DB Sommer
9th March 2004, 06:00 AM
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Ranma and Kachiko were laughing so hard they had to keep leaning on each
other for support. Passersby gave them a wide berth, most thinking the two
were drunk by their incoherent laughter and swaying as they made their way
down the street.
"God, that was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen!" Kachiko laughed
hard.
"Got that right. We ought to go back. I'm sure we missed half the movie with
how hard we were laughing."
"Then we can make fun of that stuff, too." Kachiko wailed in laughter again.
As Kachiko leaned against him again, Ranma had to admit, going to the
horrible movie had turned into an entertaining experience. Not that the
movie was any good, it was every bit as painfully bad as Ranma had expected,
but Kachiko had found it as equally unlikable, and was vocal about it. Ranma
began agreeing with her, and the two ended up competing at who could mock
the movie best. Their contest had made for a lot of angry stares by the
other patrons of the film, mostly girls, but both he and Kachiko had too
much fun to care what a bunch of shoujo fangirls thought.
The two regained some measure of control as they made their way toward the
restaurant. Both were smiling, enjoying the afterglow of the movie.
"What time is our reservation for?"
The sun had gone down. Ranma had to move under a streetlight to read his
watch. "Hmm. We're running a little late. Why don't we cut through the
park?" He pointed to a walkway that led into the park, though it was quickly
obscured by the trees lining the path.
Kachiko tensed up slightly. "You want to take me through the park at this
time of night?"
"Why not?" Ranma asked innocently.
After a moment of consideration, Kachiko chuckled. "Yeah, knowing you, you
probably don't have a clue."
"Clue to what?"
"Never mind. Lead the way." She waved him past her.
Ranma did as she indicated, feeling perplexed and annoyed. Kachiko seemed to
know something he didn't. She might have been playing a headgame with him to
keep him off balance, but she seemed to want to have a good time on the
date, and she wasn't like Nabiki, who would have tormented him just to
entertain herself. Perhaps she was nervous about walking through a poorly
lit area in the dark. There was always the possibility of being mugged, or
more accurately, someone trying to mug them, since there was no chance
someone like that could actually defeat him. Still, he'd keep an eye out for
any trouble.
They had only made their way a short distance through the park when Ranma's
senses went on alert. He could feel the presence of people off the path
hidden out of sight, a sure sign of trouble. So they had wandered into an
ambush. Kachiko's suspicions were on target. He tensed up, waiting for
someone to make the first move. While he was sure Kachiko could take care of
herself, they were on a date, and it was his duty to protect her from any
harm. It was the manly thing to do. Besides, if he let Kachiko do it, she'd
brag about how she protected him, and that wouldn't do at all.
They continued walking, Ranma wondering when the ambush would be tripped. He
was beginning to think the group was too scared to move when he heard a
rustling sound come from a set of bushes a small distance away. It was
followed by a woman's gasp. So, they had already found a victim.
"Stay here, I'll take care of this," Ranma told Kachiko and moved toward the
bushes.
Kachiko froze for a second, startled at his declaration. By the time she
came out of it, he was already halfway there. "Wait, Ranma, I don't think
you want to do that!"
It was too late as he leaped over the bushes and said, "Hey, you creep! What
are you doing to that girl? Get off her."
There was the brief sound of a struggle, then a girl's voice screech, "Let
go of my boyfriend!" followed by a slap.
More slowly this time, Ranma walked out from the bushes, a red handprint on
his cheek.
"I told you you didn't want to do that," Kachiko teased in a sing-song
voice.
"How was I to know the park's a place to do perverted stuff at night?" Ranma
grumbled.
"I assumed that was why you wanted to come out here with me. I figured you
were overcome with lust." Kachiko posed sexily for him.
"I don't want to do anything perverted with you," Ranma said gruffly as he
continued on through the park.
Kachiko sniffed disdainfully. "You don't have to be so vehement about it."
Her ire disappeared as quickly as it came, and she began following him once
again.
Walking hurriedly, the two left the park and emerged close to the restaurant
Ranma had made the reservations at. Once free from the uncomfortable
environment of the perverted playground the park transformed into at night,
Ranma relaxed a little, though not completely. He had interrupted the couple
in very intimate moment, with the girl in a compromising position. For some
bizarre reason, since that encounter, he felt strange when he looked at
Kachiko. A part of him wished he could end the date now and escape the cause
of his reaction, while another part was reluctant to do so.
It mattered little. He had promised to go out on a date, and Kachiko wanted
to be here with him. He would live up to his obligation, and be done with it
and never date her again, even if they were having a good time together. It
just made things too complicated.
They entered the restaurant, pleased to see no line. Ranma walked up to the
podium that the maitre'd stood behind. "A have a reservation at 8:30 for
Saotome."
"I'll need your reservation number," the man said with an air of superiority
that rubbed Ranma wrong.
Ranma thought the whole reservation number thing was stupid, but the person
that had taken his reservation insisted he needed one. He went into his
pocket and pulled out what he thought was the folded over note and showed it
to the man.
"Getting lucky tonight, are we, Sir?" the maitre'd said drolly.
Ranma stared in horror at the condom in his hand. He couldn't understand why
Kachiko hadn't already slapped him for its presence. Cringing, he looked and
noted her head was turned away as she examined one of the nearby paintings.
However, it was turning back toward him.
Lightning fast he thrust the item back in his pocket.
Kachiko stared at him curiously. "What was-"
Thinking fast, Ranma snapped at the maitre'd, "How dare you imply my date is
a loose woman!"
The maitre'd was taken aback. "I'm sorry but I just assumed by your co-"
Ranma reached forward and snared the man by the collar, dragging him halfway
over the podium. "I demand you apologize to her for your unforgivable
remark."
"Yeah, apologize for saying I'm sleazy," Kachiko seconded.
The maitre'd babbled, "But I-"
"What's going on here?" A large man dressed in formal attire, who had come
from a nearby discussion with two waiters, demanded as the argument had
drawn his attention.
The maitre'd paled. "Sir, I can explain. I asked for this man's reservation
number and he flashed me-"
"He called my date a tramp!" Ranma interjected. "I demand an apology."
"So do I," Kachiko seconded.
"I see." The manager grabbed the maitre'd by the scruff of the neck. "Back
to the kitchens and scrubbing for you, Kanzaki." To Ranma and Kachiko he
said, "Please forgive his impertinence, he's my wife's brother. I'll see to
it you receive a bottle of wine, compliments of the house, in apology."
"Offering free booze is always the best form of apology," Kachiko said
enthusiastically. She looped her arm through Ranma's. "I must say, Ranma,
that was very noble of you to get so outraged and stick up for me like that.
I am impressed."
"Ah, thanks." Ranma gave a nervous laugh. That had been a close one. He
wondered how many more he'd have before the date was over.
xxxxxxxxxxx
"Yes, alcohol makes everything better," Kachiko slurred slightly as she
drained her glass for the sixth time in a half hour and set it back down on
the table.
"Ah, maybe you should slow down," Ranma said hesitantly.
"Most guys want to get their dates drunk," Kachiko said slyly.
"I'm not like most guys," Ranma stated with a touch of indignity.
"Too true, too true. You're a perfect gentleman," Kachiko agreed. "Why, I
bet if I was to give you a lap dance, you wouldn't try a thing. Want to find
out?" She started to rise out of her chair.
"No!" Ranma said quickly.
Kachiko frowned. "You said that awful quick, like you didn't even think
about it. Don't be so uptight. We did see each other naked, after all."
Her slightly loud voice, as well as the topic, was attracting a great deal
of unwanted attention. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it," Ranma
explained as much to the other patrons as to her.
"I know, I know, that's why I don't give you a hard time about it," Kachiko
said. "That's one of the things I like about you. You let the gal set the
pace. It's neat to meet a guy that wants to do that." Her voice then
dropped. "Who knows, keep making all the rights moves like you have been
tonight, and you might manage a double."
Ranma was about to protest when Kachiko slouched in her chair. He couldn't
understand what was going on until he felt a bare toe rub itself up and down
a leg.
Then there was a thud as Kachiko fell out of her chair. All Ranma could see
of her was the top of her head.
"My chair moved," she said from the floor.
"Maybe you'd better cut back until the food arrives," Ranma suggested as
politely as he could.
"Probably," Kachiko agreed as she set her chair back up and sat down
properly in it once again. "I usually don't get giddy like this unless I'm
having a good time."
"That's nice to know," Ranma said weakly, hoping the food would arrive soon
so they could stop with the conversation that was becoming increasingly
uncomfortable.
Kachiko leaned forward over the table, then curled her finger, indicating
Ranma should do the same. Reluctant to do so, but felt not doing it would
result in something worse happening, Ranma answered the beckoning digit.
He leaned forward. "Yes?"
Kachiko whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret. You're doing so good,
you've now got the inside line on Tachi-kun."
Ranma started to smirk. He was distracted enough that he didn't react before
Kachiko brought her face closer and gave him a peck on the cheek.
She retreated back to her seat before he could offer a word of protest.
"Relax, I won't try for more than first base. I can tell I'm not the only
one who wants to take things really slow."
Ranma blushed furiously, unsure of what to say. Before he could formulate
anything, Kachiko rose to her feet. "I have to use the ladies' room, which
means the food should arrive the instant I'm out of sight."
Ranma felt grateful for the reprieve. He sat back in his chair.
As Kachiko began to pass by him, she leaned forward and whispered, "By the
way, you're awful cute when you blush." Then left before he could say
anything again.
Ranma remained in his chair, too flustered to decide if the date was the
worst he had ever been on, or the best.
"Staying at home is definitely a lot less stressful." He drained a glass of
wine himself as he tried to figure out which it was.
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Kachiko observed herself critically in the mirror, uncertain if she was
luring Ranma closer, or driving him away. Any other guy and she would have
been sure it was the former. But Ranma had been right on target with his
declaration that he was "not like most guys." It was one of his most
endearing, as well as distracting, traits. There were times when the
frustration of trying to anticipate his reaction was so bad she would just
as soon be done with him save for one problem.
She really liked it when he called her cute.
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath.
"I agree. Let's leave this loser so you can take up with a real man instead
of the weenie fem-boy."
Kachiko gasped as the sickening image of Tarou had appeared in the mirror,
directly behind her. Apparently she had been so caught him in thinking about
Ranma she had failed to notice the Chinese youth enter.
She turned in anger upon him. "Look, you creep, at least Ranma isn't so
sexually confused he'd enter a ladies room, and that's saying a lot since he
turns into a girl. So why don't you make like a leaf and leave?"
Tarou cringed. "That was just awful. We're really going to have to do
something about that sense of humor of yours if there's going to be anything
between us."
"Ranma appreciates my sense of humor, and there's nothing between us!" While
the former was a lie, there was no need for Tarou to know it. And the latter
was definitely true.
"Yes, well about that nothing between us bit." Tarou held up his left hand
far out to his side and wiggled his fingers.
Kachiko looked at them in confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to-"
The rest was cut off as a hard right met Kachiko between the eyes. She
teetered back, stunned. She was mentally scolding herself for falling for
such an obvious ploy when a second blow knocked her unconscious.
"Let's work on that, shall we?" Tarou hefted her unconscious form over his
shoulder and exited the restroom.
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Ranma began to worry over how long it was taking Kachiko to use the
restroom. A dozen different disaster scenarios ran through his mind, from
her passing out to being abducted.
"Nah, I'm being silly," Ranma decided as he looked over his shoulder just in
time to see Tarou head through the swinging doors to the kitchen with
Kachiko slung over his shoulder.
