Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Alliances ❯ Strike One! ( Chapter 4 )

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. 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.

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

As usual, Akane woke up to the sound of Ranma and his father sparring in the yard, insults flying as fast as their fists. Getting up with a sigh, the youngest Tendo dressed for her morning run and headed out.

This morning, however, she was jogging more slowly than usual, and as she passed the local park on impulse she broke off her run and sat down on the closest bench, thoughts of the group decision she'd been railroaded into by her father (and her own anger and competitiveness, but she carefully ignored that inconvenient fact).

Do I really want to do this? she thought as she leaned back and stared at a nearby fountain. Surely having one of the girls not sleep with him wouldn't make a difference. Sure, Ukyo and Shampoo will boast, but what's to boast about? After all, it can't be that hard to get a boy to sleep with you, the way they are! It's hard to believe he hasn't slept with them already, the way those hussies throw themselves at him.

But if they sleep with him and I don't, that'll give them an edge when it comes to marriage. And if one of them gets pregnant ...

Akane found herself grinding her teeth, body taut as a bowstring, as memories of the good times floated through her head, the few times he'd actually complimented her, the rescues, the fun together they'd occasionally had (along with other memories of a cute redhead, and the way her smile would light up her face, but Akane carefully ignored that). No way am I going to let those sharks have him! she thought, lips pulling back to bare her teeth in a snarl. Even if he is a pervert, he's a good-hearted one — he deserves better than that.

Decision made, the black-haired girl relaxed and rose, jogging back toward her home.

* * * * *

As Ranma and Akane walked to school, Ranma was close to panic — something was seriously wrong with Akane. This morning, she hadn't insulted him when they met at breakfast — instead, she'd given him that smile that made him feel so odd. He'd called her an uncute tomboy, and she'd kept smiling. He'd commented on her cooking, and at least the smile had disappeared, but she still hadn't insulted him back, much less pulled out the Hammer!

As the two walked along, Ranma kept glancing at the girl to his left out of the corner of his eye, and ... was she glancing at him? And she was turning a little red ...

Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt her hand take hold of his. “A-A-Akane?” he stuttered, looking at the black-haired girl walking beside him, now definitely giving him all her attention.

“Ranma, do you ... do you really think I'm uncute?” she asked softly.

Ranma instantly started to agree, but paused. Something about the way Akane looked, she seemed so ... so vulnerable. He'd never seen her like that, at least he didn't think so ... he thought. And then the memory of their first day, the way she'd looked at Dr. Tofu —

“Akane, I ... I ... no, not really, not most a' the time. Just sometimes,” the pigtailed boy managed to mumble, and his heart turned over as Akane's face lit up again with that smile.

To Ranma's relief, she turned forward again, and they walked along in silence for a time. Ranma began to relax again — maybe she was getting back to normal (he carefully ignored the way she was still holding his hand).

Then, Akane turned her head again, looking soulfully at her fiancé. “Ranma, do you like —”

SPLASH! Akane suddenly found herself soaking wet all down her left side and front, blouse sticking to her chest as the Ladle Lady turned away, and Ranma was almost rolling on the ground howling with laughter.

Finally, he managed to control himself enough to look up and gasp out, “Yeah, now ya know what it's like!” Then, as Ranma got a good look at Akane's furious face he stiffened, bracing himself for the Hammer.

But to his shock, his fiancée merely closed her eyes for a long moment, took several deep breaths, then said through gritted teeth, “Let's get to school.”

They resumed their walk, and to Ranma's discomfort Akane again took his hand (though her grip was quite a bit stronger), though now at least she wasn't glancing at him, instead staring forward. Finally, as they approached the gates, Akane again looked over at Ranma. “Ranma, do you like —”

“Do mine eyes deceive me? Can the rumors be true? Has the foul sorcerer finally broken through the divine Akane's defenses to force her to love him?! No, it shall not be — I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, shall not permit it!”

Yes, Kuno! Ranma thought, relief flooding through him. Breaking Akane's grip on his hand, Ranma braced himself, readying for the attack from the tall upperclassman standing in front the school ground gates, dressed in a samurai's robes and waving a bokken around as he pontificated.

Then Ranma froze as Akane shrieked, her Hammer flashing into existence as she dropped her book bag and charged Kuno. Just has the upperclassman struck a presumably noble pose, her swing caught him solidly in the chest and smashed him back through the gates.

Akane followed her prey onto the school grounds, and Ranma forced his stunned mind back into motion even as he ran after her. Wow, I don't think I've ever seen her this mad! He thought as he leaped the wall. Racing across the school yard, he caught Akane's hands just as she started to swing the Hammer down at the unconscious Kuno, crumpled below the small impact crater in the wall of the building.

