Gasaraki Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Project Mile Two ❯ Biki-chan? ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Project Mile Two


By Lord Raa


Chapter 10




*******************


Kodachi leapt across the rooftops of Nerima towards the Tendo dojo. Knocking on the door, she expected Ranma to be there.

"Hello Kodachi," Kasumi answered the door.

"Where is my darling Ranma?" The Kuno family always managed to sound pompous.

"He's not here."

"Ah, the mercenary Tendo appears. What has happened to my noble warrior during my absence?"

Nabiki considered Kodachi's situation for a moment. "Assuming that it is a concern of yours, why should I tell you?"

Kodachi fumed, "You would keep my from my love? "

"You do a good enough job of that on your own." Nabiki smirked.

"What could one such as you know about Ranma?" Kodachi looked down her nose at Nabiki. "What could you possibly offer him?"

Nabiki dropped the smirk. "I'll tell you this, Ranma thinks more of me then you. Good night, Miss Kuno."

The door slammed shut.


Kasumi turned to her sister. "That was a bit rude, Nabiki."

"Sorry about that Kasumi, it's just that I've had enough of the Kuno family."

Akane walked down the stairs to join her sisters.

"How are you holding up, Akane?"

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to know why Ranma never told me the truth about P-chan."

Nabiki sighed, "Ranma made a promise. He's big on things like that."

Akane looked at her hands. "D-do you think he hates me?"

"Ranma?" Nabiki shook her head. "No. Auntie Nodoka? That's another story."

Akane looked at her sister. "Why would she hate me?"

Nabiki's face acquired a painful expression. "I think we should sit down for this."


**********************


Akane cried herself to sleep that night. In the morning, she was in such poor shape that she almost missed Nabiki's departure.

"Take care of Akane, Kasumi. She needs a lot of support right now."

Kasumi nodded.

"Well, I'll write to you in a couple of days."

"Waah, my little girl is growing up." Soun bawled as expected. But for the first time in a while, he had good reason to be emotional.

Deciding to cut down on the theatrics, Nabiki walked over to the waiting car. She waved to her family as she pulled away.


**********************


A few days later.

Nabiki found a need to express her thoughts and concerns. Not being used to talking with others about her feelings, she wrote in her journal: -

Well, I've got myself into a situation I never would have expected a month ago. Of course, I never would have expected a potential fiancé to change into a girl with a splash of cold water.

But here I am, working in the Gowa group for that same young man, Ranma.

I'm finding myself more and more surprised with him. He's much more than a pretty face - no one could master the techniques that he does in such a short space of time if they were stupid.

Now he turns out to be rich. Richer than Kuno.

Then he gets that curse of his cured.

He's perfect for me!

But how do I get the fool to ask me out?



***************************


Ukyo Kuonji walked to her apartment from school, a smile on her face.

"Excuse me young lady, but do you have a reason to be here?" a policeman asked her.

"Yes, I live in that building. Why? Is something up?"

The man nodded grimly. "I'm afraid that the building must be fumigated. Some damn fool imported something that had some diseased animals in."

"Damn. How long is this going to take?" Ukyo had just settled in at school, she didn't need this sort of complication messing with her education. "I'm going to lose business; I own the restaurant in that building."

"Another day or two."


*CRASH*


A delivery van driver lost control and ploughed into the building in question, shaking it violently.

"That's my business he trashed!" Ukyo screamed.

"Perhaps you should find someone to put you up?" the policeman offered moving away from the slightly glowing girl.

Ukyo was about to launch a scathing attack on the man when she had an idea. "Ranchan!"

Rushing to a payphone, Ukyo fumbled for Ranma's number. Dialling she hoped that he would answer.

*Gowa residence, how may I help you?*

Ukyo was taken aback by the man on the line. "Err, I would like to speak to Ranma, please."

*Please bear with me. Who shall I say is calling?*

"Tell him it's Ucchan."

