Disclaimer:	I don't own the Ranma 1/2 characters, universe, or situations.
No profit is sought, nor infringement intended.

			    Genom Research presents
			    a Suika Roberts unfilm
				     Trust
				  part three

	`Oneesama,' I greet her at the door to the school, `How did you get
here so fast?'

	She smiles mysteriously at me, `I have my ways.'  She opens her arms,
wraps them about my shoulders when I turn to look at her, then kisses me on
the forehead, which elicits gasps from everyone else about.  She shifts me
about, wrapping one arm about my shoulders to lead me off.

	It takes a bit for me to realize that she is not leading me towards
her home, and I look up at her again, eliciting another kiss, this time on the
lips.  I try to stop while she tries to keep walking, so it doesn't work as
well as it could, but it is still quite nice.

	I start walking again, `Where are we going, anyway?'

	`Skating.'  She says, and gives me a slight squeeze.

	I am surprised by the strange looks we get; ranging from the
occasional happy smile to the open glares that are equally infrequent.  Most
people seem to just glance quickly and look away, occasionally blushing.  I
let my arm slip down her waist, resting lightly on her hip, and the blushes
get a bit more frequent.  

	`Oneesama, is this,' I point with my chin at one of the blushers, `OK
with you?'

	`The attention?'  I nod, and she continues, `Yes.  Is it OK with you?'

	I look at her closely for a moment, `Yes.'  I know that together we
can take any of the glaring people, even in groups, in the dark, with the
element of surprise on their side.  I don't particularly like it, but it won't
hurt her, so.  She nods, and we resume a faster pace, although I pay a bit
more attention to the few who glare.  Most of them seem harmless, old men,
women, but a few of them seem upset enough to consider doing something.

	After a good fifteen minutes of walking we arrive, and she pays.  She
helps fit me for skates, and I stagger after her onto the ice.  A few moments
later I'm flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how I got
there.  Oneesama skates back to me, stops stradling my waist.

	She drops to one knee.  `Never skated before?'

	`Never.'  She shakes her head, takes my hands, then stands, pulling me
to my feet.

	She has me functional on ice within a short time, although I feel very
wobbly.  She leads me around for a little while, skating slowly backwards
while I slowly follow, gradually gaining confidence in the way  my skates will
behave, the eerie ease with which they slide forward and backward, coupled
with the firm resistance side to side.

	Gradually I catch up, and Oneesama shifts to skating forward again.
After another pass round the rink, I try going backwards.  Quickly I wind up on
my face, my blades having somehow tangled as I turned, only barely getting my
hands in the way before my nose becomes intimately acquainted with the ice.  

	Oneesama helps me up again, and I try starting from a stop, which
seems a little safer.  I manage a few feet before doing something new wrong,
and landing on my butt.  Oneesama appears instantly, helping me to my feet
again, and I smile an embarrased smile up at her.

	`Harder than it looks, isn't it?'  I nod sheepishly, then start
backwards again, a little slower than I'd been going.  Taking a deep breath to
steady myself, I turn, successfully transitioning to forward travel.  Oneesama
squeezes my shoulder in encouragement.  I slow a little bit once more, and
shift to going backwards, without falling this time.  I repeat the proceedure,
a little bit faster.

	`Good.  You're learning remarkably fast.'  Oneesama's smile sounds so
pretty that I turn to look, stumbling a little on the transition, but keeping
my feet.  She's actually grinning, something I had not expected at all.  She
takes my hand when I hold it out to her, shifting to skate beside me.  I let
go of her hand to turn around, feeling some sort of disturbance near the
entrance to the building.

	`Who're they?' I ask, pointing at the flamboyantly dressed couple
entering the rink.

	`The Golden Pair of Kolkohlz High.  The current Martial Arts Pair
Skate champions.'  I look down for an instant, wondering how anyone could
survive such a match; one good kick and someone will be bleeding to death on
the ice.

	`Off the ice, please, off the ice, the Golden Pair has requested a
chance to demonstrate the Assult of a Hundred Foes.'  The announcer does not
need to Capitalize so much.  Oneesama drags me carefully off the ice, and
finds us seats where we can watch.  Nine seconds after they begin all of their
attackers are down, amazingly enough with no blood shed.

	We go back onto the ice, and I start falling down again, this time
trying to get a decent spin.  I manage three spins, stick the landing, and
whomp into someone.

	`I'm sorry!'  I get out quickly, before I notice who I'd hit.

	`Don't worry I'm not hurt, but I would like,' and the male member of
the Golden Pair does something he should have known better than to do.  He
bends down and plants a *blech* totally inept kiss on my lips.

	`Try that again and you'll regret it.' I say, trying gently to extract
myself from his grip.  He doesn't seem to hear, leaning forward to kiss me
again.  I knee him hard in the balls, backhanding him when he releases me and
starts to double over.  He collapses against the ice, out cold.  I skate back
to Oneesama.

