With a splash, two arms shot from the living water to grasp at the rim of the pool. Their partners joined them. The owners of the arms pulled themselves up out of the water with a simultaneous gasp.
Rei's two friends rushed (as far as the 'no running around the pool allowed' permitted) to Rei's side.
Usagi glanced at Rei's left hand, and her face split into a wide grin. "Ohhh! Rei-chan, congratulations!" cooed the odango-haired priestess giddily.
"Rei-chan, it's not nice to lie about such things. The truth has a way of coming out," Ami chided her raven-haired friend goodnaturedly.
Rei blinked, then blinked again, both times in confusion. "What? What truth? What are you two talking about, Usagi-chan? Ami-chan?"
Usagi happily pointed to the ring finger of Rei's left hand. As the name suggested, that hand had a ring on it. It was a fine golden ring, delicately worked, elegantly thin on her equally slender finger, polished to a keen shine.
Why, it looked like a...
Rei's eyes went to Ranma's corresponding finger, seeing a similar gold ring.
A scream tore through the air. It took Rei half a moment to realize that it was coming from her mouth.
Ranma yelped at the sudden shriek. "Agh! Whad're ya screamin' about now?!" he asked, wincing in pain. He glanced at his new jewelry. "Where did this ring come from?"
Getting over her shock somewhat, said Rei in a shaky voice, "It's an ancient ritual, hardly used these days, where a man and a woman entering the Sacred Waters would emerge wearing matching gold rings..."
Ranma looked at his ring. "Ya mean this ring is a gift from yer goddess?" Ranma wondered if passing this off as booty would get his old man off his back.
Rei nodded, slowly recovering her wits. "Yes. They are rings created by the goddess, commemorating the completing of the wedding ritual."
"W-wedding ritual? You mean... we're...?"
"MARRIED!" finished Usagi gleefully.
Ranma stared at her, then his eyes went as wide as saucers.
Now the room reverberated with Ranma's own scream.
Usagi blinked innocently. "Why are you screaming, Rei-chan's husband-san?"
"This is a disaster!" wailed Rei. "I must be wrong somehow! I can't be married to this lecher!"
"Hey! Who are ya callin' a lecher?!" Ranma growled, suddenly snapping out of his stupor.
Rei ignored him, trapped in her own little worries. "C'mon, Rei. Don't panic," she murmured to herself, "Maybe you messed up and are remembering it wrong... Yeah... Gotta consult the head priestess... Gotta make sure..." She staggered out of the sacred chamber, wearing only a gold ring.
"ACK! Rei-chan! Cover your goodies!" squealed Usagi, rushing after Rei with the naked priestess's robes. (She was still holding them when she knocked Rei into the pool.)
"Husband-san, you'll need to come too," Ami said with a bow.
"Oh. Okay," Ranma said witlessly, pulling himself out of the sacred spring with a splash.
Ami's eyes widened, as if scandalized. She quickly turned around and coughed. "Husband-san," Ami began, an embarrassed frown on her face and a flush across her face, "You're a married man, now. Cover your shame."
"YOW!" Ranma squeaked, cupping his hands over his nethers.
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Tue, 15 Jun 2004 07:29)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.