A minute later Ranma was on the other end.

*Ucchan?*

"Yeah, Ranchan. I need a favour. Can you put me up 'til I find a new place to stay?"

*I'll ask my folks. Can I call you back in a few minutes?*

"Yeah, the number's (45) 4568-4239."

*Right. See you Ucchan.*


A few minutes later the pay phone rang.

"Ranchan?"

*Yeah Ucchan, I asked and they said that it's ok for a few days. I'll come and pick you up, where are you?*

"I'm just across the road from my place. Thanks Ranchan, I appreciate it."

*No problem, Ucchan. See you in a few.*


*************************


Nodoka smiled to herself as she thought about Ukyo's visit. 'Maybe if I could convince Ranma to be as little bit more affectionate with the girls, then he'd be happy. I know they would.'

Nabiki saw the look on Nodoka's face and somehow knew that something was up. 'She's plotting something.' "Auntie Nodoka, is something up?"

"No Nabiki, it's just that Ukyo will be staying with us for a few days. Ranma just left to pick her up in the car."

"Oh." 'Damn, Ukyo's going to be around, I'll have to move fast if I want Ranma.'

Nodoka decided that Nabiki needed a little teasing. "Of course, I don't mind if both you and Ukyo agree to share him."

Nabiki blushed slightly.


***************************


Ukyo's weeklong stay with Ranma's family went all too quickly for her. Nabiki was under the impression that it dragged on. Ranma? Well, he thought it was great that he got to spend time with his two friends.

A month after Ukyo's stay at the Gowa house had ended, Ranma, Nabiki and Ukyo were out window-shopping on the streets of Gowa city. With Nabiki in the shopping party, few items would be purchased for their listed prices.

Ukyo had decided to stake an early claim on Ranma by grabbing hold of his arm.

Nabiki's eyes narrowed at this blatant challenge and, like Ranma, Nabiki didn't like backing down from a challenge.

"Hey Ranma, don't leave me behind - I've got the money," Nabiki joked as she grabbed his other arm.

Ranma froze as he realised what was warming his arms.

"Don't worry Ranchan, you're not being perverted," Ukyo whispered in his ear.

Ranma's face showed some relief for a moment, the panic returned as he realised Nabiki was still attached to his arm.

Nabiki saw a chance to repair some of the damage done to Ranma by her younger sister. "I can assure you that I would not be attracted to a pervert, Ranma."

Ranma blush increased at the proximity of the two girls to his face.

Ukyo giggled at Ranma's embarrassment and gave him a quick kiss on the
cheek. 'I wonder what Nabiki's going to do after that.'

Nabiki thought about that and decided to raise the stakes by kissing Ranma on the cheek and adding: "Auntie Nodoka would be proud."

"Huh?" was Ranma's less then articulate response.

Ukyo was also intrigued by her rival's statement.

"Auntie Nodoka would be impressed by your manliness - taking two girls on at the same time." Nabiki teased absently.

Ukyo thought over Nabiki's words. 'Is she bluffing about sharing Ranchan?'

During a gust of cold wind, Ranma assumed the naughtiest possibility when both Nabiki and Ukyo gripped him tighter for warmth. A trickle of blood came out of his nose.

"I am a pervert," he said quietly.

"Ranchan?" Ukyo turned to her friend and saw the blood on his face.

"Ranma are you ok?" Nabiki was worried about Ranma's health after his family told her that he was at greater risk of developing cancer. As she led him to a nearby bench, Ranma nodded.

Nabiki realised the reason for Ranma's nasal leakage and smiled to herself.

Ranma turned to his assistant, "Nabiki what did you mean when you said taking on two girls at the same time?"

Ukyo also wanted to her this answer.

As Nabiki fumbled for words, the teenagers heard a laugh that sent chills down their spines.

"So there you are my dear Ranma." Kodachi landed before them and twirled her ribbon. "It took me a while to track you down."

