"Pssst! Sasuke!"
"Hm?" The rotund little ninja turned around, wondering who had called out.
"Master Kunou?" he ventured. "Is that you?"
He turned again to see Mousse crouching in front of a trash bin.
"I need your help, Sasuke!" the blind martial artist cried.
"I'm over here," Sasuke said, walking up and pulling Mousse's glasses down onto his nose.
"You've heard about the auction?" asked Mousse, blinking and turning.
Sasuke nodded. "Yes, indeed. Master Kunou and Mistress Kodachi are both waiting for tomorrow."
"Well, you should know Sasuke that the participants aren't allowed to buy each other." Mousse frowned as he said this. The idea obviously did not sit well with him.
The little ninja nodded. It made sense, he supposed.
"There's no rule saying someone ELSE can't buy a slave for me!" Mousse gripped Sasuke by the shoulders. "You must buy Shampoo for me!"
"Shampoo?"
"Yes!" Still gripping his wary listener, Mousse raised his gaze to the sky with a manic grin. "You simply buy her and tell her to spend the whole day with me. It doesn't matter who buys me, as long as Shampoo is beside me! I'll have her for an entire day!!"
"I don't know if I have that much money…" Sasuke began, but his eyes widened as Mousse dropped a wad of yen into his hands.
"You can spend all this!" Mousse said feverishly. "It's every penny I ever saved! You'll do this for me, won't you Sasuke?"
The ninja considered. As far as he was aware, neither of the Kunous wanted to buy Shampoo.
"I'll do it," he said.
At the Tendo house….
Nabiki was slouched on her bed reading manga when the knock came.
"Now who could that be?" she said dryly. "Like I can't guess."
"Ukyou!" She smiled at the okinomiyaki chef. "What's up?"
"I need your help," said Ukyou, frowning. "You know about the auction, right? Well, the rule is that we can't buy each other."
"And what would you like me to do?" Nabiki leaned against the door jamb. Honestly, and people asked how she found ways to make money.
"You've got to buy Ranma-honey for me!"
"Naturally. You realize I'll charge a commission…"
At the Nekohanten….
"Great-grandmother buy Ranma for Shampoo?"
"Of course, child."
"Buy Shampoo, too. Ranma and Shampoo go on loooong date!"
Early the next morning, a huge crowd had gathered in a grassy field where a wooden stage had been hastily erected. Ukyou took the opportunity to sell her okinomiyaki, but she had to leave that to Konatsu when Akane came to fetch her for the auction.
"Now remember, everyone, we'll have a chance to do this for ourselves," said Akane as she studied the participants. "Today, we work for whoever buys us. No funny business allowed, ok?"
Shampoo and Ukyou were watching Ranma very steadily, she noticed. Well, they'd be too busy working today to try anything.
"What a wonderful opportunity to spread goodness!" A voice squeaked at them. "I, too, shall join!"
"Miss Hinako?!" The six participants stared at the diminutive teacher in surprise.
"Who'd buy you, pipsqueak?" Ranma demanded, his arms folded. He eeped and skipped out of the way as Hinako glared at him over the yen coin held between her fingers.
Out on the stage, Nabiki grabbed the mic and smiled at the audience.
"Welcome, everyone, to the annual Youth Slave Auction. All our volunteers this year are young martial artists, strong and willing! Buy one of these young people and you can get the housework of a month done in a single day!" The audience cheered. "Remember, everyone, the money is going to charity, so open your hearts AND your purses!" There was scattered laughter. "This year we have seven young people ready to work their fannies of for you, ladies and gentlemen, and since they're doing this for nothing, the least we can do is give them a big hand!"
The audience clapped and cheered, many raising their purses and waving them exuberantly.
"Let's get to it then!" Nabiki flung out her arm. "And let's bring out the first slave! Premiering here, in Nerima, is Ryouga Hibiki! Come on out, Ryouga, let's have a look at you!"
Ryouga, blushing red, came to stand on the stage. He lifted his arm and gave a diffident wave and a grin.
