Ruroni Ranma

Part 5

Yuriko's and Ranma.

Ranma stood outside the Tendo home with his hand on the girl's shoulder
as he walked with Akane escorting the girl home. "I can get there myself,
I don't need any help!" grumbled the child angrily. She made no move to
stop them though.

"I'll expect you after school tomorrow," said Akane coolly.

"Whatever, you couldn't teach me anything anyway," said the girl coolly
as she walked away from the group.

Ranma merely smiled and stood with Akane as she vanished into the crowd.

"Well, that's the end of that, what a rude little kid," commented Akane
as she turned away.

"She might surprise you," replied the boy with a thoughtful look on his
face. "That arrogant pride, is it just bad behavior, or a strong sense of
honor?" he asked himself in his mind.

"Where are you going?" said Akane as Ranma moved forward into the crowd.


"Just for a little walk," said Ranma as he flashed her a grin. "I'll be
back before dinner."

"I'll just bet you will," snorted the girl as she continued to walk
home. The boy had never missed a meal since he arrived at the dojo. She
spun around and sighed. "Ranma, wait for me!"


Yuriko stood in front of a scruffy looking man who sat on a park bench
surrounded by a group of young punks, all of whom were older than her.
She walked closer to the man as he took a drag off of his cigarette.
"You're late."

"Sorry, I had a problem," replied the girl tentatively as she backed
away nervously. After a moment she emptied her pockets dropping several
wallets onto his lap.

"Good girl, you'll do good in the world if you keep it up. Who knows, in
a few years I can set you up with a nice cushy job in Madam Chu's house.
You're a pretty girl, I'm sure of it if you're careful and don't get all
banged up on the mean streets." He laughed out loud for a moment and the
men around him joined in.

"No thanks, I'm leaving now," replied the girl with a shrug. All the men
stopped laughing suddenly.

"What was that?" said the leader with a deadly calm.

"I mean I'm out, I can't do this anymore," said the girl confidently as
she turned around,, only to find several of the boys had moved behind
her.

"Well, I don't think so kid. You'll stay and do what I say from now on,
and like it too." He motioned with his hands and the boy's grabbed her
and held her in place. "You belong to me kid, you think all that noble
blood you seem to think you have is worth shit today? Who the hell took
you in when we found you in a ditch two years ago? Who gave you a place
to stay and protected you? Kiss all that goodbye bitch!" he slapped her
across her face hard enough to make the boy's lose their grip on her for
a moment. "Kiss all that goodbye! You guys take her and start training
her for her job with Madam Chu." 

Yuriko's eyes went wide as the group gave a collective chuckle. "No."

"You let her go!" screamed a voice as one of the boys flew into the air
and landed on his back. Yuriko and the others turned to see Akane Tendo
standing in a punch with her arm still extended and a look of complete
rage in her eyes. She paused as Ranma stepped between her and the group. 

"Let her go, I don't think you really need her do you?" he said calmly. 

"Who the fuck are you?" cried the man angrily. "Get the fuck out of here
or..." he stopped cold when Ranma placed his hand on the hilt of his
blade and smiled.

"I'd like to settle this peacefully if I can, I really don't want to
hurt any of you. Let her go, please. Now," the boy's cheerful face had
fallen away leaving a cold scowl that made the men step back.

"Well, there's ten of us and only one of you," replied the man with a
shrug as he picked up a cane that sat beside him and twisted the top
revealing a blade hidden within. The others in the group produced various
weapons, from chains to knives.

"I see," Ranma sighed as he moved into a battojitsu stance. 

The men charged and Akane rushed forward. "Ranma no!" A strange fear
flooded her body as she prepared to rush forward and help him. Yuriko
just stood in shocked wonder as the group charged forward all at once and
seemed to swallow up Ranma, who stood unmoving.

It was over before Akane reached him. She stopped and took a step back
as the sound of metal scraping against the inside of a scabbard floated
over the cries of the boys. A moment later they all fell to the ground
leaving only the leader standing alone. He shook in place and dropped his
sword cane as the blade slowly fell away from the hilt. "What the hell?"

