Ranma of St. Bacchus, Chapter 21

by Chaos Orchid
[] [] []

Girls. Girls! GIRLS: Surrounded by the feelings of hordes of girls! Hentai hordes!

[] [] []

A Gentleman Out of Fear

"I'm warning you! I'm warning you!" the naked boy with the yellow bandanna cried. He probably should have cried over how tightly he was holding surrounding his groin in his fist. "I have high blood pressure–I bleed!" He said this while trying to squeeze his nostrils together without using his hands.

"I'm a martial artist; blood don't mean much to me. Especially when its other people's blood," 'Ran' chuckled with a wicked grin.

"You're not a virgin?!(?)"

"Virgin?" She said, letting her knee skirt drop. Or drop as well as the tight elastic waistband allowed. She had to 'dance' it down her legs. "I don't know if I am."

"You'll bleed if you're a virgin! You'll have what they call an open wound!"

"A wound?" Her fingers stayed unmoving in the waistband of her panties. She thought about it. Then started pulling down her panties. "I probably can heal it."

"It never heals, I'm told!" The naked boy had his face turned away from her, squeezing his eyes shut. And something pushed back against the push of his strong right hand.

'Ran's panties stopped just before hard, more sensitive nipple-like thing surrounded by hot puffiness. The guy obviously was sincere. And…and she did feel an emptiness growing inside of her. The permanent wound? It was already bleeding or something in her panties and she hadn't even been wounded yet.

"I'm always afraid of hurting ladies! I'm too strong! I'm afraid I'll not just wound them, I'll break them! And, and if I did, I would have to marry them! It's the only honorable thing to do!" Man, the guy really felt all of that.

"Marry? You'd hafta marry me?" 'Ran' pulled her panties back up.

"Yes, of course, I would!" And he opened his eyes to look her directly in the eyes – and only in her eyes – to let her know he meant his saying, "I'd make a terrible husband! I'm constantly lost!"

"Aw, man." And she bent down and snatched up and on with her skirt in one move. "I ain't ready for a husband. Or to be travelin'. I don't remember why, but the idea of bein' on the road seems old and stale.

"But when you are willin' to take me on without those conditions, try me out: I won't break!"

"You…won't? Are you really a girl I don't have to be afraid of hurting?" He really wanted–needed–to believe that there was…somebody for him.

"Now, let's get off this rooftop," she said, putting her hands on him. But only to lift him.

The roof access door slammed open: "Yamada Ran!" Mami, Ikko and Koko nearly exclaimed at the same moment. Of the three, party girl Koko was the most upset. She was even more ticked off at the boy-stealer than Shitsū and Tantō, pushing them forward from behind. Katai only hurried so she wouldn't be shoved by the horde girls behind her .

{A mere touch. Their first touch. Curse met curse. The coldest drew out the warmth of the kindest. Magic flowed. A wish was fulfilled. And a dark magic space was opened. And…}

The girls only had a glimpse of the naked boy before he became clothed: Black waistband over buckskin shirt; pants so worn they were no long black; leather laces over lower legs, but martial arts slippers, tai chi slippers. Even more confounding for him was the traveling pack he now had on his back.

Unlike the girls, 'Ran' didn't question it. It was an opportunity: "Stay away from him if you don't want to him marryin' you." She looked up at the even more confused boy. "You will make the girl marry you for takin' away your honor, won'tcha?(!)"

"Uh…, yeah. Sure. that's what I said. And the word of Hibiki Ryōga is a pledge and a vow," he rotely said without thinking.

"Heh, heh!" 'Ran' chuckled, seeing this as a win in strategy. {Curse had met curse. Ran now would have more consideration of others. Not as much as Ryōga, but more than s/he had before. And Ryōga would have less. And, oh, Ran would be more of a water magnet than the poor guy…but it was only really to activate to make the girl appear: the Curse! Useless while s/he was a girl.}

She put him on her back and, saying, "Keep your feet up," she leaped off the building!

The girls all ran to the rampart and looked over.

They saw the redhead with the French braid waving good-bye to the boy as he ran away from her and the school of very unlady girls.

[] [] []

(She) ran screaming for the front gate of the St. Hebereke security wall!

In a disgusted panic, (she) didn't see the attacks coming! (She) was knocked off (her) feet by a gymnastics ball; (she) was hit– hard –on the back of the head by sparring gloves; (her) legs were snagged and bound by a gymnastics ribbon; as (she) was on the ground, trying to untangle her legs, three girls threatened her with gymnastics clubs. And these were supposed to be her teammates.

"I don't wanna marry! I'm not ready to marry! I don't wanna do what guys and girls do!" And (she) broke into sobs, "I ain't re,ready~"

"Well, that has worked out better than we feared," Yuna said, retrieving her glove-tipped arrow.

"Hear that, girls?!" Junko, holding a threatening, explosive ball, told the assembling horde. "Ran wasn't running after the boy!"

"But she wanted to…once." Mao waved a hand side-to-side in front of her nose. "Hormone monster."

"But common sense won out!" Noa of good American puritan stock said.

"I wouldn't call it common sense." Yuko undid the ribbon with a snap of her wrist.

"She looks more senseless," laughed Tantō. It wasn't pretentious.

"Now Mami has no rival!" said the girl who claimed to be the most beautiful of all.

(She) was still babbling, lost in (her) daymare!

[] [] []

(She) finally reconnected with reality in the school infirmary. (She) was alone. Except for Kasumi-san. "Too bad my cousin, Dr. Ōno Tōfū lives in Nerima. But I have read a great many of his books. I believe I have applied the correct acupressure treatment. You should feel relief from your trauma.

"Though, it may only be temporary. I am an amateur, after all. I suggest you receive shiatsu treatments. I can give you my card to introduce you to my cousin."

