Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma's Hour of Darkness ❯ Chapter 06 ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: mimizukujin 
New.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 5.7K | Status: Work In Progress
New.
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 5.7K | Status: Work In Progress
Ranma's Hour of Darkness - Chapter 6
Disclaimer - I own neither Disgaea nor Ranma 1/2.
Further disclaimer - The previous chapter is lemon, and won't be posted to FF.N.
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Happosai frowned at the two groveling men on the ground in front of him. 'Why are they so mind-numbingly incompetent?' he wondered to himself. Shaking his head, he roared out, "Why are you two so mind-numbingly incompetent?" Yelling it out loud was satisfying.
"We're sorry, Master!" they cried out, almost in unison.
Happosai sighed, and in the same tone of voice that adults use to explain things to very small children said, "Ranma is moving out, so that I can teach him to be my heir properly. That means without any interference from you two. Do you understand?"
"What about the Schools?" asked a trembling Soun.
"Soun," Happosai said in a firm tone of voice, "If you try anything, there won't be a Tendo School to unite the Saotome School with."
They all looked up as Kasumi slid open the dining room door. She said, "The school called just now, father. Ranma was sent home a little while ago with a broken rib, and we're supposed to take him to get it looked at by a doctor."
"He lost to some schoolboy?" Genma shouted.
"Genma, the next words out of your mouth had better not include 'train' and 'Ranma'," Happosai warned him in a quiet voice. "There could just as easily not be a Saotome School to unite either."
With a sickly smile Genma said, "Of course not, Master."
Happosai turned to Kasumi and said, "I've already taken care of that. I ran into the boy on my way back here."
Kasumi bowed to him, and said, "Thank you, grandfather Happosai."
"There's no need for that, Kasumi," said Happosai. "He's going to be my heir. Without him, I'll never be able to retire with my silky darlings!" Turning back to the cowering Genma and Soun, he added, "So no interference!"
He walked past Kasumi into the dining room. As soon as the door shut, twin shouts of, "Free!" rang out. Shaking his head he muttered, "Morons."
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"A broken rib? Ranma? Are you sure?" asked Nabiki.
The nurse nodded. "From the bruising, it looked like he was kicked pretty viciously. He said that it happened when he was sparring, before school," she said.
"Sparring? Hm..." said Nabiki. 'He didn't spar today before breakfast, and he was fine when I left. It must have happened on the way to school,' she mused. "Can I use your phone?"
"Sure. I need to file these, so take your time," the nurse replied, holding up some file folders.
Lifting the phone to her head, Nabiki nodded. She ignored the bell as she dialed, and tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk as the phone rang. 'Hopefully they didn't all go to the doctor with Ranma.'
"Hello, Tendo residence," answered Kasumi.
"Good, you're home. You didn't already take Ranma to the doctor, did you?" Nabiki asked.
"No, Nabiki. Grandfather Happosai took care of it all," she replied.
"What? All right, if you say so, Kasumi. I'll be home at my usual time," said Nabiki.
"I'll tell Ranma you were worried about him. Have fun at school, Nabiki," said Kasumi as she hung up the phone.
Nabiki looked at the phone in annoyance, then hung it up. 'With any luck, Kasumi will forget all about it before she sees Ranma,' she thought.
The nurse leaned in, and asked, "Are you done already? Do you need a hall pass? The bell rang a little bit ago."
Nabiki nodded. "Actually, could you give me a pass to see the counselor instead? I need to talk to her about a problem," she said.
The nurse filled out the pass and handed it to Nabiki. "Here you go, Nabiki," she said.
Nabiki nodded, and left the nurse to her filing.
'Was it Akane? She was pretty mad this morning, after all,' she thought. Anger instantly disappearing and reappearing suddenly on her sisters face loomed in her mind. She sped up her pace, thinking, 'I'd better hurry. I want to get this over with before lunchtime.'
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As we exit the elevator, the clerk looks back at us. "Oh, it's you!" he says.
"He told me to tell you to meet him at the shop across the way, so that you could get started on your shopping," he says. "He's waiting for you there."
My lord steps forward slightly and bows, saying, "Thank you."
Marcia and I follow her out into the street. Across the street from us is an expensive-looking lingerie shop named 'Silky Darlings'. 'That name can't be a coincidence. Can it?'
Instead of racks upon racks of bras, panties, and lingerie we find a pleasant lounge, with a few display mannequins. A beautiful, large-breasted woman with short black hair is sitting behind an elegant desk off to one side, holding Happosai in her lap as he fondles her.
He looks over at me and winks, then turns his attention back to the woman. Seconds later she lets out a quiet, shuddering sigh, and he hops off of her lap and walks over to us. "Ranma! You took longer than I expected. Good job!" he says with a large smile.
I'm not sure how to react to this new Happosai, and I find myself blushing. Mentally shaking myself, I ask, "Is this yours? And 'Happy Times', too? I thought that you were poor."
He nods. "It's all mine, actually. I'll tell you all about it in a little while. First, let's get these two beautiful young ladies some new undergarments," he says.
He turns to the woman at the desk and says, "Katsue. Would you get these two measured?"
Katsue stands a little unsteadily, and opens a door to what must be a fitting room. "Please come this way, ladies," she says with a smile.
"I'm surprised that you're not wanting to go in and 'help' her measure them. Did Pantyhose finally manage to tag you with the spring of drowned virtuous man?" I ask him.
"Have a seat, Ranma. We've got a little while before the showing," he says, pointing to a comfortable-looking couch.
"Showing?" I ask as I sit. I find that the couch is even more comfortable than it looks.
Happosai turns to me with a solemn expression. "Ranma, have you ever had an epiphany?" he asks in a serious voice.
"What's that?" I ask.
"It's a moment when you suddenly see things as they really are," he says. "After that, everything changes."