"Look at him, people! You can't beat Ryouga for strength!" Nabiki cried. "This young man can move stuff, mow the lawn, move the car, and he won't even break a sweat if you ask him to carry you home from the mall!"
There were cheers and catcalls.
"500 yen!" called out a stout housewife in a pink dress.
"550 yen!" shouted a tall shopkeeper. "I could use him to move my barrels around!"
"Come on, people," Nabiki urged. "Remember you get this young man till midnight!"
"600 yen!" shouted the housewife, tugging at the collar of her dress and blushing.
"700 yen!" shouted the shopkeeper.
"1000 yen!" came a squeaky voice. "One thousand yen for my Charlotte! Hi Charlotte!"
Everyone turned to see a tiny girl dressed in a frothy dress and a band holding back her long, curly bronw hair, dangling a pair of skates from one hand, waving madly at Ryouga.
"It's Azusa!" Ryouga's face turned the color of fresh churned butter, pale with hints of yellow at the edges. "Nabiki, don't dare sell me to her!"
"Sorry, Ryouga." Nabiki grinned. "It's for a good cause. You gotta go with the highest bidder!"
Whispers started in the crowd.
"Why does SHE want him?"
"Is she his girlfriend?"
"Man, that's Azusa! She thinks he's cute!"
"Cute? Ryouga?"
"Um…um…1100 yen!" shouted the shopkeeper.
"1200 yen!" The housewife was now pink in the face as well as her dress, which oddly enough gave her the appearance of a fuzzy cone of cotton candy.
"1500 yen!" Azusa shrieked.
Ryouga began pulling at his hair. He wondered what Buffy, his favourite comic book heroine, would do in this situation. She'd stake Azusa.
"Somebody save me! One day with that psycho chick and I'd rather be turned into pork dumplings!"
"1700 yen!" The shopkeeper was chewing his mustache in something of a frenzy.
"That's barely enough to buy a T-shirt," Nabiki sighed.
"2000 yen!" Azusa cried, hopping up and down.
"2500 yen!" came a new voice. A slim, dark-haired girl stood at the edge of the crowd, glaring daggers at Azusa. The puff-sleeved little skater glared back.
"Akari! Thank God!" Ryouga sank to his knees. "She'll save me.It's like that scene from Tomb Raider where Chase Carver appears out of nowhere to save Lara!"
"Do you really want your girlfriend forking out money for you, Ryouga?" asked Nabiki.
Ryouga smirked. "That's just true love, Nabiki."
"Wow, it's really heating up out there." Akane and the others were peering out from backstage. "Ryouga's really popular."
"That ain't nuthin'! Wait till I get out there!" Ranma grinned confidently and buffed his nails on his shirt. "They'll be screaming for me." Akane decided he deserved her hammer for that remark.
"Akane! Don't damage the merchandise!" Nabiki yelled from across the stage.
"2600 yen!" Azusa was yelling.
"2700 yen!" Akari's hands were fisted in her skirts.
"2750 yen!"
"2775 yen!"
"2780 yen!"
"2781 yen!"
"She upped it by ONE yen?" asked Hiroshi disbelievingly.
"2781.50 yen!"
"She upped it by half a yen!" Daisuke shook his head.
"2781.75 yen!"
"Wow, Ryouga, true love seems to have reached its yen limit," said Nabiki. Ryouga scowled.
Azusa was simply growling at Akari now.
"2781.75 yen, going, going…gone to Akari!" Nabiki smiled. "Akari, this fine young man is now your property for a day!" Ryouga jumped off the stage and walked up to his beloved.
"Oh, Ryouga!" Akari ran to him.
"Oh, Akari!" Ryouga enfolded her in his arms and reflected that he had never been happier.
"Oh Ryouga, I'm broke! You better be ready to clean out all the pigsties back at the farm! I'll have to let my laborers go home for the day!"
Ryouga face-faulted.
"Next on the boards is…" Nabiki paused for a second. "….Akane!"
***************************************************************
Notes-Well! I really thought I'd finish everyone in this chapter. But it seems to be going longer than I expected. Next time, Akane and Shampoo.
