Ranma of St. Bacchus, Chapter 27
by Chaos Orchid
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"Beware of somebody who wants to lose, yet fights to win! Once they give up the fight, they will change. And not for the better."
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Kunō Wins a "Date"
Even though he was hemmed in by the girls, Kodachi's brother kept on trying to strike the guards! Shorter by 30cm, 12", 'Ran' easily slipped under his upraised arms. (She) chopped his wrist; he lost his sword!
Though without the temporary use of his hand, he immediately hugged (her) to him. This surprised the squishable cutie!(!) How could (she) had not been on (her) guard against this?! It should have been obvious to any girl*, right!? "I have lost to you: We must date!" How could (she) had forgotten that threat from tall and muscular ?!
The girls surrounding (her) hadn't. The competition was not pleased! (She) had captured yet another guy –And all in the same day!
(Her) indoor, Mary Jane slipper came down hard on his bare foot! He still didn't let go of her. Worse for (her), the redhead was becoming aware of the sensual differences of their bodies! Because (she) was so voluptuous, his hard muscles radiated more heat from his thicker, tougher skin! (Her) cooler outside drew in that heat, warming (her) inner core even more – but only to where (her) pulse pumped blood to (her) most female*–
Panicking, not thinking clearly – even before (her) brain was drained of very much blood – 'Ran' resorted to one of the forbidden techniques! Just as the guy was getting the use of his hands back, (she) forced (her) own hands down–then up! The groin attack made him forget about holding onto (her)!
But he had made (her) feel his manhood! (Mixed feeling there! A battle between body and mind!)
(She) followed that up with a punch to his diaphragm! As he doubled over for both reasons, (she) put her shoulder to his gut and used (her) shoulder to lift him off the ground. Her strength came from the adrenaline from (her) panic, but also from the Reservoir! The classroom of girls saw that (she) had no interest in their prey and had released their jealousy and resentment. Resentment was the emotion the braided girl could most readily use! (She) resented him for turning (her) on! And why? Just because he was tall, dark and handsome! It made her* jealous! (She) felt stuck being short, red and cute!
Placated for the moment, the other* girls gave 'Ran' a hand. Several hands. Some kept his feet from dragging on the floor by taking hold of what his hakama pants didn't cover. A couple captured his thighs. Perhaps a little closer to upward facing, male butt than was necessary. A couple of others kept his arms away from the too-built-for-anybody's-good cutie. Those not touching him wished they could and a few was tempted to move his hands to their–
Kodachi was intent on keeping things under her control. "As the Captain-General of the…" , "MĀRG!" , "...I will be evaluating and judging your performance against this living practice dummy!"
Out in the hall, 'Ran' had had her fill of having to touch the brother's maleness: (She) shed him. The girls holding him were unprepared for (her) lack of support! The ones below his waist dropped him. Koko of the Morales Association pretended to have lost her balance and fell on top of him. Ikko tried pulling her off of him in the name of the Morals Committee! A couple of other girls dropped onto his legs. Mami bowed low before his face, wanting him to notice how beautiful she was! Two girls grabbed the back of her middy blouse and pulled her away! Others vied to get his notice. Girls who hadn't been able to grab anything of the boy, now wanted their turn!
Noa was one of the few girls keeping her distance, "This wrestling match become catfight."
"With the jerk in the middle," 'Ran' frowned. The redhead was judging him. As a martial artist, (she) wanted him to be strong. –But only so (she) could continue to attack him! Really! It wasn't because (her) body had any feelings for how manly he looked! Really! (She) needed him to be strong, because (she) didn't fight the weak!
"Head-strong girls(!) Show traditional respect toward the samurai!" he wheezed out, getting his breath back.
Then, suddenly, (she) couldn't look on him. A maxi uniform skirt that had been thrown over her. Pulling it off, (she) saw that Kodachi had revealed the green leotard she wore under her school uniform. She was also holding her gymnastics ribbon. "Stop this at unlady-like behavior at once! You are gymnasts! You battle with tools!
"Sasuke!"
"Yes, Mistress, I will seek out tools to be used against the Master!" And he raced off to a nearby art room. He was carrying the bokken.
Kodachi's side ponytail swished as she used her ribbon as a whip. And when there was enough distance between a girl and her brother, she pulled the girl off of him, flicking her meters away!
Her long skirt ripped, her thigh exposed, Koko tumbled along the hall floor…only finish on her feet as smoothly as a trained acrobat! Just as smoothly, she had slipped her uniform's ribbon tie. She held it with both hands in front of her and charged not at the brother, but at Kodachi, "Maybe Kunō-baby doesn't want a girlfriend who can defeat him, but a girlfriend who can defeat his sister !"
Kodachi's ribbon snapped! But Koko used her neck tab as a shield. It was more effective than a shield, actually: the momentum wrapped the end of the ribbon around it! She would have liked to have grabbed the remaining length of the ribbon and have a tug-of-war for its control, but knew its edges were razor sharp. She had to rely on the competition-grade cloth of the ribbon tie not to rip!
'Ran' saw that neither girl was ready to cede. The longer the war of wills went on, the more the two sweated under the strain. "You must yield to your betters! I, Kodachi, the Black Rose, am not only the Captain-General, but the Chair of the School's Board of Directors! I can expel you!"
