Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma T ❯ The Samurai and the Demon ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts in this story are owned and copyrighted
by their respective creators. They DO NOT belong to me. I'm just using them in
this story I wrote for fun.

*text* is thoughts
~text~ is sounds/actions
text is animal signs, for cursed people

Ranma T
By Trooper1023

Chapter 4: The Samurai and the Demon
_________________________________________________________________ ______

The next day...

"So you do know of him?"

"Sure, I know him. The boy with the spiky hair in a pigtail and the Chinese
cloths."

"Thank you, Nabiki Tendo. Good day." Sitting back down at his desk, Kuno
began scribbling out a message. *If he believes that he can interfere with my
quarrel with Saotome... he believes wrongly!* "Here."

Nabiki took the folded note. On the outside of the note was written: "To the
Spiky-Haired Ally of Saotome".
_____________________________________________________________ __________

Back at the Dojo...

"This is ta me?" asked Ranma, taking the note.

Nabiki simply stuck her hands in her pockets. "Um Ranma, I don't think he
knows you're the same person."

Opening the note, Ranma read: "'On Sunday, in the tenth hour, meet me on the
second field of Furinkan High.'"

Over his shoulder, Akane remarked, "Sounds like a duel. Vengeful, hm?"

Nabiki sat down on the porch. "Onee-chan is right. Little Kuno just hates to lose."
________________________________________________________________ _______

That Sunday...

Ranma-saiya stood proud in his fighting uniform, out on the second field of
Furinkan High. As the clock struck ten, Kuno made his appearance.

"So you were man enough to come, ally of Saotome!"

"Ya don't learn, do ya pal?" growled Ranma-saiya.

Kuno shook his head in a way that seemed almost sad. "Oh, but I do learn. I
have learned that the accursed Saotome intends to force himself on Akane Tendo."

"Now hold on a second!" Ranma-saiya barked. "There's no way I'd--"

"YOU have NOTHING to do with this! This is my quarrel with Saotome, and you
have NO right to interfere!" Kuno bellowed.

Ranma-saiya grit his teeth in frustration. "Fine! But if I see YOU tryin' ta
force YOUR-self on Akane, I'll beat'cha to a pulp!" He stalked away.

Kuno snorted derisively. "It will not be forcing if she accepts me..." His
voice trailed off as he noticed something odd. The brown sash that had been
around the spiky-haired boy's waist now trailed behind him as he walked, the
other end seemingly attached to the back of his pants. *Are my eyes deceiving
me, or is that sash moving of it's own accord...?*

Ranma-saiya was REALLY pissed off. *That dolt! Can't he figure it out
al'ready?* He never noticed his tail uncurl from his waist and twitch in his
frustration.
__________________________________________________ _____________________

Monday...

"Akane Tendo's here!"
"With here fiancée, too!"
"Get 'em!!"

The 'Hentai Hoard' was out with a vengeance. They had a new enemy, and by the
Kami they were going to do something about it...

"I lov--" ~WHAM~
"Date wi--" ~CRACK~
"Saotome! Stay away fr--" ~POW~
"I will defeat y--" ~CRUNCH~

...Or at least TRY to do something about it.

Ranma and Akane had spent the entire weekend arguing with each other.
However, at this particular moment they actually agreed with each other.
*Don't even bother fighting the 'Hentai Hoard', just blast through it,* was
their shared thought.

With the 'Hoard' out of commission, only Kuno remained. "Saotome! Release the
flower Akane from her forced bond--" ~WHOMP~ Again, the two Anything Goes
heirs agreed, and served Kuno a double helping of shoe to his face. The
kendoist didn't get up, lucky for him.

Akane still objected though. To Ranma's participating in the fighting, that
is. "Would you quit fighting my fights for me?!"

"I ain't doin' it FOR you!" growled Ranma as he and Akane ran to class.
________________________________________________________________ _______

Lunchtime in class 2-E...

"I need information, Nabiki Tendo."

"Oh? Information is expensive..." Nabiki turned in her seat to face whoever had
addressed her. "...Kuno-dono."

"Indeed. I have come prepared, however." Kuno withdrew a wad of cash from his
pocket.

"Goooood." Nabiki grinned inwardly. "Now, what do you need the inside scoop on?"

"Tell me of Saotome's ally."

"What about him?"

Kuno looked around, then leaned toward Nabiki and lowered his voice. "The man
has eyes of the deepest black. In all my years never have I seen a living thing
with eyes the color of dark night. Surely you have wondered yourself, and
possibly asked him of this."