"What do you want, Kodachi?" Ukyo snarled.

"Why, only to be close to Ranma-sama, of course. Why are you two harpies here?"

"Don't insult my friends, Kodachi," Ranma warned as he stood up. "You will regret it."

"Ranma, you're so aggressive. It excites me," Kodachi swayed as she walked up to him.

Ukyo and Nabiki stood in front of Ranma so he would not have to break his habit of not hitting girls. "Back down, you inbred maniac. Ranma is not yours nor will he ever be."

"Oh, and what is he to you Tendo?"

"She works for me. Leave now, or get hurt. The choice is yours." Ranma was not in the mood to deal with any of the Kuno family.

"There you are, foul sorcerer!"

"Not him." Ranma and Nabiki held their heads in their hands.

"My search has determined that the pigtailed goddess has not been sighted in Hokkaido. Where have you hidden her?" Kuno pointed his bokken at Ranma.

"Go. Away. Kuno. Is that simple enough for you to understand?" Nabiki had grown tired of Kuno's ranting over the years. Now her family was being taken care of, she no longer had to tolerate his idiocy.

"I see that he has ensorcelled even the mercenary Nabiki Tendo. Have at you!"

Kuno charged. Into a fist.

Kodachi took this opportunity to get rid of the competition for Ranma's heart.
In a rare moment of clarity, she decided that Ukyo would be the tougher opponent.

Nabiki, however, was considered to be fair game and an easy target.

She launched herself at the middle Tendo daughter. Feinting with the ribbon, she used a rose loaded with paralysis gas on Nabiki.

"Unnh," Nabiki groaned as she fell to the floor.

Ukyo's arm was tangled up in the ribbon's next attack. Deciding to use it as a method of getting in close, she manoeuvred to give Kodachi a backhand to the face.

Kodachi screeched at Ukyo. "You filthy witch, you'll pay for marring my beautiful features."

Pulling out a spiked gymnastics club, she threw it at Ukyo's torso. It caused a glancing blow, but that was still enough to draw blood.

"Ranchan!" Ukyo called out as she slipped out of consciousness and fell roughly against Kuno's bokken, bruising her arm.

Ranma was now angry. The Kuno siblings had now hurt his two best friends.

Rushing in to make sure Ucchan and Nabiki were all right, he turned to the attackers. "This is your last chance to avoid a blood feud. If you don't piss off back to Nerima right now, I will personally stomp the Kuno house into dust."

Tatewaki Kuno was not the smartest of individuals, but even he normally would have balked at the threat of a blood feud with the Gowa clan. Unfortunately the part of his brain that was used for rational thinking was sorely atrophied; and as such failed to over-ride his arrogance. Otherwise, he would have realised that Ranma could indeed wipe out the Kuno clan.

"I think not, foul sorcerer!" the bokken wielding idiot charged again.

Ranma blurred, punching and kicking Kuno in various vulnerable points on his body repeatedly, causing Kuno coughed up blood.

Ranma turned to Kodachi. "Take this idiot home with you. I never want to even hear the name Kuno again. Be gone from my sight!" Ranma finished with a shout.

Kodachi was taken aback by the sudden attitude change in Ranma. 'These harlots have corrupted him.'

Picking up her brother, Kodachi made her exit, though it was much less extravagant than her entrance.

Ranma looked over his friends, they seemed to be ok, but unable to move or talk. Gathering them in his arms as best he could, Ranma started on his way back to the Gowa house.


***************************


Ranma waited for the family doctor's diagnosis.

"They should be alright after a good rest, although they will have a headache. Try not to disturb them too much."

"Thanks, doctor." Ranma bowed to the man.

Nodoka walked up to her son. "Ranma, what happened? You brought them here and demanded that someone bring a doctor."

Ranma took a deep breath to calm him of the rising anger. "We were out shopping when the Kunos decided to pay a visit. They hurt Ucchan and Biki-chan."

