5. DISORDERS
"Morning, guys !" greeted the braided boy, stifling a yawn as he got to his table spot.
A concert of 'good moring' followed, even from Soraya, although both "siblings" didn't get along too well.
Several days had passed since the fair's events… since Ranma had told his female half to stay away from him. And the two barely had talked to each other since then : the red-haired female was mostly neutral to him, while the black-haired male showed real contempt. One was basically indifferent, the other hateful.
The worst was of course meal times, when the "brother" wanted something particular – specific food or condiment – and that, upon realizing it was located just beside his "sister", he asked one of her "neighbours" to hand him the desired item, just to avoid talking to her.
That morning wouldn't prove any different : after copiously yawning, Ranma looked around for the soy sauce, and spotting it right in front of Soraya, he asked :
"Kasumi, could you please hand me over th-""
"Here you are" casually said the Red Pigtail as she calmly set the soy sauce container next to him.
It was the first time she was obliging him, used that she was to let others extend their arms to catch stuff she could easily have handed over to him.
But this time, she was just tired of that little "ignoring game" of his.
He silently stared at her.
She stared back just as silently.
"Thanks…" he ended up grumbling.
"My pleasure…" she equably answered.
Ryoga put his chopsticks on top of the rice bowl and sighed.
"Ranma, Soraya, wouldn't you just bury the hatchet, once and for all ? I know you both have strong tempers, but –"
"But this is none of your business, Pork Butt." Ranma… butted in.
"Stop being so damn insulting !" the petite female lashed out at him.
By way of answer, he merely shrugged and let out another yawn, longer this time… but while it added to previous yawns, and seemed a proof of his tiredness, it wasn't completely sure whether he maybe did it just to imply she was boring him.
"How many times will I have to tell you that you go to bed too late, Ranma ?! No wonder you're that tired in the morning !" Akane told him off.
"Yeah yeah, I know, I know… but if I go to bed early, I just can't manage to sleep !"
"Ok Son, but then you're exhausted in the morning… and how will you focus on martial arts or studies, then ?" pointed out Genma.
Ranma yawned again and started eating fast, to catch up with his delay.
They ate in silence for a moment, and the only notable thing was Soraya asking for more rice and finishing every grain of it, eventually stating : "Man, I'm stuffed !"
This had Nabiki chuckle.
"Eh ?" wondered Ryoga.
"She's stuffed…" the mischievous sister repeated, grinning.
"Oh, come on !" the redhead playfully screamed, grabbing her bowl and pretending to throw it at Nabiki, who guffawed, under the amused gazes of the girls.
Soun and Genma blankly stared, sweatdropping, a fly slowly flying above their heads, while Ryoga raised a brow and Ranma pinched his nose.
"Well I'm pleased to see you eat with that much appetite, dear Soraya !" exclaimed a pleased Kasumi, joining her hands in front of her chest.
"The more I'll stay in this house, with Kasumi spoiling us all, the hungrier I'll get !"
Little did she know that it was about to become a sad truth…
(…)
The small red-haired girl managed to intercept once again the shot and wasted no time running from her team's defence area to the adversary's part, dribbling several players who all ran after her, before passing the ball.
Two passes later, Soraya received the ball under the basket and immediately sent it above her head… earning 2 more points for her team.
"Waow, you're on fire today !" marvelled Akane, smiling brightly at her friend.
"Yup, I'm full of energy ! At the top of my game… pun intended !" replied the redhead.
The black-haired girl laughed, and they both got back in the game.
After 10 minutes, the pigtailed female had scored twice more, including a three-pointer that left her teammates AND opponents speechless… and admiring.
The game ended shortly after, and while almost all students were panting, all sweaty, Soraya calmly drank a bit of water and savoured a chocolate treat.
"We all have red faces and feel tired, and you are only red… in your hair !" Nabiki complained. "You're still fresh, as if you hadn't made any efforts !"
"Yeah, how do you do it ?! Where do you find all that energy ?!" asked a baffled Akane.
"Jeez, I don't know. But I feel just great. And all that whetted my appetite…" replied the braided one, as she finished her chocolate bar.
A few classmates passing her by cast compliments :
"Well done, Soraya !"
"Yeah, great game ! I hope you play in our team next time !"
