Ranma Ichibunnoni
Episode Seven
"Ryoga vs. Ranma! A Feud Cannot Survive on Bread Alone."
* * *
"DIE, RANMA!" Ryoga leapt at Ranma again, this time aiming at
his opponent for real. Ranma quickly somersaulted away. He ended
up at Akane's feet.
Akane looked down at him. "Someone you know?" she asked
archly. Ranma shook his head, upside down.
"Ha! Don't play dumb, Ranma!" cried Ryoga as he stepped
forward menacingly. Ranma quickly somersaulted onto his feet,
looking at his challenger. He strained to remember him. Every eye
was on him now. He put his head into his hands, trying to think.
"Yeah!" cried Ranma. "I know him!" Everybody looked up. "I
met him when I was at Tomobiki High School and this alien princess
tried to--oh, wait. That wasn't me." Everybody facefaulted.
"Futago-kun," said Ranko, covering her face with her hands.
"I don't say this very often...but you're pathetic. You really
are."
Ryoga turned on her brother angrily. "Just tell me one thing,
Ranma! Why did you run away!?" Everybody gasped. Ranma scratched
his head in confusion. "From our man-to-man fight, you moron!"
Ranma gasped. "Now I remember!" he exclaimed. "We were in
junior high together! You were in my class--(1)" He slammed his
fist into his hand and then pointed it at him. "Ryoga! Ryoga
Hibiki! Hey, long time no see!" He held out his hand.
Ryoga angrily tried to swat it away. "Just answer me!" he
yelled. "Why did you run away??"
Ranma looked at him oddly. "Um...Ryoga, I *waited* for three
days!" he said defensively.
Ryoga snorted. "Oh, sure. *Three* days. But when I got
there on the fourth day, you were long gone off to China with your
family!" Whispers started circulating throughout the crowd.
"Uh...Ryoga," asked Ranma. "We were supposed to meet in your
back yard, right? So why the heck did it take you four days to get
there?"
Ryoga angrily blushed. "You think I was having a picnic?" he
demanded. "I wasn't wandering halfway around Japan for my health,
you know!"
"Ryoga..." said Ranma slowly. "I don't know how to tell you
this, but--"
"Just shut up and DIE!!" screamed Ryoga as he charged forward.
Ranma jumped into the air. Ryoga kept on going. Through the
school wall. And beyond.
"Well, that was easy," Ranma said as he landed.
(1) This line just *begs* to be answered, "I was your teacher,"
with a snotty upper class british accent, but I couldn't find any
way to fit it into the story.
* * *
Ranma stepped forward. Today was the day of the challenge,
and he was ready for it.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Today was the week after the
day of the challenge. But then, since he'd gotten the challenge
note the day after Ryoga attacked him at school, and it was
supposed to have been three days earlier, that made today just
about right--for Ryoga.
Ranma wasn't all that worried. After all, he figured Ryoga
wouldn't even be showing up for another week. Ranko and Akane had
decided to come just in case, but since nothing had happened the
first three days of his vigil, the other Furinkan students were
just ignoring him. Ranma was inclined to agree with them and
leave, but his honor forbid it. Not to mention the heckling he'd
get from his sister if he left without waiting at least an hour.
He sighed. It was a real drag.
Then a figure stepped forward. It was Ryoga. "Ranma! Today
is the day you will meet your doom!" he prophesied (1).
Ranma got into a defensive stance. "Look, Ryoga," Ranma
started, "I didn't come here to fight you."
Ryoga paused. "No?" he asked warily.
"No," Ranma said. "Here, catch." He threw something at
Ryoga.
Ryoga easily caught it. He glanced at it. Curry bread?
"Wha-what is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
"Yeah," murmured Ranko. "What the heck *is* the meaning of
this?" She glared at her brother.
He ignored her. "Okay, okay. Jeez. Greedy, greedy. Okay,
here's the rest. Chow Mein Bread, Fish Bread, Meat Bread, Salad
Bread, Pork Sandwich, Cutlet Bread, Pork Cutlet, wait, that's not
bread--"
Ryoga turned white and attacked with his umbrella, cutting
Ranma off. "You think this is about BREAD?!?" he yelled at Ranma,
who was busy dodging the deadly umbrella attacks.
"Uh," responded Ranma wittily, "Well, now that you mention it,
yeah."