"Hm?" The rotund little ninja turned around, wondering who had called out.
"Master Kunou?" he ventured. "Is that you?"
He turned again to see Mousse crouching in front of a trash bin.
"I need your help, Sasuke!" the blind martial artist cried.
"I'm over here," Sasuke said, walking up and pulling Mousse's glasses down onto his nose.
"You've heard about the auction?" asked Mousse, blinking and turning.
Sasuke nodded. "Yes, indeed. Master Kunou and Mistress Kodachi are both waiting for tomorrow."
"Well, you should know Sasuke that the participants aren't allowed to buy each other." Mousse frowned as he said this. The idea obviously did not sit well with him.
The little ninja nodded. It made sense, he supposed.
"There's no rule saying someone ELSE can't buy a slave for me!" Mousse gripped Sasuke by the shoulders. "You must buy Shampoo for me!"
"Shampoo?"
"Yes!" Still gripping his wary listener, Mousse raised his gaze to the sky with a manic grin. "You simply buy her and tell her to spend the whole day with me. It doesn't matter who buys me, as long as Shampoo is beside me! I'll have her for an entire day!!"
"I don't know if I have that much money…" Sasuke began, but his eyes widened as Mousse dropped a wad of yen into his hands.
"You can spend all this!" Mousse said feverishly. "It's every penny I ever saved! You'll do this for me, won't you Sasuke?"
The ninja considered. As far as he was aware, neither of the Kunous wanted to buy Shampoo.
"I'll do it," he said.
At the Tendo house….
Nabiki was slouched on her bed reading manga when the knock came.
"Now who could that be?" she said dryly. "Like I can't guess."
"Ukyou!" She smiled at the okinomiyaki chef. "What's up?"
"I need your help," said Ukyou, frowning. "You know about the auction, right? Well, the rule is that we can't buy each other."
"And what would you like me to do?" Nabiki leaned against the door jamb. Honestly, and people asked how she found ways to make money.
"You've got to buy Ranma-honey for me!"
"Naturally. You realize I'll charge a commission…"
At the Nekohanten….
"Great-grandmother buy Ranma for Shampoo?"
"Of course, child."
"Buy Shampoo, too. Ranma and Shampoo go on loooong date!"
Early the next morning, a huge crowd had gathered in a grassy field where a wooden stage had been hastily erected. Ukyou took the opportunity to sell her okinomiyaki, but she had to leave that to Konatsu when Akane came to fetch her for the auction.
"Now remember, everyone, we'll have a chance to do this for ourselves," said Akane as she studied the participants. "Today, we work for whoever buys us. No funny business allowed, ok?"
Shampoo and Ukyou were watching Ranma very steadily, she noticed. Well, they'd be too busy working today to try anything.
"What a wonderful opportunity to spread goodness!" A voice squeaked at them. "I, too, shall join!"
"Miss Hinako?!" The six participants stared at the diminutive teacher in surprise.
"Who'd buy you, pipsqueak?" Ranma demanded, his arms folded. He eeped and skipped out of the way as Hinako glared at him over the yen coin held between her fingers.
Out on the stage, Nabiki grabbed the mic and smiled at the audience.
"Welcome, everyone, to the annual Youth Slave Auction. All our volunteers this year are young martial artists, strong and willing! Buy one of these young people and you can get the housework of a month done in a single day!" The audience cheered. "Remember, everyone, the money is going to charity, so open your hearts AND your purses!" There was scattered laughter. "This year we have seven young people ready to work their fannies of for you, ladies and gentlemen, and since they're doing this for nothing, the least we can do is give them a big hand!"
The audience clapped and cheered, many raising their purses and waving them exuberantly.
"Let's get to it then!" Nabiki flung out her arm. "And let's bring out the first slave! Premiering here, in Nerima, is Ryouga Hibiki! Come on out, Ryouga, let's have a look at you!"
Ryouga, blushing red, came to stand on the stage. He lifted his arm and gave a diffident wave and a grin.
