Chapter 11 - Pruning the Black Rose
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Kasumi took the mushrooms that she’d just sliced and put them into the pan that was simmering on the stove. ‘Hmm,’ she wondered to herself, ‘should I add tofu to the miso soup this morning?’ She stirred the mushrooms into the mix and then took a brief sip. ‘Not today,’ she decided.
Adjusting the burner that was heating the miso soup to the minimum setting, Kasumi turned her attention to the nori. Just as she began dipping the seaweed into soy sauce, she heard someone bounding down the stairs. ‘Even Akane doesn’t make that much noise coming down the stairs, it must be one of the men.’
It occurred to Kasumi that she was affording Ranma that same distinction. ‘When did I start thinking about him as a man instead of a boy?’ She tried to pinpoint an exact moment in time, but didn’t have any success. ‘There’s no doubt though,’ she thought with a grin, ‘he may still be a young man, but he’s a man nonetheless.’
Her musings were interrupted as the object of her thoughts came strolling into the kitchen. Kasumi was surprised that Ranma was not only fully awake this early in the morning, but he was also fully dressed and ready for school.
“Good morning Ranma,” she said sweetly, trying to fight a blush as her mind conjured images of them in the dojo the previous night.
“M-morning Kasumi,” Ranma responded, not quite as successful at fighting a blush.
‘He must be remembering last night as well,’ she thought. She was still terribly embarrassed by what happened, but it also felt nice that she was able to have that effect on him.
“So, what are you doing up so early Ranma?” Kasumi asked.
“Uh,” Ranma said, obviously trying to come up with something to say. “I hafta run an errand this mornin’.”
Kasumi fixed him with the hardest stare she could manage, which is to say it only came across as mildly determined. It appeared to have an effect on Ranma though, since he bowed his head without saying anything.
“Ranma,” she said. “Remember what I told you last night? About talking to me? And not hiding things?”
“I...” Ranma said, raising his face to look at Kasumi again. “There’s just somethin' I need ta do, and I really gotta run. I promise ta tell ya tonight.” The earnest expression on his face was enough to keep Kasumi from pushing the matter.
“Alright Ranma,” she said, favoring him with a small smile. “I trust you. Do you have a moment for me to get some food for you?”
“I hafta grab my books still, so I have about a minute,” Ranma said, as he ran out of the kitchen.
Nodding at his back, Kasumi grabbed a bento and put in enough food for Ranma to munch on for breakfast, with an adequate amount left over for lunch. Just as she finished, Ranma returned.
She held out the bento to him, and he came up and took it with a grateful smile on his face. “Thanks a lot Kasumi.”
To Kasumi, it felt like she was a housewife seeing her husband off to work in the morning. It was all she could do to ignore those thoughts, and keep herself from kissing him on the cheek to say goodbye. She settled for saying, “You’re welcome Ranma. Have a good day at school.”
Flashing her one of his trademark grins, Ranma headed for the door. Just before he reached it, he paused. “Kasumi?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes Ranma?” She was quite surprised by his shift in demeanor.
“Well...” he said, his back still towards her. “I feel real bad for what I did ta Ukyo, and I wanna apologize to her. But I don’t want her ta get the wrong idea either. Do you think you might be able to... umm... help me think of what ta say ta her?”
Pride swelled up in Kasumi. ‘Not only is he asking for help, enough of a miracle in itself, but he’s asking me.’
“Of course Ranma,” she replied happily. “I’d love to help you out.”
His head turned back to her and she could see the relief on his face. “Thanks Kasumi. I really appreciate it.” With that, Ranma left the kitchen.
‘Why did he look so relieved?’ she wondered. As Kasumi continued to work on breakfast, her mind wrestled with the puzzle. After several minutes, the answer snapped into place. ‘Every time he ever showed any concern for one of the other girls, Akane always got jealous and lashed out. Poor Ranma. I need to make him understand that I’m not like that. It actually makes me care for him even more to see the concern he’s feeling for others.’
As she finished her work, she tried to think of how she could explain it in a way Ranma could understand.