Ryoga purpled. He stood still and spoke slowly, almost
quivering with anger. "For your information, Ranma," he said,
"This goes far beyond bread. Because of you, I have seen HELL!
(2)" He launched a flurry of attacks, almost too fast to be seen.
Ranma barely blocked them.
Ranma kicked back, striking Ryoga in the chest. Ryoga fell
away...and grinned. His umbrella snapped to attention and he threw
it. It became a spinning razor-sharp disc that flew right at
Ranma. While his enemy was occupied, Ryoga leapt at him.
"Ranma!" cried Akane, scared for him.
Ranko rolled her eyes. "Oh, Ranma!" she gasped, hands clasped
together. Then she snapped her gaze back to Akane. "NOT! Geez,
Akane. Give him some credit. He's better than *that*."
Ranma swerved in midair, kicking in a half-circle. Ryoga was
struck and landed head-first on the ground, Ranma coming in close
on top of him with a two-footed kick.
Ryoga threw Ranma off him with one hand. Ranma landed with a
jarring thud. Ryoga whipped out a bandanna and charged. Ranma,
caught off guard by his enemy waving a bandanna at him (3),
suddenly found it wrapped around his wrist. "Wha--?" he asked.
Ryoga grinned. The other end was around his own wrist.
Akane turned red. "That was *NOT* what I meant, baka! I was
just trying to help him!"
Ranko grinned. "Sure, Akane. I believe you." She elbowed
Akane. "So when's the wedding?"
"Now you can't run away again," gloated Ryoga.
Ranma kicked him. "Whaddaya mean, *again*?!?" he demanded.
Ryoga fell hard, dragging Ranma with him. "Oops," Ranma said as he
fell on top of the bandanna boy.
"Get...OFF ME!" yelled Ryoga, as he kicked Ranma off him.
Ranma flew into the air, vaguely aware that the bandanna had come
undone from the force of the kick. He wasn't surprised. From how
he felt, he wasn't sure his *chest* hadn't come undone. Ryoga was
STRONG!!
Akane turned even redder. "WHAT!?" she demanded of the black-
haired girl next to her.
Ranko clasped her hands together again and fluttered her
eyelashes in a parody of Akane. "Oh, Ranma," she sighed. "You big
manly man. You're so studly, the sight of you makes me forget I
have a brain, just like every other unattached female on the planet
with no taste (4)."
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ME?!?" demanded Akane, getting
angry (5). She took an aggressive step forward.
Ryoga quickly leaped to the advantage, bringing his fist down
in an attack designed to crush Ranma's head. Unfortunately for
him, Ranma easily spun out of the way, tugging at Ryoga's arm as he
dodged and leading Ryoga's fist into a brick wall. Ranma grinned
for a half second until the wall crumbled into pieces from the
force of the impact. Ranma stared in shock. Ryoga got up again,
pushing aside the several hundred pounds of crushed stone that lay
on top of him. Ranma's jaw dropped open. "Wha-wha-" was all he
could say, pointing at his foe. "You're not human!"
Ryoga grinned. "Now, you will pay!" he yelled, kicking his
umbrella into his hand. He threw it spinning again, then quickly
threw several dozen of his bandannas at Ranma, deadly whirling
disks that hummed as they spun through the air at him. Ranma gaped
but quickly dodged, jumping into a tree. The branches around him
were cut off.
Ranko sashayed suggestively past Akane, swinging her hips
sensually and giggling in a brainless way, as if she were from
California (6). "Luckily, certain *other* portions of my anatomy
haven't been frozen, Ranma you big hunk, you. I still know enough
to spread my--(7)"
"DIIIEEE!!" screamed Akane, jumping into the air with her
extradimensional hammer in her hands (8) and blood-lust in her
eyes.
Ranko looked up to see Akane jumping on her. Akane's eyes
widened as she realized she had forgotten about the fight. Dozens
of spinning blades were in the air all around her. Ranma's eyes
widened as he realized both girls' peril. Ryoga's eyes widened as
he, too, noticed the danger he had inadvertently put them in (9)
(10).
Predictably, time froze.