"Look at him, people! You can't beat Ryouga for strength!" Nabiki cried. "This young man can move stuff, mow the lawn, move the car, and he won't even break a sweat if you ask him to carry you home from the mall!"
There were cheers and catcalls.
"500 yen!" called out a stout housewife in a pink dress.
"550 yen!" shouted a tall shopkeeper. "I could use him to move my barrels around!"
"Come on, people," Nabiki urged. "Remember you get this young man till midnight!"
"600 yen!" shouted the housewife, tugging at the collar of her dress and blushing.
"700 yen!" shouted the shopkeeper.
"1000 yen!" came a squeaky voice. "One thousand yen for my Charlotte! Hi Charlotte!"
Everyone turned to see a tiny girl dressed in a frothy dress and a band holding back her long, curly bronw hair, dangling a pair of skates from one hand, waving madly at Ryouga.
"It's Azusa!" Ryouga's face turned the color of fresh churned butter, pale with hints of yellow at the edges. "Nabiki, don't dare sell me to her!"
"Sorry, Ryouga." Nabiki grinned. "It's for a good cause. You gotta go with the highest bidder!"
Whispers started in the crowd.
"Why does SHE want him?"
"Is she his girlfriend?"
"Man, that's Azusa! She thinks he's cute!"
"Cute? Ryouga?"
"Um…um…1100 yen!" shouted the shopkeeper.
"1200 yen!" The housewife was now pink in the face as well as her dress, which oddly enough gave her the appearance of a fuzzy cone of cotton candy.
"1500 yen!" Azusa shrieked.
Ryouga began pulling at his hair. He wondered what Buffy, his favourite comic book heroine, would do in this situation. She'd stake Azusa.
"Somebody save me! One day with that psycho chick and I'd rather be turned into pork dumplings!"
"1700 yen!" The shopkeeper was chewing his mustache in something of a frenzy.
"That's barely enough to buy a T-shirt," Nabiki sighed.
"2000 yen!" Azusa cried, hopping up and down.
"2500 yen!" came a new voice. A slim, dark-haired girl stood at the edge of the crowd, glaring daggers at Azusa. The puff-sleeved little skater glared back.
"Akari! Thank God!" Ryouga sank to his knees. "She'll save me.It's like that scene from Tomb Raider where Chase Carver appears out of nowhere to save Lara!"
"Do you really want your girlfriend forking out money for you, Ryouga?" asked Nabiki.
Ryouga smirked. "That's just true love, Nabiki."
"Wow, it's really heating up out there." Akane and the others were peering out from backstage. "Ryouga's really popular."
"That ain't nuthin'! Wait till I get out there!" Ranma grinned confidently and buffed his nails on his shirt. "They'll be screaming for me." Akane decided he deserved her hammer for that remark.
"Akane! Don't damage the merchandise!" Nabiki yelled from across the stage.
"2600 yen!" Azusa was yelling.
"2700 yen!" Akari's hands were fisted in her skirts.
"2750 yen!"
"2775 yen!"
"2780 yen!"
"2781 yen!"
"She upped it by ONE yen?" asked Hiroshi disbelievingly.
"2781.50 yen!"
"She upped it by half a yen!" Daisuke shook his head.
"2781.75 yen!"
"Wow, Ryouga, true love seems to have reached its yen limit," said Nabiki. Ryouga scowled.
Azusa was simply growling at Akari now.
"2781.75 yen, going, going…gone to Akari!" Nabiki smiled. "Akari, this fine young man is now your property for a day!" Ryouga jumped off the stage and walked up to his beloved.
"Oh, Ryouga!" Akari ran to him.
"Oh, Akari!" Ryouga enfolded her in his arms and reflected that he had never been happier.
"Oh Ryouga, I'm broke! You better be ready to clean out all the pigsties back at the farm! I'll have to let my laborers go home for the day!"
Ryouga face-faulted.
"Next on the boards is…" Nabiki paused for a second. "….Akane!"
***************************************************************
Notes-Well! I really thought I'd finish everyone in this chapter. But it seems to be going longer than I expected. Next time, Akane and Shampoo.