Nodoka's face darkened. "Did you say anything to them?"

"I threatened them with a blood feud." Ranma looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, I know that I shouldn't have."

Nodoka hugged Ranma. "You just wanted to protect them, son. It's alright."

Kiyoharu walked by. "Is something wrong?"

"Ranma threatened the Kuno clan with a blood feud because they hurt Nabiki and Ukyo."

Kiyoharu looked at his cousins. "And who are the Kunos again?"

"They're some family that claims to be of samurai ancestry. Remember when we took Ranma out of Furinkan?"

"Oh yes, the Hawaii obsessed principal. I'm glad that you fought him off, No-chan."

Ranma's jaw tightened. "He-he attacked you?"

"Yes," Nodoka answered, "but I fought him off."

"That's it; the Kunos are going down. To attack me is one thing but they have attacked my fiancées, my friends and my family." Ranma's aura sprung up around him.

Nodoka looked at Ranma. 'He's so manly to defend his friends and family like that. He is too much for one girl to handle.'

Kiyoharu was impressed by Ranma's attitude. "Ranma, I will check into the Kuno's actions to determine if we should do this on the QT or through the system. I doubt that the courts would allow you to traipse through the Kuno grounds in a TA."

Ranma smiled at his cousin. "But something tells me that you would."


***************************


Nabiki awoke with a headache.

"Ranma?"

"I'm here Nabiki. Are you all right? Would you like a drink of water?"

"Yeah, I'm a little dry." Nabiki quickly drank the water.

"What happened?"

"We were out shopping and the Kunos attacked us. We're looking at the best way to deal with them."

"What are your options. And can I help?"

"Of course you can, Biki-chan. I need the help of my lovely assistant." Ranma didn't notice Nabiki's blush at the pet name and continued. "Either you and Kiyoharu bankrupt them or I trash their holdings in a TA."

"Can't we do both Ranchan?"

Ranma and Nabiki turned to the now conscious Ukyo. "You ok, Ucchan?"

"Yeah, I'll be right as rain soon enough."

Ranma rushed to the side of his former fiancée. "I'm glad, Ucchan. I was really worried about you and Biki-chan."

"Biki-chan?" Nabiki ask incredulously.

"Yeah, you don't mind do you?" Ranma asked fearfully.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, it's the sort of name I'd only allow my _boyfriend_ to call me," Nabiki teased.

"Hey, you haven't beaten me yet, Nabiki," Ukyo insisted.

Ranma sighed. "I thought that I was done with all the fighting over me."

Ranma thought about how to best deal with the situation between himself, Nabiki and Ukyo. 'I don't know which one I like best. Nabiki is a great help. But Ucchan is great fun to be around. They're both cute and nice to me.'

"If I don't make a decision, then I'm as bad as Kuno." Ranma stated sadly. "It's not right to cheat with one behind the other's back."

"But what if I gave you permission to sleep with Nabiki, Ranchan?" Ukyo asked completely out of the blue.

Ranma was stunned into silence.

"And what if I wanted to join you and Ucchan, Ranma?" Nabiki asked playfully.

Now Ranma start to feel faint as the blood rushed to his head. It started to leak from his nose.

"See, Nabiki he's not ready for such things. I told you we should wait till he's older before trying out the Kama Sutra with him." Ucchan sat up, took Ranma's hand and looked him in the eye. "Ranchan, you know I love you. Do you love me or Nabiki?"

Nabiki moved in closer to Ranma waiting for an answer.

"I think I love you both," Ranma's voice was barely above a whisper.

Nabiki was not sure whether to smile or frown at that revelation. Ukyo felt similarly.

"Well, I'll let you both get some rest." Ranma left the room to ponder his thoughts.



***************************


Ranma needed to ask someone's advice, (un) fortunately the first person he
came across was his mother.

"Is something the matter son?"

"I have a dilemma."