(1) Ryoga was later to be proven wrong in this matter; he had not
yet completed his SAT (Seer's Aptitude Test) and still had two
years to go before he received his certification as a precognitive
from the religious order of Smith, Smith and Smith. Unfortunately
for Ryoga, the order was later to discover his unlicensed
foretelling that went against their religious dogma and banned him
for life. It just goes to show you should prophecy what you
preach.
(2) There goes any chance this fanfic had of being rated a General
Audience (G) fanfic.
(3) Under normal circumstances, waving a bandanna at someone is
somewhat ineffectual in a fight. Go on, you try it the next time
someone points a gun at you. You'll see how effective it is (11).
(4) There goes the chance of this becoming an Adult Accompaniment
(AA) fanfic.
(5) Oh, sure, like she wasn't before.
(6) I am going to be flamed for this. It was worth it to make fun
of Americans. Like, especially, like, Valley girls, you know?
<giggle>
(7) *Whew*. Still just Restricted (R). Thank goodness for timely
interruptions (12)!
(8) Since Ranma had arrived, Akane had come into the fullness of
her Mutant Power (tm) of extradimensional hammer warping. Mutant
Powers (tm) often come about as a result of great stresses and
hormonal and/or emotional changes, which is why they often appear
during adolescence. However, either these changes need to be
severe, or the innate power strong, or both. This is why few
people ever gain a Mutant Power (tm). Akane was exposed to a *lot*
of stress after Ranma got there.
(9) For Ryoga, it was inadvertent. Anybody else would think to
check for innocent bystanders before launching an attack that could
conceivably kill them all. Well, unless they were having a bad
day. Ryoga was stuck in a permanent bad day.
(10) In fact, everybody's eyes were wide for one reason or
another, forgetting the fact that their mothers had told them if
they did that too much their faces would stay that way forever.
This helps explain why anime characters have such large eyes. This
has been a public service announcement from the Society of Avoiding
Anime Disfigurements (SAAD).
(11) Actually, it's quite effective. It serves as a handy target
for the gunman.
(12) If anybody from the National Review Board is reading this,
she was going to say "jam." Akane had tried to serve an American
breakfast one morning but had ended up putting the jam in the
cereal (as flavouring) while she sprinkled sugar and poured milk on
the toast. Ranko, who had been forced to eat many such breakfasts
while on the road--and thus knew how to do it properly--made fun of
her for days. No, really. You believe me, right? What else could
I possibly have meant?
* * *
Ranma was the only one able to act. Time seemed to be
sluggish. He could see what was happening like it was in slow-
motion. And he was trying to react, but he was moving so
slowly...Ryoga started to run forward, but he knew he would be too
late...
Time unfroze. Ranma leapt forward.
"AKANE!!" he yelled, grabbing her in midair and tumbling to
the ground, shielding her from the deadly bandannas spinning around
them. They sliced at his clothing. He felt a sting, then a sharp
pain as one, then another found its mark in him.
Akane felt Ranma grab her, but it was too late to stop. Her
arms kept swinging her hammer forward until it connected with his
head. His eyes crossed, and he fell unconscious as they landed on
the ground, his body still protecting her from harm even in his
unconscious state. Akane struggled to get out from under him.
Ranko saw Ranma grab Akane out of the way--removing the last
obstacle between the spinning discs and her. Her brain refused to
accept what had just happened. She stood stock still in shock as
the deadly blades sliced towards her.
Miraculously, most of them missed the slight girl standing in
their midst. Her top was sliced into ribbons, and her right arm
was cut open along its length in a shallow cut. Those didn't
concern her. Then she saw one heading straight for her neck.
Something deep inside Ranko reacted, and she leapt out of the
way, barely dodging it. Except that she hadn't quite dodged it.
She suddenly felt...different.
The remaining bandannas ran out of momentum and flopped to the
ground, scattered all over the school grounds. Ryoga reached the
girls and stopped. Akane managed to push Ranma off her and got up
angrily. Then she saw Ranko and stopped, too.
Ranko felt lighter. Lighter? She looked down. No, she was
still all there. She had a sudden, sickening thought. She reached
behind her and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
That was the theory, anyway. Her hand met no resistance,
passing through empty air where years worth of hair was usually
found. She reached higher. Nothing. She began to panic. Higher.
Nothing. She felt hysteria working its way through her. Higher.
She found a straight edge of hair, cropped far too short. Shorter
than she'd had it for the last ten years. Her hand fell back into
place at her side, her face expressionless.