Ranma ran along, book bag slung over his shoulder, open bento in one hand. He was using the other hand to whip food from the box into his mouth. His mind focused on the task he was about to perform. The concept of what he was about to do wasn’t that bad, it was the method in which he was going to issue the challenge that irked him.
‘I can’t believe I let Nabiki talk me into this,’ he thought irritably. ‘Why can’t I just issue a normal challenge? Why do I hafta do it all idiotic like Kuno would?’
Shaking his head, Ranma continued his sprint. He looked into the box and saw that it was nearly half empty. He decided to save the rest for lunch, so he closed it up and dumped it into his book bag without breaking stride. The thought of the food caused his mind to drift back to Kasumi.
‘Man, she’s so understanding. She didn’t get all pissed when I brought up Ukyo. If it’d been Akane, she’d have beat the crap out of me.’ Thoughts of how kind and accepting Kasumi was solidified in his mind the rightness of what he’d done yesterday with Shampoo and Ukyo. It didn’t mean he wasn’t sad about how things played out with Ukyo, but at least he felt justified.
‘And Nabiki was right,’ he thought glumly. ‘This is the best way to deliver this challenge, so I just need to get it over with.’ He continued to run and soon found his destination in sight; the St. Hebereke School for Girls.
| Kodachi Kuno made her ways towards school, walking alone as was her norm. She saw other groups of girls making their ways towards school as well, though they were keeping their distance from Kodachi. ‘As well they should,’ she thought. ‘They’re nothing but peasants. The only one who wasn’t born of noble station that is worthy to walk beside me is my beloved Ranma.’ She sighed as a ripple of pleasure coursed through her. ‘How I wish he were here now, so I might show him how much I truly love him.’ As she neared the entrance of the school, Kodachi stopped in her tracks. ‘The gods have surely heard and answered my prayers,’ she thought smugly. Standing just outside the gates leading into the school grounds was the man she loved. “Ranma, my love!” she called, bounding over to him. She tried to throw her arms around him, but he sidestepped at the last second and she nearly ran into the wall. “Please don’t, Kodachi,” Ranma said wearily. |
 |
Satisfied, Kodachi moved closer to Ranma. She had already decided in her mind why her love was avoiding her grasp. “I know you wish to protect my reputation for purity in front of the baseborn fools my love, but worry not. I would like nothing better than for the whole world to see the love that you and I share.”
“That ain’t it Kodachi,” Ranma stated, betraying no emotion. “I came here this morning ta issue a challenge.”
This stopped Kodachi’s advance towards Ranma. She tilted her head in confusion. “A challenge?”
“From the pig-tailed girl. I ain’t like yer idiot brother. I can’t date more than one girl. So the pig-tailed girl is issuing you a challenge, and whoever loses has ta promise not ta chase after me anymore.”
One of her beautiful, in her mind at least, laughs echoed across the schoolyard. “So that peasant thinks she can truly defeat me? Very well, I accept her challenge. After I defeat her, then you and I shall be free to date without her pathetic interruptions.”
“That’s not exactly-” Ranma began to say, but Kodachi wasn’t listening.
“When and where shall I exact my revenge?”
“At four this afternoon, in the Furinkan School field,” Ranma said with a sigh. “I want yer word though Kodachi, if you lose you hafta leave me, my family, the pig-tailed girl, and the Tendo’s alone for good. You understand.”
“But Ranma darling,” Kodachi said in surprise, “there’s no way I’ll lose to one such as her. The gods will surely smile upon me.”
“I ain’t gonna argue with you about it,” Ranma said. “I just want yer word.”
“But why?”
“‘Cause the woman I end up with has to be both strong and honorable. If ya can’t agree to the rules, I’ll never be able to return yer love.” Ranma looked like he was going to be sick, and Kodachi assumed it was at the thought of losing her.
“Since you asked it of me, then I give you my word darling,” Kodachi said. “Come, let’s seal the agreement with a kiss.”
Ranma began backpedaling. “Uh, no thanks. Yer word is enough for now. Oh, and I won’t be able ta attend the challenge, 'cause I can’t stand the thought of you two fighting over me. Unfortunately it has ta be this way.”
