Disclaimer: You all know the drill, I don't own these characters and I'm not making any money off of this, so don't sue.
Chapter 2 The training trip, Pseudo-diabolical plotting.
"Ranma, prepare to die." A familiar cry rings out through the morning. However, anyone truly familiar with the cry would notice immediately that there was something off about it. That being, it was usually said by a guy, particularly one with a bandana. This cry, however was definitely said by a girl, judging by the screech in the voice. The scene shifts over to a clearing in the middle of a forest, and we see a sopping wet akane furiously attacking her (still dry) fiancée. Said fiancé was taking his time dodging through her attacks. "Fight me Dammit!"
Ranma shrugged (a pretty cool trick, considering he was still dodging her attacks). "I am."
"No your not! You're just dodging!"
Ranma just smirked, and, in a flash of insight, Akane realized her error as Ranma called out his attack.
All in all, it wasn't a very impressive hyru shoten ha. Ranma was definitely holding back. Still Akane was launched into the air to land on her rear about 30 feet away from her fiancée.
"Lesson number one." Ranma said as he walked over and sat down in front of her. "Losin' your temper in battle makes ya miss important things." He pointed over to where they were fighting and Akane noticed a spiral drawn in the dirt.
Akane blanched. "That was there the whole time?"
Ranma nodded. "That's what losing your temper does to you. It's ok to be mad, just don't let it affect your style."
Akane sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, you've got a lot of natural chi control, you just need ta learn ta control it. How do you think you've been able to hit so hard when you are angry?"
She blinked at that thought. "Oh. I think I understand. Gee, that explains a lot."
"Good, and with that in mind, let's start some meditation exercises. When I'm through with ya, you'll be able to use that power when you choose ta, not you're temper."
Day 1
Another quiet morning dawns in Nermina.
Too quiet.
The inhabitants of Nermina know these signs well.
The calm before the storm.
"GONE?"
Ukyou, Shampoo, the Kunos, Ryoga, and Mousse
"Apparently they slipped out of the house last night. They left a note saying that they were going on a training trip. Ranma looked like he wasn't taking the news of his ancestry well."
"Aiya! Airen all alone with Violent-girl! Shampoo save him!"
"Indeed, we shall not let my fiendish cousin go through with his diabolical plan!"
"5,000 yen."
Everyone forks over the money.
"I heard them talking about a beach. Something about sand training." Which was the truth, they just later rejected that plan. "They weren't planning on staying long, so you might want to hurry." With an amazing feat of willpower (even for her), Nabiki succeeded in suppressed her mirth.
"Then, with the heavens at our side, let our glorious hunt for the Foul Sorcerer commence." Kuno spouted off. Not noticing everyone else had left already.
"How's it going Ranma?" Akane asked as she walked up to where he was meditating. "You got it yet?"
"I got the icy blast thing." He said as he casually blasted a shrub, which immediately froze over. "What I can't figure out is how I'm gonna mess with the hyru shoten ha."
"Would you be open to a couple suggestions?"
Ranma looked up from where he sat. "I'm listenin'."
"First of all would it be possible to reverse the soul of ice technique? That way, you wouldn't have to rely on making other's angry."
"Reverse the… I dunno, that could be dangerous. I'd be ampli… ampli… boosting all my emotions. I could lose control or somethin'.
"Think of it as practice with your self control. Like what you were talking to me about."
"hm… ya know, that might work. I'll try that." He starts meditating again.
A few minutes later he gets up again. And shoots an orange blast into an empty spot in the clearing. Scorch-marks could be seen where the attack impacted and the air shimmered with the heat. "Yes! I did it Akane." Before she had time to answer, he zipped over to her, twirled around and planted a kiss on her lips. He pulled away and blinked when he realized his hands had wandered to other places. "Um, oops."
"Ranma you per-" She stopped in mid swing, took a deep breath, and stood looking at him with an impatient glare.
"Sorry, I think It's a side affect of the technique. I have to boost all my emotions."
"So you groped me?"
"Well, I like ya and you're really pretty and all… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go that far."
Akane took another deep breath and tried to calm herself. "It's alright, it just kind of reminded me of Kuno." She said shuddering. She noticed an angry look on Ranma's face at the mention of that name and smiled. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss "Anyway, next time ask me first." She finished walking away.
"Wah?" The dazed martial artist finished.
A couple hours later, Akane decided to check on Ranma's progress. She found him standing with a frustrated look on his face in front of a mirror that he had hung on a tree. Akane decided not to ask where he had gotten the mirror "How's it going?"
"I'm missing somethin'…" Ranma states an annoyed.
"Really? Let's see how it looks."
Ranma proceeds to do a perfect duplication of Soun's Demon Head Technique along with several other scary faces.
"It's easy enough ta do, I just can't figure out how ta modify it."
"Maybe it's a mood thing." Akane commented.
Ranma looked at her a bit oddly for a minute before he started grinning. "That's it!" Turning back to the mirror, he seemed to concentrate for a second before shifting to an image of him in samurai armor. Turning back to Akane, he bowed politely. "My thanks fair maiden, for helping me discover the true potential of thy parent's technique." Dropping the technique, he began rubbing his hands together. "Akane, I think I'm gonna ta have a lot of fun with this one."
Day 4
"DAMMIT! STOP MAKING FACES AT-" A splash was heard. "-me. I know, I know, I lost my temper again." Akane sighed. This was starting to get ridiculous. She knew he was trying to make her lose her temper when he sparred with her. She knew that if she did she'd get thrown in the stream. But she still couldn't figure out how she was supposed to control her temper with Ranma being so damn annoying. It didn't help that he was using the modified demon head technique (now called the Thousand Faces Technique) to make himself as vexing as possible.
