But nothing could ease one's nerves like being able to soak in a furo. All the stress could just wash away, leaving his body feeling totally at ease. In here, he could enjoy the opportunity to rest and let himself let the stress of what he'd just been through just flow out of him.
"Come now and wear the only clothing that is proper for your most honored position!" bellowed a male voice that he'd never heard before as some guy in a hakama burst into the room. "It is time to let yourself embrace the freedom to become mine! The time is now, Akane Tendo.... You are not Akane Tendo."
"Not the last time that I checked...." Ranma blurted, staring wildly at the sight of the guy holding a leash with a collar attached.
"But she was supposed to be in here. My ninja told me that the clothing in the basket was Chinese in style."
"I wear Chinese stuff."
"I see.... Even if that is so, how can you feel so free as to use the bathing facilities of the fair Akane's family?!"
"'Cause they said that I could."
"Why would they let some strange knave come in without previous meetings. Nay, I say that you are really a fiend who wants to assault my lovely pet in a most heinous and perverted way!"
"You what?!" the pigtailed boy yelped.
"This can not be forgiven! Have at you!"
Ranma leapt out of the water, and out of the way of the strike, which incidentally managed to slice a bit into the edge of the tub. But he wasn't about to worry about that at the moment, as he used the wall as a springboard as he bounced off of it, so that he could use both feet to kick into the elder boy's chest. Doing so worked better than he could have hoped, as it not only sent the attacker flying backwards, but sent him smashing through the door, and into the wall behind it, with Ranma on him for the entire time. After the boy landed, Ranma stood up and looked down at him, thoroughly confused.
"What the heck's going on around here?" Nabiki asked as she came up to the scene.
"I don't know. I was in the bath, and he attacked, and.... It was just a bit too weird."
"Is that so? Sounds like it."
"It was. But who is this guy?"
"Tatewaki Kuno, a...."
"A jerk and an idiot. And that is on his good days," Akane muttered, looking down at the boy in question in disgust as she came up to them. "He thinks that I should be his pet, I don't agree, and he assumes that I'm just putting up a fake protest."
"Oh, was that why he had the leash?" Ranma asked.
"A leash?
"Said it was the only clothing that be 'proper', or somethin' like that."
"Why that pervert!" the youngest Tendo snapped as she gave a small kick to Kuno's side before looking over to Ranma with gratitude in her eyes... and letting her jaw drop.
Kasumi frowned as she came upon the scene. "Oh my.... Looks like Kuno has come to visit again. He always makes such a mess. Did he bother you in the bath, Ranma.... Oh MY...." "He did."
"Well, don't worry. I'll be taking the garbage out anyway," the eldest Tendo daughter commented as she grabbed the older boy by one foot and dragged him away, blushing deeply the entire time.
"Is something the matter?"
"If you're talking about my daughter's reaction, it might have something to do with the fact that you have no clothes on," K'thi commented as she walked up to the teenagers. "Why are you standing naked in front of my daughters?"
With the adrenaline rush over with, and his mind turning to more immediate concerns, Ranma was able to confirm what she told him. Slapping his hands over his crotch, he yelped and ran back into the furo room.
"I don't think that he remembered that he was naked until then," Nabiki commented.
Her mother scowled at her. "Why didn't you tell him then?"
"I was enjoying the view."
"What about you, Akane? Why didn't you.... Akane?"
"Hmm...." Nabiki waved a hand in front of her younger sister's face. "Looks like she burned out a synapse or two."
"Oh?"
"Hey, she had to not only deal with Kuno attacking someone in our furo when he was after her, but got the chance to see an attractive male in the buff. Since it wasn't his fault, she likely was stuck with nothing to do but enjoy it."
"And you think that has just left her standing there frozen?"
"Well, she has a bit of a problem. Either she's been spending too much time on the martial arts aspect of the Chinese Amazons, or she's already planning out what will happen when she challenges him for his hand.... and his other parts."
"I'm not a pervert!" Akane snapped, with her head whipping around to face her sister.
"Didn't say that you were."
"Nabiki...."
"We do need to do some things...."
"Grr...."
"I really need to be able to put on some clothes!" Ranma complained from the furo, drawing sighs, for different reasons from the daughters than the mother, while:
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Thu, 02 Feb 2006 21:10)
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.