It appeared that he was going to be sick again. ‘He must be worried about me getting hurt,’ Kodachi thought happily. ‘He’s so wonderful.’
“I understand my love,” she said, still advancing in an effort to kiss him.
“There will be witnesses there for the pig-tailed girl though,” Ranma said. “I think you should have yer brother and Sasuke attend too. That way, if you win, you’ll have witnesses ta prove it.”
“You mean when I win, not if. And your logic is sound, darling. I don’t want that honor-less hussy trying to get out of the agreement when I win.”
Kodachi saw a flash of anger in his eyes. ‘He’s just as angry at the thought as I am.’
“Whatever,” he replied. “Anyway, don’t forget, four this afternoon.” With that, her love took off in the direction of Furinkan.
“Oh, I won’t forget,” she said softly to herself. Kodachi turned to head into the school, but changed her mind. ‘I think I’ll go home and prepare for this little match instead. And then I’ll teach that bitch to come between me and my Ranma darling.’
Ranma sat in class, ignoring his teacher as was his usual practice. He still felt like retching at some of the things he’d said to Kodachi earlier. ‘Ugh, that was awful. It was like I was leading her on. If Nabiki hadn’t coached me, I don’t know if I coulda done it.’
Glancing to his side again, Ranma noticed that Ukyo wasn’t here today. She hadn’t come back after lunch the day before, and he was beginning to worry. ‘Well, I’ll chat with Kasumi tonight and try ta talk with U-Chan before I leave for my training trip.’
Purposefully putting those thoughts out of his mind, Ranma began to concentrate on the upcoming fight. He reviewed all the dirty tricks he’d seen Kodachi use in the past, cataloguing what they were and the circumstances in which she tended to use them.
Then he began a mental inventory of all the weapons he’d ever seen her utilize. Once complete, he started to list out all the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as methods for effectively countering them. He interwove all he knew about her various poisons and drugs, and started working out effective strategies for winning the fight.
If any of his teachers had been able to glimpse into his mind as he worked, they would’ve been amazed. They also would have probably berated him, telling him that if he could apply that same methodical mind to schoolwork, and not just martial arts, that he could be a stellar student. Not that Ranma would’ve listened to a thing they had to say though.
 |
Akane kept stealing glances back at Ranma, and found herself gaping in awe. For an instant, it actually looked like he was not only awake, but that he was actually paying attention to the teacher as well. However, it didn’t take her long to realize that he wasn’t paying attention at all. ‘He’s concentrating on something else. The only time I’ve ever seen him that focused is when he’s in a fight. Does it have something to do with why he left so early this morning?’ Both Akane and the patriarchs had asked at breakfast where Ranma was, and Kasumi had only said that he’d left early on some sort of errand. Akane had looked over at Nabiki, who simply returned an infuriating smile and refused to say anything. On the way to school, Akane had asked Nabiki if she knew where Ranma had went. Nabiki had answered that she’d tell if Akane told her what was going on |
‘I wonder,’ she thought. ‘Maybe it has something to do with Kodachi. She’s the only girl who Ranma hasn’t dealt with yet. And she’s arguably the most dangerous of them all because she’s so crazy.’
Realizing that she wasn’t going to know for sure until she asked Ranma, Akane turned her attention back to the lesson. ‘I’ll just wait until lunch to ask him.’
Fortunately, the time didn’t drag on like she feared it would, and so it wasn’t long before the lunch bell rang. Akane stood from her desk and turned towards Ranma. She was surprised to see that he still had that same look of concentration on his face. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be aware that it was time for lunch.
She walked up to his desk and proceeded to wave her hand in front of his face. Ranma didn’t even blink, much less acknowledge her presence. Fighting the urge to pound him for ignoring her, Akane cleared her throat. Still nothing. Finally she said his name. No response. ‘He’s really out of it. This should get his attention.’ She leaned down close to his ear.
