Rhythm of Life
Chapter 1
It was late in the evening when three people came into view. In
front, a woman in her mid thirty with a bundled wrapped in clothed
walked toward the viewer. A girl with fiery red hair with a large
backpack walked beside her. In the back, a panda stumbled behind the
two. Running into view, another girl with red hair twirled and
skipped happily.
"Well Ranma, we're finally home," stated Nodoka.
Smiling, "Yeah, it's good to be back home after all that traveling."
Behind him, a panda grumbled and a young girl happily skipped on the
sidewalk. He smiled at the scene. For some reason, he always felt
happy when his father was unhappy for any reasons. Looking back in
the last ten and a half years of traveling, he wondered what would
happened if his Mom never came along. He shuddered at the thought.
<<Even with Mom along, he still got into trouble. It's a good thing
Mom was there to correct it.>> He glanced at his the father and found
his sister, Ranko, running around the front yard chasing a butterfly.
He loves watching her play. With all the traveling, he didn't get to
stay around anywhere long enough to really enjoyed being a child,
always training, and seeing Ranko just being happy helped him treasure
the moment he had.
"Ko-chan," Ranma called.
Ranko stopped and looked at her brother, "Yes, oniichan?"
Smiling, "Come on, Ko-chan. We have a lot to do before we can play."
Ranko pouted a little and then she snapped her fingers, "Ok, but only
if you promise to play me a song afterward."
Ranma quirked his brow and folded his arms, but said nothing.
"Please, oniichan?" Ranko begged and made the cutest face ever.
Ranma tried desperately to hold a straight face against the onslaught.
Finally, he succumbed the her request, "Ok. Ok, but you have to finish
unpacking first."
Ranko hopped around the yard with her arms raised shouting, "Yah,
oniichan 's going to play for me."
Ranma watched as Ranko ran into the house while he stayed and scanned
the surrounding area. The neighborhood seemed quiet and peaceful.
Their house was at the end of the woods and had plenty of land. He
wasn't sure how Mom afforded such a place since he knew Genma couldn't
afford anything above a tent and blankets. He sighed and walked into
the house and located his room. The room was incredibly clean
considering he hadn't been here for almost eleven years. He quickly
settled his pack in the corner and emptied its content. He was about
to finish when his sister burst into the room and clung on to him.
"Oniichan, play for me, please?" Ranko asked sweetly.
"Argh," Ranma croaked from the tight hug around his neck.
"Please, oniichan?" Ranko begged. "You promised!"
Ranma was able to release her hold and took several deep breaths.
Turning to face his sister, he smiled at the cute pouting face she
made. He also knew that she could get away with about anything with
that face. "I will, Ko-chan, but I need to finish unpacking first."
Ranko sat, thought for a moment, and then leaped to her feet. She ran
over to the pack and pulled out the clothes and stuffed it into the
drawers. After a few minutes, she was done and held the flute out in
her hands.
Ranma shook his head and took the silver flute. The flute had his
initial engraved as a gift from one of his masters. He took a seat on
the bed and Rank sat in front him waiting patiently. Slowly, he
placed his lips to the mouthpiece and closed his eyes. The music
escaped the flute and slowly wrapped itself around the listener like a
gentle breeze. The moonlight danced with the tune and the wind
whistled. Eventually, the music stopped and its maker opened his
eyes. Before him, Ranko was curled up in his bed and peacefully
sleeping. Carefully, Ranma pulled out a blanket and covered her. He
bent down, kissed her cheek, and wished her goodnight.
Down stairs, Ranma found his mother waiting for him with a uniform and
groaned.
"Hi, Mom. Is that my uniformed?" Ranma asked while trying to hide his
disgust.
"Yes, Son. And no, you can't wear anything else to school," Nodoka
stated.
<<Man, caught red handed>> "Alright. I'll wear it," Ranma said,
defeated.
"Ranma, have a seat. We have a few things to discuss," Nodoka said
while pointing at the space next to her.
Ranma shrugged and sat down.
"First off, I've registered you at the local school, Furinkan High
School. They are about two months into the school year, so you're
behind a bit. However, you should not have any problem catching up.
Second, I have a note here that explains your curse." Nodoka paused
to gauge her so son reaction. Noting that he didn't object, well not
loudly, she continued, "The uniform will fit both of your form. I
suggest you let the curse be public knowledge before it becomes
complicated."
Ranma sighed, but said nothing. <<Just because I've accepted the
curse doesn't mean I like it. But Mom's right, the more we tried to
hide things, the more trouble we're in. Not only that, it's something
the old man would've done and I know better than to follow his
example.>> "I guess you're right. I'll explain it to the teacher
first so there won't be any misunderstanding."
Nodoka nodded, "Very well, Ranma."
"Um, what about my training?"
"You're father and I talked about it and we decided that you will spar
in the morning with your father and with me after school. After that,
you'll do your homework and practice your music lessons. I don't want
you slacking in any of your lessons, young man, especially your
music," Nodoka said sternly.
Ranma gulped and nodded. He knew better than to go against her
wishes. It didn't really matter really, he enjoyed his music lesson.
When Mom first gave him piano lessons, he wasn't too happy since it
didn't have anything to do with martial arts. But after a few
lessons, he found himself enjoying it. Ranma chuckled when he
remembered his father asking, more like demanded, him to quit his
music lessons and go on a training trip with him. After Ranma refused
and said that he like playing the piano, his father almost had a heart
attack. One of the first things his Mom taught him about music was
that you played it with your heart and not your hands. "If you let
your heart guides your hand, then the music you play will always be
perfect," she had said. He learned that lesson well and would always
thank her for it.
"Good then." Nodoka looked at her son and smiled to herself. He had
grown up so quickly that it was hard to believe that it was not so
longer ago that she gave birth to him. Looking back in the last 11
years, she was very thankful she came along on the training trip with
her son. After the first few weeks, she couldn't believed some of the
things Genma attempted to do. She frowned inwardly at the
possibilities of all the dangers her so called husband would have done
if she wasn't around. She must remember to thank the Kami for
protecting her son. When they started their trip, Ranma was always
excited and absorbed everything like a sponge. She allowed Genma to
teach the art in the morning while she spent the afternoon teaching
her son about life and gave him a proper education. In the evening,
they would trade off teaching their respective art. Overtime, she
noticed that Ranma became very lonely. With all the moving, he never
had the chance to make many friends and she knew it hurt him to leave.
