Aiya! Gomenasai! This chapter is very, very, short compared to the
others! Anyways, Chapter 5 is already written (and, I might add, is much
better than this piece of $^##@# Chapter ^.^;;), so expect it soon. As
always, constructive criticism will be appreciated. Anyway, sorry for taking
so long to send it, and enjoy!!
The story of Ranma Nibunnoichi and the characters are the sole possession
of the respected copyright holders, and was all created by the brilliant
shojo manga artist Rumiko Takahashi.
Here Comes Neko!
A Ranma Nibunnoichi fan fiction
By Luna Hinomura
http://fly.to/Luna's
Chapter 4: Familiar Sentiment
The pangs of a strange emotion she was well acquainted with echoed in her
mind. And yet, she had no idea as to its origin. The peculiar feeling
refused to subside, and she had no other choice but to pursue it, for it also
refused to be ignored. The same sensation of jealousy, familiar jealousy
that she felt when she saw Ranma with Akane...
But this wasn't about Ranma, now, was it?
So many days had passed, and the prospect seeing Mousse around the
NekoHanten lessoned with each passing moment that he spent with the enemy,
each second he stayed in Neko's company rather than her own... She should
have been ecstatic to be rid of Mousse for once.
So what was the problem? Why was she sitting there thinking about him?
And with the jealousy came another emotion... One of... Loneliness?
<Am I lonely?>
Shampoo had no answers to her rhetorical question. Did she truly miss
Mousse's company? A tiny voice within her screamed yes, told her to remember
her past, but she had killed whatever feelings she'd had long ago.
And the enemy she'd sought to defeat was within herself... A paradox.
Soon, the time would come when they would both be ready for the battle,
and leave without their Great-grandmother's or Mousse's knowledge. That
battle would decide the fate of Joketsuzoku, as well as of the NekoHanten.
Why did she dread the prospect of fighting her twin sister? Mousse
should be with Neko. Mousse and Neko deserved each other. She'd tried so
hard to bring them together, but it had only forced Neko to try even harder
to get her to marry Mousse instead. Shampoo knew too well the stubbornness
that ran through their genes. After all, they'd both inherited it from their
Great-grandmother.
She went about the business in the NekoHanten lifelessly like an
automaton, too absorbed in her own matters to pay more careful attention to
the customers. They didn't seem to care.
"Shampoo, there's a delivery for you. Go and find that worthless Mousse,
and tell him to come back here," her Great-grandmother said, packing a bowl
of ramen noodles into a delivery box.
Nodding, she picked up the box and dashed outside to her bicycle. It'd
been two days since she'd last seen Neko, ever since she had run away from
the NekoHanten. It was well over time to pay a visit to Ranma and Akane's
school. Perhaps they'd seen her.
* * * * *
Looking up at Ranma and Neko running along the fence, Akane sighed.
"Ranma, are you *sure* this is a good idea?"
"It ain't my idea, it's Nabiki's. Why don't you ask her?"
"Ask who what? Ask Neko?" Neko asked. They hadn't been able to improve
her grammar much, but her martial arts had benefited from learning the styles
of their dojo. The Anything-Goes Martial Arts, also known as Indiscriminate
Grappling. Nobody else practiced this Art in this modern world; it had all
been nearly forgotten except by the Tendos and Saotomes. Neko felt she was
learning a style she should cherish. Chinese Amazon Martial Arts and the
Japanese Anything-Goes Martial Arts... Would a blend of these two truly help
her defeat her older sister?
Not only that, but she was enrolling in Nerima's Furinkan High School,
the very school where she had first met and beaten Ranma. This was to help
her learn Japanese.
"What the?!" Akane screamed. Neko turned her eyes away from the fence
beneath her and looked forward. A hoard of boys in school uniforms where
pouring out towards the gate. They were all yelling, but couldn't understand
most of it from all the chaos and confusion.
"Please allow us to defeat you!!" she heard one of the boys call.
"Aw, jeez, not again..." Ranma grumbled. "I thought they'd stopped!"
<'Again'?> Neko wondered.
One male carrying a tennis racquet raced towards Akane, who spun to avoid
the racquet, sending a sidekick into his torso...
...but missed as he ran right past her, swinging the racquet at Neko.
Neko kicked the racquet out of his hand, and shoved her hand up into his
jaw with a palm thrust, heedless of the cracking noises as she knocked a few
of his teeth loose. Another boy, wearing boxing gloves and a muscle shirt
launched at her, but she avoided his clumsy punches and dropped him with a
back sweep kick.
"Uhh... Why are they after Neko?" Akane said to Ranma.
"Beats me. How did they even know she's here?"
"We paid good money for a chance to fight you!" another boy yelled.
Ranma and Akane looked at each other.