"R-Ranma?" gasped Akane as she stepped towards him as he replaced the
katana in its scabbard. 

"I'm glad you see things my way sir. Please, don't bother Yuriko again,
or anyone else in Nerima for that matter. I'd appreciate it if you'd
leave," said Ranma calmly as he stared the man down.

The punks on the ground slowly roused groaning in pain with a few
managing to stagger to their feet and try to run away, succeeding only in
staggering into the bushes.

The man fell to the ground on his knees and wet himself as Ranma stepped
forward with his hand still on the blade watching his movements
carefully. He merely nodded numbly and passed out on the ground.

Akane stared at her fiancée in shock. She had never seen him in a fight
before, this was something she had never expected of him. Somehow it made
her feel slightly afraid despite the fact that she had caught a brief
glimpse of his blade. "A Sakabato?"

Ranma nodded quietly and walked up to her with Yuriko at his side. The
girl was looking up at him in shocked awe. "That was so cool! You have to
teach it to me!"

Akane stepped back and frowned. "You can't!"

Ranma raised his eyebrow at her and smiled at them as he kneeled down
next to Yuriko. "I'm afraid Akane is right Yuriko, the Hiten Mitsurugi
style is a killing style. I won't teach it to anyone, if you want to be
strong I'm afraid you'll have to do it her way. If you learn well, I
might pass on a little of the Anything Goes style to you."

The girl furrowed her brow slightly and hung her head. "But I have to be
strong, I want to make my family proud!"

"Family?" said Akane in confusion.

"My dad was a police man, he got shot and died. My mom never
recovered...
My mom died, she got sick and I came to Kuruso for help. I did all I
could, but I wasn't strong enough to help. I want to help protect others.
You've got to teach me this style! I'll be unbeatable!" cried the girl as
tears appeared in her eyes.

Akane stood up and slapped her across her face with a scowl. "You can't
protect others by killing people!"

"What did you do that for you hag?" screeched the girl angrily.

Ranma sighed and hung his head while fingering the scar on his face
slightly. "Akane is right, Hiten Mitsurugi is not for protecting others.
It's for killing, I won't teach it to you. If you want to be strong and
protect others, learn from the Tendos." 

Yuriko looked between them and frowned. She said nothing and started to
walk, Akane smiled at her and placed her hand on her shoulder as she led
her back towards the Dojo.


That evening Ranma blinked. "Oro?  She's staying with us?" He put down
his chopsticks and looked at the girl who simply glared at him.

"Well, where else is she going to stay? You made her our student you
jerk!" snorted Akane angrily. 

Ranma simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Well, that's nice."

Soun sobbed into his arm. "Akane has her first student! I'm so proud of
my daughter!"

"My student?" said Akane with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I was under the impression that you would be teaching him Tendo," said
Ranma in surprise.

"Of course I will, once she is ready for the more advanced classes,"
replied the man sagely.

"So, she's living with us now?" snorted Nabiki as she pointed at the
girl with her chopsticks. 

"Oh, I think it's wonderful! It will be like having another sister!"
cried Kasumi.

"What a weirdo," muttered Yuriko under her breath as she gave the girls
a disgusted look.

"Yes, there's nothing I want more than a fowl mouthed, arrogant, little
sister," she looked over at Akane and blinked. "Well, I guess I'm kind of
used to it now."

"What's that supposed to mean Nabiki?" growled Akane.

"Oh nothing," replied the girl as she looked away.

"Ranma, I'd like you to take her down to school tomorrow, she'll need to
be enrolled in school if she's going to be staying here," said Soun as he
nodded to himself. "Akane can show you where it's at."

"What? Me?!" cried the girl in question.

"That's a good idea," agreed Ranma.

"What?! School?! No way!" cried Yuriko in disgust.

"You can't make a living protecting people you know!" snorted Akane as
she smacked the girl on the back of her head.

"Ouch! You hag! I don't need school, I'll just open up a dojo or
something!" cried Yuriko.