After a while, he stopped making friends since he knew how much it
hurt him to leave. She was also very grateful with Ranko birth.
Since that day, Ranma dedicated all his time to her. He taught her
everything he thought she could understand. As the two grew, Ranko
became attached to Ranma more than ever. She looked up to him for
everything and would do everything for him. Ranko became his life and
he dedicated himself to her as much as he did his arts. Strangely
though, with the birth of his sister, he absorbed everything even
faster and mastered techniques at an astounding rate. All the masters
that they visited wanted to keep Ranma there for further training.
She truly believed that Ranma was 'man amongst men' by every
definition.
Nodoka smiled and said, "Ranma, why don't you practice on the piano
before you sleep."
Ranma nodded and headed into the room on the far side of the house.
Inside, a grand piano stood in the middle of the room and several
couches encircled the piano. The piano was a black Baldwin with ivory
keys. Ranma sat on the bench and ran through the scale to check the
status of the piano. Once satisfy, he closed his eyes and allowed his
hands and fingers to move freely.
Nodoka sat on the couch slightly diagonal from Ranma so she had full
view his face during the entire performance. She listened as his
hands flowed over the keys like water and the music came alive. When
she first taught Ranma how to play, she wasn't sure if he would be
able to appreciate the joy that came from a well played musical
instrument. After a few successive lessons, she knew she made the
right decision. Ranma approached music like he did with martial arts.
Though he learned and could played anything she gave him, he had yet
to truly mastered it. It wasn't until the birth of his sister did he
realized his mistake and understood her lessons. Since then, he could
play anything he imagined. At times, she wondered if he should have
been a musician rather than a martial artist. One of the things she
found was that Ranma expressed his emotions better through his music
where he wasn't hindered by any language barriers.
As she listened, she noted that he was expressing his thoughts after a
long journey and the emotions of coming home. She felt tears welled
in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. Once Ranma finished, the
room remained silent until he got up and bowed to her. Nodoka
returned his bowed with equal height. Nodoka gazed at her son and
approached him. She quickly gathered him in her arms and whispered,
"It's good to be home."
Ranma didn't reply and simply squeezed his mother. <<It's good to be
home at last. No more traveling or sleeping on the hard ground. No
more fights in the middle of the night from some strangers. It would
be so good to have a quiet normal life for a little while.>>
They released each other and returned to their room. In the dojo, we
found a sleeping panda with several bumps on his head. Wonder how
those got there.
When Ranma got to his room, he remembered Ranko was sleeping in his
bed and thought about going to sleeping in her room for the night. He
pushed the thought away and climbed in bed with her. As soon as he
pulled his blanket over his chest, Ranko turned and hugged him
loosely. Ranma returned it and fell fast asleep.
Ranko woke early the next morning and found herself sleeping on her
brother chest. This was nothing to new to her as she slept with him
during their training trip many times in the past. And each time, she
would wake him. <<Now how do I wake him this time? Aha!>> Ranko ran
out of the room and came back moments later.
Splash!
"Argh! What'd you do that for?" Ranma screeched. He spotted his
sister and glared at her. He then grinned as he pulled the welt
covered off.
Ranko noticed the grin and slowly backed away from the bed all the
while keeping her eyes on her brother. Just as he leaped from the
bed, she cried out and ran for the door laughing. She knew her
brother was fast and could easily catch her, but that never stopped
her from trying to get away. Before long, she was running through the
hall laughing hysterically. Ranko had just made it in the bathroom
and turned around to face the hall, but she didn't see her brother at
all. Just to be safe, she quickly closed the door and locked it. She
took several long deep breaths to calm herself and sat down on the
floor.
Ranma watched as Ranko calm herself and prepared to strike. He
noticed his sister closed her eyes. <<Perfect>>
Ranko opened her eyes and screamed for her life. She jump kicked at
the intruder and clung to the ceiling while breathing heavily.
Ranma sank to the floor and laughed uncontrollably.
Ranko, on the other hand, fumed at the brother. She was scared to
death and all he did was laugh. She 'hmphf', dropped to the floor,
and stomped out of the room.
Ranma remained on the floor for a few more minutes before he headed
for the dojo. Once there, he found his father sitting in the middle
of the dojo.
"You're late," Genma said flatly and took a ready position.
Ranma shrugged and did the same. It didn't take long before his
father initiated the attacks. The two combatants punched, kicked,
leaped, twirled, hoped, twisted, and displayed their agility in the
name of the art. It didn't take long before Ranma got the upper hand
and broke through Genma's defense. They continued this for an hour
and left to go washed up for breakfast. By the time he got to the
table, Genma sat waiting impatiently, and Ranko was helping Mom carry
food to the table. Once everyone was seated, Ranko began serving,
starting with Mom, him, herself, and finally Genma. Of course Genma
grumbled and glared at the injustice, but never said anything out
loud. Once again, Genma turned on his human vacuum and the food
disappeared in a flashed. Ranma on the other hand was eating at a
rate slightly faster than normal, but not anywhere near his father.
As soon as they're done, Ranma and Ranko rushed out of the house.
Ranma walked Ranko to school and then changed direction to Furinkan.
Just as he turned the corner, his eyes widen in shocked and then
narrowed. He immediately charged into the crowd and moments later the
entire male student bodies were on the ground unconscious. When he
turned around to face the girl, he was given another shock. Instead
of a grateful look or even a thank you, he got an angry look and
dagger glare. So his surprise, he almost got hit by the roundhouse
kicked. Ranma staggered back away from the girl and waved his hand,
"Hey, wait a second!"
"What, so you can beat me?" shouted the angry girl.
"No! I just want to know why you're attacking me," said the
bewildered Ranma.
"Because you're a pervert!" the girl said matter of fact.
"Huh? Where in the world did you get that idea?"
"You're a boy. I hate boys," the girl explained.
"Truly such a boyish lot. Evidently each tends to ask you out on the
dawn that he defeat you in combat, Tendou Akane," spouted Kuno.
"Oh, it's you Kuno-sempai," Akane said in disgust.
Ranma stared at the two and blinked twice. He then scratched the back
of his head as he tried to piece together the information. <<Let see.
In order to date that girl, a boy must defeat her first. But she
doesn't seem to be too happy about it.>> Ranma glanced at the boy
with the bokken and one thought came to mind, "Idiot." He then gauged
the two combatants and jumped into action. "Um.excused me, can you
tell me where class 1F is?"