Ranma sighed. "It's never the easy way, is it?" At least he wouldn't have to
worry about what Kachiko was going to try to do to him next. It was almost a
relief that Tarou had ended things predictably.
Ranma jumped out of his seat and ran toward the doors. He burst through
them, knocking a waiter over as raced into the kitchen, looking for any sign
of Tarou and his burden. He caught sight of his prey exiting through the
back of the kitchen. Under different circumstances, catching up to Tarou
would have been difficult, the creep was nearly as fast as Ranma, but with
him lugging around Kachiko he'd be slowed down. Running him down would take
a matter of moments.
Despite being out of sight, it was easy to follow Tarou's trail by the
number of fallen, irate people he left in his wake. Ranma burst out the rear
doors to the restaurant and emerged into an alleyway. One end of it resulted
in a dead end. He turned to look the other way, but there was no sign of
Tarou there either, and given how far back the door was to the street, there
was no way he could have run fast enough to get out of sight.
Then Ranma looked up.
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath as he saw Tarou's cursed form flying off
with Kachiko cradled in his arms. He had forgotten that little detail.
Suddenly the stakes went up, as the odds of Tarou kidnapping Kachiko
successfully increased. And unlike the time Pantyhose had abducted Akane,
this time Kachiko was the prize Tarou wanted. It was up to Ranma to catch
Tarou and keep him from doing whatever terrible things he had planned for
the girl he wanted so badly.
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Deckhand Yoji Kimura watched as the last of the cargo was dropped in the
hold by the crane. The men below decks released the hooks, allowing the
cable that had been supporting the cargo to retract. Once finished, Yoji
began to close the hatches.
Just as Yoji finished bolting the last one into place, a huge form landed
next to him on the deck of the freighter. He looked up at the bizarre
collection of mismatched animal parts staring down at him from above. The
creature carried a girl fast asleep in his arms.
Yoji pulled out his radio and said, "Captain, a large beastie just landed on
our deck."
The radio crackled in response, "It's probably a dock inspector. Just bribe
him to look the other way."
The creature thrust a piece of paper in Yoji's direction. He looked it over.
"Actually, he has a passenger ticket."
The radio crackled a second time. "Even better, a paying customer. Show him
where the passenger berths are."
"He has an unconscious girl in his arms, though."
"Don't go prying into other people's affairs. I'm sure there's a reasonable
explanation for it."
"He's abducting her?"
"That sounds reasonable. Now show him to his room." The radio went dead.
Yoji shrugged. He wasn't captain. If anything bad came of this, it wouldn't
be on his head.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko first encounter upon awakening was a collision with a splitting
headache. "Oh man, I must have had seriously way too much to drink." She
went to rub her temple, but found her arms pinned to her sides. She was able
to pivot her head just enough to look down and see she was securely bound in
thick links of chain.
It took her a moment to collect her muddled thoughts. What was the last
thing she remembered? Ranma, the whip cream and... no, wait, that was the
dream she had before awakening. No way was he that inventive with an ice
cream scooper and hazelnuts. It was something else. She had gone to the
bathroom, pondering the dilemma 'Mr. You Look Cute' presented her with when
her ruminations had been interrupted by....
"Hey, Babe. Nice to see you awake."
The voice had come from the direction directly above her prone form. She
turned to look up and snarled, "So it's you, Bull-butt. You sick pervert.
You've tied me up so you can do twisted sexual things to me."
"You're into that sort of thing?"
"No way!"
Tarou breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. As much as I love you, I'm not into
bondage or kinky stuff like that. If you were, I'd have to rethink our
relationship."
"We don't have a relationship!"
Tarou snickered. "Sure we do. It's love/hate right now, but it'll change
over time, like all the cool romances do. There's the usual time period of
denial on one or two of the people's parts. Then after we've shared some
bonding experiences and stuff, we'll grow closer after our trials and
tribulations and eventually proclaim our love for one another. That's what
makes cool romances like that worthwhile."
"That's a load of crap," she retorted, then took in her surroundings. Oddly,
the ceiling had a number of metal crossbeams above her head. The metal of
the floor felt cold, and she swore she could hear water lapping against
something. Even the room seemed to have an odd sway to it. "Where are we?"
"On a cargo ship destined for Tasmania. I have you stored in the back toward
the engine, since my room is the first place anyone would look for you."
There was the sound of something large breaking somewhere overhead.
Tarou cracked his knuckles, making an unusually loud popping sound with
them. "Sounds like one of those trials I mentioned just showed up. Don't
worry, I'll take care of that pesky Fem-boy. No way I'll let a pansy like
him come between me and true love."
"Ranma will kick your ass!" Kachiko swore.
"He hasn't been able to do it yet, not without help. And there's no way he
had time to round up anyone, since we came directly to the ship. We'll be
setting sail any minute now. So all I have to do is beat him up again and
then we'll have nothing but each other left."
"It'll never happen." Kachiko struggled against her bonds.
Tarou shook his head sadly at the display. "Even I'd have a tough time
breaking out of those, and you ain't anywhere near as strong as me. You just
take it easy. I'll be back before you know it." Tarou headed up and out of
the room.
"Bastard!" Kachiko spat and filling the air with rattling as she tried to
break free of her chains.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Where is she? You'd better cough Kachi up, or you'll be sorry!" Ranma
bellowed out to the rough looking men lining the deck of the ship. Although
he had lost sight of Tarou, it was right around here. He knew this was the
place the jerk had to have landed. It was the only ship in the area, and
from the looks of the crew, they were preparing to leave the harbor.
Yoji stopped directing the crane, which had picked up the last of their
cargo, a fifteen by fifteen foot box container suspended above the deck, and
moved to the front of the pack of irate crewmen. He brandished a crowbar
menacingly in hand. "Now see here, kid. We don't like people coming onto our
ship and making demands, at least if they aren't fifteen feet tall and look
like a bull with wings. So why don't you shove off, or we'll make you
sorry." He poked Ranma in the chest with the crowbar.
Ranma poked him in the chest with a fist, which was actually closer to a
punch. It knocked Yoji down to the deck, the crowbar sent flying out of his
hand and landing on the deck with a clang.
That served as a signal for the rest of the crewmen to descend on Ranma,
trying to gang tackle him all at once.
Ranma finished the dozen large men off in under a minute.
As the last, and largest man, went crashing unconscious to the deck, the
sound of clapping filled the air. Ranma turned to see Tarou relaxing lazily
against the forecastle of the ship.
"Looks like you're all warmed up. Ready for the main event?" Tarou
dramatically cracked his knuckles again, since Ranma hadn't had the benefit
of hearing him do it earlier.
Ranma stepped menacingly toward Tarou. "I can't believe you're sick enough
to kidnap Kachi and try taking her away on a ship so you can have your way
with her."
Tarou looked aghast at the accusation. "I am going to do no such thing."
"Then why'd you kidnap her and come here?"
Tarou smirked. "I was saving her life. After all, anyone hanging out with
you would die from terminal boredom. Right now she's lively and vibrant, but
there's to telling how boring she'll get if she spends time with you. You
are a pansy assed weenie boy, after all."
"I am not!"
Tarou continued. "And I have no intention of having my way with her. I'm
simply taking her on a cruise with just the two of us so we can have some
privacy without any distractions and get to know what each other's like.
And, you know, fall in love and everything. But that comes after we spend
some time with one another."
Ranma scoffed. "Yeah, like that will ever happen. She doesn't even like
you."
Tarou gained a crafty smile. "Oh, from what I understand, most of the girls
that are currently after you started off disliking you for one reason or
another."
Ranma became flustered. He came up with, "Kodachi didn't."
"I thought you had some kind of gymnastics competition with her."
"That's only because she doesn't know about my curse, but she started off
liking me as a guy within seconds of the first time we met."
"Whatever," Tarou said, "The point is, most relationships start out a little
testy, but as the couple gets to know one another, feelings blossom and the
two fall in love. I'm just following the usual tried and true course."
"I don't care what you think. You're giving her back." Ranma was near enough
to try a leap kick at Tarou. Despite his lackadaisical pose, the older boy
was ready and leaped over the attack, tucking into a ball then coming out of
it to land gracefully on one foot.
"I don't know why you're trying so hard to woo her. You aren't anywhere
near man enough to tame a wild girl like Kachi. You're hopelessly
outclassed," Tarou spat contemptuously.
"I can tame her if I want!" Ranma jumped down to land next to Tarou, ducking
several of the blows unleashed at him as he landed. Ranma saw an opening and
punched Tarou in the gut. The older boy was quick to retaliate with a kick
to Ranma's midsection, both driving him back and winding him enough that he
couldn't follow up with another attack.
Tarou sneered. "Get real. You wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she
stripped naked and began bouncing on your lap, Fem-boy." Tarou went for a
three punch combination.
Ranma blocked the first two and dodged out of the way of the third blow.
"This from the guy that runs away when girls ask him his name."
For the first time since the fight began Tarou became angry. "It's not my
fault I can't stand my name. Besides, I don't care if Kachi calls me by it.
It's obviously a sign of true love, so quit interfering." Tarou tried to
attack Ranma again.
Ranma blocked the incoming blow and retaliated with a palm strike that
connected solidly with Tarou's chin, making his teeth snap together with an
audible clack. Ranma was quick to press the advantage with a series of
punches and kicks that struck Tarou fully in several areas of his body.
Backing off for a second, it was Ranma's turn to smirk. "Looks like you've
lost a step. Ready to tell me where Kachi is? If you haven't done anything
to her, I'll go easy on you, sort of."
Growling, Tarou pulled a small half foot piece of rounded wood from the
inside of his vest. "Hey, Fem-boy, want to see a new trick?"
Ranma tensed up. There was a good fifteen feet separating him and Tarou, so
he should have time to react to anything the guy had planned with the short
stick.
Tarou held it out perpendicular to Ranma's body. The end pointing at Ranma
suddenly telescoped in length, striking him in the gut, and sending him
flying into the forecastle hard enough to buckle the metal.
The stick shrank down to regular staff size. Tarou began twirling it around.
"I got this off some crappy fire breathing martial arts monk that was flying
around on a silly cloud. It's kind of neat, though. Want to see what else it
can do?"
"Not really," Ranma said as he picked himself up.
Tarou proved the question rhetorical as he closed the distance between them
in an instant and lashed out at Ranma with the staff. Ranma leaped out of
the way again just as the staff struck where he had been a moment before. He
saw a gout of flame shoot out from the end of the staff just as it impacted
with the metal. The force of the impact dented the metal and created a
sizable hole in the plating.
Tarou tried bringing the staff around again, but the end that had been
driven into the deck was caught on the edge of the some of the debris. The
second was all Ranma needed to unleash another kick to Tarou's back, sending
him away again from the force of the blow.
With the weapon freed, Tarou was quick to use the distance gained to his
advantage as the staff extended, a small fire emanating from the tip, and
tried to swat Ranma. The younger martial artist was forced to give ground
due to the increasing length of the staff, as well as the blur it was in the
hands of Tarou. The Chinese youth displayed an expertise with the weapon
Ranma hadn't thought he possessed.
Each blow that hit the deck destroyed sections of it, leaving a series of
craters that resembled a metallic lunar landscape.
Ranma tried taunting his opponent. "I can't believe you're cowardly enough
to use a weapon."
Tarou wouldn't rise to the bait. "Says the guy who practices a school called
'Anything Goes'. Besides, I freely admit to using anything to gain an edge.
Now why don't you stop dancing around and accept your beating like a girl?
Oooh, I'm sorry, I mean like a hermaphrodite?"
"I'll show you!" A bright blue ball of energy formed between Ranma's hands.