"Can you help me train to play better ?"
She was about to reply when she spotted a long-haired girl looking at her… and turning away to leave when their gazes met.
She hurriedly caught up with her and placed herself in front of her.
"Ucchan, wait, please !"
"Don't call me that."
The redhead was visibly shaken by the curt tone and her face crumpled from the shock.
This in turn somehow affected the cook, who continued on a less severe tone :
"Unless you really mean it, and sincerely consider me as a friend of yours, that is."
"Of course I do ! It's not because I try to protect Ranma's and Akane's couple that it implies I've become an enemy of their former suitors. But I simply want you and the others to understand that these two really love each other, no matter how much they bickered in the past, and I kindly ask you all – Kodachi, Shampoo and you - to respect that. I mean, I can even beg, if I have to !"
Ukyogave a brief small smile then her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I do. I mean, I haven't got any other choice, have I ? If he doesn't love me back, then so be it. But we can still be friends, him and me, it's better than nothing."
Soraya put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I want the two of you to remain friends, no matter what. You need each other, being so close since childhood. And a long-lasting, powerful friendship is almost as wonderful as an intense love, honestly."
Blue eyes locked with blue eyes, and another smile formed on the lips of the spatula master. But a bigger and more lasting one.
"Thanks, Soraya. I guess I misjudged you. Okay, you have a temper, I noticed that, but I think you mean well. And you're right, I must respect their love. Let's move on together, alright ?"
The Red Pigtail put her arm up, hand open for Ukyo to grab.
"Friend ?"
And Ukyo did grab it, both hands squeezing each other.
"Friend !"
They both smiled nicely.
"Did you reach some agreement or what ?" Nabiki asked as she spotted their position, hand grabbing hand in a typical 'striking a deal' gesture.
"Kind of…" the chef replied with an enigmatic smirk.
"Right, now let's go check the menu ! I'm staaaaarving !" screamed Soraya, rubbing her belly.
Akane couldn't help wondering about that great hunger of hers though, and about that incredible energy she displayed.
(…)
But other people were in a worse mood…
"Hey Ran, you're not eating your sandwich ?" asked a concerned Hiroshi.
The concerned party grabbed a bite of said sandwich.
"I am, as you can see…"
"Ok, but you eat pretty slowly today. In fact, it almost seems that you're forcing yourself to eat. Am I wrong, Man ?" said a no less concerned Daisuke.
"Not very hungry…"
The voice was slow, idle… tired.
"You feel down because of your perf' during the match, eh ?" inquired the light-brown-haired friend.
Ranma, didn't answer, but his sporting performance was indeed what accounted for his current blues and poor appetite.
Well, that and the tiredness caused by his lack of sleep.
Objectively, the latter was the root cause of the problem, because it had induced a tiredness that stretched across the day, and notably caused that poor performance of his during their football match, which in turn affected adversely the boy's mood and therefore appetite.
"I didn't score. For the first time since I began playing football with you guys, I didn't score any goal. And my shots and passes were not accurate enough. I play much better than that, but today, I just…"
He left is sentence unfinished, absent-mindedly biting off another small piece of his lunch…
What he did not tell his friends though, was that he had experienced slightly blurry vision two or three times during the game, when he had the ball and was running towards the goal, and those brief moments of weakness could obviously also be explained by his lack of sleep. He had chosen not to mention that to his friends to avoid their worrying for him.
He felt bad enough without getting pity.
As he distractedly chewed, his stare lost in the vague, he failed to notice a group of girls approaching their group of boys.
"Hello Ranma ! How was your football match ?" immediately asked Akane, thinking that he had at least got his act together during P.E:, which was his favourite school activity.
But when he looked at her with a dull look – is he tired or sad ? – she knew that the answer couldn't be positive.
"Not that great. I wasn't in a good shape today, and didn't even score a single goal. That's not my day…"
"Oh, my poor Ran-chan ! I'm sorry for you !" Ukyo sympathized. "Next time will be better, for sure. But you look pretty weary…"
"You definitely should go to bed earlier, Ranma-kun !" lectured Nabiki.
He was dismissive of her comment, and as he looked around, he noticed that a certain someone was missing (although he certainly wasn't missing that person !).
