Akane would have been tempted to say something unladylike in response, if she hadn't been so preoccupied with keeping her balance.
Ranma was teaching her fence-running. Or rather Ranma was making her run on a fence. There was little actual teaching involved.
Ever since she had become Ranma's slave he had wanted to physically hold onto her at all time in some way. Since he could not hold her hand while they were running on the fence, he had Akane attach the chain to her collar and was now leading her on her leash.
Even running backwards Ranma was fast going so fast that Akane had trouble keeping up. His goal seemed to be to make her go to fast to have time to fall of. It seemed to be working even if Akane's journey so far had been more of one long continuos stumble forward instead of Ranma's usual graceful acrobatics.
Minor matters like the fact that she was again not wearing any panties today and somebody might look up her billowing skirt as she was flashing by were of little concern by comparison.
Finally flushed and out of breath she reached the gate in Ranma's tow.
"Hold it right there, Saotome," Kunou demanded blocking their way.
He had a small booklet in his hands that featured herself in her skimpy slave-dress on her master's leash on the cover. That had to be the information package that Nabiki had prepared yesterday.
Still trying to catch her breath she blushed even deeper at the thought that everyone at school who had bought one of these would see her pictures of her in such a revealing outfit.
"What do you want, Kunou," Akane's Master confronted the upperclassman.
"Is it true?" Kunou demanded. "Does this publication of the mercenary Tendou sister speak the truth?"
That was new. Normally Kunou did not bother to wait for confirmation of even the most ridiculous delusions he had come up with. Ranma was hesitating. He probably had not been prepared for Kunou to do something that did not warrant an immediate bashing. And only asking if Nabiki had written the truth did not count as a reasons to start a fight.
"Uh, ... I don't know? I haven't actually read what Nabiki has written yet," Ranma hedged.
And even if Ranma had know what Akane's sister had ended up putting into the booklet, there was no way that he could guess what Kunou had read out of it. Akane doubted that what Kunou read had any resemblance to what had been written.
"I mean the part about you enslaving the fair Akane! Where it says that Akane is your property!" Tatewaki impatiently told Akane's master.
"Yeah, that is the truth," Ranma said holding up the leash that still connected Akane to him.
"And the pig-tailed girl? What about her? This thing mentions her too but it doesn't make any sense," Kunou complained. "Is the pigtailed-girl you property, too?"
"Look, Kunou, Akane is mine, she gave herself to me willingly. She wanted to be my slave and there is no need for you to try to free her or the pigtailed girl. Neither of them wants or needs you," Ranma tried to explain.
"Good!" Kunou exclaimed.
"Really Kunou there is no need to ..." Ranma paused as Kunou's answer penetrated. "Good?"
Good? Akane wondered just as taken aback as her master.
"Good!" Kunou affirmed.
He reached into a pocket and brandished not a bokken, but a large brick of what appeared to be Yen notes.
"Because I want to buy them from you!" Kunou declared triumphantly.
A loud choking sound could be heard in the sudden dumbfounded silence that descended over the school-yard and Akane could see Minami and Noriko bending over a fallen girl who must have issued it.
"You want to buy my Akane?" Ranma asked disbelievingly.
Akane stepped a bit closer to her master.
"Yes! Her and the pigtailed girl!" Kunou confirmed.
"Are all right, Nabiki?" Minami inquired unnecessarily while helping her up.
"Sure, oxygen is overrated anyway and the ground is actually quite comfy," Nabiki replied brushing her off.
When she was able to stand by her self again Nabiki looked around.
"What happened to the money? And Kunou where is he?" she asked then adding as an afterthought, "Did anybody see what happened to Akane?"
"Relax! Your sister is fine," Minami tried to clam her down. "Ranma would never sell Akane. And Kunou could never buy anybody anyway. He really should have read the part about a master having to pass a test before being allowed to own a slave. No way somebody like him would ever be licensed for that."
Nabiki didn't care about those lies she had made up yesterday, she wanted to know what had happened to the money.
"Hey, if you are both all right could one of you come down here now and help me dragging?" Noriko called over from where she was pulling the lifeless form of Nabiki's classmate to the infirmary.
Leaving Minami alone with the rest of their merchandise Nabiki went over to help Noriko.
"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed when she got a look at Kunou's face.
"Yeah, harsh, isn't it," Noriko agreed. "You wouldn't have thought that it would fit. Do you know, if we can still claim a reward for finding his money when it was actually crammed in his mouth?"
"We might have to remove at least some of it to help him breath," Nabiki decided generously.
"I guess it was to be expected that Ranma wouldn't react to well to Kunou's offer. But Akane at least should have felt flattered. I mean it was quite a lot of money after all." Noriko mused as they dragged Kunou off.
Nabiki looked at her questioningly.
"A girl likes to know that she is appreciated. And there a few better ways to quantify such appreciation then cold hard cash," Noriko elaborated defensively. "Don't tell me, that since this whole slavery things has come up, you haven't at least speculated what you would be worth — hypothetically speaking of course."
Nabiki tried to come up with a reply to that that would make sense and failed.
"I mean, I know am no Akane Tendou, but I think I would still fetch a good price." Noriko went on.
Still falling to come up with a sane response Nabiki settled for telling her friend encouragingly, "Don't worry, Noriko, I am sure you would do just fine on the auction block — hypothetically speaking of course."
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(Posted Wed, 09 Mar 2005 01:13)
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