Chapter 9, Ranma… weak, Ryoga’s heart of glass And Mint’s big mistake.

As Ranma walked home from school on the day of Kuno’s little water gun stunt, he grumbled to himself in anger. “That idiot. Revealing my curse to the whole school like that.” He muttered, angrily. Not only that, but Akane had been looking at him strangely ever since that moment and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Of course, he wasn’t engaged to Akane anymore and she had made it quite clear that she hated him, but he was still worried about her. No, he’d never worry about the tomboy but… GAH, Forget it!

As he rounded a corner, Ranma growled as a bucket of water landed on his head. Her eye began to twitch violently as she pulled it off of her head, snarling as she saw the small form of the anything goes grand master. “Happosai!” She yelled, a full blown battle aura exploding around her body. “I’ve had a REALLY bad day today, and you’re gunna feel it!”

“Well, you can try boy. I just don’t think you’ll succeed!” Happi said, jumping onto Ranma’s head. The red haired girl briefly wondered how the old freak had found out it was her, before punching at the pest on top of her head. Unfortunately, he jumped away. ‘Damn. Why can’t I hit him? What’s wrong with me?’ She thought, as the two began to enter a swift and deadly battle. Ranma hadn’t really noticed much with any other opponents, as they weren’t really good enough to push her, but Happosai seemed to be causing her to make all sorts of misjudgements of her own strength and speed, most of whitch were to her disadvantage. Wheeling around in a swift kick, Ranma made her first connecting blow of the fight. Happi yelped as he slammed into the ground, picking himself up and dusting off.

‘Must not end it now. Must not end it now.’ The old master thought, knowing that he had to get a full idea of his student’s skills, even though there seemed to be a large hole in her timing that was easy to exploit. Throwing two dozen tiny fire crackers, the gnome was surprised to see Ranma intercept them easily, just as he had done in their first fight. Noticing that Ranma was mostly using her life energy for the redirections, he started to realize what was wrong. “Ranma my boy, have you been sick for a while? Your body doesn’t seem to be responding right and I’m walkin all over you!”

Ranma gritted her teeth at the insult to her art, but had to concede that Happosai was right. She was slower and weaker than she was used to, and she wanted to know why. Deciding that it could wait for the time being, Ranma threw herself at the master again with a volley of Amaguriken enhanced blows. This attack truly seemed to rattle the old man, and she wondered why. Deciding to try another Amazon trick, she recalled what she knew of Ryoga’s attacks and slammed a finger into the ground between the two. “Bakusai Tenketsu!” To her surprise, the ground blew up just as she wanted, but the rubble hurt a LOT more than she thought it would. It was like her body wasn’t as tough as it should be, but she hadn’t noticed until she fought someone near her level. Panting as the smoke cleared, Ranma saw Happosai puffing on his pipe.

“Now now Ranma. You’re going to have to do better than THAT.” Happosai said, with a soft chuckle. “Well, I’ve got some place to go. Good bye!”

“Get back here ya old freak!” Ranma yelled, shaking her fist. After he had left the area, she hung her head and sighed. At least she had found this new weakness of hers out against Happosai, who wasn’t really out for her blood. She didn’t want to know what would have happened if she had found out about it while fighting Saffron or Herb. Remembering where she was supposed to be before she had gotten distracted by the fight, Ranma cursed before leaping to the roofs.

HR

At Ranko’s school, the younger Saotome was getting really bored. She was hoping that Ranma would come soon, and maybe take her for a roof hopping ride. Those were kind of fun, and he promised that he would teach her how to do it one day. It had been twenty minutes since school had let out, and she was jumping from the wall to the sidewalk and back, trying out the trick that Ranma had taught her to get to the top of fences. He said it had something to do with boosting your internal energy or something, but she tuned that out and just did what he did. As she pondered this, Ranko heard the sound of two feet hitting the ground behind her. Looking around, she gasped. There was Ranma, in his girl form and with her entire body covered in small scratches and bruises. Her shirt was also slightly open, revealing part of her left breast. “Ranma, what happened to you?” Ranko asked, running up to the rather frazzled older girl.

“Long story.” Ranma muttered, before grabbing Ranko’s hand. “I’ll tell ya on the way home but I’m real tired, so let’s not roof hop or fence walk.”

