Ranma of St. Bacchus, Chapter 26
by Chaos Orchid
[] [] []
"Women are weak because in their hearts they wish to be defeated!" some idiot panda once said in a dream that included a Chinese Amazon.
[] [] []
The Art of Losing a Date
The girls were disappointed that the athletic hunk in too loose clothing did not strip. At least the thought of doing it overloaded his sense of propriety and shut him up for a few minutes.
'Ran' though was thinking of something else about him. If (she) had known anything about kendō, (she) didn't remember it now. Still, (she) felt compelled to analyze this Kunō guy's stance. It seemed like it could be an effective as a starting stance. (She) thought (she) would understand it better once he was using it, putting his wooden sword in motion.
Fujishima-sensei came up behind her, "This is Art Class, Yamada-san. You are not being an artist."
(She) had the impulse to tell the teacher (she) was an artist: A martial artist. But (she) didn't. S/he picked up the blue colored pencil. Again (she) had an impulse. If (she) made it a weapon, would the kendō samurai use his bokken to fend it off? How dangerous of a throwing-weapon could (she) make it? Natural MĀRG was all about finding ways to turn anything into a weapon. And if there was a guy (she) wouldn't mind hurting….
Okay, he was blowhard idiot who still thought being a samurai meant anything and that was probably because he had money enough to keep himself in his fantasy world above reality. And power enough for school security to let him, a boy, walk freely in this girls-only school. Those were reasons enough for (her) to dislike him. But here in Japan that made him (her) senpai better.
What made 'Ran' really resent him was how hot the girls were for him. Just because he was tall, dark and handsome, their heat radiated into (her) own* girl bits! (She) – short, red and cute – didn't want to feel them any more than (she) had to! (She) had actually felt them less while (she) was lusting after the naked Ryōga. At least then, they all fired equally at the same time, smearing the details in (her) blood-deprived brain!
So, the thought of hurting him went straight to (her) sex! (Her) boobs and buttcheeks were stretching (her) sports undies, becoming larger! No! Think of something else! Think of art!
As the artists' model, Kunō-sama was supposed to be still. He couldn't be. Recovering, he was demonstrating the basic stroke of the Japanese fencing technique, over and over. It was obviously the kata drill he did every day and often. It helped him regain his emotional footing. Now he had difficulty keeping his mouth still, "...As a true samurai, I, the titular heir and, in fact, the present head of the Clan Kunō, must preserve our revered heritage! This I have accomplished as you all can see in my perfect form…" ("It is," Mami and others sighed.) "...Of course, this is but one of my abilities. 'Kunō ' can be and is written as "Nine Abilities"!"
"I'm impressed," Fujishima said. But she said it to Ran. "This is a good effort at modern art! Such rhythmic, flowing lines mixed with staccato strokes!"
"Huh?" (She) had let (her) body do the moving, giving no real thought to what (she) was doing. Looking at it while not doing, (she) saw a scrawl. It had two colors, blue and red. They jogged something loose from (her) subconscious: the blue was the 'Blue Thunder' and the red was (her), the 'redhead'. (Why (she) had mentally put 'quotes' around her nickname, (she) did not know. Maybe to match those (she) put around Kunō's?) "Oh, I know what I was doing. I was in a sparring match with him."
"So, did I hear the braided girl correctly and she desires to spar with me(?)" the kendōist said, stepping down from the platform and approaching the easel.
This did not sit well with the rest of the class, and many got out of their seats. The teacher was quick to hold up painting of an up arrow. The girls took the warning and seethed. But they looked for an opening.
Kunō stopped very close to the (her), though a long step back, far enough to be looking down from his greater height past (her) red hair and bust and onto the large sheet of paper with interplaying colored lines. "I dare say you have indeed captured the essence of sword play exceptionally well in the blue line . Though, I would say the red line lacks the finesse."
"That's because the red line follows the moves of an unarmed martial artist!" And they were not as flowing, because (she) had checked the moves when it felt like (she) was ready to go in for the winning blow. The idea of winning against him excited (her) too womanly much! Again, (she) blamed it on her* emotional energy being now unfortunately connected with the other* girls. They had overwhelmed (her) Reservoir safeguards this morning, and now many of them were still down. Or maybe it was because of the shiatsu treatment Kasumi-san gave (her).
…But didn't the majority wish to 'win' by 'losing' to him? Yamada 'Ran' refused to lose – Especially like that! When sane, what (she) did with others' emotional energy was up to (her!) (She) flipped the script! (And had no idea femdoms existed.)
Kunō misunderstood (her) art, "I can perceive that, now. As representation of unarmed sparring, it does not require finesse."
The redhead tried to hold (her) temper back, "You have never had a sparring session with a well-trained, unarmed martial artist, then(!)" (She) hopped off the stool to confront him. It was a mistake; (she) was now a little shorter. He had to be more than 30cm, 12" taller than (her)(!) Grr, short, red and cute!
"Oh, though she is small, she is fierce. Then I accept your challenge. And is it not standard procedure to set the terms of a wager in order to motivate? This, then, is mine: If you defeat me in combat, I will date with you!"
"Let's just say, I won't date you."
"Only if I win against you, will I have to forfeit the date. That is the only condition not already claimed. And I refuse to cede mine, where I to lose to you."
"Like I'm gonna agree to that ! You'd lose just to date me!"
"I am a noble gentleman of honor. It is a great loss that I will be unable to prove that on the field of battle. But I accept your loss."
"Hey! I, don't, lose!"