"Oh?" Nodoka had a vague idea what his problem was.

"There's this girl that I like. Well, no - there's these two girls that I like." Ranma was unable to look his mother in the eye.

"And you can't decide which one to chose?"

"Yeah. You see, Kuno was like that with his pigtailed goddess and Akane he lusted after them both. I *am* better then him." Ranma voice had a core of steel.

"But Ranma, neither of you wanted to be with Kuno. As I understand it, both Ukyo and Nabiki like you." Nodoka smiled as thoughts of Ranma's manliness occurred to her. "Well, I'm sure that you will mange to make both of them happy."

"Mom!" Ranma was becoming exasperated with Nodoka's strange ideas.

"I'm only teasing you, son. I know that you don't want to hurt either of them. I will support any decision you make. Now come her and give me a hug."


***************************


As Ukyo bathed with Nabiki, she asked her about the situation with Ranma. "What shall we do with Ranchan?"

"That's a good question. Part of me wants to sneak into his room at night and let him be manly with me all night long."

Ukyo nodded at that statement. "I know what you mean. And the rest of you?"

Nabiki thought for a moment. "Part of me wonders if I can make him happy. We don't share many interests, unlike you - you have martial arts and you're childhood friends. What do I have?"

Nodoka walked in to the bathroom. "My son's respect." She started to scrub down. "He told me that some of the things you did kept a roof over your heads and put food on the table."

Nabiki smiled at piece of information.

Nodoka rinsed herself off and stepped into the furo. "Ranma is going through a difficult stage at the moment," she said after settling in the hot water. "It seems as if Ranma's emotional development was stunted during his training trip and he's only now maturing."

"That would explain his teasing of Akane," Nabiki added. "It also explains why he said that he thought he loved both of us - he's not quite sure what love is."

"Who can blame him with his upbringing?" Ukyo asked rhetorically.

Nodoka managed to hide most of her shame at the realisation that Genma had fouled up most of Ranma's life. "Yes. Well, I think that you two can show Ranma what love is. I know I seem a bit strange to you, but I got lonely during his absence. I had dreams of Ranma's children running around for me to dote on."

Ukyo saw her eyes mist up. "I for one, would be glad to bear Ranchan's children."

Nabiki looked at the sincerity in Ukyo's eyes and the look of absolute joy on Nodoka's face. 'Damn, this is moving too fast for my liking. I'm not ready for children,' were her slightly panicked thoughts.

Nodoka looked at Nabiki, "don't worry dear. Ranma isn't ready for fatherhood just yet. He still gets embarrassed when he tries to talk to me about his feelings for the two of you."

Nabiki was relieved yet frustrated at that. "I can see why everybody gets so emotional when it comes to Ranma," she replied dryly.

Ukyo laughed, "that's Ranchan for you. He's the man among men that can get even the 'Ice Queen of Furinkan' flustered."

Nabiki decided that she couldn't take that lying down. "Laugh it up, Ucchan. I seem to remember him thinking that you were a boy."

Ukyo scowled.

Nabiki smiled, "don't worry Ucchan, I'm only teasing you back. To tell you the truth, I'm jealous of the your friendship with Ranma." Turning to Nodoka, she asked about her take on the Kuno situation.

"I'm angry with that entire bloodline. I did some checking and I found something most disturbing." Nodoka's tone did not suggest that the Kuno clan was as noble as Tatewaki claimed.


***************************


To be continued.



Thanks go out to Chi Vayne as my pre-reader.

Opinions, like it? Love it? Loathe it?

Let me know, please.

Just what did the Kunos do? Well, suffice to say (at this time, anyway) that any noble minded individual would be angry with them.

Also, I'm taking votes on the match up. Ucchan? Biki-chan? Both? Neither?

Email (two addresses for you to choose between this time:


(lordaa) (hotmail) (.com)

or

(lordraa) (digitalpimp) (.co.uk)