Forcibly United
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Chapter 3
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"Aiya!" Slapping her forehead in disgust, Shenhua grabbed the red-clad idiot's friend and dragged him clear of the fight area. The Taiwanese woman knew just how Revy got when she was in the mood for a fight. At least she could bring one of these morons to Chang.
Speaking of morons, she hauled the bandanna-clad young man face to face with herself.
"What the hell you doing? You no listen to instructions when say don't cause trouble?" Shenhua spat, cursing herself for sounding like an idiot with her broken English. The much-suffering look on the youth's face spoke volumes. "What, he like this all the time?"
"Yes," he growled, glaring across the bar at his friend. The brunette blinked at the tone of his voice. That had sounded... bitter. Really bitter, even compared to the bitter people she knew here in Roanapur. That was pretty impressive.
"Stupid friend going to get splattered by Twinkie! How I explain to Boss Chang?" The woman growled to herself, turning to watch the fight.
"I hate to say it, but that woman with the guns is probably going to get knocked flat on her ass," the boy at her side finally said, watching the fight with a bored interest as he crossed his arms.
"What? No way! Stupid bitch very fast with guns. Idiot boy not going to live past tonight," Shenhua informed him gravely, shaking her head at the waste.
"Wanna bet?"
Before she could respond, a glass crashed to the floor and Revy fired. The fight was on.
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As fast as thought, Ranma tilted his head as he saw the woman's fingers tighten, actually hearing the whistle of the bullet pass his ear before he heard the boom of the gunshot. Wow. That had been loud. Really loud. Maybe this hadn't been the smartest idea.
He instantly banished the thought. As good a shot as she was, the slowpoke hadn't even managed to keep up with the speed he'd moved his head.
"I thought you'd finish this in one shot?" The pigtailed boy asked teasingly, grin wide on his face. If anything, the manic grin on the woman's face only grew at the missed hit.
"And I thought you'd take my gun away from me before I had the chance to fire a second?" She retorted far too cheerily for a woman pointing a loaded weapon at someone's head. Ranma conceded the point with a nod.
"Stop it, damn it, you'll wreck my bar!" The bartender's voice cried in anguish from behind the wooden protection of his counter.
"He's right, y'know. If we go all out, we'll probably wreck the joint," Ranma said reasonably, glancing around the establishment. He slapped the bottom of a fist on the palm of his other one as an idea struck him. "Tell you what: You hit me before you run out of ammo in that thing, I'll apologize for insulting you. You don't hit me, you admit you're a clumsy tomboy who can't shoot worth beans. Sound fair?"
"You got a deal, kid," the woman growled, adjusting her aim. "What's your name, you little punk? Mine's Revy."
"Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes," the pigtailed boy said grandly, bowing slightly. His eyes flickered to her gun. "So, uh... How many shots you got left in that thing?"
"Fourteen," Revy said with a smile, before reaching under her other arm and drawing an identical pistol, which she leveled at him as well. "This one's still got the full fifteen, though."
"That's just fifteen more chances for you to miss me," Ranma informed her bluntly, stretching once. He tilted his head toward her. "Well, shall we?"
The table behind Ranma was furrowed with a gunshot as he twisted out of the way of Revy's answering shot, scattering the pint glasses littering the table and spraying the men hiding underneath with glass. Her third and fourth shots found the far wall and a wooden support beam, drawing an even bigger grin from Revy as she brought her other gun to bear.
"Man, are you always this slow?" Ranma yawned, finally drawing an irritated growl from his opponent.
"Kid, you're just making my victory so much sweeter," the brunette snarled in reply, taking a step towards him and squeezing off two more shots which he narrowly avoided. "Maybe I'll even leave you in good enough condition to make that apology you promised me."
"And maybe one day your ass won't look fat in those shorts, but I generally don't worry about things that ain't gonna happen," Ranma said smugly, ducking and then leaping right over the woman as she fired a series of seven shots at him which traced a line of bullet holes across the ceiling. "So close."