“Easy, Akane, I know he's a jerk, but ya don't beat on unconscious opponents,” Ranma said as she tried to jerk her hands out of his grip. After a few minutes of wrestling, Akane stilled, gasping, and the Hammer faded from view. Taking her book bag from one of the other girls, she slowly relaxed. Carefully not looking at her fiancé, she ground out, “Let's get to class,” and strode into the school.

* * * * *

In her bedroom, Akane paced back and forth through the patch of late afternoon sunlight shining through her window on the floor, fighting her anger as her thoughts went over the same rut of the morning disasters over and over.

Okay, trying anything outside of home just isn't going to work, she finally thought, throwing herself back onto her bed and staring out the window. There are just too many distractions, complications. But trying at home isn't going to work, either — Ranma spends most of his time studying the Art, and when he isn't there are too many witnesses. And if the fathers catch us together `like that' we'll be married before sundown!

She gritted her teeth as she remembered her words the previous afternoon, about having the inside track, then stiffened as a thought struck her. There is one advantage I have here — the furo! That pervert ought to like it if — when — I join him there after his practice. Speaking of which ... She glanced up at the clock on her headboard. He ought to be there right now! Getting up and grabbing a change of clothes, Akane rushed out of her room for the stairs.

Reaching the changing room, the black-haired girl smiled to see the `occupied' sign up. Quickly stripping off her clothes, she grabbed a fresh towel, opened the door and stepped through.

On the short stool, Ranma in his girl form froze, a bucket of cold water pouring over her head. Something at Akane's core unclenched (but she carefully ignored that), and her eyes traveled over the petite redhead sitting before her, up her firmly muscled legs, across the bush of red hair where they joined, up her firm stomach, lingered slightly on Ranma's large, firm breasts, red pointy nipples stiffened from the cold water still running down Ranma's body, then on up and —

Akane winced at the deer-in-the-headlights look on her fiancé's face. He's afraid of me! she thought. When did that start?

She smiled at Ranma, and was pleased to see some of the tenseness fade from the other girl's body. “Turn around, I'll get your back, then you can get mine,” Akane offered.

“But ... but ... but Akane, I'm naked!” Ranma protested.

“It's not like you haven't shown your top half to the entire world every time you wring out your shirt,” Akane said offhandedly. “And for your bottom half, you don't have anything I don't see when I look in the mirror.”

“You're naked!”

“So? You've seen it all a couple of times already,” Akane rebutted with a shrug.

“I'll be a guy as soon as I step in the furo!”

“Again, so? I've seen it all already. Now, turn around and I'll get started.” Akane carefully kept smiling in spite of the blush mounting her cheeks, repressing a confused frown. What's wrong with him? That pervert should be happy to be given the chance to spend some time with me naked. That is why he keeps walking in on me, right? To see me naked?

Finally, the petite redhead sitting on the stool nodded and turned, presenting her back to her fiancée and Akane put her towel to the side and grabbed the soap and scrubber.

 

Homework finished, Nabiki leaned back in her chair in satisfaction, dropping her pen on the surface of her desk. There! Now for more important things — the betting pool.

It had been a good, profitable day at school — few had anticipated Kuno's charge through the gates to confront Ranma and Akane outside the school grounds, so that had paid off well. As well, she had gotten everything in place for her newest, most discrete betting pool — which girl would be the first to seduce Ranma.

But there was a problem, a big one, and Nabiki thought of the report from one of her spies that Akane and Ranma had been holding hands when Kuno accosted them. Damn, but little sis is moving fast — too fast. I'm impressed, I didn't think she had it in her. Come to think of it, just how fast is she moving? Didn't I hear her go by a few minutes ago?

The middle Tendo quickly got up and checked Akane's room — no Akane. Down the stairs and a quick look in the family room — no Akane. Rushing to the dojo, she peeked around the door — no Akane. Leaning against the dojo wall, Nabiki tapped a lip as she thought. Okay, so she isn't trying to help Ranma with his homework, and she isn't trying to convince him to spar with her. She could have gotten Ranma to go out with her, grab a date without saying it's a date — or it could be she's not just moving fast, but really fast.

Quickly heading back into the house, Nabiki tiptoed into the furo's changing room and cracked the door leading to the furo itself. Peaking through, she found Akane sitting on the washing stool, with a blushing redhead scrubbing at her back.

Nabiki soundlessly closed the door and tiptoed out of the furo, then wandered back toward the family room. This is not good. This is very not good. I cannot believe Akane's moving this fast! I thought it would be Shampoo that I'd really have to worry about, maybe Ukyo, not violent, boy-hating little sis. At this rate, if she doesn't snag Ranma in a few minutes it'll only be a few hours, tomorrow at the latest. What to do, what to do ...

Then, the mercenary sister heard a shout from the backyard — “Where am I now?!” — and a broad grin chased away her worried frown. Oh, this is too perfect!