"Then you will spar with me until the question of our date is decided(?)"
"If 'Ran' doesn't want to fight you for a date, I will!" Ikko volunteered.
"If the Morals Committee will fight, the Morale Association will fight, too!" Koko said.
This sparked other girls to also challenge Kunō to a fight! Even Mami, though she said to anybody listening, "The beauty of Mami will win him over!" Only to frown seconds later, "Do I have to fight him just to get him to notice me!?" He wasn't listening to her, too.
Noa was glad the samurai swordsman wasn't paying her any attention. He was, in fact, fixated on her French braided roommate. 'Ran' certainly stood out from everybody else, but was there a specific trigger?
"Have you no competitive spirit?" Kunō asked. "Will you allow the vile rumor blossom that you so feared being bested that you dared not enter the fray for romance?"
"I ain't interested in no romance! And…" (she) turned to the girls in her eyesight, "...they all know I ain't afraid of nothing!"
"Except for one thing," Mami chuckled villainously. And it sounded like others had the same thought.
"Brother ' Dear '!(!)" Kodachi said, entering the Art Room, pulling the much shorter Sasuke by his ear. "You know our agreement specifically states we are not to invade the other's territories, yet here you are!"
"I'm sorry, Master!" the little ninja tried to bow. But couldn't, "Ow(!) But Mistress made me inform on you!"
"I came only to assure the Good Ladies here that there are still gentlemen left in the world. Not all men wished to vulgarly expose themselves before them!"
Kodachi's eyes shot down at face at the end of her fingers. "Ow! Ow! I'm sorry, Mistress Kodachi! But I didn't want to be vulgar telling you about the naked pervert. I know how you feel about such matters! (You did set the rules severely limiting males in the school.)"
"So you told my brother, instead! Unforgivable! I order you tell me whenever there is a naked male roaming the campus!"
The ninja must have thought that there was a way to turn pencil into dangerous throwing weapons, because he paled when he saw the class threaten him with theirs. Most of the girls were members of the MĀRG team. "Yes, Mistress, as soon as I see a naked boy. I will be sure to tell you in the future." The loophole was big enough for the pencils to be lowered. And some stools.
'Ran' wondered if the girls wanting to protect (her) secret from outsiders would be enough to protect (her) from hot water. Just seconds ago, they seemed ready to spill it just for a chance to date tall, dark and handsome! But knowing Kodachi was his sister was cooling their arousal. Or was that only (her) own sex?
"As for you, Brother, you can leave and return to that hovel called Fūrinkan and your would-be courtesan, Tendō Nabiki! Or is it Akane? I forget which."
"You'll care once Master is married –Ow!" Sasuke cried at a particularly violent tug. It was a wonder he wasn't deaf by now. Ninja healing techniques?
"He has challenged us to a battle!" Koko spoke out. Others agreed. Though not as forcefully.
"I challenged the vivacious braided girl, first!"
Kodachi looked disdainfully (with just a trace of a twitch) at the redhead. "Curse me for giving you a scholarship. You are my Dear Brother's type."
"I don't wannabe his type!"
"Then learn the lessons this school offers and stop being a tomboy! Both of the Tendō sisters are and he can focus on no one else!"
"Actually, only Akane-san is violent enough for Master's taste." Sasuke squeezed his eyes closed, now. "My poor ear(!)"
But Kodachi released her physical grip on him(!?) To the others, she said, "It is gym time. As the captain-general of the Martial Art Rhythmic Gymnastics in this school, I declare that today's exercise shall be in Natural Martial…" , "MĀRG!" "...Gymnastics! The goal shall be to drive this intruder off campus! Let's show him the violence he craves!"
"The goal is to be the first girl he loses to!" Ikko declared.
"He did say if he lost, he would date!" Koko smiled.
"Emergency!" Fujishima-sensei yelled! Ceiling panels came up and ropes came down. Down slid the anchisukiru security squad, their electric prods on! The teacher ordered, "Leave, Class! I won't have you destroying my art room!"
"A Kunō does not retreat!" he declared and treated their prods as if they were kodachi – short swords, not his sister – his bokken could skirmish with! They were skilled, deflecting his strikes and keeping hold of their lighter weapons. "Ah, ha! Your weak and tamed lightning has no effect on my wooden sword!" And he was skillful as none of the six got past his bokken and touched any part of his body. Barefoot as he was, the shock would have defeated him!
But he wasn't prepared for an assault from another source. "Look!" Mami warned. And others saw the danger, too, "That guard is a woman!" , "What if she zaps him?!" , "What if she's not married?!" , "We can't let him lose to her!" , "It has to be one of us! "
The anchisukiru had to hold back as the young man was stealthily but quickly surrounded by girls. He was so much taller than the girls that he still, though awkwardly, swung his sword over their heads. And even though the guards had retreated closer to the ceiling, he still attacked their ropes. Being persistent was his basic strategy. The girls weren't ready to risk putting their hands up in front of the sword! They asked themselves, "What now?"
"Aw, man. Isn't it obvious?" 'Ran' told them. Kodachi ground her teeth in frustration! The redhead was the last person she wanted to win over her brother!
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []
NOTE:
The girls already have an idea of how blinded by his obsessions Tatewaki is. But the boy-hungry girls don't care at the moment if tall, dark, handsome, athletic is. And they face loveless, arranged marriages in the future. Having to marry into the Kunō fortune shouldn't be any worse than other ones. But it would be. The clan is an outcast because of its history of, uh, 'eccentric' escapades.