“Ranma!” she yelled. Her ex-fiancé started to jump, but his legs were still underneath the desk. The desk went flying forwards, and his chair fell backwards as he stood. He looked around as if he were expecting to find an enemy. Then he looked at Akane, who was trying rather unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle, and frowned.
“Jeez, ya tomboy,” he growled. “What the hell do ya think yer doin’?”
Akane decided to let the insult slide. In fact, she figured this would be the perfect opportunity to be nice to him.
“I’m sorry Ranma,” she said sincerely. “You seemed to be zoning out and I wanted to let you know it was time for lunch.” The shock on his face nearly made her snicker again, but she did a better job holding it in this time.
“Uh s-sure,” he responded suspiciously. This merely caused Akane to sigh.
“I really am sorry Ranma. Please forgive me.” She executed a small bow to him.
Ranma looked at her as if she’d grown a second head. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Akane?”
Anger began to build in her, and she saw Ranma smirk because of it. Fighting against her nature, she let the anger bleed off. “Look Ranma, I... I deserved that. I know I haven’t been very nice to you and I-I’m sorry. I was just... well... I was hoping that since we don’t have to worry about the engagement anymore, that maybe you and I could start over again.”
The shock on Ranma’s face quickly turned to skepticism. He studied her for several moments and seemed about to answer when the two were interrupted.
“Did you forget that we have an appointment Saotome?” Nabiki asked as she strode into the room. She stopped when she saw the way Ranma and Akane were regarding each other. She smirked at both of them. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?”
“Nah,” Ranma said quickly. He glanced at Akane again. “I’ll hafta give it some thought Akane.” With that, he reached down and grabbed the bento that had spilled out of the desk when he’d knocked over. Then he walked towards Nabiki, grabbed her arm to spin her around, and the two left the room together.
‘Damn!’ Akane brooded.
“What was that all about?” Nabiki asked as she and Ranma walked down the hall.
She watched as Ranma looked back over his shoulder towards his classroom. “Nothin’ important,” he said.
“Right,” Nabiki drawled. “Let me guess, she tried to make up with you.”
The way in which Ranma stopped dead confirmed her thoughts. As she turned to face him, the look on his face simply solidified it.
“H-how’d ya know that?” Ranma asked.
“Please,” Nabiki said, quirking her eyebrow at him. “You should know that you guys can’t hide anything from me.”
“Whatever,” Ranma grunted. The two both turned and continued to walk outside. Once they found a secluded spot, they opened their bentos and began to eat. After a few moments, Nabiki got down to business.
“I take it you saw Kodachi this morning,” she said.
“Yeah,” Ranma said with a shiver. “I issued the challenge, and she accepted.”
“Good,” Nabiki replied, popping a piece of food into her mouth. “I’ll inform Kuno about it after lunch then. Did you mention to her about bringing him and Sasuke?”
“Uh huh,” Ranma replied. “She said somethin’ about having witnesses to hold the honor-less pig-tailed girl to the terms of the challenge.”
“Oh, they’ll help uphold it alright, just not in the way she thinks. I was able to get a camcorder from the school video club to tape the event. I want to tape it from a distance, to keep it a surprise, but I’m worried about sound. I managed to get a wireless microphone, but they’re really expensive. I’d hook it up to you, but I don’t want you wearing it when you fight. The thing would probably get crushed.”
“Hmm,” Ranma said, obviously trying to think. “Mousse and Ryoga will be there, and-”
“What!?” Nabiki demanded. “How the hell did that happen?”
Ranma then told her about his encounter with the two the previous night, though Nabiki could tell he was holding something back. The lunch break was close to finishing up though, so she decided to find out what it was later.
“And so,” Ranma concluded, “I asked them to come to the challenge to be witnesses.”
“Okay,” Nabiki said, her mind working quickly, “this works well then. I think I’ll have Mousse wear the microphone then. He shouldn’t have any trouble fitting it in with all his hidden weapons. And then you can have him be the one to explain the terms of the fight and make sure he gets responses from you and Kodachi.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ranma said, munching on the remnants of his lunch. Then he gave her a thoughtful look. “By the way, I was wondering why you haven’t advertised the fight.”
