Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma OneHalf: First steps ❯ Book Four, Chapter 3 ( Chapter 35 )

Ranma Onehalf: First steps. Book Four.

Chapter Three.

Naota sat on his bed, slumped into the corner as he meditated. It had been two days since what Naota had started to refer to privately as the 'kiss'. He and Lia had been avoiding each other since then and had kept themselves at arms reach when being in each others presence couldn't be avoided.

Naotas curiosity about the change in Lias scent had been added to when he had smelled similar scents coming form a couple of other girls in school, but it hadn't affected him like Lias. Now with even more questions than answers Naota had decided to do what he usually did when faced with a difficult problem: meditate.

His way of meditating however was often mistaken for sulking, as it consisted of him holing up in his room with his mp3 player and the Black Album(1) loaded into it and slumped into a corner.

So as guitar chords filled his mind Naota slipped into a trance and let his sub conscience work. Reviewing the events of the past few days an incident from that morning popped into his head. He had came into the classroom with Kenji as usual and when he had approached his desk he had nodded good morning to her. Lia had merely twitched an ear and looked out the window with a scowl.

"Probably just PMS -ing." Naota had thought and made a mental note to be extra careful around Lia for the next five days.

Then he had gotten chewed out by the biology teacher for messing up his homework and had forgotten all about his mental note.

"Waitaminute. Biology...." Naota sat up straight as a lightbulb went off in his head. "Right before a girl does that She's ovulati-"

Naotas eyes went to the size of dinner plates realization dawned on him on just what he had been reacting to. Feeling his cheeks burn Naota got up and opened a window to cool off. Leaning on the windowsill he felt the night breeze blow through as he looked at the night lights of Nerima.

"Oh this is just perfect." Naota thought as he focused his breathing and tried to calm down. "Like I didn't have enough problems being a hormone overloaded demon, now I'm gonna know when she's ready to-" cutting that train of thought off with a wince he sighed.

Staring out at the city lights, Naotas mouth quirked into a grin as he felt a niggle of humor from another realization.

"I'm a probably the only demon who's had to resist temptation." he thought. Standing up he shook his head and chuckled. "Only in Nerima." he thought.

Glancing at the clock Naota saw that it was going on nine PM and was a school night. Pulling his shirt off he put it on the back of his chair as he walked back to his bed.

"Only in Nerima." he said to himself as he got into bed.

Over the next week Naota found he had his hands full dealing with the female population of Furinkan. Combined with the knowledge of his new discovery Naota found himself in a couple of dicey situations, but saved himself by using quick thinking and the timely arrival of Kenji.

Finally the week ended and on Saturday afternoon he hooked up with Lia and the others.

"I'm here." Naota said as he dropped from the rooftops.

"We missed you." Lia said as Naota stood up and dusted himself off. "You didn't have to stay away for that long."

Naota shrugged as they started walking. "I had my hands full with the other girls at school." Naota said. "And there was your other curse as well."

Lias ears folded back momentarily and she winced. "Oh." looking up at Naota. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome." Naota said. "So, did I miss anything while I was gone?"

Lia grinned. "Grandma Nodoka came over and Christian ended up wearing a dress the whole time."

Naota winced. "Poor kid."

Lia nodded. "Actually, for him that wasn't the worst part." she said.

Naota glanced over at Lia. "I'm scared to ask what the worst part is."

Lia smirked as she looked Naota. "Nodoka took Christian and Mamimi shopping with her." she said. "In full girl get up."

"Oh." Naota said.

"For both of them." Lia added. "Sun dresses, sandals, the works. She even had them in pigtails."

Naota winced. "Poor kids." he said.

Lia nodded in agreement. "I know." she said. "Grandma Nodokas nice enough, but when it comes to women and girls clothing she completely loses it. I mean, you would not believe what kind of a battle it's been over me carrying a purse."

"You don't carry a purse." Naota said.

"Exactly." Lia said with a nod. "And Grandma says that 'all proper ladies carry purses.' I ain't no lady."

"No, you're a woman." Naota said, remembering what one of Lias favorite sayings.

"Damn straight." Lia said.

They walked on in silence for a couple of blocks before Naota looked over at Lia.

"Hey Lia, before we spar can we talk? There's something I want to discuss." he said.

"Sure." Lia said.