“Okay.” Ranko said, looking up at her older sibling worriedly. What had done THAT to Ranma, The person who accidentally broke a tough guy’s arm two days before? Whatever it was, Ranko hoped that she didn’t meet up with it for a few years yet. Fortunately for her, It wasn’t interested in twelve year olds, at least not much.

HR

As Nodoka stood at the kitchen door, idly drying a dish that was in her hands, she heard the front door open. ‘Oh, that must be the children.’ She thought, before walking out to the hall… and dropping the plate to the floor with a crash. “R… Ranma?” She asked, seeing her older child’s cut covered female form. “What on earth happened to you?”

“The Ol’ freak attacked me.” Ranma explained, kicking off her shoes. “I’m gunna get some hot water, can you grab me the first aid kit?”

“Um, Yes. I’ll go get it.” Nodoka stammered, walking away. Ranma seemed to regard being beaten up by the grand master of Genma’s school as a regular event, and had a routine set out for it. Nodoka wondered if she was going to have to have a “Talk” with Happosai, despite Genma’s warnings to the contrary.

HR

Later, Ranma stood in the Dojo, Ranko standing near him in a corner and watching intently. “So, what are you going to show me today, Ranma?” She asked, bouncing excitedly.

“Sorry Ranko but I gotta see somethin about myself today. You can watch, though. It’s gunna be pretty cool lookin.”

Ranko shrugged, settling down on the ground and watching intently as Ranma began a very fast series of Kata, almost seeming to blur as she watched. After a few minutes of this, Ranma dropped out of the fast series of movements and sighed. “Yep, I’m definitely slower.” He muttered, glaring at his own hands. “I bet my power’s down, too.”

“That was slow?” Ranko asked, gaping. She had barely seen him move.

“Not very much slower than usual.” Ranma explained. “I just didn’t know I’d lost the speed so I kept making mistakes. I wonder why I lost it…” Getting an idea, he walked out of the Dojo and stood in a grassless patch of yard.

Ranko wondered what her brother was doing as she followed him, seeing him raise his arms to chest level. Suddenly, a strange glow began to surround him, beginning to build in intensity. Ranko hadn’t been able to see it, but Ranma’s battle aura had been building ever since he had first left the house. It was now in the visible spectrum. As the flame like light flared around him, Ranma began to sweat a bit. He normally never used a visible battle aura, as it was just a cheap intimidation trick and was very wasteful. The only one he knew who could do anything useful with the thing was Happosai, with the fear aura he was capable of producing. Letting the light show fade, Ranma’s face reflected perfect confusion. “My Chi reserves are the same size…” he muttered, before heading back in and continuing the test.

HR

As Ranma tried to figure out what was wrong with his body and fighting ability, Nabiki and Akane were in Nabiki’s room, the younger girl laying on the bed and lifting barbells over her head while the older studied advanced finance.

“…I just want to know what’s going on with him.” Akane said, huffing in exertion as she lifted the very heavy weights above her head. “I mean, he was the second biggest pervert in the school and now…”

“It sounds almost like you like the guy, Akane. He is MY Fiancée, you know.” Nabiki said, with an evil and teasing smirk.

“That’s not it, Nabiki!” Akane protested, blushing.

“So you like Ryoga, then?” Nabiki asked, the smirk becoming more evil. Truthfully, She was glad that her little sister was starting to become interested in boys. She was beginning to worry for a while that Akane preferred women, not that it would have bothered her but their father would have flown through the roof at the prospect, or at least cried the house into a mud bog.

“I don’t like Ryoga like that, either.” Akane said, loudly. “I mean, he’s a nice guy but he’s always getting lost! Have you ever seen him try to get to a bathroom?” She sighed. “I just couldn’t deal with a guy I loved wandering away to who knows where every five minutes.”

On the other side of the door, Ryoga stopped with his hand an inch away from the wood, and let it fall back to his side. “…Akane…” He said, before turning and walking away, tears in his eyes. Unfortunately, she was right. She was settled, with a family, in Tokyo. If Ryoga ever married her and passed on his family curse to her… He shuddered and walked down the stairs to the Tendos’ living room, saying hello to Kasumi, who seemed to have moved the stove again.