I shake my head.
"Remember before last New Year's? When I got you stuck to me?" Happosai asks.
I narrow my eyes at him. "I remember," I almost growl.
"Do you remember asking me why I didn't find someone that wanted to be peeped on?" he asks.
I blink. "Um... no," I say.
"Well, I ended up thinking about that for a long time. Then on New Year's, while you were busy with that ghost cat, I overheard Nabiki talking on the phone. She has her whole life already planned out. Did you know that?" he asks.
He continues before I can do more than flinch at the word 'cat'. "She said 'I'm going to spend my life surrounded by the one thing I really love, money!'. And that's when I realized that I've been wasting my life," he says.
I nod. 'That sounds like Nabiki, all right.'
"I've been working on this since then, when I'm away 'on vacation'," he says. "I love panties, bras, lingerie of all types! And now I can be surrounded by them all the time, and have women that want me to peep on and fondle them."
"You mean that that woman wants you to peep on her?" I ask in disbelief.
He smiles wide, and nods. "She had it written into her contract. I have to spend a minimum of two hours a day groping her each day she works, too," he says proudly.
The door to the fitting room opens. Katsue leans out, and says, "Ranma, they're ready for you now. Please come this way."
I look at Happosai, and he just waves me along. I stand, and go through the door that Katsue is holding open for me. I turn the corner, and find a smiling Marcia wearing an adorable pale blue teddy, and my lord behind her in a very skimpy snakeskin-print bustier with a matching g-string. As Marcia does a pirouette, I find my voice and say, "Wow..."
My lord giggles at my expression, and says, "We'll take these, and the others as well."
"I'll have the others delivered, then," Katsue says with a nod. "You'll want to wear those, right?"
"That's right," my lord answers with a nod.
They gather up their clothes, and as they start to head out I say, "Aren't you going to get dressed first? Happosai is still out there, you know."
"I don't know how he does it, but he uses lust energy almost like I do, Ranma. We're going to thank him properly for his gifts," she explains.
"But what if he gropes you?" I protest.
"I hope he does, Ranma. It bothers you, doesn't it," she says. It's not a question.
I nod.
"Maybe he'll show you how to grope us, too," she suggests with a mischievous smile. "You're going to agree to be his heir, right?"
"You can practice with me!" Marcia says enthusiastically.
I look between the two of them, not knowing what to say. 'Is it perverted to grope someone that wants you to?' I look at Marcia, and she gives me a big smile. 'She's my vassal. I have to take care of her. It's not just me anymore.'
I close my eyes. 'If I agree to be Happosai's heir, I'll learn all sorts of perverted techniques. But is it the techniques that are perverted, or is it just how he uses them? If I practice them with Marcia and my lord, am I still a pervert?'
Only one answer makes any sense, 'no.' I open my eyes. "All right. Let's go out and thank him, then," I say.
"You could thank him too, if you really wanted to..." my lord suggests with a naughty grin.
I find myself hugging my chest, and say, "Um..."
She walks out past me with a bell-like laugh, with Marcia right behind.
"Hey, wait!" I say, hurrying after them. I get through the door just in time to see my lord catching Happosai and cuddling him to her chest. He peeks up over her shoulder and gives me what looks like an honestly happy smile. Looking past his head, I see Katsue slowly dropping her hand. 'She's smiling, but she seems sad, too.'
"I'd like to thank you for everything you're doing for us, Happosai. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," my lord says.
Marcia tugs on his pants. When he looks at her, she holds her arms out and says, "Me, too!"
Surprisingly, he looks at me before accepting. When I nod, he hops into her arms. Moments later she lets out a breathless "oh!", and I can feel both her surprise and a light buzz of pleasure.
When he hops out of her arms, I step forward. "If you'll let me pick who I practice with, I'll be your heir," I say to him.
He looks at me solemnly, then nods once.
Taking a deep breath, I do something that I had sworn that I would never do. "Master Happosai," I say, bowing my head.
"Come, student. Let's get lunch," he says.
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As Nabiki approached, Akane's friends nudged her and pointed. With a resigned look, she got up to meet her sister.
"What is it, Nabiki?" Akane asked. "You're usually busy during lunch."
"Akane, did anything odd happen on the way to school today?" Nabiki asked in return.
"Ranma let me get splashed. He's such a jerk!" Akane complained. Nabiki watched that instant anger snap into place on her sister's face again. "He never showed up for class, either. He's probably out with Shampoo."
"Kunou didn't bother you today, did he?" Nabiki asked.
"No, I haven't seen him all day," Akane said thoughtfully, with no trace of anger. Nabiki nodded to herself. 'It looks like it's only Ranma that's making her mad,' she thought.
"That's all I wanted to know, Akane. Have a nice lunch," Nabiki said.
"You too, Nabiki," said Akane, walking back to her friends.
'Hypnosis, magic, possession,' the counselor's voice echoed in Nabiki's mind. 'Everything I can come up with lies in one of those three categories.'
"Hypnosis. Hmm..." Nabiki mused to herself.
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Lunch turns out to be just down the road, at 'Happy Bowl'.
"You own this too, right?" I ask as we sit down.
"That's right," Happosai confirms. "I also own the bar on the corner. All together, they'll give me a nice life when I retire."
"You're retiring?" I ask.
Happosai nods. "After you learn everything I have to teach, I'll certify you as the new headmaster of our school. The full school, not the Saotome branch that you've studied so far," he says.
"I'd outrank both Pop and Mr. Tendo," I protest.
"Ranma, when was the last time you fought against Genma without holding back?" he asks.
"Well, all we ever do is spar, really," I say.
"Let me ask it a different way, then. When was the last time you had to fight all-out against Genma?" he asks.
I look down at the table. 'It has been a while.'