"Go away you pervert!" Akane shouted, "This is my fight."
"You there! How dare you become familiar with the fair Tendou Akane?"
"Huh? I'm." Ranma weakly began.
"Wait. It is honorable to give one's name first. Very well, I shall
give my name. I am Kuno Tatewaki, age 17, captain and champion of the
Kendo club, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School."
"Er. I'm Saotome Ranma, heir and master of Saotome-Ryu, Saotome School
of Anything-Goes Martial Arts and heir to my mother school of sword,
Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu," Ranma stated. "And as to why I was being
familiar to Tendou Akane, I was merely asking for the location of
class 1F."
Akane eyes widen when she heard the introduction. <<How can this be?
My father is the only master of Anything Goes Martial Arts.>> Then
her eyes narrowed. <<How dare he use our school of martial arts? Who
does he thinks he is?>>
"Step aside peasant for you have no right to approach the fair Tendou
Akane lest you defeat her in honorable combat."
"There's nothing honorable about beating a girl," Ranma retorted.
"What? You think I'm not good enough?" Akane yelled.
"Hey! That's not what I meant!" Ranma shouted back.
"Are you saying that you're better than me?" Akane asked dangerously.
Ranma crossed his arms and said, "As a matter of fact, I am."
"Why you!" Akane screamed.
"How dare you claim to be better than Tendou Akane?!" Kuno launched
at Ranma.
Ranma easily dodged the attacks and peaked at the clock tower. <<Oh,
shoot. Gotta hurry>> "Sorry Kuno, but I have to get to class. Don't
want to be late." Ranma advanced at Kuno's next attack and was inside
his defense before he realized it. With a few well place strikes,
Kuno stood still and said, "You may call me Kuno-sempai," and fell to
the ground, unconscious. Just as Ranma was about to run into the
school, a hand grabbed his arm.
"Hey you! That was my fight!" Akane said angrily.
Ranma was about to retort, but the bell rang. He quietly cursed
himself and ran to class while Akane followed.
"Class, please welcome a new student to our class. This is Saotome
Ranma. He has recently returned from a training trip in China."
Turning to Ranma, the teacher asked, "Why don't you introduce
yourself?"
Ranma bowed and said, "Thank you. I've been training in martial arts
with my parents since I could walk. I'm the heir and master of our
family art, Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts as well as my
mother school of sword, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. We just returned
yesterday from our 10 years training trip."
"Wow. You must be really good then!" one student stated.
"Yeah, you're probably better than Akane," another student shouted.
Of course that statement didn't go very well with the already
frustrated Akane who glared at the boy.
The teacher interrupted the questions, "That's enough. Though you
might have just returned from China, it does not excused your from
being late. Saotome. Tendou. In the hall with the buckets."
Out in the hall, Ranma grumbled to himself while Akane glared at him.
"This is all your fault, you know!" Akane hissed.
Ranma raised his brow and asked, "How is this my fault?"
"I wouldn't have been late if you hadn't stick you nose in other
people fight!"
"Yeah, whatever," Ranma was about add a few more comment, but thought
better of it. <<It's not use talking back to someone who already made
up their mind.>>
Akane became frustrated when she realized Ranma was ignoring her and
angrily muttered, "Jerk," under her breath.
Ranma heard the comment, but decided it was best not to get involve.
After the teacher called them back into class, Ranma found an empty
seat furthest away from Akane.
Akane was unnerved by the fact that Ranma had purposely ignored her.
Again, she felt the familiar temper flared within her. <<How dare you
ignore me? Am I not good enough for you? Jerk>>
"Tendou! Is there something you like to share with the class?" the
teacher asked.
Akane turned to the teacher and flushed in embarrassment. "Er. No,
Sensei."
"Are you sure? You seem very intent in staring at Saotome. Is there
something you want to tell him?"
Akane turned a deeper shade of red as the majority of the class
giggled. She furiously shook her head and sat back down. She didn't
dare look up at anyone else or die of embarrassment.
The class settled down and the teacher continued his lessons. Ranma
glanced at Akane a few times and wondered why she was staring at hem.
After a while, he pushed the thought aside and returned his attention
back to the subject at hand, math. Though he didn't like school, his
mother told him that a 'man amongst men' must try to do the best in
everything. And so, he gave his best effort in school. The best part
was that it irritated his father to no end. Genma had called him soft
because of his mother influence, but he been constantly defeating him
since he was twelve.
The class continued till lunch without any incidents. As soon as the
bell rang, the entire horde of students crowded around Ranma asking
all sort of questions. Not liking the situation or the questions, he
leaped over everyone and landed on the windowsill next to Akane.
Without a word, he jumped out and landed three floors below. The
class rushed to the window and everyone gasped. Akane was slightly
startled when Ranma landed next to her and then she felt angry for
being ignored again. Akane stomped out of class and ran outside to
look for him. By the time she was outside, Ranma was no where in
sight. She growled and stormed off to a nearby tree.
Up on the roof of the school, Ranma leaned over the edge to check to
see if any of the girls were looking for him. For some reason, he
wasn't surprise to see Akane searching for him. For the life of him,
he couldn't understand her. The more he tried the larger the headache
he got. Sighing, he settled down and unpacked his lunch. After he
finished, he grabbed his flute and played some familiar tunes to calm
his nerves. He found that playing music calmed him better than the
exercises his father taught him, which had the simple logic, "Pound
your problems away with your fist." Ranma mentally snorted at his
father idiotic and ill-conceived logic. After a few songs, he was
calm enough to practice his meditation techniques.
Under the cover of a tree, Akane and her friends talked about the day
most popular topic, Saotome Ranma. Every time her friends mentioned
Ranma and her in the same sentence, she gave a low growl. After a
while, her friends got the hint and changed the topic, though not as
exciting.
