Nullifier 122 by WebDragon Ranma 1/2 = (C) of Shogakukan Sorry for taking so long to release it but here it is. Comments are welcome, of course, and will be dealt with appropriately. This be the fifth day after Ranma and Ranma-chan are split apart by the Nullifier 122 potion... and there are some semi lemon bits in this. If you read it and not know what's going on then, like just about any series out there, you need parts 1 - 4. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=Part Five-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-= (The next morning is overcast with grey clouds. A chill wind sweeps the fallen leaves of the trees in the Tendo residence, stirring them up in a whirlwind. A few birds chirp half-heartedly into the cloudy sky, a sky that promises rain or a storm. Akane and Ranma-chan are sleeping on their sides, facing each other, their chests rising and falling rhythmically. Akane starts to wake up and her hand reaches out - and comes into contact with Ranma-chan's. Akane slowly feels the hand, dimly noting the unusual delicateness of it and the long fingernails. In her mind her dream starts to fade away; and well that it does for if she could fully remember the naughty things she was dreaming about she'd blush as red as a tomato. She is still half asleep but the realization dawns upon her that she is not alone...) Akane: Hmm? Whuh? What the?! Ranma! What are you doing in my bed? Ranma-chan: Zzznx*... Akane: (shaking Ranma-chan) Hey, you. Wake up, already! Ranma-chan: What? Oh, morning, Akane. Lemme sleep. (clutches her pillow tighter) Akane: No. First you explain why you're in my bed! (pokes her back) Ranma-chan: Oh, Ranma wuz snoring too loud. Akane: (softens up) Oh, so that's why you moved. Why didn't you ask me, though? Ranma-chan: I did... last night. (she starts to come fully awake now) You said okay. (Akane considers Ranma-chan for a moment. This... this girl before her, Akane could see her in no other way, was in the same bed as she was - yet she couldn't feel any embarrassment or anger at her intrusion. There was a time when the thought of Ranma-chan, being in her bedroom at night, would have provoked her to chase him/her out of the room with a mallet or a shinai. But now...) Akane: (thinking) What do I have to be worried about anyway? It's not like she can... arrgh. Hentai thoughts, away! (out loud) Honestly! (Akane rolls out of bed and walks to the bathroom. Ranma-chan gets up and sits upright on Akane's comfortable bed, looking after Akane's retreating form. She feels the comforter in her hands.) Ranma-chan: Hey, this comforter sure is soft! A lot better than that futon... Maybe I should sleep in here every night instead of in my old room. (She shakes the final cobwebs out of her head and she leaves Akane's room, pillow in hand, shivering because the morning was cold. She enters her room and throws the pillow on top of a sleeping Ranma, who grunts and shakes the pillow off. Ranma-chan giggles and walks up to Ranma.) Ranma-chan: Oh Ranmaaa...! Wakey, wakey! Ranma: ZZZZNNX*...... Ranma-chan : (thinking) It's a wonder he doesn't wake himself! (out loud) Wake up, rise and shine! (Seeing that he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, and considering the frigid temperature of the room, Ranma-chan slipped under Ranma's warm blanket and she began to doze back to sleep. Soon, however, the heat in that area was quickly devoured by her body and she started to shiver again. She reached out a hand and touched Ranma experimentally. He was warm! With a shiver but without a second thought, Ranma-chan practically threw herself onto Ranma and latched onto him. She began to warm up nicely so she snuggled closer to him from behind, her breasts pressing up against him. Ranma stirred slightly but didn't wake up.) (Something came over Ranma-chan at that moment, an inexplicable feeling of... *lust*. It suddenly overwhelmed her conscious thoughts and took control of her mind and body. Before she knew it, she began to become sexually aroused. Ranma's muscled back stirred the fires of desire in her eyes, as did his firm legs. Her hands crept up and over his waist, and worked their way up his abs to his chest. It too was hard. She lost herself in examining his well-defined shoulder blades. Then she crawled over Ranma and slid into his arms, wrapping them about her like a blanket. He grunted as Ranma-chan's cold fingers teased his neck and his chest. Then Ranma-chan smoothed the hair from his