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After they changed into their sparring clothes Lia met Naota on the roof as the dojo was occupied by the last class of the day. Hopping onto the roof Lia walked over to Naota and sat down next to him.

"You wanted to talk." Lia said.

"Yeah." Naota said with a slight nod. "It's about the kiss." he continued in a low voice.

"What about it?" Lia asked.

"I think I figured out the main reason why I acted like I did." Naota said.

Lia blinked and looked at Naota. "I thought we figured that out. It was cause of the stress we'd had that day and so on." she said.

Naota nodded and looked out at the skyline. "Yeah, well we missed something." he said. "Something important."

Lia looked at Naota and cocked her head in puzzlement. "Oh? What'd we miss?" she asked.

Naota closed his eyes and prepared himself for what he was about to say next.

"Your scent." he said.

Lia blinked and gave Naota and odd look. "What're you talking about my scent? Did your brain think I was in heat or something?"

Naota went beet red and looked down at the roof.

"Actually Lia," he began. Swallowing nervously he continued. "You were."

"What?" Lia asked.

"You started PMS -ing two days later Lia." Naota said.

Lia was silent for several seconds as Naota turned several darker shades of red. Finally she looked up at him and spoke.

"You mean you can tell what part of my cycle I'm in by how I smell?" she asked quietly.

Naota, by now very red nodded.

"You mean I was...And if we had....I would be..." Lia asked.

"More than likely yes." Naota said.

Lia swallowed nervously as she realized just how close they had came to a major catastrophe.

"Shit." Lia squeaked. "This really complicates things."

"Thats the understatement of the year Lia." Naota said.

"So what do we do?" Lia asked as she huddled up.

Scratching the back of his head Naota looked up at the sky.

"Well, I think it's pretty easy." he said. "We can just avoid each other for a couple of days each month."

"That'll work." Lia said. "For us. What about other girls?"

Naota shrugged. "I'll have to keep my distance and rely on my conditioning." he said as the redness began to leave his face. " So far it's worked for the past week."

"Oh." Lia said. "Well, that's good."

"Yep." Naota agreed.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Lia asked.

"You're the only one." Naota said.

"Thank you." Lia said.

"Lia?"

Lia stood up when she heard Akane calling her from the yard. Walking over to the edge of the roof she looked down.

"Yeah Mom?" she asked.

"Could you come down here and help Ranma with lunch?" Akane asked.

"Sure." Lia said.

"Is Naota up there with you?" Akane asked.

"I'm up here." Naota said.

"Would you keep Christian and Mamimi out from underfoot?" Akane asked.

"Sure." Naota said as he stood up.

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Naota leaned against the dojo wall as he watched Christian and Mamimi roughhouse. Watching them play he was surprised by just how good they were.

"I wonder where Christian gets his martial arts prowess?" he thought. "His father? His mother?"

He watched as Mamimi threw a punch and saw Christian grab it, spin, and easily throw her.

"Or both?"

Mamimi landed with a 'thud' and then hopped to her feet with a giggle. Charging back at Christian they resumed sparring, laughing and giggling. Smiling at their childish antics he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.

Inhaling Naota took in the scent of the dojo. Separating the mass of smells he identified them one by one. Immediately obvious was the scents of the dojo students, filling everything and giving the dojo its spirit. A strong masculine scent that stood out he immediately tagged as Ranma, another one of a definite female vein similar to Lias he identified as Akanes.

Of Matoko he found the barest trace, which was not surprising as her main places in the house were the computer room or the main room. The only time she was ever in the dojo was when it was raining and she couldn't practice her kendo lessons outside.

Christian and Mamimi had a presence in there as well, being that they used the dojo as well. He was surprised to be able to pick up his scent as well. And intermixed between all these was a scent tinged with cucumbers.

Naotas smile turned into a grin and he chuckled at his ability to pick out Lias scent in mass of others.

"At least that problem turned out okay." he thought with a smile. His smile turned to a frown and he looked at the floor. "Too bad my other problems cant be cured that easily."

Looking down at his tail Naota curled his hand up into a fist, feeling the tips of his claws prick his palm.

"Now that I'm a demon I'll never get out of 'field work'." he thought sourly. "They're going to turn me into a killing machine and there's not a thing I can do about it."

