Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A New Future 2 - First Blood ❯ As Quick as Always ( Chapter 26 )

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice to make things clearer. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Takeuchi, or anything in the GURPS Ogre and GURPS Tales of the Solar Patrol settings published by Steve Jackson Games. Everything else is mine.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

In the dim light of evening coming through the high Dojo windows, Ranma watched carefully as Akane and Mu Tse circled each other, shields up and practice swords ready, sweat runneling down their faces — for Akane, around the faintly shimmering eye shield she had learned from her lover — and soaking into Mu Tse's light padding and through Akane's gi. (MacKenzie had been appalled at first at how little protection they'd considered necessary, until they'd demonstrated why.) Though Mu Tse had the advantage of years of weapons practice Akane had the definite edge, thanks to the fact that her shimmering lifesword was weightless and her shield was both weightless and almost transparent. The way she had spend years essentially focusing on strength and endurance training didn't hurt. Mu Tse was finally tiring, and he knew it.

Suddenly, the Duck Boy slashed forward, striking low at a barely hinted opening in Akane's defenses, only to see the hole vanish as her shield dropped and her sword looped around to hammer its very blunted edge against the shoulder of his sword arm.

“Break, a touch!” MacKenzie called from the side where the American Marine had been watching the duel as intently as Ranma. The two combatants stepped back and bowed to each other as they panted for breath. “Mu Tse, take a break,” MacKenzie continued. “Xian Pu, you're up!”

The purple-haired Amazon broke off the kata that MacKenzie had taught them and quickly took her lover's place. “Good!” the still-fresh girl growled, then grinned fiercely. “The honor of the Amazons must be upheld, defeat cannot be allowed to stand!”

Akane gave MacKenzie a betrayed look, but he just chuckled. “You aren't always going to face enemies as tired as you are,” he explained. “Better to get your first taste of it here than on the battlefield. Consider it a lesson.”

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes, but nodded resignedly and took her mark, bowed to Xian Pu, and raised her sword and shield as Xian Pu did the same in almost mirror motions. “Fight!” MacKenzie called out, and instantly Akane charged, trying to overwhelm her opponent in the first rush, only to have her former rival fall back and to the side, leading them in a circle.

“A lesson in what?” Ranma murmured as MacKenzie fell back to join her.

“Humility, mostly,” MacKenzie murmured back. “She's good, better than I thought she'd be after only a couple of weeks, some of the martial arts training she's already had must be carrying over. But she's been getting cocky, a bit full of herself — a very bad attitude to take onto your first true battlefield. Hopefully, this will straighten her out without damaging her self-confidence.” Ranma breathed a sigh of relief, and her official sensei chuckled. “What, you thought that you were the only one that saw it?”

The two stood in silence as Akane's assault bounced off Xian Pu's solid defense, and the Amazon immediately struck back with a lightning fast blow that Akane only barely managed to parry. Xian Pu pressed her advantage, and within moments had Akane desperately backpedaling as she blocked and parried strike after strike from both sword and shield.

“So, Yasuko, when are you headed back to Tokyo?” MacKenzie asked without taking his eyes from the sparring girls.

“Tomorrow,” Ranma replied. “I pretty much learned everything ya got ta teach me the first week, the only reason I've stuck around is ta make sure Akane's solid on keepin' her sword an' shield up — havin' it suddenly disappear in the middle of the battle could get fatal. Now that she seems ta have mastered it, there's other things I need ta learn back home.”

“Right, just don't forget that what I've taught you is what we've been able to figure out from old training manuals. We think we got it right, it tests well sparring, but it's still just the basics — when the black hats show up, you're going to be going up against people that have practiced it for real, not just as a hobby recovering a lost art.”

Ranma nodded. “I'll remember,” she assured the Marine, then glanced at him slyly. “By the way, we're all real impressed by yer self control, the way ya aren't fawning all over Shampoo.”

MacKenzie winced. “Am I that obvious?”

“Naw, not ta most,” Ranma said offhandedly. At least, not ta people not able ta sense the emotion in yer ki. “But the old bats runnin' this place are pretty sharp. More'n one has commented on the way yer eyes follow Shampoo around, an' wondered if ya'd like a second-best.” Fighting down a grin at the look of panic growing on the blond American's face, she continued, “I told `em if ya did you'd let `em know, and ta leave ya alone.”

MacKenzie blew out a sigh of relief. “At least Mu Tse hasn't noticed.”

“Oh, Mousse's noticed, he just doesn't have any worries where Shampoo's concerned. You're just lucky he's not playin' the lovestruck nutso anymore, or you'd be dodgin' all sorta weird junk comin' yer way.”