In one of the class, Nabiki sat in her desk directing a group of
girls. After the other nodded and left the room, she stared at her
notebook. At the very top, it was labeled "Project Wild Horse." She
tapped her fingers on the desk as she ran over the information her
lieutenants had recently gathered. It wasn't much and nothing
helpful. Even with the amount of information she had, there were
still female students who paid a good sum of money for it. Even Kuno
had inquired about the 'foul sorcerer Saotome.' She wasn't surprised
at his comment, as a matter of fact, she expected. She would worry if
Kuno started making sense. She snickered at the idiotic fool that he
was. Still, she needed information about Saotome and the best was to
approach him directly. <<Better finish my lunch before the bell
rings>>
When the lunch bell rang, Akane quickly got up and walked to the
entrance. After a few steps, she noticed something in the sky and
squinted her eyes. Unfortunately, the glared from the sun prevented
her from recognizing the figure until he landed few meters ahead of
her. <<Ranma!>> She blinked a few times and looked up to see where
he might have dropped from, but found nothing but empty space. When
she returned to where Ranma had landed, he had disappeared. Again,
she growled in frustration.
Back in class, the day dragged on without any incident. When school
ended, he quickly left the classroom via the window. He walked
casually out of the gate and headed over to the elementary school. As
soon as he got there, he found his sister waiting impatiently for him.
She was fidgeting her dress nervously. "Ko-chan," he called.
Ranko's mood immediately changed to delight when she heard her brother
voice. She searched the through the number of adults until she came
across a smiling Ranma. She ran and leaped at him. "Oniisan!"
Ranma giggled and hugged his sister. "I'm glad to see you too. Did
you have a good day at school?"
Ranko shook his head.
Ranma raised his brow. "Why not?"
"This bully was picking on this other girl and when I beat him up, the
teacher yelled at me for fighting."
Ranma frowned. "What did she say?"
"She told me that it was unladylike for me to fight. She said that
the next time she found me fighting again, she'd call Mom."
"I see. Well, we'll talk to Mom when we get home and see what she has
to say about it." Ranma lowered his sister and they walked side by
side talking about other things that happened at school. At home, he
greeted his Mom and they headed for the dojo. For some strange
reason, there was something bothering him since he came home. Though
he wasn't sure what, he tried ignoring it. While Ranma and Nodoka
practiced with the use of the sword, Ranko sat in the corner and
marveled at the elegant display. Once her brother was finished, she
practiced with him till they were called to diner.
Once everyone was at diner, Ranma realized what was wrong. "Hey,
Pops. Where were you today?"
Genma grumbled and said, "You mother suggested that I look for a job."
Ranma paused and then laughed very hard. He almost choked on his
food. Genma grumbled even louder. He would have said something, but
it would be of little consequence with Nodoka nearby. He then got an
idea, "Ranma, my boy. There's a friend I want you to meet. How about
we go after diner?"
Ranma eyed his father. After traveling with him for almost eleven
years, he always second-guessed his father's intentions. Just to be
on the safe side, he declined, "Sorry, Pops. I have homework to
finish and my music lessons afterward. Maybe some other time."
"Forget those. You don't need them. All you need is martial arts,"
Genma growled.
"Genma, what were you saying again?" Nodoka asked with sharp edge in
her voice.
Genma froze in his track and lowered his gaze. "N-Nothing, dear."
"That's what I thought. You know very well that you cannot live off
martial arts alone and having a proper education is a manly thing.
Don't you agree, dear?" she asked coolly.
"Of..Of course," Genma stuttered.
"Good. Ranma, hurry and finish. You don't want to stay up too late."
"Er. Sure, Mom." Ranma quickly finished his meal and ran upstairs.
Ranko quickly followed her brother.
Once his homework was completed, Ranma went down stairs and into the
music room and found his sister poking at the keys. He sat down next
to her and guided her hands over the keys. After several attempts,
Ranko practiced for another half-hour before perfected it. Ranko
moved off the seat and pulled a chair next to the piano. Ranma played
the new set of classical music his mom brought until he memorized the
notes. He then closed his eyes and played again. He made minor
changes with each consecutive repetition until he found what he
wanted. Smiling, he played the piece again, following his heart.
Once done, he heard Ranko clapped loudly.
"That was great, oniisan!" Ranko cheered enthusiastically.
Ranma bowed and found his mother sitting on the couch smiling.
"That was very good Ranma."
"Thanks, mom. I really like that piece. Were you able to locate some
of the other composers?"
"No yet, Ranma. But as soon as they're located, you'll be the first
to know."
"Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it."
"The pleasure is all mine, Son. Just listening to you play is all the
thanks I need," Nodoka said proudly.
"Ah, Mom," Ranma said sheepishly.
Ranko ran over to Nodoka and sat on her lap, "Okaasan, do you think I'
ll be able to play as well as oniisan?"
Nodoka smiled, "I'm sure you will. But you must practice when you
ever you can."
Ranko nodded several times, "I will. I'll practice everyday. I
promise."
"That's very good to hear, dear. Why don't you go wash up and prepare
for bed."
"Ok!" Ranko hugged her and ran out of the room.
"Well, how was your day at school?"
Ranma shrugged, "Um. It was ok, I guess."
"Oh, did you make any new friends?"
Ranma chuckled a bit, "I wouldn't say that, Mom. From what I could
tell, I had a kendo guy spouting bad poetry, a girl with bad temper,
and several girls wanted me like some kind of prize. All in all, I'll
say it was ok."
Nodoka brow furrowed, "Really, what is the girl's name?"
"Huh? Oh, it's Tendou Akane."
Her face lit up at the name, "Really?"
Ranma missed the changed in her expression, "Yeah, I don't really know
how to deal with her. It seems she's angry at everything I do."
Feeling the affect of the long day catching up, he said tiredly "It's
been a long day, Mom. I think I better call it a day. Night, Mom,"
Ranma said as he left the room.
"Goodnight, Ranma," Nodoka said automatically. <<Tendou Akane, huh?>>
The next morning was a repeat of the previous. By the time Ranma made
it to the Furinkan's gate, he saw the same spectacle as before.
Except this time, he decided to stay back, watched and only interfered
if needed. Once she was done, he walked around her, avoiding her
gazed and line of sight. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far when
Kuno shouted at him, "Foul sorcerer face me. For I am the undefeated
champion Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High School."
Ranma stopped and turned. He raised his brow and said, "I defeated
you yesterday, Kuno."
"How dare you speak such false pretext in my presence. I have never
been defeated. To say such is unhonorable. Prepare to die, knave."
Ranma was about to kick Kuno, but another kick sent him into low
orbit. Ranma turned and found a fuming Akane. <<Oh well, saved me
the trouble.>> Ranma shrugged and was about to leave when Akane voice
stopped him.
"Saotome Ranma, I challenge you!"
Ranma turned and cocked his head. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I challenge you to see who's the best!"
"Why?"
