Who says girl stuff is boring? Depends on the girls involved, doesn't
it? I just hope I got this right.
My thanks to one and all for your help,
Don Granberry.
Most of the characters in this piece and the setting for it, were
conceived of by Rumiko Takahashi for her Ranma1/2 series of Manga. All
such characters and the setting are the property of Takahashi-san and
her licensees. All other characters in the piece are purely fictional
and any resemblences to actual persons living or dead are purely
coincidental.
Spreading Wings
Part I: The Burning Ring of Fire
Scenes 17 thru 19
Friday had come to be one of Nabiki Tendo�s favorite days. Friday was
the day that the bulk of the students came to pay for their lessons. And
it was the day that Nabiki got to hand out pay packets to her tribe. The
one good thing to have come out of her sister�s disastrous wedding was
her father�s decision to re-open his dojo. It took a lot of work but the
dojo began to pay again. After a few months, everyone including herself
and Kasumi had begun getting a small pay packet each week. Their
paydays had gotten substantially larger since the therapy classes had
begun. Neither Kasumi nor Ono-san knew it, but Nabiki had opened a
special savings acount for Kasumi. Twenty-percent of the income from the
therapeutic classes went into that account. Nabiki was determined that
her elder sister would one day have a home of her own.
The bank bag closed with a satisfying zip. Everyone had paid early
today, except the gaijin. Nabiki faintly regretted that the man had paid
three months in advance. She knew no romance between them was possible
but he was fun to flirt with. It�s for the best, Nabiki! She scolded
herself. She had been careful to avoid the late classes and Westerlake
had been careful not to ask after her. She knew that both of them were
acting wisely but it made her a little sad just the same.
�Tea, Nabiki?�
�Oh, thank you, Kasumi!�
Kasumi settled down with the cups and pitcher. The two girls poured one
another a cup of tea.
�Akane back, yet?� Nabiki asked as she sipped the tea.
�She�s in her room, I think.�
�Good. I have her packet ready. Here�s yours.�
�Thank you, Nabiki. Are we really doing this well?�
�Better actually. Getting Dr. Tofu to send his patients to us was a
brilliant move, Kasumi.�
�Yes, I thought so too. Ranma is just full of surprises lately.�
�Ranma?� Nabiki asked, startled completely out of her wits.
Kasumi nodded.
�Are you telling me that Ranma worked out this deal?�
�Hai.�
�On his own? You didn�t help? The whole thing was his idea?�
Kasumi nodded, her eyes dancing with amusement at the shocked look on
her sister�s face.
�Maybe our little sister is just a wee bit luckier than I thought!�
�Ranma has taken a keen interest in medicine too, you know.�
�No! I didn�t know.�
�It�s not all that surprising, reallly. He and Dr. Tofu got to see a
lot of one another after the...uh...well you know.� Kasumi lapsed into
silence with the prim little smile she got when amused at someone else�s
expense.
�Oh, how I do remember!�
The girls giggled at the silly things that had gone after the
postponement of Akane�s wedding. Most of them resulted in Ranma paying a
visit to Tofu�s clinic. Nabiki suddenly realized that Ranma had
frequently gone to see Tofu even when his injuries had not been all that
bad.
�So Ranma has a new sensei!� Nabiki said with the air of having had a
sudden revelation.
Kasumi nodded happily.
�By the way, Nabiki?�
�Yes, Kasumi?�
�Would you mind seeing after father and Mr. Saotome this evening?�
Kasumi asked sweetly, �I�ve ordered sushi for five to be delivered at
six. All you will have to do is put it on the table and open their beer
for them.�
�Well, no I don�t mind Kasumi, but ...�
�Dr. Tofu and I are going out for dinner and a movie.�
�Oh, Kasumi!� Nabiki said in a shocked voice.
Kasumi nodded excitedly.
�Onee-chan! I�m so happy for you!�
At the head of the stairs, Akane smiled through her tears and returned
to her room. She needed a telephone number. Later she would have a talk
with her father. The iron was hot and she wanted to strike before it
cooled. The number she needed was under the false bottom of her desk
drawer where she kept the elegent but relatively inexpensive rings Ranma
had bought. Checking to make sure no one was looking, she slipped hers
onto her the finger of her left hand, savoring the feel of it and
remembering what he had told her.
It happened early on a Saturday morning. He had picked a fight with
her, then led her to his favorite spot on the canal. It was funny. It
was the same place where she had knocked the crick out his neck so many
eons ago.
�The next one will have diamonds in it,� he had said as he slipped the
ring onto her finger.
�Ranma, I don�t need diamonds.�
�I need you to have diamonds, Akane. I love you. I want you to have the
best of everything.�
He meant it, she thought. She could still feel that kiss lingering on
her lips and he had been driving himself hard. Too hard she thought.