"Where's my adorable sister ?" he ironically questioned them.
"Well, she said she would get herself something else to eat after finishing her bento… probably her dessert…" explained Akane.
"Please pinch me…" the incredulous voice of Ukyo slowly said, her gaze turned to the left.
They looked at her, then in the direction she was staring at… and goggled as well.
"Soraya ! You ate a full bento… and still buy a sandwich afterwards ! You're THAT hungry ?" half-screamed Nabiki, not believing what she saw.
"Yesh !" she replied, mouth half-full.
Ranma wasn't in the mood for annoying… yet he couldn't resist :
"Who's gonna get a fat ass…?" he mischievously asked in a pleased voice, striking contrast with his previous dull tone.
She stopped chewing and looked him in the eye…
…then hurriedly swallowed to be ready to "bite back" as quickly as possible :
"But YOU, of course, dear Bro : coz when I'll have kicked your ass often enough, it'll be aaaaaall swollen !"
"We'll see who'll get a good ass-kicking… Dude !" he retaliated, using her signature insult against her.
She narrowed her eyes at him, forgetting her sandwich for a few seconds.
"That's my line, cowboy… and, as for your challenge, I'm ready whenever you want ! We'll see who will teach the other a lesson…"
He frowned… while smiling at the same time. A nasty, scheming smile.
"I'm not in top shape today, but how about later this week, one evening ? On Wednesday evening, for instance ?"
She smirked no less dangerously.
"You've asked for it, Bro…"
And, sinking her teeth into her sandwich, she ferociously ripped the bread apart, like a wild wolf eating its prey… still alive.
(…)
"Hey Beauties !"
The female foursome walking home in the slowly declining sun turned as one to the left and spotted a trio of (pretty ugly) teenagers.
"Is that us four you're addressing in such a subtle manner ?" Nabiki mockingly threw in a smooth voice.
"Yup, 'xactly ! You four stunners !" said the same guy, a muscular pimply teenager standing in the centre of their hormone-driven little gang, and which the girls identified as the leader because he spoke first and was a little ahead of the other two.
"What do you want with us ?" growled Akane, asking it out of mere reflex, although she actually was not the least interested in the answer.
"Walk you home, of course. Streets are not safe, y'know…" he continued.
"There are bad boys around, girls…" another one pointed out.
Soraya's lips bent upward.
A little bit of exercise before dinner, to whet my appetite… Perfect !
"Yeah, bad boys… I see three of them, and I think they'd better get the hell outta here is they want to be able to walk tomorrow morning !" she announced aloud.
The silly smirks opposite immediately vanished, replaced by gritted teeth and frowns.
"Coz you'd be the one giving us a beating, busty babe ?" provoked the leader.
She cracked her knuckles with the same confident smile.
"That'll be fun…" she coolly said… before launching forward like a deadly little rocket !
The ringleader of the trio did what too many chauvinist and violent boys usually did : he put his arm back to gain momentum then threw it forward with as much strength as possible, to deliver the most devastating punch… yet the petite female easily dodged that ungainly move and gracefully jumped to deliver a powerful leg blow to the side of his head.
The macho braggart was immediately cast away and collided hard with a nearby wall.
"Grace and precision, together with real technique, will always have the upper hand on blind violence !" she joyfully announced.
"We'll see, really !" almost yelled one of the other two as he threw himself forward and started punching on and on, certain he'd hit her…
…yet she continuously evaded his fists, and after a moment's cat-and-mouse play, she got bored of it and delivered an impressive uppercut to his chin, sending him flying backwards and landing harshly three yards further.
"Well, we did see, for sure !" she snickered, now akimbo.
"I'm gonna settle the score with you, loudmouth !" warned the third one, who ran to her and cast his leg this way and that way, alternating with fists… of course to no avail. She effortlessly avoided any of his miserable attempts at a serious fight, and the "audience" watching their little "show" did find the "skills" of those three teenagers absolutely laughable.
As he launched a circular punch, she suddenly dropped in front of him, her right hand balled into a fist, and sent the later into his stomach with full force.
The guy let out a terrible gasp of pain and surprise before collapsing forward.