 

Akane sighed softly as Ranma soaped her back in gentle, even strokes. It had been surprisingly easy to convince the petite redhead to return the favor, but the oddly relaxing scrubdown was almost over and the cute red-haired girl would become the handsome black-haired boy. (Akane felt something at her core tighten at the thought, but she carefully ignored it.)

Then the scrubbing stopped. “All done,” Ranma announced, and Akane sighed as she picked up the water bucket and dumped it over her head, filled and dumped it again, then filled it a third time.

Turning slightly on her seat, she saw her fiancé about to step into the furo. “Ranma, hold up just a minute!” she called out, and the redhead paused.

“Yeah?” Ranma asked warily.

“Come here,” Akane ordered as she shifted from the low stool to the side of the furo.

Ranma hesitated, but then Akane smiled that smile and her resistance melted. I just know I'm gonna regret this, Ranma thought despairingly, but shrugged. With a sigh, she walked over, then yelped when Akane reached out and pulled the smaller girl into her lap.

“Akane, what are ya doin'?!” Ranma shouted, struggling to get up, but Akane held her firmly in place.

“Ranma, do you like me?” Akane asked.

“Uh, wha?” the redhead managed to get out, and Akane sighed.

“I asked: Do. You. Like. Me?” she firmly repeated.

“Uh, s-sure, a `course I l-l-like ya,” Ranma stuttered.

Akane smiled again. “Good, I'm glad. We aren't going to have much time to soak before dinner, but first ...”

She caught Ranma's chin, and the smaller girl froze as Akane softly kissed her on the lips. For a moment, Ranma seemed to melt, slumping against the taller girl, her lips parted —

And the door to the changing room smashed open as a large boy wearing dusty, ragged clothes and a yellow and black bandanna charged through. “Ranma, you bastard, you get away from ... from ...” Ryoga's voice trailed off as his eyes widened at the sight before him, and Ranma shouted, “It's not what it looks like!” as she leaped to her feet ... or tried to. Akane still had her arm around the redhead's waist, and she overbalanced, the two slipped off the edge of the furo, and Ranma's flailing arm slammed into the full bucket Akane had set aside and sent it flying across the room.

Akane yelped as her head bounced off the edge of the furo, slipped on the wet floor and sprawled prone, and tried to cover herself up even as she looked up at Ryoga — and watched as his clothes collapsed to the floor along with a muffled thud.

“Ryoga!” she screamed, scrambling toward the pile of clothes, and then froze as they shifted, and a very familiar piglet wiggled out of the pile. “P-chan?” she gasped. “You ... how ...” She glanced in confusion over at the redhead sprawled next to her, to find Ranma pushing herself backwards, the deer-in-the-headlight look back on her face. And with that, everything clicked into place — the insults, the way P-chan and Ranma had never liked each other, the way P-chan and Ryoga had never appeared at the Tendo household at same time....

Everything went red with a shriek as the Hammer appeared in her hands, and Ranma ran, scooping up P-chan as she passed on her way to the destroyed door.

 

Out in the corridor, Nabiki flattened herself to the wall as a naked Ranma-chan carrying a black piglet barreled out of the changing room and flashed past her, quickly followed by an equally naked, dripping, screaming Akane in pursuit, hammer held back over her shoulder ready to swing as soon as she got within Hammer range.

“Oh, my!” Nabiki heard as the two whipped around the corner and out of sight, and she lost it — Kasumi turned the corner her younger sister and possible fiancé had disappeared around to find her middle sister sliding down the wall, clutching her sides, howling with laughter.

In spite of Kasumi's preference to stay in the background, she saw most of everything that happened within her domain, and inferred most of the rest. The motherly Tendo looked at the shattered door, at her sister laughing uncontrollably, considered what she'd just seen (very briefly), and frowned slightly at Nabiki.

“That wasn't very nice, little sister,” she gently reproved, and Nabiki sobered somewhat — having Kasumi upset with you was not a good thing if you lived within her domain, there were so many little ways she could make your life ... interesting.

“It was just a little fun, big sis, no real harm done. Sure, Akane's furious right now, but she's right to be — the way Ryoga was acting is dishonorable, and for some reason Ranma let him get away with it. Now it's out in the open, and once the two grovel enough Akane will forgive them. They're too important to her for her not to.” But it'll take awhile — possibly as long as a week, and that will do nicely for my own plans.

Kasumi gazed down thoughtfully at the brown-haired girl for a long moment, then sighed. “Perhaps you are right,” she said (to Nabiki's carefully hidden relief). “At any rate, dinner is almost ready. Help me get Akane calmed down.” Reaching down, she pulled Nabiki to her feet and the two set off in pursuit of the chase they could here slamming through the house.