"So yes, you'll outrank both of them," he confirms.
The waitress arrives. She's cute, with a toned, athletic body and a long black ponytail. When she sees Happosai, she smiles and says, "Let me get mother!" She disappears into the back again.
She appears with a slightly-older copy of herself, and they bow to Happosai in unison. He nods back. Turning to me, he says, "These are the two finest donburi chefs in all of Japan. Nakae Kazuko, and her daughter Eriko."
Turning back to them, he says, "This is my heir, Saotome Ranma, and his two girlfriends Cindy and Marcia. Please, treat them like you would treat me."
Eriko gives my lord a smile, saying, "He's cute."
My lord nods. "He's good in bed, too," she says. Eriko and her mother both giggle as I blush.
"What would you like today?" Eriko asks us.
"Gyudon for me today," Happosai answers.
"Two unadon please," I say as she looks at me.
"Me too," says Marcia.
"I'll have that as well," my lord says.
She nods, and as she leaves I watch Happosai pinch her bottom. She leans into his hand with a smile.
"She likes it too?" I ask him, once she's gone.
"Not everyone is as prudish as Akane," he says in response.
"Now that we've gotten the most important business taken care of, I need to talk to you about that scroll," he says with a serious look. "You must have totally mistranslated the name if you read it as 'Cindy', or even anything close to it. I'm amazed that you got the rest of the ritual correct enough for it to have any effect at all."
"But there wasn't a name," I say. "Gosunkugi told me when he translated it."
Happosai closes his eyes, and suddenly looks a lot older than he did a little while ago. "Is he the one with the candles?" he asks in a tired voice.
"That's right," I say, nodding.
"When was the last time you saw him?" he asks.
"Um... I don't think I've seen him since he finished the translation. It was last full moon," I say.
"That's far too long," he says. "If you ever see him again, be very wary. He probably isn't human anymore."
"What do you mean?" my lord asks.
"That scroll contained a ritual to summon a special demon. It was a demon that had desired to become human, and found a way to shed the demonic part of it's soul. That demonic part is what Ranma would have summoned if he had used it's name," Happosai explains. "It was only a partial soul, and it would have merged with him immediately."
"What happened to the other part of the demon?" asks Marcia.
"The human part? It was only half a soul, but it slowly became whole over time, or so I heard," Happosai answers.
"Oh, that's good," Marcia says.
Eriko brings out our order, and as she places it on the table she stands very close to me. I see my lord make a motion with her hand out of the corner of my eye, and realize that she's motioning for me to grab the cute waitress. Hesitantly I bring up my hand, and as I run it along her firm thigh she spreads her legs and glances back at me with a wink.
I don't have time to think about where my hand has slipped to before she is gone again. When I look up Happosai is nodding approvingly, and my lord says, "Good, Ranma."
As I bring my hand back to pick up my chopsticks, Marcia asks, "Can I try next?"
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I watch my lord and Marcia as they sort through the clothing, occasionally holding a blouse up to their chests. 'Shopping is boring, but at least I know that Marcia is having fun.'
Suddenly I sense movement from behind. I turn just in time to catch someone as they crash into me, and I turn to cushion them as I land on my back. I have just enough time after we land to start into a pair of startled vibrant green eyes, then am doused in soda as a cup bounces off of my head and the lid pops off.
Sighing, I take stock of my situation. Flat on my back? Check. Hands in a compromising position? Surprising, but no. Cute girl sprawled on top of me? Yes. Two out of three is significantly better than my average.
"Wow," she says in a light soprano. "You're cute."
I had been expecting either an apology or anger, and so her kiss takes me totally by surprise. I find myself starting to respond when I realize that I'm a girl, and although my hands are not in a compromising position, hers are. She breaks off the kiss as my eyes widen, and sits up with a smile. Just before I start to scramble to escape, I see my lord step near.
"Are you all right?" she asks as she helps the other girl stand.
The other girl nods, and as I stand my lord steps forward and kisses her at least as thoroughly as she kissed me. When she breaks the kiss, she asks, "It wouldn't be fair for you to kiss only one of a pair of twins, would it?"
'Oh, right. I guess that we would be twins like this.'
She looks back and forth between us with shock and delight. She's a little taller than I am, and very slender, with light skin and dark brown hair. She's got a gymnast's body, and there's something familiar about the way she moves.
"I'm Ranko, and this is Ranma," my lord says, introducing us. "We're staying at 'Happy Times' for a while while we decide what to do next."
"I'm Umeko. It's nice to meet both of you," she says as she bows. Turning to me, she continues, "I'm sorry for spilling my drink on you. Please let me buy you both a new outfit."
"That is very kind of you," my lord says before I can say anything. "We were just looking at outfits with our friend."
"Ranma, would you go get Marcia?" my lord asks me. "She's waiting back by the fitting rooms."
"Sure," I say. 'I should have known. I can't go shopping and stay a guy.' I walk back to where Marcia is waiting.
She looks at my clothes, and then asks, "Ranma?"
I nod. "I got splashed. The girl is going to buy me a new outfit, and Cindy is going to get one too. Oh, call her 'Ranko'. The girl thinks that we're twins," I explain.
As we walk back, she says, "Um, can I ask you something?" She's worried about something.
"What is it, Ma-chan?" I ask.
"You know how you said that I can only practice on girls that want me to?" she asks.
"Yeah?" I say.
"Can I practice with you when you're a girl? Cindy said that I can practice with her," she asks in a quiet voice. I can tell that she's afraid that I'll reject her, and that keeps me from telling her no immediately.
"Did Cindy say when you could practice with her?" I ask, trying to buy a little time.
"Whenever nobody else is around," she says, with shining eyes. I can almost hear her chanting 'please, please'.