A yell followed by a loud 'thump' made Naota look up to see Christian being pinned by Mamimi.

"Are you okay?" Naota asked.

Christian shrugged the best he could through Mamimis pin.

"I'm fine." he said. "How about you?"

"Huh?" Naota asked. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because you looked concerned there for a moment." Christian said.

"Oh." Naota said. Narrowing his eyes he looked at Christian. "And you shouldn't be letting your mind wander in a fight."

"I know." Christian said. "But I figured with your clan problem and all-"

Naota started when he heard Christian. "You know about that?" he asked.

Christian nodded. "Yeah. Dad explained to us all what you and him talked about."he said. "Just to make sure we knew what was going."

"Why would he do that? He put you into more danger-" Naota began.

"He wanted to make sure we were prepared." Christian said. "That way if anything happened we knew what to do."

"Well I'm glad someone does." Naota said. "Because I don't."

Hearing Naotas comment Christian narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

"Naota, can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Shoot." Naota answered.

"Why don't you just say no?" Christian asked.

Naota sighed and looked at Christian. "Because Christian, the Hagakure School does not take 'no' for an answer." he said in a tired voice.

"Then make them." Christian said.

"And do you propose I do that?" Naota asked.

"Do what I do to the bullies at school." Christian said. "I know they gang up on Mamimi and I and pound us, I just threaten to make it a big, noisy, knock down, drag out fight. They don't like attracting attention from the teachers."

Naota was silent for several moments as he considered what Christian had said. Christian was starting to worry that he had said something stupid when he heard a soft chuckle from Naota. The chuckle grew to a full laugh as he looked up at the ceiling.

"From the mouths of babes..." he said.

Christians brow furrowed as he looked at Naota. "You don't like what I said?" he asked.

Still laughing, Naota shook his head. "No, I like it." he said.

Christian brightened at that. "You do?" he asked.

Naota nodded as he looked at Christian. "I do. And thank you." he said. Flexing his fingers he unsheathed his claws. "What you said is exactly what I should do. If it's one thing a ninja doesn't like, it's attracting attention."

Naota looked at his claws as they gleamed in the light of the dojo. "And thanks to you Christian you gave me a way out." he said. "Again I thank you."

Christian shrugged as Mamimi lessened her hold. "Eh, I was just trying to help a guy out" he said.

"Christian, that was so nice of you -HEY!" Mamimi said before Christian slipped out of her grasp.

Naota laughed as they faced off against each other again.

"You took your eyes off of him Mamimi." he said. "Never, ever, do that with a Saotome."

Mamimi nodded as she rushed Christian, her focus never leaving him. Christian waited until the last possible instant before he gave Mamimi a maniac grin and skated sideways.

Totally surprised, Mamimi stumbled and almost fell before catching herself as Christian slid to the edge of the practice area and then back flipped into the yard. Landing in a crouch he stood up and bowed as Mamimi and Naota stared at him wide eyed with shock.

"You- You- You-" Mamimi began.

"Learned Lias Sk8ter technique." Christian said with a Saotome smirk.

"How did you do that?" Naota asked in an awed voice. "I thought you started chi training when you were thirteen."

Christian shrugged as he faced Mamimi. "By watching Dad, Mom, and Lia." he said casually. "I've been doing chi exercises for a while now."

Looking Mamimi in the eye Christian grinned and beckoned. "How are you gonna beat that Mamimi?" he asked.

Mamimi chewed her lip for a second before she noticed her backpack out of the corner of her eye. Smiling she casually walked over to it and opened a pocket. Christian narrowed his eyes as Mamimi pulled a water bottle out with a pull top.

Pulling the top open with her teeth Mamimi took a swig as she looked at Christian. Lowering the bottle she poised her left hand over the top, preparing to smack it closed. Christian tensed as he prepared for a squirting.

Instead of squirting him Mamimi smacked the top closed. Christian relaxed and so was caught off guard when Mamimi snapped her arm up and threw the water bottle at Christian.

Christian reacted exactly like Lia would have: Instead of batting it to the side or ducking he slashed out with hand, his chi claws cutting it in two and releasing the contents over him.

Instantly Christian shrank several sizes and her hair changed to bright red. Sputtering she looked at the now smiling Mamimi.

"How's that, Chris -chan?" she asked.