"Nabiki," they said simultaneously. Akane turned to look up at the
windows overlooking the courtyard, and focused on Nabiki's classroom. Yup,
she was there, all right: counting a thick wad of bills.
"NABIKI! How could you *do* this to Neko?! You *know* I hated it when
it happened to me!" she hollered.
"Look at her," Nabiki called back, smiling. "You wanted her to improve
her martial art skills, right? You wanted her to learn Japanese, right?
She'll improve both by coming to school every morning now, so why can't I
make a little cash from it?"
She glanced at Neko, who had beaten her last opponent by kicking him in
the side of his face with a pop round kick. Exhaling sharply, she admitted
to herself that Nabiki had a point. Knowing her, she'd probably told the
entire school's population of boys that both she and Shampoo had been 'taken'
by Ranma. Since Neko was Shampoo's twin sister, Nabiki must also have told
them about the Amazon law, what a warrior must do when a male defeats her...
Akane chewed on her bottom lip, considering...
"All right, sis, you win," she muttered, walking into the school. Ranma
followed, scratching the back of his head.
"Ya know, Akane... She beat those boys faster than you ever did..."
*WHACK*
Ranma watched Akane stalk off, then gingerly reached up to touch the
bruise her schoolbag had left on his cheek. It was beginning to swell.
"Oy... I gotta learn to keep my mouth shut..."
"What mean?" Neko asked.
"Eh, never mind. C'mon, when Nabiki registered you as an exchange
student from China, she put you in our class. Follow me," Ranma offered, his
words slightly slurred by the growing welt on the side of his face. Neko
nodded.
* * * * *
Feeling her eyes narrow as she watched Neko enter the school, Shampoo was
angrier than she could remember being for a long time. Mousse had been
spending more time at the Tendo Dojo because of Neko. Ranma was spending
more time with Neko. Even *Akane* had befriended Neko. Not only that, but
Neko had been in training the entire weekend, whereas she had only slaved
away in the NekoHanten.
Mostly, she was angry at herself for not foreseeing this.
Of *course* Neko would train. She knew she wasn't as good as Shampoo, so
she would try every bit to make sure Shampoo would marry Mousse. It was high
time to start training herself, as soon as possible. Neko had the school of
Indiscriminate Grappling on her side, but Shampoo knew her
Great-grandmother's Amazon wisdom and knowledge outweighed any of theirs,
even of that pervert Happosai's.
If Mousse was helping Neko train, did he know the agreement the two
sisters had made? To battle on Mt. Terror, where Ranma and Ryoga had fought
so long ago? Neko could trick Mousse into thinking she only wished to
improve her
skills, but Cologne would know and believe Shampoo to be good enough to need
no training. She would need a reason for Shampoo's training, but they had
promised not to let Mousse or their Great-grandmother know of the challenge.
Had Neko planned all this? If so...
"You won't succeed, Neko," Shampoo said aloud, in perfect Japanese. "I
won't let you succeed."
* * * * *
Pedaling her bike back to the NekoHanten faster than she usually went,
she launched herself back and forth between walls, fences, and the ground to
exert herself. Nothing made any difference. Her breathing pace was still
regular, and she wasn't sweating at all.
Just as she had feared -- staying here would accomplish nothing. She had
to find a better place to train, no matter the consequences. Pretending
nothing was wrong, she returned to the NekoHanten, locked her bike up to
prevent theft,
and went about her duties as normal.
But late at night, when her Great-grandmother was asleep, she packed
quickly, and left the NekoHanten. She was going to do something that had
never crossed her mind before.
She was running away from home.
Cologne suspected nothing, just as Shampoo had wished. She was all too
happy to be rid of both Neko and Mousse -- killing two birds with one stone.
Shampoo planned to do the same, and make her Great-grandmother proud.
* * * * *
"I'm exhausted!" Akane exclaimed, collapsing to the floor of the Dojo in
a tired heap. P-chan ran up next to her and poked her with his snout in
concern.
"Come, Akane! Don't give up!" Neko pleaded, who was sparring with Ranma.
Akane lifted herself enough to lean back against the wall and watch. Mousse
leaned over and pulled a glass of water out of his left sleeve, offering it
to
her. She looked at it, wondered where he'd been keeping it, how long he'd
kept it there, and where the water had come from. Smiling nervously, Akane
declined. Mousse nodded, and set the glass down beside him.
The past few days had been taken up mostly with grueling martial art
practices due to Neko's stay. Neko had proven herself to be a formidable
opponent, and Akane's muscles ached so badly at night she had a hard time
falling asleep.
But that was all part of the training, right?
After all, Neko would never have stayed with the Tendos if she hadn't
have offered, right? So that meant she just had to put up with it until Neko
left for Mt. Terror and her battle with Shampoo.
"She's getting better," Mousse observed, watching Neko and Ranma
performing a difficult form.
