Most characters and situations in this story are the
property of Takahashi Rumiko and are used without consent
but without the desire to give offense.

David Johnston, rgorman@telusplanet.net  

Comment...you know.  

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For Every Action Part 8

As Ranma and Akane in male form approached the door to Doctor Tofu's 
clinic, Akane stopped dead, as from out of nowhere a girl's body flowed 
over her from the rear, hands covering her eyes and legs wrapped around 
her mid section.  Akane was uncomfortably aware of the breasts pressing 
against her shoulder blades as a pretty voice spurted, "Nihao, Kaneda.  
Guess who?" 

 *Oh great.  It's the return of the Kawaii Bakemono.  I was hoping I'd 
have at least until lunch.  Let's be smarter than Ranma and at least TRY 
to talk it out.*  Of course Akane was being unfair.  Ranma did try to 
talk things out.  He was just terrible at it.  

"Bie-Deh, please get off of me."  Akane said, summoning more 
self-control
to refrain from violence than she realised she had.  

"Kaneda recognise!  Must be love.  Bie-Deh not want Kaneda to see until
bruise all gone."  

"Get OFF!"  Fortunately, that euphemism doesn't exist in Japanese or 
Chinese, and so could not be misunderstood, since this is NOT a lemon.  

"Bruise gone tonight.  Kaneda go date with Bie-Deh tonight, yes?  
Bie-Deh come by seven."

"Listen Bie-Deh, I don't-"  The weight was gone, and as Akane turned
all she saw was a a flash of blue as the girl ran around the corner.

Ranma clapped.  "Now I see how easy it really is to stop obsessed girls
from bugging me.  You have shown me the -oops!"  He lept back.

"Anything else to say?" Akane asked as she pulled her fist back for 
another try.   

"Yeah.  How come you don't hit Bie-Deh instead of me?  You let her
get away with a lot more than you'd ever let me do."

"Well, she's smaller than me, and she cries when I hurt her feelings.
It's...just harder with someone like that, you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.  Welcome to the life of a guy."

"I'm NOT a guy!"  As the two of them went inside, Ranma replied, 
"Maybe, but that curse is probably teaching you more than you 
wanted to know about what it's like to be one."

They were greeted as they came in by Doctor Tofu, "Hello Ranma, who's
your friend?  He looks...sort of familiar.  A Tendo relative?"

"Hi, Doctor Tofu.  Can we borrow some hot water?"

"You don't mean...?"  

"Yeah."  As Ranma responded, Akane just blushed and looked at the 
ground.  *This is so humiliating.*  After Akane changed back, they 
filled in Doctor Tofu while Akane slipped her uniform back on over 
the T-shirt and athletic shorts. 

			******

Nabiki drummed her fingers on the table at lunch.  Was it 
possible?  How could it have happened?  There was no doubt in 
her mind that that Ranma's first reaction to the picture had been 
shock, then disgust, then anger, then thoughtfulness, then amusement.  
Ranma's poker face ranked with his table manners in perfection.  
There was no chance she could have misread someone so transparent.

And since Ranma wouldn't have been shocked or disgusted or even
angered by the simple sight of a picture of a girl embracing his old
school chum, and there was something wrong with an old school chum
of Ranma's showing up for any reason except to attack him...

"Here's the receipts from the fiance lottery, boss"  Nabiki 
automatically counted and gave her people their cuts.  It was
her latest inspiration, a betting pool which focussed on which
of Ranma's fiances would attack each other each day.  

Kaneda had to be a fraud.  Akane's verbal defense of the boy finished
the mental picture.  Nabiki had suspected last night, but assumed
that it was the result of hi-jinks with something like Instant 
Nannichuan, nothing to worry about.  But this morning, Ranma was
awfully reluctant to get wet, a prospect to which he had long
become innured.  That implied that there was something to worry
about.  How dare they talk over Nabiki's head when she was in 
the room?  But she had to be sure.  

She motioned Kouchi over, ignoring Kentaro's grimace at this sign of
partiality,  "Oh, Kouchi, could you do me a little favour?"  She kept 
her voice low for discretion's sake, and honestly
had no idea how intimate the two of them looked as Kouchi replied,"As 
ever, your wish is my command...once you tell what's in it for me."  

"I thought you were in love with me?" Nabiki asked, looking hurt.

"In love, yes.  That doesn't mean stupid."  Nabiki looked at Kuno.  
"Doesn't count.  He was already stupid."
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Rough plotting huhn?  I'll show him rough plotting...  Oh wait, I 
just did.  Never mind.  
Kawaii Bakemono just had more of a ring to it than Cute Monster.

Speaking of which:

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Coming Never:  The Ultimate Battle for Ranma, Ryouga and Akane!

The Care Bears!  They make everyone happy or dead!

"Care Bears STARE!"

"How DARE you make light of my suffering!"

"Cuddly-Heart NO BAKA!"

"Mouko Takabisha!"

Say, does anyone know whether "P-Chan" is really what
Akane calls the pig in Japanese?  
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