Turning around and quickly taking in her surroundings, she could notice that the leader was trying to get up, but being all wobbly – the hit against his ear had troubled his balance -, he could only vaguely stand for a few seconds before falling again, that the second one was holding his chin and part of his jaw with a clear wince, and that the third one was curled on the floor, a grimace of pain misshaping his features.
"Want another round ? I'm ready anytime !" Soraya stated loud and clear.
None of them could or wanted to reply, and after several minutes, they all cleared off with their tails between their legs, without further ado.
Soraya crossed her arms as she smoothly smiled in their direction… then turned around when she heard a general clapping behind her.
And indeed, all spectators of the fight were now applauding her – mainly girls, but also other boys - and congratulating her for teaching them a good, memorable lesson.
"You got rid of them in one hit each !" marvelled an impressed Ukyo. "I had no clue you were that strong !"
"Yes, that was impressive !" added an admiring Akane.
"I've never seen anyone win that easily, not even Ranma ! You'll end up stronger than him if you train well !" concluded Nabiki.
They all heard someone clear their throat and easily guessed who did it.
"Well, thanks a lot…" Ranma said.
"Oh, come on, admit I did great, Bro !" Soraya boasted, grinning at him for once.
"Whatever… I wanna go home, I feel pretty pooped…" he replied dismissively.
He started walking away, but the cheeky redhead couldn't help it and shouted : "Don't forget we agreed on a sparring session sometime this week ! You'd better train hard, I tell ya !"
He merely waved it off, and there was something slightly worrying in seeing him walk slowly, and hunched… him who generally remained straight, sticking out his muscular chest, which gave away his male pride about his confidence in his outstanding martial skills.
Akane's eyes followed him until he had turned the corner of a street.
He seems tired… or weak. That's not the usual Ranma. I'm not sure he would have been able to give these guys a beating, like Soraya did.
And while many were now captivated by the Red Pigtail's strength, she on the contrary was focused on the Black Pigtail's weakness…
(…)
In the next days, Ranma complained that he still had a hard time getting a decent night and that, even if he had finally decided to bed earlier, he didn't sleep much better for all that.
But what had become more alarming is that he ate less and only continued to eat if others insisted, mostly Akane and Kasumi, but also Genma, who was now clearly worried for his offspring.
"Martial arts require a lot of energy, Son ! And to get it, you must have enough food in your body ! You won't be able to train hard if you nibble that way !" the panda-man repeated.
"You're right, Saotome !" always agreed Soun. "No little eater was ever a strong fighter ! You have to finish your plate and make sure you eat your fill, Ranma !"
And so, the boy reluctantly continued to take in this and that, although he honestly didn't feel like eating more, and always left food in his plate, even the smallest amount.
Soraya, on the other hand, ate with appetite… an almost insatiable appetite, actually, as she always asked some extra rice or fish or any other available food item.
And she surprised the whole family one day when she asked :
"You're sure you don't want to finish it, Brother ?"
Her chopsticks were pointing at his plate, containing still one third of its initial content.
"No…" he said with a sigh, his chin set in his hand, eyes half-closed (it wasn't certain if he felt tired or bored, but perhaps a mix of both).
"Okay. Can I have it then ?" she asked with visible hope.
"Soraya, I know you love my cooking and have a good appetite, but… I'm not sure…" started Kasumi, not knowing exactly how to continue.
"Well, if he doesn't want to eat it, why couldn't I have it ?" she replied, somewhat puzzled, before turning to him : "So ?"
"You're gonna get fat if you keep eating, and no one will be willing to marry you…" he teased her, a mischievous smile on his tired face.
"Who said I wanted to get married anyway ? I just wanna make the most of life !"
And since he still didn't answer her, she swiftly snatched his plate before he could even move.
"Hey ! Who told you –"
"You're not eating it !"
"Soraya, please, don't be impolite to your brother !" intervened Soun.
"But he didn't answer me while I had asked twice if I could have it !" she protested, before putting more and more food into her mouth.
"You sure make a pretty pig-headed couple of siblings…" remarked Ryoga, one eyebrow raised.
"…said the actual pig-headed one…" joked Ranma, seizing that opportunity to annoy his former nemesis.
The Bandana Boy made a pout, then smirked as an idea formed in his mind.
"How about a little battle in the dojo, this evening ? I challenge you !" he proposed.