Ryoga reached her. "Are you okay?" he asked her nervously.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt." He looked at her.
"Hey, your arm--it's bleeding!"
Ranma got up, with a groan. "Ite. Hey, what happened? The
fight over with?" He looked over at the others. "Hey, why is
everybody so silent?" he asked.
Akane looked at him. She looked at him, also in shock. "Ra-
Ranma..." she said. He put his hand behind his head and laughed
nervously.
"Aw, Akane, don't worry about it. It was nothing," he said.
"It doesn't mean that I *like* you or noth--"
"RANMA!" yelled Akane. "Shut up!"
Ranma shut up. Then he opened his mouth again. "Hey, didn't
I just save you?"
"I didn't *need* any saving!"
"Bull!" he replied stubbornly. "You were gonna get sliced
into sausage! Why'd you start fighting during a man-to-man fight,
anyway!?"
"I can take care of myself!" Akane retorted. "I'm used to
fighting! I can *take* a few flesh wounds! And you have no right
to interfere with me!"
Ranma got angry. "So what? You want me to stand there and do
nothing while you get beaten up?"
"No," replied Akane softly. "You *could* have helped your
sister."
Ranma was taken aback. He smiled nervously. "Well, she's a
martial artist, she can take care of hers--"
"SO AM I, YOU JERK!!" Akane punched him.
"Hey, wait a second," said Ryoga. "If you want him dead, let
*me* do it."
Akane spun on him. "AND AS FOR YOU...!" she yelled. "GET OUT
OF MY SIGHT!" Ryoga gulped and stepped back, just out of the range
of her vision. Ranma stuck his tongue out at Ryoga.
"Ranma..." Akane said slowly. "Look. Thank you for saving
me. Even though I didn't ask for it. But you might want to look
after your sister, now."
"Huh?" Ranma froze in mid-face, still sticking his tongue
out. He quickly swallowed it. "What's up, Sis?" He looked at
her. She wasn't moving, just standing there with her arms at her
side. Her eyes were open wide. Ranma stepped closer and looked
her over. "Hey, did you know you've got a really bad haircut?
When did you do that?"
Ranko unfroze. She quietly picked up the hammer Akane had
dropped. Then she looked at Ranma. Something in her eyes made him
take a step backwards. "Ranko?" he asked, suddenly unsure.
"Mrrreoeeeooowww!" she yowled at him. Ranma screamed, faced
with one of his hidden fears (1). Then Ranko leapt at him with the
hammer. Even Ryoga winced after seeing what she did to him in the
next minute and a half. Akane wondered why Ranko had yowled, and
Ranma had screamed.
After Ranko stopped, she dropped the hammer on the ground and
started sobbing, curling up into herself. Akane put a hand on her
shoulder. "Ranko..." she said, softly. Ryoga stood there, feeling
out of place. Akane glanced up at him once it was evident Ranko
would be out of it for a while. "Ryoga-san, would you give me a
hand in getting Ranko back to the dojo?"
Ryoga nodded, happy to have something to do. He picked up the
girl in his arms and followed Akane back to the dojo.
Surprisingly, he was able to follow right behind her without
getting lost more than five times in a row. Akane didn't bother
worrying about Ranma. He could get back on his own.
They entered the dojo. Akane stopped when she got inside.
"Kasumi? Oneesan, would you come here for a minute?" Hearing no
answer, she decided to find her elder sister. "Oh, Ryoga-san," she
said, absent-mindedly. "Would you mind staying here until I come
back with Kasumi?" Ryoga nodded, and she left.
Ryoga felt his arms growing tired. He shifted the weight in
his arms, no longer needing to move around and desiring a more
comfortable position to hold Ranko as he stood. He soon found one
that was nice. Almost soft, in a way. He sighed. It had been a
long day, and he could use any rest he could get.
"Excuse me," came a rather irritated-sounding voice from his
arms. He looked down. Ranko was looking up at him. He swallowed
at the obvious anger in her eyes. Her gaze shifted purposefully,
and he followed it to her...oh. No wonder it had felt comfortable.
And her top was--was--
Ryoga fainted.