"If it makes ya feel any better, ya lasted about 20 minutes that time. And I doubt anyone else ya fight will be as annoying as I can be."
"Well at least I've gotten to the point were insults alone aren't enough."
"Yup. You should be ready for some serious training by tomorrow." He said while cracking his neck "Come on, you un-cute tomboy, let's take a break."
"Whatever you say, pervert."
Day 6
Nabiki looked through her reports on the whereabouts of the various members of the Nermina Wrecking Crew.
Apparently, having discovered that Ranma and Akane had left the beach, they decided to split up and search the surrounding area. Apparently they were all too busy trying to spy on and subvert the other members that they wouldn't be able to find Ranma even if he was in the area.
The only people unaccounted for in the report were Ryoga and Shampoo. Apparently, the bimbo decided it would be a good idea to follow the lost boy. Both were now lost somewhere.
She leaned back in her chair and relaxed in the now-quiet atmosphere. Everything was going according to plan so far, and as long as nothing goes too badly, she would be set for life. She picked up her manga of the desk and made herself more comfortable.
Life was good.
Day 7
"Ha! Got-" flip, thwump "you." Akane finished tiredly as Ranma broke through her attack, knocked her off her feet, and pinned her to the ground.
"Really? Doesn't look like it ta mph" The pigtailed sensei's taunting was cut off when Akane brought her head up and kissed him, after which she quickly took advantage of his confusion to switch their positions.
"Try looking again."
Ranma blinks a couple of times before he starts laughing. "Akane, you're a true Anything Goes student!"
"I learned from the best."
"…You're trying ta get me ta teach you some ki attacks again."
"Er…"
"Fair Akane, thy deviousness and subtlety is rivaled only by that of my wayward kinsmen."
"Hey! Are you saying I'm as subtle as a Kuno?"
Ranma just grinned.
"Why you!"
Day 8
"Ready to try again?"
"Can't I take a break?"
"Come-on, Akane. You can do this. You almost had it last time."
Sigh "Alright. Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken." Blink, blink. "I did it! I di-" Another round of blinking. "YEOUCH!" She shouted as she quickly dropped the chestnuts and dunked her hand in a nearby bucket of water. She looked angrily at Ranma, who was laughing his head off.
"They've been sitting in the fire. What did you expect?"
"Ranma!"
Day 9
"Happo Go En Shiatsu! Yes! I figured it out!"
"I'm so happy for you. And when I can get up I'll be sure to express it."
Ranma just gulped.
Day 10
"Hey, Ranma!" Akane shouted as she walked over to where her fiancé was meditating. "I think I've finally got that technique you showed me down."
"…"
"Ranma?" She asked as she waved her hand in front of his unblinking face.
"…"
Getting annoyed, Akane decides to poke at his forehead. "Hey…" She starts before her finger goes right through his forehead. "W-what the?" As she suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder. "EEK!" Turning, she lashed out with a side-kick catching a certain pigtailed- martial artist in the stomach.
Ranma grunts as he's knocked into the air. Landing on is feet at the edge of the clearing he turns to his fiancé. "I suppose that's what I get for underestimating ya."
"Ranma!" Akane growled. She blinked suddenly. "What was that anyway?"
"A variation of the splitting c-cat's hair." He made a disgusted noise. "I need to think of a better name for it."
"What's the idea surprising me like that!"
He shrugged. "Had to test it." He smirked. "What's wrong, did I scare poor little Akane?"
"Only with your face."
"Hey!"
Day 11
"I have you now!" Akane cried in triumph.
ZAP! "Your feeble skills are no match for the true power of Anything Goes." Ranma chuckled as his hand crackled with chi-charged electricity.
From on the ground Akane twitched as she swore to herself that she'd never let him watch another movie as long as he lived.
"By the way, nice hair."
Day 12
"Moko Takabisha!" Akane yelled ash she thrust her hands forward. A ball of energy leaped from her hands and impacted against a handy boulder, blowing it to pieces. She collapsed to the ground afterwards, panting for breath.
"Way to go, Akane!" Ranma cheered from behind her
"I think I understand what you meant about building up my chi reserves. That was tiring."
"Just keep doing those exercises, You'll do better over time."
"I'd kiss you, but I kinda can't move."
Ranma reached down and scoops her up in his arms, and started carrying her back to the tent "Ya know, it's kinda nice carrying ya like this."
"You mean when you've swept me off my feet and are carrying me home?" She murmured.
"That, and you're too tired to complain."
"Ranma you baka." She murmured affectionately as she snuggled up to him.
Day 13
Ranma was trying to concentrate as he sat meditating. 'Ok, I think I got this, just a little further…'
"Ranma?"
"Yes?"
"You wouldn't happen to be trying to levitate, would you?"
"Yah, why?"
"Look down."
Ranma opened his eyes and looked down. "Huh?" A loud splashing was heard.
"Because you're doing it over the stream." She said with a smirk.
"Argh! Why does it always have to be water?" Ranma complained as she stepped out of the water.
"It is a curse you know." Akane commented, trying not to be obvious in viewing of how the other girl's wet clothes clung to her assets.
Day 14
"Okay, you ready to go Akane?"
"You do realize that this is going to be the biggest practical joke in the history of Nermina?"
"If nothin' else comes outa this, we'll get ta drive everyone else for once."
"You know, your mother will probably be the easiest one to convince."
"Yup. Messin' with everyone else is just gonna be the fun part."
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Trainings done, and next time the fun really begins.
Reviews welcome