"Because there's no way a jerk like you could be better than me. I'm
the best at this school."
Ranma paused and stated, "No. Kuno is better than you are. The only
reason why you've won was that he held back."
Akane turned red at the implication. "Argh, how dare he?!"
"Look. You might be good, but you're not anywhere near my level.
Your lack of control makes you even worst."
Akane fumed even more and charged at Ranma. She threw every
combination she knew at him, but only met air each time. "Fight back,
you jerk," Akane growled.
"Sorry, but no. If you can't even touch me, there's no way you can
handle my attacks," Ranma said while continued to dodge.
Akane fought on until Ranma was pushed against the wall of the
building. She grinned at Ranma. <<Let see you dodge this.>> Akane
pushed all her strength behind her last attack and her fist met
something very hard.
Ranma read the attack a mile away and easily evaded it. A simple jump
and twist, he was behind Akane while her fist was embedded in the
wall. He easily tapped Akane on the back of the head. "Nice try,"
Ranma said before walking off.
Akane blinked and then blinked again. She lost. She lost miserably.
Then the comment registered and she got angry. <<He acted like I was
nothing.>> She turned and was about to shout insult when a bucket
fell on his head. Akane stared dumbly at the redhead. She blinked
several times.
Ranma muttered obscene insults as he removed the buckets from his
head. He looked out at his wet. He shook his head and grumbled some
more. Then, he heard the stream of comments from above.
"Hey, who's the redhead?"
"What happened to Saotome?"
"Man, she cute!"
"Did you just see Saotome turned into a girl?"
"Damn, she's good looking!"
"Pigtail Girl!"
That last comment caused Ranma to wince. He turned and saw Kuno
running up at him with opened arms. He violently shuddered at the
thought of Kuno coming near him. Just as Kuno was about to wrap his
arms around him, he sent Kuno flying across the yard and embedded him
in the wall. Kuno's last comment, 'Pigtailed girl, you may date me.'
sent shivers all through his body.
Nabiki, on the other hand, was grinning evilly. <<This is way too
good to be true. Think of all the money I can make from him.>> Nabiki
quickly took a few pictures and gave her hoodlum some orders. She
looked back at Ranma and saw him punched Kuno. The last comment from
Kuno only made her grinned even more.
Ranma ignored the rumors and trudged to class. Once in class, he
stood in the front and waited for everyone to arrive. Once the bell
rang, he saw the teacher's signal and began his explanation.
"My name is Saotome Ranma." He paused as the classed erupted with
questions. A cough from the teacher quieted everyone. "Yes, I am the
same Saotome that was here yesterday. While traveling in China, we
came across this training ground called Jusenkyou. Unfortunately, the
training ground was cursed and my idiotic father picked it without
knowing how to read Chinese. Anyway, he dragged me there and kicked
me into one of the pool while I was talking with the guide. I was
kicked into the Nyannichan, the spring of drowned girl who drowned
there 1500 years ago. The cursed is activated by water. Cold water
change me into a girl and hot water changed me back."
To demonstrate, he poured hot water over him, then cold water, and hot
water again. The classroom gasped at the demonstration. "And before
any you guys get any ideas, no matter what my body looks like, I'm
still male. I don't care what you think, but if you approach me with
anything by honorable intentions; I'll send you to the hospital for
the next eight weeks." That brought laughter from the female half of
the class while the male flushed in embarrassment.
"Thank you for explaining the situation, Ranma," the teacher stated.
Ranma bowed and returned to his seat. <<That went better than I
thought.>>
Akane stared blankly at Ranma as he demonstrated the cursed. She
never believed in magic or cursed before. Now, she wasn't sure what
to think. Here was a boy who turned girl with water. <<Weird>>
The teacher began his lessons and tried to ignore what had just
happened. He didn't care about magic or cursed or anything out of the
normal life. He didn't want any more headaches than the one he
already had.
At lunchtime, the whole class surrounded Ranma and they started
pounding him with questions. He was about to leave when a voice
interrupted the class.
"Excuse me, everyone," said a girl with crop brown hair.
Everyone turned and backed away. The brown hair girl approached Ranma
and introduced herself, "Hi. I'm Tendou Nabiki and I have a
proposition for you."
Ranma cocked his head to one side and gauge her. From the reaction in
the crowed and the various low muttered, he knew her type. He crossed
his arms and said, "Not interested."
"Oh, I think you would. I can offer you a solution to your current
problem," Nabiki said sweetly.
Ranma grinned, "No thanks. I already have the solution. And if my
guess is correct, you're going to charge me for the service. Then you
'll charge everyone else for the information I give you."
Nabiki held her neutral face and looked at Ranma. She didn't expect
this from him. <<Time for plan B>> "Would you mind telling me how
you planned on accomplishing this?"
Ranma grinned and held out one finger to his lips and posed. "Hmmm.."
He turned to with one eyes closed, leaned forward, and said, "That's a
secret." The posed he imitating was exact duplicate of his favorite
anime character, Xellos, he saw while traveling.
Nabiki stared at Ranma and then fumed. She turned and slammed the
door behind her.
The entire classed went into an uproar. Many were holding their sides
because it hurt to laugh. Some were in tears. For the first time
anyone had ever known Nabiki, she lost control.
Ranma merely shrugged and leaped out of the window and headed for the
roof again.
In another classroom, Nabiki was plotting revenge. That boy
humiliated her. <<How dares he? Just you wait Saotome, I'm going to
make your life a living hell>> Nabiki was so lost in her thought that
she didn't even noticed Kuno standing next to her.
"Tendou Nabiki, I request information from you," Kuno stated.
Nabiki started at the presence of someone else and decided to add it
to the list of offense she had on Saotome. "What do you want Kuno?"
"I wish to know the where about of the Pigtailed Goddess," Kuno
inquired.
"5000"
"What?! That's out." Nabiki glared cut off Any further comment.
Pulling out the money, he handed it to her.
"Thank you, Kuno. Saotome has your Pigtailed Girl."
"WHAT?!" Kuno screeched and ran out of the classroom raving about
sorcery and magic.
Nabiki grinned wickedly as Kuno left the room. <<Well, that should
keep him and Saotome busy>>
In class 1F, Akane watched the students settled down from their antic.
A small part of her wanted to laugh along with the rest of the class,
but the other part was angry at Ranma for making fun of her sister.