The question caught Nabiki off guard. It took her a moment to come up with the answer she wanted. “Well, news like that tends to spread. I knew Akane would find out for sure, and I figured you wouldn’t want the distraction. Also, it’s always possible that Kasumi could’ve heard about it from someone in the marketplace, and if she did she might show up. If that happened, and anyone realized that you two were engaged, things could’ve gotten messy.”
With a nod, Ranma stood and stretched. “Thanks,” he said, “I’m really glad you’re taking Kasumi’s safety seriously. It’s nice to see how much you care about her.” With a small chuckle, he turned and headed back towards class.
‘If only you knew,’ Nabiki thought. ‘You just better not hurt her or break her heart Ranma, or you’re going to make one serious enemy.’
The rest of the school day went quickly for everyone who was somehow involved in the fight. Ranma spent much of the time in the afternoon doing what he had earlier. He now had dozens of different plans ready to execute, all of which could be quickly modified depending on what surprises Kodachi had in store for him.
When the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day, Ranma stood up quietly. He noticed Akane making her way over towards him.
“Ranma,” she said quietly.
“Hey Akane,” Ranma said, clasping the back of his neck with his hand. The two stood there for a little while in awkward silence.
“I,” both started to say at the same time, causing each let out a little chuckle.
“Please,” Akane said, gesturing towards him with her hand.
“Well,” Ranma replied, feeling a bit nervous. “I thought a little about what ya said, and I think maybe we could try. Ta be honest though, I don’t know if it’ll really work.”
“I... understand,” Akane said sadly. “Can we please try though?”
“You know, Kasumi asked me the same thing. I told her I’d try, so I guess we can give it a shot.” Ranma was surprised when Akane began to look even more depressed. Unsure what else to do or say, he just waited.
“Kasumi asked you to huh?” Akane said softly, her shoulders slumping. After a few seconds, she straightened. “Well, let’s give it a try then. I promise to try to be more understanding and not to jump to conclusions.”
Remembering what Kasumi had asked him the previous morning, Ranma responded. “And I’ll try not ta insult ya as much anymore.”
The two nodded at each other, and then Akane spoke again. “Well, you ready to walk home?”
“Actually,” Ranma said, “There’s something I need ta take care of after school. I probably won’t be home until close ta dinner time.”
Akane looked liked she was going to say something, but instead she nodded. “Okay Ranma, I’ll see you at home then.” She then grabbed her book bag from her desk and headed out the door.
‘Boy, I’m glad she didn’t ask to tag along.’ Snatching up his own bag, Ranma quickly made his way out of the school and towards the Cat Café. He planned on changing into his girl form there, and he needed to inform Mousse about the new plan that Nabiki had come up with, as well as the part he was expected to play.
As Ryoga walked towards Furinkan with Ranma and Mousse, he made absolutely sure that he stayed close to both. He really didn’t have a desire to get lost at this point, feeling a burning desire within to make good on his promise from the night before.
‘I’m not doing this for Ranma,’ he repeatedly told himself. ‘It’s because for once in his life he’s doing something honorable to help out someone else. But, hasn’t he helped out others in the past? Weren’t those honorable actions? No! He can’t be! I refuse...’
Shaking his head in frustration, Ryoga tried to derail that line of thinking for the moment. Fortunately, they were soon at the field where the challenge was going to take place. Nabiki was there waiting for them, carrying a video camera in her hand.
“Ranma,” she acknowledge with a nod. “Mousse.” She shot a glance at Ryoga that was filled with nothing but contempt, and then ignored him from that point forward. As she conversed with Ranma and Mousse on what was going to happen, Ryoga found his depression building.
It wasn’t unusual for Nabiki to assume a superior attitude towards him, especially since she tended to do that with most people. But he’d never seen her regard anyone with the disgust and loathing that he’d seen in her eyes when looking at him.
‘She never even looked at that idiot Kuno with that much contempt. It’s all Ranma’s fault. If I didn’t have to protect Akane from him, then I wouldn’t have had to be her pet.’ Parts of his conversation with Ranma, and some of things Mousse had said, began to invade his consciousness. ‘Did she really need protecting though? Ranma did have a valid point for once, I never did hear about him trying to take advantage of her when I wasn’t there.’