	`I though he wore a cup,' she muses, resting her hand comfortingly on
my neck.

	`He was wearing one.'  She makes an appreciative noise, and points
back at him with her chin.  His partner has come up to him, and is busily
making buriko noises at him.  I press Oneesama's hand against my shoulder.  `I
fear we should depart before he wakes up again, or someone else comes to
complain at us.'

	`Yeah, we should depart.'  she squeezes my shoulder and starts towards
the exit.

	`Sorry to be such trouble.'

	`You're not.  You were having fun, and he set himself in your way, on
purpose.  Serves him right, he seems to think it's fun to hassle young girls.'

	`So he does this often?'  We step off the ice, and change out of our
skates again.

	`Every that day he shows up, he accosts someone.  Most days he hassles
two or three people, but at least he only hassles people once.'

	I let her lead me out, slip my arm back around her waist, comforted by
the contact, reasured, somehow.  `So he only goes after girls, and only once?
What kinda freak is he?' I shake my head, her arm light on my shoulder.

	`Well, I hear he kissed a guy once, but he treated him about the same
as you did.  There's a rumor running 'round that he kissed the same girl two
days in a row, once, and she got her elder brothers to beat him quite badly.'
She strokes my shoulder lightly, `So, you may have traumatized him
sufficiently that he'll never hassle girls again.'

	`Or maybe he'll just generalize to small girls, or girls with black
hair, or girls with excessive,' I look down at my chest, `talent.'

	`I don't find your,' she looks down at my chest, `talent, excessive.
I like it just the way it is, actually.'  I snort, but pull myself against her
a little tighter anyway, glad to have what tiny bit of pride I take in this
body stroked.  Already, despite my lack of familiarity with this area, I can
tell where we are going.  I don't mind, I've actually missed being able to
swing on a swing set, the dizzying rush of pumping the swing to the point that
one free-falls for a few seconds at each end of the stroke, the queer way the
world rolls around when one stops.

	She laughs at my eager rush to the swings, watching with a smile on
her face as I pump the swing, enjoying both the slightly greater than full
gravity of the midstroke, the freefall at both ends.  She leans back against
one of the stays, obviously enjoying watching me.  After a while, not too
long, but not short either, I stop pumping the swing, let it slow most of the
way before jumping out, stumbing and falling to one knee as the world swirls
for just a moment.

	I stagger happily back to Oneesama, most of the way collected again.
`This was so much fun.' She smiles at me, and takes me in her arms.  `How did
you know?  or were you planning something else?'

	`I figured either you would have something here you haven't done in a
long time, and enjoyed, or I'd get to sit with you and watch the wildlife.'  A
trio of screaming children show up, running past for emphasis.  I giggle, or
something, and she squeezes me tighter.

	`I can't believe I just did that.'  I'd worry, but . . . I like this
me.  I'm actually happy, not just engrosed in something.  Only the simple
knowledge that she could probably take Oyaji keeps me from worrying more, but
it scares me anyway.  Oyaji always went on about how the Art should bring
happiness, how the Art should be the center of one's world, on and on until I
whomp him over the head to make him shut up.

	`Did what?'  She caresses my face, and I follow her fingers for a
moment.

	`Giggled, when the wildlife ran by.'

	`Shh.  It's OK.'

	`I know.  It just feels weird, fighting myself like this.'  Not long
before anything that felt this good would be suspect, but somehow I can trust
her; I know it.  The worry that this might be a trap is there, but I won't let
it get to me, because that is a trap in its own right.

	`Come, we should be going.  I'm sure you've got homework to do.'  I
nod, picking up my school bag from where she'd placed it at her feet.  I
indicate it, `Thanks,' I say, refering to her having brought it from where I'd
left it on the ground near the entrance to the park.

	`It was a pleasure to watch you,' her hand on my elbow leads us from
the park.

	The words are just there, so I say them, `I don't think I've ever been
this happy before.'  It will be much later that I learn how trite they are,
but they are nothing more, nor less, than the truth.

-*-

	I set my school bag on the floor next to her bed.  Upon my knees I
peer underneath, hoping a title will grab me.  

	Instead, Oneesama grabs me.  `And just what do you think you are
doing?'

	`Looking for something to read.  I finished my homework in class, so
unless you have something better to do right now.'  She smiles at me, slipping
one hand lightly up my side.

	`Something like this?'

	`That wasn't what I was intending, but,'  She laughs, pulling me to my
feet.  

	`And just what were you intending?'  I shiver as she whispers in my
ear, her arms tight about my waist.  I turn one of her hands over and stroke
the callused palm.

	`I was thinking that we could, perhaps, spar for a bit, if you wanted
to.'  She nibbles at my neck, her breath warm.

