Mikado 1/2
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Chapter 2

Kuno arrived at the rink and watched his opponent skate. Several
people had tried to disuade him. But he had made up his mind.
This gorgeous creature would soon be his.

//How graceful the maiden is,.// he doted as he watched her.
//Verily, she is all I've ever desired.//

The girl skated to him and stopped. "So, you ready?"

"I am." Kuno replied. "And when I have defeated you, we shall be
joined in wedded bliss."

A series of gasps and groans alerted Kuno and the girl that they
were not as alone as they had thought. They looked up and saw
that the rink was now full of spectators.

"In WED...?!" the girl began, then she relaxed. "I accept your
terms." She told him.

//After all,// she thought to herself, //I can't possibly 
lose.//

"Uh, Kuno..." Ranma said as she leaned over the wall between the
stands and the rink, "I'd reconsider if..."

Kuno bopped her over the head.

"Ow!" Ranma complained. "Why'd you go and do that?"

"You had your chance." Kuno replied. "I offered you my love many
times but you rejected it. Now, my heart belongs to this lovely
creature."

"Oh well," Ranma shrugged as Kuno skated off.

Akane joined her a moment later. "Did you tell him?"

"I tried." Ranma shrugged. "But you know how Kuno gets."


"Come to me, oh Goddess of the Rink!" Kuno cried out as he 
skated toward the girl with hands filled with enormous bouquets
of red and white roses.

The girl spun around and skated toward him. At the last minute,
she ducked down, stretched out a leg, and tripped him up.

As Kuno went down, he dropped the flowers, revealing the bokken
that had been hidden behind the right hand bouquet. He swung the
bokken upward, against her outstretched leg, and caused her to
fall. Then he rolled over and landed on top of her.

"Ah, my love!" he cried out. "At last we are together." He 
leaned forward, forgetting where he was despite the cold, and
kissed her.


Chapter 3


Kuno turned from the steps of the shrine and saw the young woman
approaching. 

The young bride looked up at her unwanted intended. She didn't
seem happy. Still a promise was a promise. She would marry him as
she had said. 

//And tomorrow I'll divorce him.// She thought to herself. 

As she neared the steps, she suddenly heard a scream of rage. It
was distant, but approaching steadily.

She was suddenly grabbed away from the altar by someone wearing a
long hooded robe. She couldn't see the face of her rescuer, but
she was grateful just the same.

"Come back, you brute!" Kuno called out as he gave chase. "How
*dare* you abduct my bride on our wedding day!"

Before he could get too far, however, a foot tripped him and he
fell sprawling to the ground.

"Owww," he moaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. He looked up
and found the sweet and innocent face of a young girl looking
down at him. The adorable sweetness in her eyes was a stark
contrast to the mallet she now swung down toward him.

"Oh, you are so cute!" Azusa Shiratori told the now-unconscious
Kuno as she dragged him home.


* * * * *


"Thanks for saving me." Mikado told her rescuer. "I am..."

"Silence!" The young man commended. "I didn't come to rescue you.
I brought you here to challenge you."

"Challenge me?" Mikado blinked. "But what on earth for? And just
who the hell are you anyhow?"

The young man threw off his cloak, revealing the long, perfectly
cut jet black hair that flowed straight down his back. "I am
Mousse." He told her. "And I hereby challenge you to the death
for what you did to Shampoo!"

//Sheesh,// Mikado cast her mind back to the day when he had
sneaked up on Shampoo, who had fallen asleep while sunbathing //I
just kissed her.//

"Shampoo's great grandmother told me everything!" Mousse told
her. "And now, I shall avenge my beloved Shampoo's honor!!"

Nearby Cologne watched with a smile. Mousse's glasses were in her
hand. She knew he was too mad to realize that Mikado was now a
girl. 

//Once Mousse defeats Mikado,// she thought, //Amazon law will
make him her husband. That should keep him out of Shampoo's
hair.//


It wasn't to be that easy, however. Just as the two were about to
start fighting, a crowd of what looked like hundreds of young men
suddenly came running down the street.

It was pretty clear that someone had told them exactly who the
young woman really was.

"MIKADO! WE LOVE YOU!" One of them called out.

"KISS ME, DARLING!" Another called.

Mikado did the only thing she could think of...

...She turned and fan as fast as she could!


* * * * *


After what seemed like ages, Mikado stopped and caught her 
breath.

"Oh, thank goodness!" A voice emoted from behind her. "I never
thought I'd see another human soul again!" Her legs were grabbed
as whoever it was fell to the ground behind her. "Oh, please,
don't leave me!" She looked down and saw a pair of tear-laden
eyes looking up at her from between a tuft of thick dark brown
hair and a yellow bandanna with black spots.

And as she looked into his eyes, she felt a stirring in her heart
that was entirely unexpected to her.