They had not had near enough time together. She smiled at the memory of
the other things he had said.
�This is between you and me, not our fathers. Do you understand?�
�Yes, Ranma. I understand.�
�Good! I cannot marry you right away. I have to establish a way to make
a living for us first.�
�I understand, Ranma. I�ll be patient.�
�Not too patient!� Her husband-to-be had said in a tone of warning, �If
they suspect things have changed between us they will go off half-cocked
again. We�ll have to keep up appearances for a while.�
�Ranma why...�
�Because this is between us! It is for us! It is not for them or
between them. Our love belongs to us. When we marry, we will marry on
our terms, not theirs.�
Akane smiled at the memory. Ranma had not rested for a single day since
that time. For a year and a half now his pace had bordered on the
frenetic. She could see the subtle changes taking place all around her.
Ranma as he so often did in any battle, was working to turn the tables
on his opponents. She was eager to see the looks on their faces when
that day finally arrived.
Akane copied Mrs. Ono�s telephone number onto a small piece of paper
and put it in her pocket. There was no sense in being premature about
Kasumi and Tofu�s budding romance. Her father might panic. Harder to
deal with would Mrs. Ono�s reaction. She hated involving Tofu�s mother
this early, but she knew the old lady had already done much preperation
for this eventuality and it made little sense to incur the extra expense
of wasting her efforts. I�ll just have to keep her calm, Akane thought.
Perhaps it would be best if I went to see her in person.
With a happy shiver of delight Akane removed her ring, then put both
hers and Ranma�s rings in her pocket with the note. Look out Nerima!
Tendo Akane and Saotome Ranma were working together as team. Hell was
coming to breakfast! She got up and ran for the stairs to find Ranma
waiting near the bottome step, wearing a lopsided grin.
�You�re late!� She accused.
�Looks like a good thing to me. You haven�t even dressed yet.�
�What do you mean...haven�t dressed yet?� Akane said sounding furious.
�Well gee, Akane! You aren�t really going to wear that, are you?�
�R-a-a-an-ma-a-a!�
�Uh-oh! Hammertime!� Nabiki said as she and Kasumi scrambled to get
well out of range.
Sure enough a huge mallet appeared in Akane�s hands and Ranma, not
being nearly as slow witted as Nabiki thought he looked, made tracks.
Akane followed. Kasumi and Nabiki ran to the edge of the engawa as the
fractious couple disappeared over the compound wall. Something massive
struck the ground just the other side of the wall and while not
particularly noisy, the ground wave it made caused power poles to dance
for several blocks in every direction.
�Kawaikunei no onna!� Ranma could be heard shouting some distance away.
�Ba-a-a-aka-a-a-a-a!� Akane was running fast enough that her voice
dropped in pitch like the horn of a departing train.
Nabiki heard a deep, throbbing boom in the distance and realized that
this blow must have been much harder. She could the progress of the
ground wave as it rolled towards them, making the lightpoles vibrate
like so many tuning forks as it came.
�Better hang on to something, Kasumi! This one is going to be...�
The entire house shook as though magically transported to the deck of a
ship caught in a hurricane.
�Five on the Richter scale neh, Nabiki?� Kasumi asked.
�Five point three I think!� Nabiki said. �Bet?�
�I don�t want to take your money, Onee-chan.� Kasumi said with a smile.
�Have you ever considered the fact that we may be creating a dynasty of
monsters?� Nabiki asked while outside the power lines swayed and
rattled.
�She loves him so-o-o much, Nabiki.�
�Love, is it?�
�Well you just saw how hard she hits the ground now.�
This brought Nabiki up short. Akane was hitting the ground not
Ranma...and scaring the shit out of everyone else while she was at it.
Had something happened that she did not know about?
�Kasumi, they haven�t...they haven�t...�
�No of course not, sillly. Ranma wouldn�t.�
Nabiki�s mouth fell open with shock, �Ranma wouldn�t?�
�No, he wouldn�t.� Kasumi said sweetly. �I think Akane was a little
disappointed but at the same time, relieved.�
�Kasumi, I haven�t been away on a long trip have I?�
�No, you�ve been busy with college and handling money is all.�
�Oh.�
Nabiki paused to consider the implications.
�So what are you going to wear to dinner tonight, Sis?�
�Oh, I don�t know. I was thinking my dark blue dress would be nice.�
�Kasumi, you can�t wear that.�
�Why not?�
�Because it will make the two of you look as though you�ve been married
for ten years.�
�Would that be so bad?� Kasumi asked looking coy.
Nabiki glanced up at the heavens imploringly.
�Yes! It would be awful. Let�s go shopping.�
�I haven�t finished cleaning the...�
�Onee-chan!� Nabiki howled in protest, �It will be there tomorrow.�
�It would be nice to have a new dress, I suppose.�
�We are going to get you something that is positively naughty,� Nabiki
gritted.