(1) Ranma's father once decided to teach him how to use Cat-Fu,
the Cat Fist technique. The method of learning involved tying fish
sausages around the trainee, and then throwing him into a pit of
hungry cats. While Ranma was able to learn the technique, it came
with a price tag: Ranma is extremely phobic of all cats now, so
much so that even a simple "Meow" will make him scream.
* * *
Akane led Ranko into the kitchen where Kasumi was waiting.
"Um, Ranko?" she hesitantly asked. Ranko looked up at her with
dead eyes. "Did you beat up Ryoga? Is that why he's lying on the
floor?"
Ranko sighed. "No, worse luck. He got off easy." While
Akane tried to figure that out, Ranko walked up to Kasumi.
Kasumi turned around, smiling, and screamed. "AIIIEEEK!!"
Ranko winced. Akane was glad of that; it meant Ranko was slowly
returning to normal.
She quickly intervened for her friend. "Um, Kasumi--I thought
I'd give Ranko a haircut, but I guess I screwed up. Could you
please fix it for me?" Whenever she had a problem, it seemed like
Kasumi could help. In many ways, she was more like a mother than
an older sister. Now, she wasn't sure what to do.
Kasumi smiled at her, and in an instant she knew Ranko was in
capable hands. "Of course, Akane," she replied. She began to look
more closely at Ranko and frowned at what she saw. "Akane, could
you find her another blouse? I think this one's breathed its
last."
Akane gave a start. She hadn't even noticed the badly ripped
top Ranko was wearing. Or, for that matter, the small gash on
Ranko's arm. She went to get a fresh blouse and a few bandages,
blushing slightly.
On the way back, she met Ranma. "Umm, hi," he said, a little
uncertain. Akane sniffed at him haughtily. "Say, what's with
jerkface there?" he asked, pointing his thumb at the unconscious
fighter. Akane glared at Ranma.
"Ryoga is going to stay here until he's better," she said
icily. "And you'd better be nice to him. If you two get into
another fight while Ranko's--" she cut herself off, uncertain how
much she should be saying--or even knew. "If you'll excuse me,"
she said, "I have work to do." She stormed into the kitchen.
* * *
Ranko sighed as she sat on the roof. It was getting cold.
But this was just about the only place she could avoid Ranma, and
she didn't want to see him for a while. She absently fingered her
hair, no longer the long, luxurious length she had patiently grown.
Her hands fell back to where they encircled her knees.
"Hey," came a female voice. Ranko's eyes widened; she hadn't
heard her visitor approaching. She didn't look up. She could tell
who it was from the voice. Akane. Her visitor continued. "I, um,
I wondered if you wanted these."
'These' turned out to be heavy blankets and a pillow, as well
as a thermos full of something steaming. Ranko looked at them and
nodded, though she still wouldn't meet Akane's gaze. Akane
hesitated. "Um, d'you want to talk about it?" Ranko shook her
head. Akane hesitated even more. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
Ranko shrugged.
Akane sat down. "Ranma says he's sorry," she said.
Ranko was gripping her knees, curled up into a little ball.
Her knuckles turned white. "Ranma," she said, giving his name the
same esteem she would the bubonic plague or a particularly
unpleasant math test, "doesn't even know what to be sorry for!"
She paused. "Akane...please. Don't lie to me like that.
You're a friend," she admitted. "I've got too few of them in this
world." Akane smiled, touched by her admission. Ranko didn't
notice.
"Ranko..." started Akane, then changed her mind. She shook
her head, then spoke up again. "Look, Ranko. Ranma really *is*
sorry. Although he doesn't know what he did, you're right about
that." She saw Ranko's knuckles whiten again and quickly changed
the subject.
"You said you don't want to talk about it. Okay, that's fine
by me. Mind if *I* talk about it then? You just have to listen."
She gave a nervous laugh. Ranko shrugged, still looking out at the
stars.
"I think I know where you're coming from...believe me, I do.
Remember Dr. Tofu? Well...for years, I'd go to see him with
Kasumi. And he'd never really notice me. Kasumi was so nice about
it, so caring...but she also told me if I kept acting like a boy,
that's all he'd see me as. So I spent years growing my hair long.
Just this month, I compared Kasumi's and mine again. I've
*finally* got longer hair. But it doesn't make a difference in the
end, really."
"Look...I'll bet you keep your hair long because of your
fiance, am I right?" She didn't get an answer. Hoping she was
right, she plunged onwards. "Well, if he has any feelings for you
at all, he'll look past your exterior. It's what inside that
counts," she finished.