face and began to kiss him. A light kiss at first, little more than a slight brushing of her lips on his, then a more passionate one followed. Ranma started to wake up and Ranma-chan broke her second kiss, and wrapped her hands about his neck. She wanted him. Now.) (Ranma woke from a dream that he had been running through a cold snow storm while being chased by a whirlwind of ice cubes, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Ranma-chan's face, eyes lowered in a sultry manner. He blinked but the image didn't go away. Then he felt the hands on the back of his neck and Ranma-chan's breasts on his chest. He felt himself beginning to respond and... *lust*, pure desire... began to overtake his conscious thoughts. He grabbed Ranma-chan's arms and pushed her onto her back on the futon. Obligingly, Ranma-chan's shirt slipped down and exposed her breasts in all their naked glory. Her face turns slightly red and the temperature under the blanket seemed to shoot up. He began to dip his head close to Ranma-chan's, her lips opening to receive his in a kiss.) (A face pushed itself into the forefront of Ranma's mind, and the name attached to that face registered in Ranma's lust-soaked brain. Akane. Akane! Ranma let out a yell and threw himself back from Ranma-chan. She sat up and looked at him with some curiosity, then she looked down at her shirt. And she shrieked. Within seconds, she had her shirt back up and she pulled the blanket protectively over herself.) Ranma-chan: Wh-what is going on here?! Ranma: You tell me!! I woke up and you were in my arms!! Ranma-chan: I didn't crawl into your arms!! The last thing I remembered was snuggling up behind you to warm myself. Then I must have dozed off, or something, and I dreamt that I... well... ummm... I was....let's just say that I got `friendly' with you. Then you leapt away and I woke up then. My shirt was *halfway off*...... Ranma: It wasn't a dream! You really were in my arms. Then I remember something like I was about to kiss you... and y'know what else follows. Something really weird is going on here. I felt something take a hold of me right after I woke up and looked at you. Ranma-chan: I sure as hell wouldn't do something like that with you. (Ranma raises an eyebrow) THAT was because of... something. Now that I think about it, I don't know what had come over me two days ago. Anyway, let's... just forget about it. For now. Ranma: .........Alright. But only for now. This is WAY too weird to pass up. (The three teenagers take turns using the bathroom. Ranma-chan puts on a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt, one of Ranma's favorite. Ranma has his green communist suit on, complete with a matching cap graced with a red star on its front. Akane steps out of her room, dressed in a warm sweater and pants.) Akane: It sure is kinda cold today! Ranma-chan: Brrr...... Ranma: Well, it's kinda far from Nerima Ward and we gotta take a train to get there. I managed to, umm, GET three train tickets offa Nabiki, so there shouldn't be a problem. Ranma-chan: Well, let's have breakfast, then we'll go! Akane: Hold on a second, you guys. Let me find P-Chan first. Ranma: P-Chan? You're gonna bring him along, too? Akane: You have a problem with that? Ranma: No, no! I'll help you look, but first I have to go see what's cooking. C'mon, Ranma, let's go. (Ranma and Ranma-chan hear the familiar sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen. The overhanging drapes prevent them from fully seeing the face of the woman inside the kitchen. If they were paying more attention, they might have noticed that the woman had a familiar bundle on her back. But they were so wrapped up in their small talk that they didn't realize the situation they were in until they walked into the kitchen.) Ranma-chan: ...it's true, Ranma! Ranma: You don't say. Well, Ran... (still looking at Ranma-chan, he pushed the drapes aside) Nodoka: Good morning, Ranma! Ranma: Umm... Mom! You're back! Nodoka: Yes, dear. I came home at half past midnight from my visit and I didn't want to disturb anybody. Ranma-chan: What's for breakfast, Auntie Saotome? Nodoka: (wasn't paying attention) What was that? (For a brief second, it seemed as if her mother had used a rather frosty tone. But Ranma-chan dismissed it quickly, reasoning that she was hearing things.) Ranma-chan: Umm... I just wanted to know what you were cooking... Mrs. Saotome. (her instinct warned her to use the more formal way of greeting a friend