Anger won out and she stormed off to find Ranma. Again, she was
unable to locate him and settled at a tree with her friends. Again,
the topic evolved around Ranma.
Once lunch was over, Ranma returned to class and everything quieted
down. However, during PE, he was constantly bombarded by water. He
wondered if it was natural to attract this much water over a sort
period of time. Actually, he knew where the water came from and why.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he found Nabiki at some distant away
with a camera in her hand. He knew what it was for, but chose to
ignore it in the mean time. When school was over, he leaped out of
the building again, but this time he found Kuno waiting for him.
"Saotome, I demand you release the Pigtail Goddess or face the fury of
Heaven's justice for your foul sorcery," Kuno raved.
Ranma stared at Kuno and blinked. <<He can't that much of an idiot.
Can he?>> Ranma looked into his eyes and sighed. <<He's beyond
idiotic.>> He faced Kuno again and said, "Look, Kuno. There's no
Pigtailed Goddess. It's a cursed."
"You dare curse the Pigtail Goddess! I shall destroy you and free her
from your clutches. How dare you prevent the Pigtailed Goddess from
expressing her love to my magnificent."
Ranma rubbed the temples and tried to think of a way to explain this
where even a child could understand.
Splash!
"Pigtailed Goddess! You are free from that evil Saotome. Allow me to
introduce myself. I am the rising star, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue
Thunder of Furinkan High School. If you defeat me, I shall allow you
to date me."
Ranma stared at Kuno in disbelieved. He had no word for him. <<Maybe
I could add a new world to the dictionary and have his pictured next
to it.>>
Splash!
Ranma looked at himself and sighed. He was soaked to the bones.
"Foul sorcerer! Return the Pigtail Goddess or face the wrath of
justice!" Kuno shouted and charged at Ranma.
Ranma easily dodge the attacks and leaped away. "Are you blind as
well as stupid?"
"How dare you make such false accusation?" Kune fumed.
"I only state what is true!" Ranma shouted. Out the corner of his
eyes, he noticed the time and cursed.
"Die!" Kuno took advantage of the distraction and was able strike at
his ribs.
Ranma winced and retorted. His hands blurred and hundreds of blows
implanted itself all over Kuno. After a second, Ranma stopped and ran
out of the gate before Kuno even hit the ground. It was a good thing
he was already unconscious.
By the time he made it to the school ground, he found his sister alone
and crying. His guilt went full scale as he hurried to her side. He
quickly wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm sorry,
Ko-chan."
Sniff.
"Oniisan! I waited, but you didn't show up and everyone was gone.
And. And I was here all by myself," Ranko sobbed.
Ranma didn't know what to say. He shouldn't have forgotten. Kuno
wasn't worth seeing his sister cried for being late. "I'm very sorry,
Ko-chan. Will you forgive me?"
Ranko nodded into his shoulder.
"I promise I won't be late again."
Ranko leaned back, "Promise?"
Ranma smiled and nodded. "Promise." Ranma kissed Ranko on the
forehead, "How about I treat you to some scream this weekend?"
Ranko's face lit up like a bulb. She nodded vicariously. "And we
play in the park too," she added. "Please. Pretty please?"
Ranma pretended to think about the suggestion for a minute while his
sister pleaded. Finally, he released a groan and said, "Ok."
"Yah," Ranko shouted jovially. She hopped down and danced around
Ranma for a bit all the while listing all the things they could do at
the park.
Ranma just laughed at the antic and started his walk home. Ranko
caught up with Ranma and held his hand.
Not far away, a girl in uniformed followed.
The rest of the day replayed itself like the previous. Before Ranma
went to bed, he had his usual talk with his mom.
"How was your day?"
"Not bad considering they found out about the curse."
"Oh?"
"Heh. Some one dropped a bucket and it splashed me near the
entrance."
"I assumed everyone understood the explanation?"
"Almost," Ranma chuckled.
"Almost?"
"Yeah, everyone understood except for one idiot. Actually, I don't
think there's a word for him." Ranma paused and pondered for a
second. "Maybe mentally delusional."
"Ranma?"
"Huh? Oh sorry, Mom. I was thinking to myself. Anyway, I changed in
front of this Kuno Tatewaki and he believed that I trapped his
'Pigtail Goddess' with my sorcery."
"I see." [pause] "What have you done to inform the rest of the
school?"
"Well, I gave the letter to the office to notify the rest of the staff
about my curse before lunch. So everyone should know about the curse
and stop asking questions by tomorrow."
"I see you had quite an eventful day."
"I'll say. 'May you live an interesting life.' Interesting, huh?"
Smiling, "Yes, you certainly live an interesting life. Just remember
to not let it control you. You have your own life, not matter what
life throws at you, it's your life and you must live it."
"I know, Mom. I just thought I could take a break after all the time
we spent on the road."
"I know, Son. Sometime it might seems unfair, but you have to learn
to make the best of it."
"I guess."
"Well, it's time we retire."
"Night, Mom."
"Goodnight, Ranma."
The next morning, Ranma stood before the horde of boys of Furinkan and
sighed. Ranma stepped in front of all of them and called their
attention just before they initiated their attack with an explosion.
"Excuse me, but I just can't help but wonder why you're doing this."
"Stay out of this perverted freak!" Akane shouted.
"Look. I'm trying to help you."
"I don't need help from some sex changing freak!" Akane shot back.
Ranma clenched his fist, but ignored the comment. "Now. From what I
understand, you're all here to defeat her in order to date her.
Correct?"
"That's what Kuno proclaimed!" one student shouted.
Ranma paced back and forth. "Really? And you listened to him? That's
interesting. Tell me something. If he's an idiotic delusional fool
and you follow his example. What does that make you?"
The crowd looked at each other and lowered their heads.
"Next time you want to follow someone into the dark, make sure your
guide isn't blind," Ranma stated and walked off. However, he didn't
get far when a bucket splashed him again. Of course, Kuno was there
to glomp him. Well, he tried, but Ranma quickly slammed him into a
wall without even looking.
By the time lunch came around, he really needed a break. Everywhere
he went today, water found him and so did Kuno. He was becoming very
irritated and needed a place to meditate. Unfortunately, when he
leaped onto the roof to get away, a group of girls and Kuno came
charging up the stairs on the roof. He took a deep breath and jumped
off the roof and ran off. By the time he settled down at a new spot,
someone would popped up and bothered him to no end. Lunch was over
before he even realized it. Gym wasn't much different. For some
reason, the coach kept pushing him and making him do weird exercises.