"Challenge accepted !" replied his long-time rival with a suddenly alert smile, his tiredness temporarily "vanquished" by the prospect of a fight. And against Ryoga, no less... one of his most powerful adversaries !
"Someone will get a free lesson…" Soraya said with a nasty smile before picking the last bits of food and pushing the empty plate aside as she rubbed her full belly, finally sated, under the incredulous looks of the family…
(…)
Ranma couldn't believe it.
He was losing against Ryoga… and rather badly !
Sure, the Lost Boy had clearly improved in his martial arts skills… but there was something more.
"Why don't you give all you've got ?! You're not fighting seriously ! I know you can do better !" complained the pig-boy.
"I can ensure you that I AM fighting seriously !" retorted the former girl-boy. "But I don't have as much energy as usual !"
"Listen to Akane and go to bed sooner !"
Upset by the remark, Ranma leapt in direction of Ryoga, leg extended, but missed him again… and couldn't avoid the side punch coming his way. He was cast away by the force of the blow.
"Ranma-kun is below his usual level. Is it really because he's tired… or is there something else ?" wondered Nabiki as she looked at Akane.
"It's certainly fatigue.." replied her younger sister. "He's clearly tired these days, so I assume it just that. But it's bad enough, and seeing him land that few hits is disappointing… and worrying. Then there's also his difficulty to avoid Ryoga's attacks : he's usually nimble and can easily escape others' blows, yet he often gets punched or kicked … as if he couldn't avoid it !"
Nabiki nodded, visibly concerned as well, and returned her attention to the battle, just in time to see Ranma crash against a wall with a wince of pain.
"Ok, let's stop for tonight. You're not at your usual level. Get more sleep and we'll try again… one of these days." Ryoga told his long-time rival.
"No, let's continue. I'm sure I can beat you ! I'll just take a short break and –"
"…and you'll lose again."
Both boys turned to see Soraya behind them, one hand on a hip.
"No offense, Brother, but you're out of shape. And frankly, that's sad. I was considering proposing you a fight against me, as I feel in top condition, but if you're having already enough difficulty against Ryoga, I don't think you'll make it against me. Next time, maybe."
"You think I can't beat you ? Really ? Well, we'll see ! Bring it on !" he exclaimed.
"Come on, be reasonable, Dude."
"Don't call me THAT ! And get your ass here, show me what you've got !"
She frowned.
"Mind your words, cowboy. I'm not your ordinary chick, so be careful. And let's leave it for another time, seriously. You're not in the best condition to fight !"
He felt offended that she considered him as… weak, was it ?
And then... he got an idea. The kind one shouldn't get, but... too late !
He knew how he could make her fight, even against her will.
"And what will you do then, instead of fighting me ? Go eat some more, like the piggy you are ?"
She flinched yet didn't reply, but her gaze darkened some.
"True, you have to feed that tapeworm of yours, he's quite hungry and demands so much food… right ?"
Her jaw contracted.
"Let's stop this conversation here and now. Before it gets out of hand." Soraya calmly said, although that calm was only apparent.
"You're going too far, Ranma !" Ryoga warned him.
"What got over you ?! Stop that !" Akane screamed, feeling always more tense.
"Come on, Ranma-kun, don't be that mean !" added an irritated Nabiki.
Ignoring all of them, he decided to provoke the redhead the best he could, using an intimate topic this time.
"Oh, no, wait, I think I've got it : you're stuffing your face so much because you're pregnant ! That's why you need all that food ! That's it, uh ?"
"Ranma, you're crazy or what ?!" indignantly shouted Akane, but he didn't even turn his head in her direction.
The eyes of the pigtailed female had widened and she visibly breathed heavier, deeper, through her nose, as her mouth was closed and her jaw as contracted as possible… just like her fists.
"Don't listen to him, Soraya !" exclaimed Nabiki. "He's provoking you to make you lose your temper and thus force you to fight him ! He doesn't mean what he says, it's just a trick to make you react !"
Ranma's lips stretched into a vicious smile, the boy dismissing that intervention and focusing on his "prey".