of the family, though in her case it is different. Much different. Nodoka turns around and looks at Ranko.) Nodoka: Salmon fillet, and rice. Tempura shrimp, and a bit of pork cutlet. Ranma: Salmon fillet, shrimp and pork cutlet? Oh, good! Nodoka: Yes, Ranma. It's your favorite. Could you go and wake up the others, please? Ranma: Consider it done. (he runs out) Nodoka: Ranko, help me cook, please. Ranma-chan: Sure. (Ranma-chan is kept busy running around the kitchen, fetching ingredients for her mother. Nodoka says little except to tell Ranma-chan what to fetch. Ranma-chan could almost feel the aura of tension emanating from her mother, making her keep a respectful distance from her. Nodoka hardly looks up from cooking the salmon fillet. Somehow, she seemed quite occupied about something, her thoughts so far away that she let the salmon steak be burnt black on one side.) Ranma-chan: Mrs. Saotome! The fish...! Nodoka: Oh! (flips it out and puts it on the plate, along with the rest of the other cooked salmon) (Nodoka keeps frying the rest of the fish expertly, and Ranma-chan stood behind her, waiting for the next order to fetch another ingredient.) Ranma-chan: (thinking) What's with mom this morning? Why is she like this? Did I do something wrong? Nodoka: Ranko? Ranma-chan: Yes? Nodoka: Which town did you come from? Ranma-chan: Shiko-ku. It's outside Tokyo, towards the mountains. Nodoka: Shiko-ku. Which side of the family are you on? Ranma-chan: Err... from Mr. Tendo's side. My father was his brother and he married my mom in Tokyo. Then we moved to Shiko-ku. Nodoka: I see. I was just in Shiko-ku, you know. Just yesterday, I visited all my friends in the outlying towns and villages outside of Tokyo, and Shiko-ku happened to be one of them. (she pauses, as if Ranma-chan should know what she was talking about) Ranma-chan: That's... nice, Mrs. Saotome. I'm glad you took some time out to enjoy yourself. Nodoka: Now, let's prepare the pork cutlet. (as if on cue, a pig starts to squeal) Get me that cage from around the corner. Ranma-chan: C-cage? Is it still alive? Nodoka: Yes. (pulls out a sharp knife, glinting in the morning light) Still alive. (she looks at Ranma-chan in a strangely unnerving way, as if expecting Ranma-chan to know what she was talking about.) (Ranma-chan tears her gaze away from her mom's and goes to where the squealing is coming from. P-Chan is furiously shaking the cage in which he's imprisoned.) Nodoka: (calls to Ranma-chan) I found it while on the way to the marketplace. It's free meat, right? Ranma-chan: (releases P-Chan, who jumps into her arms) Auntie Saotome! This is Akane's pet pig! Nodoka: Nonsense! A pig is a pig, Ranko. Besides, if Akane did have a pet pig, then what is it doing out of the house in the first place? Now, bring it over here. Ranma-chan: Let me bring him, I mean it, to Akane, first. Akane! Nodoka: Don't be a silly girl, Ranko. Let me prepare it for breakfast. The boiling water is almost ready... Akane: (walks into the kitchen) You called, Ran....oh! Auntie Saotome! (bows) You're back! Nodoka: (bows while holding the knife) Good morning, Akane-chan. Is that your pet pig that she's holding? (points with the knife towards Ranma- chan, a gesture that is not lost on P-Chan, or Ranma-chan for that matter.) Akane: P-CHAN!!! C'mere, baby! (P-Chan leaps into Akane's arms, nuzzling her) Nodoka: (blinks in surprise) So, you DO have a pet pig, Akane-chan! I'm sorry. Ranma-chan: That was what I was... (stops short when Nodoka looks at her) Nodoka: What was that, Ranko? Is something the matter? Ranma-chan: N-no. Not at all. Nodoka: Well, I won't need your help anymore, Ranko. Will you set the table? Ranma-chan: S-sure. Consider it done. (Nodoka starts a little in shock, but the two girls don't notice it. Ranma-chan leaves to set the table while Akane goes off, cooing to P-Chan. Nodoka is left in the kitchen, pondering Ranma-chan's words.) (Ranma-chan quickly and expertly sets the table. Ranma is beside himself at the smell of food , and the entire family assembles in the dining room.) Ranma-chan: Good morning, Mr. Tendo! I was just helping Mrs. Saotome in the kitchen. (smiles at Soun, eyes darting to the kitchen) Soun: Morning, Ranko! I see that Mrs. Saotome is here... I'm sure that this breakfast will be a thing to remember! Nabiki: I wonder if there's any pork cutlet? Akane: Nabiki!! (clutches P-Chan close to her, who squeals in terror) Ranma-chan: Ahh, scratch the pork cutlet. Salmon steak