Starting to get the impression that this whole mess was of his own making, and really wasn’t the fault of Ranma or anyone else, Ryoga’s depression continued to build.
“Ryoga!” both Ranma and Mousse snapped. He looked at both of them.
“Are ya trying ta vaporize the whole damn field?” Ranma asked. “Get yer depression under control, will ya?”
“Indeed,” Mousse said. “Don’t make us knock you unconscious for the duration of the fight.”
“As if you could,” Ryoga said with a snort, indignation replacing depression.
“Oh,” Nabiki said sarcastically, “he snorts when he’s human too. I guess he’s a pig no matter what kind of water hits him.”
Hanging his head, Ryoga didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He did work to keep his depression under control though.
“Anyway,” Nabiki said, “you got everything down Mousse?”
“Yes,” Mousse replied confidently.
“Fine,” Nabiki said. “I’m heading over to those tree lines and will be taping from there. I expect the Kuno’s will be here soon, so you might want to loosen up Ranma.”
Ryoga watched as Nabiki made her way towards the trees that she’d indicated. He then turned to watch Ranma as she began stretching.
| Ranma took a few minutes to finish stretching, and then adjusted her clothing so that it didn’t hang as loosely as it usually did. Then she stood in a meditative pose and waited for her opponent to arrive. It didn’t take long. “You two,” the voice of Tatewaki Kuno bellowed across the field. “How dare you act so familiar with the pig-tailed goddess? I shall smite thee.” Opening her eyes, Ranma saw Kuno charging towards the group with his bokken raised. She was able to feel Mousse’s and Ryoga’s battle auras flare to life behind her. ‘Damn, I need Kuno conscious for this challenge so he can deal with his sister when I win.’ Before anyone else could react, Ranma bolted forward and planted a foot in Kuno’s face. |
 |
“Oh my pig-tailed goddess,” Kuno moaned. “Why must you fight for that vile cur? You have my love! What more could any woman want?”
Ranma planted an elbow into the top of Kuno’s head hard enough to dislodge him, but not enough to knock him out. “I ain’t doin’ this ta date him,” Ranma said. “I’m doin’ this so that he’s free ta do what he wants. And ta free him from that insane sister of yours.”
Turning around, Ranma made her way back towards Mousse and Ryoga. She now saw Kodachi was with Sasuke, setting up the various weapons that she’d be using. Ranma took a moment to look at everything, and he didn’t see anything she hadn’t used before. ‘That’s good,’ she thought. ‘Now I just have to worry about whatever chemicals she’s going to use.’
After another minute, Kodachi was setup and she turned her attention towards Ranma. Then she let out one of those blood-curdling laughs that everyone but her despised.
“Are you ready to meet your end, peasant?” Kodachi asked with glee.
“Whatever,” Ranma replied, waving her hand in boredom.
Mousse then stepped forward. “Let’s review the terms of the challenge before you two begin.” Mousse indicated Kuno, who had picked himself up off the ground and now stood behind his sister, and the ninja Sasuke. He then addressed Kodachi. “Are these men here your witnesses?”
“Yes, yes,” Kodachi replied impatiently.
“Very good. Ryoga and I are here as her witnesses,” Mousse said, indicating Ranma. “Now, the terms of the challenge are these. The loser will be the one who ends up unconscious or who forfeits. There are no other rules governing the fight itself. Anything goes. If Kodachi loses, she agrees to stop pursuing Ranma and to never interact directly, or indirectly, with him, his family, the pig-tailed girl, or the Tendo family. If the pig-tailed girl loses, she agrees that she will not pursue Ranma romantically.”
Turning towards Kodachi, Mousse asked, “Do you agree to the terms of this challenge?”
Kodachi nodded, but Mousse wasn’t satisfied with that. “I need a verbal answer please.”
“Yes, fine,” Kodachi said. “I agree to the terms.”
Mousse asked the same of Ranma, who agreed as well.