When school ended, he quickly took care of Kuno and ran off to meet
his sister.
Later that night, Ranma had his usual talk with his Mother.
"Mom, I have a little problem," Ranma said in a low voice.
Nodoka had been waiting for this since listening to him play the
piano. Whenever Ranma played with his heart, the music never lied.
She knew something was bothering her son and waited patiently for him.
"Oh, what kind of problem?"
"It involves two people."
"Oh?"
"A Tendou Nabiki and Akane."
"I see." Nodoka wasn't sure where this conversation was heading, but
had a dreadful feeling it was not good. She knew the Tendou very
well. She was there when each of the daughters were born and when
their mother die. She knew it affected them all and she tried to help
as much as possible, but her first responsibility was to her family
and son. That was why she went with them on the training trip. She
could not part with her only child. She never regretted that
decision. Though, she wondered if there was something she could had
done to help the Tendou overcome their lost. "Please continue,
Ranma."
"Well, I'm not quite sure how to explain this."
"Why don't you tell me what's going at school?"
"Well, since they've discovered my curse, I've found pictures of my
female form sold through out the school. Some of them had me pretty.
er. exposed. I found out that all the photos came from one source,
Nabiki. I've also noticed that she been selling half-truth
information to the student. I can't even find a place to relax during
lunch because of her. She got spy watching all day long and selling
it to various girls and Kuno."
"I see. What about Akane-san?"
"Her? I don't really know what to think. When I tried to help her
fight the boys at school because they believed that they could date
her if they beat her," Ranma said.
Nodoka gave him a bemused look.
"You can ask the idiot Kuno who proclaimed that 'who shall have the
right to date the Fair Tendou Akane if he defeats her in combat.' The
idea that they actually believed the fool is the amazing thing."
"What does this have to do with you?'
"Well, when I tried to help her, she told me to told me to stay back
and called me a pervert. When she found out about the curse, it
became perverted freak." Ranma sighed and took a sip of the offered
tea. "I just don't know what to think. I tried ignored her and she
got angry. When she challenged me and I wouldn't fight back, she got
angry. When I commented on how she could improve, she got angry. It'
s almost as if she likes being angry."
"What do you want to do, Ranma?" Nodoka asked after Ranma calmed down.
"I think I can handle Akane. I need to approach Nabiki differently.
Since she selling picture of me without my permission, is there
anything we can do about that?"
"I believe there is. I'll look into that tomorrow. I don't see why
you're so worry about a few pictures. You're very photogenic."
Ranma chuckled, "Thanks, Mom. But if I'm going to have picture of me
taken in that fashion, I might as well get pay."
"That's true. Model makes quite a lot of money in this generation."
"Yeah, that do. I mean, you see them in calendars, notebooks,
magazines, and bunch of other stuff."
"Yes, it's very popular."
"To bad I'm not." Ranma snapped his fingers. "Mom, I got an idea. I
might not like my curse very much, but I think this will work out
great," Ranma said excitedly.
"What is it, Ranma?" Nodoka asked, confused.
"I can model in my female form," Ranma said happily.
Nodoka raised her brow, questioning.
Ranma flushed, "Mom! Nothing like that! I mean, I could model in
swimsuit and dresses for calendar. If we can find a good agent, we
can make a lot of money. It's the best way to use my curse."
Nodoka thought about and looked at Ranma. She saw that he was pretty
serious about it and nodded. "Ok, Ranma. I'll call a few of my
friends and we'll set up appointment for a trial shoot. I'll also
gather some documents on legal issues involving Nabiki-san miss use of
your body."
Ranma smiled and hugged his mother, "Thanks, Mom. You're the
greatest."
"My, Ranma. You say the nicest things."
"Er..heheheh." Ranma laughed weakly.
"Go get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."
"Don't I know it. Night, Mom."
"Goodnight, Ranma." After Ranma left, she said to herself, "It seems
the Tendou had changed more that I realized."
The same routine repeated itself until Friday after school. Ranma was
very frustrated when he saw Nabiki and Akane standing at the corner of
the gate. Nabiki had a smirked while Akane had the annoyed look.
Kuno was waiting with his bokken. He stopped a few meters away and
looked at Nabiki.
"End this now before someone get seriously hurt!" Ranma shouted.
"Moi? What's there to end? You brought this on your own," Nabiki
said with a smirk.
"Don't you dare threaten my sister you perverted freak!" Akane yelled.
"Prepare to die, knave!"
"I warned you," Ranma said and held out his hand. A yellow ball of
chi formed on his palm and grew to the size of a golf ball.
Everyone stared at Ranma and the chi ball that was still growing.
It grew to the size of softball.
Everyone backed away from Ranma, with the exception of Kuno.
"What sorcery is this? Release the Pigtail Goddess and face the
justice heaven have bestowed on I, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder."
"Moko Takabisha," Ranma cried. The ball of energy streaked the
distance and slammed into Kuno. It sent Kuno flying down the street
until a wall stopped him.
Ranma turned back at Nabiki and glared at her. "I don't know what
game you're playing, but you better call off your watch dog. I'm
getting tire of being spied on and taking advantage of. I'm getting
really tire of both you Tendou!"
"Why the hell should we listen to you, pervert?" Akane retorted.
Ranma face twisted in anger. "You!" He pointed the finger straight
at Akane, and shouted, "What the hell did I do to you for you to call
me a pervert or anything?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're a boy who change sex!"
"Argh. You have no right to judge people! Before you start judging
people, you better be perfectly happy with yourself. Who the hell
gave you the right to judge people any way? Did some Kami-sama grant
you a wish or bestowed you the abilities to see their soul? Since the
first day I arrived at this school, you've called me numerous names.
Even after I helped, you accused me of interfering. If you enjoy
playing with your horde of friends, maybe I should have Kuno reinstate
that proclamation. You have absolute no idea who I am and yet, you
already judge me. As far as I can tell, you're nothing by a violent
short tempered bully!"
Turning to Nabiki, "You're nothing by a heartless mercenary bitch. Oh
please, don't play innocent with me. Don't think I haven't noticed
all the pictures of my female form in various stages of undress sold
like some brand of meat. Don't think I haven't noticed all the
'accident' water spilled on me. Don't think I blind to all the
half-truth information you've fed Kuno. And don't think I'm going to
sit back and let you control the situation. Oh no. Fighting is what
I'm good at. Don't ever believe you can control a fire because it
could easily engulf you. Have a good day!" With that said, Ranma
rushed off to meet his sister.