and tempura shrimp. Kasumi: Oh, I'm going to go help her. (Soon the two women are busily chatting and cooking. Ranma-chan scratches her head and wonders if her mom really didn't need *her* help, a thought soon confirmed when Kasumi leaned out of the kitchen and announced that breakfast wouldn't be ready for another fifteen minutes.) Ranma: Well, I'm gonna practice. Let's go, Ranko. Ranma-chan: Yeah! Ready when you are! (The two launch into the air and perform a barrage of kicks and punches at each other. Ranma shot a fist at Ranma-chan's face but it was intercepted by her outstretched palm. She replied with an elbow strike, which Ranma blocked. The two land on the ground and Ranma-chan took the offensive. She lunged forward and rammed Ranma in the chest. Ranma rocked back a few steps and brought an elbow down at Ranma-chan's exposed back. She twisted aside at the last moment and rolled away. Both weren't even sweating because the day was so chilly.) Ranma: Yep. Still as good as ever, eh? It's like you've never changed. Ranma-chan: (didn't notice the emphasis on the word `change') Same goes for you. (unleashes a flying roundhouse at him) Ranma: (ducks it) Pop's gonna be back tomorrow. Let's show him how much we have improved, okay? (lashes out with a foot) Ranma-chan: (blocks it) Suits me just fine! (the two fight some more, their ferocity and ingenuity reaching even newer heights - and the both of them reveled in it. Akane watches with some interest, as does P-Chan, and she tries to pick up on some of the techniques the two were using. Nodoka and Kasumi bring out the food then and Nodoka places a salmon fillet on each plate. Ranma and Ranma-chan finish up their match in a draw and start to tear into the food with gusto. Ranma-chan devours most of her food, and then she starts on the salmon fillet that was sitting on her plate. And she almost choked on the morsel she had just sampled. With a barely contained frown, she examined the salmon fillet with narrowed eyes. It looked fine. Then she flipped it over with her chopsticks. It was completely black and charred on that side. A chill settles in Ranma-chan's heart and she peered cautiously at her mom. Nodoka kept on eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Ranma-chan gulped and flipped the fillet back over. Then, using a soup spoon, she dug out the still-edible portions of the fish and ate - albeit with much less enthusiasm than before. What's wrong with her mom? What does this mean? All these, and more, spun through Ranma-chan's head. She was the first to finish.) Ranma-chan: Well, Ranma? Akane? I'll meet you outside. (Without another word, Ranma-chan gets up and leaves the house. A leap brought her on the rooftop and she sat down on the tiles - and wondered. What did she do wrong? Usually she was always so kind and compassionate. The woman she had been with in the kitchen didn't act like her mother at all. But she acted normally around others... Ranma-chan began to shiver as the wind picked up. She knew she should be on the ground but she didn't want to meet her mom's gaze, nor see how strangely her mom was acting around *her*. A faint sound from behind her sent her rolling to her side and coming up in a defensive posture - but it was only Ranma.) Ranma: What's wrong? Ranma-chan: (sighs and relaxes her guard) It's... mom. I got the feeling that she didn't like me all of a sudden. Maybe it's just me. Ranma: What happened? Ranma-chan: I thought she sounded a little too... I dunno, cold when she spoke to me in the kitchen. None of that 'Ranko-chan' stuff. Then she tried to cook P-chan, even when I told her that P-chan was Akane's pet. Then Akane came in and Nodoka believed _her_. Ranma: That can't be. We know mom. She's the sweetest person in the world and would never do things like that to people she knows. Except for the seppuku thingy, I can't see her acting the way you described her. Ranma-chan: You're probably right, Ranma. Maybe it's just me and that thing that Kasumi told me all women go through. I don't know. Ranma: What thing? Ranma-chan: (shudders) You don't wanna know. (The two of them stand there for a while, the cold wind knifing through their clothing and chilling them to the bone. The dark skies rumbled slightly, as if in discontent. Then Ranma claps Ranma-chan on the shoulder, who starts in surprise.) Ranma: Aw, come on. Let's not mope about the whole thing. You're probably imagining things, you know? Let's go home. Ranma-chan: (smiles) Yeah, you're