He shouted, "Moko Takabisha!" and unleashed it in Tarou's direction.
Rather than trying to dodge, Tarou braced himself and shrunk the staff down
to its normal length, spinning it fast enough that it was a blur of brown.
The ball of ki energy struck the center of the staff. The force of the blast
drove Tarou backward, creating ruts in the metal from his feet. But the
energy itself eventually petered out, dissipating in the air and leaving
both man and weapon unharmed.
"I'm not even going to have to use my cursed form to kick your ass," Tarou
taunted.
A ball of energy formed between Ranma's hands again. "Moko Takabisha."
"You just don't learn, Saotome." Tarou spun the staff around again.
This time the ball didn't strike the staff, but rather the ship beneath
Tarou, specifically, the hatch to the hold he was standing on. The metal
vaporized in the blast, and Tarou fell into the huge hole and out of sight.
Ranma was quick to leap down into it. He saw that in the fall Tarou had lost
his grip on the staff and it had landed a dozen feet out of reach. Ranma was
quick to take advantage of the opening and tried landing with both feet on
Tarou, intent on caving in his chest with the kick.
Tarou recovered just in time to spin out of the way, letting Ranma land on
the floor. Tarou retaliated by bringing his leg into the back of Ranma's
knees, causing them to buckle. Both martial artists returned to their
vertical base at the same time. Ranma connected with a right to Tarou's jaw,
but his success was short lived as the older youth jabbed several times,
each blow snapping off in Ranma's face, temporarily stunning him.
Suddenly Tarou was upon him, grappling with him. The Chinese boy gained the
advantage by getting behind Ranma, gripping one of Ranma's wrists, and
bringing the arm up under his foe's neck as he pulled back on, immobilizing
the appendage while choking with it at the same time.
Secure in his superior position behind Ranma, Tarou gasped, "Looks like I'm
not just quicker, better-looking, smarter, and more talented, but stronger
too."
Feeling his source of oxygen being cut off, Ranma tried to reach behind him
with his free hand, but Tarou deflected it with his own free hand and
attempted to snare Ranma's flailing arm with it.
Eventually Ranma was forced down to his knees, Tarou making it worse by
bringing his weight down on Ranma's back, while making sure not to
overbalance himself and allow Ranma to toss him over his shoulder.
"This is the end, Fem-boy. You didn't even put up a decent fight this time."
Ranma was beginning to worry when he realized where their struggle had taken
them. Smiling, despite slowly being asphyxiated, he reached down and grabbed
the end of the fallen staff. Before Tarou could react, Ranma brought the end
of it into the grappler's cheek, forcing him to release the hold and clutch
his face in pain.
Ranma wheezed, trying to regain his precious oxygen even as he swung the
staff at Tarou. While the Anything Goes School specialized in unarmed
combat, Ranma was familiar enough the with the weapon to use it effectively.
He swung twice at Tarou, who ducked both blows. When Ranma came around a
third time, Tarou surprised him by moving into the next swing, arms brought
forward. The staff caught Tarou in the side of the ribs, but he brought an
arm around it, trapping the weapon and pinning it to his side. With his
other hand, Tarou punched Ranma in the face again, forcing him to release
the weapon.
With the staff once again in Tarou's hands, he began extending its length
and lashed out with it. Unlike before, when he had been aiming primarily at
Ranma's body, this series of blows were aimed at Ranma's feet in an effort
to break them and limit his mobility. Ranma's feet were a blur as a dance
began with Tarou trying to hit Ranma, but only succeeding in blowing a
series of holes in the floor as he chased him.
"You're going to get tired eventually, Fem-boy, then you're history!" Tarou
threatened as he continued in his pursuit of Ranma.
Ranma, who had been fighting a retreating battle since Tarou's newest
offensive started, lunged forward with a leap toward his foe. Tarou reacted
instinctively by shortening the staff and bringing it up and over his head,
trying for a crushing blow that would end the contest.
Ranma managed to evade the swing in mid-air, allowing the staff to strike
the deck with a tremendous impact. Ranma then followed through by using
Tarou's head as a springboard and vaulting upward through the hole in the
hatch he had originally used to descend into the bowels of the ship.
Tarou raised his fist to the hole. "Running away isn't going to save you!
Saotome. Nothing can-" His cursing was abruptly stopped as what little
remained of the metal flooring buckled and a huge spray of seawater burst up
through the hole where Tarou's last blow had landed.
Now in his cursed form. Tarou gave a bellow of rage. He had wanted the joy
of dealing Ranma a resounding defeat in his human form. It would erase any
doubt as to who the superior fighter was to everyone, especially Kachiko.
Now the pummeling would have to happen the old fashioned way, with Tarou
using his more powerful cursed form to crush Ranma.
The hold continued to fill with water as Tarou flew up to the hole. It was
large enough to accommodate his massive, bovine shoulders. Now it was his
turn to have superior maneuverability. He wagered the fight would be over
within a handful of minutes. Ranma had already taken a beating, and even his
best shots would do little more than faze Tarou's beastly form. One clean
blow is all it would take for the fight to end and Tarou to have peace of
mind.
Tarou's head had just cleared the hole when he saw Ranma forming yet another
ball of energy in his hands. Tarou reflexively ducked, intent on using the
hold as cover. Once the blast passed by, he'd fly up and finish Ranma off
for good.
Tarou heard the cry of "Moko Takabisha!" once again, followed by the sound
of crackling energy cutting through the air. Curiously, it didn't carom off
the metal of the hold or impact with it. Apparently Saotome was so tired, he
had missed completely.
Unleashing a gruff chuckle, Tarou looked up, intent on flying through the
hole and finishing the fight. Instead, all he saw was the bottom of
something large and heavy falling toward him.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Ranma smirked as he heard the grunt of pain come from Tarou as the large
container struck him squarely in the head. There was a loud crash as both
beast and container landed hard on the bottom of the ship.
Then there was the sound of more metal buckling and a geyser of water
shooting up through the hole in the deck.
Ranma poked his head down into the hold, avoiding the column of water. The
container had hit the monstrous form of Tarou with enough force that, in
addition to the strain the bottom of the ship had already taken, it had
driven both the container and Tarou clean through the hull of the ship. With
the gaping wound in its bottom, the ship was now filling with water as
quickly as the ocean could claim it.
"Oh crap," Ranma said as he ran into the interior of the ship.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko looked up at the ceiling. Whatever that last impact was, it had
caused several of the crossbeams to buckle. Definitely a very bad sign in
her book.
Having nothing better to do, and feeling a sense of urgency that hadn't been
present before, Kachiko grunted as she redoubled her efforts to free
herself. She had given up using brute force, which had never been her forte.
Instead she went about trying to find the weakest link. Break that, and she
could slip out of one set of the chains, and with the way Tarou had tied her
up, the others would be loosened enough for her to slip free. By the time
the conceited jerk realized she had escaped his trap, all he'd be left with
was a pile of worthless metal and hard feelings.
There was another loud crash behind her, followed be the groan of metal
being rent. From somewhere behind her, the sound of water began rushing in.
"Ohhh. That's really not good." Panicked, she tried rolling to the set of
steps Tarou had taken up and out of the room. If she tried hard enough, she
thought she could make like a Slinky and inch her way up the steps. Once she
got some clearance from the floor, she'd concentrate on her bonds once
again.
Kachiko had made it almost halfway there when she was struck by a wave of
pain so sudden and powerful, she passed out. Everything seemed to turn a
shade of white and disappeared in the haze of agony lancing through her
entire being. She couldn't even form a semi-coherent thought as her body
reflexively convulsed, despite being bound....
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko opened her eyes, only to shut them again as something bright nearly
seared her retinas. It took a moment to reorient herself. She was on her
back. From the texture of the surface she lay upon, it was concrete. From
the smell and the feel of the wind, she was outdoors. Rolling over, she
dared to open her eyes again and found herself facing concrete, as she had
expected.
A familiar voice said, "Look, is that not Kachi lying in the middle of the
path?"
A second familiar voice said, "I think so."
"This is to be a very curious thing, yes?"
"For anyone else, yes. For her, not really."
Strength returning to her body, Kachiko rolled over and sat up. Sure enough,
It was Kachiko's long time classmate, Gosunkugi and the Scandinavian
knockout Ingrid. Their arms were affectionately around each other's waist as
they stared at her in concern.
"Do I even want to know why you're lying on the ground?" Gosunkugi asked.
Kachiko scratched her head. "I don't know. I haven't gotten the faintest
idea how I ended up here." She concentrated, trying to jog her memory, but
nothing came to her. She remembered school ending and talking to Sakura on
the way home. She had just dropped her best friend off when she noticed
Icky's limousine come up the road. Rather than dealing with the boorish
would-be Casanova hitting on her, which was as reflexive as breathing to
him, she had opted to flee and head toward her house. Just as she was
nearing it, everything went blank and she found herself lying on the ground
in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Do you need help?" Gosunkugi asked.
Kachiko rose to her feet, brushing some dirt from her skirt. "Nah. I'm fine.
Strange things happen to me all the time. I'd say I was due for a bout of
temporary amnesia. At least I haven't had something like a personality
inversion with Yumi happen. Now that would be really strange."
"Only you could feel that way," Gosunkugi said. He and Ingrid gave their
good-byes and departed, talking with one another about Kachiko's strange
behavior.
Kachiko scratched her head. The loss of memory was bothering her. Perhaps
she could find Wacky Wakaba, and see if she had any ideas on memory
restoration. Her family had lots of geniuses, as evidenced by the number of
things they loaned to Wakaba so she could show them off to Kachiko. That
prototype Battle Dogi had been pretty neat. It had allowed Wakaba to
actualize her potential as a martial artist, and work out with Kachiko in a
fun sparring match that ended with the Battle Dogi being damaged and Wakaba
having one of her arms pulled out of her socket when it malfunctioned. But
it would serve as a reminder that one should learn martial arts the hard
way, through practice, rather than some quick-fix magical item.
Kachiko sighed. "I'd better get back home. Or those rotten parents of mine
will bit-"
Her diatribe ended abruptly as there was a sensation of falling followed
by....
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Uhhh." Kachiko groaned as every muscle and joint in her body cried out in
protest of her breathing. She remained motionless, her mind slowly
relearning how to form thoughts. Luckily, her recovery was quick as events
slowly returned to Kachiko. What had happened to cause her such pain? One
second she had been in the middle of the park, talking to Gosunkugi without
a clue of how she had gotten there when-
No. She did remember. She recalled everything from the moment she ended up
in her house that wasn't her house and the revelation that she had been
plucked from her time to the future and avoided the complete destruction of
her life right before a premature death. She remembered meeting her
'family', Ranma, and that bastard Tarou abducting her. She had been trying
to get to the stairs to avoid the water, that was now starting to flow under
her, when there had been pain and then she woke up in the park.
She remembered the pain. That wasn't the first time she had felt it, though
it was by far the worst bout of it. The attacks started shortly after she
arrived in the future, getting progressively worse and closer together. But
they had passed quickly, and there were no lasting effects, so she hadn't
worried about them. She was used to dealing with odd situations. But this
time something different happened. She had been cast into past with no
memories of her time spent in the future. It was only upon her return to the
future that her memories of that time came back to her.
It took only a moment to make the logical conclusion to what it all meant.
"No!" Kachiko wailed. She didn't want to go back, not without a memory. Not
without the ability to change everything. It was the main reason she hadn't
tried to go back, nor really wanted to. Yes, she had missed her family and
friends, but to go back meant risking everything turning out the way the
others said. Even armed with foreknowledge, there was no guarantee she could
change her fate. Best to avoid the situation altogether. It was far better
to face an unknown future rather than one that would probably lead to doom.