There was silence. Ranko didn't say a word in response.
Akane gathered her courage again. "Ranko?"
Ranko slowly turned to her. "No, Akane, you're wrong," she
said. "It's not that I--AIIIEEEK!!" Akane had been waiting for
her reaction. She smiled, stood up, and spun in a circle. Ranko's
mouth dropped open. Akane had cut her hair short.
"A-Akane!" Ranko stuttered. "What happened to your hair!?"
Akane smiled. "Remember what you said, how it'd look good
short? I decided I'd give it a try. Maybe we can start a trend,"
she giggled.
Ranko stared, dumbfounded. "But...but you said...Dr. Tofu..."
She couldn't believe her eyes.
Akane smiled a bit sadly. She sat down again. "Dr. Tofu
doesn't matter any more. He's in love with Kasumi, you know. And
I'm engaged to Ranma." She was surprised how bitter that sounded,
even to her own ears. "But it doesn't matter. Having long hair
won't magically make Dr. Tofu love me, and it won't make Ranma hate
me--well, any more than he already does." She missed the sideways
glance Ranko gave her. "So you see what I mean? Your hair isn't
that important," she concluded.
Ranko's lips twisted into a wry, self-depreciatory smile.
"You know, Akane, Ranma doesn't really--"
Suddenly, Ranma jumped up next to them. "What's the matter!?"
he asked hurriedly.
Akane blinked. "What?" she asked.
"The scream!" he said, irritated. "Geez, you're gonna wake
the whole neighbourhood--oh, uh...hi, Sis..." He gave his sister
a nervous grin. She was turning red and shaking. "Uh, about
today...?" Ranko punted him into the air, then she turned and
nervously hugged Akane.
"Oh, Akane..." she cried. Akane patted her on the back,
feeling she should be doing something more. Doing *something*.
She let Ranko cry for several seconds, then the girl sniffed and
looked up, still in her arms.
"Thank you," said Ranko simply.
Akane noticed something. She was so close to Ranko that she
could see a faint colour in her hair. Was that...red? A reddish
tinge, almost? She opened her mouth. "Uh," she started, then
realized how inopportune a time it was, and what a bad topic to
choose. She shut up. Ranko looked up at her.
"Yes," she said. "Go on, Akane."
Akane blushed. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, embarrassed.
Ranko snorted, and pulled away. "Right, sure," she said
sarcastically. "No, really. Tell me. I can take it." She shook
her head back, a movement designed to show a proud shake of the
hair. It only produced a faint bob. She didn't even wince at
that, this time.
Akane made a decision. "Um...Ranko...your hair is, um,
turning red," she said, blushing even harder. Ranko blinked. Then
she felt her hair, trying to bring a strand in front of her face in
what was a futile task.
"Kasumi *did* wash it," she admitted finally. Akane must have
looked confused, because Ranko saw her face and laughed. "Oh, I
forgot. My hair is naturally red, Akane." Ranko laughed even more
upon seeing Akane's reaction to *that*.
"You have *red* hair? RED??" asked Akane incredulously.
Ranko bobbed her head up and down. "Yeah. Weird, ain't it?
If we weren't twins, I'd have thought one of my parents was
cheating on the other," she said with a grin.
Akane was confused. "But why keep it dyed? I mean...sure,
it's not exactly normal, but it'd look good on you. And besides,"
she said nervously, "it's not like you're one to care about
sticking out from the crowd..."
Ranko's smile fell. Akane cursed herself for the slip.
"Don't worry, Akane," Ranko said a bit tiredly. "I'm okay. Brings
back bad memories, is all." She sighed. "Well...I keep my hair
dyed because Pop, well, he didn't like me sticking out so much from
everybody else. So he always dyed it when I was a kid and
travelling across Japan with him and Futago-kun. He let me choose
myself as soon as I was old enough to do it myself--but that was
after I met my fiance. I guess I'm sort of afraid--it's been so
long--what if he wouldn't recognize me if I had red hair? What if
he wouldn't recognize me if I bumped into him on the street? What
if I wouldn't recognize *him*?"