probably correct. (With that, they exit the roof and meet up with Akane, who is holding P-chan. Then the three of them head off to catch the train. Halfway to the station, Ranma hears a familiar chring-chring of a bicycle bell. It was his only warning before Shampoo shot out from the top of a building on her bicycle, balancing a delivery box on her head, and lands near Ranma. With a toss of her head, the delivery box flies off and lands on the ground with a slight thump and Shampoo attaches herself on Ranma.) Shampoo: Ni hao, Ranma! Shampoo finish job and go on date with Ranma, yes? Like last time, in ice-cream shop! Ranma: Uh... Akane! Come on, you know that Shampoo always does this! You don't have to....huh? (Akane had narrowed eyes but she made no move to dislodge Shampoo from Ranma, nor did she produce a mallet and flatten Ranma. Ranma looks from Ranma-chan, to Akane, to P-chan, and back - Ranma-chan merely shrugs while P-chan waits expectantly for Akane to flatten Ranma. Akane is still standing there, watching Ranma. Ranma scratches his head in confusion but he knew he must do something or stand there for all time in a tableau-like scene.) Ranma: (firmly pushes Shampoo off him) Uh, Shampoo? I don't want to hurt your feelings but we have got to go and catch a train. Shampoo: No need catch train, Ranma! Ranma date with Shampoo, Shampoo be HAPPY catch RANMA'S train! Hee hee hee! (hugs Ranma again) Ranma-chan: Look, Shampoo. We HAVE to go. We only have three minutes to catch it or it leaves without us! (Akane is unmoving, a statue for all the movement she exhibited.) Ranma: (takes deep breath and steels himself) SHAMPOO. Listen - to - me... Shampoo: Yes....Ranma? (looks up with adoring eyes) Ranma: Uhh... YOU have to... uhm, that is, I mean... I have to... (Ranma-chan steps in and pulls Ranma away from Shampoo, her hand clasped tightly on Ranma's. Akane starts a little at this.) Ranma-chan: He has to go. Shampoo, I'm sorry but Nabiki would kill us to find out that we had wasted her tickets. (With that, she pulls Ranma along, followed by Akane, in a madcap race to the train station - leaving an annoyed Amazon looking after them.) Shampoo: Girl-type Ranma... (The trio rush into the station but the train was already gone.) Akane: It's all your fault, Ranma! If only you had pushed her off harder...! Ranma: Hey, don't go blaming me for Shampoo jumping out of nowhere to hug me! It's not like I ask her to, you know! (With that, Ranma scoops Akane up in one arm and tucks her by his side. Akane lets out a scream as Ranma leaps some twenty feet in the air and bounds after the departing train, marked by a trail of smoke. Ranma-chan follows suit and within minutes they land on the top of the train. Ranma sets Akane down.) Ranma: We still made it! Ranma-chan: You know, I wonder why we didn't do this in the first place instead of getting those tickets off Nabiki...? Akane: You're right... I wonder why...? (The laughter starts from Ranma-chan and quickly infects the trio until they're all chuckling and giggling about their oversight. The rest of the train trip was spent in silence, the three huddling together for warmth, with P-chan snuggling in the space between the three of them. Ranma-chan takes particular pleasure in snuggling close to Ranma, feeling his body heat envelop her and warm her. Akane, refusing to be outdone, tentatively does the same. Ranma merely sits there and shivers, human heater to the two girls - though not despising the role. The scenery flashes by with regular monotony - it is always buildings, trees, power lines, and more buildings. Then Ranma noticed a familiar landmark in the next town and the trio leap off the train, to land on the road in front of astonished onlookers. They paid them no heed and Ranma-chan begins to plot a course for their old neighborhood.) Ranma-chan: It's down that street, turn right and right again. Ranma? Ranma: Why're you asking me? You know the way as well as I do. Ranma-chan: Oh, yeah. I almost forgot! Sorry... (They pass by street vendors selling everything from toys, to clothing, to chicken yakitori and sweet flame-roasted chestnuts. Then the three of them enter their old neighborhood and Ranma leads them all to a house that belonged to an old friend of his and Ranma-chan's.) Ranma: (knocks on the door) Ok, you two. Ranma? You're Ranko. Akane, don't mention the fiancée thing, ok? Ranma-chan: Alright. Akane: Why not? Ranma: I don't want stupid questions directed my