Now it appeared the choice of remaining in the future and forging a new life
had been taken away. With no memories of her time traveling experience, she
would be damned to repeat the same mistakes once again. She would lose her
dreams, her friends, her lover, her family, compromise her integrity, and
die before her life even had a chance to start. She would lose everything
she cared about, and it would only be replaced with ashes.
Kachiko looked upward and screamed, "No! It's not fair! You can't show me
all this, then take away my ability to change it! You can't! You can't!"
She screamed and screamed until her shrill voice cracked and throat became
raw. Then the screams became cries and tears rolled down her cheeks in an
unrelenting stream. It wasn't fair. If anything could be called Hell, this
was it. The detailed knowledge that one was doomed to lose everything and
there was no way to avert it.
The water rose higher, submerging her body halfway. She could have continued
wiggling toward the steps and seek higher ground, hoping someone would find
and rescue her, but what was the point? She was damned anyway. Move or stay,
if the outcome was the same, what difference did it make? None at all. She
remained motionless and allowed herself to be submerged in the brine.
Dimly Kachiko became aware of the sound of feet running quickly across the
deck above her. The sound of steps became louder, and a pair of feet
appeared at the top of the steps. Within the blink of an eye, Ranma
appeared.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god I found you. I was afraid Tarou
had..." Ranma trailed off as he saw the look of devastation on Kachiko's
features. He had never seen anything like it, not even on Ryouga when he
formed the Perfect Shi Shi Houkoudan. "What did he do to you?"
"He killed Hope." Kachiko knew Ranma wouldn't understand. She didn't care in
the slightest. No one could understand.
It took Ranma a moment to pull himself together. "I'll get you out of here."
"Leave me!" Kachiko said bitterly. "It'll be over soon enough. Better a
quick, clean death than a slow agonizing one that stretches out over the
years. I'd rather drown than return to that pitiful, hollow existence."
Even Ranma was taken aback by the desolation in her voice. "Quit talking
nonsense. We'll get you out of here and things will work out. They always
do."
"I hate your optimism and I hate you!" Kachiko spat. "I said leave me! Are
you too stupid to understand the words coming out of my mouth, you sex
changing freak?! Leave me here to die!"
Rage had replaced devastation, making even Ranma pause. While he was struck
silent, the same could not be said for the rest of the ship as the sound of
more metal tearing filled the air. The sound shook him out of the spell
woven by Kachiko's inexplicable actions. "I don't care what you say about
me. I'm getting you out of here."
Ranma made it to the very bottom of the steps when the sound of something
heavy struck the deck directly overhead. Then the ceiling gave way and came
crashing toward Ranma. He tensed up to leap, but the water pooled in the
bottom made the deck slippery and he fell.
A second later, half the deck above came crashing down on top of him.
"No!" Kachiko screamed. Seeing Ranma's fate broke the veil of hopelessness
that had settled over her. Momentarily forgetting her own plight, Kachiko
resumed her struggle against her bonds. For a moment, there was nothing, and
the water merely rose up until it nearly filled her nostrils. She sat up as
best as she could, catching a breath as she pulled and strained until it
felt as though every muscle in her body would tear free from bone.
Then, just when it seemed all was lost, there was the sound of a link
snapping.
Luck was with Kachiko; the break was next to her right hand. Writhing
around, she pried the broken link free. The removal of that chain triggered
a domino effect among the others, and she slipped free of her confinement.
Standing for the first time in half an hour, she ran to the pile of metal
that was on top of Ranma. He had to be all right. He was far stronger than
her, and she probably would have survived such an impact. Maybe.
Tired muscles pushed beyond their endurance pleaded for her to stop, but
Kachiko ignored them and tossed the smaller pieces of broken metal aside.
There wasn't as much as she feared. It had seemed tons had dropped from her
position on the floor, but it couldn't have been more than a thousand pounds
or so, and most of it hadn't fallen directly on Ranma.
She tossed multiple chunks of debris aside until she came upon a large, flat
piece of metal on top of several others. She went for an edge of it, digging
her fingers in with the best purchase she could manage. It was heavy,
heavier by far than the other pieces she had pulled. Heavier than it had any
right to be. She continued pulling, ignoring the pain as the skin ripped
away from her fingertips and left bloody smears on the metal. She couldn't
ignore the pain in her back as a muscle finally did give way from the strain
placed upon it. So she cried out, and continued to pull until the flat piece
trembled, then pulled free of the metal that was heaped upon it, and it was
tossed aside.
Looking down at what lay underneath made Kachiko recoil. The seawater had
turned Ranma into his girl form. Her head was slightly propped up by the way
the metal had fallen, keeping her from drowning, but only barely. There was
a large gash on her temple, causing blood to flow down the middle of her
face so that only the far sides of her cheeks weren't covered in a crimson
mask. But the worst part was the small length of pipe sticking up through
her body, near her kidney. It had been driven vertically through her side
and into the deck below her. Blood flowed freely from the wound.
Kachiko wasn't squeamish, but seeing the impaled girl nearly made her throw
up. She had to repress the urge. Instead she forced herself to use the ruins
of her fingers to grip the metal protruding from Ranma's flank. She bent
low, her back sending jolts of pain from her sore muscles pleading with her
to stop, if only by making her pass out. Her body's aches joined in the
chorus of protest, but she ignored everything other than removing the
projection of metal from Ranma's body.
Her grip slipped from the mix of blood and water and she went crashing to
the deck. She picked herself up and bent lower, and gripping it right above
the point where the pipe entered Ranma's body. It was slightly twisted,
affording her some purchase, though there was also a particularly jagged
piece of metal there. Digging her grip there meant driving a centimeter of
metal into her palm, but Kachiko accepted it and forced her hand to drive
the metal through her own flesh, which was just a pale imitation of what
Ranma must have been experiencing.
Kachiko put everything she had into pulling upward. She wouldn't let herself
fail. She pulled despite the pain caused by her actions, despite the ever
widening wound in her hand as it moved up, but the pipe didn't.
A disc slipped in her lower back, making her scream, but still she pulled.
And then suddenly, the pipe pulled free with a pop.
Kachiko had only a second to feel relief at the lessening of pain when there
was a loud explosion behind her. Heat seared her back and she was lifted up
the floor and through the air. There was the sensation of something hard
hitting her from the front.
Then there was nothing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
This was not right. The world was not supposed to consist of nothing but
pain. There were other things, though a mind filled to overflowing agony at
every point of the body said that was the only sensation that mattered.
Pain was a feeling. That was all. Kachiko's father had taught her that. You
feel sad. You feel happy. You feel pain. Accept the feeling, and move on. Or
just give up. Just make sure if you give up to the pain, you give up on
everything else as well.
So Kachiko accepted the pain, trying to locate the worst areas of it. Her
whole back felt like someone was applying a match to it. Somewhere beneath
the flame, muscle was torn and bone had shifted, though her spine was not
broken, as the legs joined in their assessment that everything was hurt, not
unfeeling.
Breathing was hard as well. Someone was jabbing a poker in her chest each
time she drew breath. She coughed, and there was more pain. It would be so
easy to pass out. Everything cried out she needed to. Her body was hurt,
perhaps beyond repair. It was time to let it rest and fix itself. But there
was one thing preventing her from giving in to the urge. One important
matter that nagged at her conscience and refused to allow her to seek her
much needed rest. Only one thing.
Ranma.
She had to rescue him. It was a competition between which would finish him
off first: drowning or bleeding to death. She couldn't let him die. She was
doomed, but there was no reason for him to be as well. No one deserved to be
damned the way Kachiko was.
No one.
She told her body to rise up off the steps she had been thrown into, the
ones that had probably broken her ribs, judging by the stabbing pain coming
from her chest. Curiously, her body refused to respond. She could make her
fingers twitch. She got one of her feet to try to find purchase, but she
couldn't get anything else to work properly. It was taking everything she
had to accept the pain and remain conscious. She tried, and she tried, and
she tried harder than anything she had ever attempted before in her life,
but her body wouldn't respond.
It wasn't fair! She had the will to save him. She had the perseverance. She
would not accept what Fate had in store for her until she saved Ranma. But
the while the spirit was willing, the flesh was unable to complete the
desire, and so Kachiko lay still, incapable of saving herself, much less
anyone else. She lay limply on the steps, helpless. It was perhaps the most
pitiful thing in her life, to know what she had to do and be unable to do
it. It was the first time she knew she had limitations she could not hope to
overcome. She sobbed at her useless mortality.
Then there was the sensation of an arm forcing its way between her chest and
the steps. There was more pain, and a moment of whiting out from it. More
agony produced the opposite effect, and forced herself awake. She saw that
now she was suspended above the ground, though both her legs and head were
pointed downward.
Kachiko had enough control to force herself to look up past the tuxedo clad
breasts and to the blood shrouded face of the redhead that now supported her
body. Ranma's eyes were glazed over, as though looking off at some distant
land. Despite the appearance of not knowing where she, was she continued to
move forward and up the stairs.
With each step, new waves of pain were sent into Kachiko's chest. She wanted
to ask to be carried in the redhead's arms, but there wasn't enough
cognizance left to form the words.
Impossibly, the pain started to lessen, as though Kachiko was somehow moving
past the concept of agony and into another state of mind where things were
muted, like a faded water-color. Everything took a dreamlike quality. She
looked down again, and saw blood continue to flow from the tear in Ranma's
flesh from her earlier impalement. A disconnected part of Kachiko's mind
wagered her savior would bleed to death before she could get them free of
the ship. It looked like Ranma was going to beat her again.
There was no longer a sensation of time, it went to the same place the pain
had. Each moment was an eternity that never happened. There was only white
and gray, which were dimly recognized as something called colors. There
wasn't even fear. Not really. It went to the same place where everything but
consciousness went. Or maybe it was gone too, and all of this was just
imagination. The ship, the explosions, the time shifting, nothing but a
twisted dream, and she'd wake up in her home, in her proper time, and laugh
with Sakura about this tomorrow, especially the part about her best friend
marrying an ugly man.
Suddenly there was a new sensation. Wind ripping along her back, soothing
burned flesh ever so slightly. That was nice. It was the only thing remotely
connected to relief. Everything else was just more of the same.
She thought she heard cries coming from somewhere. It was hard to tell the
direction. Everything was far away. Even Ranma, who was right next to her,
still looking off in the distance. What did the redhead see? Kachiko wanted
to know.
Ranma kept walking, until they reached a wide gangplank that, despite the
slow sinking of the ship, was still connected to the dock, though at a steep
upward angle rather than the lower one it had started out with. Moving with
the slow steady pace she had maintained since picking Kachiko up, Ranma went
up the gangplank until her feet landed firmly upon the dock. It was as the
second foot touched the edge that there was a groan from behind, and the
gangplank collapsed, falling into the ocean with the rapidly sinking ship.
Ranma's eyes turned away from looking ahead, and seemed to suddenly
understand that there was someone over her shoulder. She looked at Kachiko
and said, "I told you this would be the most unforgettable date you've ever
been on."
Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped to the
ground, dumping Kachiko unceremoniously on her back.
Kachiko stared up at the sky. She had to admit, she was guilty of
underestimating Ranma. He had given her the most interesting date she had
ever been on.
Deciding now was a good time to pass out, she did so.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[END CHAPTER]
Yep, Tarou's staff was pulled from the bad guy in the second episode of the
Read or Die OVA.
