Ranma Half Moon chapter 22, An Unconfident Audition!

Author's note: This episode fits in around the same time frame as Sailor Moon episode 20, "the swimsuit episode" (not dubbed for American TV). In this episode, the Sailor Warriors visit a far off bed and breakfast where they battle a ghost and provide fan service.

Author's note: I now have a fiction press site for non-fanfiction stuff. If you want to check it out, do a search for "resop" at the "fictionpress" website. My story is called "A Dream of Roses". It is about a group of blossoming young girls who are giving it their all for an opportunity to shine brightly as professional wrestlers in Japan.

"A goldfish is flying up in the sky, is this possible?" Minako, in her pajamas with her hair down, sings to herself while washing her designer bra in her sink. Tomorrow is the big day for the audition. With this bra, I will finally be able to beat Mio Kuroki for a role!

Minako hangs the bra out on her porch to dry and walks back inside and closes the curtains. Suddenly a shadowed figure moves past like a flash of lightning, only pausing briefly on Minako's porch to steal the bra. The shadowed figure, revealed for a mere second, is small but definitely different from the other small shadowed figure who stood before the cauldron.

...

Ranma-kun waits in the park where the first Yoma Monster attack occurred. I don't know the name of the girl that Tuxedo Kamen was using as his decoy, but I do know that the girl uses this field. Maybe it is her way home from school?

"What is future husband in park doing?"

Ranma-kun jumps a little. "Shampoo, you startled me."

Shampoo frowns. My future husband is this lacking in awareness? "Shampoo mad. Boy-type Ranma need to train harder."

Ranma-kun scratches his head in annoyance. While Shampoo is cute, she was too dangerous a martial artist to take lightly and too unpredictable to keep with me on a stakeout. "Why are you here, Shampoo?"

"Shampoo see boy-type Ranma from work, want to say niihao." Shampoo points to her Grandmother Cologne's Chinese restaurant.

I didn't know it was this close to the park. "Thank you, Shampoo. Niihao to you, too. But, won't the ghoul miss you if you're gone too long?"

"Boy-type Ranma right, must leaving." Shampoo hurries back.

Out of the corner of Ranma-kun's eyes he sees the mysterious girl. "Show time!"

...

Minako feels miserable. The audition took four hours. I danced, sung, modeled and done skits, but nothing that I did really felt good enough. I really miss that bra.

"Minako-chan!"

Minako jumps a little at Mio's annoying baby voice. "How do you think you did, Mio-kun?"

"Mio-chan will win. Mio-chan always wins. But, you will also win. I think."

Minako looks gloomy. "I don't think so." Why does Mio use that stupid baby voice? She never sounds or acts like that while she auditions. It's clearly just a put on gimmick that she does. How annoying!

"Turn that frown upside down. I'm sure you'll make a great Wapiko."

Minako turns up her nose and turns her head. "Humphda!"

Mio smiles to herself. Minako is in for a big surprise.

There was a stirring among the people who were auditioning. "They're bringing out the decisions."

Soon a huge crowd develops in front of a bulletin board where they post the results. Mio stands away from the crowd.

Minako is about to join the crowd, then eyes Mio suspiciously. "Not interested in the results?"

"Mio-chan already knows who won. It's obvious!"

Minako rolls her eyes and joins the crowd to muscle her way up to the front to take a look.

Mio giggles to herself. Of course I know who won Minako-chan. I brainwashed the judges myself.

Minako makes it to the front. Her eyes double in size. "The part of Chitose Fujinomiya will be played by Aino Minako. The part of Wapiko will be played by Mio Kuroki."

Minako fights her way back to Mio. "Tough luck, you're talking to the new Chitose-san."

Mio fakes surprise. "That can't be true. You're just lying to get me to go into that pushy squeezy smelly squishy mob."

Most of the people walk away from the bulletin board.

"Check for yourself."

Mio walks over to make sure that the results were the same as the ones she brainwashed the judges to make.

Mio walks back. "Congratulations, Minako-chan, we will star together. I guess I need a challenge." Mio sticks out her tongue, faking being surprised.

Minako grabs Mio's hands. "Mio-kun, the past is the past, let's work together to make this a show that will never be forgotten."

Mio smiles and nods.

Minako walks off to go home.

Mio giggles to herself again. Minako-chan, if nothing else, you'll remember this production forever! Mio does the evil anime girl laugh.

...

Ranma-kun arrives back at the Tendo dojo. He finds Nabiki in the study. "Hey, Nabiki, are you any good at forgery?"

Nabiki gives Ranma-kun an incredulous look. "Ranma, would there ever be any doubt?"

Ranma-kun pulls out the letter that Makoto had left with Akane. "I need a letter similar to this."

Nabiki looks at the letter and smiles widely. "Ranma, I seem to be rubbing off on you. This looks deliciously evil. I'll do it for free. Who should I make it out to?"

Ranma-kun quickly remembers following the mysterious girl to the Osaka Jewelry store. It was still open and Ranma-kun had mingled and heard one of the other customers call Naru by name, and then heard Naru call the store owner mother. A quick trip to the back of the store confirmed the name Naru Osaka as the second name on the mailbox.

"Make it out to Osaka Naru. Tell her to meet Tuxedo Kamen by the fountain by the Cherry Tree Park after school. Tell her I will be hiding, so call out for me by my real name. And, sign it Tuxedo Kamen."

Nabiki has tears in her eyes. "Ranma is joining the dark side. I just have three more people to sign up before I get an iPod."

Ranma-kun shrugs. That Nabiki is sure a strange girl!