way. (The door opens and a young man of Ranma's age and build, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, with short black hair, meets them. He looks at Ranma for a second, then realization dawned on his face. Ranma-chan lets out a small gasp. He has *changed*!) Guy: Ranma? Is that you? Ranma: Should I say the same thing too, Keneda? How are you doing? Haven't seen you for almost five years! Keneda: Come in! Come in! (motions them inside) Hey there! Who are you two? Akane: I'm Akane Tendo, pleased to meet you! Ranma-chan: I'm Ranko Tendo, her cousin. Keneda: Welcome to my humble abode... (grand gesture inside) (The inside of Keneda's home is tastefully decorated with the concept of scarcity in mind - in other words, it was bare. A couch lay in front of the TV and a phone sat on one end of the couch. Keneda gestures to the couch at Ranma-chan and Akane while he goes off and grabs two chairs for him and Ranma. Ranma-chan plops onto the couch with a sigh and bounces up and down slightly, noting the softness of it. Then she listens in on the conversation between Ranma and Keneda.) Keneda: So, Ranma. Where have you been all this time? Ranma : Well, my pop took me training in China, to learn Kempo, and I returned a year or so ago, and stayed in her (indicates Akane) home. I just decided to come home, that's all. Keneda: Training? In what art? Ranma: Kempo. Keneda: Kempo? I took up martial arts in grade school. Ranma-chan: You took up martial arts? Keneda: (turns to her) Yeah. Why do you ask? Ranma-chan: Oh, nothing. Ranma: You were, no offense, kinda scrawny back then, Keneda. Keneda: Yeah, I know. But the style I know is very rewarding. You wanna spar with me later? Ranma: Straight to the point as usual, eh Keneda? Alright, later on. In your backyard. Keneda: Thanks, Ranma. Anyway, things haven't changed much here. Same old people, same old thing. By the way, where's Ryoga? Ranma: Probably lost again? (The two of them share a hearty laugh as P-chan grumbles quietly to himself as only a pig could. Ranma-chan suppresses a giggle. Then Keneda turns his gaze upon Ranma-chan, who blushes slightly. , she thought.) Keneda: So, Ranko. How are you? Ranma-chan: I'm... I'm fine. I'm just here with Ranma to see his house with Akane, that's all. Keneda: (nudges Ranma and whispers, sotto voice) Is Ranko your girlfriend, Ranma? The way the two of you look so perfectly suited for each other is uncanny. Ranma: What?! Of course not! AKANE is the one who is my... Keneda: Your what? Ranma: Uh... my... Akane: (thinking) Oh, Ranma, Ranma. You idiot. (out loud) Fiancée. Keneda: Say again? Akane: Fiancée. I'm his fiancée. Keneda: Is that right? That's good, then. Akane: What's good? (she looks over at Ranma-chan, who has a slight tinge of red on her cheeks) For whom? Keneda: Oh no, not like that! I mean, that's good that you and Ranma are engaged. Makes me envious. I mean, I don't even have a girlfriend. Ranma-chan: (pipes in) No girlfriend yet? Not since... Keneda: Since when? What do you mean, Ranko? (Ranma-chan just couldn't keep herself from blurting out facts that only Ranma should know. She silently berates herself and turns to face Keneda, feeling her face flush slightly as she did so.) Ranma-chan: No. Nothing. Keneda: If I didn't know it, I'd swear that Ranma has been telling you about me, Ranko. Ranma? Ranma: I give you my word, man. I never told Ranko ANYTHING about you in my life. And you know how a martial artist's word is his honor and all that, so you gotta believe me. Keneda: Hey, no need to get uptight about this. It's nothing. (He stands up) Anybody want a drink? Ranko? Ranma? Akane? Ranma: Some soda, please. Akane: Just a glass of water. Ranma-chan: N-nothing. No thanks... Keneda. Keneda: You sure, Ranko? I have lots of drinks. Ranma-chan: Well... if you insist. Ok, just a soda as well. Keneda: Alright, Ranko. You guys wanna watch that show Ranma and I used to watch? About that funny guy? Akane: No thanks. Keneda: Jeez, you're no fun! (he laughs good naturedly as he makes his way to the kitchen) (Akane looks over at Ranma-chan and sees a small smile on her face. Ranma- chan folds her hands on her lap and suddenly looks over at Akane, who turns away just as quickly. Ranma didn't seem to notice any of the body language between the two girls as he twiddled his fingers. Keneda returns with the drinks and he and Ranma tear into the sodas. Ranma-chan pops the tab on her soda and drinks it slowly, her eyes flashing to Keneda