Revision date: 2/27/04
Special thanks to:
Michael A. Chase
Eternal Lost Lurker
Christopher Horton
David Tai
The Apprentice
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Ranma and Kachiko were laughing so hard they had to keep leaning on each
other for support. Passersby gave them a wide berth, most thinking the two
were drunk by their incoherent laughter and swaying as they made their way
down the street.
"God, that was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen!" Kachiko laughed
hard.
"Got that right. We ought to go back. I'm sure we missed half the movie with
how hard we were laughing."
"Then we can make fun of that stuff, too." Kachiko wailed in laughter again.
As Kachiko leaned against him again, Ranma had to admit, going to the
horrible movie had turned into an entertaining experience. Not that the
movie was any good, it was every bit as painfully bad as Ranma had expected,
but Kachiko had found it as equally unlikable, and was vocal about it. Ranma
began agreeing with her, and the two ended up competing at who could mock
the movie best. Their contest had made for a lot of angry stares by the
other patrons of the film, mostly girls, but both he and Kachiko had too
much fun to care what a bunch of shoujo fangirls thought.
The two regained some measure of control as they made their way toward the
restaurant. Both were smiling, enjoying the afterglow of the movie.
"What time is our reservation for?"
The sun had gone down. Ranma had to move under a streetlight to read his
watch. "Hmm. We're running a little late. Why don't we cut through the
park?" He pointed to a walkway that led into the park, though it was quickly
obscured by the trees lining the path.
Kachiko tensed up slightly. "You want to take me through the park at this
time of night?"
"Why not?" Ranma asked innocently.
After a moment of consideration, Kachiko chuckled. "Yeah, knowing you, you
probably don't have a clue."
"Clue to what?"
"Never mind. Lead the way." She waved him past her.
Ranma did as she indicated, feeling perplexed and annoyed. Kachiko seemed to
know something he didn't. She might have been playing a headgame with him to
keep him off balance, but she seemed to want to have a good time on the
date, and she wasn't like Nabiki, who would have tormented him just to
entertain herself. Perhaps she was nervous about walking through a poorly
lit area in the dark. There was always the possibility of being mugged, or
more accurately, someone trying to mug them, since there was no chance
someone like that could actually defeat him. Still, he'd keep an eye out for
any trouble.
They had only made their way a short distance through the park when Ranma's
senses went on alert. He could feel the presence of people off the path
hidden out of sight, a sure sign of trouble. So they had wandered into an
ambush. Kachiko's suspicions were on target. He tensed up, waiting for
someone to make the first move. While he was sure Kachiko could take care of
herself, they were on a date, and it was his duty to protect her from any
harm. It was the manly thing to do. Besides, if he let Kachiko do it, she'd
brag about how she protected him, and that wouldn't do at all.
They continued walking, Ranma wondering when the ambush would be tripped. He
was beginning to think the group was too scared to move when he heard a
rustling sound come from a set of bushes a small distance away. It was
followed by a woman's gasp. So, they had already found a victim.
"Stay here, I'll take care of this," Ranma told Kachiko and moved toward the
bushes.
Kachiko froze for a second, startled at his declaration. By the time she
came out of it, he was already halfway there. "Wait, Ranma, I don't think
you want to do that!"
It was too late as he leaped over the bushes and said, "Hey, you creep! What
are you doing to that girl? Get off her."
There was the brief sound of a struggle, then a girl's voice screech, "Let
go of my boyfriend!" followed by a slap.
More slowly this time, Ranma walked out from the bushes, a red handprint on
his cheek.
"I told you you didn't want to do that," Kachiko teased in a sing-song
voice.
"How was I to know the park's a place to do perverted stuff at night?" Ranma
grumbled.
"I assumed that was why you wanted to come out here with me. I figured you
were overcome with lust." Kachiko posed sexily for him.
"I don't want to do anything perverted with you," Ranma said gruffly as he
continued on through the park.
Kachiko sniffed disdainfully. "You don't have to be so vehement about it."
Her ire disappeared as quickly as it came, and she began following him once
again.
Walking hurriedly, the two left the park and emerged close to the restaurant
Ranma had made the reservations at. Once free from the uncomfortable
environment of the perverted playground the park transformed into at night,
Ranma relaxed a little, though not completely. He had interrupted the couple
in very intimate moment, with the girl in a compromising position. For some
bizarre reason, since that encounter, he felt strange when he looked at
Kachiko. A part of him wished he could end the date now and escape the cause
of his reaction, while another part was reluctant to do so.
It mattered little. He had promised to go out on a date, and Kachiko wanted
to be here with him. He would live up to his obligation, and be done with it
and never date her again, even if they were having a good time together. It
just made things too complicated.
They entered the restaurant, pleased to see no line. Ranma walked up to the
podium that the maitre'd stood behind. "A have a reservation at 8:30 for
Saotome."
"I'll need your reservation number," the man said with an air of superiority
that rubbed Ranma wrong.
Ranma thought the whole reservation number thing was stupid, but the person
that had taken his reservation insisted he needed one. He went into his
pocket and pulled out what he thought was the folded over note and showed it
to the man.
"Getting lucky tonight, are we, Sir?" the maitre'd said drolly.
Ranma stared in horror at the condom in his hand. He couldn't understand why
Kachiko hadn't already slapped him for its presence. Cringing, he looked and
noted her head was turned away as she examined one of the nearby paintings.
However, it was turning back toward him.
Lightning fast he thrust the item back in his pocket.
Kachiko stared at him curiously. "What was-"
Thinking fast, Ranma snapped at the maitre'd, "How dare you imply my date is
a loose woman!"
The maitre'd was taken aback. "I'm sorry but I just assumed by your co-"
Ranma reached forward and snared the man by the collar, dragging him halfway
over the podium. "I demand you apologize to her for your unforgivable
remark."
"Yeah, apologize for saying I'm sleazy," Kachiko seconded.
The maitre'd babbled, "But I-"
"What's going on here?" A large man dressed in formal attire, who had come
from a nearby discussion with two waiters, demanded as the argument had
drawn his attention.
The maitre'd paled. "Sir, I can explain. I asked for this man's reservation
number and he flashed me-"
"He called my date a tramp!" Ranma interjected. "I demand an apology."
"So do I," Kachiko seconded.
"I see." The manager grabbed the maitre'd by the scruff of the neck. "Back
to the kitchens and scrubbing for you, Kanzaki." To Ranma and Kachiko he
said, "Please forgive his impertinence, he's my wife's brother. I'll see to
it you receive a bottle of wine, compliments of the house, in apology."
"Offering free booze is always the best form of apology," Kachiko said
enthusiastically. She looped her arm through Ranma's. "I must say, Ranma,
that was very noble of you to get so outraged and stick up for me like that.
I am impressed."
"Ah, thanks." Ranma gave a nervous laugh. That had been a close one. He
wondered how many more he'd have before the date was over.
xxxxxxxxxxx
"Yes, alcohol makes everything better," Kachiko slurred slightly as she
drained her glass for the sixth time in a half hour and set it back down on
the table.
"Ah, maybe you should slow down," Ranma said hesitantly.
"Most guys want to get their dates drunk," Kachiko said slyly.
"I'm not like most guys," Ranma stated with a touch of indignity.
"Too true, too true. You're a perfect gentleman," Kachiko agreed. "Why, I
bet if I was to give you a lap dance, you wouldn't try a thing. Want to find
out?" She started to rise out of her chair.
"No!" Ranma said quickly.
Kachiko frowned. "You said that awful quick, like you didn't even think
about it. Don't be so uptight. We did see each other naked, after all."
Her slightly loud voice, as well as the topic, was attracting a great deal
of unwanted attention. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to do it," Ranma
explained as much to the other patrons as to her.
"I know, I know, that's why I don't give you a hard time about it," Kachiko
said. "That's one of the things I like about you. You let the gal set the
pace. It's neat to meet a guy that wants to do that." Her voice then
dropped. "Who knows, keep making all the rights moves like you have been
tonight, and you might manage a double."
Ranma was about to protest when Kachiko slouched in her chair. He couldn't
understand what was going on until he felt a bare toe rub itself up and down
a leg.
Then there was a thud as Kachiko fell out of her chair. All Ranma could see
of her was the top of her head.
"My chair moved," she said from the floor.
"Maybe you'd better cut back until the food arrives," Ranma suggested as
politely as he could.
"Probably," Kachiko agreed as she set her chair back up and sat down
properly in it once again. "I usually don't get giddy like this unless I'm
having a good time."
"That's nice to know," Ranma said weakly, hoping the food would arrive soon
so they could stop with the conversation that was becoming increasingly
uncomfortable.
Kachiko leaned forward over the table, then curled her finger, indicating
Ranma should do the same. Reluctant to do so, but felt not doing it would
result in something worse happening, Ranma answered the beckoning digit.
He leaned forward. "Yes?"
Kachiko whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret. You're doing so good,
you've now got the inside line on Tachi-kun."
Ranma started to smirk. He was distracted enough that he didn't react before
Kachiko brought her face closer and gave him a peck on the cheek.
She retreated back to her seat before he could offer a word of protest.
"Relax, I won't try for more than first base. I can tell I'm not the only
one who wants to take things really slow."
Ranma blushed furiously, unsure of what to say. Before he could formulate
anything, Kachiko rose to her feet. "I have to use the ladies' room, which
means the food should arrive the instant I'm out of sight."
Ranma felt grateful for the reprieve. He sat back in his chair.
As Kachiko began to pass by him, she leaned forward and whispered, "By the
way, you're awful cute when you blush." Then left before he could say
anything again.
Ranma remained in his chair, too flustered to decide if the date was the
worst he had ever been on, or the best.
"Staying at home is definitely a lot less stressful." He drained a glass of
wine himself as he tried to figure out which it was.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko observed herself critically in the mirror, uncertain if she was
luring Ranma closer, or driving him away. Any other guy and she would have
been sure it was the former. But Ranma had been right on target with his
declaration that he was "not like most guys." It was one of his most
endearing, as well as distracting, traits. There were times when the
frustration of trying to anticipate his reaction was so bad she would just
as soon be done with him save for one problem.
She really liked it when he called her cute.
"Idiot," she muttered under her breath.
"I agree. Let's leave this loser so you can take up with a real man instead
of the weenie fem-boy."
Kachiko gasped as the sickening image of Tarou had appeared in the mirror,
directly behind her. Apparently she had been so caught him in thinking about
Ranma she had failed to notice the Chinese youth enter.
She turned in anger upon him. "Look, you creep, at least Ranma isn't so
sexually confused he'd enter a ladies room, and that's saying a lot since he
turns into a girl. So why don't you make like a leaf and leave?"
Tarou cringed. "That was just awful. We're really going to have to do
something about that sense of humor of yours if there's going to be anything
between us."
"Ranma appreciates my sense of humor, and there's nothing between us!" While
the former was a lie, there was no need for Tarou to know it. And the latter
was definitely true.
"Yes, well about that nothing between us bit." Tarou held up his left hand
far out to his side and wiggled his fingers.
Kachiko looked at them in confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to-"
The rest was cut off as a hard right met Kachiko between the eyes. She
teetered back, stunned. She was mentally scolding herself for falling for
such an obvious ploy when a second blow knocked her unconscious.
"Let's work on that, shall we?" Tarou hefted her unconscious form over his
shoulder and exited the restroom.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ranma began to worry over how long it was taking Kachiko to use the
restroom. A dozen different disaster scenarios ran through his mind, from
her passing out to being abducted.
"Nah, I'm being silly," Ranma decided as he looked over his shoulder just in
time to see Tarou head through the swinging doors to the kitchen with
Kachiko slung over his shoulder.