"Do it! Then I can go to a normal private school! A school with boys! " answered back the self-appointed chair in charge of parties.
Why did people not interested in martial arts want to come to a school that encouraged brawls? 'Ran' hadn't thought to ask until now. Fighting just seemed natural to (her) before now. But not, apparently, brawls.
Noa told 'Ran' to look at the brother. The redhead crossed her arms, leaned against a hall wall and did. The short – shorter than (her) – ninja had returned with tools. This was the Bientā, the Art and Entertainment Annex, and he returned with…pistols and rifles? "Paintball guns!" some girls cried as they recognized them! "Remember the performance art piece?"
"Master!" Sasuke had just enough time to call out, tossing him his wooden sword!
"Ah, yes! The appropriate extension of the samurai's power!"
"Idiot," 'Ran' said to nobody else. "Is his answer to everything a sword?"
Kunō's sword hit the barrel of a rifle and a paintball splattered against another girl. He then spun and it whacked a girl's butt. Her pistol struck the girl with the rifle. The girl had to drop her weapon. But she fell backwards – against the girl with the pistol – and got her green 'blood' on her. "Your loss!" Kunō the referee declared. "You were not sufficiently on guard!" He stepped on the rifle and declared, "Next!"
Despite (her)self, 'Ran' was impressed. The guy did use his sword against the girls, but he did in ways that minimized the damage. On the trained, subconscious level, he understood how each girl approaching him moved and knew when and where to hit her so her movement was disrupted, making her awkward and more likely to stumble away from him and often to fall. Any who would not remain on her feet, he declared as out of the competition! She had not won him and, so, she did not demonstrate the qualities he was seeking.
All of this happened within a couple minutes.
Then her attention was brought back to the closer battle. Koko had given up on the test of wills. Instead, she was charging for Kodachi!
'Ran' acted: (She) punched the middle of the ribbon, away from the sharp edges! Koko was unprepared and lost her hold on her tie. And Kodachi almost lost hers grip on the ribbon's handle. The girl who had won against him called out to those behind (her), "I'm open, but you're not tryin' to hit me!" (she) challenged.
Seeing her chance to eliminate her chief rival, Mami fired!
The redhead looked Kodachi in the eye. A smirk froze on noble lady's face. It didn't have time to freeze in dread. This Special project had superior senses – and speed!
Splat! Orange paint marked her green leotard.
None was on the girl whose only identity was the one Kodachi had given her.
And none was on the swordsman, "A victory! Only two stand triumphant on the battlefield!"
Koko disagreed, "I'm not defeated!" And she looked around for a tool.
She saw Mami. Splat!
"Now, three stand above the others!" Mami grinned.
"You haven't fought, yet!" more than one of the girls cried as they dogpiled on top of her, getting their paint on her.
"Hey! Stay off me!" 'Ran' cried, using her martial arts skills to keep away from him. "You don't want me: I cheated! I used a forbidden attack! A, a," (she) had to force herself to say, "a dishonorable attack!"
"Then we must have a match with an officially recognized referee! Say, in the arena of this school's gym. Is it not time for gymnasts at Seijin Hebereke(?)"
"I forbid it, Dear Brother! This is my territory and you are a trespasser! If we did not share a father, I would call you an invader!"
"I have explained the reason for my presence. Still, I will cede to your questionable proprietary claim." He turned to the braided girl, ardor for battle in his eyes, "Braided Girl, you were the first to challenge, therefor, is it not in accordance with the customs of engagement that I have right to choose the venue of our battle(?) This I do , and I choose the Fūrinkan arena!"
Frustrated, Kodachi grasped her chance to influence the outcome, "Yamada Ran is a member of the St. Hebereke Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, and while she may have to fight at a place of your choosing, the refereeing official must one recognized by the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Association of Academies!"
Only one person murmured, "MĀRGĀ."
"Agreed!" her brother said. "But I will be the one to contact the Association in order that the date of engagement occur as soon as their officiating referee can be delivered!"
'Ran' cried, " Hey! Don't I get a say in this!?"
Kodachi answered, "No! You are mine on a scholarship! Room and board! You have nowhere else to go!"
The redhead was about to protest, when (she) remembered something. It was the reason (she) hadn't let Koko actually fight Kodachi. (She) looked around at all of the girls from several of the classes and dormitory rooms that had come to look at what had happened. (She) held her tongue. But a wicked gleam in her eye, she said, "We're gonna talk. Alone."
Again Kodachi's confidence was shaken. "That's right, kohai!" she said with what bravado she could find. She had to save face in front of her inferiors.
(Her) back to everybody but else, 'Ran' smiled to herself. (She) had won!
(…(she) hadn't.)
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NOTES:
The Forbidden techniques. The founder of the "Anything-Goes" schools did have some redeeming qualities. For example, he never used his abilities to attack women in a truly perverted way. Happosai never used – the ones women should use when truly violently attacked – the most damaging techniques. Why? Where would the fun and challenge be in that? (Plug: But there's also the explain I had long agon in "Happosai Unleashed". Let me know if you read it)
Yes, paintball guns do not count as weapons. Considering how dangerous the "tools" MĀRG uses, a 19% injury is considered acceptable if it is mostly eye injury.