every now and then. Then the two guys start filling each other in on their lives, exclaiming in surprise over an event or such. Ranma-chan noticed that Ranma said nothing about his curse, nor anyone else's. Akane gives P-chan a sip of the water from her cup. Then she sidled over to Ranma-chan and leaned towards her.) Akane: Hey, Ranma. What's wrong? Ranma-chan: Oh, nothing. Nothing at all... Akane: Are you sure? You have been... blushing since you sat down. Ranma-chan: I am NOT blushing, Akane. Really. It must be... hot in here, or something. Akane: Is that why the thermometer on the wall reads 10 degrees? What do... do you think of him? Ranma-chan: Him? Who? Akane: (looks her evenly in the eyes) Ranma. Don't beat around the bush. What do you think of Keneda? Ranma-chan: Whatever Ranma thinks of him, Akane. Akane: Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Ranma. I... well, I forgot that you were actually him. Sorry. (P-chan squeals) Ranma-chan: No, that's okay. He's a nice guy, Keneda. Honest, thoughtful and unafraid to stand up for his beliefs. It was only because he was MY friend that he didn't get beat up for not giving his lunch money to guys who demanded it. Nobody would mess with me, except for Ryoga. (P-chan squeals in agreement and Akane strokes the top of his head, soothing him) Akane: But it has been five years, Ranma. What do you think of him now? Ranma-chan: Now? Well... he hasn't changed one bit, except for his appearance. He used to be really thin back then, and he didn't know how to defend himself. He was outgoing, though, and quite popular with those who knew him - including the girls. Strange that he hasn't even got a girlfriend until... I mean, he hasn't got a girlfriend since grade school. Now, though. What a change... (She seems to lose herself looking at Keneda, until Akane nudged her back to reality) Akane: Do...do you like him? Ranma-chan: Of course I like him. He's my friend, right? Akane: No! Not THAT, stupid. I mean, are you attracted to him? Ranma-chan: No. O-of course not. What makes you say that? Akane: Well, it does seem like it. You're blushing and the only reason I can think of is him. (leans closer) What about Hiroshi? Just going to dump him like *that*? Ranma-chan: No... no. I'm not going to...... (looks sharply at Akane) Hiroshi? The date didn't count, Akane. I kissed him but I was curious... (Akane coughs) Alright, a little bit more than curious! Still, I don't think I would consider him as my boyfriend. Akane: You know, Keneda does seem like a nice guy but I'm worried about you. Ranma-chan: What for? Akane: Ranma... (enfolds one of Ranma-chan's hands and squeezes it tight.) You sure you don't mind if a guy kisses you? (Ranma-chan puts her hand on top of Akane's and she doesn't speak for a while. There was loud laughter from the two guys over some joke. Ranma- chan then looks up at Akane.) Ranma-chan: N-no. I think I'd actually enjoy a kiss. With a guy, I mean. Why do you want to know? Didn't we go through all this last night? Akane: Ranma, what scares me is the fact that I don't turn a hair when I think of YOU kissing a guy. I mean, I don't get all queasy, or mad or anything. To me, you kissing a guy is the same as any other girl kissing a guy - unless it is one of those three *fiancées* that Ranma has! Ranma-chan: Uh...yeah. (brief image of the events of two days ago flash by her mind, especially the kiss shared with Ranma...) (The conversation between the two guys winds down and the stream of words slows to a trickle. Then Ranma gets up and folds his arms in front of himself. Keneda got up and motioned to the door.) Keneda: Ranko, I see that you and Akane are martial artists too. Wanna watch me and Ranma spar? Akane and Ranma-chan: What? How did you know? Keneda: It is the way you hold yourself. It is the way you move as you walk or reach for something. The way you keep looking about in alert anticipation gives that away too. Ranma: Wow, that's good. Keneda: Heh, it's nothing. Come on, you. Let's go spar. (The two guys face off in the backyard while Akane and Ranma-chan watch from the sidelines, Akane on Ranma's side of the yard and Ranma-chan on Keneda's side.) Ranma: So, full contact or no contact? Keneda: Full contact. I gotta warn you, though, I have a few special moves that you might never have seen before. Ranma: So do I, Keneda. Prepare yourself. they take their stances) (At some unseen signal, they let out yells and attack. Ranma launches a sidekick at Keneda, who