Akane stared blankly at the retreating form of Ranma and stared at the
puddle by her feet. "I hope you're happy with yourself," the words
echoed in her mind. Suddenly, her previous anger died out ever so
quickly. She started her walked home in silent.
Nabiki blinked and then stared at her sister. She knew Akane was
shaken by the comment. That's too bad, she wasn't that easily shaken.
This only fueled her resolved to make Ranma's life a living hell. She
didn't have to worry about Akane; Kasumi would take care of her. She
had business to take care of and hurried off.
By the time Ranma reached the schoolyard, he was still in a bad mood.
Even his sister cheerful attitude didn't complete elevated his
depression.
When Ranko saw Ranma approached the school with shoulders slumped and
body tensed, she knew he was not in a very good mood. She tried cheer
him up, but nothing seemed to help. Then she got an idea. "Oniisan,
can you play something for me? Please?" She gave him the cutest
smile she could think of.
Ranma was about to dismiss the request immediately, but the pleading
eyes, pouting face, and puckered lips melted his resolve. He sighed
and pulled out his flute from his bag and started playing. Amazingly,
his depression slowly eroded with the music. By time they reached
home, he was in much better mood. Looking down at Ranko, he smiled
and picked her up. "Thanks, Ko-chan." He kissed her on the nose.
Ranko giggled as the kissed tickled her nose. She hugged her brother
and shouted happily, "You're welcome."
Not far away, a girl watched as Ranma enter the front gate. She
turned and left the scene dragging her feet. She wondered if all the
money she made while helping Nabiki was worth seeing someone else
suffered. She always believed in the theory to not get emotionally
involved. 'It's bad for business,' she recalled. But when she saw
Ranma with his sister and the melody he played, she felt an intense
guilt. She felt the frustration in the music and the sadness as well.
She needed to talk with someone. Someone she can trust to keep a
secret and still be safe from Nabiki. She ran through a list of name
and she snapped her fingers. "Of course. I'll have to talk to her
this weekend."
By the time Akane reached the Dojo, she felt even worst than she did
when she left the school's gate. For the rest of the evening, she
kept silent and ate diner with minimum interest. Afterward, she
returned to her room and completed her homework. A knock on the door
caught her attention, "Come in."
Kasumi opened the door and entered. She sat on the bed while Akane
remained in the chair next to the desk. "Is everything ok,
Akane-chan?" she asked, concerned.
"Not really," Akane said weakly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know.."
"What don't you explained what happened?" Kasumi suggested.
"Well, it started when this new boy came to school a few days ago
and.." Akane spent the entire hour reacquainting Kasumi with all the
events up until what happed after school.
"How do you feel about what he said?"
"Well, I was angry at first and then guilty."
"Why did you feel guilty?"
"It's.It's because what he said was all-true," Akane replied in a
whisper.
"What are you going to do?"
"I-I don't know."
"Have you tried apologizing to him?"
"n-no."
"It would be a good place to start."
"I think so too."
"Maybe you should offer to be his friends," Kasumi said with a smile.
Akane immediately went back to her old mode and shouted, "No way! All
boys are pervert!"
Kasumi just looked at Akane.
"I-I.."
"Why don't you give people a chance? They might surprise you. I'm
sure that not all boys are perverts."
"W-Well, most of them are," Akane argued.
"What happened if the one that's not a perverts and you let them
passed because you don't want to change?"
"I-I..Alright, Sis, I'll give it a try."
"That's good, Akane-chan."
"But if he gives me any reason to think otherwise, I'm going to pound
him to pancake," Akane said dangerously.
"I'm sure everything would work out just fine," Kasumi said before
leaving.
Akane began changing into her pajama when she caught herself in the
mirror. She stopped and gazed at the reflection. "Are you happy with
yourself?" the voiced asked. Staring at the mirror, she turned away
and said, "not really."
Early the next morning, Ranma hurried to school after dropping off
Ranko. He had a few things to take care of. Hopefully, he didn't
have to deal with the Tendou after this. When he made it to school,
he found the horde of boys in front of the entrance again. However,
their shoulders were slumped and a dejected look. Ranma decided it
was nothing to worry about and hurried to Nabiki's class. He wasn't
surprised to find her there waiting for him. He quickly made his way
across the room and handed her the package and waited.
Nabiki looked at Ranma and opened the packaged. She read through the
first pages and her eyes widen. She quickly flipped through the rest
of the documents and slammed the paper down on her desk, startling
everyone in the room. "You can't do this!"
"That's where you're wrong. I already did," Ranma said sternly. "I
warned you and if I'm correct, you've already have something planned
for me. I suggest you call it off. Like I said before, you can't
control a fire forever. It fluctuates and tends to burn. Don't play
with fire unless you're willing to get burn." Ranma turned and began
walking out of the room. At the door, he turned and said, "You have
till Monday to have everything ready," and left the room.
Nabiki uncharacteristically growled and threw the documents at the
door. <<Damn you. Damn you, Saotome. I'm not through with you yet.
Nobody messes with me and gets away. I always win! You hear me,
Saotome. I will win.>> She glared at everyone in the room. One of
her lieutenant returned the documents to her desk. She ignored
everyone and concentrated on formulating the next plan.
Ranma heard something hit the door after it closed and had a good idea
what it might be. He also knew Nabiki wouldn't give up that easily.
He didn't know what Nabiki might try, but with his mother help, he
would defeat any scheme. It might take a little time to find
something to counter it, but he's pretty patient. He headed back to
class and found everyone had gathered at the window. Curious, he
gazed and found the assembled body of boys apologizing to Akane. It
looked like she went into shock because Kuno nearly defeated her.
Ranma returned to his desk and waited for the class to begin. He wasn
't entirely certain on how Akane reacted to his comments yesterday,
but he felt he should stay away in the mean time. Right now, he was
more worry about Nabiki. When Akane came to class, he noticed
something very interesting. First of all, she didn't look up at him
when she entered. She kept her gazed toward her feet. Second, the
annoyed look was not longer there. And finally, when he caught her
eyes, he saw a slight hint of guilt mixed with other emotions. "Maybe
things will get better after all," he thought.
*****
[End of Chapter 1]
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