'I'm going to hate myself for this.' "All right, but only when nobody else is around," I say. Her feeling of relief is immense, and she gives me a huge smile before she hugs me.
I hug her back, then say, "We need to find 'Ranko'."
"You're all sticky," she says. Grabbing my hand, she licks my finger. "It's sweet."
"I know. It'll get even more sticky when it dries, too," I say as I repossess my hand. "Now, let's go."
"Ok," she says.
We both walk back to where my lord and Umeko are talking.
"...thought it was a love motel, though," Umeko says.
"As twins, we're very close," my lord says as we join them.
"Ma-chan, this is Umeko," I say.
"Umeko, this is Marcia," my lord says, in exactly the same tone of voice.
Marcia bows, and Umeko says, "You're staying with them? You're lucky."
Marcia looks at me with a smile, and nods. "I'm really lucky," she says.
As we walk back to the clothing racks, Umeko asks, "Is it true what they say? That there's always a dominant and a submissive twin?"
My lord laughs, and says, "Yes, but which is which might surprise you."
"Ranko, can I talk with you for a minute?" I ask.
"Of course, Ranma. Please excuse us, Umeko, Marcia," she says. We walk a little ways away.
"What are you doing?" I ask. "She's going to buy me a girl's outfit, and I have to stay a girl until she leaves. Can we just get rid of her?"
"Ranma, she's interested in us. Do you want to do anything with her?" she asks.
"But I'm a guy! I don't want to do that as a girl," I protest.
"Remember, Ranma. I can feel your lust. Are you sure you don't want to?" she asks. "Stop for a second, and really think about it."
I close my eyes, and try to do what she asks. 'Do I really want to do things as a girl? Have sex as a girl?' I turn the idea over in my mind, putting myself in that position. 'I just don't know if I can do that. This body feels weird enough normally, and when she kissed me it got even weirder. It just doesn't feel right.'
'At the same time, though, if I think of watching myself doing something with my lord it doesn't seem bad at all. So I want to do things, but I don't want to be the one actually doing them? My head hurts.'
I open my eyes, and say, "I don't know. I don't want to do anything like that right now, though. I don't know about ever doing it."
She looks satisfied with my answer, and says, "Remember, you only have until you transmigrate to make that decision. After that, you'll never have another chance, Ranma."
"If I was cured, she would've kissed me as a guy," I say.
She shakes her head, and says, "No, she wouldn't have. She doesn't like men like that."
"Oh," I say.
"Do you want to go back to the hotel? I can make an excuse for you, if you'd rather not be a girl right now," she says.
I'm tempted, but when I look over at them Marcia smiles at me. "I'll stay, but can we go back soon? I want to change back and wash this stuff off of me," I say.
"What about Umeko?" she asks.
"I don't know," I say. "What am I going to do about the changing room? I'm wearing boxers."
"I'll try on the clothes, then," my lord says. "You're all sticky, so I'll try them on and we'll save yours until you get to the hotel room. Does that sound all right?"
"I don't actually want to wear them at all, though," I protest.
"It's just what we'll tell her, Ranma," she says.
"Oh, ok," I say.
"Let's get started, then," she says. She rejoins Umeko and Marcia. I follow along behind at a slower pace.
"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Umeko asks me when I catch up. "I knocked you over and fell on you and got you all wet and sticky, and now you hate me."
"No, no. I don't hate you, Umeko," I say.
"Really?" she asks hopefully.
I nod, and she smiles at me.
"Let's look at clothes," my lord says.
While we're looking, I ask Umeko, "You're in good shape. Are you a martial artist?"
"No, I'm a figure skater," she says. "I'm in training for competitions. I'm just taking a break right now."
'This is the second time I've had a kiss stolen by a figure skater from my girl side. At least this one was a girl too. I hate my life.'
"That sounds interesting," my lord says.
As she leads Umeko around the corner, I jump as a hand slides up my inner thigh. Whirling around, I see Marcia looking at me in confusion. "Did I do it wrong?" she asks.
"Um... no, I just wasn't expecting it, that's all," I say.
She smiles and asks, "Should I try it again?"
"Let's wait until nobody can walk up and see us, ok? Maybe when we get back to the hotel?" I suggest to her.
"Oh, ok. I'll do it then," she says cheerfully.
"Let's catch up with Ranko and Umeko," I say.
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I tap Marcia on the cheek, and she giggles and then tries to touch me back. I'm only moving a little faster than she is, so she tags me back before too long, and well before it stops being fun for her. 'This is what teaching the Art is supposed to be like. Laughter and fun and games, and challenges that can always be overcome with enough effort.'
We're dancing around in a small section of the roof. The rules are simple: don't leave the area, you can try to keep the other person from tagging you using your hands, and hands don't count for tags. It builds up speed, coordination, balance, and targeting ability all at once. Most importantly, it's fun.
"Hang on for a moment," I say while stepping back.
"Ok!" she says.
"Want to see another way to keep me from tagging you?" I ask her.
"Sure!" she says with a smile.
"Ok, try and tag me, but do it slowly. I'll show you how it works," I say. She steps forward, and as she reaches out I step to one side and push her hand to the other with my own hand. "See? If you move, and you push my hand at the same time, it's easier to keep away," I explain. "Now you try."
I reach out to tag her, and she steps to one side, then pushes my hand. "Almost," I say. "You have to do it all at once. Let's start again, and you can try it while we play, ok?"
"Ok!" she agrees.
I start towards her again with slow steps and a grin.
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"While you go get your homework from Ms. Ninomiya, I'll go to the Netherworld, and use some of the mana you gave me," my lord says. "We can meet back here in an hour or so, all right?"
I nod, and she steps through the portal sitting on the balcony.
"What is Ms. Ninomiya like?" Marcia asks me.
"You'll like her, I think. Come on, let's go meet her," I say. "Just remember, if I tell you to run go straight to Happosai. He'll protect you."