	`That sounds like a lot of fun.'  She releases me, drawing me from the
room.

	I land lightly next to her, look around quickly, and then turn my
attention to where she stands, twirling a ribbon.  `Kakutou Shintaisou,
deshou?'

	She knods.

	`Then, perhaps, you could teach me the basics, so I don't get too
soundly trounced.'

	Oneesama laughs.  It leaves a pleasant smile on her face, and a safe
feeling in my heart.  `Of course, Ranma-chan.  One mustn't touch one's
opponent with one's own body, and one should look nice while fighting.'

	`That's it?  I thought there'd be more . . . '

	`Rules?  Restrictions?  There are, but they don't matter, so I don't
remember them.  The tools are over there; I'd advise using the ones in the
white buckets for now.' I follow her gaze, noticing several buckets of tools:
juggling clubs, hoops, ribbons, rubber balls a little larger than softballs.
I scoop one of the later up, heft it for weight, then carefully contact-juggle
it, palm to back of hand to forearm back across the back of my hand, onto my
right hand.  I spare a split-second to look at Oneesama before bringing it
around to my palm.  She's entranced, so I lob it at her.  She barely manages
to block, and I'd thrown it at less than half speed.

	`Good!'  She leaps overhead, ribbon twirling, almost managing to
entangle me.  `You may pick this up easily.'

	`Anything that has to do with martial arts I pick up easily.'

	Oneesama laughs, launching another attack, `That must be convienient
for you.'

	`It's saved my life more than once.'  I leap back to avoid a strike
from her ribbon, contemplate for a moment, then make for the buckets of tools
in a series of quick handsprings which, while not as flashy as a single great
leap, leave one in better position to dodge.  She lets me get there, and I
snatch a ribbon from one of the white buckets.  I take a stance, feet shoulder
width appart, arms spread, back arched for best presentation of my bust, only
my right wrist moving, twirling my ribbon as she approaches.

	Her ribbon strikes out, and I dodge, wrapping my ribbon about her
wrist.  I pull it taught, and she gasps, dropping her ribbon.

	`You seem distracted; You did much better against the girls from my
school.'

	`I don't want to hurt you.'  Her voice is soft, and I have to strain
to hear it, but the confusion in it is also evident.

	`Don't worry!  If you rough me up a little it'll just help me learn.'
I smile at her; I don't like being hurt, but it works remarkably well as a
teaching mechaninism.

	Oneesama takes a deep breath and finally attacks with something
approaching her full skill.  I am quickly in over my head, but she doesn't
take advantage of that, always staying only a little better than I am.

	About two hours later she pauses, `I think that is enough for one day.
We probably should get inside.'  I nod; Oneesama is breathing really hard and
slowing down.  I look around, noticing the damage we'd done for the first
time.

	`We really made a mess, didn't we?'  I walk over and pick up the two
ribbons that I destroyed before I figured out the techniques needed to
strengthen them.

	`Yes, we did.  Leave the rest, the servants will pick it up.'

	`No, we made the mess, we should at least gather the tools.'  She
nods, and comes to help me.  She's moving really slow, so she isn't much help,
but it is the prinicple of the thing, more than the actual efficiency.

	`That's it.'  She wraps an arm about my shoulder and starts toward the
house, leaning fairly heavily on me.

	After I get her to the bathroom I realize our sparring took far more
out of her than it did me.  I wash her off, scrub her back lightly, pausing
occasionally to nibble at her cold-pebbled skin.  She barely manages to murmor
encouragement, so I pull her tight against me and lean forward to apologize.

	`Mmm.  That feels nice.  You should get yourself clean too, or I'm
going to fall asleep.'  She yawns to emphasize her point, then grabs my hand
and kisses it.

	I let her go, scrub quickly and efficiently, then wake her up a bit so
she can help me dry her off.

	`We'll be cold if we don't soak first.' she protests weakly, but I
tell her not to worry and she subsides.  A moment later we are close enough to
dry, and I gather our clothes, make sure that our robes are properly on, for I
don't want to run into Tatewaki-nii in any other state.

	I get her into bed, and she sleepily orders me in after her.  I obey,
wrapping myself comfortably around her larger frame, and put my head on her
shoulder, her warmth soaking through our nightclothes into me.  I let my eyes
close, what I'm sure is a ridiculous expression on my face, as I contemplate
this afternoon.

	This afternoon was so close to perfect as to make no difference,
something that is at once wonderful and terrifying.  Things, no matter what,
can always get worse.

	Now they can get ever so much worse than they ever could before.

	I banish my dark thoughts, wiggle a little bit to become more
comfortable against Oneesama's body, and let everything drift off.

-*-
log:
1998-??-??: started
??
1999-04-09: finished first draft, added log.
2001/Nov/20:	added disclaimer and title block.
2002/Jul/27:	edited a little bit ^^;