�Nabiki!�
�Sis, if you aren�t careful, even a man like Tofu will take you for
granted.�
�Nabiki what will he think when we are out together and other men start
staring at me?� Kasumi asked sounding horrified.
This was too much for Nabiki. She started laughing.
�He will treasure you, One-chan!� Nabiki said. �He will be very proud
and will enjoy threatening the other men with his eyes. Guys live for
that sort of thing. They�re all cavemen at heart.�
�Oh.�
�Come on, let�s go.�
---------
Ranma Saotome waited in an alley way, watching Akane approach in the
convex mirror mounted on a pole across the street. He concentrated with
all his might. Judging distances with this kind of mirror is quite
difficult. Now! He thought. He reached out and grabbed Akane�s right arm
with his left hand without ever looking around the corner.
�A-a-ah!� Akane screamed as she unexpectedly found herself in Ranma�s
arms.
�Bring our rings?�
�You scared me you big ...�
He cut her off with a deep kiss.
�Ranma!� Akane said, gasping for breath, �We�re in public!�
�No we�re not. We are in an alley.�
Akane thumped his heavily muscled chest with her tiny fist.
�You did bring our rings, right?�
�Yes, silly! Of course I brought them,� she said as she dug them out of
her pocket.
Ranma took the smaller of the pair put it on her finger. She slid the
larger one onto his. They took great joy in this secret little ceremony.
�So where are we going?� Akane asked.
�A boutique.�
�Wha...�
�I want to buy you a dress.�
�Ranma!�
�You gonna walk? Or shall I carry you?�
�What has gotten into you?�
�I just want to watch you pretend to be a clothes horse for a while.�
�You...you...�
�What?�
�Pervert!�
Ranma nodded his head.
�Yep! That�s me! Akane�s favorite pervert.�
�Why don�t we buy you some clothes while we�re at it?�
Ranma shook his head.
�Gotta work with the money, not against it. I never really need to
dress up anyway.�
�Hmmph! I want you to dress up.�
�Next time. Then we�ll go someplace really nice for dinner--the Ginza
maybe.�
�Okay.�
�Today though, you are going to parade around for me until I see you in
a dress I like.�
�Pervert.�
Ranma nodded vigorously
�You love it.� He said emphatically, �You don�t fool me any.�
Akane elbowed him in the ribs as they walked up the street.
�Oof!�
The tight little smile on her face told him that she was anything but
displeased.
---------
�So, what did you find out about the Biru-san?� Kasumi asked Nabiki as
they got off the bus.
�A lot really. He doesn�t bother with trying to hide anything.� Nabiki
said, but she looked somewhat troubled.
�So what�s bothering you? Has he been married before?�
�Nope. No ex-wives. It�s his service record. It�s spotless but he
retired as a captain and did not get the usual promotion.�
�I don�t understand.�
�Usually when a career officer retires, the military promotes him to
the next grade just before he does, so that he qualifies for the next
higher pay rate. The Marine Corps did not do that for the Biru-san.�
�Oh! How awful.�
�The trouble is, his record is spotless. I can�t find a single reason
for such an insult. He flew fighters until after the Persian Gulf War,
then they transferred him to a little known base in Florida. Five years
later he retired while serving at the same installation and did not get
the usual promotion. No mention of him having done anything wrong.�
Nabiki pause and looked her sister in the eye for a moment before
continuing.
�He was an officer with a career that had �General� written all over
it, then all of a sudden he�s out on the street.�
�What happened, Nabiki?�
�I don�t know yet, but I will.�
�How?�
�I don�t know that yet, either.�
Kasumi gave her sister a little pat on the shoulder.
�Have you thought about asking him?�
�He has avoided me like the plague.� Nabiki said, her annoyance quite
plain in her voice.
Kasumi nodded in agreement and smiled to herself. The man was trying to
do the honorable thing. It spoke well of him.
�So why don�t you try to catch him in public somewhere this weekend and
talk to him? He can�t refuse you, you know.�
�Kasumi!� Nabiki said, the paused to take a deep breath, �I don�t know
that I can refuse him, either.�
Kasumi smiled at her sister with her eyes.
�I did notice that, Nabiki.�
Nabiki blushed.
�There is something you aren�t telling me.�
�Oh! The money. He has spent almost half of his lifesavings in the last
two-years and it is a considerable sum of money.
�Oh, really! What has he spent it on?�
�A boat--I think.�
�A boat?�
�I�m not sure that it is a boat. But he is renting a large dock and
boat house in that old shipyard just south of here.�
�What on earth would he be doing there?�
�Oh, here it is! Shall we go in?� Nabiki asked, thankful for a good
reason to change subjects.
Kasumi nodded and they went inside the dress shop, only to discover
that the proprietess and her assistant were both busy with someone.