“Oh my! I wonder what’s wrong with Ryoga Kun.” Kasumi said, as the obviously depressed boy trudged out of the house.

HR

In Nabiki’s room, the middle Tendo seemed to hear what sounded like a breaking window before she dismissed it, continuing to do homework while she teased her little sister.

HR

Walking from the house, Ryoga saw Yoiko, who was standing and holding onto a street sign as he had told her to do in order to keep from wandering off. “Ryoga, that took forever!” The young girl complained, before noticing the look on her older brother’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Ryoga sighed and shook his head. “Nothing Yoiko.” He muttered, before taking her hand. Why did he have to be cursed with a life like the one he had? First what happened in Jr. High, and now this. “C’mon Yoiko. Let’s keep looking for your school.” He finally said, overcoming his darker thoughts.

The girl just nodded, hoping that she would find the place eventually.

HR

On a small dirt path in the middle of nowhere, Prince Herb was getting rather annoyed. She had only been traveling with the Chinese Amazons for a day and the younger of the women was already getting on her nerves. She had been boasting about how the “Weak” musk males needed her tribes help for the past few hours, and Herb desperately wanted to shut her up, even if it was by taking off her cloak and admitting that she was currently female to stop the girl’s harping. The girl’s great grandmother had been giving her warning looks for the past hour, perhaps sensing Herb’s own mood, but the younger one seemed not to have noticed.

Finally, someone snapped, and it WASN’T, surprisingly, Herb. “Would you shut up!” Mint snapped, turning and glaring at the Amazon girl. The mesmerizing power of her body had worn off on him and Lime earlier, through exposure, and Herb had realized why her great grandmother had wanted her along. She was there to desensitize the two bodyguards to girls.

The purple haired Amazon stopped and looked at Mint in stunned silence. “Excuse me, male?” She asked, rudely.

Cologne just sighed. Her great granddaughter was a good child, but she had soaked up far too much of the elders’ teachings regarding men. Cologne herself believed that, although not as intelligent and courageous as women usually, men should be awarded a small amount of respect, especially ones who were as powerful as the Musk.

“I told you to shut up, “Female.”” Mint said, using Shampoo’s exact derisive undertones in the word, just to get her back.

“This male insults me, I demand a challenge!” Shampoo yelled, and the whole party came to a screeching halt. Herb, who knew something of Amazon culture, looked at Mint worriedly. “Mint, turn down the challenge.” She ordered, in a flat voice.

The elder sighed, shaking her head. “According to Amazon law, men have no right to decline challenges issued by women, and we are in Joketsu Zoku territory.”

“You have got to be kidding me. Herb said, groaning and holding her own cloak covered head.

“I am afraid not.” Cologne confirmed, looking resigned. She knew her great granddaughter was going to lose this fight, but perhaps this would teach the girl humility. As the two leaders talked, Lime looked at Mousse as if to ask what the heck was going on, but stopped as he saw the other boy glaring at his fellow bodyguard. “Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, walking up next to the blind one.

“That… fiend is going to take my shampoo from me!” Mousse growled, but knew that he couldn’t interfere in the fight. Lime just looked confused, but before he could ask Mousse what he meant, the battle had started… and ended.

Shampoo was the best of her generation of the Joketsu Zoku, but her generation was rather… sub-par. She was a good fighter by most outsider standards, but Mint was one of the two guards of the prince of the musk and was a GREAT warrior. Blurring in with a burst of super speed, the musk boy let loose with several punches at speeds that exceeded the Amaguriken.

“That was… impressive.” Cologne muttered, seeing her great granddaughter falling to the ground. “You do know what this means, right?”

Herb nodded resignedly. “I am aware, elder.” She said, as she walked over and picked up the unconscious Amazon. “Let’s continue, before something worse happens.” She said, levelling a glare that no one could see at her wolf skin clad retainer. Mint flinched from it anyways, quickly beginning to walk.

HR

Back in the Saotome Dojo, Ranma stopped in the middle of an endurance exercise, suddenly feeling relieved for no apparent reason. Shrugging it off, he continued to practice.

END!

Nothing to say. Enjoy or hate it. Whatever.