She nods happily, and we step out into the hallway.
Disclaimer - I own neither Disgaea nor Ranma 1/2.
Further disclaimer - The previous chapter is lemon, and won't be posted to FF.N.
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Happosai frowned at the two groveling men on the ground in front of him. 'Why are they so mind-numbingly incompetent?' he wondered to himself. Shaking his head, he roared out, "Why are you two so mind-numbingly incompetent?" Yelling it out loud was satisfying.
"We're sorry, Master!" they cried out, almost in unison.
Happosai sighed, and in the same tone of voice that adults use to explain things to very small children said, "Ranma is moving out, so that I can teach him to be my heir properly. That means without any interference from you two. Do you understand?"
"What about the Schools?" asked a trembling Soun.
"Soun," Happosai said in a firm tone of voice, "If you try anything, there won't be a Tendo School to unite the Saotome School with."
They all looked up as Kasumi slid open the dining room door. She said, "The school called just now, father. Ranma was sent home a little while ago with a broken rib, and we're supposed to take him to get it looked at by a doctor."
"He lost to some schoolboy?" Genma shouted.
"Genma, the next words out of your mouth had better not include 'train' and 'Ranma'," Happosai warned him in a quiet voice. "There could just as easily not be a Saotome School to unite either."
With a sickly smile Genma said, "Of course not, Master."
Happosai turned to Kasumi and said, "I've already taken care of that. I ran into the boy on my way back here."
Kasumi bowed to him, and said, "Thank you, grandfather Happosai."
"There's no need for that, Kasumi," said Happosai. "He's going to be my heir. Without him, I'll never be able to retire with my silky darlings!" Turning back to the cowering Genma and Soun, he added, "So no interference!"
He walked past Kasumi into the dining room. As soon as the door shut, twin shouts of, "Free!" rang out. Shaking his head he muttered, "Morons."
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"A broken rib? Ranma? Are you sure?" asked Nabiki.
The nurse nodded. "From the bruising, it looked like he was kicked pretty viciously. He said that it happened when he was sparring, before school," she said.
"Sparring? Hm..." said Nabiki. 'He didn't spar today before breakfast, and he was fine when I left. It must have happened on the way to school,' she mused. "Can I use your phone?"
"Sure. I need to file these, so take your time," the nurse replied, holding up some file folders.
Lifting the phone to her head, Nabiki nodded. She ignored the bell as she dialed, and tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk as the phone rang. 'Hopefully they didn't all go to the doctor with Ranma.'
"Hello, Tendo residence," answered Kasumi.
"Good, you're home. You didn't already take Ranma to the doctor, did you?" Nabiki asked.
"No, Nabiki. Grandfather Happosai took care of it all," she replied.
"What? All right, if you say so, Kasumi. I'll be home at my usual time," said Nabiki.
"I'll tell Ranma you were worried about him. Have fun at school, Nabiki," said Kasumi as she hung up the phone.
Nabiki looked at the phone in annoyance, then hung it up. 'With any luck, Kasumi will forget all about it before she sees Ranma,' she thought.
The nurse leaned in, and asked, "Are you done already? Do you need a hall pass? The bell rang a little bit ago."
Nabiki nodded. "Actually, could you give me a pass to see the counselor instead? I need to talk to her about a problem," she said.
The nurse filled out the pass and handed it to Nabiki. "Here you go, Nabiki," she said.
Nabiki nodded, and left the nurse to her filing.
'Was it Akane? She was pretty mad this morning, after all,' she thought. Anger instantly disappearing and reappearing suddenly on her sisters face loomed in her mind. She sped up her pace, thinking, 'I'd better hurry. I want to get this over with before lunchtime.'
------------
As we exit the elevator, the clerk looks back at us. "Oh, it's you!" he says.
"He told me to tell you to meet him at the shop across the way, so that you could get started on your shopping," he says. "He's waiting for you there."
My lord steps forward slightly and bows, saying, "Thank you."
Marcia and I follow her out into the street. Across the street from us is an expensive-looking lingerie shop named 'Silky Darlings'. 'That name can't be a coincidence. Can it?'
Instead of racks upon racks of bras, panties, and lingerie we find a pleasant lounge, with a few display mannequins. A beautiful, large-breasted woman with short black hair is sitting behind an elegant desk off to one side, holding Happosai in her lap as he fondles her.
He looks over at me and winks, then turns his attention back to the woman. Seconds later she lets out a quiet, shuddering sigh, and he hops off of her lap and walks over to us. "Ranma! You took longer than I expected. Good job!" he says with a large smile.
I'm not sure how to react to this new Happosai, and I find myself blushing. Mentally shaking myself, I ask, "Is this yours? And 'Happy Times', too? I thought that you were poor."
He nods. "It's all mine, actually. I'll tell you all about it in a little while. First, let's get these two beautiful young ladies some new undergarments," he says.
He turns to the woman at the desk and says, "Katsue. Would you get these two measured?"
Katsue stands a little unsteadily, and opens a door to what must be a fitting room. "Please come this way, ladies," she says with a smile.
"I'm surprised that you're not wanting to go in and 'help' her measure them. Did Pantyhose finally manage to tag you with the spring of drowned virtuous man?" I ask him.
"Have a seat, Ranma. We've got a little while before the showing," he says, pointing to a comfortable-looking couch.
"Showing?" I ask as I sit. I find that the couch is even more comfortable than it looks.
Happosai turns to me with a solemn expression. "Ranma, have you ever had an epiphany?" he asks in a serious voice.
"What's that?" I ask.
"It's a moment when you suddenly see things as they really are," he says. "After that, everything changes."
I shake my head.
"Remember before last New Year's? When I got you stuck to me?" Happosai asks.