"So'm I," Akane replied, finally catching her breath. "Don't you think?"
"Yes, actually. I think learning the Chinese Amazon forms helped both
you and Ranma," he said, readjusting his glasses upon his nose.
"Her Japanese is improving, too," Akane said after a pause. Watching
Neko and Ranma work together was making her jealous. Neko had much more
skill than she did, even before they'd begun teaching her the Anything-Goes
style.
<Are you jealous of Neko because of her skill...or because of Ranma?>
Akane blinked at that thought, her forehead furrowing.
<Jealous...because of Ranma? Why should I be?> She pushed the thought away,
but it was inexorable.
<Look at them... He's spending so much more time with her... That means
he spends less time with me...> She looked down at her hands, clasping them
together to keep them from trembling. If Neko succeeded, and Shampoo married
Mousse, that meant the competition for Ranma's heart would go down... But
would Neko take the place of Shampoo? What if Neko...
What if Neko married Ranma? What if Ranma fell in love with Neko? What
if...
<Why am I thinking stuff like this?>
Breathing out through her nose, she glanced at Mousse again, and envied
how he could love Neko's identical twin, yet remain completely indifferent to
Neko herself. His life was probably even more complex than their own.
Shaking her head, she shoved her tired body up from the floor. "I'm
going to bed," she explained to the three, and left. P-chan stood up and
followed.
* * * * *
"They're good, P-chan," she yawned to her black piglet after they were
snug under her blanket. After she'd taken a long bath, they'd all retired to
their rooms, exhausted. That is, all except Mousse, who'd left for the
NekoHanten. Neko was sleeping in the guest room with Ranma and his father.
"I wonder if Neko will beat Shampoo. If she does, what will she do?
Will she stay around here, or will she return to Joketsuzoku? Maybe she'll
take Shampoo's place at the NekoHanten. If she does... What happens if
Ranma falls
in love with Neko? I know he doesn't like Shampoo that much... But what
about Neko?
"He's so nice to her...much nicer than he is to me. Oh, Ranma..." She
yawned again. "I wish... I wish you'd pay attention to me like that..."
With that last thought in mind, Akane fell fast asleep, heedless of the tears
that
were splattering on her pillow. But the tears didn't come from her eyes.
They were originating from P-chan's, who'd heard every word, and who'd
heard her tone of voice. She hadn't been angry at Ranma...
Instead, he could tell she'd spoken of Ranma with love and longing. How
many times had he apostrophized of Akane the same way? How many times had he
longed for Akane to think of him more than a friend, but a man she could
possibly fall in love with? He knew what it felt like.
He'd heard Akane speaking of Ranma in her sleep many, many times. Each
time, it sent daggers of pain into his glass heart, and each time he had to
pull out the proverbial daggers and let the shattered remains heal. Yes, he
could
sympathize with Akane. But he didn't want to.
He wanted Akane to love *him*, not Ranma.
<Oh, Akane... I wish *I* were the one you spoke of... If you would be
more at ease with Shampoo winning, then I hope with all my heart that she
does...>
<Wait a second! If Shampoo wins, that means Neko has to go marry Mousse,
and less competition between Ranma and Mousse means he won't pay attention to
Shampoo so much! Then Akane would get what she'd been wishing for, right?>
<But if Ranma pays more attention to Akane, she'll end up paying less
attention to me, and I don't want to live without her! I *can't* live
without her!>
<Oh, but if Neko wins, then Ranma will keep training her in the Dojo, and
what happens if Ranma falls in love with Neko? Then Akane and I could...
Could...>
<Aw, man! But that would mean Akane wouldn't get what she'd wished for,
and I'd do *anything* for her, no matter what!>
<But I can't stand it if she and Ranma end up getting together!!>
P-chan squirmed out of Akane's grasp and landed softly on the floor. He
crept out her door, and over to the bathing room. Dropping into the bathtub
full of hot water, the black piglet emerged as a 16-year-old male.
<Goodbye, Akane... I need to leave on another journey to clear my head.
I'm...sorry... You'll see your beloved P-chan when I return, though I wish
it were *my* presence you cherished.>
* * * * *
"Oh, Ryoga, what are you doing here?"
Ryoga reached up to scratch the back of his head. "I, uh, came to visit,
and I got lost when I was going to leave," he said, chuckling.
"It's so nice of you to come visit, Ryoga!" Akane replied, smiling. "No
gifts this time?"
"Eh... Heh. Ah, no, not this time. I didn't go anywhere special enough
to get you anything," he said, secretly congratulating himself on making it
sound like the places and gifts were not good enough for *her*, rather than
the
other way around.
"Oh, that's ok. I'm sure you'll have fun. Here, let me show you to the
door."
"A-arigato, Akane." <Curse you, Ranma!>
End of Chapter 4