Four more shots hit the other side of the wall, a fifth hitting a pitcher of beer and drenching the gunslingers hiding underneath. The pigtailed boy glanced at the table worriedly for a moment, ducking under the shot she tried to put in the back of his head, before turning back to face her as he danced past another shot.
"So, are you going to pay for all these drinks you're shooting? Because seriously, I'm not getting punished for your bad aim, tomboy," the blue-eyed youth noted, grinning at the interesting shade of deep red her face was approaching. He jumped as five more shots hit the ground at his feet, using a nearby support beam to deflect himself from the final flurry of shots she tried to lace him with while he was vulnerable in the air.
"You're out," Ranma said confidently, relaxing as he stood to his full height.
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Crouched at her table, Eda looked at the red-clad boy with a speculative eye. Dodging that many of Revy's shots took a hell of a lot of talent, and if his friend was even half as good, the two would no doubt find themselves top billing at the best jobs Roanapur had to offer.
Well, one would.
Pity the pigtailed idiot couldn't count properly.
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"No, I'm not," Revy informed her opponent, squeezing the trigger and expelling the last shot in her pistol. She'd noted early on that the boy was counting the shots by watching her fingers pull the trigger. Well, except for that one he'd had the balls to dodge with his back turned.
So while she'd been firing one of her last barrages, she'd pulled the trigger on her empty gun once, shooting no bullet. That left one in her chamber.
Revy was feeling kind: It wasn't the boy's fault he was a moron, so she'd aimed for the shoulder. Unless it deflected into a major artery, he'd be able to give her her apology and then go get himself stitched up.
The boom of the gun spitting its last passenger echoed in the bar.
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Ranma's eyes widened, and he traced the aim of her gun to his shoulder. Too fast for him too twist his body out of the way, she'd already pulled the trigger. He yanked his arm up at the last instant, the bullet deflecting off the jade armguard and shattering a bottle of rum where it stood on the bar.
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"He deflect fucking bullet like that?" Shenhua spat, turning her gaze to the bored young man at her side. Ryouga chuckled at the surprised look on the woman's face. "No, seriously. How he do that?"
"He's just really, really fast," Ryouga told her simply, uncrossing his arms. He walked over to Ranma and slugged him in the shoulder. "Quit showing off, you jerk! C'mon, we've got to go meet Mr. Chang and get these stupid things off our arms!"
"Sure, Ryouga. Just something I gotta take care of, first," Ranma said with a solemn look on his face, walking up to Revy, who was staring at the boy expectantly. He stopped in front of her for a moment, and they both eyed one another silently. Finally Ranma got an annoyed look on his face. "Well?"
"Well what? Where's my fucking apology?" Revy spat, hands still clenching their guns and resting on her hips. "I hit you right in the arm, you stupid shit!"
"What are you talking about, tomboy? You didn't hit me, I deflected your bullet. Time for you to admit what a tomboy you are," Ranma told her, gesturing with one hand. "C'mon, let's hear it. I got places to be, lady."
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"Someone should do something," Rock noted quietly, standing along with Dutch and Benny.
"You're right, Rock. Benny, grab Revy," Dutch told Benny, staring at the new confrontation brewing between the pair. This had the potential to go sour very, very quickly. The blond American shot the large black man a dirty look, spreading his hands.
"Do I look like an idiot, Dutch? You grab her," Benny spat, eyeing the two in the center of the bar as the silence grew more and more oppressive, the smell of potential violence growing stronger with every second.
"You're right, I'm sorry. Rock, make sure Revy doesn't flip out," the black man finally sighed, shoving the young man forward a step. The Japanese guy turned his head and shot him a look that screamed 'you're fucking kidding me, right?' before turning back to the confrontation and noticing the dangerous way Revy's hands were shaking.
"Fuck it," the young man groaned, lurching forward.
Thankfully for Revy's pride, the guy in yellow grabbed Ranma at the same time, starting to drag him off.