To 'Ran' it was like waking up from only a nightmare. Though, her mind knew it had really happened! "I, I, …"

"My, of course you did!" she smiled. "You're a teenager! What I hear happened happened to most all who saw the naked boy. You have nothing to be ashamed of. As an individual. As a group…. That is another matter. You know you and they will all have to be punished."

"Yes," (she) bowed (her) head in acknowledgment. Honor demanded (she) be punished. Especially as others like (her) were to be as well.

Honor also meant (she) owed (her) gift of scholarship to at least attend the classes. "Uh, is it time for English class?"

"My, no! Too many of my students skipped class. The rest are in study time so I may be here with you. I have signed the consent form and you will not have to attend Ichijō-sensei's Japanese History. Ryōma-san completely understands. And you will be assigned a class that is not Home Economics." Then she sighed, "It's Matsushiba-sensei who doesn't understand. You will have to attend cram class and Nintai-san will probably punish you worse than she did yesterday, I'm afraid."

"Hot, hot water?" (She) stress started rising up near panic level again.

"An alternative punishment, I'm sure. We know you are allergic to hot water. Nintai is only cruel to be kind."

Taking pity on the poor girl, she thought to at least make her look better for others. Appearances are so very important in Japan. "Here, let me fix your braid. All the activity has loosened it."

'Ran' didn't have the fire to refuse this gentle woman. And while (her) hair was being put back into the places Yuna the beautician had originally put them in, (she) asked, "Why the French braid? I mean, you and Matsushida and a few others have it."

Kasumi-san chuckled in a way that had no humor. "Kunō-sama Kodachi insists we have them. They mark us as being one of her 'Special Projects'."

" 'Special Projects'? …! That's right, I heard I 'm supposed to be one, too! What does it mean!?"

"It means we're part of her psychological warfare project." Before 'Ran' could ask, Kasumi-san held up her hand to halt her, "The only one who may understand what the Black Rose's plans are is Matsushida. And she won't tell us. She may even be her advisor."

Ominous. So, was Kodachi wanting to buy her all the dresses and skirts and blouses and shoes and everything else a girl would like to have to be feminine part of that plan? Or did she really have a crush on (her)?

(She) shuddered and trembled. (Her) feelings towards the Black Rose were, for the present, similar to the ones (she) had for Hibiki as (she) had run in disgust away from those feelings. (She) had to– had to!– escape from the overwhelming Reservoir emotions flooding into her throat by the hentai horde of girls! They had almost drowned the real (her)! Comparing the personalities of the two though, only Kodachi's made her want to puke!

Yes. He, Ryōga?, was more considerate. The most considerate person (she) had met since wakening in this school. Perhaps…ever? "Kasumi-san…. Uh, about the permanent wound…"

(She) was interrupted by the school bell. That was all Kasumi-san heard, "I have to go to my next class. You should be well enough to leave the infirmary, Ran-san. But I don't recommend you go anywhere those that do have to attend classes can see you."

[] [] []

'Ran' didn't feel like going back to (her) dorm room. Most of the main classrooms were on the second floor, though there was another annex for other homerooms and things that hadn't already found a place in the main building. And the gym, fields and theater probably had some classes scheduled at this time.

It was time to explore.

Or make another escape attempt?

That would be an act of cowardice! There was only retreat and reassess a battle and then renew the attack!

Really? Just how much of a bujitsu attitude had been trained into her? It really would be simpler if (she) just quit and go somewhere else. Fūrinkan? That's what Mao had suggested. Where was that again?

The lure of regular, even dangerous, martial arts battles kept (her) inside the gates. For now.

(She) knew where the beauty salon was. (She) knew where at least one of the public girls room was. (She) knew where the private public bath was.

Sniff! (She) needed shower! Like before now. (She) didn't know why (she) could have gone this long without having to clean herself in a shower. It probably had to do with martial arts techniques (she) didn't remember. But the results of run-in with the 'Hormone Monster' wasn't included in that techniques.

Well, uh, it should be safe, probably. All…most(?) all...of everybody who knew about boy Ran should be in their classes.

[] [] []

"Who's there !" challenged the runt ninja sitting on a shower stool and wearing a blindfold. As soon as his semi-ninja-sharp senses had told him somebody had entered the public bath, he had covered his manhood with a tenugui towel.

"Aw, man! You again!"

"Yamada-san Ran? Is that you?"

"You know only girls are supposed to be in here!"

"I have my regulation blindfold on! And the regulations are set by my mistress, the Black Rose Kodachi of 9-Abilities, Ltd! Legal owner of this school!"

"Aw, I don't feel like arguin' or fightin'. Keep your blindfold on and I'll take a shower." (She) added, with a sigh, "A cold shower."

(She) was back to being the nudist (she) seemed to prefer being before (she) asked, "Why does Kodachi want to buy me clothes! All a girl needs, right?!"

"As a loyal retainer, I have sworn allegiance to the Kunō clan!"

"If you keep your blindfold on, it'll be that much easier to beat the truth out of you."

"And if I take off the blindfold?"

"I'll beat you up worse ! Just how good are your healing techniques?"

[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []

NOTE:

Ryōga has a case of Harm OCD, a phobia. A case Ran(ma) inadvertently offers to help cure. But ONLY because (she) is overwhelmed by the raw boy-hunger in the all-girls school. And afterwards? What happens when the REAL emotions of Ran(ma) return!?

Ryōga was lost in metaphor in "the open, permanent wound". Ran(ma) was still just too naive about gender and sex and wonders if the sincere guy was is right. It is more than just (her) poison-induced amnesia; (she) was still in deep denial over what is happening to her. One (she) doesn't understand how to control, yet.