stops it with his arm and snaps a kick at Ranma's face. Ranma moved his head back, dodging the snapkick, and moves to trip Keneda. Keneda hops over the leg and lands. He brings his right foot up and down at Ranma, like a hammer, the fluidity of his attack like the flow of water as it falls from a waterfall. Ranma blocks it and traps the foot, only to release it as Keneda whips his other foot over and tries to hit Ranma. Keneda pushes up from the ground and bounces back to his feet. Neither are breathing hard and both have fierce grins on their faces.) Ranma: You're good. Keneda: So are you. (Then Keneda launched a flurry of attacks, set in a kata so intricate and so fluid that it seemed as if he was a whirlwind of punches and kicks. Ranma fell upon his own favorite kata and began to match Keneda's rhythm, parrying the blows and returning them.) (, thought Ranma as he fought back. It was nothing like he had ever seen before, and he found it confusing as all hell. Ranma put his right hand to catch the expected foot. Ranma's face snapped back as a punch broke through his defenses. , thought Ranma furiously. Keneda's fists didn't even seem to have been in a position to strike...... A foot slammed into his stomach and Keneda twisted away from Ranma's return strike. Fluid as water, yet with lightning speed Keneda whacked Ranma in the ribs with a fist... Ranma chopped at Keneda's neck but he was already out of range. Or was he...? A foot just missed Ranma's head. He... he had to get used to the rhythm of Keneda's kata. He seemed to be matching it, but a subtle difference is all it takes to prevent him from fully understanding it. Something...... Ranma threw himself into the workings of the art he studied... the Anything Goes style. Little by little, he began to unravel Keneda's form. And little by little, he began to regain the upper hand. His greater skill showed through at last. All he had to do...was crowd Keneda... prevent him from using the wide-reaching attacks of his form. Now Keneda seemed to be getting the worse of it, getting hit badly while Ranma danced out of his reach. Ranma's foot seemed to place itself in five different areas, all of them pressure points, even as he tried to back out of fighting distance from Ranma. But Ranma kept dogging him, staying as close as he could to Keneda. A swirl of a pigtail and Ranma's snap roundhouse swept towards his face. Keneda ducked it and replied with a rising uppercut, but Ranma dodged it and slammed a knee in his gut. He was losing the fight and losing it badly, which an elbow strike to the head seemed to emphasize, followed by a knee to his ribs.) (Ranma-chan let out a gasp at the ferocity of the fight. Keneda's style was very strange to follow but its major flaw is that most of its attacks were meant to be delivered at long range. All Ranma had to do was to crowd in... which he did. With brutal efficiency. She winced as Ranma's fist planted itself on Keneda's gut, five or six times.) Keneda got his arm trapped by Ranma and felt himself double up as another knee attack, albeit less powerful, planted itself in his stomach. He looked up and saw Ranma's expression - it seemed to ask him to give up and to let the suffering end. There is no shame in losing, it seemed to tell him. Keneda bunched his muscles up and broke free of Ranma's grasp. He considered Ranma for a second, who began to relax his defenses.) Keneda: NO! Not yet!! Ranma: Keneda!! I don't want to hit you anymore! Come on, man! Keneda: You and I know why the fight must continue...! And that's the way I have to do it! Prepare yourself!!! (Then he began his Dance of the Wind routine. It was a very powerful attack that his sensei had told him to restrict to situations in which he looked to be losing, for it was very draining on the mind and body. , thought Keneda as he started the kata......) (Ranma was surprised when Keneda broke free of his grasp. He was even more surprised that Keneda still wanted the match to go on. He should never have agreed to go full contact... Keneda seemed to be getting the worst of it. But inside of him, Ranma knew that HE wouldn't give up a fight anymore than Keneda would. Fighting spirits weren't like that - they won't just lie down and die. Not without fighting to the last. Keneda began to... dance. That was the only way Ranma could describe it. It seemed to be perfect... without any missteps... yet he didn't see any hand strikes or leg strikes originating from Keneda's centre.