"By the way, Akane," she said. "My life *doesn't* revolve
around him." Akane looked guilty, and Ranko laughed. "I don't
care about the length of my hair that much. The only reason I keep
it long is because pop always kept it short, and it's sort of a
token slap in the face to him." She grinned.
Akane was taken aback. "What?" she gasped, trying to come to
terms with what she had just heard. "But...but then why were you
so angry with Ranma?" She realized she'd made a mistake the moment
the words had left her mouth. Ranko's smile dissolved into an
angry frown.
"Go away, Akane. Just leave me alone."
Something inside Akane snapped. "NO!" she shouted. Ranko
looked up, surprised. "No, I will *not* go away! You owe me!"
Ranko looked at her, confused. "You owe me for my hair--I cut it
for *you*!"
Ranko stood up proudly, her eyes flashing in anger. "Don't be
such a crybaby, Akane. I didn't make you do it." Then her eyes
widened. "So--everything you said tonight was a lie, then."
Akane stood up. "How *dare* you say that to me? Do you know,
I counted you a FRIEND?" she demanded. "I said everything for
*you*, you ungrateful little minx!"
Ranko slapped her in the face. Akane reeled back, stunned.
"How dare *you* say that to me? *I* don't lie to friends, you
hypocritical little hellcat! Don't you have anything better to do
than try to stick your nose where it's not wanted, or didn't your
mother ever teach you manners?"
Akane saw red. She punched Ranko in the gut. "HOW *DARE*
YOU!?" she screamed. "You *DEMON*!"
Ranko rolled with it, then snapped up onto her hands and
launched a kick into Akane's head, sending her sprawling on the
roof. "Tomboy!" she yelled.
Akane jumped at Ranko, grabbing at her neck. "You witch!"
Ranko dodged out of the way. Suddenly, Ranko twisted and her index
finger lightly tapped Akane's forehead.
"Tag!" she said happily. "You're it!" She began to laugh.
Akane slammed into her stomach with both fists. Ranko stopped
laughing. The smile died from her face so completely it was as if
it had never been. She looked at Akane, stunned. Then a tear
started to flow.
Akane hesitated. Her martial arts training told her not to
let up. Her opponent might get the upper hand, and if she did, she
might not let Akane have time to recover. But--just maybe--there
were times when you had to give the benefit of the doubt. Right
now was one of those times. She slowly unclenched her fists.
"Sorry," she said, tentative and unsure.
Ranko blinked. There was a pause, as she studied Akane for a
minute. Akane had the feeling of something terribly important
being lost to her.
"So am I," Ranko admitted sadly. "It's easy to forget
sometimes that other people don't always react the same way I do,
don't feel the same way about things." She took a deep breath,
then let it out again. "Forgive me, Akane. I'll try not to do
that again, if you'll try to forgive me if I do."
Akane nodded. Ranko slowly smiled. Akane burst into tears.
"Akane, what's wrong?" asked Ranko fearfully. "What's the matter?"
She reached over and hugged Akane. Akane cried for about half a
minute. Then she looked up at Ranko and pushed her away, not
unkindly.
"Ranko...you...I..." She burst into tears again.
Ranko gave a sort of half-nod. "Un (1). I'm sorry." She
sighed, and turned away. "Look, Akane. A falling star." She
pointed up into the sky. Both girls looked up at the stars above
(2).
(1) 'Un' is an informal way of agreeing or saying 'yes'.
(2) Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, that was the direction
Ranko had kicked Ranma.
* * *
Outside, a storm was raging. Everyone was safe inside, fast
asleep. Akane was in her room, dreaming of long-haired girls and
short-haired fiances. Ranko and Ranma shared their room with a
panda, both dreaming of a home they never had. And downstairs,
Ryoga dreamed of vengeance. It was all he had to dream of.
Then lightning flashed outside, and the storm came into its
own. Downstairs, Ryoga woke up on the futon Akane had dragged down
for him.
"WHERE THE HECK AM I NOW!?" he yelled.
Mr. Saotome came downstairs and hit him over the head with a
sign which read 'Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!'
Then all was quiet again, save for the storm which raged
outside.
End of Episode Seven
"She said role-playing games were the creation of Satan. Dead
clever of him. I mean, sitting down there in Hell, working out
all the combat tables and everything. I bet he used to really
*swear* every time the dice caught fire..."
-Only You Can Save Mankind, Terry Pratchett