�Why don�t we scout around a little while they�re tied up?� Nabiki
suggested.
Kasumi nodded her assent.
�How about this one?� Nabiki asked in a very quiet voice as she held it
up for Kasumi to look at.
�Oh, Nabiki! That isn�t me at all!� Kasumi said in a harsh whisper.
�Oh come on, Sis! Live a little!� Nabiki hissed back.
�No, Nabiki! No way!� Kasumi said, trying to be as emphatic as she
could without attracting anyone else�s attention. It was a violent
purple with a plunging neckline and open to the waist in the back.
�Well the least you could do is try this one.� Nabiki said, holding up
another dress.
�Well,� Kasumi hesitated, the dress was something she had considered
once but had decided that it was just a wee bit too much for her
personality.
�At least try it on, Kasumi.�
�I think it might be just a little too...�
�Just try it.�
�Oh, all right,� Kasumi said, �but I think it is a little too naughty.�
�Hey! I�m your sister you know. I happen to remember that you did have
a naughty streak once.�
�Oh!� Kasumi said as she put both hands to her mouth, �Isn�t she
beautiful?�
Nabiki turned to see who Kasumi was talking about and nearly fainted.
It was Akane and she was wearing a bright red dress that put all the
�slink� there ever was in the word �slinky.�
Kasumi and Nabiki hid behind the racks of clothes and watched.
�Well?� Akane asked someone seated in a chair near the runway. Nabiki
and Kasumi could not see the mirrors, nor to whomever it was she spoke.
�I like that one.�
Nabiki and Kasumi gasped at the same time. It was Ranma�s voice.
�Too bad, pervert!� Akane said, as she wiggled provocatively. There is
no way I�m going to wear this in public.�
�Fraidy cat.�
�Pervert!�
�Kasumi!� Nabiki said in an excited whisper, �He isn�t in his girl
form.�
�I know!� Kasumi whispered back.
�Well what about the other red one?� Ranma asked, �Would you wear it?�
Akane nodded, as she took up a little girl pose. The contrast between
her pose and the entirely too racy garment she was wearing was
overpowering.
�He is going to need a very, very cold shower after this,� Nabiki
whispered to her sister. The two of them struggled to suppress a bad
case of the giggles.
�Okay,� Ranma said in a nochalant tone to the proprietess, �we�ll take
the other red one.�
�What about shoes and handbag, Akane?�
�Oh, I�ve got a nice pair of shoes to go with it. I need a small
handbag for it though,� Akane said to Ranma with a huge smile.
Fortunately, it did not take Akane long to choose a handbag. Ranma paid
for it and the dress with a wad of bills from his pocket. The pride on
his face could have lit half of Tokyo. Kasumi found herself fighting
back a sniffle.
When will you need the dress, Tendo-san?� The proprietess asked Akane.
�Tomorrow afternoon would be perfect,� Akane said.
�Would one o�clock be good?�
�Yes, thank you.�
Kasumi and Nabiki came out into the open after the young couple left.
�Oh, Tendo-san! I�m sorry! I did not realize you came in with your
sister.�
�We didn�t, Nabiki said obviously pleased with the proprietess, �Kasumi
here has a date tonight. Do you think we could fix her up in something
gloriously red?�
The proprietess smiled.
�I am so-o-o glad you came today. We received a dress I�ve been wanting
her to try on for week.�
Much to Nabiki�s shock and surprise, the dress was perfect. It looked
nothing like what your typical housewife or Kasumi would ever wear, but
not so racy that it would look bizarre on her elder sister. It said, I�m
single but I�m probably taken. Eat your heart out, boys.
�It�s a little short, don�t you think Nabiki?�
�Nope.�
�Well it is a little tight here and here.�
�They can fix that five minutes, Kasumi,� Nabiki said firmly, �Can�t
you girls?�
The proprietess and her assistant nodded enthusiastically.
�But Nabiki it�s...it�s...it�s...�
Nabiki leaned up Kasumi�s back so she could whisper in her ear.
�Perfect!�
�Oh!�
�Why don�t you go to the back so they can finish fitting it,
Onee-chan?�
�All...all...right...I suppose...Are you sure?�
�Yes, Kasumi,� Nabiki said, her eyes shining with pride. �I�m sure!�
The assistant, knowing a closed sale when she saw one firmly led Kasumi
back to the fitting room.
�Now!� Nabiki said, turning on the proprietess, �That last little
number my youngest sister had on.�
The proprietess smiled.
�I�ll fetch it right away,� she said. Nabiki did not really need the
dress but she was damned if she would let anyone else in Nerima have it.
Besides, there just seemed to be something deadly about the Sisters
Tendo Decked Out in Red. Too good to pass up, Nabiki thought. It�s just
too good to pass up.
---------