Ranma sighed. "It's never the easy way, is it?" At least he wouldn't have to
worry about what Kachiko was going to try to do to him next. It was almost a
relief that Tarou had ended things predictably.
Ranma jumped out of his seat and ran toward the doors. He burst through
them, knocking a waiter over as raced into the kitchen, looking for any sign
of Tarou and his burden. He caught sight of his prey exiting through the
back of the kitchen. Under different circumstances, catching up to Tarou
would have been difficult, the creep was nearly as fast as Ranma, but with
him lugging around Kachiko he'd be slowed down. Running him down would take
a matter of moments.
Despite being out of sight, it was easy to follow Tarou's trail by the
number of fallen, irate people he left in his wake. Ranma burst out the rear
doors to the restaurant and emerged into an alleyway. One end of it resulted
in a dead end. He turned to look the other way, but there was no sign of
Tarou there either, and given how far back the door was to the street, there
was no way he could have run fast enough to get out of sight.
Then Ranma looked up.
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath as he saw Tarou's cursed form flying off
with Kachiko cradled in his arms. He had forgotten that little detail.
Suddenly the stakes went up, as the odds of Tarou kidnapping Kachiko
successfully increased. And unlike the time Pantyhose had abducted Akane,
this time Kachiko was the prize Tarou wanted. It was up to Ranma to catch
Tarou and keep him from doing whatever terrible things he had planned for
the girl he wanted so badly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Deckhand Yoji Kimura watched as the last of the cargo was dropped in the
hold by the crane. The men below decks released the hooks, allowing the
cable that had been supporting the cargo to retract. Once finished, Yoji
began to close the hatches.
Just as Yoji finished bolting the last one into place, a huge form landed
next to him on the deck of the freighter. He looked up at the bizarre
collection of mismatched animal parts staring down at him from above. The
creature carried a girl fast asleep in his arms.
Yoji pulled out his radio and said, "Captain, a large beastie just landed on
our deck."
The radio crackled in response, "It's probably a dock inspector. Just bribe
him to look the other way."
The creature thrust a piece of paper in Yoji's direction. He looked it over.
"Actually, he has a passenger ticket."
The radio crackled a second time. "Even better, a paying customer. Show him
where the passenger berths are."
"He has an unconscious girl in his arms, though."
"Don't go prying into other people's affairs. I'm sure there's a reasonable
explanation for it."
"He's abducting her?"
"That sounds reasonable. Now show him to his room." The radio went dead.
Yoji shrugged. He wasn't captain. If anything bad came of this, it wouldn't
be on his head.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko first encounter upon awakening was a collision with a splitting
headache. "Oh man, I must have had seriously way too much to drink." She
went to rub her temple, but found her arms pinned to her sides. She was able
to pivot her head just enough to look down and see she was securely bound in
thick links of chain.
It took her a moment to collect her muddled thoughts. What was the last
thing she remembered? Ranma, the whip cream and... no, wait, that was the
dream she had before awakening. No way was he that inventive with an ice
cream scooper and hazelnuts. It was something else. She had gone to the
bathroom, pondering the dilemma 'Mr. You Look Cute' presented her with when
her ruminations had been interrupted by....
"Hey, Babe. Nice to see you awake."
The voice had come from the direction directly above her prone form. She
turned to look up and snarled, "So it's you, Bull-butt. You sick pervert.
You've tied me up so you can do twisted sexual things to me."
"You're into that sort of thing?"
"No way!"
Tarou breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. As much as I love you, I'm not into
bondage or kinky stuff like that. If you were, I'd have to rethink our
relationship."
"We don't have a relationship!"
Tarou snickered. "Sure we do. It's love/hate right now, but it'll change
over time, like all the cool romances do. There's the usual time period of
denial on one or two of the people's parts. Then after we've shared some
bonding experiences and stuff, we'll grow closer after our trials and
tribulations and eventually proclaim our love for one another. That's what
makes cool romances like that worthwhile."
"That's a load of crap," she retorted, then took in her surroundings. Oddly,
the ceiling had a number of metal crossbeams above her head. The metal of
the floor felt cold, and she swore she could hear water lapping against
something. Even the room seemed to have an odd sway to it. "Where are we?"
"On a cargo ship destined for Tasmania. I have you stored in the back toward
the engine, since my room is the first place anyone would look for you."
There was the sound of something large breaking somewhere overhead.
Tarou cracked his knuckles, making an unusually loud popping sound with
them. "Sounds like one of those trials I mentioned just showed up. Don't
worry, I'll take care of that pesky Fem-boy. No way I'll let a pansy like
him come between me and true love."
"Ranma will kick your ass!" Kachiko swore.
"He hasn't been able to do it yet, not without help. And there's no way he
had time to round up anyone, since we came directly to the ship. We'll be
setting sail any minute now. So all I have to do is beat him up again and
then we'll have nothing but each other left."
"It'll never happen." Kachiko struggled against her bonds.
Tarou shook his head sadly at the display. "Even I'd have a tough time
breaking out of those, and you ain't anywhere near as strong as me. You just
take it easy. I'll be back before you know it." Tarou headed up and out of
the room.
"Bastard!" Kachiko spat and filling the air with rattling as she tried to
break free of her chains.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Where is she? You'd better cough Kachi up, or you'll be sorry!" Ranma
bellowed out to the rough looking men lining the deck of the ship. Although
he had lost sight of Tarou, it was right around here. He knew this was the
place the jerk had to have landed. It was the only ship in the area, and
from the looks of the crew, they were preparing to leave the harbor.
Yoji stopped directing the crane, which had picked up the last of their
cargo, a fifteen by fifteen foot box container suspended above the deck, and
moved to the front of the pack of irate crewmen. He brandished a crowbar
menacingly in hand. "Now see here, kid. We don't like people coming onto our
ship and making demands, at least if they aren't fifteen feet tall and look
like a bull with wings. So why don't you shove off, or we'll make you
sorry." He poked Ranma in the chest with the crowbar.
Ranma poked him in the chest with a fist, which was actually closer to a
punch. It knocked Yoji down to the deck, the crowbar sent flying out of his
hand and landing on the deck with a clang.
That served as a signal for the rest of the crewmen to descend on Ranma,
trying to gang tackle him all at once.
Ranma finished the dozen large men off in under a minute.
As the last, and largest man, went crashing unconscious to the deck, the
sound of clapping filled the air. Ranma turned to see Tarou relaxing lazily
against the forecastle of the ship.
"Looks like you're all warmed up. Ready for the main event?" Tarou
dramatically cracked his knuckles again, since Ranma hadn't had the benefit
of hearing him do it earlier.
Ranma stepped menacingly toward Tarou. "I can't believe you're sick enough
to kidnap Kachi and try taking her away on a ship so you can have your way
with her."
Tarou looked aghast at the accusation. "I am going to do no such thing."
"Then why'd you kidnap her and come here?"
Tarou smirked. "I was saving her life. After all, anyone hanging out with
you would die from terminal boredom. Right now she's lively and vibrant, but
there's to telling how boring she'll get if she spends time with you. You
are a pansy assed weenie boy, after all."
"I am not!"
Tarou continued. "And I have no intention of having my way with her. I'm
simply taking her on a cruise with just the two of us so we can have some
privacy without any distractions and get to know what each other's like.
And, you know, fall in love and everything. But that comes after we spend
some time with one another."
Ranma scoffed. "Yeah, like that will ever happen. She doesn't even like
you."
Tarou gained a crafty smile. "Oh, from what I understand, most of the girls
that are currently after you started off disliking you for one reason or
another."
Ranma became flustered. He came up with, "Kodachi didn't."
"I thought you had some kind of gymnastics competition with her."
"That's only because she doesn't know about my curse, but she started off
liking me as a guy within seconds of the first time we met."
"Whatever," Tarou said, "The point is, most relationships start out a little
testy, but as the couple gets to know one another, feelings blossom and the
two fall in love. I'm just following the usual tried and true course."
"I don't care what you think. You're giving her back." Ranma was near enough
to try a leap kick at Tarou. Despite his lackadaisical pose, the older boy
was ready and leaped over the attack, tucking into a ball then coming out of
it to land gracefully on one foot.
"I don't know why you're trying so hard to woo her. You aren't anywhere
near man enough to tame a wild girl like Kachi. You're hopelessly
outclassed," Tarou spat contemptuously.
"I can tame her if I want!" Ranma jumped down to land next to Tarou, ducking
several of the blows unleashed at him as he landed. Ranma saw an opening and
punched Tarou in the gut. The older boy was quick to retaliate with a kick
to Ranma's midsection, both driving him back and winding him enough that he
couldn't follow up with another attack.
Tarou sneered. "Get real. You wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she
stripped naked and began bouncing on your lap, Fem-boy." Tarou went for a
three punch combination.
Ranma blocked the first two and dodged out of the way of the third blow.
"This from the guy that runs away when girls ask him his name."
For the first time since the fight began Tarou became angry. "It's not my
fault I can't stand my name. Besides, I don't care if Kachi calls me by it.
It's obviously a sign of true love, so quit interfering." Tarou tried to
attack Ranma again.
Ranma blocked the incoming blow and retaliated with a palm strike that
connected solidly with Tarou's chin, making his teeth snap together with an
audible clack. Ranma was quick to press the advantage with a series of
punches and kicks that struck Tarou fully in several areas of his body.
Backing off for a second, it was Ranma's turn to smirk. "Looks like you've
lost a step. Ready to tell me where Kachi is? If you haven't done anything
to her, I'll go easy on you, sort of."
Growling, Tarou pulled a small half foot piece of rounded wood from the
inside of his vest. "Hey, Fem-boy, want to see a new trick?"
Ranma tensed up. There was a good fifteen feet separating him and Tarou, so
he should have time to react to anything the guy had planned with the short
stick.
Tarou held it out perpendicular to Ranma's body. The end pointing at Ranma
suddenly telescoped in length, striking him in the gut, and sending him
flying into the forecastle hard enough to buckle the metal.
The stick shrank down to regular staff size. Tarou began twirling it around.
"I got this off some crappy fire breathing martial arts monk that was flying
around on a silly cloud. It's kind of neat, though. Want to see what else it
can do?"
"Not really," Ranma said as he picked himself up.
Tarou proved the question rhetorical as he closed the distance between them
in an instant and lashed out at Ranma with the staff. Ranma leaped out of
the way again just as the staff struck where he had been a moment before. He
saw a gout of flame shoot out from the end of the staff just as it impacted
with the metal. The force of the impact dented the metal and created a
sizable hole in the plating.
Tarou tried bringing the staff around again, but the end that had been
driven into the deck was caught on the edge of the some of the debris. The
second was all Ranma needed to unleash another kick to Tarou's back, sending
him away again from the force of the blow.
With the weapon freed, Tarou was quick to use the distance gained to his
advantage as the staff extended, a small fire emanating from the tip, and
tried to swat Ranma. The younger martial artist was forced to give ground
due to the increasing length of the staff, as well as the blur it was in the
hands of Tarou. The Chinese youth displayed an expertise with the weapon
Ranma hadn't thought he possessed.
Each blow that hit the deck destroyed sections of it, leaving a series of
craters that resembled a metallic lunar landscape.
Ranma tried taunting his opponent. "I can't believe you're cowardly enough
to use a weapon."
Tarou wouldn't rise to the bait. "Says the guy who practices a school called
'Anything Goes'. Besides, I freely admit to using anything to gain an edge.
Now why don't you stop dancing around and accept your beating like a girl?
Oooh, I'm sorry, I mean like a hermaphrodite?"
"I'll show you!" A bright blue ball of energy formed between Ranma's hands.
