're the idiot that followed me here. You've known for more than ten years that I will never, ever, ever marry you. So if you're going to keep showing up wherever I go, you'd better plan on helping out. You're an Amazon, too.``
``Don't remind me.``
Her tone was dangerous. ``What did you say?``
``Nothing, Xian-Pu. Nothing.``
She stood in front of him. ``If I ever suspect that you're no longer loyal to the Joketsuzoku, I won't hesitate for a second to break your neck and leave you to die on the ground. Do you have enough brain cells to comprehend that?``
He frowned, spun around, and walked off in the other direction. Insulted by his turning his back to her, she gripped her chúi for a moment, before calming herself. She needed all the help she could get; she had to try to string him along until they could get out of Japan. She briefly considered coming on to him in some form, then shuddered at the thought. It didn't need to go that far.