I narrow my eyes at him. "I remember," I almost growl.
"Do you remember asking me why I didn't find someone that wanted to be peeped on?" he asks.
I blink. "Um... no," I say.
"Well, I ended up thinking about that for a long time. Then on New Year's, while you were busy with that ghost cat, I overheard Nabiki talking on the phone. She has her whole life already planned out. Did you know that?" he asks.
He continues before I can do more than flinch at the word 'cat'. "She said 'I'm going to spend my life surrounded by the one thing I really love, money!'. And that's when I realized that I've been wasting my life," he says.
I nod. 'That sounds like Nabiki, all right.'
"I've been working on this since then, when I'm away 'on vacation'," he says. "I love panties, bras, lingerie of all types! And now I can be surrounded by them all the time, and have women that want me to peep on and fondle them."
"You mean that that woman wants you to peep on her?" I ask in disbelief.
He smiles wide, and nods. "She had it written into her contract. I have to spend a minimum of two hours a day groping her each day she works, too," he says proudly.
The door to the fitting room opens. Katsue leans out, and says, "Ranma, they're ready for you now. Please come this way."
I look at Happosai, and he just waves me along. I stand, and go through the door that Katsue is holding open for me. I turn the corner, and find a smiling Marcia wearing an adorable pale blue teddy, and my lord behind her in a very skimpy snakeskin-print bustier with a matching g-string. As Marcia does a pirouette, I find my voice and say, "Wow..."
My lord giggles at my expression, and says, "We'll take these, and the others as well."
"I'll have the others delivered, then," Katsue says with a nod. "You'll want to wear those, right?"
"That's right," my lord answers with a nod.
They gather up their clothes, and as they start to head out I say, "Aren't you going to get dressed first? Happosai is still out there, you know."
"I don't know how he does it, but he uses lust energy almost like I do, Ranma. We're going to thank him properly for his gifts," she explains.
"But what if he gropes you?" I protest.
"I hope he does, Ranma. It bothers you, doesn't it," she says. It's not a question.
I nod.
"Maybe he'll show you how to grope us, too," she suggests with a mischievous smile. "You're going to agree to be his heir, right?"
"You can practice with me!" Marcia says enthusiastically.
I look between the two of them, not knowing what to say. 'Is it perverted to grope someone that wants you to?' I look at Marcia, and she gives me a big smile. 'She's my vassal. I have to take care of her. It's not just me anymore.'
I close my eyes. 'If I agree to be Happosai's heir, I'll learn all sorts of perverted techniques. But is it the techniques that are perverted, or is it just how he uses them? If I practice them with Marcia and my lord, am I still a pervert?'
Only one answer makes any sense, 'no.' I open my eyes. "All right. Let's go out and thank him, then," I say.
"You could thank him too, if you really wanted to..." my lord suggests with a naughty grin.
I find myself hugging my chest, and say, "Um..."
She walks out past me with a bell-like laugh, with Marcia right behind.
"Hey, wait!" I say, hurrying after them. I get through the door just in time to see my lord catching Happosai and cuddling him to her chest. He peeks up over her shoulder and gives me what looks like an honestly happy smile. Looking past his head, I see Katsue slowly dropping her hand. 'She's smiling, but she seems sad, too.'
"I'd like to thank you for everything you're doing for us, Happosai. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," my lord says.
Marcia tugs on his pants. When he looks at her, she holds her arms out and says, "Me, too!"
Surprisingly, he looks at me before accepting. When I nod, he hops into her arms. Moments later she lets out a breathless "oh!", and I can feel both her surprise and a light buzz of pleasure.
When he hops out of her arms, I step forward. "If you'll let me pick who I practice with, I'll be your heir," I say to him.
He looks at me solemnly, then nods once.
Taking a deep breath, I do something that I had sworn that I would never do. "Master Happosai," I say, bowing my head.
"Come, student. Let's get lunch," he says.
------------
As Nabiki approached, Akane's friends nudged her and pointed. With a resigned look, she got up to meet her sister.
"What is it, Nabiki?" Akane asked. "You're usually busy during lunch."
"Akane, did anything odd happen on the way to school today?" Nabiki asked in return.
"Ranma let me get splashed. He's such a jerk!" Akane complained. Nabiki watched that instant anger snap into place on her sister's face again. "He never showed up for class, either. He's probably out with Shampoo."
"Kunou didn't bother you today, did he?" Nabiki asked.
"No, I haven't seen him all day," Akane said thoughtfully, with no trace of anger. Nabiki nodded to herself. 'It looks like it's only Ranma that's making her mad,' she thought.
"That's all I wanted to know, Akane. Have a nice lunch," Nabiki said.
"You too, Nabiki," said Akane, walking back to her friends.
'Hypnosis, magic, possession,' the counselor's voice echoed in Nabiki's mind. 'Everything I can come up with lies in one of those three categories.'
"Hypnosis. Hmm..." Nabiki mused to herself.
------------
Lunch turns out to be just down the road, at 'Happy Bowl'.
"You own this too, right?" I ask as we sit down.
"That's right," Happosai confirms. "I also own the bar on the corner. All together, they'll give me a nice life when I retire."
"You're retiring?" I ask.
Happosai nods. "After you learn everything I have to teach, I'll certify you as the new headmaster of our school. The full school, not the Saotome branch that you've studied so far," he says.
"I'd outrank both Pop and Mr. Tendo," I protest.
"Ranma, when was the last time you fought against Genma without holding back?" he asks.
"Well, all we ever do is spar, really," I say.
"Let me ask it a different way, then. When was the last time you had to fight all-out against Genma?" he asks.
I look down at the table. 'It has been a while.'
"So yes, you'll outrank both of them," he confirms.