Nabiki noticed the girl's nervous glances and smiled. "Ranma goes to
school too you know."

The girl blinked at her and looked over to him. "You do?"

He nodded cheerfully and tried his best to ignore the conversation. 

"I guess I'll go then," she muttered under her breath.

Nabiki raised her eyebrow slightly and took a mental note of this. "How
interesting."


Akane blinked as Nabiki shoved Yuriko into her arms. "With me?"

"Where else is she going to sleep? With Ranma?" replied the girl
snidely.

"Why not?" snorted Yuriko in answer. It seemed she was just as happy
with the arrangements as Akane was.

"You're not sleeping with him!" snapped Akane angrily as she smacked the
girl in the back of her head.

The girl seemed surprised for a moment. "Him? You mean they don't know
she's a girl?" she thought to herself.  She wisely kept this to herself
as Akane continued to fight with her older sister.

"What about your room, or Kasumi?" she shouted.

The older girl stepped out of her room and smiled at her two sisters.
"Well Akane, she is your student..."

"Besides, you have more room than any of us anyway," agreed Nabiki.

"Fine then," she dragged the confused girl into her room and noticed
that the futon was already spread out on the ground. 

"Eww, how girly can you get?" commented Yuriko with a small smug look on
her face. "Her training will be nothing if she's this girly," she thought
to herself.

"Well, I am a girl after all, now keep your hands off my stuff and go to
bed," snapped Akane as she climbed into her bed and left the girl to
herself.

"Fine, be that way," snorted Yuriko a little bitterly.


The next morning she found herself staring into the face of a very angry
Akane Tendo. She looked out the window and narrowed her eyes at the lack
of light. "What the hell is going on?"

Akane smiled to herself. "Get up, it's time for morning class."

"Did you say 'morning class' hag?" muttered the girl lazily as she
rubbed at her eyes.


Both girls were surprised to find Ranma sitting at the table drinking
tea with Kasumi. "Good morning!" he chimed.

"What are you doing up so early Akane?" said her elder sister.

"I knew it!" mumbled Yuriko angrily.

"Well, I've never had a student before, thought I'd get an early start.
What are you doing up so early Ranma?" she turned towards her fiancée.

The ponytailed boy looked at her and blinked. "I'm always up early."

"Oh yes, Ranma always gets up to help with the morning chores," said
Kasumi sweetly.

Akane merely blinked and turned away dragging Yuriko out the door. She
protested almost the whole time, but still did pretty much what she was
instructed to do.

It was almost a half-hour before they returned. Akane was cheerfully
jogging into the gate when Yuriko staggered in behind her and fell face
first into the yard panting breathlessly. "Stupid old hag..."

"You wouldn't be so winded if you didn't spend the whole time screaming
all those obscenities," grumbled Akane as she started to stack a few
bricks up in the yard.

Yuriko growled at her and staggered to her feet. "Now what?"

"You're too tired to do anything else this morning, go inside and get
some breakfast before we take you to school," replied Akane as she turned
away from her project.

"No way! I'm not ready to quit yet you old maid!" replied the girl
angrily.

Akane blinked in shock at this and slowly turned around. "I am not old!
If you want to train so hard do some push ups or something!" She turned
back and slammed her fist through the cement block in frustration with a
loud kiyap. As the dust settled she stopped and turned with a confused
look on her face as she found Yuriko doing exactly as she was instructed.

Ranma turned the corner and smiled. "Well, I can see this is working out
all right."

Akane looked at Yuriko again, the girl promptly collapsed on the ground.
"Hey, you old lady. Are we done yet? This is boring. When are you gonna
teach me something useful?"

Ranma found he was confused when Akane punted him onto the roof. "Dry up
and die!"

TBC...


Next time: Ranma receives yet another challenge. Yuriko goes to school,
and Ranma and Akane deal with Furinkan in the aftermath of the fight
against Kuno.
More good fun stuff. Not too much longer before the action starts.

C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com

URL: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/