MacKenzie chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “Yasuko, from what I've heard in passing, you spent years surrounded by people that were either delusional nutcases, or pretending to be delusional nutcases. In spite of what you've lived through or seen on television, most guys do not go hog wild over every girl they're attracted to, or assault the competition — not that I'm feeling suicidal enough to attack Mu Tse.”

“Yeah, I know, more or less,” the redhead agreed with a sigh. “I just haven't seen it much — I don't get out much around normal —”

She broke off, focusing all her attention on the match, as the gasping former Tendo fell for a feint toward her face, and was simply too slow dropping her shield. Ranma winced as Xian Pu's practice sword slammed into her opponent's upper thigh a split second before Akane's dropping shield knocked it to the side. It's a good thing she's picked up what I could teach her about healin' trances, `cause that's gonna leave a mark, Ranma thought as her lover's leg gave way and dumped her to the floor. More practice for her, good.

“Break, a touch!” MacKenzie called out. Akane managed to stand, most of her weight obviously on one leg, but when she attempted to bow, Xian Pu had to catch her to keep her from falling on her face. “Okay, I think that's enough for the day, I'll expect you all here bright and early in the morning,” MacKenzie continued as Ranma joined her lover and former fake fiancée in the middle of the dojo, Mu Tse falling in beside his lover, and the four faced their teacher and bowed, Ranma helping Akane stay on her feet. MacKenzie returned the bow, and after making their farewells the four teens headed toward the door — slowly, with Ranma helping Akane hobble along. One of the two armed young women wearing light armor waiting there slipped out of the door ahead of them, with the other falling in behind them as they passed through the doorway.

Mu Tse pealed off from the group as they came to the intersection that led toward the royal suite, then paused when Xian Pu failed to join him, glancing toward his lover and raising an eyebrow. She shook her head and nodded toward Ranma, and he put on a woebegone look before rolling his eyes and shrugging, then continuing on toward the apartment Ranma had ordered set aside for her two friends when she asked them to join her and Akane in their surprise palace, while Xian Pu hurried to rejoin Ranma and Akane and their shadows.

/\

A freshly scrubbed Akane winced at a stab of pain as Xian Pu helped her settle into the furo attached to the royal suite. “Damn it, Shampoo, did you have to hit so hard?” the princess by proxy snarled, only half in jest. “I had plans for giving Ranma a proper send off tonight!”

“Don't worry about it, Tomboy,” Ranma said offhandedly as she sank into the hot water beside her lover with a blissful sigh. “Just think of it as another reason ta do good with the healin' trance you're gonna practice when we get outta here.” She glanced over at the very beautiful — and very naked — purple-haired girl slipping into the furo across from the other two girls, and hastily looked away. “So, Shampoo, why'd ya invite yerself ta the party? And no, I don't buy yer story of wantin' ta help with Akane, I coulda handled it just fine.”

Xian Pu chuckled softly at the faint blush mounting the cheeks of her former “fiancé's” face, then leaned back with a sigh. “Don't worry, I'm not planning to make a nuisance of myself. I just wanted to ask one last time if you'd like me or Mu Tse to join you. You've tried to hide how much you hate being followed everywhere by people you don't know, but some of us know you too well.”

Ranma hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Yeah, you're right, I don't like it,” she forced herself to admit. “I wish you two could join me. Hell, I wish Akane could come along. But the reasons we're doin' the trainin' here haven't changed, she'd be bored stiff with the studyin' I'd be doin' with Mercury's computer or distractin' me — and it would be distractin', however fun it would be,” she quickly added as she briefly glanced over to leer at Akane. Whew! the redhead thought as she watched her lover go from hurt anger to blushing satisfaction in a heartbeat. I may still be stickin' my foot in my mouth, but at least I'm realizin' it's there before Akane tells me — and I'm not stickin' it in up ta the knee, anymore, either ... I think. Turning back to Xian Pu, Her Royal Princess ignored her retainer's broad grin at the unspoken byplay and continued, “An' if Akane's stayin' here, so are you and Mousse — you two are the best sparrin' partners she's got.” And besides, you two are the only ones her age in the village that can speak Japanese and treat her like Akane instead a' the Princess's Consort, Ranma added to herself as Xian Pu seemed to glow with pride.

Xian Pu shrugged nonchalantly, and grinned as Ranma quickly looked away when the motion did interesting things to the Amazon's bountiful chest mostly submerged in the faintly steaming water. “It was worth asking one more time,” she said, then rose to her feet and fought down a chuckle at Ranma's gulp and Akane's glower. Sorry, `Kitchen Destroyer', but since she's stuck as a girl, the Princess really ought to get used to being around naked girls other than you. Besides, it's fun. Stepping out of the furo, she grabbed a towel. “Now, I think I'll get back to Mu Tse and let you two lovebirds have your privacy. Just remember, Ranma, you can always sleep on the train!”