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"Get back here with my fucking apology, damn it!" Revy yelled at the pigtailed sissy as his boyfriend dragged him off. She shoved an elbow into her partner's ribs, eliciting a grunt of pain which did absolutely nothing to loosen his grip on her. "Rock, let me go! I can't reload my guns, you asshole!"
"That's the point," Rock admitted weakly, struggling to maintain his grip.
"C'mon Ranma, leave the psycho alone!" The punk with the bandanna said, dragging the protesting boy with him as Chinglish led them out of the bar.
"Psycho!? I'll make you eat your bandanna for that, dipshit!" Revy snarled, twisting and trying to stomp on Rock's feet. Unfortunately, a solid year of keeping her more or less out of trouble while they went drinking had long ago clued the poor bastard in to that simple trick. "Rock, I'm serious! Let! Me! Go!"
"Dutch, Benny, help me with her!" Rock cried plaintively, dragging her away from the retreating duo a step.
"See, you're acting like a tomboy right now! Why don't you just admit it!?" Ranma called mockingly, managing to get a grip on the frame of the door before finally being dragged outside.
"I'll kill you! I swear to God I will!" Revy howled, still fighting with the man she worked alongside. The bastard's grip was weakening and one of her arms was free!
"Guys, she's getting loose! Help me, damn it!" Rock cried, wincing as one of Revy's guns nearly pistol-whipped him as she thrashed around.
"No, that's your own fault for stepping in. A man should know when it's safe to step in and when it's not," Dutch told the younger man, grinning at the evil look he got in return.
"You'd better cover my medical bills when she gets loose, Dutch!"
"Rock, I swear I'm gonna kick your ass!"
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"You fucking stupid? Twinkie gonna kill you next time she see you," The red-clad woman warned Ranma as they walked to her car. Ranma flashed her a grin.
"Nah, everything'll be fine. She'll have calmed down by the next time I see her, and so she'll be willing to admit that I'm right and she lost," the pigtailed boy pointed out reasonably. Ryouga flashed him a startled look. "Hey, what's that for? I'm right and you know it!"
"Body so fast, mind so slow," Shenhua muttered, opening the driver's door and getting into the car. Ryouga just scowled at Ranma and piled into the passenger seat, leaving Ranma to get into the back. Glancing in the rearview mirror as she started the car, the Taiwanese woman flashed him a sad look. "She not one to forgive. You gonna get shot next time she see you."
"Nah. She didn't seem like the type to hold a grudge," Ranma informed her. He grinned at the startled look on the woman's face. "Look, anybody who gets mad that easily can't really hold a grudge that long, the way I see it."
"Yeah, it's not like I held a grudge with you for five years or anything," Ryouga mocked from the front seat.
"Yeah, welll... Shut up!" Ranma scowled.
"I be glad when you Boss Chang's problem," Shenhua muttered to herself, driving away from the Yellow Flag.
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Author's Notes:
Ah, a rivalry is born. This chapter could have been a bit longer, but I feel it stands on it's own as is. Besides, I *know* I'd get a staggering amount of hatemail if I didn't put the Revy/Ranma fight scene up as soon as it was done.
For those of you wondering why Revy didn't just fire in the middle of Ranma's little speech, it's because he's proven that he's got a little trick which interests the fighter in her. Much like Ginji's ability to cut a bullet in half, Ranma's ludicrous speed has Revy genuinely interested in a more or less fair fight, unlike the poseurs who she'll just shoot.
The hardest part of writing this chapter was finding a way for Ranma and Revy to not only fight one another to their limits, but for neither one of them to actually lose. The "draw" of Ranma deflecting Revy's last bullet was a good compromise, I think, which will just fuel their mutual dislike of one another.
I want to make it clear here that while Ranma and Ryouga are badasses, Revy, Eda, Shenhua and everyone else are all badasses as well (except maybe Rock) and it'd be crappy of me not to give them their due. Hence why Ranma didn't just win straight out. Besides, Revy was able to beat a guy who cut a bullet in half, so Ranma's not entirely out of her league.