The waitress arrives. She's cute, with a toned, athletic body and a long black ponytail. When she sees Happosai, she smiles and says, "Let me get mother!" She disappears into the back again.
She appears with a slightly-older copy of herself, and they bow to Happosai in unison. He nods back. Turning to me, he says, "These are the two finest donburi chefs in all of Japan. Nakae Kazuko, and her daughter Eriko."
Turning back to them, he says, "This is my heir, Saotome Ranma, and his two girlfriends Cindy and Marcia. Please, treat them like you would treat me."
Eriko gives my lord a smile, saying, "He's cute."
My lord nods. "He's good in bed, too," she says. Eriko and her mother both giggle as I blush.
"What would you like today?" Eriko asks us.
"Gyudon for me today," Happosai answers.
"Two unadon please," I say as she looks at me.
"Me too," says Marcia.
"I'll have that as well," my lord says.
She nods, and as she leaves I watch Happosai pinch her bottom. She leans into his hand with a smile.
"She likes it too?" I ask him, once she's gone.
"Not everyone is as prudish as Akane," he says in response.
"Now that we've gotten the most important business taken care of, I need to talk to you about that scroll," he says with a serious look. "You must have totally mistranslated the name if you read it as 'Cindy', or even anything close to it. I'm amazed that you got the rest of the ritual correct enough for it to have any effect at all."
"But there wasn't a name," I say. "Gosunkugi told me when he translated it."
Happosai closes his eyes, and suddenly looks a lot older than he did a little while ago. "Is he the one with the candles?" he asks in a tired voice.
"That's right," I say, nodding.
"When was the last time you saw him?" he asks.
"Um... I don't think I've seen him since he finished the translation. It was last full moon," I say.
"That's far too long," he says. "If you ever see him again, be very wary. He probably isn't human anymore."
"What do you mean?" my lord asks.
"That scroll contained a ritual to summon a special demon. It was a demon that had desired to become human, and found a way to shed the demonic part of it's soul. That demonic part is what Ranma would have summoned if he had used it's name," Happosai explains. "It was only a partial soul, and it would have merged with him immediately."
"What happened to the other part of the demon?" asks Marcia.
"The human part? It was only half a soul, but it slowly became whole over time, or so I heard," Happosai answers.
"Oh, that's good," Marcia says.
Eriko brings out our order, and as she places it on the table she stands very close to me. I see my lord make a motion with her hand out of the corner of my eye, and realize that she's motioning for me to grab the cute waitress. Hesitantly I bring up my hand, and as I run it along her firm thigh she spreads her legs and glances back at me with a wink.
I don't have time to think about where my hand has slipped to before she is gone again. When I look up Happosai is nodding approvingly, and my lord says, "Good, Ranma."
As I bring my hand back to pick up my chopsticks, Marcia asks, "Can I try next?"
------------
I watch my lord and Marcia as they sort through the clothing, occasionally holding a blouse up to their chests. 'Shopping is boring, but at least I know that Marcia is having fun.'
Suddenly I sense movement from behind. I turn just in time to catch someone as they crash into me, and I turn to cushion them as I land on my back. I have just enough time after we land to start into a pair of startled vibrant green eyes, then am doused in soda as a cup bounces off of my head and the lid pops off.
Sighing, I take stock of my situation. Flat on my back? Check. Hands in a compromising position? Surprising, but no. Cute girl sprawled on top of me? Yes. Two out of three is significantly better than my average.
"Wow," she says in a light soprano. "You're cute."
I had been expecting either an apology or anger, and so her kiss takes me totally by surprise. I find myself starting to respond when I realize that I'm a girl, and although my hands are not in a compromising position, hers are. She breaks off the kiss as my eyes widen, and sits up with a smile. Just before I start to scramble to escape, I see my lord step near.
"Are you all right?" she asks as she helps the other girl stand.
The other girl nods, and as I stand my lord steps forward and kisses her at least as thoroughly as she kissed me. When she breaks the kiss, she asks, "It wouldn't be fair for you to kiss only one of a pair of twins, would it?"
'Oh, right. I guess that we would be twins like this.'
She looks back and forth between us with shock and delight. She's a little taller than I am, and very slender, with light skin and dark brown hair. She's got a gymnast's body, and there's something familiar about the way she moves.
"I'm Ranko, and this is Ranma," my lord says, introducing us. "We're staying at 'Happy Times' for a while while we decide what to do next."
"I'm Umeko. It's nice to meet both of you," she says as she bows. Turning to me, she continues, "I'm sorry for spilling my drink on you. Please let me buy you both a new outfit."
"That is very kind of you," my lord says before I can say anything. "We were just looking at outfits with our friend."
"Ranma, would you go get Marcia?" my lord asks me. "She's waiting back by the fitting rooms."
"Sure," I say. 'I should have known. I can't go shopping and stay a guy.' I walk back to where Marcia is waiting.
She looks at my clothes, and then asks, "Ranma?"
I nod. "I got splashed. The girl is going to buy me a new outfit, and Cindy is going to get one too. Oh, call her 'Ranko'. The girl thinks that we're twins," I explain.
As we walk back, she says, "Um, can I ask you something?" She's worried about something.
"What is it, Ma-chan?" I ask.
"You know how you said that I can only practice on girls that want me to?" she asks.
"Yeah?" I say.
"Can I practice with you when you're a girl? Cindy said that I can practice with her," she asks in a quiet voice. I can tell that she's afraid that I'll reject her, and that keeps me from telling her no immediately.
"Did Cindy say when you could practice with her?" I ask, trying to buy a little time.
"Whenever nobody else is around," she says, with shining eyes. I can almost hear her chanting 'please, please'.
'I'm going to hate myself for this.' "All right, but only when nobody else is around," I say. Her feeling of relief is immense, and she gives me a huge smile before she hugs me.