"Oh, but I forgot : to get pregnant, you should first get laid, and WHO in the world would be willing to bang such an ugly –"
A shout of rage, terribly loud and animalistic, filled the dojo as Soraya abruptly rushed at Ranma, her teeth bared, as her humanity had temporarily vanished, replaced by sheer animality driven by an intense anger.
Fast as lightning, she incessantly moved around her male counterpart, alternating between attacks and parries, easily dodging most of his punches and kicks and delivering her own, which each time hit their target. He therefore mostly missed her, while she almost always got him, which made it a pretty uneven battle.
Akane sensed that her fiancé couldn't hold this infernal rhythm for long and therefore shouted : "Soraya ! Stop ! Please stop ! It's too much !"
The redhead immediately ceased her redoubtable "dance of war"… and Ranma collapsed heavily, face first. Rolling onto his back, he remained there, panting deeply, as she towered over him, arms crossed, a stern expression on her features.
"You're not measuring up, Dude. Didn't I tell you we should have left this battle for another day ?"
Trying to catch his breath, he didn't even bother to answer, while Akane ran to him, Nabiki slowly following, clearly worried as well.
"Ranma ! Are you alright ?" the third sister quickly asked as she kneeled by him.
"I wish I could continue that fight, but… I'm exhausted…" he told her as his panting decreased.
The second sister was frowning, clearly displeased with the situation.
"Two defeats in a row… Pretty bad evening for you, Ranma-kun. Maybe you haven't been training enough lately, and therefore lost some of your skills. Honestly, I feel sorry for you. But on the other hand, I'm also pissed at you for provoking Soraya in such an insulting manner. You should be ashamed of yourself !"
He shook his head.
"I wouldn't lose my skills that quickly. And this is more serious : I almost couldn't touch her, while she hit me every single time. That's weird as hell !"
He had of course willingly ignored her reproaches to focus solely on the martial arts topic.
"You probably haven't trained enough, that's true, and haven't been getting enough rest !" criticized Soraya, who uncrossed her arms and took a step in direction of the boy, before adding : "You used to have a terrible nature, character and behaviour, lacking regards to others and even being insulting, like you have been earlier to me, but you were at least respectable for your outstanding martial qualities. But today… today you also lost that, and what's left to respect in you then ? It's very disappointing, but mostly very sad and regrettable."
Her face expressed more sadness indeed than anger, and she did explain why :
"I was mad at you earlier, because of how you talked to me, and part of me still is… but I feel mostly disappointed and bitter when I see you, the best fighter around not so long ago, become suddenly inaccurate and weak. What a pity."
And the Red Pigtail turned on her heels, ready to leave.
"Wait !"
She turned half of her body – head and chest – towards her "male half".
He was standing back up, Akane trying to help him the best she could.
"I don't want... your pity... and I'm… not weak…" he stubbornly said ,with effort given how badly beaten he had got.
She snorted, but in a gentle way, not a snarky one.
"I'm sorry, but… you are. Yes, Ranma, you are weak. And that's sad."
It was the first time she called him by his name. Too bad it was in such a negative context…
Soraya slowly walked away, exiting the dojo without a look behind.
"Maybe Ranma's skills have… decreased some, but I have to say I was impressed by Soraya's energy ! I didn't know she was that powerful ! She's like the new Ranma !" admitted Ryoga.
That last point earned him a disapproving grunt from you-know-who.
But that got Akane thinking…
He's right : Soraya is slowly but surely getting more powerful, perhaps even reaching Ranma's best level. Hence his calling her 'the new Ranma'. Her incredible energy must come from her eating more and more… but what triggered that change ? Why is she suddenly so hungry ?
She remembered her fiancé's provoking line about Soraya being pregnant.
Yes, that could be a reason indeed, all teasing aside. Yet she didn't think that was the root cause : after all, Soraya and been with them most of the time and hadn't shown sign of any crush or any excitement, so a pregnancy was highly unlikely.
So where did this greatly increased hunger come from… ?
(…)
The days went by, but not for the best, unfortunately.
Ranma showed less appetite and claimed he still couldn't sleep, which resulted in his getting lean and dark spots appearing under his eyes, the latter now regularly half-closed… when not totally closed, but when they shouldn't have been : during lessons, when he couldn't resist and took a nap on his desk.