Nabiki put her elbow on her desk and rested her head in her hand. "You're right
Kuno-dono, I have asked about those eyes." She shivered slightly at a memory,
not unpleasant, of looking into Ranma-saiya's eyes. It was only for a second,
but it seemed to last so much longer than that...

Kuno took the shiver to mean something else entirely. "What? Has he violated you
in some way, or--" Nabiki gave Kuno an amused look. He blinked, remembering who
he was talking to. "Of course. To do such a thing to the Mercenary Tendo is
foolishness." Nabiki scowled slightly at that, but Kuno didn't notice. "Now, as
I had asked..."

"2000 yen." Nabiki pocketed the two bills presented to her. "Ranma's 'ally', as
you call him, told me that his... people... are known as 'Saiyajins'. All are
distinguishable by their naturally spiky hair, their black eyes, and one other
feature. They are very few in number, and dislike making their presence known
without good reason."

Kuno nodded in understanding. "Intriguing. What else have you learned about
these 'Saiyajins'?"

Nabiki sat quietly thinking for several minutes before she answered. "Another
2000 yen." The money was exchanged. "All Saiyajins are natural-born fighters.
They are stronger and faster than any normal man, and more skillful naturally
than all but the best martial artists; it's in the Saiyajin's blood to fight,
and to win." [1]

"I see." Kuno frowned to himself, remembering his second encounter with
Saotome's ally, which had been by the tree in the schoolyard. *Born fighters,
are they? We shall see...* "One last question. Why is this 'Saiyajin' so loyal
to Saotome? He has told me to not 'bug' Saotome, or I would 'answer' to him."

"5000 yen." Kuno hesitated this time. "Kuno-dono, this bit of information
required some digging, into Saotome as well as into his 'ally'."

"...Very well, Nabiki Tendo." Kuno passed over the last of his cash. Nabiki was
having a little trouble containing her grin now.

"Think of it like a contract. Saotome has a mission to accomplish, and the
Saiyajin is his... 'enforcer'. Once Saotome has completed his objective, the
Saiyajin will be free to do as he pleases again." [2]

"Surly you have learned more than--"

"Sorry Kuno-dono. Neither of them would say any more. Still not satisfied?
Then ask Saotome yourself."
____________________________________________________________ ___________

Class 1-F, dismissal...

"Ranma!"

"Hm?" Ranma reached the door to the classroom only to come face to face with
Nabiki.

Akane turned at her desk to look at her older sister. *Nabiki, what...?*

"Kuno-dono wants to speak with you. Outside."
_____________________________________________________________ __________

Outside, at the corner of the school building...

"Well, Kuno? Whadda ya want?"

"That will be Kuno-sempai to you, Saotome! Tell me coward, why do you hide
behind your Saiyajin slave?"

Ranma blinked before grounding out, "Say what?"

"'The Saiyajin is Saotome's enforcer,' quoth Nabiki Tendo! Why has he interfered
in our quarrel?!"

*Nabiki told him. Well, no harm done, I guess,* Ranma thought to himself. Ranma
spoke as he spun away from Kuno, "Forget him, Kuno. Trust me."

"What?"

"Wrong place, wrong time. You'll probably never see him again." Quickly rounding
the corner, Ranma left the kendoist stumped and confused... and was rewarded for
his efforts by face-full of cold water.

Two floors overhead, a student berated his classmate for throwing that very
bucket of water out the window without bothering to look down beforehand.

Back to Kuno. *'Never see him again.' Is that some kind of backhanded promise
that the Saiyajin will no longer interfere?*


(INCOMPLETE)
________________________________ _______________________________________

Next time:

Author's Notes:
[1] In case you're wondering, no Nabiki does NOT know just how true her
statement about Saiyajins is. She was just making up something on the spot
that she knew couldn't be disproved, and she DID know that Ranma is stronger
and faster in Saiyajin form than in normal form.

[2] Throughout this scene, Nabiki is just making stuff up on the fly. Kuno
isn't smart enough to disprove any of it, however, and some of it is true...
from a certain point of view.

Japanese:
Baka - idiot/moron/fool
Boken - wooden practice sword shaped like a katana
Kami - gods, spirits
Oyaji - old man, disrespectful
Onee- - sibling (prefix); often used with '-chan' or '-san' suffix
-chan - younger and/or lesser, also used for close female friends (suffix)
-dono - semi-formal way to address someone (suffix)
-kun - used for close male friends (suffix)
-san - formal, respectful way to address someone (suffix)
-sempai - upperclassman (suffix)

First posted: 5/12/02

C&C to: bjhaberman@prodigy.net
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