He shouted, "Moko Takabisha!" and unleashed it in Tarou's direction.
Rather than trying to dodge, Tarou braced himself and shrunk the staff down
to its normal length, spinning it fast enough that it was a blur of brown.
The ball of ki energy struck the center of the staff. The force of the blast
drove Tarou backward, creating ruts in the metal from his feet. But the
energy itself eventually petered out, dissipating in the air and leaving
both man and weapon unharmed.
"I'm not even going to have to use my cursed form to kick your ass," Tarou
taunted.
A ball of energy formed between Ranma's hands again. "Moko Takabisha."
"You just don't learn, Saotome." Tarou spun the staff around again.
This time the ball didn't strike the staff, but rather the ship beneath
Tarou, specifically, the hatch to the hold he was standing on. The metal
vaporized in the blast, and Tarou fell into the huge hole and out of sight.
Ranma was quick to leap down into it. He saw that in the fall Tarou had lost
his grip on the staff and it had landed a dozen feet out of reach. Ranma was
quick to take advantage of the opening and tried landing with both feet on
Tarou, intent on caving in his chest with the kick.
Tarou recovered just in time to spin out of the way, letting Ranma land on
the floor. Tarou retaliated by bringing his leg into the back of Ranma's
knees, causing them to buckle. Both martial artists returned to their
vertical base at the same time. Ranma connected with a right to Tarou's jaw,
but his success was short lived as the older youth jabbed several times,
each blow snapping off in Ranma's face, temporarily stunning him.
Suddenly Tarou was upon him, grappling with him. The Chinese boy gained the
advantage by getting behind Ranma, gripping one of Ranma's wrists, and
bringing the arm up under his foe's neck as he pulled back on, immobilizing
the appendage while choking with it at the same time.
Secure in his superior position behind Ranma, Tarou gasped, "Looks like I'm
not just quicker, better-looking, smarter, and more talented, but stronger
too."
Feeling his source of oxygen being cut off, Ranma tried to reach behind him
with his free hand, but Tarou deflected it with his own free hand and
attempted to snare Ranma's flailing arm with it.
Eventually Ranma was forced down to his knees, Tarou making it worse by
bringing his weight down on Ranma's back, while making sure not to
overbalance himself and allow Ranma to toss him over his shoulder.
"This is the end, Fem-boy. You didn't even put up a decent fight this time."
Ranma was beginning to worry when he realized where their struggle had taken
them. Smiling, despite slowly being asphyxiated, he reached down and grabbed
the end of the fallen staff. Before Tarou could react, Ranma brought the end
of it into the grappler's cheek, forcing him to release the hold and clutch
his face in pain.
Ranma wheezed, trying to regain his precious oxygen even as he swung the
staff at Tarou. While the Anything Goes School specialized in unarmed
combat, Ranma was familiar enough the with the weapon to use it effectively.
He swung twice at Tarou, who ducked both blows. When Ranma came around a
third time, Tarou surprised him by moving into the next swing, arms brought
forward. The staff caught Tarou in the side of the ribs, but he brought an
arm around it, trapping the weapon and pinning it to his side. With his
other hand, Tarou punched Ranma in the face again, forcing him to release
the weapon.
With the staff once again in Tarou's hands, he began extending its length
and lashed out with it. Unlike before, when he had been aiming primarily at
Ranma's body, this series of blows were aimed at Ranma's feet in an effort
to break them and limit his mobility. Ranma's feet were a blur as a dance
began with Tarou trying to hit Ranma, but only succeeding in blowing a
series of holes in the floor as he chased him.
"You're going to get tired eventually, Fem-boy, then you're history!" Tarou
threatened as he continued in his pursuit of Ranma.
Ranma, who had been fighting a retreating battle since Tarou's newest
offensive started, lunged forward with a leap toward his foe. Tarou reacted
instinctively by shortening the staff and bringing it up and over his head,
trying for a crushing blow that would end the contest.
Ranma managed to evade the swing in mid-air, allowing the staff to strike
the deck with a tremendous impact. Ranma then followed through by using
Tarou's head as a springboard and vaulting upward through the hole in the
hatch he had originally used to descend into the bowels of the ship.
Tarou raised his fist to the hole. "Running away isn't going to save you!
Saotome. Nothing can-" His cursing was abruptly stopped as what little
remained of the metal flooring buckled and a huge spray of seawater burst up
through the hole where Tarou's last blow had landed.
Now in his cursed form. Tarou gave a bellow of rage. He had wanted the joy
of dealing Ranma a resounding defeat in his human form. It would erase any
doubt as to who the superior fighter was to everyone, especially Kachiko.
Now the pummeling would have to happen the old fashioned way, with Tarou
using his more powerful cursed form to crush Ranma.
The hold continued to fill with water as Tarou flew up to the hole. It was
large enough to accommodate his massive, bovine shoulders. Now it was his
turn to have superior maneuverability. He wagered the fight would be over
within a handful of minutes. Ranma had already taken a beating, and even his
best shots would do little more than faze Tarou's beastly form. One clean
blow is all it would take for the fight to end and Tarou to have peace of
mind.
Tarou's head had just cleared the hole when he saw Ranma forming yet another
ball of energy in his hands. Tarou reflexively ducked, intent on using the
hold as cover. Once the blast passed by, he'd fly up and finish Ranma off
for good.
Tarou heard the cry of "Moko Takabisha!" once again, followed by the sound
of crackling energy cutting through the air. Curiously, it didn't carom off
the metal of the hold or impact with it. Apparently Saotome was so tired, he
had missed completely.
Unleashing a gruff chuckle, Tarou looked up, intent on flying through the
hole and finishing the fight. Instead, all he saw was the bottom of
something large and heavy falling toward him.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Ranma smirked as he heard the grunt of pain come from Tarou as the large
container struck him squarely in the head. There was a loud crash as both
beast and container landed hard on the bottom of the ship.
Then there was the sound of more metal buckling and a geyser of water
shooting up through the hole in the deck.
Ranma poked his head down into the hold, avoiding the column of water. The
container had hit the monstrous form of Tarou with enough force that, in
addition to the strain the bottom of the ship had already taken, it had
driven both the container and Tarou clean through the hull of the ship. With
the gaping wound in its bottom, the ship was now filling with water as
quickly as the ocean could claim it.
"Oh crap," Ranma said as he ran into the interior of the ship.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko looked up at the ceiling. Whatever that last impact was, it had
caused several of the crossbeams to buckle. Definitely a very bad sign in
her book.
Having nothing better to do, and feeling a sense of urgency that hadn't been
present before, Kachiko grunted as she redoubled her efforts to free
herself. She had given up using brute force, which had never been her forte.
Instead she went about trying to find the weakest link. Break that, and she
could slip out of one set of the chains, and with the way Tarou had tied her
up, the others would be loosened enough for her to slip free. By the time
the conceited jerk realized she had escaped his trap, all he'd be left with
was a pile of worthless metal and hard feelings.
There was another loud crash behind her, followed be the groan of metal
being rent. From somewhere behind her, the sound of water began rushing in.
"Ohhh. That's really not good." Panicked, she tried rolling to the set of
steps Tarou had taken up and out of the room. If she tried hard enough, she
thought she could make like a Slinky and inch her way up the steps. Once she
got some clearance from the floor, she'd concentrate on her bonds once
again.
Kachiko had made it almost halfway there when she was struck by a wave of
pain so sudden and powerful, she passed out. Everything seemed to turn a
shade of white and disappeared in the haze of agony lancing through her
entire being. She couldn't even form a semi-coherent thought as her body
reflexively convulsed, despite being bound....
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kachiko opened her eyes, only to shut them again as something bright nearly
seared her retinas. It took a moment to reorient herself. She was on her
back. From the texture of the surface she lay upon, it was concrete. From
the smell and the feel of the wind, she was outdoors. Rolling over, she
dared to open her eyes again and found herself facing concrete, as she had
expected.
A familiar voice said, "Look, is that not Kachi lying in the middle of the
path?"
A second familiar voice said, "I think so."
"This is to be a very curious thing, yes?"
"For anyone else, yes. For her, not really."
Strength returning to her body, Kachiko rolled over and sat up. Sure enough,
It was Kachiko's long time classmate, Gosunkugi and the Scandinavian
knockout Ingrid. Their arms were affectionately around each other's waist as
they stared at her in concern.
"Do I even want to know why you're lying on the ground?" Gosunkugi asked.
Kachiko scratched her head. "I don't know. I haven't gotten the faintest
idea how I ended up here." She concentrated, trying to jog her memory, but
nothing came to her. She remembered school ending and talking to Sakura on
the way home. She had just dropped her best friend off when she noticed
Icky's limousine come up the road. Rather than dealing with the boorish
would-be Casanova hitting on her, which was as reflexive as breathing to
him, she had opted to flee and head toward her house. Just as she was
nearing it, everything went blank and she found herself lying on the ground
in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Do you need help?" Gosunkugi asked.
Kachiko rose to her feet, brushing some dirt from her skirt. "Nah. I'm fine.
Strange things happen to me all the time. I'd say I was due for a bout of
temporary amnesia. At least I haven't had something like a personality
inversion with Yumi happen. Now that would be really strange."
"Only you could feel that way," Gosunkugi said. He and Ingrid gave their
good-byes and departed, talking with one another about Kachiko's strange
behavior.
Kachiko scratched her head. The loss of memory was bothering her. Perhaps
she could find Wacky Wakaba, and see if she had any ideas on memory
restoration. Her family had lots of geniuses, as evidenced by the number of
things they loaned to Wakaba so she could show them off to Kachiko. That
prototype Battle Dogi had been pretty neat. It had allowed Wakaba to
actualize her potential as a martial artist, and work out with Kachiko in a
fun sparring match that ended with the Battle Dogi being damaged and Wakaba
having one of her arms pulled out of her socket when it malfunctioned. But
it would serve as a reminder that one should learn martial arts the hard
way, through practice, rather than some quick-fix magical item.
Kachiko sighed. "I'd better get back home. Or those rotten parents of mine
will bit-"
Her diatribe ended abruptly as there was a sensation of falling followed
by....
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Uhhh." Kachiko groaned as every muscle and joint in her body cried out in
protest of her breathing. She remained motionless, her mind slowly
relearning how to form thoughts. Luckily, her recovery was quick as events
slowly returned to Kachiko. What had happened to cause her such pain? One
second she had been in the middle of the park, talking to Gosunkugi without
a clue of how she had gotten there when-
No. She did remember. She recalled everything from the moment she ended up
in her house that wasn't her house and the revelation that she had been
plucked from her time to the future and avoided the complete destruction of
her life right before a premature death. She remembered meeting her
'family', Ranma, and that bastard Tarou abducting her. She had been trying
to get to the stairs to avoid the water, that was now starting to flow under
her, when there had been pain and then she woke up in the park.
She remembered the pain. That wasn't the first time she had felt it, though
it was by far the worst bout of it. The attacks started shortly after she
arrived in the future, getting progressively worse and closer together. But
they had passed quickly, and there were no lasting effects, so she hadn't
worried about them. She was used to dealing with odd situations. But this
time something different happened. She had been cast into past with no
memories of her time spent in the future. It was only upon her return to the
future that her memories of that time came back to her.
It took only a moment to make the logical conclusion to what it all meant.
"No!" Kachiko wailed. She didn't want to go back, not without a memory. Not
without the ability to change everything. It was the main reason she hadn't
tried to go back, nor really wanted to. Yes, she had missed her family and
friends, but to go back meant risking everything turning out the way the
others said. Even armed with foreknowledge, there was no guarantee she could
change her fate. Best to avoid the situation altogether. It was far better
to face an unknown future rather than one that would probably lead to doom.