It didn't occur during every lesson, but still regularly, and the consequence was always identical : bucket-of-water-holding in the hall… which tended to also yield another "sleep attack", even in standing position, with the bucket loudly crashing and the teacher telling him off.
The same problem taking place on a regular basis, Ranma was summoned at the dean's office, and after the talk that ensued, it was decided that the boy should take a leave from school and get medical assistance to solve the issues regarding his lacks of sleep and appetite. Once the doctors would deem him fit enough, completely cured, then – and only then – he could get back to school.
"But that's going to delay my studies a lot ! I'll have a tremendous amount of things to catch up with once I'm back to school !" he complained one evening, as he was lying in the grass of the Tendo garden, with all girls sitting nearby and the setting sun casting long shadows all around.
"Come on, Ranma, it's for your own good ! You can't stay like that, and can't study properly in your condition !" advocated Ryoga.
"He's right, you know !" agreed Nabiki, before voicing the crucial point : "You must get examined !"
"It's for your own good, dear Ranma." Kasumi contributed.
He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, before taking a look at Akane, sitting right next to Soraya… who was eating an ice-cream.
"If I have to go, will you come with me ?" he gently asked.
Her attitude got sterner.
"You have to go ! And yes, of course I'll come with you !"
"Thanks."
"I'll come along too" announced Soraya, briefly interrupting the savouring of her frozen treat.
His eyes widened immediately.
"Ah no ! No no no ! Not you !" he hurriedly protested.
"Come on, Brother, I'm also worried for you. I know our relationship isn't great –"
"T'yeah !"
" …but I'm sincerely worried for you as well !" she finished, for once not scolding him for his interrupting her. "You look terrible and you've lost most of your strength. You lost again Ryoga, me, your father, Ukyo… It can't go on like this !"
He pinched the spot between his eyes.
"Thanks for rubbing it in…"
She made a pout.
"I'm just stating facts ! Not trying to push your head underwater, if that's what you think !"
"You're gonna ruin the day with your spiky remarks, if you come…"
She crossed her arms with a huff.
"I can be nice too ! Come on, I wanna come with you and Akane ! I wanna know what's going on and how he can help you !"
He was opening his mouth to protest again, but was silenced by Akane's intervention.
"If she promises to behave –"
"I 'romise !" Soraya immediately said, her mouth half full of cone and ice.
"Eat first, talk after…"sighed Nabiki, before adding : "And stop stuffing your face at all time !"
A grumble from the smaller girl.
"As I was saying : IF she promises to behave…" repeated Akane, her eyebrow slightly trembling "…then she can accompany us. Is that a fair deal to both of you ?"
Busy licking her treat, the redhead merely gave a thumb up.
As for the blackhead, he rolled his eyes, deeply snorted with exasperation and ended up reluctantly nodding.
"I love it when you're all agreeing like good friends !" Kasumi joyously said.
They all turned to her and gave her a long knowing stare... while sweatdropping.
(…)
Dr. Tofu listened intently to Ranma's heartbeats, then put the well-known Velcro armband around his right arm to check his blood pressure, before looking into his eyes with a kind of tiny flashlight… and ending up by giving the boy a plastic vial for an urine sample.
The tired boy felt his face heat up as he took the small container, and he quickly glanced at the two girls.
Akane sympathetically, encouragingly smiled, while Soraya fought to hold back her laughter, finally winking at him.
With a vague frown at her, he turned around and walked to the toilet to do his little business.
Once he had had handed out the vial to the doctor, the latter told the trio that they should come back around 5 p.m. for the results, which left them a few hours free.
"Hey, how about we got some of those crepes at th-"
"Not again !" Ranma cut Soraya. "God, you can't remain without food for even a couple of hours or what ?! You sure there's no tapeworm or baby in there ?"
He was pointing at her belly…
…and was "rewarded" by a hard knock on the back of the head !
"Cut it out, dumbass !" she coldly spat.
"Hey ! Do that again and you'll see !" he retorted, his tiredness temporarily tamed as he angrily stared at his female version.
"Say that again and you'll see !" she retaliated.
Akane quickly put her hands up.
"Okay, okay, time out ! Let's not ruin the day, shall we ?" Turning to Soraya : "I don't want to eat anything, neither does Ranma, I'm sure… and YOU should really loosen it about food ! You can't keep on swallowing stuff at any time of the day. You're gonna get fat in no time !"