Christian merely grinned and blurred forwards towards Mamimi, who responded by launching herself off the porch at Christian.

Naota watched with amazement as the two went at with gusto until a thought occurred to him.

"Hey wait!" he yelled as he jumped to his feet. "You're supposed to stay in the dojo!"

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Lia had finished putting the plates on the table with the rest of the table settings when she heard yelling erupt from the yard. Stepping outside she saw a small dust cloud in which were Christian and Mamimi.

"I wonder what my brother-" Lia paused as she saw flash of red hair "-sister and Mamimi are up to?"

She was about to say something when Naota ran up and entered the fray, intending to break it up. Instead he found himself dodging kicks and punches as the fight wandered over the yard. When it neared the koi pond Naota jumped over the fight, back flipping in mid air.

He slowly began to back up as they approached the ponds edge. Finally when they were almost to the edge his hands snapped out and grabbed the two fighters.

"Alright you two, that's enough-!" was all Naota said before Christian kicked him.

Christians kick was nothing more than a light tap to Naotas demon body, but it was more than enough to knock him off balance. He teetered backwards precariously as he tried to regain his balance but with Mamimi and Christian also moving around there was no way he was going to be able to regain his balance.

"Whoaaaaaaah!!!!!" all three of them said as they teetered backwards before giving into gravity.

Lia jumped out of the way as they hit the pond with a loud splash. When she peek out from the screen she had hid behind what Lia had to stifle a giggle. Naota was sitting in the middle of the pond looking like a drowned rat.

Flipping his hair out of his eyes Naota stood up with a sour look.

"Great, now I'm wet and muddy." he said.

"Sorry." Christian said as she stood up. "It was reflex."

"Well, you have good reflexes then." Naota said as he flipped his hair out of his eyes again.

Still trying to keep from laughing Lia walked over to where the pond.

"You look like a drowned rat Naota." she said.

"Tell me about it." he said.

Akane stepped out of the kitchen to what the commotion was and saw Naota stepping out of the pond. Chuckling she walked over to where Lia was standing.

"Naota, why don't you go take a bath in the furo?" she said. "You look like you've been mud wrestling.

"Thank you Akane." Naota said as he flicked mud off of his tail. "I'll go through the dojo so what I track in can be cleaned up easy."

"Thank you." Akane said. Looking at Christian as she climbed out of the pond onto the porch. "And after you two get cleaned up that's your job."

"Aw man." Christian said.

Nodding his thanks Naota stepped onto the porch and walked along the outside of the house to the dojo, mud and puddles marking his path.

Lia smirked at Christian as she pulled her shirt off and wrung it out.

"Good one Chris -chan." she said. "Kicking Naota into the pond like that."

"Yeah, you probably got a kick out of seeing your boyfriend in a wet shirt." Christian snapped as she finished wringing out her shirt.

"Christian!" Mamimi and Akane chorused.

Lias ear twitched at Christians comment. She had enjoyed seeing Naota in a wet t-shit but that still didn't give Christian the right to be a pain.

"Christian..." Lia growled as she cracked her knuckles.

Christian looked up at her sister and saw expression.

"Uh -oh." she said right before she bolted.

"GET BACK HERE!!!" Lia yelled as she gave chase.

"Bleahhh!..." was Christians response as she stuck her tongue out at Lia.

"WHY YOU-!" Lia yelled as they round the corner.

Mamimi and Akane listened as the shouting and hollering of Lia and Christian chase went around the back of the dojo and back around to the front.

As they charged past Akane realized that there was something amiss with Christian.

"Christian! Put your shirt on! You're a girl!" she hollered as they ran past.

"I'm a boy!" Christian yelled back as she ran around the corner again.

"Oh brother...." Akane groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

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Naota dumped the rinse bucket over his head and was not the least surprised that it didn't bother him at all. Refilling the pan he dumped it down his back and finished rinsing. Shaking his tail he shook the water from it and looked at the bath.

It had been filled with hot water by Matoko before he had gotten into the furo. Watching wisps of steam rise from the water he debated with himself whether he should soak or not.

"That is awfully tempting...." Naota thought. "And Matoko did go to the trouble of filling the tub..."

Naota continued to debate with himself until the question was rendered moot a few minutes later.