“Are you both ready then?” There was a yes from both of them. “Everyone please stand back, and you two wait for my signal,” Mousse said. Once he and the others were far enough away, Mousse yelled out, “Begin!”
Ranma began to slowly stalk forward. She had wanted to end this early, but Nabiki had pointed out that Kodachi would just claim that Ranma had somehow cheated. Likewise, Nabiki recommended against using chi attacks. It was just as likely that Kodachi would claim that Ranma had used black magic to win, thus making it an unfair fight, despite the fact that it was anything goes. Therefore, Ranma had to settle for simply beating the crap out of Kodachi until she was unconscious.
‘Normally, I’d hate to do that to anyone, especially a girl. But in this case, I think I’m going to enjoy this.’ A grin formed on Ranma’s face.
Kodachi saw it. “You won’t have that grin for long,” she laughed, as she proceed to whip out several small items that looked like bombs. She threw them all into Ranma’s general direction, and the pig-tailed youth had to jump pretty high to avoid them. When each hit the ground, they exploded and let out a greenish gas.
‘Ah, the first drug,’ Ranma thought. She knew she was going to land right in the middle of the gas, so she held her breath. Also worried about what it might do to her sight, she closed her eyes just before entering the green fog. She landed easily, and took a moment to expand out her chi sense to get a fix on Kodachi’s position. The girl hadn’t moved from where she’d been, choosing to stay near her weapons.
‘Probably thinks the gas already finished me,’ Ranma thought, suppressing a chuckle. She knew the gas would probably dissipate soon, so she decided to act. Gauging exactly where Kodachi was, Ranma began to run and performed a terrific jump kick. About halfway through the arc, she opened her eyes. She saw the look of total shock on Kodachi’s face, which brought a grin to her own.
Before Kodachi had a chance to react, Ranma’s foot caught her in the middle of the chest and sent the girl flying. She landed with a heavy thud, and Ranma rushed forward to press her advantage. Kodachi recovered quickly though, and she was back on her feet before Ranma reached her.
Using the two spiked clubs that she’d picked up earlier, Kodachi met Ranma’s charge. For nearly a full minute, neither one was able to land a blow. Then one of Kodachi’s clubs managed to snag a piece of Ranma’s shirt. Instead of tearing the shirt, the spikes twisted in the fabric which temporarily caused Ranma to lose mobility.
Laughing again, Kodachi swung the other club towards Ranma’s head. Ranma was able to rip her shirt away in time to avoid the potentially fatal blow, but one of the spikes did manage to leave a decent scratch on Ranma’s cheek.
Ranma jumped back in an effort to regroup. ‘Damn, she’s not gonna be happy until she kills me.’ Then Ranma noticed that the scratch on her face was burning more than it should have. ‘Dammit, those spikes are probably poisoned.’ A look at Kodachi, and the demented glee showing on her face, confirmed Ranma’s suspicions.
Fortunately, with the fact that Kodachi, and sometimes Shampoo, tended to use different concoctions on him, Ranma had visited Dr. Tofu a while ago for help. The doctor had taught Ranma a chi technique that would slow, and in most cases eliminate, the effects of any such agent. The process involved Ranma focusing his awareness in an effort to identify the substance in his system and then apply enough chi to burn it off.
However, the middle of a fight wasn’t the best place for that, so Ranma was going to have to divert her attention between the two tasks. She jumped back again while she concentrated, and noticed that Kodachi had decided to switch weapons again. While she normally used a single ribbon in combat, she had grabbed two from her stash of weapons and was twirling both expertly.
‘Damn,’ Ranma thought. ‘That means she’s going to attack from a distance now.’ As if on cue, Kodachi jumped forward and began whipping the ribbons forward one at a time. The combination of having to dodge two ribbons, the poison taking effect, and diverting attention away from the fight to deal with that poison, it was inevitable that a few of the blows would land on Ranma.
‘Crap!’ Ranma thought angrily, as a third blow landed. In addition to the gash on her cheek, Ranma now had ones on her upper chest, left arm, and right leg. Her clothing was torn in all three places and each were bleeding. ‘At least the ribbons don’t seem ta be poisoned,’ she thought. She continued to dodge as best as she could though while she worked on the poison.
