But that was nothing as he was shown just what he was getting.
It was simply a shock to discover that this slim, and delicate looking blonde was his pet. One couldn't avoid what had been happening, but he had managed to not get involved in it all. However, this was clearly something that he had to handle, as he could not return anything that his Mom had given him, no matter how out there it seemed.
Then he learned just how friendly and affectionate his Usagi was, when she had hugged him when he was feeling rather confused about everything. She had tried to soothe him the best she could, and seemed to genuinely care about his well being. Such open caring wasn't something that he was used to, or knew how to deal with, but he wanted it all the same. Sure, he was uncomfortable, but just having her around made him feel better. And it gave him a friend as well as a pet, even if he had to train her to be able to handle life on the road.
And that was what made things really strange for him. He tried his best to teach his neogirl what was what, and his father made nothing but complaints about how distracting this all was, and how hard it was to add another mouth to their already bothersome budget. Yet, the elder Saotome's plans to get rid of her came to naught, as she seemed to have the devil's own luck. If he should try to sneak his son out before dawn, she'd wake up early. Should he attempt to leave her behind in some spot, she'd manage to charm everyone around her into letting her know where they went. And when he tried to actively insult her into tears, she, other than calling him 'mean', proved that her blind kick could live up to her name.
All during this, Ranma was finding out that they seemed to have a knack for something unexpected. Once, when he and Usagi were on a snack run, he met up with a group of boys who'd insulted the two of them. Things escalated from there, and he got challenged to enter her into a contest. With the same intensity that he had for a martial arts challenge, he put into this one, and managed to get her as ready and as presentable as he could. Strangely enough, they did well, and had surprised a lot of people, because not many owners could actually train their Usagi neogirls to such a state of physical fitness. They hadn't been the 'best', but they were acknowledged as having promise in the field.
That left Ranma in the unenviable position of a boy who was stuck in doing things that were rather alien to him. He had to choose proper shampoos, work on outfit styles, and otherwise help her look her best, as well as getting the usual training in. Of course, he hated the fact that he had to do these things, but he was good, and it made her feel great.
And once his father saw that he could get a modest amount of money from it, he dropped his complaints down to a mere continuous grumble.
The situation lasted until a year from when he'd first gotten her had passed by. Then it was time for his birthday once again, and he celebrated that along with the anniversary of having Usagi. It was great, and he loved all of it, including the contact that he had with his mother.
After all, this time, he got his Ami.
Another year of life started for him, and he managed to discover that his new neogirl was as unused to the life as Usagi had been. But he was not about to let himself fail with her when he managed to get the blonde to a more fit situation. He taught her a lot of stuff, and focused a great deal on styles like Tai Chi and aikido, and she helped him not only with his schoolwork, but with stuff like games of strategy such as chess, go and shogi. In fact, they became rather good at it, and she did pretty well in a few local tournaments.
The next birthday saw the arrival of Rei, who was a shock to his system in more ways than one. She was confident, fiery, and very vocal, all of which was different than his last two. Yet, she found her own niche, and became his guardian, even though he was certain that he didn't need one. It was like she was instinctually doing it, and she kept on giving him all sorts of 'kicks in the pants' if he slacked off in anything. Then again, trying to find a contest for her wasn't working out well, until he discovered traditional Japanese activities, and found that while she was very loud at times, she could do shows of silent beauty quite well.
Then came Makoto with his fifteenth birthday, and he almost let his jaw drop to the floor. It wasn't that she was pretty, though she was. But she could actually fight, as she had a talent for it. Training with her meant that he could get someone who was naturally capable in the Art, and get her to be quite skilled if he put in the effort. And she was great at a lot of simple chores, as she could do housework easier than anyone else that he could imagine. Certainly, he still cared for and wanted to keep his other neogirls, but having one who could make a great meal out of what they could afford was wonderful, and very helpful. And he could actually do well with her both in the cooking contests, and the fighting ones.
When Minako came, he was pretty much resigned to the fact that he would be getting another one. His mother had done it four times before, and even if he liked and had adjusted to it, the whole idea was rather... strange to him. What he wasn't expecting was for her to be a lot like Usagi in personality, though a bit more... man hungry. After living with four neogirls, each of whom was rather attractive, he knew that he liked their gender. However, he wasn't exactly prepared for one who was so openly affectionate. She seemed to really like the idea of being with him though, and he did have to admit that she was pretty good on the volleyball court. Still, finding out that she liked the idea of being put into the beauty pageants was a great thing for him, even if the whole idea of having to deal with face creams, body lotions, makeup, and how good a girl looked in a swimsuit was not something that he particularly desired to get into.
So, he was stuck in a bit of a bind of his own making, though he wouldn't give them up. Each of them had become very close to him, and he was rather possessive of them, though he tried to deny it. Then again, he was not sure that he was ever going to get used to the idea of coming across them as they bathed in a lake, or what seeing that would stir in him.
Genma didn't like it at all, even if his son's skill in the Art hadn't suffered. He wasn't happy that he had neogirls keeping his boy from hardening his spirit, focusing only on the Art, and keeping him from what would be legitimately training in new techniques. Fortunately, they also allowed the boy to learn a lot about the differences between fighters, and helped him get experience in training others.
And it gave him plenty of sake money.
Yet, through this all, there were some things that were going to happen. Some were large, and some were small, but all of them were going to happen one way or another. And in this case, what was going to happen next was:
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(Posted Sun, 23 Oct 2005 01:08)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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