The redhead put a hand on her hip as she walked on.
"My body hasn't changed, in case you didn't notice. I haven't been getting any plumper, despite all that I've been eating lately ! Only my arms became more muscular, as I got stronger… but I certainly didn't get fat !"
"Ok, but you might later on…" remarked Akane, before thinking about that strange fact : that surprising girl getting stronger – and beating every challenger lately… - yet not fat, despite all she swallowed in a week.
And poor Ranma who, as for him, continued to lose weight…
He didn't eat that much, while she was continuously on food.
The exact opposite.
Just as with their energy : she was gaining more of it, he was losing more of it.
Polar opposites.
That's when it hit Akane.
Her eyes opened wide, and although she continued to walk, she nevertheless felt frozen, paralyzed…
(…)
"Ranma, the results of your analyses are… worrisome, to say the least." Dr Tofu somberly told is young patient. "Your blood pressure is too low, your cardiac rhythm is a tad too slow and there's a lack of proteins in your bloodstream. I prescribed you a stimulant that should favourably influence your heartbeats and blood pressure. But you will have to follow the dosage, of course."
He handed out a document bearing the product's name, the doses and the frequency of use.
The doctor saw the three teenagers out, and as they were walking together, he marvelled once again at seeing both forms of Ranma together at the same time : "It's really peculiar, and I wonder how their split could have happened in the first place…"
There was a short silence, none of them willing to mention the evil siblings who had attacked and cursed Ranma, then Akane said : "Well, anyway, they both want to remain separate, independent… and that would be nice IF those two got along better !"
"It's her fault !" Ranma immediately claimed, his thumb directed at Soraya, who instantly raised a brow and made a face.
"Yeah right… As if !" she slightly scornfully replied, snorting dryly.
Akane rolled her eyes, then let both Pigtails walk out first, deliberately staying behind… and then, determined as she was to get to the bottom of her thoughts, she whispered to the practitioner :
"Doctor Tofu, do you think it's possible for energy to be transferred from one person to another ?"
"I've never heard of it. Warmth, yes, but energy… not that I know. But perhaps it's possible and I'm not aware of it. Why do you ask ?"
"Hey, Akane, you coming or what ?" loudly asked Soraya.
"Yeah, just a minute !" Then she looked at Tofu Ono and smiled… a small, reassuring smile hiding away her worry. "I… was just wondering, that's all." He observed her cautiously, and the smile shifted to nervousness. "Thanks for your help, have a nice day !"
He wanted to ask her more... but she quickly hurried away from him before he could add anything and get to understand what was on her mind.
Once they were on the way, the redhead eyed the black-haired girl.
"What were you two discussing about ?"
"I was asking him if he thought Rama would soon be out of the woods, and he replied he should be if he followed the dosage instructions."
She hated to lie, yet she didn't want her two companions to know what was on her mind…because she knew they wouldn't like it one bit.
Come to think of it, she didn't like it in the first place.
In fact… the more she thought about it, the more it frightened her… to no end !
(…)
(…)
Perhaps you see where this is going… do you, guys ?
You know, I recently posted the first two chapters of this story (I had written four chapters and a half when I chose to start publishing) and was very cross at FanFiction for changing the appearance of the text of the uploaded documents : the symbols I used between parts had been removed from the text, and the story title almost completely erased from the top of first chapter… I had to rework the documents of those two chapters quite a few times for FanFiction to finally accept them. How great… :/
Anyway, you see that there are disorders related to energy and strength, with one character gaining much of these while another one loses them gradually. What can that mean and imply ? What were Akane's doubts related to ? What does she suspect ?
Remember that Os and Kay want to get revenge, and that they did curse Ranma... but how exactly ?
Answers will come eventually... just be patient and keep trying to guess... the knot will be undone gradually, but perhaps that the outcome will be so dark that some will wish it hadn't been solved... that the threat wasn't brought out into the light...
My gratitude to all those showing interest and support, your good vibes fuel my motivation, and i can't thank you enough for this. Blessed may you be !
Take care, and be happy, happy, happy, now and ever again !
Till soon !
) Léo (