Outside Mamimi had joined the chase, running after Christian with Lia right behind her. Christian had found that she didn't have the concentration necessary for the sk8ter technique with Lia chasing after her so she had been forced to run.

Lia was under no such restrictions, sk8ting after him until finally she and Mamimi collapsed into a sweaty, dirty, and muddy heap.

Coasting to a stop Lia looked at the two panting and sweating eight -year -olds.

"I put you through enough Christian." Lia said with a chuckle. "You and Mamimi go wash up."

Too winded to speak Christian nodded and she and Mamimi stood up on wooden legs and shuffled off to the furo. Watching them go Lias tail wove back and forth as something in back of her brain nagged at her.

"What am I forgetting?" she asked herself.

Her nose twitched as a breeze brought the scent of beef bowls to her attention and Lias stomach promptly took command, overriding everything else and sending her strait to the table.

She was halfway through her first bowl when a trio of screams erupted from the direction of the furo. Putting down her bowl Lia ran to the furo.

"Close the door!" Naota yelled as Lia stopped short of the door.

"Sorry." Mamimi said before she shut the door. Shrugging she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her self. "It's not like it's nothing I haven't seen before." she muttered.

"I heard that!" Naota yelled through the door.

Mamimi and Christian gave the door wide eyed stares. Glancing at Christian she pointed at the door.

"He heard me!" she squeaked.

Christian nodded in reply as she stared at the door.

"So that's good demon hearing is...." she thought. Her eyes narrowed as another thought crossed her mind. "I wonder if he'll spar with me..."

"Is it safe?" Lia asked , interrupting Christians thoughts.

"Yeah." Christian answered. "You can't see your boyfriend."

Ignoring the comment Lia stepped into the changing room with them. Looking down at Christian she pulled a towel off the rack and handed it to him.

"Here, cover yourself." she said. When Christian started to wrap it around her waist Lia stopped her and pointed to her chest area. "No, up here." Lai said.

"Why?" Christian asked as she re -wrapped her towel.

"Because you're a girl at the moment, and girls have more to cover." Lia explained.

"That makes no sense." Christian said as she crossed her arms and looked at Lia.

"You'll understand eventually." Lia said. "Now, scoot. You can have the furo after Naotas done."

"Okay." Christian said with a shrug. "Lets go Mamimi."

As Mamimi walked by she cocked her head to one side and looked at Christian.

"Chris -chan, why did you scream?" she asked.

Christian shuddered and looked back at Mamimi. "Because I saw Lias boyfriends bare butt, thats why."

"Hey!" Lia and Naota chorused. "You want to wear that new sun dress Grandma bought you?" Lia said.

"No." answered Christian.

"Then be quiet." Lia shot back.

Lia waited until the two were gone, then she turned and rapped on the door.

"Naota?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Sorry about that." Lia said. "I forgot you were in here when lunch was put out."

"It's okay. I was about done anyways." Naota answered. "Though I swear, sometimes I think I'm in a peep show around here."

Lia spluttered as she tried to suppress a sudden giggle brought on by Naotas last comment. Covering her mouth with her hands Lia tried to keep it from escaping but failed miserably.

"I can hear you Lia." Naota said through the door.

That was the last straw for Lia, and she burst out laughing. Clutching her stomach she doubled over and laughed long and hard before she was able to get it under control. Straightening up she leaned against the door and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry." Lia said. "But what you said...."

"I know." Naota said. "Now could you step out please? I'd like to get dressed."

"Oh, okay." Lia said. "I'll go set you a place." she said as she left the room.

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Ranma sat on the porch by the koi pond, a cup of tea by his side as he read the evening paper. Idly he listened as sounds of sparring came from the dojo. A scream and a loud thump signaled the end of the sparring session.

A few minutes later Lia and Naota walked up along the porch.

"So you're saying Christians managed to learn chi manipulation and my sk8ter technique?" Lia asked.

'Yep." Naota answered with a nod.

"Huh. That little rat." Lia said. "I knew he was holding back on me."

Seeing her father Lia walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Dad." she said. "Guess what?"

"I heard." Ranma said as he looked up at his daughter. "What'd you expect? He's a Saotome."

Lia put her hands on her hips and scowled at her father.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she said as she stamped her foot.

Ranma flashed Lia a grin. "What do you think?" he asked.