I hug her back, then say, "We need to find 'Ranko'."
"You're all sticky," she says. Grabbing my hand, she licks my finger. "It's sweet."
"I know. It'll get even more sticky when it dries, too," I say as I repossess my hand. "Now, let's go."
"Ok," she says.
We both walk back to where my lord and Umeko are talking.
"...thought it was a love motel, though," Umeko says.
"As twins, we're very close," my lord says as we join them.
"Ma-chan, this is Umeko," I say.
"Umeko, this is Marcia," my lord says, in exactly the same tone of voice.
Marcia bows, and Umeko says, "You're staying with them? You're lucky."
Marcia looks at me with a smile, and nods. "I'm really lucky," she says.
As we walk back to the clothing racks, Umeko asks, "Is it true what they say? That there's always a dominant and a submissive twin?"
My lord laughs, and says, "Yes, but which is which might surprise you."
"Ranko, can I talk with you for a minute?" I ask.
"Of course, Ranma. Please excuse us, Umeko, Marcia," she says. We walk a little ways away.
"What are you doing?" I ask. "She's going to buy me a girl's outfit, and I have to stay a girl until she leaves. Can we just get rid of her?"
"Ranma, she's interested in us. Do you want to do anything with her?" she asks.
"But I'm a guy! I don't want to do that as a girl," I protest.
"Remember, Ranma. I can feel your lust. Are you sure you don't want to?" she asks. "Stop for a second, and really think about it."
I close my eyes, and try to do what she asks. 'Do I really want to do things as a girl? Have sex as a girl?' I turn the idea over in my mind, putting myself in that position. 'I just don't know if I can do that. This body feels weird enough normally, and when she kissed me it got even weirder. It just doesn't feel right.'
'At the same time, though, if I think of watching myself doing something with my lord it doesn't seem bad at all. So I want to do things, but I don't want to be the one actually doing them? My head hurts.'
I open my eyes, and say, "I don't know. I don't want to do anything like that right now, though. I don't know about ever doing it."
She looks satisfied with my answer, and says, "Remember, you only have until you transmigrate to make that decision. After that, you'll never have another chance, Ranma."
"If I was cured, she would've kissed me as a guy," I say.
She shakes her head, and says, "No, she wouldn't have. She doesn't like men like that."
"Oh," I say.
"Do you want to go back to the hotel? I can make an excuse for you, if you'd rather not be a girl right now," she says.
I'm tempted, but when I look over at them Marcia smiles at me. "I'll stay, but can we go back soon? I want to change back and wash this stuff off of me," I say.
"What about Umeko?" she asks.
"I don't know," I say. "What am I going to do about the changing room? I'm wearing boxers."
"I'll try on the clothes, then," my lord says. "You're all sticky, so I'll try them on and we'll save yours until you get to the hotel room. Does that sound all right?"
"I don't actually want to wear them at all, though," I protest.
"It's just what we'll tell her, Ranma," she says.
"Oh, ok," I say.
"Let's get started, then," she says. She rejoins Umeko and Marcia. I follow along behind at a slower pace.
"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Umeko asks me when I catch up. "I knocked you over and fell on you and got you all wet and sticky, and now you hate me."
"No, no. I don't hate you, Umeko," I say.
"Really?" she asks hopefully.
I nod, and she smiles at me.
"Let's look at clothes," my lord says.
While we're looking, I ask Umeko, "You're in good shape. Are you a martial artist?"
"No, I'm a figure skater," she says. "I'm in training for competitions. I'm just taking a break right now."
'This is the second time I've had a kiss stolen by a figure skater from my girl side. At least this one was a girl too. I hate my life.'
"That sounds interesting," my lord says.
As she leads Umeko around the corner, I jump as a hand slides up my inner thigh. Whirling around, I see Marcia looking at me in confusion. "Did I do it wrong?" she asks.
"Um... no, I just wasn't expecting it, that's all," I say.
She smiles and asks, "Should I try it again?"
"Let's wait until nobody can walk up and see us, ok? Maybe when we get back to the hotel?" I suggest to her.
"Oh, ok. I'll do it then," she says cheerfully.
"Let's catch up with Ranko and Umeko," I say.
------------
I tap Marcia on the cheek, and she giggles and then tries to touch me back. I'm only moving a little faster than she is, so she tags me back before too long, and well before it stops being fun for her. 'This is what teaching the Art is supposed to be like. Laughter and fun and games, and challenges that can always be overcome with enough effort.'
We're dancing around in a small section of the roof. The rules are simple: don't leave the area, you can try to keep the other person from tagging you using your hands, and hands don't count for tags. It builds up speed, coordination, balance, and targeting ability all at once. Most importantly, it's fun.
"Hang on for a moment," I say while stepping back.
"Ok!" she says.
"Want to see another way to keep me from tagging you?" I ask her.
"Sure!" she says with a smile.
"Ok, try and tag me, but do it slowly. I'll show you how it works," I say. She steps forward, and as she reaches out I step to one side and push her hand to the other with my own hand. "See? If you move, and you push my hand at the same time, it's easier to keep away," I explain. "Now you try."
I reach out to tag her, and she steps to one side, then pushes my hand. "Almost," I say. "You have to do it all at once. Let's start again, and you can try it while we play, ok?"
"Ok!" she agrees.
I start towards her again with slow steps and a grin.
------------
"While you go get your homework from Ms. Ninomiya, I'll go to the Netherworld, and use some of the mana you gave me," my lord says. "We can meet back here in an hour or so, all right?"
I nod, and she steps through the portal sitting on the balcony.
"What is Ms. Ninomiya like?" Marcia asks me.
"You'll like her, I think. Come on, let's go meet her," I say. "Just remember, if I tell you to run go straight to Happosai. He'll protect you."
She nods happily, and we step out into the hallway.