“Why do you keep fighting?” Kodachi asked, as she whipped a ribbon forward again, barely missing. “Just give up now, leave Ranma darling to me, and I’ll let my brother have you.”
A growl escaped Ranma’s lips in response. She dodged for a few more moments and expended more chi. Finally, she felt the last of the poison burn off, and she was able to return all her attention to the fight. Continuing to dodge for a little while longer, Ranma modified one of the plans she’d come up with earlier.
After watching her fighting style so many times, Ranma knew that Kodachi was right handed. Thus, she waited until the insane gymnast shot out the ribbon that was in her weaker left hand. Ranma extended some chi into her hands to keep herself from getting cut too badly and grabbed onto the ribbon. Kodachi’s left side was farther forward due to the motion of snapping the ribbon, so when Ranma yanked it, Kodachi stumbled forward and tripped.
Closing the distance between them as fast as possible, Ranma was right there as Kodachi rose. Deciding that this had gone on long enough, Ranma used her Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire technique to deliver nearly one hundred blows into Kodachi’s chest before she could even guess what was happening. Once Ranma stopped, it didn’t take Kodachi even a second to collapse to the ground unconscious.
“I won,” Ranma muttered under her breath. With a sigh, she then took both of Kodachi’s ribbons and proceeded to tie up the girl. She used one to secure her arms to her torso and the other to wrap her legs tightly together. By the time she’d finished, all of the observers, with the exception of Nabiki, were standing next to the two combatants.
Suddenly Ranma found Kuno grabbing onto her again. “Oh my pig-tailed goddess,” he moaned. “Why didn’t you simply surrender the fight and allow my wicked sister to have that vile cur Saotome?”
Ranma elbowed Kuno in the head again, knocking him to the ground. “Keep yer hands off me,” she yelled.
Her loud voice was apparently enough to bring Kodachi around. The girl attempted to sit up, but was unable to do so in her present state. She looked around, and seeing everyone there, as well as her own condition, she begins to cry.
“That’s right,” Ranma said coldly. “You lost the challenge. And I expect ya to uphold yer end of the agreement.”
Kodachi didn’t answer, instead curling up into a ball as best she could in her present state, and continued to weep loudly. Seeing that she wasn’t going to get an answer, Ranma turned her attention to Kuno.
“I don’t care what you think 'bout Ranma,” she said. “I expect ya to make sure that she keeps her word and doesn’t interfere with Ranma, his family, the Tendo’s, or me. Or is it too much ta hope that a member of the Kuno family can keep their word?”
“Goddess though you may be,” Kuno said indignantly, “do not presume to question the honor of House Kuno.”
“Does that mean you acknowledge that Kodachi was the loser in this fight?” Mousse asked.
“As much as it loathes me to admit it, yes. I decree that the pig-tailed girl was the winner of this fight and that my sister must abide by the terms set forth in the challenge.”
“As the other witness,” Mousse said, speaking to Sasuke, “do you also concur?”
“Yes,” Sasuke replied. “My duty is to House Kuno. As such, I will not dishonor the House by denying what I saw here today. Mistress Kuno did indeed lose in this honorable contest, and must abide by the terms for the honor of House Kuno.”
Kodachi’s crying began getting louder at this point, so Kuno turned to his servant. “Come Sasuke, let us return my sister home so that she may grieve in private.”
Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga watched as the two dragged away Kodachi and as many of her weapons as they could. Once they were out of sight, Ranma noticed out of the corner of her eye that Nabiki was approaching. Once she had joined them, Ranma turned and faced the group.
“Well,” she said tiredly, “two out of the way, one to finish.”
‘And I really hope that Kasumi doesn’t slap me again for this.’
Thank you for taking the time to read Aijou & Aitou. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. I would love to hear all feedback, positive or negative (as long as it’s constructive). Please take the time to leave a review on fanfiction.net or send me an email letting me know your opinion. Thanks.