Now it appeared the choice of remaining in the future and forging a new life
had been taken away. With no memories of her time traveling experience, she
would be damned to repeat the same mistakes once again. She would lose her
dreams, her friends, her lover, her family, compromise her integrity, and
die before her life even had a chance to start. She would lose everything
she cared about, and it would only be replaced with ashes.
Kachiko looked upward and screamed, "No! It's not fair! You can't show me
all this, then take away my ability to change it! You can't! You can't!"
She screamed and screamed until her shrill voice cracked and throat became
raw. Then the screams became cries and tears rolled down her cheeks in an
unrelenting stream. It wasn't fair. If anything could be called Hell, this
was it. The detailed knowledge that one was doomed to lose everything and
there was no way to avert it.
The water rose higher, submerging her body halfway. She could have continued
wiggling toward the steps and seek higher ground, hoping someone would find
and rescue her, but what was the point? She was damned anyway. Move or stay,
if the outcome was the same, what difference did it make? None at all. She
remained motionless and allowed herself to be submerged in the brine.
Dimly Kachiko became aware of the sound of feet running quickly across the
deck above her. The sound of steps became louder, and a pair of feet
appeared at the top of the steps. Within the blink of an eye, Ranma
appeared.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god I found you. I was afraid Tarou
had..." Ranma trailed off as he saw the look of devastation on Kachiko's
features. He had never seen anything like it, not even on Ryouga when he
formed the Perfect Shi Shi Houkoudan. "What did he do to you?"
"He killed Hope." Kachiko knew Ranma wouldn't understand. She didn't care in
the slightest. No one could understand.
It took Ranma a moment to pull himself together. "I'll get you out of here."
"Leave me!" Kachiko said bitterly. "It'll be over soon enough. Better a
quick, clean death than a slow agonizing one that stretches out over the
years. I'd rather drown than return to that pitiful, hollow existence."
Even Ranma was taken aback by the desolation in her voice. "Quit talking
nonsense. We'll get you out of here and things will work out. They always
do."
"I hate your optimism and I hate you!" Kachiko spat. "I said leave me! Are
you too stupid to understand the words coming out of my mouth, you sex
changing freak?! Leave me here to die!"
Rage had replaced devastation, making even Ranma pause. While he was struck
silent, the same could not be said for the rest of the ship as the sound of
more metal tearing filled the air. The sound shook him out of the spell
woven by Kachiko's inexplicable actions. "I don't care what you say about
me. I'm getting you out of here."
Ranma made it to the very bottom of the steps when the sound of something
heavy struck the deck directly overhead. Then the ceiling gave way and came
crashing toward Ranma. He tensed up to leap, but the water pooled in the
bottom made the deck slippery and he fell.
A second later, half the deck above came crashing down on top of him.
"No!" Kachiko screamed. Seeing Ranma's fate broke the veil of hopelessness
that had settled over her. Momentarily forgetting her own plight, Kachiko
resumed her struggle against her bonds. For a moment, there was nothing, and
the water merely rose up until it nearly filled her nostrils. She sat up as
best as she could, catching a breath as she pulled and strained until it
felt as though every muscle in her body would tear free from bone.
Then, just when it seemed all was lost, there was the sound of a link
snapping.
Luck was with Kachiko; the break was next to her right hand. Writhing
around, she pried the broken link free. The removal of that chain triggered
a domino effect among the others, and she slipped free of her confinement.
Standing for the first time in half an hour, she ran to the pile of metal
that was on top of Ranma. He had to be all right. He was far stronger than
her, and she probably would have survived such an impact. Maybe.
Tired muscles pushed beyond their endurance pleaded for her to stop, but
Kachiko ignored them and tossed the smaller pieces of broken metal aside.
There wasn't as much as she feared. It had seemed tons had dropped from her
position on the floor, but it couldn't have been more than a thousand pounds
or so, and most of it hadn't fallen directly on Ranma.
She tossed multiple chunks of debris aside until she came upon a large, flat
piece of metal on top of several others. She went for an edge of it, digging
her fingers in with the best purchase she could manage. It was heavy,
heavier by far than the other pieces she had pulled. Heavier than it had any
right to be. She continued pulling, ignoring the pain as the skin ripped
away from her fingertips and left bloody smears on the metal. She couldn't
ignore the pain in her back as a muscle finally did give way from the strain
placed upon it. So she cried out, and continued to pull until the flat piece
trembled, then pulled free of the metal that was heaped upon it, and it was
tossed aside.
Looking down at what lay underneath made Kachiko recoil. The seawater had
turned Ranma into his girl form. Her head was slightly propped up by the way
the metal had fallen, keeping her from drowning, but only barely. There was
a large gash on her temple, causing blood to flow down the middle of her
face so that only the far sides of her cheeks weren't covered in a crimson
mask. But the worst part was the small length of pipe sticking up through
her body, near her kidney. It had been driven vertically through her side
and into the deck below her. Blood flowed freely from the wound.
Kachiko wasn't squeamish, but seeing the impaled girl nearly made her throw
up. She had to repress the urge. Instead she forced herself to use the ruins
of her fingers to grip the metal protruding from Ranma's flank. She bent
low, her back sending jolts of pain from her sore muscles pleading with her
to stop, if only by making her pass out. Her body's aches joined in the
chorus of protest, but she ignored everything other than removing the
projection of metal from Ranma's body.
Her grip slipped from the mix of blood and water and she went crashing to
the deck. She picked herself up and bent lower, and gripping it right above
the point where the pipe entered Ranma's body. It was slightly twisted,
affording her some purchase, though there was also a particularly jagged
piece of metal there. Digging her grip there meant driving a centimeter of
metal into her palm, but Kachiko accepted it and forced her hand to drive
the metal through her own flesh, which was just a pale imitation of what
Ranma must have been experiencing.
Kachiko put everything she had into pulling upward. She wouldn't let herself
fail. She pulled despite the pain caused by her actions, despite the ever
widening wound in her hand as it moved up, but the pipe didn't.
A disc slipped in her lower back, making her scream, but still she pulled.
And then suddenly, the pipe pulled free with a pop.
Kachiko had only a second to feel relief at the lessening of pain when there
was a loud explosion behind her. Heat seared her back and she was lifted up
the floor and through the air. There was the sensation of something hard
hitting her from the front.
Then there was nothing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
This was not right. The world was not supposed to consist of nothing but
pain. There were other things, though a mind filled to overflowing agony at
every point of the body said that was the only sensation that mattered.
Pain was a feeling. That was all. Kachiko's father had taught her that. You
feel sad. You feel happy. You feel pain. Accept the feeling, and move on. Or
just give up. Just make sure if you give up to the pain, you give up on
everything else as well.
So Kachiko accepted the pain, trying to locate the worst areas of it. Her
whole back felt like someone was applying a match to it. Somewhere beneath
the flame, muscle was torn and bone had shifted, though her spine was not
broken, as the legs joined in their assessment that everything was hurt, not
unfeeling.
Breathing was hard as well. Someone was jabbing a poker in her chest each
time she drew breath. She coughed, and there was more pain. It would be so
easy to pass out. Everything cried out she needed to. Her body was hurt,
perhaps beyond repair. It was time to let it rest and fix itself. But there
was one thing preventing her from giving in to the urge. One important
matter that nagged at her conscience and refused to allow her to seek her
much needed rest. Only one thing.
Ranma.
She had to rescue him. It was a competition between which would finish him
off first: drowning or bleeding to death. She couldn't let him die. She was
doomed, but there was no reason for him to be as well. No one deserved to be
damned the way Kachiko was.
No one.
She told her body to rise up off the steps she had been thrown into, the
ones that had probably broken her ribs, judging by the stabbing pain coming
from her chest. Curiously, her body refused to respond. She could make her
fingers twitch. She got one of her feet to try to find purchase, but she
couldn't get anything else to work properly. It was taking everything she
had to accept the pain and remain conscious. She tried, and she tried, and
she tried harder than anything she had ever attempted before in her life,
but her body wouldn't respond.
It wasn't fair! She had the will to save him. She had the perseverance. She
would not accept what Fate had in store for her until she saved Ranma. But
the while the spirit was willing, the flesh was unable to complete the
desire, and so Kachiko lay still, incapable of saving herself, much less
anyone else. She lay limply on the steps, helpless. It was perhaps the most
pitiful thing in her life, to know what she had to do and be unable to do
it. It was the first time she knew she had limitations she could not hope to
overcome. She sobbed at her useless mortality.
Then there was the sensation of an arm forcing its way between her chest and
the steps. There was more pain, and a moment of whiting out from it. More
agony produced the opposite effect, and forced herself awake. She saw that
now she was suspended above the ground, though both her legs and head were
pointed downward.
Kachiko had enough control to force herself to look up past the tuxedo clad
breasts and to the blood shrouded face of the redhead that now supported her
body. Ranma's eyes were glazed over, as though looking off at some distant
land. Despite the appearance of not knowing where she, was she continued to
move forward and up the stairs.
With each step, new waves of pain were sent into Kachiko's chest. She wanted
to ask to be carried in the redhead's arms, but there wasn't enough
cognizance left to form the words.
Impossibly, the pain started to lessen, as though Kachiko was somehow moving
past the concept of agony and into another state of mind where things were
muted, like a faded water-color. Everything took a dreamlike quality. She
looked down again, and saw blood continue to flow from the tear in Ranma's
flesh from her earlier impalement. A disconnected part of Kachiko's mind
wagered her savior would bleed to death before she could get them free of
the ship. It looked like Ranma was going to beat her again.
There was no longer a sensation of time, it went to the same place the pain
had. Each moment was an eternity that never happened. There was only white
and gray, which were dimly recognized as something called colors. There
wasn't even fear. Not really. It went to the same place where everything but
consciousness went. Or maybe it was gone too, and all of this was just
imagination. The ship, the explosions, the time shifting, nothing but a
twisted dream, and she'd wake up in her home, in her proper time, and laugh
with Sakura about this tomorrow, especially the part about her best friend
marrying an ugly man.
Suddenly there was a new sensation. Wind ripping along her back, soothing
burned flesh ever so slightly. That was nice. It was the only thing remotely
connected to relief. Everything else was just more of the same.
She thought she heard cries coming from somewhere. It was hard to tell the
direction. Everything was far away. Even Ranma, who was right next to her,
still looking off in the distance. What did the redhead see? Kachiko wanted
to know.
Ranma kept walking, until they reached a wide gangplank that, despite the
slow sinking of the ship, was still connected to the dock, though at a steep
upward angle rather than the lower one it had started out with. Moving with
the slow steady pace she had maintained since picking Kachiko up, Ranma went
up the gangplank until her feet landed firmly upon the dock. It was as the
second foot touched the edge that there was a groan from behind, and the
gangplank collapsed, falling into the ocean with the rapidly sinking ship.
Ranma's eyes turned away from looking ahead, and seemed to suddenly
understand that there was someone over her shoulder. She looked at Kachiko
and said, "I told you this would be the most unforgettable date you've ever
been on."
Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped to the
ground, dumping Kachiko unceremoniously on her back.
Kachiko stared up at the sky. She had to admit, she was guilty of
underestimating Ranma. He had given her the most interesting date she had
ever been on.
Deciding now was a good time to pass out, she did so.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[END CHAPTER]
Yep, Tarou's staff was pulled from the bad guy in the second episode of the
Read or Die OVA.
Revision date: 2/27/04
Special thanks to:
Michael A. Chase
Eternal Lost Lurker
Christopher Horton
David Tai
The Apprentice
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