Lias right ear twitched. "ARRRGH!!!" she said. Throwing her hands up in the air Lia turned to go inside. "That's it! I need Pocky!"

Ranma and Naota watched as Lia stomped inside. Chuckling Ranma shook his head and went back to his paper. Naota watched as Lia stomped into the kitchen. Shrugging he looked at Ranma.

Clearing his throat he spoke. "Uh, Ranma, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked. "It's about my clan situation."

Putting down his paper Ranma looked up at Naota.

'Shoot." he said.

"I found a way out." Naota said.

Ranma blinked in surprise and looked at Naota.

"You did? How?" he asked.

"Threaten to have a big, noisy, fight." Christian said.

Ranma got a puzzled look on his face as he looked at Naota. "How will that work?" he asked.

Naota shrugged. "Easy." he said. "Ninjas hate attention. That will get the elders to listen to me."

Ranma nodded. "I see. But will they except it?" he asked. "And how will you do this with out endangering my family? From what I understand ninja clans don't allow you to just leave."

Naota nodded in agreement. "I know Ranma." he said. "I grew up in one. I lost a cousin who thought that way."

"So how will you do it?" Ranma asked.

Naota glanced at the koi pond before continuing. "By allowing for a compromise." he said. "I'm not doing this for myself Ranma. I'm doing it for my descendants."

"I see." Ranma said. "So what do want to have as the outcome?"

"Well..." Naota began. "Well, before I say anything, this must remain secret, okay? I don't want to worry Lia."

Ranma nodded in agreement. "I agree." he said. "The less she knows, the safer she'll be."

"Well then, to start the number one goal of the clan is it's survival." Naota began. "They will use anything to ensure that. It's the reason why we've been around since before the Warring States period."

Ranmas eyes widened at that admission and nodded as Naota continued.

"That's why my demonic abilities will be such an asset to them." he said. "They will do everything they can to control that asset, and if they can't control it they will eliminate it to ensure it doesn't become a threat."

"So I see." Ranma said. "You just want to choose how your used."

"Exactly." Naota said. "And my family's techniques are very.....ah, useful. They won't want that to die out."

"So you want to be a teacher." Ranma said. 'What about the Anything Goes I've taught you?"

Naota grinned, his fangs catching the light. "Don't worry. I'll only teach them what I want to teach them."

"Okay." Ranma said.

"Anyways, as I was saying, the number one priority of the clan is it's own survival." Naota said. "If I can give them the use of my abilities without a fuss they will go for it."

"I see." Ranma said as he got what Naota was getting at. "And I take it you want my help. Otherwise you wouldn't have told me."

"Correct." Naota said. "When I make my case to the clan, I cant be bluffing. The clan will test me, and if they see through it, its all over."

"Hmm." Ranma said. "So. This is in both our interests."

Naota nodded. "Yes. And to that I need to get to your level. And I only have until I turn eighteen." he said. "A little over a year."

"So I see." Ranma said.

"So what do you think?" Naota asked.

Ranma sipped his tea and thought for several moments before he responded. "Well," he began. "It's doable."

Naota sighed with relief and leaned back onto his elbows.

"So what do you propose?" he asked. "For my training?"

Ranma put his tea down and picked up his paper.

"Well, for starters, you already have my power." Ranma said. "And you already have enough martial arts skill as it is. Your problem is you can't harness it effectivly."

Turning the page Ranma picked up the article he had been reading.

"I can do that in the time you have." he said. "And it is the best option you have available."

"And I can resume my Anything Goes training afterwards." Naota said as Ranma nodded.

"But it will be intense." Ranma said. "More than likely your schoolwork and other things will suffer."

Naota shrugged. "A few small sacrifices for long term good." he said. "I can do passing grades in my sleep."

"If you say so." Ranma answered. "When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow." Naota said. "The sooner I start, the better."

"Okay then." Ranma said as Lia came back onto the porch, munching on the last Pocky stick.

"So what are you two up to?" she asked.

"Male bonding, what does it look like?" Ranma asked.

The clock in the living room chimed seven as Lia shook her head. Getting to his feet Naota stretched.

"Well, thats my cue to head home." he said. "See you tomorrow Lia."

"See you." Lia said.

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(1) Yes Naota is a Metallica fan, and yes he got the album from peer -to -peer networks.